Just Go with It

The night before I left for Europe I watched Just Go with It with my parents. A young girl in the movie is explaining an acting situation and she says whatever happens, just go with it and that you can never say no.  Little did I know this would be a lesson for my time in Florence.

Lesson Learned #2: Just Go with it, and take a huge deep breath.

On day 2 in Florence (Saturday) we decided as a crew we would go to Pisa for a little, check out the tower and then head to the beach. Sounds simple enough right? Wrong. Trying to coordinate 16 people when traveling is something I would NEVER recommend let alone in another country where half of them do not have Italian cell phones. It was chaos.

The first problem was figuring out how/where to get tickets and then where we were going.  I have never felt like such a dumb American.  The whole day had issues with transportation that it finally clicked that I am without a doubt in a different country.  Yes, that sounds ignorant but up until this moment, nothing had been that difficult and even though I didn't speak Italian, it didn't seem to be a problem.

**Random side note, I was standing in Santa Maria Novella (The train station) when someone grabs my arm and says hi.  I turn around and find Allison Mast running through the train station going to catch her train! How insane is that.  Foothill kids running into each other in the Florence Station and we ended up taking the same train. Hope you had fun in Cinque Allison!

We got FINALLY got everyone on our train and we all found seats together when it was announced that there were problems with the train and we had to go get on another one.  This one was already packed with its original people plus our train so finding space was nearly impossible. Somehow Chez and I found seats while most of our group ended up sitting on the floor.

Two pictures of the struggle bus (train.) In addition to there being no room, the Italian girls next to me did not believe in deodorant and it was hot because of all the people.  Basically I was miserable. We finally arrived in Pisa and decided to do the Rick Steve's Walking tour to the tower. The train station is across the bridge from the tower so you have to walk a little to get there so we decided to see stuff on the way (bad decision.) Don't get me wrong, Pisa is a great place but other than one square, it was nothing out of the ordinary.  We walked around for a good 2 hours, got lost and decided to go straight to the tower. On the way, we stopped at this beautiful market and saw some of the most perfect food I have ever seen. 

When we finally arrived at the tower, I wondered where all these people came from.  When walking around the city, it didn't seem touristy or seem like there were that many people around and then we reached the tower.  Soooooooo many people all doing the same pose was a good laugh in the extreme heat and exhausting day. The tower was gorgeous.  I of course took a stereotypical holding the tower pose but I also tried to be philosophical...

Maybe the rest of the world is crooked, not the tower

There have been better attempts, I am aware but I thought I was creative in the moment. After the tower, the group was over Pisa and wanted to get straight to the beach. The only problem was, no one knew how to get there. 

Travel Rule #3: Make a plan before you leave if you need to use public transportation because Google Maps doesn't work without internet. 

We asked everyone we could and finally the ticket agent gave us bus tickets to get there. She said walk a block to the left and it will be there.  We walked outside and saw all the busses to the right... Now what? After 10 more minutes of walking in circles, an English speaking bus driver directed us in the direction of the right bus.  At this moment I have never wanted to be in the water so badly. 

After a 30 minute bus ride toward the coast, we finally arrived in Tirriena. It was so beautiful and totally worth the hellish day. The beaches with sand cost money and since we are poor college students, we decided to climb and lay on the rocks.  This was the first time I didn't feel like a tourist, we were finally among the locals and doing as the locals did.  We stripped off our clothes and jumped off the rocks into the refreshing sea below. 

Chez, Alex and I after a long day! 

We spent the rest of the day lounging around, eating some food and relaxing by the sea.  As we were headed home we discovered a local hiking path with the most amazing trees.  They looked like they were straight out of the Amazon because they were so bendy. We decided to let the boys do the path and we would wait for the bus so we didn't miss it on the way home. I got 4 bug bites just by standing in this area. 

I had fully intended on this being the end of my day, but I definitely thought wrong. The crew (which had narrowed to 8 by now) decided we wanted to do a family dinner when we got back.  I decided to plan it since I refused to let another thing go unplanned (shocker.) We had an INCREDIBLE dinner at Trattoria ZaZa which is conviniently located at the end of my street. Everything on the menu either had truffles or was seafood. Needless to say, we had a great time and ended up having about 14 people at dinner. What can I say, we roll deep. 

After dinner, a couple of us (who hadn't yet had Gelato in Italy) decided to search for an open Gelateria. This was so hard since it was pretty late but we ended up finding one by the Duomo.  

*When in doubt, things are always open by the Duomo*

As I was finally enjoying a tasty treat, my friend Tim was having major withdrawals from not playing the guitar and asked some locals playing on a bench in front of the duomo if he could join.  At first the answer was no, but they finally agreed.  It turned unreal when our other friend CJ busted out some blues singing.  My night was made. 

What a day! Phew, I was glad when it was over... but I knew that I had a crazy one the next day, we were headed to Cinque Terre! 

Never Bite an Italian Police Officer

You might laugh at the title but this is what I learned at Orientation. Biting an Italian Police Officer will get you deported.  I wasn't planning on it but now I know for sure not to!

