Scuola!

...You know, the whole "study" part in study abroad??

I thought I would write what my school life here is like, and to let everyone know that yes, I am working hard here and not just island hopping or drinking beer in Germany =)

Italian 1: I have this class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12-1:15pm, and there are only 8 of us. This class is enjoyable and hilarious most of the time. However, it doesn't count as any kind of credit/GPA for me back at KU, so I don't work hard at it. It's extremely similar to Spanish, which helps out a ton. We had a quiz last Wednesday (that I didn't even bother studying for) and I got a 95% on it. Molto bene!! I think it also helps that I am learning Italian IN Italy, because what I learn I use everyday. For example, we had a lesson on fruit, and later that day I went to the market and I was able to tell the vendor that I wanted mela (an apple), pomodori (tomatoes), arance (oranges) and formaggio (cheese)! So, I am learning a lot but getting no credit for it :( At least I am using it daily!

Italian Renaissance Art History: A huge reason why I am here...to study art history and get credit for my major! There's probably 12-15 of us, and I have this class on Tuesdays from 12-2:30. Usually, we talk about a certain artist, cathedral, or specific pieces of work, and then go see them! I really enjoy this class, and I love the fact that everything important that I am learning is just around the corner from the classroom. The professor is extremely informed on each art piece and he is more than happy to help someone with a question or problem.

Lost Symbols and Secret Codes in Art: I LOVE THIS CLASS! Now, it's not so much "Da Vinci Code" like everyone thinks, it's much more in depth than that. There's about 14 of us (1 boy, poor guy) and I have this class on Wednesdays from 9-11:30. The professor is so sweet and cute. She's Italian with decent English, yet she makes really awkward/funny sentences. For example, today we had a 15 minute break (because 2.5 hours is a long time to sit still) and were all supposed to meet downstairs to walk over to San Lorenzo. About half the class was there at the meeting time, and she said "It looks as if Natural Selection has occurred to my class. Where is the kiddos?!" Oh Italians. Anyways, I am learning a lot about influences of alchemy and astrology on the Christian church and Renaissance period, which is a lot of information I had no idea about. Right now I am working on a huge research paper concerning Astrology and Alchemy and how it influenced the Medici family and their ways of propaganda in Florence. I love it. Does that make me a nerd?

The Genius of Michelangelo: This is a hard call, but I would have to say that this is my favorite art history class here. I love getting so in depth about one artist, especially Michelangelo. Much of his work is in Italy, and I get to see all of it! There's about 13 of us, and I have this class on Thursdays from 9-11:30. The professor is a sweet British lady, who I can easily talk with about art for 30 minutes after class. I never realized how incredible Michelangelo was until this class. Right now, I am working on an oral presentation and my research paper over the Sistine Chapel, which I am going to see the first weekend of November. I think I might cry. (Nerd?!)

Pairing Food and Wine: Besides my Michelangelo class, this is definitely my favorite. There's about 10 of us, all girls, and this class is Tuesdays from 6-8:30pm. The syllabus says "don't expect a full course meal for dinner," but we totally eat a ton and as much as we want, or pretty much whatever is leftover. It takes care of dinner for Tuesdays nights, and I learn SO MUCH practical cooking knowledge! Last night I learned how to clean/prepare squid, shrimp, fillet, and clams! I don't even like seafood, but it was so cool! Our teacher's name is Marco, and he's by far the best Italian man I've ever met. He is so smart, funny, friendly, and can MULTITASK! I am so impressed. I think every girl has a crush on him. The class is fun, we get to cook such delicious dishes, and we are taking 2 field trips, one to the Eurochocolate festival in Perugia and a trip to the Chianti vineyards for a private wine tasting! How lucky am I?! Oh, and I promise to cook for everyone back home =)

As you can see, I don't have class on Fridays. This is perfect because it allows more travel time over the weekend, and honestly the weeks here go by so fast I can't even believe it. For the most part, I love my classes and all the professors are wonderful and know what they are doing. The reading can be extremely overwhelming, but that's what being an art history major is all about. I have no idea how I am going to return to KU with lame classes (gotta finish up that business minor) and no travel weekends. I sure have been spoiled here in Italy!

