Apuane Mountains

I took geology during my sophomore year at URI. It didn't take long for me to classify myself as a geology freak telling my friends "Geology Rocks!" after I aced every assignment and test in the class. Needless to say, when I was told we were traveling to Apuane Mountain Caves, I was beyond excited. We started our journey in the typical massive tour bus that brought us around everywhere. Once we arrived to the bottom of the mountain, we remained in this tour bus for a large portion of the mountain until it did not fit up the windy mountainside roads. When I looked out the window, it appeared as though we were on a cliff and could fall off at any moment. We basically were. The bus was chaos, everyone freaking out. I sat in my seat and did not budge an inch with what I call my "nervous laugh." Once we got to a flat area we were divided into two groups to take a smaller bus to the top. The turns were so sharp the bus driver constantly made 5 point turns all the way up the mountain. Once we arrived, I treated my self to a candy bar at a little shop near the entrance to the cave.

     We began our hike through the caves, across rocks, through mud, and up and down millions of stairs. Unfortunately, our cameras did not take crystal clear pictures. The sight was amazing. Words cannot describe the scenery I witnessed and to think it was all made by the earth blew my mind (even more than the photo's from geology class) The hike was long and brutal but I never lost interest in my surroundings or stopped trying to document it with my camera.

     By the end, I was starving and eager to eat an anticipated equally amazing meal that our professors had been raving about since we were told we would be visiting the mountain caves. While waiting for the second group to return, we enjoyed a few glasses of vino (still excited we were legal to drink) and relaxed. At that point, our legs were shaking. Once the other group arrived we were seated at circular tables that were already set with drinks and bread. The bread was gone within the first minute. Little did we know we had ten courses coming our way. I say ten without exaggeration. Each course was delicious. The meal was exactly what I pictured an Italian meal to be-plus more, a lot more. Being so hungry, excited, and curious, we forced it all down and ended up in what we called a food coma. On the bus ride home, everyone passed out. Thinking back on all of this feels like a dream.

Leaning tower of Pisa

Pisa, Italy. Prior to my visit, I was unaware that there was much more to see than the famous leaning tower of Pisa. Before the gates, people from different cultures lined up to sell different goods. You name it, it was there. It was markets like these that gave you a sense of italian culture and humor. Of course, my friends and made sure to get our touristy pictures, carefully planned out. However, it was here that I entered the first church (before being completely “churched out” due to visiting what felt like 100 a day) that took my breath away. We also visited the baptistry where a man sang to demonstrate the size and echo. The grass was greener than i’ve ever seen, the sky was blue, and pisa was packed with excited tourists such as myself. We quickly lost our group to later find them again just to lose them again. I remember being so amazed I simply could not stop looking around and before I knew it, with the exception of a few of my friends, everyone else was gone. We were free to explore. And so we did. We found churches, the baptistry, burial grounds, the tower itself, and markets upon markets.My last memory of Pisa was on the way out. I walked along side two little boys fighting over an Italian flag speaking the language a mile a minute. 

Madame Butterfly

After arriving to Hotel Columbo, we were quickly provided with various activity and field trip options. They included a night at the opera, a trip to Pisa, Lucca, Pietrasanta, the Apuane Alps, and much more. Our first stop was the opera, Madame Butterfly by Puccini. The entire program was filled with excitement. We were actually going to a famous Italian opera in Italy. The sun was setting over a beautiful lake when we arrived on the historical Puccini site where Madame Butterfly would be performed. Less than 30 minutes into the opera, I looked around, filled with what went from excitement to extreme boredom, to see half of my program sleeping or playing brick breaker on their phones. I look back at it now knowing it was one of the best experiences of my life, however, at the time it is fair to say that we were all miserable. When experiencing a situation such as this, it is important to look at the big picture and be optimistic. Many people would love to be able to say they attended Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" in Tuscany, Italy. 

No Parlo Americano

Upon arrival, we were provided with an agenda. It included the times of activities, dinner, and most importantly our first Italian language course. This two week intensive course ran from 9-1 with a 30-minute break and count for 4 credits. After a weekend of adventures, the entire AIFS program was to be at breakfast by 8 A.M and on the bus by 8:30 A.M. My roommate and I set an alarm for 7:30, excited to begin our Italian course, as we knew it would help us to learn more about the culture. Come Monday morning, we were woken up by housekeeping knocking on our door. Our alarm had not gone off causing us to oversleep and miss the bus.  We rushed down to the lobby seeking help but the language barrier was an obstacle. The front desk called us a taxi and warned us that they may rip us off. We devised a plan to pretend to be Italian in hope that the taxi driver would not rip us off. Finally, the taxi arrived and brought us to school. Filled with embarrassment, we walked in and explained what happened. On the bright side, my teacher was extremely helpful and understanding. I was relieved and happy to finally be there until she decided to reteach all of the material to the class just for me. Although our morning was perfectly planned, situations such as this still occur. It is important to remain calm and may I suggest setting more than one alarm!

