Day 29 - July 28

 Thursday. Last day of class :( I loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeee my food class. I loveeeeeeeeeee my teacher. And I loveeeeeeeeeeee all my new friends I have met and cooked with in that class! It is so weird to say goodbye to the people I have bonded with for the past month, even just through a class, because I really may never see them ever again. It is such a weird feeling!! Our cooking final went amazing. We cooked spaghetti with a very simple olive oil, cheese, and pepper sauce for the first course and we had 3 celebrity (old students of our teacher's) judges to be served. It was so much fun. I felt like we were on iron chef...only we got to pick the ingredient. I had to make a presentation about the food and where it cmae from and talk about how to make it. It tasted delicious and we ate every last bit of food that was cooked today. At the end of class we all took pictures with Marco, our teacher, and let me tell you that he is quite the character. He was telling everyone how he demanded us to take pictures and that they were totally necessary when we asked if it was ok. He also said that he loved our class...how much? Enough to make a little heart with his hands over the top of my head when we took a picture together!! It was so funny because he wouldn't seem like the kind of person to be funny like that! The picture is
great...and I still need to upload it :) So the rest of the day I was busy, busy, busy. I had to go out and take my pictures for my final project, study for my test, and edit more pictures for my portfolio. I am swamped. I think that I got some good pictures throughout the day, but that never means that my teacher thinks the same thing like ever. I was so stressed out about the exam and the final and all the editing that I had to do that I didn't even get to finish everything! Unfortunately my portfolio is the thing that had to suffer because I did not have time to edit my pictures in the correct format to be  printed. Everything else was done for a grade so I felt those were a little more important. So after we all went crazy a little bit in there trying to keep up with all the work, I forced a group picture! It was so funny. My teacher is NOT photogenic and does NOT know how to take a picture like at all. I even got a picture of him and I together and it took us like 5 times to get one where he at least is looking at the camera with his eyes open. It was like working with a child. But it was really funny because I was laughing at him the whole time and meanwhile we all think that he has a crush on me so he was really nervous...or at least that is what we think. Probably not all that true. But I had to rush out of class to make it for the program dinner for steak tonight!!! We all got dressed up and headed to the restaurant. We had a blast!!! I am really going to miss a lot of the people I have met here and it is weird that I won't be seeing them or talking to them on a regular basis after this weekend!! We all had such a great time eating. I got the famous Florentine steak with the blueberry sauce...oh my god. That is like heavenly. So tasty!!! We also got a pasta sampler...5 different pastas passed around, then dessert sampler which was 4 different slices of dessert!!! There was a chocolate brownie cake, terrimisu, fruit tart, and I think cheesecake or something? I actually do not remember! It was such a good dinner and I am so happy that I got to experience all of this. I loved every second of my time here and it is so sad to think about it being over!! We all decided to go out together in celebration of our last night. It was a good time, but Carrie and I went home early so we could get some sleep before our extremely busy day tomorrow. It will be my last day tomorrow and my goal is to shop until literally all my money is gone!!! I want to get a bunch of stuff done so I don't want to be up too late!!! Can't wait to be coming home, but I really am so sad to leave Florence!!! It has been such an amazing experience that has probably changed who I am and who I will be in the future, but in such an awesome way. I also have made some friends that will last forever I think. I am really close to some of the girls and I know we will make the effort to drive the ridiculous amount of hours that are between us. We just have so much fun and I have become used to talking, seeing, and living with them everyday. Can't believe it is over!!!

Day 28 - July 27

 Wednesday. So my second to last day of classes and I start the week off with a written final in my food class. I woke up early to study (since last night didn't go too well) and I didn't even look over my recipes). But surprisingly the test went very well!! I think I did fine on it and just had to write 10 short answers explaining 3 different regions of Italy, and the recipes that went along with that region. It went pretty easily. So my next thing to do was photography class. Today we walked around a little bit and took some more pictures for another project that was actually due today. It was a little overwhelming because on top of that new project we had to make a 10 picture portfolio of printed pictures, turn in a final project on Italian culture (10 photos), and a paper explaning our view...plus a written test in there tomorrow too. It is way too much! But the project we did today was on macro pictures which means that you are super close to the subject or one thing is in focus while everything else is blurred and very abstract. They were very interesting and cool pictures and I wish we would have had more time to spend on this subject, but it is a little late now. Anyway, I feel like I got a lot done today. I edited 4 other pictures to be printed for my portfolio and finished my macro project. Just one more day to go in this class before I can relax!!!
 After class was over, there was a group of us that wanted to go to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner. It is called Gatto del Volpe. They serve family style for 15 euros. It is the best deal around! Appetizers including meats, veggies, caprise salad, and bruschettas. Then we get 3 different pastas for our main dish...we got penne vodka (2 orders of that because it is unbelievably good) and a mushroom tortolini with a truffle sauce. Talk about amazing. Then we also get unlimited wine and water, which is a really big deal because water is not free. You have to pay and sometimes it is a lot for water, but the wine alone was worth the 15 euros!! We drink a lot of wine while we eat dinner. So obviously it was a great dinner and an awesome night! I love that place...and their penne vodka :) We then all came back to the apartment and studied for tests in the morning/next day. I wanted to get some sleep since I had a cooking final and then all my photography stuff to do during the day. I passed out with my nook on my chest because I was reading and fell asleep right in the middle of it. Only one more day of classes left!! I know it will be sad for my food class to be over, but my photography class has been so stressful and hard that I will be looking forward to 6:45 when I am done with that class.

Day 27 - July 26

 I cannot believe I am in my last week!! I have a feeling this is how all my entries are going to start until it comes down to the day I come home. It seems like I have been here forever, but at the same time it is weird that it is coming to an end. Anyways...Tuesday morning and I am excited to go to my last cooking lesson before our finals on Wednesday and Thursday. Oh my god. I had no idea what I had coming my way. Seafood day. When I walked in, I knew it was not going to be pleasant because of the smell. We had mussels, which were alive and we learned that we had to kill them by ripping off the beard that allows them to breathe. That so was not even the worst of it. Then shrimp, luckily without the heads on them, had to be cracked open, peeled and the little legs had to be ripped off and it had to be opened up to pull the vein out of it before cooking. Awesome. Then came the anchovies. Luckily they were also beheaded before we got to them. My teacher wasn't happy but I was thankful. He held it up...stuck his thumb down where the head would be, split the body completely open then pulled the bone out and twisted the tail off. I thought I was going to be sick. And finally the calamary. Squid. Full bodied, eyes and tenticles and head and guts all still intact. I was unable to watch at this point and I was literally sick to my stomach. My teacher laughed at me but kept explaining how to cut off the long tenticles and twist the head off and pull the brain/guts out in one piece, then cut out the eyes...or squeeze till they pop out sometimes. I wanted to throw up. I was so appalled by what he was telling me that I couldn't even look in the same general direction as the rest of the class. Luckily there were a few others that felt the same way I did, so I wasn't alone in my disgust. After the massacre of fish was over, he explained the other things that will go along with the fish. Pasta...my specialty, a sponge cake, and zucchine flan. The pasta was cut into little, tiny chunks where I then took a knife and pressed down to curl it around the edge until I could unravel it to make a cute little circular pasta! It was really cute...but was such a long process. There were 4 of us doing it, but it still probably took the longest out of everything else to prepare. It was cooked with brocolli, which is something I miss. Pasta and brocolli, but it is not the same as home of course. It was boiled down and sauted until it was basically mush. Then anchovies were added to the sauce, against my will. The zucchine flan was not my favorite and the cake was way too much over kill with the ricotto cheese. Needless to say I did not eat very much at all today.
 I didn't feel good for the rest of the day and didn't even eat until after photography class around like 8pm. Photography was good because we edited our pictures, sent them in, learned about our final more which is going to be big. We have a written test, a 10 picture portfolio to be printed out, along with another 10 picture assignment having to do with Italian culture. My emphasis is going to be on food I believe, since that is basically what my entire trip has been molded around. Lorenzo de Medici (my school) put on a farewell dinner for us tonight as well. I went into it expecting what we got for the welcome dinner...basically appetizers that were not filling whatsoever. Instead we get a full blown meal. Best part...for free!! We got lasagna that was the best I have had this whole trip, risotto, salad with grilled chicken (no dressing because they do not believe in salad dressing), grilled garlic/butter potatoes, and not one but two helpings of teramisu. I was stuffed beyond belief because of course I did not let a single morsel of food go to waste. I ate everything and was miserably happy the rest of the night. We eventually went home and I had to study for my final in Food class in the morning. We have to know 3 different regions, and about 12 recipes. So studying is what I should do the whole night. Too bad I have ADD and JJ was online and there were people in and out of our apartment. I didn't even start to write my paper until after midnight and begin reading the information 45 minutes after that. I decided though that I would be better off going to sleep and reading in the morning instead of staying up now. Goodnight!!!! 4 days left!!

