414 steps.

So, I'm still a day behind but yesterday (Saturday) was another gorgeous day. I'm sorry to hear of all the horrible weather that you all are having and hope that you all get your power back soon but I knew there was a reason I came here and there's a reason why I need to live somewhere warm. When the sun is shining, people are happy. The sun with all its Vitamin D powers is such a mood lifter, it just makes you so much happier and you notice it around you too because everyone is out and about and you can hear a sense of cheer in the air. People are just sitting outside and enjoying the warmth of the sun and the gelato shops are busier than ever. We went to Ganzo for brunch (the best brunch ever!) We had salmon, eggs, warm rolls, eggplant, and fresh fruit. I honestly do not know what we do without our Ganzo vouchers. I feel very spoiled and I know that when I go back to Endicott I will be very disappointed in their brunches compared to the buffet that we have here.

We took advantage of the beautiful weather and climbed to the top of the Campanile which is 276 feet high and there are 414 steps to the stop with no elevator lift. The Campanile is the cathedral bell tower in all of my pictures of the Duomo. We climbed to the top, all 414 stairs. In the beginning we started off really fast and by the time we reached the first level we were already huffing and puffing so we slowed down a bit so we could make it to the top. (Not recommended for people with heart problems). Even though I was a bit out of breath, it made me that much more grateful of the healthy heart and lungs that I have and was able to make it to the top to enjoy the incredible views of the city. I know that I have seen a lot of view points but this was probably one of my favorite vantage points because you could see the rooftops of buildings and a closer view point of familiar buildings because we were not looking from afar but we were right in the middle of the city so we were able to see everything from a different perspective. I plan on going to the top of the Duomo sometime this week.

Moments like that when I was at the top of the tower, I sometimes have to pinch myself because I forget where I am and that I am actually in Italy and have been here for four weeks. People often tell me that the one thing they regret is not studying abroad when they were in school. It truly is an experience and something that everyone should do. I know that not everyone is cut out for studying in a foreign country and I'll admit I was a bit hesitant before I made the final decision to come but I am so glad I did and I'm glad I did it during my sophomore year because if I want to go abroad again (which I am thinking about) then I have the opportunity to. The language barrier and currency exchange rate are a bit discouraging but I'm managing to get by.
I promise as soon as Facebook cooperates, more pictures will be posted.

Boboli Gardens

Yesterday (Friday)... I know I am a day behind again but I just get too lazy at the end of the day to write about what I did. So, yesterday morning we awoke at 11 to thunder, lighting, and pouring rain, it was very depressing because we thought we were going to be stuck inside of the whole day but we laid in bed for another hour and magically the sun came out and blue skies were surrounding us. It does not rain here EVERY day but we definitely do not see blue skies every day either. We went to lunch at Ganzo and it was actually so warm that I had to take my jacket off, the temperature was probably in the low 60's, which to me is quite warm compared to the temperatures we had all week. After lunch, the sun was still shining so we decided to take advantage of the weather and visit the Boboli Gardens. These gardens were laid out for the Medici Family in 1550. They contain symmetrical box hedges and contrasting groves of wild ilex and cypress trees. The gardens were then opened to the public in 1766 (taken from my Guide Book) but seriously the gardens were amazing and I had no idea what to expect upon entering but it was so beautiful and at the top, you could see more amazing views of the city and of the country side too. We were in the gardens for over 2 hours and probably still did not see all of it. I wish that it was free to enter the gardens because I would go back there often but it costs 7 euro but definitely well worth the entrance fee. At one point, my roommate, friend, and I stopped at this marble stone and had like a photo shoot for twenty minutes, it was so funny, I felt like I was taking my senior pictures all over again. One of my friends has a really nice Canon camera so we were having fun with that and now I officially want a better camera! Then we saw this really cool fountain that ran down one of the pathways and we were really thirsty so we took a drink and we also thought it would be fun to take pictures of each other drinking the water. Of course, the water was rain water but it was running along a stone wall so it probably was not sanitary nor healthy to drink at all but we did not see a sign so we drank it anyways. Then later on we saw many other fountains with signs that said "Unfit for drinking"... but I'm still alive today so the water must not have been that horrible. The weather was beautiful all day so of course we had to end the day with Gelato and it was at a place we had yet to try. It was really good because they make it all fresh there and it was nice too because we got to sit down and relax for a few and even watch some music videos. We even got to see "We Are The World" music video with all different kinds of artists who recorded the song for Hope for Haiti. You should check it out on You Tube. It was a great end to a great day. I have been trying to upload my pictures to Facebook for all you to see but it won't allow me too, it is very frustrating because I have over 200 new pictures to upload for you all to see but you'll have to bear with me.

I never thought I would get sick...

Yesterday (Thursday) is my favorite day of the week besides the fact that I have to wake up at 7:30 because Thursday is my only day with an early class, it's weird that I am complaining though because every day last semester, I was up by 6:40. Even though, I have to wake up early, Thursday is still my favorite day. So early in the morning, we headed to Chocolate Class at Apicius when our teacher (Andrea Bianchini) decided that we were going to go to his store for class today instead. So, we made the mile or more hike to his shop which I had been to before (the retail part) but this time we got a behind the scenes look at the real chocolate making. He has two stores in Florence but only one of them actually makes the chocolate and that's the one we went to. We were able to see the chocolate machine running and his workers at work making the chocolate. I was in Heaven. We then proceeded to try like 27 different pieces of chocolate (well, it probably wasn't that many but it sure felt like it). I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD GET SICK OF CHOCOLATE. I love chocolate beyond belief and if you put it in front of me, I will surely eat it but we just ate so much chocolate in class, he just kept feeding us more and more. We tried so many like little chocolate squares which are small and very good in proportion but we tried so many different flavors. The chocolate are filled with ganache, all different kinds from plain to a pepper one, to rosemary, and even lavender and lemon. We even got to try a chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven. After about the tenth piece of chocolate, I felt so sick and never before have I said that I felt sick or that I could not eat another piece of chocolate. It's still is and will always be my favorite class. Who could ask for a better class than learning about different types of chocolate and being able to taste them all!

