Sun and sand in Sicily!

This past weekend was not only my last weekend in Italy, but also a 4-day weekend because of a holiday last Thursday. So, Lexi, Max, Sam D, and I spent 4 relaxing days in Trapani, Sicily.

We left at the crack of dawn Thursday morning, took a bus to Pisa, a plane to Trapani, and a bus into the city center. Once we got there, we found our way to the hostel/B&B but had to wait a few hours until our apartment was ready and we could check in. So, we walked around to see the area and, of course, the beach! We found a grocery store and so picked up things for lunch and dinners, and then made our way back to hang out on the beach for a while.

We stayed at a Bed & Breakfast, but it was an apartment set-up, so the four of us shared one apartment, with 2 bedrooms, a living/eating area, kitchen, and bathroom. It was really nice and thanks to having our own kitchen we saved a ton of money by cooking most of our own meals.

Thursday afternoon, we all relaxed/napped for a few hours before heading out to explore some more. We then made eggplant parm. for dinner with some bread and cheese and great conversation. Following dinner, we all gathered on the 2 twin beds pushed together that Lexi and I shared, to watch Back to the Future!

Friday, we ate breakfast and set out for a beach day - that turned into a beach-morning because the rain came...so we headed back to the B&B to relax, shower, and get in some WiFi time (for the other 3 that have iPhones..) The sun was back by the afternoon so we set out to walk around and explore the city some more. We were out for a couple hours before getting some gelato and heading back to make lasagna for dinner! During and after dinner we had some great conversation and continued to learn more about each other. We headed to bed early-ish because we were getting up early.

Saturday we went to San Vito Lo Capo, which we have been told is the most beautiful beach in Sicily! We left the B&B around 8, got the bus at 8:40, and made it to the beach before 10am. It was so beautiful! The water was so clear and blue it was incredible! Naturally, the beach brought out the inner children in all of us, so we set out to dig a giant hole. We added a bench along the wall and proceeded to have our lunch there.

After lunch, and for much of the rest of the afternoon, we all just relaxed on the beach soaking up the sun (and getting burned...) I didn't get burned too bad, just a bit around my armpits and the edges of my clothing etc. but the others got pretty painful-looking burns..

We got the bus back, showered, and got ready for our one fancy dinner out. We went to watch the sunset for a bit, and then ate at a near-by restaurant. I had pasta with Trapanese pesto, while the other three all had pasta with sea food: Lexi's had shrimp, Sam had muscles, and Max had clams.

After dinner, we walked around, browsed through the local market stalls that were still up for their once-a-month "white-night" festivity. We then got gelato and made our way back to the B&B for another movie before bed: 500 Days of Summer. It was a great movie, but I fell asleep for part of it. It's funny how we didn't really do anything all day, but just laying in the sun zapped all our energy.

Sunday we had to check out of the B&B by 10, so we got up, got breakfast, packed, cleaned up, and stored our bags before heading out to relax on the beach for a bit. Max had to head to the airport, because he accidentally booked his return ticket for the end of May (instead of the end of April) so he wanted to get it fixed.

Lexi and I enjoyed the sun for a few hours - while Sam did his own thing. Unfortunately, the beach was nothing like San Vito, it had more rocks and had lots of litter, so we were only there for about 2 hours before heading off to meet up with Sam to get some lunch.

That afternoon, we hung out at the B&B for a while, Lexi and Sam enjoying the WiFi, and I enjoying my book. After a while, though, we headed back out to soak up some more rays walking around/exploring some more.

For dinner, we did an apperitivo, where we pay for a cocktail and eat as much as you can. We each got 1 drink and 2 plates, it was all so delicious! After that, it was time to head back to the B&B, grab our bags, and catch the bus back to the airport.

Our plane left a little before 10, and the 1.5 hour flight took under an hour to get back to Pisa...we then had a little wait on the bus, before we left at 11:30, getting into Florence around 12:45, and getting back to the house around 1am, where I then showered, unpacked, and crawled into bed.

Monday was filled with classes, studying for my final Italian test, and finishing an Art History Presentation with Amy. This morning was my test, I think I did well, but I'll get my grade back Thursday.

This afternoon we presented for Art History, which I also think went well; and now I'm relaxing for the night and looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow - it's May 1st: International Workers' Day. I will be spending the day studying for my Art History final, starting to pack, and soaking up as much of Florence as I can in my final days here.

Thursday is the last day of classes, my Art History final, and the last day of my internship. Friday I'll be meeting to do an "exit interview" about my time/experience abroad with AEF - being the first Bay Path student and all that jazz; and packing, packing, packing. Then Saturday my flight leaves around 8:30am - Florence-time, and I'll land in Boston around 8pm - Eastern-Standard-Time!

Venice and Fiorentina

This weekend flew by! Friday morning we all met up to take the bus to Venice. On the way we stopped in Padua to see the Scrovegni Chapel. We stayed there for a few hours, got some lunch while we were there, and then met up to head on to Venice.

Venice is a water-city, so there are no cars, meaning it's only accessible by boat! It was definitely a very different experience.

Once we got to our hotel we had about an hour to settle in a relax before meeting up for a walking tour of the city. From there, we split off for dinner and the evening. I went with a large group (I think there were 10 of us) to a resaraunt for dinner, where I had some delicious Spaghetti Carbonara. After dinner, it was almost 10, so we headed back to the hotel to relax and sleep for the night.

Saturday, we all were up for breakfast (provided by the hotel) before meeting together around 9 to go see some art. We went first to the church, Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, to see artwork by Bellini and Titian. We then went next door to the Scuola Grande di San Rocco to see works by Tintoretto. All of the works, and the spaces where they're located, were so beautiful it was almost overwhelming at times. Especially the works by Tintoretto, because the rooms are literally covered in his paintings: every inch of wall and ceiling.

