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Spring Break Experiences: By Hailie G.

I am ending my spring break with my last few hours in London and I feel like I have seen so much. I found myself a little emotional yesterday as I was sitting on the Tube waiting to go see my next major landmark and just thought, "All my life I have seen these places on TV, in textbooks, and in my dad's art books, but now I am here.. seeing this with my own eyes." Everything that was so far away is now right in front of me and tangible.


Two days ago I saw a Monet, Van Gogh, da Vinci, and Rafael painting in just one little museum in Scotland. First off... I was in Scotland, how did that happen? Secondly... I saw those paintings in person. They weren't any famous ones like "Starry Night" or anything like that, but they were still done by these people. I will say that I don't have any idols, but I still felt so honored to be inches away from such important pieces.
I also went to Loch Ness, and Nessy didn't say hello to me, but a little curious piece of me hoped she would. My entire life my mom and dad have had me watching those pointless documentaries that just spike your interest without ever giving you a real modern sighting or any more information about the mystery. If I am going to be completely honest I didn't even know that Loch Ness was in Scotland, but I saw the tour for it and my little girl excitement skyrocketed. Of course I suppressed it a little bit so that my roommate would not think me a fool, but I signed us up and I went there. I rode a silly boat through those mystical and gorgeous waters and became a part of those inconclusive documentaries.. and it was exhilarating.
Then London. Big Ben. Buckingham Palace. The globe theatre. The Queen's walk. The London Eye. Tate Modern. A musical (Wicked). I just don't know how I got here.

My immediate family has not traveled much, if any at all and now me.. a 20 year old college student is doing it. I have been in 5 different countries in the last 10 days. I have hardly a clue as to how this happened, but it did and I am so in awe. I feel so blessed to be achieving a life goal of mine. Many who know me know that my family didn't have a lot of money to do much "extra" so I have learned to work for the things that I really want. What I really want is to show others that they can travel, go to school, and be successes if they believe and work hard (cliche I know, but I believe it to be true). I want the younger generation in my family to know that they can be whoever they want to be and that someone has already done it and will support them.
Anyway, I know I went on a rant, but I was thinking about that and wondering how I ended up where I am right now. So, I will quickly thank my mom and dad for showing me that even if they started picking vegetables in a field or working at McDonald's they worked hard and climbed some ladders. I couldn't ask for any better role models. Lalala emotions..

Back to my spring break. Where did I leave off? *scrolls up to check*. Ahh yes, London. My gosh, I had the best day in London! It was so diverse, and everyone spoke clear English! Ellen and I soaked that in while we could. But, we did not eat the English food. We took the opportunity to get some pho (my favorite), Indian food, and kfc (late night rush.. oops). Yeah, we definitely needed our fix of ethnic food after being in Italy for so long. After our stomachs and taste buds were satisfied we went on the London eye and got our first glimpse of Big Ben. He was beautiful. After that we took a stroll to go visit him, he was better looking up close. Surprising, huh?

We also saw the Buckingham palace, which was pretty overrated considering we couldn't go inside. Then the Tate Modern. I saw "Water Lilies" in person, what?! It's not just something out of a book?
In all seriousness, I couldn't help but be that person who stands 2 inches from the paintings at an angle so I could see the paint strokes. It takes the image to a whole different level when I can imagine the artist placing the color THERE because they knew it was right. Ahh gives me chills imaging even the simplest stroke of a brush. Hmm what else..What a strange order I am putting this in.

Well, we started in Barcelona. *cough* what gorgeous people they have there ;). I do believe that I loved that city, even if I was just there for a day. I need to go back. Let me just say that Goudi is a genius. Segrada Familia has got to be my favorite church out of all of the ones I have seen in Europe so far. It is so bright and the stain glass windows are so vibrant and colorful. If I were Catholic I would go to THAT church. Unfortunately that is all I got to see aside from the market. That was a trip in itself. They had some of the best fresh fruit juices ever! I had only had juice like that in Nicaragua and it was nice to have of again. I am pleased to say that I had 2, 1 kiwi and 1 kiwi/coconut. My roommate had 3.. lol then she proceeded in mentioning them everyday for the next 8 days of our spring break. Anyway this is getting far too long, and it is 1 am here, so I shall leave you with this and tell you about all of the rest soon.

