The Fam treks it to Europe!

As all of you are aware of, I'm sure, on Monday and Tuesday I had the chance to see my madre, padre, and nonna in Venezia, Italia, and my friend Lara joined us for a great couple of days.

The beautiful Lara Douglass!

On the train ride over, it felt so weird to be like, woah guys, I'm a 1 hour 30 minute train ride from Venice. 

Bologna Train Station

Approaching Venice! 

Oh hey Mummy, Daddy, Grammy

The whole ride over, I couldn't contain my excitement, and would randomly break out in to smiles... just ask the guy sitting next to me. I'm sure he was a little worried about my sanity. 

As soon as I stepped outside of the train station, I was literally slapped in the face with Venice's beauty, with the Grand Canal and the Venice bustle awaiting me outside the doors. I still can't even explain how overwhelming/cool/surreal it was to have that view as soon as I walked out of the doors. 

Venice Train Station. That's my train on the left. Sidenote: I was the idiot who gets somewhat caught in the door when it closes, when I was getting off the train. 

The walk to the hostel was a relatively easy/short walk. I made a wrong turn, and was able to talk with a local and ask for directions. She complimented me on my Italian *swoon* ALSO: big lessons learned on speaking with locals, and speaking Italian in general... but more to come on that later. 

Piazza/Buildings outside of hostel

To the left from hostel door.

The bridge.

To the right.

To the right again.

Windows, with flowerbed, is the windows/balcony outside of hostel living room.

Piazza!

Our bunkbed. 

The hostel has such a cute little Piazza outside of it, and it's own private bridge leading to the front door :) 

My family and I had agreed that we would meet in the middle of Piazza San Marco at 5:30. Unfortunately, I had been told that a water bus would only take 5-10 minutes, and instead it took 45 minutes. I also later found out that my hostel was actually a "one" 20 minute walk to Piazza San Marco, NOT a 1 hour 20 minute walk: thanks hostel website. 

So I was a tad bit late when I arrived to the square. The boat ride over was relaxing though. Sunset, breeze, and the sweet Venetian air. 

Walking into the sunset.

About to see my family in 15 seconds. 

When I got off the boat, I nearly ran (taking pictures in between speed walking) and finally turned the corner to the Piazza. I waved to my dad, (hey he's taller and can see over the crowd... sorry mom, sorry Grammy), and we met each other in the middle. It was pretty great :)

REUNITED! (We're totally not crying...)

I felt so happy. Yet still couldn't believe it.

That night we had dinner, and got lost through the streets trying to find a restaurant, that ended up being booked (and a bit rude). But we ended up eating right around the corner at an amazing restaurant that was right next to a smaller canal. 

Before dinner though, I was about to give my mom her b-day present, when suddenly my fam just gives me a bag full of goodies. I pull out one particular bag though that had, what was obviously wrapped food. I immediately thought it was cheese. Family's response: "You've been in Italy way too long."

Guys. IT WAS A BURRITO. Some of you know, there is no Mexican food here. And the Mexican food Lara and I did once try, it was a burrito with melted mozzarella cheese, shaved/cubed prosciutto, and red cabbage. And it was 10.50 euro. So, there were some serious withdrawals going on here. They got Lara (who arrived later that night) and I two burritos and two soft tacos.

The next day (MY MOM'S BIRTHDAY!) we took a gondola ride, and ended up getting a great discount because Lara and I talked with our gondolier Gino in Italian, and asked him questions about himself. It was a cloudy morning, and there were virtually no lines, so we just went for it. 

We took a grand canal/private canal tour. I love this city so much. There are so many interesting colors, building materials, textures, sculptures, and shapes to find the detail in. I really enjoyed looking at the smaller details, not just the canal as a whole. That's when you really realize the magic of this city. When you get off the beaten path, get a little lost, or look a little harder. 

My favorite building

Still got it!

We spent the rest of the day, walking, eating, more walking, and more eating. 