LdM Orientation took place at the gorgeous Odom Theatre. We learned about the customs and laws and anything else that pertained to our stay in Italy.  It is never entertaining but definitely helped learn a few things.

Top 6 Things I didn't know about Italy before I got here

1. You don't need to tip. The price given is the price you pay

2. You are allowed to carry alcohol in public but you cannot act intoxicated in public or they will arrest you.

3. If you get in any trouble with the law as a foreigner, you will be deported

4. On Monday's things are closed, it is their day of rest (So plan accordingly)

5. Smiling/Eye Contact with an Italian male shows interest.  If it is unwanted, keep your head down (It is not considered rude here) 

6. You pay for your water at meals.  If you are cheap and ask for tap water, they look at you funny but you will save some money. 

After my nap on Friday we had a welcome dinner for LdM students.  No one really knew what to expect but it was our first time to socialize as a group and we got free food so who wouldn't go. I went with some of the girls in my apartment.  We walked into this place and it was stunning.  The chandeliers let alone were jaw dropping pieces of art. Check them out below and get a glimpse of the event.

The event was really cool for me.  Most kids came with other people they knew so it finally gave me a chance to meet some new friends.  I am lucky because my roommates came with a large group from school so they included me in their group (thank goodness!) which meant making friends wasn't too difficult. 

I mentioned my roommates all attend Columbia College and a majority of the people I met here are all here making a film with them.  Each of them represent a different part of the movie process (I don't think I realized how much work is behind the film.) I have gotten the opportunity to learn about cinematography, set design and that there is such a thing as a set chef (which they said would be my job!)

The night went well, we socialized, had delicious (free) food and decided that on our first night out we would go out and hang out some more. As a group (of about 15) no one had a clue as to where we were going so we ended up walking to the river, walking to the other side, realizing nothing was going on over there and walking back over the Ponte Vecchio.  This was my first time seeing the bridge since I arrived and it was awesome to see the place at night. 

My view of the Ponte Vecchio at night from another bridge. 

We finally ended up (still with no where to go) following the adventures of my previous night out.  We checked out Astor and since we were such a large group, we brought fun everywhere we went.  It was nice to be able to sit and talk to everyone at different times and find out what brought each of them to Florence.  Along with the Columbia students, 2 girls from Kansas University joined our group. They are here together and we also excited to have joined an amazing group of LdM students. I joked with everyone that I ended up tagging along to their fun and found such a great group of people and now they were stuck with me.  

We ended up back at the Lions Fountain and had a great night just hanging out and exploring Florence.   The picture (above) is some of the crew in front of the Duomo. I feel so lucky to have found such a fun group from the beginning. I know we will have an amazing summer! 

Celebrating America... Italian Style

Many of you were aware how sad I was to be in another country on 4th of July because of how much I love spending the day in Newport Beach. Well the sadness ceased and I ironically spent my first night in Florence with all Americans in American establishments.

Lesson of the day: There are 14 Americans to every Italian. Forth of July is destined to be nuts

Let me be clear, I came to Florence to get a new experience, embrace another culture and immerse myself with the locals... 4th of July felt like they imported US for a night everywhere I went.

As I said earlier, I went and met Kimmie and a group of her friends from her program for dinner and then celebrating.  I met them at this place called Astor.  Astor is a cafe/bar/hangout spot for Americans because a guy from Milwaukee who studied here some time ago opened this bar next to the Duomo. Nonetheless it was the start of the fun last night.  I was inside waiting for the girls and this girl came up to me and started talking to me because she felt bad I was by myself.  She studied here last year and gave me such awesome information about taking these weekend trips (Little did I know, everyone does them and I am going to Cinque Terre this Sunday for the day!) Anyway, apparently the place is perfect to study (Free Wifi!), get your American fix (Iced Coffee) and not feel guilty for speaking English.  It is good to know its there but I need to improve my Italian skills and that most definitely won't be happening at Astor.

**Side note: Did you know that Iced Coffee does not exist in Florence? Ice barely exists.  In this extreme hit I have been dying for an iced coffee and I must go to the American place to get it... Figures.

When the girls finally got there we went in search of this American place called the Diner.  It was just weird to experience all the American things before I had seen any Italian influence but I did learn that Ranch was hard to come by in Italy (probably a better thing.)

However, I soaked up all the American pride I could.  We went to a bar called the Lions Fountain and as soon as you walk in, you realize you could be anywhere in the world. The celling is covered with college T-Shirts signed by people and they have a shot list dedicated to colleges in the US. (Of Course there was a UCLA one.) We sang all American songs (Including the national anthem and Born in the USA) and did many USA chants.  It was definitely not Newport but it was still an amazing time.

I ended up meeting people from my program that night and it just set the tone for a trip that I will never forget.

New Posts!

New posts are coming from my amazing  first weekend! Check back today and tomorrow to hear about 4th of July, Pisa, Tirrenia, and my favorite Cinque Terre. 

I start classes in about 30 minutes and I am excited to finally settle in and start my life for the next couple of weeks. 