I forgot to mention this...last week Laura, Ari, Lindsey, Becca and I went and MET ANDY STEVES! He is the son of Rick Steves, the guy who makes those wicked cool (now I am turning into a darn New England kid) travel books. We got free appretivos and he told us advice about traveling abroad and what to do and not to do. It was a fun night!

Shrimp and Calamari that I made in cooking class!

Laura, ANDY STEVES, me, and Ari!

That's all for now. Ciao!

Oktoberfest, Munich, and Dachau

I cannot even begin to describe how hysterical, cultural, and wonderful this weekend was. I'd have to say that this has been, by far, my favorite and most memorable experience since I have been abroad.

It first started out with, of course, a long bus ride. Laura and I had booked this weekend through Florence For Fun, a tour group for study abroad students. It was extremely helpful to have transportation and lodging already booked because Oktoberfest is definitely not an easy weekend to book by yourself, especially if you don't know the area. When arriving at the train station (wearing my KU shirt) I saw/heard some obnoxious guy, who just happened to be wearing a MIZZOU jacket. Ew! He looked at me and it was hate at first sight. Not going to lie, I miss my midwestern traditions. He also was a jerk, asking me where Toto was and why KU basketball lost to VCU, ouch. But typical. However, right behind me I heard a girl stand up for Kansas, and I found out she also went to KU! We both shrieked for joy, and I am happy to say that I have finally met someone from KU. Anyways, enough of that. We left Florence at about midnight on Thursday night and finally arrived in Munich at around 9am. Sleeping in the bus was, well, not the most ideal location, and it was FREEZING cold, I thought I was going to turn into a popsicle. Our hostel wasn't ready for us to check it, but we were able to put our luggage in a private room, change/freshen up, and head out to start the day.

What did we do? Oktoberfest, of course.

Oktoberfest started about 200 years ago, when the royal wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen occurred, and it was a HUGE festival. It originally was a horse race that soon became demanded over the years. Beer tents became popping up throughout time, and these numbers started increasingly rapidly. And there you have Oktoberfest!

Let me just say that it was definitely an experience. The festival was HUGE, and local Germans dressed up in the traditional Dirndl (dress for women) and Lederhosen (dress for men). There were about 8-10ish beer tents, but the most popular ones could hold anywhere from 8,000-10,000 people. There were rides everywhere, and it kind of reminded me of a huge version of the Kansas State Fair, but without the white trash/farming things. At around 10AM, Laura and I got into the Hof beer tent and stayed until about lunch time.

We started off the day right by ordering a huge German pretzel and some royal German beer. We went to the Hofbrauhaus tent, which apparently is the 2nd largest tent at Oktoberfest, and definitely one of the most fun. The government owned this brewery and it was started in the 16th century by Duke Wilhelm V as the royal brewery, in which today the brand still retains a crown emblem. Anyways, German beer is much stronger than American beer and you could only get one size: 1 liter. It was also 10 euros per pop, and needless to say I was very careful in saving my money. We hung out with people we met from the bus ride and then at 3 we were able to check into our hostel, which was nice to have a quiet (and really comfortable) place to take a nap. 

