Fall Semester in Italy

Ciao my name is Lizbeth and this past fall semester I studied abroad in Milan, Italy. I studied at Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and it is one of HPU’s exchange partner schools! Studying abroad has been one of the best adventures of my life and I feel so grateful that I took that leap of faith.

This experience was truly enlightening and daring. I learned so much about myself and the world! When it came to housing my school didn't offer it for international students so my friend and I used spotahome (definitely recommended) to get an apartment for the semester and it worked out great. Transportation is also very accessible and interconnected through the city. I would go to school in the metro and it was very efficient and cheap. The food was also affordable. I could get a croissant and cappucino for 2.20 euros!

Here are some of my pointers: 1. Complete your visa application appointment as soon as possible because it can take longer than expected (my visa arrived 2 days before my flight so it was very stressful). 2. Go on as many adventures/ trip as possible. Time flies by too fast and you don't want to have any regrets! 3. Take the time to not only travel around Europe but know your city! I would travel every weekend but when I was home I tried to do so much exploring and immerse myself in Italian culture :) 4. Pack light being abroad you will want to do it all so having a weekend bag and small travel containers and packing cubes makes that a lot easier. 

Some of my favorite parts of Milan to explore was Navigli canal, Parque Sempione, Duomo and Brera :)) A huge culture shock for me was how everybody dressed! Especially coming from Hawaii where a tank and shorts is acceptable but in Milan you would not even see people in athleisure and everyone always looked so put together! Milan is one of the fashion capitals of the world so it does make sense haha. Another tip is to go on solo trips at first I was hesitant but it felt so freeing! Lastly document everything whether that be by journaling, pictures, blogging or vlogging do it you’ll thank yourself later!! Like any adventure outside your comfort zone there will be ups and downs with missing loved ones and familiarity but just by taking it day by day helps.

While abroad I took my unrestricted classes(perfect to explore classes outside of your major). I took classes about Italian food and fashion, female literature, diversity and psychology and loved them all. I only had classes from Monday through Thursday same as HPU. The coursework worked very differently to what I was used to. In Italy I only had two assignments that weighed my final grade which was just the midterm and final exam/ presentation. While back in HPU it's more traditional to have small assignments along the semester and have exams that have less weight on your final grade. 

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or doubts my instagram is @lizbethh.s

Post 2: Weekend travels!

Genova/Portofino, Italy: 

This was my first weekend trip of the semester and I  just went with a big group of people that I had just met that week. We took this bus called a FlixBus ($26) from Nice to Genova, Italy where we stayed Saturday to Monday in an Airbnb. We had amazing Italian food all weekend long. We took a 1-hour train ride to a near city called Portofino which had beautiful site seeing and lookout areas above the ocean. Going with a big group was nice, but it is also a little hard with so many people sometimes. So, I suggest traveling in groups of 5 or less.  

 

Budapest, Hungary:

Weekend trip #2 and I will definitely be going back in the future! It was beautiful (even with the rain and fog) so I can only imagine what it looks like with clear weather and sun. Here we did a ton of walking. The main places we stopped at were the Gellért thermal baths, Buda Castle, got some good luck at the statue, Fisherman’s Bastion, River cruise down the Duna River, checked out the House of Parliament, and met some cool people from around the world. Budapest has food that is to die for, stew, goulash soups, and mulled wine to keep us warm in the 30 degree weather. 

 

Monte Carlo, Monaco:

Monaco is another place I got to visit. It was a 45 minute train ride from where I lived in Juan Les Pins. Round trip about 17 euros. This is a place you want to pack a lunch and bring it with you because the least expensive thing in this country is a 6 euro Coca Cola! They are know for their luxury shopping and yacht club, as well as their Casino. I went to the aquarium and it was actually the cheapest aquarium I have ever been to, 10 euros for students, and absolutely incredible! 

Stuttgart, Germany and Strasburg, France: 

Had a fun filled weekend in Stuttgart, Germany and Strasbourg, France. We ate amazing food and saw awesome sights. Met up with a friend we met on our weekend trip to Budapest and of course walked a ton. We went on one of the last open to the public conveyer belt elevator, climbed to the top of the Strasbourg Cathedral, and ate in my first Michelline Star restaurant. In Germany, they have these giant stuffed raviolis, by far my favorite food I have had abroad. 

