é finito.

So, I should have done this a long time ago. It's been exactly 22 days since I landed in the United States. But it is officially time to say good-bye to to Avventure a Firenze. At this point in time, all these stories, pictures and adventures feel like one big dream. It almost seems as though it never happened. Somedays I wake up expecting to find myself in Florence and after a few min find myself sad and disappointed that I'm not. It was amazing and perfect. I would change nothing about it and I hope that I can always remember and appreciate everything study abroad had to offer. Here's one last list to close off the blog.

Things I Forgot About in America:

1. my blackberry really is a crack berry. I will NEVER EVER leave the country or anywhere without a functioning international blackberry.

2. Iced Coffee=amazing. enough said.

3. no one cooks with fresh ingredients. (your body literally shuts down if you try eating processed food after 4 months)

4. dollar bills are strange and I kinda miss the 1 & 2 euro coins.

5. things are very expensive and w/o an exchange rate are higher priced in the USA.

6. people in America are HUGE.

7. Americans do not dress to make themselves presentable.

8. i forgot about diet food, splenda and low calorie things.

9. you don't have to ask for the check they hurry you right out of the restaurant.

10. you have to pay tip and there is tax!

11. everything is in one big grocery store and you can put it all in your car and drive home. amazing. no hundred different stops.

12. 24-hr places actually exist

13. Delivery is an option. :-)

14. tanning @ La Pietra and the Boboli Gardens was amazing but me and my pool have such a special bond.

15. you pay after you pick up your dry cleaning.

16. I'm still too afraid to try an American cappuccino or gelato.

17. I never realized how much different and unsatisfying ice cream would taste in comparison to gelato.

18. things run on a time and schedule.

19. i truly missed food network.

20. the radio is still awful.

21. Rome, NY of those who speak Italian (which really isn't many anymore) its very much dialect and much more difficult to understand than regular Italian

22. portions are huge and most people finish them.

23. I enjoy grilling outside

24. gyms, working out, etc. is a part of culture again and slowly becoming part of my life again.

25. constant stress, go-go, having to figure out every aspect of life and knowing what your doing next are all back. (i wish i had bottled up some of that laid back italian-ness)

26. well assuming your not in Rome, NY all types of ethnic food are available and you don't have to eat just pizza or pasta every night.

well the list could go on forever and ever. Europeans, well especially Italians, and Americans lead very different lives. I am so glad I got to be a part of the Italian one and compare daily the different lifestyles.

And finally I close the blog. Thank you everyone that followed and read my ridiculously long blog posts. Hope you enjoyed and that I maybe encouraged you to take a trip or another trip to Europe because everyone should do it. I have been so blessed and will never forget how amazing these last 4 months have been. Arrivederci!

Firenze. the good, the bad, and the ugly. continued..

51. family dinners.

52. oil shoppe, antico noe, bar lydia

53. the art of drying racks

54. small alley ways that barely fit me and a car

55. small European cars that come in the strangest forms

56. washer machines that sound like a rocket is taking off in my kitchen

57. waiting 20, 30, 40 min even if you have a reservation

58. the mystery of lines and their non-existence

59. the illegal street vendors running with their pieces of artwork when the cops head towards them

60. the tour groups with the umbrellas speaking in french, german, italian, japanese, chinese and english

61. motorino e gli italiani pazzi che li guida

62. loud italians that like to congregate on the streets at night

63. the european love for cigarettes starting at like age 12, my lungs cannot wait to be back in America

64. the guessing game if a store is open or if its siesta or if they just decided not to come to work that day

65. the smell of leather as you walk through the leather market, its addicting :-)

65. validating your train ticket

66. exchange rates that make everything 35% more expensive, i miss the $

67. bills that are all different sizes and colors and euro coins

68. menus that only consist of pasta or pizza always

69. having to ask for "il conto" otherwise you'll just be stuck in the restaurant for hours

70. having to specify whether you want frizzante o naturale or con gas/senza gas

Things I will miss in Italy...

Here is a list of things I am going to be working on over the course of the next few days of things that remind me of Italy. The good, the bad and the ugly. I'll miss you Florence.

