Last day in Europe!

So we got back about 6ish this morning and got cleaned up and crashed. Then we got woken up at about 1 pm because the ladies cooked us lunch - they love us soooo much! Getting out of bed I actually jumped off the side of the top bunk and then didn't get a grip or something and slipped and fell like halfway across the room - it was funny but painful. I'm sure I'll have a bruise lol. Then we went down to lunch and they had made us steak, mashed potatoes, salad, pasta, bread, fruit, and cokes! It was very unexpected and thoughtful...that's why HUF is the best - the people. After lunch Paige and I went to layout on the terrace since it was warm and sunny and we hadn't got to go to the beach at all :(. It was fun. Then we got cleaned up and then we were informed that Kyle, our prof/assistant to all things HUF, was taking us all out to dinner at 630 tonight. More people showed up, like the boys who had train troubles :(, Susan and her mom, Molly, and Raeanne & Brette. So we all went to La Bottega one last time and then walked through the market in Scandicci for our farewell time. It was really fun. Then we came back and finished packing - my bag's a few pounds over...oops. Then I updated my blog - it's been a chore so be thankful lol. Then I'm about to get on skype for a few and then crash because for some reason I'm still really tired and 12 hours of plane rides tomorrow isn't going to help much lol.

I'll be home about 930 pm tomorrow! I'm very excited and ready to be back. Europe's been an adventure and great, but home is home for a reason! Love you all - see you soon :D

Marseille...or not

So Paige and I woke up and left Paris at about 615 this morning to catch our 730 train to Marseille. We were pretty tired, but excited to see the Chateau d'If and chill at the beach for a little while. We got there and were welcomed by a torrential downpour that was pretty, but not cool because the ferries couldn't run in that weather and we definitely couldn't chill at the beach in that. It was so bad that the roof of the train station was leaking. So Paige and I went to the bathroom and cheated the system - it's dumb to have to pay. Anyway so then we decided what we wanted to do and we decided to go to Nice and see what our options were from there since that was one of our stops on the way back to Florence during the overnight train stuff that night. Then once we got that planned out we had a little bit of time to get some lunch and get over to our train. We didn't have to pay since it was a regional train - so that was nice. Then once we were at Nice we checked on a train to Monaco since it was really close and popular. So we went there and it sprinkled on us a little bit, but it was ok. We just walked around there and went in a couple shops that were having sales. We saw the super nice car places like the Ferrari shop - there was a scandel in the middle of the street bc someone brought back a car damaged and it was pretty apparent - I decided to inconspicuously take a pic ;). Then we found someplace open so we could eat dinner and then we decided to check out Ventimiglia since it was just at the end of this regional train and it was on our agenda to get back to Florence too. From there we got an earlier and better plan to get back to Florence and we took 3 trains - a regional one, a reserved one that was the worst night train ever... so smelly and loud and hot...ugh, then another short regional one (that we crashed on since we were sooo tired). Then we were back in Florence around 530 am today and got back to the villa and crashed.

Paris - Day 3 of free travel (day 2 of Paris)

So today we got up and around about 9ish and went to get them coffee - yes I've been the odd man out all summer because I don't like anything coffee :(. Then we started our walking tour at the Notre Dame which was really cool. Then we went to their memorial to those deported from France. It was interesting but small and I really wish they had stuff written in English at least on a pamphlet or something like that so I could understand, but that's ok. Then we walked down this street that was dominated by book vendors that just sell books out of these little stands and it's cool bc they have new stuff and old stuff - at one of these Raeanne found me a book by Freud and I couldn't resist. I opened it up and it's actually 5 case studies of clients he had in the late 1800s - it's in French but I can read some of it. Plus it'll be a cool part of my collection for when I have an office someday :D. Then we went to the Shakespeare bookstore and they were filming something in there, but it was really cool and there were so many cool old books! They had realllllly old books next door, but they cost like 200 euros :( I really wanted to get The Count of Monte Cristo to read for Marseille (where Chateau d'If is - the prison he was in and where Paige and I are going tomorrow) but it was the unabridged version and I bought a book at the Louvre yesterday [Trey and Dad you'll be proud - it's not about vampires or werewolves at all]. Then we went to the Latin Quarter where all the philosophers and awesome people at the time hung out. Then we went in St. Severin church and it was cool - it's a part of the journey to Rome so that was really fun to see. Then we found this authentic French restaurant that wasn't too expensive and we ate there. I had salad then chicken and fries, then apple pie. Everyone really liked this place. Then we were sooo tired but we had a few more places to hit up. We went to this square that is symbolic of Revolution and revolts because they had to pave over the roads there because at one point students were revolting and they used the cobblestones from the streets as weapons and they chunked them at the cops! Then we went to Pont Nuf - which is the really old bridge and they were actually filming a movie on it at the time so we just had to look from the next bridge, but it was a movie supposed to be set in Rome...I don't get it either lol. Then it was about 4 so Paige and I decided it was too late to go to Versailles so we were headed for the Orsay Museum but it was closed by the time we got there and so we just went back to the hotel (about 630ish) and crashed because we were literally exhausted - I think all summer of traveling is catching up with all of us. Then a few hours later we thought about going to the Arc de Triomphe but it was rainy and gross so we just chilled for a little bit and watched BBC to catch up with world events (in English lol). Then we got some dinner and called it a night. Tomorrow is Marseille for Paige and I :)

Paris - Day 2 of free travel

So we got up early and our train left at 635 am from Nice to Paris. So we slept on it :) Then when we got there we had to get on their metro system to get to our hotel - not hostel :D. Then after we checked in and all that we got Subway sandwiches because we were starving and they were right across the street! Then we went to the Louvre and spent about 3 hours there. We ended up seeing Michael and Anna there and went to dinner with them at a Chinese place because everywhere was a minimum of 20 euros! Plus this lady was super nice. Then Raeanne, Brette, Paige, and I went to the Eiffel tower and ended up getting there around 830 or 9 so basically perfect timing to get daytime pics and then night shots and on the hour they turn on flashy lights for 5 minutes! It was super awesome. I got my last souvenirs for people today so I am officially really done now lol. Then we went back to the hotel and crashed because we were so tired. Tomorrow is a walking tour courtesy of Rick Steve's guide to Paris book and a short visit to Versailles with Paige.

Nice, France - Day 1 of Free Travel

Ok so we got up and went to the train station at 5:45 am to catch our train to get us where we needed to be to catch our train to Nice. Well, apparently the people told us wrong or our train was just MIA, but it didn't come so we had to wait til 7:45 to catch the next train there which has us missing our train to Nice. So we were up ridiculously early and nothing was open so we just went down to the water and watched the waves and it was very cool to experience it with no one out there. Paige fell asleep and I was talking to this awesome cat that was just chilling out there. I named him Cassanova because of the "Stray Cat Strut" song hahahaha. Then a bar opened at 7 so they got coffee and a croissant. Then we stayed up in the train station and got on that train. Then we got on another train to Nice and ended up getting there at about 3 pm. The weather there wasn't too warm either, but it wasn't rainy. So we checked into our hostel which was nice and then reserved our train to Paris for the next day and then walked around town and went to H&M - big sale going on. Then we saw these street performers who were dancing and it was soooo fun! They were really good. Then we made our way to the beach and it was pretty but cold. People were actually in the water though and these guys were acting so dumb and like belly flopping in the waves and then losing there shorts and not pulling them up right away - gross. Plus old men in speedos. Ew...Anyway then we got some dinner - KFC and kebabs lol. Then we found out that some of our friends got stranded in Nice because their trains messed up and so we met up with them and they ended up getting a spot at our hostel (which is the best in France btw) and so we hung out with them in McDonald's while they tried to figure stuff out and then we just went back to the hostel and chilled for a bit and then said our goodbyes for real. Then tomorrow is a train to Paris!

Saturday of Cinque Terre

So this day was supposed to be dedicated to sleeping in and chilling on a beach, but the weather has been weird this summer. We all got up got around about lunch time because the sun was actually out then, but Anna and I wanted to hang around and get ready before joining Paige and Hailey. So we got all ready and met up with Michael, Anna's boyfriend, and went to catch the train and it was sunny kinda, but absolutely frigid. It would've been miserable to be at a beach in that weather! So we decided to change plans and I got information about getting where we needed to be to catch our train Sunday morning to begin our real free traveling. Then I walked around and looked in the little stores around Vernazza and then got some lunch and went back to the room for a bit. Then a big group of us went to this awesome little Pirate restaurant for dinner. The waiters were brothers and they ran it and they were cracking jokes the whole time and they gave us their famous dessert for free, so we each took a bite - it was berries and some kind of cream yogurt stuff...sooo good! Then a little while later all of our group met up at this park and said our goodbyes and gave hugs. People were crying. It was dramatic. Then we walked down to the water again and it was gorgeous! The waves were very high today and it was hilarious to see people getting splashed 0:). Tomorrow it's time to travel to Nice, France!!!

Friday of Cinque Terre

So this day was interesting. The trains were on strike so we got a bus to take us to Cinque Terre which is a group of 5 fishing villages on the coast. So we got as far as we could on this really windy, on the edge of a cliff road and then after 2 people told our driver if he continued driving on the road he'd get his bus stuck, he decided to stop and let us out. Then we had an awesome traffic jam going on while he backed up and turned around at a hairpin turn. Then we crammed about people and everyone's luggage into a tiny van that some nice little Italian man called for us and that took us down to Vernazza, the village we stayed in. We got checked into our hotel and cleaned up and then went to dinner at this little restaurant and it was ok. Then we walked around and went down to the pier to look at the coast. Then we crashed because it had been a loooong day. The plan for Saturday was to sleep in and then go to the beach.

