Home Sweet Home

Back in America.

To be totally honest- I was not ready. And them losing my luggage with all my SOUVENIRS is not helping. 

 I blinked my eyes and Florence was gone. It is the weirdest feeling to have my "normal" lifestyle feel so foreign. 

I am nervous to drive. I am hesitant to eat in fear I will not like it. I am afraid of forgetting my memories and losing my new found passion for life laughter and personal growth. 

Yesterday is when I got back and I was a bit of a mess. I was so happy to see my Mom and step dad greeting me at the airport with big smiles hugs and love. I appreciate my friends and family. I was still sad- and I could not help but think "I don't want to be here, I want to go back"

The entire plane ride the only thing in my mind was how I am never going to be in my apartment again, I am never going to walk by the Duomo and have my breath taken away by its beauty, I am never going to be with just the same group of girls again- exploring new lands and using each other as a support system.

With those thoughts came many tears and the slight feeling of needing to throw up. 

I am better today. I woke up to the smell of home and grass and calmness all around me. 

All of my friends who were going home reached their destinations safely so that is good.

It is Mother's Day and I am happy to share this day with my mom- it would be better if my bag was here, however, that will come with time.

I am thankful for the people around me and I am looking forward to the summer for great memories an for reuniting with everyone- whichhh we have already started to plan =]

I hope all of you enjoyed the blog and can't wait to share more stories and adventures with you!

Final Reflections

This may come off as a little bit of a ramble- so please bare with me.

During my time here in Florence, I did a lot. I saw many things and met many people. I learned about culture, about myself, and gained a lot from my classes. I had moments where I wanted to come home and others where I never wanted to leave.

With all of this being said and done: I want more. 

Mostly, I think I want more time to see and get to know the girls I hang out with better. We are so so close, but there is always more to learn about a person and I felt that because our time was so limited, we were always so busy and we were so rushed.

However, I know I will see them in America and I am so excited to continue these friendships.

Aside from that, I am completely and utterly satisfied with my time here. It really flew by but I loved every minute. 

I did not write we much as I thought I would but I did try. 

In case any of you are wondering:

Yes I went to church.
 I wanted to make sure I did that before I left.
Surprisingly, Florence is not as religious as you would think it is. Southern Italy, yes. Religion is a more important part of the culture, for northern it really hold a historic importance and has shaped the culture in that way.
When I went with Alex, we got to go to a mass up at the top of Michaelangelo and the view was just incredible. The church was old and gorgeous. It was led by the benedictine monks and was said in both Italian and Latin. Afterward, feeling very peaceful and reflective, we walked back out into our fairy tale of a life, looking at the whole city view of Florence. It was unreal.

As far as school...
my best semester by far. The classes themselves did not require a lot of busy work which was nice- because the teachers knew we were all traveling every weekend and that we were there to absorb the culture as well as go to school. We did a lot of great projects though. Things I can take with me in my career and things I would never do at home. For example, we got to work with a renowned winery in Tuscany, and help create a new wine product that is going to be sold in America for the first time this July. It is from the Mazzei family and it is called Phillip. The bottle will look like this:

I can guarantee good quality =].

We also got to work with a tourist company, and create a field trip program for our university.

With wine- I feel like I absorbed everything that was taught. I can see a major difference in my wine knowledge, since before it was pretty much as nothing. The problem is, I know Italian wine- so now I need to learn about wines from home =].

The only thing I was actually surprised and a little sad about was the amount of Italian I learned. Which honestly, it gives me a a greater reason to extend my lessons here.


I feel like now- I have more of an open mind about traveling, other cultures, and different ways of living. I want to explore more and suck the marrow out of life every day. 

Frustrations

I am sure at some point in your life, you have held some sort of frustration inside toward a customer service situation. I am talking about the one where you feel as if you are talking to a wall and getting absolutely no assistance and all you want is for SOMEONE, ANYONE, to simply acknowledge that you are a human being and give you a concrete answer that gets you somewhere.

