London

I haven't blogged in forever and the biggest reason for that is that I went to London for five days. Before that, I spent a day in Livorno with Mackenzie and a friend we met in Montalcino named Giovanni. There's not really much to say about that, we just walked around and saw the city, which was cool because it's on the coast so we got to see the sea for the first time in a while. London on the other hand was AMAZING, and I will try not to leave anything out.

Wednesday:
- Mackenzie, Gabby, and I left for the train station in Florence at 1:30 PM and caught a train to Pisa Centrale, which took about an hour. From there, we had to get a ten minute train to Pisa Airport, where we waited for a couple of hours after going through security and passport checks. We then had a 2 hour flight to Stanstead Airport in England, where we got food and waited about an hour to get a bus to Liverpool Street in London. That bus took about an hour and by then it was getting pretty late. From Liverpool Street we had to walk to the nearest Underground Station and take two different lines to finally get to our hostel. We got to the street and had a little trouble finding the hostel, to the point where we almost had breakdowns and thought we were in the completely wrong place, but we finally found it around 12:30 AM and basically went right to bed. There is a one hour time difference so it was actually 1:30 AM in Florence and we were exhausted.
- At Stanstead airport, we had to go through some pretty intense border control. We had to fill out a sheet with basically every piece of information you can imagine, and then wait in line to have our passports and return tickets inspected, and answer some questions. When we finally got through we were relieved, because it was so intimidating that we were actually worried we would have problems.
- Our hostel... We stayed at St. Christopher's Village (London Bridge) in Southwark, London. It is one of the most well known hostels in the area so we felt pretty good about it. When we first walked in there was a reception desk and an area with five computers that were available to use internet on. There was also a cooler with random food and drinks you could buy, and the room was full of brochures for things to do in London and coupons to get discount prices as certain places. From there, you walk through a door into a room with a balcony that overlooks a large room downstairs which by day was seating for the hostel restaurant as well as a place with free wifi that you could use if you had a laptop. There were TVs down there and a little bar. By night, this room became a nightclub, and there was a huge discoball on the ceiling and really loud music. We did not make an appearance there... To the left of the room with the balcony was Belushi's, a bar that was open to the public but also connected to the hostel where we could get discounts with our keycards. They also served food and served as the place to get our complimentary breakfast in the morning (which was basically just toast, and we never took advantage of it). Straight ahead, there was another door which could only be accessed with your keycard. Inside, there was a "chill out" room with couches and tables, and a cinema room with a big screen and benches where they played movies at night. There were also two luggage rooms where we kept our stuff the last day we were there after we had checked out. The rooms themselves were not bad. The first night we stayed in a room with ten bunk beds, but after that we were in a room with only six. The rooms were really warm and the beds weren't bad. There was underbed storage that you could buy a lock for but we used them without locks and had no problem.

Thursday: We got up early and went to Starbucks for breakfast and coffee. We did some researching on the hostel computers to find things we wanted to do on the map, then headed out. We ate lunch in a park with a playground, and Gabby and Mackenzie had a lot of fun playing around in there.
- From there, we took the underground to Abbey Road where we took pictures and bought some little souvenirs. After that we went to Covent Market which that day (it always changes) was a really touristy market where we bought a bunch of cheap souvenirs and had fun looking around.
- At 3, we met up with a tourguide and took a group walking tour around part of the city for 2 and a half hours. We saw a lot of cool things, including the London Bridge, the Tower Bridge and Tower, the Millenium Bridge, the Great Fire Monument, Bank, the Strand, and a lot of other things along the way, like the Hogwarts clock and Gringotts! We learned a lot about the history of the area, including why they drive on the left side of the road.
- After the tour, we chilled at Starbucks for a little while to warm up, then headed out to a different area of the city to get dinner. We found a really good mexican restaurant where we got a lot of food and a few drinks. After dinner, we went to a cafe that served shisha, and smoked an electric hookah. Not really my thing, but Gabby and Mackenzie are huge smokers so they enjoyed it and it was still fun to watch them fool around.
- After this, it was around 10:30 PM and we went to Liverpool Street station, because Theresa was flying in that day and we figured we would meet her there since she was going to be alone. We ended up just missing her, but had no way of getting in contact with her so we didn't know that. We waited until around 12:30, by which time the underground had stopped running and we had to get a double decker bus back to our hostel. The bus arrived at 1:05 AM and we got back a little before 1:30. At the door we were ambushed by Theresa, and to our surprise, Teagan, who had previously told us he had to cancel the trip. We caught up on stories for the day and then headed to bed, once again exhausted.

Friday:
- We had tickets for Harry Potter at 9:30 AM at the Odeon in Leicester Square, so we got up early and went to the supermarket across the street to grab breakfast. They had bagels and premade sandwiches and stuff that was pretty cheap and easy. Then we headed to Leicester Square and picked up our tickets and went in. The movie was, as expected, fantastic, and the theater was the nicest one I have ever been in. The screen was huge and very high quality, and we had center seats. It was so cool to see the movie in London, and see places that we had been in certain scenes!
- After the movie we walked around Leicester Square a little and then went to lunch at TGI Fridays.
- After this, the rest of the group wanted to go to the aquarium, but I wasn't interested because it was expensive and I had a whole list of London things I wanted to see and do, and plus it was a gorgeous day. So we headed toward the aquarium which was right next to the London Eye. We set up a meeting time and place and they went inside, and I spent the day alone, walking around. Which actually turned out to be one of the best days I had. I saw the Eye (which is the biggest ferris wheel in the world) then walked across the river to Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and Big Ben. After that, I walked back, but I still had time, so I walked to the other side of the Eye, where I stumbled upon a little street fair with a bunch of different food and craft stands and street preformers. It was really cool and I do not regret my decision not to go to the aquarium.
- When they got out of the aquarium they had seen an ad for a Fright House thing that was nearby that they wanted to check out, and I had happened to walk by it earlier so I showed them where it was. It was a live performance haunted maze. Mackenzie had a stiff neck from sleeping wrong so she was nervous about going in because they had videos of people screaming and ducking and jumping out of the way and didn't know if she was up for it. I decided to stay out with her because it wasn't really something I thought I would enjoy anyway. The people that worked there were dressed up in costumes and to advertise they went down on to the street and scared people and handed out flyers, so while the others were inside, Mackenzie and I watched the people on the street get scared and laughed a lot.
- After that we headed back to the hostel because Mackenzie was really tired. It was only around 6 but it felt really late. Because Teagan had planned on cancelling his trip, he actually had to stay in a different hostel for the next two nights, so after hanging at the hostel for a little, they all set out to find his new hostel. I stayed behind and showered (kinda gross) and straightened my hair and hung out in the chill out room. It took them about two hours, which was a really long time, so I figured they had found something to do, so I went across the street to subway and got dinner. When they finally got back, it turned out that they had had a lot of trouble finding the hostel and then there was a complication with their underground train, so they had to sit in the same place for 45 minutes. We were all exhausted so we went to the cinema room and watched The Matrix, then headed up to bed for the night.

Saturday:
- We had agreed to meet Teagan at 10 AM in front of Belushi's, but 10 came and went and Teagan was nowhere to be seen. We headed down to the station that he would have gotten off at, which was right across from Starbucks, so we took it in turns to wait for Teagan and get coffee and breakfast. When Teagan still didn't show up, we went back to the Hostel and mapped out our plan for the day. Finally, when we were just about to leave without him, Teagan showed up at around 11:30. Annoying, but we let it go and set off.
- I'm not sure on the order we did things that day but I know we went to King's Cross to see platform 9 and 3/4 (disappointing), took them to see St. Paul's cathedral and let Theresa light a candle for her aunt whose funeral was that day, went back to Covent Garden with them to see if they wanted any souvenirs, went to lunch at an English pub where I got a grilled Carefully cheese sandwich, and went to Trafalgar Square which is a really famous square full of fountains and statues.
- After a while, Theresa's back started to hurt, so she went back to the hostel and the rest of us went to Piccadilly Circus to see it all lit up at night. We walked around the streets and looked at the shops, and then decided we wanted to see a movie. We went back to the Odeon in Leicester Square and bought tickets, then got take out Chinese noodles and sat outside to eat them before the movie. We saw Let Me In, which we though was a horror movie, but turned out to be a vampire drama... it was really disturbing and weird. After that we went back to our hostels and went to bed.
- Mackenzie had booked the hostel at a different time than us and actually couldn't book it for Saturday night, so she was at a different hostel than us and Teagan. We planned to meet up at Earl's Cross, the station near Teagan's hostel, at 10 the next morning because we wanted to make in to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards by 11:15.

