A weekend with Kelly

This weekend Kelly came to Florence. Luckily, we were able to book her flights in and out of Pisa which was much easier than having her go through Rome. Thursday was a relaxing night where I took her to a few local hot spots of where my friends and I enjoy eating and having a few drinks. We ate at our favorite place where Massimo--not my wine instructor--gave us some free wine and pizza bread before having a delicious meal. Kelly ordered the chicken and broccoli penne, upon my suggestion, and I had a pizza. We went to dinner with Meg, Sarah, Alexis and Christine, which was nice because it gave Kelly a chance to meet some of my good friends here. After dinner, we headed to Bigallo's (another local hotspot) and had a few drinks. Unfortunately, the meal was not sitting too well with me, so we headed out early from there and took a walk around florence where I showed kelly a few famous places in Florence, some that included, the Ponte Veccio and the Sante Croce. However, I had to end the night early because I began getting a headache and slightly nauseous.

The next day we had an to catch a bus by 930 to be able to take a wine tour of a small yet renowned vineyard, Agricola Querciabella, their 2006 Chianti Classico is a delicious treat and I definately suggest trying it. We were allowed to try thier 2007 version, which I think will hit stores early next year. In addition, we tried their super tuscan wine, Camartina (2006), which was also very good. The wine tasting was a nice conclusion to the vineyard tour, where we learned about how wine is made from the soil to the cellar to the bottle. Besides the amazing views and delicious wine, being there with Kelly made it truly an amazing experience.

After the wine, we made our way back to Florence, where I brought Kelly to another local sandwich shop, called The Oil Shoppe. Kelly had a turkey pesto sandwich and I had the chicken pesto sandwich. Let me tell you, they were delicious. After a filling meal we walked around some more until we were ready to nap. After shopping for food, I began making Kelly my famous (or not so famous... yet) gnocchi with a homemade wine sauce. After dinner I brought Kelly to Grom, a local gelateria, where we both had some of the best gelato in the city. After taking a few pictures with our melting ice cream. We took to walking and found ourselves overlooking the entire city of florence at the Piazza Michelangelo. Once being ask in Italian why we were slow dancing to no music (or so that is what I thought the man said)... we decided to climb back down the hill back to the apartment to get some rest for a day in the markets.

The gnocchi I made Kelly with some cheesy
bread and sparkling white wine!

Kelly and I with our gelati!

Kelly overlooking Florence at night!

Kelly and I on top of Piazza Michelangelo!

Saturday we got up and decided to try out the markets to see if Kelly could find herself a leather bomber jacket. However, she found herself swept away by an Italian salesman, who almost got her to buy one. We were able to escape the slippery slope of spending loads of money by browsing and getting ideas for presents in the future. Lucky for Kelly I did most of the spending. I purchased a cashmere-silk pashmina for Kelly and a leather wallet for me. I think overall it was a fun time in the markets. While in the central markets (aka food and wine) we ran into one of Kelly's DZ sisters, Myah Blazer. It was great to see her and awesome to know that she loved Florence. After walking for hours in the markets we headed to the store to have Kelly pick out the meal she want to make me for dinner. She ended up decided on spinach and riccota tortellini in pesto sauce. That wonderful meal came after mass at the Duomo. The Duomo mass was different, very simple, and in ENGLISH!!! So it was a the right mass to go to. After a later dinner we found ourselves tired so we popped in a movie (happened to be white chicks) before retiring for the night. Sadly Kelly had to leave in the early AM.

After being in my apartment all day alone, I would have to say I was homesick. I just wanted to be curled up by the fire watching a football game with the family and I knew I couldn't. This weekend was a nice breath of home air, I was just sad it had to end so suddenly. I miss everyone from home and hope all are well. Keep having fun, because though I may have had a slight case of homesickness, I am having a blast here. Hopefully I will travel more to report more for adventures. For now Ciao! Here are some more pictures of Kelly and I this weekend!

Kelly and I in front of the Duomo!

In black and white!

