T-1 day

Did we ever think this would happen? I guess not. But here we are- sitting in front of our suitcases and realizing we actually have won GISHWHES.
Still feels strange...
Most of us did not know each other before participating. It is a strange coincidence that most of us are German (8 Germans and 2 Canadians if I count correctly). Nine girls and one manly man - some a bit younger (around 20), some a bit older (around 30). If asked, I guess I would say the best about our team is how easily we work together. =D
Can you imagine how we screamed and jumped and freaked out when we received the winning note on Christmas Day last year? It still did not feel quite real, though. But the bording ticket in my hand feels real...
So thanks again to GISHWHES for making us wear bacon dresses, Batman-costumes and sock-monkey-hats. Thanks for making us iron our wedding dresses, eating ice-cream-meatball-sadwiches, staying up for what felt like a whole week, decorating a christmas tree on the coldest day of November, using our position as a lecturer to hang up a poster of a spider at the University of the German Army and for so much more! Thanks for a bunch new friends and THANK YOU for letting us go to ROME!
 

Darling, I'm leaving, the distance keeps calling me on...

A tiny update from us. Most of us (who aren't already in Rome or on their way) are currently in a hot state of "I HAVE TO PACK MY BAG AND I'M LEAVING IN 16 HOURS AND HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING"... or maybe that's just me, I don't know.

We did a bit of research and it turns out you're not allowed to eat on the Spanish steps so we aren't quite sure if we will do that item unless we feel incredibly daring (or that's exactly why that person proposed that item?)...

Seems like most other items got a good response from the group so we hope that - if we can find proper internet - we can keep you regularly updated! We're all excited, some of us more than others (okay, again... possibly only me!) but we have no doubt that it will be epic.

Arrivederci!

So this is the new Scavenger hunt list we got for Rome. Well, let's see how that will go!

(And I think they actually sound a lot easier than most of the GISHWHES items...)

ROME SCAVENGER HUNT ITEM LIST

You can dress upside down and inside out, you're still going to eat your spaghetti like a pig.

- Dylan Moran, also known as the wisest man in the world.

Nevertheless - here's the dress I will be wearing for the dinner:

It's a bit too short so I guess I'm either wearing tights or a pair of leggings underneath.

And here are my awesome shoes (they really are awesome, super comfy and such):

So yeah. What do you guys think? Too casual?

Yes, this is really happening...

Hello boys and girls and non-gender-fixed people of the Internet world.

How is everyone? Well, I can tell you I am excited. And sick. But more exited. Less than a week and the entire Team 83 and the other three individual winners will be in Rome and it's still as unbelievable as it was four months ago when we found out that we won.

Wait. Four months? It has been four full months already since I sat in my uncle's house on Christmas day and suddenly got a phone call and Inga was screaming into my ear that we won? Four months already since I screamed, ran through the house, almost had a nervous breakdown because I didn't have internet immediately available so I could check for myself and tweet? Where the bloody hell has the time gone?

Unbelievable that this time next week I will be in Rome with my girls, my best friends in the world, for the first time all five of us in the same place. This time next week I will have already met my amazing team mates who were so wonderful and I could not wish for any other. And I will have met the three individual winners who all seem like such lovely and amazing people. And we will share this experience together. This unique, exciting and also very, very mad experience.

To be honest with you, it still doesn't feel real and I doubt it ever really will. That we will fly to Rome, that we will have dinner with Misha Collins and that we will all share this together - it seems insane. Unbelievable.

Most things are sorted. All the flights, all the hotels are booked, everyone (more or less) is looking into what could be done in Rome (I'm sure we'll find something to keep us entertained) and the clock is ticking down.

A recent topic that has come up is what everyone will be wearing for the dinner. I personally am still deciding between two dresses. A grey, sleeveless one that's a bit longer and a short black one. I'll take them both and decide spontaneously. Life is not easy as a fat person.

Another thing that's happening is a scavenger hunt that we are to complete in Rome. Well, I say 'complete'. We will pick items that we can do and then upload them. I'm sure they will be shared here as well as on the GISHWHES site, so keep an eye open for that. Funnily in the very beginning after we won Jenny had the idea of doing some sort of scavenger hunt for our own entertainment but that has been kind of dismissed but everyone was on board when Jean-Louis asked us if we would participate so that's definitely something to look forward to. I'm interested to see what you all came up with to torture entertain us.

For now I have to go back to real life and do some work for university - and by that I mean, I will go and watch a movie and procrastinate until there is absolutely no way around doing my work finally.

This has been an update.

Good bye.

Or as they said in Rome 2000 years ago

Valete!