Sunday:
- It ended up taking us 45 minutes to get to the station in the morning so we were late and we couldn't find Teagan or Mackenzie and figured they had left without us. We bought pasties (DISGUSTING) at a shop for breakfast and then headed over to the palace ourselves. We watched the changing of the guards, then hung out at Green Park right next door to see if we came across Mackenzie and Teagan (although we later found out that they did not make it to the Palace because the underground station they tried to take there was closed so they took a bus and it was too late for them to get there), but after a while we decided just to set off with the rest of our plan for the day.
- From there we went to Hyde Park, where we came across "Winter Wonderland" which is a huge fair/carnival thing that they apparently do around Christmas with rides and food and crafts and all different kinds of stuff. We walked around there for a while, and then we were going to head to Harrods, our last destination before leaving, but Theresa really didn't want to go so we decided to just give up and head back to the Hostel where we knew Mackenzie and Teagan would have to go at some point because Mackenzie had left her stuff there with us.
- We got all of our stuff out of the luggage rooms and bought some internet time while we waited for the other two to show up. We got lunch at Subway and sat in the chill out room eating it. Finally, Mackenzie and Teagan came in and we shared stories of our day. Theresa and Teagan had an earlier bus back to Stanstead than we did, so they left, and Gabby, Mackenzie, and I waited around for a little longer before heading out to our bus stop. When we got to the airport, we had a few hours of waiting to do so we bought some magazines to spend our last few pounds, then sat together waiting. Finally, it was time to board and we got on to our two hour flight back to Pisa. From there, we had to take a bus back to Florence train station, and then a cab back to our apartment. We ended up getting home around 2 AM (needless to say, class the next day was a struggle).

Since London, I have done a couple more exciting things. Tuesday in Art History we went to the Accademia and saw the David. It was absolutely incredible and indescribable. Tuesday night, I made stuffing and mashed potatoes that my parents sent me, and also some veggies and chicken and rolls that we picked up at the store and had a little Thanksgiving dinner with Gabby and Mackenzie. Tonight, our apartment is having dinner all together. We are making pasta, rice, steak, and different veggies, to celebrate an Italian Thanksgiving. It is really hard for me to be away from home on this holiday, but I know we are going home in less than two weeks now, so I'm holding on to that.

I can't even convey how much I fell in love with London. I literally wanted to stay there forever. It is so different than here, and so different than home, but still has some little pieces of the Western world that made it easier to be away. It is so beautiful and so easy to navigate and I fell in love with every second we spent there. I would love to go back and I wish I could share that amazing experience with everyone I know. It was easily the highlight of my three months abroad.

All that's left to say is, I really can't wait to go home. It's been real, and it's been fun, but please get me the heck out of here ; )

Ciaoooo

A day in the life

What I have been up to lately:

- Took a tour in the Chianti region with Chris and most of the group. We first stopped in a small town called Santa Brigida, named after a Saint who lived there in a tiny cave because she wished to live a humble life, like many who have dedicated their lives to Christ. We saw the cave that she lived in and the rest of the cute little town, which had beautiful views, and unexpectedly, beautiful fall foliage. There was an elderly man walking the streets of the town singing opera to "his dear friends" (us) which was very Italian and homey. From there, we went to a castle that was previously owned by a powerful Italian family, then taken over by the Medici family when they killed the others out. Now, it is owned by a winemaker and her husband, who live there with their two children. It is a 40 room castle and we took a tour of a few important rooms before heading down to the cellars to see where they make, age, and store the wine. After this, we went back upstairs for a wine tasting where we sampled a white wine and two Chianti reds, and tasted some traditional Italian snacks consisting of various crostini, cheese, salami (not for me of course!), and biscotti. We also tasted the extra virgin olive oil that they also produce on their property and met the grounds keeper of over 50 years, an 80-something old man dressed like Robin Hood who spoke little and smiled much. As you can imagine, I took many pictures, which will be posted to facebook when I have a few more to post with them.
- We took a pizza making class at a local restaurant that we have eaten at a few times called Il Teatro. Basically, we just got to make our own pizzas with whatever toppings we wanted, while learning how the Italians make their dough and use their brick ovens. It was delicious and we were served free wine and dessert, which was a chocolate sauce covered panna cotta.
- Today the president of Colby-Sawyer came to visit with a group of alumni that he is currently travelling around Europe with. They took us to lunch at Il Teatro, where we had a free four course meal served with endless water, wine, and coffee. For those who love food and want to hear about our courses, here they are. We started off with bruschetta, which has become a huge trend in America, but is often done very differently than it is actually done here. Here it is toasted bread topped with diced tomatoes that have been marinated in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and chopped basil. Simple, but delicious. Next, we had a dish of two different pastas: gnocchi with spinach and ricotta cheese sauce, and pesto filled ravioli with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. The third course for meat eaters was a pork dish, which I think was layered with bruschetta and rucola and served with potatoes. I had the option of a seafood dish or an omelette, but since I do not eat fish or eggs, I got mixed grilled vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, and peppers) and caprese, which is just tomatoes and mozzarella. For dessert, we were served a vanilla custard topped with fresh strawberries and bananas in a chocolate cookie cup. The meal was extremely (maybe excessively) filling, and I think I have had my share of wine for a while, but it was good to share our experience with the alumni and get to know the president of the school who is also a humanities professor that I could cross paths with in the future if I remain at Colby-Sawyer.
- I don't often write about the church or museum visits we make during classes, but this morning in art history we finally visited the church of Santa Maria Novella, and I just wanted to share that it is the most beautiful church I have ever seen (including Saint Anne's Basillica in Quebec!), and the artwork inside is absolutely phenomenal. Truly unbelieveable to be so not religious and still see religious art that I can not help but appreciate.

"La bella vita" is not always as sweet as it sounds. When it rains, it pours, and in Florence... it rains. It has been raining for a good week now, and the monotony of walking back and forth from school to my apartment in this dreary weather is taking its toll. However, I have London to look forward to in less than a week, and in just a few weeks we will be headed home. Back to the familiarity of life in the United States of America. Back to family, and friends, and overall companionship. The closer it gets, the less bittersweet it seems. Saying goodbye to this beautiful country will certainly be hard, but the reward on the other side of the ocean has never seemed so great. If I take anything from this experience (which I obviously will; how many people can say they spent their first semester of college in Europe?), it will be appreciation for the little things involved in my everyday life, and how easy life is made for me by the people that surround me. I have had some rough nights lately, being extremely homesick and just ready to leave, and I know that it can seem to others that I don't appreciate this experience, but that is entirely not true. I'm glad I came here, I really am, and I had some great, once in a lifetime experiences. But throughout this trip, I have learned that feeling alone and trapped can be ultimately dibilitating. Back at school, I would be meeting new people everyday. Here, it is the same few people who are basically still strangers to me that I spend every waking hour with. What I have realized from this is that I can be in the greatest place on earth and not have any fun, because what makes a place feel like home is the people there who care about you. Nothing is as great an experience if you can't share it with the ones you love. My time here has had ups and downs and I appreciate every second of it, but what I appreciate most is that when I leave here I will be returning home to some of the greatest people this world can possibly know. I have always loved my family and friends, but being this far away and in such an amazing place where I could easily get caught up and never want to leave, and still wanting to return home to them in the end, has made all the difference in the way I view companionship and love, and myself and the world. Think on that, my friends.

Ciao

SO much to do, so little time

Hey! Blogging is sometimes a pain in my butt, but I know I have to catch up now or I never will. I have done a lot over the past week.

- Climbed the dome of the Duomo. BEAUTIFUL view, best view of Florence by far. Took a lot of pictures which will be posted soon. It was about 500 very claustrophobic steps to get up there but it was worth it for an amazing experience.
- Went to another cooking class where we made crepes filled with eggplant stuffing and served with a white and red sauce, homeade gnocchi with tomato pesto, and a chocolate souffle cake. Fun and delicious!
- Visited San Marco church with my art history class. We do many church and museum visits but this church was one of the nicest looking that I have seen.
- Went to Montalcino for the weekend to visit someone that my mom met when she was in Italy a few months ago. Crazy experience. She lives with her boyfriend in the deep countryside with one neighbor about a mile away. Her house is a tiny stone building, but extremely cozy on the inside, and with the most beautiful view of rolling hills and fields. She lives on a vineyard and works as a winemaker, so we visited her hotel and restaurant where we tried her wine and had a good dinner. They spoke some English but most of the weekend she and her boyfriend spoke in Italian to each other and their friends so it was odd not being around anyone who was speaking our language. My roomate, Mackenzie, and I tried to follow the conversations but for the most part we had no idea what was going on. We had a very relazing weekend though, as on Sunday we had the house to ourselves so we sat in front of the woodstove drinking tea and getting some schoolwork done. They had four cats and three dogs that would come and go around the house, so we enjoyed having contact with pets again, and laughed every time we tried to talk to them in English and realized they did not understand any of our commands or sweet talk.
- Had a very Italian experience at a shop just around the corner from our apartment. We found a place where they sell wine on tap and all you do is bring back the bottle and they fill it for 2 or 3 euros. You can get the same wine that would be about 10 euros a bottle with the label but much cheaper. They also sell handmade pasta and sauces there, and delicious olive oil which we got to taste on bread with salt. The super Italian part was the old couple that owned the shop: an Italian man that spoke no English, and a tiny woman who spoke just enough English to tell us her life story as fast as she could. It was hilarious to see them interacting with their family and the woman loved having us there and wanted us to try everything. She insisted that we take flyers and "go to school and tell to all your American friends!"
- We also had to go back to the immigration office because we were supposed to recieve the cards that we applied for last time we went, which basically say that we are in the country legally. However, after waiting 45 minutes after our appointment time, they informed us that the cards weren't ready yet and we would have to come back in another week or two. Glorious. That's just a little taste into how Italy's legal system works.
- One of the women in the Oregon group here was assaulted by a psychotic woman in the street. We are friends with the woman from Oregon, who is older than us but really awesome, and Mackenzie and I saw her walking home from the incident and she spilled the entire story to us. Basically this crazy woman in the street was just walking up and beating random woman, and our friend was pinned up against the wall by her throat. She had to wait for the police to get there and give a statement, but once the officer told her he was going to call in someone else because there was nothing he could do, she left frustrated and still shaken up by the attack. We bought her a bottle of wine and did our best to console her, but that's a really scary experience. Makes everything seem less safe and the city doesn't really feel like home anymore.

