The last yeehaw.

Last night was the Luke Bryan concert and it was one of the best nights of my life. I waited 5 hours to get a spot in the pit and it was so worth it because I ended up right in front of the stage. Florida Georgia Line was the first act and they were really good. The one singer kept coming over to where we were and he was pretty cute. Unfortunately he was sweating like crazy and at one point splashed his sweat all over us haha. I got it on video and you can hear someone in the background scream "I just got wet!" I didn't know all of their songs but still they got us pumped up.

Me and Luke's stage trailer

The second act was Thompson Square and they sounded really good too but they didn't get us as pumped as FGL. They sang sadder songs and didn't interact with the audience as much. I started to tear up during a song they sang dedicated to our troops because they showed a soldier coming home to his dog and it made me think about leaving mine. All in all it was a good performance.

And then finally the main act, LUKE BRYAN! When he came out he was wearing a light bluish green shirt and he just looked so adorable. He sounded amazing live and he really interacted with the audience. At one point he took a girls phone and took a picture of his butt! He would come over to where we were standing all the time. At one point he began to shake it in front of me and looked me right in the eyes. I swooned like a 12 year old at a Justin Bieber concert. He was so freaking good. His last song was Country Girl and he came right in front of us and looked so freaking good shaking it. At the end he ran around the stage touching peoples hands and even though I got completely trampled and squished by people, I TOUCHED HIS HAND. I am officially in love.

Luke Bryan

Even though a man spit his chew out on my leg, FGL sweat on me, I couldn't feel my legs, and the liquid nitrogen used in Luke Bryan's performance splashed and burnt my arm it was still my favorite concert to date. Id see him again tonight if I could. For me it was the perfect ending to my time here in the US. When I get back next year I definitely want to see him again. Thanks for an awesome night Luke.

3 days 22 hours

The last hurrah

More like the last yeehaw. Tomorrow is what I'm considering my last American experience. I'm seeing Luke Bryan at the Allentown Fair with my sister. Luke is adorable and I'm so excited. We're going five hours early so that we can stand right in front of the stage. I love country music and I really doubt they have it in Italy! Its another thing I'm going to miss.

On another note I only have to do 6.5 more hours of Rosetta Stone (yay)!! I'm doing two hours tonight and I'm getting up early to do more before I leave for the concert. I feel like Ive learned nothing from Rosetta Stone. Its making me so mad that its making me learn about yen. Why the heck is it teaching me about Asian currency?! The only thing I learned is that "prego" means "you're welcome." And the only reason why I know that is because of the spaghetti sauce!

Its also so weird that all of my friends are in school and I'm not. I get to sit at home waiting for the 4th while they're all together in school. I'm thinking about not using my Twitter because it would just frustrate me and make me miss home. No one probably even realizes I'm gone! But High School is weird like that; once you're gone nothing really changes. I hope my friends miss me time to time. Something will happen and they'll think of me and a memory we have together.

I started to repack my bag today and its all ready full and weighs a ton. I have no idea how I'm going to choose what to take and what to leave because I am not paying $200 for over weight bags! Its kind of surreal how I'm feeling right now. I know what's coming yet it doesn't seem real.
5 days 13 hours

Sette Giorni

I leave in one week. I cant even process that. In one week I will no longer live in the United States. There is so much I'm looking forward to in Italy yet there is so much I am going to miss here in the states. Ill miss homecoming and prom, football games on Friday nights, seeing movies at the theater downtown, my pets, my family, my friends, and even the smell of my house. I'm leaving everything I know and I'm scared as hell but I know it will all be worth it in the end. But there is still what I have to look forward to. Living at the beach, my host family, the friends I will make, the FOOD, and the feeling of accomplishment ill get knowing that I did it on my own. So no matter how hard it gets I need to realize what I'm gaining. And I think its ok to be scared that you wont be able to do it and to know how much you'll miss home. Believe it or not I am human and I do have emotions. But fear is all part of the experience, and in order for there to be good, there needs to be bad.
6 days 14 hours

Its getting so close! So nervous and excited. Not much more of an update since yesterday. Still doing an insane amount of Rosetta Stone. Eep as of tomorrow its a week until I leave for New York!
7 days

Rosetta Stone

Sorry I didn't post yesterday! We took my sister Emily back to college so I was gone all day. I feel like all I've been doing lately is sitting in the car or doing Rosetta Stone. ROSETTA STONE IS LIFE. I have to get my forty hours in or else I have to pay for it! I have a little over thirty hours right now and I really need to pick up the pace. Contrary to their slogan, Rosetta Stone is neither fast nor fun. Sitting in front of the computer for hours matching pictures is as fun as watching paint dry.