Next was cultural class which is always a blast! (NOT!) There are just way too many people in the class and it is very difficult to listen to the teacher. Luckily, though the class is only an hour long. We learned a bit about where we are going next weekend on our field trip to Naples, Pompeii, Capri, and Sorrento... I must say that I am very excited to travel outside of Florence again. We anxiously sit and class and wait for the end because it is our weekly to tradition to go the Tripe Stand and order our tripe panino. However, when we arrived, they were all out of paninos so we just had to get a bowl of tripe (which I'll admit was a little bit more difficult because it forced me to look at what I was eating instead of just eating a sandwich)... it will still just as delicious though.

After lunch, we went to the big supermarket on the other side of the city from our apartment (big mistake!) and we bought food to make an All-American dinner. Emily cooked for us and we had hamburgers, baked potato chips, and vegetables. Burgers are the typical American meal and I cannot tell you the last time I had a burger but they were so good. The big supermarket is amazing because they sell everything, even salad dressing! It just stinks because than you have to carry all your groceries back which took us about twenty-five minutes with heavy bags (which, yes... you have to pay for... 5 euro cents a bag) I definitely will not forget my re-usable bag ever again. Think about how much paper/ plastic could be saved if all grocery bags started charging for their bags. The re-usable bags are also sturdier and hold more so all around its better to bring your own bags.

I also love Thursdays because that's usually when we go out and wonder around and do some exploring. We decided to walk up to Pizzale Michelangelo again and of course it was cloudy again so my pictures still are not that clear but the views are still amazing. We then walked around the back and went up to the Chiesa San Miniato al Monte (St. Minias on the Mountain Church) which was absolutely beautiful and provided so many other great views of the city. There were also gorgeous cemeteries up there. Even though it was cloudy, the weather was till warm so after climbing up all the stairs, we decided to sit on a bench for awhile and just enjoy the gorgeous views of the city.

Soccer Game!

Last night, I went to my first professional soccer game ever which is ironic because I was in England and Scotland a few years with my high school soccer team and although we played soccer, they never took us to a professional soccer game. The experience of a soccer game was absolutely amazing. We walked about forty five minutes to the stadium with the Florence For Fun group and had seats behind one of the goals. The game was Florence vs. Milan and we knew going into it that Milan was the better team and would probably dominate the game, however in the first half Florence was definitely dominating the field and Gilardino scored in the first half. (I was wearing his jersey too because when I went to buy a jersey, the shop owner told me that he was their best striker and sure enough he was). So, at the end of the first half, the score was 1-0 Florence. Then towards the end of the second half, Milan scored to tie the game 1-1. We were pretty sure the game was going in to overtime but yet again Milan scored with only a few minutes left in the game and ended up winning the game 2-1. I had hope for Florence but Milan was just a better team. David Beckham plays for Milan and was at the game, I was even able to get some pictures of him warming up but he never actually played. The stadium was filled with Firenze fans with one small section full of passionate Milan fans. The Firenze fans get really into the game and yell chants, and whistle, and even do this little bobble thing with they hop up and down but their feet never actually leave the ground. The people in front of us had huge flags and would wave them whenever Florence performed well on the field. I am so happy that I got to experience an actual professional soccer game... it was a great night even if Florence did lose.

4 weeks & counting...

So, I have officially been here for four weeks, it's crazy. Time is flying by sooo fast. I just wish I could make time stop sometimes and stay in the moment forever but yet other times, I wish I could speed time up and return home. Okay, so I am going to try and reflect on the last four weeks in Florence as my friend had asked me the other day what my best moment in Florence had been thus far...

Best Moment: I honestly couldn't tell you yet. Honestly, it has all been a bit overwhelming. Packing up/ moving to live (if only temporary) in a foreign country is scary transition but for me to be able to do it and adjust is a huge accomplishment. However, the language barrier is still frustrating although the more shops/ stores we go into, there are more and more English speaking Italians. They know little English but enough to communicate. I wish I knew more Italian to be able to communicate. It is definitely something that I need to work on while I'm here. Overall though, it is has been an exciting experience so far.

Worst Moment: Yesterday, I was followed in the grocery store. There is a little grocery store down the street which I have been to several times. I was wandering around the store a lot because I didn't know what I wanted to buy but it seemed that every time I turned the corner there was this man in a white sweatshirt texting on his phone, he wasn't shopping, nor did it look like he was looking to buy anything, he just kept appearing around every corner. I then assumed that when I went to check-out he would get in line behind me and sure enough he did, just quickly grabbing a soda bottle off the shelf. He quickly counted out his money and threw it at the cashier before I even had time to grab my bags. I had forgotten my cell phone in the apartment so I had no way of calling anyone to come meet me. So instead of walking straight out, I stood off to the side of the registers to make sure he would leave but sure enough he stood off to the other side of the registers. My heart was racing now, I had no idea what to do, I stood there for a few minutes and when he looked the other way, I grabbed my keys between my fingers and sped walk down the street as fast I could. I walked in the street on the other side of the parked cars instead of on the sidewalk because it was not as well lit as the headlights from the oncoming cars. About halfway home, I turned around and he wasn't there, I made a mad dash to my apartment and finally when inside, I knew I was safe. I cannot be for sure he was following me but my instinct told me he was so I listened to it. For four weeks, I have felt completely safe up until last night. Never again will I walk to that grocery store at night without a cellphone and a friend.

What I miss the most: My family. I have gone weeks and weeks without seeing my family before but I guess it is just different because I am in another country and I can't just drive home whenever I want to. The time difference is also hard because I always want to call my mom in the morning, like around 9, 10, or 11 but then I think and realize it is only 3, 4, or 5 in the morning there and that she is probably sleeping. It's not even like I want to talk to her about anything important, I just want to call. I also miss driving. We walk EVERYWHERE here and the exercise is great, but sometimes I just miss being able to get in my car and drive fast to wherever I want to go. Oh, and weirdly enough... I hardly ever watch TV while at home but I miss being able to watch some of my shows.

What I have mixed feelings about: My cell phone. I miss being able to text/ call whoever I want in my cell phone. I have a cell phone but it costs a lot of money and the time difference is frustrating. I miss my cell phone but I also think it is good for me to have a break from it because we are all so attached to the cell phone (especially texting world). I think it important to not be so attached to an electronic device. I used to tell the time by my cell phone because I always had it in my hand but now I feel naked without my watch.... because like a normal human being, I am telling the time by my watch for the first time and not my cell phone.

