Back to the real world!!!

It's funny to think that the last time I posted I was in Italy wishing I was in Georgia... how bizarre. I'd give anything to be back in Italy without a care in the world except to be amazed at God's creation constantly. It was nice to get back to Georgia and spend time with my family and experience the freedoms that come with living on my own here in Athens but along with all that came school, work, grad school applications, internship, deciding on my future and trying to have a life in between. It's not like my life is much different from the hundreds of college seniors in this world. They are probably all dealing with the same issues so I don't expect anyone to pity me. There are people in this world who would die to be in my shoes living pay check to pay check and with the freedom to make a choice about where my life goes next. It's spontaneous and exciting and if I learned anything from Italy it's that you have to live in the moment. Enjoy where you are and what you're doing because you may never be there again. I'll never be a college senior living in Athens, Georgia single and free and broke ever again. I'm trying not to take it for granted or get caught up in the stress of handling it all. But in the midst of all this I am currently making the... I dunno... third largest decision in my life. Grad school? what degree? What school? Get a job? Where? Join the military? What branch? Move away from Georgia? How far? Whatever I decide will direct my path for the next 5ish years of my life at least and I'm so lost... no clue where I'm headed. I know it has to be the Lord's will but what is that? How will I know? How long do I have to wait for the answer? But enough complaining and adding to my stress level. I'm like an adult guys.... my internship has been really good for me. I'm learning a lot about social work and what it's really like. I know school social work is definitely not for me but like I said I'm learning a lot through it. I'm still working at chick-fil-a and that's actually been really good. Last spring I was burnt out. I came back to school determined to find a different job but I actually really love it where I'm at. I don't know what it is. I really do love a lot of my co-workers and schedule wise it just works for me right now so that's where I'll be for a while. I moved into a new apartment. It's only two bedrooms so It's different only living with one person. I definitely miss my Chels and Deb!!! Speaking of which CHELSEA GOT MARRIED!!!! It's so insane to me that my best friend who is 20 years old is married. I'm so happy for her and David! I do have to admit though, it makes me a little anxious to think that I'll be 22 this year and don't even have a prospect in mind for dating much less marriage. I know that's normal. I'm not the exception to the rule, Chelsea is but it just freaks me out. My dream in life is to have a husband and a ton of little kids running around. Maybe the Lord has that in His plan for me but maybe not... am I ready to accept that if it isn't in His plan? I don't know. Either way the fact is that I have a lot of following the Lord to do and I'm not very good at it.

My mom started college today. I'm so proud of her. She is gonna do great I'm sure... and Wesley and Brit found out they are definitely having a boy. I think they are naming it Hunter... I'm gonna be the best aunt ever!!! Mom got me a new book called Lady in Waiting... I started reading it last week and so far it's really awesome... just what I needed to hear. It's about being sold out for the Lord and not needing something else in your life to give you worth or purpose. Kinda the stuff I've been telling myself these past few years and everyone around me has been preaching it to me but I think my heart has just come as far as it can and I'm breaking down. Maybe I'm really ready to be recklessly abandoned because I'm tired of being constantly broken. I know the Lord's plan for me is perfect and He is sovereign... that's what I'll hold onto. ok so it's time to end a post when writing makes me cry haha... goodnight everyone... it's good to be back with you all.

Final week of BLISS!!!

As of today I have 6 days left in Italy, only two more days left in Cortona. We leave Friday morning for Venice!!! I can't believe I've been here for almost 3 months! It's truly insane that it's been that long since I stepped foot on American soil! I miss so many things but I'm starting to get really sad about leaving Italy. I really do love it here and I have enjoyed this experience thoroughly! I finished all my classes on Friday and got all my grades back yesterday. I ended up doing really well... helped out my GPA for sure. DEAN'S LIST BABY!!! haha. All my ceramics have been shipped off.. sad part is I won't get them until January after the exhibit in Athens... speaking of which.. you are all invited to that exhibit... come see all the art work of the students here!!! I also made my final book!!! I LOVE IT!!! It's the one I mentioned earlier about the people in my life who have impacted me positively... It's so beautiful and special to me. I titled it "Surrounded by such a Great Cloud of Witnesses" because of the verse that says "Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." The last part of that verse is tattooed on my side and it means a lot to me because I see life as a race. The Lord has marked a path for us to follow and wants us to run through it all with perseverance. There will be hard things, sad things, wonderful things, but through it all we must keep our eyes on the goal and push through. We can't do this without the people in our lives that support us and encourage us.... That is our great cloud of witnesses. These are the people who help us to persevere through this race of life. Those are the people that this book was about. There are 18 people in the book and each one is special to me in their own way. People who have taught me something or loved me a special way or been through something hard with me... these are my witnesses!!! It's a great book and my teacher loved it. My teacher is not saved and it was great to share this book with her because I was able to write a lot about the Lord in my life. It was a very honest book that talked a lot about the hard stuff in my life but through it all I got to speak about how the Lord blessed me through every bit of it. A lot of people read it and I hope that it somehow affected them in a special way. I can't wait to share it with people at home.

I went to Rome this past Friday for the third time... We just spent one night there to say goodbye to a friend that left early. Then on Saturday we went to Siena which wasn't amazing in my opinion. It was nice to see but nothing too special... I have to say my most favorite cities have been Cinque Terre, Rome, Vico Equense, and Florence. There are no words for Cinque Terre and Rome just has so much to see and do.... Vico was on the coast and it was beautiful.... It was also our first city and that might have had something to do with it. Florence had so many markets and shopping and leather.... It was beautiful too... Cortona is amazing in it's own special way.... Emanuele took me to Rimini Saturday evening... we spent the night on lawn chairs on the beach and then spent all day Sunday laying out and just enjoying the beach. I don't think I've told you guys much about Emanuele... a little over a week ago my friend Stefanie and I met these two Italian guys who have taken us all over the place... it's been really amazing to see this whole area of Italy from a hometown perspective... They took us to Arezzo and to the lake and to Rimini... They took us to two discotecas and to eat and out for drinks... We were with them every evening for the past 8 days.... I really enjoyed having to use my italian and I got so much better at it... I think I just felt more confident when I realized that Emanuele actually understood what I was trying to say and we could have complete conversations... mind you, they took much longer than they should have because i would have to sit and think through every sentence I said... but it was really great to get to know him. We talked about the differences of Italian culture and American culture. He was so sweet and such a gentleman. I'm so glad I met him because I feel like I truly experienced what italy is like by spending time with him. Italian boys are a little clingy though... and those of you who know me well can attest to the fact that i run away from boys who seem to need me too much or even just like me too much... sad i know... but Emanuele definitely liked me too much... and so I don't think we will hang out again before I leave... but I'm thankful for the experience.

