So, I know in my last post which was like last December or January (a long long time ago) I said that that was my last post to finish up with abroad info. and such. Well, I didn't realize it at the time but that was definitely not even close to the end of how I have continued to be affected. The end has yet to arrive. Whether it will at all is in serious question here. I continue to miss Italy and everything I had there and I continue to try to adjust to my new outlook on life. But, I have had some things on my mind that I have really felt God asking me to share openly about what I have learned and how I have changed since being abroad which in turn will hopefully encourage you all.
Abroad is difficult to say the least. I have heard it said that studying abroad is probably the hardest experience one can go through relating to moving and living somewhere. I had a full, complete life there. I had a routine, certain places I ate at, a certain Italian brand of shampoo I used, etc. My life was complete there and it didn't directly include anything having to do with my life here in the states. Nothing. Because of that I have greatly mourned the lose of the knowledge that that is the only time in my life that that experience will ever happen AND I have mourned the lose of my life in Italy. However, due to this big transition in my life, God has shown me that he has bigger things in mind for me than living abroad for several months. Before I left, I was freaking out about the idea of being without everything I knew for the semester. I've always lived no more than 20 minutes away from my incredibly loving and caring parents. But because I have seen myself grow and "blossom" due to this rather large step, I am more confident in my future, the future God has designed for me. Comparing the before and after: before I was so anxious for the next step in my life. I didn't just want to know what I was doing next, I had to know what I was doing 3 steps from now. I didn't like not having a very laid out plan that I could strictly follow. Now, God has shown me that my plans don't exist. He asked me to go abroad and because I did, I am so much better off. It's almost like he needed me to make a ginormous step so he could have me make smaller steps, yet still large ones, in the future. Take a big step first so you will trust me, then you get smaller ones after you do type thing. I think God needed for me to prove to myself that his plans for me are good. Without me fully trusting that he is a "safe" bet, there would be no next step in him. (When I say "safe" I mean that I can do what he asks, no matter how challenging and no matter what might happen to me). I would never get out of my safe religious bubble without this realization. (Two very different "safes" I'm talking about here. Human/worldly safe, and then godly safe) What is "safe" has no place in a relationship with God. God isn't safe. In no place in the Bible does it say that truly following him will lead to safety and security in this world.
I love the south, but certain beliefs about what accompanies a "christian" life needed to be broken in me. I had fallen into that trap and was not willing to get out of my comfort zone until he asked me to go abroad. What the rest of my life holds for me is up in the air, literally. But for the first time, I love the adventure in that. I have always loved adventure and exploring. Just the other day I realized it wasn't so much the adventure of the new experiences I love, it's the excitement of how I can be used in that new place. In most cases, I think I love the fact that God is sending me to spread his glory. As I apply to the graduate school I believe God is asking me to go to, there is little to no anxiety over the fact that it is in Colorado. For 3 years I will be without my security blanket aka parents, current friends, etc. For all I know, I will never live near my parents again. A year from now as I am moving/moved there, I may or may not have anxiety but I know that God directed me in going abroad and it was the best experience I have ever had. Why should I been afraid to live across the country? I refuse to allow myself to make my parents my idol because I'm nervous about being without them. And although rather large obstacles are already being thrown at me to hinder the process, this just brings him more glory, and bringing him glory is the whole point.
Abroad has made me a much stronger individual. I could literally write a book about a girl who was sheltered yet went abroad and was not the same person as a result of it, but I highly doubt that is in my future. Any ways, that is the end. Dot. Dot. Dot.
p.s. If anyone wants to talk about Italy, I would be more than happy to get together and never stop talking about it. After the first little bit after getting home people tend to get sick of hearing about it. So....
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Il fine de Firenze-part 2
My perfectionism about this blog has been on my mind. As my english teachers always told me, a good paper needs a beginning, middle and end. This one had no end until now.
Looking over my last entry, I noticed that I was anxious about my flights. As most of you know, my journey home definitely didn't turn out the way I had expected. It included battling snow, while taking 2 buses, 2 trains, 2 planes and a car. It was definitely the most uncertain day I have ever experienced. Probably the worst part of the record snow fall in Florence was the fact that all my original plans completely dissolved as soon as I discovered my flight from Florence to Rome was canceled. I'm not someone who handles uncertainty well. I prepared myself for the schedule of that day and was going to strictly adhere to it. By being able to follow the schedule, I would feel like I had control of the situation. I had no control of this day. When the Florence to Rome flight got canceled, everything for the next 2 days was uncertain. I had to live moment to moment. Little goals of "getting to the train station" then "getting a non-canceled train", etc. was how I had to think. That's not how I usually think so it was definitely a growing experience. I broke several times and was rather demanding to find out information. Add that to the incredible instability of my feelings about leaving the country I have come to love, and that's pretty much my feelings now and at that time. I'm very proud of my friends and "flight buddies" though. Even though many of us didn't like each other, we worked together to get things done. I had to remain calm and was a leader in ways I have never been before. "My teams" hard work paid off in the end because we were the only 50 students to fly out that day.
So, in closing out this blog I wanted to report a little on my feelings of re-entry into the US. It has been a time of continued instability as to my mental, emotional, and physical state (totally a psychologist, my future employers will be happy). The jetlag and my body's clock has majorly been an influence in everything I do. After arriving "home home" on Sunday, I have gotten over the worst part of the jetlag but what is still a contributor to my state of being is the fact that my body thinks it's 12 pm when it's really only 6 am. So, I go to bed extremely early and get up extremely early as well as wanting a nap in the middle of the day.
The first 2 days were the worst for readjusting to everything. My mind continues to think I'm in Italy so when I have to drive, I am not as observant as I should be. It was kind of funny the first time I drove again. I kept saying aloud "This is weird. This is weird. This is weird" over and over to myself in the car. It felt so surreal because my brain thought it was still in Italy, and still does.
Monday and Tuesday were very lonely days. I don't have any abroad friends that live around me and most were still stuck in the airports in various cities and countries, so talking to anyone was basically impossible. I really just wanted, and want, someone to say they are experiencing the same feelings I am. My body physically rejects American food. It's become a game to see how long I can keep food in my body. I am hungry most of the time because the food just doesn't taste like what I'm use to. There are foods I crave or finally talk myself into, only to take a bit and not want to eat anymore because my body suddenly looses its appetite (until I stop eating said food, then it's hungry again). I'm lonely because I can't talk to anyone within reach of me (my family, local friends, etc) because they don't understand and can't relate with stuff I would say about trying to adjust again. Basically all I want to hear from anyone is "Me too". I want to know I'm not crazy for turning the water facite the wrong way each time (because they are turned a different direction) or walk into a room only to have my fingers search the wall for the light switch (because they are lower in Italy). Or to have someone freak out with me when I can read and order in english.
In my mind, I translate how to say or ask something into Italian, only to realize I don't have to. It's disappointing. I never realized how much I used the language until now. Even speaking to my host mom in the mornings. I just never thought about it because it's something I always did. I'm starting to say more in Italian with my own family around the house because that's how I stay sane.
Watching tv was overwhelming at first. I was still trying to process the basics so viewing the guide, that includes hundreds of channels, was too big of a decision at the time. I literally pulled my laptop out and watched shows on it. My brother mentioned something about it, I just said "I'm used to my laptop" and kept it at that. So for two whole days I passed time like I would in Italy trying to bring some normalcy to my "new" life. At times I care way too much what other people are thinking when I make a comment about something relating to this. One of my biggest fears is that they will think I am being dramatic, but I've come to try to balance what I openly show to others. I have also decided it's not my problem if they think I'm being dramatic. Most of them haven't experienced fully embracing and coming to love a foreign culture only to have to leave it. It is what it is. So I'm trying to be understanding with them and with myself.
I've tried to cook some items like I ate in Italy but have had no luck. The olive oil is a fundamental taste factor I have discovered, and we just don't have it in the states. My body is screaming for anything that resembles my former Italian diet. As I mentioned, it has become a game as to how long that last item of American food will stay in me. I'm basically continuously nauseous. Eating a meal with friends is awkward because I don't really eat. It has been 5 days so hopefully sometime soon it will go away. Something I noticed right away is the fact that EVERYTHING has so much sugar in it. Even apple salad has more sugar than I have been eating. It's constantly a challenge to find something to eat that doesn't include anything processed, covered in some sauce or cheese, and that is somewhat fresh. I'm family certain that is what has been causing my body to freak.
It is crazy to be back with my friends and family. I was literally depressed for 2 straight days, and still get waves of it. My thought is that these past 3 months were literally just something that was stapled into my life only to be removed. The experiences will always remain, but the people and the places will never be in my life again. Everything of my former months will never exist in their entirety ever again. Kind of like being awaken from a dream. No one in the life around me knows what I have experienced and fully learned. They never can. Only the people and places I had this past semester can understand, and they won't play the role the did in Italy.
I was nervous to see my parents again. I keep having to remind myself it was only 3 months because to me, so much happened it feels like much longer. I have matured and grown up faster than people who have stayed here. It feels like no one can grasp just how much, except the people I was with. Even seeing my best friends again was and is nerve racking because I've changed. I was with my best high school friends today. We clicked again because we all fit together so well, but I at least was feeling something different. My once completely silly humor has turned into more adult humor. I don't know if they noticed, but I definitely did.
