Ready to go home..

I know that I am not supposed to be sad while I am out here, but I just found out that I am going to have to put my cat that I have had since I was 7 to sleep when I get home. I am almost 21 and I don't remember what life is like without him. It may be silly to some, but he is very much a part of my family.
I absolutely love that I am here and that I have experienced so much. I went to Cinque Terre today and had a blast swimming in the ocean for hours. But my day was turned around when I found out he has cancer in his mouth. My last post was about how I never wanted to leave and how I am not ready, but now knowing this I am so ready to jump on a plane to be with him. Silly, I know, but I told people  before this trip that the only things that would make me go home would be if one of my family members was hurt or if this cat died.

It is hard to be away from home when something this important is happening. I am trying to just stay positive and be thankful that I will still be able to say my goodbyes. I want to enjoy the rest of my stay here and make the best of it.

Coming close to an end

This trip has gone by so fast. I still remember all of the feelings that I had 10 weeks ago. I remember getting off the bus from the airport with my huge suitcase and being appalled that the Italians wouldn't courteously step out of the way in my attempt to not be hit by a bus. I also remember being scared to death taking the taxi the next day to my apartment because they drive like a third world country here. Now it doesn't bother me when they don't move and I just step in front of speeding cars when I know that I won't get hit. It feels like so long ago that I was overwhelmed with taking all of that new information in.

I feel like I can say that I now understand the word "assimilation," because I have been the foreigner adjusting to them. I have lost some of my naive sense of closed mindedness and accepted these people as my neighbors. This country has changed me. We joke that we have to walk down the street with a tough face so that we don't stick out, because the Florentines just walk around like they own the place. It is so easy to point out Americans because they are so courteous and get out of the way on the sidewalk and are the ones almost willing to step in front of a bus to get out of the way. I don't do that anymore. I might when I get home but for now I walk around and they think that I am one of them. I have adjusted.

I have found myself getting kind of sad lately thinking that there are only 2 weeks left. This place is going to be my home away from home forever. I hugged the lecturer yesterday after our last Italian culture class and teared up a little. She told me that I could always come back and that Florence never changes. That made me feel better because I know that I will dream about this place even when I am in my 60s.

I have traveled so much since I have been here. I have seen most regions of Italy, Ireland, Scotland, London, Spain, and soon Paris. I feel like a semi-world traveler now. I absolutely believe that I am going to do this again one day. I have got a taste of travel and now it feels like it will be an addiction.

I have met so many kind people on this adventure. My roommate and I have gotten so close and can laugh at and with each other and have silly pillow talk and gossip and just be girls. I love! Our other friends I know will be people that I won't ever forget and I will probably still hang out with when I get back to California.

I guess the reason that I am writing this is because I am not ready to leave. I am going to make the best of the rest of the time that I have here. I couldn't be more blessed to have had this opportunity, and I know it's not over yet so I am going to live it up.

I remember reading someone's blog before I came here about this girl that came to Florence in the fall and she talked about how she moved here and was timid and confused in the beginning and by the time it was close to departing she was able to go to her corner cafe and casually order an expresso. She was so proud that she had become so accustomed to the life and was able to give tourist directions around town. That idea was kind of surreal but exciting to think that could be me. Now it is! I have done those things, and I can boldly talk to Italians even though I speak a combination of English, Italian and Spanish to them, I just wing it with a straight face and get answers and not a questioning look. I am so proud of my time here.

This city has given me so much confidence, knowledge, challenges, and moments of awe that I never want to leave.

This is my city. I am leaving a piece of my heart here so I always have an excuse to come back here. That little piece of me will be who I am coming back to visit in the future.

Need help funding

Hello guys,

I am down to my last $300 here in Florence and I have gotten down to my rice and eggs diet so I can save my money. If you or anyone you know could spare a few dollars I would absolutely love it! Even $5 will go toward helping me fund my eating. Thanks for thinking of me and helping me out :)

I created an account on this website that people can donate to. It is safe and just takes a few clicks of a button. All you do is click the "Donate" button and then add the amount you'd like to donate and your card info (I NEVER see your card info), and then WALA you are done (make sure you submit it though).

