"So what's next?"

I returned to the United States June 2.  Since then, the number one question I have been asked is, “So what’s next?”

Long term, I have no answer for that question.  After I returned, here is “what has been next:”  In the past weeks I have been overwhelmed with the realization that so much will be changing in the next few years.  Over the past few weeks I have gone to the house of one of my best friends and her husband for their house warming party.  The next day I went to an officer commissioning ceremony for one of my friends who was becoming a lieutenant in the U.S. air force.  By the end of the next week I was across the country in Virginia, attending the wedding of one of my very good childhood friends.  And everyday more and more of my friends are getting engaged.

All of this to say, I am stuck in that awkward transitional stage between graduation and knowing what it is that I want to do with my life.  Being back in Virginia, the state I consider to be the place I “grew up,” I remembered, just as I have when I have returned to North Carolina, how much I love the East Coast and particularly the South.  I miss the beauty and the people so much and I know that I want to return there someday.  When is someday?  At this point, that is up to me and God.

But in the end, America and my life here really hasn’t changed that much.  The severe culture shock that I was warned about and worried about really hasn’t hit at all.  After only 9 months out of 21 years of life, the switch back to my culture wasn’t a hard one.  There are many things of the American culture and Americans that I now see in a new light, but the ease of not needing to think about how to act or what is normal is a wonderful feeling.

On to business matters…I am not sure if I will be continuing my blog now that I am home in the United States.  Since I started this blog for my year overseas, I’m not sure that I would have anything interesting to say now that I am back.  We’ll see how it goes.  Thank you all for giving me a reason to write this past year!

"I told you so."

Before I left I was repeatedly told by everyone how much I would change and how much I'd learn from a year away from my culture, language, family and home.  Here are a few things I've learned, significant and insignificant...

~I've learned another language and with that how profoundly language influences our relationships but at the same time how it is still possible to surpass language barriers in so many ways.  Dancing is the same in every language, Jesus is the same in every language, and people and their feelings are the same as well.

~I've learned to be less materialistic.  I have an entire closet full of clothes at home that I haven't seen in a year, yet I've had absolutely no need for them.  I haven't bought "stuff" this year because of the lack of means to get it home.  I have made do without a kitchen stocked full of the finest cooking utensils.  Even those of us who "aren't materialistic" to the U.S. standards have room to grow here.

~I've learned how to be myself instead of always "the girls" or "Victoria and Caroline."  This change has been long and coming since we began school at separate universities, but I feel like it really solidified this year.  I don't always enjoy the separation, but I've always wondered how I would be able to live without her.  I suppose we can do almost anything when life makes us.

~I've learned to toughen up, get thicker skin, and let it go.  Sarcasm and little jabs that people intentionally or unintentionally throw out, whether it be about past-times, eating, looks, studying, upbringing or other things, can sting, but there are usually bigger issues to worry about.  Dwelling on it will only hurt you.  They have already forgotten what they said.

~I've learned how to dive in 100% and just live. A lifetime of moving has already put me a step in the right direction, but I have continued to learn how to live in the present.  It is so easy to keep from investing in people, places and lifestyles because we know that it is only temporary.  It is also easy to look back at the past and long for things that were meant for a different season of life.

~I have learned how to light a stove and oven with a cigarette lighter without getting burned.
~I have learned how to pack for three weeks in a tiny duffel bag that is just bigger than a school backpack.
~I have learned how to "go out" - meaning go out to bars and go out dancing.
~I have learned to like wine.
~I have learned to be less freaked out about money.
~I have learned how to fly by the seat of my pants in traveling and in everyday life.

End of the line

I've been neglecting you, I know.  So much has happened in this past month and I haven't wanted to spend my last month on the computer.  Here are the cliff notes.

~ Hannah's Visit:  A friend of mine from high school who I haven't seen in 4 years (with the exception of a couple of hours), came to visit me!  We spent a LONG day of hiking (6 hours straight!) in Cinque Terre, toured Florence, took a field trip to Rosselle and San Galgano.  The hope of attending a Fiorentino soccer game was in the air, but the rain was stonger than our desire to be soaked by it.

