Ciao Firenze, Hello USA

We woke up at 630 Friday morning to get our belongings together for our departure home. We ate our last breakfast at Mama Lo's and got ready to go. Our taxi arrived at 730 to take us to the airport. Getting through the airport was pretty easy minus some people's luggage rearranging due to some weight issues. I literally slept the entire flight from Firenze to Frankfurt except somehow I managed to wake up right as we were passing over the Swiss Alps, it was absolutely breathtaking. Frankfurt airport was a little bit more strict. My friend Chris pretty much had to do everything but strip down to get through security once we did though it was smooth sailing and we walked right on the plane. The flight back was not bad at all. I actually ended up sleeping for 6 hours of it then just watched a movie. Finally, we were on American soil. We waited in customs forever then sailed through immigration. I turned the corner and there were my Poppop and Mommom waiting for me to take me to my cousins wedding and reunite with my family.

The last night :(

So to much of our dismay, our last night in Firenze finally was upon us. Most of the groups had their last dinner with their homestay but since my house had ours the previous night we decided to go to an apertivo for our last dinner in Firenze. We went to one that we had been dying to try, Moyo. It ended up being my favorite apertivo. The drinks (mojitos of course) were so good and the food was excellent. We finished dinner pretty early so we decided to go to Kikuya to get one of their Dragoon beers which is 10%, crazy. It was really nice to spend time the last night with my roommates, just us. After we finished our beers we grabbed some wine and headed to the stairs of Santa Croce to meet up with everyone. We drank some wine there. Everyone came out! It was so fun. We went to Naima for one euro shots then back to Bacco. Then, way too quickly the time came to say goodbye. It was really sad saying goodbye to people that I have spent the last 53 days with everyday. Marie, Alex and I walked back to 7 Via Dia Serragli for our finally time.

By far the best day in Firenze..

Yesterday was by far my absolute favorite day that I have spent here in Firenze. We had our italian final then art class then we planned to spend the day with Mama Lo at her center. Mama Lo and 4 other people started this center for children that have a handicap or disability. It is a place for them to learn, express themselves and most of all just enjoy life. Alex, Marie and I all piled into Mama Lo's car and headed to her center in the country side. The place is absolutely astounding. We first started our tour outside walking through the fields and gardens. There are totem poles all around but they are made but all of the kids at the center! There is this hut made from an old wine barrel that looks like a little play home, pretty much every little kids dream! There is a HUGE dragon created out of wood which all of the kids painted a piece of the wood to create it. She showed us a fountain they created that was surrounded by the beautiful purple artichoke flowers which looked like something out of Avatar. Who would've known that if you don't eat them they grow into something so beautiful. Their outdoor stage is magnificent, I definitely wish I could have seen some of the shows they put on there. Inside there are places for the kids to do crafts, dance and activities. Every piece of art (which there are tons) is created by the children that attend this center. It is absolutely amazing.

I have honestly never been so inspired in my life than I have been on this trip during conversations I have had with Mama Lo and after seeing that place. She is the most extraordinary woman I have ever met and someone I definitely needed in my life. I honestly feel like I was destined to meet her. She once was a model for Roberto Cavalli living in one of the most superficial worlds possible now she spends her time working with disabled children at her center and showing them the beauty of life whether it be through art or dance therapy. Living with her and being able to have these types of conversations with her has made me realize how much we take for granted in the United States and how much we need to stop and appreciate the things around us. Life here is so much more relaxed, people don't get worked up about the little things like they do at home. Mama Lo has inspired me to not fear the future. She also has made me realize that as corny as it sounds, anything is possible. The excuses of not having the money to start or do something you feel passionate about isn't a reason not to, there is always a way. She has also taught me that the people you surround yourself with and the company you keep really affect your life which is something I haven't always believed. All in all after seeing the center, talking to her and just feeling the energy there I have never been so inspired to pursue my goals and the things I want in my life.

When we came home Marie, Alex and I went to one of our favorite salad shops for late lunch. Afterwards, we came home and studied for our two finals which we have this morning. Then I went for what was probably my last run in Firenze and showered. As soon as I heard the country music playing in the kitchen I knew it was time to start cooking dinner. Mama Lo has let me watch/help her make dinner for a few weeks now and it is amazing. Since lastnight was our last dinner together she decided to make our favorite, pasta with pesto, salad and eggplant parmesan. We also decided to go down to our favorite Mini Mart man and pick up a couple bottles of wine for the meal. We usually eat inside but since it was the last night and it was cool enough we set up a candle lit dinner on the terrace. It was beautiful. What is usually about an hour long dinner lasted over two hours! It was so much fun! Mama Lo was telling us stories about groups she had in the past and we talked about some of our favorite times here. Though it was such a great time it was really sad realizing that our time here is up.