Thanks again :) the link is below. \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/

http://www.gofundme.com/7ywlxw

Places in Florence (blog contest)

This is me at Piazza Michelangelo where there was supposed to be a museum dedicated to him. The plans never went through, so the building that was dedicated to him is now a restaurant, and a parking lot gives us these magnificent views of of Florence.  

This is one of my favorite places in Florence. There isn't much public greenery around here, and if you go above Piazza Michelangelo you can find this bench sitting in the most peaceful quiet area. I love it because I can still see the city, but I am able to enjoy this place and be quiet and in nature (my favorite place).

Overwhelmed

I am ending my spring break with my last few hours in London and I feel like I have seen so much. I found myself a little emotional yesterday as I was sitting on the Tube waiting to go see my next major land mark and just thought "All my life I have seen these places on tv, in texts books, and in my dad's art books, but now I am here.. seeing this with my own eyes." Everything that was so far away is now right in front of me and tangible.
Two days ago I saw a Monet, Van Gogh, da Vinci, and Rafael painting in just one little museum in Scotland. First off.. I was in Scotland, how did that happen? Secondly.. I saw those paintings in person. They weren't any famous ones like "Starry Night" or anything like that, but they were still done by these people. I will say that I don't have any idols, but I still felt so honored to be inches away from such important pieces.
I also went to Loch Ness, and Nessy didn't say hello to me, but a little curious piece of me hoped she would. My entire life my mom and dad have had me watching those pointless documentaries that just spike your interest without ever giving you a real modern sighting or any more information about the mystery. If I am going to be completely honest I didn't even know that Loch Ness was in Scotland, but I saw the tour for it and my little girl excitement skyrocketed. Of course I suppressed it a little bit so that my roommate would not think me a fool, but I signed us up and I went there. I rode a silly boat through those mystical and gorgeous waters and became a part of those inconclusive documentaries.. and it was exhilarating.
Then London. Big Ben. Buckingham Palace. The globe theatre. The Queen's walk. The London Eye. Tate Modern. A musical (Wicked). I just don't know how I got here.
My immediate family has not traveled much, if any at all and now me.. a 20 year old college student is doing it. I have been in 5 different countries in the last 10 days. I have hardly a clue as to how this happened, but it did and I am so in awe.
I feel so blessed to be achieving a life goal of mine. Many who know me know that my family didn't have a lot of money to do much "extra" so I have learned to work for the things that I really want. What I really want is to show others that they can travel, go to school, and be successes if they believe and work hard (cliche I know, but I believe it to be true). I want the younger generation in my family to know that they can be whoever they want to be and that someone has already done it and will support them.
Anyway, I know I went on a rant, but I was thinking about that and wondering how I ended up where I am right now. So, I will quickly thank my mom and dad for showing me that even if they started picking vegetables in a field or working at McDonald's they worked hard and climbed some ladders. I couldn't ask for any better role models.

Lalala emotions..

Back to my spring break. Where did I leave off? *scrolls up to check*. Ahh yes, London. My gosh, I had the best day in London! It was so diverse, and everyone spoke clear English! Ellen and I soaked that in while we could. But, we did not eat the English food. We took the opportunity to get some pho (my favorite), Indian food, and kfc (late night rush.. oops). Yeah, we definitely needed our fix of ethnic food after being in Italy for so long. After our stomachs and taste buds were satisfied we went on the London eye and got our first glimpse of Big Ben. He was beautiful. After that we took a stroll to go visit him, he was better looking up close. Surprising, huh?
We also saw the Buckingham palace, which was pretty overrated considering we couldn't go inside. Then the Tate Modern. I saw "Water Lilies" in person, what?! It's not just something out of a book?
In all seriousness, I couldn't help but be that person who stands 2 inches from the paintings at an angle so I could see the paint strokes. It takes the image to a whole different level when I can imagine the artist placing the color THERE because they knew it was right. Ahh gives me chills imaging even the simplest stroke of a brush.

Hmm what else..