I have been sick for about three weeks now and it is definitely taking its toll. It is exhausting to say the least, but I am trying not to let it stop me from doing anything interesting. I did miss out on an olive tasting because I was just too tired to go, but there will be other opportunities. It sucks not having a shower because a hot shower always makes you feel much better when sick, but I took a bath last night and that was pretty relaxing. Although I know saying goodbye to Italy will be hard, I am now ready to go home. Our apartment is falling apart, my roomates are messy and lazy, and it's all just getting a little too stressful to live here. I know we are in the homestretch, but I find myself hoping that it will fly by. I can not wait to see my family and friends again. 34 days until we step foot on the airplane!

Ciao

Awesome weekend

Once again it has been a while since my last post, but I can assure you that most of that time was filled with studying, sleeping, or going to class. It has been a tough couple of weeks schoolwise but things are finally settling back down a little, so hopefully it will all get a little less stressful as well. Not much eventful happened during the week this week. I have been sick and stressed so a lot of my free time was spent in bed. I got an A on two out of my three midterms and have not gotten the third once back yet, so we will see about that one! It's art history, which is actually a pretty difficult class (understandably if you consider how much art and history there is in Italy and especially Florence where we are living!) and has a lot of dates and names and even concepts. I'm a little nervous to get it back but hopefully I did alright!

This weekend, we put schoolwork on the backburner and had some really cool opportunities. On Friday, we went to Siena and San Gimignano, two cities about 90 minutes south of Florence. Both were absolutely beautiful and so different from Florence! In Siena we had a guided tour and then some free time during which we got quick lunch and just relaxed in the sun. It was actually a lot warmer than Florence is right now and I was out in a t-shirt which was a drastic and welcome change from late October back home! Then we moved on to San Gimignano where we had all the time to ourselves to explore and shop. I wish we had waited to eat there because it smelled absolutely delicious and we saw so much pizza that looked amazing! Northern Italy is not exactly known for having the best pizza, but as we were a little farther south than normal, the pizza looked completely different and combined with the smell it was absolutely mouthwatering. We did get gelato at the "world's best gelato place" which actually has won the worldwide gelato competition for a few years. It was delicious and definitely the best I have had. Both cities had beautiful ceramics and silver jewelry and a lot of souvenir shops. We saw the duomos in both cities and came across many other interesting buildings and shops. It was an awesome day and we got to spend it with some of the people from the Oregon group that is also here with AIFS so it was really nice to get to know them better. We got home around 7 and I passed out around 8, exhausted from such a long and eventful day. I absolutely loved San Gimignano and really want to go back! It's such an adorable city and the views were absolutely amazing. I took a lot of pictures which I will put on facebook soon.

Then Saturday night we went to a professional soccer game between our home team Fiorentina and another Italian team called Bari. Although Fiorentina does not have a great record so far this year, they won the match and it was an amazing and exciting experience. I am not much of a soccer fan but as we were saying all night, "This is not SOCCER. This is FUTBOL!" It was crazy. There were so many people and the fans were wild. It was definitely an awesome time and I am so glad I had that opportunity. I wish we could go see another game! It was so much fun. After the game we went out to the club and I had a great night with some of the girls from the group. Overall it was an extremely fun weekend and I am grateful for it, as the weekends remaining are running short!

I have spent today relaxing and trying to catch up with some friends from back home. I got wallposts last night from my two best friends saying they needed me and another of my best friends saying she wanted to skype soon. It's really good to hear that I am missed by them back home as much as I am missing them here, but it makes me wish I could be there for them when they need me instead of across the ocean! I do what I can from here but I really wish I could be at home supporting them. Hang in there girls, I'll be back before you know it and we'll have as much quality best friend time as we can possibly handle. I love you all!

My highschool cheerleading team is also competiting in this year's first competition today which makes me miss it and all of them so much! Not to mention the football games... I can't wait to see a video of your routine, girls! I know they rocked it. That's how we do it <3 BGVC

We ordered our Harry Potter tickets today! We're fairly certain that midnight shows do not exist in Europe, which is a huge bummer, but we are seeing it the next morning at 9:30 so that is still very early after it comes out. I CANNOT WAIT to see it or for my trip to London in general! It's going to be amazing and I could not have picked a better group of people to be going with.

Now I'm off to skype my momma because I haven't talked to her for a few days and I miss her! Love you mommy!

Ciao ;)

Non sono italiana! Io HEART America! ;)

Sooo it's the weekend once again and thank god for that. The stress of being here is finally kicking in. Money is absolutely crazy. Everything is so expensive and the exchange rate is getting worse and worse. Eager to go home and be nourished without worrying how much it is going to cost me. Also can't wait for some home cooked meals. Actually, I think what I am most excited about is being able to dry my clothes after washing them... ah, so many missed comforts.

Thursday night was probably my best night in Florence so far. We had an "American night" to celebrate Mackenzie's birthday. Mackenzie's mom was here all afternoon after classes making potato salad and homeade mac and cheese and they got burgers and hot dogs for the meat eaters. We had lots of snack food and lots of alcohol. We made jello shots and played "beer pong" (it's bei rut, bitches) and blasted music and just had a really good time. Theresa and I spent all day before that making a cake for Mackenzie and had a very interesting time figuring out how to make a cake in Italy. We used cake mix, but the mix is very different here, and figuring out what we had to add to it while at the grocery store was very interesting. They also do not have frosting here so we had to make our own which was a crazy and nearly disastrous process. After multiple trips to the store and a hike across the city to our professor's apartment to use his oven, we produced 4 layers of aluminum lasagna pan cakes. We stacked and frosted what ended up being two very interesting desserts, added sprinkles and candles, and presented them at the party. Apparently they were good, because they are entirely gone now, but we were pretty worried that they were not going to be edible. I guess it really is the thought that counts!

American night was super fun, everyone came over to our apartment and we all had a blast. We did get a noise complaint, but it was only 9:20 pm and quiet hour starts at 11 so it was a little uncalled for. At around 11, we all left and went down to the bar at House of Sizzle, which is called the Red Garter, to see a Dave Matthews cover band. They were decent, and we had fun... and we all got really drunk. It was a hilarious night and we definitely bonded over it. It was a really good idea because we all got a little taste of home, which most, if not all, of us are missing.

Since then we've all been exhausted and just laying around being lazy. We got dinner at Sizzle last night and our waitress even noticed how exhausted we looked (although she does know us fairly well since we've been there a million times). Since we had midterms last week and still have one more on Tuesday we are all stressed out and just need this weekend to unwind.

LONDON is in a month! And once we get back we only have two weeks before we leave for home. It's crazy to think about! On one hand it seems like we've ONLY been here for a month and a half, but on the other hand it's like we only have a month and a half left! It seems short both ways, yet long both ways, it's so weird. We have been thinking a lot about the day we leave and no one can really decide if we are going to be happy or sad to go. It seems very bittersweet. We want to go home, but at the same time things are going to be very different when we get back, and although there are some things we definitely won't miss about this place, I think we will all miss the freedom we have.

Pictures of this weekend are on facebook in my album "Italia! 2" so check them out.

Ciao bellini!

It's been awhile

As the days go by I find less and less time to blog. We are on break this week until Wednesday, and I am sick, so I have a little time to write right now, between episodes of 90210 :)

Not much new here. I am having a lot of fun, but still miss home and all my friends and family! I can't wait to go back and see everyone, but I'm glad things are finally looking up. We have midterms Wednesday and Thursday which is a little stressful, but makes the end seem much closer. 58 days!