Tractor at the vineyard!

My Daily Schedule!

Ciao Friends,

For the last three weeks of class I have been slowly getting more organized and conditioned for the daily life of a study abroad student. Currently, I am enrolled in five classes and volunteering for about five hours a week. I will bring you through each day and try to give you a basis of what I do in each class.

Monday... I have Foundation Drawing from 1200-1430, which is a typical drawing class where we sketch still life's with pencil, charcoal, and pastels. The teacher is very helpful with showing techniques developing my skills further. Maybe when I get back I can draw a picture of one you for a Christmas present. After Drawing class I have History of Christianity, from 1500-1730 with Dr. Simon Young who is a British Professor who lives in Florence. I would have to say this is one of my favorite classes because Dr. Young is a brilliant and great man but also because I am learning much about my own religion. I have learned something new every day. However, during the first class I mentioned I was a Neuroscience and every since then, Dr. Young thinks I know everything about science and medicine. Haha. That is my last class of the day. But I usually come home and have a Via Martelli dinner. To Note: I have both these classes with John, and Drawing with Clio, and Christianity with Caroline.

Tuesday... It's another late wakeup... I have Italian at 1200 with both my roommates, Tony and Davis. This class goes from 1200 to 1315. My Professor enjoys listening to music while teaching--this has both positive and negative affects on the class. I find that some days I will jam out to some of the songs and then some days I will want to fall asleep to the music, and then some days he will get the right mix and I will be focus like never before. My professor has an interesting teaching technique and I get very excited to try out some of my Italian with some coworkers at my volunteering place. So after Italian I usualy grab a quick bite with my roomies at a local panino shop. At 1430 I must report to the Misericordia. The Miseriacordia is a free service in Florence that helps the elderly and disabled with any needs. In addition they offer an emergency service as well. For more information you can visit this site: Click Me! In this article they say that, "the Misericordia is considered the most prestigious, engaged existing association of charity, the most estimated and loved Florentine institution, the most ancient one in the world with a continuous activity, since more than 760 years." So I am very lucky to be there. After two hours of duty I hurry home to get ready for my Tuscany and its Wines class with Massimo. I have heard that Massimo may be considered one of the top 50 wine consultants in the world. So I consider myself very, very lucky to be in his class. During this class we learn about how wine is classified and made. Then we test our abilities by tasting three good wines and talking about what we see, smell, and savour (and spit to finish the four s's). I would consider this my favorite class this semester. Once finished with the wine, my roommates (who happen to be taking the wine class, as well) will grab some dinner before going out for the evening.

Wednesday... I am not so lucky to sleep in on these days, due to reporting to the Misericordia by 830 for an early shift of volenteering. Usually, a nice shot of espresso will help my wake up. After serving, I will head back home and take a nap and do some work before my Supervision and Leadership class at 1500. I was most looking forward to this class before arriving in Florence, however it has turned out to be a dull class filled with lecture that should be discussion and role play. However, I think I still will learn a lot from the class and the experience will help. I finish with that class at 1730 where I will usually stop at the local grocery store Standa and grab some fresh food for dinner that night. Wednesday, is usually a night everyone will try and hang out at a bar.

Thursday... Only one more class until the weekend officially begins. Again it's Italian from 1200-1315. After this class, I have usually gone home and either wandered the city or hung out with friends. In the future I hope I will have plans to go some places in Italy, otherwise I will be stuck in Florence the entire time--though that still is not horrible.

So I have taken you through my normal class schedule. Today is Wednesday, and I am staying in, because Kelly is coming tomorrow. On the Itinerary, is a wine vineyard with Massimo, piazza Michelangelo, a few churches and muesums and maybe some gardens. It should be a very fun weekend. Kelly is looking for a leather bomber jacket, so maybe we will find that for her, too. Anyway, there will be updates soon, sorry for no picture but there hasn't been much. Until the next post! Ciao!!

Via Martelli n°3!

