My SYA Italy Adventure

Mondays usually bring me down (am I alone there?), but I had to admit yesterday was a pretty exciting one. Bvlgari (pronounced "bull-ga-ri") is without a doubt one of the world's best jewelers. In fact, after the incredible things I saw yesterday, Bvlgari is officially my favorite. The daughter of the president Paolo Bulgari is named Natalia, who is an SYA Spain alum. She has never forgotten her SYA experience, and my art history teacher asked her to do us a little favor. A simple "would it be ok if we got a little behind-the-scenes tour?" turned into a day long adventure around Rome for a group of us SYAers. In the morning, we jumped into a van which took us to their factory in the outskirts of Rome. I can't reveal their top secrets or share with you photos or information, but I will say I learned a lot. Bvlgari makes exclusive pieces that take MONTHS to prepare, all by one person. They become practically the artisan's children. One worker will spe...

Sunday was perhaps the most emotional day I have had all year. Non mi va di andare via! At a lovely mountainside restaurant, the entire school community,(that is all the school faculty, staff, their relatives, host families, ex-host families, and students alike) gathered for a ginormous goodbye lunch - Italian style. Everyone was full of cheer on this beautiful spring day - throwing around una palla and listening to the Italian language sing through the air. We ate lots of prosciutto  and many kinds  formaggi , nibbled on some lovely pasta,  and went back more than one time for la torta.  I tried my hardest to remember these details because I realized it was this air and these people that made my experiences worth being things to miss. I'm not sure how I might be feeling a week from now, sleeping in my own bed, under my own roof... ma non ne penso adesso . The hard part was when we had to wrap everything up. I have been the co-Editor of the Class of 2014 Yearboo...

We have the BEST Italian teacher ever. Our lovely professoressa invited us to cook and eat lunch at her house our last free Friday. I couldn't have asked for a better afternoon!! We all gathered (practically all matching in our SYA sweatshirts) and cooked up a monster truck load of food. Three types of pasta , many different pizze , la farinata (the best simple recipe ever), panini...  it was all amazing. Our teacher even pre-prepared the most amazing tiramisù and fragole con panna . I was in un paradiso di dolci . The hardest part was preparing our goodbyes to the most caring and inspirational language teacher out there. I have never learned so much from one person - about how to accept others and dive into the unknown, but also a new language. She is truly who I owe so much for my now fluent Italian. I will always think back to that lunch with a big smile on my face. As we gave her our gifts and took the group photo, we all began to understand how hard it was going to be to...

Just a little bit ago, SYA got the news that Ambassador John Phillips was interested in meeting a bunch of us and form a relationship with our school. For those of you who don't know who he is, here is a little background on Ambassador Phillips and an introduction video is below: We left school early and parted via train to wind up at the US Embassy in Italy. It was stunning! Right by Piazza Barberini  and not far from Villa Borghese  are the grounds of the Embassy. I was so impressed by the efficient proceedings and the comforting amount of security. Once escorted to our conference room, Ambassador Phillips entered as the photographer snapped away. Our director handed him a Viterbese - style ceramic of our school's symbol and shook his hand, and our information session began. Ambassador Phillips has lived a very interesting life and has done some very impressive work. I strongly encourage reading up on him! Where we sat and where we took some pictures just so happen...

Primo Maggio  or La Festa del Lavoro  is Labor Day here. I got excited for some hot dogs and fruit salad...until I remembered I was in Italy. Instead, we were given a long weekend as we watched Italians protest for better working conditions and go to concerts. Thursday was the National Holiday, but we are " facendo il ponte " or making the bridge, and got Friday off as well. The highlight of our four day weekend is the festival in the center of town - San Pellegrino in Fiore . In Viterbo, the entire medieval quarter (called San Pellegrino ) is decorated with flowers and many vendors come to sell their cool plants. However, more than cactus and vines were for sale; there were many "traditional craft" vendors. I saw a wood wicker, yarn artists, and lavender scented doll makers. All of it was really beautiful! I could hardly believe this was how they were welcoming in the month - my last month. I am so not ready to go, and this festival really made me realize how muc...

I don't think I can easily express in words how amazing the last week and a half has been. From France to the Netherlands to Spain, I really made my rounds of Europe. I have been so fortunate to travel and do SO many things that rather than try to commemorate each day, I'll give you some travel tips from my experiences. Paris, France When you forget which day your flight is on and need to change hotel reservations, make sure the hotel knows. If you want to fit in with the Parisians, wear black, a scarf, and your hair in a bun (if you are lacking in hair length, rock a bob). On the Love Lock Bridge, take pictures of random couples and let them know you can email it to them! Don't assume the metro will be the most convenient way to get around- there is typically A LOT of walking above and below ground after the train lets out. Paris is all about climbing! Prepare for stairs, but the views from Sacre Cour and the Arc de Triomphe are worth their difficult ascends. Th...