AMSTERDAYUMMMMMM

Ciaoooo my friendsss!!!

So this weekend I was in Amsterdam. This was the first trip I booked because Amsterdam was number one on my study abroad bucket list and I'm so happy that I can check this off. I really don't even know how to start or what to say about Amsterdam. It was so surreal...we all just kept saying that we don't even feel alive right now. I felt like we were dropped in a board game or we were standing on Main Street Disneyland, but it wasn't just the street-it was the entire city. London, Rome, and Paris were so grand and embellished and made me feel so small but alive and inspired. But Amsterdam.... it made me feel..... I still can't put a word on it.... I saved this draft and went back to it and still can't describe it hahaha. Nonetheless... this is by far the most beautiful city that I have visited. London and Paris are known for their grand monuments and that aids to it's beauty-but what I loved about  Amsterdam is that its so extremely gorgeous without the accessories.

So we left Florence at 9:30 to Eindhoven which is about an hour and half away from Amsterdam. No one ever writes about the pre-traveling.....cause it's boring long and super tiring..... 

But when you finally make it to your destination, it's all worth it. Amsterdam is seriously the MOST gorgeous city in the world. Everything was so postcard perfect and it's like this everyday...without trying!! I still can't even grasp being there and trying to soak in the beauty. It also rained all three days that we were there..sporadically...but still rained on our parade. I kinda enjoyed the rain though... it added to the whole Amsterdam charm. 

& This is the red light district. Let me tell ya....seeing is definitely believing. Amsterdam is known for many things but I felt like it was the food capital in the world. Every second of the day we were all eating because we just wanted to try everything. Everything was so delicious and diverse.... my stomach was happy this weekend. 

Dutch Pancakes......yeah I'm wiping the drool off too....

With the best syrup in the world...

The best steak I've ever had.

Late night munchies

Raw Herring.. which is famous in Amsterdam, and when you travel you must not hold your breath to anything even though Yall know how I feel about fish...but this was interesting. 

This is the community at the I AMsterdam letters

& this is us at the Heineken Factory! Photo by D 

By far the COOLEST Musuem I have ever been to.... if you guys are making your way to Amsterdam....THIS IS A MUST!! For the price of admission we learned all about the beer, got to smell the ingredients, and it came with 3 free drinks.

Everywhere we gooo...

And we spent our last day pedaling through the Canals. Photo by D

This was Amsterdam in a nutshell! I also visited Anne Frank's house. THEEEE Anne Frank's house. It felt so surreal that I was walking through the same steps that she did and looking through the same window that she probably stared at hours wishing to look through. It felt so surreal...everything about Amsterdam was and will always be so surreal to me. 

I wrote in a previous post that there are a lot of "downs" that have happened that go undocumented... but I think I'll have to write about this one since this might've been the biggest mission accomplishment of my life and of course it's with my girls. Let me introduce you to them since this is one for the books!! They usually make their appearance in every blog posts because I spend everyday with them....LOL.. so the one on the left is Tati and the one in the middle is Danielle. Most of the time we're all shits and giggles...but nope not this timeee!!!   LOL actually I think I'm just going to brush over it because no one will ever understand the ropes knotting in our stomachs and the anxiety filled breaths we all took. Now looking back...two days ago... I'm so proud of us that we put all our brains together and collectively figured this out. Sighhhhhh. When in Amsterdammm. 

Moral of the story: Always know exactly how you are getting home!!! and when things go wrong which will definitely happen when you travel... I hope that you have company that I had and will try to laugh through the unknown with you. Even if it's forced!!!! I love you guyssss.

Even though Florence was like 105 degrees when we landed at 12 am...it still made me so happy to be home. This is the last full week of my time in Florence.... and then our program ends and we all go our separate ways... you know what I'm going to save the sappy stuff for the next blog post because I'm not ready to think about leaving this place I call home. P.S... ask me if you want to know what really happened in Amsterdam.... =P 

If you knew my story word for word, would you still go along with someone like me?

