My First Week in Florence

  
                Well for starters, this is the beautiful place that I live.
                I am still in complete disbelief. 

                         Welcome to my life in Florence!

Videos of mine and Massi's adventures finding our way around Florence:

Wow is all I can really say. Florence is everything that I have ever dreamed of it to be. A little under a week here and it has already stolen my heart. Well, let me recap a little bit on how my journey began here and the craziness that has been my past week. Massimo, his parents, and I left on Tuesday and drove here from his house which took us about three and a half hours. By the time we actually got into Tuscany, my face was glued to the window. I was in awe of everything that was surrounding me, and could not believe that my family comes from this beautiful region! It's really so much more than you see in the pictures...truly leaves you speechless. We came into Florence and found the hotel that Massimo's parents would be staying at, and got everything all checked in. It was old and a little creepy, however I'm sure you find those ancient buildings a lot here. Then, we began our journey walking around the town, and I got to experience the city that I would be living in for the next year for the first time. Walking up to the Ponte Vecchio, the bridge that I have always seen in pictures and heard so much about, left my speechless. It was amazing! There were tourists everywhere, however it wasn't that hard to look over them completely. We walked around and got to see the historical center and also trudged everywhere to find the Duomo, which was yet another breath taker. The trademark of Florence, was finally right in front of me! 

And now I pass by it basically every day...no big deal or anything. So after that we saw an apartment that didn't end up working out for me...the windows on the ceiling and the no kitchen space was a no go for me! We took a break from all the walking in the heat and hung out for a while, and then went to meet my cousin for the first time to go out to dinner and to get to know her. She is absolutely adorable! She let Massimo and I stay with her, and I'm currently staying with her until I find a place...by the time we met her, she had already made us a key and reservations to a beautiful little place right on the river...so amazing! It was definitely a great night, I'm so lucky to have a cousin here to help me out with everything...and who is so nice and hospitable! The only thing is there is no internet there, so I have been having to either go to the internet caffè once a day or use my phone! Once I get settled in my place, things will all go back to normal and I will be connected with the world once again. The next day, Massi and I got up to go to the hotel and meet all the other Californians that were going to be moving in that day. It was definitely awesome to get to know everyone and to introduce them to Massimo...he was a hit! We all had dinner and then decided to go out to a pub as a group. I bought my first legal drink...a huge beer for just 1 euro and 50 cents...not to shabby. We then went to the pub and got far too many rounds of shots and spent too much money on mixed drinks. It was a hard night, but luckily I had Massimo, my life saver :) He actually pretended to be Californian for one of the guys that was trying to hit on italian girls, and was able to tell him what they were saying secretly. :) 

The next morning, we both had to get up early because Massimo had to leave to go back to register for his exam and study for it...since he has it on the 14th, he's stressing hardcore! I had to go directly to the school for our opening meeting and getting to know everything...I was definitely feeling sick all day, however it was still a helpful day since we did a walking tour and got to know the city and where everything was at. Friday was all about housing, and I teamed up with a friend who also wants to live with italians and we went everywhere and saw three different places, one of which we liked very much! I will put more about it on here if we actually decide on getting it, however we have three more appointments on Monday so I'll wait and see :) Friday night, we went out to a club where they had dancing and karaoke and just about had the time of our lives. I love the group of people that I'm studying with and am so happy that we have all meshed together so well in the midst of this experience. It finally began to rain yesterday, so we have been taking it easy and not doing too much over the weekend, which has been nice after all the hustle and bustle of the first days here. We have been going to the same bar to eat lunch every day, where they feed you the most amazing food for so cheap! The boss there is too nice, he looks like an old version of Mario :) Also, we made friends with the owner of the internet caffè..who is also an adorable woman who has been so kind to us. It's been so awesome getting to know and to converse with the locals here, and to speak italian all the time! It's definitely been great practice and they respect you a lot more it seems like if they see you putting an effort to being a part of their culture. I'm still pretty much in the vacation mode, and don't know exactly when it will hit me that I'm actually living here...probably once I get settled in my apartment and everything has calmed down. The first couple days without Massi certainly weren't easy, since I have always had him whenever I am here, but I know that's just a part of the whole experience. You have to get out of your comfort zone to get anywhere! And every day has been getting so much better, I can't wait for him to come back in just two weeks after his exam and see how things have changed and everything being settled :) For now, I'm just continuing to take it all in and be so grateful! Everything is so surreal. 