Day 26 - July 25

 Monday...last week of class. It is crazy to think that it is all amost done! Finals are this week and my last chances to see anything left in Florence!! I have so much I want to do this week, but I really just don't have enough time! Today in food class we made ravioli finally! Our teacher said that it was something that was going to be hard and difficult to do correctly...obviously he was underestimating my class' cooking skills. We made them so well! We also made this eggplant, tomatoe, olive appetizer. It was interesting because it was all cooked together and a little mushy, but it was not bad at all. Then we also made fried rice balls, which were obviously good. I mean how could something that is fried with cheese and rice in it not be good? Finally for dessert we made fried, sweet ravioli with honey drizzled on top. It was fantastic...and I know how to make homemade ravioli now too! So it was another successful day of cooking today. In between classes I had a lot of homework to do for photography because I had an assignment to turn in plus a paper explaining my selection. This one had to do with landscape photos, which was probably the easiest of all my assignments. I focused my pictures on things around Florence and it turned out alright...not necessarily my best work because I don't think my teacher liked them all that much. I mean I thought he had a crush on me?! Haha guess that didn't last that long...I am getting much better at photoshop though. I can make anything brighter or darker in a picture like a pro. So that will be great to go home and make all my pictures look even better for me to use to decorate my house/room. Maybe I will share my pictures with Taylor too... :) So after class was over I raced back to the apartment to get ready for my boat trip down the Arno River that I signed up for through school! It is basically a gongola ride down the river that flows in the middle of Florence. There were 2 boats with 2 guys pushing

us along with a big stick against the bottom of the river. These boats were 100 years old!!

It was really pretty because the sun was setting and we were seeing things that could only be seen from the river, not the streets. Although it was a very slow boat ride, it was relaxing to just sit there and enjoy the view. 5 euros well spent.

Carrie, Miyon, and I (my roommates) were starving after that too. So we met up with Liz (other roommate) for a nice dinner at this outdoor patio restaurant. We shared a bottle, or two, of wine and sat for a good hour or two just talking and soaking in one of our last nights in Florence. It is crazy to think that I am running out of time here so quickly! As much as I have loved being here though...I will say that I am kind of ready to be home. I miss being home and everyone there!! Can't believe something that I have been looking forward to for so long is actually coming to an end. I have mixed feelings about it ending, because I want to go home but don't want my trip to be over. I think it would all be better if everyone at home just came here with me!! That would be perfect :) Only 5 days left...ahhhh!!!

Day 25 - July 24

 Sunday = beach day. We wake up after a full nights sleep :) and get some breakfast. It was the best continental breakfast ever! Plus I basically filled my beach bag with snacks and fruit for later so it was even better. We headed to the beach intending on buying chairs and umbrellas to lay out on because they were only supposed to be 5 euros. Well instead we get there and the only 3 left are in the back corner away from the ocean and they are 10 euros, not 5. All of us are way too cheap for that so we decided to go find some space on the free sand. Funny to call it sand though...it was rocks and gravel. You couldn't lay too close to the water in the real sand because it had such high tides that you and your stuff would be drenched. It was soooooo not comfortable but we were happy just to be laying out. We were there for a while then it was kayaking time! We were all a little aprehensive at first because the ocean was a little rough, but I didn't want to miss. Carrie and I were partners and we were pretty good at it. She has done it before so I got a quick lesson before being pushed out into the water.

We rowed around for a while and hung out in the water with everyone, but then eventually made our way home. I was so exhausted from rowing that it took us forever to get back to where we started though. Carrie and I made a great team and didn't fall over once! There were 2 other kayakes that did tip so that made me happy that I was not one of them...that ocean is way too scary for me to be floating around out there! We get back, I reapply some sunscreen (you're welcome mom) and pass out on the rocks. I am going to be so sore tomorrow it is not even funny. Between hiking, kayaking, and laying in gravel, my whole body is going to hurt! On top of all those things, however, Carrie and I decided to (unintentionally) add to our overall "painful" weekend. We saw this awesome looking rock that was massive and half way in the ocean, half way on the shore. We wanted to take pictures on it. Little did we know that most of the beach was covered in, not sand, but rocks. Small, hard rocks. We did not take our flip flops and were miserable the entire way. It was so funny to watch from an outsiders view I am sure, but we have never hurt so bad walking to a stupid rock. The pictures weren't even good because I just look like I am in pain. It is funny now...but at the time...it was really bad.

Either way though I had such a great time and I got quite a good little tan which made me happy :) No sunburn this time either...which was even better. I got another smoothie (pineapple, banana, orange) and we walked towards the train to get home. It was a 3 hour train ride again, but at least this time it was a nonstop train. On the way there we had 3 different stops and some of the time we didn't even get seats. It was miserable. Finally we get home...I go through some of my million pictures it seems and go to bed. I was the first one of the apartment to sleep and it was amazing. Tomorrow starts my last week of classes!! Then it is home time!! Crazy to think I only have one week left...

Day 24 - July 23

 Saturday morning we wake up early and meet to get on a 3 hour train ride to Cinque Terre!! This is probably one of the most exciting weekends I have had to look forward to because I have been wanting to do this very famous hike! We get there and the weather is beautiful, the hotel is actually pretty nice (AC, oh yea!) and the little beach town is adorable. We all grab some food, snacks, and water then prepare for our 4 hour hike! We start off at the first village where the hike to the second one is more like a walk on a paved road because it is supposed to be the easy part where everyone can go. After that it gets more difficult. The second part of the hike is closed because of a landslide, so obviously we skip over that. We take a train to the next village. There are 5 villages within Cinque Terre and the hike is what is in between all of them. So once we get to the third village we have the 2 big hikes to go. The first one took us about an hour and a half. It was gorgeous though. It was right along side the ocean and followed up and down the mountain. I was in love with it! We were very high up so we couldn't feel the waves, but the breeze made the weather basically perfect to hike in.

All the views were breathtaking and it was so crazy to see where we were climbing to, then get to the top and look back at what we had already accomplished. The hike, needless to say, was a very fulfilling achievement. There were a lot of parts that were just ledges to walk on with the mountain on the right and no much but a steepm, rocky cliff going down to the ocean. I tried to take pictures of what the hike was like, but I didn't get all that many from those parts...I chose to keep my life safe than get some pictures while walking. So the last hike also took us about the same time as the other long one. And the whole thing was unbelievable and totally worth every hard part we walked through and every one of the million steps we climbed to get to the through all the villages. Leg work out...check! Dad would have been so happy.

