Mission: to get a job!

I wrote this a while ago but never posted it.  I figure now that my mission is almost accomplished, I should post info about the process.  The career fair was September 29th.

So this week was a big one for me.  Tuesday was UF’s Career Fair and and the start of interviews and job applications.  It was a long and tiring experience but thankfully I wasn’t overwhelmed.  I had been to the fair in years past, so it helped prepare me for the most important one.  I will graduate in December with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and hopefully I will begin working in January.  Of about 130 companies present that day, I visited 20 of them.  It took about 3 hours to visit those 20 booths!  Mostly because at many of them, you have to wait in line to talk to someone.  Then you spend a few minutes talking to them about yourself and the opportunities the company is offering.  Once I was done visiting all the companies I planned on talking to, I was wiped! It felt great though that I had talked to so many and I felt good about several of the connections I had made.  One company, a well-known and large food company, signed me up for an interview on the spot for the next day.  Another large and successful company invited me to an event that night at a local restaurant, and would later invite me to an interview that Friday.  I honestly didn’t think I even had a chance with them, so it was  a big boost of confidence to be invited!  I also got to reconnect with a company I had talked to the past spring and they told me they would begin working on figuring out a possible position for me.  Besides that, I made connections with a bunch of new companies I had some interest in.  Overall, it was a successful day!  Now I just have to wait to be pre-selected to interview with companies, then interview, then wait…hoping and trusting that God will allow me to receive a job offer in Chicago!  I will keep you updated

Visiting Venice

Our host school here in Florence planned an optional trip to Venice.  You could pay extra to sign up to go and since I really wanted to go to Venice I signed up.  We left on Saturday morning and got back Sunday night so it was a quick trip but I got to see a lot of things in that time.  Venice is beautiful and I fell in love with the city!  All the colors of the buildings, the canals, the gondolas, it’s all amazing.  I couldn’t stop taking pictures!  I actually beat my record of picture taking lol (in Rome I was there for 3 days and took 646 pics, in Venice I was there for 2 and took 601!)  Ridiculous I know but at least my parents know I am using my birthday gift .

Never finished writing this blog, saved it and never posted it.  Figured I would post it now, then hopefully go back and write about the trip sometime.

“When in Rome”

It has been over a week since I have been back from Rome but I wanted to be sure to blog about our trip.  We left on a Friday morning and got back late on Sunday night.  It was a quick trip and jam packed with activities.  It’s hard to remember all of it, we did so much it’s almost a blur.  It was a ton of fun though and I am so glad I got the chance to go to Rome and see all the amazing things there.

The first day we were there we went to Vatican City.  Unfortunately we only had two hours in the museum so we quickly headed to the Sistine Chapel and once we were inside, Lindsay and I spent twenty minutes just looking at the walls and ceiling!  Then we headed to some other galleries in the museum.  The two hours passed quickly and soon we were on our walking tour of the city.  On the tour we saw the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps.  It was a fun but tiring tour and by the end we were all hungry.  Our group decided to go to a restaurant near the Spanish Steps and it was delicious!  Then we got gelato and sat on the steps and enjoyed the beautiful night.

