Salute

Its been awhile since I have posted something! What's been going on the past month may you ask? Well absolutely nothing... traveling wise. I have been enjoying every inch of Florence and each weekend I stumble across something new. This city truly is a wonderful place and I am finally able to call it my home away from home. It probably doesn't help that I have met some wonderful people here.

A new friend of mine explained to me who she is. She said she did not consider herself one person but she is made up of all the people she meets. And each person has taught her something and she embraces a part of every person she meets.That is who she is.

Study abroad is so much more than being able to travel around and see places, places that other people would kill to go to. It is more than getting away from Kansas. At the beginning of my adventure, those two aspects were all I thought about. Now though, I have come to experience so much more than that. Of course, I have learned a lot from school and traveling, but most of what I have learned is through all the beautiful people that I have been fortunate to come across. You meet people who beat to your own drum and you meet people who don't. You also meet people who have a beat all to their own. But, each and every person teaches you something about life as well as about yourself. The more people I meet the more I am finding myself. Or maybe instead of finding, I am creating.

It has been hard, being away from my family and friends but it has all been worth it. I have grown as a person due to all these new people. Everyone has a unique story. It's breathe taking to be able to hear about so many other people's lives and how much they differ from mine but I am proud to say meeting them has altered mine.

Salute Tutti!

Weekend Getaways

One of the best things about living anywhere in Europe is how easy it is to travel. You can get a cheap flight or train ride for a day trip or even a weekend trip. A few weekends ago a group of us girls decided to head to Pisa for the day. And of course we had to do the touristy Leaning Tower of Pisa pictures...

 

The past two weeks my Mom and Mike came to visit me- I think I gained 10 pounds while they were here because of all the amazing food we had! We went to Venice for a weekend. It is definitely a lot different than Florence. You have to take water taxi's everywhere or walk; lets just say cars are a foreign concept over there. All the people who live there own a small boat and have garages for them. The buildings are literally built right on the water, most don't even have walk ways in between. It was very pretty though. Crazy to think that it is slowly sinking year by year and soon will be like Atlantis. Despite it raining every day, we had a fun time just wondering around and getting lost. We ate at a place called Harry's where they invented the bellini which is sparkling wine and peach juice. If you are ever in Venice you'll have to go there or at least get the drink somewhere. We also had the best pizza ever! Now you can't forget dessert now can you? Had tiramisu for the first time, delicious! So, in the end, we pretty much ate our way through Venice and then continued it back to Florence. Had the best steak ever in Florence at Aqua al 2. It was covered in blueberry sauce and blueberries.
 

Overall, it was wonderful to see them and so glad they got to come visit!! Can't wait to see everyone in December! Love you and miss you all! XOXOX

 

P.S. 47 more days till I make my way back across the Atlantic

Drinking the Weekend Away

If there is one advice of mine that you should follow it is to go to Munich and go to Oktoberfest. As soon as we got to Munich, I fell in love with the city. It is beautiful. It is a mixture of old architecture and new. After another bus ride, only 8 hours this time, my friend Rachel and I went out to explore. We ended up at a costume shop and bought dirndl's, the traditional outfit for women, for Oktoberfest, which I also recommend. Definitely makes the experience. We spent the entire day wondering around, checking out the shops and all the old historical buildings. There was this huge walking strip that no cars could go down. It was full of shops and restaurants and churches on either side and vendors in the walkway. We walked that to the end and then decided to keep exploring. We came upon this beautiful castle when deciding to turn around.

 

 

 We ended up getting lost on our way back and just decided to stop and get something to eat at a random restaurant. Best decision ever! It was a cute and cozy little pub. The menu of course was all in German. We ended up pointing to a random dish and hoped for the best. We also got our first German beer here. The food that we ordered was delicious.

 

 

After we eventually found our way back, we went on Frankie's Bike Tour, which I also recommend doing. We road bikes all around town and learned the history behind all the buildings we saw earlier. At the end of the tour, they took us to the Beer Garden. Rachel and I ended up splitting a curry sausage that was also amazing and of course had a beer. On our bike tour we also got to see the Munich surfers. There is a stream that runs through this huge park, which a nude park during the warm months. In this one part of the stream, people can surf.