When people ask me if I'm happy to be back, I just make up something they want to hear when honestly they need to ask me in a couple weeks. I'm not going to lie, I'm not incredibly happy to be back. I love my life, but I have also fallen hopelessly in love with Italy and miss it terribly.
My abroad experience did not end by returning. I have a feeling it won't end for another couple months perhaps. It has been more challenging to return than it was to adjust when I first arrived in Florence. Something that has helped is by finding a couple stores that sell authentic Tuscan wines and italian products. I can learn to incorporate certain aspects of the life I loved into my "normal" life. Being as cliche as I am (I'm an add for study abroad), I would never ever trade this experience. Even all the challenges of having to re-enter life as an American has been a very rewarding time. And the best part, I could still go to grad school abroad. Maybe not Italy (or maybe), but I've survived and loved a semester.... :-)
Looking over my last entry, I noticed that I was anxious about my flights. As most of you know, my journey home definitely didn't turn out the way I had expected. It included battling snow, while taking 2 buses, 2 trains, 2 planes and a car. It was definitely the most uncertain day I have ever experienced. Probably the worst part of the record snow fall in Florence was the fact that all my original plans completely dissolved as soon as I discovered my flight from Florence to Rome was canceled. I'm not someone who handles uncertainty well. I prepared myself for the schedule of that day and was going to strictly adhere to it. By being able to follow the schedule, I would feel like I had control of the situation. I had no control of this day. When the Florence to Rome flight got canceled, everything for the next 2 days was uncertain. I had to live moment to moment. Little goals of "getting to the train station" then "getting a non-canceled train", etc. was how I had to think. That's not how I usually think so it was definitely a growing experience. I broke several times and was rather demanding to find out information. Add that to the incredible instability of my feelings about leaving the country I have come to love, and that's pretty much my feelings now and at that time. I'm very proud of my friends and "flight buddies" though. Even though many of us didn't like each other, we worked together to get things done. I had to remain calm and was a leader in ways I have never been before. "My teams" hard work paid off in the end because we were the only 50 students to fly out that day.
So, in closing out this blog I wanted to report a little on my feelings of re-entry into the US. It has been a time of continued instability as to my mental, emotional, and physical state (totally a psychologist, my future employers will be happy). The jetlag and my body's clock has majorly been an influence in everything I do. After arriving "home home" on Sunday, I have gotten over the worst part of the jetlag but what is still a contributor to my state of being is the fact that my body thinks it's 12 pm when it's really only 6 am. So, I go to bed extremely early and get up extremely early as well as wanting a nap in the middle of the day.
The first 2 days were the worst for readjusting to everything. My mind continues to think I'm in Italy so when I have to drive, I am not as observant as I should be. It was kind of funny the first time I drove again. I kept saying aloud "This is weird. This is weird. This is weird" over and over to myself in the car. It felt so surreal because my brain thought it was still in Italy, and still does.
Monday and Tuesday were very lonely days. I don't have any abroad friends that live around me and most were still stuck in the airports in various cities and countries, so talking to anyone was basically impossible. I really just wanted, and want, someone to say they are experiencing the same feelings I am. My body physically rejects American food. It's become a game to see how long I can keep food in my body. I am hungry most of the time because the food just doesn't taste like what I'm use to. There are foods I crave or finally talk myself into, only to take a bit and not want to eat anymore because my body suddenly looses its appetite (until I stop eating said food, then it's hungry again). I'm lonely because I can't talk to anyone within reach of me (my family, local friends, etc) because they don't understand and can't relate with stuff I would say about trying to adjust again. Basically all I want to hear from anyone is "Me too". I want to know I'm not crazy for turning the water facite the wrong way each time (because they are turned a different direction) or walk into a room only to have my fingers search the wall for the light switch (because they are lower in Italy). Or to have someone freak out with me when I can read and order in english.
In my mind, I translate how to say or ask something into Italian, only to realize I don't have to. It's disappointing. I never realized how much I used the language until now. Even speaking to my host mom in the mornings. I just never thought about it because it's something I always did. I'm starting to say more in Italian with my own family around the house because that's how I stay sane.
Watching tv was overwhelming at first. I was still trying to process the basics so viewing the guide, that includes hundreds of channels, was too big of a decision at the time. I literally pulled my laptop out and watched shows on it. My brother mentioned something about it, I just said "I'm used to my laptop" and kept it at that. So for two whole days I passed time like I would in Italy trying to bring some normalcy to my "new" life. At times I care way too much what other people are thinking when I make a comment about something relating to this. One of my biggest fears is that they will think I am being dramatic, but I've come to try to balance what I openly show to others. I have also decided it's not my problem if they think I'm being dramatic. Most of them haven't experienced fully embracing and coming to love a foreign culture only to have to leave it. It is what it is. So I'm trying to be understanding with them and with myself.
I've tried to cook some items like I ate in Italy but have had no luck. The olive oil is a fundamental taste factor I have discovered, and we just don't have it in the states. My body is screaming for anything that resembles my former Italian diet. As I mentioned, it has become a game as to how long that last item of American food will stay in me. I'm basically continuously nauseous. Eating a meal with friends is awkward because I don't really eat. It has been 5 days so hopefully sometime soon it will go away. Something I noticed right away is the fact that EVERYTHING has so much sugar in it. Even apple salad has more sugar than I have been eating. It's constantly a challenge to find something to eat that doesn't include anything processed, covered in some sauce or cheese, and that is somewhat fresh. I'm family certain that is what has been causing my body to freak.
It is crazy to be back with my friends and family. I was literally depressed for 2 straight days, and still get waves of it. My thought is that these past 3 months were literally just something that was stapled into my life only to be removed. The experiences will always remain, but the people and the places will never be in my life again. Everything of my former months will never exist in their entirety ever again. Kind of like being awaken from a dream. No one in the life around me knows what I have experienced and fully learned. They never can. Only the people and places I had this past semester can understand, and they won't play the role the did in Italy.
I was nervous to see my parents again. I keep having to remind myself it was only 3 months because to me, so much happened it feels like much longer. I have matured and grown up faster than people who have stayed here. It feels like no one can grasp just how much, except the people I was with. Even seeing my best friends again was and is nerve racking because I've changed. I was with my best high school friends today. We clicked again because we all fit together so well, but I at least was feeling something different. My once completely silly humor has turned into more adult humor. I don't know if they noticed, but I definitely did.
When people ask me if I'm happy to be back, I just make up something they want to hear when honestly they need to ask me in a couple weeks. I'm not going to lie, I'm not incredibly happy to be back. I love my life, but I have also fallen hopelessly in love with Italy and miss it terribly.
My abroad experience did not end by returning. I have a feeling it won't end for another couple months perhaps. It has been more challenging to return than it was to adjust when I first arrived in Florence. Something that has helped is by finding a couple stores that sell authentic Tuscan wines and italian products. I can learn to incorporate certain aspects of the life I loved into my "normal" life. Being as cliche as I am (I'm an add for study abroad), I would never ever trade this experience. Even all the challenges of having to re-enter life as an American has been a very rewarding time. And the best part, I could still go to grad school abroad. Maybe not Italy (or maybe), but I've survived and loved a semester.... :-)
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Procrastination station
Exam week is on. Feeling the full effects of it also except this time, I’m just ready to get the **** out of here. Being here is wonderful if I know I don’t HAVE to leave in 3 days, and I know I have fun things planned. Currently, no such luck. Studying is the worst it has ever been because I’m stressing about my flights/baggage. I have to tell my friends bye, get my luggage, go through customs where they hopefully don’t take time to search all my luggage, and get across the JFK airport within 1.5 hours while checking my bags again and such. This sounds like it’s not that big a deal, until you figure in that JFK is ginormous, I’m not familiar with it since I’ve only been there once, and I will be carrying extremely heavy bags. Not cool. And unfortunately, I have to go through customs and then back through a domestic flight security check. JFK is grande so lines are longer everywhere. One comfort is my flight to Charlotte is kinda at night (9 something), so the airport might not be as busy, that’s still relatively early though. I’m also concerned about my luggage being over weight and the fact that I may or may not be bring back 4 bottles over the limit of the law of wine and olive oil. May or may not….Stinking customs. But basically the root of this anxiety is because I have so many mixed emotions going in every direction due to leaving.
So back to exams, I have one exam each day. Italian oral was today, nutrition Thursday, and Italian written on Friday. I knew after today’s oral I would feel a weight off my shoulders because the speaking is the worst for me. I was right. I beasted it. By “beasted” I mean I’ve learned this semester to manipulate my natural sweetness and perkiness to get my way. It’s not manipulation, it’s using what God gave me….we’ll see how far that gets me in life. Hehe But, in the exam, we had to have a conversation for 10 minutes with two professors who aren’t our normal professors. So basically, I’ve never talked to them before. They’re strangers. But I was super nice and energetic which is what I used to cover up my horrible language skills. Seriously, I can say stuff and have come a long way with the language, but I’m probably the worst speaker in my class of 8 students. I’m not exaggerating. I don’t know what is going on most of the time. The written is pretty much fine, but I’m a visual learner so hearing something and having to respond without seeing the words it is hard for me.