When we woke up, Jake Bauer had arrived!! I was so happy. It was so refreshing and wonderful to not only see a familiar face, but a friend from back home who understands the KU love. Not to mention he's also my best friend's boyfriend, and I think it helped the both of us out to finally see a good friend. Once we woke up enough, we headed back to Oktoberfest for another fun night. By this time, Laura and I had already bought our wanted souvenirs (a red hat for me, and an Oktoberfest t shirt) and were proudly sporting them in the Hof tent. There we had such a wonderful experience, which is what I love most about Europe: the people. Only in Europe can you meet so many people with different backgrounds, yet also run into people that you would never expect. I met a 6'10'' lumberjack from Iceland, who also does programming on the side. I met students on a study abroad experience. German students in lederhosen. An American from North Carolina, in which we had a hardcore discussion concerning Roy Williams, Bill Self, and Allen Fieldhouse. And of course, there was the band. There was a stage in the middle of the tent, and every time they played a new song, the whole tent would sing, dance, cheer, and laugh. The most popular songs were a couple of German drinking songs (of course I don't know the words), Queen (what is up with Europeans obsessing over American music?), I LOVE YOU BABY (10 Things I Hate About You, anyone?!), and much more. It was definitely the place to be that night, and I don't think any other alcohol-related experience will ever top that. 

Now, of course I didn't go to Germany just for a drinking festival. Being a history nerd, I had to check out the sights. Saturday morning, Jake and I attended a bike tour around Munich. There was a group of maybe 20-30 of us, and we followed a tour guide all around the city. He showed us important buildings, historical landmarks, and even talked a lot about art. We visited Marienplatz, Hofbrauhaus, National Theatre, The Residenz, Odeonsplatz, Hofgarten, Schwabing, The Engligh Garden, Chinese Tower Beergargen, Surfer's Bridge, the National Museum, and more. The whole thing lasted about 4 hours, and at the end we had lunch in the 2nd largest beer garden in the entire world. I had this AMAZING German dish....bratwurst, sauerkraut, German potatoes, Radler beer (German lemonade beer), and this amazing cheese that I cannot stop thinking about. I cannot remember the name, but I will recreate that cheese someday. After that delicious meal, our tummies were full and the bike tour came to a close. Jake and I headed back to Oktoberfest, where we hung out, bought souvenirs/gifts for people, and hung out in the Hof house for most of the night. Again, it was a great time, and I am aching to go back.

The next morning Jake, Laura and I went to Dachau, one of the concentration camps during the second world war. My good friend Matthew Heck recommended it to me, so it was on a top priority to visit. It was fairly easy to get there, we took a train for about 20 minutes then hopped on a bus which took us to the site. Clearly, this was one of the more serious aspects of my weekend in Munich, but (again, as a history nerd), it definitely was one of the most worthwhile. There is something so eerie and creepy about going to a concentration camp. The area now is beautiful, covered with trees and lots of green grass. However, at the same time, you walk around knowing that people were tortured, killed, and treated with such disrespect here. We walked around the area, went through the museum, and watched a 22 minute documentary about the site. Another thing creepy about Dachau? I didn't see any birds, none landing or flying over. Says something about the eeriness of the location. Anyways I learned a lot, saw much of the real I definitely recommend going to see it.

After Dachau, we said our goodbyes to Jake (sad...but I am going to see him in two weeks!!) and Laura and I went to a German brewery for a quick lunch. We had the amazing cheese that I mentioned earlier, and this delicious rotisserie chicken, which apparently Germans are famous for making. Then we walked back to the hostel, got our stuff, boarded the bus, and said our goodbyes to Germany. I was super sad to leave...I had an absolute blast, and there were things about Germany that I liked better than Italy. For example, the people are friendlier and more helpful. People smile more there. I wouldn't say the food is better (you can't beat legit Italian food) but it was definitely different in it's own way and extremely satisfying. It was also great to see so much World War 1 and 2 historical sites, which are some of my absolute favorite parts of history, besides art history.

The bus ride back was much, much better than last time. We watched 4 great movies, and that helped pass the time. We also drove through Austria, which was so gorgeous. Sadly, I won't have time to visit there, but I hope to someday in the future.

And so it begins!

Wild inside, thousands of people in this tent

Hof house

Jake, me, and Laura having a great time

Me on the bike tour

Rubbing lion for good luck!

Copper path paying homage to the innocent lives lost in the beer hall putsche. It reminds me of the yellow brick road, yay Kansas!

