Spaghetti

Tonight I legitimately had the best spaghetti of my life. Followed by the most delicious tiramisu ever. It was such a simple meal but our chef Bruno has some sort of magic touch. It was the perfect way to complete a day of homework and hiking. (Note: This is not my actual plate as I didn't have my camera with me at dinner. But this is my empty plate from the next night, and looks pretty much identical. Clean plate club!)

Cheese, Please

I ventured to Parma today in search of parmesan cheese. After a hilarious lunch mishap (accidentally went to a sushi bar?) and lots of wandering the streets, I was disappointed that I hadn't found the parmesan I had been searching for. Suddenly, like a dream, as we walked to the train station we stumbled upon a street with cheese shops galore. I felt like my wishes had been fulfilled.

Networking

I spent the day in Bologna. There was snow, which I definitely had not been missing. There was great food and cool museums, but my favorite part was the city-wide art exhibition that was on display. This piece was my favorite, called "Networking." It was colorful and beautiful, and just seems so natural strung between the buildings.

Schooling

This is my Shakespeare book. When I got him from Rosita (one of our on-site directors) she said "Here is your new best friend." It's a funny concept to study abroad, because technically I'm here for school but I certainly have no desire to study. Today I had my first paper due. I definitely had procrastinated and was scrambling to get it finished at the last minute. But otherwise I would have had to give up my afternoon in Florence yesterday!

Caffe

This afternoon was gorgeous. I decided to postpone writing a paper for my Shakespeare class and went into Florence. It was so wonderful to just wander on my own. I admired a palace for a while, strolled into some shops, and stopped to get a "caffe" before leaving. It was my first espresso, and Italians just stand at the counter and drink them. (You have to pay more to sit down.) I spoke Italian the whole time and felt like I actually fit in. I can get used to this.

L'Opera

Today was a really long day. Lots of classes, my conversation partner that I didn't know I had yet randomly showed up (more about her to come later.) However, I got to get dressed up for the evening and head to the opera with many of the students in my program. It was hard to understand what was going on because of the language barrier, but I took the opportunity to just soad in everything that was happening onstage--the music, the costumes, the atmosphere.

Not Just a Student

Today I had my first day of interning at an elementary school is Sesto. I'm in a fifth grade classroom and the kids are adorable. They asked me lots of questions and had each written a paragraph about themselves. Then we played a game where I had to try and remember what they had told me. My big accomplishment of the day was remembering all of the student's names by the end of the hour--I attribute it to learning campers names every Sunday! I cannot wait to go back every week!

A Sense of Direction

The title of this post has a double meaning. Today was a day to catch up on everything I had been neglecting--e-mails, homework, laundry, and more. Yet I took two hours to hike the hills nearby and decided I'm going to make it a weekly tradition. They were beautiful and it felt so good to just be outside. The paths went so many directions, but I stayed on track and just relished the surroundings. I also felt like today I'm finally starting to feel better about who my friends are here, what my experience is going to be like, and what I want to get from it. And I think that's something I had really been wanting.

I couldn't help myself...

Today I went to the leaning tower of Pisa. I couldn't resist taking tons of cheesy tourist photos. Yet, what was funnier was seeing everyone around me posing and looking ridiculous too! After a brief stay there, I went to the small town of Lucca nearby. It was really cute and has a really wide wall surrounding the city. We rented bikes and rode around the wall for an hour. It felt like being a little kid again and was definitely a highlight of the trip thus far. Finding the train station was a little more difficult than anticipated but the group I was with got home eventually, exhausted but pleased with our excursion.

Jeans

One of the professors told us about a free event in Florence today, so we went to a gallery opening for Fiorucci, who apparently revolutionized blue jeans. It was cool to hear how he envisioned them as everyday wear rather than just for work. It took place at an art school and afterwards we got h'ordeuvres and wandered the gallery with photos of his jeans. It was a fun experience, followed by more shopping afterwards!

Wishful Window Shopping

Today was everyone's last day of class for the weekend. A bunch of us decided to head in to Florence for the evening, where we were going to go catch a cover band at a bar. Unfortunately, the place we were planning on going was closed (sometimes Italian schedules aren't very accurate.) We really didn't care though, because on our way we passed the stores of basically every famous desiger: Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Armani, Prada, Chanel...
Never ever could I buy anything from those places. But it was fun to peer in the windows and dream. And eventually we found a really fun pub that I'm sure I will visit again sometime!

A Mini Adventure

Today I spent the afternoon wandering Florence with a fellow program participant. We went and admired Michelangelo's David for a ridiculously long time. It is so beautiful. On our way to get gelato, the fellow above was playing accordion in the street. I felt like I was in an Italian movie.
However, things got exciting on the way back to the villa. We were so involved in trying to translate an Italian newspaper that we went two stops past where we needed to leave the train. Panic set in, but with the help of two friendly women we eventually figured out which bus to take back to our town, making it there just in time for our evening class. Needless to say, we felt pretty accomplished for getting back so successfully.

Arrivederci, Pants

Today I had to send the pants to the next member of the Quad. My mind blanked of all Italian when I stepped up to the window at the Esselunga (Post Office/Grocery Store/Pharmacy/Place to get anything you ever need). I was really sad to see them go, but know that giving them to someone new is part of the fun. I've been missing the Quad lately, and am so thankful I got to have a little symbol of our love with me for my first week here.

Score

Today I had a long day of classes and was just generally feeling unsettled. I decided to go for a run in the hills nearby. While I can't say I lasted long, I did discover a soccer team practicing at this field. I just stayed and watched them for a while, enjoying the action. (Ok, and the guys...)
I realized that these are the type of things I'm going to treasure about this trip: the little moments where I discover something new and unexpected.