So I'm really looking forward to being back in Athens and moving into my new apartment. I am even excited to get back to work.... I miss everyone in my life and I've realized how much each and every one of them mean to me... If nothing else Italy has helped me not take things for granted that I love. I really can't wait to see my dad!!! I dunno I've just really been missing him these past few days!!! and I REALLY REALLY REALLY can't wait to see the video of my little niece/nephew that Brittany got this week.... It's impossible that anyone else is more excited than I am about this baby... This will most likely be my last post until I'm back in America but I'd really like to keep blogging once I'm back to normal life... It might not be as interesting but I've really enjoyed it... so stay posted... BE HOME SOON!!!

La mia ciotola è bello!!!

HOLY COW!!! My first glazed bowl just came out of the Kiln and IT'S BEAUTIFUL! I'm in love. I finished my pieces for the class... I now have 3 large serving bowls, 1 decanter, 2 goblets, and 3 wall pieces. I'm not in love with the wall pieces... All three of them have been fired twice now... second time with glaze and they are ok. They aren't beautiful though. My decanter and goblets are still very wet since I only made them at this weekend. They aren't ready to be fired yet and probably won't be till this weekend coming up. Two of my bowls will go into their first firing this evening. My first bowl that I am putting into the exhibit this Friday came out this morning and I'm totally pleased with it. It's perfect. If you remember I attempted to make a texture on my bowls that was something like the hill cities here in Italy. They are jagged and multi dimensional. I decided for the first one to use green and turquoise glazes. I poured them on thick and without any brush strokes. Glaze is so unpredictable... you can never tell how the product will come out but I couldn't be happier. I can't wait to show it in the exhibit. I've got the glazes planned out for my next two bowls as well... I can't wait to see how they come out. I havent yet decided what to do with the decanter and goblets... I'm gonna cut it really close getting them ready in time to box up for the group shipping. I might end up having to carry the goblets home myself and shipping the decanter (which would be expensive and I really hope I don't have to) Our final critique is Monday and I believe that everything but the goblets and decanter will be glazed... I can't wait to have all my stuff back at home!!! I also got back my midterm project in book arts and thought I'd show you several pics of those... I started my final project for that class yesterday... I'm doing the book of people who have affected me positively like I mentioned before. I rounded up all the pictures I need... thanks to facebook... and got those printed off and then I started writing the bios for several of the people. The book will have 22 people in it... or that's the plan if I can get that many done. I think I can though. It will be a thick book though... I plan to leave space to add to it in the future. Well I can't believe we only have 11 days left in Cortona and then we leave for Venice. I can't wait for Venice... AND HOME!!!

Ho andato a Firenze!!!

AHHH Sunday! True day of rest in Italy... and much needed. This past week was something of a whirlwind. I got back Monday night from Rome with mom and dove right into to my studio work. I finished my midterm project in book arts. That's the two books I have mentioned before... they were both journals using Japanese binding... the covers were made of materials found in Cortona... images that will remind me of my home here. I really ended up loving both of these books. Our critique went well and I'm sure I will receive a satisfactory grade for them. Those were due on Thursday. I also had a lot to do in ceramics... I did a three piece series of large serving bowls. Each a little different in size and all three using a texture that reminds me of the hill towns here in Italy where the buildings sit on the cliffs... I really love these three bowls... One of them is going to be my exhibit piece in the closing exhibit for all of Cortona which is this coming up Friday... so soon! The first one to be fired will come out of the kiln tomorrow so I'm anxious to glaze and see how it finishes. I've now started a set of goblets with a matching decanter. I finished the decanter for the most part Friday and Saturday. It just needs some smoothing out but I think I'm going to love it. I started the goblets today... not really sure how those are going to turn out. They are the pieces that I've been waiting to have a chance to make. I REALLY wanted some goblets but the one I made this morning wasn't that beautiful and still has a lot of work to be done so I might be experimenting more with size and shape this evening. I will be spending most of this upcoming week glazing pieces and finishing everything up for my final critique which is next week after the exhibit!!! ahhh... I think I'll be fine in ceramics. I've really kept up my pace in that class. I am super nervous about book arts though. We have our final project due in 1 1/2 weeks and I still have no idea what I'm going to do for it. I'm still contemplating the small biographies that I mentioned. I think that would be special to have and something I can add to in the future. I'm gonna need some pictures though of each person and Im not sure how I can obtain that while in Italy. I guess I haven't mentioned my Italian class much haha. It's really been a breeze. I thin our prof knew we would be spending all our time in the studio and therefore didn't challenge us much... which I appreciate. We have our final this thursday and an essay due Tues... but I don't think either will be very difficult.

Yesterday we went of a field trip to Florence and I loved it. First we visited the Academia which houses Michelangelo's David sculpture and it was amazing. This thing is huge in person and I didn't think it was possible for a statue to be sexy but DAVID IS HOTT!!! haha... It was an amazing piece of art to see. After that we had the day free... of course they proposed hundreds of museums and cathedrals to see but I am just museumed out so we shopped haha. Florence has great shopping and amazing leather markets... I wanted a leather jacket sooooo bad but i refrained. I got a lot of business type skirts and blouses though for my internship that starts in August since I have no business casual attire in my wardrobe. I really enjoyed the freedom to walk around and explore without a schedule. Today I spent a few hours at the pool working on my tan that has faded terribly since my Florida trip in May. I only have two weeks left in Cortona and then we're off to Venice... it's surreal to think that I'll prob never see this place again. It's become like a second home... I know this place like Douglasville... scary! I guess I have a paper to write and goblets to make so I must be going.

the count down begins!!!

Wow it's been too long since I posted! Mom was in town for a week and we were traveling the majority of that time and before that I was trying desperately to finish my projects so I wouldn't stress about them while she was here. I failed at the latter. I can't believe I've been here 6 weeks. Mom's visit was exactly what I needed to get "un-homesick" and power through the rest of the program. I can't believe we only have two weeks of classes left. I'm sad already. 

So mom stayed 3 nights here in Cortona and I got to show her my stomping ground. The first day I took her to everything worth hiking for in Cortona... bramesole (the house from under the tuscan sun) , Margherita (the cathedral at the top of the mountain), the park, and several really great lookouts with amazing views of the valley. I think we walked for 3-4 straight hours that day. 

