AHHH CRUNCH TIME!!!

9 days left! WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN??! I'm wondering, "Where did my summer go?"
So a lot has happened lately...
About a week and a half ago, I was in a car accident, the passenger side of my car was completely t-boned. I'm fine (thank God). My knee is just badly bruised and swollen and has some scrapes from the dashboard. So we went to the hospital for x-rays, and once we found out everything is okay, I went home. I was supposed to go to my dad's house that weekend, so he picked me up later that night. The next day I got a call from my mom, and she thought that insurance wouldn't pay for it and because of the costs, I could no longer go to Italy. Hearing that was like having my entire world crashing around me. I couldn't stand the though of having all that I have worked for for so long being shot to pieces. My grandparents (who were there that weekend) saw how upset I was and decided to put up some money for my trip. Then, later that week, my mom found out that insurance WAS going to pay for the cars in the accident, and from then on, everything else has been going according to plan.

Here we go, 7 days left in Harrisburg. As I was reading Yuki's blog (http://yukinitalia.blogspot.com), and saw how she suddenly started to appreciate Hong Kong, I can see what she means. Before, living in Harrisburg was nothing special, and last year when I applied to AFS Italy, I didn't think I was really leaving much behind. Now, looking at everything, I start to appreciate all I have around me. I'm going to miss so much. Here was the biggest shocker for me: My sister and I have never really gotten along, and in the past few years, our relationship has gotten even weaker, but a few days ago she was over at our house and we watched a movie together. This was a Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson video that we used to watch ALL the time, and watching that with her made me think, "Even if we don't get along very well, she's still my sister and I'm going to miss her."

OOH! Another thing I forgot to write about! So, weeks ago I went to apply for my visa (which I'm STILL waiting for in the mail grrr), and it was quite the adventure. We woke up early that morning to drive out to Philadelphia, meet up with my dad, and apply for my visa. My mom was like, FREAKING OUT because she thought that the line would be too long and we'd have to come to Philadelphia a second time to apply. Well, we made it on time, we brought WAY too many papers, and we met the coolest people waiting. It was this room full of some of the most interesting people, I heard plenty of Italian, and everyone was waiting. I met this one girl (in her 20's or 30's), and she was the epitome of what I want to be like some day. She spoke Italian, finished college, traveled ALL the time, had a substantial career, and was applying for her work visa, so she could eventually live in Italy. Meeting her inspired me. Just talking to her and her mother made me even more excited for this trip, to experience life and start the life ahead of me. I swear, you can meet the most interesting people anywhere you are, you just have to take the time to get to know them. You can always learn more.

And with that, I should probably get back to packing and studying my Italian..
Until next time,

Chelsea

ps- something I'll probably miss the most, going to my favorite restaurant for sushi. I love sushi :D