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 watched Paper Towns, an American film adapted from a book. I've overheard arguments about this book among my friends years ago. Is it worth reading? Are the characters developed? Is it like all other John Greene books? This post is not any of those questions. This is an existential look at tourism and experience. … Continue reading Paper Towns and The Edge of Experience
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
