Stephanie va a Firenze!

Our flight from Dublin back to Italy flew to Torino so I met up with Stephanie. Michelle was visiting Stephanie that same weekend so I got to see both of their lovely faces! When we booked our flight into Torino, we were thinking about seeing Torino and then catching a train to Geneva and then back to Florence. But by the time we were back in Italy, all of us were exhausted and quite sick of each other so we just wanted to go home. Steph decided to come down to Florence with us and Michelle said it was too expensive and just took the train back to Milan. 

Steph modeling her new leather jacket.

I took Steph to all of my favorite places in Florence. We tried to get heart pizzas from Gustas but it was so crowded that night that even Steph's beauty wasn't enough to charm them. In the morning, I took her to News Cafe and we got to enjoy our daily dosage of cappuccino and brioche. I gave her my historical and art tours of Florence and that night, we got some secret bakery goodness. YUM! Steph spent a fortune, buying all things leather--leather jacket, leather boots, and a leather purse. I'm glad she had the chance to see and love the very city that I fell in love with. Hope you love Florence just as much as I love it Steph! <3 Thanks for visiting! 

Spring Break: Brussels, Amsterdam, and Dublin

My Spring Break, sadly to say, was like a nightmare coming true. It was a lot of fun, a lot of stress, too much cold, and a tiny spark of drama. Well you know what they say about traveling with friends. It can either make the experience or break it. In this case, it broke it. 

I tend to enjoy more spontaneous adventures and having things unplanned so that the magic can work but the two friends I was doing Spring Break were the exact opposite and preferred to have things planned. Not to mention that all three of us had very different interests so it made it even more difficult to plan things. We started in Brussels, Belgium and even though it was late March by this time, it was snowing and beyond cold. We had to lug our duffel bags around with us the entire day and we got lost...a lot. We were on such a time crunch in Brussels that we didn't get to see or do much but we ate BELGIAN WAFFLES and FRIES. 

The ultimate tourist waffle: Belgian waffle doused with Nutella, slices of banana, and sprinkled with chocolate drizzle and sprinkles. YUM :B

With my Belgian fries :B 

We took Megabus from Brussels to Amsterdam, which I highly recommend if you're interested in budget traveling (it only cost us 8€!) Amsterdam is probably one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen but one that I would never want to return to just because of the experience I had. Since Holland is one of the big banking regions in Europe, they only accepted cards with chips in them. Long story short, none of our cards worked and only my card got rejected by every ATM. Next thing I knew, I was out of cash because I had spotted for some people and they paid me back by paying for other expenses. Traveling is never fun when you're broke because you're constantly surrounded by things you can't do, see, or eat because you can't afford any of it. BUT it wasn't all bad. My friend Mike from Pacific was traveling Amsterdam at the same time so Marie and I went out to meet with him and grab a beer. He took us around the Red Light District and my heart sank so much when I saw those girls, so young and beautiful, selling themselves. Even though I knew it was their choice and decision to go into prostitution, I just couldn't stop thinking of what would make them even consider that to be a choice for their lives. It was just so heartbreaking. To my shock, the Red Light District is one of the most beautiful parts of Amsterdam, with the canals glistening from the light of the moon. The next day, we ventured into Den Haag and Leiden to meet up with one of Marie's sorority sisters, Fien. Thank you so much Fien for everything! On our last day in Amsterdam, we went to see the Anne Frank House. My heart was so heavy just imagining two families living in such a small space, praying for the day that they would be free to wander around without persecution. I never appreciated Anne Frank's diary when I was younger but looking back to it now, I can really say that she was an admirable and brave young woman. Afterwards, we wandered around Amsterdam looking for fresh stroopwafels and after a few hours and the help of the many Dutch people we asked, we finally found them! 

With Mike in front of the Red Light District in Amsterdam.

In Leiden.

My favorite and best part of the trip was probably in Dublin. I love the Irish. They are so friendly and jolly! Maybe it was their cheerfulness that lifted my spirits. Compared to Brussels and Amsterdam, Dublin was a lot warmer so it made sight-seeing a lot more bearable. We went on a walking tour of the city and we were welcomed with a 100,000 welcomes, or "Cead Mile Falite" as they say in Gaelic. We did the Guinness Factory tour, a must if you ever visit Dublin even if you don't like beer or Guinness. In Ireland, we did more spontaneous and unplanned things, and went our own ways. By this time, we were kind of starting to get sick of each other (don't travel with friends!). Another one of Marie's sorority sisters who goes to Trinity College met up with us to show us around Dublin at bit. We had the best pub food at O'Neills :B noms. The next day, we took a bus tour to see the Cliffs of Mohr, another must if you visit Ireland. Our bus driver was so jolly (the Irish!) and he made every second, minute, and hour of the tour as enjoyable as possible. Even though it was a wee bit chilly, seeing the ocean made me think of home and long for those sunny days at the beach again. Ireland is filled with so much magic that everyone can't help but be charmed by it. 

Sippin on my Guinness during the Guinness Factory tour!

Marie creepin on my Guiness.

The girls exploring Galway! 

Cliffs of Mohr

After ten days of traveling with two girls that travel on a different pace than I do, I realized how important travel buddies were. I love both Madeline and Marie as friends but let me just say that I probably could never do a trip with the both of them ever again. But exploring these parts of Europe were an adventure in itself and I'm glad I had the opportunity to experience it. Thanks Jesus! <3

Top of the World!

