Tips: Even if you don't blog, write.

I knew that writing this blog while I was away was going to be a challenge. When I committed to this follow-on project for the Gilman Scholarship I said that I would have it done upon my return.  There were many reasons why I didn't want to promise that it wouldn't get done right away.  The first reason was that I wasn't sure how internet access would work in a medieval city.  It turned out that my instinct was right about this one.  I didn't have internet access in my apartment and even though there was wifi available at the school it was never very reliable so I stopped carrying my laptop on my mile walk to school in hopes of being able to get online.  The second reason I thought it'd be best to delay this blog was because I wasn't sure how much time I would have to sit on my computer, sort through my thousands of photos, and edit them so they looked just right before they were posted.

I was happy that I had time to get my stories organized and that there was no pressure to post while I was abroad, but at the same time I wanted to make sure that the stories I told once I got back rang true to my feelings while I was in Italy.  Make sense?  My solution was to keep a journal.  A simple leather journal with blank pages.  I carried it everywhere and I made sure I used it.  

I wanted to make this clear so that everyone who reads this knows where my stories are coming from.  Some of my notes are scribbles from the day, but when I read some of my longer entries I feel like I'm back in my room on Via Campansi or sitting by myself in the Piazza as I wrote them.  I'm also drawing from several letters that I wrote home along with postcards and emails as well.  

The point is that I never stopped writing.  It was one of the best gifts I gave myself while I was in Italy.  In the past I have committed to projects and for some reason or another I felt that if I wasn't able to do everything perfectly and right away I should just give up.  This summer I knew that I wasn't going to be able to do every single thing that I wanted, but I knew I wanted to try my best.  Taking the time to sit in an internet cafe that was far away from my apartment on the evenings when I had the opportunity to hang out with friends, try a new restaurant, and even study, was not something that was high on my list.  Instead I put writing on my list.

Whether or not your are planning to start a travel blog I would suggest keeping a journal for yourself.  This way you can look back and read about the time in your life when everything changed--when you became a new person, when your world perspective grew, when your life's perspective evolved.  These changes may seem monumental or even small in the moment, but when you look back at them long after you've returned you will realize they are priceless.