Did you know?

We had a meeting this morning after practice with our International Office in preparation for our foreign tour. They explained to us some information we need to know when traveling internationally. During this trip, we are going to see and be a part of so many things that are not part of our norm. This trip is going to definitely pull our team together because we are going to experience these things together and work to get through them. Here are just a few of the things that we take for granted every day that won't be available to us or we will have to accomodate in a different way on our trip:

Cell Phones: Our cell phones do not have coverage in Italy. Sally is going to be the only one who has a cell phone in Italy, but just for emergencies. This is definitely going to make us better communicators with each other. We won't have access to a phone to call someone to find out where they are so we must communicate early and often about our plans. Think about all the times you pick up and use your cell phone because it is convienent, something we will definitely have to work through on our trip.

Hairdryers, curling irons, and straightners: We have to use an adaptor and a converter to use our items in Italy. Right now we are working on getting some of these items and sharing them...can you imagine my hair without a straightner, that could be pretty scary:)

Money: The exchange rate for Euros to Dollars is about 1.27 to $1.00. We are communicating with our banks to make sure our ATM/Debit Cards and credit cards are going to work in Italy and if we use the ATM how much will we be charged. We are also discussing money and how much to take out because you don't want to have to keep exchanging it out because they charge you for it everytime you do that.

Language: No one on our team speaks Italian and although we will have a tour guide most of the time, as you can see from our itinerary, we are given time to go exploring on our own. I think this will probably be the most frustrating part of our trip is figuring out how to communicate in another country, but I think it will also lead to the best stories!!!!