Thanksgiving = 8 days until I'm home

Happy Thanksgiving!!!  It certainly does not feel like it here. Thus far my Thanksgiving has consisted of making a spectacular breakfast, reading, doing laundry, finally catching up on posting my blogs (sorry about that), soon I have to go to class, then hopefully say hi to some people back home and then our program is providing us with a Thanksgiving dinner!!! Rumor has it that there will be mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, which is all I need.

In 8 days I will be home. Wow 8 days. Lately the million dollar question has been 'are you ready to leave/come home? The answer is yes. Well sort of. When I originally left to study abroad I believed in the myth that I would have the 'time of my life here'. Some people in my program claim that that's what they have, but my friends and I all agree that they must have crappy lives back at home. Seriously.

I've had a blast here and learned a lot, yet I love my life back home and am really excited to be back. The only thing that will make leaving Italy hard is knowing that in all reality it will be a long time before I'm back again. There's no option to come quick visit for a long weekend if I want to or hop  in the car and come here. That's the hard part. Also knowing I will never say 'I live in Italy' again.

The other thing that I can't quite make up my mind on or not yet is whether I wish I had done some more traveling outside of Italy. At the same time I don't. I look at all the people here who have traveled literally almost every weekend, doing trips for 3 days to another place. They spend a lot of money to catch a small glimpse of a place they know nothing about. Don't get me wrong it would be great to see those places too but I want to hold out for another trip. One were I can plan ahead so I know where I'm going and what I'm actually looking at. One where I don't feel rushed through it all just for the 'sake of traveling in Europe.' Ideally I want to come back and take the time to go to all these places having prepped for it so I can actually remember and enjoy what I'm seeing. I never went to Greece because of that reason. For so long that's been another dream place of mine to visit and I felt like I couldn't do it justice by spending $500 bucks to quick run through it in 3 days. I'd rather save my money for later and dedicate a bigger amount of time to it so I can really make that dream come true. See it gives me an excuse to come back :) Who knows maybe I can talk someone/people into coming back with me for another good chunk of time to see all of Europe at our own pace.

My goal coming to Italy, was to say that I lived here and really got to know it. I think I've accomplished that really well, better than I would have if I was gone every weekend. Our mopeding extravaganza never happened. The day we went to go, turns out the place was closed. That was my first 'sign'. Then the more we talked to people and researched it the more it seemed like a bad/stupid idea. Drivers here are crazy. I wanted to so badly but I'll admit that something about it also made me really nervous. I don't get nervous about this kind of stuff too easily (not unless it's heights or rollercoaster's) so I decided that maybe I should pay attention to that feeling. My plan is to make Jeff go with me once I'm home and we can hop on a moped in Seattle and then go wine tasting and have our own little Italian experience. Don't tell him though, he doesn’t know about this plan yet.

I'm going to miss this place and as corny as it sounds, it will always have a special place in my heart. This is where I learned that some people really are morons, some people will make a scene wherever they go, some are annoying, and there's always drama. I also learned though, that no matter where in the world you go, people are still people, people still have feelings, there are people with good hearts and good intentions, there are people to make you laugh and smile, people to create and share memories with, people to eat way too much with, people to lend a hand or an ear when it's needed. I've met people who have challenged me in ways I didn't think possible, people who have surprised me, and people who I'll always remember. Some have provided me with stories that I will remember until I die, good or bad, they'll make you laugh.

So today I am thankful. Thankful for all the people that encouraged me, supported me, shaped this experience, and have loved me. My family has been incredible and I was blessed to share this place with my parents, Jeff has put up with more than his fair share of my emotions through all this and has meant the world to me, my friends have always been there when I needed a laugh or some good stories, and I have felt the prayers from all over.  I am thankful and blessed beyond belief for this opportunity. I remember numerous times last year when I was in tears because I wasn't sure this would ever happen. Look at me now, ha. Here I am celebrating Thanksgiving in Italy, only 8 days left before I leave it all beyond and embrace the craziness of life back home. I can't wait.