Ciaooo my friendss!!!!

So I came back from London, and I've been beyond exhausted. I really just want to sleep all the time... I know through all my pictures and instagram posts you guys think that my life is amazing. And to be honest it really is, but there are so many and I mean MANYY things that go wrong that go undocumented. With all the ups, I assure you there are just as many, probably more, downs. What studying abroad has taught me the most is just making the best out of life-not just because we only live once, but mainly because some things are just out of our control.

So I read somewhere a while ago that relationships are conditions. Conditions that end. This definitely has stuck with me and has change the way that I view my own relationships. There are so many people in the world, some of them you meet once, and some of them become an apparent fixture in your life. Many of these people stay for weeks, months, or maybe years and then you think it's permanent, but if it doesn't end there, then death will. I know this is a little depressing, but it's true- nothing seems to be eternal, and I've been to the eternal city!!! haha I'm just kidding.  When someone we love passes, we say that they'll always be in our hearts, but what happens when we pass? They're no longer in our hearts, and hopefully we've made an impact to be in someone elses. Life is a vicious circle.

What I'm trying to say is that relationships may be conditions, but what others leave for you to keep is permanent. There are many different kinds of relationships ; friendships, romantic, business, marriages, family... but they're are essentially the same. It's an overlap of two peoples lives. You share stories, absorb each others values and ideas, and when you get close enough your personalities leak into each other. There are so many people who have already entered and existed my life. Some of them were just bystanders along the way, but some people have made a grand entrance. And these people are special. You'll know.

I feel like the most valuable thing a person can experience is an overlap with these special people. What really defines these special people is that they make it impossible for you to remain the same before they make their exit. You don't realize it right away. But when you do, you realize you're different, you're better. Things that were once hard are easy. Things that seemed impossible now seem possible. You'll have different beliefs and different values. You'll be different. I never realize how much of a degree the people in my life reflected the way I am until I was abroad. I'm so blessed to have always surrounded myself with the right people. Even if our paths diverged and miles keep us apart, you all have made me, me- so this posts goes out to all the special people in my life.

From strangers to teammates to bestfriends to family. My girls from the bay who have shared their city with me and where I noticed the biggest leakage of personality. I love it when people tell me that they can see why we're friends.hahahaha. Thank you for holding my hand through life< 3#LLL

My soulllllmateee. You have made me a better person just by knowing you. I don't think you even understand how contagious you are. You are soo genuine and down to earth. I love us. Thank you for opening your heart and home to me. You don't even understand how much I love you.  #breeandlin

Why are we still friends...? LOL jk. We grew up together and overlapped so much there isn't even a venn diagram anymore. Theres no one I will ever meet that will even remind me of you. To many more years and sundays spent talking about our screw ups and laughing about it. Loveee you. #vinandlin

Nothing will ever compare to the bond I share with you guys. We've been through the world and back together and so blessed that I always have people to come home too. Love you guys #5

And my bitches who have made this past year so freaken hilarious. I know we aint the cheesy type but I loveeeee you guys and yall know that. I wouldn't have gone through the year without yall. #olympus

My girls who I'm currently sharing the world with. I love you guys so so so much. To our accelerated friendships and seeing each other at our ups and our downs. Thank you for sharing the world with me<3

So...When you guys do decide to make your exist, just know that I'll never be the same because of you. 

We are the reckless, we are the wild youth

Ello my matess!!!!!!!!

Sooo this past weekend I was in London!!! London reminded me so much of home. Probably because everything was in English....hahah which is something that I've definitely taken for granted during my time abroad. I think it was also because we've visited all these european cities that have been preserved with time as opposed to London that has been continually growing and modernizing. London flew by.... we did so much in such a short amount of time. It was definitely a mission accomplished. #teamnosleep. I really don't know where to begin to write about it because it just flew by, so I'ma let the pictures tell the story!

