Hey everyone!
I miss you guys!!! How are things going? Are starting your programs already? I've been thinking about you a lot these past couple days as I've been settling in over here! We FINALLY got our internet up and running in our residence so I'm so excited that I can talk to you again!
I finished my program in Geneva on August 14th and since then I’ve been having an AMAZING time traveling around Italy with my parents. Now I’m settled into my residence in Florence for the fall and I FINALLY have internet again! So, hopefully it won’t seem like I’ve dropped off the face of the planet. : )
To complete my time in Switzerland, I took a “Chocolate Train” to visit the Callier/Nestle Chocolate Factory and the Guyere Cheese Factory. Our tour of the cheese factory was narrated by a “cow” (o yes- the recording quickly clarified “I’m the cow”) and the “cow” explained how the cheese was made- starting from digestion in the cow’s stomach (haha-appetizing, right?) through the production process and into the cellars where they allow the cheese to age. We took a bus from the factory into the actual town of Guyere which is so small it seems like it basically exists as a place for tourists but we had a delicious lunch of cheese fondue. There’s nothing that can make you feel like you’re in Switzerland more than being surrounded by green hills and eating cheese. Then we hopped back on the train and went to the Chocolate Factory. All of us were going absolutely nuts- the smell of chocolate was so intoxicating and delicious! AND the tour included an “all-you-can-eat” sample room! Haha omgosh it was INSANE! There were counters covered with every type of chocolate and truffle you can imagine, and we were shoving chocolate into our mouths as fast as we possibly could to try to “sample” everything. Needless to say, we didn’t want ANY chocolate for the rest of the week… I guess we learned why gluttony is very very bad. ; )
Over that weekend we also went to the Fete (which is Geneva’s summer festival) and saw the most incredible fireworks display that lasted over an hour. We decided it was our chance to celebrate the Fourth of July since most of us were on airplanes flying to Geneva during the real 4th and missed all the fireworks. On Saturday, we took the bus from Geneva into France and took a cable car up the mountain. At the top there is the most gorgeous view of Geneva and people were hand gliding off the mountain.
So, my parents met up with me on August 14th and it was wonderful to see them again! The next day, we flew to Naples, Italy to begin our “Italian Whirlwind Adventure.” Haha we seriously went all over and saw so many things that it was absolutely crazy!
Naples:
We basically went to Naples just as an “in-between” stop for one night. The city is really old and full of a lot of historical buildings but it was pretty packed with people and street vendors who would follow you around. What I enjoyed the most was that we went to one of the museums that was filled with artifacts from Pompei – it was amazing to see how advanced their society
was and how they have been able to preserve some of the things.
Pompei:
On our way from Naples to Amalfi, we stopped to tour to ruins of Pompei. I had been impressed by the things from Pompei in the museum in Naples but actually being there and walking through the city took things to a WHOLE new level. I never realized how HUGE the city of Pompei was before it was destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted. They have only been able to excavate a small part of it and after walking around for three hours, we still hadn’t even seen more than 60% of it. There are actually bodies there that were “frozen” as the lava solidified and you can seen the expressions on some of the victims faces…it was mind-blowing.
Amalfi:
Okay, THIS is where I want to get married! Amalfi is probably the most GORGEOUS place I have ever been to in my life! It’s this little town on the coast of Italy whose cliffs dotted with little houses meet up with sparkling blue-green water. We had breakfast every morning on a little patio overlooking the sea and the small city below. It was absolutely breathtaking… Upon leaving Amalfi, we took a boat ride and passed by the islands where the Sirens were said to be in
the Odyssey and the island of Capri. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.: )
Rome:
I was blown away by this city and loved every minute I spent here. Rome is FILLED with historical ruins, amazing restaurants, and lots of little shops. Trevi Fountain is gorgeous lit up at night! We took the most incredible tours of the Coliseum and Palatine Hill. Many of the places are falling apart now, but people lived so lavishly back then, I couldn’t even believe what I was seeing. I honestly felt like everything I have learned about in Mythology and AP Euro is in this city. We also took a tour of the Vatican City (couldn’t stop thinking of Euro Trip and the book Angels and Demons), and I got to see the Sistine Chapel. It the most incredible work of art I have ever seen,and I seriously just stood there amazed at how a person could possibly have done that.
Pisa:
Haha yes, we went to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa! At first I was a little surprised because it wasn’t as “tilted” as I thought it would be. We learned that they have been trying to stabilize the structure by removing the earth under one side of the building so that it doesn’t actually fall over. However, when we got closer and could see the base, I couldn’t believe how the building is actually still standing considered how sunken the base is!
