The Good Ole USA

Well, it's back to normal life here in the United States for two weeks. Last Thursday and Friday, I spent some time back in Washington at Georgetown. It was wonderful to see my friends, who I will not see until at least Christmas (or maybe longer if they are going abroad in the spring). Over 60% of Georgetown students go abroad during their junior year for a semester or year, one of the highest rates and best programs in the country. I also finally picked up my visa for the fall in the Czech Republic from their embassy after over 4 months of paperwork. If you've ever had a visa, they're really cool and look like a mini-passport on a random page inside your passport.

After spending the weekend catching up with my Louisiana friends in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, I have resumed my normal summer post at my father's law office. Naturally, there are many things I would rather do than sit in an office all day, but I will be earning a little extra money to spend on my travels in Italy starting August 15. Although I did a good job saving money in Europe by not shopping, I have already broken the bank in the US. I bought two pairs of Levi's jeans (which cost over 200 euros a pair in Europe) and two pairs of Converse and Vans shoes (which cost over 75 euros a pair on the other side of the pond). So at least I was smart to wait until I returned to America.

I am very excited to explore Italy over the second half of August, and I will be preparing parts of my trip while I am not too busy here in Louisiana. I will be staying in center city Florence for the duration of my stay in Italy before I head to begin my fall semester in Prague on August 29. Thankfully, my cousin lives in Florence and has been gracious enough to host me for my stay in Italy. My brothers have just returned from a trip to Italy and Switzerland with my grandfather, so I hope to find out some things to do from them. I am not certain of my exact itinerary, but I figure I can do whatever I feel like for those two weeks. Trains are the easiest way to get around in Italy and Switzerland, so I will be researching online while I am home because there are several discount train passes available only to non-Europeans staying outside of Europe (like me for the next two weeks). Oh, and maybe I should start learning some basic Italian. Ciao for now!