Its Foreign On This Side

Well world, I'm still here, biding my time until my next European adventure. These days I distract myself from my Italian daydreams by working to finish up another semester of college in Iowa, but I can never ignore those memories for long. As I approach the one year anniversary of my departure, it's only natural to reminisce... January. An airport taxi hurtles me through the streets of Florence, Italy. I tumble nervously around in the backseat, gripping my seatbelt for dear life as the tiny car whips around corners and rockets down narrow alleyways. I squeeze my eyes shut as we pass a bus by mere inches and desperately wish I knew how to yell “Are you INSANE?!!” in Italian. The driver steers with one hand and turns to ask me yet another incomprehensible question. I ... read more

I am not a morning person by any means. Full sentences, coherent thoughts and clear vision usually don't set in until around 10:00 a.m. on a good day. Ma quando vado in gita (But when I go on a short trip), no hour is too early to get a head start on the day. This weekend, I left Florence at 6 a.m. on an early bird train to Rome with my friend Nicole, la mia amica preferita from my italian class. We were shocked at our high levels of coordination and comprehension at such an ungodly hour and somehow managed to communicate with the non-english-speaking ticket window despite our obvious a.m. handicaps: "Noi vogliamo due biglietti economica per il treno a Napoli, SUBITO! Per favore?" My mangled italian and Nicole's enthusiastic charades got the job done, ... read more

After going through a tough breakup with Paris, I've lately had a wonderful time rediscovering my obsession with Italy. I did love France, but Italy simply has the best of everything. The best March weather, the best food, the best coffee (Starbucks is based off Italian coffee shops after all). Then there's the exquisite churches and museums, the alluring street markets and the most exquisitely beautiful countryside I've ever seen. I'm still completely happy with my decision to study here, and classes are also going very well. Since my grades from this semester transfer back to Drake as credits only and don't count towards my GPA, it's extremely liberating to be in school without the pressure of school. I'm still striving to do well of course, but my work isn't stressing me out or overtaking my ... read more

I've been told that the mentality of a college student studying abroad typically goes through four stages: honeymoon, crisis, acceptance and adaptation. As far as I can tell, the honeymoon stage is never going to wear off for me. It's been nearly a month since I took off from O'Hare and I have never stopped being in complete amazement of my surroundings and activities. It's astounding to me how casual day-to-day life can become though: "Oh I'll just meet you at the Duomo" and "I live just across the Ponte Vecchio" have become everyday phrases, something that would have blown my mind a month ago. However, while I am very comfortable and at home in Florence, entirely settled into my routine, I am determined not to let Italy become commonplace, and I haven't. I am still ... read more

Tuesday morning, 9 a.m., oil painting. I have the coolest teacher, Justin, about 30 and really a pro with a paintbrush. The class sounds like its going to be the perfect mixture of not-too-intimidating and just-challenging-enough. I've never taken painting before but have always wanted to be taught how, so I'm really looking forward to the semester. The class will be based on still-life arrangements, and we will be working on five canvases. We took a field trip to a father & son art shop to purchase supplies -- canvases, palettes, brushes, paints, a sketchbook and some other assorted necessities. I'm so excited to get back into the fine arts side of my double degree. It's been far too long. Tuesday afternoon, 3 p.m., Italian for beginners. Come ti chiami? Di dove sei? My name is ... read more