Europe, Here I Come!!!!

I've traveled to many places around the world - South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malaysia, Thailand and China - and each one was truly unforgettable and life-changing. Each place I've been has expanded my view of the world, of people, of God and of myself.


But, I've joked that I've always gone to Third World countries only and I've never been to the places that "normal people" vacation to. On the one hand, I actually like that - I like having visited places and seeing cultures and locations that most people don't see and experience. I like seeing what these cultures are really like as opposed to the typical tourist or Americanized versions of these things.


And, I want to keep doing it. I honestly can't think of very many places in the world that I wouldn't be interested in going or spending time in. However, I've always longed to go to Europe - and specifically to Italy and Greece. There's something about the Mediterranean that is calling out to me, as cheesy as that sounds.


ANYWAY....I'm finally going to Europe!!!!! My current roommate Jennie and I are going to spend some time in Switzerland and Italy!!!

Jennie's just been accepted to attend training for a humanitarian aid organization that's headquartered in Switzerland. SO....I'm going to fly into Zurich and meet up with her after her training's over (I leave for Zurich on June 27). Then, we're going to take a train into Northern Italy, spend some time with a friend of hers who lives there, then go to Assissi and CinqueTerre (that's right on the water!!!) OH MY GOSH, I'm so excited!!!!!! Plus, neither of us is all about seeing everything in as much time as possible. We both like traveling as opposed to touristing (yes, I made up my own word). So we're going to enjoy our time with no crazy schedule that causes our vacation to feel more like a marathon. We're going to simply enjoy our surroundings.


And, considering that Jennie's moving out of my house so that she can prepare for her longterm work overseas, I'm so excited to spend this time with her and have such a great memory before she leaves. This is going to be SO WONDERFUL!!!!