As with every other semester, I will be cramming for each exam which makes my brain completely fried for about a week after. It’s the norm. I will be cramming for nutrition the rest of today and wake up early to study more and take the exam tomorrow morning.We'll see if I can sleep. I usually take benadryl during exam week at home because when I have time to sleep, too much stress so molto difficult.
I was super lucky to have only three exams (basically two grades though), and only one exam a day. I’m glad I took a studio class because we finished up last Tuesday and haven’t had class. Studying is really hard though. My concentration is completely shot. I can maybe get in 15 minutes of attention every 30-45 minutes. I am so ready to be out of here.
Another good thing about exams being this week is I get lunch dates with friends. My schedule has focused around classes back to back in the middle of the day, everyday so I never have time for lunch dates with people. Put alas, I have one today! Yay!
I also just discovered how to get internet in my house. Bad idea during exam week. Seriously, when I found out I was so surprised and annoyed because all I did was put in a USB and it started working and hasn’t stopped. Unfortunately, I’ve gotten use to not watching shows and not having internet except at school so having it now is like giving a kid candy for the first time. I’m hooked. Good way to procrastinate though. I already had papers and presentations finished so didn’t need it for research purposes. Oh well. A little added bonus for these next couple days.
I told myself I was going to go on a gelato binge but I have yet to eat one since I promised myself that. Maybe today will be the start. Non lo so.
I have been quizzing my roommate on her art history notes. She needs to be able to tell the date, artist, current location and other various amounts of info by looking at a picture of it. They are all within Italy and many within Florence. It's weird to be able to see a picture of something Brunelleschi or Donatello did and know I actually have seen it, know exactly where it is, and have studied it in my Medici patronage class (if a Medici commissioned it). I know so much more about art history. I can't say I am particularly interested in it, but I have been living in the city that helped create some of the best and well known artists in the world. It's crazy.
So back to exams, I have one exam each day. Italian oral was today, nutrition Thursday, and Italian written on Friday. I knew after today’s oral I would feel a weight off my shoulders because the speaking is the worst for me. I was right. I beasted it. By “beasted” I mean I’ve learned this semester to manipulate my natural sweetness and perkiness to get my way. It’s not manipulation, it’s using what God gave me….we’ll see how far that gets me in life. Hehe But, in the exam, we had to have a conversation for 10 minutes with two professors who aren’t our normal professors. So basically, I’ve never talked to them before. They’re strangers. But I was super nice and energetic which is what I used to cover up my horrible language skills. Seriously, I can say stuff and have come a long way with the language, but I’m probably the worst speaker in my class of 8 students. I’m not exaggerating. I don’t know what is going on most of the time. The written is pretty much fine, but I’m a visual learner so hearing something and having to respond without seeing the words it is hard for me.
As with every other semester, I will be cramming for each exam which makes my brain completely fried for about a week after. It’s the norm. I will be cramming for nutrition the rest of today and wake up early to study more and take the exam tomorrow morning.We'll see if I can sleep. I usually take benadryl during exam week at home because when I have time to sleep, too much stress so molto difficult.
I was super lucky to have only three exams (basically two grades though), and only one exam a day. I’m glad I took a studio class because we finished up last Tuesday and haven’t had class. Studying is really hard though. My concentration is completely shot. I can maybe get in 15 minutes of attention every 30-45 minutes. I am so ready to be out of here.
Another good thing about exams being this week is I get lunch dates with friends. My schedule has focused around classes back to back in the middle of the day, everyday so I never have time for lunch dates with people. Put alas, I have one today! Yay!
I also just discovered how to get internet in my house. Bad idea during exam week. Seriously, when I found out I was so surprised and annoyed because all I did was put in a USB and it started working and hasn’t stopped. Unfortunately, I’ve gotten use to not watching shows and not having internet except at school so having it now is like giving a kid candy for the first time. I’m hooked. Good way to procrastinate though. I already had papers and presentations finished so didn’t need it for research purposes. Oh well. A little added bonus for these next couple days.
I told myself I was going to go on a gelato binge but I have yet to eat one since I promised myself that. Maybe today will be the start. Non lo so.
I have been quizzing my roommate on her art history notes. She needs to be able to tell the date, artist, current location and other various amounts of info by looking at a picture of it. They are all within Italy and many within Florence. It's weird to be able to see a picture of something Brunelleschi or Donatello did and know I actually have seen it, know exactly where it is, and have studied it in my Medici patronage class (if a Medici commissioned it). I know so much more about art history. I can't say I am particularly interested in it, but I have been living in the city that helped create some of the best and well known artists in the world. It's crazy.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
New permanent address: Firenze, Italy
Thursday was the schools art show. All the studio arts classes has student work in it, showing off what they did for the semester. So many students are into art that study here in Florence. I was amazed about that when I first got here.
Everyone in photography had two large photos up. I was so proud of my work. Several people absolutely loved mine. The director of the program was talking about them with another gentleman as I walked up to get a photo of me and my work. He quickly asked if these were mine and seemed to genuinely think they were really beautiful. Since they are rather abstract, he asked me to explain where they were taken and a little about them. I proudly told him where they were taken and a little bit of the editing I had to do to digitally print close to the original. “Photographers” truly have a relationship with their printer. Not all printers print the same. With these particular photos I had to exaggerate the colors on the computer screen, as I have to with many of the photos I take because I love color. We have to do “test strips” also after adjusting anything on the photo. We only print a full photo after correcting and adjusting the color, saturation, etc. We had our final critique on Tuesday also. It was so interesting to see the best of everyone’s work pined up on the board. That person’s personality was stapled up on a big wooden board along with their likes and dislikes. It’s crazy and very interesting. As my professor went from person to person commenting and giving advice for the final time, she always talked about what part of the person’s personality came out of these particular works. My professor is great, she’s an Italian woman with one of the prettiest faces I have ever seen. Apparently the two photos I had in the exhibition show my “sensitivity” because both were difficult photos to take for several reasons, including the fact that they were taken at night, yet I tried to make them work anyway. I have learned so much about photography this past semester. It is definitely always a learning game though. It will take years and years of practice.
My host parents came to the show, which I was super excited about!! Super excited they wanted to see my work and that I am that important to them. I, like with everyone else, walked them over to my photos proudly displaying them. They even mentioned them a couple hours later at dinner. It meant a lot to me. At one point, Bruno was talking to when the VP of our program came over (Jim, he’s the coolest 50-60 yr old you’ve EVER met!). Of course, like everyone else in the world, Jim knew Bruno immediately and came over and gave each other a kiss, excitedly talked, etc. We got to the subject of me living with them and Jim immediately commented how lucky I am to have them. (although he had to mention that the families are great, but some are better than others). I knew this and very much emphasized it. Bruno was tearing up and wiping his eyes. I’m still not exactly sure why but it was only after we started talking about how great of a family they have been to live with. -I told Maria Luisa today that I decided she is coming home with me to cook because it’s just SOOOOoOoOooOoO good. She didn’t get the joke and just looked blankly at me.
After my show, we walked down the street to another one because a friend of there’s was having a show also. It was interesting. Not my style but it was good.
My Christmas present to my host family: Me with a bow on my head, because I’m clearly not leaving in a week. It’s not happening.
I started packing Friday. It’s so surreal. I opened one of my pieces of luggage and found something I had forgotten I put there. Even though it was only 3 months ago that I was unpacking them, so much has happened since then. It feels like so much longer. I literally can’t comprehend my reality in the US anymore. As I was packing, I was trying to envision walking downstairs after first waking up in the morning in my parents house. I just couldn’t do it. I know I keep saying that but I can’t explain it and I know no one else will understand it, so apparently this makes me say it over and over.
Packing again: So while starting to pack, I realized my luggage pieces must have shrunken. It will be a serious miracle if I can fit everything in them.
Something miraculous happened when I woke up Friday morning. I walked out of my room in a daze and still clearly somewhat sleep walking when all of a sudden, I see something coming in through Stefania’s open door. My first thought was, “that would make a pretty picture. Where is my camera“ then understood what was happening. IT WAS THE SUN!!! It literally took me a second to register that the sun was actually out. True to what we were told, it hasn’t stopped raining since November 1st, exactly. Although I will give mother nature a little credit: the locals say it is raining more than usual this year. However, to give us a happy goodbye, it is suppose to be sunny just about all next week.
I mostly finished everything that is due school work wise, Friday. I was locked up in the lib for hours on end and only took a break to go to the center and have lunch with friends. So for the next two days of my weekend, I am seeing the remaining sites in the city and Christmas shopping mixed with consuming an obscene amount of gelato. Sounds like a good weekend to me.