1. the black puffy Italian jackets that everyone has and wears even if its 70 degrees outside

2. the sirens---they have the strangest tones, im going to record them before I leave

3. gelato, gelato, gelato, its a perfect way to end the evening and its so amazing. there are really no words to describe it.

4. the Arno, even its disgusting color

5. Gaia and Daniella-our cleaning ladies that cleaned our apartment every week, gave us fresh sheets and towels on Thursdays

6. Villa La Pietra and the gardens behind it-how does NYU just get an entire estate donated?

7. the man at the mini-market who gets excited to give me a euro off my purchases every time I cash out

8. Massimo, my Italian teacher who speaks very little English but when he does its priceless... my favorite quotes "Let's get de show on de road" and "No discussion-no debate"

9. the cobblestone that has completely destroyed my feet and all my shoes

10. looking at the ground when you walk past men because if you look at them straight in the eye you will be followed home

11. the never ending walk down Via Maffia

12. stuffed animal gold fish

13. the Duomo being the back drop of everything we do in Florence

14. people watching in McDonalds

15. the sketchy people that work the Kebab place

16. my friends at the leather market who remember me now and speak to me in Italian

17. being harassed by the men that sell leather jackets, and being escorted arm in arm down the street

18. gypsies

19. l'autobus numero 25

20. death valley

21. nutella croissants and Fernando the nicest café guy that always promises to make me hot nutella croissants

22. unreliable internet

23. WIND, prepaid phone cards, and cell phones from the ice age

24. having to call cabs because they wont come get you any other way

25. carousels in piazzas, piazzas in general

26. really slow walking Europeans, they have even slowed down my pace

27. spending 3-4 hours at dinner and that being perfectly normal

28. the ponte vecchio, bridges, and bridge ledges

29. smelly Europeans in small spaces

30. sidewalk cleaners that are always everywhere

31. campus life, campus drama, having a campus!

32. Italian language--it really is beautiful and I wish more than anything that I could have become fluent in it this semester

33. terracotta floors-uhhh always filthy even after Gaia mops

34. heating that shuts off if you use too much of it

35. showers that cant work simultaneously and only after you've reset the heat

36. hallway lights that shut off before you make it to the end

37. bidet---does anyone honestly use those? why are they also in public places?

38. Gusta. enough said, the best pizza ever and its on our side of the Arno.

39. personal pizzas-why split one when you can have your own with exactly what you want on it?

40. Pizza Man, panuozzo, and my "cousin" Pasquale who gives us free stuff perché siamo i amici di Massimo

41. tanning in Boboli Gardens

42. Free museum card with access to everything we didn't actually go see. but you could cut the lines and that made me feel like a movie star. i would go back just for that

43. competitions in Maffia

44. MAFFIA! and all the amazing people that fill it.

45. Lungo-its a special place, especially the kitchen.

46. screaming from the other end of my apartment for no apparent reason until 2 in the morning

47. living on the "second floor" which includes 6 flights of stairs

48. considering blogging, journalling, and uploading pics to facebook as real work because i dont have any for my classes

49. Tabacchi

50. Firenze.....you stole my heart, why are you making me leave?

New Yorkers a Firenze

I had a very long day. I was at campus all day and we had an extra guest lecture for politics so I was completely exhausted. I was rushing home to eat before we had to meet with our Marketing group to finally finish our project. As I am about to cross the bridge almost at my apartment I see a group of women surrounding someone on the ground in front of the Salvatore Ferragamo museum. There were a lot of them so I figured they didnt need my help, whatever was going on. But then I realize they all only speak English and everyone looks really panicked so I stop to make sure everything is alright.

