Malta

This last weekend Georgina and I went to Malta. We had a great time! We were hoping for the weather to be a bit warmer (I'm talking lay out in the sun weather), but it turned out to be in the lower 60's for most of the time we were there. At least it was sunny! :-D. This photo to your left is a picture outside of our first hotel room.

We left early on Wednesday morning and took the train to Rome, and then a bus from the Rome train station to the airport. I have never flown out of the Rome airport, so that was interesting. The airport is huge! We took Malta Air, which was definitely a step up from Ryan Air (the budget air fare line). I love getting food on airplanes- I know it seems weird but airline companies such as Ryan Air make you pay extra. (Picture: Isn't the coast line of Malta)

Once we got into Malta, we bought tickets to and from the airport from Maltatransfers.com. The idea sounded great, but we ended up having to wait for like 45 minutes until the van came to pick us up. The van was completely packed with other travelers and each one of us had different hotels to go to, so we got a pretty long tour of the island during our ride. The traffic was pretty rough on Wednesday for whatever reason, so it took like an hour to get to our hotel. (Picture: A view of the sea at a restaurant)

The hotel situation ended up being a disaster. We thought that we had booked the room for two people on Expedia, but it turns out Georgina and I only booked it for one person with two twin beds requested. Who would book a room with two twin beds requested if only one person was planning on staying in the room? Makes no sense to us, but the workers at the hotel wanted us to pay a huge fee for me to stay in the room as well. Long story short, we argued with the managers and this other rude guy for like half an hour. We even called a so called Expedia "representative" to help us change our package. We wanted to see how much money we could get back so that we could stay somewhere else for the duration of our visit. We decided to suck it up and pay the extra fee to stay at the hotel for that night and then we booked elsewhere for the other two nights.

After we dropped our stuff off in the ghetto hotel room, we walked over to "Amigos," which is what we thought was a Mexican restaurant. We were both craving Mexican food, so we got some Nachos with the works. We noticed on the menus that there was Italian food and stuff on there too, and we asked one of the guys that worked there and he said that this was a "mixed" restaurant. I guess that means that they have all different cultures? I even saw sweet and sour tacos... Chinese food mixed with Mexican? Interesting. Anyways, we also ordered what we thought were Margheritas, but as it turns out they didn't have those on the menu and they brought us a Margherita Pizza instead. We were so surprised when they brought out the Pizza... we originally thought he just brought it out to us because we are cute, but apparently we paid for it instead of the drinks. Good times!

Once we had our snack, we wandered around for a bit and found a little Chinese Massage place that also did manicures, pedicures, waxing, etc. We were in need of some pampering, so I got a pedicure, and Georgina go a back massage. Later that evening we went back to Amigos because they had free WiFi and we liked the food from before. We ended up straightening out the rest of the situation with Expedia. I think the lady that we talked to on the phone at the hotel was a scam, because the other lady we called on Expedia the second time around said that there was nothing in her system about refunding our stay at the other hotel. Oh man, the stresses of traveling... I cannot WAIT to be home. The rest of that evening we pretty much just chilled in Amigos (had some amazing garlic bread... talk about random huh?) and relaxed.


A few random thoughts on Malta; I was very surprised that the people drove on the opposite side of the road, like they do in England! Also, everyone there spoke English. All the signs were even in English. I think most people also speak Maltese. In addition, the plug was different too; it was on the British one. Strange, huh?

One of my highlights of the trip was going on an all day cruise to various coastal lines in Malta. We were originally going to see areas like the Dingli Cliffs (which I heard are amazing!) but due to strong winds, we had to stick to the other side of the Island. It was very beautiful though! We paid a little bit extra to see the coral reefs, but it was well worth it. We saw real live coral in caves! A guy on a speedboat took us to the caves so we were literally right there! The speed boat driver was a bit crazy though... he got Georgina and I soaked with his turns!

On our last full day in Malta, we got up early and took the bus to Valletta, where we saw a famous church that Georgina's dad recommended. It was very pretty inside; lots of gold interior work. We also got some souvenirs here because this city is a main tourist attraction on the Island. After our little journey to Valletta, we had our stress buster massages and aromatherapy facials (exactly what I needed!).

The last two nights of our visit we stayed at a very nice hotel called Le Meridian. This is where we were got our facials and massages. I ended up forking over a lot of money, but it was well worth it. I have been so stressed out lately, so it was a nice break from everything going on. I loved being at a hotel that actually had customer service... not to mention a pool, sauna, and hot tub! We even splurged and got room service a couple times. It was nice to have a bit of luxury compared to the hostels and what not that we are normally in.

Well that pretty much concludes my thoughts on Malta. It was a gorgeous, charming place, and I would love to go back!

Ireland

For Spring Break, the GU group and myself went to Ireland. We first visited Belfast for the first three days, and then we ventured to Dublin. Overall I thought the trip was wonderful! I got to see a lot of sights and it was nice to have a break from school.