So then we got some smoothies as a celebration of finishing at this awesome place that made their smoothies with nothing but fresh fruit. You name the fruit...they will blend up the smoothie. We go back and rest (very little), shower, change, and head out for dinner. We are all starving and before we walk into the restaurant our program director Chiara asks if we all like seafood. Now I answered yes to this question, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. By saying yes I would try it out I ate muscles (not great, not bad), scallops (love them), calamary (absolutely disgusting), octopus (eww), shrimp (I made myself eat because everything else was yucky), crawdads with the full head and body (I literally couldn't even look at them), and swordfish (actually pretty good). Let me say that there were 2 shrimps that I didn't look at, but just ate because the seafood salad was horrible. There were like 3 tiny scallops, which was all that I liked, while the rest was calamary and tenticles and heads of octopus. I was almost throwing up on the table...not a joke. The crawdads came with a really good pasta so as soon as the plate was put in front of me, I looked away and let my friend take them off my plate and on to hers. It was awful. I was listening to her say "Crack the head open...suck out the juice...split the body...pull out the meat...it is soooo good." NO. NO. NO. The swordfish came as a fillet so that was ok, and I thought that was pretty good. Then for dessert we got some lemon sorbet. I survived through dinner and somehow got full...thanks to the pasta and bread. We went to the only bar in the area (that is how small Cinque Terre is) for just a little bit, then I headed to bed to get some sleep. It is funny because I have realized that at the end of all my blogs...sleep is the most important thing. I am always tired and I am usually always lacking enough sleep. At least I am having fun while doing it though!!

Our program director, Chiara, and I after dinner! Thanks for making me at least try all the fresh seafood! Sorry I couldn't really eat it all though...

Day 23 - July 22

 Friday...wine day!!! We first go to San Gigiminano (do not know how to spell it, or say it for that matter). It was a very small, cute city that was kind of covered in towers. This city was kind of known for its "skyscrapers" of the 12th century so it was very cool to see the different idea of how a city looked back then compared to our skyscraper citys now. There were even two buildings that were known as the Twin Towers that stand right next to each other...that part was a little sad to think about. Once our very short tour was done there we headed to Chianti for some wine tasting! We got a tour of the winery by the best
tour guide we've had so far. He was hilarious and you could totally tell he loved his wine. He showed us all the barrels to make the wine in and the vineyard and even his cellar of wine collections he has. It was so cool to hear all about the wine before we got to taste it. We got lunch and 3 different kinds of red wine. I loved the Chianti Classico, but I couldn't really tell you what it actually tasted like unfortunatly. Even with a quick wine lesson...I am no wine expert still. We had a lot of good food and it was interesting to actually be able to understand what people mean when they say that the wine brings out the taste in food. I got it now. It was really cool to experience what wines went with what foods and to be able to realize what wines I actually like or do not like. Before, wine all tasted the same and I never would be able to tell the difference. Now, I am a little better...just don't ask me to describe it to you, or explain what I taste. That I still can't do. So we took the bus ride home and I got to skype JJ for a little while, which was nice because I hadn't talked to him in like a week or so. We also went out for Mexican food again for dinner...that is how good it is. I loved that place, as bad as I feel not eating authentic Italian food, I could eat there everyday. We all got burritos and margaritas! Good way to end a long, wine filled day. After that we all went home and pretty much went to bed. Tomorrow morning was even earlier waking up at 6am to go to Cinqueterre for beach, hiking, and kayaking!! I am so excited about it!!

Day 22 - July 21

 Thursday. So I wake up (miserably tired) and drag my but to class. We watched a movie called "The Big Night" about these 2 Italian brothers trying to run a restaurant in America. My teacher cooked some risotto for us that was in the movie, and it was of course delicious. Afterwards I talked to Marco about whether or not he has heard of Di Berardino wine. He immediately says yes and tells me where they are located, well the region they are in, and how they are becoming more popular and spreading more throughout Italy!! I was so excited!! He gave me the name of a really good wine shop that he thinks should sell some Berardino wine too so I am going to have to check into that and maybe bring home a bottle or two!! Photography class was also good today. Two days in a row is pretty impressive. We went
to these art shops and watched 2 artists paint and took pictures of their studios while they were working. I barely even got pictures because I was so enthralled with how the artist was working on such amazing paintings. She was really nice too, and painted my friend who was talking to her the whole time. I was so jealous! She gave him a free portrait that she painted of him and she did it in like 7 minutes...we timed her. So after class I came home to watch 2 of my roommates get ready for an opera! I wanted to go so bad, but the tickets were sold out and I didn't want to go hoping to find one then be disappointed. So instead Jon, Liz, and I went out for some dinner. Mexican food. Florence has one Mexican restaurant
and it is awesome. I got some chimichangas and nachos. It was exactly what I needed...a break from carb/olive oil filled food. I loved it and probably will go back again tomorrow. Going to bed was definitely on my mind too. I have to be up at 7am tomorrow morning to meet to go wine tasting at Chianti!! Need some sleep!!

Day 21 - July 20

 Wednesday. So today is July 20th...which means...I come home in 10 days!!! I cannot believe that at all! It seemed like I would be here forever, but now I just have one weekend left!! It is so crazy!! Anyway...in food we made PIZZA!!!!!!!! The best pizza I have had so far I might add too. I got to make the dessert pizza, but it was the same dough with different shape and different topping so I think I could do it at home also. Today's food was so amazing that when we were done eating there were zero leftovers. Usually there is enough for some people to take food home, but not today. My dessert pizza was made in miniature circles then cut in half, stuffed with chocolate, put together like a sandwich, white chocolate drizzled on top, and sprinkled with cocoa. Oh yea. The pizzas were the main event though. We made four pizzas which were amazingly good. My favorite had red peppers and prosciutto ham. The crust was just perfect, the sauce was fresh, and the toppings were just enough with not too much cheese that you could taste everything in the perfect amount of proportions. Loved it!! Other than the pizzas and the dessert we also had eggplant parmesian (I will make that again, so good) and potatoe suffle. This entire day was probably the best food we have had so far, as a whole. We have made some really good stuff, but everything we had today, I want to make when I get home. I really, REALLY love this class. When that was over I had to do some errands for class and then I went home to sleep. I was exhausted even
with a decent amount of sleep!! 2 hour nap...felt much better. Photography class was also pretty good too. We went to this park and took some outside, nature pictures. Too bad I was like the class idiot and could never get the sun and my camera to cooperate. It was funny after a while because my teacher would keep asking me if I got the picture...and I would keep saying UGH NO. Good thing he has a little "crush" on me so he just laughed it off. Haha I'm just kidding...he is just really nice. When I got home it was time to change and head off to dinner. Bus2alps (the program I used to go on my Amalfi trip) organized a get together at this amazing restaurant for everyone that went on the last trip. So my roommates and I got all dressed up and headed out. Gatto de Volpe. Best dinner I have had so far. It
was like an all you can eat, all you can drink magical feast. We paid 15 euros for about 7 different appetizers on a platter passed around, 3 different kinds of pasta, and an endless supply of white and red wine. It was the best money spent. The penne vodka that we were served...WAS...TO...DIE...FOR. I will be going back for that again. We had so much fun talking with the guides that went on our trip again and drinking with everyone that we decided to go out to a bar after that. It was called Central Park and it was a 45 minute walk. Ugh. We ended up having to call a cab although half way through we realized that none of us spoke Italian so it was a little difficult to explain to the cab where we were. Then they wouldn't drive us because we were trying to fit 9 people in one taxi van. Ha luckily some guys saw us struggling near by and helped to talk to the taxi drivers for us and got 2 cabs to take us where we needed to go. They were the first guys that weren't creepy, and were genuinely nice. Amazing that I have been here for over half my time and those are the first nice guys I've met. Anyway...I get there, have a little fun, and head back in a cab. Get a little lost while walking home, forgot my key inside my apartment, and my phone wasn't working. Good thing one of my roommates was already home and heard my voice from outside the apartment and let us in. It was a fun night, but probably my last time going out while I am here. It is exhausting...especially when I get back from the bar and talk on facebook for a few hours before falling asleep on the couch. I can't really function on 2 hours of sleep very well.