Oh yea, we had an art exhibition the other night, here's the pieces I put in





see the sort of resemblance? haha




My 'Forms of Florence' painting




Molly, my classmate, Frans, our Prof, and me at the show

Birthday Weekend

Yes I did have a birthday. What did I do for it you may ask. Well I was in Italy, isn't that the best way to celebrate a birthday?

The weekend was my ideal weekend. My birthday was on a Saturday and for some reason it seems people like  to leave on the weekends so Thursday night a group of friends and I went to this fancy shmancy restaurant 'Golden View' which looks over the Ponte Vecchio. Afterwards we did go get a drink and then of course more importantly we went and got pastries at this place known as the 'Secret Bakery'. Let me explain this amazing place. Literally it's a secret place that does all the baking for the café's around Florence during the night (only open from midnight to 3 or so). There's no sign or anything, it's either you know about it or you don't. It's a door in a side street with a sign that says 'please be quiet' which you approach, knock and wait to see if someone wants to serve you. There's no menu/list, you simply have to ask and hope they have what you want or just get whatever they offer. That night the pastry of choice was a donut with nutella. Simply amazing. I must say that was a great kickoff for the birthday weekend.

Let me also explain that during my birthday weekend there was also a huge cultural festival going on in Florence. One of the main attractions was the copy of this guy known as 'David' who they moved around to a few locations which they think he was originally commissioned for. He stared on top, yes top, of the Duomo and then the next was moved down to in front on the side and then one more place. Also that weekend they put grass down in front of the Duomo and Baptistery for a day. It was crazy! So Friday Alyssa and I embraced it all and went to some of the special markets, saw the grass, and of course shopped.

We also took the opportunity to see the real 'David' at the Accademia. He's a good looking guy I won't lie.  Much better looking in person too :) It's incredible really how on earth Michelangelo did it, also in a such a short time.

Saturday the 13th, the day I entered this world 21 years ago brought a relaxing morning filled with too many cupcakes/pastries from friends. I swear, some people get alcohol on their 21st, I got sweets, even better :D Once again, gift shopping and wandering (my favorite activites here) took place in the afternoon and then that evening another small group of friends and I went out to dinner. It was a place we hadn't been before and well…I ended up with a whole chicken on my plate. That should enlighten you as to how amazing that dinner was. From there we met up with a few more people at our apartment for a bit, and then hit the town again which once again the highlight was making the Secret Bakery the final stop of the night. The next morning everyone from the night before met up again to go for brunch to the 'American Diner' and had a delicious American Breakfast.

I love birthday's that cover a whole weekend. I've never really had big birthday parties, so those aren't my thing. Instead it was a perfect weekend with good food, good wine, good friends, in a wonderful setting.



birthday dinner, round 1




We found him!




and we found the secret bakery!! also round 1



Culteral Fesitval, we found chocolate! and yes I got some to celebrate my birth

told you there was grass



I was excited to stand on it




the old piano's that we saw at the Accademia too




Dinner round 2



our good friend at the Secret Bakery

Rome: pictures suck

You have no idea how frustrating it is to take a picture of a place and then look up and realize that there is nothing that can truly capture the beauty that is in front of you. That's what I felt like constantly in Rome.

Rome was breathtaking, everything about it. It was like walking through a huge city and having these ancient ruins just pop up out of nowhere, I fell in love (with the place).

The first day we got there and settled in for a little bit and then headed out for our first tour. We went a pretty much walked the whole city. We walked the famous street from the movie 'Roman Holiday,' saw the Spanish Steps, a famous café filled with lots of expensive art, had our photo opt in front of Trevi Fountain, went into the most beautiful church/coolest I've ever seen, went into another famous Café (supposedly the one they take the famous people/presidents to when they come to visit), visited the Pantheon (sadly under construction yet still breathtaking), and ended the first day with a building that can be compared to our version of the White House. Yes that was all one day. I could go on for ever about all these things but that would turn into a book. I think my favorite that day was the church known as 'Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. The ceilings were beautifully painted, one of the only ones I seen where it gives a 3-Dimensional feel, AND the dome of the church wasn't really a dome! It was a flat ceiling painted in such a way, that walking in, up until a certain point, it looked like a real dome! Then once you were directly underneath it you realized that the center was no where near the actual center and that it was all an illusion. I was impressed. The first day was awesome but it was also jam-packed with everything we did. That was how most the trip went though.

