La Bella Vita by Michelle Farhang

Over the past weekend, I finally had a successful weekend trip! It was more amazing than I ever imagined it would be. I went to Interlaken in Switzerland and it was such an adventure. 

After an eight hour bus ride, we got in around 3:00 in the morning and went straight to sleep. The next morning I woke up with butterflies knowing it was the day of a pre-paid adventure. I'm glad I paid for Canyon Jumping a week ahead of time, because if I hadn't I might have chickened out! A group of us got picked up in the late morning and we drove higher up the mountains. When we got out of the van, our instructors pointed out where we would be jumping.  It was so high that we could barely see the platform!

Once there, we hiked for about ten minutes, but it felt like an hour with the nerves building. Once we were at the top of the cliff, my mind and body completely blocked out my nerves and thoughts and I tried not to think of anything at all. I was still excited, and watching one of our instructors go down to help us at the bottom made it look so easy. We got harnessed and took pictures and made our way to the platform area. The fear did not really hit until it was my turn to jump. I was somehow able to look and smile at the camera when I jumped up, and then screamed my lungs out when I started falling. I had no idea it would be that scary! It felt like I was falling for such a long time, and then it became a swing at the bottom which was like flying. It was such a rush! 

Adrenaline is surprisingly exhausting, and it was nice to spend the next day in Zurich, which was about a two hour bus ride away. The city was so beautiful and was such a different type of European than Italy. We climbed up a tower where we had a 360˚ view of the city. When we were up there, I noticed how calm the city was. It was so quiet and peaceful that it felt relaxing just to be there.

That night, we signed up for night sledding and a fondue dinner. On our way to the night sledding, I was not that excited. I didn't think it could compare to the excitement of cave jumping the day before. We took a gondola up the mountain and it was pitch black. I figured there would be lights down the slopes, but there wasn't. When we got to the top, we sat and looked down at the city as we waited for the rest of the group. It was so gorgeous that it didn't feel real.

We were surrounded by the Swiss Alps and sitting up on the mountain with millions of stars above us - more than I have ever seen anywhere else - and a little lit up town beneath us. People tried taking pictures but cameras couldn't capture any of the views. When sledding down it was difficult to be more excited about speeding down a dark hill or the views that were beyond my imagination. When we came to a stop to check out a frozen waterfall, I sat and took in everything around me. Without pictures, this would be a memory I would have to keep and remember forever. I kept thinking, "When am I ever going to be here sitting and looking at the stars in the middle of the Swiss Alps?".

Switzerland is so expensive, but everything about the trip was so worth it. I loved every minute of it and it will definitely be an adventure that I never forget.

  When we got to the top of the cliff!

The nerves hit hardest right before jumping!

The jump (before the drop)....

....Aaand the fall!

Falling!

Swinging was fun!

Beautiful Zurich!

Zurich!

 Night Sledding!

Arrivederci for now!:)

All of my life, I have been a disaster in the kitchen. From lighting things on fire to melting meals, the kitchen and I have never gotten along. I even have trouble with frozen foods. No matter what I do they seem to end up exploding in the microwave.

Photography, on the other hand, I love. Developing my pictures in the dark room is actually relaxing. So when it came time to choosing my classes for Italy, a photography class was my first choice. I chose Advertisement and Commercial Photography because it seemed like there would be a lot of opportunities to be creative. Unfortunately, when I got to class, it turned out that there had been an error with the prerequisites. It had said that an introductory photography class was required, and I had already taken three photography classes at Chapman. What hadn't been clear was that an introductory course in digital was necessary. The professor told me that not knowing Photoshop would put me really far behind in the class and that it would be best to change courses.

This is how I ended up in my advisor's chair, looking at a packet of open courses that were available to switch into. I came across a nutrition class called Italian Style Cooking that was in the exact time block I needed. I figured that I would need to overcome my conflict with the kitchen at some point, so I might as well do it in Italy.

On my first day of class, we were divided into four groups for four different courses of the meal. To the luck of my classmates, I was on Team Fruit Salad. Besides accidently putting three times the amount of vanilla in the cream, nothing went too disastrous. I didn't even say anything, silently panicking the entire time, hoping that the class wouldn't taste my mistake. Everyone loved it; the fruit and the vanilla cream were absolutely amazing. That's the great part about Italian cooking–no one seems to care so much about exact measurements.

The other group at our table made bruschetta. I had listened to their instructions and watched them make it and thought I might be able to give it a try. On my way home from class I picked up the ingredients to make myself bruschetta for dinner.

Nothing caught fire. There was a brief scare when I thought I had burnt them all, but they were SO good. I was so excited that I had my roommates try some too, and they loved it as well! 