Mackenzie's family is here. Her mom, nana, and 17 year old sister came to visit on Saturday and are here until I think Thursday. The day they arrived we (Mackenzie, Gabby, and I) went to meet them at the airport, but their flight was delayed twice and then ultimately cancelled, and since we had no way to get in touch with them, we just went back to our apartment and waited. They finally arrived at around 4 (their original flight was supposed to get in at 9:30) and we met up with them for drinks at their hotel. Then they treated us to dinner and wine at Golden View which was absolutely delicious and we had a great time getting to know them. That night, we took Mackenzie's sister, Peyton, to the club and she fit in with us wonderfully. We made jello shots before we left with Jello that they brought over from the states because they don't have anything like it here!

Most of my weekend has been spent just relaxing and studying, since I am sick and not feeling well at all. The best day of my weekend was Friday, when I went shopping with Gabby, Mackenzie, and Casey. I got two pairs of boots, a new top for the club, and a pair of earrings. It really cheered me up and felt good to get some new stuff. Then we got Chinese takeout for dinner and brought it back to the apartment to eat. I am so glad we found this restaurant, it is DELICIOUS, and they have the Lo Mein that I have been craving from back home, but even better. They also have "Tau Fu Piccante" which is tofu in a spicy sauce with shitake mushrooms and peas and it is the most delicious vegetarian meal I have ever tasted. Mmm I'm craving it right now just thinking about it!

I don't really like hot chocolate because I'm not a huge chocolate fan, but that same day we stopped at a little candy shop type place and Mackenzie got a hot chocolate. I thought I would share this because what she recieved was a small cup of what literally looked and tasted like hot chocolate syrup. It was thick, dark, sugary, and honestly, disgusting. No more Italian hot chocolate for us.

I will try to get back to blogging day to day in more detail because when I wait so long, there is a lot that I miss. At the same time, I am trying to get the most out of my experience here which involves a lot less apartment time and a lot more adventure. When my mom was here a few months ago, she went to a vineyard about two hours from here and met a sister and brother who were very nice and welcoming to her and her sisters and brother. When my mom heard that I was struggling here, she contacted them and she just heard back from the woman, named Cecilia. She showed me the email she received, which was absolutely adorable, since obviously English is not her first language. She said she was happy to have me there anytime and that I could come relax at her house for a few days. Sounds great to me! I am going to look into it and see if I can find a weekend this month to go visit, and maybe bring a friend. It would be awesome to get out of here and go see something new and spend some time with someone who lives here. I have also been in touch with some other people who live in Italy but are originally from America, and they have been very helpful with ideas for activities and trips and what not.

I can't think of anything else very important, I guess I can't wait this long between blogs! Sorry to those who are trying to live vicariously through me ;)

Ciao!

Droppin in

I don't have much Italian news to report, but here are a few updates

- I got full credit on that paper that I talked about a few days ago. CRAZY, but awesome. The average grade was a C. I got an A... I don't hate it! College is easy. Thank you, BG (and dare I say, Meghan Tesini?)
- We have officially 65 days left in Italy. Over a full month has gone by.
- Tonight I am going to dinner and a soccer game with some of the girls. Our friend Amazjah who is here with us plays on one of the soccer teams that they offer for teens, so we are going to support her.
- There is a travel advisory for Americans in Europe. You can read about it on CNN. Basically, people here hate American's. Mom told me not to wear anything blatantly American, so I guess I can no longer wear my Boston University shirt ;) what a shame... (dad, I know you'll be happy to hear that). I also cannot run through the airport wearing nothing but an American flag. Shoot, I guess that foils all my plans.
- I finished all 6 seasons of LOST. It blew my mind... I can't even talk about it. PLEASE recommend some more shows that you have enjoyed! Until then, I have two books to read: Invisible Man and The Four Agreements (thank you to my amazing cousin, Kara!) Very excited for both.
- After Thursday we have 5 days off, then return to class for midterms. Crazy to think I am already half way through my first semester of college.
- Tomorrow we have a walking tour of the secret passages throughout the city. I know the basic jist of their use, but I will wait until after thr tour to report on this to make sure I have the right details.
- ANYONE who wants to visit me here, REALLY feel free! ;) Or I guess I would settle for some cards or a package or something... anything from people back home is really awesome :) Just ask for my mailing address (not the same as the street address where I live).

Ciao!

Fresh start

I have done a lot of talking this week and a lot of thinking. I have found out who my true friends are (you know who you are<3nomatterthedistance) and have learned not to rely on anyone. I know that all I do is give, give, give, and I am okay with it, as long as I focus on myself sometimes too. I am going to change things here. I have decided to stop feeling guilty for spending money. I am going to be wise with it, but I am still going to do things that I know will make me happy, even if they cost me a few euros. I am going to get out of here and see new things. Tomorrow, I am going to Lucca with Gabby, Mackenzie, and Theresa. I want to make a connection with the people here, but if I can't, I'm still going to do things on my own. I am eager to come home, but I want to do as much as I can while I am here. I have lived my life for other people for too long. Now, I am going to live it for myself and make the best of it.

For a little update:
-Wednesday we went to the Uffizi Museum with Chris in place of both of our classes. It was awesome just to finally set foot in that place. It's not exactly up my alley art wise, but you can literally feel the history seeping through the walls. We barely saw even a small portion of the museum and I will probably go back because they have some Rembrandts which I would really love to see.
- Thursday we went to the Bargello Museum for art history. It is just down the street from our apartment. This museum was actually very interesting. It is mostly sculpture (or what we saw of it was) and having a very informed tour guide (our teacher) really helps. The stories behind each sculpture were amazing.
- After the museum I went out with Gabby and Mackenzie to buy a new pair of headphones because mine broke. On the way, we found a place that sells ice coffee (which is fairly rare here).
- We left pretty late for our second class so we had to basically run there, but when we got to Santa Croce there was a huge fair going on. It looked awesome, so after class we walked around. There was tons of food and booths selling random but interesting things. I bought some souvenirs for my friends back home and a pair of really comfy slippers for myself.
- After chilling in the apartment for a little, Mackenzie and I decided to go out to dinner because we just wanted to get out and do something fun instead of staying in like we always do. We tried a new Mexican restaurant which was a very interesting experience. It wasn't very good but they gave us free sangria and tequila shots so needless to say we left content and pretty tipsy. We headed home and grabbed some snacks and alchohol on the way, then spent the rest of the night in the apartment with a few others just hanging out and drinking.
- I skyped with my brother and his girlfriend for quite a while which was awesome because I miss them so so so much! Ky & Emm <3 you are the best! I also skyped with Steph who made me feel really good about the things I was stressing about back home, and assured me that she would be there when I get back. I can't wait to see her :) We also skyped with Sean for a little while, because everyone here misses him already. It was good to see him safe at home and happy.
- Today we slept late and basically did nothing. But we decided that 3 nights a week, we are going to have dinner together. We formed pairs and each pair has one night to cook and one night to do the dishes. Hopefully this will make us closer and more appreciative of each other. It seems like things may be turning around.

To those who feel that I would be better off at home: screw you. I have no room for people who do not support me or believe in me, or people who bring me down. If you don't know that this is about you, you are simply an idiot.
To those who think that they may have a hand in my unhappiness, you do not. The world is a harsh place, and sometimes living in it just flat out makes me sad. But in general, I am happy, and I want to be here. If I seem negative to you, it is because I have chosen you to confide in. Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on, and I'm sorry if you were the wrong people for that. But know that I am okay and I am stronger for being here.
To those who have constantly shown me nothing but support, thank you. You know how much it means and how much I appreciate it. I am confident that we will be friends (or family) forever.
To those who have turned down my requests for help, I do not need you, and I am better off without you. Thank you for showing your true colors before I got too attached.

Every little thing, is gonna be alright<3

Ciao!

"Caught in a cold sweat, stuck splitting hairs
I'm drinking too much; I'm on my way to striking out
Go to sleep with the pressure of everyone
Watching and waiting, they're yours for the taking
But I still have my doubts.
Before you ask which way to go
Remember where you've been
Stay awake; get a grip and get out, you're safe
From the weight of the world, just take
A second to set things straight
I'll be fine, even though I'm not always right
I can count on the sun to shine
Dedication takes a lifetime
But dreams only last for a night"
- ATL

It's been a while

A lot has happened. I'm struggling a little here and blogging is not very often appealing. I will briefly list some things that I have missed

First off, there was an incident in France with the Global Beginnings group there and some people from the Italy trip were there while it happened. One student was accused of sexually assaulting another; no one knows who. Things feel a little different here now. The mood is very off. Everyone is weary and drained and confused.

Thursday:
- Miserable. Had to meet at the Duomo for Art History class. Apparently missed the info for the exact meeting place since I slept through Tuesday's class. Waited by the entrance for over an hour with Gabby and Mackenzie thinking we could not miss them there. Turns out they were going to the museum behind the Duomo. Missed the entire class. It seriously bew and the professor hates us but I don't really care because she has no respect for her students and thinks we are all completely stupid. We emailed her hoping to be able to make up the class in some way and she never responded or acknowledged that she received it. Today in class she called our names outloud and listed our number of absences... helpful.

