Incredible, beautiful, and historic are just some of the words that describe Venice.
I traveled there last weekend and was deeply impacted by the wonderful culture, lifestyle, and architecture that makes up this soon-to-be underwater city… My professors top suggestion of travel as the water is rising. We stepped out of the train station and faced our first of many canals. In a few steps one could easily drop straight into the water. You can see where the water level used to be on the steps down to the canal which are now covered with barnacles and algae. The transportation system was interesting since the streets are all so narrow, there use boats as taxis (literally no room for cars/Vespas). There were beautiful piazzas, bell towers, cathedrals, basilicas, bridges, and even one of the towers ‘destroyed’ by Spider-Man in his newest movie: Far from Home. Specifically the Bridge of Sighs was a sight to see out of all of the bridges as it was an enclosed structure with two windows connected the jailhouse to the building where killers would be sentenced to death. So through the windows, one could see their last glimpse of the Mediterranean Sea… The bridge is covered in masked faces of all emotions, which was kinda creepy. We took a gondola ride underneath this and through the canals, our guide was very funny and knowledgeable of the city. Honestly there was so much more. I felt wanderlust here… I am definitely going back to this incredible city, hopefully before it drowns.

This past week for my “Made in Italy” class we went to the Men’s Fashion Museum in Pitti Palace. Every piece was meticulously placed in a fold of a giant ‘book’. The top designers of Italian fashion were all on display here, it was pretty cool to see some of the oldest trends to the newest ones and how fashion for men has really changed over the years. At the end of December the house will choose a new collection to put on display, and to get a sense of how gigantic this place is, the entire collection only took up maybe 1/16 of the house –there are 8 levels and only took up one wing of the house. Crazy.

Other than the traveling and sightseeing, I have been trying new Italian dishes which are all so yummy, especially tortilini soup! One of the most interesting ‘aperitivos’ is cantaloupe and prosciutto… also my host dad really likes anchovies… YUCK. But it is all part of the culture that I am embracing! Some of my classes are fun, like drawing. We just did a project with charcoal (VERY messy) which turned out to be fun and cool; my professoressa really enjoyed mine and chose to display it in front of my class! And some of my classes are difficult like Modern Consumerism and Italian. Lastly, my internship is going well with Evadifranco! On Tuesday we did a photo-shoot with her new ‘collectivism collection’. We took a bunch of photos with my iPhone camera as her Nixon stopped working in the middle of the session, so now I get to keep them! She has a great eye and is always so creative –she even asks for my opinion! We chat every time I come into the studio, and I really enjoy working with her even though I was scared of her at first. Thanks for reading so far, I am sorry for not updating sooner but I have just been so busy with everything! This week I will be going to a Florentine soccer game and next Saturday is the 10k race! Lots going on, I pray for you all, your health and happiness! Many churches/basilicas that remind me of how important family is! Ciao for now lovelies. ❤ Aysha

Where to begin… This is a beautiful Italian city with lots of culture and history. I had an awesome day packed with sightseeing and it was only 35 minutes from Florence by train. First, Meti, Morgan, Niela, and I went to Neptune’s Sculpture which is surrounded by cathedrals, basilicas, and towers. There is even a leaning Medieval Tower in Bologna! We went into a public library (which is not at all like the typical libraries in the Midwest). Underneath the glass floors, you could see the remains of an ancient Roman building! Walking down some stairs, we entered onto a platform that looked over the dig. There were two small wells with euro coins dropped into them… very cool! Then we walked to a little picture window that looked out onto a small canal going through the city. We stopped at an authentic Italian restaurant where we ate hand-made tortellini in broth. Very delicious! Afterwards we took a bus to FICO, which is kinda like a COSTCO store with cooking classes and outdoor paths through gardens of veggies, grapevines, and olives. Hard to explain… They also had an animal enclosure! We got back on the bus to go to the city center and walk around a bit more before we had to leave. This was a fun cheap trip which I am so grateful to have experienced!

More to come… This past week I didn’t post anything because my classes were boring “syllabus” days, but they are going to be very interesting once we start the lessons. I’ll update you all whenever I have more time!

Ciao for now, Aysha

Today, my class went to an amazing cooking school with a professional chef. She taught us how to make Pici All’Aglione, Tortelli Mugellani con Burro e Salvia, and Cantucci (or biscotti). Everything turned out delicious and now I am in a food coma! We were able to keep the aprons and bring home the recipe, although there were a lot of fancy appliances needed… Yesterday, we found out our class schedules and I do not have any on Tuesday or Friday! Daniela is one of the professors who talked to us about safety. She is my favorite so far as she kept picking on the boys for messing up their paperwork. I told her she should do stand-up as many of us would love to see her perform! We went to lunch at Tamero which is next door to the ACCENT center with Mariarosa, our academic director, and it was once again, DELICIOUS. Afterwards, we were shown a bunch of fun activities we can participate in for FREE, like soccer games, walking tours, volunteer opportunities and more. There is a 10k that I would like to participate in with one of the coordinators at the end of September, so I should really start running again soon… We will see how much it costs! There are sooo many cute boutiques and shops everywhere you go, as well as gelatarias, so I will need to really focus hard not to spend too much on silly items this semester!

Ciao for now, Aysha

Saying goodbye to my parents was not easy, but I held myself together. They mean the world to me, and I would not be here in Florence if it weren’t for them. I am so incredibly grateful for their lessons throughout my life and providing an amazing childhood for me and my brothers. This is an opportunity of a lifetime, and I am so happy to be here in Florence as a student. So, here I am (up at 3 AM), writing to curious friends and family at home because jet lag has my internal clock all wacky. I am so excited for whats to come…

I feel like I could run ten miles right now, I have so much energy! I think it has finally hit me that I am 4,700 miles away from home, and I just have an itching to explore the city. The plane ride was long and my group flight had a layover in Amsterdam. There we walked around the airport, and I ended up purchasing a box of Stroopwaffels. Anyone who knows me knows I love waffles, but these are a delicious cookie in the form of compact waffle. With an assortment of different fillings (Salted caramel, honey, and syrup) they’re my new favorite snack! YUM

Once we arrived in Italy, we were met by the ACCENT staff and given information about our housing. This is where I found out I have a roommate! Her name is Kebron and she is very nice and beautiful! I am so elated to have someone to adventure with. She even committed to running with me as our host mother is a very good cook, and we’ll need to work off the extra delicious carbs! Haha

Florence is absolutely stunning, I am living a dream here and I can’t wait to share the rest of my adventures with you all. Orientation is tomorrow so I will know my schedule and hopefully start planning trips around Italy, starting first with the Amalfi Coast!

Ciao for now! -Aysha