Government building. It's see through, a metaphor for the public to be able to see what is going on behind the scenes! 

DELICIOUS FOOD!!

This is the cheese. I miss it so much.

Hof house at night

Jake and I, enjoying a beer.

Dachau entrance sign

The famous entrance gate

Where prisoners slept...yikes

The areas on the right and left used to be barracks, but they were destroyed after the war. Creepy?

Austria on the way home!

Hope you enjoyed my post, it was definitely a weekend to remember.

Ciao!

Pompeii, Sorrento, e Capri

For my first excursion with LdM, my school here, I went on a fun-filled 2 day trip to Pompeii, Sorrento, and Capri. I feel like I am running out of proper adjectives to describe my trips here, and I don't want them to all sound the same, but I cannot express enough how insanely fascinating and worthwhile this trip especially was! I got to witness a bit of history, see an Italian beach town glow in the night, taste the most amazing Lemoncello of my life, and explore one of the most beautiful, paradise islands I've ever seen.

I'm not going to lie, the whole trip was entirely exhausting. I also knew absolutely no one going in, and it was interesting how I came about making friends all over again. It all started out with me walking to the train station at 5:30AM in order to meet up with everyone and leave at 6AM. YUCK. It was about a 5 hour drive to Pompeii, and we stopped at some super expensive (of course) gas station for brunch. Luckily, I was smart enough to pack my own food and probably saved a good amount of Euro on the trip because of that. Finally, after much road tripping with a dead iPod, we made it to Pompeii.

Everyone has heard and learned about Pompeii sometime in their lifetime, but many aren't so fortunate to be able to see it with their own eyes. It's the tiny city in southern Italy (near Naples) that got absolutely destroyed by this volcano called Mt. Vesuvius back in 79 AD. It wasn't discovered until 1749, and since it has been found it has lead much insight to the life of the city at the height of the Roman Empire. It was so neat to walk through the ruins and finally see everything with my own eyes. I didn't realize how HUGE the excavation site was...our group had a tour guide and the time there was almost 3 hours! It was interesting, especially to see the crazy brothel houses and dead bodies covered in ash, but I could've done just as well without the scorching heat. I was warned that it would be hot and lots of walking to be done, so I came well prepared with a huge bottle of water and my running shoes. Some people there wore tennis shoes and nice clothes...really? Not smart one bit. Anyways, I took a ton of pictures, which now that I look at them, they all look the same.

After that tour, we hopped back on the bus and headed off to Sorrento. We were dropped off at our 4 star hotel, which had AIR CONDITIONING (Hallelujah!), a beautiful lobby/bar area, and was close to the downtown area/beach. We were given a few hours of free time and our fancy hotel dinner was prepared for us at 7. We had a delicious and homemade 3 course meal, which was definitely filling and satisfying for the night. After dinner we were taken to a Lemoncello factory, where we were given free samples of many different flavors of Lemoncello. For those of you who don't know, Lemoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur that is mainly produced in Southern Italy, pretty much the exact/perfect location of where we were! It was delicious, and neat to learn how it is made here. My roommates for the trip, Christine and Amanda, and I explored downtown Sorrento and bought gifts for ourselves and for others. We called it an early night, due to full tummies and much exhaustion from Pompeii.

The next morning was another early one-breakfast (provided by the hotel) started at 7AM and we had to be ready to leave at 8AM. At 845AM, we took a boat to the Island of Capri, which was probably my favorite part of the entire trip. Once we got there, our group took another smaller boat which showed us around the island. We got to see the island from every view, and our group leader told us all the good places to go to and what to see. We rode over to the Blue Grotto, which is this amazing little cave that you must take a small boat into. Because the water in this area is so blue and clear, the light coming in from the outside reflects this amazing blue color that cannot be reproduced. It was definitely one of my favorite parts on this trip. After that, our boat drove more around the island and the boat guy let us jump in the water. Such a relief! The water felt perfect and I felt the energy of the waves around me. It made me realize how much I miss being in the water again! Our boat also went past these 3 kodak moment rocks (honestly this whole experience reminded me of Lord of the Rings) and there's a hole in the middle rock called the "Lovers' Path." When you go through this tunnel, you are supposed to kiss the one you love (or hug your best friends) and eternal luck shall come to you! Haha, what a cheeseball.