I will be updating this again soon, after I get a place to stay for the year! Ci sentiamo amici! 

Our trip to Cortina and Lago di Misurina!

Soo yesterday we took a day trip to these beautiful little towns in the mountains called Cortina and Lago di Misurina. Before we went, my Mom had informed me that Cortina is one of my Grandpa's favorite towns in Italy and he and my grandma would go often, where she would buy her famous fur coats. I could understand why they loved this place so much, it was simply beautiful! Apparently the people who live there are generally very wealthy, and it's a very common vacationing place for celebrities. Huge green mountains are surrounding the town, where you can take ski lifts and gondolas up to look over the whole valley. Since the mountains are much cooler, it was amazing to escape from the deathly heat and humidity for a day...it even began to rain there later in the day. After Cortina, we took a trip farther up into the mountains to another little town, Lago di Misurina. There was a lake surrounded by the mountains and the very small community, it was truly breathtaking. Everything was so green surrounding, and the mountains all around us really gave the illusion of being so far from regular society. We took a trip up in the ski lifts to the top of the mountain, where we got to see the whole panorama...it was amazing! Despite the cloudy sky, the view was so perfect...like a picture. I had such an amazing time and could not stop taking pictures of everything...from basically every angle possible. Well here are just a couple pictures of our trip, and two videos that I took at Lago di Misurina :)

Arrived!!!

                                     FINALLY I AM HERE! 