My FAVORITE class: Everything Chocolate: From Therapy to Pleasure. Not only is the class subject amazing but so is the teacher. Chocolate is one of my favorite things in the world so what's not to love about a class that is all about chocolate. We learn about chocolate, we make the chocolate, and most importantly we get to taste the chocolat when we're finished. The teacher is a world champion chocolatier so he definitely knows what he's doing and his sense of humor just makes the class so much more enjoyable.

My LEAST favorite class: Marketing Mix. So far, I just do not enjoy this class. The material is presented in a very boring way and it is hard to listen to a teach lecture for 2 and half hours especially when the English is not perfect and my mind tends to wander in this class so it makes it difficult to concentrate but honestly, it's really not that bad and probably much better than taking marketing in the States.

Wine: We have tried a lot in our wine class but there are definitely a few that are excellent and others that I definitely would not drink again. I can't wait to learn more about wine as it is such a big part of Tuscany and the Italian culture.

Favorite Dessert: Hands down, GELATO. We even tried a new gelato place today which was along the river. For one euro, you get a generous amount of gelato. I tried Strawberry Cheesecake and Cookies... the flavors were alright but I will definitely try some of the other ones next time.

Favorite Food: Gnocchi. It's like pasta but made with potato, egg, and flour. It is so good anyway it's made, I am going to try to attempt to make it myself this weekend. A close second though, Tripe. I know I talked about it in my last post so I won't again but it's definitely one of my new favorites.

Traveling: Outside of Florence, I have only been to Venice, Rome, Fiesole, and Pisa but of the two Rome was definitely my favorite. Rome is a lot bigger than Florence and we had no idea where we were going but I loved it, I hope that I'll have the chance to visit it once more within the next few months.

Weather: It's completely unpredictable. One minute it's raining, the next it's bright and sunny, then it's cloudy, then maybe it's snowing, then raining again. You really just never know, EVER. Always bring your gloves, hat, umbrella, and sunglasses with you because you honestly never know when the weather will change even within a few minutes.

Brittany Moment: A Brittany moment is when I have or almost have a mental breakdown because something isn't going my way. One of these moments was when it was snowing/raining and I meant to step on the rock to avoid a huge puddle in Rome but my foot slipped and I stepped right into the puddle with my sneakers which were soaked for the rest of the day. I wanted to cry, scream, and pout. I'll thank Emily from preventing this from happening as she brought me into a restaurant, let me take off my shoes, and bought me the BEST hot chocolate ever. If it was not for that.. the rest of the day may very well have been ruined and I probably would have a complete breakdown right there in the street.

What I want to accomplish: I really want to be able to cook. I learn a lot in my Mediterranean Diet class and we do cook but it not completely hands on (the teacher does a lot of it) and I have some great Mediterranean recipes but it is hard to repeat the recipes in our apartment because supplies are so limited so I am still lacking on my cooking skills. Also, the stove is really hard to regulate so I'll admit I even overcooked the pasta one night. :(

Upcoming: Naples, Sorrento, Capri, Parma & Modena, Greece, Piemonte & Cinque Terre, Germany, Nice & French Riveria, Tuscany, Pienza, Montalicino, & Montelpulciano and hopefully more!

Fiesole & Pisa!

SATURDAY: FIESOLE: AMAZING VIEWS BUT NOT MUCH TO DO.

Fiesole is a small, small town located 300m above sea level and 6km from Florence. Fiesole is basically a tourist destination because of its landscape, amazing views that overlook Florence, and its cultural and historical treasures. After some mix-ups with e-mails and time differences, we finally boarded Bus #7 (the bus that runs continually from Piazza San Marco to Fiesole and back about ever 15 minutes) and took the 15 minute bus ride up to Fiesole. When we got there.. it just looked any other town but on a hill. We walked up a VERY steep hill, you could tell we were all out of shape from the huffing and puffing, but when we made it to the top, there were amazing views overlooking the city of Florence. It was so cool to see the city from above, you could even see the Duomo and the soccer (football) stadium. My pictures did not come out all that great because of the haziness in the sky and the fog. Trust me though, the views were amazing. We proceeded to climb another steep hill with steps up to another view point, the museum, church, and covenant. Because of the mix-ups with the meeting times, we quickly had to rush through. Honestly, the museum and church were all quite boring to me but the views from the second vantage point were even more amazing than the first. We then walked into the town and took a walk through the market and then our tour leaders bought us a snack which was like thick doughy bread topped with salt and olive oil which I believe is called Schiacciata? I'll have to double check on the name but all I know is that they sell it in almost every bread/pastry/sandwich shop around. Everyone was getting ready to board the bus but I wanted to do some more exploring so we asked our advisor, "What else is there to do in Fiesole?" and she responds, "Nothing!" There is a mini Roman theatre that you can pay ten euro to see but we opted not to, so in conclusion... Fiesole: Amazing views but nothing to do. If visiting Florence though, I would recommend a short trip to Fiesole just for the views.

SUNDAY: PISA: THE FAMOUS LEANING TOWER OF PISA.

On Sunday, I paid the 5.70 euro to take the one hour train ride to Pisa just to take my pictures of The Leaning Tower of Pisa and yes, it really is leaning. My Eyewitness Travel Guide Book says: "Begun in 1173, the tower began to tip sideways before the third storey was completed, but construction continued until its completion in 1350. The tilt has now been corrected by 38cm (14 in)." It is pretty crazy how much it is leaning but I think it was done on purpose.... it is such a tourist mine. Literally... all along the tower there are shops selling "Leaning Tower of Pisa" souvenirs. Everything from postcards, t-shirts, "leaning" shot glasses, piggy banks, children's toys, and statues. Almost everyone goes to Pisa just to see "the leaning tower". There were tons of people there all just taking photos of the leaning towers. Also, everyone was taking their cliche' pictures of trying to hold up the leaning tower or to keep it from falling. It's amusing just to watch people taking pictures of each other, one person keeps moving their hands and making funny faces trying to use all their force to hold up the tower while the other person is fiddling with the camera, tilting it this way and that, zooming in and then zooming back out. You could sit there and people watch all the day long. I'll admit though that I even took a couple of the cliche pictures myself. Pisa is another one of those days trips that everyone should take while visiting Florence, just to say you did it.