So I heard a rumor that the cupolla of the Duomo was going to be closed off after Easter for the next three years for restoration. This news was very disappointing to me because it was my plan to say good-bye to the city on my last couple of days in Florence by climbing the dome. I didn't want to miss my chance to climb the Duomo since I doubt I'll be able to make it back to Florence anytime soon so right before we (Marie, Madeline, myself and Ben) left for Spring Break, we decided to climb to the top! Over 400 steps later, we made it to the TOP! 

Climbing the stairs up the Duomo! Here with Marie creeping up on me! 

Giotto's campanile from the top of the Duomo. 

From L to R: Madeline, Marie, Ben, and myself.

I apologize for not being more attentive to this blog during my Spring semester in Florence. But now that it's finally summer and I have a lot more time on my hands, I will be writing posts and uploading pictures. So stay posted! <3

Playing Catch-Up

I'm very sorry to all of my readers for not keeping up with my blogposts! I promise to try my best to update this at least once a week! hehe

So much has happened since the semester started that I don't know where to begin. We're going into our fifth week of school which means I haven't blogged for five weeks and midterms and SPRING BREAK is just around the corner! God has blessed me with so much this semester and everyday I wake up with more reasons to continue thanking Him for what he's done for me. For the first time (EVER), my close group of friends are all Christians. My roommate Madeline and I go to church and Bible study together and although at times it feels weird, I'm glad to have someone who will push me to go to Church when I have those days when I don't feel like it. Having such a close group of friends who share the same faith as me has made being abroad much more easier. My heart weeps when I meet other study abroad students who long to get "blacked out" and "shit-faced" drunk every night. There's nothing wrong with drinking but why would anyone want to wake up the next morning not remembering what they did the night before? 

Looking back at my photos, I'm coming to the realization that I've done so much within the first half of my semester! I went to Venezia for Carnevale and got to visit the islands of Murano and Burano. I visited Steph in Torino the same weekend that Mike was visiting her so I got to see another Italian city and see two great friends at the same time. I also got to revisit Pisa and take my touristy photo and see Joyce and Guido again in Montecatini. I went to Rome to have my own Lizzie McGurie adventure and I got to see Papa while I was there! But what makes me so happy about this semester is being able to fellowship with everyone from Church. Just last weekend, the weather was so beautiful and EVERYONE was able to come out to Cascine Park. It was so wonderful to be able to have a mini picnic and sing praises to Him. And the most amazing thing was being able to see how our worship to the Lord was immediately changing the atmosphere in the park. People kept looking our way to see what those "strange Americans" were doing and I know God will work wonders in all those who were there at the park that day. 

Last weekend, I had a mini breakdown. On Friday, my wallet was stolen again for the second time. This week was such a struggle to get through because I was running low on food and I had absolutely no money. Everyday was a test to my faith and trust in God. I was stripped bare of everything I had and the only thing I had left was my faith in Him. My wallet still hasn't been found but I believe that he will work another miracle for me. In the meantime, I only have more words of thanks to say to Him.

Enjoying the sun on the island of Murano with my roomie and Marie! 

Got to see these lovely peeps in Torino! 

Enjoying the night out and supporting DJ Simo!

On the Spanish Steps in Rome!

Enjoying a nice sunny day in Florence!

"La via è troppo breve per non essere Toscani."

Life is too short not to be Tuscan.

So why not go out and be adventurous. Explore what Firenze has to offer, then venture out into the Tuscan countryside, and further out to the rest of Italia. Before you know it, you're out exploring the entire world. Be an adventurer. After all, carpe diem.

The Start of a New Semester

The day that I was most excited for and dreading finally arrived. Today, I got to move into my new apartment in Firenze. I was excited to finally have a place that I could call my own but I was so nervous about my new flatmates and having to go through the process of having to meet and make new friends. Last semester was a big realization to me of how introverted and shy I am. I do enjoy being sociable but I really need some time by myself to self-reflect and recharge for the next social event. Many of my friends at school only see the social side of me but that's because I could easily hide out in my room and take a day or two to refuel my energy levels. Last semester, there was no place or even any space where I could be alone. Sierra and Melody rarely ever left the apartment and there would be too many people that I would have to walk past around Florence to find a decent quiet space. I was overwhelmed and exhausted from having to force a smile on my face and make myself presentable to everyone else that I was meeting. I just could not deal with it anymore. So the very thought of having to move back into the city and start the whole process all over again, although exciting, made me very anxious and worried. Would my new roommates like me? What would they think of me? Blah blah blah.

My new roomie and I!

But God is so good. My new apartment is twice the size of my last one. We have two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a loft, a couch that pulls out into a bed, a cute dining table, a cozy kitchen, and a little patio to have our dinners once the weather warms up. We also live on the other side of the river. It makes a huge difference what side of the river you live on. Last semester, as soon as I stepped out of my apartment complex, I would hear English, Chinese, Japanese, etc. but on this side of the river, I have only heard Italian being spoken. On top of that, my new roommates are the sweetest! All three are Americans. Two of them are from New York and the one I share the room with, Madeline, is from Iowa. And the best part is that Madeline is a Christian! Praise the Lord! All this time I have been praying for a friend/roommate who could go to church with me and God provided! I am actually looking forward to this semester! c: THANK YOU JESUS!