Day 20 - July 19

 Tuesday...in food class today we made the best pasta I have had so far! It was the easiest thing to make too. It was fresh pasta that was thick and cut with this cool guitar spaghetti maker thing. Then you boiled it, and then put it into a pan with olive oil and a little bit of butter. Saute the pasta together while adding a ladel of the starchy pasta water and a ladel of regular cold water. You add one of each then saute it by flipping the pan around...no utensils needed. I am getting good at that too. Then you add quite a bit of fresh ground pepper, 3 good handfuls of cheese, and continue to saute with the two different kinds of water until you get a creamy sauce mixture. That's it. It was amazing!! That is for sure something that I am making when I get home. Everyone loved it and my teacher said it was perfect :) We also had some other things but I made the pasta and it was such a big hit that I can't even really remember what all we made. Haha no we also made some potatoes that were delicious and so easy too. Then we had lamb chops and roasted tomatoes, and for dessert there were these little ameretti cookies. They were pretty good, but not necessarily my favorite dessert we have made. I am so amazed by how simple all the recipes that we make actually are, but they have such great flavor and taste! My recipe book is covered in notes, and my notebook is the same. I try to write as much as I can so I can make it just as well at home as I do in my class. After class I came home to nap. I was exhausted and running on 2 hours of sleep. Besides shower, I didn't really do much between classes, but it was nice. Then photography it was time to finish printing my film pictures in the dark room. It takes so much time to print a picture!!! I was happy I got to try it all out though because I don't know when I will get a chance to work in a dark room again. I also found out that I think my teacher has a crush on me! Haha he was encouraging my classmates to print out the portraits they took of me (we all took them of each other). When I laughed and told everyone not too, he told me that I am under estimating my beauty...ahhh haha. This is like the third
time he has said something awkward like that, although he has said it to other people in the class too. He is kind of the stereotypical, artsy photography guy and gets really into pictures. Whatever I guess. He can think I'm pretty...I mean gees...I'm basically gorgeous and practically a model now :) Haha but anyways, I got my pictures done finally and then we had to edit the portraits that we took digitally. I didn't really feel well and was tired of being there, because it was past class time so I just sent my pictures in with very little editing and left. Hopefully my grade isn't suffering because of my laziness. Its not a good combination...lazy and the fact that there are soooo many other things I want to be doing besides working on homework or studying for class. When I got home my roommates and I were all so tired and it was about to storm outside so we all stayed in. Ate some plain butter noodles for dinner because my stomach hurt and then laid on the couch reading a book for the rest of the night. I went to bed at midnight. That is the earliest I have gone to bed this whole trip. JJ had to work later than normal so I didn't even get to talk to him today. And trust me, that never happens so that REALLY shows how tired I was. 8 hours of sleep...here I come :)

Day 19 - July 18

 Monday...back to real life. Well I guess as real as life can get when you live in Florence that is. Food class starts off with my midterm. There is a written part and a hands-on part that have to be completed in one class period. The written part was kind of hard!! There were 9 essays and they all consisted of me having to explain entire recipes and the ingredients that go in them and the techniques that are necessary to make each dish. It was a lot more detailed that I was expecting, but I think, or at least I hope, I did alright. The hands-on portion of the test was a breeze. We were all to make something to be graded that we have already made. My table decided to split up into appetizer, main course, and dessert. I was on the dessert with the chocolate cake and raspberry sauce again. When my teacher, Marco, tasted it he said it was perfect! Everything about it was done right and he couldn't have done it any better!!! That made me happy. So then I head back to the apartment to start uploading pictures, updating this blog, and do some laundry. I had to wash my towels...it was a little gross that I went 2 weeks without washing them. Photography class was next where we learned how to develop film strips, contact sheets, and the entire process of printing out the photos. It was really cool, but the process is very long and has to be done perfectly. I was a little overwhelmed to be honest. We will be able to actually see our finished product the next day, so it was all the setup that we had to do today. We also had to take more pictures for our assingment that is due Tuesday. Portraits...5 images. Two of them are from my film pictures and 3 are going to be digital. When I got home nobody was in the apartment so I started to get some things for dinner. Jon (my roommmate) and I went to the store when he got home and we cooked pasta with chicken and pesto sauce with a salad. When I say that "we" cooked, I really mean "I" cooked though. It was alright because he had to do the dishes. Then we went out to this new bar that we haven't been to before called Flow. It was a really cool place that was right by the Piazza Michelangelo which was where we went before to watch the sunset. The bar was all outside and we had to lie about our age to get in. You were supposed to be 25 or older, so we argued a little bit and they let us in...even though they thought we looked young. It just was funny because I have not needed to show my ID anywhere since I have been here, but now we find a bar that wants me to be older? Interesting I guess. It was fun and we stayed out way too late, but I guess I am used to getting no sleep by now. Tomorrow will definitely be nap time between classes.

Day 18 - July 17

 Sunday! Yesterday was fun, and is going to be very hard to top. But I will say that what we saw was pretty cool as well. We went to see Pompei, the city that was destroyed by the volcano eruption and was preserved and uncovered years later. It is still intact today, somewhat, and I got to see it first hand! We got there in the morning and had a little bit of time to look around before going on our guided tour. Weirdly enough I found a lot of souveniors that had penises on them. I'm really sorry but I was super confused and it was a little disturbing how many there were all around. Come to find out, in Pompei it was was a sign of fertility and they played it up very much so. It is still weird, but I guess it makes a little more sense now that I know the meaning behind it. So the tour was amazing. We had the best tour guide who was funny, gave us great information, and spoke pretty good English, which was the best part. We saw all the artifacts that were found and saved from when it was first discovered, statues, people's casts, and a lot of pots/vases. Our tour guide related everything in the city to what we have nowadays also, which was very interesting. There was a part where he was like, "Does anyone like Taco Bell?" Obviously I am the first to laugh and say DUHHHH YES. He showed me where their form of "taco bell" was and how it worked. I took pictures with it. It was their fast food that they would serve for people to just come in and out of. The pizza ovens were there for Pizza Hut, the spas were there which was a lot alike to what we have now. I guess the idea behind it is a lot alike, maybe not the look. There were large bathing areas, and pools, and changing rooms, and even a brothel. The people of Pompei were apparently very interested in fertility, and the making of babies...to put it nicely. Haha no but really they had penises carved into the streets and walls of the buildings to point people towards the brothel. I have pictures. It was soooo weird to see that and to think that even back in those days...men were gross. Haha. So we continued walking to see the theater, which is older than the Colleseum actually and even to see where the people drew Roman graffiti! There was a griffin carved into the wall at one place! I was excited because obviously they were thinking of Fontbonne Griffins when doing that...it basically was like a preminition or something. So when the tour finished we got some pizza. Some really good pizza, too bad it took an hour and a half to get. After our long wait, it was time to go back to Florence. 7 hour bus ride...here I come. I have never had so much fun in such a small coast like Amalfi, but it was worth every euro spent! I hope someday I can go back with family and friends so I can show you all everything that I got to see. Because hearing me talk about what I saw, is nothing compared to seeing it for yourself. Great...great weekend :)

Me at "Taco Bell"

In front of the ruins of Pompei!!!!

Day 17 - July 16

 Saturday. Beach day!!!! We get to sleep in a little bit to wake up and get ready to go to the beach :) YES!! The place we are going to is called Positano and it is unbelievable as well. I have found that everywhere here is so amazing to me because the midwest doesn't exactly have anything to offer like these places do. Even the California people were impressed because their ocean and vies are nothing like the ones we saw this whole weekend. So we take another short bus ride after breakfast just so we can walk all the way down a mountain to get to the ocean. Not kidding my legs were literally shaking from all the walking and steps that we did combined with yesterday's amount. Being sore was not even a
question. Seriously, uncontrollably shaking. It was a litle humorous. Anyway after walking through the whole little beach town we get there and it is a small part of the beach with black, rock shores. There is no sand. It was scalding hot, but it was really nice because the rocks just brushed off you...it didn't stick like real sand does at the beach. The water was as clear as it could be. Like if you needed to readjust your swimsuit...everyone will see you because that is how clear the water is. Just beautiful though. So we hung out there for a while soaking in the sun with nice breeze and some fresh fruit from the really good panini shop next to us.

