finding myself, by Discovering The World :)

So, I’ve been home for almost 3 weeks now and I haven’t even finished my blog. I keep forgetting about it now that my life at home consists of laying on the couch all day!

Just going to back up to the last few nights in Europe. I seriously get shocks through my stomach every single time I think about it. I miss everyone and everything so much. We basically spent our last 48 hours, crying, laughing, reminiscing, and taking a billion pictures. I don’t think I could ever surround myself with more wonderful people. All 72 of my new and amazing friends have brought me back to life. There is not one thing I would ever take back from the past three and a half months. I love who I have become and I could never thank everyone enough for the impact they have made on my life. 

                                                     Our second to last night! <3

I will never find the words to describe this last night that we were all together. All I know is that within three and a half months, I fell in love with each and every one of these amazing people. These were some of the happiest times of my life and I will never forget any of it. I was so lucky to have this experience and be able to share it with people who will always be so special to me for the rest of my life. 

There would be no better way to end my blog than with this video. My friend Patricia spent the last day going around interviewing everyone about their experience abroad to put together this video for us. Made me cry of course but 100% worth watching. Just click the link to watch!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZAyR254LEg 

Thank you so much to everyone who kept up with my blog and followed me through my adventures throughout Europe. I love you all :)

Ok soooooo….. first things first, I AM HHHHOOOOOMMMMEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!! My last week in Seville was so busy that I wasn’t able to finish my blogging so I have to back up to our last weekend in Europe, which we spent in Lagos, Portugal.

We had been waiting for our trip to Portugal since we were in Paris. I remember the night that we booked it, everyone was really unsure if they wanted to do it or not. It started off with 10 people and we ended up as a group of 55. The weekend was even better than we thought it would be. We left Seville Friday morning and got to Lagos around 1. Our first activity planned was a boat cruise with unlimited sangria. (Yes, it was as perfect as it sounds!) In the middle of the cruise, we all got onto smaller boats to ride through caves! I was freaked out at first because I usually get really sea sick but I think my excitement helped make me feel okay, and maybe also the amount of sangria that was in my system..

After our sailboat cruise, we all needed a nap before our first night out. The guys who coordinated our whole weekend basically planned our night for us. We got in free to some club and had drink specials. Our group always has a great time with each other no matter what but we have the most fun when there’s dancing and good music :)

Saturday, we went to see the caves we sailed through Friday but we got the view from the top of them instead, then we went to spend the day on the beach. We had a short beach day because the rain came in very quickly and hard, but it was so beautiful and so nice to just relax with all of our friends for our last weekend together. 

Our last activity planned was to go to “the end of the world” to see the sunset. It was a cliff on the coast of the island where we all sat, sang, and cried. I think it was then that I realized how much I seriously fell in love with all of the people I met and how real the entire semester was and most importantly, how much I’m going to miss them.

 

“La Feria” is one of the biggest festivals held in Seville throughout the entire year. We were lucky enough to be here while it was going on. There are two parts to the festival. One side being over a thousand tents set up for dancing and eating, most of them private, and the other side was a giant carnival! For everyone from home, it was like expo times a million. There were rides and the spanish zeppoles, CHURROS! La Feria began last Monday at midnight, starting with what we all called “the light show”. There were hundreds of lights hanging over the entire carnival and a huge structure thing that all lit up right at 12. It’s the tradition that lets everyone know La Feria has officially started. It’s really amazing that we were able to be here to experience it and be a part of  something so important to the culture here in Seville.

The beautiful view from the top of the ferris wheel!

One of the main traditions for La Feria is for the women to dress in Flamenco outfits, which we didn’t have so we did the best we could. We got a little fancy and put flowers in our hair! We still definitely stood out but I thought we all looked pretty cute. After the midnight light show, we walked to the other side to the carnival, which was more our scene. First stop was to the churros then to the rides! It probably would have made more sense to do it the opposite way so my stomach didn’t feel so full on the rides that were flipping me upside down! We stayed the first night until about 3 am and it was still PACKED when we left. It’s so crazy how everything happens so late around here. The girls and I joke about how we’re going to be nocturnal when we get home, but that’s really how it is here!