Friday:
- Had finger food at our professor's house. We do not have an oven and a few people wanted to make cookies. We voted on best cookie and the winner got a bottle of Limoncello which we all shared. He then took a few of us out to an Irish pub near his apartment and bought us drinks. To return the favor, we took him to the club and he sang karaoke with us and held my purse. Pretty good night

Saturday:
- Nothing eventful. I think I went to the diner for breakfast (at 4:00 pm) soon after we woke up. Can't remember if it was this day but I think so. Went to SPACE later that night; realized I am sick of sloppy people and decided that I will no longer be going to the club on the weekends, atleast for a few weeks.

Sunday:
- Again nothing eventful. Worked on a paper that was due the next day and stayed up all night (literally did not sleep). Did not finish paper

Monday:
- Felt like a zombie. Had to get our temporary citizenship at the immigration office. Met with Phillipa at 9, walked to the station, and then proceeded to wait 4.5 hours to sign our names and have our fingers scanned. Process took about 5 minutes to do all of us. Then they told us we would have to come back to get our actual cards. Not doing it. Appointment ran into class so we got an extension on our paper. Stayed up til 3 am doing it

Tuesday:
- Passed in what I think may be the worst paper I have ever written, and don't really care. Suffered through Art History. I officially hate our professor and her class is excessively boring. Came home and slept. Went to culture class. Got home and Sean was gone along with all of his stuff. We're assuming he's going home but he didn't tell anyone he was leaving today. Pretty sad about it cause he was one of the only people here I had a connection with.

Having dinner tonight at the other girls' apartment I think as a thank you to Chris for letting us have a cookie party at his house. Potluck style. Not sure yet whether or not I am going to attend as I always feel pretty out of place in that apartment. Don't even know if we are having it; the mood here is very weird right now. We all feel strange about everything going on and no one is happy that Sean has gone home, especially without saying goodbye. We'll see.

Nothing else to report. Miss everyone from home. Getting sick of being trapped in this dirty little city. Trying to stay positive. Mostly just exhausted.

Ciao

Catching up

Alright I haven't blogged since Sunday so I guess I have some catching up to do. I have been very busy and in turn very exhausted, and have also been trying not to spend too much time on the computer, so I just haven't gotten around to blogging. Since I have so much to write, I am going to use bullet points to avoid driving myself and others insane.

Monday:
- Classes resumed after an awesome weekend, but we only had one actual class. Ethics 9:30 - 11. We talked about... I forget, probably Aristotle. Oh yes, Nicomachean Ethics
- Instead of our 2:00 class, our professor, Chris, took us up to Boboli Gardens, a series of gardens and scattered art pieces on the side of a large hill. We hiked up and saw a lot of interesting things and beautiful views which I have posted pictures of on facebook. We rested in the shade of some trees for a while in one of the gardens, then proceeded to the observatory at the top where there is a flower garden overlooking the entire city of Florence, and a small pottery gallery with some very unique, deceivingly modern-looking pieces.
- We had a dinner reservation at 6:00, but we had some extra time, so we laid out in the sun for a while and then Chris offered to take us to a wine bar very close by that he had been wanting to try. No one really had much interest except for me and one other person, so the three of us went and Chris treated Rachelle and I to a glass of wine (which he also picked out for us because we had essentially no idea what to get). I'm not much of a wine person but it was delicious! I would reccommend it but I have no idea what it was... something white ;)
- We then went to dinner at Golden View which is supposed to be the nicest (and most expensive) restaurant on our meal voucher list. Drinks are not included under our vouchers, so Chris paid for all the drinks and told us to get whatever we wanted. He also ordered two bottles of red wine and two bottles of white wine for the table, just house wines, which were also quite good. I have learned that the wine is much better (and cheaper!) in Italy. Probably the only thing that is cheaper here. I ordered penne with quattro formaggi which is a four cheese sauce which they added truffles to. It was delicious and it was the first dish I had tasted with truffles in it. I also tried their pizza which was pretty good, but all Florentine pizza kinda tastes the same and I am a little sick of it. Florence is definitely not known for good pizza and to be honest it's a little bland!
- After dinner I was exhausted and not feeling well. I have been gettting sinus headaches for a few days now, and no one here is very healthy (they say it's germs from the airplane!) so I'm not surprised. I was supposed to go to see the orchestra at 9:00, but as soon as I got home (around 8), I fell asleep and did not wake up until around 11. I'm a little disappointed that I missed out, but there are still many free activities available and I would not have had much fun feeling the way I did.

Tuesday:
- The next morning I still wasn't feeling well. Our alarm never went off so we woke up just a few minutes before class and my head was pounding, and my two roomates (we moved Mackenzie's bed into our room so there are 3 of us now) were both really sick so we decided to get another hour or so of sleep. We missed art history, which is an okay class but the teacher is crazy and they made us buy a book which has all of her lectures in it, so none of us were too worried about missing that class. Plus, we have it twice a week so we can catch up with her tomorrow.
- I had a doctor's appointment at 11:40 to get a shot, so I got up and showered and left my roomates to sleep a little longer since our second class is not until 2. I had never been to the doctor's office and did not know where it was, but one of the AIFS girls, Isabelle, had made the appointment for me and gave me the address, so I mapquested walking directions and set off on a solo adventure. I had to navigate streets that I had never been on (to my knowledge) and I also needed to find an ATM on the way because I wasn't sure how much the appointment would  cost. I also didn't have a watch, so I was practically running through the streets hoping to get there on time. I did eventually find an ATM, and only had to wait behind one person (short lines are very rare), and the transaction went smoothly. I then continued to run through the city to get to my appointment, having no idea what time it was.
- I found it just fine, but when I got to the address I didn't know exactly which building it was. Then my eyes fell upon a door surrounded by open shop windows with plenty of lighting and bright colors. I found the door so easily because it was the complete opposite; just a large wooden door with now windows in sight. I walked up to the door and found the buzzer that I was pretty sure had something to do with a doctor's office. I know the word for doctor is "medico" but I didn't see that at all, so I picked the one that looked like it would be a medical facility. I rang it and the door immediately opened. I walked in to a dark hall facing a large stone staircase. It seemed the only way to go was up, so I climbed the stairs. At the top, I saw a sign for the office which said that it was on the 4th floor. There were no more stairs in sight, but there was an elevator to my left so I pressed the button to call for it. The doors opened and I was horrified. The elevator was a small box that could not possibly have fit more than one or two people. It was dark and had no sort of window or anything. I reluctantly got in and pressed the button, then waited what seemed like hours for the elevator to take me to the top floor. I found the office and had to ring another buzzer. The door opened and I knew I was in the right place; doctor's offices don't look much different here than in America. The receptionist spoke very poor English, but she pointed at some forms that I needed to fill out. Unfortunately, they were all in Italian, so I had to struggle through that for a while. Finally, the doctor came out to get me, and spoke English so he helped me fill in the missing areas.
- In the office, I told the doctor that I just needed to have a shot administered and gave him the prescription. He was very nice and funny, so I felt much more comfortable than I had up until this point. He then asked me if I normally received the shot in my "arm or buttock" and I quickly answered arm, to which he launched into a long explanation as to why I should probably start getting it in my butt muscle instead of my deltoid, since it is a long lasting shot and the butt muscle is much larger. I pretended that I would take that into consideration and asked him to put the shot into my arm. He seemed to think that I was going to be in a lot of pain but it's a very easy shot and I could barely feel a thing. The tough part is the arm soreness for a few days after, which I now realize I would definitely not want to be feeling in my "buttock" at all. I paid him 20 euros, which is much cheaper than I originally thought it would be because medical care is quite expensive here, and told him I hope I don't have to see him again while I'm here (let's keep our fingers crossed for no accidents), and left.
- On my way home I got a huge 2 euro slice of pizza and came back to have some peach iced tea while I ate. It was a very satifsfying meal after everything I had been through that morning, and I even had time to take a short nap before class.
- Second class that day was Italian culture, and we convinced our teacher to take us on a little fieldtrip. Instead of talking about politics in the classroom, we hiked up to Palazzo Michelangelo, which is a large piazza-like area on top of a large hill with a view overlooking the city. I say hiked because it was seriously a strenuous walk. There is a steep staircase with very wide stairs that were killer on the calves, and it went on for what seemed like miles. We got to the top huffing and puffing, but it was worth it. We sat as a group and had our lecture out there, watching the light clouds roll in over Florence. It was much better than sitting in our stuffy little classroom and none of us had seen this part of the city at all so that was good.
- After class we walked back to the school to pick up the package my parents had sent me. It was "huge" in the words of Sophie, Isabella, and Phillippa, and they all wished me luck carrying it back to the apartment. I did get it there, and felt like a child on Christmas morning when I opened it. It contained tons of food and essentials that I had been living without. It felt really good to receive some comforts from home and life got a whole lot better and easier. Thanks family! I love you!
- After unpacking my box, I went to the Coop with my roomies to get a few things like drinks, butter, and milk (to make mac and cheese and mashed potatoes!!!!), then came home to cook some long-missed food and head to bed.