The next morning we got up early and headed to the Colosseum.  We had an tour guide who was really sweet and adorable!  She had a typical tour guide flag on a stick for all of us to follow.  It was a good thing she had one because she was about 5 feet tall and we would have easily lost her!  The Colosseum was awesome and I couldn’t stop taking pictures!  I love the building and it was just awesome to think of all the events they used to hold there.  In all I took 115 pictures: of the Colosseum, in the Colosseum, or by the Colosseum.  I know I am ridiculous!  After the Colosseum we headed to the Roman Forum.  That was cool to see but not as cool as the Colosseum (in my opinion).  After the Roman Forum we had a lunch break.  We walked about 15 minutes to find a cafe where we each got a panino.  It was very hot and we had a 2o minute walk back to the bus!  We were all happy to finally get back on the bus with nice air conditioning.  That afternoon we went to the catacombs.  It was awesome to see the burial site and learn about how they were able to create the burial plots underground.  Unfortunately you can’t take pictures there so I bought a couple postcards for my scrapbook.  After the catacombs, the bus took us back to our apartments so we could get ready for dinner.  We had a group dinner that night that was paid for so we were all happy.  We showered again and got dressed up for dinner.  Dinner was delicious!  We had fried zucchini, squash and potato for our antipasta, lasagna for our primo piatto, chicken and potatoes for our secondo piatto, and then fried donuts with powdered sugar and nutella drizzled on top for dolche (dessert)!  Everything was delicious but of course my favorite was dessert!  We also had free wine with our meal which was very good.  After dinner, my friends and I decided to go find a bar to get some drinks.  After a little while we found a bar that was having happy hour and drinks were only 3.50 euro.  We only had five minutes until it ended so we all quickly ordered something.  I had a mojito and it was pretty good.  After we hung out there for about an hour we went to find a disco to go dancing.  It was difficult to keep our large group of friends together so it was over an hour before we made it to a place!  We got in free because we were Americans, we all danced for a little bit but then we were ready to go home.  It was a long walk back but we were a big group and felt safe walking home.  When we finally made it back to our apartments in Rome we all were exhausted.  I went straight to bed and fell right asleep!

The next morning Lindsay, my roommate Jess, our friend Max, and I decided to get up early to go and climb the dome of St. Peter’s Cathedral.  First we went inside and took pictures. St. Peter’s is gorgeous!  I have never seen such a beautiful church/cathedral!  After a few minutes of admiring the inside, we climbed to the top of the dome and enjoyed the beautiful view.  You could see so much of Rome from up there which made dealing with my fear of heights worth it.  After taking some pictures and taking in the view we were ready to make the trip down the tight, slanted stairs.  I was happy to be back on the ground!  Once we were back at the buses with the rest of our school, we headed towards home.  After about an hour of driving, we had arrived in Ostia Antica our last stop on our Rome field trip.  I honestly don’t know much about Ostia Antica.  It is an ancient city that still has pieces remaining and preserved.  I wish I could tell you when the city was inhabitated but I don’t remember.  By this point of the weekend we were all exhausted and our brains couldn’t handle anymore history.  I took some pictures and planned to google more info about it when we got back.  ( I still haven’t been able to figure out much because here in Italy we have Italian Google so when you google “Ostia Antica”, which is the Italian name, the sights that pop up are all in Italian).  The drive home felt long and we were glad to be back in Florence that night.

The weekend was jam packed and the city of Rome felt crazy and chaotic.  I am really glad I got to go but I hope to someday go back again and enjoy it at a slower pace.  Preferably without the ugly tourist headsets.

The Trials of Tiramisu

For our psychology of intercultural diversity class we have to do a creativity project.  We are supposed to pick a creative activity that incorporates and integrates cultural immersion experiences.  One of the options is cooking an authentic Italian recipe.  So my roommate Lindsay and I decided to work together and make homemade sauce for tortellini, bread, garlic and olive oil to dip, and then tiramisu.  We plan to cook dinner for our 5 other roommates tomorrow and then we invited other friends for dessert after.  The tiramisu recipe we chose was Sophia Loren’s tiramisu recipe which requires you to let it sit for 12 hours or more.  So we had to make the tiramisu today.  I love baking and have made a lot of different things but never tiramisu.  However, we both figured with clear instructions and two college students working on  it, we wouldn’t have many issues.  Well true to the Italian way, something that appears simple, is really not simple at all…

After class, Lindsay and I headed to our local supermarket, “Conad”, armed with our list of ingredients we needed.  We already had granulated sugar and we planned on purchasing espresso from the cafe downstairs.  What remained on the list was: lady fingers, eggs, marscapone cheese, espresso, orange liquor, cocoa powder, and semi sweet chocolate to shave.  Simple enough….right?