Thankfully La Feria is a week long event so we were all anxious to go back the next day because of all the fun we had the night before. Everything looked so different in the day time. Everyone was still in their Flamenco outfits but we decided to dress more casual for the rides. (I immediately regretted my decision of wearing a dress the first night. I couldn’t go on a lot of the rides unless I wanted to face the embarrassment of people seeing parts of my bod that should never be shown in public!!) We went from roller coasters for kids to the biggest ride there to bumper cars. I’d have to say that the bumper cars might have been my favorite. I can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard, even though I’m pretty sure I got whip lash!

The last night of La Feria is celebrated by a firework show at midnight this passed Sunday. We were all exhausted because we had just gotten back from Portugal (that will be my next post), but of course we went anyway. They were some of the coolest fireworks I’ve ever seen. Each one was different and every time we saw a new one, all you could hear was “oooooh, ahhhhh”. It was literally just like the movies. I feel like my life these passed four months have been a movie. I can’t say it enough how lucky I am that I was able to be in Seville this week :)

So, I always thought I would use the quote “bad decisions make good stories” for a drunken night or something along those lines but in this case, it was used a little differently. We booked our trip to Ibiza our second week in Paris because we wanted to make sure that we got the best and cheapest flights and hotel rooms. Well, turns out booking your trip two months in advance may not save you any money, it may cost ya!

Ibiza is known as a party island but apparently, this party island has an “off season” is pretty much shut down from the end of September to the beginning of May. And by shut down, I mean shut down. This is the first time to refer back to the title of this post. We didn’t do enough research into planning our trip to know that the island wouldn’t really get started until a month after we left. Our second mistake was our decision to book a hotel not in the center of the island because whenever we wanted to go to the town, it would be a 30 euro taxi ride. That brings me to the hotel itself, Hotel Bergantin. I guess the “off season” is a time for older people to come and enjoy the island because our group of seven 20 year old girls was the youngest by about fifty years, no exaggeration. I didn’t mind it at all, other than the stares and head turns and basically hearing people thoughts asking what in the world we were doing at THEIR hotel. I wanted to say, “Hey, I’m thinkin the saaaaame thing!” Other than that minor detail, I loved the hotel. We had a view of the ocean from our hotel room, got three meals a day, and we even got to watch tv for the first time in three months! The only channel they had in English was CNN, which I must say made me feel more connected to the world than I have since I left.

Even though most of the island and all of the major clubs were closed while we were there, we still had a fun night out clubbing! We went to one of the best clubs in the world, and one that Ibiza is known for, Pacha! We all had a great time which resulted in getting home at 6 am and spending the entire next day in bed!

After we recovered from our night at Pacha, we went to stay with our friends who were also staying in Ibiza, just at a different hotel. Their hotel was more our style. It was mostly all young kids drinking by the pool so we fit right in as we sun-bathed all day with a break for drinks and lunch. The view from the pool was so pretty that it almost looked fake!

We had a quiet last night in Ibiza, packing and getting ready for our travels to Barcelona! It was only about a half an hour flight, which was so nice. (I’m really starting to get sick of flying, especially on Ryan Air. If you ever have a flight with them, I strongly suggest to change your travel plans! Seriously the worst airline, ever.) Anyway, the weather in Barcelona was beautiful when we first got there. It was very different from Ibiza because this city was much more fast pace and full of people! Our hostel happened to be on what I called “the 5th Avenue of Barcelona”. It was on the same street as Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton! How we managed that, I have no idea! But our hostel was definitely one of the best I’ve seen in my three months in Europe!

After we settled in, we went for lunch that ended with a little ice cream. In the ice cream place, mine & Christopher’s first song ever came on!!! It made me sad but very happy at the same time. Sad because I’ll never get to play it for him again but happy because I think that was his way of showing me that he is constantly with me :) Before we knew it, it was siesta time, which is always seriously needed when I have a full belly.