The Dungeon

After a long bus trip, first of the many, we finally arrived to our home for two weeks of orientation, Hotel Colombo. Just thinking of Hotel Colombo and Lido Di Camiore, the beach town it was located in, brings tears to my eyes. It was here that we met our roommates, made friends, and explored Italy for the first time. Hotel Colombo, although it was conveniently across the street from the beach, was an experience of its own. It was the first Italian "hotel" that we stayed at and for many, it was a difficult transition from the luxury one experiences in America. There were two separate buildings, the nicer one being the main building. Of course, my room was located in the other building. After four flights of stairs, I opened my door to be completely shocked. The beds were long, narrow, and an inch apart. The shower was the entire bathroom, separated by what the Italians consider a curtain. The balcony fit one person and was behind a strange door like contraption that opened by pulling on a rope. From that point forward, my roommate and I would refer to our room as, the dungeon. Little did we know, we would grow to love the dungeon. When studying abroad or even just traveling and experiencing different cultures, it is important to be optimistic, open minded, and make the best of the experience.

Italy at last

As soon as I knew it, we got back on the bus, bright and early (5 am), and headed to the airport. The excitement was overwhelming and the flight felt as if it were forever. Finally, the plane was descending over what appeared to be the Swiss Alps. Then, a sunny, picture book, country side in Italy, our new home. It was just how I imagined. Small brightly colored houses on what appeared to be farms. We flew into Pisa, a small airport that was a very long bus ride to Lido Di Camiore, the beach town in which we would live for two weeks for orientation. Nevertheless, the ride was amazing. I was tired but forced myself to stay awake to admire the scenery.  Churches covered  the very top of mountains. Villas wrapped around the mountainsides. We traveled along a winding high way that crossed over bridges and through mountains. It was at the airport that we were given an envelope and inside were our roommates for orientation. My roommate ended up being a girl from Long Island that I had been talking to for months prior to our arrival. I'm not sure if I will ever be able to describe my feelings that day, the day I arrived in the country my great grandparents immigrated from.

The London Bridge Is Falling Down!

Finally, my Virgin Atlantic flight touched down in England. It was a long bus ride to London but exciting nonetheless. As soon as we knew it we were driving on the opposite side of the road to begin the journey of the lifetime. Overwhelmed with excitement, I jumped off the bus, grabbed my luggage, and headed into the little hotel I would call home for three days. After that, it was off to explore. The first day I  was on my own, meeting new people, finding my "group," and getting my first real "European" experience. Little did I know, I was in for it. Although English is their language, it did not make the cultural barrier any easier. I was not a fan of London, none of us really were. Was it because of the culture or because we were so eager to arrive in Italy, I'm not really sure. Regardless, the sights were amazing and it was here that I made my first friendships that will last a lifetime.

It's about that time.

After a day or two of trying to shove my life into the biggest luggage allowed on my Virgin Atlantic flight, it was about that time. Time to say my goodbyes and head to the airport. It was exciting, nerve wracking, and nothing. When it came down to it, I had no feelings nor could I figure out why. My friend had left for her semester, which later turned into a year abroad, in Hawaii and had the same odd feeling, or no feeling at all. It were as if it were an outer body experience. Hello Jenna! You're going to ITALY! Soon enough I was at the airport filled with nervous laughter, unsure if I were to burst into tears any time soon. It happened. As my parents and little brother hugged me sent me me off through airport security, I could feel the waterworks building. As I walked away, I told myself suck it up, suck it up, or you will never be able to stop. As I passed through security I saw a group of students from my program. Crunch time! Time to make friends. A word of advice: EVERYONE is on the same boat as you are, do not worry about making friends and know that these friendships will last a life time.

An inch closer

As time goes by, I am feeling the distance kicking in. Prior to arrival, upon arrival, and prior to departure, my program handed out a packet on culture shock. We were all so overwhelmed with excitement that we tossed it aside thinking, How the hell could we be culture shocked by our own culture. Needless to say, we were seriously mistaking. The three month mark of being home is coming up and I'm still irritated by the American culture and daily life. Italy and Europe as a whole taught me to think outside of the box and now I just refuse to get back in. They warned us about thinking outside this box while living in Europe. They forgot to tell us to do it back in America.

Decisions, Decisions

Deciding to study abroad is a big step in what I consider the right direction. The process can be long and overwhelming to many but the end result is beyond well worth it. It starts off with the idea, which lead to the research. A good way to research your options are study abroad fairs. Although I had a program in mind, I attended these fairs to look at all my options. After attending, your desire is more obvious. If your wondering where to go and what program to go with, definitely attend these fairs and get your options laid out for you. Once the idea is floating around up there, jump on it! It is important to go through all your options, discuss them with your family and friends, and recognize the potential pro's and con's of each. I personally studied with AIFS, the American Institute for Foreign Study and suggest looking into it if you are interested in studying abroad!

Back to Reality

Spring 2011 semester is starting its third week, granted we can deduct a week from snow days, and reality is hitting hard. I've been back in the U.S for two months and Italy is beginning to feel like forever ago and a minute ago at the same time, talk about confusing. It feels as if the overwhelming amounts of school work are burrying me and I'm being left in the dirt. This often happens to the majority of students and we somehow dig ourselves out. However, having returned from an adventure most only dream of, I'd finding it extremely difficult to get back to "the swing of things." All assignments are sort of floating in the air. Every so often I find myself spending hours clicking through my pictures from start to finish trying to escape and envying my friends and their newly uploaded "Taking over Florence!" photo albums. For those of you who have experienced this, the transition is a tough one but it's most important to remain optimistic and remind your self of your goals. The ones you've set since you were a kid, the ones you set entering college, and most importantly, the ones you hold sacred to you that others probably don't know about. Every so often, write those goals down and study them. Drill them into your mind and focus hard. It's a beautiful distraction.