Last Final of my College Career

So today I woke up and took my Bible final - the last test of my undergraduate college career! It wasn't bad at all. Then we had chapel - my last one of those (this wasn't on the schedule so the other day I accidentally lied...whoops). Then I had a break and then lunch! They made pizzas and we had pasta and fried zucchini things. Then I packed and talked with Daddy on skype and then cleaned up. Then we went into Florence for our last hoorah! :( We went to the texmex place and then got some kabobs later after we had worn off the chips and queso lol. Then we came back to the villa and on the way back tram checkers decided to be mean to us and get on and come straight to us and tell us that our cards weren't scanned enough times or we couldn't scan for more than one person with the same card and they were acting like they didn't know English, which they completely did, and so they gave us 2 tickets - so total of 100 euro which since it was completely dumb and false and unfair, we decided to split evenly and just call it 10 a piece.
Then we got a ride back with Julie our music teacher :). Then I worked and got on skype and then I'm about to get ready and crash :)

My schedule since I'll be without internet:

We leave the villa on Friday and spend Friday and Saturday all together at Cinque Terre (5 villages) still in Italy. Then on Sunday morning 4 of us will leave from there and go to Nice, France for the day. Then Monday we'll leave Nice and go to Paris for 2 days. Then Wednesday we'll go to Marseille and then get back to Florence and the villa Thursday and then fly back Friday.

I'll have internet again Thursday when I'm back at the villa so I'll let everyone know I'm safe and all that good stuff :)

Love you and don't worry - everything will be fine, God is watching out for us :D

Shipment day

So today has been pretty boring because it is just for shipment which I'm not doing since I'll be home in 9 days! :) A lot of people are free-traveling for longer than a couple days so they are shipping their suitcases, etc. home. So some people packed last night and some did this morning so I got no sleep so I woke up in an awesome mood lol...but then I turned in all my stuff like my whisperer (what we used to hear at onsite classes) and my coffee key which I didn't use at all. Then I cleared up my account w/ HUF and I owed them 1 euro and then they paid me for working so now I'm rich! Not really rich, but yesterday's shopping is now null and void :). Then I had lunch and then finally got a nap which my friends give me a hard time about sleeping, but there was no point in going to Florence, I don't need to shop anymore and they were just going to go plus I needed sleep bc I would've snapped at some people bc I seriously got no sleep last night which is not good when you're me. Then I woke up and checked on my stuff and then went down and helped Tiffany with the mural (don't worry - I just supported the ladder lol). Then it was time for dinner which was like mac & cheese on steroids and then chicken kabob-ed on a stick and green beans! It was very good. Then for dessert I had a peanut butter apple :D. Peanut butter is virtually nonexistant over here so it's a delicacy for me lol.

Later I think we're going to watch a movie and then I'll read over my Bible stuff since I have a final in there tomorrow at 9, but it won't be too hard. Then my undergraduate career will be over! Nope I'm not sad lol! Then I'm pretty sure me and my friends are going into town tomorrow night for tex-mex again :D

I also realized today that I won't have internet access via my laptop for free travel bc I don't have a working charger. Plus my phone would be roaming in France, so I basically will give you an outline of what I'll be doing and where I'll be what days and then I'll let you know when I'm back safe at the villa :).

Final Banquet

So today we had our last chapel - my last Harding chapel ever! Then we had lunch :) Then, since mom ordered it, I was social and went into Florence with Tiffany. We went to Hard Rock, a cafe, the Piggy market :( fail, and H&M. Then we got McFlurries!!! So this trip was a major success :) I got some really awesome stuff on sale and it was cool. Then on the way back I found my sunglasses and scarves that I was looking for that were overpriced in the piggy market :P Piggy market = failure market. Everything's too expensive for a market - so if you come to Florence walk through and touch the pig for luck, but shop in the other markets! Then we came back and got ready for the big event - the Final Banquet. The theme was "Across the Globe". So I went as a gyspy :) According to Robbie I was too pretty to be a gypsy though so I was like a queen gypsy. It was really fun - we had some Asians, Romans, Egyptians, Muslims, Indians (from India), cowboys, a Coach Burks, an American - it was Lorenzo, a guest Italian prof/helper, then we had a couple dress up as Italians with funny hair (Ethan) or a see thru tank top with a dark highly visible bra and tight pants with high heels (Amanda), then Molly went for Spanish. It was pretty awesome. We had steaks and baked potatoes and soft bread! Then we presented our surprise gifts to the Mona and Robbie, Kyle, Sandro, Sylvia, Leda, and Paola. Then I worked for the night and then the girls had a dance party/run and play in the random rainstorm so I had to join that. Then I've been skyping and doing job search fun. So far one denial and 2 other completed applications. Fun fun...not! Lol.

Tomorrow's just shipment day so I'll take my time and plan out what I need for my free travel, what needs to be thrown away, and how to best pack the rest of my stuff in the suitcase :) It will probably be an epic fail because I don't pack as well as my mom - bc mom's just awesome, but I'll figure it out lol.

Pizza Oven Inauguration

So today was the day where we had Humanities class and were supposed to be reading our journals, but that turned into Robbie reading a few quotes and then getting us organized for the rest of our day's activities - the Field day for the kids. So I was supposed to be helping with Robbie's art activity, but then my body decided to revolt against me and I was sick all day long. It was miserable and I think half the people don't believe me that it is as painful as it is, but this was definitely the worst this summer - I felt like I was getting stabbed repeatedly. Anyway so I didn't get to help with the kids bc I was curled up trying not to breathe bc I couldn't move without making everything worse. Then around 5:30ish I was able to get up and around a little bit if I moved gingerly so I kinda cleaned up after people bc the majority of the people here are slobs, but that's ok. Then Giovanni came and inaugurated the villa's new pizza oven. He used to be the owner at Gallo's the awesome pizza place we ate at in Scandicci. We had a pizza marathon again. We were supposed to have 8 different kinds, but we ended up having 7 and being too full. We each had the opportunity to have a slice of each type of pizza. They were very good. Then it was watermelon time!!! Then I helped clean up and picked up my laundry and did my work for the day. Now I'm going to clean up for the night and then skype and crash, in theory :).

Shalom & Agape!

Last Worship, Concert, :(

So today is the beginning of the last week here in Italy and it's sad. It's exciting and sad too. This morning was worship here at the villa and it was wonderful. We talked about seeing beauty in God's creation, especially His masterpieces - us. Then we had a lot of awesome songs - good ones but old ones. Then we had some time then lunch :) Then I napped bc I don't know if I'm just run down or what, but I'm tired all the time and I feel blah, so I napped. Then we got ready and ate dinner at Movida and then went to our last concert and it was a trio of Harding profs including Chuck Hicks who leads singing at Dtown church out at school. It was sooooo good. They played all kinds of music and they had a trumpet player, a guitarist, a piano player and sometimes Chuck sang. It was really fun! Then we went up to Piazzale Michelangelo and had gelato and grooved to some Michael Jackson music that somebody's car was playing way too loud lol! Then we came back to the villa - we just got back. I'm trying to get people on skype but they must be busy :( I guess I'll just get to talk to them tomorrow bc I'm pretty sure the internet's actually going to cut off tonight.

Also I met and talked a lot with Sara, a new neighbor near the villa. She's 17 and chilling with us a lot. She's coming tomorrow to help out with our field day with the kids' camp. I'm helping face paint and I tried to talk Sara into interpreting what the kids want at the face painting station :).

Love you everyone...ps - 5 months from today = my wedding!!! :D

Saturday fun!

So today we had our last Bible class and we turned in our last homework assignment and got back our tests and reviewed the commonly missed questions and then some final reminders for the final which is Thursday. Then we had Humanities and we got in groups of 12 and passed around our journals and read everyone's AHA moments and a couple others from each journal. That was pretty cool. It was fun seeing what touched each person. You could tell that some people were writing to please the teacher, but that's whatever. Then we had naptime/Italian for the 4 hour students lol. Then we had split chapel and that was good - Mrs. Jeanie talked about continuing to make good decisions and how each day and each moment is its own decision to act right and I thought that was a really interesting viewpoint. Then we ate lunch - PESTO pasta!!! Yum :) then we set up for the afternoon's activities. We helped write letters/address envelopes/etc. to help try to raise funds for HUF since the insurance sucks since the fire. That took longer than expected but then we had brownies and then they had water games outside = slip n slide, baby blowup pool, water balloons, etc. But I wasn't feeling like getting soaked in clothes and most likely injured bc I'm graceful like that and then having to clean up again. Plus mom was on skype - so I got to talk with my parents for the first time in a few days and it was great! Then we had a cookout with hamburgers and hotdogs and smores. I set a marshmellow on fire just for fun ;). Then we had the talent show and that was pretty awesome. We had legit music acts, funny skits, funny videos, our IES photo theme videos, etc. It was pretty fabulous. Then I did my work and came up to talk with Tyler.

13 days!!!

Harry Potter Mania!

So today I didn't have any classes, but I had to get up and get ready so we could take our group picture that goes in their scrapbook here. It's of all of the students and the professors and their family and the workers here. Then I crashed because I was super tired and then I woke up about an hour later for chapel and lunch. Chapel was really good today - D. Wade talked about how we need to challenge ourselves with our worship because honestly we're pretty lazy. We sing about standing while sitting down...really?! Also we rarely pray down on our knees or prostrate. The pain that causes is a physical reminder and focuser of our thoughts and is humbling before our Almighty God. It was a challenging lesson and I hope to remember it and employ it in my daily walk. Then right after lunch we watched Harry Potter #7 part 1. Right after that we got shuttled down to get on the tram to go to the Odeon for Harry Potter #7 part 2 - the Finale!!! The theater was so pretty, it could've been cooler, but still cool. Such a good movie - Tyler, Daddy, and Haley: We are totally going to see this when I'm home :D. Then some of us went out and ate the one texmex place in Italy and it was really good. Then we just walked around and then Hailey and I decided to head on back bc we weren't feeling too hot - my knee was pretty awful and she'd been under the weather all day :(. So we headed back and the tram driver was crazy! She slammed on the brakes and I flew out of my seat. It was bad. Then she shut it down a stop before we wanted off and the bus wasn't running so we had to walk back and then there were these 2 creepy Italian guys following us and getting closer and closer so when we were crossing the overpass when the couldn't see us we ran and then at the bottom of the hill David, the Shackelford's son, stopped and picked us up (thanks God!) and we looked back and they had been running after us. Anyway God was watching out for us and we got back to the villa safely and then I worked and then did my Bible homework (last of the semester!) then skyped with mom for a second and planned a shopping/pedicure day and then talked for a while with Tyler.