For dinner, we went to a restaurant right next to our hostel which was delish. I got a tuna appetizer and a steak for dinner. No idea who I think I am!! I should be ordering something less than 10 euro!!!! But hey, when in Barcelona :) I have mostly definitely abused “When in Rome” and even gone to the extremes of using it for other cities, and basically whenever I want! I guess that’s what happens when you’re forced to live like a European for so long :)

Our last mistake was not doing enough research of Barcelona because we had no idea how we were going to spend our next day there. Our flight wasn’t until 7pm so we had so much time. We ended up finding a bus tour around the city, which was actually really cool because we got to see most of the major sight seeing spots and things that we wouldn’t have had time to see on our own if we just went aimlessly walking around. I definitely liked Barcelona better than Seville and I’ve already added it to my list of places I want to travel to again!

Barca soccer stadium!

Bullfighting stadium!

Sooooo I just got back from spring break (spent in Ibiza and Barcelona) two days ago but I need to back track a little and talk about the week before I left.

The day after my mama left, Alyssa’s dad and step-mom came! The first night he got there, he took us to a flamenco show. I was so happy because I feel like that’s one of the things you HAVE to do while being in Spain. We got dinner and sangria along with the show, which is always a plus :) The show was about an hour long and there were three men who sat down the whole time playing instruments, not sure which instruments but they seemed difficult to play. There was a woman and a man singing the whole time and then four different dancers, two women and two men. It was unbelievable how fast they were able to move their legs, clap their hands, and stop all movement exactly when the music stopped. We weren’t allowed to take pictures in there but just take my word for it that it was absolutely amazing!

The weekend before Alyssa’s dad left, he took us away for the weekend to Marbella, a city in Southern Spain. He rented a house right on the beach and even though it was a little bit too chilly to actually go to the beach, it was still perfect! It was so nice to wake up to the sound of the waves. (sounds cliche, but it’s true!) Other than the beach, the center of the city was filled with cute restaurants and shops, where we spent most of our time. We got to sleep in and then woke up to an amazing bacon and egg breakfast from Alyssa’s dad. Another great weekend :)

To the moon & back mama. I love you so much! I am so proud of you. You are the most beautiful thing in the whole world to me. I’m so happy you were able to be there with us!

Remember when you were younger and you just haaad to do what your friends were doing no matter what it was and your parents would always get ya with “if your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it too” ? Well, ten years ago, I would’ve said obviously not but our first Sunday in Seville, I said HELLLLLLLL YES!

For everyone who knows me, you know that I’m scared of pretty much everything. I never thought I would be one to do anything extreme, let alone jump off a bridge with a rope holding me that was basically small enough to be an elastic band you put around a bag of potato chips to make sure they don’t go stale. I guess that’s exaggerated a little bit but that’s how it felt when I first saw it. I felt much more comfortable with my mama being there because if she thought it was unsafe, I definitely wouldn’t have done it but she seemed very calm (on the outside at least) so that helped me! Hollie and I were signed up to jump together in the number 12 spot. I was happy we went later so I was able to make sure everyone made it out alive! When it was our turn to jump, my heart was beating out of control but I just closed my eyes and dove off this 75 foot tall bridge. The feeling was indescribable.

            Getting over this railing was almost harder than the actual jumping!!!

It was definitely something I would do again. There really is nothing like an adrenaline rush. Now that I’ve done this and with Christopher on my side, I feel like I can do anything! We are currently planning our skydiving trip the weekend before we leave :) 

FINALLY ABLE TO UPDATE YOU ON THE PRESENT! I felt so far behind when I was still writing about Italy but now I promise to blog more regularly again!

So, our travels to Seville went much more smoothly that our trip to Rome. (thank god) I can’t believe I’m already in the third and last country of the program. I’ve probably said this in almost every post but it really feels like it was just yesterday that scared to death to even come live in Europe for three and a half months and now I’m almost leaving. Well, I just have to make the most out of the month that I have left, which definitely won’t be a problem.

We got to Seville on a Thursday night and even though I was so exhausted from traveling, I could barely sleep because MY MAMA WAS COMING ON FRIDAY! I had been counting down the days and it was just so unreal that I was actually able to see her after so long. When I went to pick her up from the train station, it was literally a scene out of a movie. I full on sprinted over to her the second she was in my sight and we were both hysterically crying, which I knew would happen. It was the longest we had ever been apart!