When we returned to the island, our group was let free for 5-6 hours to explore the island, which was awesome. My roommates and I met some new people, which turned into a group of about 8 of us, and we explored the island together. It was difficult trying to navigate around because there are so many different towns on the island, and we all hardly speak any ounce of Italian. We figured out how to take a bus to Annicapri, the town with the chair lift that would take us to the highest peak of the island. After a quick lunch, most of us went on this chair lift. It was insanely crazy! We all sat in single chairs and it was a 15 minute ride up to the top. As we got higher, the view got better. You had to be careful of your things because if you dropped anything, you wouldn't get it back! Once we got to the top, the view was indescribable. We were IN the clouds, first off, and you could see everything. The huge rocks we passed by with the lovers' tunnel? Those looked like chicken nuggets from this view. Sadly, my camera decided to die during the end of our time up there, so that's when my pictures stop. We spent some time exploring up there and taking pictures for about 20 minutes, and then we decided to head back, as it was being close to the time of departure.

Once again, we all got onto a boat that this time took us to Naples, where our bus was waiting to pick us up and take us back for a long 5 hour journey to Florence. We spend maybe 10-15 minutes in Naples, and I am glad to say that 10-15 minutes was good enough for me. That place looked disgusting. Trash everywhere. Run down buildings. It looked like a scene out of Grand Theft Auto, the video game where you shoot people and destroy a city. It also doesn't help that much of the Italian mafia lives there. Also, somehow a rumor got around that we were going to eat dinner here, so none of us grabbed any snacks. Needless to say, it felt like a century getting back to Florence with hungry stomachs and tired students, most of them getting very cranky and whiney.

I am really glad I went on the trip, because it definitely was a great experience, and those kind of activities we did would be hard to book on my own. The next day (Monday) I had class and went to the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine to see the Brancacci Chapel, where the Masachio frescoes ("Tribute Money," "Expulsion of Adam and Eve," etc.). The cost was 4 euros and I "had a time limit of 15 minutes," but that fact is such a joke. I walk in this gorgeous and empty church, and the security guard is listening to his iPod and slowly falling asleep. I stood in there for 30 minutes, looking at all the frescoes and taking in the moment. I never realized how huge "Tribute Money" was! I have learned so much about it in school, and it looks widely different than I have ever seen it portrayed. THAT'S WHY YOU GO TO ART MUSEUMS. And actually spend time looking at a piece. I promise, it's entirely worthwhile. ;)

Tonight, I have my Pairing Food and Wine cooking class, which is probably the best class I take here at LdM. The teacher is incredible, a Florentine who knows his way around the kitchen, and is able to multitask more than any man I've ever met. He's also incredibly hilarious. I switched into that class after switching out of international art business, and it was definitely the best decision I've made here so far. I will be learning so much from it, and I can't wait to bring my skills back home and cook for everyone I love!

Alright, here's the pictures you've been waiting for! Enjoy :)

Bodies covered in ash at Pompeii

Mt. Vesuvius 

This was a bedroom at Pompeii

Me posing by frecoes

Amanda, me, and Christine at dinner!

Lemoncello!

Look at that blue water..

Christine, me, and Amanda on boat tour of Capri!

Blue Grotto

Iconic rocks...see the Lovers' Tunnel?

Docks at Capri

Me on chair lift!

Me and new friends on highest peak, we are in a cloud!

Me and Amanda on top...see the iconic rocks??

Hope you enjoy this long post...worth the wait, right?!

Ciao!

Scuola, alimento e peli

School, food, and naps....pretty much summarizes my entire week. Well, other than trying to heal this disgusting cut on my leg.