It appeared that an older women had fallen and broken her nose on the cobble stone. Her daughter-in-law is dramatized by the whole situation and can barely speak. Then these other 3 ladies from Brooklyn are trying to help in whatever way they can. As I'm walking by I hear them going let's call an ambulance, we have to call an ambulance. I stopped to ask them if they needed the number and they were like yes, yes! I was like oh ok it's 118. And they were like well how do we call from our phone, how do we do this? And I was like how about I just call, not a big deal. So i call the ambulance and the operator does not speak English. perfect! So i manage to use whatever Italian I can to say the this lady is hurt and to send an ambulance to our address. The guy understands but then transfer me, so I desperately try to explain the situation again but this new operator can speak English. He tells me to go get ice at a bar and put it on her nose until the ambulance gets there. So I tell the Brooklyn women this but they are like well we don't know the word for ice, I was like ok I will go with you. In the meantime the daughter-in-law runs back to the hotel to get all the insurance cards, phones, etc. to help her poor mother-in-law. As I walk with one of the ladies from Brookyln I realize they dont know these other 2 women at all. After we got ice from a bar we dumped some out in the sewer because the ladies from Brooklyn were convinced that it was simply too much ice. I was like it's fine better too much then too little we can just dump some out.

So as we are waiting a local Florentine comes up to us and tells us in Italian that he is a doctor. He pulls a glove out of his briefcase and feels this poor lady's nose. He then calls the ambulance again but they reassured him that one was coming and that I had already called. So he left us and I thanked him.

The daughter-in-law we find out is getting married in Florence and her and her mother-in-law were here to plan the wedding. The old lady is just so upset that she is ruining this bride's vacation that she is just crying repeatedly saying sorry. The bride is just in shock because she doesn't know what to do. She's in this foreign country with her fiancee's mother who now has a broken nose. She is trying to call everyone at home and really can't stop shaking she's so nervous. The women from Brooklyn are now concerned about the lady's nose for the pictures. They were like o no is the wedding Saturday!?! We found out the wedding was actually in October and the Brooklyn ladies were relieved, they said "O honey, you will definitely have a new nose by then, no need to worry!" I dont think they quite realized that wasn't anyone's main concern, how her nose looked in the wedding photo. The rest of us were just trying to make sure she was okay. Finally the ambulance arrived. Then I hear one of the ladies say, "I heard the Italian medical care is the worst" I didnt say anything but I just wanted to be like, why would you say that? How is this helping the situation for this poor bride and her mother-in-law?Luckily one of the medics spoke English so she was able to help a lot. After the ambulance arrived the Brooklyn people said bye to us and congratulated the bride. The medics put the lady on the stretcher and I took a minute to talk to the bride. I assured her that she would be able to ride in the ambulance and that everything would be okay. I know plenty of people who have had to go to the Florence hospital. Because of the healthcare system they take an excessive amount of tests and there is usually a really long wait but this is all normal. I also told her that someone in the hospital will speak English and that everything will be fine. She was still extremely nervous when she got in the ambulance. But she thanked me and said bye.

It was quite an experience, one I was not ready for especially after my very long day. However, it was really interesting...the bride was from Manhattan, the mother-in-law from Long Island, 3 women from Brooklyn, and me from NYU in Manhattan all together on the streets of Florence trying to deal with the situation as best as possible. I also realized that Italian class needs to place emphasis on emergency vocabulary especially if you are taking Italian in Italy, it was almost impossible to explain to the operator what went wrong.

Fiorentina v. Inter Milan. Partita di Calcio

We had been meaning to go to a soccer game all semester and when NYU put together an event at the last minute we decided we had to go. On the way home from class we picked up some Florentine jerseys to be real fans from a street vendor. (Cic and Michael I bought mine extra big so that one of you can have it, 1st to be a good brother and read my blog wins). We went back to the apartment to change really quick and then walked to San Marco to meet NYU where all the buses depart from. The group of us decked out in purple jerseys certainly drew a lot of attention. People honk their horns, people on the street scream "Forza, Fiorentina" it was actually a lot of fun. Also the streets had a lot of purple on them in general. There were a lot of people going to the game. This is Italy and although Florence is not the best team they certainly have a lot of pride. We then got on the bus and took about a 20 min bus ride to the stadium. Outside the stadium there is an Italian version of tail gating which involves Florentines eating Lampredottos and drinking beer. Lampredotto is a Florentine classic which is the inside of a cows stomach, something really gross that I'm still too afraid to try. It was all chaos though with all the street vendors selling food outside the stadium. Of course the lines were long to get inside the stadium because they have this queueing system that is well, Italian. But it was fun to see everyone wearing some sort of purple and eating the lampredottos. Inside the stadium is pretty basic, not quite a Yankee stadium. We went to find our seats and then our NYU leaders showed us the general area we could sit. We had some of the best seats in the whole stadium and we soon learned that the seat on your ticket really didnt mean anything. Everyone just sits where they want and if you are in their seat well too bad, go find another one.