 

 

The next day was Oktoberfest time. A group of us went to the fair grounds at 7 am and stood in line till 9 am. Finally, we got into the tent at 9 but didn't end up getting served beer until 1. After that it just went downhill from there, or uphill depending on the way you look at it! Since it was opening ceremony, the mayor tapped the keg at noon and that is when the beer was served. Our server was a beast! It was an older lady that could carry 12 steins full of beer at a time. She would come around to each table and drop them off. For any of you wondering, the stein holds 1 liter of beer which is equivalent to 3 beers. However, in Germany the alcohol content level in beer is higher, therefore it was equivalent to 4 American beers. Sam had 3.5 liters of beer, you do the math!

I'll give you a picture of what the fair grounds looked like. There are tons of tents throughout the whole ground area. I am talking about tents that can hold thousands of people. We were in the Hofbrau tent and it held almost 7,000 people. Inside the tents are picnic tables that are literally right next to each other. You have to climb on the tables if you wanted to go walk around. The tables were in the middle and along the outer edges were vendors that you could get food from. In the tent we were in, there was an upstairs. The upstairs was the reserved areas. There are 14 of these tents, all selling different beers. Throughout the fair grounds were different food vendors and games and rides, just like any other fair. We were in the tent from 9 am to 9 pm. Rachel and I decided to go walk around and check the grounds out. We ended up riding the Farris wheel and swing ride. The swing ride not only swung us around but also went up, probably as high as the Farris wheel. After 3.5 liters of beer it was a blast! Luckily we found our way back to the hostel and I ended up passing out in my dirndl and boots still on. Personally, I do not know how people can handle a whole weekend, let alone three weeks there.

Here is a little history behind Oktoberfest. The first Oktoberfest was held in the year 1810 in honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig's marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities began on October 12, 1810 and ended on October 17th with a horse race. The events were eventually moved to September. By moving the festivities up, it allowed for better weather conditions. Because the September nights were warmer, the visitors were able to enjoy the gardens outside the tents and the stroll over "die Wiesen" or the fields much longer without feeling chilly.

 

The next day was a more serious matter. A group of us took a train ride to Dachau in order to see the concentration camp. It was a very humbling experience. I wish we had had more time to actually let it all sink in. Definitely another must if you ever go to Munich.

 

Overall, I would go back to Munich in a heartbeat, and not just for Oktoberfest either. It was by far the best weekend that I have had since I have been abroad!

Beautiful Croatia

Our first trip of the semester, Croatia! We went on a 12 hours bus ride to the beautiful city of Split. As soon as we got to our hostel Friday morning, we set off yet again on a bus up into the mountains to go white water rafting. We had a blast on the raft, singing and rowing our boat down the river. At one point we stopped to jump off a cliff. The water was ice cold but definitely worth it! As soon as I hit the water my body went completely numb. Half way through our trip down the river, rain clouds caught up with us. It was a beautiful sight. Raining yet the sun still shining bright with the mountains in the background. After the white water rafting we had lunch. I ordered the fish and literally that's what they brought out; a whole fish with the head and skin and eye ball still on it! As disgusting as it looked, it tasted amazingly fresh. When we got back to our hostel I decided to go explore a little more on my own. In Split is Diocletian's Palace which he built as a retirement home in 300 A.D. The place is still beautifully in tact. There is an above part which were the barracks for his guards and then the lower part that is underground was his palace. It is interesting how they have incorporated the palace with modern times. It is used as a market area and also has tons of shops and restaurants as well. Following my exploration, we had an organized pub crawl which was a blast.