Go to that place- that place where in your mind, there is a definite possibility that everyone, except yourself, is in fact insane .

Now add in a language barrier.

Yeah... I know.
That is me right now.

I had originally wrote this during my faze of pure rage where I had a I HATE THIS LAND moment.
I thought I would rewrite it now that I am back to my half way reasonable self, because it was a bit negative and unfair.

Ya see, I tried to buy this train ticket... in February. I did not receive said ticket or reservation or anything- yet I got charged.
Naturally, I emailed right away explaining the situation and asking how to go about getting a refund...
yata yata yata...
It is now May and about 4 "no risponde" emails later and the promise of a refund a month ago, I decided to go in to the station.

That was no good.

I got the "crazy american" look and they told me they could no do anything. I got a number to a help desk and was on my way. I got home and I called.

This is where we get to my point of rage that I was temporarily in. When I got through- I asked in Italian to speak to someone who spoke English.
Apparently no one there does, they only speak French and Italian- even though their website is in English?

Okay fine, so I gathered myself and went to school, prepared to beg for help.
Back to email I go- apparently that is the only way they will help me.
This time I got an email that works both ways- which is a little less wall-like and a bit more characteristic of a thick window. (They may not be able to understand me or hear what I have to say, but they know I am there and can make out what I want)

I am thankful for the one person who has helped me today. I think Alex is too because she seemed a little nervous to say anything to me earlier today. She did try to help by offering to explain in Italian and I appreciate that too but it was too hard and I did not want my burdens to be hers as well.


I had to share this- since I did post my other one and I am not sure who did and did not see it.
Because of this, I am currently having a day of excitement to come home, speak English on a regular basis and see my friends and family. WOOP WOOP.

MOSQUITOES

Mosquitoes suck.

Since I have been here, the housing and everyone has talked about how awful the mosquitoes are here. My reaction was "yeah yeah okay I can deal with that, I never get bit anyway."

WRONG. SO WRONG.

I currently have at least five bites and then two more spider bites. This is because the weather has been so nice so my roommate and I wanted to get some fresh air and open the window. Now we are paying for it. 

The part that is freaking me out is that I seem to be the only one getting these spider bites. Probably because I am directly under the window- I do not like this situation. I actually kind of hate it. 

We were provided with this thing called a "vape." The first day I actually plugged it in and put my hands over it because I thought it was a mini heater.

 Nope.

It is supposed to ward off all and any mosquitoes. It doesn't seem to be working and we have it plugged in all the time. 

I don't get why the mosquitoes are so bad here, I find it very random and un-delightful. 

Tonight I have closed the window. I will probably wake up at 3 AM sweating but I thought it might be better than feeling the need to drench myself in Off before I hop in bed. 

Hopefully my theory stands.

Ciao!

Good Day

I haven't written about this yet but there is this place called Mario's.

It has been around since 1953 and is a little Trattoria on the corner near the central market.

It is easy to miss because it looks like a whole in the wall, which is basically is.

The outside appearance of it may look run down and somewhat like a tobacco store, but these looks are deceiving.

This is the best best BEST food I have had since I have been here. I found out about it a little over a month ago from some people who work in this vintage shop I love. I figure, well if an Italian thinks it is good, then it has got to be pretty tasty. 

My assumption was correct.

The noodles themselves have a distinct taste. They are SO fresh I cannot even begin to talk about it. Then the sauce. I mean, homemade, fresh, simple, flavorful sauce. Simple as that.

The menu is a little piece of paper slapped on a wall. It is only in Italian and there are different selections depending on what day you come in. 

I have gone to this place a few times, but sadly, I think today was my last. On this bittersweet day I got the penne ragu. I savored every bite. I literally only ate one noodle at a time and sipped water in between each bite so it tasted as if each bite was new. 

It was a sad moment when it was gone. I might have to take some to go on my last last day.