I'll be home in 2 weeks! I'm excited for a few days of free travel and then I'm just ready to be home for good... I love you all!

Lucca and Pisa

So today was all onsite classes in Lucca and Pisa. We left Scandicci at 8 this morning and rode on the bus for about an hour or so to Lucca whose medieval walls are still intact. It was actually a pretty boring visit, but we had a very nice tourguide - Linda and she showed us around to the different piazzas and the old Roman Forum and multiple churches. Nothing too exciting though which was kind of a bummer. Then we ate lunch and had some free time to walk around and see some of the shops there. Then we drove over to Pisa and went in the Miracle Piazza which holds the Baptistry, Church, Bell Tower - aka the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Cemetary. My favorite was the cemetary and then the church. The tower is for real lean-ing. Like it's definitely going to fall someday even though it's super reinforced with deep down cement and liquid nitrogen. Anyway, so we walked around after we saw all those things and then some people climbed the stairs to the top of the Pisa Tower, but I didn't. I had to take some of my knee medicine earlier in the day so that was a no-go for me, plus what was I going to see from up there? They don't have any views, but that's ok. Then we walked around and bartered at some shops and these guys tried to sell me sunglasses that they were saying were real Ray Bans for 25 euro... I said no those aren't real and I'm not paying that much. Then they admitted they were good fakes and lowered the price, but they didn't lower them enough for me to buy them bc I'm stubborn ;). Then we dropped some people off at Lucca for the Elton John concert after we all at at McDonald's...yep they took us to McDonald's for a "special dinner". But it was still pretty good :). So we got back to the villa and I'm going to try to get the knots out of my back...yuck. Anyway tomorrow we take the group pic at 10 and then I have chapel and lunch then HARRY POTTER MANIA!!! We watch the 7th movie part 1 here then go into town for the new one...the final movie...I might cry. I hope they give Mrs. Weasley her line - hehe!

Love you everyone!

Cooking Class!

So today was pretty cool. I woke up for Bible and we had our last lecture and notes class. All I have left in there is a test, a review session, and a final :). I finished up my Humanities journals today and turned them in. So all that's left in that class is tomorrow's onsite moleskin notes in Lucca and Pisa and then turning in my final that I've already completed. Then IES pictures are due Friday at noon so I have to pic out 7 of my pics to send to Erin to put into a slide show. Then I had cooking class tonight and we made a 3 course meal and I was a part of all three courses! We made pasta from scratch and then kinda enchilada-ed it around some eggplant and cheese with red sauce and cheese on top for the first course. The 2nd was beef sauteed in wine and rosemary with potatoes on the side. Then we had chocolate cake with a peace sauce on top. It was all soooo good! I actually ate some of everything and I ate my whole piece of cake with the sauce...I know - where is the real Sara at, right? But Marcella was the lady who runs it and was teaching us and she was so precious and sweet and she got emotional when we sang to them and as we were leaving. It was cute. Then we came back to the villa and I did my work and then got stuff ready for onsite classes tomorrow and then got on skype :).

Love you all!

Volleyball's over

Ok so today was pretty chill for the most part. I woke up just in time to grab some yogurt and juice for breakfast then went to Bible class and we talked about parenting so we took some notes and then Mrs. Jeanie came in and told some stories and I thought what they both had to say was good and insightful. Then I took a nap until chapel since we didn't have Humanities today :) then I went to chapel and it was really good today, we read and talked about Hebrews 11 and connecting to our spiritual heritage. Then we sang some really good songs and then ate lunch - we had tacos!!! Texmex in Italy :) Then I read some and did some productive stuff then took another nap bc for some reason I'm just tired so I decided to listen to my body and sleep. Then I woke up to study some for my volleyball final and then I went down for that and we ended up not having the skills test, only the written test (I made a 100 I'm sure of it)! Then we had dinner and it was awesome too! Then my free travel group (Paige, Brette, Raeanne, and I) went to reserve some of our trains. We ended up waiting in line for about 40 minutes and then the guy was running off and shorting us money and then getting confused with the trains. So I ended up getting all but one reserved.

Then we went on a mission to find coke, but that sorta flopped bc everywhere closes at 9 so then we ended up walking to a McDonald's. Anyway so now I'm officially done with volleyball class and Italian class (that worksheet was my last thing and it's turned in now). After finishing 1 journal entry and 1 day of onsite classes and turning in my final that I've already finished I'll be done with Humanities. Then I have to get my picture theme together for IES, but that'll be easy bc I already have the pics. Then Bible will be a few more lectures and a test so I'll be done for sure by the 21st. :D

So it's kind of a weird feeling knowing that soon I'll be traveling for a few days and then be home. I'll be sooooo happy to be home and to see everyone again and have air conditioning LOL, but it'll be weird to not be here anymore if that makes sense. It's been a fabulous and different summer.

Goodnight everyone!

Last full week at the villa

So this starts out the last full we of being at the villa. I had Bible class this morning, we talked about finances and I really wanted to fall asleep, but I didn't. Then we had Humanities were we went over the schedule for that class for the rest of the time and then rearranged some things and then we got the rest of class time today to work on journal entries. So I took an epic nap until it was time for chapel and then lunch. We had the Italian version of rounds and broccoli :) sooo good. Then I worked on my journals and did my last art/architecture entry and I read a chapter in the Sprezzatura book about the Roman Republic and wrote my literature entry about that. I only have one entry left and that's my "AHA" moment. I know what I'm writing about I just didn't want to keep writing anymore lol. Then I skyped with Daddy :D and then got all my laundry from downstairs. Then I worked for the day yay fun. Then I worked on updating my blog so that's all done now. I still have dinner and volleyball class left tonight. Then tomorrow all I have is Bible class, chapel, lunch, dinner, Volleyball tests - the written 25 question true false test about the rules and then the skills test. We're planning on reserving our train stuff for free travel tomorrow after dinner if the train station reservation place is still open. I also have to get my IES picture theme together and turn that in and turn in my worksheet that Mona finally gave to me to make up the day I was sick. So pretty easy from here on out! Only 17 more sleeps ;)

Last day in Rome :(

So Sunday was our last day and we got all packed up and left our stuff in storage at the hotel and then got bussed over to the Villa Borghese which is my favorite gallery/museum so far. It has my (new) favorite sculptor and awesome paintings etc. Bernini's my fave if you were wondering. We walked through and looked at some of the more important pieces and they were so wonderful. We mainly featured Caravaggio, Bernini, and a little of Rafael. Then we walked through the very extensive park which reminded me of somewhere in the US. They were normal trees and grass. Then we walked down the Spanish steps and then found some lunch and went through the artisans' works in the Piazza Navona and I found some pretty watercolors of Rome :). Then we went back to the hotel and chilled in the lobby. I was going to get a smoothie from the place next door, but they were closed yet again (they were closed the night before too.) So that was a bummer, but then I just chilled for about 45 minutes until it was time to get a cab to take us to the train station. Then we sat in the station for about 20ish minutes and then got on our train. The train left Rome at 4:30 and we got back into Florence at 6 and then they bussed us back up the hill (we were sooo excited about not walking up the hill!) Then we had dinner and then worship and then a concert by Ivo Krawkoski (which I didn't go into, but I listened to some of it.) I cleaned up, got unpacked, and was able to get skype working again! Rome was awesome - definitely my favorite place I've been so far, but I was glad to be back at the villa.

Vatican!

So this was Saturday July 9th. We went on a self guided-ish tour through the Vatican museum and listened to lots of info about certain pieces (that Robbie said were the best). We had to write about at least 10 of them - I chose some of his pieces and some of the others because I liked them better, who would've thought? Then we had to turn in our tour listening devices and then I bought a cross necklace (I personally think it was blessed by the Pope) lol. Then we had to zigzag back through the museum again to get back to the Sistine chapel to sneak into the group line to take the short cut over to St. Peter's. But eventually we all got through and it was awesome! I got to go into the Sacristy and see lots of stuff that I don't know what it is oops. Then we all met up and it was about 3 so we needed food! And a couple of us hadn't gone to the Colloseum (slackers) so they went back there and we got some food and just scarfed it and immediately regretted having eaten so fast, but oh well. Then we went back to the hotel to clean up and nap until dinner. I went to the French nun dinner where they sing and dance. It was really cool. They sang Ave Maria and asked us to join in with them and then the dance was a "traditional dance" where she was basically on point (ballet style) the whole time...it was so beautiful. You could tell she really loved what she was doing bc she had a smile on her face and was looking up the whole time.

Just chilling in Rome, no big

So this was the 2nd day in Rome, July 8th. We left the hotel at 8 and went to St. John in Lateran church which was pretty cool, just not as cool as my church lol jk...kinda! Then there we learned about the signs and symbols of the apostles and how they were martyred - ps Bartholomew = creepy...I'm pretty sure I took a pic of the sculpture of him. One cool thing about this church is that it has statues of all of them and each one was done by a different sculptor of the day. Then we went to St. Mary of the Holy Steps and I really wanted to do the steps, but they didn't give us time to do them and they were closed when we had free time or were too far away from where we were at when we had free time. But these steps were brought here from Jerusalem and supposedly they are the ones that were leading up to Pilate's throne so Jesus walked up and down them. There are blood splatters on some of them, but who knows if they are the actual steps or if it is Jesus's blood. But you cannot climb these on your feet - you have to go up them on your knees and it's a very moving experience to see the people who feel compelled to go and endure a small fraction of Christ's pain by climbing these. At the top there's a special Pope chapel where supposedly an angel painted the painting in there. It was obviously closed off.

After that we went to St. Clement which was cool bc it was on top of the old church and cult place that was underground and we got to go down and look at it! Then St. Peter in Chains was pretty cool bc they have the chains Peter was chained in - they supposedly have magical power so they're on super lockdown so people don't jack them. Inside here they have the tomb of Pope Julius II so that was interesting. Then it was time for lunch which we ate right outside the COLLOSEUM!!!