It was nice to stay in the hotel too because the bed was soft and the shower was all my own!!! Mom brought me reinforcements in clothing. I was getting tired of the same 5 outfits.... we ate at all the best restaurants in Cortona...  and had the best gelato from Snoopy's and Cocoa. Mom preferred the cafe... so predictable. Mom and I became regulars at Cafe Signorelli... had to have her coffee lol. 

So then we left for Cinque Terre early Friday morning... 

it's a stretch of five cities on the northern coast in Italy.... We stayed in Monterosso the last of the five cities... It was amazing and beautiful. It was nice to lay out on a beach and get some sun. The cliffs and rocks on the coast were breathtaking and the colorful homes on the hills were like a painting. We only stayed one nig

ht but we really got the monterosso experience. We ate at a restaurant over the coast with an amazing view, ate seafood, saw a live concert on the beach, danced to italian music, learned a few line dances, and stayed in this sketchy hotel haha. The next morning we hopped a train to the next city over, vernazza.

 It was beautiful but really small... we left for Rome that day and sat on a train for 5 hours. Ate some McDonalds in the Rome train station that night!!!! I'm telling you McDonalds has never tasted so good. I had been craving a hamburger for weeks... The next day in Rome we saw everything. I'm telling you we walked for 6-7 hours that day. 

I showed mom the coliseum, the forum, the pantheon, the spanish steps, the vatican (and got to see the pope), campo di fiori, piazza nevona, the trevi fountain, the four rivers fountain, the fountain of triton, and piazza republica. We were worn out... all this by 3 in the afternoon and without any busses... that is impressive. Later that evening we went out for dinner at ROADHOUSE GRILL... yes, i wanted another hamburger ok... back off. Then  we went to see the trevi at night and attempted to walk to campo di fiori but got lost. Slept amazing that night... Till 10 the next day... went to the market at campo di fiori on monday and bought souvenirs for everyone back at home... got mcdonalds one more time before i left and then headed back to cortona... 

as soon as i got back there was a meeting about the last TWO WEEKS of classes.... holy cow panic attack struck at that moment. Pieces for the exhibit are due in less than a week.... and my midterm project for book arts due today!!! Needless to say I've practically been in the studio since I got back that night... Non stop every day... I literally missed lunch yesterday trying to get a book done... But it's cool to see pieces coming together and looking beautiful... I'm really liking the bowls I'm making and I finally finished my two part book series yesterday... I like those pretty good too. I'm still not sure what I'm putting in the exhibit... I kinda get nervous for other people to see my work. I wish I was exempt from the show altogether... I started reading Wuthering Heights on the train to Cortona and I have to say I'm loving it. It's making me want to write more... So maybe when the storm is over I can get back to the book. Until then I have a lot to do and not much time so I must go... See you all in 3 WEEKS!!!!

LET FREEDOM RING!!!

It's the fourth of July and I'm in Italy. haha... I'm kinda sad that I'm missing out on the grilling out, laying by the pool, listening to country music, watching the fireworks, possibly even going to the beach or lake.... there are some people going to the pool today. We are having a huge celebration here though. All of Cortona is invited and we are roasting a huge pig over a fire... and there is free wine and music and dancing. It will be fun... I need to get a book made before the festivities though, so I am stressing out a little bit... I'm just scared I won't get much work done once my mom is here... who is coming in TWO DAYS!!!!! holy cow I'm so happy. I can't wait to see her. Everyone be praying for her travels... we are both a little nervous about her treck from Rome to Cortona... she has to take several trains and we don't really know how it will all work. I had my first one on one critique in pottery yesterday. I teacher says that she really like my ideas but that I need help putting depth into my projects. Right now I'm working on these two wall pieces... they are called reliefs... It's where you have a tile that you build a picture onto with clay. I think I just limit my own possibilities because I don't know how to make things work but she helped me see how to do some things I had been thinking about. I think they will really look good eventually. I also proposed to her my idea for the rest of the semester. We had to show her what kind of work we want to do and what theme we want to follow. Kind of like a style I guess... first of all I chose hand building... I really do not like throwing on the wheel. I just was not a natural and it would have taken me all summer to get to a place where I could actually make good stuff. I'm going to work on different types of vessels (goblets, large bowls, etc.) by hand building and then add different dimensions and textures to them... I would show you a sketch but i dont know how to do that on here... the idea is that the textures will somewhat mimic the hill cities of italy... where the buildings are coming off the mountain side. As for book arts my first project is due in 1 1/2 weeks and I have the idea concrete and I've gotten all my materials but I havent started making the books... I don't have long and I have a feeling it's going to be a tedious process so I need to get started. Thats my plan today and tomorrow even though everyone else is going to the market and the pool. I have psyched myself out to be disciplined!!! yay me. This time next week I'll be in Cinque Terre with mom, laying on the beach or hiking, not even thinking about my projects!!!! For now though I need food and studio time. I hope you all have a great fourth of july. Enjoy the hamburgers and beer!!!! 

YAY per amici!!!!

I've made some really great friends these past few days. There are some really awesome girls here who I can relate to and whose company I really enjoy. I think I struggled at first because so many of the students already knew each other before the trip and came in groups. It was hard to shove your way into a group and honestly I didn't really want to be involved with some of the cliques that had formed. But there are a few girls who like me don't necessarily fit into a certain group and I've really enjoyed getting to know them. It really makes the experience more enjoyable when you are sharing memories and adventures with other people. So I have the Lord to thank for sending me companionship. I know His ways are perfect and his timing is always right. The lesson I've yet to learn is patience in waiting on the Lord. I have to say I was pretty miserable socially there for a while. It's not like I was withdrawing away from everyone because I was lonely. I would go out with everyone and walk with groups on field trips and eat dinner with different groups each night but it was lonely being the one who obviously didn't fit there. It's so funny to stand back and watch though. It's kind of pathetic how similar it is to high school. There are those groups of girls who are the life of every party, go out every night, and hook up with the few boys that are here. Then there are the sophisticated girls who are too good for every one else. I'm sure in high school I would have been a mixture of both but never was I the outcast loner... haha... I guess my assholish nature in high school is finally coming back around to bite me in the butt... Just one way the Lord has been able to illuminate me about my past from other people's perspectives... I really love where I'm at though. It makes me jealous of the people in high school that figured all this out before I did. Now I see why D'rea Shiver hated me haha. Wow, never thought I'd say that. Speaking of high school, I had about an hour long conversation with an old friend from my graduating class two days ago. Jessie was my best friend through the later years of high school and because of my own pride and embarrassment we "fell out of touch" but we had a great conversation and it was full of forgiveness and love. It made me really miss some of the people in the other chapters of my life that have flown by. I've really been blessed throughout my life with some awesome friends and mentors. Maybe I'll make a book about that... That's actually a great idea... I can write little biography things about each person and how they affected me and how they loved me.... devote a page to each one... ha that would be cute... and special to have.... anyway, it's funny how I'll be talking to someone or reading something and all the sudden I'll have an idea for a project in my book arts class or ceramics.... Ill have to pull out my journal real fast and write it down before I forget.... because we all know I forget everything. My mom is coming in SIX DAYS!!! She is so great you guys... I really can't wait to spend some time with her. I'm not going to get any work done while she is here though haha. Well I have an italian test in 3 hours that i haven't studied for so I'm gonna go do that. Hope your weeks are going well.