Cannes/Nice:

Stayed in town this weekend and my best friend from high school who was an exchange student came to visit me from Italy! I haven’t seen her in two years and we picked up right where we left off. Checked out the night life in Nice. We had a day trip to Cannes for a day of shopping and a trip to Nice and saw Promenade Des Anglais, Marche Aux Fleurs, Place Garibaldi, and walked up the stairs to the lookout of Bellanda Tower.

Walks, wine, and charcuterie boards on the beach by my apartment happened quite often.

Prague, Czech Republic: 

Na zdraví to the best weekend in Prague. I was able to stay with my friend Haley who is doing study abroad, which was a great way to save on housing while I was there. In this quick little weekend trip we saw the crawling babies, Charles Bridge, Prague castle, Katedrála Svateho Víta, John Lennon wall, dancing building, Prague astronomical clock, NH Prague hotel to ride the gondola to the top for an amazing view. Haley took me out to her favorite stops and we grubbed out on some delicious food along the way. I highly recommend going to Prague if you get the chance, I loved it there and will definitely be going back one day!

Holiday Break – Paris / Kehl, Germany / Luzern, Switzerland / Milan, Italy (mom and Gramma)

Finally can check Paris off my bucket list! My mom and gramma finally made it to Europe after some complications, but my friend Haley came to keep me company on another spontaneous weekend trip! 

In Paris we went to the Musse D’orsay, watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle at the top of the hour, took an electric scooter to see the Louvre lit up at night, walked to the Notre Dame, walked the 1000+ stairs at the Eiffel Tower, Mona Lisa at the Louvre, and at fondue and wine out of baby bottles*** à A MUST GO if in Paris!!

Kehl, Germany, Strasbourg, France, Lucerne, Zug, and Geneva, Switzerland! 

Definitely a packed full week playing tourist with my 2 favorite ladies. We went to Kehl, because my my moms maiden name and my grammas last name is Kehl, so we thought it would be cool to get to say we went and stayed in Kehl, Germany! Gramma could not find any sweatshirts that said KEHL on them and there are no German restaurants in Kehl, Germany, everyone told use to go to Strasbourg, FRANCE for German food! The astronomical clock at the Strasbourg Cathédrale was more interesting to learn about then actually watch. It is incredible how the astronomical clocks work, and I have no idea how someone was able to come up with it. 

Switzerland was breathtaking with Lake Lucerne, cheese factory, Swiss alpes, chocolate factory making chocolate bars, lake Zug, and lots and lots of yummy cheese fondue. Switzerland is somewhere to visit after you’ve been saving up for a long time and know that once you go you won’t have very much left… or go with your mom! 

Being able to have my mom and gramma come visit and travel for 2 weeks was such a highlight and something I will never forget, I am so thankful they were able to come before the outbreak and shutdowns! 

London, England:

Last weekend trip of study abroad in London. Took pictures at platform 9 3/4, Covent gardens, Buckingham palace, went to the London aquarium, took a ride on the London Eye, went through Tower Bridge, walked all 311 stairs to the top of the Monument. Traveling with Kayley (my roommate) was quite the trip and I’m so happy I found such a great roommate. 

She will be a forever friend and I can’t wait to visit her, her visit me, and plan another adventure together! 