Soon the stadium began to fill up and the true Italian soccer game experience kicked in. It is exactly how you imagined it. Everyone is just screaming at the players. Of course Italian class does not teach you all the inappropriate phrases you yell at the opposing teams so we couldn't really understand what the fans were yelling but it was entertaining nonetheless. Also they had the strangest soccer songs and chants. Everyone in the stadium knew them except for the NYU kids, however we quickly caught on. I have videos of these songs and madness as well but the slow Italian internet won't let me upload them to the blog. Overall it was so much fun. The crowd was just as crazy and Italian as you would have imagined and all the soccer players were gorgeous. The only major disappointment was that Florence never scored a goal so we didnt get to see the stadium go crazy. When Inter Milan scored a goal the whole place was silent, which was funny but not as much fun. Inter Milan ended up winning 1-0. After the game on our walk home many people stopped to ask us the score. Some people in English others in Italian. Everyone regardless was happy to see our Florentine support.

The game was fun a great experience. I really wish my brothers were there. They would have absolutely loved it. The soccer players are all so dramatic when they get kicked its almost ridiculous and even more dramatic are the fans, this is Italy let's not all act surprised. :-)

Paris!

Even before everyone had gotten their study abroad results and plans confirmed. We had all agreed to celebrate Vinh's birthday in Paris. What's the 4-1-1? Vinh's birthday. He had it in our heads before we ever left for Europe. Well it actually happened. Sabira our friend studying abroad in London was on her spring break so she came to Florence to visit for a few days. Then we all flew from Florence (well Pisa) to Paris together. We wanted to maximize our time in Paris so we took a Thursday night evening plane. This required missing Italian which is kinda risky because we have a very strict attendance policy. They have to have one otherwise no one would go ever because classes here a joke. But anyway I told Massimo (my Italian teacher who is so much fun) that I was going to Paris and that I wouldn't be able to come to class. He told me "exception, tell no one...shhh!" So I sent him my homework via e-mail and he gave me a 94 on a project I wasnt even there for. I love Massimo! We had a field trip for marketing that morning. So Jesnie and I went to it. It was actually at the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum right across the bridge from my apartment so it worked out great. We brought our backpacks for the weekend to the museum and then left a little early to catch our bus to the airport. The museum was kind of interesting actually they had like the mold used for Audrey Hepburn and Drew Barrymore's foot to make Ferragamo shoes. But it was a little too long and after a while Jesnie and I were too anxious to get to Paris to pay attention.

It ended up working fine for us and we made it to the airport with the perfect amount of time to grab some food. But then our flight was delayed so it was just kind of annoying. This was our first time flying EasyJet airlines. I really enjoyed it because we didnt have to check-in at all. We just walked through security no one checked the size of our bags we just walked right through. I also fell asleep for the entire flight. I fell asleep before we took off and didnt wake back up until the plane hit the ground, it was perfect. At the airport Vinh's cousin picked us up. Vinh actually has a lot of family in Paris. His cousin drove a really nice Mercedes. It felt so nice to be in a car again but the Mercedes made it a million times better. So his cousin drove us to Katie's homestay where Vinh and I dropped off our stuff. Then Katie brought us to meet up with Katlin where Sabira and Jesnie dropped off their stuff. Then all of us went to this fondue place. It was a really small place but it was a lot of fun. They had HUGE pots of cheese fondue with endless amounts of french baguette to dip in it. Then they gave us bowls of meat where we cooked ourselves in this boiling hot oil mixture. There were also these different sauces to dip the steak in. When we were there (mind you this place is VERY tiny and not that well-known) in walks Julie Olney (who is studying abroad in Paris) with some of her friends that were visiting her from a different study abroad Florence program. So in the middle of no where in Paris the two Roman girls were in the same place. It was so crazy that we ended up in this same restaurant at the same time. We exchanged the latest updates we had from home. I was just in shock the whole night that we met up. After I got a nutella crepe, I had been waiting forever to get one from Paris and then we all went home.

