Entry 6: July 1, 2008

Oh wow, I am done with half of my program already. Some overall statements that are a bit corny but completely necessary. I absolutely love this wonderful opportunity that I was able to take part of. The whole time I felt one hundred percent safe and I know that the credit for this goes to the faculty that made this possible. The environment that I was able to learn from was unique and unforgettable.

The classes I took were surprisingly hard work. I absolutely loved my Interior Design class and half of it was the atmosphere of learning the material and then seeing what we learned in class around, but the other part was how dedicated my instructor was and how interesting she made the class. I am now planning to pick up a minor in Interior Design!

My IDS class taught me quite a lot about European culture and helped to make me a well rounded, world citizen. I would recommend this program to anyone who loves travel and doesn't mind the extra work and stress that comes with study abroad. I had an absolute amazing time in Europe! I am now traveling to the UK for five weeks so look for my journal on that page. New edition to come soon.

I miss you all at home and am half way through :( so see you soon. Sending you my love!

Entry 5: June 19, 2008
I have arrived in my favorite accommodations so far. Here in Lugano, we have a private bathroom and kitchenette, it was pretty amazing. I am able to cook! (Not as good as the food I get at home but it is better than eating out every night.) Besides having “me time” in my private room, I walk all the time…up hill. Lugano is so beautiful and perfectly situated in between mountains and on the shore line of a stunning lake. The downside of Lugano is that it is in the Alps because of that, everywhere we go we either walk uphill on the way there or the way back. Although all this walking does pay off when we get to where we are going, it is worth it to see the beautiful architecture.

Today I went to a cute little church in Morcote. From the outside it seemed forgotten and very simple but when we went inside, it was glorious. The front of the altar was all in marble and behind it was a baroque decoration and very detailed! All around the church I noticed frescoes that were very interesting and more detailed than any others I have seen. It was a glorious church and I loved it.

Since classes are coming to an end, we have had to work really hard not to fall behind. I spend a lot of time doing homework and journaling! It is nice to keep busy and continue to strive for those A’s.

As for you all at home, I hope the summer is going well and everyone is doing ok under that Carolina heat!

Entry 4: June 14, 2008

Wow I have never been on so many trains in my life, in the past week I feel like I have been on at least a dozen. I have been to Cinque Terra, Interlaken, Gimmelwald, Stechelberg, and finally Lugano. It is so much in less than a week but I have been enjoying it like crazy. Cinque Terra is my future home. It is completely fabulous. I was able to swim in the beautiful Liguria sea and that was so remarkable. It was freezing cold water but totally worth it. The water was so blue I could see all the way to the bottom. Our hotel was actually an apartment complete with its own kitchen (we made eggs woo!) and private bathroom! I wish I could have been there for more than two days.

After Cinque Terra, we were off to Interlaken. There are so many Americans here. I have heard more English than any other language. It is also soccer season and Holland is winning so everyone is decked out in orange. Underneath our hotel was a very loud bar, with the game on. All night long I heard screams when Holland scored or boos when the refs called something on the Dutch. It was only one night though so no big deal. I could sleep on the train tomorrow!

After that night we headed back with the group to our hotel in Stechelberg. I loved it in the Swiss Alps and I was able to hike up to the snow line of the mountain and play in the snow! After our hike everyone was exhausted so we went back to our accommodations and took a nap before dinner. The next day was our trek back to Interlaken (on the fantastic trains!) This time we stayed in a hotel 15 minutes away from the city. It was in a ghost town, I didn’t see one person who was not associated with the hotel. It was nice and relaxing though and I was glad to just be secluded and quiet! It was nice to catch up on my homework and written journal.

Tomorrow we are off to Lugano and glad to be in one place for a week! Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and I love and miss you all! Look for a new entry soon about Lugano!

Entry 3: June 7, 2008

Wow I cannot believe that I leave Italy on Monday, it is ridiculous to think that I have been here so long. It has felt like the time has past by in less than a couple of days. Most of that has to do with the amount of work I have and how busy my travel “breaks” have been. Venice was last week. Let me just break it down for you. Me plus Venice equals complete ecstasy. Everything about it was so fabulous. I wish that I had more than three days to enjoy it. I was able to see St. Mark’s Square, which was complete with way too many tourists, beautiful architecture, and lots and lots of pigeons aka flying rats. I got over to my future hometown of Murano where I spent way too much euro and met a couple of really nice Australians.

On the Vaporetti, Venice’s unique form of public transportation, we got to San Michele Isle, the cemetery island where real estate is so expensive and prestigious that people are regularly only buried there for ten years. Talk about cultural differences! After San Michele, to uplift our spirits, we rode a gondola. Our gondolier was so cute and spoke very good English. I learned that he liked Freddy Mercury and George Michael but he didn’t know more than the title of their songs. Not all Italians are good singers either, which is another thing I learned on the educational gondola tour. After riding the gondola we were quite tired so decided to hit the hay, which coincidentally was in a very nice HOTEL room with a private bathroom. It was so great.

