Updates

Today I am going to a Soup Kitchen! I signed up once a week at 11:40 for the rest of the semester. I couldn't be more excited! I will post about my experience later...

I have to start packing for Paris today and then Cierra and I are leaving tomorrow afternoon after lunch. We leave out of Pisa so we will have to take the train or bus first, and then we are off! I come back later in the evening on Sunday and then I have a test in Management and Organization the next day. Chris comes around 1:00 on Monday, so hopefully he will be pretty jet lagged because I have to study for another test in Principles of Finance on Tuesday. Should be a busy, but amazing week!


I hope all is well with everyone!

Ciao!

PS- I have attached various pictures I have taken around Florence. Enjoy :)

Finally, I have reazlized I just need to keep smiling

"Never frown, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile..."

I love this quote. Always have. This is a pretty random blog post for me, but it just came to me with everything going on in my life as of late. As most of you know, the transition here to Florence has been quite difficult-- and I am STILL in the midst of trying to find my place and feel at "home" here. Having my parents here for 10 days helped- but it also made me miss home even more because they were constantly talking about people and things back home and that made me want to be there... I love Florence but I also love being in my comfort zone and knowing where everything is and not to mention pretty much everyone speaks English. Also with my grandfather being sick and trying to keep a long distance relationship strong its just been so much to handle at one time. OH well-- its all a learning experience, right?

Back to the quote, you just have to keep smiling in the midst of everything going on. I am very blessed to be able to have this experience, and I have to keep reminding myself that. Every moment should be treasured, because pretty soon it will come and go. Always smile- because it not only makes you feel better but you portray to the world that you can conquer anything with confidence. I always liked the saying that smiling takes less muscles than frowning. So true! So why not smile? :)

Not convinced yet that smiling really is a truly amazing thing? Here are some other "Reasons to Smile:"

1. Smiling makes us attractive.
We are drawn to people who smile. There is an attraction factor. We want to know a smiling person and figure out what is so good. Frowns, scowls and grimaces all push people away -- but a smile draws them in.
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2. Smiling Changes Our Mood
Next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile. There's a good chance you mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood.

3. Smiling is Contagious <-- so true! :)
When someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change the moods of others, and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness with them. Smile lots and you will draw people to you.

4. Smiling Relieves Stress
Stress can really show up in our faces. Smiling helps to prevent us from looking tired, worn down, and overwhelmed. When you are stressed, take time to put on a smile. The stress should be reduced and you'll be better able to take action.

5. Smiling Boosts Your Immune System <-- makes sense!
Smiling helps the immune system to work better. When you smile, immune function improves possibly because you are more relaxed. Prevent the flu and colds by smiling.

6. Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure <-- who knew?!
When you smile, there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure. Give it a try if you have a blood pressure monitor at home. Sit for a few minutes, take a reading. Then smile for a minute and take another reading while still smiling. Do you notice a difference?

7. Smiling Releases Endorphins, Natural Pain Killers and Serotonin
Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good. Smiling is a natural drug.

8. Smiling Lifts the Face and Makes You Look Younger
The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person appear younger. Don't go for a face lift, just try smiling your way through the day -- you'll look younger and feel better.

9. Smiling Makes You Seem Successful
Smiling people appear more confident, are more likely to be promoted, and more likely to be approached. Put on a smile at meetings and appointments and people will react to you differently.

10. Smiling Helps You Stay Positive
Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It's hard. When we smile our body is sending the rest of us a message that "Life is Good!" Stay away from depression, stress and worry by smiling.

I was putting away my laundry and listening to shuffle on my I tunes (you never know what's going to come up!) and a song called "Finally" by Fergie came on. Fergie is generally not known for her inspirational lyrics, but I found part of this song particularly fitting for what I'm going through. (even though it is centered around her troubled relationship with her man) You should download it if you can- its actually very pretty. Here is part of her chorus I am relating to in this moment:

"Finally
Now my destiny can begin
Though it will have a different set
Something strange and new is happening
Finally
Now my life doesn't seem so bad
Its the best that I've ever had"

Midterms are over! woohoo!

