The Trek Back to America

My last day in Florence I spent my last few hours with friends and walking around the city taking my last pictures.  Pictures from the market, I realized, I hadn't shared yet soooo...

Upstairs, you have the fruit and vegetable vendors

while downstairs you have the fresh meats, cheeses and breads

and by fresh meat I mean fresh meat!!!

Of course they also have whole chickens, 

cow heads, tongues, and other random animals.

I also climbed the stairs of the Duomo my last day with Jordan and her sister and it was a really good time to reflect on my time there because you could see the whole city.  It was crazy to think when we first got there we all had our maps out whenever we went somewhere and now we knew where pretty much everything was.

This is my side of the river...

But Yes.  I'm home!!

So Saturday, my morning started in Florence Airport where rumors had been flying of long lines and strict rules.  The rumors were true.

First, they tell me I cannot leave my rackets in my carryon (even though I flew in with them there and when I asked they told me I can't go through security).  I asked to check them as sporting equipment that way they wouldn't break.  The lady refused.  She made me put them in my suitcase which was already stuffed.  I had to sit on top of it to get it zipped after I put my rackets in.  It was very awkward.  

Then she weighs my suitcases which are right on the weight limit.  Then she weighs my carryons.  I have never had my carryons weighed.  I always cram stuff in there so of course they are overweight and I have to take like 5 kilos out.  She tells me to put it in my suitcase (which she just said was right on the money) and doesn't charge me extra.  Why she wouldn't let me leave my carryon I don't know why.  But I had to go off to the side and repack stuff some so when I went back with my last suitcase, the lady had left and so I had to go to a different lady.

This lady tried to tell me I had already checked in two bags and I'm like umm No!  Finally, about 5 minutes of arguing later, she looked on the other lady's desk where my tag was sitting.  Punks!!

So my porfolios weigh like 20 pounds which is how much your carryons can weigh so I tried to beat the system.  I asked another girl behind me in line to hold them while I went and had my stuff weighed and then after, I got them back from her.  It worked cause security just assumes everything meets the weight limits when you go upstairs.

I finally made it out of Florence to Frankfurt where luckily our plane was delayed because we ran to catch it but had to get our passports stamped and then go through security again.

It was my turn to get my passport stamped and the guy looks at it, calls someone else over and they talk for about 10 minutes and scan my passport several times so I'm not really sure what that was about but I finally made it through and went running to go through security where I was the lucky girl to get a full patdown after going through the metal detector.  But I did make the flight with a few minutes to spare!

Then it was off to America and I 

arrived in Washington!  I had to go through customs which was a rat race.  After we got our passports stamped, we had to get our luggage.  Mine was luckily one of the first ones through so then I went through customs, rechecked my luggage, and went running to find my next flight. I had to take a shuttle which took around 5 seconds (which was about 9 minutes and 55 seconds longer than I thought it might take) so I actually had about 30 minutes to relax before my last flight.

And then I made it to Charlotte where mom, dad, and Amy were waiting for me.  Once again my luggage was one of the first ones out (I think they were making up for losing mine when I first went to Florence) and as soon as I saw my biggest suitcase, I yanked it off the conveyer belt and ripped it open and inspected my rackets which thankgoodness were not broken!!! I was so relieved and I immediately put them in my backpack where they should have been the whole time!!

Please note the non broken rackets:

At the car, they had a dozen of Krispy Kreme and a Cheerwine waiting on me!!

When I was at home unpacking, I found a note saying my suitcase had been searched.  I also found the bubble wrap around a bottle of olive oil slit open.  I am mostly unpacked and I am getting my haircut today.  I'm also going shopping for jeans since I have none now.  Mine had chemical stains all over them from the dark room so I just left them in Italy.  

I am definitely still on Italian time.  I haven't been taking naps trying to get over jet lag faster but I went to bed about 8 Sunday night after drinking some caffeine (which only peps me up for about 20 minutes) and took some sleeping pills but only managed to sleep until about 1.  

Full suitcases do not mix well with jet lag, 

a comfy bed you haven't slept in 

for four months, and lack of motivation!

I also haven't adjusted back to the culture yet. 30 seconds into my American experience at Washington, I ran into people just because you have to do that to get anywhere in the streets in Italy.  Woops!  I have to remember I'm not in Italy any more!  It still surprises me when I walk around and realize I can actually understand EVERYTHING people are saying.  It feels so weird!

It's weird because I'm experienceing more culture shock now comingback to America than when I went to Italy.

Yesterday, I went shopping at Target and pointed out the Euro store to Amy without even thinking (I was referring to the dollar spot) and sadly, when I went to find Italian bread, they only had the americanized kind.  They also don't have plain marinara sauce here except in a can.  There are many things I will miss.  Especially the friends I've made and the girls of MC17!  But the things I won't miss at all is being away from all my friends and family...and people to play tennis with :)

the last of the lasts

This is for the family golfers...They had a tournament.  Tee off the Ponte Vecchio onto the green which is in the middle of the river.  They had like 6 holes I think.  Talk about a water hazard!

So my final week is almost up and I have my suitcases basically packed and probably overweight.  This week I have been soaking up the last bit of Italian life for a while.  Sunday, I went to my last Fiorentina soccer match.  Oh my gosh was it a humbling experience...

The sky was awesome

And luckily, the storm missed us

So we get on the bus all excited...I have on my jersey thinking I'm all cool and showing spirit or whatever and Kate has on a Fiorentina sweatshirt too.  She tells me that a friend told her that "real" soccer fans only wear the club's scarves.  I'm like well the last time I went everyone else had on jerseys and everything.  We get on the bus and on our way, police go whizzing by with thier sirens blasting.  They were definately escorting the Fiorentina team bus.  That was exciting.  While we are on the bus, we notice everyone has on scarves.  Aparently, I forgot that the last game I went to was with the school and everyone around me was a student.  Whoops.  

