I would way rather die by fire than by freezing. I will always choose hot over cold.

30.1.11

So I am IN Florence! Finally! I have been here since Thursday, but haven’t done anything because I have been so cold! It is freezing here and we finally just now got our heater and shower fixed so now we can take warm showers and not shiver all the time, although it is still pretty cold and the heaters aren’t that much warmer. We didn’t shower for 4 days!! And washed our hair in the sinks. I know, it sounds disgusting, but I’d rather be dirty than have hypothermia. Haha My back hurts pretty bad ‘cuz I am so tense all the time with the temperature I am adjusting to. 

We arrived in Florence on Thursday after a bus ride through the countryside. We stopped at a gas station rest stop thing for lunch and can I just say woah. I had a gormet pasta dish at this gas station and they cooked it right in front of me. These pit stops are definitely a notch above America…or like a million notches.  Anyway, we got there and had to take our suitcases pretty far. I thought I packed a lot, but so many girls definitely brought way more than me and I was not that girl who kept dropping her suitcase so my self-esteem was good. When we finally got to our apartment, it was not at all the apartment I expected and had looked up on Google earth. It was better! Palazzo Della Signoria is the most important square in Florence and that is where we live.. and not in some alley or street near it. We live in the piazza. Literally, our next door neighbor is the Uffizi and David. That’s right, every day I get to walk out and turn my head slightly to the right to see naked David. Just another fun fact. The building the replica of the David is in front of used to have real lions inside and there are holes in the palace where men would throw scorching hot oil on warriors that were trying to climb the palace. We had our first homemade meal to celebrate. I will have pictures or videos soon.

The next day we had boring orientation schooly stuff and I walked to where my classes are which was pretty confusing, but it worked out. We also walked farther to the cooking classes, which I am not taking, and found a little restaurant to have lunch. It looked like a little café, but when we entered we realized it was a huge, every wall painted uniquely, every chair different and luxurious, restaurant! The menu was all in Italian and I asked the waitress what she would recommend (in Italian). She spoke so fast and all in Italian telling me all the dishes. Oops. “poco Italiano” I said. “Ohhh just get anything. It is good.” Well that didn’t help, so I just pointed to something. It ended up being a chicken marsalaish thing and it was delicious. So much food and I felt so great after finishing it all. Definitely never get that in the U.S.  They tell us to get lost so that we can find places  that we will love and be special to us. I think this is one. 

That night we had a reception for Florence University of the Arts, which is the oldest university in the world ps and it was insane. Entered from a forgotten alley way, it was in a beautiful renaissance building with dancing, a dj, and food. After that, we went to a Scottish pub run by Asians to plan our semester travels. So many thoughts and plans- exhausting.

So.. I have a problem with alarms (I think EVERYone knows that), but didn’t think it would be too much of a problem, especially when we didn’t have to be somewhere until 1030. I was wrong. My roommates and I woke up at 1022, put on clothes, deodorant, and brushed our teeth and ran out the door! We made it in time to catch the group as they were leaving to go to the Piazzale Michelangelo, the best view of Florence . We didn’t even look at our hair, but it didn’t make much difference because it was so windy anyway.

For lunch we ate at a restaurant overlooking the Ponte Vecchio. It was beautiful.  We looked up and down the Ponte Vecchio and went inside a couple gold stores, and also got pushed out of one by a mean old lady who was mad when I did not want to buy the watch I tried on. We explored the markets too. I need to learn Italian.

The story behind the locks. People propose at the Ponte Vecchio with these locks and probably a gold ring they may have got on the bridge. They attach the lock after this happens, (they love each other probably) they throw the key into the Arno river. yay symbolism about love.woo :)

 

Later, the walking tour was in the cold, but we learned so much history about every part of our city. When we were at the train station, there were millions (I actually think millions) of birds flying around together back and forth making tons of designs like the school of fish in finding nemo. It was pretty awesome, and a girl got pooped on-I think more than one girl actually.haha.

 It was a very interesting tour and painful and the ‘Welcome Pizza’ with the ISA program after, was a very sufficient reward.  I love the staff of my program! They are so nice and fun to listen to as they talk in English. I will be stopping by their office a lot to say ciao. :)

It is really hard not knowing Italian and just trying to adjust to the culture right now. I feel like every time I do something I am being made fun of or I look stupid or everyone hates me. It is sad, but I know it will get better.

Today I went to IKEA. Never eat IKEA food in Italy. I still feel like throwing up. 

I start classes tomorrow so i will post eventually.

ROME was actually built in 3 and a half days

24.1.11

I am here!!!!  Roma, Italia

I discovered during my journey here that I hate traveling alone and kind of traveling in general. Airplanes are lame. I am a very boring person alone and like myself a lot better with people. .I find ways to entertain myself, but still. The tear thing did happen and I ended up crying. Letters from home prompted that. I missed the pickup for my program the first time around when I got to Florence so I ended up sittin in the airport a little longer than expected, but it was okay. It is really funny brushing your teeth in an automatic sink.. and also on an airplane. .. just sayin. Annnd..Sky mall magazine says that the best gift is to help others help themselves.. and iii say, I would NOT appreciate it if I was given an electric nasal razor or cold sore remover as a gift. Rude. 