Literally paradise, but it only gets better. At about 1 oclock it is time to go meet to go....CLIFF JUMPING AND CAVE DIVING!!!! Yay!! We took a boat ride around the mountain a little bit to find a spot where we climb up the side of these rocks and, well, just jump off! I was terrified. Absolutely scared to death, but I knew I would always regret it if I didn't try. The first jumping spot was about 10 feet high so it was the baby one in most people's eyes. In my eyes...I was having a heart attack. It took me a good 10 minutes to convince myself to actually jump. AMAZING!! I loved the adrenaline rush and couldn't get enough of how it felt sooooo I immediately got back in line to do it again, but from a higher point this time. There were so many people that I only got to jump twice but that was more than enough. All my roommates went up together the second time to the next highest point, which was proabaly around 15-18 feet above water. I was on the high side and was freaking out again. I seriously am so happy that I got to do it though because it really was exhilerating just to fall into the water. So, cliff jumping can be crossed off my list of things to do before I die...YES!

Next is cave diving. Which was crazy because the boat just brought you up to this little cave, you jumped off the side of the boat and just swam in. There were no floatation devices, there were no life jackets, no rocks to hold onto. They said if you aren't a good swimmer don't do it, so obviously I was like the first person to jump into the water. I mean I was a swimmer all my life and a lifeguard...I was practically a professional cave diver. It was so cool...literally. It was cold, cold water in that cave. We swam through until we got to this little rock where you could stand up and climb through a hole in the cave to get out on top of it. I was barefoot and in my swim suit climbing up this hole and all over the rocks. I felt like I was about to do a model photoshoot when we got out though because it totally had rocks to lay out on and the waves were crashing in behind us with the sun coming down and nothing but ocean in the background. Too bad I didn't have an underwater camera!! Dang it!! Someone else did so we took one picture, hung out there but then had to go. The boat was taking us back to the beach for the rest of the day. It was sooooooo worth the 15 euros I paid to do all of that because I may never get to do that kind of stuff again. It was such an amazing experience.

Once we got back to the beach we slept...and I got burnt. Oops. I applied sunscreen like 4 times to my shoulders, but it was inevitable that I was getting so much sun and I was in the water so much that it could never stay on long enough. Oh well...I wasn't all that bad to be honest, but I was a little red. We eventually had to leave :( and went back to the hostel. I was so covered in salt that my shirt was stuck to my back, I mean this quite literally. Shower, get dressed, and then dinner and bar at the hostel. We hung out there for the night. At midnight it was one of my roommate's birthday, Liz. She turned 20 at the most beautiful place in the world...jealous!! They were also shooting off fireworks and sending up lanterns into the sky while we were on the rooftop so it was such an amazing view after the sun went down. I love this place and it was a lot of fun, but sleep was definitely on my agenda. I went in early so I could update people about my trip, let mom know I was having a blast, let dad know that his catcher didn't hurt herself cliff jumping, and let JJ know that he totally is missing out and should have come to visit me like I said!!!! Haha but I did get to bed and got to sleep for like 7 hours. That was huge compared to normal sleep time here. I was as happy as can be. :)

Day 16 - July 15

 Friday!! After arriving in Sorrento at about 3:30am and getting about 2 hours of sleep it was time to explore the beautiful island of Capri! We took a short bus ride then had to walk about a mile to get to the ferry. And for those of you that know that I get carsick...well bus sick is even worse. The ferry ride was awful and there were probably about 10 people that were throwing up all around me. I didn't get sick but I didn't feel good the rest of the day either. We eventually get off the ferry and walk just to get on another boat. Great. No, but this time we were sitting outside and it was a smaller boat so it was much better. We took a tour around the island. OH MY GOD.

I have never seen anything more beautiful in my entire life. The island was so cute and built right along side the mountains and the roads were all on the very edge of all the curves that went with the landscape. We saw romantic caves, and an archway where you are supposed to kiss someone when going through it, and crystal clear blue ocean for miles, and small statues sitting throughout the rocks that have been there for years, and Georgio Armani's house built into the side of the mountain, and the Blue Grotto which is one of the 7 most beautiful natural wonders of the world. So obviously I was overwhelmed with everything and loved it all! Unfotunately the tide was so high and crazy that we weren't able to actually go inside the Blue Grotto, so I just looked from the outside. Once the tour was over we headed onto the actual island of Capri. Then...we walked. And walked. And walked. And walked. I can't even tell you how many stairs and steps I took to get everywhere this weekend, but I am positive that I burned off every calorie that I ate in the entire weekend just in the first day alone. Anyway...we set off to explore the lemonchella tasting, which is a lemon/vodka smoothie type thing that they are very famous for. Gross. I was very unprepared for a shot of vodka when I tried it, so it was not my favorite. Then we also got to see a man making handmade shoes in the street where a lot of girls bought some, but I did not because they were not only kind of expensive, but they were pretty flat and if I was going to pay that much I want something a little more comfortable. We had some lunch where I got my first thing of gnocchi also! Delicious...of course. The next stop was Ana Capri where we could take a chairlift to the very, very top of the mountain to see the most amazing view you could ever dream of.

Words are impossible to describe how awesome it was to see the ocean and sailboats and everything. Everyone needs to go there, and everyone needs to see this place for themselves. It is the only way to really understand the true beauty of the place. Even my nice camera with great photos don't do the place justice. The view literally took my breath away multiple times. Especially while going up and down a single person chairlift along side the mountain, dangling over nothing but the city and a bunch of rocks :) I survived though!! When it was time to go, I was exhausted seeing that I had no time to sleep,  but the day was far from over. We headed back to the hotel we first were in, but had to switch over to the hostel so we could be rooming with our group. THANK GOD FOR THAT HOSTEL!! It was so much nicer than any of the hotels I have stayed in so far while being in Italy. It was one of the nicest hostels in all of Europe so I guess you can say I have been spoiled now. It was called Seven Hostel, there was a restaurant, lounge, and rooftop bar where you could have happy hour while watching the sunset. So awesome. As a group, there were about 80 people that booked this trip through the same program called Bus2Alps, we went to dinner. I thought I ordered pasta with Italian sausage and broccoli. I didn't. I got baby broccoli, which is so not the same thing, grounded up sausage that looked white in color, and little circular noodles. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it was good all the same. We also had a little wine...ok we had a more than a little. But I mean what else are you supposed to do when in Italy? Eat...drink wine...and enjoy!! Afterwards we went to this pub with the entire group which was in the middle of the downtown area. It looked a lot like some cities at home but it was much friendlier than downtown St. Louis and people everywhere. Only thing was that it was 45 minutes away from our Hostel...walking. So we left early to leave with the guides to go back. At night, however, the place is not as friendly. That is why we walked with our tour guides or people took taxis. Italian men just are not very trustworthy and pretty much are sleeze balls. So it is nice to have people that speak Italian with us to steer them away too. Finally after a long, exhausting day I get to lay down in my top bunk bed with 10 other girls and get some sleep. Air conditioning and quiet rooms...best sleep I have had since I have been to Italy. Hands down.

