My Family is here!!

My family is here and I could not be happier. I had a field trip to the Fendi Factory today , which was awesome. 

 However, I was not able to see my family directly upon arrival because of the mandatory field trip. I am not complaining though, the fieldtrip was amazing, but it was even more amazing seeing my mothers beautiful face for the first time in months. 

I ran off of that bus so quickly and ran to the café where my family was waiting for me. I could not wait to run into my mothers arms. It did not feel real. From the way my crazy family packed, you would have thought they were staying here for five months. Anyway, enough writing, my family is here. I have so much catching up to do. Knowing us, I will be back with some exciting/ interesting stories. We are one dynamic crew. Florence is in for a surprise! 

More updates to come. Stay tuned. 

My visit to Ferragmo

My big meeting with the Director of  the Ferragmo Museum was today. I forgot tell you it was rescheduled from the 12^th to the 14^th. I left my classes at 1:15pm so that I could head home, leaving me plenty of time to get dressed. I did a lot of research on Mrs. Ricci, so that I was prepared to ask her questions if the time permitted.

I walked out of the house with my best attire on. A bit flustered, I walked in the wrong direction and had to turn around. My appointment scheduled for 3:00pm, at that point was 7 minutes away. I’m breaking a sweat to Ferrgamo as quickly as I can.

Finally after 5 minutes I arrive. “ Mrs. Ricci please?” I kindly ask.

“Hello mad’am. You must go up to the left to the first floor.”

I arrive and two very nice individuals greet me.

“Hello, I have a meeting with Mrs. Ricci.” I said in my most polite voice.

“ I am sorry but Mrs. Ricci had to take an unexpected trip to London today, but her assistant will be right with you.”

Surprisingly, I did not get angry or sad at all. It was an honor to even have the opportunity to step foot on the First floor of the Ferragamo headquarters.

Off I went with Ms. Paola. She works in the Marketing department at the Ferragamo Museum. Ms. Paola has been working at Ferragamo since 1992. She absolutely loves her job, and is happy to be a part of such an establishment. Mira is the other young lady who also came alongside Ms. Paola to give me a tour of the office.

The office was unbelievable. If you don’t already know this about me, I have a weird obsession with shoes.  As I walk into the office, on the table sat the real shoes hand made by Mr. Ferrogamo himself. They were slightly covered, but I was able to sneak a peak under the transparent sheet. I was told that those were the shoes that would be showcased in the next exhibition. Mrs. Ricci is in charge of selecting which shoes/collections will be presented in the exhibitions, however Mrs. Ferragamo has much of the final say on everything.

I stayed a while and conversed with Mrs. Paola about my future goals. She had espresso and aqua sent up to us, as we spoke. I felt like a queen. She let me look out at the beautiful view from her office.

After already missing two classes, I decided it was time for us to part ways. Mrs. Paola and I exchanged contact information and she assured that she would reschedule my meeting with Mrs. Ricci.

Ciao,

Victoria 

TIME FLIES

I just looked up at the date I wrote down and my gosh does time fly. A month from now I will be heading back to the US. It literally feels like I just got here.

Before I left a few family friends warned me of this feeling. “ Victoria as soon as you get comfortable, it will be time to come back home.” If that’s not the truth, my name isn’t Victoria Fortune!

At any rate, I am so excited to see my mother, aunt, and cousin in ten days. I can’t wait. We are going to have an absolute blast. My mother deserves this trip more then anyone. She means the world to me, and I can’t thank her and my wonderful dad enough for making this happen.  I do have a surprise waiting for her when she gets here though, I just found out that my laptop crashed for good. There is no way the technicians are going to be able to recover it. I was sad for a moment, but then I realized whenever unfortunate things like this happen it serves as a reminder that something bigger is in store. 

I am thankful to still have my pad, pen and journal.

My old computer that was working at the time, but currently dead.

I am off to bed now.

Ciao Bella’s,

Victoria 

The Amalfi Coast.. story to come. Enjoy the photos

The Blue Gratto. One of the seven wonders of the world

Spring Break Edition: Paris, France

Continuing my self-reflecting spring break journey next stop: Paris France

8:00pm It is dark outside. The only thing I can see are the lights of the building across from me, and even those are a bit blurry through the glass window of this bus. I have just arrived in Paris, France. After taking a plane from Granada, and an hour bus ride from the airport, I am a bit exhausted. Honestly, all I can think of right now is sitting down and eating a chocolate crepe. I guess I should quit wishful thinking and find my way to the hotel.

10:00pm Two hours have gone by and I am completely lost. A nice gentlemen from Còte d’Ivoire  Africa gave me directions to the train station.  I know no French other than oui and bonjour, but I've never been one to let a language barrier get in my way of getting where I need to go. Here goes nothing, I say to myself.  