Wednesday:
- Today was a pretty routine day. We had ethics and animality. Between classes I ate a quick lunch and took a very refreshing nap. After animality I earned a bonus point on my final by going to Billa with Chris and helping him shop for things to have at his house on Friday where he is having a cookie making party (requested by us) because he has an oven in his apartment and none of us do. Gabby and Mackenzie came with us and we carried the groceries back to Chris's apartment which is about four blocks past the Duomo. I now appreciate how close our apartment is to school, because I would not be able to make the trek he makes every morning at 9 am.
- After this I was honestly exhausted and my body is sore from all the strenuous walking we have been doing. I came home and made mashed potatoes (comfort food<3) and took a shower, and have been just relaxing since.
- I am hopefully off to skype my parents and then get to bed, as I have been trying to go to bed earlier to avoid the feeling of being a zombie in our 9:30 class every morning. I don't want to hear that 9:30 isn't early! I'm in college.
- Tomorrow through Sunday there is a beerfest in Santa Croce from noon to 11 PM. They have been setting up for days and it seems like it is going to be a crazy event. So glad my weekend starts tomorrow at 4 o' clock!

Ciao!

This is incredible, starving, insatiable...

Yes, this is love...
TODAY WAS AMAZING. I had such a good day, and as Mackenzie put it "we done good, girls."

We woke up to a beautiful morning and wanted to do something since it was not too hot out. It was the perfect day to go out and explore the city, so Gabby, Mackenzie, and I decided to take a CitySightSeeing Firenze bus tour since my mom has been trying to convince me to take one. We got ready and headed out across the city to find a bus stop that we had never been to before. We printed out directions and set off with them in hand. Instead of walking down Via Ghibellina which is the street we live on that we see everyday, we walked on a street parallel to it that we had actually never been on before and found a bunch of little tabacchis and restaurants and bakeries that look awesome and had really good pricing. We grabbed some drinks then continued walking until we were across the Arno and in a neighborhood we had never been to before, so we saw a lot of new things. Along the way, we walked through a piazza with a lot of tents set up and huge crowds of people and a lot of noise. We kept walking, unsure what was going on, and saw cars speeding down the road beeping with people out the sunroofs screaming and waving and a lot of cops on mopeds too. Then we turned a corner and realized that we were at the finish of what seemed to be a decent size bike race. The racers were just coming in to the finish as we walked by and everyone was really excited. It was pretty cool. We kept walking and got to the end of the directions without problems, but once we were there, we could not find the ticket place and bus stop that was supposed to be there. We ended up walking for about an hour and we asked a few people but no one could tell us where to go, so we decided to go back to the other side of the Arno to the train station where we knew this company had a stop. After another long walk and plenty of picture taking, we arrived at the place and bought tickets for a bus that pulled in right after we purchased them. We had gotten a little discouraged but now things seemed to be looking up.

Right behind the bus stop there was a man selling jewelry on the street. We each got a silver cuff bracelet for 10 euros. Very pretty!

The tour was fantastic. We went around Florence then left the city and went up a huge hill into a cute little town with an absolutely breathtaking view. You could see miles and miles of Italy. I can't even describe how pretty it was. Luckily I took quite a few pictures.

After the tour we were starving, so we went back to the new street we discovered to eat at a Mexican restaurant we had seen earlier, but it was closed. However, we were really craving Mexican, so we went back to Tijuana, the restaurant we went to the other night with the realy good daquiris. It was happy hour, so they were only 3 euros. Perfect! It was delicious.

We came back to the apartment after a very long and strenuous day, and now we are exhausted, although it's not even 9 yet. I'm headed off to bed soon, because I'm expecting a long day tomorrow. We have class at 9:30 tomorrow, followed by a 3 hour break. Then, instead of our normal 2 o' clock class, Chris is taking us to the Boboli Gardens which are atop a high hill that overlooks the Tuscan countryside., where we can just hang out and enjoy the view for a while. Then, we are all going to dinner at a meal voucher restaurant called Golden View, where Chris will pay for our drinks since they are not included under the vouchers. After that we have an optional free activity (we have one every week), which this week happens to be an orchestra concert at a theatre in the city. Hopefully tomorrow will be an awesome day as well!

Seeing some things that I could really appreciate today made me much less homesick and a lot happier to be here. It felt very good to get out of the apartment and see new sights and actually have some fun with my girls :) Once the college freshmen drama is out of the picture, it's much easier to enjoy Italy like I came here to do.

Ciao belli!

Stop ta ta talkin' that blah blah blah

Aaaaand the drama begins. Roomates talking shit... not having it. I'm not in Italy to be liked by anyone, so I am staying out of the drama. Heads up to those people: say what you want, I really couldn't care less, and you look absolutely ignorant and unintelligent for judging someone you barely know, and INCORRECTLY judging me at that. Good luck being here for three months if you already have problems in the first two weeks. That is all.

So it's Saturday and I just got back from lunch at Il Teatro, one of our favorite voucher restaurants right near our apartment. I was planning on going to the beach today, but decided not to spend the money since yesterday I spent quite a bit getting my nose pierced! I went with Gabby, Mackenzie, Jenna, and Amazjah. Jenna got her nose pierced as well, while Gabby got a snake bite on her lip and Mackenzie got a monroe. It was a lot of fun all getting piercings together. It was kind of hard because only one person there spoke any English and it was barely any, but we amused ourselves trying to communicate what we wanted in mixed languages and using our hands. I think we all ended up pretty happy with what we got.

On the way to the piercing place, we were starving and wanted to stop for sandwiches. We were looking into a small cafe to see if we wanted to stop there, and one of the men inside came out and started talking to us. He spoke absolutely NO English, but really wanted to have a full conversation. He ended up ushering us inside and we had no choice but to buy something. We got pretty good sandwiches for only a couple euros, but it was all a little weird. He even slipped a business card into Mackenzie's pocket on the way out. The men here are obviously very forward and outgoing and usually pretty touchy feely. It takes some getting used to.

After getting our piercings, Gabby and Mackenzie stopped at, get this: Ben & Jerry's. Yeah, they have Ben & Jerry's in Italy. Pretty crazy considering there are gelato places every ten feet, but I guess everyone wants icecream once in a while.

Our apartment has been pretty filthy, and yesterday I decided I couldn't take it anymore. While most people were out around town, I washed all the dishes and cleaned the kitchen, then, with some help from Casey, tidied up the entire common area. It's really frustrating that people haven't been cleaning up after themselves here, especially in the areas that are supposed to be for everyone. I hope that changes soon and people realize they need to keep things clean.

I will probably spend the rest of the day working on a paper for Animality (yes, we are here for school! I know it's easy to forget) and then if I decide I want to pay for the club tonight, a bunch of people are going out to Sinful at Space. The weekends seem so long here since they start at 4 on Thursday, which is really nice. I'm off to get some work done! Ciao!

Three very LONG months

I can't believe that we have only been here two weeks. A lot of the days drag by because we do the same thing over and over. Our schedule is the same everyday and since everything is so expensive we spend a lot of time just sitting in the apartment. Atleast it is the weekend now. I was planning on going to the beach this weekend but it is supposed to be rainy, so I think I am going to go get my nose pierced tomorrow with a few friends who also want piercings. We are desperate for things to break the routine. We are all dying to get out of Florence, but really have no money for that. On the upside, due to complaints from us and our parents, we will now receive 50 euros a week for food. Hopefully that will help with the budgets a lot.

I am having trouble thinking straight because it reeks like cigarettes in here right now and it is giving me a huge headache. I absolutely detest cigarettes and HATE the fact that in Europe people smoke them left and right no matter where they are.

I haven't blogged about gelato yet but I have gotten it twice and it beats ice cream by a long shot. In the US, gelato is usually expensive, but here it is one of the few things you can get for fairly cheap. There are so many flavors it's almost overwhelming. So far I have tried caffe (coffee), biscotti (cookie), pesce (peach), crema (cream) and bites of a few other flavors from friends. When you order gelato here you generally get more than one flavor at a time. A very popular flavor is nutella, but since I don't really like actual nutella I have not personally tried it.

I saw peanut butter today. It looked weird and not very good. I did not buy it and don't plan on it.

We went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. I got cheese fondue which came in a little personal pot with a candle under it. My meal (including drink) was less than 12 euros which is much cheaper than anywhere else we have seen so far. I got a peach daquiri which was probably the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. I went with Gabby and Mackenzie, who are the only two people here that I feel like I can be somewhat myself with because I know they aren't judging me, and I really like them. It was nice to have a girls night out.