Met a roommate and a lot of people who I am trying to remember their names and doing pretty good. After 2 hours of orientation I had my first Italian espresso at a café near the hotel. It was so tiny and good.

 Then I met the rest of my roommates whom I absolutely love! They are so fun! We decided to go on an adventure and roommate date by taking a trip to the Trevi Fountain! We were approached by many men (gypsies haha) trying to give us flowers and had to be firm in turning them down. After throwing our American pennies in, we looked for a place to eat. We settled on That’s Amore. The waiters were extremely flirtatious and full of clever things to say. I ordered in Italian and got a pesto spaghetti. I remembered what my sister said about slurping the noodles instead of biting them so that there would be no broken noodles left on the plate and decided to try it. It worked!! J Accompanied with the House Wine, the meal was delicious.

After nonstop story-telling, getting to know my roommates so much better, and deep conversations about our goals while abroad, we walked a good while to the Spanish Steps. It is so amazing to actually see all these things in person. A man actually forced us to take flowers and shook all our hands. In our heads we were all thinking, what is he gonna steal..how do we give these back.. how do we not pay. He finally backed down and took his flowers back. It was not easy though and I think we might stop saying we are from America. Haha

 I couldn’t stop smiling the whole night! It is just so great being here!  I told my roommates I need to stop smiling and stop looking so excited about everything ‘cuz everyone will think I’m a tourist. All together, it was a wonderful night that I will never forget.

The next day (25.1.11) was soo long.. saw everything in Rome basically.. lots of walking..lots of tours with tour guides carrying luffa sticks.. lots of sitting on buses..

Had gelato for the first time.. you think you love gelato in America, ice cream is your favorite thing, and you think it can’t get any better- oh my gawd. Yes it CAN!!!  Hung out at the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps again and went to a restaurant where we got a lot of free stuff including dessert from our blonde Italian waiter. I have felt very safe wherever I go, especially at night. I think I like Rome better at night actually. Don’t worry, I stay cautious though and we didn’t go to an Irish pub (in Italy? Haha) with our waiter when he invited us.;)

25.1.11

I’ve seen nothing but these coats (^^^) on everyone!!! any size..just those bubble things!hahah

Today was our Vatican State day. I can’t even begin to describe how much art I saw..well everything is basically art..but ya.. there was so much!!!  I can’t believe how much meaning is behind every single aspect of every single art piece. It amazes me. All the stuff we call art today has got nothin on Renaissance art. Meticulous working artists are the real successors. Michelangelo had his neck stuck backwards because he looked up the whole 4 years he was painting the Sistine chapel. Now that is dedication. Something else interesting is that Michelangelo hated women. That’s why all his paintings of women show them as old, ugly, fat, muscular, or being farsighted or nearsighted while reading. The optical illusions in some of the art are really cool too. For example the Sistine chapel, which looks like a dome, and a tapestry, which shows the Resurrection of Jesus. As you walked past it, Jesus faced towards you and followed you the whole way. The Sistine chapel is just the greatest thing. All I wanted to do for the rest of the day was lie down in the middle and stare. I definitely snuck some video and pictures. Yay.

Hung out at Fountain Di Trevi once again tonight (3^rd night in a row. haha) and walked all over in the rain. Piazza Novenna is where we ended which has a beautiful fountain portraying  4 continents.. don’t ask me which ones. It was so cool walking in the rain because everything reflected on the ground. The mixture of water and lights and cobblestones is just really cool. It’s also my favorite thing ever to have water fall in water so I really liked it when it was raining into the Trevi fountain. I tasted a mini canole tonight.

fears and tears.. ya actually not (maybe on the plane)

22.1.11
So I am leaving tomorrow. I was freaking out last week and very flustered last night at my going away party- I hesitated on a friend’s name that I am good friends with --and I am actually really good at names!  Thanks everybody for coming! I am so thankful to have so many friends and family that love me and are excited for this new part of my life. 

 ~there's all my notes. :)

Now I just want to get there. I want to start to settle in and try to fit in my new city of residence, Florence. I have a bunch of anxieties. I’m gonna miss church, friends, family, my grandma, and all the comforts I have here, and I am very scared that everyone will think I’m an annoying American, I will run out of money, which is definitely more than just a possibility, or it will go by so fast that I forgot to enjoy myself. Although I have all these fears, I am very excited to make new friends from America and Italy, take a million pictures (yea, probably more actually), add a new culture to my life, travel a gazillion places, and grow up a lot (well, I’m kind of excited about that).

My flight leaves really early tomorrow morning and I will be in Rome for 3 days taking a bunch of tours with my program of a bunch of people I don’t know (just like freshmen orientation all over again.. yayyy) haha and then traveling to my new apartment in Florence on Thursday where I will have 3 days of orientation before my classes start.
So next time I write I will be in the boot…which my mom made a pancake of this morning ps.
 

I really hope I can do this blog thing.. haha
Please keep me in your prayers!
Ciao!