We went directly to her hotel so she could drop off her bags before we started our day in Seville! I wouldn’t let her sleep because I didn’t want her to be jet-lagged for the rest of her trip but she’s a trooper so it worked out just fine :) Her hotel was only a block away from where I’m living which was so perfect because it was less than a five minute walk. We took it easy the first day and ended our night at her hotel sipping on white wine! I was the happiest girl in the world. Her second day was just a little bit more exciting, I guess you could say. We spent the day shopping in the city center and then stopped for a quick lunch with all of my friends before our “siesta”. The siesta time here usually goes from 3-8, which is one of my favorite parts of Seville so far!

After we were all rejuvenated after our siesta, my mama took Hollie, Alyssa, and me out to dinner to a beautiful restaurant right on the river! It was a great start to our fun-filled night. I knew I had to take my mama out at least once but after this one time, I think I’m all done with that! We went to a club in the center of Seville called Buddha. We got there at about midnight and it was basically empty. (No one starts going out here until 2 AM.) I don’t think any of us minded that it was so empty because all that meant was easy access to the bar :) A few too many vodka and orange juices later, we were on the dance floor!

Nothing could ever compare to the happiness I feel when my mom is happy and Lord knows she deserves it more than anyone. I haven’t seen her that happy or laugh like that in a very long time and even though I had to deal with the embarrassment the morning after as I looked through the pictures, I wouldn’t change a thing. I love you mama!

There is a very tiny list of things that I know how to cook. That list consists of easy mac, easy mac, and more easy mac. Maybe I’m spoiled….or maybe just lucky that I’ve been surrounded by such good cooks my whole life that I’ve never been forced to learn!

My last Sunday afternoon in Rome was spent making a four course meal from scratch. The cooking class was held in a two room building, with one of the rooms being the kitchen, and the other being a huge dining room where you sat to eat the meal that you are responsible for! Because I have never been much of a cook, I tried to do a little bit of everything to help contribute to our meal. I started off peeling tomatoes, grading cheese, cutting up mushrooms, and then somehow ended up cooking the pasta! (to perfection, if I do say so myself!) 

                                 This was the kitchen and the head chef! 

 
Our first course was not only one kind of bruschetta, but THREE! We made the basic one with just the tomatoes, then one with arugala and ricotta cheese on top and then my favorite one by far, one with spicy mushrooms. Realisticly, I probably had about 15 of them, 10 of them being the mushroom ones! The chef told us half the fun of cooking is trying the food while you cook, which I think I took a little too far, but it was 100% worth it.

The second course was our pasta dish. I’m pretty sure it’s considered a sin not to include pasta in every meal in Italy, as least in my books. After living there for five weeks, pasta has definitely made it’s way to my top two favorite meals. (#1 being Chipotle of course) I’ve never thought much about the preparation of my food, maybe because I’m always so eager to eat it, or probably because I’ve never been the one preparing it. Knowing that I was eating pasta from the dough that I kneaded, cut up, hand rolled to the perfect shape, and cooked to the right texture made it a million times better! 

Sadly, I wasn’t involved in our next course because I was busy making the amazing nutella filled cookies for dessert but after the pasta came meat, argula, and tomatoes. I’m not sure if I would consider it a salad or a meat dish but either way, it was delish!

There isn’t much to say about the nutella filled cookies other than the fact that they were amazing! I don’t even like nutella and I couldn’t get enough of these cookies. 

Most of you probably don’t know this about me since I was about 8 or 9, I have been tasting wines! I’ll never forget when my mom would come tuck me into bed and I would sneak a sip out of her wine glass almost every night. I was usually pretty smooth about it most of the time but even the times when she would catch me, she would never get mad because she knew I didn’t like it and I was just being rebellious. She always did say that one day I would grow up to love wine, just like she did, and boy was she right.

