Life after GRADUATION!!

Now that I am officially a UGA grad, I have a little more time on my hands than I would like. Sooooooooo, I am coking and crafting my way into this new phase of life! I am armed with a Souther Living Ultimate Cookbook, a fully stocked kitchen, a sewing machine, and an overly creative mind. For the cooking portion of this adventure I have a test subject to make sure all of my experiments actually taste good. Yes, that would be my wonderful father, who has agreed to help me eat through all of the tastey creations. He has also come to appreciate my new love of chopping. He went out of town on a business trip and came home to a fridge where every single vegetable we had was finely chopped into salad fixings or mixtures.

My first crafty experiment was in the form of my sister’s birthday present. An apron! The idea came from an article in Southern Living Magazine. (Do you see a trend here??? I do!) The base of the apron is a dish towel, and then a small cotton fabric is pleated and sewn on top of the towel, and topped with a colorful fabric to bring it all together and create the tie for the apron. Pictures to come!

Well I am off to the pool, but stay tuned for crafty treats and good eats!

~Naples and Rome (the short version)~

I guess I should backtrack a little since I never really recapped the beginning of my trip. I should start with the adventure that I went on in order to arrive in beautiful Italia!! After a crazy morning trying to get my suitcase down to 50 lbs I finally made it to the airport with momsi and popsi! We ate lunch and I was on my way. Interesting event numero uno was attempting to put my luggage in the overhead compartment!!!! I couldn’t do it because I wasn’t strong enough haha!!! A very nice Italian man took it and put it in for me, and got it out and gave it to me at the end of the flight! Crisis averted … Thank the Lord for sweet people! I was in Paris!! A step close, but not there yet. Trying to maneuver the airport was interesting since I know ZERO French and they didn’t really speak English, but I made it to my gate! Surprise surprise the nice Italian man was on my connecting flight!!! He and his father taught Ali and I some Italian while we waited for our flight. Apparently my Spanish accent makes me a little bit hard to understand … oops! Anyway, after an bumpy landing on Air France, I WAS IN ITALY!!!!! I was with a few other girls from the program and as we walked into the lobby we were met with UGA flags and a huge group of UGA student. THE BUS WAITED FOR US!!! We all filed on to a charter bus and made our way to Napoli (Naples)!

 I cannot describe Naples. Pictures will not do it justice. As we drove through the country and city my eyes were met with rolling hills crashing into perfect blue water. The hillsides were dotted with white homes and the ocean was picturesque with sailboats, and motorboats. Our hotel was in Vico Equense, which is right outside of Napoli. It was AMAZING!!! The rooms were small, but they had an amazing vine covered terrace overlooking the perfect ocean view. They also had a beautiful pool, and delicious food. We went to Campodimonte, and Archiological museum, Vila d’Este, Hadrians Villa, Pompei, and I CLIMBED MT. VESUVIUS!!!!!! It was a fabulous 3 days, and I cannot believe we saw so much in such a short period of time. Napoli prepared me for the crazy business that was Rome!!! I don’t even know where to begin with Rome.

Rome … you name it, I saw it. We did so much, that by the time we left I could barely walk my feet were so worn out, and I felt like sleeping for a week wouldn’t revive me. I would say that my favorite Roman experience was the most unexpected one. I was on a little walking tour with Jacob (he is the equivalent of an RA) and two other girls, and we were just strolling down the street when he said he wanted to see something. We turn the corner, and walk into a court yard and right there in front of me is the Timpieto. I couldn’t believe it. Hidden on a side street was one of the beautiful architectural structures that I had learned on a slide in my art history class. It was surreal. Anyway, I really enjoyed Rome even though the whole experience was rather overwhelming.

I have never been so excited though, as when we arrived in bella Cortona! This quaint hillside town is fascinating, and I am plotting out ways that I can move here. I hope that all is well in the states, and I send my love! Now it is time to actually study, because technically I am here for school.

