Pictures!!!!

Sooooo internet has been an issue because its a lot of euros and its slow, however i finally found a place near the beach that has free internet and is fast! so here are some picture updates, mainly having to do with the last post! love you all!

Zanzara

Boungiorno!!! Busy, busy, busy is how I would like to explain my last 4 days in Italy. I am in Lido di Camaoire in Viareggio.  Class stared on Monday and boy was I in for a treat.  My class size is about 12 and my teacher speaks very little English.  We have class for 4 hours a day with one break! My teachers name is Giovanna and she is soooo cute, but as you can all probably understand, when trying to learn a language it cant be frustrating when you ask a question and she doesn’t understand you.  She always says, “You try to speak in Italian.” Haha. Unfortunately we are still on phrases such as… “How are you?”  Although it is frustrating at times I am learning a lot, and the teachers came to our hotel to do tutoring! Not only do we have 4 hours of class and about 2 hours of homework, we also have awesome field trips planned by AIFS.  On Tuesday, we went to Pietrasanta.   It was established in 1255 and is the place where artists came for inspiration.  The town was full of bright colored buildings, just like you see in movies and pictures.  I had my very first gelato and saw a man making a mosaic worth 700 thousand euro. Yikeess! Eating has also been a big part of my Italian experience.  I have a favorite sandwich shop and I even try to speak Italian to the owner.  We order fresh sandwiches with mozzarella, tomatoes, salami or ham, with pesto on delicious bread! At night we eat in the hotel and I have befriended our waiter Bruno who also helps some of the girls and I with our Italian homework.  Today (Thursday) I went a Marble Quarry.  We went on a tour and they told us how they take it out and all sorts of fun facts.  After AIFS took us to this restaurant called Aqua. It was right on the water and one of the most relaxing and romantic places I have been to, not to mention having delicious food.  The cheesecake here is very different and I am not a fan.  It is much more watery.  I found out who my host family will be too this week and even got to see a picture! Its actually just one woman, her name is Tosca and she is pretty old from what I understand.  She has had students for 20 years and speaks very little English.   She owns a clothing boutique in Florence and her daughter lives down the street.  She likes to go dancing and the AIFS lady said she can be a little kooky crazy sometimes, such as have pink braids in her hair!!! Haha I cant wait to meet her and get to know her. Also (mom you will appreciate this) I went to water aerobics! My time here has been such a blessing so far, but I would be lying if at times I wasn’t stressed.  With school, excursions, little sleep, long meals and trying to keep up with friends and family at home it can be exhausting.  I am paying for internet right now, so if I haven’t responded to some e-mails I have gotten, don’t worry, I will… just when I have free internet! I love you all so so so much. Please pray for my safety and know that I am thinking about you J

They call it the Honeymoon stage...

I am finally to Italy and so much has already happened.  Lets start with about 4 days ago.  After saying goodbye to my sister at home and then my mom, dad, and Eric at the airport it was I on my own in the huge international airport terminal.  I quickly introduced myself to the other girls flying out of LAX.  About 13 hours later we were in London!!! We were greeted by someone from the staff of our program and loaded us in the “coach” (bus) and we were at our hotel in Kensington shortly after.  Honestly, after that it is a blur of adventure.  Driving on the opposite side of the road, meeting new friends from all over the United States, eating in a Pub, the National History museum, and adventurous night in Piccadilly Circus.  Piccadilly Circus was one of the most amazing sights in London, a lot like New York. There was tons of nightlife, lots of people from all over Europe (I even made a friend on the tube from Italy!)