We wanted to make sure that we didn’t leave Italy without doing a wine tasting. It was honestly much different than I expected but I loved every second of it. I would’ve been perfectly content with one in Rome but we were lucky enough to find one that took us to two different towns in Tuscany, provided transportation, and even came with lunch! The first town we went to was Cortona. It was such a change from Rome because it was out in the straight up country. I liked it though because it gave me a more homey feeling than the cities that we’ve been living in. We actually didn’t start the wine tasting in the first town; we just walked around and took in all the beautiful sights and did a little shopping of course! :) 

 
After Cortona, we got back on the bus and made our way to Montepulciano, which was where all of the real fun began! We went to lunch first where we had a set menu of pasta with meat sauce as our first course, meat and salad for the second course, and a yummy dessert to finish it off, and wine with every course. Next to where we ate was a tiny little shed full of real Italian cooking ingredients and types of pasta that you could only get in Montepulciano. Of course I just had to buy six bags of the pasta and each one of the girls bought a different seasoning so we could test out our cooking skills and cook for each other! (When we made the pasta later that week, it was just as delicious as we had suspected it would be!)

The food aspect of the trip was amazing, as every meal in Rome is, but the wine made it even better. We went to two different cellars and tasted about six different red wines. I never thought that I liked red wine but I definitely liked what I had that day, considering my glass was never empty for more than 30 seconds! It was a really cool experience because we got to learn how you’re really supposed to drink and appreciate wine. I hate to say that it all still tastes the same to me, but at least I love it all!!!

 

For all of the my fellow Twilight fans out there….I’d have to say my favorite part of the entire day was being able to see the clock from New Moon!!!!!! I had no idea that it was going to be there and I really honestly think that Christopher lead me there because he knew how much it means to me and his mama! Our tour guide was giving us historical facts about different wine and where it was made then mentioned the words clock and new moon, and I immediately stopped listening to what he was saying, started crying, and ran over to take pictures with the clock. It was basically a dream come true and another perfect end to a perfect day :)

I can’t believe the last thing I have written about is when I went to the zoo. That seems like forever ago, but it was really only like two or three weeks. That’s how this whole semester has felt, like a lifetime but I can still so vividly remember my first day in Paris.

Anyway, after my day at the zoo, I sadly had to return back to real life as an adult/student but being an American living in Rome means that I can always be a tourist :) I feel like my time in Rome went by so fast that I didn’t even realize how many touristy things I didn’t do that I should have the first week I got there. My friend Brenna’s boyfriend was visiting from Connecticut and he wanted to see everything he could in his short time in Rome so I decided to take along with them for some sight seeing. In one day, we covered the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museum (only a small portion because the entire thing is HUGE), and went to the top of St. Peter’s dome! We weren’t allowed to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel which was upsetting but I probably wouldn’t have been able to take pictures anyway because I was too busy staring at every painting in shock at how pretty they were and how Michelangelo actually did all of that. We saved going to the top of the dome for last, and thank God we did because after walking up all of those stairs to reach the top, I was more than ready for a nap. I’m thankful I was able to even make it up there because it was such a pretty view!

A crucial part of being a tourist in Rome is not leaving until you go to a Roma soccer game, which is exactly what we were all lucky enough to do! A group of about 50 (because we can never do anything without each other!) of us went on our last Monday night. I’ve never been much of a soccer fan but it was really cool to walk up the stairs and see the field and the excitement from all of the fans. Soccer in Rome is like the NBA or NFL in America, at least that’s how I thought of it. I’m not sure if it was the appearance of the players on the field or just the sport of soccer itself, but going to the game definitely changed my opinion of the sport!

I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve posted something! I have so much to fill everyone in on! I’m safe and sound in SPAIN (and my mama is here with me for a few days which makes everything a million times better!!!!) but I still have a lot to say about Rome! I promise there will be lots of posts coming your way very soon :)

A few of us decided to bring out our inner child and spend a day at the zoo! It was probably one of my favorite days in Rome so far. I was running from animal to animal and was just as excited for every single one of them. Just like going to Disneyland in Paris, it was really nice to take a break from real life and feel like a carefree little kid again :)

Because I went to the zoo to see some giraffes, I felt it was only necessary to leave with one :) It wasn’t the life size one from FAO Schwarz but he will do!