The next day, we had to get up early in order to go on a boat ride to a few of the islands. This first island we went to we got to explore a bit and just hang out at the so called beach, which was full of rocks, not sand. Pictures can not capture how beautiful the views were nor how blue and clear the water was. Croatia has the best of both worlds. They have the mountains on one side and the sea on the other. After the first island, we set off for another one and stayed for a few hours. There were these big inflatables in the sea. There was a trampoline, a slide, a climbing contraption, and a few obstacle courses, kind of like wipeout but on water. Crazy to think we were just hanging out swimming in Croatia. A lot of the places and things we do really don't set in. I keep having to remind myself that I am "not in Kansas anymore" let alone the United States. After the boat trip, we ended up back at Split and went for dinner. After dinner we had these A-M-A-Z-ING crepes (they called them pancakes). The crepe was as big as a large pizza and you could put just about anything you wanted to on it: nutella, nuts, coconut, fruit, chocolate chips. I had a banana, hazelnut, and banana one. They fold it all up into what looks like a pizza slice. Seriously, best thing ever!

 

 

 

Just a goat chillin' in the back of a trunk, no big deal.

 

 

The next day before our 12 hour bus ride back to Florence, we stopped by Krka National Park. There, we walked around and saw the most gorgeous water falls.

That concludes the trip to Croatia and the next weekend we were off to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest. =] Heads up to see lots of beer in the next post.

Best of Both Worlds

Ciao! It's been awhile since I have posted, but I was waiting to get back from beautiful Croatia.

Last week was our second week of classes. I made a classic freshman mistake of thinking my class was at 12:30 not 12. I was just casually killing time on the computer right next to my classroom, bored wishing it would hurry up and be 12:30, little did I know it had already been going on. So, I made a great second impression on my teacher. Stupido Americano!

I've really been inspired by my Anthropology teacher. This class is my favorite. It is Anthropology of Fashion and Desirability. I wish everyone could take this class. Anthropology is one of my favorite class, so mixing that with fashion is perfect. 

 To think that fashion is dumb and a silly choice of a major is being naïve to the world in which we live. Fashion is everywhere, it is a form or art which in turn is a form of creativity which is a human nature. Fashion isn't just runway, models, and vogue. It is the expression of oneself and that is different from person to person. Every single person has a choice when they wake up to shower, put on makeup, brush their teeth, workout, and put on clothes. Every person is modifying their body in order to express themselves in order to communicate to one another. All of that is fashion. We do not need fashion for material survival but we need if for survival of creativity which is a human nature. Creativity is expression of identity and our identity is formed from emotions, relationships, love, etc.., and it is our necessity to express our identity; a way we express our identity is through fashion.

Fashion = Art = Creativity = Human nature.

We are born with it and it is what separates us from all other beasts in this world. So, the next time you hear someone say fashion think that it is a bigger, deeper concept than one can grasp.

 I have also learned that art is the first form of communication for humans. Before language came about, people in prehistoric times would draw on their bodies. They would create stories and memories all over their bodies. A thought of the day for you then, why is it now and days people think of tattoos as someone being delinquent or less knowledgeable then someone else? Why is it considered wrong and bad and dirty? People drew on themselves before we talked in order to tell a story; this is exactly what people in the 21st century are doing. A tattoo is more than just ink on a body. It is telling a story. It is giving someone else in insight to that persons’ life. It is art. It is creativity. It is a language all on its own.

I hope that in this short but strong post I have opened your eyes up to a new perspective and I hope you transcend this into your life and others.

Now... for the lighter stuff. Wanna know what I've been up to outside of class?!?

Drinking.... Drinking... Drinking...
Ha but really, [See Ma I can do both study and party ;)]

I have met a pretty cool girl from Australia, her name is Charlee. 

We went to this margarita place for happy hour and had these massive daiquiris! They had around 21 flavors to choose from, talk about overwhelming! After about 4 each we headed off to aperitivo. Aperitivo is when you pay say around 7 euros for one cocktail and a buffet. It more popular here in Italy then having dinner. I really enjoyed this more than a sit down dinner. It's a lot lighter and there is usually a lot of different food plus a cocktail on top of that!

Tuesday we went to a pub called Lochness and listen to some Americans play music. It was chill. I had never done that before and really enjoyed just relaxing and drinking and listening to music. There is a drink here in Italy called a Spritz that is delish! If you ever come here, drink one. It is kind of like a sangria. After listening to music we ended up at a club called Blob. Charlee was playing DJ with her awesome Australian music.
 