Day 15 - July 14

 Thursday. Well I am officially over half way through my trip. At first it went really slow, but now I can't believe it is half done! Weird to think about really. Today I have my food class where we make fresh pasta by hand, no machine this time. I was really happy that we got to do that because now I know how to do it at home since I don't have a machine to do it for me! We also made the famous Italian pasta dish that was spaghetti with eggs and bacon. It sounds a little odd, but is really good. I got to make this dish and was happy because it is just so easy. I hope that I will be able to remember how to do everything when I get back to St. Louis though, maybe I should be taking better notes in my recipe book when I get done making the food. That would be helpful. Then I had to come back to the apartment and finish up my stuff for my midterm at 4:15, write a paper, and pack for my weekend trip to the Amalfi Coast. I leave for that right after my photography class so I have to be ready to walk right to the train station from my class. Photography midterm went ok. It was hard, or course, but I hope that I did alright. We had to edit our pictures that we took in the market in like 30 minutes, which is not a lot of time for photoshop. Then we took a multiple choice test on the diffrent lighting settings and how to use the camera properly. Then I had to correct a picture in photoshop according to my teacher's requirements. I will be interested to find out how I did. Then we got to work with a film camera. We took pictures of each other in class yesterday, but today we had to develop them. I will just say that the dark room is so difficult! This girl and I was in there trying to get our film out of the canister and onto the film tray thingy for about a half hour. I got mine, but she could never get hers to work. It was really frustrating and I was happy that I
am doing digital photography, not film.
 Once we finished in the dark room I had to run out of the class to grab my stuff from my apartment and go to the train station in like 20 minutes. Luckily I live really close to the train station so it isn't all that long of a walk. I pack 2 swim suits, a dress and a couple shirts and head out the door. Camera charged and I can't wait to see some of the most beautiful places in the world! Too bad it takes a 7 hour bus ride to get there! :( We are staying at a hostel that is one of the nicest in Europe which is in Sorrento. It is going to be so much fun!! I can't wait to be on the beach...cliff jumping...cave diving...and touring some awesome cities. Yay!!

Day 14 - July 13

 Wednesday. Today is the best day in the world...the last Harry Potter comes out today in Europe!!!! I get to see it 2 days before everyone else in the US and I am so excited I can't even see straight. But before I can get to that I have to do some other things during the day. I have class at 4:15 which was the same old, same old. We took pictures, talked about our midterm which is tomorrow, and I struggled/was lost the entire time. Then after class my food class met up for a 5 course dinner. That was why we didn't
have class this morning. For our first course we had this salad with anchovie dressing...not great. It was good before the dressing, but after that it was a little bit ruined for me. Then we had huge spinach stuffed gnocchi, which was probably the best part of the meal in my opinion. We then had the main course which was chicken with some kind of orange sauce and boiled onions that were carmelized. Yes, that was delicious. Finally for dessert we had a baked pear that was served with real vanilla ice cream! I have been craving some good ole creamy ice cream for a while since all they have here is gelato, which is not bad, but it is not quite the same as real ice cream. Wine was of course served with all the courses and we
all had a blast. But as great as that dinner was...something more important was about to happen. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HOLLLOWS PART 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There was a group of
girls from the dinner that were going to see it also, so we left right after dessert and ran to the theater. When I say ran...I mean that we legit sprinted through the streets of Florence to make it to the theater. The show was at 11pm and our dinner didn't even start until 9. Italians don't believe in a short, quick meal either, so 2 hours was not really enough time for us. Either way though we did finally make it. I sat in the coolest movie theater ever and waited for the best movie in the world :) The movie was in English but had
Italian subtitles. The place was sold out and there were even a couple people dressed up. I couldn't be happier than I was for that 2 hours of my life. No previews...just Harry Potter. Needless to say it was amazing. I loved it. It did make me so sad that it is all over now though!! I have been reading these books and seeing the movies for many, many years now, but there is no more left! It is crazy to think that something that I have been so obsessed with for so many years is over with. I guess now I will just have to go to Harry Potter world in Orlando to relive the magical world of Harry Potter!!!! :)

Day 13 - July 12

 Tuesday. I cut up a chicken in class today. Well kind of...I was a part of the group that did it, but as you can probably guess, I "chickened" out. We made some fried chicken that was so better than what we have at home! It was healthier and more flavorful, and didn't have any skin on the chicken so it wasn't as bad. Plus it was cut up chucks, so basically I made chicken nuggets...Italian style! We made some other things, but I don't really remember it all. I also think we made biscotti which was amazing! I had never had it before and I loved it! So then I went out took pictures around the market for my midterm in photography class. It has to be of the market, but I was really struggling. Luckily one of the guys in my class was there also and helped me out with the settings and lighting. I can't wait until I can do all of that without having to get help.  In photography class we went to a photography museum, which was kind of cool. It was a little boring though, to be honest. The section where we learned the history of all the cameras and how they evolved from the original one was interesting. Other than that though it was just alright.  Our program director, Chiara, took us all out for appertivo tonight also! It was really fun because it was unlimited appetizers and one free drink for 10 euros. There was a band and all outside seating. I really liked it because there were a lot of Italians and not as many American tourists. We haven't really had a chance to interact with many Italians because it is such a big touristy city. Later after appertivo we went out to a bar and club, then eventually headed home. I didn't have class the next morning so we stayed up a little later. We had a good time though, and I got to sleep in the next day for the first time
ever!!

From left to right:
Samantha, ME, Miyon, Chiara (our program director), and Nicte
At appertivo

Day 12 - July 11

 It is Monday and I am back into the swing of things for school and "normal" life. I go to bed pretty early Sunday night because I am just out of it from Rome. In our food class today we made Lasagne, breaded beef that was fried with proscuitto and mozerella on top, and an interesting appetizer that consisted of fresh made bread sticks with proscuitto wrapped around it eaten with a bite of melon and mozerella all together. It was all pretty good. Unfortunately I wasn't in charge of the lasagne, but it was amazing. It was not as saucey and tomatoey as I usually think of lasagne because it is made a little different in Florence. It was chunckier red sauce with a mixture of diced carrots, celery, and onions, then the meat and tomatoes came in with some red wine. It was amazingly good, but it does take an hour and a half to make...so that may not be made when I get home unless I get a lot of help! I personally made the breaded beef then fried them and topped with proscuitto ham and shaved cheese. It was pretty good, just not necessarily my favorite thing we have eaten in class. Then I came home and had to go buy my textbook for my food class, which is really ust a recipe book that we use and cook from in our class. It is really nice because I will have already made a lot of the recipies and I have my own little notes for future times I make each one.
 Liz and I headed out to buy my book and collect some business cards from our favorite places in town. Her parents are coming in town this coming weekend so she wanted to make sure they hit all the good places. So of course while we were out we had to get some gelato...again. It is really becoming a problem. So later I go to class where we had to work on editing our pictures from over the weekend for our homework that is due today. I had an entire Florence selection done because it has to be all from the same place, but my teacher highly disagreed. He loved my Rome pictures and basically did my entire project for me by picking out what I should use, how they were connected, and even how to edit them a little bit in photoshop. It was soooo helpful and I was really happy that he has realized that I
need help because I am so lost in that class. I do feel like I am catching on a little better though.
 Class is over and I come home to an apartment that all want to go out to eat. Well funny thing is that Carrie and I don't because we are saving money by not eating out multiple times a day. So we stay back from the group and literally make anything and everything we find in the refrigerater. It was a little bit funny. We had eggs with onion and chicken in it, like an omelete, then some potatoes grilled and diced like hashbrowns. I also bought a cantelope to go with our breakfast for dinner. It was really great because it wasn't as heavy or full of carbs of a meal that we have been having almost every other day.
Then it was skype time with JJ and that was pretty much the end of the night. Although we did watch the first part to Harry Potter 7 in honor of ME GETTING MY TICKET FOR THE LAST MOVIE!!!!!!!! The final series comes out in Europe 2 days before it comes out in the United States...which means on July 13 I will already have seen the movie and all you silly Americans won't have seen it yet!!!! I am so excited for it...if only I would have remembered to bring my wand with me to Florence...that would have been perfect.