We were going to go to SPACE tonight for black & white night, but ended up kinda poopy after getting back for dinner. Instead we are going to Sinful on Saturday which is a special night at SPACE with a bunch of different DJs.

I don't really have much to report about the week. It was mostly full of classes and plenty of watching LOST (I am on the 5th season now). It's getting a little lonely here, not just because I'm in Italy, but because I'm in college in general. I miss being surrounded by people that I love and people who love me. It's hard being with the same 15 people all the time and I often feel like kind of an outsider.

I have been very inspired to draw lately and think I am going to get myself a sketch pad. The architecture here is absolutely crazy, and I have been wanting to sit in the Piazza de Santa Croce one day and draw the church.

I have been listening to the Rocket Summer in excess this week. Bryce Avary is my absolute favorite and his music puts me in the mood to create. It's kind of an awesome soundtrack for studying abroad and experiencing new things, especially when I am having a hard time getting through.

I literally just sat and scratched a bug bite ON THE BOTTOM OF MY FOOT for a full 5 minutes before I could proceed. I have never had chicken pox but I certainly feel your pain! I cannot even describe how miserable these bug bites are. Yeah, it just happened again. I have to stop blogging to go scratch and KILL NAZ.. MOSQUITOS. (That reference is for Katy Devine<3)

Buona notte!

Pannacotta Recipe :)

Panna Cotta:
6 grams of gelatin (the sheets)
40 ml of milk
200 ml of whipping cream
40 grams of sugar
1/2 a vanilla bean (fairly certain you can use extract)

Strawberry Sauce:
300 grans fresh strawberries
180 grams of sugar

Procedure:
Whisk together the cream, vanilla, and sugar
Put the gelatin in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes
Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until hot but do not boil
Wring out the gelatin and put it into the warm milk; stir until gelatin melts
In a saucepan, warm the cream mixture over low heat stirring continuously until just boiling; remove from heat; add the milk/gelatin to the cream and stir to mix well
Run individual-serving foil cups (look like mini pie plates) or ramekins under cold water. Shake out excess water but do not dry
Fill each cup with the panna cotta until full, being sure the tops are level; refrigerate for atleast one hour before serving (he told us 3 to 4 hours, but a quicker way is to put them in the freezer for 45 minutes)

We ate ours in the cup with the strawberry sauce on top but you are supposed to flip them out of the cups and then top them. I don't know how to make the sauce but I'm sure you can find the procedure for that only any cooking website, it was just a very smooth sauce kind of like a jam!

There you go! Delicious!

Stephanie Ura is my bitch

Oh hi Steph ;) Love you <3

Steph, like my mom, just yelled at me for not blogging every second. So here is a report of my day.

With our art history class this morning, we visited the Basilica de Santa Croce, a large church very close to our apartment and school. It is the burial place of many famous Italians such as Michelangelo and Galileo, and there are many tombs and monuments dedicated to historical figures from Italy. The ground underneath the church is lined with corpses, and the floor is covered with tombs with human shaped facades on them. There are huge paintings and many different rooms and courtyards. It was absolutely beautiful, but I forgot my camera! So I didn't get and pictures of that.

After classes today I went to the Coop again with my roomates and had a more successful trip than last time. I bought apples, tomatoes, lettuce, canned pears and peaches, dried apricots, yogurt, and tortillas, along with a few key items that I was running out of. I'm extremely happy to finally have some fruit and veggies in my diet again and to have some easy and healthy options to make for breakfast and lunch when I don't have much time. It was also a really nice day so the walk to the store was enjoyable.

Yesterday, we found a place right down the street that sells huge pieces of pizza for two euros, which is very cheap compared to other cafes around here. We stopped on our way home from class and grabbed a piece for brunch, and it was delicious. They also have pastries and cheap beverages, so I'm happy that we found it!

Tonight, we had a cooking class at a culinary school across the city. It was such a cool experience to take a class from a real Italian culinary teacher. The chef was awesome and hilarious! We made ricotta and spinach ravioli in a sage butter sauce, a layered eggplant dish with potatoes, zucchini, and cheese, and pannacotta with strawberry sauce for dessert. It was a delicious free meal and they gave us a book with all the recipes in it so we could make them at home.

Today was a really good day because I kept busy and we did some really cool things. The one thing that's driving me crazy is all the mosquito bites! I'm itchy all over.

I want to go hangout with my roomates now, but I wanted to blog for Steph hahaha :)

Ciao!

Missing the Pats game...

Today was a pretty sheisty day. I did absolutely nothing except miss home. I'm seriously upset about missing football season considering it's my favorite part of the year back home. The only thing that really keeps me going is skyping with my friends, although it's still hard to figure out a time to skype a lot of people. Last night I skyped with my friend Erin right before she went out on a date, and it was nice to have some girl talk and gossip again. Then I skyped with Megan aka Lisa ;) which is always brightens even the worst of days. Through everything I have made her put up with, good and bad, she has been the greatest friend to me and I know I can trust her with anything and turn to her in any situation. One thing I miss about BG (there aren't many) is the hilarious antics we created every morning in the car on the way to school. You can't have a bad day when you start it off with your best friend being a goofball... oh, and Romero & Pebbles. Happy Lis? :)

For "dinner" tonight I went to a diner with Gabby, Mackenzie, and Teagan. It kinda blew. I don't have an appetite so I just got a milkshake and a Sprite, but everything I did try to order, they didn't have. It was just one of those days where the world was against me. My body still isn't used to being here; the food makes me feel sick and I'm exhausted all day but can't sleep at night. Anything from home is always comforting because a sense of normalcy here is hard to find.

I'm burning bridges with people back home that don't care about me as much as I care about them. There is no room for baggage here. All I have and need is my family and a few of my very close friends (you know who you are and I love you to death).

Hopefully the days will get better and the city more enjoyable as we begin to have organized activities and trips. We are working on getting a weekly stipend for groceries, as our counterparts on the France trip get two free meals a day. That will be extremely helpful because money here is tight since most things are much more expensive. It's already stressful enough adjusting to a living in a new country without having to think constantly about money.

I'm trying to remain appreciative day to day, but it's hard not to wish for home sometimes. Before I left, I told myself no matter what, I wouldn't come home. So I'm sticking it out in hopes that things will turn around.

Until tomorrow, ciao!

Lazy day

It's almost 6 on Friday and I have barely left my room yet today. I am feeling exhausted and annoyed by a constant headache. I stayed in bed most of the day half awake, until a few minutes ago when I got up to shower because we are most likely going out later tonight. I'm feeling a little homesick today, thinking a lot about summer and missing my family and friends. All of the roomies are having relationship problems, and I am in a similar place, so we are all kinda bummed out about losing our summer romances. It feels like we made quite a lot of sacrifices to come here, and so far it doesn't always seem like it was worth it. Earlier, we were talking about how it feels like we've already been here a month and it has only been a week. It's very early in the trip and we are already hoping it will fly by. I am grateful to be here, but it's sad thinking about everybody back in the states and knowing that for a lot of them, it's out of sight, out of mind.

So, since I am missing everyone from home, here are a few shout outs to keep us all going:

It's my best friend's birthday, so shout out to mah boyyy HHOOLLLAAAA ;) happy birthday Sammy<3

Also, MEGHAN TEDDER is missing. I have barely spoken to her since I left Colby... if you see her please tell her I miss my partner in crime/mini me. And to the rest of the Milford crew, y'all know I miss you like crazy; keep it going without me ;) even though it's hard hahaha!

Katy & Steph... I wish we had more time to talk while I'm here, but when I get back we will have a trio reunion. Love you more than ever<3

Mommy, dad, Maggie, and BROTHHHERRR :) I can't wait to come home for Christmas and have a delicious family dinner filled with endless antics. Emm & Josh-- you better be there too ;) I love you all to pieces and appreciate everything you did to get me here

Since I think there is a chance Pam will read this... Cam Holt you are a hickey queen. That is all :)

Awww, I feel better already :) Ciao!

Weekend Update

So my mom yelled at me for not blogging day to day details, as I have not posted in a few days. I was really only going to write about I do every second of the day so I will try to post daily from now on.

I am done with classes for the week. Monday and Wednesday we had ethics and animality classes from 9:30 to 11 and 2 to 3:30 with Chris, our professor from Colby-Sawyer. Tuesday and today we had art history from 9:30 to 11 and either Italian culture or Italian language from 2 to 3:30/4. We are learning some interesting stuff, but most of us are getting sick of classes already. Other than class, I mostly spent a lot of time at the apartment doing homework and relaxing. Sleeping here at night is difficult. It is very hot and extremely loud. Last night a car actually crashed right outside our apartment at around 2 am. Most of the time it is just cars and vespas speeding by or drunk people in the street screaming. We wake up in the morning exhausted and usually nap between classes, and sometimes after class as well.