He pulls out his handy dandy iPhone 4, finds the train app, and proceeds to give me directions to my hotel. “ My dear, you are on the wrong side of Paris,” he says.  I began freaking out a bit. I have used all of the credit on my Italian phone. So if I wanted to call the friends I am meeting here to confirm that he is giving me the correct directions, I can’t.  On top of that, it is dark outside.  Jesus, be with me, is all  could think at this point.

Still maintaining some of my composure, I walk to the train station and proceed to get off at the stop the gentlemen instructed me to get off at. Something tells me to ask the train station worker if I was headed in the right direction.     

 " Bonsoir Madame, which way to Des Arquebusier? I am looking for Villa Beaumarchais Hotel,”  I ask.

“ Madame  you are headed in the wrong direction. You must take the M8 train in order to arrive to your destination."

I took a deep breath, said  “mercy beaucoup” in my most pleasant voice and continued my journey.

After 20 minutes of searching,  I finally found the M8 train.

10:45: Great! I took the train in the wrong direction. Now I must find my way to the other side of the track, and hope that this train is going in the direction of the hotel.

11:25 Finally, after asking four random people on the street how to get to the hotel, I arrive. My friends leave me a note at the front desk reading " Victoria, we tried calling you so many times but you're phone is off. We went out to eat, call us when you get here."  Was not exactly the news I wanted to hear after being lost for such a long time, however in life sometimes you just have to roll with the flow.

1:00am I am finally in the hotel room with my friends. I went on a mini tour by myself of the street the hotel was on and grabbed a delicious French meal. I could not get into the room until my friends returned, so I said “what the heck, I minds well get out of this funk I am in and get a bite to eat.”  I ordered this savory 1/4 of chicken with cut potatoes with rosemary. It was by far one of the tastiest meals I have eaten abroad.  After I ate, my mood went from not so good to great. Fed me after a long day, and I am good to go.To put the icing on the crepe, I got to watch a live French jazz show. If you know me, you know I love jazz music. My dad’s love for jazz has rubbed off on me. I wish he was there to enjoy the live music with me.  For a second (just a second) I forgot about what a hectic day I’d had.

Though it was a rough day, I would not trade it in for the world. This was truly a life changing experience. I have never in my life experienced being lost in a country that I am not familiar with. I was forced to use both my journalism and communication skills today. Although I'll only be here for less than a full day before boarding my flight to Nice France, I can honestly say the hectic day was all worth it. Now off to Nice, France in the morning. This time I’ll be traveling with two of my friends. My solo escapade has ended.

Spring Break Edition: Granada Spain

Granada Spain: The third stop of my spring break travels.

 Granada Spain was absolutely amazing. The only reason I chose to travel to Granada was because my sorority sister Miah is studying abroad there. To be honest, I was a little sad when she told me a week ago that the closet beach was an hour and a half away.

After a 3 hour plane ride from Amsterdam, 2/12 hour bus ride from Magala, and 5 minute taxi ride, I'd finally arrived. Granada reminded me a lot of Florence. I feel like when people think of Italy, they generally think of Rome and Milan. Whereas when people think of Spain, they generally think of Barcelona and Madrid. Both Granada and Florence are two very small, cozy less touristy cities.

 The two of us nearly lost it once we saw one another. It felt so good to see a familiar face, I could care less about going to a beach. I was finally reunited with family from Howard.

We dropped my bags off at Miah's home stay before meeting up with her friend that I would be staying with. She told me that her home stay mother was very particular about having guest over, so it was forbidden for me to sleep there. It did not make a difference either way, as long as I had somewhere to sleep at night.

After dropping my bags off, we took a long stroll toward the mountains. I could not help but notice the gypsy style the closer we got to the mountains. The gypsy dressed in very baggy colorful pants, half shirts, and worn shoes. It surprised me to see so many people there with dread locks. The closer we got toward the mountains the more bats I began to notice flying above my head. I literally felt like I was on another planet. In fact, I got a little freaked out at one point, and asked Miah if we could leave. " Andiamo," I said. Meaning "let's go" in Italian.

By that time it was a little after 8pm so we made our way to the tapa bar. Tapas are mini meals that come with your drink of choice. It's traditional to go to tapa bars in Granada. At the first tapa bar we went to, we had rice, homemade chips, and two croquettes all for 3 euro. I thought it was a pretty good deal. After the third tapa bar, I was very full. I must admit, tapa bar hopping is not such a bad idea for two college students on a budget.

The next day Miah took me to a few of the clubs in Granada. I found it surprising that hip-hop and American pop music was played at all the clubs we went to. The local Spaniards (some of which were of African descent and a few study abroad students) accounted for the population. Watching them dance to the hip hop and pop music amazed me. The guys did not dance with the girls. Instead they formed their own circles and did a mixture of break dancing and two stepping. This was a sight I was not use to seeing, especially coming from Washington, DC.

The rest of the week flew by. I was in Grananda from Monday-Thursday morning, but it literally felt like I was there for a day. I enjoyed catching up with my good friend. I finally had a chance to relax. No itineraries, no pressure to see historical landmarks, and no computer.

Though Granada was nice, and tranquil, I missed my Florence.

Spring Break Edition: The kickoff

Spring break kick off 3/25/10

1:00pm Today begins the first day of spring break. I will be traveling to four different countries all by myself, meeting friends in each location. My first stop is Brussels Belgium.  I am leaving from Pisa Airport which is about an hour and a half away from my apartment in Florence.  In a few minutes I will be heading to Firenze Santa Maria Novella, train station to catch a bus to Pisa.

4:00pm I finally arrive to Pisa after waiting for hours at the train station. By the way, my time at the train station was nothing short of interesting. I spent an hour searching for the Teravision bus stop. Finally, I found it, and as I found the bus stop, a 5ft 4in tall slightly bald, Sicilian man who appeared to be in his late forties apparently found me.

“ Ciao bella. Come ti chiami?,” (Hello beautiful. What is your name?)  he asked in a low voice, attempting to be sexy I guess.

This is going to be fun. I thought to myself. Chuckling under my breath, I respond, “Buongiorno singor, mi chiamo Vittoria. Tutto bene?”  (Good day sir. My name is Victoria. Is everything good?) I made sure to be as formal as possible.

“Tutto bene. dove stai andando?” (Where are you going?) He asked.

“ Vado visitare Belgium,” I stated.

He knew absolutely no English, and I only know very little Italian so we had spurs of very brief conversations. I sometimes enjoy the fact that my Level of Italian is entry level. It makes the conversations that much more interesting.

After hours of random conversation, the bus finally arrives.  Offering to hold my bags for me, my new friend led me on the bus.  “ No gratzie,” I said. “I got it.” One thing the study abroad program always tells us, is to pay close attention to your bags. Now, I am sure he wasn’t going to run away with my belongings, but hey you never know.

I sat down, placing my bag in the extra seat. Attempting to stall, I intensely searched for my journal. I look up and who do I see staring at me, my new Sicilian friend, patiently waiting for me to finish my search so that he could sit.

After finally realizing he wanted to sit next to me, although the bus was over half empty, I moved my bag to the ground and down he sat.  My initial thoughts were,  “Why on earth must you sit next to me, when there is nearly an entire bus full of empty seats?” but then I thought, “Hey, what harm would it do me to let him sit next to me. If something as little as me allowing him to sit next to me, has the ability to add to the well being of his day, why not?” We sat next to one other. I guarded my belongings in between my legs, and put on my iPod. We arrive to the airport after a little under two hours. I tell him to enjoy his time in Sicily and we part.

This is a sign that I am growing up. Four months ago, I would have looked at him like he was crazy and politely asked for some privacy. Honestly. Life is too short to be mean  to people. I think that it was cool he took the time to get to know me for that short period of time. You never know peoples situations, and how something as little as “hello” may be able to add to their day.

11:00pm

Today was an interesting day. So I already wrote about the 40 year old man that I became friends with at the train station. Now on to the second friend I made at Pisa.

I get to Pisa hours before my flight. Not 2 hours before, but 4 hours before. (Hey this is my first time traveling the world alone so I want to assure that I am on time for everything.)

 Any who, I sit next to this guy (who appears to be my age) watching the Michael Jackson This is it movie. He sees me peaking over and offers to share his headphones. I say” aww gratzie.”  We share headphones until it's time to board the flight.

Finally we get on the plane and sit next to one another so that we could finish the movie. I know very little Italian and he knows very little English, but from what I understood, he was going to Brussels for his sisters wedding.

We get off the plane and I show him the location of my hostel and asked him if he knew how to get there. He had no clue. I asked him if he was taking the train to his sisters house and he told me his sister was coming to pick him up. We get to baggage claim and he leaves.

Two minutes later he comes back in to tell me his sister has offered to give me a ride to my hostel in Brussels.  I was a bit skeptical at first, but then I thought, hey I'm about to get in a car for a taxi for 50 euro with a complete stranger, why not get a ride from someone I have taken the time to know for hours. Plus, I do know little Italian and no Brussels language.

We get to the car and I meet his cousin and sister. They were both Italian and they both spoke very good English. We had really good conversation in the car. They took me to see this street where prostitutes served as window displays. It was quite disgusting to watch the women degrade themselves as the men chose which prostitute they wanted. After , they took me to eat a typical Turkish meal. I had a vegetarian pizza like dish. The cousin suggested I tried the Turkish milk so I did and didn't like it to much. It tasted like a bitter yogurt. He told me the Muslims drink it with salt. After we left they took me to my hostel to meet my friends.

One wise thing the guy told me yesterday was to be careful who I trusted. Everyone in the world is not that trustworthy. I really took a risk and trusted they would get me to my hostel safely. It was a good risk though Certainly worth it.