3 Months to go!!

Hey all. :)

Thought I'd start making the blog to get used to the whole posting thing.

As you all know I'm going to Italy for a year on an exchange with AFS. So far I have sent my visa stuff away, got a host family and am receiving monthly (at the moment anyway) updates on what i should have done and what i should be getting ready, from AFS

About 2 weeks ago I received my first bit of family information so that was exciting. They are the Morgese family and they live in a small (or so my host brother says. Its bigger then Inglewood so I'm happy) town called Gravina in Puglia, in the south, population 45,000ish.

My host mum is Maria Nicola, 49

Dad is Giovanni, 49

Older brother is Giuseppe, or Peppe for short, who is 18 in July

My younger sister is Victoria, 15 in about a week 

and lastly, Michele, 10, is my younger brother. 

Maria Nicola's mum also lives with them but only for meals and "chilling", as Giuseppe puts it.

Just waiting to get some more information and pictures from AFS about them now but i have been talking to Giuseppe, who is currently in Finland on his own exchange, and they seem really nice. Just working on a letter to my host parents now. Hopefully they know a little English because my Italian ain't so crash hot.

Apparently the summers are hot but I'm good with that, I'm sick of this miserable cold winter that has taken over Taranaki. If its going to be this cold it may as well just snow!!!

I also have flights booked. Flying out from New Plymouth on the 9th of September (09/09/09 hehe) at 6:50 am. Bright and early. Not that I mind. I'm not expecting to get a lot of sleep the night before anyway so early suits me.

My itinerary from then on is as follows (I've converted all the times to NZ); 

Auckland to Singapore Depart: 1200 Arrive: 2250 Flight Length 10 hours 50 minutes

Singapore to Frankfurt Depart: 0305 (10th) Arrive: 1630 Flight Length 13 hours and 25 minutes

Frankfurt to Rome Depart: 1825 Arrive: 2010 Flight Length 1 hour 45 minutes

Thats a total of 26 hours flying. Not to mention the hours spent in airports. I would hate to be the person sitting next to me on the flight to Rome. I'm going to be a cot case.

Just waiting for the bill to arrive now which will be a bit daunting, having to pay so much money, after I've worked and saved for so long to get it all and then suddenly, POOF!, like a 3rd of its gone. Oh well. Has to be done. But i can definitely say I am going to HATE paying for a deposit on a house.

Map of Southern Italy. Gravina in Puglia is where i will be living.

Any whom, will put updates and pictures up as soon as I have them

Ciao =D

92 days!