Flight Finder

Today was chilly and cloudy, and while I did take a short hike through the nearby hills, much of my day was spent finding flights for future travels. I decided to spring break with a friend in Barcelona, the Canary Islands, and Portugal. The internet here is quite slow and sometimes malfunctions, leaving me quite frantic when I had successfully purchased a flight from the islands to Portugal but couldn't purchase one actually to the islands. But it worked out, and in the end was more exciting than doing homework...

Shop til you Drop

Today was all about shopping. In Italy, sales go on in January and every store has great deals. But they end when the month does, and thing never really go on sale again for the time that I'm here. I spent more than I wanted, but found some gorgeous things I couldn't pass up. Here are a few of my favorite new possessions.

With our hands, we join our hearts.

A Luther alum, Ben Larsen, died in the Haiti earthquake. He was there doing mission work with his wife and cousin when the quake hit. His wife and cousin survived, but Ben wasn't found under the rubble. Ben was Nordic Choir president his senior year, the same year our conductor began conducting the choir.

Today, we sang for his memorial service. It was very emotional. So many people knew him and loved him. I didn't know him, but he must have been quite the man. Every conversation about his death quickly turns to words of celebration of his life.

I didn't actually take this photo today. A memorial service isn't exactly an appropriate time to be photographing things. But this is a photo of two Nordic singers holding hands, something we do when we sing, as a sign of unity.

Siena

It's my goal to not make every post be something incredible that I'm doing on this trip, but I have crammed so much into this first week. Today we went to Siena and it was one of the cutest towns I have ever seen. I climbed to the top of a tower to snag this shot. We stopped for wine tasting on the way back to Florence--probably my favorite day here so far.

Computer Rebirth

My computer has had a virus all week. It had gotten so bad that my computer could no longer function. After several trips to the technology help desk, my final solution was to have the entire computer wiped out and restarted. I was able to save all the important things like photos, music, and documents, but my computer was cleared of all data. I lost all my programs and things. When it restarted, it was as if it was brand new. It was a pretty sad day. This is what it looks like now, void of any personality.

Hands on Learning

I switched into an art history course, and while I think it's going to be difficult, I love it. Professor Mariotti takes us on-site once a week to explore the sites we talk about--it's crazy how much she knows. Plus, we get to see a lot of sites for free and I think I'll appreciate them a lot more than I would if I just went and looked at them. Today we went to a basilica. Needless to say, it was gorgeous.

Book Sale

 
The most adorable book store/coffee shop in northeastern Iowa is closing. I went there today to enjoy what could be my last cup of Bookends & Beans coffee and discovered that they were having a sale on their remaining books! For 40 percent off each book, this is what I came home with. :)

Secret Garden

Ok, so it's not really a secret garden. But I had not ventured out into the beautiful gardens at the villa until today. I spent my whole day in class and catching up on reading, e-mails, etc. But when the sun came out for I while I could not resist exploring. It took my breath away. And it's not even in bloom yet...

Puzzles and Movies

 
Really, puzzles and movies have sort of taken over my life. Since I'm not taking a class, working or anything of that sort of productive nature, my friends I and have had many nights like the one we had tonight. We watched "Fantasia" (which, by the way, I had never seen before) and did a puzzle. Might I add that this was the 4th puzzle we completed this week. This photo captures the utter enthralment by the evening's events. It's a good life...

Compleanno

It's my 21st birthday, but that is definitely not as exciting in Italy as it is in America. I enjoyed some wine with dinner. Quite classy at 4Euro per bottle. And that was not at all the cheapest one. I'm missing friends back home today, although I am excited to celebrate in Florence later this week.

No cheesy coffee art, please.

 

Today I spent the afternoon at a new coffee shop in town. I worked on my SALT application (and made some progress-finally!) and enjoyed a great caramel latte. This coffee shop is definitely legit. Comfortable couches, good java. However, it has a serious coffee art problem. I documented the situation and took a mental note that our future coffee shop will not have even a trace of framed "Cappuccino" prints.

On My Own

Today I went out into Sesto Fiorentino on my own for the first time. I finally felt like people didn't automatically think "American" when I passed them. I got a little lost but that was exactly what I had been hoping for. Some of the streets were completely empty, so I did manage to snag a few photos and this is one of my favorites.

Second Soprano Pride

 

Today we sang a mini concert for a high school music festival that was held here all weekend. These are the nine girls in my 2nd soprano section. I'm getting really excited to go on tour with these people!

Tourist Time

Today I was a tourist, no doubt about it. When a group of 40 gets shown around the city, there is no way to avoid it. So I embraced it with open arms (or perhaps open camera lens.) I am glad I did, as the city is amazing. I can't wait to explore it better and feel like I belong.

Finding Art Again

 

I painted today! It felt so good.

The words on the painting say "I will never leave you," based on Hebrews 13:5. I guess this verse has just been on my mind lately, so I decided to make a little art out of it.

How great it is that we have a God who promises us His constant presence.

Accomplishment

With two fellow program participants, I had a successful first trip to the store, even managing to ask a question and speak with the person in front of me at the check-out. Though a relatively simple task, completing it on our own definitely helped to build my confidence.

My Own Space

 

Since I have my own room this semester, I've been spending lots of time rearranging things and making it look homey, even with just one person living in it. Today I added the final touches, like this tapestry that I bought on a beach in Peru. :) Although I miss my dear roommate, it's so nice to have my own space!

Layover

I spent seven hours at the Rome airport in an empty terminal like this one. Not the most exciting place ever. Snowstorms delayed my first flight, causing me to miss my connection. I am ok with the 26 hours of traveling because my luggage arrived safely as well.

All My Bags are Packed...

Ready to go. Packing is definitely not my favorite activity in the world. Let's hope everything in those bags will get me through four months abroad.