So we ate lunch then learned about the Colloseum, but didn't go inside as a group...Then we went into the ruins part and learned about the Arch of Constantine, Arch of Titus, Basilica of Maxentius, Temple of Antoninos and Faustina, and the legend of the Rape of the Sabine (actually a love story...ask me sometime about the legends, I love them :D, nerd I know...lol), then the Dioscuri, Temple of the Vestal Virgins, Arch of Septimus Severus (I tried to convince DWade to sing the Harry Potter Puppet Pals song, but he didn't go for it), then Mamertine Prison, the Equestrain statue of Marcus Aurelius, Capitoline Hill and the piazza and buildings there (where we get Capitol Hill from fyi), then Trajans Column, and the monument to Victor Emanuel II (first president of united Italy). Then we had free time for the rest of the night so we went back to the Colloseum bc we were relatively close. It was soooo cool! Our group is the first one to get everyone to all go inside AND the first to not get anything valuable lost/stolen :D go us! Then we cleaned up and took a power nap then went to find kabobs which took about an hour to find. It was crazy, but they were good lol!

1st day of Roman Holiday

So we left for Rome on Thursday the 7th at 7 am from the villa. Our train left at 8 and we got to Rome at 9:45! First off we went to the Christian Catacombs of St. Sebastian which were really cool. I wish we could've been let loose in there to explore, but I understand why they don't because everyone would get lost and they wouldn't be able to find them. My favorite part were the mausoleums on the way out (yes I'm weird and like mausoleums...sorry). There were 3 of them and you could still see the urns with ashes (since these were pagan they weren't as concerned about moving the remains for their sake). 2 of them kept going deeper and you couldn't see the end. I soooo badly wanted to be a little kid again so I could get away with crawling under barriers and exploring ;). Then we went to Circus of Maxentius where they had chariot races and fights, etc. This sight isn't as popular, but it's way more intact than others similar so it was cool. Then we heard the legend of Romulus and Remus - the twin brothers that founded Rome. Then it was lunch time so we ate our sack lunches and then I gave my lesson at St. Paul Outside-the-Walls where historians think Paul's body is actually buried! It was really legit. Then we went to drop off stuff at the hotel which was so pretty - it's called Hotel Tiziana and is in a really good spot in Rome. It's used as a dorm for a college during the school year.

After we unloaded in our rooms we went to the Piazza Navona and learned about the 3 fountains that are there. This piazza has all the artisans in it selling their work :). Then we went to the Pantheon which I was kinda bummed about because it was originally a temple dedicated to all the Roman gods, but now it's a Catholic church so Mary and baby Jesus are everywhere :( but I'm grateful they did convert it because otherwise they would have destroyed it and I wouldn't be able to see it. So Robbie said to just imagine gods' images wherever you see anything Christian...Then we traveled to the Column of Marcus Aurelius and then the Trevi fountain (yes I did throw a coin in :D) and then we took Hailey out for dinner because she was the birthday girl :) We had an awesome waitress and we all had on tiaras...Such a long day but so fun!

Wednesday July 6th

Ok so sorry I've been without internet since we left for Rome, but I'll fill you in on the past few days one day at a time. So on Wednesday the 6th it was our last day at the villa before Rome. I had Bible class that morning and we talked about our interviews that we had with people that we admire their marriages. I talked to Grammie and Gramps because they've been together forever and I know that things couldn't have been easy the whole time, so I wanted to get some of their wisdom and advice. Then we had humanities class and in there we had our last quiz over chapters 5 and 7 in the textbook and then an essay question about the reading he gave us. Then we had a guest speaker - the vice prefect who's over all the different types of police they have here. It was really cool. I think USA has a better system and our's is more effective and efficient, but it's interesting to have something to compare it to so I appreciate it more. He invited us to come to his office and get a tour (he works in a building made in the 1400s that overlooks the Duomo and the Arno!) I want to go if we have the time! Then I got packed for Rome and prepped more for my onsite class about St. Paul Outside the Wall and then had chapel and lunch and then volleyball. We only have 2 more classes - 1 day we play and then the last day we take our 25 question true/false written test over the rules and our skills test and then that class is done!

24 more sleeps :)

Ok so today has been awesome. I'm declaring it my own personal independence day and I'll do a write up about it someplace, but not necessarily on here. But anyway today's been awesome. Most of the girls stayed up and watched Tangled which was absolutely adorable! I'm totally going to have to have it...and watch it again while here. Then we painted up with stars and USA stuff and then did our Scandicci challenge and that was a blast. Then we all crashed and then we had a Bible test this morning at 9 and that went pretty well I think then we had Humanities right after that and it was more prep stuff for Rome, but more of the culture and architecture than artists. Then I had an awesome nap and woke up for chapel and lunch at 1. Chapel was really good - shoutout to Mom! We sand Paradise Valley and I sang the alto part for you (at least as much as I could lol). Then we finished planning out free travel stuff and there are 4 of us traveling together - Paige, Brette, Raeanne, and me. We're going to Nice, then Paris, then Marseilles (all in France) before coming back to the villa to finish packing up and head home. Our little group is actually splitting up because 2 of them wanted the extra day in Paris to spend more time at Versailles which is cool, but I don't need to spend a day in a courtyard looking at gardens. Paige and I just wanted to see where they signed the treaty and hit up some other spots. So we are the 2 going to Marseilles and that's where the Chateau d'If is which is the prison that was in the Count of Monte Cristo! I'm so pumped...we're taking a ferry over and then getting to explore it :D So we have all the trains planned out and we'll have to get our reservations some time soon when we're in Florence. But we have all our hostels/hotels reserved! (And only one night is on my card this time so only 2 people owe me money and we all decided to work that out now so it's not a big deal on the trip!) Also about money - only 2 people owe me money for the Prague hostel and they know it, it's just a matter of being able to break bills, etc. So I'll be even with everyone soon! Yay...

So I woke up from my nap being yelled at to get to volleyball class (oops my alarm didn't go off). And then immediately had to dig and hit and apparently I still have the tendency to hit really aggressively if I'm mad...LOL. Then I cleaned up after that class and went down to dinner. Pretty soon we're going to have a big band concert for our humanities class out on the court. I really am not pumped about it at all because I'm not in the mood for classical music and I had to take my knee med so I'm about to crash anyway, plus the mosquitoes here are crazy!!! Literally I got a bite on the back of my head, through my ponytail, and another through 2 layers of clothes...crazy little persistent suckers. I'm about to look up some info about St. Paul outside the Wall - which is actually going to be cool. But since I teach that class in 2 days, I should probably start prepping that lesson haha.

Pace <3

Independence Day!

So today I had to get up at 11 for Humanities class at 12 and we learned about Berlini and Caravaggio who are artists that we'll be featuring in Rome in a few days. Then we had chapel about welcoming Satan's trials because that means we wear the title Christian and he's coming at our faith because it's a threat to him. It was really cool. Then we had lunch which was spaghetti :) and then free time til 7 when the bus came to take us to Robbie and Mona's house for our own special 4th of July party. We had brisket and red, white, and blue gelato and my first watermelon of the season! It was pretty awesome. Then we got to look through photo albums of their wedding and family and previous HUF groups. The whole time they had patriotic music playing in the background. Then we sang the whole bus ride back to the villa - when we were singing "I've got friends in low places" the Italian bus driver recognized it and turned on the lights and was laughing at our performance :D. Now I'm trying to iron out all the details of 2nd free travel and get all that nailed down with the people that are coming with so that's a bit stressful bc places to stay are difficult to find when you want someplace that's not sketch, in a good part of town, and is a legit price. It will all work out though :)

Stars and stripes tonight!!!

Love you everyone!

Tuscan American Society and the big party

So the reason this post is a day late is because we all got back to the villa about 12:40 am. So the internet was already shut off for the night. My day started out really rough - I didn't get a good night's sleep because Satan decided one tactic wasn't working so he really pushed another and it got to me. Anyway I didn't get calmed down enough to go to bed until around 2 am so I was tired and irritated when I woke up. But church was really good, we sang some really good songs and then since it was our last time to worship with the congregation in Florence they circled up and sang "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" to us. It was very precious. That and my friends turned my morning around. Then I had a little bit of a nap that afternoon and then at 4 we left to go to the park for the 4th of July party we were cooking at.

You will never believe it - I grilled! Like an outdoor grill with real meat and fire and all that. Yep I'm a pro now...hahaha. Anyway I really did grill burgers and hot dogs and help refill condiments and all that. I was pretty proud of myself lol. There was a crazy British lady yelling at us to hurry up and I was like, "This is not McDonalds...this is real imported USDA beef that has blood in it (sorry mom). It takes a while to cook. Back off lady!" I didn't say it to where she could hear me though. Then we met this really cool little puppy named Bart and he was super adorable so we helped this guy out by running around with the puppy when he got restless :) It made me miss my puppies back home :(. Then the concert was super awesome and Mona made everyone get up and go up in front of the stage to support them "not to dance"...yeah right Mona. Anyway they were really cool and I actually met them and got them to sign my map bc their cd was all black so the pen wouldn't show up - I told them they needed a silver sharpie for that in the future and they were really thankful for the idea. Their music was really fun and upbeat and chill and I kind of like it that sometimes it's in Italian so I don't know what's going on haha.

Also I'll write more about this later, but being in multiple other countries, especially on the 4th of July has made me really reflect on if our country is really as bad as I make it out to be or if I've been too harsh.

Siena Horse Race Day

So today I woke up and went to chapel and then lunch. I wasn't feeling too good in multiple ways and I had done some more research on the horse race and changed my mind about paying to spend 3 hours on a train to get there and back as well as having to stand in a mob crowd where fights break out in the heat and rain and not getting dinner and just being in a mob crowd. Also there aren't really rules so they can hit the other riders and horses with their whips and a few years ago the animal rights groups got really angry because a horse fell and then got trampled because they didn't stop the race and the horse ended up dying a few days later because of the injuries it sustained :(. All of those things added up = me not feeling like going to Siena to see this race, plus we could just watch it on tv. So I rested up here, got some more homework done - (thanks Grammie and Gramps!!!), helped get supplies and set up stuff for the big cookout party we're having tomorrow, did my regular work, went to La Bottega for dinner with Kyle, Mona, and Daniel, and did some wedding planning stuff. So I've had a great day and I'm glad I chose to stay. I hope everyone else had fun. I know some people went to the beach, but I think most went to the race (which lasts about 90 seconds). I'm about to take a shower and get stuff ready for tomorrow and then talk with Tyler. Only 168 days til our wedding and 27 days til I'm home :)

Love you all and hope you have a great 4th of July weekend!