Valentina and me on the road to Cortona!

~ A weekend home with Valentina in Castiglion Fiorentino:  I absolutely loved Valentina's family and her town.  It was the beautiful Tuscan countryside that all of our imaginations conjure up.  We spent time in Castiglion Fiorentino, Cortona, Arezzo and a day by the lake in Castiglion del Lago.  Unfortunately the vast fields of girasoli (sunflowers) don't bloom until late July and August.  It was a wonderful way to spend one of our last weekends in Italia and brought us closer with Valentina.

~ Lately?:  Finals just finished on Thursday and for me that means FOREVER!  I am officially finished with my college career!  In fact, my entire life of education as I have always known it!  Now I just wait and keep my fingers crossed that San Jose State University doesn't do anything stupid between now and the time they process my diploma next December.

Becca, Lauren and me.  A night out on the town after graduating!

The rest of my time has been filled with dinner parties, gelato, restaurants, birthday parties, water balloons, parks, movie nights.....  I will most likely get sick by the time I arrive home after a week and a half of 6 hours of sleep (or less), exhaustion from my first bought ever with allergies, emotional hoola-hoops as I deal with moving, and a grand finale of a 14 hour layover through the night in the Paris, Charles De Gualle Airport.  My thought process in regards to running my body into the ground:  I only live once, and I only live in Italy for 5 more days.
Only a summary, but as my blog readers, you unfortunately are only privileged to "the game highlights." 

My latest reading material?  Don't worry, you aren't missing out on much but if you really want me to, I can forward you my just-short-of-100-slides from 20th Century and Renaissance Art History.  Oh wait...I deleted those cause I'M DONE!

The Last Hoorah

Rodos, Greece

Ok, well maybe that is a little mellowdramatic, but let's put it this way: I am home from my last trip outside of Italy before returning to the U.S.  I didn't tell you I was going to Greece?  Probably because it was a last minute trip for me as well and as you can see by the number of postings this month, April has been all go, go, go.  My Spring Break and Victoria's trip happened to match up so we, as well as three of her friends, were able to meet in Rhodes, Greece for a couple of days.  I arrived Monday and returned home Thursday.  Although it was a short trip and the weather conditions may not have been ideal for an island vacation, I was thrilled to be able to see my sister for a third time this year.

Haraki, where we stayed.

We were witness, once again, to the fact that traveling during the "off" season can be both a blessing and a curse.  Tourist season officially starts May 1st on the island of Rhodes and it was apparent in the shops, restaurants, buses and more.  On the bright side, our accommodations (2 little condos and Victoria and I got one to ourselves!) were extremely less than during tourist season.  On the other hand, restaurants weren't at their finest.
After our first dinner we learned that just because it is on the menu, that doesn't mean that they have it in the kitchen!  No traditional Greek food (!), no cheese for fried cheese balls, a make shift Greek salad because they ran out of ingredients and lastly, no bread for the tzatziki we already ordered!  We were generally good sports about it and laughed it off, but throughout the course of the trip we found this to be quite normal because of the time of year.

We took advantage of our first day by spending it on the beach of the tiny town of Haraki.  It turned out to be the only day with both sun and warm temperatures!  We were so thankful we spent it on the beach instead of missing our opportunity!  We rented a car the next day and took a scenic drive around the island and with a couple of stops, including the whitewashed, traditional, Greek city of Lindos.  This city is exactly what I have always pictured Greece to be and I can't wait to go back in a couple of years and see more of it on the island of Santorini!  Our last morning in Greece, Victoria and I got up in the hopes of driving up to a mountain view that is said to be the most beautiful in all of Greece.  Unfortunately, the sky was overcast and the mountains were covered in a thick layer of fog.  Instead we decided to hike to a castle on the hill within walking distance to where we were staying in Haraki.  Although it wasn't our original plan, we got a beautiful view nonetheless as well as a long walk together and more time for talking.

