Final Week... Truly a Life Changing Experience!

Where has the time gone? As I am writing this I am 4 days almost 3 days here in Italia, away from getting on a plane and heading back to Texas! So crazy to realize that my time here is done, but I couldn’t be more thankful for all the experiences I have had!

As this time has come to an end I have begun to reflect on what I have loved and will miss the most and what I will not miss when I leave.

Loved/will miss:

1. New Friends: People come into our lives for a reason. To teach, strengthen, love, laugh, hug, reasons to road-trip, and fond memories. I know full-hearted that the girls I have met while being here have taught me something new about myself or the world around me. I know the Lord has been teaching me through them, and I will miss them the most.

2. Food: OMG so much yummy food-I can’t believe as much as sometimes I crave a number 8 from Whataburger, I wont be able to walk 2 bridges down and get the best pizza in Florence, or go to Pino’s Panini shop and surprise him everyday when I order the same sandwich! I will hug that man before I leave.. and I’ll take a Panini with me!

3. History: It still amazes me the history that surrounds me. Italy has seen so much, and I feel like I only read a chapter of it in my time here. I know that living here in Florence, my knowledge of culture has increased and now wants to keep learning! Guess I’ll be back to finish it! ;)

4. Relaxing: If you really know me, you know I can’t sit still for more than 5 minutes. But Italy has taught me to slow down, stroll the streets and notice every detail. I know when I get back I only have a week off till I start Pine Cove, but I know when I have time off, I will do my best to relax and enjoy the quality time with friends and family.

5. Spiritual Growth: I know that this doesn’t end just because I am leaving Italy, but the Lord has moved in my life this semester. Changed me for the better and has prepared my heart for the next season in life! I can’t wait to personally share my heart with you all and with fellow staffer at work this summer! I miss my brothers and sisters so much, it will be a glorious reunion!!

Won’t miss:

1. Italian men- seriously people, they are nasty. I have never wanted to punch someone so much in my life for making a smart comment about showing my knees…..newsflash!! Women have knees!!! WOW!!!!

2. My front door: Europe has funky keys and doors. Mine personally hates me. It never opens for me! All my other roommates are fine but that door gets a laugh every time I try to get in!

3. Doggy _______: not a good way to say this but dogs need grass to do their business on. Not my street, outside my door, not my walk to class. Comon Italia! Find some grass for these poor puppies!!

4. My Shower: If you seen the picture.. you know. I have to literally climb to the back to turn it on… not cool!!

Last but not Least:

5. INTERNET: If I could only fully express how much I hate internet here( I know hate is a strong word, but this internet deserves it!!). First I have a silly sticky thing that goes into my computer and it only likes certain areas of my apartment- like by the window of my room but not the window in the living room. It also requires 10 Euros every month in which it only produces about 2 blinks worth of internet! (Maybe I’m exaggerating, but still!!) Can’t wait to burn the sticky thing then stomp on it for good measure!

Even with mixed emotions about leaving, I know I am leaving this beautiful country without regrets. I have been blessed to see so much and do so much in my time here. Thank you Mom and Dad, Mrs. Halbert, Chelsey, and Curtis for making me come and not chickening out! A big thanks to all my friends for their love and support while being away, I know I haven’t kept up with everyone has much as I would have liked but thank you for sticking with me! I love each of ya’ll so much and so blessed to have ya’ll in my life! Tear tear tear…. Can’t wait to hug all of ya’ll!!!!

I am hoping to blog one more time before leaving, but this week is finals, which means I will be attempting to study! HA! But as any good student knows you have to take some study breaks and mine will be a cycle of Pino’s, Gusta’s, and gelato… repeat as often as needed which will be at least once a day! HA Wish I could say I was kidding, but I’m not!

In between eating and studying, studying and eating, I will facing the giant of packing. It would be a lie to say I am not worried about it all fitting/making the weight limit! I’m sure my Facebook status will inform you how it will be going! Today I finished my last daytrip with a quick run over to Pisa's Leaning Tower.... Well nothing has changed, its still leaning.. enjoy the pics! haha

Fantastically Brilliant London!

First off it is officially 10 days till I will be back in the USA!!! Although I have loved, and I mean really loved my time in Italy, my heart is aching for home so much! Can’t wait to see everyone!!