The whole next day was dedicated to the Vatican. It was really intriguing to me, although not a spiritual experience like it is for some people. The fact that there were so many people and it was such a tourist thing really didn't appeal to me that much. The Sisteen Chapel was beautiful, but they kind of kept you moving through it. The architecture was astounding to me. I wish I could have been completely alone walking through there to take it all in. On the other hand, Saint Peter's Basilica was…well I don't even have a good word to describe it. It was huge first of all, and the detail was beautiful. That was probably one of my other all time favorite churches but for other reasons. Even though there were tons of people in it, contrary to the Vatican, in the Basilica you felt like it was still pretty empty. In some of the side chapels, I felt like they were the size of our church back home, and this was just along the side! HUGE! That night we went out and wandered the city, found some more ruins, saw the Colessum at night, had a great dinner by our hotel and then collapsed from exhaustion.

The next day, it was off to go explore the Colesseum, we were some of the first people in so it was great to see it mostly empty.  It boggled my mind how on earth they put it all together back then! We found out that really the battle and what not were not near as gory as people think they are, they did have some sort of referee and rules. We also wandered in the gift shop where they had pictures of what it probably looked like when it was first built, the contrast was incredible.

Finally on Sunday morning we went to 2 Villas outside of Rome to the hills. This was definitely in the top 3 of my favorite things in Rome, mingled in there with the Colesseum and the optical illusion Dome. The first one was known as Tivoli and was an ancient ruin villa. We stared by looking at this small reconstruction map thing (I know there's a specific word for it but my mind can't find it right now). Then we set off to go through most of it. It was a huge area so we didn't even cover it all. Some of the 'buildings' still had parts of a roof intact or the original floor. Once again my brain could figure out how on earth the Roman's had built this incredible architecture so long ago. From Tivoli we went to a functioning villa called Villa D'Este which was like a palace and then huge gardens with beautiful fountains. The had up above the main fountain, another set that was also a water organ so we listened to the short little concert they gave. I felt like I was in a fairy tale prancing through all these old trees and fountains playing hide and seek with bunnies…or something along those lines. That's the kind of magical feeling it had. 

I'll admit, Rome was my kind of place. A practical, functioning city woven between this ancient history that snuck up on you wherever you walked. As much as I love Florence, I think if I were to do it again…I might choose Rome. I can't explain it other than to say Rome has a different feel than Florence, then again each place has a different feel. Yes Rome is also a big tourist place, but it's also a big city so there's also plenty of locals. In Florence, there's a ton of tourists/students and it's easy to tell that the locals are sick of it. In Rome, I didn't feel that way. Maybe that's not true about Florence, maybe I'm crazy. Rome felt a bit like a fresh breath of air. Let me reiterate, I love Florence. I loved Rome in a different way. It took us more than a whole day to walk the whole city and even then we didn't cover quite all of it. Florence I can walk the main center plus a few laps and stops for coffee in a full day. I think the safe route on this one is to say that after visiting Rome, I love ALL of Italy even more and continued to be fascinated by it. 



Optical Illusion Dome



Get it?



Sisteen Chapel



St. Peter's Basillica, can you find me?



Hopefully you recognize this....




I like to think I would've added some competition back then




Beautiful Ruins




Tivoli




Alyssa and I thought it was important to become one with the columns




at Tivoli




Villa D'Este



Villa D'Este aka my idea of Heaven



Oh yea, I found a tree to situate myself in



My roommate Kelsey and I

Time Flies

It's hard for me to believe just how fast everything is going now. This time last week I was on my way to the train station to meet my parents and go to Pisa with them.  Now I'm sitting in my kitchen with the place to myself, watching it rain and contemplating cleaning….hmmm. I think I'll blog for now.