Today is our last day here. We have two finals then done! I have some last minute packing to do then plan on enjoying the rest of the day and celebrating with these amazing people I have met on this trip tonight. I can't believe it is almost over, time definitely goes way to fast!

Trouble in Paradise...

So it has been the week of 'lasts,' the last classes, the last trips to our favorite cafes, last minute shopping, last time climbing the BI's stairs (haha). We've been racing around all week trying to find time to get last minute gifts and see places all the while trying to find some time to fit in for studying for our final exams. Not only did I have all this on my plate but Monday night my worst fear happened.

As I was sitting on my bed reading I looked up to my one book shelf where I always keep extra money and my passport and my passport was missing! At first I didn't worry thinking I just misplaced it but after some time of looking it was no where to be found. Then set in panic mode. Alex, Marie and I literally tore apart our entire room searching everywhere from the closets, to trash, to our notebooks. Still not being able to find it I did what any 21 year old would do....called my mom (haha). She calmed me down a bit but knowing me as well as she does she ended up calling me a little while later telling me to relax and go to sleep because she knew I was still up searching...which I was. The following morning I went to the American Consulate and explained the situation. I was petrified walking in there but they were so nice to me. They told me I could get an emergency passport that day which was valid for three months but most importantly could get me back into the states. I decided to wait until the following day to do that as a last option hoping that it would turn up as I packed up my belongings.

Well I am all packed up and it is still no where to be found. It is the most bizarre thing. After my italian exam I went straight to the American Consulate and applied for an emergency passport which was handed to me about an hour later. I personally think it is a sign that I am supposed to stay in Europe but looks like I'll be heading back to the states after all!

And Nothing Else Compares

So it has finally set in this past week that we are leaving so soon. I don't know where time went. I feel like we just got our bearings on the whole city and the whole traveling bit and now we have to leave. However, I'm not letting a second of the rest of this trip go by without enjoying it.

After the Malta trip I was pretty exhausted and ended up sleeping until 1230 the following Sunday! Since their weren't many of us back yet from our weekend trips, Arianna, Paul, Jeff and I all went to Gusta Pizza for lunch then headed to Amadeus to watch the soccer game. There is honestly nothing better than the World Cup in Europe. No matter what game it is there are always people out cheering and going crazy. After the game we all went home to shower then I met up with Jeff and Chris to go to dinner at Gato y Volpe. It was really good and somewhere that everyone I knew whose previously been here told me was a must go. After dinner we had one of their famous "gato bomb" shots. It is pretty much a jaegar bomb on steroids. Following that we hung out at my flat for awhile then I went out with Jeff to meet his two sisters at Bacco for drinks. Before we made it there though we went to Lion's Fountain and the craziest thing happened! The bar was completely empty except for one family...the family was from Cinnaminson! What a small world. After we talked for awhile we ended up going to Salamanca which was really neat. Then came the best part of the night...the secret bakery. Everyone has heard of it but noone on the trip has been able to find it. However, Jeff's sister and her friends knew where it was so we went. It is the most absurd thing. You walk up to this little glass door that looks like it belongs on a shower and knock. A man pokes his head out and asks what you want and then you give him a euro. Soon enough you have a hot chocolate croissant that is so unbelievably good. Even with being there once I still couldn't tell you where it is or how to get there...bizarre.

Monday we had classes as usual then went to lunch at this small sandwich place we heard about next to the Lion's Fountain. We of course had gelato after. Though we were dead set on not going out that night we easily got persuaded to by Jeff giving us the guilt trip that his sisters were here. We went to Salamanca again and had some awesome Sangria.

Tuesday morning we had Dante then went to the American Diner for lunch. We came home and took naps. Alex slept alot longer than I did so I hung out with Matt and attempted to cut his hair but the clippers only would work if you held the cord in a certain position so we finally gave up with only the back of his head being cut. He went to go find a hair salon after but everything was closed! haha So I had to touch up the rest of the pieces with shaving cream and a regular razor. We laid low that night since we had to work on our papers. I got to skype with my mom which was really nice since I've been missing her and hadn't talked to her in awhile. I would seriously do anything for her to be able to come here and experience all the things I am with me. She would absolutely love it here but like she says 'someone has to hold down the fort.'