But lets be real people, London…. WAS FREAKING AWESOME!! I can’t even begin to tell ya’ll how much I love London. Lets just name a few reasons:
1. They speak English-seriously the most amazing thing I have never really appreciated. Communication is a glorious thing.
2. They are helpful and polite-maybe this was just in my case or the Royal Wedding really had people in a good mood but I never met a rude person in my time there.
3. Great food-lets not forget how I have a food addiction…I had some delicious things while I was there-bangers and mash(sausage and mashed potatoes), fish and chips, Chinatown. Can’t beat it.
4. History-London has the most amazing history. I loved learning all weekend and visiting some of the most well known places.
5. Cheesy William and Kate Souvenirs- they were cute, they were pointless, they were cheap and they were everywhere!!! Don’t you worry though… I got some! ha
6. British accents- lets not lie to ourselves.. everything sounds better with a British accent. The best movies..cough cough pride and prejudice..cough cough have British accents. Point made.
7. The Tube- I loved the underground… idk why but I do, its quick, easy to navigate, and its just plain fun!
8. Plenty to do: while I was there I saw Chicago on stage, ate at local pubs, saw a Royal Wedding, went on the London Eye, just enjoyed walking around, SOHO, and Regents Street.
9. Reread number 6 again. Because its so true.
10. Re read number 8. Things I did continued: saw the London Tower, sang London Bridge is Falling Down on the actual London Bridge. Went to a WW2 museum, shopped, ate sticky toffee pudding, and saw Wimbledon.

Like my top 10 for my 10 days left in Italia?! Overall, London was a great experience. If I ever come back, London will be on the list, there is still so much to see and do there!! There are honestly too many stories to write them all here. So below is just a recap of my weekend in pictures with alittle information about them!
Here I am riding a double decker bus-this was soon after arriving in London. about 3 hours later at 4 am did we finally find our hostel... note taken, London doesn't have any transportation systems open after 1. HA!
The London Eye-This is "green" friendly, and gives you the best views of London!
With the Parliament building. Also where Robert Downey Jr. "jumped" out the window in the movie Sherlock Holmes.
Big Ben!

With the London police or "Bobbies"!
Fish and Chips! The pub was award winning in the UK! And I would have to agree!
The Royal Kiss! Ekk I'm a hopeless romantic.. so what?!
Buckingham Palace.
Westminster Abbey... where the royal couple was married. Lines to see inside was wrapped around the church..
Hampton Court Palace. This was Henry the 8th's place.
Shakespeares' Globe-So cool, our tour guide was so interesting and knew so much.. and of course it sounded even better with his British accent.
London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down....
The London Eye-Where Henry the 8th, beheaded his wives along with a few other misbehaving kids.
Wimbledon!!
Platform 9 3/4! Harry Potter Premiere so soon!!
with our bikes-We took a Monday more ride around Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park!

See you all very very soon:)!!

Cities of Laughter, Stairs, and Friendship!

Happy belated Easter to all my friends back home! Easter was definitely not the same without all my favorite people but it was still a restful day. I celebrated with a group of ladies in which we cooked an Italian Easter feast! Dinner included spaghetti, homemade gnocchi, garlic bread, roasted vegetables, and a fresh fruit tart! It was delscious! *I was busy cooking so I don’t have a picture, but once my friend puts them up I’ll try to add them!

Now for the weekend, Friday and Saturday I spent time in an area known as Cinque Terre (5 cities). This part of the coast is made up 5 little cliff side towns in which you can train or hike to. Friday was so pretty, tons of fun, and tons of laughter. I wish I could fully express how much I laughed this weekend. My friend Ainsley and I at one point were crying from laughing. Can’t explain it but we were just on a roll!

There isn’t much to say about the cities themselves, they are just cute, touristy places! Friday we went out to the farthest city called Monterosso to hike to Vernazza. This hike was a doozy! There were millions of stairs, tiny little paths that looked over cliffs, thousands of boy scouts, and the question “Are we there yet?”! We did finally make it, of course treating ourselves to some gelato!


Afterward we had had enough hiking so we rode the train to the next few cities, just enjoying each other and the sun! O did I mention I climbed millions of steps this weekend?? Ya buddy, 382 stairs.. Definitely not in Lubbock anymore!

Saturday was alittle of a bummer because we woke up to all of Cinque Terre covered in clouds and a chilly breeze. So instead of laying out, we went to the largest city, Riomaggiore and walked the Via Dell’ Amore. This famous walk is known for lovers walking and kissing and enjoying the beautiful views. Not going to lie, this walk had me missing Curtis. Even though the days are few, I can’t help but be SO anxious to see him!



After the walk, we had a quick lunch at a local pizzeria and had the most yummy pesto bread ever!! Like seriously people, EVER!!!
From there we traveled back to Florence, dyed easters eggs and called it an early night of rest! I already filled you in on Sunday, and Monday was off from school in honor of the holiday. I spent the day shopping, eating a banana, peanut butter crepe, and reorganizing life before I head off to London this weekend!! Can’t believe that trip is finally here… it feels like ages ago!
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Love and miss you all! 18 days and counting:)

Running out of ways to say I love Italia!!

Let me start off by saying how much I miss everyone at home!! Even though I am sad my time in Italy is coming to an end( 26 days), I am so excited for the next season of life! To fill you all in, a week after returning home I will return to Pine Cove for 6 weeks working as a work crew leader. About 2 weeks after camp I will be moving to Birmingham, Alabama for an internship. I will be working for Mallory Events and Interiors (like her on FB) till December! This is going to be a great job and I am beyond excited! Whew, life will be alittle insane but I am a Hickerson and we can’t do anything the easy way! HA!!