Here is a sneak peek of some of the pictures 

The Leaning Tower

Tirrenia

Cinque Terre

Ciao Firenze!

I made it!

What a crazy two days of travel. I am beginning to think a blanket of clouds covers the world right now and that whenever I arrive in a city, it will immediately rain 20 min later (This has proved true in 3 cities thus far.)

The flight from Dusseldorf to Florence was one of the most beautiful I have ever been on.  We flew over the Swiss Alps, the lakes of Switzerland and finally over the Italian countryside and landing with a beyond perfect view of the Duomo and the entire city of Florence.


While in the airport a man approached me about the internet and began giving me advice about Italy.  We had a nice conversation and I got back to my browsing. Little did I know, we would be sitting next to each other.

This man began to confirm everything my brother Lane told me before I arrived (which I refused to believe.) This man, also a soldier in the US Army could have fooled me and told me he was a tour guide (He was that good.) He gave me some awesome information and also told me not to sleep during the plane ride because I would miss the incredible views of the Alps. I tried to capture some shots but A picture just doesn't do this view justice.
I have been so lucky to meet such awesome people on the way that have definitely helped ease the transition and shed light to some incredible experiences to be had.

I made it to my apartment but finding it was a little tricky.  In Florence they have numbers that are red and ones that are black.  The black ones are for apartments and the red are for business, seems simple enough right?  Well I didn't entirely read the orientation packet that my mom urged me to read so I was left so confused when I walked up to what I thought was my apartment and found it to be a little cafe instead.  The nice elderly lady informed me that I actually live next door and I am sure she got a nice laugh about it.   

My apartment is awesome.  I have 7 other roommates and we all have our own rooms.  There are 4 bathrooms and 2 kitchens which makes for a very large place.  This is the view outside my apartment. We also have this electronic door to our place and it lights up when you place a magnetic key to it.  Kind of futuristic for Italy but nonetheless extremely cool. My roommates are all so nice.  5 of the 7 attend Columbia Art School in Chicago so they know each other and the girls downstairs but they are so welcoming and are all studying different things in Florence so it should be very diverse and informative. I now also have a place to stay if I end up in Chicago. 

It is a cute little street about 4 blocks from the Duomo and a block from the Mercato Centrale.

Once I got settled in, I took a much needed nap! I then went and met Kimmie Connor who is also studying here for a night of celebrating America. I will dedicate another post to that because it was an amazing night!

I am trying to do my best to keep with everything that is going on, but since I don't want to sit at the computer all day, the posts may be a couple days behind. 

Hope everyone had a safe 4th!  

Let the Games Begin!

Happy 4th of July America! 

I have only been abroad for about an hour but I have already learned some valuable lessons: 

1. Free WiFi is like gold, when you find it, count your blessings and use as much as you can. 

2. All Americans are in the same position so finding people to talk to, is not a challenge. 

3. Don't get stuck with your airplane TV on a different language because the flight attendants don't know how to switch it back. 

I am hoping to keep an ongoing list of lessons I have learned, elaborate on some stories and keep people informed on my journey through Europe for the next 7 weeks. 

Here is the Update: I am currently sitting in the airport in Dusseldorf, Germany awaiting my final flight to Florence.  Getting here has been no easy task and has required the use of 4 airplanes thus far. On the way over, I got to spend a night in New York and catch up with some friends (Ariel and Trent) and stay with my cousin Meredith.  I was able to buy some things I forgot and cut off two inches of my hair (still sad about this one.) I cherish every second in New York so it was relaxing before this long trip across the pond. 

As I boarded my flight to Germany I was hoping for someone nice to sit next to, no crying kids and the ability to sleep through the night so I can begin to start adjusting to Italy time.  (It is 9 hours from California if anyone was wondering) The guy that sat down next to me was incredibly nice and was also studying abroad. He is from Nashville, TN and is staying in Germany. Although I wanted to sleep, talking to someone in the same situation was comforting and he helped me translate my devil TV when it decided to stay in German.  He also laughed at me for watching the movie Chasing Mavericks (a surf movie which I HIGHLY recommend) because he said I was being a typical California native.  If only he knew it is not the case, I don't surf but it's ok he can continue to believe we all learn to surf as children.  However, there were very loud crying babies (yes, there were two!) behind me but fortunately fell asleep pretty quickly. After dinner, I got my wish and slept until they served breakfast which made the flight seem shorter than the one from LAX--> JFK. I opened my shade and saw the most beautiful sunrise over Ireland.  I only knew it was Ireland from the map on my TV because the cloud layer was so thick.  Nonetheless it was beautiful and my first European sunrise, and I am hoping not my last. (Don't worry Dad it will be because I will wake up that early not just be going to bed!) 

I safely made it to Germany and in search of WiFi which I found... for free!  I think its comedic and pathetic how dependent I am on it.  

First goal of the trip:  Understanding it is ok to disconnect, the world continues and I will be fine without it. 

With that being said, I need to go find my flight and pray that there are some signs in English in this airport because I have found none so far. Keep checking back and I will be doing updates (hopefully daily) on the adventure. 

Let the Games Begin!