To my fellow free-spirited friends:

First, if you're looking at this in the first place, thanks! Coming into the final stretch of my first four years here at Western, I have only now begun to realize what I want in the future; to travel and share experiences with some of the best friends I could ask for. Yes, in the not-so-near future, I would like to pursue a career in legal psychology, but for now, that sounds like a bore, to me at least.

What I want most is to see the world, go to as many music festivals as possible, and to move to a new environment (somewhere sunny) where I can really start a new life and build something for myself from the ground up. Sounds like a rather large undertaking, right? Wrong! The other thing that I learned, not necessarily in college, but just by growing up, is that I don't HAVE to have a 30-year or even a 5-year plan. I have faith in myself and my capabilities, and most importantly, I know how to make it work and have a hell of a good time in the process.

Now I know it sounds weird, but I never would have learned that if it weren't for my life-changing trip to Rome, Italy for three weeks last year. Coming from a full-blown Italian family on my mother's side, I have always been familiar with the traditions and customs of our Sicilian relatives. But the lifestyle in Rome and Italy in general taught me more about life than I could have ever imagined.

I want to share my experience with you and hopefully inspire maybe just one person to sit back, relax, and smell the fresh-ground, dark, smokey roast of fine Italian espresso.