Such a wonderful Saturday!! I am absolutely obsessed with Florence during Natale! There are so many markets and everyone is so nice. Literally, we kept walking around and around the city, down little side streets, in piazzas, everywhere and kept seeing little festivals. We got free fresh dried spices and hot tea (yum!). On woman I loved was giving away something edible (which was yummy but not yummy enough for me to remember apparently). She was so sweet. I said “mangio?” (I eat?). Her response made me feel as though it would her pleasure for me to try it. She was so sweet! I can still picture her face and smile which was so welcoming. Basically everyone was like that all day. The main markets such as San Lorenzo (leather market) was seriously crowded though. I saw a lot of people that looked like locals and not just tourist also. Firenze comes alive during the Christmas season (Natale). The stores are ALL decorated and lit trees are in every piazza. It’s so great!
In the morning, we went back to the best chocolate place I have ever been to. I haven’t tried their actual chocolate because it was seriously expensive, but their hot chocolate was amazing, and I’m a connoisseur of hot chocolate in Florence! Since just discovering it Wednesday, I have been twice now. It’s called Vestri or something close to that. Unfortunately they were out of business cards for any future visits to Firenze I may make. The three of us shared a tiny gelato and each had a hot chocolate. These people seriously specialize in chocolate! Sooo amazing! Probably going again tomorrow. Not joking.
I’ve learned to work the San Lorenze market. As I have mentioned several times, men here in Italy are extremely confident. At this particular Market (it’s the main one and rather large), the booths that sell leather goods, scarves, etc. basically sell the exact same thing. So, I find what I want at one dealer, then go to a different dealer who is a younger flirty guy. Reason: I’m a young girl. Sounds manipulative, I’m aware, but I get the best deal because they are almost always willing to give discounts to blonde girls. To make myself feel better about this manipulation, I tell myself I’m simply taking advantage of the best deal available. Oh Italian men!
On the walk back from the center heading home, we saw a tiny market in Piazza S.S. Annunziata. Of course, we stopped. One place we check out was selling wine. I was super excited to be able to show off my wine knowledge. I am proud to saw I was talking to the owner and his helper about super Tuscan wines. There is no regulation on what percentage of a certain type grape they have to be made from, so the owner can be creative mixing the types of grapes. I love knowing this. I knew I love wine, but at that moment, I realized I love knowing about wine and how certain types are made and such. It seriously put an excitement in me. I also know that’s one thing I wanted to learn while here, but I seriously have learned that beginning to be a passion of mine: the art of wine making and tasting. Mi piace! I will have to learn about American wines when I get home because it has different regulations than Italian wines.
Today, Sunday, I went out with a friend again all day shopping and we visited Pitti Palace and saw The David. I love Pitti Palace. It was much bigger than I had thought. I visited the gardens which are incredibly famous (the Boboli Gardens) towards the beginning of the semester with my Medici art class but had not been in the palace. I was amazed by the floor plan also. So different from modern homes.
We stopped at the holiday market in Santa Croce again and I got a chocolate covered pretzel and hot wine. Not impressed with the hot wine at all. In fact, I only could drink about 10 sips then got rid of it. It was literally making me nauseous. I also got my china set I have been eyeing for a while. I know, I’m 20 years old and just bought a set of dishes. What can I say, I’m a unique interior design freak 20 year old.
It was freezing again today but was sunny part of the time.
Everyone in photography had two large photos up. I was so proud of my work. Several people absolutely loved mine. The director of the program was talking about them with another gentleman as I walked up to get a photo of me and my work. He quickly asked if these were mine and seemed to genuinely think they were really beautiful. Since they are rather abstract, he asked me to explain where they were taken and a little about them. I proudly told him where they were taken and a little bit of the editing I had to do to digitally print close to the original. “Photographers” truly have a relationship with their printer. Not all printers print the same. With these particular photos I had to exaggerate the colors on the computer screen, as I have to with many of the photos I take because I love color. We have to do “test strips” also after adjusting anything on the photo. We only print a full photo after correcting and adjusting the color, saturation, etc. We had our final critique on Tuesday also. It was so interesting to see the best of everyone’s work pined up on the board. That person’s personality was stapled up on a big wooden board along with their likes and dislikes. It’s crazy and very interesting. As my professor went from person to person commenting and giving advice for the final time, she always talked about what part of the person’s personality came out of these particular works. My professor is great, she’s an Italian woman with one of the prettiest faces I have ever seen. Apparently the two photos I had in the exhibition show my “sensitivity” because both were difficult photos to take for several reasons, including the fact that they were taken at night, yet I tried to make them work anyway. I have learned so much about photography this past semester. It is definitely always a learning game though. It will take years and years of practice.
My host parents came to the show, which I was super excited about!! Super excited they wanted to see my work and that I am that important to them. I, like with everyone else, walked them over to my photos proudly displaying them. They even mentioned them a couple hours later at dinner. It meant a lot to me. At one point, Bruno was talking to when the VP of our program came over (Jim, he’s the coolest 50-60 yr old you’ve EVER met!). Of course, like everyone else in the world, Jim knew Bruno immediately and came over and gave each other a kiss, excitedly talked, etc. We got to the subject of me living with them and Jim immediately commented how lucky I am to have them. (although he had to mention that the families are great, but some are better than others). I knew this and very much emphasized it. Bruno was tearing up and wiping his eyes. I’m still not exactly sure why but it was only after we started talking about how great of a family they have been to live with. -I told Maria Luisa today that I decided she is coming home with me to cook because it’s just SOOOOoOoOooOoO good. She didn’t get the joke and just looked blankly at me.
After my show, we walked down the street to another one because a friend of there’s was having a show also. It was interesting. Not my style but it was good.
My Christmas present to my host family: Me with a bow on my head, because I’m clearly not leaving in a week. It’s not happening.
I started packing Friday. It’s so surreal. I opened one of my pieces of luggage and found something I had forgotten I put there. Even though it was only 3 months ago that I was unpacking them, so much has happened since then. It feels like so much longer. I literally can’t comprehend my reality in the US anymore. As I was packing, I was trying to envision walking downstairs after first waking up in the morning in my parents house. I just couldn’t do it. I know I keep saying that but I can’t explain it and I know no one else will understand it, so apparently this makes me say it over and over.
Packing again: So while starting to pack, I realized my luggage pieces must have shrunken. It will be a serious miracle if I can fit everything in them.
Something miraculous happened when I woke up Friday morning. I walked out of my room in a daze and still clearly somewhat sleep walking when all of a sudden, I see something coming in through Stefania’s open door. My first thought was, “that would make a pretty picture. Where is my camera“ then understood what was happening. IT WAS THE SUN!!! It literally took me a second to register that the sun was actually out. True to what we were told, it hasn’t stopped raining since November 1st, exactly. Although I will give mother nature a little credit: the locals say it is raining more than usual this year. However, to give us a happy goodbye, it is suppose to be sunny just about all next week.
I mostly finished everything that is due school work wise, Friday. I was locked up in the lib for hours on end and only took a break to go to the center and have lunch with friends. So for the next two days of my weekend, I am seeing the remaining sites in the city and Christmas shopping mixed with consuming an obscene amount of gelato. Sounds like a good weekend to me.
Such a wonderful Saturday!! I am absolutely obsessed with Florence during Natale! There are so many markets and everyone is so nice. Literally, we kept walking around and around the city, down little side streets, in piazzas, everywhere and kept seeing little festivals. We got free fresh dried spices and hot tea (yum!). On woman I loved was giving away something edible (which was yummy but not yummy enough for me to remember apparently). She was so sweet. I said “mangio?” (I eat?). Her response made me feel as though it would her pleasure for me to try it. She was so sweet! I can still picture her face and smile which was so welcoming. Basically everyone was like that all day. The main markets such as San Lorenzo (leather market) was seriously crowded though. I saw a lot of people that looked like locals and not just tourist also. Firenze comes alive during the Christmas season (Natale). The stores are ALL decorated and lit trees are in every piazza. It’s so great!
In the morning, we went back to the best chocolate place I have ever been to. I haven’t tried their actual chocolate because it was seriously expensive, but their hot chocolate was amazing, and I’m a connoisseur of hot chocolate in Florence! Since just discovering it Wednesday, I have been twice now. It’s called Vestri or something close to that. Unfortunately they were out of business cards for any future visits to Firenze I may make. The three of us shared a tiny gelato and each had a hot chocolate. These people seriously specialize in chocolate! Sooo amazing! Probably going again tomorrow. Not joking.
I’ve learned to work the San Lorenze market. As I have mentioned several times, men here in Italy are extremely confident. At this particular Market (it’s the main one and rather large), the booths that sell leather goods, scarves, etc. basically sell the exact same thing. So, I find what I want at one dealer, then go to a different dealer who is a younger flirty guy. Reason: I’m a young girl. Sounds manipulative, I’m aware, but I get the best deal because they are almost always willing to give discounts to blonde girls. To make myself feel better about this manipulation, I tell myself I’m simply taking advantage of the best deal available. Oh Italian men!
On the walk back from the center heading home, we saw a tiny market in Piazza S.S. Annunziata. Of course, we stopped. One place we check out was selling wine. I was super excited to be able to show off my wine knowledge. I am proud to saw I was talking to the owner and his helper about super Tuscan wines. There is no regulation on what percentage of a certain type grape they have to be made from, so the owner can be creative mixing the types of grapes. I love knowing this. I knew I love wine, but at that moment, I realized I love knowing about wine and how certain types are made and such. It seriously put an excitement in me. I also know that’s one thing I wanted to learn while here, but I seriously have learned that beginning to be a passion of mine: the art of wine making and tasting. Mi piace! I will have to learn about American wines when I get home because it has different regulations than Italian wines.
