Andrò in Italia nella primavera 2011!

I wrote a long email to my parents yesterday explaining all of the reasons why I am changing the dates of my trip to Italy to be in the spring semester of my senior year instead of the fall, and I wanted to share them with anyone else who was wondering. So...here goes. :)

I will start with my reasons to not go in the fall.

My primary reason for not going this fall is because of Ashley and Matt's wedding. I am essentially her maid of honor (the maid of honor is her little sister), and I've been asked to speak and help arrange showers/parties/everything else maids of honor do. I wouldn't be able to fulfill any of these tasks while being in Italy, and thinking about missing all of these pre-wedding things for two of my best friends truly breaks my heart. So I have decided it is not worth missing. If I did go to Italy this fall, I would miss all of those things and only be able to show up for the wedding ceremony (which is the weekend before exams in Italy...barf...). It's simply to costly for me, in terms of life experience.

Secondly, Mallory's final semester at UA is this fall. Our friendship has gotten way stronger this year, and I can't imagine missing out on our time together during her last semester. Also, Cat will have more free time so all of us girls could finally be together again and just be college kids together. It's quite a priceless thing, to me.

Thirdly, Alabama is playing Auburn, Penn State, and Florida at home this year. My senior year. My last football season of $5 tickets and being with my friends in the stands. Like...WHOA. It hurts my tummy to think about missing that.

Fourthly, if I get an awesome job this summer that I love, I can continue to work at that location throughout the fall and earn a lot more money towards my trip to Italy. It would help me not have such a hole in my pocket from the student loan.

Fifthly, I could apply for scholarship through API. I have not planned in enough advance to do so for the fall, but if I got a scholarship (because I would apply extra early for the spring), that would be even less of a hole in my pocket.

Sixthly, Dinan is coming home and will be here in the fall. If I leave in the fall, I will essentially be spending a year without Dinan. That is a terrible tragedy.

Seventhly, I have begun working on a new type of singing in my voice class right now that I have never known myself to be capable of. My teacher gets wide eyes and a proud smile every time we have a lesson, and I feel that I am at the height of my progress thus far. I am nervous to put a hiatus on my voice lessons at this point, when I've only just begun to really find my inner belter. He has voiced his own concerns with a break in our training, which has made me second-guess my timing. I want another semester of continuous work so that I can be confident in the training I will graduate with.

Now, I will talk about my reasons to go in the spring.

First of all, spring is notoriously AWESOME in Italy. The weather is supposed to be phenomenal, which would be ideal for my weekend travels. :)

Secondly, I would have all of spring break to journey through Europe (as opposed to the fall, during which I would have no extended break during which I could country-hop). Janie (and Lindsey) could join me for the week and experience some European awesomeness with me without having to rush during the short fall break to get to Italy and back, dealing with the crazy jet lag in just 3 days.

Thirdly, instead of having my Christmas break cut short, it would be elongated while my summer "break" (aka time to find a job and be an adult) would only be a couple of weeks shorter. This allows for a lot more breathing room and relaxation.

Fourthly, it does not conflict with any major Alabama-ness (football) or other important events.

Fifthly, I could be finished with all of my stressful undergrad credits before I left and just enjoy a last collegiate semester of dance and Italian.

Sixthly, I would be fresh "off the boat" from Italy for my interviews with Delta and my Italian efficiency tests. I can't imagine a better way to prepare for those than spending 4 months in the country whose language I hope to be using in my career. :)

So there you go. I will be in Tuscaloosa, Alabama for this fall--my last semester at UA! And then I will spend the spring in Florence, Italy, and get to see this every day:

It is going to be a fantastic year. :)