I am home! In fact I've been home for two weeks, but it's only now that I am fully understanding what an adventure I have been on. My head is spinning with enough beautiful memories and amazing experiences to last me a lifetime. Or at least until my next European adventure. Returning to the States has definitely been an adjustment. I keep trying to speak Italian to waiters and am constantly shocked when I understand conversations in English all around me. It's been fun to rediscover my life in America, though I've been surprised at how much about my daily activities [View Full Entry]

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How is it possible to sum up the last two weeks in less than 100,000 words? It's basically been the happiest two weeks of my life; I've been so many places both in and out of Italy, and I've also explored Florence more intensely than ever before. There are so many layers to this city. I haven't been able to blog because the Internet in my apartment has officially kicked the bucket (or else the neighbor we were "borrowing" it from figured out we were on his line), so I regret the lack of pictures but will be sure to post [View Full Entry]

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Scrivo in italiano questa volta! Ieri mattina, Nicole e io abbiamo viaggiato a Cinque Terre, una bella regione nel nord di Italia. Ci sono cinque cittì picccole lungo la costa. Abbiamo camminato lungo le scogliere a tutte le cinque cittì: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza e Monterosso al Mare. Siamo arrivate in treno a Riomaggiore e abbiamo cominciato a camminare. La mare è stata turchese e molto bella. Ci sono molti fuori sugli muri. Abbiamo scalato molte scale rocciose, e adesso il mio piedi nuocco! Faccio molti foti anche. Qualche volta, il sentiero è stato solo per uno persone cam [View Full Entry]

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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 past 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 [View Full Entry]

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I have magic rain boots. They're grey suede boots with little tassels on the top that I bought my first week in Florence. They have been waterproofed but in general really shouldn't get wet. And it never fails; every time I wear them, it pours. This Thursday, it was perfectly sunny as I was getting ready to head to class, so I pulled them out since I hadn't worn them in awhile. Naturally, I walked out of class five hours later to find the sky dark and angry and everything dripping. The rain let up enough for me to pick my [View Full Entry]

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"Into The West" From The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King soundtrack In loving memory of Aunt Carol Ti amo sempre. Lay down, your sweet and weary head. Night is falling, you have come to journey’s end. Sleep now, and dream of the ones who came before. They are calling, from across a distant shore. Why do you weep? What are these tears upon your face? Soon you will see, all of your fears will pass away. Safe in my arms, you’re only sleeping. What can you see, on the horizon? Why do the white gulls call? Across [View Full Entry]

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I MISS: *American TV. *Free laundry. *Washing machines that are NOT from the stone age. *Being "American full" after eating a meal. *Normal showers. The one in our apartment is hand held with nowhere to hang it. *Microwaves. *Breakfast food. *My DVD collection. *Elevators. *Mosquitoes being dead in winter. (They're called "zanzare" in Italian.) *24 hour convenience stores. *Cell phone reception inside buildings. *Guitar hero. *Convenient postal systems. *Buying things in dollars. My bank account is crying. *Prices in little numbers that are actually small and not doubled in [View Full Entry]

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After going through a tough breakup with Paris, I have lately had a wonderful time rediscovering my obsession with all things Italian. I really do 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), the coolest churches and museums, the best street markets and the most exquisitely beautiful countryside. 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 do [View Full Entry]

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I am in love. In love with a city, a culture, a place so foreign yet so familiar all in the same moment. After the best weekend of my life, I am convinced Paris is my favorite place in the world, and that's saying a lot. Ideally I needed about three more weeks to see everything I considered essential, but there's only so much you can do in three days. My weekend was perfect. I wasn't sad to leave because I knew it was only the beginning of my time in Paris -- just an appetizer for the multitudes of experiences [View Full Entry]

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I've been told that the mentality of a typical college student studying abroad goes through four basic 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 the Chicago O'Hare airport 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 across the Ponte Vecchio" have become everyday phrases, something that would [View Full Entry]

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