Haraki beach from the castle on the hill.

It was wonderful to have Victoria there in person to be able to discuss my future after graduation and what seems like an abyss of..."unknowness" and uncertainty.  With the last final of my entire education only a month away, this seems to be one of the most prominent things on my mind lately.  There is never a better person than your best friend to be able to talk about the future with.

The traditional, Greek whitewashed city of Lindos

Sister time in Lindos

Even though I wasn't with family this Easter, I was able to spend it with my new church family from Chiesa Logos.  After church we went to Rose's house for Easter lunch, and with the knowledge of going home in only five short weeks I was able to completely enjoy myself and leave melancholy and nostalgia behind.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay." Matthew 28:5-6
Happy Easter! Buona Pasqua!

Aprile e i Miei Genitori

A weekend at Fabio's grandparent's house in the Mountains.

What a whirlwind of a month April has been!  It began with an overnight trip to the mountains with my Italian friends from church for Rose’s birthday.  I was extremely nervous to step out and go on an overnight with a group of Italian friends, but at the same time I was so excited to finally be fitting myself into my own life and not just what I have been given by my school.  It is frustrating not to be able to express myself and jump into the conversations so that people can get to know me, but I can see my language skills (my comprehension at least) continue to grow each time I spend time with them.  It also frustrates me that I have just begun to get connected with a church and Italian friends only a few months before I will return to the United States, but I understand that this was all a part of God’s plan for me and I can see why as well.

The Monday began the peak of second semester midterm stress and culminated in five exams in a four day span and then my immediate departure for Rome after my last test.  My reward for the successful completion of my midterms was my reunion with my parents for a week and a half vacation after almost 8 months apart. 

Roma Highlight:  Spending Saturday in the Rome’s “Central Park,” Villa Borghese, laying on the grass reading, tanning and listening to music as blossoms floated from the trees.

Piccolo Abruzzo

This was followed by the best dinner of my parent’s visit at a restaurant called Piccolo Abruzzo, a restaurant I would highly suggest (as it was suggested to my parents) to anyone who ever spends any amount of time in Rome!

Solo antipasti!

We greatly appreciated the fact that the meal was a set menu after days of so many successive decisions. 

He loved it.

And so our two and a half hour meal commenced.  We began with Chianti wine that was funneled into the bottle from the barrel right next to our table and an antipasta course (appetizers) which was large enough to be our whole meal in and of itself.  This was followed by hot vegetables and then a round of pasta in which the chef placed the skillet in front of my dad as his serving.  (This was an event, not just dinner!) 

This was succeeded by a plate of gnocchi which in turn was followed by a course of meat with potato pieces.  By this point we were taking a bite here and there to be polite and taking more to make the serving plate contents look diminished.  Here we had a bit of a reprieve where we were offered another bottle of wine, which we declined and then in a few short minutes, dessert was served. 

After our delicious berry tart, we were brought an entire canister of biscotti (cookies) to eat to our liking, as well as a bottle of grappa.  My mom and I tasted of the grappa but opted for limoncello instead, both of which were firsts for her.  As my dad drank the café that was offered to us, there were Italian guests who were just arriving at 9:30 to begin this grand affair of a dinner!  Mamma mia!

Firenze Highlight:  Wine tasting at Castello Verrazzano in the Tuscan countryside of Chianti.

We were served a free lunch of meats, cheese, bread and olive oil and then began our tour of the wine cellar and finished with a leisurely wine tasting.  After two weeks of cities, my parents were elated to spend time in the quiet, picturesque wine-country.  More over, my dad was thrilled that the winery was once owned by the same Verrazzano’s of which the bridge in New York is named after; the same one that his father helped build.

The beach of Monterosso

Cinque Terre Hightlight:  Soaking up the sun on the beach in our bathing suits the moment we arrived followed by dinner on a cliff-top overlooking the ocean. 

