While in Melendungo, Italy I watched parts of Nausicaä, an animated Miyazaki movie, with the girls of the Danish-Italian family I lived with. For a long time I thought Nausicaä was a really hip Danish film, made worse by the fact that I kept coming into the room when it was half way over. (It’s … Continue reading Pave Paradise — Melendugno’s Past and Present
I keep running list of titles of chapters for my memoir in the Notes section of my phone. However since a memoir seems too premature and too intensive than I'm really prepared to take on right now, they shall become blog posts. Here's the first. I had been thinking about taking a TEFL course for … Continue reading Crying Outside the Visa Office
I wish I could say that studying abroad in Florence was the best semester of my life -- that every moment was a dream and that I was never sad. However, I was in the process of losing my friend group, I was away from my parents for the longest time of my life and … Continue reading Beating the Blues Abroad
Matera held the absolute best and absolute worst experiences for me. I'm writing this now in response to Nik's post highlighting her favorite craftsman in Florence and the recent discussion of sexual assault and harassment in the news and on social media — two unrelated topics in Nik's case, but not in mine. I decided … Continue reading Talking to Strangers in Matera, Italy
It's almost Thanksgiving. My Trader Joe's Vanilla Pumpkin candle is burning as I write. Among all the light, love, acts of kindness, and pumpkin of this season my heart breaks in the final days of the farmer's market. But this year my heart hurts just a little more. I've been teaching gardening and nutrition to … Continue reading Giving Thanks for Gardening
I don't take buses. I grew up in a suburban neighborhood in upstate New York where cars ruled the road. Just now, in 2017, has one singular bus appeared. So with that background information in mind, let's get into my harrowing tale of getting stranded on the side of a Barcelona highway. I went to … Continue reading Getting Lost: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
My last three days in Florence and I still hadn't found the perfect piece of the city to bring home with me. I was staying with my roommate in a low-key but beautifully situated hotel (Hotel Benivieni) and living out our last few days. I was absolutely craving a bagel, so I headed over to Snack … Continue reading My Favorite Florence Jeweler
Hi friends! I have exactly one week left in Italy as of the time of writing this. How crazy. This month has gone by so so so quickly and I caught myself so many different times looking up at the buildings / sky / whatever in tears thinking "I am so grateful to be in … Continue reading Update From The Elusive/Distracted Nik
Every fellow WWOOFer I've met has crazy stories to tell. About a year ago a college professor of mine invited his five advisees to family dinner. It turned out three of us sitting on the same side of the table had all WWOOFed within the past few years. One woman volunteered in North Carolina for … Continue reading WWOOFing Diaries: The Kitchen Garden
When I’m restless and looking for some positivity in my life to get that dopamine flowing I turn to hobbies. Now wait isn’t this a travel blog? Why yes, my friend but sometimes we need a local substitute for the thrills and joys of plane-hopping and stepping out of our comfort zones. Running is a … Continue reading Rock-Climbing and Soul Searching