After we left, happy and satisfied, I finally got to go to Boboli Gardens. It is shameful that I had yet to go and I had been here since January. I am glad I waited until everything was in bloom though. It was really pretty- and I finally got to sketch!! Jeez, took long enough huh?

It was so relaxing to sit in the middle of just old landscapes, no crowd. no people, just in my own zone. 

I loved it. 

I ended the night by watching movies, eating snacks, and spending time with some friends. 

good good day.

So much to do- so little time.

I have 9 days left!

I still need to do so many things! Even around Florence, I have yet to really use my museum card and that needs to happen ASAP. 

I have done a lot since I have been here, I haven't really had a hum ho week or day, but at the same time I feel like, "what have I been doing with my life?" 

There is just so much to do, see, and experience. I mean, my list of places to eat is long enough to last me a year. I can't keep it all straight I tell ya. 

I think I am going to plan something out every day to make sure no time is wasted.

My goal is to fit it all in before it is too late.

When Life Gives you Lemons, Make Lemoncello

I took another mini spring break. I felt like it was needed. 

We had last Thursday off and my friends and I wanted to take advantage of it- so we went to the Almafi Coast for a few days. No biggie =].

Getting there was a bit of a challenge. My life was in chaos between school projects and getting things for the trip and packing and what not. Alex and I found ourselves running down the platform to catch the train on time. It was so hot that day and we were each carrying so much luggage that we needed to be careful with like food and everything. We looked pathetic and had a good laugh about it once we sat down and got our barrings on the train. We looked nuts. 

Caitlin, Alex, Emily, Rebecca, and I had a great apartment in Minori, a small town in between Salerno and Almafi. It was up high and overlooked the beach area. The town was very residential and cute. It was good to stay in a place with less tourists than usual because Florence is starting to get a bit crazy lately. 

The first full day we were there, we headed to Pompeii and Naples. Pompeii was what I like to refer to as the land of ashy people. We explored these ruins from a volcano that destroyed an empire back in the Grecian times. The city looks as though it was never left in some parts. I mean, granted, they are ruins so they are not in great condition, however, they are preserved well enough for me to picture how it used to look when it was an actual town. The cathedral the baths, the ampa-theater, and the houses are all very much still there. Also, seeing the people who used to live here was a weird feeling. These people were literally preserved in the positions in which they died, covered in ash and lava. I am sorry if that is somewhat graphic but I thought it was really interesting and very much a mind blowing experience when I saw it. The agony and pain was clear in their body language. I felt their suffering.

baths

court

people

wall of the baths

ampa-theater

bath

From there, we decided to lighten the mood a bit and fill out food cravings with some pizza- from Naples, the land where this great food was invented and shared among others

Now, Naples (Napoli) is not really known for being a great place to visit. It actually kind of sucks- people get pick-pocketed very easily, their is garbage everywhere, and the city itself is known for being more rundown that others.

FUN FACT:

 Being the lucky person that I am, I get to live with someone who is learning about this (Alex) and she explained it was because of the organized crime that controls the trash system. How weird?

Well anyway, the reason we went there was because of the pizza. After much searching and walking around we finally asked for help. That help just happened to lead us to the place where JULIA ROBERTS ate in the movie Eat, Pray, Love. At the time, this did not mean much to me because I had never seen the movie or read the book, but later that night we actually watched it so now I am loving that we went there.

The place has been around for over 100 years and was renowned before the movie. Naturally, the line was over an hour long. A nice group of people switched us numbers though and we got to only wait a half hour- love those people.

side streets had the clothes hanging across the streets like this. Note: if you have seen the movie, you have seen this street.

JULIA

two kinds of pizza. I got the Margherita with extra  cheese

yeah- I ate that.

after we ate- this is actually half the people who were originally there waiting.

The pizza was somewhat indescribable. I just can't find the adjective to paint a good picture as to what it tasted like. It made me happy though. Oh so very happy. I literally had a relationship with the pie.