What a strange order I am putting this in.
Well, we started in Barcelona. *cough* what gorgeous people they have there ;). I do believe that I loved that city, even if I was just there for a day. I need to go back. Let me just say that Goudi is a genius. Segrada Familia has got to be my favorite church out of all of the ones I have seen in Europe so far. It is so bright and the stain glass windows are so vibrant and colorful. If I were Catholic I would go to THAT church. Unfortunately that is all I got to see aside from the market. That was a trip in itself. They had some of the best fresh fruit juices ever! I had only had juice like that in Nicaragua and it was nice to have of again. I am pleased to say that I had 2, 1 kiwi and 1 kiwi/coconut. My roommate had 3.. lol then she proceeded in mentioning them everyday for the next 8 days of our spring break.

Anyway this is getting far too long, and it is 1 am here, so I shall leave you with this and tell you about all of the rest soon.

Exploration

Ellen, my roommate, and I taking quite the journey this spring break. We just got to Galway after spending an evening in Barcelona. We will be here for 2 nights then off to Dublin, then Edinburgh, then London before we circle back to our "home" in Florence. It is bizarre.
I was telling her earlier how crazy it is that we planned all of this on our own, from the places, the tickets (bus, airplanes, and tours included) as well as finding places to stay and then figuring out how to get to and from these places. Mind you a lot of this is easier since I have T-Mobile and data, but I really haven't used it except for emergencies. Anyway, it is just so amazing to know that we can do this on our own. I love it!
So, back to our little excursion.. Barcelona was originally just a stopping point because flights to Dublin were cheaper.. but I absolutely loved it when I got there. I know it is wrong, but it felt the most like California. It was so diverse and people looked like Americans.. I didn't know what language people were going to speak just by looking at them. Oh and Gaudí.. genius! I loved Segrada Familia! I am ashamed and not ashamed to say that I liked it much more than going to Vatican city.. I know it is wrong and I definitely appreciate the history and culture that is there.. but this church was amazing. The architecture and colors just called my name. I know it isn't hundreds of years old like St Peter's Basílica, but I want to go a hundred times.
Oh yeah, and I could speak Spanish? Score! So casually I spoke.. I knew that I could speak it if I was forced haha. *cough* and the Spanish men were not bad looking ;)
Anyway now I am in Galway, in my nice Airbnb bed, and I am so delighted with our host. Not only because she speaks English, but because she has traveled so many places! She seems so cultured and knowledgeable. She is also so welcoming to other travelers because she knows what it is like to travel. I could not be happier right now. I hope that the cliffs of Cohen and our other journeys are just as wonderful as my time so far.

Remembering

The few times that I have gotten moments to just sit and think here I have thought about who I am, what am I getting out of this journey, and what the future will be like. I know that this is a silly thought, but I know that I am going to dream about these streets for the rest of my life. I am going to be able to walk down these streets and take you to the Ponte Vecchio, to the statue of David, to a royal palace, to the bus that get's you to Fiesole, and to the local market. This place is a part of me now. I can't wait to come back here when I am older and show people all of the beauties that this city has to offer. I know that even if I don't get to come back though, I can visit this city just by closing my eyes. Yes, I am talking about imagination, but when something becomes your home, or so familiar to you you can take yourself back there anytime.
It's like your childhood home, if you relax and take yourself out of the present you know exactly how many steps it took to get from the front door to the turn you make into the hallway, and from the hallway the steps taken to get into your bedroom. You know that if you took say, 3 1/2 steps you could just fall the rest of the way onto your comfortable bed. Or it's like your favorite dish that your mom or grandma made you when you were young. Your mouth waters just thinking about the herbs that tickle your nose, and the way the chicken or meat fell apart in your mouth. Or even the way the sweets made you wish that you didn't have to swallow.
I know that life in the states is fast pace and rushed, but here it isn't so. I am grateful to know that I am going to be able to pull back and recreate all of these images, just the way I would remember a favorite dish or carelessly flopping onto my bed.

Home

I can't describe how much things have changed for me since I have gotten here. Before Florence I had only lived away from my home for 6 months, 3 months with my best friend and her family, and the other 3 with my brother. Even though I wasn't at "home" I was with people who I knew loved me. Coming here has helped me realize that more than one place can be my home. I refer to my house in the states now as my "home home," but I found myself referring to my apartment here as my real home. It's crazy. I have only been here for 4/5 weeks and this place is home now. When I go on a long weekend trip I find myself saying "Ok, this was fun, but I am ready to be home." When I say that I'm not talking about California.. I am talking about Florence.