The biscotta (cookie) section is right when you walk in, so we decided to look for lady fingers first.  But of course there are no cookies labeled “lady fingers”, why it didn’t occur to us that in Italian it would be called something different I am not sure, but none the less it took staring aimlessly at the many packages of cookies to realize we had a problem.  Of course lady fingers are an essential ingredient and getting the wrong thing could ruin our precious tiramisu, so I took out my handy Webster’s Italian-English dictionary and double checked how I would ask.  I went to the cashier and with my biggest American smile and best Italian accent asked “Quale biscotta per tiramisu?” (which cookie for tiramisu?”, he immediately smiled and came over and showed us a couple different ones based on price.  I thanked him “grazie” and we grabbed enough and moved on to our next item.

Eggs, marscapone cheese and orange liquor were easy.

Then came the chocolate and cocoa.  We started with the chocolate.  We knew we needed 6 oz times 2 because we were making a double batch.  However, once we got to the chocolate section we realized again that we were in Italy and therefore nothing was going to be labeled in ounces.  I know it sounds like we are dumb, but the truth is that in living here for 3 weeks, it has become almost as comfortable as home, and so you often forget you are in Italy.  But you are quickly reminded when you are staring at a bar of chocolate labeled in grams!  The helpful cashier noticed us staring for way too long at the chocolate and came over to ask if he could help.  I told him we were having issues because of the conversion of ounces to grams.  However, he really didn’t understand English, so he called over the other cashier.  He came over and said, “ok speak english, but really slowly”.  So I very slowly explained our problem and his response was: “oh, thats serious, tough stuff!” followed by a look of I can’t help you with that lol.  But then he ran off and came back with a package of mini semi-sweet morsels and said this would work instead.  We were very thankful and told him so. We found our cocoa powder and headed to check out.  Once we had checked out the cashiers asked us if we would bring them some.  We said we would try to bring some tomorrow and asked them when they would be working.  On our way back to the apartment we decided we would take it all upstairs, figure out how much espresso we needed and run back down to buy it.

Once we got out our laptops and started working on figuring out espresso, we realized we would need A LOT of espresso and purchasing it at the cafe downstairs was not in our budget.  We also realized we needed another packet of cocoa.  So off to the Conad we went again.  Of course the two cashiers laughed as we walked in.  We found the cocoa powder and then settled on a box of packets of instant espresso.  I know that sounds bad but it was a box in all Italian so we figured it had to be ok.  Plus we wanted to be cheap, we had already spent a decent amount on a dessert I wasn’t sure was ever going to get finished!  When we bought them the one cashier told us the espresso we picked was “good stuff”.  Proud to have made a good decision we left with our purchases.

Back at the apartment the espresso making marathon began.  Using 3 little espresso cups and lots of packets we eventually made over 470 mL of espresso.  Adding another couple packets to add some stronger taste we finally finished about 30 minutes later.  Now it was time to actually make the tiramisu….

Mixing the egg yolks, sugar and marscapone cheese was easy, and Lindsay completed the task perfectly.  I took on the task of whisking the egg whites into stiff peaks…not so perfectly!  I would like to thank my mother for owning a Kitchen Aid mixer, and for providing a hand mixer for me in college.  I fully appreciated them today when I had to hand whisk! After a while and help from our roommate Jess we finally had egg whites that semi resembled stiff peaks.  We folded them in and moved on with our task.

The rest of the process went pretty well.  The cookies were coated with espresso and orange liquor and the marscapone mix went on smoothly.  The chocolate looked pretty on the creamy white mixture but the cocoa powder was a little messy.  Unfortunately Lindsay got into a little altercation with the cocoa powder and her pants suffered a decent covering…but thanks to some good Italian laundry detergent they were saved!  After the second level of cookies, espresso and liqour it was time to put the remaining marscapone on top.  We were making two batches to have enough for our friends but we quickly realized we would not have enough to cover both.  Sadly we had no other option.  (we contimplated asking a neighbor for eggs but wasn’t sure how to ask in Italian and decided it wasn’t worth it)  So in the end, we had one whole tiramisu that was made correctly….we think.  And another one that has two layers of marscapone on half and only one layer on the other half.  We covered it with plenty of cocoa powder so from first apperance you wouldn’t know any better.  Into the fridge they went…after we rearranged the entire thing of course.  I also appreciate my large fridge now!