Blog #3: 5 tips for traveling while abroad

1. Plan out your weekends/travel dates well in advance (about a month or two), if you want to get the best deals. Flights from country to country can be SUPER cheap (I’m talking like $50 roundtrip cheap!) in Europe but you have to book about 6 weeks in advance to get those kinds of deals.  
2. If you plan to study abroad during spring and want to travel a lot during spring break, definitely plan that well in advance (before even arriving in Europe) to avoid paying tons of money for air/accommodations.  Many Europeans vacation during Easter which drives prices up like crazy, especially last minute.  My friends and I really wanted to go to Amsterdam but we waited to long and flights rose to about $600/roundtrip and hotels and Airbnb’s sky rocketed! It cost me way less to fly to Philadelphia for Easter than it would have to travel last minute throughout Europe.
3. Pack lightly!! Most budget airlines only allow a carry on bag and are very strict about it.  I’ve had airlines tell me I had to put my small purse inside my carry on just because I wasn’t allowed to have a personal item.  I’ve also had airlines tell me I had to either put on my jacket or to put it in the overhead bin for take off and landing.  Remember, no one in these other countries/cities are going to know you so no shame in repeating outfits! Also, wear your heaviest clothes/shoes onto the plan to save room in your luggage :)
4. When booking a place to stay, make sure you use maps to know the location you are in and that you are nearby to things you want to see.  If you plan on using public transportation while there, use the maps to find metro stops.  My friends and I used Airbnb for most of the places we travelled and we found that they had the best deals.  Hostels are a good option too but if you are traveling in a group it’s usually cheaper to split an Airbnb. 
5. If you are going to another country with a different language, learn some basics before getting there! I found it helpful to learn how to say “hello,” “thank you,” “please,” and “sorry” in whatever language for the country I was visiting.  The reason I chose these is because even if you are struggling with other words and phrases, these words show that you are polite and that usually goes over well with everyone.  Obviously you can’t learn the language of every single country (unless you can, that’s awesome!), but just practicing some of it on the ride there does a lot.  Just attempting the language is appreciated by most foreigners (although you’re the foreigner in this case) and they are more likely to help you if they see you are trying.  You may feel a little silly sometimes but it’s definitely worth it!

Blog #2: Fitting in

When choosing to study abroad in Milan, Italy, I knew I would have to pretend to know about fashion a bit but was not prepared for the reality of fashion in Italy, Milan especially.  Everyone is so well put together at all times!  Coming from Hawaii this was a harder transition than most other students since we are much more laid back here.  I remember throwing on some workout clothes to run to the grocery store really quickly for some dinner.  The supermarket was about 2 blocks from my apartment and the trip would take me about 15-20 minutes total.  No need to waste decent clothes on a quick trip to the store… so I thought.  I have never had some many people look at me like I was crazy.  You would have thought I was walking around with a costume on.  

Eventually I learned that my safest bet when trying to decide what to wear was to just go with dark colors.  Most days I wore black jeans or leggings, a sweater, and my gray dress coat, with some boots.  As it started to get warmer I noticed Italians started wearing brighter colors but no where close to what we wear in Hawaii.  

As much as I wanted to be comfortable and just wear simple clothes everyday, I learned that it was easier to try to fit in then to deal with all the consequences of looking different.  By not fitting in you are opening yourself up to pick pocket-ers that target tourists.  I’ve had multiple friends get their phones and wallets stolen.  Another annoying fact of not fitting in is the looks you get.  I rather just wear dark colors and blend in than have 20 people staring at me on the subway for wearing workout clothes to class!

Blog #1: Preparing for travel 

This was my first time in Europe.  I have travelled outside of the United States before but never for such an extended period of time.  There are some things you should know before leaving for your study abroad experience.  The first thing is that, if you plan on doing some shopping and want to explore the fashion of wherever you are going, pack lightly.  Because I studied in Milan, Italy, the fashion capital of the world, I knew I wanted to do a lot of shopping! I packed lightly and brought a lot of basic clothing that I could easily add accessories to.  I’m not a girl that’s usually into fashion at all, but I definitely wanted to leave room for souvenirs. 

Something else you should know, especially if you have a layover in another country, is that they might only do passport check at your layover but not when you arrive in the country you are studying in.  This was confusing for me because I had a layover in Portugal and followed the crowd to a huge line.  At first I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for but then I realized we were getting our passports stamped.  You want to be sure to give yourself sufficient time to wait in a long line before your connecting flight.  I was running a little low on time and stressing out because I only had about 90 minutes between flights.

A final tip for preparing to go abroad is to make sure you bring basics such as towels, school supplies, toiletries, etc. to hold you over until you are able to find a store to buy these things at.  I didn’t bring a shower towel because I didn’t want to waste room in my luggage but that resulted in me drying myself with a swifter towel, that I found in a grocery store, for 2 weeks.  In Italy, Milan specifically, there aren’t many stores like Target or Walmart that carry everything you need for reasonable prices.  It wasn’t until a few weeks in that some friends and I travelled a Primark, about 30 minutes away, that had some affordable towels to buy.  There was a store near my apartment that sold towels but they were about 30 Euro and I was not willing to spend that kind of money for a bath towel.  Just make sure you think of the little, everyday items that you use. 

