Welcome to Katie's Travel Blog. This is really Jenny-doesn't-get-to-travel blog where I (mom) keep track of Katie's adventures so I can have some vicarious enjoyment! Here's a look at what one globally-aware kid from little Santa Cruz, California gets to do these days if her mom's willing to keep working!

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Day 3: Rome Like a Gladiator

Piazza Navona
The kids stay in Rome and hit some more amazing, historic sites. We got a note from the our delegation leader, Judy, today - really their Day 2 (on land, not air) evening. Here' what she wrote:
We had a great day in Rome!!!  We were a bit hot jet lagged and tired. But we didn't let that stop our adventure. We had pizza for lunch and a choice of pizza or risotto for dinner. We went straight from the airport to lunch and then a full day of walking the Roman ruins until the short walk to dinner. After dinner, we went to the hotel and checked in. Everyone took showers and went straight-away to bed. We are EXHAUSTED!  As it turns out, we have free wifi at this hotel. Bed check was at 9:00PM so there wasn't time for Internet contact from the delegates. I You will probably hear from them tomorrow. I will try to send pictures tomorrow evening.
The Pantheon
While I was Googling other things, I found this fantastic interactive map of Rome. The kids might like looking at then when the get home to see where they were! The Trevi Fountain is the one where the legend says, if you throw a coin in the fountain you are ensured a return to Rome. I know exactly what our kids will be doing!  

Trevi Fountain

It's good they are going to be near all this water since the temps have been hanging out in the mid-90s.

According to reports from other travelers, it's also quite humid. My little fog-flower is going to find that challenging. I guess the point was to learn about other places - and that includes the weather!
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People to People Itinerary: SUNDAY, JULY 1 Rome, Italy

  • Today, feel like an ancient gladiator! You'll have the unique opportunity to gain insight into how the gladiators of the past fought and the hard life they lead. Take the chance to feel like a Roman "hero."
  • Continue your adventure with a City Quest including famous sights like Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain.
  • Take some time together to learn about your upcoming home stay. Ask questions and understand expectations for the next days with your European families.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Day 2: Arrive in Rome!

The Colosseum
So this is going to be a little wacky because they are ahead of us, so I better publish a day ahead as well and if I hear anything, I will add it to the day's blog later.

That's my current plan. We'll see. 

The kids will spend their day looking at classic ruins in Rome. I hope they learn some history along the way because this is going to be amazing.

The Roman Forum
I nested links below in the People to People Itinerary. It includes the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. They will spend Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights at the Clarhotel. It doesn't look too shabby.

I, on the other hand, will spend those nights regaining sleep after spending this weekend cleaning up after the whirlwind that left this house with only Europe in mind. Since I only have the one kid, I am highly motivated to clean quickly and enjoy two weeks of a continually clean house which is an extremely rare occurrence (okay, it's only happened twice before when Katie went to Canada and residence camp).
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People to People Itinerary: SATURDAY, JUNE 30: Rome, Italy
  • Welcome to Europe! After arrival at the airport your Delegation Manager and coach driver will greet you!
  • Some of Rome's most noteworthy highlights are waiting for you! Your guide will take you through the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. The city of Rome, with its antique monuments and religious sites, has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Day 1: Getting There!

Oh thank god, she's in the air!

We had to leave at 2:30am to get to San Francisco airport in time for the 4am round-up and check-in. Translated: we barely slept. Well, she finally zonked but I stayed in a twilight "rest" state until we had to leave. I was so anxious realizing one misstep on my part and she'd miss the whole trip!

The drive up was effortless (albeit still nerve-wracking because I fear animals on Highway 17 at night AND I drove over my first orange cone - they were doing early morning construction and they shoved us way too far into the rebar - sheesh!). We arrived at the International Terminal early and ready to go. Only no one was there.

I forgot one small detail.

We left early!
That's because they had to take a domestic flight first to Chicago and then on to Rome. So we had to hoof it over to the domestic terminal and arrived at the American Airlines check-in where there were no shortage of humans arriving with loads of luggage. We met up with the gang and the unrested, over-excited kids all smiled at each other and quietly waited in a 30 minute line to check in.

With that, we grabbed a group shot of our delegates from the Monterey Bay and they marched off to security and our of our lives for the next 19 days. At the gate, they met up with a delegation from the Central Valley (around Fresno) and I believe they connected with one more delegation from the Midwest (South Dakota and Nebraska). They will all travel in a pack around Europe together.

Our awesome Monterey Bay Delegation! Go kids!

Turns out, that flight to Chicago, not all that great.


I came home and fell into a coma-induced sleep. Woke up at 11am and got a text from Katie about an hour later. They had finally arrived in Chicago but it was the "worst flight of my life. I nearly threw up and the guy next to me actually did. So much turbulence."

According to Katie, there was a "lightening storm. Had to emergency land in a town 85 miles further than Chicago [Peoria]." They stayed on the tarmac and had to fly back. It took about an extra 45 minutes.

Dang! I looked it up and while the airline didn't describe why, it did detail the detour.

At Chicago O'Hare pre-board.
All's well that ends well. Right? 

