‘Twas the Night Before Pasta

‘Twas the Night Before Pasta, when Kerry sat anxiously writing this post

Dreaming about what in Italy she would love the most

After collecting all necessary papers, cards, and euros

She asked herself, have I packed? The answer was no.

Pre-departure

Hello to anyone and everyone kind enough to read my blog! My name is Kerry Woods and I am a junior Psychology (B.S.) Neuroscience major at the Pennsylvania State University hopefully applying to medical school this spring. I am studying abroad this Spring 2015 semester in Perugia, Italy at the Umbra Institute. I have never been to Europe and am so very excited to not only be able to travel there, but stay until May! It is all starting to hit me at once now, especially when printing out my flight confirmation number and boarding pass to leave tomorrow.

I am almost 100% Irish and am probably one of the palest people you will ever meet. And with that, I only know about 5 words in Italian. It’s safe to say I am going to stick out like sore thumb. Which is all fine and good! As you probably already know and will soon find out I’m not shy or quiet, at all. So along this journey I will be exploring Europe for the first time, main destination Italy. I am hopeful that I will be able to travel to other countries such as Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, and the UK.

I chose to study abroad in Italy because it has all my favorite things: pasta, art, wine, beaches, and cathedrals. Even though I am a science major, I am extremely interested in art. Almost anything really – paintings, sculpture, architecture. You name it, I probably enjoy it. I went to Catholic school for 12 years of my life, and therefore really appreciate historic churches. I love stained glass windows and paintings, by whom I consider geniuses, such as those in the Sistine Chapel. Therefore, I will absolutely share my experiences regarding the famous food and beverage in Italy; but I will also sneak in a bit about churches as a heads up.

As an author of this blog, Penn State requires me to post something on a weekly basis. So I will try to keep up with that timeline as much as possible. I also love when I am able to visually see places and things someone tells me about, therefore I will try to attach several pictures with each blog post.  The best way to communicate with me abroad is to send me a Facebook message. I am purchasing an Italian phone and number while abroad, and will only be using my current cell phone in areas with WIFI. Thank you so very much for taking the time to follow me on my journey this semester, I really appreciate it!

My resolution this year is to be a better listener, so come back and experience all that I am able to see and more importantly, hear.

Location: Wilmington, DE 19803 United States