Arrivederci and a Hui Hou Italia

Ciao Everyone!

                It has been several weeks since my semester abroad has been officially over and although I am happy to be back in the islands, it feels as if I have never left. Although at the time I was extremely homesick for the first month, now I wish I was still abroad enjoying every new experience I could. My time abroad was the greatest highlight of 2016 and now I refer to 2016 as my golden year. I was extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to study in a different country and gain a new perspective on how life half way around the world is. I can’t wait to take a trip back to Europe to revisit some of my favorite cities such as Zadar, Zurich, Brussels, Nice and to explore places I was unable to see while I was abroad. If I had another opportunity to study abroad again, I would not hesitate to say yes. Like I said it was the best four months of 2016 but in all honesty, it was the best four months of my life!

Shout out to Italy and all the European countries for being a part of my amazing time abroad!

If anyone would like to see additional pictures from all my trips and blog post I wrote while abroad, you can visit my website at http://joselynolinares.wixsite.com/hawaii2milan.

xoxo,

Joselyn

Travel Frenzy, More Than I Could've Imagined

Ciao Everyone!

I just finished my last trip while in Europe! This weekend I had a friend visiting me from Hawaii and we decided to take a trip to Rome. All I can say is that I left a part of my heart in Rome… It was absolutely beautiful beyond words. We had a blast there even though we only had two days to see the entire city. All my trips this semester abroad have exceeded my expectations and I couldn’t be any happier! Including my trip to Rome, I have now been to 10 countries and roughly 30 destinations within those countries! I’ve been to:

-Italy: Milan, Genoa, Verona, Salerno, Sorrento, Naples, Vico Equense, Positano, Capri, Pompeii, Rome, Lake Como

-Croatia: Zadar, Krka National Park

-Germany: Munich (twice)

-France: Nice, Anitbes, Cannes, Villefranche, Paris, Disneyland Paris (barely in Paris)

-Switzerland: Zurich

-England: London

-Ireland: Dublin, Cliffs of Moher

-Monaco && Vatican City (both very tiny countries): Monte Carlo…The Vatican City

-Belgium: Brussels

-Spain: Barcelona, Montserrat

I managed to see everything I wanted to and more within the short four months of my stay here in Italy and stay on top of my school work too. I was surprisingly easy to travel to almost every part of Europe from Milan. With three airports that are easily accessible, I was able to do all my traveling. It wasn’t too expensive either (about to blow your mind)…I was able to get a roundtrip ticket for a weekend from Milan to Brussels for 16 Euros! Isn’t that crazy! I made sure to make the best of my short time abroad and I can confidently say I’ve have an amazing experience and I’m sad it’s coming to an end! I will be leaving Italy very shortly and I’ll write another post about my experience leaving the country and life I’ve been living for the last four months of my life.

Until then,

Joselyn

Lights, Camera, Action: Living in a Fashion Capital

Ciaoooooo!

My name is Joselyn and I am currently living life in Milan, one of the most important fashion capitals in the world. What is it like living in such a prestige city you may ask...well, let's just say it's nothing like I was expecting but in a way much more than I could imagine. 

First off, I have just gotten adjusted to the idea of living in another country, one that I had never visited before or was the slightest bit familiar with and it only took me two months and I am leaving in less than a month, ironic right? Before coming to Milan I was extremely excited to be able to experience some place new that I've only heard about or seen pictures of however when I did finally arrive in Italy, the culture shock and unfamiliar surrounding was a bit overwhelming. 

Yes, culture shock is a huge part of studying abroad, especially if you're someone like me who's never been to another country before BUT I have adapted to my new home and can proudly say that Milan has stolen a piece of my heart. From walking to school, to seeing familiar faces each day, to getting to know other study abroad students and being able to be apart of another culture is truly an memorable experience. It's definitely one of the best decisions I've made so far even when I was told it would be impossible to study abroad my senior year but here I am! 