Earlier this week I went to the "Co op" which is a large grocery store and stocked the fridge with basic foods like cheese, bread, pasta, sauce, yogurt, juice, pizza, and a few other items. Produce still proves too difficult to buy here, but hopefully we can figure that out soon. All of the food is extremely different here and it can be hard to figure out what you're looking at, so we mostly only buy very basic foods.

Last night was Rachelle's birthday, so a few of us took her out for dinner. We went to an American restaurant nearby called the House of Sizzle. There was a large group of crazy loud Australians there as well, but we had a blast anyway. We really like this restaurant because there is a lot of the same food around here and sometimes we miss the food from back home. We also just found out that they take meal vouchers there for a value of up to 12,50 euros, which is over the cost of most meals there. We also get international student cards which give us a discount on drinks and certain food items. I know it sounds weird to go to an American restaurant while we are here... but we get sick of pizza and pasta very fast! ;)

I've been spending a lot of time skyping people back home, but it gets hard with the time difference and crazy schedules. I'm not sure whether or not this is a bad thing however, because I don't want to be attached to my computer while I'm here. The internet is also not the greatest here... but it is fast enough for me to be able to watch a few episodes of lost whenever I feel like relaxing :)

Before I came to Italy I was set on getting out of America and finding something greater. While Italy is amazing in many ways, I'm not sure I could get used to living here after living in the US for so long. The lifestyle here is much different, and although a part of me wishes I could adapt to a European way of life and stay here forever, I don't think it's for me. I have started to appreciate little things about the US and I miss my life at home very frequently. However, I still think this is an amazing place and opportnity; I'm just glad I get to return home in three months.

We have some very cool field trips and outings planned for the weeks ahead, but as for now that's all there is to report! I'm off to hang with the roomies and probably make some dinner soon. Not sure whether we're looking for a night out or a night in, but we sure are glad it's the weekend! Until tomorrow, ciao!

Busy busy busy

It has been a busy couple of days full of nothing. We have had seminars and homework, and that's really all I have done besides watch LOST online and attempt to get some sleep. I haven't gone anywhere new or seen anything interesting, which disappoints me because I came here to learn about Italy and see and try new things. Adjusting has been difficult, with different food, drinks, time zone, language, and schedule. Tomorrow, we start our new classes that are taught by Italian proffessors. I am looking forward to that because I anticipate learning a lot that I have never known before, rather than the redundant information that I heard over and over in highschool. Along with the classes we started back at home, we now have Italian life & culture, Italian language, and Italian Renaissance.

There is not much to report as this first few days has been mostly adjusting. Hopefully I will have some time soon to get out and go see some new things.

Day Two! Walking Tour

Today we had a short orientation at our school, which was pretty boring, but informative, I guess. After orientation I walked around with a few friends looking for a grocery store, which we never found. After that, I went to lunch with Gabby at a cafe near the Santa Croce, where we had to meet for our walking tour at 2. We got sodas and little pizzas, which were delicious, but we were definitely touristy Americans. We weren't sure where to order or pay, and you could tell how frazzled and confused we were. After lunch, we sat on the steps of the Santa Croce with our group and took a few pictures until our guide came to take us on a historical walking tour of the historical district of Florence. We passed by the main historical sites in the city and learned a lot about the history of Florence and Italian art. We also received our free museum passes today which allow us free, unlimited access to the museums in Firenze at any time. I took a lot of pictures, which I will hopefully be able to post soon. Everything was so beautiful and interesting; it's so historical here!

After the walking tour we found out where the supermarket was and went to buy a few basic, essential things: juice and vodka... We decided to make a list of all the food that we want to share in the apartment, and the six of us are going to go out tonight to stock up on that. Most of the day so far has been spent in the apartment looking for things that we may want to do while we are here. We definitely want to go to a beach (probably the Versilia coast) and there are some trips planned by AIFS to Sienna and Rome that we may want to take. We also learned that there are many activities like a soccer game, an opera, cooking classes, concerts, and many others, that we can participate in for free through AIFS. My friend who just recently returned from Italy reccommended a nightclub called SPACE that some of us are planning on checking out tomorrow night. We got walking directions and it is only twenty minutes from our apartment, and apparently a blast!

Not many interesting details to report today as a lot of time was spent planning and relaxing, since we are all still pretty jetlagged. Gabby and I missed our alarm this morning (thanks Billy...) and got up super late because we were so exhausted! The walking tour was awesome and very informative, and the sites we saw were amazing. Our tour guide also showed us practical things, like the post office, and a huge market to shop at. I saw a lot of cool shops and kiosks, and also some very interesting food such as tripe sandwiches, which are made from the lining of a cow stomach. I also saw my first gypsy! Very creepy. The best part was the historical buildings we saw and learned about, including the Duomo, the bell tower, the baptism building, the town hall, the Santa Croce, and many others.

I'm already tired of walking and navigating, but I suppose it will get easier within the next week. I'm considering renting a bike to get places faster and more effieciently. I would rent a vespa, but the drivers here are scary! As I am writing this, my eyes are starting to droop. Mackenzie and Teagan are currently asleep on the couches in our living room. As I said, we are all exhausted. I'm off to nap (if I can sleep with all the noise from the restaurant across the street and the vespas speeding by!), then do some shopping with the roomates and hopefully find ourselves an exciting night! Grazie per leggi ;) ("Thank you for reading" ?) Ciao!

First night out

After settling in, we decided to go out to find something to eat and ended up at a meal voucher restaurant called Ristorante il Treato. The food was absolutely delicious and a great choice for our first real Italian meal! I had gnocche with tomato sauce and fresh fruit for dessert. The people there were fantastic and hilarious. They were super friendly and ended up giving our table a free bottle of wine. I was so full from my dinner I could barely eat my dessert (along with everyone else!) and when one of the men in the restaurant saw my plate, he actually came over and held my nose so I would have to open my mouth, then force fed it to me! It was hilarious, and really awkward... but funny and made us feel less out of place.

After dinner, a few of us decided to explore a little and try to find a place to get drinks or snacks for the apartment. We walked by the Uffizi and the Duomo, which were both beautiful. It was extremely inspiring and I was completely in awe. The streets were full of people, some playing with glowing discs that they would throw into the air and catch on a stick, which was really cool to watch. On our way back, we got pretty lost, but thanks to Gabby (who visited Florence a few years ago), a map that came in our welcome packets, and some nice people, we finally made it back to the apartment. A pretty tame night all in all, but really interesting and fun too. And I made it back in time to hang out with the group and skype some friends from home before I head to bed. Atleast I know falling asleep tonight will be easy!

Ciao!

Arrivederci America!

Our flight departed at 10 PM on September 1st. We left Colby at around 5, and the wait was unbearable! We were all so excited to finally be on our way! We took a coach bus to the airport, which was an adventure in itself, as our engine over-heated and then we got stuck in typical Boston traffic. However, it was not bad, and we made it to the airport in plenty of time. The airport went smoothly, although we had a lot of overweight baggage to deal with, and the line for security seemed endless. The only road bump was that our professor had been overbooked on the flight and did not have a seat! He did end up gettig one, but for a while it seemed we were going to set off on our own. My wonderful parents and fantastic best friend, Sam, came to send me off at the airport, making it kind of bittersweet. I will miss them, but absence makes the heart grow fonder ;) and this is an amazing opportunity that we all know I cannot pass up.

From Boston, we had a 6 hour 45 minute flight to Frankfurt, Germany, where we then connected to Florence. I slept for most of the flight, but was awake enough to eat some awful airplane meals. The plane was HUGE and had about fifteen movies to choose from (which I couldn't stay awake long enough to watch -- thank you Benadryl!) so it wasn't too bad. The flight was smooth except for my ears popping like crazy! We practically had to run through the Frankfurt airport, so I didn't see much of Germany, but I was extremely excited to see some Arizona tea for sale at one of the kiosks... thought I had seen my last one until December! Security there was surprisingly quick and nothing got searched except for a few of my groupmates' bags. From there, we were off to Florence, an hour and ten minute flight, on a much smaller plane.

Our second flight was quick and painless. We flew directly over the Alps, which was the most amazing sight I have ever seen! Many people ordered beer or wine on the plane as a little celebration... I got sprite (I know, unusual) and it came in a cute little can and tasted very different! When we arrived at the airport in Firenze, we were joined by some AIFS staff members who led us to our taxis (yes mom, with real Italian drivers!) and sent us on our way with schedules, ID cards, meal vouchers, and a lot of other information that I haven't even begun to digest. What I do know is-- we're finally here! Feels like we waited an eternity. But it was worth it!

The city is beautiful and our apartments are very nice. I live with 5 other girls, sharing 3 bedrooms. My roomate, Gabby, is awesome! And we all get along fairly well. We are about to head out to stock up our fridge and grab some dinner. Hopefully I can get some authentic Italian pizza!

I love this place already and can't wait to get out there and explore! Ciao ;)