After all was said and done, it was a fun afternoon.  Although it didn’t go smoothly, we made the best of it.  Turned on some Coldplay and tried to stay relaxed through the process.  Because of our endeavor we got to meet two cashiers at our local grocery store and practiced our Italian.  They are both nice guys and we plan on bringing them by some tiramisu before class tomorrow.  Tomorrow night a group of our friends will come over to share in our creation.  We told them we would provide dessert but they should BYOW (bring your own wine).  Our midterm in pyschology is tomorrow so it will be a great way to celebrate being half way done, as well as a great kick off to our fun weekend in Rome!  Can’t say I’ll be making tiramisu again in Italy but I am confident that back in the states it will go smoothly.  I’ll keep you posted on how it turned out.

Ciao

Amalfi Coast

This past weekend a group of friends and I went on a trip to the Amalfi Coast.  We left Thursday evening and came back Sunday evening.  We went through a company called “Florence for Fun” that organizes trips for students here in Florence.  The group I spent most of my time with was my roommates Lindsay and Jess, three girls who live together in Florence: Amanda, Kristin, and Lindsay, and two guys: Max and Mike.  Mike is dating my roommate Allison who didn’t come on the trip because she was visiting a friend in Venice.  It was a great weekend full of fun and beautiful surroundings!  It was a nice weekend to relax and not think about school.  Our hotel was in the city of Sorrento, Friday we went to the island of Capri, Saturday we went to Positano, and Sunday we went to Pompeii on our way back to Florence.  It was a busy weekend with some craziness along the way!  I won’t describe everything but here are some highlights of our trip:

Scheduled departure time: 6:30 pm Thursday night, actual departure time: 7:30 pm-gotta love “Italian time”, it’s like island time only more annoying

Scheduled arrival time in Sorrento: 1 am, actual arrival time: 3 am….italians should win an award for accuracy in tardiness

Saturday took a boat tour of the island of Capri and went in the blue gratto.  Honestly the boat tour was worth the money but the blue gratto people like to rip you off!  It was an amazing thing to see and I am glad I did it. but at 10.50 euro for only a few minutes that truly will be a once in a lifetime event!

Even though we had spent 10.50 to go in the gratto our boat guide still tried to get tip out of us. I gave him a euro and he said “more tip?” he’s still waiting for it….

Hotel fed us free breakfast and dinner.  Food was pretty good but the highlight was our waiter. He was an older man probably in his 70s or 80s and he was adorable. He was so sweet and we all decided to call him “nonno” grandpa in Italian.  We fell in love with him and wished we had taken a picture with him.

Saturday night we went out to a British pub, not sure why we always end up in a pub of a different country but there were plenty of Italians there.  Had some fun dancing but then the italian guys got a little creepy so we left.  never seen a club so out numbered with guys, I guess italian women have no desire to go out because the only women in the club were the students on the trip and a handful of italian women.

Saturday we headed to Positano and hung out on the beach.  It was really sunny and I got a nice tan.  Tried to find cheap lunch which is often easier than the super long hikes down to the beach.  Cheap food doesn’t exist on Amalfi Coast.  I liked to think of the extra cost compared to Florence as a charge for the view, it made me feel a little better.

Saturday night a few of us stayed in while everyone else went out.  My roommates Jess and Lindsay and I sat around and drank some white wine and talked.  It was a fun night and we went to bed early.

Sunday morning: didn’t need to wake up until 9 am but was awoken at 7 am  by a group of French kids running up and down the halls screaming and pounding on doors!  I guess some of the people who went out the night before woke them up at 2 am so they were getting back at us.  I have never heard so much noise and yelling in my life!  Their chaperones were encouraging them to be loud too!  It was insane but hilarious at the same time.  Other students on our trip kept yelling at them to be quiet but it just made it worse! Looking back it’s really funny but that morning we were so exhausted that it was not fun!