Italy seems to produce a permanently purple tongue!

We had a blast at dinner last night! The local people came to pick us up. It was the first time I've ridden in an actual car since the taxi ride in Rome. It was one of the most scary car rides I've ever been in... except for maybe the one on the way back up. Dad, if you think I'm dangerous, you should come ride with some Cortonese people. We were going down a very steep mountain and doing it very quickly... I saw my life flash before my eyes several times. The dinner was such a cool experience. There was karaoke.... which to my own surprise I did not participate in.... well I kinda did near the end but that doesn't count.... some man was roaming through the crowds of dancing people and holding the mic up to their mouths... haha... I was just screaming the words and I'm pretty sure no one noticed the difference... there were bottles of wine every three seats and if it got even close to empty a new one suddenly appeared. It was 5 courses and each one was amazing.... I was full by the second one. You would all be so proud... I drank red wine the whole night and didn't spill ANY on me... I did spill the dessert wine all over the table though. haha... speaking of dessert wine... this stuff was amazing. It was so sweet and it was a really weird color.... one girl got it poured down her throat by our waitress. We made great friends with our waitress Hermania.... I think she was enjoying practicing her english but she kept coming over and telling us how she had a crush on the karaoke guy who by the way had an amazing voice and sang in english like he was american... He sang a lot of Elton John haha. The dinner lasted almost 4 hours and then the locals drove us back up again. As I mentioned before... scariest experience of my life. Our driver Thomas was in love with us haha. He played "I will Survive" all the way back up which we were screaming at the top of our lungs. Becca who was in the front seat had a much more scary experience and was yelling at him around every turn. I think he thought she was singing... but she was legitimately freaking out... haha... I'm really glad I went. I think it was an awesome chance to see how Italians celebrate and to experience a little bit more of what real life is like for them. 

Classes are going well. I've realized that I do not have the ability to envision something and then make it happen. I have to have instructions and guidelines. I was freaking out about book arts there for a while because most of the assignments required actually filling the books with prints and pictures. I can't do it. I spent an entire afternoon in the studio trying to make some prints and they were awful and none of them turned out how I was picturing them. I think my idea of the book is so much more traditional than my teachers. I see the book as a reading experience with text. I love books. I love to read. I love to journal and write.... so these are the kinds of books I want to make... I want to replicate the reasons I love books.... not make up books that aren't really books in my mind. So I told my teacher how I was feeling and I think she understood that my mind works differently than art majors... I think she saw how hard it would be for me to push the limits and create something totally original... so she is going to let me focus my projects on structure and the binding of books. My first project is going to be a series of sewn books. I'm going to use lots of different types of sewing techniques to bind the paper and covers and hopefully use a lot of exposed stitching so that there are cool patterns on the outside of the book made from the thread. She has a whole book of stitching techniques and she said I can just pick out my favorite ones and then find some cool material to bind with and then just make as many as I can. I'm so excited about because in my mind I'm thinking I'm walking away with a bunch of new journals!!! i love journals.... sometimes I buy them even when I already have two or three at home that I haven' t started writing in yet. I can picture what it will look like with my writing in it and sometimes I won't be able to not start writing in one because I'm so excited about it. haha. I know I'm a nerd! 

Ceramics has been frustrating. I spent this whole week throwing on the wheel. We had to cut our first twelve bowls in half so that we can learn from our mistakes by viewing the interior and the thickness of the walls. I didn't even get to twelve. I think I got to nine. I was much slower than some of the other girls and when I did finally complete a pot, she usually had a lot to say about what to change about it the next time. So it's definitely going to be a slow learning process... I don't expect to be coming home with a ton of dishes.... I'll be lucky to finally get to twelve haha. Next week I'm on hand building all week. I'm kind of excited to get off the wheel for a while and to actually have something to fire by the end of the week. At least this class isn't stressful. We don't have assigned projects with due dates. We just have a certain type of work assigned to us each week and then on fridays we go around and look at everyone's work and critique... which is always interesting haha. 

MOM IS COMING IN A WEEK!!!! we are planning some traveling while she is here. I think we are going to spend a few days at the Amalfi coast and then a few days in Rome... and of course she will be staying here in Cortona a few nights as well.... it should be interesting to see how mom and I survive all the trains and metros on our own... I'm definitely going to need to journal about that haha. I'm just so excited to share this experience with someone. It think Italy is magical no matter what but having someone here to share it with makes it that much more amazing! Mom is going to love it here! 

It's a love story!!!!

It's been an amazing past few days... I've done a poor job of updating because I've been so busy. I just got back from Assisi and Perugia which were both amazing cities... I really enjoyed Perugia. There was an antique market and some amazing stuff to look at. That city is famous for it's chocolate so of course we indulged ourselves!!! It was truly delicious. In Assisi we saw St. Francis' tomb and the church that was built for him after his death. It was pretty amazing inside. Several girls and I decided to find our own way back to cortona and took a train. It was a fun adventure buying tickets and riding the train and then finding our way back. We almost had to pay 150 Euros because we didn't stamp our tickets or something... I'm not exactly sure what we did wrong but I think the train guy could tell so he let it go. haha. Last night was a pretty amazing. I think it was my most favorite since we got here. First a band played for us... It was like a welcome concert that has been planned several times and cancelled due to weather. It was amazing. After the concert we hung out at the Lion's well and danced a little but then everyone went to the discoteca. AMAZING!!! I had a blast dancing my butt off.... I was really glad I went out with everyone. I didn't get home till 2:30 am but it was worth it. The night before we went out to The Lion's Well as well for a girl's birthday. It was a fun night too. So needless to say I'm lacking in sleep and planning on catching up tomorrow... BUT TONIGHT... is going to be the best part of it all... we are going to a community celebration feast... All of the city is invited and it's a seven course meal with unlimited wine and dancing... It is supposed to long into the night.... I can't wait. It's very authentic Cortonese food. They are roasting a wild boar!!! Tomorrow there is a flag throwing group coming to perform for us.... all in all it's been a packed out long weekend but I'm falling more and more in love with Italy every day. I had several really awesome runs this week. I've been running 30-40 minutes but one day I was just in the zone and ended up running  about an hour... I was just exploring and found some amazing roads and awesome views... Tuscany is unlike any part of Italy and such an amazing experience. It's beautiful and quiet. You feel like it's your own fairy tale. Well I'm off to an amazing dinner. I'll update you all about my ongoing class projects tomorrow. 

typical!!!