I couldn't be happier that the weekend is finally here. Midterms always really stress me up, so its very relieving that they are over and I'll (hopefully) have less heavy of a load of schoolwork for awhile. Timing couldn't be more perfect for my parents visit. They wanted to come after midterms so that I would have time to tour all of Florence with them! (good call mom and dad!). They are leaving for the airport around 11:30 (their time). By the time they switch flights from Amsterdam to Florence and take a taxi from the airport, they will probably get to the hotel around 2:00 pm my time. What a long day for them! I bet they will be very jet lagged. I definitely was when we flew into Germany a couple months ago. Hopefully they will have enough energy to go out to dinner! Me, Annie, Lillian (and her mom), and my parents are all planning on going out to eat a nice, Italian dinner on Halloween! What am I doing after? No idea! Like I said... Halloween is not really popular here. It was so funny though, because two of my fellow peers dressed up for the occasion today at school. My friend Kelly dressed up as Santa Claus (or Babbo Natale in Italiano) and my friend Ryan dressed up as Michael Phelps. How creative! I didn't bring any costumes... haha oh well!

I am pretty hungry right now!! We are having our last prepared meal of the weak until Monday. I wonder what it's going to be! Lillian and her mom are going to a sit-up meal for lunch and then we are going to San Lorenzo where the open market shopping is, where Lillian's mom is going to get some cheap Christmas gifts for friends/family back home. I have been to San Lorenzo lots of times, but it never gets old! It really displays the typical Florentine atmosphere. After that, we might go to the Bozart (sp) Gardens that Florence is famous for. Hopefully the weather holds up because it has been so random lately! One minute it will be downpour, lightening/thundering and then the next it will be super sunny. Reminds me of Seattle except less muggy/warm.

I will post all about my adventures with my parents come tomorrow and the rest of the weekend!

The picture above is of me and Lillian!
Also I attached a picture of the well-known San Lorenzo church and it also shows part of the open air market that I am going to today! As we learned in my Intro to Florence class, it is the first Cathedral in Florence. :0)Also I researched some extra info about the church from Wikepedia: The Basilica di San Lorenzo (Basilica of St Lawrence) is one of the largest churches of Florence, Italy, situated at the centre of the city’s main market district, and the burial place of all the principal members of the Medici family from Cosimo il Vecchio to Cosimo III. It is one of several churches that claim to be the oldest in Florence; when it was consecrated in 393[1] it stood outside the city walls. For three hundred years it was the city's cathedral before the official seat of the bishop was transferred to Santa Reparata. San Lorenzo was also the parish church of the Medici family. In 1419, Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici offered to finance a new church to replace the eleventh-century Romanesque rebuilding. Filippo Brunelleschi, the leading Renaissance architect of the first half of the fifteenth century, was commissioned to design it, but the building, with alterations, was not completed until after his death. The church is part of a larger monastic complex that contains other important architectural works: the Old Sacristy by Brunelleschi; the Laurentian Library by Michelangelo; the New Sacristy based on Michelangelo's designs; and the Medici Chapels by Matteo Nigetti.

A not so pleasant sleep...

Only one more midterm to go! I love the feeling of relief that I get after I finish a hard midterm. It's almost like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulder!

Here's the dealio: I haven't been getting very much sleep lately. Because I had my two hardest finals today, I was up until past 2 AM last night and got up super early around 7 am to get ready for class. Needless to say I am so exhausted.

Speaking of exhaustion, my slumber has been a little "off" too. My room mate Lillian has been telling me that the past few weeks I have been talking a lot in my sleep. Strange, huh? I know I haven't been getting much sleep lately, but also it has been taking me a lot longer to fall asleep than it normally does, for whatever reason. I have been tossing and turning, and I think it is due to anxiety and stress. I love Florence, but lots of things are going on and it is taking a toll on me mentally and physically.

I did have to laugh though-- Lillian told me this morning that I woke her up in the middle of the night and said, "Look! (as I pointed to the wall) Look at that pretty artwork!" And she looked at me and said, "What artwork? What are you talking about?" and (apparently) I smiled and then responded, "Oh... never mind..." and then I rolled over and went back to sleep. How bizzare! When she told me about it this morning I cracked up. I remember we were talking but I didn't realize I was sleeping until she said, "what artwork?" My bf and my friend Cierra said that talking in your sleep is often a sign of stress. Who knew? It makes sense though-- I am not really getting into my deep REM cycles with everything on my mind; not to mention I have been getting on average 5-6 hours of sleep at night or less.... I know its horrible but I have really early classes and my pensione is so loud at night (everyone goes out all the time). Its all about a period of transition...

