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.