Day 11 - July 10

 Rome is such a huge city and there is so much to see, but I feel like I will never get to see it all. Unfortunately we were a little bit right. The first thing we did, besides absolutely loving the air conditioning (like seriously it was the best nights sleep in my life), was see the Coliseum!!! Oh my god. Honestly that is all I can say, and it is all I did say when I got to go up close to it and see it for myself. Our tour guide told us everything there was to know about it and the kinds of shows they did inside it, but we never got to actually go inside. There was a 4 hour wait for an hour tour, so it basically  would have taken our entire day. But we did learn that the gladiators were not big heros or anything like the movies show, they were not a job you wanted, not glorious, and usually were filled by people who were poor and owed a debt to someone. I found that interesting to hear about because that is not how Hollywood has depicted the gladiators in my mind. Anyway, the Coliseum was probably the coolest thing I have ever seen, in my entire life. I hope everyone gets to go there someday and experience for themselves because it is hard to believe, even when you are standing outside of it. I also found out it took the Romans 10 years to build it, which is amazing because that really is not that long for such a massive project in their time of age especially! The tour guide told us that Rome (nowadays) has been working on the subway for a little less time than that and its still not done. Roman slaves and workers knew how to get a job done!!

 After walking around the outside of the Coliseum we headed to our next destination, the Roman forum. It is just so cool because there are so many things to see that are just right out of the history books, but it is all real. The Roman forum was such an old, ancient city, but was still intact in a way. I have so many pictures but it just isn't the same. All I can say is that everything you see is so beautiful and so majestic, that it really seems fake.

Then we headed for the Trevi fountain, for those people who didn't see it at night, which was totally better. We also went to the Spanish Steps, which was not cool. Haha I mean I didn't really understand why they were so popular I guess because they literally were just steps by the Spanish Embassy. But whatever, I saw it and took pictures on it of course. So after the many pictures we take, our group decides it is time for a little break...obviously we mean a gelato break. We get it again. Haha when I say gelato places are everywhere, I am not lying. It is a goal of mine to try every flavor. So far my favorite is frutti something, basically a fruit mix of berries. So refreshing!!

 

After we finish with that our group heads on to see the Pantheon, which was having mass still when we first got there, but it opened up at 12 for us to see. It is a really cool building because it has a giant hole in the ceiling that is the only source of light for the place, then there are drains built into the floor to make sure that when it rains the water can get out. It kind of amazed me that they thought of that and were able to make such a thing with such beauty and use it for their church but mostly a place for sacrifices to be done.  

The rest of the day after we exited the Pantheon was ours. We all went to the other fountain that was in the movie When in Rome, where the girl makes a wish to find love while she is in Rome and all this crazy stuff happens and eventually it works. HAHAHAHA so fake. Not even real at all. The only thing we found out that was real was the fountain that they shot the movie around. My program director looked at me so funny and said that nobody throws coins in that fountain and it has nothing to do with love. Hollywood, once again, ruined something for me. Gees. But it was a very cool fountain anyway.

 There was also a big art gallery around that area so Carrie and I went to find us some cool art to take home with us. After arguing with the street vendor about not wanting to pay 20 euros for a piece of art

that he probably stole to be honest with you. He did agree with 15 euros as long as we bought 2 paintings. So I got one and so did Carrie. We were happy. I got a frame that holds 3 pictures and on is of the Colleseum, then the Trevi fountain, and then the capital building. They are really cool, abstract paintings and not too big in size. Hopefully I can get them home without ripping though! We then met everyone for lunch, although we didn't eat because it was crazy expensive and we had just spent our lunch money on art. Haha so we skipped lunch. 

 Our group then headed to this small church that had something underground that was built of like 4,000 people's bones and was some sort of shrine thing. I did not go in however because one of the girls lost her camera she realized, or she was pickpocketed. I felt so awful for her. She went back to all the places we were today and even filed a missing camera report, but it is gone. It sucked because she doesn't even have all her Rome pictures anymore now either. So half of us stayed back while the others went in and saw this place that honestly sounded way too creepy for my liking. Plus I was so unbelievably tired that I couldn't even stand up anymore. I was sitting on the street waiting for everyone. We finally headed back to the hotel to get our things and take the train back to Florence. I so

wish that I could have stayed in Rome much longer because it was so much cooler than Florence!!! I mean Florence is cool and all, but a lot smaller than Rome so I have already seen a whole bunch of the city just with one week. I have 3 more to go though. Weird to think that my first week is over, and before I know it I will be heading home to good ole St. Louis.

These are all my roommates and I in front of the Trevi Fountain. This is our roommate sign...I told you we were a little weird!!!!!! We all love each other though so its fun!

Day 10 - July 9

 Hello ROME!!!! We left the train station at 8:30am from Florence and had a 2 hour train ride to get to Rome :) And let me just say...I love Roma!! Anyways, when we first got there we walked to our hotel to drop off our things and to change. Today we went to the Vatican City which means we all had to make sure we were dressed appropriately. It was kind of miserable because it was so hot. Your knees had to be totally covered, and so did your shoulders. It was a little funny to hear everyone freaking out about how they were dressed. We did all make it alright though. Just some people had to use scarves and things to cover up. Vatican City...it is totally a city within a city. I was overwhelming at first though because I didn't know what all was what. My tour guide was also kind of hard to hear through the microphone and through her thick Italian accent. But, we did see everything there and it was unreal! The Sistine Chapel was amazing to actually see and hear about because I never thought I would actually be there to see it in real life. Then we went to the Basilica also, which was just as beautiful, and massive. I even got to dip my hand in the holy water in the church so that was a really cool feeling too. There was so much more to the Vatican city than just those two places, though. Sculptures, paintings, and artifacts are just covering the place everywhere you look with so many stories behind them that it was hard to remember what each thing meant. I did get to see where the Pope comes out to wave at everyone, which was really interesting because it was just an ordinary window. I was really surprised that it wasn't more ornate or even a small balcony. It was just the third window from the right at the top of one of the buildings. Very simple, but that is where he stays.
 After the Vatican City tour some of the girls and I did a little souvenir shopping then got some gelato. The amount of gelato that we all have eaten here is a little rediculous just saying. It is absolutely everywhere and on every corner and on every street. After we all finished our nearly melted treat, we hopped on a bus tour of Rome which was so awesome! It was 13 euros to go for the rest of the day to 11 stops throughout the entire city. We saw everything of course, but we only got off the bus at a couple of the stops because there were quite a few things that we were also going to see the next day with our program. The capital building, which was absolutely huge and pure white, and at some ancient structure place, that I don't remember the name of. Holy cow. It was so crazy to think that was how thier buildings looked on a normal basis and how they lived their daily life. So cool to think that all of it is still intact too. I loved it.
 While on our trip through the city, I also did some bargaining. I got me some sunglasses! He wanted 5 euros...I said no I will give you 3 because that was all I had. Haha when he eventually agreed. I handed him a 5 and asked for the change...oops. He was not happy at all. But at least I finally got some glasses since I broke mine at the airport on my way to Italy. When we got back to the hotel...we were in for the best surprise (maybe) of the day. Air conditioning. It was so cold in our rooms that I never wanted to leave. I was so in love. I have never been more excited to go to sleep after such a truly exhausting, hot day than I was for this night all because of the AC!!!! All of us got ready and met up for dinner though. It was all paid for and had appetizers, 2 courses, dessert, and lots of wine! It was so much fun to be with everyone eating and drinking! I did find out that my apartment of people are like the crazy ones though. It is really funny because we were not drunk at dinner by any means, but just have so much fun with each other that it is probably to the point of obnoxious. Between pictures and stupid games, the dinner was a blast...and of course delicious. I had terimisu (spelling?) for the first time also. Not too bad, but not my favorite. Afterwards some people headed to this Ice Bar, but some of us wanted to go to the Trevi Fountain to see it at night. I went to the fountain and I am so happy that I did because it was beautiful at night when it is all lit up. I couldn't believe that I was seeing it and was there making my wish. I only threw 10 cents in though...hope that is enough for my wish to come true!!!!!
 We finally were at the end of the day and I was absolutely drained. The four of us that went to the fountain took the metro back to the hotel and passed out pretty quickly in our nice, cool rooms. It was the best sleep I have gotten since I got to Italy. No heat and no noise. Too bad Florence does not have air conditioning anywhere!!!

