Ciao ciao, Je t'aime Europa!

So now I'm home, and how weird it is! It's lovely though seeing my friends and family--I love being able to see people in real life. But I'm getting used to these long distance relationships anyway since most of my good friends don't go to Rutgers with me, so it was like an additional bonus that I'm not quite used to.
But America sure is weird!
Everything is so BIG here--the houses, the streets, the cars. And technology is crazy--my sister was telling me about all these latest innovations (seriously? Internet on your TV? And seriously? A remote to your car to warm it up as you're still shopping in the mall so that it'll be already toasty when you get there? IS THAT REALLY NECESSARY?), and it was mindboggling. And people are so addicted to their phones! It was strange getting phone calls and texts again, but constantly being glued to your phone so you can update your current locations to the interweb world? Kind of crazy... And they're (we're?) such consumers! The mall is still open until 6 pm on Christmas Eve?! And then waking up at 8 am after Christmas Day to buy MORE things on sale?! People are crazy. And who got the crazy idea that fake nails look good?!
What a strange society.
I'm definitely going to start missing Europe soon. I'm going to miss the pace of that life a lot, I think. It's slower and more relaxed, but not in a lazy way--they just take the time to breathe and look around them. Restaurants will definitely drive me crazy when the servers start bugging me to eat quickly and leave. I loved that in Europe you could sit at a restaurant for hours, chatting with a friend, and the servers wouldn't bother you for a second. And I'm going to miss the metro so much; I hate that I can't get anywhere in Jersey without a car (especially since driving is not my favorite past time). And everyone speaks English! It's a little disconcerting. I miss French and Dutch already. Sinasappelsaap, anyone?
Belgium was such a nice vacation from life, but it was definitely an amazing learning experience. I remember hearing people say that they've changed as a person after going through a study abroad program, and I was pretty skeptical. But it's true! I've changed, and for the better in my opinion. I've talked about this with all my fellow study abroad companions, and we've all changed. Studying abroad makes you a more confident person, a more individualized person who knows that no matter where he or she ends up, everything will be okay. You'll make friends, you'll find a job, you'll succeed--anywhere! I personally know that I can be an adult now (unfortunate, but necessary), and I think I'm a happier person. It might be because of the yoga, or it might be because I've finally settled into who I am. I'm not that naive, hyper-enthusiastic high school girl, nor am I that jaded, bitter nostalgic college student. I'm an in-between now--still happy and passionate and accepting that my wonderful childhood has gone but also knowing that great things are yet to come.
I'm me!
But this is not me saying goodbye to Europe because I will be back! Graduate school in Amsterdam, anyone? :)

Encore Une Fois :(

I'm back in the Jersey! Now this makes for an awkward situation because I want to write about how WEIRD America is, but I still have to finish up my Italy posts. Hmm. Well, I'm never one to leave a job unfinished, so I'll write finish up rest of Italy! I hope I remember it all.

So the second day of Florence was an eating fest! We had heard that there were the two most amazing sandwich shops EVER down the street from us, so we hopped on over. First it was to Oil Shoppe where we got an mushroom truffle grilled cheese, which was deliciously cheesy. And then we shopped (of course), and then went to the OTHER sandwich shop called Antico Noe to compare the two. This is where I had the most amazing sandwich of my life. It was sausage with spinach and cheese and an unidentified pickle type of thing on a perfectly crunchy baguette. GOODNESS!

Ahh... I'm usually not a fanatic for sandwiches, but this one was perfect!

Then we went on the hunt for the store that supposedly sold the best gelato in Europe (now that I look back on it, how the hekk did we eat so much?!), and we FINALLY found it! IT
WAS
AMAZING.
I will never forget that place. Oh my gosh. I had the tiramisu gelato, and it was the most heavenly ice cream I've ever had. Nothing will ever compare. EVER.

Tiramisu and pistachio. Both were amazing, but that tiramisu! kfjdjldsfldslfds

And then after immense amounts of drooling, we decided to be somewhat cultured and go to the Uffizi Art Museum--did you know that Italy holds 60% of the world's fine art, and Florence holds about half of that? So we had to go... but we kind of raced through so we could get gelato again HAHA
And this time I got chestnut, which was surprisingly delicious, with another healthy helping of tiramisu. Goodness.

And the next day, we headed off for Venice! It was my least favorite city of the three. It's filled with tiny little streets, so the map is so hard to read. They say you're supposed to allow yourself to be lost in the city, but I love maps and knowing where I am at all times, so that was really hard for me. It's kind of a spooky city to me--we were there for a really foggy string of days, and it was so eerie looking over the Mediterranean and only being able to see a hundred meters in front of you. And there are masks everywhere (it's a tourist thing) with tiny little alleyways everywhere... the accumulation of all those things just created for a spooky image.

But we had the best pasta of our life there (goal 4--complete!) at a little restaurant next to our hotel. It was black tagliatelle with scampi. Goodness! So delicious.

We might have thought it was better than it actually was because it was the first time we had a real meal in awhile haha too much gelato...

And with Venice, we weren't really sure what we should be seeing, so we really just wandered around the city. It created lots of shopping and eating.

There were a lot of stores selling masks! They were really pretty--I wanted to buy one, but I had a feeling the feathers and glitter would go crazy in my suitcase. This store claimed to have supplied Tom Cruise in his movie Eyes Wide Shut.

And I also had the most amazing tiramisu (goal 3--complete!) from a little cafe we came across.

And we had the BEST coffee ever at this coffee bar we stumbled upon. It was so cool! It's literally a bar where they sell coffee and pastries instead of alcohol, and people we swarming the place and fighting for the attention of the bartenders to get some coffee.

Laura and I felt so Italian drinking our cappuccinos here :)

And we somehow found our way to the San Marco Piazza, which was nice. I feel like I've seen so many piazzas by this point that it's kind of hard to differentiate them!

And I'm mixing up my days and not really remembering when we did what. Strange to think that I was just there a little more than a week ago!

Pretty huh?

So on Friday, we were supposed to leave for Brussels, and after a cup of coffee and a sip of grappa (goal 6--complete! et le fin!), it started to snow really heavily, and after hours and hours of waiting around, our flight got CANCELED! We got a flight for the next morning, but we stayed the night in the airport--what an experience! We slept on conveyor belts, and as those filled up (you had to be quick to get those spots!), people were littered around the airport sleeping on the floors. But it was really funny actually! Everyone was laughing at this crazy situation and taking pictures of people sleeping on the ground.

Thumbs up for sleeping on the ground in the airport!

So homeless hahahaha

And we even made friends with this Australian man (who offered to buy us a hotel room for the night... we kindly turned him down hahaha but I think he meant it in a genuinely nice way) and three Dutchies. It seems like misery brings us all together :p

And so we finally got home the next afternoon, and unfortunately I got stranded in Brussels a couple more days than anticipated after my flight was canceled on the following Monday. But now I'm home and safe! Hallelujah!

Grazie!

And the next day, we were off to Florence! Gosh I'm getting so distracted from writing this because I'm watching Hello Dolly. This is going to take me ages to write haha
Anyway, so we arrived at our adorable little hotel hidden away behind an arch, and on our way to see the Duomo, we stumbled across a highly recommended gelato place. And so we had gelato for lunch hahaha We shared a Kinder one, and it tasted just like a really rich chocolate. yum.

Sure was convenient having a gelato place three minutes from our hotel :)

What's interesting about our hotels was that they all used KEYS! Real keys! Not cards! So real.

Then we went to the Piazza del Republica, which was supposed to be the "coolest" piazza in Florence. Pretty cool with the big arch and the merry-go-round.

I love that Florence is so teensy so you can get to all the main spots in like 15 mins walk.

Then we went to the Duomo! That's Italian for "dome," but it actually refers to the entire church of the Basilica di Santa Maria. The dome is famous because it's the largest (I think)? And an architectural mystery.
Or something of that sort.

But pretty!

And then we went to the church of Santa Croce that held the tombs of MICHELANGELO!
GALILEO!
MACHIAVELLI!

AND DANTE!fkldfjkldsfldsl Laura and I are such nerds... but it was amazing seeing these tombs. We stared open-mouthed at each of these tombs. Can you imagine? Standing as close as possible to the real life DANTE ALIGHERI?!! AND MACHIAVELLI?! THE ENDS JUSTIFIES THE MEANS?! Shoot. It was amazing. AMAZING!

And then we continued on to the Arno river, and this is when I fell in love with Florence. It was partially the lines and lines of Vespas that did it (I really really really REALLY want one), but partially because of the beautiful river scene.

Breathtaking.

This is ponte Vecchio, which is the bridge famous for all of its jewelery shopping.

Florence was my favorite city that we went to because it is just so beautiful. We went to Piazza Michelangelo that oversaw the entire city.

You look to one side, and you see Florence.

And you look to the other side, and you see Tuscany!

A replica of "The David" and the Tuscan sunset :)

And as it got to dusk, it just got prettier!

:)

I could've stayed there and stared forever! But we finally got cold and went on an adventure for pizza.

Et voila! Vegetarian pizza. Yum :)

And of course, on the way back we did some shopping down the adorable little cobblestone streets of Florence, and we stumbled across this BEAUTIFUL wedding dress.

Look at that! So pretty! So fluffy! I'm going to wear that to my wedding to myself, wings and all!

Gelato!

On the second day in Rome, we went to all the hot spots: the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum. There are tourists everywhere in Rome (you hear English everywhere! It was kind of annoying--damn Americans! :p And I kept speaking French to everyone--whoops. But it made me feel very French).

The first stop: the Pantheon! It was under construction, so there was a lot of scaffolding that I had to cut out. We were really confused what the Pantheon was haha turns out it's a temple/church. Whoops. So ignorantkfds;fs

And then we went to the Piazza Navola, which was super mignonne with its Christmas market.

There was a giant fountain in the middle of it!

And stuff everywhere! Those donut things are really popular and delicious.

I got my first glimpse of Murano glass rings in Italy, and I love them so I bought two (and 6 more later... hahaha). I love Christmas markets! Ornaments, hot chocolate, festivities everywhere. A man cut a beautiful silhouette of me out of paper too hahaha It was on that day that I noticed how Italian men really stare at you--like they give you a full body scan and their gaze trails you as you leave. Being used to all the outrageous men in Egypt, this was nothing to me but Laura was naturally unnerved. These men are all harmless in the end.

And then we went to the Piazza Venezia and Monument of Vittorio Emmanuel II.

Way cooler than the Memorial of Queen Victoria and the Buckingham Palace!

And then the RUINS! It was amazing. It was an out of body experience, seeing where modern civilization basically started. Amazing!

COOL! CHOUETTE!

But the Colosseum topped it all. Amazing!

And we even got to see a parade in front of it!

Reminds me of the good ol' marching band days and the colorguard :p

Then we explored the area of Trastevere where there are adorable tiny streets with little shops everywhere. I love cobblestone! You just don't find streets like this in America. We got a really good coffee--I love how the coffee is much more viscous and denser in flavor, although very bitter and requires a lot of sugar to balance it haha. On one of the coffee machines I saw, the option for "American coffee" was translated into "weak coffee" haha

Then we got our first gelato (goal two--complete!). It was from Geolatti, a delicious place next to Parliamt. I got nougat, and Laura had chocolate and caramel.

Delicioso! And those water straw things are really good too.

We ended the exhausting day at the Spanish steps. We were so tired that we literally got there, took three photos, and left. :p

Vatican City WHAT UP

So I'm currently "stuck" in Brussels--I still love being here, but I was mentally prepared to get back in Jersey this time yesterday, but c'est la vie! At least I'm lucky enough to have a home to come back to until tomorrow when I try again to see if I can get back into the States before Christmas, but I'm skeptical because the snowstorm is coming. Le sigh! I did feel really grown up dealing with all these flight troubles/rescheduling myself though. ...Not sure if I liked that feeling though haha

So meanwhile as I wait, I might as well write about my time in Italy. It was wonderful! The thing I loved most about Italy is the language. It's so animated and excited and sensual the way the words roll off the tongue. Although I do have this fond love for French too--it was so nice coming back to Brussels and hearing it everywhere again.

Donc, before we left, Laura and I set goals that we had to complete in Italy:
1. Drink coffee
2. Eat gelato
3. Eat tiramisu (for Kristie) and cannoli (for Laura)
4. Have pasta
5. Have pizza
6. Try grappa

Do you notice how they all involve eating? hahaha

So on Friday after wandering the streets and highlights of Brussels with David until 1:30 am, I was reluctant to fall asleep since I knew I had to get up just 2 hours later to leave for the airport at 4 am for our flight to Rome. But I did anyway and was super groggy as we landed and headed off to see the Vatican City right after we dropped off our suitcases. And as we got our first cappucino in Italy (goal one--complete!) outside the Sistine Chapel (!! How cool does that sound?), Laura suddenly sat up straighter and asked, "ISN'T THAT EDDIE OVER THERE?!" Turns out one of our classmates from VeCo (my school in Brussels) was in Rome with his sister and his friends too! And we bumped into them in the Vatican City! It was such a crazy coincidence.

So we went to the Vatican City museum and Sistine Chapel together with our tour guide who may or may not have been making up facts to feed to us hahah There were so many things to look at--I'm really glad we had a tour guide because otherwise we would've had no idea what we were looking at.

Dome of the Sistine Chapel seen from the Vatican Museum

Hallways and hallways of art

Pretty ceiling! Not the one in the Sistine though--we weren't allowed to take pictures in there, but it was beautiful. Kudos to Michelangelo!

It was strange to think that we were in a different country (but not a member of the UN--thank you, Professor Koopsy)!

Then we headed over to St. Peter's Basilica, which is the largest Christian Church in the world (thank you, Florence guide book).

There was a huge line outside to get in!

Beautiful!

Friends in the square of St. Peter's :)

Then we hopped over to Piazza Poppoli and the Villa Borgheuse and Boboli Gardens, and they had a Christmas tree! It's the prettiest piazza in Rome.

I love the word "piazza!"

Then we ended the night at the Fountain of Trevi. It is STUNNING and HUGE.

Tradition says that if you throw a coin in it over your shoulder with your back to it, you'll return. Laura and I threw a coin in with an underhand toss while facing it... and making a wish. Whoops. Just updating a tradition, that's all :p

By that point, we were pooped so Laura and I said goodbye to Eddie and headed for the hotel. I still cant believe that we bumped into a fellow VeCo student! It's too bad we didn't spend more time with them. Eddie's a genuine sweetheart, and super charming too.

A bientot?

Yesterday night was our "goodbye" dinner, or "see you later" dinner as I would prefer. After a wine tasting (I know, we are so sophisticated), we went to Delirium, ending right where we started. Smoky, crowded with lots of men and lots of men with dreadlocks, and filled with 2000+ kinds of beer, it was the bar of all bars in Brussels. I'm really going to miss being able to drink legally in the States for the next month! But I'm going to miss these people more. I know when I first met this crew of people when I first got into Brussels, I already was so happy to know that these would be the people I would be traveling with for the next four months. And it's still true! I wish I had gotten to know them better, but I'm really glad to have been with them for the short amount of time that I was. Luckily, most of them are from Rutgers or the East coast so it's not impossible to see them again. Actually, I refuse to believe that I will never see all of these people again. With technology today, it's so easy to keep in touch and say "Oh by the way, hopping over to California tomorrow to see you ciao!" :)

(Oh, sorry Corey hahaha)

By the way, Laura got proposed to last night by Mr. Satisfaction, and I almost got smooched by someone with a pickup line of "Oh you're so beautiful give me a kiss!" These Belgians were ferocious! And we had pictures taken of us with and by strangers (sounds like Egypt all over again)! What a weird night. Oh, Brussels. <3

Winter Wonderland

First off, let me just note that I will be back in Jersey in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS. WHAT THE EFF?!
But I'm not going to think about that right now because I'll just be sad. Barbs left with Kiki and Jasper for Cali yesterday, and it's weirdly quiet around here. It should force me to study, but it's not working. Whoops. I just need to get through two more finals, and then I'll be off to ITALY! fjkdsjfkldfldskfjdslfds I just need to get through these exams--and now that I've decided to go to the University of Amsterdam for graduate school that requires a 3.8 for acceptance, I actually have to care about my academics! Merde!
But I'll worry about it in a segundo :)
On Thursday, with the help of some tequila, I had so much fun dancing until 4 am in a TD, which is basically a club just for students and cheap beer, so it was a bit grimy. But I was happy and in good company, so it was a good night. Goal completed!