Tripe & Pigeions

Well, as I mentioned in my last blog, I have started eating fish... well, I have also started eating Tripe now. There was this stand (kind of like a hot dog stand) on the corner near our school and there is always tons of people crowded around and everyday when Emily and I walk by we always say that we have to eat there someday. However, because of the huge crowds of people, we never knew what the stand was actually selling, we just assumed it must be good because of the huge crowds of people daily. So we stood in line for about fifteen minutes and when we finally made our way to the front that's when we saw the display of Tripe (cow stomach). We gave it a try and loved it. They boil the stomach, chop it all up, add some seasoning, and salsa, stick it on a bulky roll and there you have it... cow stomach for lunch! It is a little chewy but with the seasoning and salsa, you would never know you were eating the stomach of a cow. We plan on making the Tripe stand a weekly ritual.

The other purpose of this blog is to discuss my deathly fear of pigeons. They are EVERYWHERE in Florence and I hate them. I have always feared bird for some reason I do not know but here in Florence, my fear has intensified. First, the pigeons are everywhere. Second, they do not move when you are walking. Third, they tend to fly right in front of your face. Fourth, they always seems to fly right at me whenever I am walking to class by myself. I jump (and want to cry) ever time it happens. I just hate birds and really wish they did not exist. One time back at Endicott, all the geese were on the pathway of where I needed to walk but I didn't want to even go near them so I took the long way around just to avoid them. I don't know why but I am just afraid of them, it's never like I had a traumatic experience or anything... I'm just afraid, that's all.

Last night, we went to Amedeus which is a bar where our friend Nathan (who is from Kansas who we met on one of our first nights here in Florence) was bartending! They actually let him work there! We hung out there for a while to see his bartending skills and then were led to this hole in the wall bar, BLOB where we met lots of British people who were sooo friendly. Every night in Florence is different but that's what makes it exciting and all that more fun!

Not a tourist anymore...

I have been thinking about what to write this blog about but I still can't think of a topic or a theme so it will probably just be me rambling about random thoughts and ideas that pop into my head...

On Monday in class, we made Pasta e Ceci (Pasta and Garbanzo Bean Soup)... The garbanzo beans are very healthy for you and adding pasta to the soup was absolutely delicious (We made the pasta by hand). We also made Cod with Oregano and Sun-Dried Tomatoes which I highly recommend. I never ate fish before I came here but now I would rather eat it than any other type of meat. I always want to to take pictures in this class so that both you can see what the food looks like but also so that when I return home and try to replicate these recipes, I will be able to look at pictures and remember what it is SUPPOSED to look like. I can't make any promises but I will do my best to cook for you all when I return home.

Talking more about the fish, I also had calamari (and no, not fried calamari from the Olive Garden) but real calamari at Ganzo on Tuesday. I ordered the gnocchi with seafood, not knowing what the seafood was beforehand. Besides, being a little chewy.. it was actually quite tasty. I have yet to build up the courage to go to the market to buy and buy my own fish and attempt to cook it though. Although I found an "easy student" recipe online for peanut butter salmon (yes, i brought a bar of peanut butter with me and I have not opened it yet). Before I left a previous study abroad student warned me that peanut butter is very expensive here and is only sold in very small jars! I love peanut butter so I took her advice and brought a jar with me for when I became very desperate. Although, I think the nutella has done a nice job of replacing peanut butter. And as one of my fellow study abroad students nicely quoted... "It's official, Nutella is good on EVERYTHING!" And we seriously put it on everything from bread, fruit, waffles, and even just eating it plain. They even had Nutella flavored Gelato which is of course my favorite!

So I no longer feel like a tourist in Florence but a temporary resident. I walk around without a map and can even give other tourist Americans directions. It is so funny when me and my roommate are walking down the street and another American will here us speaking English and then approach us asking for directions with a sigh of relief that we speak English and know where we are going. One night, this couple near the train station approached us speaking Italian but my Emily knew right away by their accents that they did not speak fluent Italian so she goes, "I SPEAK ENGLISH!" They were so relieved and very grateful we could give them directions to their hotel. I mean I even have a permit of stay and a temporary visa (not the typical tourist visa) which is crazy to think but I DO live in Florence. Some days I feel like I fit in and blend in but other days I just know that I stick out. It's weird though... just walking down the street, people will look at you and automatically know that you are American, especially the men. Always, always making their comments... I swear they have a sixth sense for Americans. At times it's flattering and I know they are just trying to be friendly but most of the time, it's just plain annoying and we ignore them and continue on our way as if we didn't hear them.

I also attended a Connecting Cultures seminars which talked about some of the differences between Americans and Italians but also how Italians are different than all other Europeans.

Some things I have learned/ picked up on.

- They don't stand in line, they just all crowd around. It does not matter if you have been waiting for ten minutes, they will just jump right in front of you.

- They are crazy drivers and do not follow many of the laws and have no patience for pedestrians.

- It is not uncommon for Italians to stand in what we call "personal space".

- If there is a sign that says no smoking... they will still smoke.

- Italians avoid eye contact and people do not say hello to each other in the street. However, when entering into a store or small space, you are always greeted by the shop owner.

- Italians are very reserved, or stand-offish until you try to make an effort to communicate with them in Italian. If they see you are trying, they respect you much more.

- Italians are not considered alcoholics even if they are drinking at 9 in the morning. It is part of their culture. They actually sell alcohol everywhere.. even in the 99 cent store.

- Basically, Italians do not follow any rules and do as they please, the culture is very non-rushed and laid back. The people walk very slowly and I have noticed that they take their time and never really seem to be on any type of time schedule.

Oh, I just have to rub it in too that it was near 60 degrees this morning with blue skies. I was actually warm walking down the street with my jacket on. I'm sorry that most of you are getting snow and cold weather. Florence is a beautiful city with so much to offer, I am really lucky to have had this opportunity and I am glad that I am taking advantage of these opportunities to travel while I'm young. I'm thinking of going to Australia next! It takes me about 20 minutes (walking briskly) to get to class but the views and architecture on my walk to class are truly amazing. I know I definitely looked like a tourist today though while I stopped to take out my

camera to take pictures on the way to class. :)

A few more quick notes to keep you updated:

I'm still addicted to gelato (we had it yesterday and today)... I think we may make it our mission to try every gelato place within the city and trust me there's A LOT... but I know we can do it!

I have been sick for almsot three weeks now... but I went to a Farmacia (Pharmacy) and tried to explain my symptoms and she gave me some medicine, I have no idea what it is though.. but it seems to be helping a bit.