As I said, I met my parents once they got back from Venice and we all went to Pisa. They were staying there for a few nights because that's where they were flying out of and they wanted to see some of the towns around there. We got there on Sunday and stayed at this hotel that used to be a Convent. It was very simple and refreshing. Because they were so full that time I stayed in a single room to myself which looked more like a prison cell, but it worked out just great. Sunday afternoon we went to see the Leaning Tower and that area, we didn't go in anything but just got  the pictures. It was pouring rain on our walk home and pretty cold. It stayed raining all that night and the next morning too. Originally on Monday we were planning to go to Cinque Terre but because of the rain we went to Lucca in the afternoon instead. By the time we got there the rain had stopped and the sun was attempting to shine again. We walked around for a while, climbed the tower with trees (one of the trees and my Dad didn't seem to get along too well), and then proceeded to meander to lunch and then shop for a bit. It was a nice day away. We went back to the hotel where I grabbed my stuff and then we headed towards the train station for some pizza and then goodbyes

 My parents had the joy of meeting Giovanni, a guy I work with at the Creative Corner. He teaches the violin and was on his way to his once a month lesson in another town and we saw him at the train station that morning when we were leaving and then when my parents dropped me off again that night.  In our down time those 2 days we amused ourselves with a bit of Poker, 31 (thank you Budkes), and Go Fish  needless to say my parents were a bit rusty but still could kick my butt.

I never thought I'd be saying goodbye to my parents in Italy. It was crazy. I feel beyond blessed that I was able to share a part of this experience with them.

The rest of the week was a blur as well. I got back Monday night in time to work on a paper that was due. It was the first one I handed in thus far and let's just say that economics and I don't really understand each other so I don't have a great idea of what I actually ended up writing on. My roommates all left for their long weekends on Thursday so I've had the place to myself which I have really enjoyed. Friday I slept in, figured out some things back home, and went to dinner with a group of people and one girls aunt. It was a blast! Yesterday, Alyssa and I were going to go to San Gimignano to rent vespas for the day and then take them to Siena. Half way there on the bus we finally got a hold of the place and they told us they were closed that day. So instead we just went to Siena for the day and walked around, shopped and explored some places we didn't see before  when we were there (Don't worry the vespa-ing will still happen before I come home). It was gorgeous this time of year! All the walking tuckered me out, plus the fact that I have been in a vicious battle with my health the past week, don't worry I think I'm starting to win.

As of today, the 31st, I have 33 days left in Italy before this adventure is over. I can't believe it. Some days I feel like I'll never get home and other days I feel like I won't have enough time here. Friday I figured out my schedule for the next quarter and that made me really excited. I love here, but I'm also excited to go home and back to Seattle. I'm thankful that I have things to look forward to. Hopefully when I'm back I can set up and start volunteering some time at Seattle Children's Hospital and try to work with their art therapy program, or just be there in general. Now that I'm in my junior year I really get to start zeroing on classes that I want to take and figuring it all out made me excited for school and class (I know that some of you may have just fainted when you read that, sorry). I also talked to some of my amazing roommates last night back in the rainy city, and once again I am looking forward to being a part of that house with those girls. I can't wait! And of course seeing that certain boy again will really complete the picture ; ) It's a bit overwhelming to think about how busy I'll be when I get back, compared to only having class and volunteering 3 hours a week and not having to go around and see lots of people here , I'll go to school, work, volunteering, and seeing all my friends/social life again. Before, looking at all this stuff for next quarter would make me homesick, and sometimes it still does, but mainly now it makes me really really excited for what I have waiting for me at home.

Life will be different when I get home and life will be a bit of the same. People will still be people no matter where they are in the world, and God will still God. Those are the main lessons I've learned so far. Life is incredible.



this should explain where my humor comes from




My prison cell/room with a little wash area




On top of the tree tower in Lucca



Our Convent at night



Saying goodbye in Pisa, I love you!