Tonight we are heading back out to the Ethiopian restaurant to eat and smoke hooka and then back to Lochness to listen to music. Lets just hope tomorrow morning goes more smoothly than last Wednesday morning!

Heads-up for next time: pictures from Croatia!

Hope everyone in the States are doing good! Love you and miss you all!

 

Field Trips

Ciao! This week was the first week of classes here in Florence. I am taking Fashion Consumer Behavior, Italian, Fashion Photography, History of Prostitution, and Anthropology of Fashion and Desirability. The first week of classes any semester is always the same, learning about the class itself and going over the syllabus. I can already tell you though, that classes here are nothing like classes in the States, or Kansas for that matter. Every class we get to take field trips to museums or galleries; we get to embrace the history all around us. All the teachers want us to enjoy coming to class. There are no lectures with 100 or more people in them. The most I have in my classes is around 25 people. I have already learned so much here compared to if I was back home.

My street that I live on is pretty much central to anything. We live down the street from the so called "fashion district" here in Florence. Here I am a broke college fashion student heading to class walking past Gucci, Armani, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Tiffany & Co., wishing I could walk in the stores and just try on a pair of shoes. For our first class in Fashion Photography, we had to go and walk around the fashion district and just take pictures of random people on the street. We call it street fashion. It amazing having the opportunity to do this. It's not like we would take a field trip to Aggieville just to take pictures of people.

Last weekend, we went to the Ponte Vecchio and shot some good pictures--

Today I went on a little field trip to see artisans handmake crafts. There were jewelry makers, interior design people, a man making light fixtures out of recycled things and there was a family making leather sandals. They said it takes one hour to make one shoe and that they send the shoes all over the world, even Varney's in New York.

A little trivia for the day that I learned my first day of class--

Ever wondered why capri pants are called that? Emilio Pucci invented them on the island of Capri!

First for Everything

On Friday, we decided to head to the Mercato Centrale and get food for the apartment. They do not have the typical grocery store like we do in the states. This was a big open market with tons of vendors selling meat, pasta, fruits, veggies, and other assorted things. It was a little overwhelming at first going in there and not knowing what to buy or how everything really works. It is pretty cool though that unlike in the United States, everything here is fresh with no preservatives and very few packaged goods. We made our first meal here, fish and mushrooms-- delicious. And of course a few glasses of wine. It's convenient, we have a wine store right down the street, the people who own it will probably know us pretty well by the end of the semester!

 

Friday night we ended up going on a pub crawl with a huge group of study abroad students. That is where I ended up finding the AXO and K-State written on the walls. Most of the bars that we went to were like any others in the states except for the very last one which was a huge dance club. I had never been to one before considering Kansas doesn't really have much of those.

After two nights of going out, Saturday night we decided to keep it chill. Ended up at this Ethiopian restaurant smoking hooka. We didn't eat there but are definitely going to go back. They had samples of some of the food that was delicious, the best food I have had at a restaurant here so far! The street that we were on gets closed during the night so no cars can drive down it. We were in these cool seats in the middle of the street just smoking. After that we decided to go get gelato which is ten times better than American ice cream! We sat on the Duomo steps and ate our ice cream- which is still not sinking in!

 

Today we are going to eat breakfast and then head out to the Pointe Vecchio. Classes start tomorrow!

Surreal Partying

Nothing too exciting happened yesterday, unless you want me to go on about all the orientations and meetings we had to attend-- feeling like freshman year all over again!

We did however have our first roomie outing. Went out to dinner for pizza and wine, can't get a better combination, and then went out to our first Italian bar. Lots of Americans there though and we are all in search of fine Italian men. So, going out somewhere else tonight in hopes of finding the right bar to go to. We will get there eventually.

The bar we went to last night is right next to the Duomo, which is only a 3 minute walk from our apartment. I wish I had my camera to take a picture, but not even that would capture the beauty and intricacy of the building. Walking next to it was surreal. It was like we were in a movie. I never imagined myself partying, let alone walking, next to these grand architectural monuments. Hopefully sometime soon we will go walk around and site see so I can post pictures of all the buildings.

Until then, you will have to deal with the beauty of us girls--

 

Left to Right: Lexi, Lauren, Sabrina