Ciao! After the last post, I figured that it would be a good idea to introduce many of the new characters to my blog. In my building there are 20 students that live with here, including the student coordinator (that's what I call her). My roommates and I are the only boys in the building which is what most boys wish for. Some notable friends in the building are the 4 girls of the room Rubino, Caroline, Clio, Marissa, and Maura, the two from the room called Giada, Alexis and Vanessa, also the three girls from Umbra, Meaghan, Sarah, and Christina, and finally Jackie from upstairs and Brooke our resident coordinator. Not to mention the men from Acquamarina, Me, Tony, and Davis. Right now you may be confused to why I included names with the rooms (the odd names in bold), but each room has a name for some sort of stone so that the room is not affliated with a students name in case a key is lost or something happens. These 13 people plus me make up my good friends here in Florence. 6 of the girls mentioned have long-term boyfriends, one of which is studying here but in a homestay. Sarah's boyfriend, John, is also a very good friend here. He and I will definately be seeing some amazing soccer games while here. However, convoluted this may seem hopefully I can put some faces to those names and over time the names will appear and you may have some idea about who there are.

(Top Left to Right): Davis, John, Me
Next row: Meaghan, Tony
Clio, Marissa, Caroline, Maura, Christina
Vanessa, Alexis, Sarah
(missing: Jackie and Brooke)

This picture was taken after one of our Via Martelli dinners, which is when we cook a large meal for everyone in the building, we switch between which rooms host. However, hopefully now that I am slowly getting more comfortable with the transition I will blog more often. For now, Ciao!

From Accidents to Assisi...

Ciao, Saturday's journey began with an early get-up, where we left Firenze by 8AM, it was a short time until we were stopped by traffic because a tractor trailer had crashed and blocked 5 of the 6 lane highway (3 on each side of the highway). We were probably 50 cars behind the accident, so I considered myself lucky that we left when we did and not any second earlier. After waiting 1 hour, on the bus we found out that we would not be able to move until 1 PM. So everyone in our group was allowed to travel about a half a mile to a rest stop where there was a burger king and something that resembled a small grocery store. After grabbing a meal and waiting those 5 hours the road was cleared and we were on our way again.

Meat was everywhere!!!

Once in Assisi my heart skipped a few beats and was speechless with the beauty and history that was surrounding me. I'm sorry to say that I do not have pictures inside the churches, but there was no photography allowed and I had to respect rules, especially in the church. The patron saint of the main churches in Assisi is St. Francis. There are really no words to describe the feelings I felt while touring this sanctuaries. I would have to say that after the crash Assisi was the best place to go. Here are some pictures of the Assisi:

Main Church through my eyes...


St. Francis on the front doors of the church.

Thought it was a cool view

On Sunday we got up, and headed off to Siena with no problems. My friends and I quietly hung in the background, listening to the tour guide and having our tour of little shops and views along the way. Overall it was a wonderful trip with much history around every corner. Siena is a city where there are districts and once every while they have a major horse race around the center of the city where the districts compete to win. Also, the city used to have aqueducts that ran through the city. Now there are signs on building where the aqueducts used to run. After taking the tour of the city, we had some free time where we grabbed some pizza then did a little strolling before it was time to go. On our stroll we found a candle making store which made candle making an art from. It was amazed at these candles, they were absolutely amazing however, I didn't know which one to get so I will wait for either Kelly to help me or my family to pick some out, if we go back. I also suggest going to this city if you are ever in Tuscany.

SIENA

After Siena, we visited San Gimignano which had some great views, but had too much tourism for my liking. Apparently, some large number of tourists come through San Gimignano each year. There city is known for being a wine city, especially for Chianti wines. However, overall the trip was fun and interesting--I gained a little more knowledge of the surrounding cities near Florence. Next weekend, I am sticking close to Florence, and possibly seeing the Botanical Gardens of Medici's Mansion. Also look for some future blogs about the classes I am taking, volunteering stories, and friends I meet along the way. Any questions? then leave a comment! Ciao! Also, for more pictures, look on my facebook!

A nice view...