And... I miss you all a lot.

Roma Roma Roma!

This past weekend, my roomate (Emily) and I went to Rome on our own. We booked the train and the hostel and we were off. There were ups and downs, some good times and some not so good times but in the end it was all worth it. It would take me forever and I don't really feel like giving a detailed itenerary of our trip so basically I'm just going to list some of my thoughts and reflections about the past weekend.

1. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS carry your passport with you everywhere, regardless of what anyone tells you. If you are asked for your documents and you don't have them, they will throw you in jail for three days.

2. Arriving in a foreign city by train at night is not highly reccomended. Some people hate Americans and will even refuse to help you.

3. Taking the FAST train is the way to go, even if it is 28 more euros than the regional train.

4. 24-Hour Bakeries should exist everywhere!

5. I had never stayed in a hostel before but rooming with complete strangers is more fun than I would have ever thought.

6. Australians are the nicest people! I'm in the process of booking my next trip to Australia.

7. It actually SNOWED in Rome! Oh, and the Colloseum closes when it snows. Word of advice.

8. Whoever had the idea of putting a Foot Locker store in a train station is Genius!

9. 4.50 Euro Hot Chocolate is like pudding and completely worth every penny.

10. You have to go with the flow and have fun. Not everything will always go your way or the way you planned.

11. BEST friends will stick by your side even when you are whining, complaining, and about to have a nervous break down in the middle of a snow storm because you slipped in a puddle and you were walking on the road and some car splashed you and you feel like the world is coming to an end even though it's not.

12. I have come to the realization that my diet is now: pasta, pizza, bread, nutella, and gelato but mostly just GELATO & NUTELLA!

13. There are only two metro lines in Rome but I never quite figured out the bus system.

14. I am very skilled at reading maps. I swear I looked at the map for 23 out of 24 hours. Then once, we decided not to use the map and ended up completely off of the map.

15. I have never been able to pack for three days in one backpack in my life before and I really admire all of those who backpack across Europe.

16. I take pictures for other people to see and sometimes don't even know what I am looking at when I'm taking the picture.

17. Who knew you could sit on a park bench for an hour and have the BEST time!

18. Whenever your looking for something, you can never find it but then when you are not looking, they pop up everywhere. We looked for a panini shop for over an hour until we finally found one but when we aren't hungry, you find them on every street corner.

19. When in doubt, just cross the street and hope you don't get run over.

20. I actually ate Chinese Food in Italy today.

21. Florence already feels like home and the comfort of returning to a city where you know where to go without looking at a map is comforting.

22. BELIEVE in yourself. You can do anything you want. Sometimes certain things in life are meant to happen and you just have to let them.

23. A 2 Euro Breakfast is probably not going to be all that great and you would think a 1 Euro Beer would taste bad but it doesn't.

24. Traveling and very little sleep results in exhaustion but a very fun-filled weekend.

When asked what most people regret most... "not studying abroad." I won't lie to you, it is challenging and frustrating at times but it is a life experience that you won't ever forget. It is definitely allowing me to see the world and from a different perspective, to grow, and hopefully deciding where I want to go in life.

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!

Quarter Life Crisis?

Okay, so the following is NOT written by me but by a student from Mexico, Edgardo Nieto who studied at Apicius in 2007, this was written and published in the school's newsletter (Blending) which features articles and photos written or taken by the students. I was given this old newsletter today in class and it completely describes how I have been feeling. I think many can relate.

Veintitantos: The Reflections of a 20Something Year-Old, Abroad, With Many ???, And Many More Ideas Floating In His Head.

When you're in your twenties...An idea that becomes really stressful when it's the only one that you have.. It's called "The quarter life crisis"... you find yourself trying to get away from the crowd more than ever, you get this weird feeling of insecurity, and you start questioning yourself about where you'll be a year from now, but then you realize with panic that you hardly know where you are right now. You realize that there are a lot of things about yourself that you were not aware of and you may not like. You realize that your circle of friends is smaller than what t was a couple years ago. You realize that it gets more difficult to see your friends and to coordinate your schedules for different reasons be it work, school, partner (girlfriend/boyfriend) etc... And you start enjoying more and more the occasional evening beer because it's a great excuse to talk a little longer with you buddy that you don't see often. The crowded nightspots are not "fun" anymore, they even make you uncomfortable sometimes... You even miss school and its commodity, the groups, how you socialize with the same people in a certain and constant way. But then you start to realize that while some were real friends the other were not that special after all. You realize that some people were selfish and maybe those friends that you considered closest were not exactly the best people that you'd ever met, and the ones that you've lost contact with were the most important ones. You laugh more, but you cry less tears with more pain. Someone breaks your heart, and you ask yourself how that someone hat you loved so much could've done such a thing to you. Or maybe you go to bed at night and question yourself why you can't seem to meet someone interesting enough, someone that makes you fall in love with him/ her. It looks like everyone you know has had a boyfriend or girlfriend forever, and some of them are even getting married. Maybe you also love someone but you aren't sure if you are prepared for a long term commitment. You feel the same emotions and ask the same question over and over again, you even talk to your friends about these issues because you can't make up your mind. The one night stands are not interesting anymore, even getting drunk and acting like an idiot seem really stupid. Going out 3 times a week has become exhausting. You take a better look at your job and maybe you are not even close to doing what you dreamed of doing. Or maybe you are looking for a job and the thought of having to start from the bottom scares you even more. You try day after day to understand yourself, what you want and what you don't want. You opinions become stronger. You take a look at what everyone else is doing and then you find yourself becoming more judgmental, you list f stereotypes keeps getting longer. In the end you worry too much about 'who' decides what's right and wrong. Sometimes you feel great and invincible and other times- just lonely afraid and confused. Sometimes you try to hold on to the past, but then you realize that the past is moving farther and father away from you and that there's no choice but to keep going forward. You worry about the future, loans, and money.. and constructing your own individual life. While winning the race would be great right now you're only conforming to the rules of the competition. What you may not realize is that all of use who are reading this right now identify with all this, with being '20something' Al of of use are in our twenties and we would all like to be a teenager again. Back to that age where we didn't have responsibilities. All this looks like an unstable place, a moving vehicle, a mess in your head. But EVERYONE says it's the best time of our lives and we shouldn't waste it because of our silly fears. Then they say that these years are the foundation of our future. Only yesterday it seemed as if were 18 years old. Then tomorrow we'll turn 30!!! Just like that, as quick as the snap of a finger!