Unfortunately, our only full day in the 5 towns was cold and blustery and eventually rainy.  We bought a ferry pass that morning to take us from town to town instead of taking the train but the sea was so rough that the service proved to be quite impractical that day.  Better luck next time.

My Italian got quite a workout as we discovered that night that there was to be a train strike the next day, when we had tickets to travel to Venice.  A few hours of stress that night and an early morning visit to the train station the next morning turned out to be in vain when the strike didn’t actually happen.

Venezia Highlight:  Well…some very rude people unfortunately, but I’d have to say…maybe our visit to the island of Burano.

"Color is like Music, It uses shorter way to come to our senses to awake our emotions."

This tiny island off of Venice doesn’t really have anything to do, but you feel like you have just stepped off a boat into Candy Land!  Each house lining the many canals is painted a different bright color from the next and it seems simply surreal that people actually live on this tiny story book illustration of an island!  The people here seemed to be the happiest of all who we met in the Venice area and we enjoyed the glimpse of this place where people paint their joy on their houses and plant it in their window boxes.

There were no tears as I left to come back to Firenze, knowing that six weeks is nothing compared to eight months.  I can’t wait to see my family and friends once I return, but I am finally beginning to adjust to my life here, just as we always do after about eight or nine months living in a new place.  Again, just as it always is with moving, my parting will be bittersweet, but there are always new adventures and experiences to be had.  After seeing my parents it seems to be coming quicker than I would have ever expected.  How strange it is that time can pass so slowly when we are longing for the future and conversely, how quickly it passes when we don’t want to let go of the present.

See you in less than two months my friends!  I will say, am definitely excited to be back in my culture where basically anything goes (even though that can be both good and bad) after eight months of committing or rather, trying to avoid committing cultural faux pas.

My Latest Reading Suggestion:  The Art of Racing in the Rain

Hodgepodge

I Google translated “porca miseria” today.  “I hear this word ALL the time,” I thought as I listened to my roommates and their friends talking. 

Translation: G** D*****

Moral of the story – don’t always use words you don’t know the meaning of just because you want to fit in.  Who knows what you could be saying!

traditional carnevale dress

Yes…I really did go to Venezia about a month ago.  I am sorry I never wrote about it, but life just got crazy this month.  So much for my trying to blog more, right?  Looks like my posts will be few and far between from here on out.  Honestly, Carnevale wasn’t all that exciting, but Venice was beautiful and staying with a family for the weekend was wonderful.  I rode in a car for the first time in months, was cooked homemade meals and tucked into bed by Ilaria’s mamma.

Apparently I look like a completely different person without my wool winter coat that I have been hiding behind for the past 5 months.  I think I am going to have to get used to the shameless stares of Italian men, both young and old, all over again.

“There comes a time when you no longer want shaky guys staring at you thinking God knows what, whispering things in Polish you're really glad you don't understand.” – Under The Tuscan Sun

True. Statement.  (Just substitute ‘Polish’ for ‘Italian’)  Only difference…I can generally understand what it is they are saying now.

The castel where we did our winetasting.

Another exciting thing I did this past month…Wine tasting in Chianti!  We took a bus 50 minutes outside the city to Chianti and got a light lunch, a tour, and wine tasting all for 20 Euro!  No, I will not complain too much about being a cute, young girl in an Italian bartering society.

Another winery across the way.

In just 10 days……I WILL SEE MY PARENTS!  It has been just shy of 8 months since I have seen those amazing folks who gave birth to me!  If you had told me a year and a half ago that I would go this long without seeing my parents I would have straight up laughed at you.  Ok, ok…maybe I would have tried to have been polite and given a simple, “Oh!  Yeah, maybe,” but that is just because I wouldn’t have felt like arguing about it and I knew that it wouldn’t be true, plain and simple.  Well, I did it and now we are finally going to see each other!  Our agenda?  Roma, Firenze, Cinque Terre, and Venezia.

