Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Waiting in Anticipation

I keep thinking I have people to visit (which I do) and things to buy... ALL BEFORE I LEAVE IN ONE WEEK! But the reality is, I shouldn't be driving to Framingham everyday to rummage through DSW and TJMaxx looking for the right pair of boots so that I can roam the cobblestone streets of Firenze and Roma comfortably. I should be saving those dollars, preparing to convert them to euros, hoping the European economy continues to do worse than ours, so that the $$ is worth more, and so I can ultimately buy better looking, real Italian leather boots and handbags right from the sweaty Italian store keepers, instead of rummaging through the half damaged goods of TJMaxx. Thinking about this stresses me out. I only have one week until I have to leave my life of sweatpants and comfort behind me. This is why I keep going to Framingham, buying things, coming home, then going back to return them... because I plan to arrive in Italy stylish. But now I realize, that I want Italy to style me, so I have to have patience and wait a week until I can stick my tiny feet and large calves into fresh Italian leather... even if I have to pay the premium. Which leads me to another point of anxiety. I can no longer focus on being the money saver while I am abroad. I am going to have to spend the extra dollars to get the hand made Italian products, and the better glass of Chianti, it may be painful to come back with a bank account holding less than $1,000, but it's a sacrifice I am willing to make. I am only going to be spending a term abroad in Tuscany once (although I wish I could do more). My plan is to leave my structured and prompt life behind me for ten weeks, and embrace the experience like a true paisano.

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