The next day I ventured by train to Vicenza with a professor and a few other students. We saw the Olympic theater. It was so amazing that I just sat in front of the auditorium for two hours. I noticed several things. One was that perspective can be achieved in a theater. The main stage went back almost to a vanishing point into a never-ending road. Next, just because things look like marble and are very Romanesque, they are not. The several dozen life sized statues of members of the Academy were made out of plaster but looked a lot like marble. After finding my way back to Venice, we were ready to get some dinner so we found a Chinese restaurant…in Venice. It was ok but not as good as America’s version. The next day I got to see the Doge’s Palace on fast-track because we had to catch a train.
So that is my trip to Venice, which is my favorite place in Italy thus far. Next week we will be heading up to Lugano but on the way we will be going first to Cinque Terra and then to Interlaken. Look soon for a new entry and as always I miss everyone at home and hope you are all having a fantastic summer too!

Entry 2: May 29, 2008

I have been here for two weeks but I have made enough memories to last a lifetime. I have visited Florence, Arezzo, Anghiari and Rome. In Florence I was surprised by the amount of tourists and English speakers. It was a stark contrast from the little town of Sansepolcro. I really enjoyed the Uffizi and especially the Botticelli rooms. Also there were streets full of markets. It was absolutely a city and I am not so much of a city girl. It was nice to come back to our little town and feel somewhat at home again.

Two days after we came back we were off again to Anghiari and Arezzo. In Arezzo we were lucky enough to see the beautiful “Legend of the Cross” by Piero Della Francesca. It was housed in a beautiful church and I was amazed at the powerful images.

After going back to relax for a few days, we travelled to Rome. It was fabulous but at first overwhelming. All of the sights were absolutely awe-inspiring. We got an early start on the first full day we were there by getting out of the hostel by eight. We started at the tourist office in order to get the Roma Pass, which saved a whole lot of time and allowed us to skip in front of everyone while they waited in line. Our first sight was the Colloseum and that was so awesome. We stayed in the marvel for almost two hours. After walking around both levels twice, we headed across the street to the Roman Forum and it was so interesting that there are structures still standing from so long ago.

After wandering around the area for a few hours we took the bus to the Pantheon. It was so absolutely beautiful. Inside it was adorned with beautiful sculptures and a huge dome. The best part was that it was cool inside the church. After a really busy day I was ready to sleep finally.

The next day was an early day as well and we decided to head to the Vatican to be blessed by the Pope. It was a good idea from walking over the Metro and even getting on to the crowded smelly subway but once we were out into the hot sun and sitting in front of the Pope and hearing six different languages over the course of about three hours, I was ready to be inside the air conditioning. Don’t get me wrong I absolutely loved St. Peter’s Square but in the hot sun for three hours I got just a bit sweaty and hungry and thirsty. So we all went right across the street for a really good lunch.

After lunch we went through the Vatican Museum. It was fabulous and then the Sistine Chapel I was just in awe. Everywhere I looked there were beautiful paintings and I just wanted to stay there forever. But unfortunately, we had to leave eventually. On the way back from St. Peters, we stopped at the Trevi fountain to throw in a couple of coins. It was so beautiful. On the way back to the hostel, we decided that it was time to get back to the small town that has become my temporary home.

So the next morning we hoped on the nine a.m. train and we were back in Sansepolcro before I knew it. Next week I am off again to Venice and I am so excited. I will try to put up another entry after I come back. So until then, to everyone at home I send my love and hope that everything is well!

Entry 1: May 20, 2008

Wow, I am actually here in Italy! I cannot believe that I have arrived. I have experienced months full of memories in just a few short days.

Generally, my days here begin with an hourlong walk in Sansepolcro, the beautiful Tuscan town in which we are staying. After my walk I enjoy a fresh array of authentic Italian food. After breakfast, I have Italian with a delightful Italian woman who lives here. I have already learned enough Italian to have a small conversation! All of this I have learned in just two, hourlong classes. I am also taking an Interior Design class. We have gone from the ancient, primitive world of Jericho to the Medieval style of Europe. The other class I am enrolled in is IDS. This class is teaching me the different culture and practices of the Italian people. It is really a neat class because we learn about Italy and then we get to go out and experience it.

Between the actual class work and required activities, I find myself with little free time. One thing that I enjoy doing is walking around the town, Sansepolcro. It is a cute village in Tuscany and the landscape is a gorgeous, lush, green. The town has many backstreets and cute roads that make for fantastic photos. At first it was overwhelming to see them all and I kept getting the feeling of being lost, but now I feel as if all roads lead “home!” I hope that everyone in the States is enjoying their summer. I miss and love you all.