T minus one day...

Tonight is our last night in the States.

Well, for Brett and I that is the case. Ryan is already in Rome waiting for us to arrive. Tomorrow at 5:30 Brett and John fly from MCI in Kansas City to Canada. From there we split up. I hope this is not telling of what is to come! John flies to Frankfurt, Germany and then to Rome. It's pretty much going to be the longest day ever. During that time, Brett will be chilling in Canada for a WHOLE DAY before his connecting flight straight to Rome leaves.

Hopefully, I (John) will exit my plane in Rome to find Ryan waiting for me at the gate. It really would make my day if he were in a suit with a dry erase board with my name on it like they do in the movies (if you're reading this Ryan, see what you can do). For some reason I expect a K-State PROUD shirt and a huge grin. That will do for me.

That night we will find a hostel and see the sites for a bit. I have been to Rome before so it will be great to see my favorites from the last trip with Ryan. The next morning we will pick Brett up from the airport and then head out for the day. I'll be honest, we are not too certain where we are staying that night (Moms, don't worry... we will work it all out). Luckily, the rest of the trip is well planned out.

Tonight is our last night of certainty.

It has the feel of closing our eyes as we cannon ball off the high dive on your very first entry into a pool. It is the unknown and the unexpected. We, three juniors in college are about to take the trip of a lifetime! I sit here anxious, thrilled, and nervous. It reminds me of the 2007 film Into the Wild where an Emory graduate decides to break away from society and "go north" on an adventure. While we are not as divested from mainstream culture as he, I wholly agree with the main character's belief that "the core of mans' spirit comes from new experiences." These next few weeks will be full of new and exciting experiences and we all hope they will renew, refresh, and build upon the core of these three men, during one summer abroad.

Looking Forward,

Three Men, One Summer Abroad