the painting of the world;

I can't even look at pictures of Italy without having major excitement-gasms. Like, everything about it seems to perfect. The families I have spoken to seem so delightful!! There are 2 families right now that I am supposedly going to talk to via phone or skype soon. One of which lives in Rome and the other lives in Verona. BUT another family with little girls who like to dress up as princesses also contacted me today.. they apparently spend every summer on the coast and if I am with them next July & August, I am allowed to vacation with them. And that would be EPIC.
Its going to be hard for me (if more than one family wants me in January) to choose.. I am just going to trust and hope that I make the right decision, and that they do too.
I am really anxious about talking to these people. It needs to happen asap, so that I can find out when I can to go flipping NYC or DC to get my visa.. And then I need to start learning Italian.. and figure out what is going to happen after I leave whatever family I stay with.
I really want to go to NYC to get the visa.. that will give me an excuse to see a show or two. :) PERHAPS ALSO FINALLY SEE JACOB AND CHAN. I want to get that done like.. IMMEDIATELY as soon as I sign a contract with a family.

I just feel so ready for this. I have never felt this ready for anything else in my life. At this point, I am GLAD that I've put off going to Europe, because I honestly believe that this is the sort of thing I've been holding out for. Its not that I didn't want to go, its that I was worried I wouldn't get the full experience with a shorter trip. I am ready for this experience. I am ready to learn Italian and try to communicate with people. I want to see Rome and Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre and ALL THE PLACES. Venice! Florence! ALL THE PLACESSSSSS. ALL THE PLACES IN THAT SONG IN KISS ME KATE. "We open in Venice, we next play Verona, then on to Cremona (lots of dough in Cremona)! Our next show is Parma, that dopey, mopey menace. Then Mantua then Padua & we open again WHERE!? IN VENICE!" Yep. All that. Want.

...
But there are some months between now and then.
And it is not 100% that this is happening. It is all going to depend on the families.
And yeah.
I need to remain calm.
But I am pre-emptively in love with the children who I will be taking care of. I adore them, and I don't even know which children they are yet. And I adore everything about Italy, and I haven't even seen it in real life yet.

Squee.

This whole possibility is the biggest squee of all time.

I was going to talk about more realistic things, but.. there is no need for that when my mind is in Firenze.

OH GOD LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA WAS IN ITALY TOO. GAHHHHH. MORE GASMS.