After we saw all the art it was just about noon, and we had the afternoon free  to explore. Most people had specific things they had in mind to do, mainly shopping for souvenirs, but I didn't really so I spent the time wandering and exploring the city with Lexi, Louise, and Julia.

The entire group met up around 4:30 to head back to the water-taxi which took us back to the mainland where we boarded the bus and headed back to Florence. I didn't get to ride on a gondolla as I had been looking forward to, but it was way too expensive, and by the time we got there Friday the sun was heading down and Saturday it rained off and on...

Today (Sunday) almost all of us met up around noon to go to a Fiorentina soccer match. It was such a good time, and the atmosphere was incredible. I've been to a Celtics game, a rained-out Red Sox game, and many minor league baseball and hockey games (as well as college and high school games) but European soccer fans are die-hard and really get into the game. It ended up being a beautiful day - even though there had been rain/thunderstorms in the forecast - and much fun was had by all!

Tomorrow begins my second-to-last week of classes, and in Florence, and last I checked it's supposed to rain...perfect weather to get some work done, and get ready for finals etc. next week.

Tuesday we're all doing another cooking class where we get to learn how to make pizza and gelato! And Wednesday we're heading up to Fiesole for dinner and "awards" to celebrate the end of the calcio "season."

Thursday is a holiday; so Lexi, Max, Sam D, and I are heading to Trapanni, Sicily for the long weekend. We fly out of Pisa around 6:30am Thursday, and we should get back to Florence around midnight Sunday into Monday.

I've got less than 2 weeks here, and in that time I've got to start, finish, and present a group presentation for Art History; review, study, and take 2 finals: Art History and Italian; spend 4 relaxing days on/near the beach in Sicily; and PACK. Needless to say it will be a jam-packed 12 days, but I know it will be amazing and a perfect way to end my 3-month adventure.

#capturebaypath

Friday I had a wonderful opportunity to got to Milan for the SALONE INTERNAZIONALE DEL MOBILE - a huge week-long design fair held in Milan every year. I went as part of my internship and it was really neat to see so many different and new furniture pieces and design concepts.

Here's just a few examples of the kinds of things I got to see all day:

As this weekend was more relaxing than exciting I would like to take some time to talk about Bay Path. About 2 months ago Bay Path started a new marketing campaign dubbed "#capturebaypath". Check out this link for the video to get the idea and learn what it's all about.

The day this was announced there was a huge to-do during lunch to make the announcement and get everyone fired up about it. That day my FaceBook news-feed was literally FILLED with photo's of everyday happenings at Bay Path. Since then, the hype has died down quite a bit, but every once in a while someone will post a #capturebaypath photo and I will be reminded how lucky I am to be a part of such a wonderful community and close-knit group of women.

This realization has been reiterated even more through my being abroad. Without Bay Path (and the support of my family and friends, of course) I would not have been able to have come to Florence or have all of the wonderful and life-changing experiences and adventures that have come with being here.

On top of all that, I would not be the person I am today without the support and guidance I have received from the entire Bay Path community.
Who else can say the President of their college knows them by name?

Or that the President's husband's entire face lights up whenever he sees you?

Or that you can be skype-ing with your friends and the Resident Life Director will leave his meeting just to say hello? (granted he thought someone had an important question/situation)

At Bay Path, those are common occurrences. Okay, maybe not the last one specifically, but that's the kind of people that work at Bay Path and make it less like a school, and more like a home-away-from-home.

Every spring Bay Path hosts the Women's Leadership Conference: a day-long event filled with speakers, break-out sessions, and networking opportunities. This year, the keynote speaker was none other than QUEEN LATIFAH. Yes, you read that correctly. Who else can say they got to listen to Queen Latifah speak, get her autograph, and get a photo taken with her? Granted, I can't say that because I was over here when it happened, but seeing my friends getting to meet such an inspiring woman, and for her to take the time out of her undoubtedly busy schedule and devote a day in Springfield, Massachusetts  is simply incredible, and could not have happened at any other school.

Check out this video for a taste of what I'm talking about.

This year was the second annual Academic Achievement Day where the entire college takes a day off of classes to celebrate all of the hard work the students have been doing for the past year. There are presentations, and panel discussions, and performances. In the afternoon there's a keynote speaker, followed by a fantastic dinner, and the day closes with the Marcia Conrad Awards where students and clubs are honored for their excellence.

Even I had a part this year!

I skype-ed into a classroom with students interested in studying abroad and got to talk about my experience and the amazing opportunities Bay Path and AEF have provided for me. I was an awkward experience, because the Bay Path computer didn't have a microphone, so they could hear me, but I couldn't hear them, so whenever they had questions I had to wait for them to type...luckily I didn't have to do it alone because Enrico (my Italian professor) and Mathew/Matteo (the "international marketing-study abroad coordinator" for AEF) were also there to talk as well.

Without Bay Path I would not be the person I am today.

I would not have the life-long friends that are more like sisters.

I would not have a team I consider my family.

And I would not have a school I consider my home-away-from-home.

As much as I miss home and my family and am looking forward being there, I am also looking forward to heading to Bay Path for graduation (a few weeks after I get back) to catch up with my Coach, my adviser, my bosses, and - of course - my friends!

 

I am so incredibly blessed to have these people in my life and be a member of  the wonderful family that is Bay Path College. While it does have its problems, and there will always be drama if you're looking for it, there is no other place I would rather be earning my college education and no other people with whom I'd rather be learning and living.