We went to pompeii that afternoon and even though you could spend an entire day (or 3) in Pompeii we had a measely 2 hours.  It sprinkled twice during our tour but luckily we got in all the main sights.  It was really interesting to see it all.

The bus ride home wasn’t too bad, we watched 2 and a half movies and I slept some.  I was so happy to be back in Florence though!  Exhausted we all went to bed and slept in today.  Ready for another week in Florence!  Next weekend we go to Rome…can’t wait!

Hope you are all doing well!  Have a great week!
Ciao,

Becca

There’s no place like home…especially when your home is Florence!

Last night I got back from a long weekend in Paris!  My friends Ashlynn, Hillary and Kendall were finishing up their study abroad program and my friend Kasey and I met up with them there.  We arrived Thursday afternoon and left Sunday afternoon.  It was so awesome to have the chance to go to Paris and to have fun with my friends!  During my stay I: ate lunch at the Eiffel Tower, went to the arch de triumph, went to the Louvre and saw the main pieces of art, went to the top of the Arch again at night to see the Eiffel Tower lit up, went to the Eiffel Tower at night to see it light up and sparkle, went to Notre Dame, walked through the Luxembourg Gardens, did some shopping and of course ate lots of bread and yummy crepes!  It was a busy, fun filled few days but totally worth all the walking around and exhaustion! It was a trip I will never forget!  I am so glad it worked out to go see my friends because it wouldn’t have been the same without them there

Although I had a wonderful weekend in Paris, I was definitely ready to be back in Florence.  I really missed the city and my new friends.  I had no idea how much I would miss “home” but once I got off the train in Florence I immediately felt more calm and at ease.  Florence, and Italy in general, is a lot more relaxed and less stressful than Paris.  People are a little more friendly and time seems to pass slower here.  I have a semi-routine down here and I really love spending time with my roommates and friends here.  I missed using my Italian, in fact I kept getting corrected in France because I would respond in Italian!  That’s what happens when you go to a new country right when you are finally getting used to where you are.  In general Paris was dirtier and smellier than Florence, BUT the bread was MUCH softer and overall better.  I did miss my pasta and salami sandwiches, but quickly learned that crepes are my new best friend!  Banana Nutella crepes = amazing!  I am definitely making them back in the states….not sure how but I am determined!  So overall it was a great trip and I enjoyed a lot of French things, but I am happy to be back in Florence where my heart truly is!  I am glad I got to leave Italy for a little bit because it allowed me to realize how much I really love it and that I made the right choice in coming here.  So thanks mom and dad for making the trip possible and to my friends for making the trip a memorable one!
Au Revoir, or Ciao!

Becca

Record highs, Italiano class, and home cookin!

So yesterday the temperature in Firenze was 95 degrees farenheit.  Our Italian professor said he couldn’t remember the last time it was that hot in May!  Today it was more like 98 degrees.  Although I am from the hot, humid state of Florida, 95 or 98 degrees in Firenze is not quite the same as the Sunshine state.  Mainly this is due to the lack of air conditioning in my apartment and my school.  Also, I walk everywhere, so by the time I get to my apartment or school I am drenched in sweat!  With no hope of ac cooling me off it has become an uncomfortable experience.  But of course I am in Italy and can’t complain! lol  Just has allowed me to realize even more that I am a cold weather person and that moving up north when I graduate will be good for me.  I have learned a few tactics for keeping my self cool however.  Of course you always try to walk on the sidewalk with the shade, luckily because of Firenze’s tall buildings this is fairly doable.  Another tactic is to walk slowly as you pass shops and cafes with air conditioning, trying to savor every bit of ac you can.  We have also learned to open our windows in the morning and later in the evening when the air is coolest to get some cooler air into the apartment and then closing everything off so its dark during the day.  A more recent tactic I have discovered is to step into shops to “check them out”, see prices, what they offer, etc.  I am usually a little interested in what they may have and how much it costs, but mainly I am enjoying a minute of cool air conditioning.  I don’t mean to sound like I am complaining, just wanted to give you all a better understanding of what it’s like to live here every day.  It has been a great reminder for me to not take things for granted!  Thanks mom and dad for always paying to have the ac on when it’s 95 degrees out!