My latest song recommendation: Mushaboom by Feist

Un Pranzo della Domenica Italiana

So I have this issue that when I get really busy and I am continually doing things of substantial blogworthyness,  I stop blogging.  I always face the predicament of whether I should blog about my amazing day or if I need to catch up on back-blogging first.  Today was too wonderful to wait.  I'll have to tell you about Carnevale in Venezia, wine tasting in Chianti and my day in Siena another time.

On this Italian Sunday I had one of my few true Italian home culture experiences of the year.  After the service at church I made a point of introducing myself to a few English speaker who were sitting next to me.  They, in turn, introduced me to the pastor's wife (he is Italian, she is American) who introduced me to a group of Italians in their twenties.  After a while of feeling awkward, only being able to listen as they all conversed I told them that I had to leave.  They responded by asking me if I would like to go to lunch with them.  What were my plans for the day? Why not?  Isn't this what I have been wanting; to spend time with Italians?  "Eh...Si!"  With that, my day with my new friends commenced.

After debate on where to go to lunch (this restaurant, that restaurant, someone's house...) I wasn't really sure what the decision ended up being, but I was game for anything.  We divided people up into cars and it ended up that we were headed to someone's house.  Events of the day:
Lunch
Talking...talking...talking...
Coffee ("Qualcuno senza zucchero?" -"Io!" -"Wow!  Brava Carolina!")
Talking...
Cake/bread type dessert (Apparently it was someone's birthday?)
Talking...talking...talking...talking...If you thought going to someone's house for lunch meant, well...lunch, you were wrong.  It was about 4:30 by now and they were asking, "Who wants to play games? Who wants to watch a film?  Niccola is out, who wants him to bring back connoli?  Apparently at four hours into lunch the day was still young.  Good thing I didn't have plans today.
Next...cards and more talking and then Risiko (Risk, the board game) for a few of us. (Note: Playing games with Italians is very loud and lively and involves a lot of "Ehhh!!!'s"
7:00pm - Connoli arrive!  Buonissimo!  Man, a cookie filled with cream/ricotta cheese, if that is not amazing/fattening I don't know what is!
7:45 - Some people were leaving and were my only ride in sight for hours so I left with them.  I was loosing Risiko (like always) anyway.  Most people were staying and sad we were leaving.  Wasn't it about time 8 hours later?  Or was it dinner time now?  I don't really know.
Moral of the story, people are more important than any plans you might have and apparently Sunday lunch is an ALL day event!  I had a great time though and loved every Italian minute of it!

Buon Appetito!

Italian food.  One of Italy's biggest claims to fame.  Is it really as good as everyone says?  The simple answer? Yes.  However, there are many things that have surprised me about real Italian food because of the way I have grown up with American-Italian food.

#1.  Garlic.
I have not eaten one Italian dish where the taste of garlic was clearly prominent.
There is no such thing as garlic bread in Italy.
As Ilaria told me, her grandpa is the only person she knows who even likes garlic.

#2.  Sweet and Simple.  Few ingredients. This describes Italian food well.
Unlike the U.S., dishes are made with far less ingredients here. When looking at our Thanksgiving dinner we realized this.  In the U.S. so many different things are combined in each dish.  For big meals, Italians are all about how a meal will best be digested, and the American way is certainly not it. This simplicity goes for everything from panini to pasta, lunch to dinner.  Expect to get whatever it is that you order and nothing more, but nothing less.  If you order a prosciutto and cheese sandwich...that is what you will get.  Bread, prosciutto and cheese.  The same goes for dinner.  In the United States we are used to choosing a meal off the menu from a single item.  Here, if you want more than one dish for your dinner then you order a full course meal.  Antipasta (Appetizer), first plate, second plate, then a vegetable, and then dessert.  And don't forget your caffe (espresso) or other digestivo (digestive wine or liquor eg: limoncello) at the end.  I have done this only a few times at the prepaid dinners when on field trips with my university.
When ordering a single dish, however, they really are exceptional.  The sauces are wonderful and everything is always so fresh.  The specialty dishes of the region you are dining in are always some of the best.