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Roma, Roma: By Brigitte F.

I have been to the Eternal City; Rome was overwhelming and awesome. I saw more monuments and ruins than I have ever seen before.

When we first arrived in Rome, before our group tour, a few of us explored the area around our hotel before our group tour. The Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, ancient Roman ruins, and Trajan’s Column were all within a few minutes of our hotel.

We had a tour of the Colosseum; even though it was pouring rain while we waited outside, it was still a great experience. Our tour guide told us a lot of information about the Flavian Amphitheatre, gladiators, and the structure’s uses and abandonment over the years. We walked through the Colosseum, trying to imagine what it looked and felt like in its heyday. It is huge! Definitely a must-see place. Walked past the Arch of Constantine (with scaffolding) and Roman ruins everywhere.

In the evening I walked to the Isola Tiberina, a small, cute island in the river, with another girl from the program. It was a little difficult to find at first, but we understood the misleading map eventually. It was nice to see different parts of Rome as we looked for the island. A group of us ate at a restaurant with friendly staff, inexpensive prices, and TVs that played old 1980′s American music videos. That night we visited the Trevi Fountain beautifully light up. There were a lot of people circled around it throwing coins, making wishes and posing for pictures.

On Saturday we had a guided tour of the Vatican City, so technically I visited another country! My 
absolute favorite part of the tour was standing with my neck bent and face tilted upwards staring at the Sistine Ceiling. I spent so long gazing at all of the frescoes, trying to soak them all up. A few of us spent so long in the Sistine Chapel we actually got left behind and had to join another AIFS tour group (but we found our group quickly). I had very few words after experiencing Michelangelo’s work. The tour ended and we were let loose to explore on our own. St. Peter’s was amazing; it has so much detail to look at. The Pieta is one of my favorite sculptures and I finally saw it in person; sadly it has to be kept behind a protective barrier so I didn’t get to look at it closely.

I mailed two postcards to my mom from the Vatican City and then a group of us left on an optional walking tour. We meandered through Rome; ended up at the Pantheon. The Pantheon is such an interesting building! It’s thousands of years old and a tribute to Roman engineering, plus it just looks awesome. We walked to the Trevi Fountain and I made a wish!

After a short stop at the hotel a few of us headed out to stick our hands in The Mouth of Truth. We stopped for pizza before strolling down to the Spanish Steps and climbing to the top. It was a great nighttime view of Rome.

The next morning we packed up our luggage and left for the catacombs; but we didn’t want to miss the Pope’s weekly address so we changed course and made our way to the Vatican City. Even though I understood virtually none of it, I’m so glad I got to experience the Pope’s speech. The crowd was full of people from all over so excited to see him, many had posters and screamed. After his address, we left for The Catacombs of St. Callixtus. We walked down steep steps and through dark, cold, winding passageways that used to be filled with dead bodies. The catacombs were fun and creepy to walk through and the surrounding countryside so green and lush. Our tour started later than we anticipated so we were a little rushed after the conclusion of the tour. However, every taxi we tried calling said it could not send any to us. We waited at a bus stop but no bus came; so as taxis drove by we hailed them down and bit by bit our group made it back to our hotel. We grabbed our backpacks and ran down the hill to meet the AIFS group at the bus stop. A parade had just started and the buses were full… but we all made it to the train station on time! 

It was a beautiful train ride home and nice to relax after a packed weekend. I have to go back to Rome, it is a really exciting city full of many things to do and see. Once again so many monuments and pieces of art I studied and longed to see, and now I have!

