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 :)

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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.