I never thought that would happen! They told us when we got here that we aren't going to be "tourists" we are going to be LIVING here, so we should act like we are living here. I thought that was so bizarre.. thrilling, but bizarre. They were right though, I am living here. 

I was so scared before I came here, I remember crying and wondering what I got myself into. I was so fearful of being on my own for 3 months and having to live with all of these people that I don't know. I won't lie.. I have gotten irritable a few times since I have been here with not having my personal space, but I have learned so much from this experience. I have learned how to hold my tongue (people who know me know that I am pretty blunt) and I have been able to practice my skills in listening to people, loving people, and being heard. 

Being thrown into this pot with all of these people has been overwhelming. It has been scary, and it has been rough a few times. With all of that, I have created some pretty great friends. I have explored cities trusting my internal compass and have opened up to people that I would have never opened up to in the past. I really have changed through this trip. Because of all of these changes, I believe that when I leave Florence, I will be able to say that for 20 year old Hailie Guerrero, this place is home.

Detours

I believe that I mentioned before that this man I spoke to one day said that the buildings that are here become regular buildings to him. Things he sees every day.. nothing unusual. Ordinary. I still can't quite say that anything in Florence is "ordinary" to me, but I can say that I am getting more comfortable and almost taking for granted what I am seeing sometimes. It has only been a month, but I feel like I am pretty close to being a local now when it comes to navigating the streets.
I pass the Uffizi museum and statue of Neptune in the Piazza dei Signoria every day on my way to school, and each day it looks different with the changing backdrop that the sky gives it. It's something new everyday. On the same note though, I find myself on a mission now, quickly walking through the street to get to class, ignoring some of the "common" things that I see. I changed my route to school from my original when I got here. This one isn't as "pretty" but it is quick and it keeps me away from tourist, which over here is important when you are trying to get somewhere in a hurry.
This is why I say that I feel like a local. I spoke to another person and they said that they don't go on the main roads because they are littered with tourists who are in their way. I avoid every place that could be too touristy.. unless of course I feel like being a tourist that day.
 I am not sure how they feel about road work, but I am definitely bothered by it. On my way home the other night I found that one of the roads I use to get too and from school daily was blocked off for some sort of construction. Sad face! I know that a lot of the Italians are set in their ways, especially having learned that many of them hardly ever leave the city/region that they were born in, so they must walk down the same roads a lot. What if my route was someone else's route?
I guess I should look at this as a way keep myself from getting so comfortable that I miss out on what is in front of me. So, now it's time to find my new route to school.

Just got my hands messy making some home made raviolis with spinach and cheese, with an artichoke quiche appitizer (not sure if that's what it was called) and panna cotta with chocolate for dessert. Mmmm!

Don't tell my mom that I am learning how to cook.. or that I know how to cook. 

We had to meet on the middle of the Ponte Vecchio (view shown below). This is that bridge with all that snazzy gold on it *sparkle in my eye* 

Anyway, that isn't the topic. So from there we went to this little restaurant/caffe where we were learned to make this lovely meal.

The chefs were amazing! They were very funny and totally entertaining. The main one, Francesco loved my friend Melodie's name. He even started singing to her a little bit *chuckle.*

I just threw this one in here because it was cool.

I am not sure what to say about this other than it was such a good experience. I had never made raviolis before, let alone home made pasta. It was quite the accomplishment! We didn't use any egg white or water to close the ravioli either like you see on tv, but still it tasted marvelous! We had to use a lot of team work though because once we got the pasta rolling everything sped up. We had a little assembly line going. I am getting a little sick, so in all honesty everything was a bit of a fog, but luckily they gave us the recipes so I can continue to make it when I get home. Yay! So, take a look at our wonderful food and be jealous :)

'

Take me away Fiesole

I cannot believe what my eyes have seen. Today was nothing less than perfect. I am on a cloud, just letting the rest of my day breeze by.