After an awesome weekend in Rome this week of school was very stressful. We all had to take tests and quizzes, turn in papers, and make sure spring break plans were set. Now it’s officially vacation and I can exhale! I leave for Croatia tomorrow; I’ll stay in Split and Zagreb then Budapest. I’m really excited because I know this is going to be a great adventure! I’ll return on Monday in time to crash and sleep for hours, then jump back into classes.

Arrivederci!

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Rome Weekend with AIFS: According to Elizabeth M.

      

The Colosseum in all its amazing glory! I wish I could have explored the bottom area.

The Colosseum from another view, although it was pouring rain most of the tour, I still had an amazing amount of fun seeing it for the first time!

I loved this hallway, and I thought that the water made it a look pretty fancy. :)

TREVI FOUNTAIN! I felt like I was watching Lizzie McGuire all over again! Hehehehe.

I thought this statue looked great in this light! Our awesome tour guide gave us an explanation of what it was, I believe a scroll rolling down, but unfortunately I can't remember the whole story.

And last but not least, the Basilica that we entered after our tour. It was so colorful inside that I couldn't help but to take a photo! :)

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Cultural Differences: In the Restaurant

One of the experiences that constantly teaches me new things about Italian behaviour standards is going out to eat dinner. I’ve mostly been making my own food at home (a lot of rice and veggies; also, I recently found some gluten-free tamari/soy sauce! Yay!), but I do go out every few days for dinner (often using the AIFS meal vouchers, which I highly recommend).

My two favourite restaurants so far are Masticabrodo and Golden View. (I’ll write restaurant reviews about these two places soon. Also, both participate in with AIFS’s meal voucher plan).

First off, Italians serve their food in courses. Even when ordering a simple dinner, they’ll sometimes ask which course you would like first. I’m used to having all of my meal available during dinner, so it has been interesting eating dinner this way.

My delicious (vegetarian and gluten free) minestrone soup at Masticabrodo. I was having dinner alone, and I think the waitress figured that I may as well have all my food — you can spot the (delicious) roasted potatoes in the background.

Water is not always included free with the meal. Italians often drink “fizzy” or mineral water, so the waiter always asks whether you’d prefer the water still or mineral. They do not serve water with ice, something very typical of American culture. I never drink iced water, so I actually really like this. Also, water is typically served out of a bottle, instead of the sneaky tap water you get in the U.S.

Ice cream is not as common a dessert item in Florence as is tiramisu, cheesecake and (sometimes) panna cotta. Crème brûlée and various types of mousse are also available in nicer restaurants. In the U.S., ice cream is a very common item on the dessert menu (often available in Japanese and Indian restaurants).

From what I’ve seen, gelato does not usually appear on restaurant menus. Gelato is found in “Gelaterias” (gelato booths/sweets stores) or in grocery stores.

Also, in Italy customers are not generally shepherded out a café or restaurant after the meal is over. I think this stems from the more Italian culture of enjoying a meal with family or friends; time is spend enjoying life through some leisure. In the U.S., it is socially expected of the diners to leave after finishing their meal. In a coffee shop, you are expected to purchase something every hour; there is basically a “drink minimum.” This is not part of Italian culture. If you buy one coffee, you may sit in a café for the rest of the day; you will not be asked to leave. America’s approach to meals is much more business like: once the goal of satisfying hunger is accomplished, the person leaves. In Italy places value on the process of appreciating the meal relishing the moment.

Random Cultural Differences:

America: It is polite to keep your hands in your lap/off of the table.

Italy: It is polite to keep your hands both on the table.

America: The waiter brings you the bill near the end of your meal/during dessert.

Italy: The waiters will not bring the bill until it is requested. Confused tourists/new study abroad students sometimes spend a confusingly long amount of time waiting around until this is realised. A simple “Il conto, per favore” is sufficient to request the bill.

America: The approach to alcohol is that you drink to get drunk.

Italy: Alcohol (like wine) is a part of Italian culture, and has its own way of fitting into social behaviour.