For one of the day trips that the school hosts, they brought us on a trip to Tivoli. I didn’t know too much about what it was but I just decided to sign up anyway! We left Friday morning for our short hour long bus ride and what turned out to be a very beautiful day :)

The trip started off with an amazing view of the mountains and then we walked down to find a bunch of fountains. They were all so simple yet so pretty at the same time. We walked around for an hour or so then went to have lunch, which ending with a giant gelato of course!

 

This passed Wednesday, we went to see the Pope speak! We were only about thirty rows back, which was amazing because we were able to get somewhat close to him when he was driven around in his little Pope mobile! It was the cutest thing and he was the cutest man in the world! St. John’s got a shout out while he gave us his blessing. Not only do I have the most amazing, beautiful, and perfect angel watching over me, (my Christopher) but now I have been officially blessed by the Pope. I definitely feel as though I’m set for life :)

The things I brought to get blessed by the Pope, as he gave us all his blessing :)  

Last Tuesday, my friends asked me if I wanted to go away with them for the weekend to Venice and Florence and I just said yes without even thinking or knowing anything about either of the two places. Well, it was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!

We took a 7 hour long overnight train Thursday night which got us to Venice at about 6:30 AM on Friday. The overnight train was definitely an experience, a somewhat scary one. Thankfully I was with two of my friends, Patricia and Tara, in our little cubby of the train but that left room for three strangers. One of the girls next to us was studying abroad too so we were able to talk to her and hear about her travels. One of the guys in there was so scary that it was really hard to me to fall asleep knowing he was in the room with us. Because none of us really got too much sleep, we were all exhausted when we got to Venice. It was still dark when we got there, which made it even harder to wake myself up. The second the sun came up, I was wide awake. It was so unbelievably beautiful. I have never seen any place like it before! We had to take a water taxi from the train station to our hostel. I took about 50 pictures in that twenty minute boat ride because I couldn’t get over how amazing everything was!

 
After our exciting trip down the river, we all were in desperate need for coffee (cappachino for me, with lots of sugar!) and something to eat. We found a cute little hole in the wall by our hostel that had exactly that we were looking for!

In my post about London, I mentioned how I never wanted to stay in a hostel again, so I was very nervous about what to expect on our walk toward my next stay in a hostel. Because there were nine of us traveling together, we all had to split up and stay in different rooms. My friend, Patricia, and I said we would take the room for four people, which meant there was a possibility of having two random people with us which obviously scared me. We walked up to our room to find a huge king sized bed!!! I was so happy, knowing we wouldn’t be sharing the room with anyone else and also because I knew we would have a good nights sleep! 

We all took a little power nap to get ready for our day in Venice. Our plan was to be out the door by noon, which we actually were! Usually with a big group of people, saying noon means 12:30 or even 1:00 so I was impressed. The man at the front desk gave us a map with good places to go and a route that we should walk in to make sure we see everything! There really are no words to describe everything that I saw. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life. Everything looked so nice along the water and with the water smelling like the ocean, it felt as though nothing could ever be better.

Venice’s trade mark is the gondola rides. I didn’t even know what a gondola was before this trip. With my fear of being sea sick, I guess that makes sense. But, I put aside my fears and went on! Aside from the fact that I was green for the first fifteen minutes, I felt great the rest of the time! I was probably just distracted by all of the beautiful buildings and bridges. It truly was one of the best experiences I have ever had.

When we got off the gondola, we were ready to eat! (Of course!) The hardest part about that was making a decision in where we wanted to go. There were so many restaurants lined up along the water, all with a great menu and good prices. After how happy we were after actually being on a gondola, we were basically content with eating anywhere. I ended up getting spaghetti and chicken cutlet which was delish! I think this was our first meal where the wine was more expensive than the water, and that doesn’t happen often! We called it a night pretty early because we had such a long day and we knew that Saturday would be a long day too with traveling to Florence. I went to bed as happy as ever and couldn’t wait to wake up!

Saturday morning, we woke up and took our time getting to breakfast. We did a little shopping, naturally, and eventually walked in the direction of the train station. We ended up getting there a few hours early but it worked out well because it was the most perfect day outside. There was a stand next to the dock with drinks and food so we did a little day drinking as we waited for our train. It was the perfect way to end our perfect trip to the perfect place.. 