My class went to the Roman amphitheater today in Fiesole, which I was not very stoked about. I thought that it would be this lame place filled with old rocks that were just.. rocks. I could not have been more wrong about it. We started the day by meeting at the Duomo at 9 AM before we walked to the bus stop for Fiesole. Let me just say that the bus ticket was only 1.5 euro both way. I would spend at least 30 euro if it meant seeing this again. This place is so unreal. On the way there the bus takes you up into the hills/mountains and you can begin to see Florence from above. That is not even close to the best part. So, when you get into town (in the winter) it is a bit of a dead season and it is a cute little village that doesn't feel like much, but when you go to the amphitheater the experience changes. The entrance alone gives you a peak at the views that are to come. 

I know that I am getting a head of myself in writing this, but I am just so amazed at how gorgeous this place was. After you walk in, this is what you see:

Again, pictures are NOT enough.

I cannot believe that this used to be a functioning theater. People from centuries ago used to come here for entertainment, and I walked on it today just like them, being entertained not by a show but by the delight that came from knowing that there used to be a show here. I got chills being there. I think that I will get chills everywhere in Europe.. but this place so far has been the best experience. 

After you walk through the amphitheater you can go 2 ways, to the left will get you here:

But that is just a portion. I don't want to give it all away because I want you to see it for yourself. There are ancient ruins of an temple that once stood here. What is so great about this place is that it is tangible. You can actually walk through it, (you have to be careful) and touch it. The plants grow into the walls which gives this place so much more life. 

It may look like just a pile of rocks to you like it did to me in pictures, but if you stop and look at it in person it is 1000 times different. 

I realized that I had been rushing to see everything, and while I was in this particular area of the ruins I made all of my friends lay down on the stones at spots of their choice and just breath the air, hear the birds, and smell the air. Everything was crisp, clean, and natural. After getting up I felt a complete peace. I was able to appreciate what I was looking at and I recommend that anyone coming to any place like this takes a moment to sit and silence and take it all in.. even for just a moment.

After taking tons of photos we walked to the next area (to the right of the amphitheater). There we saw this old roman pool that was probably used for bathing. Now the bottom is filled with green grass and various other shrubbery, but that does not take away from the imagination. I felt myself go back centuries and become a Roman looking at this pool as a part of my daily life. 

After exploring here some more we walked to the the old monastery which has the best views overlooking Florence. THE BEST VIEWS! I swear, nothing has been more real and perfect than that. The clouds were overhead and rays of sunshine beamed through the clouds illuminating various areas around the city. It was more than breath taking. I was in aw. I could have stayed up there for hours looking at every piece of the city and the pastures and green around it. I will say that it is a little bit of a hike to get up there, but it is well worth it. Please, do not pass up Fiesole.. if not for the amphitheater.. go for the views. This is something that I will hold with me for a lifetime. 

Simple Beauty

As I was walking home from class today I realized that I had created this shell around myself to not let people in. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, considering people try to sell you miscellaneous items like no other here, but it was making me miss the moment. I unfocused my tunnel vision, walked slower, and let the scenery fill my senses. I couldn't help but notice how romantic this city is. The buildings entice you with their ancient qualities just begging you to ask about their history so they can tell you their story. The people dress as if there is no snooze button and no one is ever rushed. 

I noticed in MY rush to school today an old man with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a wrapped up piece of meat in the other walking down the road. Although I was hurrying, it was so beautiful to see this old man still stopping to buy flowers. I don't know if they flowers were for his wife, mistress, an ill comrade, or just to decorate his home. That didn't seem important though. It was such a pure image that even though I woke up late.. this old man made me smile because of how pure his image was at that moment. 

A few hours later, after class, I decided to come home for a quick meal before going out again. I again saw a man with flowers, this time he was young, maybe 17 years old. While he walked I could tell that he was examining his flowers making sure that they were only the best. Again, I don't know who these flowers were for, but I am amazed by commonality of seeing people walking in the streets and piazzas with these simple but delicate flowers in their hands.

In the states we don't see this. If people buy flowers for someone or for their home they are wrapped and quickly stowed away into their vehicles not to be seen again in the daylight except for the trip from the driveway to the door. I know that this may seem like such a tiny sight that should not be given this much thought, but it should. Adding all of these little sites, smells, and customs together creates this romantic place that makes me fall in love with it just a little more each day. 