Age Limits: In America the legal age limit for purchasing alcohol is 21. In Italy, no one asks for proof of age when purchasing alcohol.

Written by: Fiona O-Young

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Living Like A Florentine

Ever wondered what Florentine apartments look like? Lily C. gives you a sneak preview of what to expect when studying abroad in Florence, Italy:

I apologize that it took me so long to get this post up. This is the apartment that AIFS has provided us with. My roommate and I were absolutely astonished when we saw this room. This is definitely more than what we had expected.

The interior design is very chic!

No, it's not fresco, still put the my ceiling back at home to shame.

Free bottle water as house-warming gift for our first day!

Already had some basic necessities stocked up before we arrived.

Lots of cups for coffee and wine~

Our cozy little bedroom; we were given lots of hangers and blankets. Kind of wish we have desks though...

We are loving the heated drying rack! Still haven't had the need to go to the launder mat for dryers as of now! And we also got a hairdryer!

We had some slight issues with hot water and internet the first day or two, but our landlord taken cared for us very quickly. We are really happy with our apartment that we'll definitely miss it once we go back to the States.

Written by: Lily Chang

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Impressions of Florence: According to Hailie G.

I can't describe how much things have changed for me since I have gotten here. Before Florence I had only lived away from my home for 6 months, 3 months with my best friend and her family, and the other 3 with my brother. Even though I wasn't at "home" I was with people who I knew loved me. Coming here has helped me realize that more than one place can be my home. I refer to my house in the states now as my "home home," but I found myself referring to my apartment here as my real home. It's crazy. I have only been here for 4/5 weeks and this place is home now. When I go on a long weekend trip I find myself saying "Ok, this was fun, but I am ready to be home." When I say that I'm not talking about California.. I am talking about Florence.

I never thought that would happen! They told us when we got here that we aren't going to be "tourists" we are going to be LIVING here, so we should act like we are living here. I thought that was so bizarre.. thrilling, but bizarre. They were right though, I am living here.

I was so scared before I came here, I remember crying and wondering what I got myself into. I was so fearful of being on my own for 3 months and having to live with all of these people that I don't know. I won't lie.. I have gotten irritable a few times since I have been here with not having my personal space, but I have learned so much from this experience. I have learned how to hold my tongue (people who know me know that I am pretty blunt) and I have been able to practice my skills in listening to people, loving people, and being heard.

Being thrown into this pot with all of these people has been overwhelming. It has been scary, and it has been rough a few times. With all of that, I have created some pretty great friends. I have explored cities trusting my internal compass and have opened up to people that I would have never opened up to in the past. I really have changed through this trip. Because of all of these changes, I believe that when I leave Florence, I will be able to say that for 20 year old Hailie Guerrero, this place is home.

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Knights in the Afternoon: By Elizabeth H.

The other day during my afternoon break between classes I decided to do something a little different. Normally I would walk home and make lunch but today I wanted to try one of the local café’s or sandwich shops. I stumbled upon a great place that had outside seating in perfect view of the Santa Croce. I ordered a sandwich that turned out to be one of the best meals I’ve had in Florence. It was with prosciutto, brie cheese, and sweet grilled zucchini. Up until this meal I had not been so thrilled by the bread in Italy but this sandwich changed my mind. It was packed with flavor and drizzled with olive oil. I was enjoying my meal and taking in the fresh air and observing the locals. I brought out my book and started reviewing for the next class. As I’m reading about ancient Rome and past emperors, I hear the sound of a slow steady drum start to beat. At first I assumed it was coming from the music in the café but the sound seemed to be getting closer to me. Was my book coming to life? No one seemed to be bothered by this except me. Louder and louder the tourists started to take notice. Everyone was making their way down the street that I was having my quiet little lunch on. Suddenly men in tights feathers and puffy pants all marching towards me! I sat there in awe for a moment contemplating if this was actually happening. A medieval prince and princess, people holding giant flags with the symbol of Florence on them, and knights in shining armor were making their way through the town and into the Santa Croce. Of course curious about why all this was happening I got my bill and headed for the church. Inside trumpets played and the short ceremony started. I found out later that the day marked the 450th anniversary of Michelangelo’s death and this was part of his celebration. As quickly as they marched into the church they were marching back out into the town again. I left feeling so lucky that I was able to witness this moment that is so different from what I am used to. Sometimes it really pays off to change up your routine and step out of your comfort zone.