Today, Sunday, I went out with a friend again all day shopping and we visited Pitti Palace and saw The David. I love Pitti Palace. It was much bigger than I had thought. I visited the gardens which are incredibly famous (the Boboli Gardens) towards the beginning of the semester with my Medici art class but had not been in the palace. I was amazed by the floor plan also. So different from modern homes.
We stopped at the holiday market in Santa Croce again and I got a chocolate covered pretzel and hot wine. Not impressed with the hot wine at all. In fact, I only could drink about 10 sips then got rid of it. It was literally making me nauseous. I also got my china set I have been eyeing for a while. I know, I’m 20 years old and just bought a set of dishes. What can I say, I’m a unique interior design freak 20 year old.
It was freezing again today but was sunny part of the time.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Happy Immaculate Conception Day!
Me showing off being a psyc major: Something I think that helps to understand a little of what we abroaders have been going through (and for anyone I have talked to who will be going abroad in the next year or two) is the fact that we live in a world of temporaries. For the past semester, my mind at least, has seemed to put ideas into the “temporary” or “unreachable” category. We’ve lived here just long enough to see something we want and to see it within reach, only to realize it is really unreachable, because we return in 3 months. We are only here temporarily. Example: the girl can’t get into a relationship with that guy in the program (or back home) that she REALLY likes because he truly goes to college across the country. He’s unreachable. We only temporarily have to learn the language to survive in the most basic level. --My mind has temporarily put everything of significance on hold, plans wise, because I know whatever I do here doesn’t really matter because I return to my “full time” life in several months. Some things that are unreachable are back home though. I have seen what could be, only to have other people move on with their lives while I’m off in Never Never Land. My life is truly on hold back in the states. Everything and everyone (hopefully not EVERYONE) in my life now is only temporary. In my life for a semester, then out of it forever. Italian culture is in my life for a semester, then (possibly) out of it forever. Our minds have had to adapt to that thought process for everything we have in our life here. EVERYTHING. As I analyze how I have been thinking for the past few months, it’s no wonder I have been over mentally stimulated. I’ve adapted to living this way and now have to adapt to the old way of thinking, the only problem is I’m not that same person anymore. No one can go abroad and not be different. I’m definitely the same person in many ways fundamentally, but different in fundamental ways as well. That’s exciting though. I have so much more experience and am not as innocent as when I left. Yeah, yeah, people still seem to want to protect me (I think that’s just my personality and won’t go away), but I‘m different in ways I ‘can‘t put my finger on‘. J Mi piace!
Over the past couple months, I’ve been around people with Italian, Californian and northern accents. Basically no one with a southern accent. Due to this cultural change I am not used to a “southern drawl” anymore. I picked up the southern accent immediately when I first met the one person I am friends with from Georgia because I had not heard it in forever. It’s so weird to think I actually have to get used to my home regions accents. After I first meet someone from the states here and have been talking with them for several minutes, they can usually tell I am from the south. Sometimes a “ya’ll” comes out without thinking. My slight accent it apparently cute. Back home, people say I don’t have any accent because it’s so little compared to other southerners. That shows the difference between the north and south, something I haven’t experienced much until this semester. -I’m in Italy but learning about the northern states of America….
Wednesday was a wonderful day off of school for a Catholic holiday. I say wonderful because it was so Christmas and family oriented, and low key for us students. It really was an added bonus day off in the middle of the week….and we still get our full 3 day weekend. So for this holiday, my Italian family had their whole family come over, their daughters, and their boyfriends along with their grandson and granddaughter. Julio, their grandson who is 3, was so loud and cute. It was very evident, even from my room, that he was having major fun annoying the adults and playing with his aunt. He was giggling and singing (in Italian, but all 3 year olds act pretty much the same). I’m pretty sure there is nothing more joyous in the world than a happy child. He was screaming at the top of his lungs sometimes. It was adorable and put a smile on my face.
So, their family came over and they decorated the Christmas tree, put stockings and Santa’s on the door handles. (I opened the door at one point only to be pleasantly surprised by the giant stocking). They had pizza for lunch (I think that’s the norm on this day every year for them). After all the family festivities, they went to the duomo to watch the giant Christmas tree being lit for the first time this season. They even ate gelato!! They never eat gelato! I was proud….coming from the girl who tries to eat one at least every week. At dinner, they were so full from everything that day they barely ate anything. --major bonus that made my night and possibly my semester: I didn’t tell them about the art show I will be in tomorrow night. (It’s a show for all the studio arts classes and I’m in photography). Some how Maria Luisa and Bruno found out about it and asked me, out of the blue, what time it was because they wanted to see my stuff. I WAS SO HAPPY!!! It shows they truly care. I know without a doubt my parents would have come but can’t of course, so my other family coming means so much to me.
For me Wednesday, I went with two friends to a Christmas market in Santa Croce. As I was walking there, I saw another Christmas market, then Christmas stuff on other streets as well. It was so exciting! There were so many people out and it was evident they were Christmas shopping. I think each stores goal is to get all their Christmas decorations up by today because the Christmas feel was on full blast! As I walked home, all the trees that I have seen up for a while now were finally lit proving that Christmas is on its way.
The market was a cultural mix of items. The food was mostly German but Ireland had a booth as well as British people selling china and such. I ate a Weiner schnitzel. I of course had to have a beer with that because that’s what you do. The booths had so much Christmas represented all over them. Ornaments, gifts ideas, homemade wreaths, freshly pressed olive oil, wine, jewelry and so much more. The ornaments were my favorite. I love Christmas. “It’s my favorite!” (love Buddy the elf!) It was raining and kinda nasty out but there were so many people probably because it’s kind of like their thanksgiving. A day off work, Christmas trees go up, family day, all the stores are ready for shoppers and have extended hours. (including open on Sunday!!! Shocker!) It was a wonderful day.
I had a wonderful conversation with my host mom Wednesday night, while I made white hot chocolate (thanks mom and dad!). As I walked into the kitchen, Maria Luisa was cleaning out “iRobot” . This thing is a wonderful invention. He polishes the floor all by himself, just type in the dimensions of the room(s) and turn him on….he moves around from room to room polishing and vacuuming. -back to the subject: so we were talking about my parents sending me hot chocolate and she asked if my parents think she doesn’t feed me enough. I of course put that out of her mind quickly adding in a “they know I’m addicted to your pasta. I talk about it all the time!” we then got into a discussion about how mothers in southern Italy wouldn’t think Claire and I eat enough, but women in northern Italy wouldn’t think that. She is apparently spared from that thinking because her mother is from Switzerland but married and lived in the south. Also, when looking for an Italian husband, I shouldn’t go south because the mother-in-laws are horrible in general, but usually only with their sons and their wives. (when she said horrible the made the funniest face with the funniest tone I have ever seen from her. It sent me into a laughing fit). One woman, I couldn’t understand who, had her mother-in-law tell her son to buy presents for her (the mother) and not his wife. I can only imagine how the wife would react! She emphasized several times how horrible they are. Very entertaining! I noted to look farther north when looking for my Italian man.
Exams are next week and I’m feeling pretty good about them. The thing that still makes me ask “why!?” is the fact that we have our Italian exams on Friday from 3-5. We leave Saturday morning. Really? My prof even said they know at that point were are going to be so checked out mentally. That’s kinda crazy considering a lot of us have gotten worse at the language the past month or so. The good news: I’m done with my photography class! I think I’ve learned the most applicable stuff from that class more than any other. When I think about not even being able to use my camera manually until about a week into this semester when we were forced to…it’s so natural now. It’s weird to bring my point and shoot camera anywhere now. It feels so weird to use it.
Over the past couple months, I’ve been around people with Italian, Californian and northern accents. Basically no one with a southern accent. Due to this cultural change I am not used to a “southern drawl” anymore. I picked up the southern accent immediately when I first met the one person I am friends with from Georgia because I had not heard it in forever. It’s so weird to think I actually have to get used to my home regions accents. After I first meet someone from the states here and have been talking with them for several minutes, they can usually tell I am from the south. Sometimes a “ya’ll” comes out without thinking. My slight accent it apparently cute. Back home, people say I don’t have any accent because it’s so little compared to other southerners. That shows the difference between the north and south, something I haven’t experienced much until this semester. -I’m in Italy but learning about the northern states of America….
Wednesday was a wonderful day off of school for a Catholic holiday. I say wonderful because it was so Christmas and family oriented, and low key for us students. It really was an added bonus day off in the middle of the week….and we still get our full 3 day weekend. So for this holiday, my Italian family had their whole family come over, their daughters, and their boyfriends along with their grandson and granddaughter. Julio, their grandson who is 3, was so loud and cute. It was very evident, even from my room, that he was having major fun annoying the adults and playing with his aunt. He was giggling and singing (in Italian, but all 3 year olds act pretty much the same). I’m pretty sure there is nothing more joyous in the world than a happy child. He was screaming at the top of his lungs sometimes. It was adorable and put a smile on my face.