Shortly I'll be writing a post about traveling to other countries right after I have visited my 10th country while studying abroad (that was my goal), so stay tuned!

xoxo,
Joselyn
#Hawaii2Milan

Readjusting & Crying About Pizza

To quote the silver fox that is George Clooney (whose house in Lake Como I sadly could not find), "I think people in Italy live their lives better than we do. It's an older country, and they've learned to celebrate dinner and lunch, whereas we sort of eat as quickly as we can to get through it." George knows what he's talking about, as I often spend my days back in America reflecting on one of God's greatest gifts that is Italian food.

It's still hard to believe that my study abroad program in Milan, Italy ended 2 months ago and that I returned back to New Jersey a little over a month ago. My first week back in New Jersey was bizarre- I no longer had to mentally prepare myself to speak Italian every time I walked into a store or restaurant. I was now hearing English everywhere I went instead of Italian, which was comforting but strange nonetheless. Every time I see family or friends they say "You have to tell me EVERYTHING about Italy!" but I'm not too sure how to sum up 5 amazing months into a few minutes. Reflecting back on this past semester has made me appreciate the crazy adventures I had. I feel so grateful and #blessed to have had this opportunity to go abroad that it would probably take me a whole year to explain every single thing I loved about Europe. Basically, I got to travel throughout most of Italy by planes, trains, buses and cars. I got to know the huge city of Milan, rode a gondola in Venice, tossed a coin into the Trevi Fountain & explored the Vatican in Rome, drove the Amalfi Coast in Naples, took a ferry to Positano, and went on a solo 4 day trip to Florence.

View of Ponte Vecchio in Florence from the Uffizi Gallery

I also took a solo day trip to Lugano, Switzerland, met up with a foreign exchange student from HPU in Copenhagen, Denmark, biked around Barcelona, Spain with a dear friend and had a jam-packed weekend in Paris, France with two international students I met at my Italian school from Mexico. I ate some of the most amazing food in the world, visited family, toured the most breathtaking museums, and made some of my greatest memories- which makes coming home even harder. When I was still in Europe, I vowed that once I got back to the US I would keep traveling and see more of the United States; I didn't want to stand still. But since I've been back, I've been visiting family, friends, and taking it easy. In Italy, I was always running around on my next adventure, which is why it's nice to just take a break and enjoy my summer at home. (And honestly cuddling with my dog has been the highlight of my summer, I'm not gonna lie.)

Reppin HPU from Park Güell in Barcelona

One of the greatest rewards of living in Italy was getting to come home and speak Italian with my Italian grandmother. I never realized how happy it would make her to hear one of her grandchildren speaking her native language. When I'm not practicing with her, I'm keeping up with the language app Duolingo so I don't forget it when I'm back in Hawaii. Since I dress a lot like an American, many Italians couldn't tell if I spoke Italian or if I was just a tourist, especially in Florence. I couldn't believe how many American tourists I heard in Florence that I actually heard sighs of relief when I spoke to locals in Italian. (It's also fun to be bilingual because you can eavesdrop on conversations when people think you don't understand.)

I'd like to dedicate the end of this blog post to the amazing friends I made in Italy who made my experience as enjoyable as can be. I encourage everyone to talk to students from all different countries as well as America. Every two weeks, I'd go out to dinner with girls from France, Brazil and the Netherlands where we'd compare the things we'd do in our respective countries from food to politics to pop-culture. Every time I talked to them I learned something new about the world, which makes this huge planet seem a little less unfamiliar and scary. It opened my mind to how other cultures do certain things and what their impressions of America are. One of the best things was comparing our languages and trying to explain American slang to them. We would always try to pronounce words in each other's languages (French, Dutch, English and Brazilian Portuguese) and laugh when we would horribly mispronounce them. When you study abroad, don't be afraid to break out of your shell, make friends and try something new!

Left to Right: Camille and Caroline from France, Paula from Brazil, Iris from the Netherlands and me :)

Italian friends and fellow HPU student, Hunter!

Waiting in line to go up the Eiffel Tower with
Mitchell and Paola from Mexico

Sarah from Tennessee (yes I had American friends too)

P.S. Here's a quick shout-out to Italian pizza. I miss you and think about you everyday. 

