Its Officially Been a Month

Studio has been overwhelming this past week. We have a site model due tomorrow, but our professor kinda wants it half done because since we only have initial design ideas we aren't going to make any permanent changes to the site incase our ideas change... which more than likely it will. We need to have the facades of all of the surrounding buildings + roofs. THEN next week Tuesday we have a site analysis study booklet due, and Thursday a precedent study booklet is due. These are things we normally do for studio, but here they are having us study each of them further and deeper. So this week has been a little stressful, but I honestly think this will be the busiest week we will have all semester. So i guess i should be thankful that its gunna be over with now instead of later in the semester. Its amazing how fast my weeks are going by when you don't have class on Monday or Friday. By the time Wednesday hits i'm always like wow 2 more classes tomorrow and I'm done for the week. Only meeting for class 5 times a week is crazy to me. But I'm loving it!

Today marks exactly 4 Wednesdays since I left the USA! It can't believe its already been a month. How has Italy changed me so far.

#1 Well i am working out a lot more because I am TERRIFIED of what would happen to me if I didn't... considering the increase in my pasta intake. I've been running 2 miles everyday then doing some general exercises when I back home, so thats definitely a benefit.

#2 I have never eaten so much nutella in my life. Chocolate has never really been my thing, but mix it but with some hazelnuts that seems to change everything. I honestly think there is something in it that makes it addictive. Ive done a little research on it and many others seem to think the same I do!

#3 I drink sooooo much more water. Even though the days have finally cooled down, I am constantly drinking water when I am in class or in my apartment. I know that sounds weird but I refill each of my water bottles every day (there are 4 total).

#4 This is probably the most important but money. I am watching over my bank account constantly. When you have to either cook for yourself, which means buying groceries or eat out you realize how money is spent besides shopping and traveling. This is something that is definitely new to me considering I have only lived at home and off a meal plan so far in my life. I stress that I'm spending to much, but in the back of my mind I know I'm doing good when I spend at most 15 euros every week and a half on groceries. Having a meal plan or a stalked pantry at home is definitely something I'm missing!

#5 I have made some great new friends. Which some even live near me at home! I think thats what I was most stressed about was finding some new friends my first week here. Obviously I have my roommates but we are all from Miami, we needed some Kent friends and lucky for us we happened to find our pretty quickly and we are already making memories that will last a life time.

So anyway this is the longest I have ever been away from home/haven't seen my family. I definitely miss everyone BUT it keeps me hopeful that homesickness hasn't caught up with me to much. Since this entire experience seems to be going pretty fast I think thats how the entire semester is going to be which makes me nervous! I feel like I've only been here two weeks when its actually been twice that! I'm relaxing a little more now though because we have booked more weekend trips. On Monday we booked our trips to Switzerland and Amsterdam. So the major places we have left to book are Paris and London (which we are doing in the same week) Ireland, and Greece; that leaves us with 3 open weekends to still choose where we want to go but everything is falling in place.

Even though I am beyond excited for all of my upcoming travels, I am also looking forward to the day I return home. Considering I don't get back to Pittsburgh till December 17th, when I think about going home I get Christmas music stuck in my head... Today I had jingle bells stuck in my head for about an hour. I'm happy I have this outlook because you definitely have those people who dread their return. People need to realize that it is ONLY a semester abroad and HOME is coming, and your normal routine will be a thing again. I look forward to coming home and seeing/hearing about how my little sisters (Bree) first semester of college was, all of Alicias teaching stories from her new classroom this semester, and seeing Denas baby bump, and of course seeing my brother-in-law (Wouldn't forget about you Pat). And once again having a family dinner with my whole family (parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandma, and cousins). I have already requested that on December 18th we have a family dinner, with a home cooked meal of my choice (which i haven't decided on yet considering it will probably change daily based on my cravings) and of course a birthday cake, so I can celebrate my 21 years my family. So I guess I can say i'm lucky to have a family that I look forward to returning to!

But for the next 3 months I have the world at my hands and I can't wait to embark on all my adventures! I'm off to a new city again this weekend! Lucca watch out... I'm going for ya. Well Cheers to the rest of the semester