So, their family came over and they decorated the Christmas tree, put stockings and Santa’s on the door handles. (I opened the door at one point only to be pleasantly surprised by the giant stocking). They had pizza for lunch (I think that’s the norm on this day every year for them). After all the family festivities, they went to the duomo to watch the giant Christmas tree being lit for the first time this season. They even ate gelato!! They never eat gelato! I was proud….coming from the girl who tries to eat one at least every week. At dinner, they were so full from everything that day they barely ate anything. --major bonus that made my night and possibly my semester: I didn’t tell them about the art show I will be in tomorrow night. (It’s a show for all the studio arts classes and I’m in photography). Some how Maria Luisa and Bruno found out about it and asked me, out of the blue, what time it was because they wanted to see my stuff. I WAS SO HAPPY!!! It shows they truly care. I know without a doubt my parents would have come but can’t of course, so my other family coming means so much to me.
For me Wednesday, I went with two friends to a Christmas market in Santa Croce. As I was walking there, I saw another Christmas market, then Christmas stuff on other streets as well. It was so exciting! There were so many people out and it was evident they were Christmas shopping. I think each stores goal is to get all their Christmas decorations up by today because the Christmas feel was on full blast! As I walked home, all the trees that I have seen up for a while now were finally lit proving that Christmas is on its way.
The market was a cultural mix of items. The food was mostly German but Ireland had a booth as well as British people selling china and such. I ate a Weiner schnitzel. I of course had to have a beer with that because that’s what you do. The booths had so much Christmas represented all over them. Ornaments, gifts ideas, homemade wreaths, freshly pressed olive oil, wine, jewelry and so much more. The ornaments were my favorite. I love Christmas. “It’s my favorite!” (love Buddy the elf!) It was raining and kinda nasty out but there were so many people probably because it’s kind of like their thanksgiving. A day off work, Christmas trees go up, family day, all the stores are ready for shoppers and have extended hours. (including open on Sunday!!! Shocker!) It was a wonderful day.
I had a wonderful conversation with my host mom Wednesday night, while I made white hot chocolate (thanks mom and dad!). As I walked into the kitchen, Maria Luisa was cleaning out “iRobot” . This thing is a wonderful invention. He polishes the floor all by himself, just type in the dimensions of the room(s) and turn him on….he moves around from room to room polishing and vacuuming. -back to the subject: so we were talking about my parents sending me hot chocolate and she asked if my parents think she doesn’t feed me enough. I of course put that out of her mind quickly adding in a “they know I’m addicted to your pasta. I talk about it all the time!” we then got into a discussion about how mothers in southern Italy wouldn’t think Claire and I eat enough, but women in northern Italy wouldn’t think that. She is apparently spared from that thinking because her mother is from Switzerland but married and lived in the south. Also, when looking for an Italian husband, I shouldn’t go south because the mother-in-laws are horrible in general, but usually only with their sons and their wives. (when she said horrible the made the funniest face with the funniest tone I have ever seen from her. It sent me into a laughing fit). One woman, I couldn’t understand who, had her mother-in-law tell her son to buy presents for her (the mother) and not his wife. I can only imagine how the wife would react! She emphasized several times how horrible they are. Very entertaining! I noted to look farther north when looking for my Italian man.
Exams are next week and I’m feeling pretty good about them. The thing that still makes me ask “why!?” is the fact that we have our Italian exams on Friday from 3-5. We leave Saturday morning. Really? My prof even said they know at that point were are going to be so checked out mentally. That’s kinda crazy considering a lot of us have gotten worse at the language the past month or so. The good news: I’m done with my photography class! I think I’ve learned the most applicable stuff from that class more than any other. When I think about not even being able to use my camera manually until about a week into this semester when we were forced to…it’s so natural now. It’s weird to bring my point and shoot camera anywhere now. It feels so weird to use it.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Weekend in Heaven
I thought Cinque Terre was the prettiest place I had ever been: wrong. Maybe it was just timing of the seasons or maybe there was “magic” but Lake Como is my favorite place on earth right now. -The sun was out full blast on Saturday and it was cloudy on Sunday. -I took pics but none of them capture how absolutely gorgeous the area was. The Alps are different from the Appalachian. For one thing there is nothing living (I.e. trees or plants) on the tops of them. Just snow.
This past weekend, I took a solo trip to Lake Como. I had originally planned to go over to the Switzerland side one day but changed my mind and just stayed in Italy. It is a major weekend destination for people from Milan because it’s about a 30 min. train ride away. I stayed in a town called Como but traveled by boat to Bellagio which is a smaller town closer to the center of the lake. Como is very urban yet has a very homey feel. Something I have been majorly disappointed with in Italy is the fact that basically all of the country prostitutes itself out to tourism. Everywhere I had gone, until now, there were tourist EVERYWHERE. Literally, almost everyone on the street looked liked a tourist, especially here in Florence. Como did not have that feel though. Because it is in the Alps, it’s so cold during the winter only the locals stay there. I got the feeling the people are use to the idea of tourists, but this time of year is for them…..there are no tourists. Como very much had a family atmosphere going on. There were families with kids and strollers. People obviously Christmas shopping (because of the “Milaners” during the summer, they have great shopping with top designer stores). There was a Christmas market happening with local artisans. An ice rink was set up with ice skaters out having fun and goofing off. It seriously felt like something out of a Hallmark movie. I did not see anyone I could tell was a tourist, the vibe was one of friendliness and such. What was good for me was people thought I was Italian simply because they don’t usually see tourists this time of year; however, many of the shops in smaller Bellagio and the little mountain town I went to were closed. During the summer, I could definitely see it as a type town out of “Dirty Dancing.” That wealthy weekend play time for families with tennis, swimming, upscale camp type feel while staying in the best hotels. It just felt right.
The moment I will remember the most will probably be standing on a pier looking out over the snow-capped Alps. It was a curve on the lake so I could see in three different directions. The panoramic view was just right. I have never seen anything so breath taking in my life. The lower lake area/towns did not have snow at all but the Alps surrounding the lake were all covered in the stuff. I can’t even describe how “magical” it was (yes I just used that cheesy word). It was absolutely freezing and being on a lake, it was extremely windy which didn’t help the wind chill. I literally remember staring out for several minutes, then all of a sudden it just hit me how absolutely gorgeously, stunning it was. Literally, like a light bulb. Sharing just a little about this because it’s kind of private: the exact thing that came to my mind was out of everything God made, out of this absolute perfect landscape, I was God’s favorite. I was staring at what to me, is ultimate, perfect beauty. Nothing as comparable as that. But He thinks me more beautiful than that creation. At that point, I literally didn’t feel the cold for a full 15 minutes. It was the most perfect moment, and literally, my favorite part of the trip.
What is this life I lead? I take weekend trips to the Alps. I live in Italy. So cliché, but what is this life? Who am I? This is crazy and at no other time in my life will I have this. It’s crazy!
The whole time I was staring at the mountains/a safe distance from actual danger, I felt a pull to be in them, literally facing the dangers and the harsh cold and the feeling of “communing with nature” if you will. I don’t know where this was coming from because I generally don’t like mother nature past a day or two of hiking at once. It was a weird feeling like I shouldn’t be looking at them, I personally needed to be literally feeling them and challenged by them. Like most of this post, it’s hard to explain but I felt like I was in the wrong place by not being physically challenged in that way by those mountains. -makes no sense, I’m aware.
As beautiful and serene as the snow-capped mountains seemed during the day, is how harsh and frightening they seemed as night fell. I was in Bellagio to see what I could see of the sunset (giant mounds of dirt are hard to see over). The feeling I got from them was distinctly different. The snow seemed scary and almost a threat to my life even though I was miles and miles away from the tops. Maybe is was because they are so vast…I don’t know but I was glad I was not on them after dark. I prefer life.
Sunday, my last day, I stayed in Como and explored along with taking a lift up a mountain close to the city. I was on the edge of Alps so this particular mountain does not generally see as much snow fall as most of the mountains I saw Saturday…hence the reason they could put a little town on the top. Again, this place was basically shut down for the winter since tourist season is during the summer. I thought it was cold in the city, nope. It was FREEZING at the top. It was not snowing at that moment but it had snowed fairly recently because there was 6-12 inches everywhere. I couldn’t walk around too much because I didn’t have proper shoes. After the snow got in my shoes once making my feet cold, I didn’t do it again. I couldn’t feel my fingers and they were beginning to hurt due to the level of coldness (that’s not a word, I’m aware). I was pretty excited to see snow even for a few minutes though…and ONLY for a few minutes. I threw it up and then walked through the powder. I felt like a kid, it was great. The whole time I was on the top with all this stinking snow, I kept thinking, what the heck is a southern girl from NC doing on the top of a mountain in the Alps. I’m not use to cold!-Literally, this cold was different than any I have experienced in the states. It was a much colder to the bone feeling, that again, I can’t describe. Even with a fleece pull over, my north face, a gore-tex Marmot, a scarf and gloves, that was not touching the cold with the wind. It. Was. Freezing.
As I was leaving Como it had been snowing for about 3 hours.