LIFE IS NOT MEASURED BY THE TIMES YOU BREATHE, BUT BY THE TIMES THAT TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY!

Now, I know that I only just turned 20, but I really just loved this article. But now I'm off to Rome for the weekend, check for updates at the beginning of next week! Miss you all!

Wine Bar & More

Okay, So I mentioned in one of my previous blogs about how the Italians are crazy drivers and how I never see any speed limit signs anywhere within central Florence... while I was reading a Tourist Guidebook to Italy the other day, I found out some interesting facts: The speed limits within the city center and surrounding streets is 31 miles per hour, on main highways the speed limit is about 68 miles per hour but they up the speed limit to 81 miles per hour on the weekend in order to keep traffic moving... however, most Italians fail to abide to these limits and therefore are very erratic drivers as I have very well witnessed. Also, yesterday was the closest call yet to being run over by a scooter, we were walking around a corner and one came around the corner from an adjacent street and literally I think I felt it touch my leg. Mind you, I was on the sidewalk but it came so close, I saw my life flash before my eyes for a second. I jumped because it scared me so much!

Thanks to Miss. Katie Holmes, Emily and I have found our new favorite place in Florence. It is a cute little wine bar and the owners and so nice. We went yesterday and had a glass of Vin Santo which is a very sweet wine (That was my homework for wine class.) This white wine is made from the best grapes in the harvest, is full of concentrated sugars, and is a dessert wine that you dip biscotti into in order to soften it. We went back again today because yesterday one of the owners claimed to be a cook but we did not believe hi at all so we went in today and he proved himself and had made us apple crumb cake, warm from the oven! We seriously eat all the time because the food is just so good.

We also stumbled upon H&M today which started in Europe but is now seen in the United States. This H&M was crowded with people and huge lines for the dressing rooms, this is another one of those things that reminds me a lot of home. The H&M was four stories tall. I have never seen such a big clothing store, we actually got lost for a few minutes because there were so many floors and some of the floors overlook the others. I was good though and did not buy anything, saving my money for better things!

I am now just at school waiting for Emily to get out of Italian class. That is one thing that I do regret now is that I did not enroll in an Italian language class over here. I took a semester of Italian at Endicott but it was very beginner level and although I can understand some things and I know pronounication, there is so much more to learn. Last night, I attended a community service meeting so I am hoping to get involved will immerse me that much more in the culture. I really want to do the program that is an English Language teaching school for children. Although, I am a native English speaker.. I was thinking to myself how I could teach it to other people. English is unlike any other language, follows no patterns, is very unique and is one of the most if not the most difficult language to learn. I think this would be a really cool experience though among other community service activities.

It is freezing here! I think it may even be cold enough for it to snow now. On our way to school, it started to lightly rain but the temperature has dropped so I would not be surprised if we see some snow although it is very rare for there to be snow in Florence. I am very upset that I left my camera at home today and therefore have no new pictures to post but do not worry, I will make up for it in Rome.

Hummus, Eggplant Parmigiana, Wine, & Pizza

Today, I had my Mediterranean Diet class where learned more about Italian diet. For example, a typical Italian diet is for breakfast: yogurt, fruit, and some sort of starch. Lunch is vegetables and pasta (lots of pasta!) and dinner is a protein and vegetables. We also studied The Traditional Healthy Mediterranean Diet Pyramid where Daily Physical Activity is at the bottom and biggest part of their food pyramid (they walk or bike everywhere!) Second biggest is bread, pasta, rice, couscous, polenta, and other whole grains and potatoes. They seriously eat it at every single meal. It is recommended that fruits, beans, legumes, nuts, vegetables, olive oil, cheese, and yogurt be consumed daily, 20-30% of their diet comes from fat. However, it is very uncommon to see an overweight Italian as they consume healthy fats. I mentioned cheese and yogurt both of which are dairy but I did not mention milk, because it is not typical in their diet. Even in the grocery stores, there is a very small milk section and it is sold in small containers. I have yet to drink any milk since being here. It is suggested that they consume fish, poultry, eggs, and sweets 2-3 times per week. At the very top of the pyramid is meat which is only to be consumed 1-2 times per month. The Daily Beverage Recommendations include 6 glasses of water and wine in moderation. After, just taking a nutrition class back in America, the Mediterranean Diet is very, very different but my body feels better than ever and I greatly enjoy eating lots and lots of pasta and pizza! For the cooking portion of the class, we made hummus and eggplant parmigiana. The food never fails to amaze me.

The afternoon was spent trying Sangiovese (The King of Tuscan Grapes) wines. Sangiovese is one of the most common Italian vines in central Italy. We tried three red wines today all of which included Sangiovese. The three types were 100% Sangiovese, Sangiovese & International Grape, and Sangiovese & Local Variety Grape. I would have to say that the Sangiovese with the local variety (Canaiolo & Colorino) was my favorite because of the fresh taste and persistent flavor.

While walking back Emily and I found an amazing supermarket where we picked up a pre-packaged pizza for dinner. The supermarket was huge and reminded me so much of home because there was actually pre-packaged chicken and a few other items that we had yet to see any of the other smaller markets. Also, the supermarket was filled with people all picking up food before heading home from work, I mean packed with people rushing around and the lines to check out were actually quite long. Although you have to bring your own bags and bag your own groceries. Oh, and our favorite part was the line at the bakery of people waiting for the fresh baguettes coming out of the oven so naturally we waited in line too and could not even wait till we got outside to have a bite of our hot and fresh baguette! We will definitely be making our way back to this supermarket again. Buona sera!

Blue Skies & Venice Carnival

We awoke at 6 am to Blue Skies and we were so excited because we were headed to the Venice Carnival in Venice. We met Fun For Florence (the tour group) at the train station which is a five minute walk from our apartment (seriously the only thing that our apartment is close to!) We finally boarded the buses after a very long wait and headed to Venice (far northeast of Florence). The bus ride was only supposed to take about 3 hours but ended up taking like 4 because of some construction. I started to doze off when Emily awoke me to check out the views. We were driving through the mountains.. The views were unbelievable and we even saw some mountains with snow, the pictures through the bus windows do not even begin to show how beautiful they actually were.