The next morning I woke up and got to meet all of Katie's host family. We were staying in Katie's room but she lives with the most amazing french family ever. The Mom said my name..Jen-nee-fair in her French accent. It was so beautiful I was obsessed. She was also so classy and nice and was excited to have us in her home. She spoke some English so it wasn't that hard to communicate with her. I met her host sister who is about 16 years old and then her host brother who is in 6th grade. Her host brother is absolutely adorable I wanted to bring him home. He has huge blue eyes and so sweet. He just started learning English this year in school so when he woke up he said Good morning and used the few words that he knew. The whole family though was just so welcoming and nice.

We got up and showered grabbed croissants at the bakery near her homestay and headed over to Notre Dame to meet Jesnie and Sabira. We were there early so there was no line and we got to walk right in. It was interesting to be back, the last time I was there was with Sound of America performing a concert. In fact it was the concert Marina passed out. I walked through again pointing out to everyone...ooo look here's where Marina fainted.

outside of Notre Dame. :-)

Then after Notre Dame we went to meet Mike and Joe. They wanted to meet us in Paris but their flight didnt arrive until Friday morning. We helped them find their hotel and check-in. In the meantime we went and bought stuff for our picnic at Versailles. We got huge French baguettes and packed them in a bag as well as some fruit and 5 or 6 different types of cheese. Then we met back up with Mike and Joe and got on the train to Versailles. We walked to the back of the palace to the gardens where we had our very French picnic. The bread and cheese were absolutely amazing. It was so classy and wonderful. The weather was perfect it was gorgeous. Also, versailles is like one of my favorite places ever. After our picnic we all fell asleep in the grass for a few minutes. See Mom and Dad I'm not the only one who naps.

Picnic!

Gardens at Versailles, near where we had our picnic.

Jumping pictures at the gardens!

Eventually we got up, took pictures in the garden and then got up to tour the palace. The palace is supposed to be free because we are students in the European Union but because our visas aren't for a full 6 months they made us pay. The French are very particular and most definitely not the nicest people in the world. Anyway it was worth it because Versailles is just simply gorgeous. However, after our very long picnic it was kinda late and they were closing so we did not have much time. I've been before so it didnt really matter to me but I think we managed to see it all before we left. Then we got back on the train to get back into Paris. Our next stop was the Eiffel Tower. The lines were of course out of control but Sabira, Jesnie and Joe had never been to the top. You can't go to Paris and not climb the Eiffel Tower so we decided to get in line and deal with it. Vinh, Katie and Mike opted out of climbing the tower because they've done it before and didn't want to pay again. I've done it before too but I didn't want to just wait outside so I paid to do it again. The lines getting in the elevator on the way up weren't too bad but the way down was long. We planned it perfectly so the sun was setting as we were getting to the top. So we got views of it in both daylight and at night. Also while we were in it, the lights turned on and did the little twinkle thing, so it was fun. We got stuck in a long line on the way down and conveniently there was a Ben & Jerry's on that platform. So I ate Ben & Jerry's while I waited to get down, so not ok. I need to stop eating. When we finally got down Mike, Katie and Vinh were very much ready to go. Everyone was ready to get dinner but it had gotten kinda of late so we decided to do something quick and cheap. We went over near Katlin's apartment because they have a lot of really good crepe places over there. So for dinner we got savory crepes. I got one with some French cheese, onions and peppers. It was absolutely delicious, like phenomenal. I believe we also got a sweet crepe but I'm not quite sure. All I know is I ate a lot of crepes while in Paris, it was a little out of control.

