The End

Here it is, the last post. I've been home for almost a week now, so I've had plenty of time to think about what I want to write. Now I will attempt to summarize my thoughts.

First off, it almost seems like this fall semester was a dream. It went by so quickly, and now all of a sudden I'm back at home and everything is back to normal. However, things definitely have changed.

I've learned so many new things. I have many Italian recipes that I have tried or will attempt from my cooking class and my wonderful host parents. They have also taught me to appreciate food more and really enjoy the flavors and time to be with family and other people I love. My Italian has improved immensely, thanks to the amount of practice I've gotten through conversations with my host family, conversation partners, and other Italians. Because of these opportunities I've taken advantage of, I can confidently say I speak Italian (albeit certainly not perfectly, I can always improve). Looking back, my only regret is that I didn't utilize these opportunities even more, but I will still keep in contact with these friends. I've been able to travel not only to new cities in Italy, but also new countries, something I didn't do very much during my 2 years in Verona. Seeing more of Europe introduced me to other foods, languages, and cultures.

Of course people have asked me "How was Italy?!" since I've been back. "It was great!" I'll say, and it really was. But that doesn't even BEGIN to describe it. It is really impossible to capture this entire experience in one sentence, one conversation, or one blog post. So please, ask me more about Italy! I really can't say enough, I just have some trouble figuring out where to begin. I've also tried to give you all a better idea of my time in Florence through this blog. I really hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it. And I really do appreciate you all taking the time to read my posts. It means a lot to me that my efforts haven't gone to waste.

Finally, especially to those of you who haven't had the opportunity to study/work/live anywhere abroad...DO IT! It is a unique experience that is like no other. Living in a new place with a different language and culture has enabled me to be more adventurous in trying new things and meeting new people. An experience like this really is an eye-opener in changing everything that may have been thought as "normal". One thing you may consider "normal" is "foreign" to someone else. So, I strongly believe that it is a shame some people haven't had a chance to travel out of the country. Take advantage of the opportunities you have! Especially if you are in college when it is easier to do so.

I had no idea how much studying abroad for one semester would impact me, especially since I've already done it for a longer amount of time before. However, living in Florence has really changed my life. I have learned things and met people that I will never forget, and I can't wait to go back :)

And so with that, arrivederci Firenze!
Caitlin
  

Next to Last Post!

I want to put up a nice last post, but that means I have to spend some time on it. Today that is not possible because I have to get everything ready to go for tomorrow! So I will write one after I get back. Our flight tomorrow is at 7am...so we will be taking a taxi at 4 in the morning :D That is if everything goes smoothly, a taxi will take us, and our flight is not cancelled. As of now it is not and snow/rain is predicted for late tonight...

Anyways, just wanted to include in this quick post that a few weeks ago for our last Intro to Renaissance Art class before the final we spent the entire time in the Uffizi! This is basically a huge museum with some of the most famous Renaissance paintings. Some of them you might be interested in...

• Cimabue - Maestà
• Giotto - Ognisanti Madonna
• Leonardo - Adorazione dei Magi, L'Annuciazione
• Michelangelo - Tondo Doni
• Botticelli - La Nascita di Venere, La Primavera, Pallade e il Centauro, La Madonna della Melagrama
• Raffaello - Madonna del Cardellino, Ritratto di Leone X con i cardinali Giulio de' Medici e Luigi de' Rossi
• Titziano - Venere di Urbino

And I never did mention that we ended up seeing the real David twice (once in class and once with our friend). It is in the Galleria dell'Accademia and was completed by Michelangelo when he was only 29 years old. It is 17 feet tall and used to be outside the Palazzo Vecchio (where the other replica is). It symbolizes the intellectual strength of the city of Florence.

See you soon, North Carolina.
Caitlin
 

Snow and Homemade Pasta

As I mentioned in my last post, yesterday we had a bit of snow here! It was cooooold but really fun to walk around and take pictures. Unfortunately, most people were supposed to leave this morning, as today is the end of the program. Buuut flights were canceled due to all the snow (it snowed pretty much non-stop yesterday). So, they have to stay a few more days. It's partly sunny today and is supposed to be for the rest of the weekend BUT on Monday it's supposed to snow again...when we leave. I hope we can get out of here alright...

Our street

Sewing Final Project

In our sewing class we learned how to do many different things on the sewing machine (seams, finishings, pockets, a collar, and more). For our final project, we went to a vintage boutique and bought items to change for a final fashion photo shoot. All of the fashion classes participated in this and were assigned either 60's or Hippie Chic. We got 60's and here are our before pictures:

Mine - a little girl's dress

...and a huge, plain black dress

Kristen - a really huge shapeless dress

Keep on reading to see the amazing results!!

Coffee

Alright here we go...

Coffee made it's first appearance in Italy in Venice around 1570. It was very expensive, so only rich people could buy it and it was sold in chemist's shops. Then, in 1640 the first coffee shop opened in the same city and expanded to other cities including Turin, Genoa, Milan, Florence, Rome and Naples. And the rest is history!

The coffee beans are not grown here, but they are blended here in famous Italian torrefazioni. There are two main types of coffee: Arabica, from Coffea Arabica, and Robusto, from Coffea Canephora, generally stronger. Each coffee is different, with a different mixture of types and beans from different countries. It's really like wine in that way, there are even such things as coffee tastings.

Here's a list of the different types of coffee you can get in Italy (I'm pretty sure this is not a complete list, but I think I got most of them):

• Caffè - espresso, a small cup of very strong coffee
• Caffè Macchiato - espresso "stained" with a drop of milk
• Caffè Corretto - espresso "corrected" with a shot of liquor
• Caffè di Orzo - espresso with Barley, no caffeine
• Caffè Freddo - iced coffee (not very common here)
• Caffè Latte - half espresso, half hot milk
• Latte Macchiato - hot milk "stained" with a small shot of espresso
• Cappuccino - espresso with hot milk and steamed milk froth on top

I'm not a coffee drinker, so I haven't tried most of these (I think an espresso would be way to strong for me). We do have a coffee vending machine in school buildings though and I tried a cappuccino with ginseng once, it was good (I think because the sugar was set higher).

Oh! I also added another recipe for Pasta al Ragu that we ate for dinner tonight. Vivaldo told me how to make it, and it was amazing :D

Caitlin