We finally arrived in Venice where we thn loaded on to a ferry boat for a 25 minute ride to Piazza San Marco- the heart of Venice and where all of the Carnival celebrations were taking place. We were very overwhelmed when we arrived into the Riva degli Schiavani port because there were thousands and thousands people swarming everywhere, snapping pictures of all the people dressed up in costumes. It was like the people in costumes were celeberties and the people taking the pictures (like us) were the paparazzi. At one point, a bunch of people dressed in costumes were sitting in a local caffe and swarms of people were surrounding the window looking in on them just to take pictures of them, like they were someone famous. I'll admit I crowded the window to take a few pictures myself but had to delete them because of the glare of the window.

The first thing on our to-do list was to buy a mask and that's exactly what we did. People everywhere were wearing them and they are sold everywhere in stores and at kiosks that line the streets. The masks are worn at the Carnevale but they are worn at other times as too because it permits the wearer a sort of secret identity and the ability to interact with members of society outside of their social class. The masks diminish the class differences that exist among members of society. Sometimes they are also worn for criminal activities or romantic encounters. The type of mask we bought was a Columbine which is a half mask decorated with gold, silver, crystals, and feathers.

For the remainder of the afternoon, we strolled though Piazza San Marco, admiring thesights and architectures. We also strolled through the streets and found the Ponte di Rialto which was the first and only bridge to cross the Grande Canal until the 19th century. We crossed over the bridge and which was packed with tourists flocking into and out of the shops and markets that line the bridge. And you guessed it... we treated ourselves to Gelato! It gets better and better every time. :) The day was beautiful and I'm so glad I went. Emily and I just kept talking about how we want to come back to Venice some year and dress up ourselves and have people take pictures of us all day. Later in the evening, we boarded the boat back to the main land and headed back to Florence on the bus. An exhausting day but definitely worth it and I reccomend it to anyone traveling to Italy during Carnival season.

Recap...

So, I haven't written in a few days but let me recap on Friday and Saturday a bit and then there will be a whole new post devoted to the Venice Carnival.

Well, Friday and Saturday... it rained all day so we mostly spent out time indoors just lounging around. Although we did make it to the market on Friday and that night we attempted and successfully accomplished homemade ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach. I didn't think we were capable of it because we had neither a pasta roller machine, a rolling pin, or measuring cups... but we improvised our hands, a beer bottle, and a glass for all of those things and were able to enjoy a homemade meal cooked by ourselves.

I proceeded to sleep for 12 hours because I still can't seem to kick this cold out of my system. The constant cold weather and rain are not helping very much either.

On Saturday though, I awoke feeling a bit better and we decided to go to Ganzo for brunch were we had a breakfast buffet and a meal consisting of eggs, bacon, sausage, and potatoes. The rule there is that if you put it on your plate, you must eat it, but let me tell you I was not complaining although that is the fullest I have felt since being in Florence. We walked it off that day though while walking around the city (yes, I bought more chocolate at the chocolate festival!) Emily also dragged me into Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Dolce and Gabana. Although, I will never be able to buy anything in these designer stores, it was a god experience, and I had fun looking at all the expensive items, having the door opened for me, and being watched like a hawk. Just a single hair barrette at Louis Vuitton was 190 Euro just to give you an idea of how expensive everything was. I also bought a smaller purse because my other bag was just too big to carry around. It is not a bag I would typically buy but it is leather and it goes over the shoulder which is a major safety feature and why I bought it. It is really good quality leather.

Then that night, we decided to stay in (because we had to be up at 6am this next morning for the carnival). Emily and I booked our own weekend trip to Rome (this coming weekend). We booked the hostel/train tickets ourselves... I am so ready for what this adventure will bring. We also booked Nice and French Rivera and Munich, Germany for April through Euroadventures and Fun for Florence. I know I keep talking about all this fun and trips but I really do feel like I'm on a vacation although I know the school work will start piling on very soon. Needless to say it took us 5 hours to decide what to do and when to do it, so it was not an early night and didn't make it to bed until 2am and had to be up at 6 for the Venice Carnival!

Everything Chocolate: From Therapy to Pleasure

I am writing this the morning after.

Today was the awaited day of my Chocolate class and I thought it would be favorite class and it certainly was. We spent the entire class time learning about and tasting chocolate. We tasted about 10 different kinds of chocolate all created by Andrea Biancini (our teacher and world known champion for his chocolate) He is so funny and kept bragging about all the championship and kept telling us which of his chocolates won gold medals in the world. I must have a good sense of chocolate because the two chocolates that won gold medals and were also my favorites were the 40% milk chocolate with salt (who would have thought salt in chocolate would be good) but let me tell you.. it's amazing! You get the best of both worlds (salty & sweet!) I normally don't like dark chocolate but the 85% dark chocolate bar was my second favorite. It is the best class ever, because I am obsessed with chocolate and that's all we learn about and we are even going to make our own chocolate in class! Check out the website.. http://www.andreabianchini.net/

Next was Introduction to Cultural Italy class where the teacher showed up 15 minutes late because her bicycle was stolen! :( This class consists of 15 hours of lecture and 60 hours of field trip. Four field trips are included in this class which I am very excited about and basically the purpose of the class is to learn more about the culture of Italy and to create journals and reflect on our experiences.

Okay, more about chocolate... Did I mention there is a Chocolate Festival in Florence this weekend... it was absolutely amazing... the whole festival is ALL ABOUT CHOCOLATE. Emily and I decided to get strawberries dipped in chocolate along with a few other treats. We were trying to control ourselves but I'm sure we'll be going back again before the end of the weekend. You can check out my Facebook pictures to see all of the chocolate.

Even though I was wearing boots (not the smartest choice) we decided to cross the river and visit the Piazzale Michelangelo. It is a slight hike but you get to see an amazing panoramic view of Florence, unfortunately the pictures do not do the view the justice it deserves. There is also another fake David's Michelangelo statue up there but in bronze. I will definitely be going back there again a few more times.. hopefully for a sunrise and a sunset.

For dinner, we decided to just grab a quick bite to eat at Ganzo but there was a special event going on and luckily we got there when we did because we were able to make a reservation. It was a four course meal for only three vouchers. My favorite course was the homemade ravioli stuffed with rabbit.