I have almost everything I need to take with me except winter boots and a gift for my host father! I have absolutely no idea what to get him. I was thinking maybe a book but he wouldn't be able to read it anyways. He works a lot but when he isn't he like to go sailing. Ugh I have no idea what to get him. Hopefully I can think of something soon!
8 days

Going away party!

My going away party went really well. I started tearing up before everyone arrived but somehow managed to pull it together. I don't know why I've been so emotional lately. Is it stress? Lets just blame it on those good old teenage hormones. Like I started crying watching Too Cute because I thought about how much I was going to miss my dog. She really is the best dog ever and I finally understand why they're "mans best friend." Anyways enough about me crying, here are some pictures from my party.

 Caprese salad skewers

 Italian flag flower arrangement

 My huge and delicious tiramisu :)

And lastly some of the family that came!

 

Today was a lot harder than I expected it to be. I didn't know whether I should smile or cry. I have a lot of confusing emotions right now so hopefully I can figure them all out by next Tuesday!

10 days

Today was pretty crazy. I have my going away party tomorrow so there was a lot of cooking and cleaning going on. All of my extended family is going to be there. It makes everything feel so real. Its the last time ill see a lot of them for a long time. No Thanksgiving together, or Christmas. Its a lot to take in. But on the bright side I'm having a huge tiramisu at my party! If you don't know already, I LOVE FOOD. So I'm pretty much guaranteed to come back from Italy even fatter than when I left. But indulging in great food is all a part of la dolce vita.

So after a day of worry and stress I did what any girl would do, get a mani pedi and watch Disney movies! I'm almost done shopping for everything I need. I just need some winter clothes and my ipod! Its so close I can almost taste it, kind of like my tiramisu.. 11 days.

Nova Siri!

Its kind of hard to see but the little red star in the arch of the boot is Nova Siri! I cant wait to live on the beach. Unfortunately I found out that my Italian school starts the day after I arrive. So I'm pretty much going to be a jet lagged, unprepared, emotional wreck. Sounds like a great way to start off the stay... I'm sure everything will be fine though and I'm just freaking out. I'm getting so nervous now. Only twelve more days before New York. Thank god Katie and Kara will be there to keep me sane! (fellow Italian AFSers from my area!) Its going to be so hard leaving home, and my babies most of all! Lulu my dog and my cat Kitty are going to be the hardest things I have to leave!

This is Lulu!

And here's a little side view of Kitty!

Ill try to post once a day before I leave and once or more a week while I'm abroad. Its going to be really difficult the first few months so sorry if I don't stick to that! See you tomorrow!

Ciao!

Ciao! I'm Lauren Udit, a 16 year old American who is about to be living the dream in Nova Siri, Italy. Some of you may be wondering how a teenage girl could get this amazing opportunity. Well one day during school we had a presentation in class about studying abroad through the organization AFS and about possible scholarships we could receive. When I was looking at the countries that I could travel to, three immediately stood out: Ghana, New Zealand, and Italy. My sophomore year of high school had so far been disappointment after disappointment. My friends had changed, my classes were harder, and like every teenage girl I was moody and tired. "This is it." I thought as I scrolled through the AFS website later that night. "This is how I can escape the hell that is high school." Don't get me wrong there are some parts of Cedar Cliff (my school) that I really like, like managing the boys basketball team, football games on chill October nights, and my friends. But something was always missing. So after bugging my parents for days they decided to let me try to get a scholarship to go abroad. To go to Italy for a year the tuition was around $14,000! There was no way my parents and I could afford that. Thankfully in my area they offered the Speedwell scholarship, which would pay for 100% of my tuition. I wouldn't be able to do this with out them! The only draw back is that I had to go to a non English speaking country, so no Ghana or New Zealand. But is living in Italy ever a drawback? No!

So here's a little information on Nova Siri. Its along the Southern coast of Italy in the Basilicata region! I'll be living in Nova Siri Marina and not the actual town of Nova Siri. It looks beautiful and I cant wait to go. I leave for New York in 13 days and go to Italy the next day! Its so insane that in only 14 days I'll be living in a different country. Its going to be the best year of my life and I'd love for you to join me. :) Grazie, and stay tuned!