Chapter 3

So I thought it would be kinda funny to post about my last vacation before heading off to Sicily. I didn't realize how ironic my vacation location was until I was messaging my Sicilian sister on Facebook. She asked how I was and I told her I was doing great, and was currently sitting in a restaurant in Venice.... Venice Beach, California that is. I repeated to my sister what my cousin, Tristan, had just told me about the history of Venice, CA; that the tourist destination in CA was originally modeled after the Venice of Italy, including the famous canals. 

A few pictures from my vacation: 

 From left to right: My dad, Marty; my cousin, Tristan; me; and my best friend, Vanessa

 A shot of one of the canals in Venice CA

This trip has, in a weird way, made my impending trip abroad seem more real. Up to this point it doesn't feel like I will be moving to a whole different continent, country, climate, and culture in less than 30 days. Which is kind of weird because I am a part of multiple AFS Facebook groups, a WeChat group of a lot of students (from all over the world) headed to Italy this fall, and have just recently flown to LA to get my student VISA. Everywhere I go people ask me when I leave and where I am going and I excitedly tell them about AFS, Sicily, and my host family; and yet it still hasn't sunk in that I will be gone for nearly a year. To be honest, I think it's only gonna hit me on the drive to the airport later on this month. Ciao for now!