and lots of British accents! I conquered two of my goals by the second day; understand the tube system and foreign currency.  The next day a huge bus took us all around London. We went to the Tower Bridge, the London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, etc.   After that we were basically dropped of in London to fend for ourselves and I wish I could have been a fly on the wall to see our confused American faces. Don’t worry we figured it out and it turned out to be an awesome experience.  That night my new friends and I went to the Ice Bar! It was so awesome. The cups, chairs, and tables were made of ice! (Sort 

of pricey though).  The next day I roamed around in the morning and then it was off to the airport.  The flight was about 2 hours to Pisa.  After going through customs and waiting around for my bag…. No luck, both my suitcases were gone.  I knew they would get there eventually and like my mom said I gave some people candy because it cheers them up…because a lot of people had at least one bag missing.  When we got to the hotel we had a delicious Italian buffet and walking around the streets.  Our hotel is a 3-minute walk from the beach; it was so fun to swim in the Mediterranean Sea!! Orientation, delicious pizza, me trying to speak Italian, and walking through the market streets, and a 3-hour dinner.  I love it here already!! I love you all and miss your faces J

All my bags are packed, Im ready to go

I cant believe tomorrow is August 19th, the day I have been talking about for months.  I have talked to so many people about Italy and different parts of Europe, I don't know if I could be given any more advice.  Two days ago I was blessed to have family and friends over for a goodbye celebration. We ate meatballs, caprese, pasta, salad, bread, lasagna, more pasta, and cheesecake! yummy :) I cant wait to taste the Italian versions of what we consider Italian food, assuming that its slightly better! I was able to take in more advice, listen to stories from my grandpa, cousin, and friends from their experiences in Europe, and after feeding everyone, sit back and enjoy how truly blessed I am to have each person in my life.  My Mom and Dad have been nothing but supportive during this process, my sister always giving me encouraging words ( she keeps telling me to stick her in my suit case), Eric has been so selfless, and my friends are excited knowing I'm doing something I have dreamt about doing.  Id be lying if I said I wasn't scared or nervous at all. Lets be honest LAX is a huge airport and can be VERY intimidating. But my fears turn into excitement, because when I am scared, its something I have never done and that's what this is all about.  I plan to learn a lot, both in my classes and just by living in a different country.  I will do my best to "live it up" as Americans would say and enjoy every taste, smell, and sight.  I will pray constantly and would ask that you would do the same.  I will try to take advantage of every chance I get. I will learn the bus system, walk a lot, understand euros, and I will come back knowing a decent amount of Italian. And I will miss everyone.  

Tomorrow I will fly to London and stay for about 3 days. The Tower Bridge, The London Eye, tiny cars, Buckingham Palace. My tourist A game will be on! 

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to loose sight of the shore"

~Andre Gide

The pile is growing!

Less than 2 weeks until departure!

Buongirono!

I don't exactly know where to begin considering the process of going to Italy started about 9 months ago. I knew I wanted to study abroad the moment I heard about it.  Choosing a place was most definitely the hardest part.  Did I want to go to a Spanish speaking country and practice what I have learned and get even better at it? Did I want to go back to Africa with all its amazing hospitable people?....It came down to somewhere in South America or Europe.  I choose Europe because I know as I grow older I wont be able to spend money on fabulous European vacations :)  After talking with several people I couldn't deny what Italy had to offer.  So many historical locations, a beautiful coast, an unknown language, delicious food, and revolutionary art.  It had everything. I spent a lot of time going through hand books, searching the web, and praying about it and I finally choose Florence because: A. The program I liked was either Florence or Rome.  And B.  I liked the idea of a slower paced city, something more like me.  Since that decision, I have been through a long application process, the Italian Consulate, listening to pod casts, trying to find the perfect walking shoes and clothes so I wont look like a tourist, applying for housing, converting my money to euros, the list goes on and on.  I will be attending the University of Richmond in Florence.  I will be staying with an Italian family with the request of another student and I wont find out who they are until I arrive.  I cant wait to meet them!  I hope the like me, speak a little English, and have some time to show me around and teach me to cook! The classes I will be taking are: Italian 1 and 2, Globalization: A European Perspective, Modern Italy: A Social Analysis, and Italian Literature in Translation.( 16 units) I cant tell you how blessed I feel to have this experience.  I will need prayers while I am away for 4 months, for my safety, times of loneliness, and to understand foreign currency haha!  I will try to keep everyone updated as much as possible, it probably will be way less writing than this but I wanted everyone to be caught up :)

Grazie mille (many thanks) for everyones support.

Becky