The next day we all agreed to meet at the Louvre early in the morning. We get in free because we are students so that is really nice. I'm not really into art at all so not having to pay for it was definitely a plus. Katie gave us the quick tour through because she's done it so many times before to all the most famous pieces of art. Which was perfect because none of us really wanted to spend an excessive amount of time there. Jesnie and Sabira actually did want to spend some quality time there so we split off from them. They used their guide book to look at everything and then Katie, Vinh and I brought Joe and Mike to see Notre Dame because they missed it the morning before. The line was too long this time though so we didnt go back inside. The inside in my opinion is not that exciting. I think it is much nicer on the outside. So they wandered around the church looking at it while I sat in front. My feet did not do well in Paris and I was in a lot of pain so I sat trying to fight off all the gypsies. Then we got sandwiches from a stand outside Notre Dame, mine was called a croque-monsieur I think. They put the ham and some sauce inside the bread but the cheese on the outside of the bread. It was really delicious whatever it was. Then we met back up with Jesnie and Sabira at the catacombs. So supposably for sanitary reasons they cleaned out the French cemeteries and put all the bones underground in this one spot in Paris. The boys all wanted to see it and we kind of got dragged along. We went deep underground like walked a long time farther and farther into these dark tunnels. It was weird, it kind of felt like a disney world ride but the bones were actual real. We got yelled at for taking pictures with the flash. I'm not really sure why they were concerned with a flash wearing away at the bones, aren't they rotting anyway? Anyway we finished with that and went to the church called sacre coeur. It is a really really pretty white church near the place we got cheese fondue. Before climbing up to the church we got crepes. This time mine had banana, nutella, almonds, and whip cream. It was absolutely delicious. Then we were heading up the stairs and Katie warned us of these people that try to tie bracelets on your arms and then you have to pay for them. I was like whatever we'll be fine. No, these people were crazy. We literally had to put our hands in our pocket and shove them off us. They were out of control. Then these other people tried to get us to sign a petition and one of the ladies tried to steal Jesnie's crepe. These Paris gypsies are CRAZY. Anyway we finally made it to the top of the stairs to the church. It was really beautiful and kinda different from the other churches around Paris/Europe. Then to the left of the church is a nice little area where you can see a nice view of Paris and the eiffel tower. Oh yeah, the church is on top of a hill so you can see almost all of Paris so it's really really nice. Well then my nose started bleeding for no reason at all. So we decided to sit on the steps of the church until it stopped bleeding. There were tons of people hanging out on the stairs and all sorts of entertainment. There was this man singing with his guitar who was actually pretty good and he got the whole audience singing along with him. BUT more exciting was this amazing soccer juggler who was doing all these crazy tricks. I tried to upload a video but Italian internet won't let me. :-( But he was so amazing! Katie looked him up later and found out he is actually world famous. He was so talented.

After we were extremely entertained by the soccer player we went over to the Moulin Rouge area. Supposably it is really dangerous at night but during the day time it's just a tourist spot. We say the Moulin Rouge with the windmill thing out front from the movie. Then I got Starbucks and we went home to take a nap and change before dinner for Vinh's birthday. All of us met back up at the Arc De Triomphe to take pictures before the sunset.

Then we had dinner at Laudrée it the most amazing place ever. Melissa told me to go to get pastries here the first time I went to Paris and I have yet to stop talking bout them since I was in Paris 3 years ago. They are just beyond amazing, simply incredible. But this time we decided to go big and get the full dinner. The restaurant itself is like a mini mansion and it is decorated in the most classy way ever. Katie and I made everyone go to the bathroom just because the upstairs is so amazing. My first course was this butternut squash soup. Then I got this chicken and wild mushroom dish that was served on top of the most amazing buttery croissant. After was dessert which Vinh's was served with a cute little candle. I got the raspberry pastry thing that I remember o so well from the last time I was at Laudrée. It was just as delectable as I remembered it. Then we also got two macaroons. By this point I literally felt like I was going to explode but it was all just so amazing. Just the fact that we all had dinner at Laudrée on the Champs de Elysee was an unreal experience. It was the perfect way to start off Vinh's birthday.

Then we ran to the subway so that we could be out before midnight. We got off in front of the pyramid at the Louvre which was lit up all nice at night and at midnight we sang Happy Birthday to Vinh in multiple languages. The eiffel tower then also went off. The lights all flash which I think is really pretty and I thought looked like a big birthday candle. Cheesy but it was a great addition to our fabulous evening.

Us outside of Laudrée before dinner.

Vinh's birthday dessert.