Big Ben

London Ale

<3 

On the London Eye with the homies from day 1

London Bridge is falling down falling down falling down 

Platform 9 and three quarters 

Abbey Road!!! 

Meet the homies Paul, George, John, and Ringo!!! 

And then we went to EDC LONDON!!!!! 

CHECK OUT OUR SOCKS!! BITCHES BE LIKE ENGLAND!

Check out the headd gearrr!! 

Thank you guys for making EDC and London so unbelievably amazing and fun<3 I love yall. 

English Tea in England!!!!! 

"Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days"

Ciao my friendsssss!!!

It's humid in Firenze...very very humid. I'm a little more than halfway through my program, and I honestly don't know how to feel. Let me tell ya...studying abroad isn't about the sites...it's some legit soul searching. I think I'm starting to realize more than ever that the world has no GPS.... that there is no exit to happiness without detours.... no overpass to true love without some deep deep potholes, and definitely no bridge to success. I know I came to Florence blindly..with the hopes to subconsciously piece together the fragments of myself. I've met so many different people-and some of them believe that fate already has a plan for us, and all we can do is just live it. But when it comes to destiny...can you afford to miss an exist? Can you do a U-Turn and go back?

I honestly feel like none of us know where we're going. Yeah, you can have a plan...but how often do those work out? What if you choose the wrong road? Get off the wrong exist? Do we ever know if we're even going in the right direction? No, but fear will always be the biggest road block.

I don't think I can ever decide with true conviction who I am, who I want to be, where I want to go, what I want to do, or who I want to share my life with. I can only hope that I stumble upon the best road and find others to share it with. I think in my frenzy of always trying to escape and get away, I've forgotten that I've already arrived. I've forgotten that I've made homes in different parts of the world. I have found pieces of myself in unexpected places and people, and now I just have to be brave enough to piece them together.

Bonjour from Parigia

Ciaooo my friendss!!! 

So this past weekend...I was in Paris!!! I was originally planning to stay in Italia and explore Tuscana...but then I decided... I'm going to Parie!!! I booked my flight to fly out Thrusday...without realizing that I had my presentation that same day...which I have been worrying about.... 

TIP: Never book anything intoxicated..... then I had to go through the trouble of changing my flight....LOL.. I know I know I don't always make the right decisions!! But everything worked out!!! 

I was hesitant to book my flight to Paris because I was just there two years ago. I felt like I could've spent my money elsewhere and see something new.... and though I could've..I am so so so glad I decided to go back to Parie. No words can describe how absolutely amazing it was to be there..for the second time.

Every hour..the Eiffel Tower decides to show a lil character 

It's like rereading a book or rewatching a movie....it's always different the second time. The first time I was in Paris..I was there for ten days with my moma.  I was seventeen and going into my senior year of highschool. Paris was then chic and quaint. Busy and Bustling yet calming and peaceful. It was one of the best vacations I've ever had with the most important person in my life.  This time... I got to share Paris with one of my girls Chelsea... who has become one of my main bitches. Paris is still chic and quaint... but I found it more peaceful than ever. It was the best vacation from Italy...(as if I need a vacation from Italy) but Florence makes me tense! The combination of school, responsibilities, shit ton of tourists have gotten to me. It's so grand and embellished...so much history and culture...so much love. You could just feel the romance strolling through the streets from the musicians, the beautiful french language, the couples who don't hesitate to show their love for each other,  the never ending love locks. Love is in the air in Paris! 

Palace of Versailles 

 Escargot for Dinnner

 & Macrons for dessert 

Our view at night the day before Bastille Day (French Independence)

 Two Years ago... I left my heart in Paris and threw the key in the river... and this past weekend I left my heart soul and everything!!!! in Paris and threw the key in the river.

 Chels, so glad I got to share Paris with you. It was something I'll cherish in my heart foreverrr. Loveee you bitch. And Remember....
"We'll always have Paris"