 

Ciao

Jesse 

~ The Beginning of my Cortonese Life ~

It is a beautiful sunny Cortona day! We finally have time to sit back and relax away from the hustle and bustle. The past week was absolutely indescribable, and I truly enjoyed the splendor that Naples, Vico Equense, and Rome held. Since the moment I arrives in Cortona, I have been enraptured by this hillside city. The scenery is breathtaking no matter where I am within the city. Looking at the Tuscan countryside is surreal, but at the same time every part of the city is just as beautiful. I am in awe of the way the city is built. There is almost no grass within the city walls, but I still love the rows of buildings that line the narrow roads. The streets are individual stones that were placed together. Beautiful stone buildings line every street with colorful window displays and flowers in the windows. I can’t tell what buildings are old and which ones are new. With every turn of the corner I find something even more beautiful. The Cortonese definitely know more about enjoying the little things in life. I love to people watch as I sip coffee in the piazza. The Italians stroll and take it all in. They take the time to smell the aroma from the local bakery and ristarante as they walk through the streets. They are a very social culture, and everything they do is a way of spending time with friends and family. They stop to talk in the streets or park, and the post office or bank are times to catch up with old friends rather than a quick errand. They take afternoon siestas, and probably don’t know the meaning of being in a rush. Nothing is “to go”. You get to sit and enjoy your coffee or panini. Once you have made a purchase no matter how small, the table is yours for the entire day if you wish. The Cortonese have truly opened their arms to us. They threw the program a pool party with a DJ, drink, and food. The people in this small city are nice and excited to see us. I wish I could put into words al that I have seen, but I know that it is impossible. The campus is surreal. I feel like I am in a movie. Our dorm has a full view of the Tuscan countryside. I share my room with three other girls, and we were lucky enough to get our own bathroom. The entire building has terra cotta tile floors (or that is what I think they are), and the windows open up to either a beautiful view of the countryside, or of the terraced grounds. The building is hundreds of years old and has been restored to look like the original. Even the classrooms are beautiful and have more history than a person could imagine. I cannot believe that I have been so blessed to be here and get to study here. I am already plotting out ways that I can move here at some point in my life. I hope that everyone is doing well, and I will write about my adventures in Naples and Rome soon. The bells are ringing and it is time to get ready for a meeting.

~Ciao  

The Packing Festivities

Packing for 2 months! Hah! I got it handled …. MOM!!! WHERE IS MY CAMERA CHARGER?? AND MY MINI PERFECT TRAVEL SIZE LINT ROLLER?? OH AND MY EXTRA TOOTHPASTE!!!??? MY SKETCH BOOK?? PLANE TICKET?? …. 

Well it is the day before the “big day” and I am a mixture of excited and nervous. My room on the other hand is pretty upset, because it is the packing station. Clothes, books, art supplies, shoes, scarfs, shower stuff, and a million mini travel size things are the new carpeting of my bedroom. “The Packing Extravaganza of 2009″ is what I think I am going to call it! Packing for two months in a foreign country, this Georgia Peach has to be prepared. I have all of the necessary “the water/food hate me here” meds safely packed in a ziploc bag, which is next to the “I shower daily because I am a greedy American” ziploc bag (complete with a 2 month supply of my favorite shower necessities). My favorite clothes are neatly folded and put in piles according to what they are, and next to that there is a small shoe gathering all paired and lined up according to color. I hope you are picturing this in your head, because at this point the floor space is getting pretty slim! Then there are the books … looks about Italy, books about art, books of Italian, books for the plane, books for the train … I think you get the point. Can’t forget the electronics, which are on top of my dresser as to not get lost in the madness. All in all it is an adventure. As I sit here eating my egg and cheese muffin and sip my coffee, I can’t help but laugh at putting all of this in one suitcase and not going over the weight limit. Well guess it is time to tame the packing lion, and find the socially acceptable floor of my room! Stay tuned because soon I will be posting from ITALIA!!!

~I want one!!~

I WANT THIS DOG!!!! (a very true statement)

As I was the movie “What Women Want” I can’t help but giggle to myself a little. As my BFF, Laura, and I have agreed on many a time, Women generally have no clue what they want when it comes to relationships or at least they can’t decide. I do know this though, Women want to be loved, cuddled, and to feel special every once in a while. Plain and simple! That is my grand statement for the day.

Oh! I did get a little tanner!! The beach was fabulous, and I enjoyed every minute of laying in the sun!

I’ve got Sunshine!!!!