I got this from slipping on a rock in the Mediterranean...oops. It's healing now though!

Anyways, this week was pretty low key. All of my art history classes went on a field trips to gorgeous churches/museums in Florence. In Italian Ren. Art, we went to San Lorenzo, which was built by the Medici family and embedded with much indication about how rich and publicly acceptable they were. We had to cover up our shoulders and knees/thighs when entering the church, and because we are all Americans we were all dressed improperly. They had these graduation-like robes for us to wear, and it was hysterical because we all looked like students from Hogwarts. I love it when I have a Harry Potter moment here. Also, a lot of symbols that indicated power, such as using red marble (like Imperial Romans), placement of burial, etc. In my Lost Symbols and Secret Codes in Art class, we learned about how astrology is tied with art history here in Florence, and then we took a bus straight to Piazzale Michelangelo, a pretty area south of the river. In that area is a church, San Minato, which is connected to the Baptistery through summer/winter solstices. Each church is a symbol for the two St. John's. The older St. John, represented by summer solstice/baptistery, is seen as negative because of the placement of the sun. The younger and more feminine St. John, represented by winter solstice/San Minato, is seen as positive due to his youth, energy, and again the placement of the sun. Apparently, both of these churches align to the stars when these solstices happen. In my Michelangelo class we visited Casa Buonarroti where much of his early works are held. It was incredible. The first half of class we discussed it's importance, and then we just walked on over there and saw it! It's so worthwhile to see a piece of art in person, because photos never do it justice. You notice things that you didn't see before, and you obtain this sort of connection with the piece as your knowledge and skills of analyzing all come together and you can finally experience the piece. Call me nerdy, but I am an art history major and this is what I love! I also got assigned to study the Sistine Chapel for my oral presentation and huge research paper. I plan on going to Rome sometime in October to go see it!

Side note: I am definitely going to have buns of steel when I return home. All this walking around the city and climbing up 2342153523 steps a day is starting to pay off!

This weekend I am going on a school trip to Pompeii, Sorrento, and Capri. I am really excited!

San Minato

View of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo

Zodiac representation on floor

Nap time. Ciao!

Pisa and Cinque Terre

Before I begin on this post, I want to share something. According to our landlord, the building we live in is 900 YEARS OLD. I cannot believe this....it's older than the United States and most of the world's famous art works. In the US, we have a different perspective on what is "old" and "new." This really blew my mind away, and it is in great condition!

Anyways, this weekend I went on two day trips: Pisa and Cinque Terre. Both were really awesome in very different ways.

On Saturday morning, Laura and I went to the train station around noon to buy a ticket and head to Pisa. A one way ticket only cost 5.60 euros, so this is a very inexpensive trip if you're traveling from Florence. Anyways, getting the ticket and finding the right platform was probably my most stressful experience so far on this study abroad semester. Why? Because the train station is INSANE. Getting a ticket was one step below chaos. They have kiosks of self service ticket booths, but only certain ones accept cash and certain ones accept credit cards. Neither of our cards were working and the lines were quite long. We finally figured out how to work the cash kiosk and the next step was to head to the platform. However, none of the departure signs had our destination listed. We asked probably a dozen people to help us...Italians, Americans (who looked like they knew what they were doing), a help desk, and conductors. Each one told us a different answer, which was confusing. Finally, we found a customer care office where some Italian (who spoke very little English) was able to tell us the correct platform (1A...which was a bit of a walk) and how we only had 2 minutes to make it. We ran like idiots to the train and barely made it....phew.