The biggest gelato ever!

#3. Gelato.
It is everywhere.  I am not sure if it is everywhere because it is famous or if it became famous because it is everywhere.  Either way, gelato is wonderful.  The difference from gelato and ice cream is that it is more creamy and more dense.  You can tell if it is good quality gelato by the amount of air holes you can see in it when you take a lick off your cone.

Chianti wine festival in Greve, September 2010

#4. Vino.
In this department, all I can tell you is that it is good.  I didn't like wine and didn't drink wine before coming to Italy, but I definitely have a taste for it now.  I don't think you could really come here and not like wine.  It is just such a large part of the culture.  I don't drink much white wine but when I do, it is very refreshing in comparison.  Red wine is the wine of Italy and Chianti is the wine of Tuscany.  I have to say, and not because I live in Toscana, Chianti is my favorite so far.  I have learned a lot about wine this past year and I don't know if it is just because I drink it now or if it is because I am in Italy.  Probably a little of both.

#5. Pane e Formaggio. Bread and Cheese.
No, I will not be an obnoxious snob when I come, but yes, both bread and cheese are better here.  Yesterday I couldn't resist buying a 59 cent baguette in a bag that was still beaded with moisture from the heat of being freshly baked.  The bread is fresher and the taste is...less artificial.  That is the only way I can put it.
What type of cheese would you like to talk about?  I think the biggest difference in every type of cheese is the amount of moisture it contains.  In comparison, many cheeses in the U.S. are very dried out.  My favorites are pecorino and brie.  Well...the mozzarella and the parmigiana are pretty good too...and the ricotta...and...

Cappucini and Buccelato in Lucca (a specialty bread of Lucca)

Every city and region of Italy has different foods that they are famous for and your tongue will thank you for ordering the specialty.  I am speaking from experience.
I didn't even mention the coffee.  Next time.

News On a Sunny Fiorentino Day

Where am I? : The 3^rd floor logia of the Florence library looking out at the Duomo and the Bell Tower set against a beautiful blue sky streaked with clean, white clouds.

What am I listening to? : A playlist I just made entitled “Music for a Sunny Day.”

My view. (It wasn't sunny the day this picture was taken, obviously.)

I’m not going to lie, my hands are cold as I sit here typing this, but it is at that point in the year where you want so badly for it to be warm that you try to will it to be so.  I mean clearly…I brought my computer all the way to the library just to I could be outside on this sunny day.

I am trying to keep you more up to date by writing more frequent yet smaller posts.  That means you will hear about more than just the big events that go on here in my Italian life which was my original intent for this blog.  With that said, they will most likely be a more summarized version as well.  If there is something you would like to hear more about feel free to leave me a comment and I may or may not choose to address it. ;) (I am curious to see who really reads this besides my family.)

This past weekend was spent at Fierra in Danza (The Future in Dance), a dance and trade show that is supposedly one of the biggest in the world.  Thousands of people attended from all over Italy and the events included free classes, masterclasses, competitions, performances and vendors.  Every type of dance form you can think of was represented and I took my fair share of classes as well.  I am writing to you during the time I would normally be in my ballet class, but I don’t think my body would have permitted it today.

This weekend both inspired me and discouraged me.  I honestly don’t know what it is that I will end up doing with my abundance of dance training, as I am just shy of “good enough” in so many realms and types of dance.  Hopefully when the time comes I will find where am meant to be and fit in and be able to use my love of dance and performing.

I also attended a church that I love for the second time this Sunday.  The service is completely in Italian but I know enough Italian and enough of the Bible to understand through context.  It is so great to have found a church that is just like what I am used to from the U.S., here in Italy.  The same songs are sung translated into Italian and the service is much more modern than anything I have found so far.  Unfortunately, from here on out, there are very few weekends I will be home and able to attend.  It is so strange to feel time running out when I can look back and see those times where I was longing to be home a few months back.