We had one of my favorite dinners today at the pensione! 85 Cavour (one of the other pensiones that is owned by Giuseppe as well) came over and we had a little "party". It was buffet style, and there was even music playing in the background. The food consisted of herbed potatoes, chips, bruchetta, beans, kiwi, pineapple, goat cheese slices, Sangria, various sodas, tomato sauce pasta, and the main dish was the grilled chicken burritos with rice and black beans. It was so good! We have never had anything like it before- I guess Karin and Giuseppe wanted to give us a little reward for all our hard studying this week!
Well that is the most interesting thing I have to talk about today. My two midterms went pretty well today. We will have to see though!

Arrivederci!

PS! This picture was taken at a store in Southern Tuscany where I got some amazing cheese for my parents to take home! So yummy!

La Boheme and a night adventure!

The opera last night was fabulous! I am definitely glad that I did some researching about the production beforehand, because I would've been so lost! My mom suggested I read about it on Wikipedia which I did, and then an Italian professor who went with us to the opera gave a 30 minute presentation about the characters, plot, and we even went through some segments of each scene. It was very helpful in understanding the background of the opera. The whole thing was done in Italian. There was subtitles (which I was hoping it would be in English), but they were in Italian as well. I am no where near fluent in Italian, so I had a hard time following along with it. I was able to pick up bits and pieces here and there, and that combined with knowing the background of the opera, I was able to get the "jist' of it.

We started the night out by getting all dolled up and fancy. I wore my Christmasy colored dress, and my friends went full out as well. We went in a small little group- Me, Lillian, Cierra, and Chelsea. These are all girls that live in my pensione as well, so we took lots of pictures before the event. (Much like prom or other high school dances). It was so cute because Karin (the main worker in the pensione) offered to take pictures of us, and she put us where she thought good lighting was, and of course took many pictures. She basically acts like our mother because she is so caring and nuturing. Anyways, she called a cab for us that met us outside right away and we were relived that we didn't have to walk all the way there in heels. Because we got there before the rest of the Gonzaga group (they walked), we had a drink at the bar across the street. I had peach vodka with fizz water. It was pretty good!

When we checked in at the show, me and Lillian were led to "special" seats that were literally written in pen on our ticket stub. By special, I mean they ran out of places to put us (being such a large group) so we were seperated from every one else. We were on opposite sides of the theater and were placed in what looked like an extra chairs in little boxed cubicles. We literally couldn't see a thing! I was in front of a huge person (not to mention my chair was way lower than the comfy red silky ones next to me) and Lillian claimed that her vision was blocked by a couple making out the whole time. Anyways, we were frustrated so during intermission we asked to be moved but an employee said there were no available seats. Hmm... so we talked to the Italian professor who came with us, and he was able to hook us up with some pretty good seats on the main level. Thank goodness! One pet peeve I have is not being able to see at shows... how annoying!

The opera was going sooo long and we were getting a little ancy that me and Lil decided to peace out a little early (it was getting late and we were kinda dozing off at this point), so we walked around and explored Florence a little and stopped at a couple bars on the way home, and then went to this lovely kebab place that is open late. We went there a couple weeks ago and one guy actually spoon fed us nutella from his huge jar! Haha sounds weird, I know, but these guys love us! The night ended up being pretty random, but we had a good time. We got a little lost, but we also ran into the Italian professor on the way back and he led us in the direction of the Piazza della Republica, and we knew where to go from there. Small world!

Well I feel much better now after taking a long nap. It was much needed! Tomorrow I have a Weds schedule class day because it is one of the required days to make up school because of the Bosnia trip next month. (We have to make up a couple days for being on the long Thanksgiving trip).

ttyl!

Dining in Firenze

So I have a random hour in between my Italian class and lunch so I thought Id post another quick blog entry...

I think the change of style in my blog posts is favored among my readers, am I right? I would love some more comments with your feedback! I got a suggestion yesterday to talk about the restaurant differences between Italy and America. I think I might have touched base on this topic at some point in previous entries, but I will dedicate a post that highlights some main observances I have made thus far in my trip.