Once we got to the airport, we had a "Paddy Wagon" waiting for us. This Wagon was completely green, and it even had a Leprechan on it! There was no faking being a tourist with this bus, let me tell you! We had a very cheery, young, typical Irish tour guide. He was really nice, but sometimes he never shut up! He toured with us in Belfast, and continued throughout Dublin. That night we first got in I was pretty tired, so I just relaxed and then went to bed. Some of my peers some how had the energy to go out, but I waited until the next night.

The next morning, I had a quick Breakfast at my hostel (which was very ghetto by the way) and then we took a twenty minute walk to this University where we had a couple speakers talk about the current situation in Northern Ireland and other problems from the past. I thought it was interesting how the country is completely divided from the Protestants and Catholics. Apparently they absolutely hate each other!

After the speakers finished, we had a lovely lunch with sandwiches, coffee, and tea awaiting us. It was delicious! Then, Georgina, Meredith, Leanna and I continued to walk around the city and we embarked on some graffiti art (see above),
a beautiful church, and we also went to a very
famous bar and had our first Guinness in Ireland!


The next day was when we had the complete tour of the country side. Before we made it to the countryside, we got to see the sight where the Titanic was built; pretty cool huh? My favorite part of the day was crossing this very scary suspension bridge. It was really windy and very high up, so I am proud of myself for doing it
(the view was gorgeous!).






I couldn't believe how windy it was... very pretty though! Later that day we had another short tour in Free Derry. It wasn't a very exciting town (kind of seemed residential) but there was a lot of neat history behind it.

That evening, a few friends and I went to a bar but it was filled with highschool aged kids, but we ended up leaving after one drink. Here is a picture of my new friend Leanna and I. :)



Both places were very different, but I liked that a lot. My favorite part about the trip was the country-side of Ireland. It was nice being able to see where I am "from," because I am close to 50% Irish. There were so many sheep in Ireland! Random fact, but interesting. There were a few times when we had to stop our tour bus and wait for a herd of sheep to cross the dirt road! I was surprised that not that many people were speaking Gaelic, but apparently its becoming more popular. I loved their accents though! A few of the people I encountered were a bit hard to understand, but for the most part it wasn't too bad. I think it is hard to understand them because they tend to speak faster than us Americans.

I really enjoyed being in Dublin for St. Patty's Day. There was a huge parade that went on, and it was crazy! Lots of pushing and shoving, but I was able to get a glimpse of the performers. Very random performers, indeed.

Another highlight of the trip was going to the
Guiness factory in Dublin. We were able to see how the beer is made, and at the end of the seven story tour, we got a free pint of Guinness! I am not a huge fan of the beer, but it was fun to be where it is made!




I will post about my experience in Malta within the next few days. I am getting very eager to come home! Only 36 more days! :) Ta ta for now!

Leaving for Ireland!

I am leaving for Ireland today at 12:45 with the school, and we are taking a 5 hour bus ride to Milan and taking an air-lingus flight from there. I couldn't be more stoked! We are going to Belfast as well as Dublin.

I found out that my friend Megan from high school is planning on being in Ireland around the same time, so perhaps we can meet up! I haven't seen her since graduation.

Not much else is going on- I am leaving directly after my Italian class and luckily my friend Jason is going to bring me my sack lunch that Karin is providing for those that are missing today's lunch (how nice!) I wonder what it is. I hope it is the delicious burritos she is making for everyone else who is staying for lunch. Those are amazing!

Well I am in class now so I probably should get going, but I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! I will take tons of pictures as usual.

CIAO

One of my favorite songs

One of my favorite songs is Lost! by Coldplay

It used to be my ringtone back in the states, and unlike most songs, it still hasn't gotten old. It has such a good beat, but more than that, I realized it really does apply to my study abroad experience and everything I have been through at this point.

Here are my thoughts:

Just because I am hurt at times doesn't mean it's the end of the world as it might seem at the time.

Just because I am going through a rough patch, doesn't mean I'll give up...

I just have to remind myself this is a learning experience, and that I am discovering myself :)

Lyrics:

Just because I'm losing
Doesn't mean I'm lost
Doesn't mean I'll stop
Doesn't mean I'm in a cross

Just because I'm hurting
Doesn't mean I'm hurt
Doesn't mean I didn't get what I deserve
No better and no worse

I just got lost
Every river that I've tried to cross
And every door I ever tried was locked
Ooh-Oh, And I'm just waiting till the shine wears off...

You might be a big fish
In a little pond
Doesn't mean you've won
'Cause along may come
A bigger one

And you'll be lost
Every river that you try to cross
Every gun you ever held went off
Ooh-Oh, And I'm just waiting till the firing stops
Ooh-Oh, And I'm just waiting till the shine wears off
Ooh-Oh, And I'm just waiting till the shine wears off
Ooh-Oh, And I'm just waiting till the shine wears off...