Putting it together

This program is great! There are lots of opportunities to meet new people in the program. They offer wine tasting, visiting other cities, being in class, and tours. I think the best way of getting us to get to know each other though was by having us all here and choosing our room mates for us. It created an instant bond and loyalty that might not have been there otherwise. Some bonds are better than other I will say, but everyone knows that we are all here to have fun. That's the most important part, right? Fun, growing, and exploring. 

We are all from different backgrounds. We all have a story, a personality, a past, a problem, a strength, and we are all working together to open doors for our lives. 

Learn to cook before you come

We aren't starving. I will say that much. I feel like I have a good handle on how to cook, but I could be better. Well anyway, my roommate eats Thai food at home so we attempted to make it here. It tastes wonderful! But, it took a few errors to get it to where it is. We found this tiny Asian/Mexican food market (what a combo, right?) and bought a HUGE sac of rice just in case we had a lazy day where eggs and rice would be our delectable meal. We also got a jar of Thai curry paste.

We began cooking and I went to our neighbor's door to borrow a can opener for the coconut milk and when I got back she had poured the whole jar into the pan. It looked a little questionable to me so I asked if that was right and she said yes, so me not being the Thai food master let her do it. Later she realized that it was only 50mg that she was supposed to use. She used 400mg. Needless to say, we had to scrap that batch.

I ran back to the store, literally (you don't run in Florence) and quickly got the ingredients again. This time it worked out great... but the potatoes took forever to cook and my poor roommate burned herself a little when she opened the rice. 

This is going to be an interesting experience, she is kind of sad that it took like 3 hours, but this was totally a learning curve. It was definitely good that she knew how it was supposed to taste.. otherwise this would have been a total disaster! 

We did get a great laugh out of it though tehe. I think next time we will start dinner much earlier.

Don't stop to smell the roses.. stop to Taste the roses.

Yesterday was FULL of new experiences. Let's start with this. Have you ever tasted a flower before? Well I officially have.

 Well.. it was gelato. Last night 5 other girls took my roommate and I to a gelato place on the other side of the Ponte Vecchio and everything was just mmmm. There is no other way to describe the taste of the gelato then to say that I ate the most fragrant rose in the world. All of their flavors tasted JUST like what they were labeled. I had pistachio as well and I could almost taste the crunchiness of a real pistachio. Have you ever tasted Crunch? I didn't even know that you could taste "crunch." In Florence I guess that all things are possible. Oh and my friend's vanilla. There was nothing plain about that vanilla. I swear, everything tastes so good at this place. If you are coming I shall share our secret gelato location, but for now it is our little secret.

Roberto. The best tour guide you will ever have.

Pisa. When you go to Pisa you HAVE to have this man as your tour guide. His name is Roberto. He is the FUNNIEST man ever I swear. At the end of our little tour I asked to take a picture with him and he was singing while he was hugging me. He even told the girl taking the photo to take her time so he could hug me longer *giggle*. Oh, but don't make this mistake.. he is not a fan of Florence. With how much history he has crammed into that brain of his he makes sure you know that he does not like Florentines. He does make you laugh though with his wise cracks. Seriously, make sure that this man helps you out. 

I didn't try to be above anyone and NOT take this picture. I don't know when I will be here again, so I put my silly pride aside and went with the crowd and took the picture holding Pisa up. So, when you come, take the picture! I am so glad I did, I will have this forever :) 

Got my heart back in Italy

Most people who know me know that I have worn a heart necklace since I was 15 years old. My last one broke on me and I have been without one for a couple of months. So, I treated myself to a new one (don't worry mom and dad, I didn't break my bank account on this) from a small city called Lucca that is built within these walls. If you ever get the chance to come here don't pass it up. It looked like the whole town is in a fort. 