PS - Tomorrow's our last day to worship with the church in Florence and then we have a big cookout/party thing with the American society in Florence tomorrow night. I saw stuff for PB&J's, burgers, hot dogs, puffy cheetos, Dr. Pepper - WHAT?! BTW - in case I haven't mentioned it, DP doesn't exist here so it's a big deal :)

1st day of July

So today has been a pretty chill day. I woke up and got some breakfast and got ready and went to Bible class. We talked about how Keeley got engaged and got the story from her...it was very cute and very their style of relationship. Side note - I've learned a lot about how different people really are while here this summer. I've kinda made a social experiment out of 36 students living in one house with 3 professors that stay here and a family of 5 living nearby. It's definitely interesting to observe the dynamics of different relationships and how they function or handle dysfunctions.

Back to my day - so Bible was not a big deal at all, we got done a little early. Then we had Humanities class and all we had today was our test over architecture styles and ancient Christian symbols and the symbols of the Gospel writers in Revelation and then info about the 4 founding fathers of the church. So it wasn't as bad of a test as I thought. I only missed 2 because I had no clue what that part of a column was (bc he didn't tell us to know the parts of a column, but it's ok). Then we had time to fix up our journals since we actually have the notebooks to put them in now :). Then it was chapel time and then lunch :) Then I had a nap that was glorious and then I worked some and helped clean up because Dr. Hopper (the director of all of Harding's International programs) is coming in for a day or so. So basically we've had all kinds of Harding royalty here this summer - I think they secretly came bc I'm graduating LOL!!!

Then I had dinner and decided to be productive today so I did my 2 journal entries over the Duomo climb and Museum I visited yesterday. Then I did my final for my Humanities class and typed up and emailed Grammie and Gramps an interview assignment for my Christian Home Bible class. (Hopefully it works :). ) Then a lot of people went bowling in town and I needed some Sara time away from all the hustle and bustle so I stayed here and worked and did my school stuff and took a nice shower without people bothering me. It was glorious.

Tomorrow I have a very relaxing day consisting of waking up for chapel and eating lunch and going to the horse race in Siena!!! I'm going to pick a good neighborhood to cheer for and hope that horse wins :) I'll let you know all about it tomorrow. And don't worry Grandma - I'm going with a bunch of my friends so I won't be alone! Love you <3

My Free Day

So today they gave us a free day and some people went with Coach Burks to the Ferrari and Lamborghini factories today. They didn't think that they would be able to drive them, but it turns out they were able to for 100 Euro a piece! I think it would have been fun if Tyler had been here, but I didn't go. (Maybe if he brings me back someday...hint hint! Lol.)

My free day consisted of waking up pretty early and going into Florence to climb up the Duomo. It's 463 steps and gets pretty crowded, but it was totally worth it! You actually are climbing stairs between the inner and outer domes and end up being able to walk around 2 different areas to see the art on the inside of the dome very, very up close. I can definitely say that these artists' interpretations of Hell are totally creepy and demented, but Hell's scary so I guess it's a good thing??? You can't tell it from the ground, but they had to paint the figures sooooo huge so they'd look right from in the church below. I was standing next to a demon eating/torturing this dude in Hell and his foot was literally the length of my legs from the ground to my hip. Then the views from the top out over Florence were so breathtakingly beautiful. We could see everywhere we'd been - the different churches, train station, etc. It was a great view. Then we journeyed back down the stairs and then I needed to go to a modern art museum, so I chose to go to the Virtual Identity exhibit they have in the Strozzi Palace right now. It's all about technology and people using it. It was really legit. I expected to just go in and walk through and pick a couple of pieces to write about for my Humanities journal, but it was really cool. There was a mash up of youtube videos of people dancing that the artist had synchronized and put to music and it looked like choreography. Then there were these big white balls rolling around on the floor and talking to you. Apparently they're a type of packing material and each one is given a different voice or personality or motor that moves in unique ways. They're representative of the temporalness of human life. I thought that was really philosophical. Then there was a creepy, morbid one and it was about virtual suicide and I really didn't like it at all so I rushed through it because it was just disturbing. I liked the pictures of the faces lit up by different types of electronic devices - my favorite of that was this young girl who was under a blanket playing a Nintendo DS.

Then I got a pizza to go and they didn't cut it :( bummer so I had to wait til I got back to the villa to eat it. But I realized they had made it heart shaped for me so that was cute. Then I got back and cut it and nuked a few pieces of it and ate them while sitting in front of a fan (it was super hot today) then I took a shower bc I was disgusting and then took a nap for a couple hours since I woke up early and no one was here to wake me up :D Then I woke up and was getting ready and they rang the bell for supper - who knew they were making food for us? Def not me - I was just planning on eating the rest of my pizza, but now I have a midnight snack ;) So I had a sandwich that was delicious - they busted out the awesome bread and gave us pieces of pork with rosemary like they cook us to put on it. They also had pasta salad and bread salad too. I like the pasta salad they have here, but the bread salad was too onion-y for me to handle so I didn't try that.

Also I've discovered where they keep the ice here in the villa :D VICTORY!!!

I'm probably about to write my journal entries about the stuff I did today and then maybe read some or watch a movie. Who knows?

Love you guys!

Brancacci Chapel e Pitti Palace

So the chapel I couldn't remember the name of yesterday is called Brancacci Chapel and it's one of 2 chapels that didn't get demolished in the fire and it's on the right transcept of this church in Florence. We walked up to it and I literally said, "Wow this is hideous, it needs a facade. And I'm a church of Christ girl...that means it's pretty awful." So considering I've been CofC my whole life and our church buildings are notorious for being boring and not church-ish at all, this was seriously ugly on the outside. Obviously the facade was destroyed in the tragic fire. It has never been replaced. All the inside church stuff was replaced so it looks nothing like it originally did and it doesn't match the Brancacci chapel at all. 3 different dudes did stuff in the Bracacci chapel which is named after the Brancacci family bc they paid for it. The older one actually learned from the younger one Masachio because he was really legit at perspective and weighting his figures and definitely at emotion and character. There's a really cool contrast in between the two artists' work when you first walk in - you look to the right and Masavio's work is Adam and Eve in the garden and they're kinda floaty and it's a beautiful work, but they're kinda devoid of any humanistic characteristics, etc. Then you turn to the left and Masachio's work is them getting kicked out of the garden of Eden after they sinned and it's full of emotion - Adam's doubled over in anguish and pain and they're both covering themselves and they're faces are so full of pain and sorrow. They have shadows and look like they're on the ground and the perspective is beautiful. Then it was actually left unfinished for like 50-60ish years because the family got exiled by the Medici (whoops) and the artists died or took other jobs elsewhere. Then Fillippino Lippi (Filippo Lippi's son) was hired to finish it and actually had to take out and replace some of the faces from earlier and replace them with friends of the Medici's of that time. The rest of the scenes in that chapel were all about St. Peter.

Then we went over to the Pitti Palace. It was started by the Pitti family who were rivals of the Medici and it is HUGE!!! It was an old school battle of the Jones's - the house layout was created to out-do the Medici: the courtyard was to be exactly the dimensions of the Medici palace and the window were to be the size of their doors. Then the Pitti family went bancrupt and so it was unfinished for awhile until the Medici bought it...oh karma ;) Then they lived in it during their duke days and then the Lorraine family took it over when the Medici died out and then it went to the Cevoy family from Austria. There is so much artwork in there! It's not like a museum at all bc it's set up like the nobles wanted it arranged. So it's pretty overwhelming bc there's art everywhere! Then we got to walk through their living quarters and their personal chapel that they got ok'd by the church - Oh what being filthy rich will get you?!

Then we were free to do whatever so we got some dinner - we ended up getting these really delicious burgers because we're all sick of pizza and pasta 24/7. Then we got that awesome gelato and it was my fave! I got cookies and mint chocolate :D. Then we walked around some more and went to this really cool bookstore that we decided is like their version of Barnes and Noble because it kept on going forever! But I didn't find any books there :( sad day for me. But then we made our way back to the villa and I worked and then wrote this. I'm trying to figure out hostel stuff for Paris, but another girl might be coming with, which changes the hostel plans we need so I need to nail that down for sure so we can reserve that and then get the trains. Tomorrow's a free day!!! I'm planning on doing the Duomo climb and then visiting the Picasso exhibit and maybe visit the Uffizi again if I'm really feeling it and everyone else is too - if they go with me and I can navigate of course, lol.

Oh I almost forgot - I found my artwork that I wanted :D It's the Annunciation by Fra. Angelico! I'm very excited. I hope Tyler likes it, because I want it hanging up in the house...

Time to plug my actual laptop in and see if he's on to talk to me :) Love you all!

PS - I actually had Bible class this morning before we left for the onsites, but they were a lot more fun lol!

Bargello Onsite and Class

So today was pretty cool. Summer has definitely arrived, but that's ok...I'm choosing to look at it as prepping me for when I'm home lol! So I had Bible class this morning and we just went over this interview assignment we have to do before we go to Rome, so hopefully when my parents get back I can arrange something so that I can interview Gma and Gpa Daniels :) If skype fails then I can try to email or work something else out...we'll see. Also we had a Humanities quiz and that went pretty well. Then we went over our onsite classes for tomorrow - Pitti Palace and the chapel that I can't remember the name of right now...oops! I'll tell you all about it tomorrow ;) Then we got our writing assignments for our final in that class and it actually looks legit and not pointless which is cool. Then lunch and our onsite at the Bargello museum which was super legit (no pics of artwork though :( ). It features Donatello and Michelangelo primarily, but surprisingly isn't super visited by comparison to others in Florence. The building itself was really awesome. Then after that we got gelato and went to eat pizza at this place where Robbie knows the dude that actually makes the pizza. Quattro formaggio (four cheese) is def my new fave, but who would be surprised by that? They made us this special spicy pizza that had huge spicy pepperoni slices and cheese and french fries on top. It was cool. Then we came back to the villa and I started planning out second free travel at the end and got the trains lined up to and from Paris. Then I had vb class and now I'm trying to get skype to work so I can talk to Tyler.