 

After a wonderful day in Venice, we took a train to Florence to spend the rest of our weekend there. We got there around dinner time which was perfect because we were all starving after our three hour train ride. In my post about London, I mentioned how I never wanted to stay in a hostel again, but after our luck in Venice, I wasn’t too worried about staying in one in Florence. Luckily, we all got to be in the same room, which made it 10 times better! :)

Kim, Brenna, Jill, Amy, Jordan, Tara, Patricia, Korrie (left to right!)

Once we got our stuff settled in the hostel, we got ready for our night out! Our first stop was dinner at a restaurant close to our hostel, which was delicious as always, and of course the meal wouldn’t be complete without gelato so that was a very necessary pit stop before our night really began! We walked around aimlessly just exploring the new city and taking it all in. Jill has a friend who is staying in Florence for the semester to study so after our exploring, he took us to his favorite places for a fun night out. We started out on a street lined with bars and then ended our night with some dancing. In my opinion, it doesn’t get much better than that! :)

Checkout for our hostel was 10:30AM the Sunday morning, which gave us the entire day because our train didn’t leave to go back to Rome until 9 PM. At the first bar we went to, they were passing out flyers for an “american breakfast”, which we were all so excited for because Europeans aren’t too big on breakfast! Once we got there, my mouth was basically watering at the smell of food so I was very anxious to get the menu. The first thing that popped out to me was a cheeseburger and fries. Being one of my favorite meals, I just had to order it. Even though it was around 11 in the morning, I couldn’t care less! I was the happiest EVER :)

Our St. John’s basketball game was being played on the tv in the background!!!

After our brunch, we spent the rest of the day sightseeing and more importantly, shopping! Florence is known for their leather which was a serious problem for me because I wanted every single jacket and bag I saw. I ended up leaving with a wallet, and of course a keychain! The outdoor market that we went to took us basically the whole day to see. It seemed like it was never going to end, which was 100% fine with me :) 

Before we knew it, it was getting dark and we started making our way to the train station. We stopped at McDonald’s for dinner, where I couldn’t even eat right away because I was still full from my lunch, that was ALSO McDonald’s. It almost pains me to say that I had a cheeseburger for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that day, two of which being Big Mac’s. I’m not complaining though. It was my first Big Mac and it was basically life changing! The time that we spent in Florence was just right. Everything was just absolutely perfect.

It’s still unbelievable to me that we were in two major cities within three days. My life seems so unreal but I’m honestly so thankful that I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to be a part of this program and see some of the most beautiful places in the world.

So I figured out that the difference between romE and romA is that romA is the way the italians say it and even though I’m not Italian, I’m going to say it anyway :)

After we got through the painful experience of getting here, every second since we’ve been here has been absolutely amazing, basically indescribable. Our orientation was basically just a walking tour so we could find places that we’ll need while we’re here, like the grocery store and ATM. On the way, I spotted the cutest store I’ve ever seen in my life. I think I’ll definitely have to make a few more stops in there, sorry again mom! One of the first shirts I saw in there had a quote on it from Twilight, which obviously means that it was fate for me to walk in there and go shopping. At least that’s the way I plan on thinking of it!

It’s more than obvious so I probably don’t even need to include this buuuuuut the food is AMAZING, and the gelato is quite possibly one of the best things I’ve ever had, ever!

We’ve had gelato at least 10 times already, sometimes even twice in one day. It’s addicting!! My goal is to try every single flavor, which I don’t think will be too difficult to accomplish, considering I’ve had almost half of them already!

On our walking tour, we also got a see so many beautiful parts of the city. One of my favorite stops was the Trevi Fountain. The rules of the fountain are different depending on how many coins you throw in. If you throw one, that means you’re guaranteed to come back to Rome. Two coins, you will meet the love of your life in Rome. Three coins, you will somehow be able to “get rid of your husband” or something like that. It sounds ridiculous but I’m pretty sure that’s what our tour guide said. The fourth coin is for any wish that you want. I obviously haaaad to throw in four :)