Rome Will Soon Be Home

After twenty months of not traveling internationally, this blog will finally get the chance to be brought back to life. One week from tomorrow, I will be departing Washington Dulles airport for the opportunity of a lifetime. Back in the spring of 2018, I had the great pleasure of being able to live abroad for four months and spend two and a half of those months studying in Rome with Christendom's study abroad program. A week and a half ago, I was offered and accepted a new job: being one of the college's study abroad program coordinators! So now I am getting the chance to relive the program over again as a mentor to the current students. 

Even with all the challenges and restrictions being placed on study abroad programs these days, I could not be more excited for the opportunity to immerse myself in European culture once again. I have said for years, if I ever got the opportunity to live abroad for a few years, I would definitely do it. And here I am about to pursue a job that has been a dream of mine for years. 

Since I only had two and a half weeks notice, the last few days have been crazy: packing up my apartment, sorting through clothes to bring with me, arranging for a U-Haul to move all my furniture home to my parents' house, working overtime during the last two weeks at my current job, and spending as much quality time with my friends here in Virginia as possible. Goodbyes are only temporary since I am home in between semesters but I sure will miss the community I've come to know in my eighteen months of living in Front Royal, plus the four years I spent here prior while in college. 

I truly wish that the Blonde was accompanying me in these travels or that my entire group (Shoutout to the 2018 Spring Romers!) was going to be part of this journey as well. I know there will be plenty of occasions when I want to be reminiscing about our Rome memories and wish they were there to relive it with me. Instead we will have FaceTime dates, postcard writing sessions and hopefully many phone calls and/or group texts reliving "our glory days." 

The next time you hear from me, I will have arrived in Rome and settled into my apartment for the semester. I can't wait to share photos and stories throughout my time there and hope that you will enjoy following along. Please pray for the success of the program and know that all of my friends and family will be in my prayers as I am exploring all the beautiful Churches of Rome. 

Much love, 

The Brunette