So I've moved on to throwing... the butterfly is going to go through it's first firing tomorrow. Throwing is harder than it looks... It takes me forever just to get the clay centered on the wheel. I made three pots in class today but I had to cut them all in half for the teacher to critique it. For the most part they were good but there are definitely some things I need to improve on... for some reason I keep putting too much pressure on the inside of the wheel and the bowl fans out too much. It's really fun though. I'd like to make myself a whole set of dishes or at least 4 plates and 4 bowls so next year ladies when we have those amazing dinner parties we can use my stuff!!! I also really want to make a few goblets... A lady who used to mentor me at Impact had some that she made and they were amazing. She drank red wine from them and it just looked so beautiful. I just dont know how much I'll be able to fit in the box that UGA ships back for us and if I have extra I'll have to pay for it myself which could get very expensive. Seeing as how I was already poor before I came here and how I'll be even more poor once I start paying on the ridiculous phone bill I'm most likely going to have, I should probably save any money that I do have... haha... I found out today that there is a bus that can take me to a supermarket... like an italian version of walmart I think... It only costs a Euro and it's only a ten minute ride!!! I'm pretty excited about it!!! I think I mentioned before that there is only one grocery store here and it is tiny. They pretty much decide what you are going to eat since there isn't much to choose from... It will be nice to have a selection. 

I really miss my apartment.... I definitely took for granted having my own space. One of my roommates wakes up at 5:30 every morning for God knows what reason and another one gets up at the same time as me so I we have to share the bathroom... there are two fridges that everyone uses (87 students) and people will spill your stuff or take yours on accident. Oh, and there are these cleaning ladies who come to sweep and make our beds... they always move my stuff... This morning I searched for my bible for 30 minutes and never found it... later one of my roommates pulls it out of her drawer!!! It drives me crazy!!! lol I never realized how much personal space I require... I'm high maintenance haha. 

I started writing a book this past fall and never finished... in fact I didn't get very far in it at all. Yesterday for some reason I just felt like writing and so I wrote two whole chapters in one day!!! I'm so excited to be working on it again.... I hope I finish it one day... even if not to publish it I think it would be cool to have written a novel! Maybe I'll bind the book myself haha. Speaking of binding, I made a really crappy book yesterday!!! I was kinda sad about it because unlike ceramics once you make a crappy fold or a crappy stitch, it's not like you can just redo it.... You have to start the book all over again. I love the binding part and the covers but I cannot decorate paper... haha... I guess that part actually takes artistic ability and I do not have it. I tried to make some prints two days ago and they are just not beautiful. I look at the stuff my teacher makes and I just feel defeated haha.... Hers are amazing. The prints she makes are so intricate and creative. I don't have the ability to think up ideas like that. I'll have to focus my projects on the binding and the stitching. Well I have italian homework, paper to buy, and a big ass hill to climb. Hope you all have an amazing Wednesday!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold the new has come!!!

There is a song by JJ Heller that I love and that I've declared my theme song for the summer. It says...

 "I don't need a thing. My good shepherd brings me all... You are all I need. You let me catch my breath even in the valley of death. You are all I need. All I need to be complete is Your love, Your blood that covers me. You lift up my head. You provide the wine and bread. You are all I need. There's no need to fear even with my enemies here. You are all I need. All I need to be complete is Your love, Your blood that covers me. Goodness and mercy are following me. You're all that I need. You make a home for me where pastures are green as far as I see. You are all I need."

I think that I've become so dependent on other people for how I define myself and whether or not I feel valued. This is something I've been realizing in my life for about a year now. Last fall at the Wesley foundation I was prophesied over and one of the things I was told is that the Lord has claimed me for Himself and that he wants this time for Him and me to fall in love. I don't think I allowed the Lord to have that time He desired to declare in my life... Instead I turned to falling in love with myself. I decided that if I wasn't going to fall in love with a man any time soon then I might as well show myself some love. I started losing weight and running and

 setting all these goals for myself. Every time I reached one of these goals I felt great about myself. It was like being told I was beautiful or getting a gift. Every time I ran one more mile that I hadn't been able to run before I rejoiced in myself. Every time I reached another weight loss goal I felt prettier. Every time someone else noticed any of my personal achievements it was like being hugged or kissed by a soul mate. Instead of letting the Lord fill those voids I was letting other's words and my own pride build me up and make me feel as if I was worth something. Funny thing is, none of it was enough. Today I've practically reached my goal weight and I've finished a half marathon and I still find myself needing other people to give me worth. Another JJ song says... 

"He cries in the corner where nobody sees. He's the kid with the story no one would believe. He prays every night dear God won't you please, could you send someone here who will love me. Who will love me for me? Not for what I have done or what I'll become. Who will love me for me? Cause nobody has shown me what love really means. Her office is shrinking a little each day. She's the woman whose husband has run away. She'll go to the gym after working today. Maybe if she was thinner then he would have stayed. She says who will love me for me? Not for what I have done or what I'll become. Who will love me for me? Cause nobody has shown me what love really means. He's waiting to die as he sits all alone. He's a man in a cell who

 regrets what he's done. He utters a cry from the depths of his soul Oh Lord forgive me I wanna go home. And he heard a voice somewhere deep inside. It said I know you've murdered and I know you've lied. And I've watched you suffer all of your life. And now that you'll listen I'll tell you that I will love you for you. Not for what you have done or what you'll become. I will love you for you. I will give you the love that you never knew."

