Getting ready to go

May 8, 2022

Here I am, the day after graduating from Montana State University, Billings with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Art and the day before leaving on a study abroad trip to Italy where we will spend a few days at the Venice Biennale 2022 and then a few days in Florence.  That's quite a bit to consume in a short period of time.

My 7-year project to get the BFA started when I was looking for a drawing class, just wanting to increase my skillset by learning to loosen up and draw more expressively.  Little did I know back in 2015 that I would be so drawn to the world of art that I would now have a degree in it and am headed to an event featuring the world's best in contemporary art followed by seeing some of the greatest works of the Renaissance.  Not only has the project allowed me to accomplished my initial goals but I exit the program a changed person, not merely with new skills, but changed in the way I think about art, my art, and myself.  It was truly mind-expanding.

Now it's the day before departure and I've spent plenty of time getting ready.  There was lots of paperwork to be handled, buying the airline tickets, getting another Covid booster, attending some classes and information sessions, and acquiring a few items for the trip that I didn't already have.  My passport was up-to-date, having renewed it prior to our aborted trip to Australia two years ago, and it appears that my Covid vaccination cards are as important to have along as a passport these days.  

Today is "packing day" and that won't take too long as I am traveling very light, just a small carryon and a small backpack.  I'll have my phone, iPad, and Kindle and the necessary charging cables with the USB charging adaptor that works with their 220-volt system.  The only extra item I am taking is my early-1970s Minolta SRT 35mm camera with a half-dozen or so rolls of film.  While I will be taking photos with my phone, I couldn't resist the notion that black and white film for street photography would be a great option.  As long as I can get my rolls of film hand-checked through security, they should do just fine.

The only remaining technicality as I write this is to get my boarding passes.  The airline required me to upload a copy of my passport and my Covid cards which I did yesterday.  The Covid cards had been approved by late yesterday afternoon but the passport was still pending approval.  They also indicated that I need visas to get through the countries where I have layovers, Canada and Germany.  I think that might be an error as, according to the Canadian website, visas are not required for American to enter the country and, AFAIK, visas aren't required inside the EU.  I guess I'll have to sort that out over the next 24-hours.

Update:

Everything appears to be in order as I just got my 4 boarding passes to Venice.