Venice:
Gondola ride? Of course! Haha I felt like I was dreaming or something going through the canals and seeing Italian men singing on the bridges. We also went to San Marco’s Square which has a TON of pigeons (its not a joke!) and into the Doge Palace. There really aren’t ANY cars in Venice-I felt like I was playing make-believe. They say that eventually with global warming the city may no longer exist because water levels are rising every year, causing more and more buildings to flood. Venice is pretty idealistic- with musicians playing late at night and boats floating around you.
Florence!
Ahhh yes, I’m finally here! Haha- now that I’ll actually be in one place for more than five days at a time, I plan on soaking up everything that I possibly can! My parents left on Saturday to fly back to California so, I’ve been here by myself over the weekend walking around and exploring little piazzas and streets. I am SO incredibly happy that I chose to study abroad here! This city is simply amazing!!! I went up to a place called Piazza Michelangelo and had the most
breathtaking view of the city. Certain places in Tuscany remind me a little bit of California-a little bit like the drive out to Temecula with vineyards and rolling hills. The food is TO DIE FOR- Italian cuisine at its finest! There are markets with tons of beautiful leather purses, Italian handmade stationary, and cheeses and fruit. And I just can’t get over where my residence it located. I’m basically in the middle of the city next to the Uffizi Gallery that has amazing masterpieces from the Renaissance including Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and da Vinci’s Adoration of the Magi. Two streets down from me is the main shopping street Via de Tornabuoni-the headquarters of Gucciand Prada.
I live in an apartment with 13 girls and everyone seems really nice so far! The only problem is that we live on the 6th floor of the building and our building doesn’t have an elevator so it’s quite the trek up the stairs after a long day. This week we are doing orientation activities and then classes start on Monday.
Basically, I’m in love with Italy! Now I just need to learn Italian. : )
Amy
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
HELLO IV! GOODBYE HOME!!
hello all,
i am so sorry i have not updated all summer! china was absolutely crazy; im sure most of you have already heard about how my bag (and passport and camera and wallet and the list goes on :( ) was stolen so i won't go into that again!
well, i am leaving for ny on wednesday and then flying out to south africa on thursday!! i'm super excited, and just a bit nervous. i definitely packed way more than recommended so i hope it doesn't get in the way! (even though i only have one suitcase and one duffel! a girl's gotta have her stuff!) i will be doing a lot of traveling in this program, so im supposed to pack light. eek.
anyways, i just wanted to let everyone know i'm alive...and i promise i will blog here again! i miss the iv community!!
blessings,
jso
i am so sorry i have not updated all summer! china was absolutely crazy; im sure most of you have already heard about how my bag (and passport and camera and wallet and the list goes on :( ) was stolen so i won't go into that again!
well, i am leaving for ny on wednesday and then flying out to south africa on thursday!! i'm super excited, and just a bit nervous. i definitely packed way more than recommended so i hope it doesn't get in the way! (even though i only have one suitcase and one duffel! a girl's gotta have her stuff!) i will be doing a lot of traveling in this program, so im supposed to pack light. eek.
anyways, i just wanted to let everyone know i'm alive...and i promise i will blog here again! i miss the iv community!!
blessings,
jso
Thursday, August 14, 2008
why hello hungry hippo
Hey guys!
How are your summers winding down? Are you ready for your fall study abroads?
I see youre having fun Amy, im jealous of your nature journeys. Your pictures look really cool.
Heres a few updates on my past couple of days. School is pretty easy but i am actually having to start doing a little bit of work, its kind of annoying, my work ethic is basically nonexistant.
A week ago, i went to this tourist spot called mount cootha which is basically a nice lookout point to see the entire city and catch the "mountians" on one side and the ocean on the other and the city and the snaking river in between. I thought it was pretty cool because it was such a cool view, i could see where i lived sort of and the city skyline. I went with a group from my small group people so it was nice being driven around the city.
A couple of days ago, i went with some people i lived with to the yearly fair. There is actually a holiday on Wednesday for the city where everyone gets a day off to go to this fair. Anyways, it was more tailored for kids, but it was still fun, it was actually really huge, i went from 12-8 and we didnt cover the entire fair, i was also pretty tired at the end. We watched fireworks, saw people parachute out of a plane into the stadium, motorcycle freestyle, monster trucks, a horse jumping thing, a dog show, getting lost in massive crowds, etc. I have discovered the people here are really really nice, the people i live with share food like no other. Every time there is food, they always inevitable share, and even randomly buy stuff to share, i was kind of shocked how openly they shared like they gave a ice cream cone to a random stranger sitting behind us when we were watching fireworks. In terms of personality, there are these 2 girls from singapore that are really nice, but also really crazy. Like i have almost never met anyone as crazy as them, its really funny.