Now I'm in Italy and I'm totally surrounded by the beauty of the Lord. He is daily telling me that He is ready to love me for who I am IN HIM! He is proud of my accomplishments but they mean nothing to Him when I do them in pride. He wants to hug me and kiss me and give me 

gifts of beautiful things all around me. He wants me to fall in love with Him and His awesomeness. He is all I need like the first song said. I don't need a thing. That is the lesson I'm here to learn this summer. I'm here to become confident in my identity in Christ and to be loved by Him. To become a new creation that doesn't need earthly gratification. Yes, I think he gifts us with people in our lives that can bless us with words, gifts, hugs, and kisses. God's blessing me with a visit from my mom soon that I hope will be full of all of those things. But I am learning to not NEED that and to view it instead as a blessing from God. So that's the new creation I want to manifest in me this summer and that is why I decided on a butterfly.... First I molded the different body parts and then made a platform for them. Then I attached it all together and let it dry... it still isn't dry but it is finally at a stage I can put the first coats of what they call slip on it. The slip is a white clay that is liquidy so that after the first fire I can paint it and the paint will go on in a more opaque way instead of a glossy stain type. So this is after two coats of slip and before the first fire.

Il Mio Padre é il migliore padre!!!

Since I can't be home to tell my dad how amazing he is and make him cry with some awesome present, I thought I'd go ahead and tell all of you how amazing my dad is. Me and my dad never were super close throughout my childhood. Don't get me wrong, he was a great dad. I didn't really allow anyone in my family to get close to me. I was pretty much a brat. He didn't stand a chance. But since I've matured (not that I claim to be mature) I've really come to appreciate the relationships that are possible within a family especially the relationship that I've grown to love with my father. He is an amazing man. To some it's kind of expected that a father will care for and provide for his family. As I look around the world we live in I begin to realize that it's not the norm to have a hard working father anymore. Heck, it's not even the norm to have a father who sticks around your whole life. So the standard is set low. If you provide for your family and simply stick around then you are doing about as good or better than the majority of the world. My dad crushes that standard. I'm blessed to be able to say that my dad has not only worked hard his whole life to make sure my family can live comfortably and that he stuck around but he goes much further than that in that he supports me and encourages me through every phase of my life... even when he doesn't really understand me and my decisions. He gives me wonderful advice. He is amazingly wise. He encourages me in my walk with Christ and I see him grow in his own walk daily. He is the most giving man I've ever met. He has a compassionate and empathetic heart that breaks for the needy. He spends time with his family and with his wonderful wife. He cherishes his marriage. I see him grow and work on his weaknesses constantly. He becomes more humble every day. He doesn't judge me. He accepts me for my weird self. He wants the best for me and I am so thankful for having him as a father. I wish I could be there to spend father's day with him but thanks to him I'm in Italy having the time of my life. Thank you for that gift dad and every other gift you bless me and our family with daily. You are amazing and I love you.

Finalmente, Un Giorno di Siesta!!!!

Ahhh... finally a day of rest! I just woke up and it's 11am here, the first time I've slept past 7 in two weeks. I really needed the rest too. After yesterday I was just exhausted. The program alows Sunday to be a day of rest while here in Cortona... I believe the idea is to encourage studio time but seeing as how I'm caught up on all my projects in my two studio classes I have decided to reorder my life today. Everyone who knows me well can account for the fact that I'm messy. Not necessarily messy with my physical possessions (although that comes into play often) but messy with my life. I forget everything; where I put stuff, what I was supposed to do at a certain time, whether or not I put makeup on, how much money I have, when I have run out of clean underwear.... the list is endless. When I'm home, every once and a while I'll have to have a day or reordering everything. So I've declared this my day to remember everything. I'm going to do laundry, I'm going to go for a good long run, I'm going to take clothes to the drdycleaner, I'm going to go grocery shopping, I'm going to study Italian seeing as how I haven't even opened the book yet, and I'm going to organize my room (haha mom and dad would love to se how quickly my room became chaos) But I figured I'd catch up on the blog first. 

So Thursday night I went out with everyone for Jacob's birthday. Jacob is kind of like our RA. He lives in the dorms with us but he already has his bachelors in sculpture. He is in charge of making sure we don't burn down the place haha. So he turned 27 and proposed a WHITE party.... so not a good idea in Italy where everyone drinks red wine.... I wore this amazingly cute new skirt of mine that is white of course and got red wine on it... two days later I still haven't gotten the stain out... any advice??? 

It was a really fun night though. We went to a bar in the middle of Cortona right after dinner around nine... I was headed home by eleven haha... I'm like an old lady. But I had fun while I was out... took a lot of great pics of everyone and then climbed about a half mile up a super steep hill back to the dorm. Not such an easy feat after four glasses of wine... haha. So then Friday I made another book!!! This might sound so nerdy to you all but I actually made a cover for it... out of fabric and cover board... It looks like a real book... like one you would buy.. haha ok that does sound retarded but I was super excited about it. I was still recovering from Thursday night all day so I didn't do anything too exciting that evening. Saturday is our field trip day. We do day trips to other cities around Italy. Yesterday we went to Orvietto and can I just say... it was the worst day I've had in Italy so far... It was a beautiful city with this beautiful cathedral.

 It had thousands of underground tunnels and caves from back in the Etruscan ages that we got to tour. We saw underground Kilns, pigeon coups, wells, cisterns, and places where they made olive oil. They eat pigeons there... still! Ceramics was highly celebrated in this city so there were many shops and museums to look at... One museum we went to had access to one of the underground Kilns and the pottery on display was recovered from underneath that building in tunnels that we were able to walk through. It was pretty awesome. So the morning was great. First we toured the church, then the ceramics museum, then the tunnels, and as we are coming out of the tunnels.... it starts pouring!!! It was NOT just a sprinkle and of course i didn't bring a rain coat or an umbrella. So I had to run through the rain to get to a dry place. By the time I got to a covered area every part of me was drenched. I was wearing a sweater and jeans so it just soaked it up. My pants were so heavy that they were falling off and I was carrying a bag full of valuable objects including my camera, ipod, cell phone, my favorite bible, and my journal with EVERYTHING in it. I opened the bag and the bible was soaked, the journal was a little wet, the ipod and phone were ok, and the camera had a few drops on it but I wiped them off and everything seemed to work ok. But now the bag was soaked and I couldn't put everything back in. I cried about the Bible because it's the only one I have here. Everyone I was with wanted to run through the rain more and go shopping.... I couldn't understand why they would want to do that. How was I supposed to continue running through the rain like this? One girl offered to keep the camera and ipod in her bag underneath her rain coat. So I gave it to her and then we ran some more... I couldn't not go with them because then I'd be lost and alone in a rain storm in a random city. So finally I found a store with an umbrella. I went in and got plastic bags to wrap everything in and put them in my bag then I went outside and it had stopped. I was so pissed. haha... now looking back I'm thinking "Lord you were testing me... and I failed" Me of little faith... So finally I found a little court yard thing where I could lay everything out including myself to dry off in the sun. I laid there for about 1 1/2 hours till the busses came.... my jeans dried a little and my sweater dried mostly. I had laid the bible out and I could tell it was going to be ok. I had an awful headache. Then we went to get on the train to take us to the busses and they wouldn't let me use my pass because it had gotten wet in the rain... of course I couldn't plead with them because I didn't know enough italian. Jacob came and saved me with his italian eventually but I was so defeated. I was so ready to get back to Cortona. I made myself dinner and then read for the rest of the night just attempting to mentally recover from the stress of the day. haha Maybe next Saturday will be better. 