From there I proceeded to get us lost. I blame it on the state of euphoria I was in from the pizza. 

Exhausted and finally back to the coast, we ended the night early by eating gelato while sitting on the dock. Perfecto.

Next day!

The plan was to go to Capri and see the blue grotto. However, we caught a late bus due to the other one being too full and therefore missed the ferry. mer. SO we went to the emerald grotto instead.

SO COOL we hopped on the boat that allowed us to stare at the amazing amazing view of the coast.

 When getting to the grotto we hopped on a small row boat- our guide was to say the least, very attractive. 

The grotto was beautiful. It was my first grotto so my credibility probable is not very high since I have nothing to compare it with, but I was impressed. I mean the water literally looked emerald color- it was unreal.

this has no editing to it

BABY JESUS- a fisherman placed a nativity scene under the water back in the 1970's and you can see it down in there.

On the way back, the driver asked me to sit with him and I got to drive the boat! Just call me Captain Hayley. Simone (the ACTUAL captain) watched me very closely to make sure we did not all die, but I think I did pretty good, and just might have a future in sailing after all. Simone was nice and offered to take me around the coast that night, however, due to his slightly creepy nature and the fact that I was there to spend time with the girls, I kept his number as a souvenir. Sorry Simone.

For some reason we did not go to the beach when we got back, still to this day I am confused as to why that decision was made. But we shopped instead- something I am ALWAYS up to do. The town was super cute and the lemons were the size of a small child'd head. That is not an exaggeration. 

Lemoncello was everywhere you looked. Really lemon everything: soap, perfume, candles, chocolate, candy, cookies, and of course, lemoncello. 

he was completely unamused by all the people taking his picture.

baha

okay look at my foot next to the lemon. and they got so much bigger, I just didn't get a picture.

That night, we made a great homemade dinner, the table was set with candles and all. We made drinks, pasta, and dessert of course. After dinner, we retired to our balcony, drank our drinks, and played catch phrase. 

The next morning we got up and realized it was raining. womp. We didn't want to allow that to bring us down so we headed to Positano anyway. Although it was freezing, we had drinks by the beach and walked around a bit. 

the clouds were crazy

This day seemed to be consumed by waiting for buses and dealing with traffic jams. 

While we were waiting for a bus, the weirdest thing happened. 

A pirate wondered down the road past us and waited on the other side for a different bud. He had two dreadlocks, one on each side of his face, accompanied with some crazy sideburns. He was wearing many prints. Mostly of Indian inspired designs, something that resembled a yamaca(spelling ?), and a pink umbrella. He was very tan and had thick thick eyeliner. He had a tattoo in the middle of his forehead and I could see his hands covered in them as well. It was like Jack Sparrow in real life. 

I am sure all of you are wondering why I don't have a picture, but it is awkward taking a picture of someone who knows you are already staring at them, and he was not close enough to get a picture with. 

An hour later- the bus came.

During the ride I was standing on the bus, with no handles, trying not to fall onto the people in their seats. That wasn't the best 45 minutes of my life. The only highlight there was that I was standing next to a dog who took a liking to me and snuck some kisses to my hand.

This was our last night in Minori so we decided to go out to a nice fish dinner. It was great- the town is really small so there was not a lot of people at restaurants so we had the place to ourselves. Afterward, we walked around the beach a bit- I wanted to get this dessert called Baba. It is cake soaked SOAKED in rum. Literally there was a puddle of rum in the container. It was good and all BUT I could not finish it. It was way too much. 

The trip was a great time and I am glad we got some time to just sit back relax and enjoy our time together. The people down there are so so friendly. I think I prefer southern Italy more than northern. The food, the hospitality, and the men are all great. Everyone is smiling and willing to help.

I feel like it is a very similar comparison to how America differs between the north and south. The south is more reserved, traditional, enjoy life, friendly, etc. The north moves at a quicker pace, more modern, less friendly, and embraces change better.

All in all this trip was a nice little spring break #2. I wish I had more time there.