Goodnight everyone! Peace and love :)

Italian Final and Drawing Class

So today was a good day even though it's lasted for-ev-er! LOL. It started at 830 am and is just now done. We had humanities class this morning to prep us for our onsite visit to the Bargello museum tomorrow. I'm pretty excited, but we'll see if it lives up to my expectations. So then after that we had a joint Speech and Bible class because Mrs. Jeanie was talking about communication styles, problems, etc. and that pertains to Christian Home so we took notes. She's really awesome. I love her to death. I don't have any of her classes, but she's very cool and blunt :) She kinda reminds me of a different version of mom ;) Don't worry mommy - you'll always be my fave and best friend!!! Then after Bible we had about an hour break to study for Italian so I studied a chapter, took a power nap, then studied another 2 chapters and then took my test :) I think I did fairly well. All that's left for Italian is for me to watch the video I missed and fill out the worksheet that goes with it. And all I have left for IES is to turn in my free travel group's videos and then eventually turn in my picture theme project (I have to pic my 7-8 fave pics of my decided theme and they get to guess what it was...mine will be super easy - I may or may not be a little obsessed with the giglio lol). That's 2 classes out of 5 down. And then we had a great chapel and then had lunch then I had a drawing class with Mike. We went to 3 different piazzas and drew stuff. I'm not too great, but it's cool to get his pointers and advice and encouragement that it's not as bad as I think lol. I like landscapes and objects rather than people, but I think that's just easier for my brain to grasp so I'll continue to work on it. Then we ate pizza at the Jersey Shore pizza place (they're long gone by now :D yay) and it was actually pretty good. Then we hurried back to the villa in time for kinseology classes and I looked up the answers to study for tomorrow's Humanities quiz and then got ready for volleyball class.

Random tangent - I'm really glad I'm taking this vb class even though it gets on my nerves or I go to hard and push my knee too much bc I honestly never thought I'd enjoy playing or even watching again. It's such an encouragement and source of empowerment for me that I still have something I'm good at and I didn't waste all that time and effort - I still have a game I honestly love to play and you can't take that away. So what if I have a nightmare tonight? My friends will do something dumb and I'll crack up in the middle of class and be awkward, but snap out of it. Life will go on. Nightmares aren't real life. :D

So back to now - I took some knee meds before volleyball bc I needed them and knew vb would do me in and I was right. I wanted kneepads soooo bad on this one play. I was playing middle back and I would've had it and it would have been beautiful, but oh well. (No mom, I didn't dive - I restrained myself :P). Then I worked and talked with Chancellor Ganus for about 15 minutes about Oklahoma and the schools in Africa - keep them in your prayers: recently they've had multiple deaths because of lightning and a few were elementary school students in class :(. They're going to raise more money to get more lightning rods for the schools and surrounding villages. Then we talked about OC and how he and Dr. Benson used to fly their plane in and land on the grassy strip on OC's "new", meaning they moved to Edmond, campus. Then we talked about how Tyler goes there and my grandparents went there back in the day and then we talked about Bear Valley and Quinton and he said he hasn't been there yet and I told him to go visit. He'd love talking with those professors - they'd get along fabulously! Anyway he's just a precious old man and he's cute as can be. I'm about to skype and then clean up for bed!

Love you all!

Sunday

Today I woke up and tried to start getting ready for church, and then my pain got worse, so Tiffany went and talked to Mrs. Jeanie for me and she came up and checked on me and stayed with me in case I needed anything. She came up and checked on me a few more times and talked with me a bit so she understood what was going on. Also, surprise surprise Molly's telling everyone it's cramps...false, while painful, that'd be a lot easier to deal with. I can actually handle pain, but thanks for trying hun. So I tried to correct her gently and she was like, I thought they didn't know that for sure and I said well, process of elimination - and the meds work once I'm adjusted so that's as good as it gets til I need to actually have the surgery for it. On a good note, I got okay after a while, not 100% by any means, but ok to hobble around and do my homework, etc. So I got my Bible and Humanities journals done and went to class - which Chancellor Ganus and his wife just talked to us and answered our questions about marriage and life. They've been married for 68 years! They're both about to turn 90...crazy. They are sooo cute. I want to grow up to be like them. They talked about how things get hard and to remember to communicate and be intentional with what you do and say. Also they talked about turning to the scriptures when things get tough and remembering the covenant vows you made to God, each other, and your family and friends on your wedding day. They were both just so cute and precious!!!

Then we had devo outside with the BAT (Bisons Athletes and Trainers) group. Dr. Ganus talked with us about the importance of salt and being salt to the world like in Matthew 5-7. It was a very powerful lesson. One application I haven't heard before was that salt makes you thirsty, so if we're being the salt to the world they will thirst for God's Word and Jesus :).

Then we all had supper together and then a concert by the Metamorphesis Quartet, but there were actually 5 of them...I don't know. They all just graduated from the conservatory here in Florence and are all very talented. We all were supposed to meet one of them and I met the clarinet player and he actually studies at the university and is going to be a psychologist! How cool is that?!

Pretty soon I'll finish up my work for the day, so basically I'll take out the trash and then clean up and hit the sack. Amazingly I'm still tired even though I've slept a ton the past 2 days...I dunno what's wrong lol oh well.

Mom, Dad, Trey, and Jess - have fun on the cruise without me :P hahaha
Love you everyone!

Issues...yep they followed me here lol

Ok so today started out pretty good. I didn't have any classes until 11 so I got to sleep in. Then I ate an apple and went to my humanities class. We had announcements and chapel first though and then our guest lecturer talked to us for about 2 hours with a 5 minute intermission. She taught us all about the history and technique of mosaics. It was actually pretty interesting. Then we had lunch and I had a nap. My stomach started to hurt this morning, but I tried to make it through. After I woke up from the nap there was no moving at all so I was basically bed-ridden the rest of the day. But on the good side, my friends took care of me and checked on me and brought me dinner and stuff :) Love you Tiffany and Susan! Anyway I have homework due tomorrow: 4 humanities journal entries and Bible questions. We worship in Florence in the morning and then have lunch at the villa and then have time to do that homework and then class at 5 then devo and then a concert! Also I forgot to tell you that Chancellor Ganus and his wife are visiting the villa right now - he and his family are like Harding royalty lol.

PS - I'm actually not teaching the Pantheon in Rome, I'll be doing St. Paul Outside the Wall. I don't know anything about it yet, but it should be interesting.

Love you all!

Wait...you mean we still have school?

Ok so today I woke up around 11 am and got up and around for lunch and worked on my Italian homework. Then we had a fabulous welcome home lunch - alfredo sauce with pasta and fried chicken! Then for dessert I had a few cherries. I think I ate too much legit food and too fast, because shortly after that I got sick to my stomach, but I think I'll take that trade lol. Then I got my Rome assignment. Since I'm a 6-hour student in my humanities class I have to be an on-site teacher on our Rome trip that we take next week. I picked to do research and talk about the Pantheon :). Then I had Bible class and then Italian - we turned in homework, sang 3 songs, and then started an open-book test over chapter 2 (but don't worry, it will be graded harshly). Then she gave us an extra credit assignment that we could do online, so I did that after dinner. Then it was time for me to go volunteer at the library again. This time I read a story about night and day, but it was in Italian. It was pretty rocky at first, but my pronunication got a little better after awhile lol! Good thing they were cute little kids! Then we all went to eat at La Bottega :D yum!!! Then I came back and picked up my clean laundry, finished my Italian test, did my extra credit work, and am figuring school stuff out for graduation from Harding and grad school stuff. I'm about to do my cleaning work here at the villa and then work on my Bible homework and humanities journal and then watch the firework show :). The fireworks are going on in Florence for the festival for St. Giovanni (John), but we can see them from the villa and it won't be so loud.

Oh yeah - there was this really awesome game going on that we saw on tv at La Bottega. It was a mix between: soccer, football, rugby, basketball, wrestling, and MMA. Basically you can do whatever you want and you score by getting the soccer-ish ball into the net at the other end. This was the championship game and my team won 2.5 to 1.5! I was kinda disappointed though that they didn't tell us about it earlier because it was happening in Florence.

Pace e amore!

Last day of free travel = train extravaganza

Ok so yesterday was the last day of free travel. We got up and left our hostel at 4 am to make it to the train station and get on our 1st train which left at 5. So then everything was going good until Munich, Germany where our train kept stopping in the middle of nowhere for no reason at all and so we were late arriving so we missed our other train, even though we were running with our packs on through the mobs of people...we wish we had a video of how ridiculous it was! So we missed our connecting train and had to remap our plan to get back to Florence, but the good news was that the Munich station is actually pretty legit and had lots of food options and a Starbucks! We got on the same path we were on, but just about an hour later. So we ended up getting back at 9:45 pm and then back to the villa around 11ish. So the only hiccup in our train plan was that the German trains didn't like us and then later they said we had to reserve a spot on this train, so we had to pay 18 euro :( They must have switched which train actually came to pick us up but it's all good. Then we finally got back to the villa and had to walk back from the tram to the villa bc the bus wasn't running...blah. So then we got back and had a snack and took warm showers for the first time in about 4 days lol and then crashed. We don't have anything til 1 pm the next day which is lunch. Then afternoon classes - Bible, Italian (homework due and apparently an open book test blah...), then Humanities stuff for Rome, and Library project then firework display tonight - it's a big holiday St. Giovanni I think.