Both nights, I was a hermit in my hotel room. They were cold winter nights so I ordered pizza and figured out how to change the Italian tv into English. Law and Order UK is the first English tv show I had seen in 3 months. It was glorious. Simply glorious. I am so proud of myself. I lived through a weekend traveling in Europe all by myself. I didn’t forget to validate my train tickets, got to the correct plat forms even after delays (snow pretty much sums up my weekend), didn’t get lost walking around an urban city/didn’t get killed, figured out things even in a foreign language, I found fun things for only me to do with no knowledge of the area, etc. I lived!!! So. Proud.
Embarrassing moment of the weekend: I had to change trains in Milan, which is one of the biggest train stations I have ever been in. I was briskly walking because I had to use the little girls room before rushing to my next train. So here I am, walking quickly and deliberately when I start to slide. I started to fall backwards when instinctively I knew I might hit my head and that would be worse then falling forward. So, I over correct myself thinking ‘ok, maybe I’m not going to fall.’ Then boom. I pancaked out on the floor. With my book bag on, carrying a handbag, and wearing many layers, I sprawled out, limbs in ever, direction face down. How embarrassing. Several people came over to me (it’s a busy station, lots of people saw). The people of course were not speaking English and at that moment I just wanted to bounce up and forget it happened. One Italian woman said “banane” trying to lighten the mood while helping me up. -I’m not as young as I use to be. As soon as my knees hit that stone floor, they started what was in between a throb and a sting. As I was walking away I was trying to keep what little dignity I had left and walk without limping….majorly hard. My knees still hurt days later. As a kid, or even a couple years ago, that would not have damaged me so much. At least maybe I sacrificed myself for the wet spot, hoping to prevent an older person from falling and breaking something.
I was just e-mailing my mom about Christmas stuff and was thinking about the wine that would be nice to have with the different festivities, then realized, I don’t get wine at home as often I get it here for several reasons two of which include me not being 21 yet and a bigger one, most of my family doesn’t drink wine very often if at all. I have come to expect it with meals and such. One of my favorite combos now is red wine and chestnuts. “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” and red wine…nothing better in the world. Even when thinking about my friends, I was so excited for a split second thinking about how I could make a new biscotti recipe we made with my cooking class on Friday, which should be dipped in a dessert wine (for our Christmas party!!! so excited!). I can’t do that because we aren’t 21 so I don’t know how their parents would feel about it/if they like wine or not. The complications of drinking wine in the US are an after thought because I don’t have any of those problems here. Wine with dinner. Wine with lunch. Wine tastings. It’s all the norm and something I absolutely love about Italy.
Now on to exams and those papers that unfortunately were waiting for me upon my return. I have two weeks and one weekend left abroad. Como was my last trip in Europe though, for now. To be continued…
This past weekend, I took a solo trip to Lake Como. I had originally planned to go over to the Switzerland side one day but changed my mind and just stayed in Italy. It is a major weekend destination for people from Milan because it’s about a 30 min. train ride away. I stayed in a town called Como but traveled by boat to Bellagio which is a smaller town closer to the center of the lake. Como is very urban yet has a very homey feel. Something I have been majorly disappointed with in Italy is the fact that basically all of the country prostitutes itself out to tourism. Everywhere I had gone, until now, there were tourist EVERYWHERE. Literally, almost everyone on the street looked liked a tourist, especially here in Florence. Como did not have that feel though. Because it is in the Alps, it’s so cold during the winter only the locals stay there. I got the feeling the people are use to the idea of tourists, but this time of year is for them…..there are no tourists. Como very much had a family atmosphere going on. There were families with kids and strollers. People obviously Christmas shopping (because of the “Milaners” during the summer, they have great shopping with top designer stores). There was a Christmas market happening with local artisans. An ice rink was set up with ice skaters out having fun and goofing off. It seriously felt like something out of a Hallmark movie. I did not see anyone I could tell was a tourist, the vibe was one of friendliness and such. What was good for me was people thought I was Italian simply because they don’t usually see tourists this time of year; however, many of the shops in smaller Bellagio and the little mountain town I went to were closed. During the summer, I could definitely see it as a type town out of “Dirty Dancing.” That wealthy weekend play time for families with tennis, swimming, upscale camp type feel while staying in the best hotels. It just felt right.
The moment I will remember the most will probably be standing on a pier looking out over the snow-capped Alps. It was a curve on the lake so I could see in three different directions. The panoramic view was just right. I have never seen anything so breath taking in my life. The lower lake area/towns did not have snow at all but the Alps surrounding the lake were all covered in the stuff. I can’t even describe how “magical” it was (yes I just used that cheesy word). It was absolutely freezing and being on a lake, it was extremely windy which didn’t help the wind chill. I literally remember staring out for several minutes, then all of a sudden it just hit me how absolutely gorgeously, stunning it was. Literally, like a light bulb. Sharing just a little about this because it’s kind of private: the exact thing that came to my mind was out of everything God made, out of this absolute perfect landscape, I was God’s favorite. I was staring at what to me, is ultimate, perfect beauty. Nothing as comparable as that. But He thinks me more beautiful than that creation. At that point, I literally didn’t feel the cold for a full 15 minutes. It was the most perfect moment, and literally, my favorite part of the trip.
What is this life I lead? I take weekend trips to the Alps. I live in Italy. So cliché, but what is this life? Who am I? This is crazy and at no other time in my life will I have this. It’s crazy!
The whole time I was staring at the mountains/a safe distance from actual danger, I felt a pull to be in them, literally facing the dangers and the harsh cold and the feeling of “communing with nature” if you will. I don’t know where this was coming from because I generally don’t like mother nature past a day or two of hiking at once. It was a weird feeling like I shouldn’t be looking at them, I personally needed to be literally feeling them and challenged by them. Like most of this post, it’s hard to explain but I felt like I was in the wrong place by not being physically challenged in that way by those mountains. -makes no sense, I’m aware.
As beautiful and serene as the snow-capped mountains seemed during the day, is how harsh and frightening they seemed as night fell. I was in Bellagio to see what I could see of the sunset (giant mounds of dirt are hard to see over). The feeling I got from them was distinctly different. The snow seemed scary and almost a threat to my life even though I was miles and miles away from the tops. Maybe is was because they are so vast…I don’t know but I was glad I was not on them after dark. I prefer life.
Sunday, my last day, I stayed in Como and explored along with taking a lift up a mountain close to the city. I was on the edge of Alps so this particular mountain does not generally see as much snow fall as most of the mountains I saw Saturday…hence the reason they could put a little town on the top. Again, this place was basically shut down for the winter since tourist season is during the summer. I thought it was cold in the city, nope. It was FREEZING at the top. It was not snowing at that moment but it had snowed fairly recently because there was 6-12 inches everywhere. I couldn’t walk around too much because I didn’t have proper shoes. After the snow got in my shoes once making my feet cold, I didn’t do it again. I couldn’t feel my fingers and they were beginning to hurt due to the level of coldness (that’s not a word, I’m aware). I was pretty excited to see snow even for a few minutes though…and ONLY for a few minutes. I threw it up and then walked through the powder. I felt like a kid, it was great. The whole time I was on the top with all this stinking snow, I kept thinking, what the heck is a southern girl from NC doing on the top of a mountain in the Alps. I’m not use to cold!-Literally, this cold was different than any I have experienced in the states. It was a much colder to the bone feeling, that again, I can’t describe. Even with a fleece pull over, my north face, a gore-tex Marmot, a scarf and gloves, that was not touching the cold with the wind. It. Was. Freezing.
As I was leaving Como it had been snowing for about 3 hours.
Both nights, I was a hermit in my hotel room. They were cold winter nights so I ordered pizza and figured out how to change the Italian tv into English. Law and Order UK is the first English tv show I had seen in 3 months. It was glorious. Simply glorious. I am so proud of myself. I lived through a weekend traveling in Europe all by myself. I didn’t forget to validate my train tickets, got to the correct plat forms even after delays (snow pretty much sums up my weekend), didn’t get lost walking around an urban city/didn’t get killed, figured out things even in a foreign language, I found fun things for only me to do with no knowledge of the area, etc. I lived!!! So. Proud.
Embarrassing moment of the weekend: I had to change trains in Milan, which is one of the biggest train stations I have ever been in. I was briskly walking because I had to use the little girls room before rushing to my next train. So here I am, walking quickly and deliberately when I start to slide. I started to fall backwards when instinctively I knew I might hit my head and that would be worse then falling forward. So, I over correct myself thinking ‘ok, maybe I’m not going to fall.’ Then boom. I pancaked out on the floor. With my book bag on, carrying a handbag, and wearing many layers, I sprawled out, limbs in ever, direction face down. How embarrassing. Several people came over to me (it’s a busy station, lots of people saw). The people of course were not speaking English and at that moment I just wanted to bounce up and forget it happened. One Italian woman said “banane” trying to lighten the mood while helping me up. -I’m not as young as I use to be. As soon as my knees hit that stone floor, they started what was in between a throb and a sting. As I was walking away I was trying to keep what little dignity I had left and walk without limping….majorly hard. My knees still hurt days later. As a kid, or even a couple years ago, that would not have damaged me so much. At least maybe I sacrificed myself for the wet spot, hoping to prevent an older person from falling and breaking something.