I had my first real Italiano class today, Friday we just took a tour.  My professor’s name is Lorenzo and he is really nice.  I know he is going to be a great teacher I just have some concerns.  Today he spoke some in english and if we didn’t understand what he said in Italiano he would repeat it in English.  But starting tomorrow there will be NO MORE ENGLISH!  I don’t know how this is going to work because I understood almost nothing he said today lol.  Several students know Spanish so they have a leg up on me, but at the same time it will be difficult for them because they have to relearn things the Italian way instead of spanish.  Either way I think it will be difficult for everyone but with this method and at this rate I am bound to learn a good bit of Italiano.  I am hoping I can communicate better with the locals and not have them view me as a tourist.  I don’t feel like a tourist and the crowds of “foreigners” annoy me!  I dread seeing people wearing fanny packs and cameras around their neck while they follow someone with a flag on a stick raised in the air.  One thing I don’t mind is taking pictures of the tourists.  I know how much I appreciate when people do that for me on trips so I am always willing and often offering to do so.  A lot of them comment on how great the picture is so I am considering charging….a little contribution for my gelato fund! lol  I will keep you all updated on my italiano lessons, just pray that I can learn and do well in the class.

My roommate Lindsay and I are trying to save money by cooking as often as we can.  It’s hard because of the timing of stores being opened and our classes but today we were very successful.  We bought prepackaged chicken cordon bleu, a baked potato each, and a zuccini each.  The total cost of dinner = 4 euro!!  2 euros each, it’s better than fast food!!!  We baked the potatoes, reheated the chicken, and cooked the zuccinni in a frying pan with some butter and then sprinkled bread crumbs on top.  It was very delicious and very filling!  It was comfort food for us and felt a little more like home.  When being immersed in such a different culture you learn to appreciate the little things that remind you of home: American music in stores or restaurants, a cold diet coke (it’s a treat for me here because they are expensive unless you buy them from the grocery), or a street musician playing Stairway to Heaven.   I am beginning to understand and appreciate the culture here more and it’s only been a few days.  By the end of the trip I feel like I will be much more comfortable and have adapted to the Italian way of life.  I have already started being less aware of the time and don’t stress as much about planning things out ahead of time.  Well….I need to go practice my Italiano and take a break from sitting by this heat producing computer!  Hope you all are doing well. Love you and miss you!

Ciao ciao,

Becca

“our place”

Today was the first day I started feeling like I live here in Firenze.  We have started going to the same places and we now refer to them as “our places”.  It’s funny how quickly this happens.  We have an “our” restaurant that we have only eaten at twice now but we love it and the waiter is funny.  We have “our” gelato place, it’s definitely the best here and I won’t eat any other kind!  It’s also the best deal too (dad you’d appreciate this).  Basically there is a famous gelato place that is really pricey and near the toursity section.  But the same family owns the gelato place we go to so it’s the same gelato only cheaper and it’s where all the locals go so we don’t have to deal with “those tourists”.  I know, I know, I am a tourist…but after being here a few days and being more comfortable here, the crowds of tourists annoy us all and we try to avoid those areas if at all possible.  We like to go where they only speak italiano so we can try to figure things out. It’s a challenge but it’s part of the fun.   I had riso (rice) and nuttella gelato together.  I know rice sounds gross but Firenze is known for it and it was really good!  We ate the gelato while we walked down to the river Arno and sat on the steps by the Ponte Vecchio and listened to more street music.  it was beautiful and relaxing!  I could sit there with the cool breeze, listening to music and just stay forever!!  I am back in my apartment now and going to read some for a class.  It’s been a great first few days here and I am amazed by how much I am learning and growing already.  Hope you all are doing well!  Love you!

