"Nobody comes to Berlin for the weather." Before cities shut down, flights were cancelled, masks/gloves/anxiety became the norm, jobs and lives were lost because of COVID-19, I traveled to Berlin this year. I was optimistic that in the world the flu would stay the flu, but that's not the case. We may not have a … Continue reading The Grays of Berlin in March
I’ve had a lot of opportunities to teach photography and environmental science over the past six months. I want to use this space to reflect on what I’ve learned, to create a time capsule I can look back on, and to hear feedback from others on their teaching tips. I never imagined when I was … Continue reading Teacher Takeaways for Leading Informal Science Learning
Study abroad students are so near and dear to my heart since just three years ago I boarded a plane to leave my mom, home town and everything familiar for the longest stretch of time to date. I often look back on that baby version of myself with compassion. I loved Florence, I loved being … Continue reading Surviving a Semester Studying Abroad
Italy is a beautiful and sometimes confusing country. As embarrassing as it is to admit this now, I knew really nothing at all about Italy when I first went. I'm talking about "what's the Ponte Vecchio" and "is this the Duomo" (when passing Santa Croce) nothing. However the things I wish I knew before I first … Continue reading 10 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I went to Italy for the First Time
When I took my first art history class, I didn't really know what art history was but I was pretty sure that I wouldn't like it. Five courses later, hours memorizing titles, artists, years and mediums, and countless visits to museums all over the glob in search of seeing the works I learned about in … Continue reading Not an Art Historian? A Beginner’s Guide to the Uffizi Gallery
To highlight the life and energy of Puglia, Italy amid current environmental devastation, I will be posting photo-essays about southern Italian cities I had the chance to visit in 2015. On-going protests wouldn't stop me from visiting the region again, but to each his own. Travel consciously. Ostuni — a small town near Bari known … Continue reading Rainy Days in Ostuni, Italy
(A Bar for Everyone) So you're in Florence, you've seen all the museums and gawked at the Duomo and ate as much pasta as your stomach can handle. So now, let's get down the the real important stuff: drinking. Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, is also a major hub for Italian nightlife. In part … Continue reading Un Bar Per Tutti Quanti
Last fall I wrote a few posts about Melendugno, a rural town outside of Lecce, Italy. Read this to learn what you can do in the fight between citizens protecting their beautiful seaside town and those profiting by building a natural gas pipeline. Or this, about my experience farming three years ago in this land of … Continue reading Salento’s Changing Landscape: Learn More About #noTAP
Just before I left New York to study abroad for a full semester in Florence, Caryn introduced me to Girl in Florence - American expat ( & immigrant, as she often points out) who wound up in Florence and has become guru for all things Italian. I scoured through her blog, soaking up all of the recommendations … Continue reading Escaping Crowds: Going off the Beaten Path while Traveling
I've been applying to jobs semi-regularly lately and after I get a rejection letter from a job I didn't even really want in the first place/after an especially trying round of applications, I say "wait why don't I just teach in Italy? What's stopping me again?" Then, I remember............. The Visa (dun dun dun). So … Continue reading What’s a Girl Got to Do to Get a Visa Around Here?