Siena




Alyssa and I experimenting with setting on my camera...




Hi



Mom and Dad's Visit so Far

Sunday night: showed them around my place, dinner at Il Teatro, the service was crappy that night because the theatre had a show. It didn't matter much to us because we were swapping stories. They told me all about Rome and how much fun with it they had. I should never doubt those 2 and their abilities to get place and discover things.

Monday: we had an early start with my tour around Florence showing them all the main attractions and then relaxed with a cup of coffee by the Duomo. Then I headed off to class and pretended to learn and take a midterm and quiz. While I was doing that Mom and Dad checked out the inside of the Duomo and the nearby market. Much rather would have been with them.  After my classes were over I met up with them at their hotel and we went to dinner at this place Dad had scoped out in the afternoon.  The food was good but the company and conversation were much better. I then took them to the favorite gelato place in Florence and while walking back to my place we discovered an organ concert. Mom was in heaven when we heard it. This tiny little church was doing an hourly long concert each night, it was beautiful and I know they loved it. It was a splendid ending to a day in Italy. The whole week it was so nice just to be able to talk and catch up on lives without a few thousand miles between us.

Tuesday: in the morning I went and painted for a little while and then Mom and Dad came to see the studio and steal me away. My prof and I had them give their input on why my self portrait wasn't looking like me…that was interesting and I didn't take anything personally.  After that we split up for a bit. Anyone want to guess what Dad did? If you guessed found a golf course you're right! Leave it to him to find one in Italy and go check it out. He had quite an adventure doing it, he walked there (quite a ways) then had to have an elderly woman translate for him once he got there. They became friends and she helped him find his way back. I swear you could drop the man out of an airplane and he'd make friends or see someone he knows within an hour. Just the way he works. Mom and I in the mean time went to this little town about an hour and half train ride away called Arezzo. It was really neat, pretty quiet. We were only there a short while and spent about half the time with coffee and sitting looking over a park just catching up.  I miss my mom time so it was good to catch up on some.  When we got back we parted ways for a bit and then met up later to go to my favorite pizza place and for gelato afterwards once again

Wednesday: We tackled hiking the Duomo in the morning. We could not have had better timing. It was a hazy morning and had been raining when I woke up. I met them there and we went right in to start climbing. By the time we got to the top the rain had stopped and by the time we got down again to the bottom it was pouring. It was insane being on top of the Duomo. On the way up and down you walk right along the ceiling being face to face with the frescos. If we hadn't been able to get to the very top I still would've said seeing those up close was still well worth  it. The top is much bigger than you would expect and we had an incredible view of the city and the storm coming in as Dad noticed. There's nothing like it in the world.  I left them to recover to once again go and pretend to learn something :P

That night I cooked for them at my house and then we got to skype with Jess and the boys. It was great to all 'be together' in that sense and just talk and watch Bear and Johan put on a show for us.

Thursday: In the morning I took them to see Michelangelo's Plaza which overlooks the whole city. While we were up there they were working assembling this huge marble pieces to create a 'window for the city'. It was fascinating to watch, kind of took away the attention for the view for a bit. After that mom and I perused the watercolor paintings up there (yes she had to get one) while Dad took some time to sit and write underneath David's butt (see picture below). It was a perfect day for it. In the afternoon Dad set off to nap and then explore the Uffizi while Mom and I conquered the city shopping. Quite draining but we accomplished all our goals (a nativity, gifts, and boots). I took them to dinner at a restaurant that is on the river which looks right out at the Ponte Vecchio. The food was incredible as well as the view. I think it was their favorite place. After that they chose to go back to the amazing gelato place from the 2nd night which we ate on the steps of the Duomo. Yea, I had gelato with my parents on the steps of the Duomo. After that we parted ways so they could pack for their next trip: Venice.



