If she wants to rock, she rocks. If she wants to roll she rolls.

I still can't get over the life I am living right now. Last thursday and friday was the usual. Classes, amazing food then going out. We seem to always end up at the same place the Lion's Fountain. Hopefully that will change soon so we can experience more places!

Alex and I woke up Saturday and decided to ask our host mom where a good day trip would be. She mention Lucca and it turned out to be a blast. My roommates and I took a bus there and spent the day riding bikes around the medieval town. We stopped at their amphitheater for lunch and a few glasses of wine. We eventually got ready to head out, returned our bikes and took naps on the bus ride home. All in all it was a really great day and nice to just be with my roommates all day.

We got back Saturday night got ready and had a few people over to pregame. After awhile and many arguments we decided we would go to Lion's Fountain to meet up with people but not go inside since we wanted to go somewhere new. Well that didn't happen. We had a few drinks there and then just called it a night.

We had all intentions of waking up and heading to Cinque Terre for the day Sunday but noone could get their act together and it just turned out to be a frustrating mess. We decided to call it quits, take a nap then go from there. We ended up taking a four hour nap! It was good because we finally realized that if we want to do something we need to just do it and not worry about everyone else, if they want to come they will. It was time for dinner when we woke up so we went into Piazza de Santo Spirito and ate at Gusta Osteria. Afterwards we decided to head up to Piazza de Michaelangelo to watch the sunset. It might be my favorite place in Firenze! I've never seen anything so beautiful!

We have a short week this week. We had class today, have it tomorrow then off Wednesday for a holiday. We are determined to make it to Cinque Terre this Wednesday! Then we have classes Thursday but none on Friday since we leave for Venice for the weekend!! My life is unreal here, I am so fortunate. I am not taking a moment for granted.

Never looking down, I'm just in awe of what's in front of me

We left bright and early Saturday morning for Siena! The bus ride wasn't too long but allowed us to all nap. When we arrived we had a guided tour of the city. We went to the Cathedral and saw the room of nine in the center square. The medieval architecture was amazing! After the tour was over we had a few hours of free time. A group of us found this small pub with great paninos. It even had ones wit hot sauce! After lunch we walked through the winding roads, shopped and had gelato. It was the first time I had it and it was amazing! After the group met up we headed to meet the bus, only to have to wait for what felt like forever. Once we got back we went home to get ready for our first Saturday night out in Firenze!

Once everyone was showered and ready to go we headed to our first apertivo at Slowly. It is such a cool thing. You go and pay for a drink and then there is a buffet of food for free. It is the perfect way to start a night out. Next we headed to Piazza Santa Croce and stopped in a little bar for a drink. After watching the end of the European Soccer Finals the group split, some heading for this club called Space and others headed to what seems to be our usual spot the Lions Fountain. I ended up going to Lions Fountain with the boys and Arianna.

We all slept in on Sunday which was much needed. Then we headed into town for the day and to have lunch. We ate at this little brick oven pizza place. After that we headed to the Chrissi's house to meet gina (the dog) and Sonia who does everything for the boys including organizing their underwear drawer. We headed home to shower before dinner.

Instead of going to a sit down place we grabbed a pannino from Gusta Panino in Piazza di Santa Spirito and heading up to Piazza di Michaelangelo. It is quite the hike up hill but so worth it. It has the most amazing view I have ever seen. We sat up there for awhile talking and drinking some wine. I still can't get over how beautiful it was!

Monday morning came early. We had italian class with Susanna then Dante with Alessandro. Dante was pretty boring but hopefully as we get further into the class it will get better. After that we ate lunch in Piazza di Santo Spirito on the church steps. Then it was time for our daily nap. I went for a run again through the park but this time had some company which was nice. We made our way down around the Duomo and had dinner at this place OK Bar. It was really good. On our the Chrissi's called us and said they were already at our homestay. When we walked up to the house however they were nowhere to be found. We walk in our house and their sitting on our couches inside. Apparently they helped our house mom carry in the groceries so she let them inside. We hung out and laid low for the night.

Tuesday we had italian and dante again. After class we had lunch in the Piazza di Santo Spirito. I was finally convinced to try a Donor Kebob. Even though it looks gross it was pretty good. I sat outside for awhile to read and get some color until some bum came up to me and freaked me out. I left and met up with my roommates. We took our daily naps then got ready for dinner with out house mom. It was so good. We had pasta with tomato sauce and squash. We then met up with some of Alex and Chris's friends that are visiting at their hostel. We headed to the Lions Fountain with all intentions of going to the club after but ended up staying there all night.

Today we had italian and art history. Then ate lunch, did homework, took our usual nap and then went for a run. We're getting ready for dinner now and planning our trip to Cinque Terra this weekend which is supposed to be amazing !

First days in Firenze

For our second night out we headed to a pub called the Lion's Fountain. It is an american friendly bar and even has JMU tshirts on the ceiling. Not only that but they also have a JMU shot! We spent all night there and had a great time.