It was a terribly long journey, however I finally arrived in Italy two days ago, on Wednesday at 5:35 pm. Everything was such a whirlwind leading up to my departure, and at times I felt like I was never going to be completely packed! My last few days in America were awesome, since I got to see all of my friends before I left. On my last night, they all came over and we drank wine to celebrate, however I procrastinated far too much with my packing and didn't get to sleep until almost four in the morning! I had to weigh both of my bags, and I discovered that they were far overweight...so unfortunately I had to take out about twenty pounds worth of clothes. Hardest. Thing. Of. My. Life. Who knew that separating from clothes could be so hard?! Maybe if it wasn't so freaking cold here in the winter, I wouldn't have had to pack such heavy clothes! Anyway, I'm still content with the amount that I got to squish into everything, although even the ticket agent at the airport commented that my bag wasn't a carry on, but an elephant. I only got three hours of sleep the night before I left, and woke up extremely early to finalize everything and we were out of the door by nine thirty. My Mom, Dad, and sister drove me to LAX airport. My flight was originally at 2:55 pm, however I fly standby so it's never for certain that I will get on. The night before, the flight looked great and they said it had plenty of room. When I arrived at the airport, they told me that it was now oversold because of some rerouting of passengers. By this time I was already anxious and freaking out, hoping that my huge bag would be accepted, but this just made me feel like I wanted to puke! Luckily, they added another flight to Frankfurt at 7 pm so there was always another chance. I said goodbye to my family, which was actually a lot harder than I thought. I was truly so excited, however I knew that I was going to miss them so much. Once I left them, I got to talk with some italians that were in front of me in security, which made me feel much happier. They were a bit surprised that a Californian was speaking their language :) Well, I got to the gate and it was absolutely packed, the ticket agents wouldn't even look up at me since I was a standby and overall it just didn't look good. The whole time I was nervous and freaking out, and I ended up not getting on that one because there wasn't a single seat leftover. The lady told  me to go and check back in a roll over to the next one leaving at seven. After an emotional goodbye, I had to reunite with my family again to go and check in for the next one and spend another four hours with them waiting for my next flight. All I wanted to do was sleep! It was nice getting to spend some extra time with them, but when the time came I was certainly ready to try again for the next flight. After so much anxiety and sitting at the gate, I finally got a ticket and got on the plane to Frankfurt. The flight was a little over 10 hours, and I found it so incredibly hard to sleep. This time, I was so uncomfortable and it was an older plane so there weren't the TV's on every chair, but just in the aisle. We watched Mirror Mirror, some weird ass movie where a bunch of old people go to India, and by that time I decided to zone out and sleep and read my book. We finally got into Frankfurt, where I only had an hour and a half layover before my next flight. This may seem like a long time, however if you've ever been to Frankfurt...you would understand that it's nothing. Talk about the hugest airport ever, where you have to walk about five miles to get anywhere! I was doing really well speeding through, but there was a part of the airport that was taped off with police, and they forced us to wait until I discovered that there was another way to get to my gate. After practically running there, I finally made it to the desk and checked in, and the agent told me that I would make it on the plane to Venice just fine. I was extremely relieved and excited, however I was sweating profusely. I made my way over to the payphone and called Massimo, and told him that I would be seeing him in just under two hours. Always the most exciting phone call :) The flight to Venice was only one hour, and although I was exhausted, I was practically beaming with joy because I knew who would be standing there waiting for me once I got there. We finally landed, and I cried with joy since I knew that I wouldn't be reuniting with this airport for an entire year! I retrieved my bags and started walking towards those huge metal doors. I was the only one to walk out, and all I could see where a huge crowd of people waiting behind the lines to meet with their loved ones. I looked to my right, and there he was with that huge smile on his face that I absolutely adore. I hurried over to meet him and jumped into his arms, getting to feel his touch and his kiss after almost five long months of not being together. He had brought me beautiful roses, with a big bow with American colors :) The feeling I got was just indescribable, all I could say was I finally felt complete in his arms, they just feel like home to me. Of course we stood there for a while hugging and kissing and laughing with joy, but we finally managed to take a picture together and get into the car to drive home. When I arrived at his house, his parents were there waiting for me and we talked about my journey and all that is ahead. I took a shower and came down for my first dinner of the year in Italy. Naturally, after dinner I crashed out on the couch since I had only had about eight hours of sleep in three days! Needless to say, it was a great first night here. These past two and a half days I haven't really left the house, between the heat and my jet lag, I'm absolutely destroyed. It's been nice to rest up, especially with my love here with me! I can't wait to finally feel energized again :) One thing I missed so much was the food, I can say that I'm extremely happy that I will get to be shopping and eating here for the year...I'm a lucky girl! We exchanged birthday gifts last night...I am taking Massimo to his favorite soccer team's (Juventus) museum, and he is taking me to Rome! I'm so stoked for the adventures that lie ahead. For now, I am completely content with resting up as much as I can, because come next week..I will be in Florence, beginning a new journey! Well that's what's going on up to now, once things get more exciting I'll be sure to keep you all updated. I'll leave you with a picture of the beautiful roses Massi gave to me :)

Ciao for now!!

ONE WEEK!!!!

