Safe & Sound

I made it! I am currently sitting in Gio's kitchen in Istanbul eating double-fat olives and drinking iced tea while looking out the balcony at buildings upon buildings. The trip over was as stress-free as can be. I only wish I could have stayed a bit in Germany, as everything looked so cute from the plane! My transfer went smoothly and Turkish Airlines was quite nice. I got a full warm meal on a 2.5 hour flight, which would never happen anymore in America. I don't really even have any airplane stories for you...that's just how easy the trip was. Now I can set to work on wrapping my mind around the fact that I just traveled half-way around the world and I'm in TURKEY. Whoa. Tomorrow we're flying out of the airport on the Asian side of town to go on a beach trip to Fethiye, Turkey. That will be my first time ever in Asia. How weird! Expect more details in the coming days...xoxo

I'm off!

Well the morning has come! I'm vacillating between excitement and nerves and thoughts of "what the hell am I doing?!" Thank you to everyone for your good wishes for my trip. I've dreamed of living in Europe again ever since I returned from Italy the last time and now it's actually coming true. I know it'll fly by in a blink and before I know it, I'll wish I was sitting right back here with stomach churning. Funny how life works. I'll be sure to update you all asap and let you know I've arrived safely, which should be tomorrow morning. Long "day" ahead of me and I should get going. I miss you all already. A lot.

Final Countdown

In a mere two days I'll board my plane to Turkey, or Ham, or whatever it is! No, I'm not actually that confused about the country's name, I'm just beyond psyched to explore the only country that shares its name with a delicious meat and I think more countries should follow suit. Imagine a world filled with food countries. "I'm off to visit Crepes!" "I can't wait to step foot in Jam!" Oh, the possibilities.

I thought I'd be super nervous like I was before leaving to study abroad but I've got it on lockdown. As I told my mom, I'm trying to be a big girl. But really, it's just that this time around I know what the heck I'm doing. I've been getting ready for weeks so that these last couple days wouldn't be too stressful and I've actually been quite successful in executing that plan. And as far as leaving, this time I don't just feel sad to leave the people I love here, but excited to see the people I love there! I feel so fortunate that it worked out to meet Gio, Shawn, and Charlotte first because seeing close friends will really cushion the blow of leaving home. Then in Bologna I'll get to see all my old Italian friends, and in Siena I already have a jump-start with roommate friends. So all in all, not a bad set-up. And to all my America family and friends...you know how much I'll miss you, and you know how good I am at using Gmail and Skype. :) Lots of love!

Well, if you insist

Oh, the joys of working for less than slaves, migrants, and children with lemonade stands. The UC Siena study center emailed me this week and said they can offer me "indirect compensation" in the form of paying my rent. I'll take what I can get! I would have even accepted them funding my unavoidable gelato habit, although paying my rent might be more cost effective for them in the long run.

To top off that great news, I found an apartment this week as well! I used Easystanza, an Italian website, to find the place. However, due to their weird methods of charging people for their services, I could only send messages and not receive them. By using my refined problem-solving and facebook stalking skills, I somehow managed to track down the girl and get in touch. Now I'm moving in with her! I'll be living in a very internationally populated apartment in the center of town that offers stunning views of the hillsides. I can already imagine sipping wine and eating cheese while staring off into the distance. Come to mamma!

No, the Dog Did Not Eat My Blog

After an excessively long sabbatical, it is time to reinstate the blog. I've decided that I'm going to finally stick to Kelly Carrying On instead of creating a new blog for each phase in my life, because as a wise person once said, that's just silly. Besides, I think it adequately expresses the way I aimlessly wander through life while also portraying my eagerness to travel. As if I ever am capable of toting simply one carry-on. But that's beside the point.

Life has been relatively simply these last several months, with me living at home and subbing. I left San Diego and yet I feel as though I've stayed behind since four close friends have moved abroad. I'm eager to follow in their footprints and have accepted an internship at UC Siena over the summer, which will be a great way to enhance my international education experience, excel my Italian skills, and visit old friends.

Although my sites have been set on returning to Europe, I have managed to fit in some inner-continental travel in the last few months. I made a trip to Vegas in January for Preeyanka's birthday and just last week was down in San Diego for Brittany's and Erick's birthdays. Days of birth just seem like good reasons to celebrate, I guess. ;)

Here's a backlogged pic of the whole gang in Vegas:

For a second I thought I was in Europe:

While I was down in SD, Britt took a day off just for me!


What would a trip be without a token pic of me and food?


On Erick's birthday, we stayed up all night dancing, then playing Cranium and eating brownies, and then watching the sunrise:


Staying up for the sunrise with doughnuts and friends minus sleep equals worth it. <3