The train ride was about an hour long, and it was my first time leaving Florence in a week and a half. It was so cool to see the Tuscany countryside and relax for a bit. Once we got to Pisa, we had no idea where to go. We found a local map and figured out that the Leaning Tower was easily a 30 minute walk from the train station. An American couple was also heading that direction, and they helped us find the way. Once we got there, it was so neat! The tower is ACTUALLY leaning. You hear all about it, but it's more believable to see it in front of you. We thought about going up it, but the cost was 15 euros and we had to wait for a time slot that was 2 hours way, so it wasn't worth it for us. We walked around Pisa, and I really enjoyed being somewhere where there wasn't 234234234 tourists, and it was really quiet and calm. After exploring the city for a couple of hours and walking all over the tourist area, we took the train back to Florence and made it home by 6:30pm.

The next day was an even more exciting day trip: Cinque Terre. For those of you who don't know what it is, Cinque Terre is a national park, five towns connected ONLY by hiking trails and a train service. This place is on the Western coast of Italy. The five towns (in order) are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. A bunch of my friends and I had signed up for this trip through Bus2Alps, a tour company that provides trips for students studying abroad. We got to the train station (again) at 7AM and took a bus for 2 hours to La Spezia, the portal town to Cinque Terre. We got to the first town, and we decided to hike the whole way until the 4th town, where we hung out at the beach and then took the train to the 5th town, where we also hung out at the beach. This trip was a BLAST. I loved hiking through the mountains, and even though I was drenched in sweat, my friends and I had a great time together and took so many amazing pictures. Jumping into the Mediterranean felt so wonderful after hiking for hours. The sights were out of this world, and the ambience of the place was relaxing and full of life. I would love to go back there if I can, hopefully someday.

One of the coolest parts: I saw a girl wearing a KU hat!! I nearly jumped for joy, because I am the only Kansas in this darn city (or so it feels like) and it was amazing to scream ROCK CHALK at a stranger and have them understand me. Yeah, I'm weird.

Here are some pictures, as always promised!

Along the first hike on the Via delle Amore

Saw these two motorcycles in Corniglia...such a picturesque moment!

Me, all sweaty and disgusting, along the hike to Vernazza

Vernazza, 4th town!!

Leaning Tower of Pisa picture...always a must!

This week I have nothing terribly exciting planned, just to go to my classes and do my homework. It doesn't even feel like I am in school with all this traveling I am doing, but I promise that I am being a good student! This weekend I am going on a trip with my school to the Almalfi Coast...we will be going to Sorrento, Pompeii, and the Island of Capri. Very excited for that!

Thanks for reading, any comments or questions? I miss you all back home.

Ciao!

Una Settimana!

I am trying to do this thing where every one of my blog titles are in Italian and somehow coordinate with what I am about to talk about, and I am doing this through my Italian translator online. So if they don't make much sense, my bad! This blog title says "One week!"...meaning it has been one week since I have been here. I wanted to say something like "One week down!" but the translator took it too literally.

Anyways, ONE WEEK DOWN! It honestly feels like I have been here for forever though. My first week of classes went extremely well. My Italian class is fun, my Lost Symbols/Secret Codes class is fascinating, and my Italian Renaissance Art/Michelangelo class is going to be really in depth and enlightening.  I am going to be writing a good amount of research papers and oral presentations for these classes, but it'll be worth it for sure! I was in International Art Business, but I just didn't like it and felt like it was going to be a waste of time, as I already took art business at KU. Luckily, I was fortunate to be able to switch into this course called "Italian Culture: Pairing Food and Wine." The class involves cooking, learning Italian recipes, and which foods go with which wines. It counts for credit at KU (Geography 547 - Wines around the World! hahaha...) and I am super excited to start it!

This past week my roommates and I had a terrible scare: bed bugs. I woke up Tuesday morning just to find out that I had bites all over my body, and they itched. Some of them looked massive, and it seriously scared me. We were told to me on the lookout for bed bugs, which are nasty little bugs that bite you in your sleep. I had no idea these were so serious until I contacted my advisor here and she wanted to see me immediately. Our school paid for a professional to come inspect our place, and luckily we didn't have them! I just have a ton of mosquito bites from leaving my window open at night. And now, they are mostly gone! :)

Thoughts on Italians:
1. Old Italians (old men/women) are the cutest people in the world.
2. Italian children are extremely cute.
3. Most of them smell terrible.
4. I don't understand how women here wear heels.
5. Most of them are nice. It's sad how rude they can be to Americans (me mostly) though.
6. If you say something wrong in Italian, THEY WILL CORRECT YOU AND MAKE YOU FEEL STUPID.