First of all, when you go to a restaurant you are often presented with the option of "self service" or sit down. I was confused for the longest time on what "self service" meant exactly, but basically it means that you go up to the counter, pick up your food right then and there and either take it to go or you can sit down at a nearby table. Sometimes you have the option to sit in the restaurant portion, and it is usually a bit nicer seating and has more decor. The menu is often similiar, but it is significantly more expensive, and you are usually given bread (il pane) before your meal. The bread is usually included in the cover charge, which is anywhere from 2 to 4 euros depending on how nice the restaurant is. The cover charge generally replaces the tip that we would give in America. It is sometimes nice not to worry about doing the math that goes along with a tip, but at the same time if the service is less than acceptable I get frustrated I have to pay the cover charge. Especially if they do not even offer us bread!

Drinks are a whole different topic. Wine is commonly ordered for an entire group at a table either in 1/2 liters or full liters. (it's way cheaper than by the glass). Also, most of you know that in Europe you have to pay for water (or in Italiano acqua minerale). There are two types of water that you can choose from in Italy on a regular basis: natural water and "fizzy" water (which is just like sparkling water). Normally I just say con no frizzate (which means with no FIZZ). If you order water during dinner, you are usually given a glass bottle of water and generally you split it amongst the people at your table. It is usually around 2 to 3 euro per bottle. I find this pretty annoying because it seems like they will charge you for every possible thing they can in Europe. Customer service is definitely not their aim in most of Europe. They realize that us tourists are often desperate and will go through drastic measures to get we want. For this reason, the waitors do not normally come around your table mid meal and ask how your food is. It makes sense though because they are not really working extra for a tip. They usually just offer you minimum service where you have to ask for EVERYthing. Dont get me wrong, the food is amazing! It just comes with its pros and cons.

Thats about it for the dining topic. If you guys have any other comments or observations feel free to post it in the comment section!

I miss you all very much!

Differences between Europe and America

So I decided to take a good friend's advice and perhaps redirect the focus of my everyday blogs. I am now going to only give a day by day description of all my activities when I travel over the weekends. My other blogs while I'm in Florence will have a particular theme to them... of what you may ask? That depends on my mood I guess!

I thought I might start by talking about some of the main differences between Europe (especially Italia) and America. One thing that me and my friend Cierra noticed today is the road conduct in Europe. The vehicle is KING here. If you are a pedestrian-- watch out! There are crosswalks all over the streets of Florence but if you walk in them you still have to watch your back and look BOTH ways several times to make sure no crazy buses, fast vespas (mopeds) or angry cars charge your way. I am used to being able to walk blindly across crosswalks(practically) in Seattle because the drivers are trained to constantly be aware of pedestrians on the streets and if a pedestrian runs right in front of you and you hit them, 95% the time the driver is punished. This is even if this occurs in a non-cross walk zone. Crazy huh? This definitely not how it is done in Italy...

Also, the sidewalks are extremely narrow here in Florence. You have to practically dodge the people around you to get around them, and almost everyone in front of you is walking at what I like to call a glacial pace. I attribute this to the fact that they are on what we like to call "Italian time" a.k.a no rush, very leisurely, without any cares in mind. Us Americans may have something to learn from the natives of Italia, because they seem to be way more easy going, even if they are "fashionably late"-- to EVERYTHING! The Americans are constantly on the go- we always have places to go and people to see. One great example of this was after my last class of the day, which got got out at 12:40, me and Cierra had some essential errands to run before lunch at one. I had to get money from the atm (I was completely out) and she had to put down a deposit on an apartment that she and her boyfriend are going to rent out for 16 days later in January. The real estate agency was relatively close to school but the lady in the office did not understand that we were in a "rush," and had somewhere to be. She asked Cierra a million questions, took her sweet time, answered a phone call, and wrote up a receipt on her computer which took a good five minutes. Cierra thought she could just drop off her 200$ deposit and peace out. The Italians expect you to stay until the task is done-- in a well ordered and timely fashion. If you have somewhere to go, it can wait. After more minutes than we were thinking, she asked "would you like to view the apartment now?" Cierra and I look each other and she responds (again), "No thank you, we have somewhere to be right now...but maybe later?" Ha ha. We ended up booking it back to our pensione, which was a loonngg walk down Cavour. We were about 6 minutes late and our feet hurt so bad. Both of us are getting shin splints from walking long distances without supported shoes. Our own faults I guess ;)

That's about all I have to say. I am going to go to the library for another two hour study session, and right now I am sipping on my second, delicious caffe latte of the day. If you go to Italy, make sure you say you want a CAFFE latte and not just a latte, because they will give you just steamed milk hehe.

Arrivederci!

PS! The above picture is of me in front of a typical "vespa" that you would see on the streets of ITALY!