Ponte Realto

Walking :)

Now, Venice is an absolutely beautiful city, but after living in a city that is more isolated from heavy tourism, I've realized that the Italians in Venice are so much more jaded, and with good reason! When speaking Italian with businesses, we either experienced shock/appreciation/gratitude, or impatience and anger. 

But overall, I would say that majority of people were thankful. Even people I asked directions from. Even though I was taking their time, they seemed to appreciate that I knew how to speak the language. ALSO: asking locals directions not only can improve your confidence with speaking the language, but you can also learn cool and interesting facts... or receive huge discounts on your gondola ride. 

So don't be afraid to put yourself out there and meet people! It pays off... literally. 

Ciao Venezia!

I wish I could have had more time with the family, but still having the opportunity to spend even a second with them, and also share this experience with Lara, was more than I could ever ask for. 

Thanks family, for an amazing two days :) See you in January!

Every little thing, is gonna be alright.

As I listen to my favorite music, and wind down for the day, I find myself being overwhelmed with a sense of complete and total gratitude.

With this blog, I have tried to be as real as possible with how this experience is actually going.

I don't want to sugar coat it, fabricate it, or exaggerate it. I don't want to come off as entitled, or come off as ungrateful. 

The first month and a half here was rough. One of the roughest transitions I've ever had. As my sister Vivian said, "Life kind of kicked you in the figurative balls."

That it did sister. That it did. 

Before arriving here, I felt so detached from life. I lacked a feeling of presence, and I felt so alienated from the positive, optimistic person I recall being over 2-3 years ago.

I used to be so keenly interested in discovering the details and secrets of my surroundings and the people who crossed paths with me, excited to uncover the beauty embedded in every living and non-living thing. 

And some how, one day, those views that seemed to trademark my persona, just slipped away without warning. I became bitter, angry, and almost careless. 

So when I arrived and felt lost and detached from people, and was slapped in the face with some real, real, serious epiphanies, all I could think, (while I laid on the ground in fetal position, holding my injured man junk) was, "I just need to [get up off the ground and] keep moving forward." Even if it was one measly baby step at a time. Even if I didn't know where I was headed. 

And let me just tell you, I needed that kick in the balls. I needed to just completely fall on my ass and feel EXTREMELY stupid and broken for awhile. 

I have taken this opportunity abroad to really think about who I want to be, and how I want to reshape myself. Like I posted in an earlier blog, I really did need some time in a beautiful place to clear my head.

Am I still clueless on what I want to do for the rest of my life? Well, (like, toats, obvs) duh! 

But am I more in tune with who I am, what makes me happy, and what my outlook on life is? Definitely. 

I have realized who my support system actually is. Distinguishing the strangers from acquaintances, acquaintances from friends, and friends from the people I absolutely can't live without. 

I am beginning to remember the pride I used to take in myself, and the value of me, which everyone in my support system has been trying to make me remember, see, feel, and believe. 

And most importantly, my sense of awe and wonder about life, and about others has been restored. I catch myself, once again, thriving off the uncovering of details. I missed considering myself as a "detail-oriented" person. I miss finding the beauty in the simplest of things, and just being completely overwhelmed with how fascinating this life can be. 

I still have a lot to learn and uncover here, (SO much actually), but I feel so refreshed now, and for the first time in awhile, I feel like "me" again.

On top of having all of these different epiphanies, being reunited with my family was a perfect way for life to say, "Hey, guess what? Errthang is going to be okay." 

And in fact, it is more than okay. It is simply and utterly beautiful. 

(more pictures to come in a different post)

Picnics

The weather in Bologna thus far has been so beautiful. When I first got here, it was a lovely 100+ degrees every day.

Now the weather is in the 70's, with a warm breeze, and the occasional rain or thunderstorm. Perfetto! 

To take advantage of this great weather, this week has been filled with outdoor picnics. 

