My heart sank... I was the last person standing at the baggage claim and my bag still hadn't shown up. My worst fear had come true, my baggage was missing, and everything I had brought with me, my clothes, my underwear, shampoo, deodorant everything was in that bag. Il mil bagaglio e mancante! "My baggage is missing!" I yelled to the steward. He brought me over to the window and in my broken Italian I tried to explain what was happening. The attendants accent was so thick it was hard to understand, but between my broken Italian and her broken English I signed some papers and I was on my way. Hoping of course that she understood and that I would see my luggage again. Then we had the next problem to deal with. Where was Kenny, and where was Roberto? Kenny had flown on a different flight than ours and we have no international service on our phones. So we had to make a decision, go out the Uscita (Exit) and risk not getting back in (mamma Mia) or stay and risk not seeing them because they are waiting outside. We decided to Uscita. As soon as we walked out the doors I saw Kenny (thank God) and then soon after the tears came. There was Roberto, in the flesh! He was real! We could hug him and kiss him and cry with him. It was real and true. The dream came to life. We are here! We are in Italy! And now to see Rome!
When I woke up the day we left it felt like Christmas morning. Although we had been up all night unable to sleep because of packing and excitement I jumped out of bed ready for the day.The airport was fairly uneventful, we had a nice Bloody Mary and then headed to our gate. Even after we took off I think we are all still in disbelief. It is now Wednesday, and we are an hour away. As I write this I'm sitting on the plane watching "The Princess and the Frog." I'm already getting emotional and I know I will cry when my feet hit the ground on Roman soil. And when I meet my cousin Roberto for the first time, I'm pretty sure I'm going to cry. It has been a long flight, my back, neck and legs are killing me, I'm exhausted but I have never been more happy to experience these pains and inconveniences. This is REAL. This is REALITY! Something that was a only a DREAM, something we only TALKED ABOUT. Well I'm a living breathing testament that dreams really do come true, things we thought were impossible, have been made possible. Although this may be simply material to most it's not to us, it's not material to my family. This is blood, this is life, this is blessing, this is love. Our prayers have been answered, a piece of our hearts that have been missing for so long with be placed together. God has given us an incredible gift. Something of this magnitude is hard to take in. Soon the dream becomes reality....
I sat on top of my suitcase with everything finally safely inside, with my weight squishing down and compacting every inch of my bag I finally got the zipper zipped! Success! With a great feeling of accomplishment I jumped up and looked at my work with pride. Then my heart sank, sure I got the bag closed, but I forgot about my makeup bag (not going anywhere without that!) and my coat, which according to weather predictions I'm going to want it with me. Gosh darn it! Back to the drawing board....
The problem everyone faces when trying to pack for a big trip is space. Especially for woman, am I right ladies!? The shoes, the tops, shoes, jeans, dresses, shoes, skirts, and Shoes. Will it be hot? Will it be cold? And did I mention shoes? With the bag limits, weight limits and everything else that comes into play when flying you have to pack smart, I used to pack a small bag every summer for New York and here is what I learned and we shall see how successful I turn out to be.
First, plan your outfits. I'm not saying think about what you want to wear but actually put the outfits together that you may be envisioning and try it on. You may find that the idea in your head looks way different in all actuality (this happens to me daily). Just think, the last thing you are going to want to do is waste time in the morning changing your outfit 3 times because you look too fat, too frumpy, those colors clash etc. plus if you find the outfit doesn't work you are not wasting sweet valuable space and now you have more room for another pair of shoes!
Second, the roll technique. Take your clothes and roll them into tight little rolls and you suddenly have more space! Remember not all things rolled help with space constraints, for instance, I wouldn't recommend rolling your jeans, that's going to be one BIG roll. Some things just fit better when they are flat.
Third, pack things that can be multiple outfits. Pack some button up blouses, they can be worn closed, open with a shirt under, you can change the color of the undershirt, you can also wear them as an accent with a cute dress! Pack some plain white t's, you can dress them up or down, wear with a skirt, jeans or with leggings, throw a belt around it and add a scarf and you have a sweet outfit! Bring a dress that can be dressed up and dressed down. If you have a dress that a shirt looks good over it throw it on, add a belt and presto! Now you have two dresses! (I will also be sure to share my fashion fun with those who follow my Italian adventure. After all Italy is tops for fashion so you have to have fun with it right?!)
And last but not least, always go travel size. You can get more of everything once you are there, you don't need that giant bottle of shampoo and conditioner, get the travel size bottles and fill them, if you run out there are stores there I promise. Be sure to pack little things like wrinkle releaser, a lint roller, and a little bag for laundry. Now I'm all ready to go! We leave early tomorrow morning for the airport! Soon we will take our first steps onto Italian soil! Stay tuned!
The jar sat in the corner of my parents room. It was an old glass water jar that was as tall as my hip when my mother and I started to put change into it. "Its our trip to Italy" my mom had said, "someday when the jar is full we will count it all and it will pay for us to go to Italy, where we will meet all our aunts and uncles and cousins!" Every time I put a coin in that jar it was a mixture of excitement and despair, it was such a big jar! It would take years to fill! And it did, I'm now 26 years old and the jar is finally full. Our tickets are bought, our plans are laid. In four long days I will be flying to Italy to meet family I have only kept in touch with through emails and Facebook. My mom Nina, dad Ted, boyfriend Kenny and I will be spending three incredible weeks in Rome, San Andre, Venice and Florence. I don't think I will believe it until I'm there, my emotions have been so amplified in the weeks leading up to this incredible life changing moment. Stay tuned to hear about our adventures, I'm sure there will be many laughs and maybe even some tears! I will be sharing every detail, the food, the art, the sites and smells. Viva Italia!