The first day of classes was pretty rough since most of us stayed out a little too late. First we had Italian. Susanna, my italian teacher is amazing and so energetic! After Italian we left the British Institute to head for Palazzo Capponi, JMU's study center. There we had our first art history class. I'm really excited for this class especially because of all the trips to the museums we will be taking! After classes were finished it was time for some serious napping. When I woke up I decided to go for a run through a park in Firenze. It was beautiful and really big. I think that's when it finally hit me that I'm in Firenze and so fortunate to be here.

Right after showering it was time for dinner. Mama Lo is such a great cook! We had ravioli with herbs, salad and the best eggplant parm that I have ever had. Everything is so fresh and flavorful. After dinner some of our classmates came over and we headed out for the night. We ended up at a bar called the Red Garter. It was also very american friendly however, there were a lot more locals there than the Lion's Fountain. In the back of the bar was a dj and karaoke. It was so much fun! We sang I wanna dance with somebody. We spent the whole night dancing and hanging out. Definitely a place I would like to go back to.

Today, we had italian again and then our literature class Dante's Comedia. In between classes we grabbed lunch at a small place Gusto Panini. I ordered a panini with mozzarella, tomatoes and pesto. It was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had! We ate it on the stairs on the cathedral in Palazzo Santo Spirito. I really like my literature professor and think I am going to learn alot in his class. All of the professors here are really great and helpful. After class, we had a meeting to declare our presence in italy. We had small group meetings with our directors afterwards to discuss our homestays and details for our trip to Siena tomorrow! Following the meeting I wanted to take advantage of this beautiful weather so I went for a run again in the park a few bridges down. Tonight we don't have dinner with Mama Lo so we'll be experiencing our first dinner at an italian restaurant. Afterwards, we are going to get gelato and hang out with a few friends since we are leaving really early for Siena in the morning!

Home Sweet Home

Monday, May 17th finally arrived after which felt like years of waiting for it. It didn't hit me that I was really leaving until my mom dropped Alex and I off at the Philly airport. We breezed through check in and security and had time to kill so we ended up going to Chickie and Pete's for our last american meal and last american beers for awhile. Traveling was so much easier than I expected! Neither of my flights luckily were affected by the volcano as well on time. When we arrived at the airport we met up with a lot of the other JMU students however, two of the students luggage didn't arrive with them! After finishing up some paperwork we were on our way to our homestays! The taxi ride was crazy. I thought driving in Philly was bad but it is nothing compared to Firenze, the lines on the street are more like "guidelines" and it's every man for himself.

The driver literally just dropped us at the curb and left us to find our way to our homestay's flat. We actually ended up walking into a hostel unsure of where we were since none of us can speak italian. However, Mama Lo to the rescue! Mama Lo is our house man or Lori Trapman. She must have heard us lugging all our luggage up the flights of stairs and showed up the way to her flat. The inside is amazing! It's something out of a movie. Everything room is brightly colored with huge windows that remain open during the day. Since me Alex, and Matt (our only boy roommate haha) arrived first we were able to pick which bedroom we would like to live in. Alex and my room is huge and decorated so awesome! The only thing better than the flat is our house mom. She is super artsy and so sweet. I definitely could not have asked for a better person to stay with. We are fortunate though. She is originally from England so unlike the majority of the other homestays we do not have to worry about the language barrier which makes things alot more comfortable.

After we unpacked and settled in we took naps since we were all so jetlagged before showering. Once all five us had arrived we decided to walk through town and find Palazzo Capponi which is JMU's study center and the British Institute where our classes will be held. As soon as we returned it was time for dinner. It was amazing! Mama Lo cooked up pasta with pesto, a salad and chicken with capers in lemon. One of the best meals I have ever had! Though we were all tired we decided to meet up with some of the other students to get a drink to toast off the trip. We decided on a little place in Palazzo Santo Spirito called Popcafe. It was nice to finally be able to relax. While we we're getting ready to head home the night life in Firenze was just beginning! People don't go out here until 1130 or 12 when the discotecas open. However, since traveling got the best of us we decided after a few drinks it was time to call it a night.

We woke up bright and early for our first full day in Firenze. However, it wasn't too bright out. We had our orientation then the walking tour. It poured and thundered the entire time! We ended up heading back early after visiting a few palazzo's. We grabbed some pizza and a wine juice box on the walk home for lunch! It's 2:15 here now which is crazy because that makes it only 8:15 at home! We still have some orientation things to do today and we'll see what the night brings. I am already falling in love with this city and can't wait to experience all it has to offer!

Bittersweet

Though my third year of college has come to a close I am excited for the new challenges and adventures that await me. This year however, has been the one that I have grown the most as a person and I am grateful for every memory, mistake, lesson and person that was a part of it. Though it was my third year of college this truly has been the first time I've enjoyed it and felt like I belonged somewhere. I moved in with the greatest group of people that I could ever have imagined and have created a new family down here at JMU. I don't think I would be where I am today both physically and mentally if it weren't for the friends that I have made this year. Not only did they make me laugh, lend a shoulder for me to cry on and provide me with some great memories they also accepted me for who I am and helped me discover who I can and for that I am so grateful.

Though I am not looking forward to this upcoming Sunday when I will be leaving our home at 821 to head back to South Jersey, I am very excited for the challenges that await me this summer as I will be studying abroad in Florence, Italy. I am prepared to take on the next stage of my life and experience new people, places and chances.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain