Today’s daily musing
Feeling nostalgic for my time abroad as well as the school year to come.
Thankful for the wonderful summer that is now coming to a close.
Dreaming about the year to come . . .
xx Kay
January Abroad Week 1 cont…
Day two of Florence is a lot more interesting…we awake bright and early for our first CAPA orientation. At which we spend the entire morning going over expectations for the semester, what to do if we get sick, lost, robbed, literally anything and anything that could happen to you both in our academic program and while living in Florence. This is a lot of information to handle at 8 am on jetlag. However it is very informative and adds some reality to the fact that we are about to be here for an entire semester. Although now that I am writing this in past tense considering it is actually February, it is not in fact a whole semester it is an “almost semester” I have ten weeks left and have discovered that 10 weeks in Europe is about the equivalent to three normal weeks in America. After spending several hours going over necessary but boring school related things we were taken by another CAPA teacher/administrator on a walking tour of Florence. She took us to the big Piazza’s to the Ponte Vecchio bridge (although not across) and to a quick stop for pizza. It was my second pizza ever in Florence. Although it was delicious it was not as good as the first night, but I believe she chose this place as convenience as you pay by the slice and it is already made. After our walking tour the roommates and I all went home for some more good quality napping. Again we are adjusting to a 6-8 hour time difference and my jet lag was serious. Although before we got to get some sweet sleep, my glorious luggage had finally arrived and I was able to drag it all the way from school to our apartment with the help of my new roommates who thought I was smuggling dead bodies my luggage was so heavy…ooops. I don’t regret anything I packed, possibly too many shoes, but I’m not mad about it. This was also our first night out in Florence. My oh my what an interesting night it turned out to be. We got all dressed up and ready for our first night on the town as roommates. Although it took us a while to get going we finished the pregame and were out the door by about 12:30. We went to my first bar in Florence and the first bar I didn’t have to use a fake! It’s called Uncle Jimmy’s. A small American bar with American bartenders and lots of study abroad students. Although it wasn’t very busy considering it was a Saturday night and most everyone else went to Space club…apparently we did not get the memo on that one. I got sufficiently drunk and spent the entire evening talking to another study abroad boy from Connecticut. However we didn’t have the best conversation because I spent the entire night talking in a fake italian accent. I had convinced this poor drunken study abroad boy that he had met the Italian woman of his dreams. He bought me two roses from a street vendor and told me he was in love with me. He was planning our life by the end of the night. My accent was very bad and was more of a combination of Spanish and the ten Italian words I knew than actual Italian. I think it was my racial ambiguity that got him more than anything. We parted ways at the end of the night and I haven’t seen him since. My first adventure with Florence bars ended up being a success. However on the way home with Leslie and Angie we encountered our first disturbing Florentine man. We were walking home around 4am when an older man passed us going the opposite way, made a loop and on his way to pass us again flashed us his privates, unzipped his pants and revealed himself to us. I was in such shock that I didn’t utter any words and neither did my roommates. Luckily he was I am assuming in it for the thrill and after not eliciting a big response from us kept passing by. What an interesting first evening out in Florence.
January Abroad week 1
So I have been massively slacking off in the effort to record my adventures abroad. I have been in Florence for 4 weeks now. Four of the most wild, outrageous, exciting, scary, homesick filled weeks of my entire life. I hate myself for waiting so long to finally write down my life thus far. My first week in Florence was a week I thought I would never forget. Not that I have forgotten but at this point in time it is somewhere around fuzzy. I remember my arrival, after flying for who knows how many hours and a combination of excitement and stiff limbs that prevented me from sleeping on my nine hour international flight I arrived in Florence on Friday January 10th. After almost an entire year fantasizing about the magical place that I was about to live in I was finally there. Only to find out at the Florence airport that the small group of students in my program who had flown in on the same flight as me, we had all lost our luggage. Well technically not lost but it was not going to arrive until the next day. So after filling out paperwork with the lovely Italian receptionists who insist on doing everything at the most leisurely pace possible we had our information written down and were going to have to go without for just one more day. We walk up the stairs to be met by one of the CAPA directors whose name is Lorenzo. A salt and pepper haired man who looks vaguely like Buzz light year cheerily greets us with a warm wave and strong Italian accent. After some small conversation he arranges a taxi to take me Alex Pash, and her good friend Taylor, all in my program, to our respective apartments. I arrive at 64 Borgo Allegri and with nothing but my backpack and carry on step out of the cab, wave goodbye to my new friends and step onto the unknown Florentine street that I now call home. As I try to figure out which buzzer is supposed to be rung a lovely Italian women about 4 stories up pops out the window and yells down to me to push the third buzzer. As I do she attempts to buzz me in, it takes me a good three times to figure out when to open the door to get inside of the apartment. As I make my treck upward to the top floor I am greeted by a small late 50’s Italian woman. She greets me with a large hug and explains that she is my new landlord, Laura. We sit down for some formal paperwork and she begins asking me about my flight and if I’m excited to be in Florence. I am both tired and excited at my new semester ahead as I nod and agree with what she says. Laura takes me on a tour of my new home and explains in very fast and slightly broken English how to use the appliances, the bathroom, the washer (there is no dryer) and where all of the dishes and utensils are. I am the third roommate to arrive. Leslie is out with her mother as she got here a few weeks before, Angelica is in her room sleeping off some jet lag and my roommate Stephanie has yet to arrive. After telling Laura that I have lost/will not receive my luggage until a later date she insists that we go next door to her apartment for some coffee and a rest so she can give me pajamas and clothes to wear. I am so relieved that I have been met by such a wonderful and nice Italian woman who wants nothing more than to comfort me in my time of exhaustion and stress. As we make our decent down our four flights of stairs to go next door we reach the bottom right as my last roommate Stephanie arrives. Laura throws Stephanie’s two large suitcases into the doorway of our apartment insisting they will be fine and leads us right next door to her apartment. Laura’s apartment is also on the top floor of her building but unlike us she has been blessed with the gift of the elevator. Which we all three cram into like sardines and ride slowly up to the top floor. There we are greeted by Laura’s husband Gabriele. He looks exactly like the grandpa from up. Same green sweater square face, white hair, glasses, and square fingers! They are the cutest little Italian couple I have ever seen. They usher us into the dining room and we are presented with the cutest coffee and chocolates. We all sit down and talk for a little while as Stephanie and I tell them where we are from and a little bit about ourselves. They tell us how wonderful Florence is and the story of how they met! They are melting my heart and making me temporarily wonder if I should have done a homestay instead of an apartment. Alas it is time for us to go, but not before Laura insists I take a sweater and pajamas of hers to wear while I wait for my suitcases to arrive. I am both in awe and humbled that a stranger I have never met is ready to extend such kindness to me after only moments of knowing me and my situation. I graciously accept her sweater and pajamas and we head over to our apartment. When Stephanie and I reach the top our third roommate has awoken from her jet lag nap. Stephanie and I talk to her for a little while and we all agree we need a little bit more sleep before we can go out for dinner and explore this beautiful new city together. On our first night out we meet up with two of Angie’s (Angelica’s) friends from home to go for dinner. We meet them at the duomo…what a sight for my first time in Florence. I was stunned, awestruck, in pure admiration and wonder at how all of these Florentine people could so casually walk past without at least giving a moment to appreciate not only the sheer size but the fact that something so beautiful occupied their everyday landscape. I snapped a few quick photos but my paranoia prevented me from taking a full photoshoot. I had heard that you get pit pocketed when you stop do admire tourist locations like the duomo as locals don’t even look up. We go for our first dinner out in Florence to a small restaurant a little bit past the duomo. I order a pizza with sausage and salame. It was both huge and delicious. I had no idea that ordering a pizza would mean a gigantic one all to myself. I take the rest to go in excitement for my first leftovers abroad. After one really long day I am more than happy to call it a night early and although I can smell myself after multiple plains and hours of no showering or new clothes I slip into my landlady’s pjs and fall quickly asleep. Day 1, Firenze 1 Kayla 1/2
7 Cutout Dresses!
Olivia Wilde in Cushnie Spring 2012 and Nikki Hilton in a Keepsake chiffon dress both rocking the cut out trend and looking amazing. Cut outs are a fun way to show a little skin and still keep things classy.
6 Dresses with Mesh!
I couldn’t choose just one inspiration for today’s post because there were so many celebs rocking the fun mesh insert trend so I chose three. Emma Roberts doing cheap and chic in ASOS, Lea Michele looking hot in David Lerner, and Alessandra Ambrosio turning up the heat in another David Lerner creation.
Mesh is a fun touch to any holiday dress in a fun and unexpectedly sexy way… Enjoy xoxo
5 Peplum Dresses!
Ashley Greene rocking the peplum look in Givenchy Resort 2012 at a Twilight function looking amazing. Peplum is a very flattering cut especially for thinner figures who want to create the look of curves, and for curvy girls to accentuate your already existing curves. These kinds of dress make for adorable party looks mixing sweet and sexy for a killer look… Enjoy xoxo
4 Maxi Dresses!
The maxi dress inspiration wasn’t taken from a celeb but a regular girl looking awesome and beyond cool in a neon pink maxi dress with thigh high slits. She looks ready to party harder than everyone and get the guy! Take a note from her and less is more with a maxi look the dress speaks for itself… Enjoy xoxo
3 lace dresses!
Brooklyn Decker in Nha Khanh looking amazing in a lace overlay dress and fun shoes I found some lace dress I think would look great at any holiday party just add some really colorful shoes and you have a great look!…Enjoy xoxo
2 Assymetrical hemlines
Abigail Breslin looking all grown up with a very pretty asymmetrical hemline dress by L’Agence at the premiere of New Years Eve in NYC. I’m really loving the whimsy that comes with an asymmetrical hemline its unexpected and fun. I think they make great holiday dresses for the girl who doesn’t want to look like everyone else!… Enjoy xoxo
My picks!
When you need a little inspiration
For all of you college students out there like me who are stressing out about finals, just take a minute for yourself and don’t loose sight of what it is you are trying to do while at school. Take a moment to de-stress. Here is a little quote I saw that made me appreciate what it is I’m trying to get done here at IU making finals seem a little less like death, and a little more like the stepping stones to accomplishing my dreams…
Enjoy xoxo
Dreams are illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you. — Marsha Norman
1 dress with a collar
Ashley Madekwe
To kick off the 12 days of Christmas I have decided to do a dress style everyday like the song, haha the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me 1 dress with a collar… you get the picture so for today I am starting with Ashley Madekwe looking amazing in an affordable ASOS embellished collard dress, I would normally find an affordable version to put up there but Ashley’s pick is a killer option so I choose her look all the way!
ASOS
12 Days of Christmas
Its my kickoff to the holiday season starting now its all about everything holiday! Snow on the ground time with the family, Santas outside of Walmart, and huge lines for the delish limited time Starbucks drinks! I have gift guides and plenty more on the way for those of you ready for the holiday season to be in full swing geeeeet ready!…
Enjoy xoxo
It's Kayla...Enjoy 