Last Real Free Travel Day

So today's my last whole day in Prague, Wednesday June 22, 2o11. We woke up and got around and ate some breakfast. It started raining so we sought shelter for a bit, but that was ok. Then we went over to the Castle district and saw the Prague Castle and the St. Vitus Cathedral, which was soooo ridiculous and had so many stained glass windows. There is one special one inside, but I don't know for sure which one it was. There were also relics and graves in the church, which I find creepy, but I guess it's an ancient Catholic thing..."it's not wrong, it's just different..." lol. Anyway then we went to the Old Royal Palace and it had a jousting area inside...yeah crazy stuff. They even had a special stairway to get the horses and riders into the area lol! Then there was the defenstration window (the big church vs. state thing again and the people chunked the Catholic people out of this window and they died, all except 3 bc they landed in horse manure, but died a few days later bc they were tortured.) I forgot the name of the group that was fanatical and threw people out of the windows, but they still exist here today (roughly 300ish). And then we went to the St. George Basilica and it was deceiving because the outside seemed neo-gothic, but inside it was romanesque (my personal fave). The had redone the outside for whatever reason. But interestingly, the ceiling was not made out of curved stones because they didn't have that technology yet when they built this church, so it's made out of wood, which is verrrrrry rare :). Then I got a pic of some of the relics of a girl from a nearby town that were all in this little ornate case on the way out. I don't know why they were there or what importance they hold, but the skull was very intact and you could see the fissure lines and right up front was a beautiful fibula bone (sorry I'm a freak :/). Anyway then we left the castle and tried to mess with the guards again. We found a newby because when Anna leaned in and was pointing he flinched and straight up turned sideways which he shouldn't have done. HAHA! Then after that we walked down the hill and got some food - I had my first kabob and it was pretty good even though he put yogurt sauce on it even though I said no :(. Then we went to the Lennon wall and signed it and took tons of pics. I tried to go in the little museum/gift shop, but it wasn't open...bummer. Then we went back to watch the astronomical clock go off and see the rooster crow and all the little men going around and the skeleton pulling the chain and the man upstairs blowing the trumpet - very cool.

Oh I forgot to tell you that we saw the Dancing House last night. We didn't have our cameras ready though :( Plus it was too dark anyway. There's nothing to do there, but it's some crazy architecture.

Now we're taking a break because we've walked probably 5 miles and we're all gone so we got some water and are cooling off back at the hostel. I don't know if we'll go out to the Commy Museum or not, it depends on when everybody's feeling like they're not going to have a heat stroke :( and how far away it is. I would like to go, but on the tour we got soooo much info about the Communism and how it affected the country and revolts and the Jewish community and how the people here fought back and took back Prague from the Nazis all by themselves bc Russia was taking their sweet time coming to their aide and the Western world "wasn't responsible" for helping Czeckoslovakia. They fought them off for 5 days and cut off their water and then they made a truce and they let the Germans go across the bridge free and they could keep their city! How cool is that?!

I don't know what the rest of the day consists of besides more food and possibly more walking, but my knee is once again acting up so I'm probably about to take some medicine and a nap lol. Tomorrow our train back to Florence leaves at about 5 am. We either have 3 trains or 4, but we don't know for sure yet. Fun times!

Love you all - 37 days til I'm home! :D

Praha - 1st full day

So yesterday was fun, but I'm ready to see some of the sights and explore some more. This morning we're going on a walking tour because the rain has cleared up some. Our hostel takes us for free and we get to get our barings on where all the cool stuff is and the castle, museums, Jewish Quarter, Charles Bridge, Lennon wall - yep I'm doing it :). We're about to leave for that tour so I'll let you know how it goes later...

Ok so this was started yesterday and then my computer has become the communal computer lol. So yesterday morning we went on the walking tour. It's been a little rainy the past couple days, but nothing compared to what we've experienced before. So we met up with Simon, this British guy who was picking people up from hostels and hotels for the tour. Then we all joined the English group that met up in the Old Town Square. I expected the tour to be like ok - this is what street this is on, you should go here, it's this much to get in, then go visit this awesome sight...not how it was at all. The guide took us all around the Old Town, New Town, and Jewish Quarter! He told us all this history and we felt like it was an onsite class and we needed our moleskin notebooks! We didn't go across the Charles Bridge to the Castle District, but that's on tomorrow's (June 22) agenda. Then we got some food and checked out some souvenier shops and I found the last of my souveniers :D. No more shopping for me! If you can't tell I'm pretty excited about that...lol.

Tomorrow we're going to get up and go see the Charles Bridge (named after Charles IV, their fave king), the Prague Castle (with the St. Vitus Cathedral, St. George's Basilica, and the Old Royal Palace), the Lennon wall, and the Museum of Communism if we have the energy and can find all of it lol!

Love and miss you all!

Praha!

K so we woke up and caught our 6 am train, then we crashed for a little bit. Our next train switch was about 710, so not that long of a nap, but the train was verrrrry nice :). Then we got on the next train just fine and it was less nice, but it had cabin things and 5 of us got in one that had 8 seats so then we shut the door and closed the curtains and kicked up our feet and got comfy :) That was a good nap for about 2 hours. Then the third train was going to be our haul to get to it connection (we only had 8 minutes and had no clue what platform it was on etc.) but then we got there and it said "BUS" so then we went outside and there was a line of buses which was very unexpected. We got on the bus we were supposed to be on and it was super crowded - I sat in the aisle lol. It took us over to another train station where we hopped on our train there, no problem. That lasted about 2 1/2 hours total w/ bus and train. We didn't have to reserve seats on any of these trains so no money wasted :D Then about 12:40 we unloaded in Prague's main train station!!! Yep still not as nice as the station in Florence, but we're spoiled, what can I say?! Lol. From there we found the ATM because we needed Koruna (Czech currency) which is ridiculously confusing because it's worth almost nothing. Last night I paid 49 for dinner at KFC (which is very different than KFCs back home, no normal chicken and no normal sides, but still tasty when you're starving lol) which is less than $2-3! After the ATM we needed food so we left the station and found legit food with falafels (here you go Bubba!), gyros, pizzas, and lots of otther stuff too. It was super cheap and most of us shared stuff. Prague's pretty cheap like everyone said that had been free traveling here before. Then we made our way to our hostel - Yans' Residence. It is super nice, not really hostel-feeling at all. We have all 8 of us in one apartment loft type room. We all freaked at how nice it was :) and they said that I definitely found the most legit hostel for free travel ever lol. Then we walked around some and found Starbucks! They had the best mango drink ever :) We just chilled there and actually got some pointers from this Canadian dude who was super nice. Then later we got some dinner and explored some more.

Overnight train and Salzburg, Austria

Okay so overnight trains= fail, but it's free travel, a once in a lifetime opportunity, etc. We were in a cabin (think less cool Harry Potter train style) with 6 seats. We had 4 seats in the one I was in. They could lay down, but mine didn't work right. We kinda got a little sleep, but not really. We got off in Salzburg at 4 am this morning and it was freezing! Nothing was open so we tried to find somewhere not 40 degrees and rainy. We ended up underneath a part of the train station near a parking garage. There was another group of Americans - from UT ewww! under there too. Some of us got a little sleep down there but it was just too cold. Then at 630 we went up to check on the trains for tomorrow morning to Prague. We'll be leaving our really nice YOHO (Youth Hostel) at 5 am...blah. Then we went into this open caffe and got drinks and tried to be warmer. Then we went to an ATM and it ate Sam's card :( then we went to check on the Sound of Music tour. We all decided to do the bus tour instead of the bike bc it was cooooold and rainy and we didn't want to be miserable - such a good choice! No one regrets it :) We had the cutest little tour guide - a native Austrian man! He told us all the story and how the movie's a little different than real life and then we listened/sang the songs along the way and watched part of the anniversary version's interview with the actress who played Liesl. We drove all around to see the various places in the movie - the gazebo, the lake and back of the house where they fell in the water, the church where they were married, the "I have confidence" road/walkway/gate, and the mountains where they climbed away, among other stuff. Then when we were at the church we got to walk around that little town and eat famous apple streudal with ice cream and go to the famous adel vice shop. Such fun! Then after the tour we went to our hostel and checked in and some of us took a shower (we're all grody) and then we all crashed for a while...much needed sleep :) Then we got ready and went to this little healthy cool food place where I got chicken curry - so delicious and it was hot so it hit the spot. Now I don't know what we're doing lol...I'm just along for the ride.

Happy Father's Day out there and Happy Birthday Daddy - I love you and we'll have to have a father-daughter date when I get back :)

Last night's concert and today's plans

So the concert last night was actually really really interesting and they were obviously very talented artists. I was surprised because I'm not used to seeing the orchestra - usually I'm at the Nutcracker Ballet and they're hidden in the pit. It was really fun to see them and the emotion with which they play and how the conductor got after it and then would calm everyone down and then bring it back again. The place was packed too - Italian culture really is different in that they honestly just appreciate the arts more than we do overall back home.

Today I had Bible class at 8 - we turned in the last chapter's homework, went over our tests (I got a 41/40 - I missed one question, but got the bonus point and then since he didn't get them graded when he said he curved it up 1 point :D). Then we went over chapter 9 on the wedding planning. Once again, I'm very blessed to have the family I have and to be marrying the wonderful man I am and to be gaining awesome in-laws. God really loves me.

Then at 9 I had a final in IES and that went very well :) I still have a couple things left to do for that class, but it's all good...nothing too hard. Then we had Italian and we learned Mona's favorite song which was "caminando" or something like that. It's about walking, but it's also a love song lol. Then we had split chapel and sent the Burks off and had spaghetti for lunch! After that we started packing and then went and bought snacks at the COOP and then Paige and I had to go to the Superal in Scandicci for some other stuff and ended up taking a scenic detour getting back, but we got back and saw some pretty stuff. Also Bus 27 was working today lol...slackers.

So we got what we needed and came back and finished packing. Then I'm trying to see if anyone's up so I can talk to them before getting on a train, but who knows? Our train leaves at 6:30 and we switch to another train around 9 tonight and then get to Salzburg at 4 am tomorrow morning :) joy. We'll chill for a while in the train station there and then go over to our Sound of Music bike tour around 8/9 ish then we'll check into our hostel there and depending on how much sleep we get and the weather, we may go check some stuff out in town.

Then the next day our train for Prague leaves around 6 am, so we'll head on to the next stop :D! I'm so excited!!!

Love you everyone!

