I made it!!

Ciao!

I am so happy to finally be in Italia, the travel portion was horrible.  I officially hate getting to Europe.  I flew Norfolk to NYC, NYC to Rome, and Rome to Florence.  It was a long trip and I didn't get much sleep, so that was difficult.  The only good part about flying is the view from above.  Here's a picture I took on my flight from Rome to Florence.  If you squint you can see the Alps in the background with snow on them.  Pretty cool, huh?

So far I am loving Florence.  It is so beautiful & pictures don't do it any justice.  It is disappointing becauase I will take a picture and then look at the monument/scene and notice it is just not the same.  Here are some of the pictures I have taken so far!

This is the view from my window!

This is the Ponte Vecchio!

And again!

The Carousel 

Piazza Della Republica 

Duomo!

Yet again!

Palazzo della Signoria

Those are just a few of the beautiful buildings and places I have seen so far.  The food is delicious, except for my first meal.  That was nasty.  It was Filetto di arringa marinatta, which apparently translates to nasty uncooked fish.  Here's a picture: 

Gross.

All of my other experiences with food have been awesome though.  I don't understand how any Italian is thin, and they all are.  It's crazy.  At dinner I have to ask for "un po" (a little) because I can't eat as much as they (my host home).  I am not living with a host family, but do get to eat 4 meals a week with them!  We have a bowl of pasta to begin with, then comes the meat and veggies, then as dessert we have fruit and nuts with coffee.  Every meal is served with "vino" (wine) and water.  We have to mix the wine and water because it is so strong.  Well here are some pictures of the food I've had so far!

Ciara and I at the restaurant! 

My first pizza from Gusta Pizza across the street.  Best pizza I have ever had!

Finally about where I am staying!  I have an apartment within a flat in the Palazzo Capponi with a roommate, Christina!  She's great.  I also have 7 other people that I live with.  I seriously love them all.  I eat at a home stay - the Marconi family.  They have a dog, Gina, and she's awesome.

Here is Gina!

Well, ciao for now! 

Wordspiration

This is going to be my motto while studying abroad!  I thought it was fitting.  Thanks, Mark Twain.

Photo from Pinterest!

My Anxieties

This time tomorrow I will be at the airport saying goodbye to my family and to Randall.  While I'm beyond excited for this adventure that awaits me, I'm definitely getting nervous.  I guess it finally hit me that I'm actually going to Italy.  It kinda blows my mind.

I wanted to record my anxieties to look back on.  That's a lot of what this blog is about.  Yes, I want to keep everyone updated, but it is sort of a diary for me, too.  I will be keeping a journal while I'm there and I hope to write in it every day, but we will see if I can stick to that.  I know it will be cool to look back on later.

This is what I'm nervous about:

• Being away from my family and Randall for so long
• Missing my friends at JMU
• Not getting along with everyone in the program
• Getting sick in another country
• Forgetting something I need at home
• Losing my passport 
• Getting pick pocketed 
• Not being able to learn the language fast enough 
• The time change - not being able to talk to those at home when I want/need to
• Hating the food - I'm so picky, but I'm going to try everything
• Getting stuck beside a smelly person on my 8 hour plane ride
• Jet lag 
• Somehow missing my flight 

I know some of those are silly, but it's what I'm worried about.  I pray these anxieties go away so I can get pumped for tomorrow!

The Final Countdown!

In 3 short days I will be on my way to Italy!  I can't believe it is already here.  I remember last year when I was so excited about getting accepted to the program!  I am seriously in awe that I will be in another country in just a few days.  I feel like I haven't really come to the realization that I will be gone so soon.  I keep thinking it is still a few weeks away, but it's not.  

Today I am going to make sure I have all my medications and first aid sort of stuff packed and ready to go!  That's some important stuff and I don't want to have to worry about being sick in Italy.  I'm currently getting over some sort of cold or something.  Luckily the symptoms are going away, but I am still praying that I will be totally fine by the time I board the plane!  

Does anyone have any other tips on what I need to do before I leave?  Or do you have any clue where I can get Euros?

Google Doc

I had a brilliant idea this morning when I was waking up!  I have created a Google Doc that anyone has access to.  I want YOU to list places I should go, eat, etc. on it.  Please feel free to add to it, but please do not delete anything!

Thanks everyone!

Please give me your suggestions Here!!!

Ventinove

I can't believe my countdown has gotten to the twenties.  This is so exciting!

I had a minor panic attack the other day when I got an email saying my flight had been changed.  Luckily it was only a 20 minute change, giving me a longer layover in NYC.  I really wish getting out of the airport and seeing the city was an option, but not this time.  I would hate to miss my flight to Rome!

This week is finals week and it has been so hard to focus because all I want to do is plan for Italia!  I met with Sam again and she told me tons more to do.  My small group leader Molly went to Italy for a little while over the summer while she was studying abroad in Spain.  She gave me some recommendations as well.  

Please continue to pray for me.  I am beyond excited and can't wait to get on the plane and go!

Palazzo Capponi Take 2

So I was wrong.  The Palazzo Capponi that I will be staying at is not the one I have pictures of in the last blog post.  I should have known it was way too good to be true.  The one I will be staying in is very close to this one, but is actually owned by JMU.

Just wanted to update you with the upsetting news.  It doesn't really matter though because I won't be spending time in my room much anyway!

Ciao!