I looked gross so I cut myself out, but from the left, clockwise: David, Etienne, moi, et Laura!

On Saturday, the Pouw-Rolls and I celebrated Sinter Klaus, as known to the Dutch, or Saint Nicolas, as known to the French. Barbs and I had spent the day before shopping for the presents for the kids and devising a game for them to find out where the presents were hidden around the house. This holiday is so much more fun than Christmas! Sinter Klaus can come at any time of the day so there's an element of surprise, and he leaves like 20 gifts! And he leaves you a letter saying whether or not you've been good and why, and how you can improve. So pragmatic and sensible! And there are more presents. But Christmas music is definitely 10 hundred times better because Sinter Klaus music is always sung by children, and it's just not jolly really.

And then afterward, I went to the Christmas Market near Saint Catherine, and it's beautiful! It was snowing the first time I went with Jules, Paige, and Brendan, which was really romantic, but it was SO COLD. This time I went with David, and it wasn't in the negative degrees, so it was kind of warm! But it was beautiful.

There are stands and stands selling mulled wine, hot chocolate, homemade nutella spread, and etc. And there's an ice skating rink, a ferris wheel, and an ICE MONSTER! That's like a giant inflated monster that has a labyrinth on the inside, so you walk in and things jump out and you and scare you and things make noises and freak you out. David and I went in, and it was scary!! Belgians are so strange. Ice monster in a winter wonderland? Doesn't really seem fitting.

So pretty!

Okay, so I really have to study now. BAH! Two more finals, and then off to Italy on Saturday! And then back in Brussels the Saturday after, and after two bittersweet days left in le Belgique, it is off to New Jersey I go! CRAP!

MUSALEMA!

That means "God bless" or "Goodbye" in Arabic!
Pyew, I've finally the last portion of the best weekend I've had here. So many pictures, I can barely pick which ones to use.
So on the last day, we woke up extra early to go to the step pyramids, which are less popular but prettier (so they say). When we got there, I was so surprised to see palm trees! And so much green!

But I suppose that must be why they say that the Nile was known to be such a lush area.

And the pyramids! Super cool. We visited a whole bunch of tombs, and I felt like Indiana Jones, climbing down narrow shafts and touching the walls of symbols that were carved thousands of years ago.

So much sand everywhere!

Hustlers like these tried to get us to pay them to take pictures of them. I did it on the sly.

I WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE HIEROGLYPHICS!

Seriously, we were sweating by the time we got to the rooms of tombs. Lots of bending and crawling in small spaces. Good thing no one was claustrophobic!

Look at that!! It was surreal seeing these things.

And the coloring is even still there!

We weren't supposed to take pictures, but if we paid the guards 15 pounds (about three bucks), they let us. Crazy! First time I ever bribed anyone.
But it was all amazing! As I was standing in those stone rooms with hieroglyphics marking it from floor to ceiling, my mouth was open the entire time. I couldn't believe I was actually there!

We had to rush through the three tombs unfortunately since our flight was that day, but I was so glad we made the time to go there.

On the drive back, I think I finally understood that I was in a third world country. There were donkey carts, run down buildings, piles of garbage on the sides of the street... the hour and a half ride back home felt like ten minutes because I was so absorbed by the sights that I have never seen before.

A rug shop! So pretty.

Lots of garbage.

Goats on the side of the street!

Lonely donkey.

And with that, it was time to go home to a snowing Brussels. Wish I was still there!

I am so glad I got to go to Cairo--it was my first experience being in Africa, in the Middle East, in a Third World country. And it was really different from anything I have ever seen before, and it was a really big eye opener. I wish I could've stayed for longer!

And I am so thankful that we had the Kane family with us, as well as a tour guide and driver, because I feel like our experience there wouldn't have been nearly as good without them. It was really easy to feel unsafe there because everything was so different. But with good friends and a reliable leader, we were able to enjoy the differences instead of fear them. And I was so thankful for Kait as well--she gave us the student Egyptian experience, and her generosity was so refreshing.

I WANT TO GO BACK! poo.

Let's see if I can get through finals, and then I'm off to Italy for a week! YIKES!