It's officially one week from today until I move to Italy!!!! I can't even believe how fast this summer has flown by, and there is still so much to do. It still seems so surreal to me that the time is finally here, and I don't know when it will exactly hit me. When I first get there, it will feel so weird knowing when I hug Massimo that we don't just have a short three week time period together, but a whole year to enjoy each other! Well I have my Visa, I have figured out my banking, what I'm going to do with my cell phone, and all the little things that I need to do. I'm still in the process of finding my apartment, which is a huge burden on my shoulders, but I know that it will work out! I'm so lucky to have a cousin there who is willing to go and see the rooms for me, it helps me feel much more comfortable and I'm very grateful :) After this Thursday, I might have made a decision for a room, and I'm crossing my fingers on this room in the city center that's just feet away from my school...we shall see :) And I'm about to embark on the packing adventure, it will be a nightmare trying to get everything I want in my bags...but gosh dangit I'll make it happen! I feel like every time I have gone for a few weeks I have packed enough to live there for the year...boy it's gonna get ugly. Luckily, I have made some friends in Florence already, whom I'm so excited to meet and hang out with! What's the craziest thing of all to me is the fact that I'm going to be back in my best friends arms in a week from now. I can't even explain the happiness I have, and I can't wait to be reunited at the airport and back to where I feel complete. We will be celebrating our birthdays during that first week and figuring out my last minute things that I need to take care of, and then he will go with me to Florence and get me situated in my new apartment :) These next couple weeks will be the best of my life, and I really just have to take it in while I can! Italy....Baby......I will see you SO soon! Ci vediamo così presto! Non vedo l'oraaaaaaaaa :D

ONE MONTH Till Program Start Date! THREE WEEKS till I leave!

Sooo wow. Time this summer has flown by so incredibly fast, and I couldn't be more stoked on life! In just 23 days from now, I will be moving to Italy. I'll be on an airplane, and the love of my life will be waiting for me outside those giant airport doors :) I can't be anticipating this moment any more! Just getting to run into his arms and to be able to know that I won't have to deal with goodbyes for such a long time, WAY more than three weeks is driving me insane with excitement! This time is going by fast, especially since summer picked up and I have been traveling and hanging out with the people that I love the most. I have so much planned for the next three weeks, and I know that I should definitely be enjoying my time here while I can, and my family and friends. But it's just so hard to not think about it and want to plan 24/7! I'm still working on finding an apartment, which is SO complicated and stressing...especially since I've been searching on a website that's basically like an Italian Cragslist. Everything is in italian, I have to completely interact with the people in italian, which is much more challenging for more since the living situation is something serious...and if I don't understand something right, I can be screwed. But so far, my search continues for the perfect room in the city center of Florence with other italian girls. I know that it will come in time! The next obstacle is packing everything for a year....in just two bags. It's already SO hard for me to keep under the bag weight when I just go for three weeks...now packing for four seasons?! This will definitely be interesting to see. I am already preparing myself to make some detachments from some of my lovely clothes and boots. Ugh. Preparing everything is indeed so much fun though, and I finally feel like it's all coming together! This week is my birthday week, however it just doesn't feel the same without Massi here with me. Eight days after is his birthday...and we are just not used to celebrating apart. I will be in Disneyland though, which I know that will be absolutely amazing! And I'm overly excited, because we have been making plans to celebrate once I get there...and I know that it will make up for it :) August will literally just be the best month. I'm so extremely excited to see what these next weeks have to come. I'll be updating just before I leave! Ci vediamo!! Ciao a tutti :)

                                                   
                   I'm already in love with my new home!!! 

2 MONTHS TILL PROGRAM START DATE!

                                   Ci Vediamo Presto Amore Mio!

It's officially two months today until the program in Florence starts...which means it's just a little over a month and a half before I head to Italy! It's literally all I have been thinking about. I'll be heading to Italy around the 20th, to stay with Massimo and his family as always. On the 28th, Evalyn should be arriving in Venice and Massi and I will pick her up from the airport and welcome her to the country! Then the next day, we will all take the train to Florence together and start this awesome journey :) I can't even begin to imagine how amazing it's going to feel when Massi embraces me for the first time, and I know that we will not have to worry about any countdowns until I have to leave for a year. Saying I will feel at home and complete will be an understatement. All I know for sure is that it will all be so surreal, and nobody will be able to bring me down! Time actually seems to be flying this summer; I can't believe it's already been over a month since I've been home and over two weeks since I had my Visa appointment. I  must say, I'm totally okay with that :) It's already almost July, and I know after that time will begin to really fly! It's been so exciting getting to plan everything for the first couple of days, and figure out where I'm going to be living. I can't wait to live with Italians and get completely immersed in the culture! My main challenge that I have been thinking about these days is how I'm actually going to pack for an entire year...since I have always packed for months when I go for just weeks.That will most definitely be my biggest challenge, but I'll somehow figure it out! After five trips, I've become quite skilled at smashing everything I want in my luggage, even if it means carrying a backpack half my size. I just truly am counting the days, and we are down to almost 50! When Massimo and I are down to just 50 days before we see each other, time always flies. And with this next month, having my friends come visit and taking trips to Disneyland and such, I'll be posting my one month before I know it :)

Visa Appointment COMPLETE!