Last whole day at villa...before everything changes

So today I had IES class at 8, which turned into Dr. Burks and all your professors are making an epic surprise pancake, eggs, and bacon breakfast for you to eat instead of your IES class...awesome right? The president of my university made me pancakes and then sat next to me in worship...balling! Anyway then we had Bible class which was just finishing up chapter 8 from about a week ago lol so then we had a little time left over to study before Italian for the quiz. Then we learned about conjugating buono (good) and bello (handsome/pretty) as adjectives with masculine or feminine words and singular or plural words...confusing then we took a quiz, it wasn't horrible, but I tend to divert back to Spanish, whoops :/. Then we had chapel and Dr. Burks dismissed us...that's the last time I'll ever hear that which is kinda sad in a funny way. Then we had Humanities with this lady music teacher from the states but that works here now. She was prepping us for the concert we have tonight. It's the London Philharmonic playing a show here because our symphony is on tour elsewhere. The show sounds pretty cool, but the lady went off on a power trip in class and yelled at us about how cell phones and facebook weren't going to get us a job but knowing stuff about classical-type music and our experiences at HUF would. I just couldn't help but think about how they tell you to use networking tools as help to network to make connections and stay/get back in touch to get jobs (example - me and my FAA internship), but I felt bad that people were being disrespectful during her lecture. But it was supppper boring even for someone who loves music and even the "boring stuff" like Tchaikovsky. Then we had lunch which was good and I picked up my laundry :) yay for clean clothes! Then my knee was shot :( so I took 1/2 dose of my med so maybe it won't be so bad tonight lol. Then I did Bible homework studied bit for my final in IES tomorrow (btw I finished my assignment for the website for that class earlier today). Now it's dinner time and then I'll get ready and go to the concert. It starts at 8:30 and lasts forever (1 of the pieces she talked about lasts an hour...blah!) So I may not get to talk to everyone today, but I got to talk to Daddy already! I was excited because we didn't have time that matched up the past couple days :(

The dinner bell's calling my name, so I'm gonna go have some fabulous food. Ciao!

Uffizi

Today I really wanted to sleep in again, but I didn't because we needed to make sure to activate our Eurails and reserve spots on our trains, so we left at 10 and Kyle was nice enough to give us a ride down! So then it only took about 45 minutes or so after we got to the train station, which isn't that bad at all. Then we got some drinks and went to the bathroom lol. Bathrooms here aren't free unless you're a customer :( And then we stopped for me to have a good story - surprise...I got a piercing! Lol, no one needs to freak out it's nothing unprofessional or anything like that. Then we went in this little store in the underground mall and then walked around the San Lorenzo market for a bit. We all got these cute little sundresses! This Chinese lady gave us great deals on them. Then it was time to meet up with our group for lunch. So we ate a very good lunch at the place where Michelangelo used to come and hang out with his buddies and drink wine and eat cheese!!! Who can say they've sat in the same room that Michelangelo did?! I can :D Mkay so then we went to the Uffizi and it is this huge art museum that you're not allowed to take pics in because they want you to buy their prints of stuff...dumb. So I snuck a couple non- flash pics (so I wouldn't damage the art). But no harm done...and the pics for the most part were sooooo epic! Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Giotto, Artemisia ?, and sooo many more. Plus they had this terrace that had great views of the city and architecture! I have one pic that shows 3 centuries of architecture: 13oos, 1400s, and 1500s - 3 different buildings side by side! Then we walked around and got supper and then literally had the Jersey Shore people run into us on the sidewalk. Pauly D checked out my friends butt...no lie! This was the 3rd time today we'd seen them, so we'll probably show up in the show some time lol. Tomorrow we have classes and I need to study bc I have an Italian quiz :( blah!

Love you!

PS - yes there is drama going on here at the villa, yes I do hate it, yes I'm trying to be patient and keep my cool, so far I'm just venting and getting realllllly frustrated, but I probably will end up going off on a couple people if things continue to be like they have been the past few days bc they're being very 2-faced and just plain mean-spirited about other people and it's not necessary at all. (Trey sing the song for me! hahahahah)

PPS - Apparently there's a book by Freud about Leonardo da Vinci and how he has daddy issues and lots of other stuff...I have to find this book!!! Graduation present anyone? - Trey, didn't you want me to read a Freudian book since I like him? This would be perfect ;)

Sleep! Oh and classes...(1 day late lol)

Yesterday I got to sleep in and it was glorious!!! I woke up a couple times but just went back to sleep. I didn't get up to get ready until about 11:30. Then we had a great lunch and then had afternoon classes. We had an Italian test which actually went a lot better than I expected :) Then in Humanities we talked about the Uffizi (an art gallery made by the Medici family way back). Then in IES we learned about agriculture in Italy and what all goes into making cheese, wine, and olive oil. Then we took a "field trip" outside to look at our olive trees, rosemary bushes, and then a little ways down our hill to look at the grapevines of our neighbors that the fall groups get to help harvest. Then we watched youtube videos of how they clean them, etc. Very informative...I appreciate it all a lot more now, because it takes a lot of time and effort! Then we had dinner and went to Robbie and Marion's art show at the Club House in Florence. Robbie paints and so does Marion. Marion is a crippled man from church who is sooo precious. He paints by holding the paintbrush between his two misshapen, seemingly unusable hands. His determination and spirit are truly touching. It was a fun, but very crowded experience. The food was pretty good. Then some of us went walking around Florence and found a really cool Kabob place where the people are super fun and nice. Then we came back up to the villa and crashed!

Yesterday @ San Giminano and Siena

We woke up pretty early (I had a rough night, bummer) and then got on a bus to go to San Giminano. It's a little medieval town that shows us what Florence was like before it got bulked up and the flood of 1966, etc. It still had multiple towers and we climbed one to get a better look over the city. We went to a church and on one side there were many frescos of Old Testament scenes and on the other side of the church there were New Testament scenes. I found it very interesting that our guide (Donnatella who was sooo precious!) mentioned that the majority of people were illiterate up until quite recently so the preacher would be in the pulpit and would say I'm talking about that picture over there, this is what's happening and these are who the people are, etc. So that was very insightful. There we had 2 writing assignments: we had to choose one NT/OT scene to write about and respond to - I chose the betrayal of Jesus scene. There was a ton of emotion and Judas was kissing his cheek, Jesus was peaceful and looking heavenward as if asking God for strength, Peter was tackling the guy and cutting off his ear, some of the other disciples were fleeing, and the mob of soldiers were out for blood. It was just so full of everything. Then I had to choose from writing about the Last Judgement scene (either Heaven or Hell) at the front of the church or about the little chapel dedicated to this saint girl. It wasn't all that pretty and I thought her story about sainthood was stupid so I wrote about Hell. Heaven was very bland and angelic and happy. Hell was super scary - the demons were all grinning maliciously as they tortured people. They separated it into the 7 deadly sins and they were getting punished accordingly. It was super creepy... Gluttons were being forced to eat poop, people were getting stabbed in horrible places, I noticed that a couple of people were just in the middle of all the pain and chaos and were curled up in a ball with their head in their hands because of the anguish... It was all just very sad. Then we wandered around the town some more and it was pretty, but there wasn't really anything to do.

Then a short bus ride over to Siena (where they have the horse races on the 2nd!!! I'm going :D). There we went to another church, the world's oldest still operating bank, and then the square. Then we got some drinks and chilled in the square for a little bit and then walked around and looked in the shops. I finally found a bookstore that had English books, but they didn't have anything worthwhile :(. Then we chilled in the square some more and then more people met up with us and then finally we had dinner - which was the best food I've had yet... and it'll be hard to top. First there were appetizers with bread and different stuff on top. I had some bread lol. Then the pasta - homemade spaghetti-ish noodles that were super thick and awesome covered in tomato based sauce with epic spices. We got another helping at my table lol! Then they brought out a platter of meat and potatoes that were to die for. Then we had a traditional Sienese dessert- some kind of chocolate cake with white mousse stuff at the top and yellow cream stuff all over it. I tried it, but I was pretty full and was not too fond of the cream stuff. Then they brought out biscotti and coffee for those that wanted it. Then we got back on the bus and drove back. This was the most ghetto bus yet, sooo rickety. But we made it back in one piece! Then we crashed basically.

Author talk & University of Florence

Today we left the villa around 9 to get to the Piazza Strozzi. They gave us a 3 euro allowance to get a coffee or drink before going so I got a coke :). Then my stomach wasn't feeling too hot so I only drank about half of it, but the half I drank was good lol. The author has written about 8 books and is 35 years old! The book he talked the most about is called Tolkein and Bach comparing fantasy (mainly The Lord of the Rings trilogy) with classical literature and showing the similarities and common lessons to be learned, etc. He also translates books into many different languages! I think he's fluent in like 10 languages or something insane like that... He also went on a little rant about hollistic medicine and how flowers can cure anxiety but different ones work for different people and they test it by hovering your right hand over the piles and then watching the muscles respond in your left arm...I was a little skeptical about all of that, but if it works for you go for it. Still CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) + meds = best results according to all the empirical research, but whatev. I was really tired and he was pretty boring.

Then we had to rush to get over to the train station to meet up with Ermenita who works at the Bible school and goes to church with us in Florence. She went to school at the University of Florence so she took us to one of their campuses and we ate in their cafeteria and then peaked in on a student taking his final oral exams and then talked about how their schooling is different than ours. You pay 2000 euro per year (2 semesters) and can take as many classes as you want. You don't have to go to classes, just read the 3 or so books and then show up for the oral examinations at the end. Then to graduate you write a 250+ page thesis paper thing. A bachelor's is 180 credits (most classes are 6 credits) and a master's is 120 credits.

Then she took us to an artisan's workshop and it was amazing! He told us about how he does what he does and smushed a 1 euro coin into a giglio (Florentine fleur-de-lis) for me! I got a pic of him smushing it and then one with him afterwards. There were some really cool souvenier type things and some really gotty jewelry. I got a couple things for some people there, but you won't know til Xmas! Also he works for Sax 5th Avenue and other ritzy American places who really jack up his prices. They sought him out because he's been doing in for 50-something years now. They've been his clients for probably 20ish years now. For the smaller stuff he has to make a wax impression of each one he makes. For the pressed stuff he hand carves out the design and then makes it. He is crazy-talented!

Then there wasn't enough time left to reserve the Eurail stuff for free travel so we'll have to do that tomorrow (hopefully)! Tomorrow we go to Siena and San Giminiano for the day. It should be fun. I need to figure out when my stuff's due and when my tests are and what they're over, so I should probably check that stuff out LOL!