Mangiare é Vivere!!!!

I thought about devoting an entry to the food... but then I realized all it would say is... cheese, pasta, bread, more cheese, more pasta, more bread.... Oh, and lots of tomatoes. So I changed my mind. But in all reality... we eat a lot of cheese, pasta, and bread. The Italian meals are composed of three courses... First, your pasta.... this could be ravioli, tortellini, penne, spaghetti, etc. It's usually my favorite part of the meal. Last night was tortellini and I must say it was my favorite so far. It was filled with this amazing cheese. Then the second course is composed of a meat and a side. This course is always interesting to me. When I think of a normal meat for a meal I think chicken breast, steak, maybe fish, but NO. Most of the time I'm not sure what kind of meat I'm eating exactly. There has been roast beef, pork loin, meat balls, kabobs, turkey, I don't think I've seen a chicken breast yet. Not even at the grocery store.... I MISS CHICKEN!!! And when I say roast beef or meat balls... it's not like american roast beef or meat balls..... It's... different. The sides are sometimes mashed potatoes, stewed vegetables, roasted potatoes, peas, fried potatoes, fried tomatoes, or some other form of potatoes... It's really a special night when we get a healthy vegetable and when we do i always ask for seconds. I NEED VEGETABLES.... but at least now here in Cortona we are responsible for breakfast and lunch so I have been eating fruit for breakfast and making at least one form of a vegetable for lunch... trying to get something healthy down to make up for dinner every night. Then of course there is dessert every night... which is always absolutely amazing. They really know how to do sweets here. I run away from every gellateria I see. Going to the grocery store is always an experience. There is only one in town and it fits about 10 people in it at a time. Somehow us Georgia people make 20 fit. Most of the basics that you need to make a sandwich are behind the counter and you have to ask for the types that you want but of course I don't know how to do that so we just point and hope that what we get is what we thought it was. I've been eating salami sandwiches with pesto and some type of cheese for three days now. It's actually really good. They have fresh produce at these two markets in town. You can buy fresh green beans, apples, bananas, grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, etc. and it's all amazing and cheap. They drink more wine than they do water... at most restaurants you get two glasses. Both look like wine glasses but one is much smaller... that one is for water. The large one is always full of wine. I'm actually beginning to enjoy the wine. I mean, I'm in italy for goodness sakes. Needless to say I've been running a good bit to avoid feeling guilty at dinner every night. My runs are really a blessing. Everywhere I go there is an amazing view of the valley bellow and every time I lose my breathe at the site. It never gets old. THERE ARE CATS EVERYWHERE!!! ugh. I was sneezing the whole first two days because I think a cat had been in our room. It's gotten better but truly there are stray cats every 20 feet. They supposedly carry pink eye and like 3 students have had it already. I've attempted to steer clear of both the cats and those students but I swear I will be the one with a swollen shut eye in the end. It's just my luck. I finished my butterfly... I'll attempt to post some pictures of it tomorrow when I go back to the ceramics studio. I finished it last night and then this morning when I went to class a wing had fallen off... I had to completely remove the wing and remake it using new clay that then had to dry to match the clay on the rest of the butterfly and then attach it again... so tomorrow morning we shall see how it held up. It really is beautiful. I'm happy with it. I learned how to throw on the wheel in some open studio time last night. One of the advanced students was kind enough to show me the ropes. I was pretty bad. I never could get it to center and several times the whole clump of clay just came off the wheel completely haha. But I loved it... Just the feeling of the wet clay spinning in your hands in therapeutic. I also made my first book yesterday!!! It's small and simple but I'm in love with it. It's 4X6 in dimensions so if I'm not mistaken pictures should fit in it perfectly... I'm gonna try to make a little bit of a scrap book out of it. Tonight is an open drawing session. It's a 2 hour session where anyone can come and they have models that you can draw. The drawing professor will walk around and help you with your technique. Sounded interesting to me and I thought about doing it but then I realized that the models were nude.... ya, I'm not so sure I could do that. The models are other students in the program who are getting paid to model. I know it's an art thing and it helps to understand the body in drawing and all that stuff but I just don't think I could sit and stare at a naked body for two hours and then look at that person the same when it's all over. I guess that's what separates me from the art students.... well that and the fact that I'm not artistic haha. It's been awesome watching them create though. There are some truly talented artists here. Well I have to get to book arts class. I'll post more pictures soon.

Le Regazze dicono "Ciao Marco!"

So I decided on a butterfly. I looked up some symbology for it and it seemed to fit for me. The butterfly represents metamorphasis and freedom. I feel like it's a good parallel to what this summer can be for me. It can be a summer of change spiritually and emotionally. Like the caterpillar I can enter as one form and leave as something more beautiful and graceful and free. I'm actually pretty excited about it. I put a lot of thought into it. I feel like no one else here has to work as hard on being creative. It doesnt come as naturally for me. I want to put a lot of thought into everything I make here so that it all means something to me and expresses what I'm learning. Italian will prob be easy.. There are only two people in that class. And then there was book arts!!!!! OMG Im so excited about that class. We are going to learn to make paper and practice decorating paper. We get to choose two out of six projects to work on. We are gonna start out binding and learning to form the book and structure stuff and then she is going to let us work on our projects freely. I decided to do an integration between my ceramics class and my book arts class by making clay book cover and back and painting them and burning them in the kiln but finding a way to bind them into a book. I found this really cool painting that I liked at the ceramics museum that Im going to try to replicate for the cover. and then the other project I decided on was called structure exploration where I make a series of journals exploring different binding forms and different ways of decorating the paper and the covers. She wants us to find a style that we think we like most... like a certain kind of binding or a certain material to use (like leather) and then make a series of them.... im pretty excited!!!

Come state?... STO MOLTO BENE!!!!