Mom with our discoveries in Arezzo





climbing the Duomo




WE MADE IT!



someone even managed to get a lock out onto the top of the dome

Mom taking in the Frecos



From my window, i stalked them




Skyping with J and Johan who couldn't sit still




Told you he was writing underneath David's 'you-know-what'




we are good looking people



I get to meet up with them on their way back and we'll all go to Pisa together. I get to stay with them for a night and hopefully do Cinque Terre again with them (cross your fingers for the weather) or something else. Then I'll leave them to fend for themselves and try to get back to the states. Dad says he doesn't know if they have the money to go back now….all the better for me then! I love my parents. End of story.

FYI

I have not been neglecting this just so you know. Before we went to Venice I had several written that I had tried to publish but for some reason my computer didn't want me to. Looks like my blog and computer have resolved their issues so now i will post all of these I've had waiting including recent ones. Some now are from a little ways back but i'll get them up here don't worry, it's just not going to be in order. I apologize if I've hurt anyones feelings.

Venice

Was beautiful. I fell in love with the water and the serenity of the place. There was no mopeds or cars whizzing by, therefore was much quieter than Florence. I would go back there in a heart beat. Luckily we had nice, though cold weather most the time. Sunday was pretty miserable but luckily we were either inside/leaving that day. I can see where it wouldn't be that great of place if the weather was bad. With the good weather though, in my opinion it was one of the prettiest places on earth.

           We got there on Friday, threw our stuff in our rooms and then went right on to our first musuem visit of the San Marco. What blew me away was the fact that the whole place inside was a mosaic! It had to take forever for them to do it. We were able to go out on the top floor and go outside on the balcony. It was a great view of the whole Palazzo. From there we went to Palazzo Ducale which had a too much history for me to remember ;) But what I do remember was the prison that we walked through. There was a door connecting the 'court room' which lead right to the prison and execution room. The corridor between the rooms had a window over the water/city so the prisoners could take one last look at the world before they were killed or put away.  The doors to the cells were maybe 4 ft tall, I don't know if they were all little guys back then or if that was just something they figured prisoners didn't need. It was really interesting but also a lot of information to take in all at once. That night a group of us went to this local place and had a great dinner, we were there right when it opened and by the time we left the wait was 45 minutes. Venice doesn't have much night life, so I was in bed nice and early that night.

           The next morning we started bright and early with a visit to The Accademia Gallery, then the Scuola di San Rocco where we saw the world's largest painting and finally we went to the Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. This was the first church we went to that didn't have any frescos. Kind of refreshing to see in a way (The humidity would have destroyed all the frescos). The church was beautiful and had some amazing sculptures and decorations, including a giant pyramid against a wall as a tomb for someone.  That was all in the morning! For the afternoon we hopped on a ferry to the glass island, Murano. Once again it was beautiful ( I feel like that's the only word I use to describe Italy). We saw a glass blowing demonstration, found a quite area by the water, and window shopped/shopped until our feet fell off. I was on my feet from 8am until 5 pm with the exception for 30 minutes all day. What an incredible day! Saturday night followed a similar pattern to Fridays, except for a friend and I went to go supervise a late night activity of people jumping an a canal to make sure they didn't get hurt. The didn't but I still think they were idiots for trying. Then I finally got back to my warm bed to crash, did I mention Venice was freezing cold? It was.

             Sunday we went to the Guggenheim Museum, which was Peggy's house and personal collection.  She had so many famous pieces it was unreal! This lady was loaded. It was once again a breath of fresh air to see modern art, not that I don't appreciate Renaissance art, but it can appear kind of repetitive after a while. Finally paintings/art without a real rhyme or reason. This is the kind of place I could have stayed all day. Sunday it rained all day and in the morning the water was about 3 inches from flooding over the canals and the gondolas weren't running because the water was too rough. Don't worry I still got a gondola ride in (on Friday and Saturday we used them as taxis). By the time we left Sunday afternoon the water had gone down a bit. Then we arrive back around 6:40 and guess who was waiting for me…..MOM AND DAD!!!!!!

view from the balcony on San Marco's

I wore these things to death last weekend

this wasn't a great idea once I realized how slippery it was out there....