Wednesday we walked into italian and we had a sub which was kind of a bummer since Susanna (our professor) is so fun and such a good teacher! Now we only have one more class left with her before the final. After class Marie and I grabbed a panino from this Mom and Pop shop where we usually get our waters in the morning. Afterwards she had class so Alex and I went to do laundry together. Once Marie and the other girls were out of class we all went to see Eclipse. It was really neat seeing a movie over here. The theater is so much different and more like that of a Broadway theater, it even has an intermission right in the middle of the film which was strange. Since Zora was busy that night we didn't have dinner at our homestay instead Marie, Alex and I went into Santo Spirito and went to an apertivo there. It was the best one I have been to so far and the mojitos were really good. Then it was the night we had all been trying to plan this whole trip, Central Park. Unlike the other discotecas in Florence this one was all outside with a bunch of different dance floors. Everyone from the group went and the place was packed. It was by far my favorite club I have been to.

Thursday we had two classes which felt like they took forever since we all didn't get home until really late. We went to Academia to see Michaelangelo's David. It was huge! After class we grabbed a quick lunch and then went home for our usual naps except.. our naps ended up being A LOT longer then we expected. We laid down around 130 and when I woke up I could not believe what time my phone said..19:15 or in US time 7:15! We almost took a six hour nap. The worst part was that we woke up had dinner with Zora and then literally went back to sleep until the next day! However, I did get to skype Mikey before I went back to sleep since it was his birthday! I guess we caught up on a lot of missed sleep from the past few weeks.

We didn't have any classes on Friday which was nice. I woke up and met Lauren Onestack, the director's daughter in front of Palazzo Caponi to go for a run together. Once we finished one of the hottest runs of my life we both went home to get ready for the lunch her parents were having in their faculty flat. They are seriously the nicest family I have ever met and the kids are the most mature and respectful kids I have ever come in contact with. They invited all of us to their flat for lunch to sit in the air conditioning since it has been scorching hot here the past few days. It was really fun pretty much everyone in the group went. We ended up staying longer than most people because we were playing UNO with Brandon and Lauren. Even though it was so hot we decided it was the day to climb the Duomo. It was so worth it! I thought the view from Michaelangelo was pretty but this was out of this world. It was so high up! Once we climbed the narrow, steep steps down we came home. That night we decided to go to Tijuana for dinner which is this mexican restaurant that everyone talks about. It was pretty good and relatively cheap. Afterwards we came home and sat on the terrance and had some wine while we waited for our other friends to shower and get ready. We ended up just going to Gato y Volpe and spent the night there watching the soccer game and hanging out with everyone.

Saturday morning we woke up and had to be at the park by 11 am or we would be in big trouble with Brandon (our directors 8 year old son) because we promised him we would all come and have a big game of soccer. However, that was not the best part of the morning. When we woke up Mama Lo was back!!! She has been gone for about 2 weeks on walking tours and though Zora is great we all really missed Mama Lo! It was so nice to see her and catch up with her! It was so much fun except for the heat and the fact that I'm pretty sure I swallowed like 30 nats. We laid down for a bit since we were so exhausted from the heat then headed to our usual spot, Amadeus to watch the Germany/Argentina game. We ended up just having a quick dinner at Gusta Pizza which was nothing short of amazing before we got ready to go out. Alex, Marie and I enjoyed some wine at Santo Spirito and listened to live music and watched this Brazilian interpretative dance. It was pretty amazing to see people move in such crazy ways. Jeff and Ren met up with and headed to Space, one of Firenze's most well known night clubs. It was my first time there and was so much different then what I had anticipated! I thought it was going to be dirty and sketchy but it wasn't at all. They played such great music! We even saw some of the bartenders from Gato y Volpe.

Today, we woke up and walked into the square to find a cafe to study. We forgot that it's Sunday and most places are closed so we ended up just grabbing some food then heading back home to study. Since it's the 4th of July we are all planning on getting together tonight and doing something! I cannot believe I have to leave this Friday. This has been the best experience of my life and I definitely don't want it to end but I have learned so much. I am taking advantage of these last few days and going to enjoy every second to the fullest!