About two hours later, just before they boarded for Rome, she sent one more quick text (and photo): "You'll be happy to know I really like everyone in my delegation." I believe we are off to a great - albeit bumpy - start!

They arrive in Rome at 9am Rome time, midnight California time. It will be Saturday morning there. Shortly I will post the itinerary for tomorrow!


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People to People Itinerary:FRIDAY, JUNE 29: Depart for Rome
Meet your delegation and board your international overnight flight to Europe.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Ahhhh. The Joys of Packing.

This week is flying by and I have been swamped with work so Katie has been mostly on her own on the packing front. Today I finally flipped out a little because I realized I need to engage or something could go wrong.

Things still missing: headphones, a waterproof jacket, a towel. But not too bad really. She's done a great job pulling things together. 

The biggest to-do was getting the ATT calling plan together. With "the plan" it will still cost a dollar a minute if she has to call me. She gets 50 texts she can send, but she can receive an unlimited amount. All other data has to be turned off or I will have to get yet another client to pay the phone bill.

On Sunday night, when she was hyper-motivated after the Bon Voyage Party, Katie decided she needed to take pictures of every outfit she was taking. So, a little weird but okay. I pulled up a lawn chair and parked outside her door just to watch for a little while. I had been working (like I said, really busy week work-wise) and I needed a break. 

Lulu jumped on my lap and proceeded to watch this little bit of theater. First she assembled the ensemble. Then she laid it out - we noticed there was a bra there to make sure the shirts had the appropriate lift - and then she snapped a photo. Holy cow. Ruby got in and out of the way and Lulu and I eventually got bored. 

By tonight, things are starting to come together. We bought gifts for her host family (I think she's there four nights?) and the bus driver and her in-country tour guide. Pizza My Heart shirts turned out to be the major score at $6 each with great graphics and a free slice of pizza. We have lunch tomorrow handled: two slices of Hawaiian and two pestos. Sweet.

We also got magnets and Shark Mints (in case there are little kids) and a rather cool surfboard incense burner - I know, random - for the host family because we had no idea what else to get. It's definitely Santa Cruz-y. 

Katie leaves ridicolously early on Friday morning. I'll write a post later on Friday with the details. It's very exciting but I am a nervous wreck! I am ready for her to go already just so I can let my guard down. Two more days. Please no broken bones. No head lice. No sickness.

Two more days.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Bon Voyage Party: Next Stop Rome (Well, the Airport is First)

Great weather, nice yard. Getting to know each other.
Today was the Bon Voyage party for the kids and families.

While we have been driving to Gilroy for most events (because this group draws kids from the Central Coast), today our lovely neighbors hosted the event and we were lucky to just pop in the car and be there one minute! Okay - we had to drive because I was packing an enchilada casserole.

Everyone was buzzing with excitement as the Europe kids get ready to leave this Friday at 6am - which means we have to be at the airport at 3am - which I think means I am pulling an all-nighter that night so we can get there on time.

That's going to be ugly. Not only will I be crying when she leaves but I will be over tired and under nourished. I expect to be ghastly for at least two days. Thankfully she returns at a human time, 9:30 at night.

That's the little kite with the poem. 
The kids made kites for the parents today that had a little poem about it being "okay to let them soar on their own". Sure, it was a little corny, but the sentiment was appreciated and if I actually started thinking about what the poem says, I am pretty sure I could start crying.


After that we moved to the back yard where we had a pinning ceremony to remind the kids of their responsibility as Student Ambassadors.

Oh yeah, year two! She's an alum!
People to People takes this responsibility very seriously and they expect a lot of the kids with regard to manners, preparation and appreciation for the experience. The pinning ceremony was very sweet. I pinned her People to People pin on her new lanyard and gave her a little kiss.


The Europe group (we have a set of kids that are separately going to Australia), will meet up at the airport with a delegation from the Central Valley - Reedly, Fresno, etc. Then those two groups will have one more delegation meet them in Chicago before they head to Rome. Those kids are from South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota (can you say that without sounding like an extra from Fargo?) and other close states. 


I will make every effort to provide a daily update just like last year. It so helps me feel close to her and helps me understand what she's seeing! This way I get to tour too! Can't wait for you to help me share the adventure!

Kids from both the Europe and Australia groups.



Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Takeoff Time is Almost Here! This Year's Trip is Amazing

Katie built this model and then created
a little picture of herself climbing to the top!
Katie's been babbling about seeing the Eiffel Tower since last fall. That's when she signed up for this year's People to People trip.

She's lucky she's an only child and I don't mind working like a maniac because that means she gets to do what she loves, travel. I think she gets this from Nick, he loves to travel too (someday, maybe they will take a trip together!).

This trip will cover four countries and she'll be gone for three weeks. That feels like a lifetime to me. I already miss her and she hasn't left yet. She swears she won't succumb to homesickness this time, but I bet it gets her. This is a big trip.

She leaves for Rome on the 29th. The the adventure begins. Like last year, I will post her itinerary and any notes or photos I get. It helps me feel connected and I actually learn a little about what she's doing and seeing. I really want her to bring home a hunky Italian guy in her suitcase just for me, but she swears she won't have room. Bummer.

School gets out Friday. She's been shopping to get last minute clothing items. We are both getting excited.