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 ;)