Today my roommate Laura and I went to the Uffizi and climbed to the top of the Campanile at the Duomo. It was 414 steps, holy cow! It wasn't so bad until the last part, where it was a circular path and the space was getting real tight--a person with claustrophobia would not do well there. But boy was the view entirely worth it :) Here are some pictures from the past couple of days:

I made a meal!

Me at top of campanile 

Florence (view from top)

Sunset on Via Delle Ruote 

View from Camp. Our place is over there somewhere!

The Uffizi!

As you can see, life is wonderful here.

Ciao!

Mi Chiamo Elisabetta!

Buongiorno!

Today was my first day of class, and I only had my Italian level 1 class. I left my apartment about an hour early so I would have enough time to buy my book and have extra time in case I got lost, which I did of course. LdM campus isn't like any typical American campus. For example, KU's campus has all the buildings in one area, along with dorms, cafeteria, and student help services. Here in Florence, LdM has many buildings spread throughout the city, and with my schedule, I have to walk all over the place. It took me a while to find my building, but the neat thing is I walk by the Duomo everyday. When I finally got there, sweaty all over and feeling really disgusting, I had just enough time to cool off and get to class.

My Italian class has 8 people in it, I was pretty surprised. The teacher walked in and spoke only Italian to us, but I could understand most everything she was saying because I know Spanish. It ended up being a lot of fun. We learned typical phrases, how to properly say the alphabet, and got to know each other a bit. Honestly, I am really happy to be back in school. I love learning, and so far it's been really productive and laid back at the same time. I am really and truly excited to start my art history classes, especially my class on Lost Symbols/Secret Codes in art history.

First day of school picture!

The more people I meet in my program, the more I realize how much of a Kansas girl I am. Everyone is mostly from the Northeast coast, and I have met a good amount of people from Illinois. I have made a close group of girl friends that I adore, and they are for the most part from that area. But, in all honestly, I think I am the only person from Kansas here, or at least at LdM. When I tell people I am from there, I get a lot of surprised looks and people ask me how Dorothy or Toto is. A friend asked if I was scared of tornadoes, and she thought it was the weirdest thing that I enjoy watching them on the porch. Someone asked me where that was on a map (seriously?) and then I also got asked if I play in wheat fields. Typical. 

Lately I have been craving chicken fried steak. And you know what?? NO ONE knows what that is, or has ever had it. I am in shock. How do people live without eating some delicious midwest CFS? Do people not eat meat and potatoes around here? I told my friends that they need to visit me in Kansas and experience some of my mom's chicken fried steak. Anyone who has had it knows that it's the best in the midwest. Anyways, back to Italy.

I really do enjoy it here, but now that I have been here for a little while I am starting to figure out what bugs me. First off, the lack of AC. I have been sweating my butt off constantly, and it's hard to sleep at night feeling so hot and gross, and I haven't even fixed up my hair in any cute way because there's no point; I'll just sweat it off. Secondly, Italy is LOUD in the EARLY MORNING!! I cannot get any sleep around here without hearing some sort of construction, loud trucks, or screaming Italians. Also, nothing is convenient here. ATMs are far away, there's no water fountains, the grocery store charges you for plastic bags, the bookstore wants exact change, water isn't free...but I suppose that is just how Europe functions. And I will get used to it all, eventually...

Tonight I am going to a cute little pizza place with my roommate and getting some homework done, and hopefully video chatting with some of my friends and family. Tomorrow, I have my Italian Ren. Art class and then I plan on going to the Uffizi, FINALLY. 

That's all for now, folks. Ciao!

Ciò è la vita