The entire pizza is for one person.
Notice how I added arugula in an attempt to not feel
guilty about how many carbs I was consuming on a regular basis.

La Vida Loca

Hola! It’s been a while, so I should probably update this for all my fans (mom and dad). My time abroad has been seriously flying by. Maybe it’s because I have been lucky enough to travel to some incredible places most weekends.

Since I last posted, I have been to Barcelona, Lisbon, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Milan, and Venice! Everything has been absolutely incredible, but my favorite so far is Venice, hands down. 24 hours, 17 miles of walking, 2 (okay, 4) scoops of gelato, and 3 different Venetian islands later, I fell completely in love. The countless canals and century-old, rustic Italian streets are even more charming than I had imagined. My favorite part of the day, though, was a tiny off-the-beaten-path island called Burano. It is an enchanting little island town about an hour ferry ride away, with colorful canal-front houses and warm Italians who really say “ciao, bella” as you walk by (a happy cliche I was delighted by). Whoever decided to create this town and paint the buildings every different color imaginable, I love you. I walked around with such a huge smile the whole day that my face was sore by the time I got back to my hostel. Lisbon and Amsterdam were also super cool cities. Surprisingly, my least favorite has probably been Paris. I ran into some bad luck during my weekend there, and it was relentlessly raining the entire time, so I think it didn’t live up to my high expectations. Although it was undoubtedly beautiful, I prefer the other cities more.

I want to talk about something that has really shaped my abroad experience: traveling solo. I have gone on both a couple trips with friends and several alone. People tend to be really shocked when I tell them I’m traveling by myself, so hear me out on why I love it so much. I do love to have company while enjoying a new city. It’s really unique to be able to share that experience with someone, and it sure helps to have a companion when you run into bumps in the road. In Lisbon, I travelled with my amiga Louise and we had the most amazing time exploring the city and meeting friends from around the world. But, there are also many pros of traveling alone, like teaching me some valuable life lessons.

For example, it has taught me to rely on myself and be super independent. In each city you have to figure out how to get from the airport to the hostel to the metro to the tourist spots…etc… without any wifi and without ever having been there before. It’s stressful, yes, but it has taught me to be organized, independent, and self-reliant.

Traveling solo has also taught me that people are good! If I am ever in a situation where I get lost, the locals have always been more than willing to help me out, even walk me all the way to my hostel. Especially in our day and age, the media influences the public to believe that everyone is a shitty human being, but I have happily learned that it is not so. And you end up making great connections and friends out of it! I met a 35 year old Italian woman named Valeria at my hostel in Venice who “recognized my island soul” (thanks, Hawaii) and approached me while I was eating breakfast. She lived in the Bahamas for many years and we ended up having so much in common. We ate our breakfasts together, chatted and laughed for an hour, and exchanged phone numbers.

Plus, when traveling alone, you go by your plan! One of my favorite things to do in a new city is go to the center and get intentionally lost. I make left or right turns simply depending on which street looks the most interesting to me. I can stop and listen for 30 minutes to a street performer playing the harp without worrying about whether my travel companion wants to do that, too. I can eat gelato 3 times in one day and no one is there to judge me for it. If I had waited to go to these cities until someone else could go with me, I would have missed out!

Besides traveling, everything else is amazing. Classes at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas are awesome and thought provoking and I am adjusting to the Spanish life really well. I do get homesick from time to time, because, well, Hawaii is an easy place to miss. Not to mention, I have incredible people in my life back home (that’s you, mom, dad, HPU friends, Charlotte!) who I miss so, so much. But, I'm still so happy to have this opportunity to explore a whole new culture and can't wait to make the most of every minute.

xoxo,

Allison

Clet Abraham—A Florentine Street Artist

While taking a stroll through the lovely streets of Florence it is easy to get lost in the beauty of the historical buildings, shops, and galleries. You may not even notice something gone astray with the traffic signs. But if you look up you might just see that a dead end sign is transformed into a Jesus crucifixion and there’s a silhouette of a man trying to slyly carry away the white bar of a no entry sign. 

Who’s behind this sneaky street art? The answer to that question is none other than French artist Clet Abraham.  Ever since the summer of 2010 he has been revamping street signs in Florence and across Europe into works of art. 