THANK YOU ZOEY DEAN, TAYLOR SWIFT, AND MOTHER NATURE  

So after 4 days of being quarantined in the condo the SUN finally showed it’s beautiful face. A Heineken helped with the beachy atmosphere, and while I sipped I fell right into the relaxed state I had been waiting for. There is nothing that will make me love life more than the beach, a beer, a good book, and some great music. As I watched the not so calm ocean, I sipped my Heineken and fell into the rhythm of Taylor Swifts latest album Fearless. Props to “Tay”, as her friends so lovingly call her, for a great album. With Tay in tow I cracked open “The Tall Cool One” from Zoe Dean’s series The A-List. Nothing like a little Holllywood-rich-kid  drama to make a Georgia girl like me laugh! I must say, though I really want to be an actress, the drama that Dean describes in her novels is something I truly want to avoid. The book is as delicious as a chocolate dipped strawberry, and the finest chocolate money can buy! Wearing only designer … well everything, these teens know how to party in style. The series pulls you in, and makes you so glad you don’t have to deal with the drama but sad that you can’t drink Krystal at the age of 17 like they do. Anyway, I definitely suggest this book to all who are looking for a fun summer read!

As the summer sun began to sink behind our condo building, I decided that it was time to head inside. A little tanner, and much happier it is time to get ready for dinner with the fam.

Awaiting another delicious beach day it is time for this peach to “get gussied up” as my grandmother used to say. 

Gettin this peach rollin

So, I thought that since I started my blog with a non-interesting paragraph, I could get people as excited about Italy as I am with something fun!!

Italian Flag!

LADIES AND GENTS LETS BEGIN WITH A LITTLE HISTORY LESSON

Dun dun dun daaaaaa (fully in tune trumpets to help introduce my Italy post)

Cortona, Italy founded my the Umbrians and later conquered by the Etruscans … this city has quite a history, and one that you can visibly see in the wall that surrounds the city! The layers of the city-wall show the different architecture styles of those who once ruled Cortona. Past students have told me how much the wall fascinated them when they first arrived, and it was something they loved to tell about when they came home!

HOME SWEET HOME (well not the style we think of here in the south .. bless our little hearts)

We are living in the Kehoe center which is an old monastery that is attached to a beautiful chapel. They have both been renovated, and the chapel was recently restored to its natural beautful. The program director told us about a 400 year old door the they restored for the chapel!! FASCINATING!!! Here is a picture from the program’s website. (of the city not the Kehoe center)

Cortona

PACKING??? FOR 2 MONTHS??? HOW ON EARTH DO YOU DO THAT!!!!?????

I have just started figuring out what I am going to take, and WOW!! Well that is all I can say about packing so far. I will let you know when I have actually pulled that big suitcase out of the attic … stay tuned for the packing adventures who knows what important thing I will leave … oh I don’t know here in a DIFFERENT COUNTRY! 

HEELLOOOOOOOOO ITALY!

Watch out Italy .. here I come! Do you think we should warn the Italians I am on my way??? I think the answer to that question is YES .. I mean fantastic art, beautiful men, homemade wine, and a whole new language … what else could I ask for in a summer adventure! I just hope that I can stay out of trouble haha. Actually I know that I will with Ali, Lucy, and Matt around! I am sure there are many adventures to come for all of us, and I am excited to have friends around while exploring new cities. 

WAIT … WE ARE GOING WHERE ??? ( I am always lost so this might get interesting)

Our program goes to 10 … yes TEN different cities in Italy. 

1. Naples
2. Rome
3. Cortona
4. Orvieto
5. Assisi
6. Perugia
7. Pistoia
8. Florence
9. Arezzo
10. Venice 

Venice, Italy

Anyway, I start my Italian Extravaganza on June 5th, so until then I will be posting from my couch … no where near as interesting, but hopefully still funny!

The First Big Attempt!!!!

Sitting in the condo with Mom, Rach, and Matt. 30 minutes of attempting to create a good blog name, and we finally found “the one!!”, and lets face it creativelyunglued really does describe me. I have so many crazy ideas, but no time to turn them into anything interesting. Maybe now I can haha! I wanted to start a blog so that I can let everyone know about my adventures in Italy, and figured that I could keep it around for awhile if I feel like I can be entertaining enough. I promise I will keep everyone up to date on my Italian adventures, and all the amazing things that I see/do while I am there! Hope that everyone is having a great summer XOXO