Anyways, im still chilling in my room, its nice here still. Australia doesnt like to show usa basketball that much though, so that part has been kind of annoying, but they really like swimming so i guess thats good too to see phelps.
Hope you guys are having fun!
Bye!
Eric
How are your summers winding down? Are you ready for your fall study abroads?
I see youre having fun Amy, im jealous of your nature journeys. Your pictures look really cool.
Heres a few updates on my past couple of days. School is pretty easy but i am actually having to start doing a little bit of work, its kind of annoying, my work ethic is basically nonexistant.
A week ago, i went to this tourist spot called mount cootha which is basically a nice lookout point to see the entire city and catch the "mountians" on one side and the ocean on the other and the city and the snaking river in between. I thought it was pretty cool because it was such a cool view, i could see where i lived sort of and the city skyline. I went with a group from my small group people so it was nice being driven around the city.
A couple of days ago, i went with some people i lived with to the yearly fair. There is actually a holiday on Wednesday for the city where everyone gets a day off to go to this fair. Anyways, it was more tailored for kids, but it was still fun, it was actually really huge, i went from 12-8 and we didnt cover the entire fair, i was also pretty tired at the end. We watched fireworks, saw people parachute out of a plane into the stadium, motorcycle freestyle, monster trucks, a horse jumping thing, a dog show, getting lost in massive crowds, etc. I have discovered the people here are really really nice, the people i live with share food like no other. Every time there is food, they always inevitable share, and even randomly buy stuff to share, i was kind of shocked how openly they shared like they gave a ice cream cone to a random stranger sitting behind us when we were watching fireworks. In terms of personality, there are these 2 girls from singapore that are really nice, but also really crazy. Like i have almost never met anyone as crazy as them, its really funny.
Anyways, im still chilling in my room, its nice here still. Australia doesnt like to show usa basketball that much though, so that part has been kind of annoying, but they really like swimming so i guess thats good too to see phelps.
Hope you guys are having fun!
Bye!
Eric
Monday, August 4, 2008
hey hey
Hey!
So my time these past two weeks has been a complete whirlwind of activity! Basically, I’ve been traveling to a different country Thurs- Sun every week and only spend Mon-Weds in Geneva. It’s so weird because even though I’m actually doing the study abroad program here, I feel like I’ve seen the least of this city out of all the places I’ve visited!
Anyway, here’s a little bit about what I’ve been up to:
July 18th-20th: I went to a town in France called Chamonix near Mont Blanc. The town is situated in a valley between the Alps. So, my professors took 14 of us to this place where many people go in the winter to ski. The first day we were there we went on a 6 ½ hike up the mountain. Between having to hang on to ropes and balance on metal ladders to scale the sides of the cliff, it definitely took a lot out of us. However, it was absolutely gorgeous! Honestly the view was one of the most incredible sights I’ve seen in my life, and I felt like I was photo-shopped into scenes from the Sound of Music. We were also able to climb up to see where a glacier is melting and encountered Chamonix (goat-like animals) along our way. It looked like a scene on the packaging for Swiss cheese. The second day we took another hike up to Lac Blanc and the water was so pristine and clear up at that altitude.
When I got back from Chamonix, we had midterms for my business class and then left on Weds to go to Berlin.
July 23rd- 28th: The whole group of students on study abroad took a couchette (overnight train with sleeper cars) from Geneva to Berlin. Each little room had 6 bunks so we were literally sleeping right on top of each other. It was definitely quite an experience but people’s tempers started flaring up after being in such close quarters with lack of sleep. So, I was definitely glad when we were able to get off the train. Our trip to Berlin was a combined class “field trip”/ weekend getaway so we spent Thursday and Friday visiting various historical and business related sites in Berlin. We went to Checkpoint Charlie, the Jewish Memorial, the Reichstag building, and saw the Berlin Wall. Ironically, Obama was speaking in Berlin while we were there so we tried to go see him speak. The problem was that there were tons of people there and the police (and their German shepherds) ended up closing off the section where he was speaking because there was no one everyone could fit. However, the sound system was set up really well so we were able to hear the majority of the speech. Berlin is a really interesting place to visit just because of the dichotomy between the modernized sections of the city and those which are still more traditional. We went to a club one night and a DJ from Florida happened to be visiting so we had a good time dancing to sounds we actually recognized rather than the techno music that is more common in Europe. And of course we tried all the German specialties- bratwurst, schnitzel, and strudel! : )
We took the train back from Berlin on Sunday night and arrived in Geneva early Monday afternoon. At this point we were all exhausted but our philosophy teacher handed out the prompt for his midterm. So, we spent the next 48 hours trying to actually catch up on all our readings and write three essays…not so fun.