  Me, Becca, Maleesa, Ilaria and Valentina.

With that said…What are my plans this weekend that will take me away from Firenze?  CARNIVALE!  This weekend Ilaria, Valentina, Becca and I are taking a trip to northern Italy for Carnival.  We are staying at Ilaria’s house in Padova, a short train ride from the Venezia (Venice) Carnivale celebration.  I am just as excited to go to Ilaria’s house as I am to go to Carnival.  I will finally see a bit of real Italian home life.  Pictures with my soon to be purchased masquerade mask to be posted upon my return!

I feel like our friendship with Ilaria and Valentina is finally starting to blossom beyond that of just roommates.  The five of us roommates finally went to appertivo (Italian style buffet where you order a drink and can then eat all the food you want.), we are now going to Ilaria’s house and we are making plans to visit Valentina’s house near Arezzo.  Hopefully with a fair amount of work, these will be friendships I can keep forever.

Fun fact: I decided to bring with me to Italy my sparkly, blue, “fireworks” brand pencil that I think I have been saving since middle school for “something special.”  Hold on to your hats folks!  The sparkly blue pencil has been sharpened!  What’s the special occasion?  My last semester of college!

My latest song recommendation: Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap

Round Two.

Tuesday.  Day two, second semester.  Did you forget that I was here on a study abroad program?  Don't worry, I do the same thing sometimes.  So what will I be learning this semester?  Well...that's to be determined, but the classes I am taking are as follows:

20th Century Modern Art History
Cinema Italiano (Italian Film; Taught in Italian)
The History of Ancient Rome
Grammatica Italiana (Italian Grammar)
Arte Rinasciamente(High Renaissance Art History, Taught in Italian)

I am also working out my dance schedule as I go into my second semester.  So far it looks like I will be able to take class Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (and maybe Thursday) just like last semester, just at different times.  Tonight I am taking my first night class here in Italy.  It is kind of nice to be heading to dance in the evening.  So familiar.  It is the schedule I have had my entire life.

Bomarzo, Italia

I am excited beyond words for this weekend!  There is a dance festival at a convention center here in Firenze called Danza in Fiera (Dance in the Future) that is one of the biggest dance festivals that takes place across the world.  There is an abundance of free classes of every style of dance from argentine tango to poppin' and lockin' to classical ballet, auditions, exhibitions and performances.  I plan on packing lunch and snacks and spending my entire weekend jumping from class to class.  I will be exhausted and sore, but it will feel so good!  Hopefully this is not too good to be true and there really aren't any catches to these "free" classes!

They Are Called "Professional Pick-Pockets" for a Reason

Looking out at the view from the coast of Sorrento

Yes, it is what you are thinking.  Yours truly, the extremely careful and self-aware Caroline Dennis, was pick-pocketed on the bus in Napoli.  My passport was stolen from my small, cross-body purse which was concealed under my knee length fully buttoned winter coat.  It doesn't  matter how careful you are, it can still happen to you.  They are called professionals for a reason.  I knew within two minutes after it happened, but it doesn't matter even if the person is still on the bus with you.  There is nothing you can do.  I am not surprised it happened really...in a bus where you can barely stand because you are being pushed and shoved by pressing bodies on every side.  I just can't believe they got it out of my purse from under my knee length fully buttoned coat.  Well Napoli, you lived up to your reputation.
But life goes on and I am over it.  My budget will just be a little tighter for a while.

The view of Napoli from a castle at sunset

So, my trip.  Where did I go?  Napoli, Sorrento and the beautiful island of Ischia.
Upon arriving in Napoli and seeing the graffiti covered buildings and heaps of garbage covering the streets, Becca and I briskly walked in silence in the direction of our hostel away from the central train station.  Although neither of us said it out loud, the thought running through our head were the same. "Why are we vacationing here?"  However, as we got further and further from the train station the city began to improve a bit.  It was still a far cry from Firenze, but we were anxious to see what the city had to offer.