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Carnevale in Venice: According to Kaitlin J.

Over the weekend, 75 students from Northern California traveled to Verona & Venice to take part in the world-famous Carnevale celebrations! Here are some photos from Kaitlin J's point of view...

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Settling In: According to Zach W.

During my second full week of living in Florence, things began to become more and more normal. I can now walk the city and get to all major landmarks without a map; i know a couple hole-in-the-wall authentic Tuscan/Florentine restaurants; and I have a favorite caffe to get my morning coffee. I’ve come to realize how different the culture really is here. You will never see an Italian running after a bus or hurrying in any way shape or form. Everyone here just seems happy and content with their lives. It’s very refreshing as I’ve lived in San Francisco my whole life and you see people rushing around (including me) all day everyday. It feels like Italians try and make every moment of everyday enjoyable for themselves.

Im off to Venice for the weekend, Ill be writing all about it next week!

-Zachary Weisenburger 2014 AIFS Study Abroad Student

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Cooking Class: According to Hailie G.

Just got my hands messy making some home made raviolis with spinach and cheese, with an artichoke quiche appitizer (not sure if that's what it was called) and panna cotta with chocolate for dessert. Mmmm!

Don't tell my mom that I am learning how to cook.. or that I know how to cook. 

We had to meet on the middle of the Ponte Vecchio (view shown below). This is that bridge with all that snazzy gold on it *sparkle in my eye* 

Anyway, that isn't the topic. So from there we went to this little restaurant/caffe where we were learned to make this lovely meal.

The chefs were amazing! They were very funny and totally entertaining. The main one, Francesco loved my friend Melodie's name. He even started singing to her a little bit *chuckle.*

I just threw this one in here because it was cool.

I am not sure what to say about this other than it was such a good experience. I had never made raviolis before, let alone home made pasta. It was quite the accomplishment! We didn't use any egg white or water to close the ravioli either like you see on tv, but still it tasted marvelous! We had to use a lot of team work though because once we got the pasta rolling everything sped up. We had a little assembly line going. I am getting a little sick, so in all honesty everything was a bit of a fog, but luckily they gave us the recipes so I can continue to make it when I get home. Yay! So, take a look at our wonderful food and be jealous :)

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Week 2: According to Brigitte F.

It has been about two weeks now that I’ve been living here in Florence. I’m getting around the town pretty easily and don’t get lost as often. Already, there are a few things I love about living here.

I love waking up each morning, sticking my head out the window and listening to Florence wake up. A vendor sets up his fruit market right below my bedroom window and soon the chatter of Italian starts.

I love hearing the accordion, violin, and chiming bells as I stroll through the city.

I love how the citizens of each city are so proud of their home and distinct history and culture. They gladly will boast about the famous people who were born, lived or died in their cities.

Gelato!

And, of course, I love the food. I have a meal voucher plan through AIFS for a number of restaurants in the city; so far I have eaten at three of them: Il Teatro, The Diner, and Osteria de’ Peccatori. The food is delicious and the portions are large, keeping me full and happy. Back home I don’t eat red meat, but I decided that I couldn’t experience Italy without tasting all of its amazing dishes that include red meat; so I have been eating just about whatever here. There are so many great dishes and a few strange ones. At the AIFS welcome dinner I had pate, chicken liver, which is a local specialty! Tortellini in cream sauce, thinly sliced prosciutto, nocciola gelato… I don’t think I could ever tire of this cuisine.

In my classes I learn about so many different pieces of art and architecture that are within walking distance, it’s amazing. Just a couple of minutes from my apartment is Il Duomo, Piazza della Reppublica, and many more monuments. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so much art and history.