First Days in a New Country

After safely landing in Florence a week ago, today, I have visited a vineyard, Pisa, and a Mediterranean beach. During the flight over, I was quite nervous, especially because everyone had at least someone they knew, whether it be another college friend or a roommate, I, on the other hand, had no one. My roommates were on different flights and were not expected to land until 10pm the night of my arrival. I was very, very quiet during the traveling times. However, once I met a few people due to the airport baggage claim extravaganza, I felt better--but still not well. It was not until I finally met my roommates that I finally felt at ease about my choice to study in Florence. My roommates, Tony and Davis, are very outgoing and personable people that forced me to meet many students and Italians during this week and I thank them for that because I was able to get out of my shell due to their influence.

Much of the first week was awkward and unnecessary because I felt as if the mandatory meetings were stupid. However, Saturday was a brilliant day that ended with a vineyard tour that was unbelievable. To see an actual vineyard was better than I ever imagined, not only because of the views but also because of the gorgeous home. We were able to taste a few selections of white and red wine and had a dance party on top of a terrace that look over both the beautiful countryside and even some of the city, Florence. Once finished with dinner and dancing we were able to purchase some of the wine. I bought a 10euro bottle of Bruzzico Wine, which was a red wine, that was a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese grapes. It was an amazing wine and I later found out that, that bottle of wine in stores is worth 25 euro.

On Sunday we traveled to Pisa to see the leaning tower and that is it. If anyone comes to Italy do not travel to Pisa there is not much to do there. After seeing the tower for 20 minutes we traveled to the beach where we swam and laid around enjoying the beautiful beach and views. Overall, Sunday was a long day that was nothing too special.

So far this week, I have had half my classes and have enjoy every professor thus far. The people in Italy are very nice if you attempt to speak their language. I will force myself to attempt this and who knows maybe when I return I will be fluent in Itailian. However, I have much to still do this week and this week we are traveling to many places outside of Florence. Look for another post on Monday! I love you all! Ciao!!!

Nervous wreck!

Many or few of you know that I rarely get stressed out. However, preparing for this trip as awoken quite a different side of me that a small number of you have seen. The idea of traveling to a foreign country with little to no knowledge of the language or culture seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity four months ago... but now that in less than one day I will be on my own again with no shoulders to lean on and quite frankly that scares me.

With the help of parents and friends my stomach has settled and I look to all the new experiences I will be able to have once abroad. A similar situation happened two years ago when I began my college experience at Muhlenberg; I knew only one person, my sister, and the thought of not having my parents around to dictate my decisions was both exhilarating and nerve-racking at the same time. So I feel at ease when realizing that I made it through those first few weeks fine and I will do the same abroad.

For those who do not know, I am traveling to Florence, Italy to study abroad at Florence University of the Arts; a city that many people have said has been there favorite city in Italy! Once abroad I will begin a week orientation of the university and Florence itself. What is interesting about my situation is that the university is integrated into the city and I will be living in an apartment with two other students. During my orientation I will be traveling to multiple areas in and around Florence and the Tuscany region. During this trip I hope to meet new friends and really begin to understand the Italian culture. Once the orientation period is over I will begin my classes which include, wine tasting, drawing, religion, italian, and a leadership class. I am tremdously excited to begin these classes and it will be quite a difference from my normal bioloy classes at Muhlenberg.

In addition to being in Italy, I have many Muhlenberg friends scattered throughout Europe and the UK. My lovely girlfriend, Kelly McLaughlin is studying in Maastricht, The Netherlands, with my best friend from school Jason Steinberg-- I hope to seem them both during this semester. Also, another good friend, Kelsey Griffith, is studying in Scotland and I hope to see her as well.

In conclusion, I realize that I will be experiencing these new adventure throughout Italy and Europe with unfamilar faces, however there will be plenty of the people I love to lean on, even if they are not with me at the time! I hope this first post is not too long and does not have too many grammactical mistakes but I will keep everyone updated as I begin my abroad experience! Ciao!