Some highlights of the trip:

 Gino Sorbillo Pizzeria.  The most amazing pizza I have ever eaten.  There is a reason Napoli is famous for it's pizza.  On our first night in Napoli Becca and I ate here and a guitarist came in and played for the restaurant. A man at another table started belting operatic song.  Quite an Italian experience.  There was no doubt we were in Southern Italy.  I got the "Nonna Carolina" pizza on our second visit...Grandma Caroline.  I mean, how could I not?

Ischia Sunset

The People.  The difference was extremely noticeable between Southern Italians and Italians in our area.  I loved it.  This is where the warm, welcoming stereotypes come from.  And the the men...

The Men.  Where have all the "gorgeous Italian men" been hiding?  Southern Italy.  We met two and spent a few hours with them.  One, an actor, spoke perfect English with a barely detectable accent and the other, a musician, spoke no English at all.  They were both swoon worthy.  I was Facebook friends with both by the next day.
No, we didn't take pictures with them.  Why?  I ask myself the same question.

ISCHIA!  We made friends with a tour group of old Italians and they took us on their tour for two hours before leading us to our hotel.  They were all so excited to have three young girls from another country touring with them!  If you had been there you would have felt like you were part of a movie script.

Ischia Panoramic

Beautiful day at the hotsprings

Natural Hotsprings.  Many of the best things in life are free.  This was one of them.  Water so hot we could barely touch it in some areas.  Laying out in bikinis in mid February.  In summary - the perfect day.

The view from our hotel room

Time with the Lord.  After my passport was stolen I spent a few hours talking to God.  First ranting, then thanking, then listening, then praying.  God used this unfortunate event to draw us closer even still.  I am still amazed at how much our relationship is growing this year!

Growing Up. A Love-Hate Relationship

So what has been on my mind lately?  Oddly enough, as I sit here typing from Florence Italy, I have been thinking about life after college and what that brings.  Jobs, insurance, a new car, an apartment, benefits…the list of adulthood responsibilities is OVERWHELMING.  I know, this is not something to be worried about now, but fact is, I have been thinking about it a lot.  And that’s that.

In a way though, it is a little bit exciting amidst the tremors.  For the past two years I have felt like everything is so temporary.  San Jose was temporary because it was just my home away from home…where I stayed because I was closer to school.  Here in Italy less so because this is my only home for the entire year, but I still know that come June, I will be going home.  However, as a young adult, I don’t think anything is really that permanent since you don’t really know where your life is going to take you and what it is that you will end up doing and where you will need to move to accommodate that.  I can say that after living in 2 countries, 5 states and 10 houses across the span of my lifetime, I will not spend my entire life living in one area. 

This too, is hard to say, because as the youngest of four sisters I see that growing up does not mean your life will revolve only around you and your desires just because you don’t live with your immediate family anymore.  My sister Amanda is happily married and I am the proud auntie of two nieces and a nephew.  Just in this one year away from home I have realized how special my relationship with each of them is and have had a hard time with the fact that I don’t yet have a relationship with the youngest, Amelia Josephine, who is just seven months old.  Because I grew up across the country from my extended family, I know that it is a possibility to do this and still have a special relationship with them, but I don’t think that is what I want for my relationship with Madelaine, Alasdair and Amelia.

With all this said, there is also the necessity of finding a balance of between living my life for me and living it for other people.  Both important, but how to find the balance will be an experimental process.  All of you from an older generation are probably smiling as you read this thinking, “Yep, she’s gotten to that point in life where she’s thinking about all these things…” but for me it seems like more than just ‘that phase everyone goes through.’

Well, reading this you either got more than you wanted when you clicked on my blog hoping to read exciting news about Italy and European travels, or else you got an added bonus of insight into the thoughts of girl in her twenties, living in Italy, four months away from graduating college and just four months away from ‘real’ adulthood.  Hopefully it was the later.  Thanks for stopping by! (And no, I rarely proofread so thanks for dealing with errors or strangely worded sentences!)