So we are sitting on the bus and everyone is looking at us and talking about us...in Italian of course.  It was VERY awkward.  As we get off, a lady figures out what we are talking about and tries to make us feel better and says "Bellisimo"  It didn't really help.

We get off feeling awkward and start heading toward our section in the stadium.  We are at the very last one so it's like a 10 minute walk from the front.  We go through security and I'm waiting for Kate.  Apparently her SLR camera is not allowed.  They tell her she has to put it in a locker somewhere so we head off to find the locker but to no avail.  We go back and they are kind of mad but one of the guys walks us over to where it is supposed to be (at the front where we first came in so this is our 2nd 10 minute walk to the front).  He can't find it and asks around.  No one knows where it is.  We walk back.

So we go back in past security but not actually into the fan part yet and he walks around trying to figure out where it is.  So we keep going in and out of where fans are coming in and the security people are like "Wait ticket" but we keep walking.  

Then a guy gets on the radio so everyone knows about us.  He finally gives up and we go to the other place that has lockers.  Which is on the other side of the stadium.  We definitely walked around the stadium a couple times...without scarves on.  Finally we find the lockers which are not lockers but an ambulance who puts stuff in plastic bins.  Luckily, I just brought the little camera.  We later found out that the camera was not allowed because you could throw it onto the field if you got too upset and start a fight.

But Fiorentina did win.  There were only 5 yellow cards and two people had to be carried out on stretchers.  However, once they got to the sidelines, they were miraculously healed and came running back onto the field.  They took faking it to a whole new level.  

Warming up

I also had my last Italian classes this week.  I actually ended up with As in all my classes so that's exciting.  For advertisement, we had to do car commercials and one of the cars my group did was Volkswagen.  Yeah definitely spelled it Volkswagon.  He asked me about it and asked if I knew it was German.  I said yes but I thought we were presenting in English.  He said well why didn't you call it peoplewagon then.  I got a minus for that.  But later on I made to slick comments and got it erased and ended up with an a.  

Wednesday, we all went to the best restaurant in Florence.  It was amazing.  Soo good.  We got there when they opened at 7:30 and didn't leave until they closed at like 10:30.  I am going to miss long leisurely meals like that.

I also went to Assisi for the last time for a while yesterday.  It was rainy but it was still soo pretty.  They had a life-size nativity in the yard at St. Francesco as well as a contemporary one in the piazza thing in front of it.  That was my favorite.  We tried to make the 5:18 train but we missed it and the next one didn't leave until 7:18 so we decided to get some supper (Jordan and her sister came with me).  We go into one restaurant which had open in the window might I add and the guy acts all weird.  Apparently he's not open and thinks we are crazy because "no one opens for dinner here until 7:30!"  Luckily, good ol McDonalds was open so we ate there.  My second and last McDonalds meals while here this semester!  This one had a McDrive.

I have two suitcases packed that could possibly weigh too much and I'm going out today to take a few more pictures and a few more Christmas presents though I'm not sure how much room I have...

Liz left this morning.  Megan leaves tonight for Rome where she is flying out of and everyone else leaves tomorrow.

Correct Spelling

One reason why spelling should be taught at a young age...

Check it out

I found something you might find interesting and possibly even motivate you to not get seconds at this year's christmas dinner!

Only in Italy...

Only in Italy can you...

lose a pet alligator 

Put a whole new meaning on personal style

write a letter to Santa and see him read it!!

see Italian reindeer!

See tall Elves...they must have been inspired by Buddy

Can I also add the Santas here are slightly thinner than those in America 

(even statues and stuff)

See more Christmas Pictures!!

A Day of Firsts

So today is the a day of many firsts such as...

sprinting to catch a train

going to Lucca

attending a major photo exhibition

4 euro pizza that was aMAZing

rode on a 2 story train

ate an Italian donut fresh out of the grease and dipped in sugar mmm!!

saw real snow capped mountains and I mean like the kind out see in magazines

I went to Lucca on a field trip to a photo exhibition featuring many photographers including the World Press Winner so it was pretty awesome though we didn't make it to all the exhibitions. They were having another festival there so Kate and I stopped to get a donut and then she stopped to get some peppermint sticks and nuts at one of the vendors.  

We were already pushing it to make it back to the train so we sped walked to the station where Kate got her ticket and checked the board for the platform number.  Of course the machine wouldn't take my money so she had to pay and then the little stamper machine didn't stamp my ticket (Kate is yelling at me the whole time cause she can see the train) Finally, she grabs it and apparently it was validated the date stamp just didn't work.  So we take of in a dead sprint jump on the train and whatdya know the train was 4 minutes behind so we took a moment to catch our breath before the train started.

Classes this week...

Finals next week...

America next weekend...

Body Image

Ever wonder why, no matter how hard you try, you can never look like the girls on magazine covers??  This is why  You are trying to look like something that is not real.

Chin Up

The Good: I am caught up if not ahead for my final projects...

The Bad: We have no heat and no hot water

The Ugly: No showers until the hot water is back can look pretty ugly

They offered to put us up at a hostel until it's fixed but it isn't really that cold to me so I'm staying at the apartment with Jordan and Liz.

So off the record, I've been counting down the days for about a month and a half now.  

But for the record...15 days until I leave...16 until I'm back home

so heaven really can fit in a box

Thanks for the package mom and dad and everyone who put stuff in it!!!!