Oh, and a few more things I have been meaning to mention is that I almost get run over every day. I swear that when a car sees you, they just speed up and try to hit you. Also, when walking on the sidewalk.. some of the vans and trucks get really close to you and I have almost been taken out by their mirrors. The buses also take very wide turns and when standing on a street corner, I almost get blown over every time. It is quite scary! Ciao for now.

Troubles

The picture is where my class was today. You would never know it was a school. Everything just blends together.

I walked to class with my umbrella today! Anddd... marketing class was a bit overwhelming today. He just talked for like two and half hours about so so so many different things. First he talked about his history, then we all had to introduce ourselves to the class when I suddenly realized I was placed into the wrong marketing class for my major but oh, well... maybe I'll learn something more if the marketing class is not directly related to hospitality. We had to then pick partners for our final project (which is worth 30% of our grade) and he kept telling us to pick "good" partners but really, how are you supposed to know if someone is "good" if you just met them. I ended up partnering with the girl next to me who is from Suffolk University in Boston and we have to create a marketing plan for something, a product/ a place/ really anything. Any suggestions on what we should market? He then continued to lecture us on traveling, trying to speak Italian, and integrating ourselves more with the Italians and to hang out less with the Americans.

Second trouble of the day is that it is impossible to watch American television in the United States. I know, I know.. I should not want to watch American tv while spending a semester in Italy but I want to keep up on some of my shows and it's nice to relax to the television before falling asleep and it reminds me of home. All the televisions here are in Italian obviously, although there is one movie theatre here that shows movies in English but only a couple nights a week and are shown much later than when they were released in America.

Third trouble of the day is that I really wish I knew more Italian. It is so difficult to communicate what you want/ need. I want to be able to speak with them and have them respect me. It is also difficult to judge how much English a person actually knows. Like today at the market, when the cashier said Four Euro, we were all confused because we were expecting him to say Quattro Euro. Then the restaurant that we went to for dinner, the tables were really close together and we were seated next to two Italian girls probably a bit older than us and Emily understood some of what they said, but basically they made a rude comment because we are American. I really want to try and fit in and feel less like a tourist but I feel like the way I am feeling right now, I feel like that may be impossible. I'm hoping things will get better soon.

Chocolate Class in the morning (which I am very excited for) and then Cultural Italy class and then it's the weekend already! I really hope it doesn't rain all weekend. Oh, did I mention there is a chocolate festival this weekend too! :)

Ohhh, Tuesdays

I am writing this on Wednesday morning (I didn't have time to write last night). On Tuesdays I do not have any classes so I'll probably use this day to catch up on sleep/ do homework/ sight see. Since I'm not exhausted or have much homework yet, I leisurely woke up and got ready and then met Emily after her class. We walked around the Saint Lorenzo market which is on the opposite side of the city from our apartment. The market is similar to Mercato Centrale (the market we normally go to on our side of the city). We then went to lunch at Ganzo which is a non-profit organization restaurant that is only open to Apicius (Hospitality School) and FUA (Florence University of the Arts) students. Through Endicott, we received 70 vouchers to use at the restaurant, it's kind of like a dining hall but not really because all the food is made to order, you order off the menu and the menu varies from lunch to dinner and then changes weekly. I had the lasagna which was really good and even better that we didn't have to pull out money to pay for it. Lunch is one voucher and dinner is two vouchers and they even serve brunch on Saturday mornings. We then walked and took lots of pictures and different piazzas throughtout the city. After that we went on the search for a gelato place that someone recommended to us because they make the gelato fresh everyday. Although, when we got there, we found out they were closed because they had just re-done the floors or something. Therefore, we never got gelato. :( It is really hard to get used to the opening/ closing schedules of all the different businesses because they all very different. Some close and some do not and others close on random days of the week, it is very different from the U.S. where all stores/ banks follow about the same schedule. We then proceeded to the other market on our side of the city where I bought a scarf and new gloves (because, yes... it is still freezing here) Everyone is getting sick because it's so cold all the time, I went back to the apartment and took a mini-nap with my jacket on. :( For dinner, we made green beans with caramelized walnuts and bruchetta which is supposed to be toasted bread with cheese and tomatoes but we made ours with toasted bread, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and fried onions (Emily's invention!) Then after dinner, a few of my roommates and I went out to Red Garter which is a club filled with mostly by American students on Tuesday nights because they host beer pong tournaments where the winners get prizes such as trips. I didn't play because the sign-up was full when we got there. Overall though, it was a really fun night! But now it's time for marketing class.

First Day of Class

This is the Gnocchi before we cooked it.
And this is after...

Today was the first day of classes at Apicius. My first class was at noon time, where I attended The Mediterranean Diet: A Guide to Healthy Living which is part lecture based on nutrition and part based on cooking. My teach is a head Italian chef with his first language as Italian and his second language as English so at times throughout the class, I became very confused but was able to piece most of what he was saying together. After the lecture, we cooked Gnocchi con salsa di peperoni which is like pasta with tomato sauce. The Gnocchi is made from mashed up potatoes, flour, parmesan cheese, and egg yolk. We kneaded it all together and then rolled it like into the shape of snake and then cut it into one inch diamond shapes. We then made the sauce by frying shallots, chives, capers, and red peppers. It was very tasty. I feel like I say that about everything here but everything here really is good and food is a big part of the Italian culture. All of the classes are 2 1/2 hours long so my next class was at 3 which was Tuscany and Its Wines. the course is designed to show you the outstanding richness of Tuscan wine typologies focusing particularly on the most important winegrowing areas in Tuscany. Again, the teacher was Italian with a second langauge of English so I was confused quite a bit throughout the duration of the class time. After 2 hours of lecture about how wines are made, how to read wine labels, and how to taste wine, we proceeded to taste 1 white wine, 1 rose wine, and 1 red wine. I would have to say that the white wine was my favorite because the other two were kind of dry. I am excited for this class because I have never had wine before but wine is everywhere in Italy and I feel that I will be able to embrace the culture that much more by understanding and learning about Tuscan wines. After class, I went to this MailBox store where I had to order my textbooks. A lot cheaper here than in the U.S. but it's not an actual textbook, it's like a photocopy of a textbook and spiralbounded. I arrived home around 6 and waited for Emily to get out of class, we then made pasta (heart-shaped pasta) with a tomato and sausage meat sauce and for dessert, Emily picked up another piece of Tiramisu at the store down the street :) Tomorrow, I don't have any classes so who knows where I'll end up!