A few nights a go, a group of us had a "dolce aperitivo" in Piazza Maggiore. We sat in the Piazza, on a blanket, and had wine, champagne, cookies, dark chocolate, fruit, and yogurt dip in the middle of the night. 

While we were sitting in the middle of the Piazza, there was a classical music concert going on outside that sounded like the type of music you'd here in Disneyland. It was so surreal to hear such beautiful music, while we were casually laying in the Piazza, laughing, telling jokes, and reminiscing over the past few years in college. 

We had a cute older couple from Wisconsin approach us and ask us if we were American, and they talked with us for a bit. It was such a great, but brief, conversation, and as they left, we smiled at each other and all wished each other the best in life. 

Yesterday some friends and I had, yet another, picnic in Giardini Margherita (this is the park I go running in). We sat around the edge of a large grass field, that reminds me so much of Memorial Glade (berkeleywithdrawals). 

We ate brie, baguettes, sundried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, sliced meat, grapes, and plums, and had some wine. It was so nice to just enjoy the sunshine and really spend some time in the park. It's great for running, but I've never really just sat down and taken in the beauty of this area. 

These are the moments I live for in Bologna. 

Fall

Fall is in the air. and I am so excited. 

I love the crunch of leaves beneath my feet. The hues of red, orange, and yellow. The crisp cold air. And of course, the rain that makes you want to snuggle up with some hot chocolate. 

I can't wait for scarves, for boots, for big sweaters, for three layers of blankets on my bed. 

I can't wait to do what my dad does just for me every fall/winter: grab a pot, fill it with water, cinnamon sticks, sliced oranges, and lemons. put it on the stove, low heat, and get ready for your house to smell like heaven. 

I love sitting in cafes with tons of layers on, as it rains outside, while I drink coffee, read, admire the eclectic decor, and listen to jazz music. 

But most of all. I can't wait for the change in people. I feel like every fall/winter, people become so much more friendly and so much easier to relate to. Maybe that's just the winter baby in me.

But there's just something about fall and winter.

Here is the park I always run at. These are just pictures from google images. I'm slacking on the photos. But just so you guys have an idea of what it looks like and what it will look like once the leaves fall :)

Berkeley in Bologna?

Today has been one of those, walk everywhere and get lost -- with or without intention -- days.

Trying to find my classes today I definitely got lost, but even if I didn't find where my class was, I found where a different class was or found a beautiful place. 

I felt slightly ridiculous trying to decipher what was being said in lecture today. Just as I felt like I had a grasp on what the teacher was saying, he'd change subjects. Buttt rumor has it, that in a couple of weeks this won't be a problem.

Plus, I can always go to their office hours. :) 

After class today, I decided to purposefully get lost. And it was great. I promise pictures will come soon. 

I stumbled upon multiple streets that I had been to before, but just couldn't recall how I had gotten there. And since school has started, and no one is on vacation anymore, the streets are so much more lively than the first time I saw them.

And here's one fun fact about Bologna. Students sort of dictate everything here. 

The University of Bologna is the first Western University in the world. It started in 1088. And since then, the businesses, the construction, and the culture of this city have been dependent upon students. Really.

So it wasn't too shocking when I walked down these streets, and felt like I was in a completely different place since the first time I had walked down them. 

One street in particular was literally filled with fish markets, chocolate shops, gelaterias, bakeries, soap shops, meat markets, bookstores, everything. 

Walking down this street, as the sun was setting, the breeze was blowing, and the air was literally filled with so many incredible scents... was so unreal. 

I think I now understand what a true European evening feels like. 

On my way back to my apartment. I just happened to look up at a store window, and there's a new clothing line at this store called Berkeley. So in big letters in the window, it just said BERKELEY. It literally brought the biggest smile to my face. 

After I got home. My friend Lara wanted to go out for another stroll. And we basically made it our mission to find as many chocolate shops as we could and try one chocolate from each place. AMAZING.