Preparations

The countdown is officially going! The whiteboard near our dining room table is counting down the weeks and days until we leave. I've been writing some things in Italian on it each week for a few months now- days of the week, 'calcio' for Ben's soccer games and practice, etc. Down at the bottom, Dave lists some vocabulary words for the boys to practice during the week. Last week, we attended our first Italian conversation group here in Ann Arbor. We'd been planning on going for months, but there is always something going on.

I've been trying to make necessary purchases for the trip and the holidays while I still have an income. This week, I ordered gifts for the boys' teachers, classmates, and other people who help us out. I found some relatively inexpensive Michigan t-shirts and pencils with our state symbols and motto on them. Many of my students who come from other countries bring gifts, and I have always found it very thoughtful. I also ordered American flag post-it notes. If anyone has any ideas as to good, lightweight,  'American' gifts to bring, please suggest them!

Last week I addressed all of our Christmas cards, and I've been making Christmas purchases for a few weeks, too. We are leaving on December 22, so we will be celebrating Natale (Christmas) abroad.