Let It Be

I can't believe I haven't wrote about this place called Bebop yet! So every Tuesday night at this place called Bebop there is a Beatles cover band. Seriously they are so good and it is such a great time! Everyone usually goes. It's so much fun just to be around everyone and music that everyone in the world loves. There are two parts to the show and the first part is always so packed. They play in the basment of this little bar and literally people will fill the place, flooding up onto the stairs. Usually after the first act it thins out a bit. However, the second act is the best part for the music and because it is not as crowded. It is so much fun! One of the guys on our trip, Paul is a Beatles fanatic, he is so much fun to go with. He knows every word to every song. If you're lucky you get to hang out with the band members during intermission and some of the girls on the trip have even had a drink with them after the show! I get my hopes up everytime that they will play Let It Be which is my favorite but I think it's too slow but my friend Jeff and I are determined to get them to play it before we leave! Only two more chances left!!

So after seeing the tower in Pisa Arianna and I took the tram from the train station to the airport. We were really curious to see what RYANAIR was like since it is so cheap. However, as we waited to check we witnessed something ridiculous. There was this woman, barefoot wearing sunglasses literally throwing things around the building and against the walls, her cell phone, pens, shampoo, hair spray, pretty much anything in her possession. Then she was waving this water around and rubbing it on the walls like it was holy water or something. Soon she started walking around punching signs and trying to rip the fire extinguisher off the wall. At first it was pretty entertaining but then it was pretty scary since no one was doing anything not even the airport employees. Everyone was just watching. Finally, we got our tickets and were able to leave while this woman was still pitching a fit.

RYANAIR was a lot better than I thought. The plane was pretty big. There was a group of really obnoxious spanish soccer fans on our flight wearing jerseys and blowing this annoying horn. I'm not sure how I managed it but the second I sat down on the plane I was out. I didn't even wake up through take off. I woke up just in time to see the island coming up though. After we breezed through the airport we took a bus to Paceville, the town we were staying in. The drive there was so beautiful and so bumpy! The bus drivers are crazy and there are no doors on the bus. Since Malta was a British colony they drive on the other side of the rode. We really weren’t sure where to get off since nothing was really labeled and the directions to our hostel literally just said walk down past the Burger King. Real helpful huh? We end up getting off at the wrong spot but the weirdest thing happened. The number of our hostel was 35 so we found 35 on this street, even though it was the wrong one and it was a James Madison University building. So weird! Well we got back on the bus and eventually found our stop. Our hostel was so great! It was right in the center of Paceville, which is home to Malta’s best night life and we were right by the ocean as well. We had a terrace so we could sit out there and we were in a private room so it was just Arianna and I. Best part, all of this for only 15 euro! Crazy. So we got dressed and were ready for our first night out in Paceville!

We went to this restaurant called Amigos for dinner and to watch the soccer games. It was really good, we just got a few appetizers to split and drinks. It was also so cheap! After the game was over we started our night. We went to this place called Fun Bar and it was insane. It was a bar/club. The best thing was it was filled with Netherlands fans all painted and going crazy. Everyone was so nice and outgoing! We made a lot of friends and spent all night there and the place right next door called Havanas which was a dance club. It is seriously the perfect place for college kids to go. Unlike Firenze where drinks are so pricey and there’s a cover charge everywhere, in Malta there was none of that. You could get pitchers of your favorite mixed drinks for 10 euro then get a second one for free. It was bizarre. We stayed out pretty late and eventually headed back to the hostel.

We woke up on friday morning and found a little place to grab breakfast. Afterwards, we talked to the owner of our hostel about where the best place to go to the beach was. He told us to take the bus 45 minutes north to a place called Golden Bay. The bus ride was a wooping 47 cents and had the most beautiful views. It was worth the 45 minute drive. The beach was prettier than any island I have ever seen! Crystal clear water, cliffs and the softest sand. We literally stayed there all day laying out and swimming in the sea. We grabbed lunch at this place called Munchies Beach Shack. I had a mixed salad with tuna and this amazing basil and mint dressing. We took the bus back to Paceville and went home to shower and get ready for night number two.

Night number two was pretty much a repeat of the first night. We ended up eating dinner and watching the game at the same place because we had such a good time the night before. The only difference was we stopped in at a few other small places before going to Fun Bar and Havanas just to check them out but nothing was as fun as those. We even met up with some of the same people from the night before. All in all it was one of the best nights of my life.

On Saturday we just went to one of the local beaches before getting ready to leave for the airport. We tried to switch our flight to Sunday but RYANAIR has all these dumb rules, but hey what do you expect when you can get flights that cheap. Malta was such an amazing experience, one I will definitely never forget. If I wasn’t studying in Italia I don’t think I would have ever thought to go to Malta. It was so cheap and one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It was also so nice to travel with only one other person instead of a large group. We were able to do more and get to places quicker. It was seriously one of the best weekends of my life.