Outside the walls

on the walls

A late introduction

I realized yesterday after speaking to a fellow blogger that I didn't introduce myself to you. Well, my name is Hailie Guerrero, I am currently 20 years old and a student. It has always been my dream to go into psychology and to go internationally helping teenagers learn to love themselves and their lives.
When I was 16 I got my first taste of going abroad and it changed my life. I went to Nicaragua for 3 weeks with 13 other students from the San Francisco bay area and we learned about the culture as well as taught the local students English for 2 weeks. I cannot describe how exhilarating it was to be out there. Those students (aging from 15-40 or so) were so grateful to be learning from us and it felt so good to see how eager they were to expand their minds. From then on I knew that my life needed to be full of travel so that I could learn about other cultures and expand my mind as well.
So, when I found out about the study abroad to Florence I jumped on it. I only had about $1000 of my own money saved up and the bill was going to be almost $10,000. I placed my deposit of $450, said a prayer to God, and worked my butt off to raise the money. I had many supporters and donors helping me, and I raised just about $8,000 in a matter of about 45 days. Praise God! AIFS also gave me $2000 in scholarships to finish off the top of my bill to go. And here I am! In Florence, Italy!
So, part of the requirements for the scholarship is to blog about what's going on and how the trip is going. You have probably already read a little bit, but I plan on using this almost as a journal. I have never blogged, but I am excited to share my experience with you and to encourage other young people like me to follow their dreams and work hard. We can do this! We young people can achieve the craziest things, and the older people recognize when we are working hard and will help us along the way.

A note to anyone who is coming in the winter: BRING AN UMBRELLA AND WATERPROOF SHOES! It is cold and wet here. COLD AND WET! It is so wonderful here, but you will freeze. Or you will spend a ton of money on rain shoes. We luckily got here during the winter sales, but even then my roommate spent 50 euros on a pair of shoes. So bring your own!
Oh, and I made the mistake of using some body wash on my face in the hotel. Let's just say that was NOT a good idea! My face got so itchy! Thank goodness it is not noticeable when I am out during the day, but it started getting dry and scaly. So DON'T do it. Stick to what you have, or you will be doing what I did tonight after using my moisturizer.. which burned like hot lava fire by the way. I frantically ran to my window to try to stick my face out of it so I could cool it, but these things are like a trap! I don't know.. maybe they thought I would want to kill myself or something, but they don't open! Oh my gosh! I ran to the door to get into the hallway (which is also freezing) but I realize I didn't have my key to open the door (the doors open by key inside and out).. so I ran to several other windows including the kitchen while my roommate looked at me like I was a crazy woman and opened the door for me. Finally I got into the hallway and had to put my face against the COLD cement walls. Yes. This felt like heaven. HEAVEN. She almost wanted to leave me out there to have a moment with the wall.. So, moral of the story: DON'T use soap unless you know that it is good for you.. or at least not on your precious face.

Getting Accustomed

What can I say about Firenze?

It's majestic. Just gorgeous. Stupendous. Lovely. Breath taking. A dreamland. That isn't even enough. My vocabulary is not large enough to describe how wonderful this place is. I have been roaming the streets for several days now and I have yet to see anything that I do not like. There is a main road that I use to get to school and even though I have been up and down it 15+ times, I am still seeing something new each time.

I keep telling people that I am so surprised how beautiful the architecture is from the outside alone. OH and when it is wet.. wow. The light hits the stones and they glisten and shine telling me a story of their history and strength. I can't help but stop and stare in aw. There is no other place in the world like Firenze.

Oh and the food.. mmm! Everything tastes so fresh. We went to a restaurant for our welcome dinner and had the big shabang. All courses! Nothing was bad... These people made chicken liver taste good.. bleh!

I spoke to a local man earlier and he asked where my friend and I were from, so I told him California, and he replied saying that California is a beautiful place. I couldn't help but respond that this place was nicer despite the constant clouds and rain since we arrived. He said that after 20-30 years a building as grand as the Duomo starts to look like just a regular building to him. I figure he is probably right. But there is something mysterious and romantic about seeing these old places, knowing that hundreds of thousands of people have walked these streets having lived and died with Firenze being their home. One of the AIFS worked told us that some of the apartments that we are living in are older than the United States.. and she is right! How many families lived in my little apartment? How many people had to share my room. How many people loved, laughed, cried, screamed, and stood in this very room of mine? There is so much history to just this one little corner of Florence and I am only part of its life for 3 months. But that is thrilling! I get to be a piece of Florence and it will be a piece of me.