His artwork is given life mostly in the middle of the night when he applies his pre-made stickers to the chosen street signs. He props his bike up against the sign and then stands on the seat to apply his art. “It literally takes 10 seconds,” says Clet. 

While Clet’s work is not entirely legal he takes care not to alter the function of the road signs. “I don’t damage the signs because I use stickers, but I wake up attention and create dialogue,” says Clet.

Not everyone has the same view as Clet or sees the alterations as art. Some even classify his art as “vandalism” saying that it’s a distraction and doesn’t belong in the historical and beautiful city of Florence. In October of 2010, just a few months after he began, Clet also received a 400 euro fine because the altered signs violated traffic laws.

However, this didn’t stop Clet, but instead encouraged him to think bigger. On January 20, 2011, a fiberglass life-size sculpture known as Common Man appeared on Ponte alle Grazie. It was installed by Clet without permission and seven days later it was removed, but not before it drew much attention and appreciation from the community. 

Clet explains how in a renaissance city like Florence he only intervenes where elements break with history and contrast with the city. Both the Common Man and his altered street signs dialogue with the city where modern invasions, like street signs and the modernly designed Ponte alle Grazie, have taken over.

 

While authorities for the meantime have mostly turned a blind eye to Clet’s art it’s unclear what the future holds for Clet and his clever street signs, along with the many other street artists who depend on urban backdrops as their canvas. With growing appreciation it’s hard to imagine a world without your local street artist. Keep an eye out for Clet's art next time you just happen to be in Florence! ;) 

 “Street art, when done well, is a gift to the city and it’s residents.” 

Clet Abraham

Overcoming Language Barriers

Here is a conversation I’ve had approximately 50 times ((slight exaggeration)) since coming to Italy:

“Gabriella Marzullo…your name is Italian and you look Italian, are you half or something?”

“Yeah I’m actually 100% Italian! My dad was born here.”

“Oh cool so you’re fluent!?”

“Haha no…not yet anyways.”

“Wait what?”

….

Every time I have this conversation with someone, I just have to laugh. Obviously my name is Italian and I look Italian, so it’s natural for people to assume that since my dad was born here, I speak fluent Italian. I then have to go on to explain that we never actually spoke it while I was growing up and I’ve only been learning it for a year. Although I’m not close to being fluent, I have to say that my Italian has vastly improved since I first arrived. From taking an intensive language course my first two weeks here, to taking a cooking class where we can only speak Italian, and visiting relatives in Southern Italy who speak little to no English, I’ve really been pushed out of my comfort zone to think of different ways to say something so I can say it in Italian. Although I may butcher it sometimes with broken Italian, I’ve found that about 85% of the time, people will understand what you’re trying to say, and more importantly- they appreciate that you’ve tried. 

Buona Pasqua! Enjoying Easter dinner with my relatives in Southern Italy

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people complain about Italians being rude to them. Sometimes that can definitely be true, especially in a metropolitan city like Milan, but usually those same people who are complaining are people who only speak to Italians in English and expect them to understand. I’m not saying you have to be fluent in Italian to live here, obviously I’m not, but making the effort and even pulling out google translate in times of need makes it easier for the locals to understand you so they can help you.

Can we just appreciate these lush green hills? I wanted to dance around like Julie Andrews but I restrained myself.

First time meeting my 2nd cousins! 

Conversely, the first time I went to the café next to my apartment, my Italian was just awful and I ended up saying everything in English. Ever since then, they only speak to me in English. Although I love to practice my Italian any chance I get, I think it’s really sweet how they go out of their way to make me feel comfortable by speaking English. Which reminds me, I haven’t been there in a few weeks... I miss their pistachio cream filled croissants... BUT I DIGRESS. Just try your best, anywhere you go. When I went to Paris and said a few phrases in French, everyone was so kind and told me how cute they thought my accent was and appreciated my sad attempt at French.

See, they even put a smiley face in my cappuccino!

Also, I’m not sure how often these happen in the United States, but if you’re studying abroad in another country where you’re learning the language, I suggest going to a language exchange! I’ve gone to a few, and even though it’s intimidating at first, it really helps me practice my Italian. Plus, it’s a great way to meet new people from all over the world! :D