Day 9 - July 8

 Friday...our first week of classes is done! It is so weird to think that because it is going by so fast! We actually got to sleep in today which was another huge plus. I woke up on my own at 11am and felt awesome. Today we had 2 museum tours in Florence. The first place we went was the Academia Galeria which is where I got to see the oh so famous David statue!! I had seen the replica and taken pictures of it outside on our Florence tour, but this was the real deal. And it really was amazingly done. There was so much detail that was put into the sculpture that it was unreal! Did you know that David's eye pupils are shaped like hearts?! Pretty cool to see it first hand...and he is huge too! I didn't realize how big the statue actually was. Also, did you know that while Michelangelo was sculpting David
he found out that other artists were trying to copy his work so he found them and completely distroyed their work!! It was so interesting!! After David, we saw a lot of other sculptures by Michelangelo and other famous artists as well and they were all so fascinating to see because the way they make them is even cooler to think about. After we left there the group got some gelato (of course) and headed on to the next museum. This one used to be a church for the Medici family, but not it is a museum basically admiring the Medici family. We learned that they were like the big family of Florence who were large and in charge...and very wealthy. It is also because of this family that all of Florence is still the way it is. Apparently the last member of the family made people sign a contract saying that what they found in Florence (or Firenze, as it is called in Italy) they would leave here. Once she
passed away the Austrian rulers that signed this contract and allowed Florence to keep all its art, way of life, and history. It was really cool to learn about. The place was basically a shrine to the whole family and the point of it was just to show off how much money they have, but it was absolutely beautifully made. Both of these museums did not allow pictures to be taken...but I sneaked a couple :) ha ha.
 When we finally got back from our tours and a late lunch a few of the girls and I decided to go to the park that was near by to just relax. I fell asleep so fast after I laid down finally. I was exhausted from all the walking around the city and the tours. We were there for a few hours reading, talking, and sleeping but it was really nice. So then some of the apartment and other girls went out for dinner, but Carrie and I stayed home and made some spaghetti with plain tomatoe sauce. And a capri salad, which is growing on me. I might come home and actually like to eat tomatoes that aren't cooked!! Or at least I'm trying to! So it was a busy day, but a lazy night. We are trying to save money by not eating out
multiple times a day so we can spend more on other things.
 Also, something funny. I found out something interesting today about what to wear in Italy. Apparently yellow is a very "LOOK AT ME" color. I wore a yellow dress today and I could not believe the attention I was getting! I was called Shakiera (a Latin singer/dancer with blonde hair), Lady Gaga (a crazy American singer with kind of blonde hair), tweety bird, and a Spice Girl. It was hilarious!! So between my blonde hair and my color choice...I figured out what Italian men are crazy about. Ha too bad they are soooooo obnoxious to the point of gross!! One guy in the market even yelled at me today saying that I dropped something...when I looked back he says "you dropped my heart!" HAHAHAHA it was too funny. So basically JJ has some serious competition...I mean how can you compete with those types of pick up lines, right?! Hee hee
 Anyway, have to be up early to go to Rome this weekend!! We are going to the Vatican city and all the good stuff! Cannot wait!!!! Probably won't have internet access while I am there so I will update when I get back!!! Caio!!

Day 8 - July 7

 Today is Thursday and is my last day of my first week of classes. Luckily I woke up on time today too. In my food class we made a fresh pasta with pesto sauce, three kinds of focaccia bread, and a chocolate cake with raspberry topping. It was, of course, amazing! I was in charge of the chocolate cake and I would like to say that it was delicious!! The whole class thought the same thing as well! The focaccia bread was very good too. We made a regular one with spices and sage, one with cherry tomatoes, and then the last one (my favorite) was with green olives. Yum! I even got to take some home for later also which was my snack before my photography class.
 My photography class went a lot better today too! We spent the beginning talking about the easier functions on the camera that doesn't make me have to set each and every setting on my own. So then we walked around the city taking pictures of different things and our teacher took us to places where not a whole lot of tourists go also, which was cool to see. We were down in the river on a levi where people hang out and tan, so we had a lot of interesting subjects to capture. Hopefully I find some good ones after I go back through what I took later.
 Once I got back from class my roommates and I went to the most amazing place in Florence in my opinion. It was this church with these large steps that is on the very top of the hill called Piazza Michelangelo. Wow, it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. You could literally see all of Florence from a bird's eye view. I was just in awe at the view we had and how cool it was to see so many people there just to watch the sunset. It was a lot of fun because we brought a big bottle of wine, some bread, and olive oil to dip it in while we waited to watch the sunset. Talk about perfect!! The pictures I took do not at all do this place any justice because hiking up this massive hill that was probably a 35 minute walk, uphill, made the view seem that much better. Finally when the sun did set, everyone around us started clapping. It was just cool to see everyone there just to see something like that and be so happy just to see the sun go down. It was a cool feeling. So after we cleaned up, we all made the trip back down the hill and headed back home to our apartment. When I got home my roommate Carrie and I stayed in while the others went out for food and drinks. JJ and I skyped...probably for way too long...and then I went to sleep. Much needed sleep that is because tomorrow is a busy day!

Day 7 - July 6

 Well I have officialy been in Italy a week! That is crazy to think because I have done so much during that time and while it was going on it seems like forever, but in the big scheme of things...one week is already gone!!! Too quick...
So...Wednesday morning my alarm goes off at 8am, which you would think would be easy to wake up to since I actually went to bed before midnight. Haha well after I subconciously turn my alarm off I all of a sudden wake up at 8:50 for my 9am class. Needless to say I was in a rush. Good thing it took me 5 minutes, literally, the get ready and 2 minutes to be in my classroom. Thank god I live close to school because some other people have a 20 minute walk for some of their classes. Anyway, in Food class today I made...fresh pasta!! From scratch!! It was so much fun! And also very easy, granted we had a pasta maker so it was a lot easier. I was so surprised how easy it was to actually make my own pasta. All you need is flour, eggs, and a little bit of salt. I feel like I had to learn how to make homemade pasta at some point, but I learned on the third day of class! It was really cool. The class
also made these amazing bell peppers and sausage mixture that was sauted and unbelievable.
That is definitely something that I am going to remake. We also had some risoto with some brucheuto (don't know how to spell it) ham. Then for dessert we had a Nutella cake! Oh god it was so delicious!! Its funny to think that when I first got here I was so busy that I barely ate, but now I am eating like an Italian queen!! I was finally full from our massive lunch for the first time that I had gotten to Italy because I was trying to save money the whole time. I am really happy that I am in this class now especially because it provides lunch, and if we are lucky, leftovers!! So once again my cooking class was spectacular. Once again...my photography class was not nearly as great. We were working on taking pictures of people yesterday, but I was not very good so didn't really have much to work
with. Our teacher introduced photoshop but I was so bored because I couldn't follow along
with a picture because none of my people pictures were good enough to edit. I had other pictures to play around with but everything that he taught us had to do with learning how to lighten faces and change backgrounds. So I was extremely frustrated to say the least. When class was over, finally, my teacher noticed I was not very excited with what we were doing. He told me not to worry and that I will get better the more I learn and practice, but not to be sad. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better photography day.
Tonight when I got home from dinner my roommate Miyon had already started dinner which was awesome because I was super hungry. We had spaghetti with meat sauce. Very good. Then it was a girls birthday so we went to a Mexican restaurant actually which was
interesting considering where we are for the month! It wasn't too bad, and the Sangria was
really good. After we left, I ended up going home so I could get some sleep and a few of the
other people went out. So about 1am I was able to go to bed after I facebooked, emailed, and
skyped Mom and Taylor. It wasn't all that late and I made sure my alarm was extra loud with
2 snoozes this time as well.