Things I miss from home

There are so many things that I miss from America. Here are just a few:

1. My family










2. My friends, of course














3. My boyfriend















4. Cheese its








5. Goldfish





















6. Taco Bell (crunch wrap supremes!)










7. Tim's Cascade Chips







8. Nordstrom







9. Greenlake










10. Mexican food







10. Target (they have everything!)










11. Random visits to Chen's Village with my dad









12. Wheat thins

Here is what's new!

Today is going to be a busy week (as usual), but I am going to be proactive with my time. I have lots of little errands I need to run, and I want to get everything done before I leave for Dublin, Ireland (which the planned GU trip for our Spring break). I also have a huge Operations test right after my vacation to Malta, so I want to study ahead of time so I don't have to stress as much.

I ended up getting my philosophy of art test back today- and unfortunately I did not do as well as I had wanted, but what can you do?! I got a B- on the test, which isn't horrible but I would like a better overall grade. He said that he would read my drafts for my future essays so that I can improve my grade. I sure hope so!






I am a little bit more confident about how I did on my finance test, because I compared some answers with some friends after the test, and it looks like I made a couple errors, but nothing drastic. Oh man, why do I have to worry about school while I am abroad?

Soo... on a more positive note, I am currently planning a trip to San Francisco to visit my friend Georgina. The tentative dates are May 11-18 or 20th, and I just talked to my good friend Hayley and she said she was interested in going as well, so hopefully she can get the time off of work. I can't wait! I want to go in May because my two nannying jobs start the following month, so I don't want to take any more additional time off of work because I am incredibly low on cash at this point.

I am very glad to have my two jobs firmly established though. I am going to work for the girls again (Olivia, Stella, and Ava) on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays for the whole day and then Thursdays and Fridays I will work with Owen and Will for the whole day as well. I am so excited! I love working with kids. I was hoping to get an internship, which is still a possibility, but most internships are unpaid and I definitely need to make some money this summer. I can always do an internship in Spokane while I am in school. It will be stressful, but I want to make sure I get some experience with my major before I embark on a full time job out of college.



Well, that's pretty much it for me today. I have Italian Conversation class next, lunch, a little break, and then a 3 hour management and organization class. After class, Georgina and I are going to work out. We are trying to work out at least 3-4 days a week, and its great to have a buddy to work out with so we can keep each other accountable.

Ciao!

The rest of the Vienna trip

This past weekend in Vienna was definitely one to remember. Even though it was pouring down rain and super windy, we all managed to have an amazing time.

On Saturday, I woke up pretty early in the morning, had Breakfast, and we all took the Metro again to a stop which was close to an open market. It was called "Naschmarkt" which is a typical Viennese food market (see picture) and we were supposed to make it to the Flee Market but because of the rain, most of it was closed.

I decided not to go to the optional tour to the Castle at 2:00 pm because I was pretty exhausted, so Georgina and I split up from the group and went to a Starbucks at the Metro station and just talked for a bit. We went on the Metro again and hopped off at a stop that we went to yesterday and did some souvenir shopping (I got a cool boot shaped shot class, another shot glass for my friend Kate, a gift for Chris, and some chocolate that my mom requested). We also discovered this store that kind of looked like Walgreens and I had the spontaneous idea to want to dye my hair. Georgina said she was pretty good at doing it, so we got one of those boxes. I eventually want to go back to my natural hair color, so I am hoping after it fades in a few weeks it will be pretty close. I think I am going to take a break from dying my hair for awhile after this because its just so bad for your hair. Once we were done shopping, Georgina and I went back to our fab hostel and watched some Sex and the City, did my hair (its darker now!), took a shower, and just relaxed.

Later that evening, we all got ready to go out and the whole GU group met outside around 7:15 to leave for a group dinner at a typical Viennese restaurant. We had lots of things to eat- salads, potato dishes, Weiner Schnitzel of course, and some strudel for dinner. It was quite delicious! We also ordered some white wine which was tasty as well.

After dinner, I decided to go out because I never ended up going out the night before and I usually let myself go out once a week. My two wing ladies for the night were Meredith and Leanna. We had a great time! We first drank a bit at our hostel (they even have their own bar!) and then we took the Metro to a huge bar with a club inside it. We were there a couple hours, and then Leanne, Zach, and I took a cab ride home because the Metro closed at 12:30.

This morning I got up around 7:30, packed up the rest of my stuff, had a quick Breakfast and we were off by 8:30. We had another 11 hour bus ride back to Florence, and we stopped a few places on the way to go to the bathroom, get snacks/lunch etc. I was so uncomfortable the entire way back because there is like no room on those buses, but I managed to sleep for a bit and I watched an episode of Sex and the City and Gossip Girl.

I am currently uploading the rest of the pictures from the weekend on face book, so feel free to check them out later!

Until later!