Latest traveling as been returning to Tuscany this weekend! On Friday, I went with the school to a small port town called Portofino. Portofino was the home of Christopher Columbus! Cool right?! Portofino was beautiful with blue and white stripes everywhere, sandy beaches and cute hillside buildings. Loved it and would definitely keep my sailboat there one day!





Saturday, I traveled to an medieval town called San Gimignano. It was once known for having over 70 towers scattered among the area. There are only 14 left but this little town was captivating. Seriously, close your eyes and image what you think Italy would look like…..got it?? Now look at these pictures… PERFECT!!!! I was in heaven! This was my Italy, my Tuscany, and summer villa one day;)




Have I mentioned how much I loved it?! EKK best day ever, and best reason to study abroad in Italy!

On our way home, we were trying to catch a train back to Florence. When you buy a train or bus ticket you always have to send it through a machine to validate the ticket. Well as we are trying to run onto this train, Amy, Briana, and Ainsley realize they had forgotten to validate! If you don’t validate, you can get a huge fine, so they run off to validate while my friend Shelley and I wait for them to come back. Before we know it, the train is leaving and only Shelley and I are aboard! HA! Everyone made is home eventually, but it was definitely a hilarious moment to remember!

And I finally found a precious little owl to remember Italy by! I thought it was only appropriate to get it from San Gimignano, since I was having a love affair with the town (Sorry Florence…)!

To wrap up my wonderful weekend, the ladies and I ventured out to a Florentine soccer game! It was fabulous! I was having flashbacks to glorious football Saturdays. Team colors everywhere, wild cheering and chants, stand packed to only standing room…..basically I LOVED IT!!! What really brought it home for me was the row of 8 year olds behind me screaming profanity... no just kidding but it was a new level of “team spirit” ha!




After the game, I went to church and then continued to organize my life for the next 6months! I can’t explain how ready I am to see everyone, I miss you all so much but don’t worry I will soak up the last bit of Italy for you!

First off this weekend might have been a top 10 winner for me. The Almalfi Coast was beautiful, full of life and food! I loved getting to do little day trips all weekend! Here is a quick summary: Friday-Capri Saturday-Naples/Positano and Sunday-Pompeii! To top off all the adventures, I was accompanied by some new friends! To make it easy lets just say all their names were Haley…..O wait! They were! We had Haley from California and Haley from Texas! For ease I’ll just refer to us as the Hay-lees. HA!

Friday: Capri
I must say I would return to Capri in a heartbeat. It has been by far one of the most beautiful places I have seen. After a quick ferry ride from Sorrento, the Hay-lees were ready to hike the great island! Man what a hike that was! Even though my legs were about to fall off my body, the views and laughs along the way were well worth it! There was rock climbing, jogging, searching abandon houses, and a great tour guide!



After we finally made it to the top of the island, we started back down to find the Blue Grotto. The Blue Grotto is one the 7 natural wonders of the world. How it works is you go into this cave, and how the light reflects into the cave make the water glow. Slightly pricey, it was still worth the ooos and ahhhs!

We had to bend down into the boat to not get our heads chopped off by the little cave hole! HA!

Blue Grotto was followed by cliff jumping-I did not participate, however, I did take a nice slip on my pride thanks to some slimy algae!


Saturday: Naples/Positano
Naples is known for being the birthplace of so many Italian cuisines. BUT they are most known for PIZZA!!! My favorite! Eating Pizza Hut will just not satisfy after Italian pizza, but I’ll still be a fan.
Okay back to it, we traveled to Naples in search of a Pizzeria Da Michele. This pizzeria has been around since Italy was a formal nation! That is 150 years!! It is also famous for scenes from Eat. Pray. Love. in where Julia Roberts eats pizza in her search for her identity blah blah blah.. To say the least this pizza was amazing, and I have settled with the fact that I could never recreate or make it better in any way!





After stuffing my face, both Texas hay-lees set off for the black beaches of Positano! Due to traveling, we sadly only got 2 hours of sun tanning but it was still worth it because Positano was so cute! It is known for its stacked houses on the side of the island and to what we know, GIANT lemons!


Sunday: Pompeii

The Hay-lees from Texas got up and traveled to the ancient city of Pompeii! We were so pumped to see all the ruins and the bodies that were preserved from the volcano. Well for all those interested in going to Pompeii one day, wear some good tennis shoes, or less your feet will look like Jesus’ did in back in the day! HA! Haley and I also learned that maps are helpful! We were in search of a huge ampitheatre, and came across a random arch and lots of mosquitos! Nonetheless, we learned a lot about Pompeii, its history before and after the eruption, and had some delicious lemon slushies!




This coming weekend I am chilling in Florence, going on a wine tour via scooter!! a Florence soccer game and probably some delicious food thrown in there! I am also hoping to put up a new recipe up on my other blog, justletmecook.blogspot.com, so keep a look out for that!

Hugs and Kisses!