It's the small things here that make me fall more in love every day. Like when there are clothes hanging out to dry and all the buildings are such a muted color that the clothes pop out as if a piece of art on a wall. Like the courtyard that my bedroom door opens up into and the sun that floods in through the windows by 5am every morning. The days are so long here. It's the laid back atmosphere of the italians who take a siesta every day from 1-4 just to rest. Everything closes down and everyone naps. How awesome is that? It's the fact that I only have four pairs of shoes here (as opposed to my 60 pair at home) and they each serve their purpose. It's all I need. Life is just simple. At home buildings are just buildings. Every once in a while Ill find one that strikes me and that I feel something for but here I fall in love with the structure of their city, the colors of their walls, the plants that grow up the side of villa, the cobblestone streets, the narrow alleys, the terraces covered in olive trees, and the fact that a right angle doesn't exist anywhere here. It's like one huge modge podge that was carefully constructed to be beautiful and to look like no thought was put into it at all. Even the people are beautiful. I've never seen such beautiful skin and these striking faces that make you want to stare. It makes me wonder why in the world they are enthralled by our appearance. We are so boring in comparison. I haven't straightened my hair once since we have been here and I've only been able to blow dry it twice... this sounds petty but at home I wouldn't dare leave the house without running a straightener through. Here, it doesn't matter. I don't care. My surroundings are so beautiful, why try to keep up? haha. They use every beautiful aspect of the landscape to make their cities even more beautiful. I love the cities that are on mountain sides like here in Cortona and like Vico Equense. The view is just absolutely amazing. 

I started my classes today. I had ceramics this morning. It was amazing to watch my professor throw on the wheel. I could have just watched all day long. It was very relaxing and beautiful to watch her hands work. She made it look so easy. Our first assignment is to choose an animal to sculpt that we feel we identify with. She ask, if we have a animal spirit what would ours be? Kind of weird... but you know art people. So I've been trying to think of that all morning and I think I'm going to choose some sort of bird. Im not sure which kind but if I could be anything right now it would be a bird so that I could fly above and see all of Italy at one time. It just seems like it would be so free and wonderful to be able to fly. 

Under the Tuscan Sun... Finally!

I wish I had started this blog nine days ago when I arrived in Italy. Every single day has been amazing in some way and I don't want to leave anything out. I flew into Naples  June 6th (last saturday) and was picked up and driven to a small suburb of Naples called Vico Equense. This is where we stayed for three nights/two days. This city is on the side of a mountain overlooking the coast. From my hotel I could see the outline of the Island Capri off in the water. It was an amazing view. The first night I wanted to find an overlook of the ocean so I went exploring with one other student and we had an amazing time. I didn't plan on staying out late but we got home at three AM! We found some amazing places with amazing views. We bought delicious bottles of wine for two euro. I don't really like wine but for some reason it tasted amazing. We just sat and drank. Several groups of italian teenagers came and talked to us. I practiced using the small amount of italian I knew from my classes. This picture to the right is some of the kids we met at the lookout. The next day we visited two art museums in Naples. I've never taken an art class or an art history class so for the most part I had no idea what i was looking at but even still I was mesmerized. Some of the pieces were so intricate and so large, they had to have taken years to complete. I found that i was able to appreciate the art even with only the small amount of knowledge I had. Over time I've realized that Italy is defined by it's art. They culture is saturated with it and everyone here appreciates an artist. They are the highest of society. So different from in America. The next day we went to Pompeii which is an ancient Roman city that at one point was completely covered and thought to be destroyed because of the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius. The city has been excavated and is now open for people to walk through and explore. We saw homes, brothels, amphitheaters, laundromats, bath houses, bodies that were casted from the lava, pottery recovered, gardens and so much more. It was so interesting to see how the people lived in this time. The art history teacher on this trip was able to give us a history of almost everything there. After the tour me and two other girls climbed Mnt. Vesuvius. It was absolutely amazing. We grabbed some pizza and missed our bus so we took a cab which was expensive but I'm actually glad we did it. Our drivers name was Angelo. He was listening to Bob Marley haha. He took us up and back down and he was very sweet. Maybe because he was ripping us off haha. But at least we didn't have to wait for a bus. At the top of the mountain we could see all of Napoli and we could also see the hole of the volcano which was interesting. This picture to the left is at the top looking into the inside of the hole that the volcano erupted out of. The next day we left for Rome where we stayed 4 nights/3 days. On our way there we stopped at a place called Villa D'este which is this amazing garden with all these fountains and water works. It was beautiful. The garden was on the side of a hill and the water naturally ran down for all the fountains. When it was originally built there were no pumps, the water flowed into the fountains naturally and narrowing of pipes is what made the fountains flow so high. This picture to the left is of me and three other students in front of the largest of the fountains in that garden. Everything I see here whether manmade or nature makes me think "Wow, my God is so amazing.... He either created this... or created a person who was creative enough to create this." It just blows my mind was awesome God is and how everything He does brings Him glory and draws our eyes to Him. In Rome we saw EVERYTHING. The Pantheon, the forum, capital hill, the vatican, the coliseum, beautiful cathedrals, the four rivers fountain, the Trevi fountain, St. Peter's Basilica, several museums, the spanish steps, Capo Di Fiori... market at day bars at night!!! My favorite was Rome at night. It was beautiful. The fountains are lit up and people are everywhere sitting outside of bars or eating gelato which is amazing. The history and the art were overwhelming. I wish I had more time there. I was exhausted and ready to get to Cortona by the end of the week. Yesterday was our first full day in Cortona and I love it here. It is a nice change of scenery from the big touristy cities. Cortona is a hill city that overlooks a whole valley. In that valley there are grape vineyards, olive orchards, and a lake that is the largest body of fresh water in Italy. The city is surrounded by a wall which has four gates that you must enter through. It's small and quiet. The people are so kind and hospitable. They LOVE us students. Last night they invited us to a pool party at the public pool and then there was a concert in the Piazza. This morning I went for a walk all around Cortona just exploring. I passed a man who was picking tomatos. I said "Buongiorno, fa bel tempo." and he offered me one of the tomatoes he had picked. I don't eat tomatoes but I ate this one and it was delicious. I would just start singing while I was walking. It seemed to me like my own worship service. Just being in this place makes me feel closer to the Lord and like he is constantly hugging me. Other people greeted me all along the road and I eventually found my way back home. I bought groceries today which was an experience in itself haha. i have no idea what I really got but we shall see. Our dorms are at the very top of the mountain and so I will be in amazing shape when I come home in August. I've already climbed that hill three times today and it's only two PM. I miss my family and I miss my friends but I really love this place. It's been hard to find a group of friends here but the Lord is teaching me so much and I'm really growing through this experience. I'm so thankful for this chance.