I was just e-mailing my mom about Christmas stuff and was thinking about the wine that would be nice to have with the different festivities, then realized, I don’t get wine at home as often I get it here for several reasons two of which include me not being 21 yet and a bigger one, most of my family doesn’t drink wine very often if at all. I have come to expect it with meals and such. One of my favorite combos now is red wine and chestnuts. “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” and red wine…nothing better in the world. Even when thinking about my friends, I was so excited for a split second thinking about how I could make a new biscotti recipe we made with my cooking class on Friday, which should be dipped in a dessert wine (for our Christmas party!!! so excited!). I can’t do that because we aren’t 21 so I don’t know how their parents would feel about it/if they like wine or not. The complications of drinking wine in the US are an after thought because I don’t have any of those problems here. Wine with dinner. Wine with lunch. Wine tastings. It’s all the norm and something I absolutely love about Italy.
Now on to exams and those papers that unfortunately were waiting for me upon my return. I have two weeks and one weekend left abroad. Como was my last trip in Europe though, for now. To be continued…
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Il fine de Firenze
The full impact (without the real impact) of how hard it is going to be to transition back into my former life is hitting me. For over 3 months now, I have had a complete life without fast food-always home cooked meals, learning techniques for survival and then doing them naturally due to not being able to understand the language, repeating: being completely on my own and learning to survive with just my ideas-in a foreign city and continent. I have not had supermarkets-such as walmart, I walk EVERYWHERE (will I even remember how to drive a car), push the light switch on-instead of flipping it, limited and poor internet connection, no drinks except soda (which I don’t drink much) or water, drinking wine with almost every meal-and it being totally expectable, and other tiny tiny details that are my life. Italy is my life. I have a full, complete life here without anything of America. When I say this, I completely realize other people don’t fully grasp what I am trying to say. I can’t explain to someone, who hasn’t been through this, how difficult and rewarding it has been to live in this country that is COMPLETELY opposite from America. I am already getting frustrated with trying to be understanding when someone from back home writes something that clearly shows they won’t understand my transition when I get home (that’s totally and completely not that persons fault, it’s mine for not being understanding about the situation) I can already tell I need to get a head start on apologizing to my friends but especially my family for how difficult I am going to be for the first couple weeks I am home. I am already homesick for Italy, and I haven’t even left yet. As I just said, it’s not something I can explain to someone who hasn’t been through it. It is unique to this situation. People are hopefully willing to be patient with me even when I seem distant at times or want to be a hermit because I can’t take all the “new” stimuli once again. At the beginning of the semester, if you would have told me I would have to get use to driving that mile to the store instead of walking, I would have told you, you are crazy. I would never have thought I would need to make an effort to fit back into the life I was born into. But I am already realizing, it’s going to be challenging. I’m good with that type challenge though, something I’ve learned J
Who knew you are actually suppose to study while abroad. I think they need to take that out of the equation. It would make things so much more enjoyable. Do I even remember how to write a paper? I sure hope so because I have tons of work due soon. If I wanted a semester with very little work, I should not have chosen SU. The feeling of accomplishment is great after finishing something though. Also, I am learning tons and tons about the Medici family (quickly discovered they are one of the most important families in Europe-and lived here in Florence). I’m doing a paper and did a presentation on Luxembourg Palace in France-a Medici married a French king (Henry IV). It’s very fascinating.
My nutrition class is getting so boring. I already know most of the information the prof is currently covering-it’s not really focusing on the Mediterranean. My Italian class is getting a little better, even though I am still horribly horrible with the language. When I think about how I started with knowing NO Italian and how far I have come, it’s a long way. When I compare myself to how far everyone else has come and how far the prof wants me to be, it’s not very far. Languages are not my specialty I’ve learned. I’ve dissected how I learn and how a language needs to be learned-there is a difference which I won’t get into. My photography class is crazy right now. We are printing full sized prints of photos we have taken over the course of the semester for the final critique. Next week, we have an art show in the evening with the other studio arts classes to display what we have done. Each of us gets to print 2 very large photos. My prof knew exactly the ones she wanted from me. She seriously feel in love with them because of the mysterious “sensitive” quality she said I showed in the photograph. Honestly, when I took both photos, I didn’t think anything of them and almost deleted them on the spot but didn‘t want to take them time. They were both at night and rather abstract. But she raved about them, still does. It’s weird because what she sees as a good photograph and what we as the students see as good is totally different. She’s the professional though.
My mind is scattered so without a transition- As my photography prof and I were trying to print my photos for the art show coming up in a week, we were having a lot of difficulty. She was getting increasingly frustrated so I said, “Cross your fingers.” It was so funny, she looked at her fingers then quickly up at me while she said something like, me fingers are uncrossed..? It’s just something that came out of my mouth without thinking. Anyone in the states would have known that was insinuating luck, she had never heard it before so I had to explain what it meant. She thought I was crazy.
My last weekend trip:
I’m very excited about this weekend (which starts after my cooking class on Friday). I am going to Como, Italy and Switzerland!! So excited! Lake Como is right on the border of Italy and Switzerland and is suppose to be gorgeous! I had originally thought I would go to Geneva, Switzerland-and was very in depth in the planning process when my host dad talked me into Como. I had expressed the fact that I wanted to hike. Seriously, I’ve been craving hiking and just being in nature which can’t happen in Florence BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING GREEN. Errr! So, off to Switzerland I was going, when my host dad burst my bubble by saying it would be just another city, like Dublin basically was. I needed to be somewhere a little more remote. So, he immediately said to go to Como. I checked into it and still have an adrenaline rush thinking about where I am going tomorrow! Anddddddd, I’m going all by myself. I have planned this completely on my own and am going completely by myself. That means I can do what I want while there instead of compromising-not going to lie, pretty excited about that. I love the people I’ve traveled with, but most of them are not compatible travel companions with me. -weird how that works-
I’m hoping for snow in the Alps!! The Alps! Yay!
Who knew you are actually suppose to study while abroad. I think they need to take that out of the equation. It would make things so much more enjoyable. Do I even remember how to write a paper? I sure hope so because I have tons of work due soon. If I wanted a semester with very little work, I should not have chosen SU. The feeling of accomplishment is great after finishing something though. Also, I am learning tons and tons about the Medici family (quickly discovered they are one of the most important families in Europe-and lived here in Florence). I’m doing a paper and did a presentation on Luxembourg Palace in France-a Medici married a French king (Henry IV). It’s very fascinating.
My nutrition class is getting so boring. I already know most of the information the prof is currently covering-it’s not really focusing on the Mediterranean. My Italian class is getting a little better, even though I am still horribly horrible with the language. When I think about how I started with knowing NO Italian and how far I have come, it’s a long way. When I compare myself to how far everyone else has come and how far the prof wants me to be, it’s not very far. Languages are not my specialty I’ve learned. I’ve dissected how I learn and how a language needs to be learned-there is a difference which I won’t get into. My photography class is crazy right now. We are printing full sized prints of photos we have taken over the course of the semester for the final critique. Next week, we have an art show in the evening with the other studio arts classes to display what we have done. Each of us gets to print 2 very large photos. My prof knew exactly the ones she wanted from me. She seriously feel in love with them because of the mysterious “sensitive” quality she said I showed in the photograph. Honestly, when I took both photos, I didn’t think anything of them and almost deleted them on the spot but didn‘t want to take them time. They were both at night and rather abstract. But she raved about them, still does. It’s weird because what she sees as a good photograph and what we as the students see as good is totally different. She’s the professional though.
My mind is scattered so without a transition- As my photography prof and I were trying to print my photos for the art show coming up in a week, we were having a lot of difficulty. She was getting increasingly frustrated so I said, “Cross your fingers.” It was so funny, she looked at her fingers then quickly up at me while she said something like, me fingers are uncrossed..? It’s just something that came out of my mouth without thinking. Anyone in the states would have known that was insinuating luck, she had never heard it before so I had to explain what it meant. She thought I was crazy.
My last weekend trip:
I’m very excited about this weekend (which starts after my cooking class on Friday). I am going to Como, Italy and Switzerland!! So excited! Lake Como is right on the border of Italy and Switzerland and is suppose to be gorgeous! I had originally thought I would go to Geneva, Switzerland-and was very in depth in the planning process when my host dad talked me into Como. I had expressed the fact that I wanted to hike. Seriously, I’ve been craving hiking and just being in nature which can’t happen in Florence BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING GREEN. Errr! So, off to Switzerland I was going, when my host dad burst my bubble by saying it would be just another city, like Dublin basically was. I needed to be somewhere a little more remote. So, he immediately said to go to Como. I checked into it and still have an adrenaline rush thinking about where I am going tomorrow! Anddddddd, I’m going all by myself. I have planned this completely on my own and am going completely by myself. That means I can do what I want while there instead of compromising-not going to lie, pretty excited about that. I love the people I’ve traveled with, but most of them are not compatible travel companions with me. -weird how that works-
I’m hoping for snow in the Alps!! The Alps! Yay!
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