Ciao ciao,

Becca

David

This morning my roommate, Lindsay, and I woke up at 7 to get to the museum by 8:15.  Because we have a student museum card we get to skip the lines!  We some of the first few people into the Accademia Gallery to see the statue of David.  It’s was awesome!  It was much bigger than I thought and really neat to see how detailed the muscles and veins are, especially in his arm.  We looked at the other Michelangelo statues that are unfinished as well as the paintings throughout the somewhat small museum.  Then we headed back to our apartment because our 7th roommate arrived today and we needed to let her in to our apartment.  All our other roommates are gone for the day so we had to make it back for her.  We are back here now and going to head out to grab a calzone at a cheap place we found last night.  Then Lindsay and I will head to the Uffizi Gallery.  I am excited to go!  Lindsay has the Rick Steve’s Guide to Florence and it has explanations of the major displays in all the museums in Florence so we just take turns reading them out loud to each other while we see them.  I am getting alone really well with her and I think we will have many fun times together in the future. We both are pretty similar and think a lot alike so that helps a lot.  Well, that’s all for now….

Firenze

I am here in Florence, Italy. I  arrived Wednesday at 11:30 in Pisa and took the train to Florence and then a cab to my school.  Then after checking in, I hauled all of my luggage to my apartment about 10 minutes away.  It was a long and tiring walk and the 5 flights of stairs up to my room officially made it miserable!  BUT once I got inside and met some of my roomates and showered I felt much better.  The first night we went to a place nearby and I had proschiuto and mozzarella pizza and a glass of the house red wine.  They were both delicious. Then we went straight home to bed and were asleep by 10.

I woke up the next morning and headed to orientation.  It was long and the staff from the school and the police officer who talked to us scared us a little but i think they did that on purpose.  That afternoon we went back to our apartment and had a nap until our landlord came.  When he finally came, and hour and 45 minutes later than we thought, he quickly showed us how to use things in the apartment.  His english is not very good and he is a little crazy but entertaining.  That night we had a welcome dinner at a really nice restaurant.  We had bread and then 4 coures including dessert.  It was my 21st birthday that day and I hadn’t told my roomates until it came up that afternoon.  So one of them told the restaurant and they turned off all the lights, sang happy birthday and brought me tiramisu.  It was delicious and a great way to spend my birthday!

Yesterday, Friday, we had our first day of classes and they were both good.  I am excited to learn Italian and my psychology class will be fun and interesting.  Last night my roomate Lindsay and I bought stuff to make dinner for te whole apartment.  There are 7 of us and we all thought we could take turns buying and making dinner some nights to save money.  We made rigatoni with marinara meat sauce and had bread and some really cheap red wine we bought.  After we went down to the river and listened to a street musician.  It was beautiful out and it was so much fun!

Today we went to Chianti for a wine tasting.  First we stopped in a little town: Greve Chianti, and visited a street market.  I had my first cappucino it was delicious!  Then we went to Castillo Verrazzano, a castle, with a beautiful garden and vineyards.  There we had a tour of the garden, of the wine cellar and then a wine tasting over dinner!  We tried three of their wines, my favorite 2 were the Chianti Classico and the Chianti Classico Reserva.  The Reserva was the most expensive and of course the best!  Lunch was delicious, we had mostacolli noodles with tomatos and basil, salad, and sliced pork.  Our dessert was their “holy wine”, its incredibly strong, and you dip almond biscotti in it.  I only dipped the biscotti in a few times because it just didn’t taste that great to me.  Plus by the end of the meal I felt like I had had enough wine already.  I am now back in my room and am finally writing this because we were able to get wireless in our apartment.  Not a lot of students are able to so we feel very blessed!  I am realizing more and more how God has worked on my trip already.  I am thankful for how things have worked out and for the safety of me and everyone else getting here.  I will hopefully be able to update this more, and also not have such long posts, because I will have access here in my room. Hope you all are doing well.  Love you!

CIAO!

Me on top of a hill in Greve Chianti