The next morning Sabira, Joe and Mike had to catch early flights back home. Vinh went to meet up with his family. They took him out for lunch and made him a cake for his birthday. While Vinh was his family Jesnie, Katie and I went to the Paris Opera house. It was the opera house that Phantom of the Opera is based off of so I really wanted to go. Last time we came to Paris we tried to go but it had already closed so I wanted to make sure I saw it this time. It was actually really really beautiful. They claim there is actually a small lake underneath but they don't let you see it and I'm not sure I believe it. After Jesnie and Katie got French onion soup and I got a goat cheese salad at a café. Then we said bye to Katie and thanked her for the most amazing weekend. It really was flawless and simply wonderful. Then Jesnie and I got a train to meet Vinh who was with his family who also bought us Vietnamese sandwiches (they are so good and we used to get them in nyc all the time). Another one of his cousins drove us to the airport which was really nice of them because this airport was about an hour and a half outside of Paris. We all fell asleep on the way. Once we got to the airport we checked in and then ate our Vietnamese sandwiches. Then we flew home. Again I fell asleep on the entire flight, I am starting to get really good at that. Then we arrived in Pisa and caught the bus back to Florence. I was wide awake on the bus from all the sleeping I had previously done. So the bus ride home I spent realizing what little time I had left of study abroad. It made me so upset I was about to cry the whole way home.

From then on that's all I think about. Anytime anyone mentions going home, I'm that girl that's on the verge of tears making everyone else upset. I don't want this fairy tale of a lifestyle to end.

Buona Pasqua-Easter Dinner.

Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Luke 24:46-47

Easter dinner made everyone a little sad. Usually we are all with our families, cousins, relatives, neighbors, etc. to celebrate and to be together. However, seeing we are all 4,00 miles or more from home that was not exactly an option. To me it seemed like the perfect opportunity for an Easter dinner party. So I invited everyone on facebook but only a few people seemed to be interested. So Victoria and I sat down and made a menu for about 10 people figuring we were overestimating by a lot. We were in Venice all day on Saturday and knew that most grocery stores would be closed on Easter so we asked Krysten if she could go for us on Saturday. She willingly agreed and ended up carrying enough groceries for all of us from the store all by herself. Her arms have bruises on them from how heavy the bags were. I felt awful and told her she should have gotten a cab and added it to the grocery bill. So after word got out that we were cooking Easter dinner our head count grew exponentially to 17 people. Victoria and I were very concerned we weren't going to have enough food so we went and found a small deli that was open and was able to grab a few more things. The menu was lasagna, baked ziti (vegetarian version), salad, garlic bread and tiramisu for dessert. Earlier that day our PA Antonio came up and taught us how to make tiramisu. It is actually fairly easy especially in Italy where all the ingredients are really accessible. Then I cut up 5 loaves of garlic bread and then Mary and Danielle buttered them. Finally I seasoned them with a plethora of seasonings. I also cut up veggies to add to the salad and then we got ready to tackle the big project, the lasagna. None of us actually knew how to make lasagna and all tried calling home to Moms, grandmothers, grandfathers, Dads, uncles but no one picked up. Everyone was either out at church, or still sleeping because of the time difference or just not picking up. Finally I got a hold of my Grandpa Hoehn who ensured us that we were in fact doing it right. We made one big tray and one small tray of lasagna and then made two trays of baked ziti as well. Vinh, Victoria, Paul, and I did most of the cooking. And a few other people helped cook some of the other food in the kitchen downstairs because it wouldn't all fit in our oven. Finally at around like 9 pm all 17 of us were there with hot food ready to eat like one big family. I led everyone in grace thanking Jesus for Easter day the food and our wonderful times together (even though there were multiple religions represented) I felt it was necessary, it was Easter dinner after all.

Then slowly in shifts people split up washing the dishes and we served the tiramisu. Also everyone paid Krysten back for groceries and most of us put in a few extra for her labor. So 17 people ate for only 4-5 euro each. The dinner ran so smoothly and it was just really wonderful. Also, I now know that I am capable of throwing a 17 person dinner party. It was no substitute to being with our families but it was a great way for us to spend time together and celebrate Easter.

Only one table at Easter dinner.

The main chefs.