Goodness, the last week sure has been extremely stressful! It's been more than a mission to get all of my paperwork together and in front of me in time for this day. If you didn't already know, applying for a student visa is THE MOST tedious process you could possibly confront when it comes to studying abroad. Not to mention I was told at my orientation that the Italian visa was one of the most difficult to apply for. Go figure. I was also told that most people are turned away the first time that they go to the Consulate, however they are now completely booked for the summer so it would have been impossible for me to make another appointment! That put so much weight on my shoulders, and I was overly paranoid that I wouldn't have everything that I needed. This led me to make farrrr too many copies of everything that I had, and also to take extra paperwork that I didn't even need. I guess it's better to be overly prepared than to miss something, right? :) Another major stressor that came along was that I discovered that I needed to apply for the "corsi singoli" no later than June 17th, in person at the Consulate. The corsi singoli are basically courses that you take at an Italian University, which are COMPLETELY in Italian. They expect a lot from you and if you choose to do it, then you are most certainly not treated like an American student at all, but absolutely like every other Italian student that's among you. This is something that I'm completely nervous for, because clearly I don't want to fall behind due to lack of understanding, however I believe that it's a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will get to truly expand my italian in so many ways! I know that I would regret it if I didn't at least try! Anyway, it was brought to my attention that I had to get this done before the 17th, and the office isn't open on weekends. So today, which was also the day of my appointment, was the only opportunity that I had. I didn't know if I had to make an appointment, so I freaked out a bit...luckily I got a call from the passport agent who sent me all that I needed and told me to just take it all in with my Visa information. I drove down to LA last night and met my parents, and this morning we still had things to take care of beforehand. We got up and ventured out to take care of everything, however the LA traffic was absolutely ridiculous and seriously pushed us on time. By the time we got to the bank, which was our last errand, it was 11:05 and my appointment was at 11:30! We left there at 11:15 and had to fight the traffic to make it a couple miles away, and the entire way I was having a nervous breakdown, basically feeling like I had to puke. This was only because I knew that if we were late for that appointment, they would tell us to reschedule another one, however that would have been impossible because there are none left for the summer. If you guys didn't know beforehand, the Visa is the most important document of the program, it's what lets us into the country and allows us to stay! Without that, I would not be going. So maybe now you understand where my mind was right at this point. We pulled into the parking structure at 11:26 and I got out of my car at 11:29, and literally RAN all the way up there, making it exactly on time. I checked in and everything was fine, with the exception of myself. My hands were shaking with anxiety as I was getting all of my paperwork together, but I finally got it all organized. They called me up and I explained to them of my situation with the corsi singoli, and they took all of my paperwork. The lady that runs the corsi singoli had to leave on an emergency to Italy today, so she wasn't able to see me exactly. So they told me that the only problem with that was that my Visa would just take longer to process. It normally takes about three to four weeks, and now that they have to take care of the corsi singoli it will probably take about 6 weeks, but it will still get to me on time before school :) I was overly prepared and the lady appreciated that, so we gave her everything and were out of there in twenty minutes! It was so much less intimidating than I had originally anticipated, and I was SO relieved once I walked out that door. All the stress that I had worked up to this point is now GONE! I can now work on mostly the fun details to prepare for my departure...and soak up this time of relaxation that I have before I go :) Being one step closer makes me so much more excited to arrive in this beautiful place and to be back in the arms of the love of my life! 74 days! <3