What I packed
~6 bathing suits and 2 coverups~2 pairs of PJ’s~22 summer tops~16 shorts~3 pants~3 pairs of leggings~2 sweat shirts~3 long sleeve button down shirts~10 sports bras~6 dresses~1 rain jacket~1 light weight bomber jacket~ a small bag of face wash clothes~2 micro fiber towels~small lantern~water bottle~2 gardening hats~gardening chair~miscellaneous chargers~2 outlet power converters~miscellaneous medicines(example benedryl)~my haircut scissors, cape, neck trimmers and combs~regular scissors~2 pair of gardening gloves~1 pair of work gloves~hiking sticks~hair products ~brush~lotion~other bathroom stuff like face wash and moisturizer~razor~swimming goggles~ice pack~3 journals~2 books~lap top~vitamins~loose tea~makeup mirror~small first aid kit~saftey passport wallet~neck wrap for sleeping on the plane~hairdryer~hair dye and developer
I had a full size check suitcase and a 40 liter hiking back pack and in my suitcase I had a small empty back pack for my walks or short excursions. I tried to take things out. I packed and repacked and I just didn’t know what to leave. I figured I would let go of things as I went and hopefully get down to the back pack or at least a smaller suitcase. My suit case weighed 86 pounds, yes 86 pounds! The OVERWEIGHT limit is 70 pounds and it cost an extra $200. I called the kids to come back to the airport until I figured it out. My plan was to cram as much as I could into the the small backpack and check it. Also I had some space in the 40 liter back pack so I started filling it. I got the suitcase down to 70 pounds and all I left behind was my hair dye. My perfectly packed suit case now a mess I checked it and the small back pack for $100 and was on my way. I do consider my packing a fail. How do you you pack for a year? My second flight was delayed so my 8:15 AM arrival turned into 11:30 AM. Getting through the airport and retrieving my bags was my main focus when I landed. I did not even touch my phone. Everyone I knew was asleep anyway. I was feeling confident after I had my bags and bought my train ticket to Grosseto. I did ask someone working which train to get on but when I was on the train my stop was not showing on the board. I got my phone out and no service. Olivia had set up my international plan on the way to the airport and she did tell me I needed to click a button when I arrived. Why not click the button now? My kids will argue that I could have logged into WIFI at the airport and done it. I ask the people around me about my stop but no one knew. The train itself was not like an American train. It was more like a subway train and each car had steps in it. I did’t see any employees. I couldn’t move around because of the suitcase. I decided to get off after a few stops. I found myself alone with my overweight suitcase. No employees or office in sight. Now I am worried. A lady arrived and I ask her for help. She looked it up on her phone and told me to take the train to Roma Trastevere. Then get on the train to Grosetto from there. I still don’t know if I was on the right train to Grosetto when I left the airport. I have a feeling if I had stayed on that train I would have gotten there. Because when I got on the train she told me to get on again Grosetto was not showing on the screen. So again I ask someone and this time I was told that it is the last stop and it was 3 and a half hours away. Eventually it did show up on the board. I relaxed a little and even put my head down on my suitcase and slept a little. Since he was local I decided to get as much help as I could and I ask about my first bus . He didn’t know but another young man from the next car overheard us and came to me and said he was going on that bus and I could come with him. His name is Hussnain and he had moved to Italy 2 years early. He said he was in my shoes when he first arrived. I do believe he is the reason I made it to my destination. He helped me carry that suitcase up the stairs and across the uneven payment. he keep saying “This is too much”. He used his card to pay for my bus rides. There was no bus station just a parking lot and buses and cars pulled up random places. The bus we got on didn’t say Paganico but he assured me we were on the right bus. When we got to Paganico the bus stop was behind the building we got off, down a hill and again in a parking lot . There was a small paper sign I could not read and a small electric sign with 3 buses listed and none of them said Monticello Amiata, which was were I was going. At this point I really needed to talk to my host to get picked up so ask to use his phone. My host was worried and happy to here from me. She told me the name of another town I could get picked up in. Hussnain was taking that bus also and he said it would be a hour before it arrived. My host knew how long the bus would take and we now had a pick up time. And then Dario and his sweet dog Elizabetta came into my life. My host, Elena sent them to fetch me. He lives and works on the farm full time. The farm is called Le Pianore by the way. He is Italian and as he would say “was a chef in his past life”. He is a handy man on the farm, always building and fixing things. We were fast friends and chatted all the way home. It was now 8PM and I am sure my mom was losing her mind with worry. I called Tori first and was honestly to sleepy to call everyone so I ask her to do it. I showered and slept very excited for the first day of my next chapter.
Dario