Last Saturday we had the chance to go on a day trip to Pisa and Lucca. In Pisa we toured Piazza dei Miracoli, including the Cathedral, Baptistery, and of course the Campanile (Leaning Tower of Pisa). Inside the cathedral there are numerous paintings, mosaics and beautiful things to gaze at. I was awed by all of it and am unable to truly express what a rewarding experience it was.  Hearing and seeing the history and art of Pisa was a wonderful. A short bus-ride away in Lucca we strolled through the streets and along the city walls. The surrounding area and top of the large wall itself are so green; it was a welcome break from the city-feel of Florence to see nature and take a leisurely walk through, what felt like, a pretty quiet town. I plan on taking my mom to visit both Pisa and Lucca when she flies over.

Here is the interior of the Cathedral at Pisa. Photos can’t do it justice.

I really enjoy the fresh market in Sant‘ Ambrogio square. It’s a little bit of a walk from my apartment, but now I have the path down and it’s definitely worth it. There are a lot of fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses and other items to choose from at good prices. I’ve even gotten to know a couple of vendors.

I’ve been trying to use Italian where ever I can, but I often have to say “Parla Inglese?” or resort to hand gestures and motioning. I can’t wait until I can communicate easily with the locals!

Last night I explored the other side of Florence across the Arno River with some students. The Ponte Vecchio bridge and Florence was lit up by shining lights. The day had not been rainy (finally!) and the clouds made for a beautiful sunset.

Until next time, arrivederci!

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Shoe Shopping in Florence: According to Fiona

Like most people visiting Florence, I wanted to buy some nice Italian shoes. I went online and simply googled “10 best shoe stores in Florence,” and after some clicking around I ended up on TripAdvisor.com, where I found two promising shops.

The one I decided to visit first is called Goccia, which is on Via Pellicceria in Florence (really close to the Piazza de Repubblica). It’s a pretty tiny shop, but it’s worth finding for sure! I was there during the last few days of their winter collection sale. (The TripAdvisor review that convinced me to go)

I bought 3 pairs of shoes there! 

Petra, me and Nino. They’re both very nice, and speak English really well. They’re really helpful; just tell them what you’re looking for and they’ll be able to assist you.

My roommates Elizabeth V. and Kat L. tagged along, and they both bought shoes there too. Elizabeth V. ordered this style of shoes to be made for her.

Elizabeth V.

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Weekly Round-Up: According to Elizabeth M.

Elizabeth M. shares a few photos and talks about pizza making, the hunt for the perfect gelato, and more...

Ciao! It’s been about a week and a half now that I’ve been in Florence, and it’s hard to believe that it’s still only the beginning of the trip! I feel like I’ve done so much already, and there’s still so much more for me to do! This is a photo of the pizza that I made yesterday (and ate half of right then because yum, it was delicious) and a lovely glass of complimentary wine! Today I have a wine tasting class after our ILC (Italian Life & Culture) class, and I’m so excited to try out all the delicious wines!  :)

Kaitlin and I have been wandering around trying to find the best gelato, and so far we have found two delicious places! The first is located across the Ponte Vecchio and is named Gelateria della Passera. It’s located at Via Toscanella, 15R, and has an amazing Earl Grey flavor. Plus, it’s only 1 euro for a scoop in a cup, and yummmm. The second place we found is called Le Botteghe di Leonardo and is located on Via Valori, 12. We got a scoop in a cone, and it was SO delicious. This is Kaitlin’s scoop of nocciola (hazelnut) and she said it was amaaazing.

This is us at a lovely pizzeria in Lucca. I ordered the ‘fortuna’ pizza and it was delicious, I ate the entire thing, and it was a large pizza!

And a ‘lovely’ photo of me and my roomies in front of the leaning tower of Pisa! Hahaha!

We’re all enjoying Florence so much, hope you’re all doing well! xo

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