First post -- 7 days until my flight

Hello readers, welcome to my blog! I hope to write in this space frequently during my approaching trip to Italy. This experience will be very new to me, as I have never been out of the country. I'm both nervous and excited. Really, I can't wait to get there and get settled in. The past couple of weeks have been stressful as my mom and I struggle to get everything together we need. In the past year I've applied for study abroad, been interviewed, sent my application to NABA, applied for a passport and visa, searched for a place a live, and much more. One of the main negative aspects of my experience so far has been uncoordinated sharing of information. I was not given much necessary info when I was accepted into the program, I had to go out searching (a.k.a. emailing). As far as I can tell, Italians are more relaxed with their attention to their email accounts. Sometimes weeks would go by before a response was given. I hope this sort of behavior does not continue into my study abroad. Still, most of it is out of the way and I'm almost there!
There are three main things I see left to do: Work out my bank account, get a new cell phone, and pack. I am currently working on my method of getting money. I've exchanged some euros to have for cash before I go, and I've applied for cards that can be used at banks and ATMs in Italy. This was fairly confusing, and I wish I had more help. Surcharges are rampant when exchanging dollars for euros, and the whole thing was a hunt to find the lowest percentage of surcharge. I am feeling more confident now as the details are worked out.
Obtaining a cell phone must wait until I get over there, I can't really but it before then. I'm not comfortable bringing my iPhone with me to Italy, nevermind the charges that long distance, out-of-country calls would probably attract, so I'm going to buy a cheap phone to use there. This means I won't be answering my normal number!
And of course, packing. This seems like a daunting task right now. How many clothes to bring? I have to fit most things I need to survive for 4 months into a relatively small space. We'll see how that works.
So yeah, I leave early in the morning next Sunday, January 11th from New York. I'll be passing through Heathrow on my way to Milan. More about that as it gets closer. Once all these things are out of the way, I can pay attention to my art classes (which I am very excited to attend. Studying art in Milan!) Thanks for reading!

My hard-earned passport, Italian visa included.