July 31st- August 3rd: This past weekend I traveled to Prague. The city is absolutely gorgeous! If you ever have a chance to travel and want to see some amazing architecture I would definitely recommend this city. Between amazing castles, a bridge adorned which old statues, and cobblestones streets, I honestly felt like I was on the set for a movie. Supposedly, a lot of scenes have been filmed there including Harry Potter, James Bond, and Wanted. We spent a lot of time walking around and going out to until 5am because everything is open much, much later. However, I was really disappointed because I was supposed to spend Saturday visiting a concentration camp called Terezin. Even though we had our confirmation numbers because we weren’t able to print out our vouchers (we didn’t have a printer), we weren’t allowed to go on the tour. So, I ended up getting charged a non-refundable, ridiculous amount of money and wasn’t able to see it at all. : ( Also, people in the group I was traveling with had too much drama… So needless to say, I was very glad to return to Geneva last night.
Anyway, I’d love to hear all about what you have been up to! Hope that things are going well!
Amy
So my time these past two weeks has been a complete whirlwind of activity! Basically, I’ve been traveling to a different country Thurs- Sun every week and only spend Mon-Weds in Geneva. It’s so weird because even though I’m actually doing the study abroad program here, I feel like I’ve seen the least of this city out of all the places I’ve visited!
Anyway, here’s a little bit about what I’ve been up to:
July 18th-20th: I went to a town in France called Chamonix near Mont Blanc. The town is situated in a valley between the Alps. So, my professors took 14 of us to this place where many people go in the winter to ski. The first day we were there we went on a 6 ½ hike up the mountain. Between having to hang on to ropes and balance on metal ladders to scale the sides of the cliff, it definitely took a lot out of us. However, it was absolutely gorgeous! Honestly the view was one of the most incredible sights I’ve seen in my life, and I felt like I was photo-shopped into scenes from the Sound of Music. We were also able to climb up to see where a glacier is melting and encountered Chamonix (goat-like animals) along our way. It looked like a scene on the packaging for Swiss cheese. The second day we took another hike up to Lac Blanc and the water was so pristine and clear up at that altitude.
When I got back from Chamonix, we had midterms for my business class and then left on Weds to go to Berlin.
July 23rd- 28th: The whole group of students on study abroad took a couchette (overnight train with sleeper cars) from Geneva to Berlin. Each little room had 6 bunks so we were literally sleeping right on top of each other. It was definitely quite an experience but people’s tempers started flaring up after being in such close quarters with lack of sleep. So, I was definitely glad when we were able to get off the train. Our trip to Berlin was a combined class “field trip”/ weekend getaway so we spent Thursday and Friday visiting various historical and business related sites in Berlin. We went to Checkpoint Charlie, the Jewish Memorial, the Reichstag building, and saw the Berlin Wall. Ironically, Obama was speaking in Berlin while we were there so we tried to go see him speak. The problem was that there were tons of people there and the police (and their German shepherds) ended up closing off the section where he was speaking because there was no one everyone could fit. However, the sound system was set up really well so we were able to hear the majority of the speech. Berlin is a really interesting place to visit just because of the dichotomy between the modernized sections of the city and those which are still more traditional. We went to a club one night and a DJ from Florida happened to be visiting so we had a good time dancing to sounds we actually recognized rather than the techno music that is more common in Europe. And of course we tried all the German specialties- bratwurst, schnitzel, and strudel! : )
We took the train back from Berlin on Sunday night and arrived in Geneva early Monday afternoon. At this point we were all exhausted but our philosophy teacher handed out the prompt for his midterm. So, we spent the next 48 hours trying to actually catch up on all our readings and write three essays…not so fun.
July 31st- August 3rd: This past weekend I traveled to Prague. The city is absolutely gorgeous! If you ever have a chance to travel and want to see some amazing architecture I would definitely recommend this city. Between amazing castles, a bridge adorned which old statues, and cobblestones streets, I honestly felt like I was on the set for a movie. Supposedly, a lot of scenes have been filmed there including Harry Potter, James Bond, and Wanted. We spent a lot of time walking around and going out to until 5am because everything is open much, much later. However, I was really disappointed because I was supposed to spend Saturday visiting a concentration camp called Terezin. Even though we had our confirmation numbers because we weren’t able to print out our vouchers (we didn’t have a printer), we weren’t allowed to go on the tour. So, I ended up getting charged a non-refundable, ridiculous amount of money and wasn’t able to see it at all. : ( Also, people in the group I was traveling with had too much drama… So needless to say, I was very glad to return to Geneva last night.
Anyway, I’d love to hear all about what you have been up to! Hope that things are going well!
Amy
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