The next day when I was at dinner, I ordered my obsession as an appetizer once again -- cheese and pears covered in honey. I looked at the plate and realized that making this at home would be even easier -- there's no way to burn a salad. I asked the waiter what kind of cheese was used with pears and he told me pecorino cheese. I have now made it four times in the last week, and am still obsessed. I have even found the confidence to attempt to make dinner for two. I still get nervous that I will completely ruin something or that they won't end up very good, but I love feeling like I can actually do something in the kitchen. My goal is to be able to cook a big Italian meal for my parents and grandparents to show them what I have learned when I get home.

Italian bread!

Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Basil!

Hot in the oven!

Treating myself after my first tackle of the kitchen. :)

My masterpiece!:)

Pears and Pecorino cheese with honey! I think I'd eat anything if it had honey on it.

 Dinner for two! (Making three things at once is a challenge, I don't know how my grandma does it.)

I am now leaving for the store because I am bringing my two specialties to a potluck tonight! Wish me luck, and arrivederci for now! :) 

Last weekend, Zach and I attempted a trip to Rome that was, unfortunately, a huge failure. It was cold in Florence, and my classmates told me that Rome is almost always warmer than Florence. I decided to trade my boots in for flats and my warmest coat for a slightly lighter one and got on the train without looking at the weather forecast for the weekend. We were only going for 24 hours so I did not bring extra boots or another coat.

Two hours into the train ride (we took the slow train to save money) there was snow pouring outside. I did not worry too much because I had no idea where we even were in relation to Rome. 

Then we got to Rome, and off of the train. Within a minute my feet were soaked in icy snow and frozen. Our bed and breakfast was a five minute walking distance from the train, but we had to get a cab. Even the taxis seemed unable to drive in the weather. Once warm inside, we decided to go back out and brave the weather–and possibly find me some furry boots. We barely made it a few feet down the street where we decided to get inside and eat at a restaurant that had good reviews. The televisions in the restaurant were all showing breaking news of the unbelievable weather conditions. Our waitress told us that Rome had not seen weather like this in nearly thirty years. Everyone seems nervous, which wasn't very comforting.

After eating, we tried again to walk down the street and see what we could do with our time, but by that point my feet were actually numb. We bought food to make for dinner and rented a movie, but were so disappointed that we were not able to see any of the sites that we had intended on seeing.

The next morning we barely made a train back. None of the trains to Florence were running, and we got on the last one to Milan that had a stop in Florence (for an extra 50 euro). At that point we were just grateful to not be stuck in Rome anymore. We got back to Florence nearly eight hours ahead of schedule and I wrapped my feet in a warm towel for a while before we went for some American comfort food at the Diner. We are definitely bummed that we are going to have to pay to go to Rome again another weekend, but I definitely learned my lesson about planning for anything.

Snowy view from the train.

 So much snow!

Beautiful...but freezing.

When we first got back I was planning on waiting until it gets warmer to travel, but I think it might be best to just be prepared and tough it out. There are so many places I want to see, and the longer I wait the closer it will be to my Spring Break, my friends' Spring Breaks that are visiting, and midterms.

I am excited about the future travels to come! 

Arrivederci for now!:)

Florence has to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Our apartment is perfectly located right between the Ponte Vecchio and the Duomo, and I spent my first weekend in Italy walking for miles (often in circles) just admiring everything about Florence. There is a reason places like these are tourist destinations. They are so amazing that they don't seem real. I keep having to remind myself that they are not part of a movie set or a replica in Las Vegas. 

Before I left for Italy, the only thing I had really heard about the Italian people were that the men "loved women", especially American women. What has stood out most to me about the Italian people, however, is how unbelievably warm and friendly they are. Even when I am stumbling through trying to order a cappuccino or ask directions to the market, the locals are so patient and eager to help me with my Italian. A woman smiled and gestured with her hands to keep trying during my first lunch out when I was trying to order flat water instead of carbonated, or water "with gas". The man that works at the coffee shop around the corner from my class room taught me how to ask for my pastry to-go, a rare availability anywhere in Florence. 

Sometimes it's hard to decide whether I love the beauty of the city or the mouthwatering food more, but in Florence I don't have to choose. I get both, along with quite possibly the friendliest people in the world.

Zach and I at the Ponte Vecchio!

Bird flying at the Ponte Vecchio.

View walking over the Ponte Vecchio.

In front of the beautiful view!

 Some shops walking over the bridge.

The famous jewelry shops!

The Duomo!

So beautiful!

Can't believe we live next door to this!

Vespas lining the streets.

Arrivederci for now!:)

The New Beginning: 
      I chose to study abroad in Florence, Italy for a long list of reasons. The one that may have had the most impact on my decision, though, was the fact that every single person that I talked to about their previous experience studying abroad in Florence was a rave about how it was an indescribable life-changing experience.
      The year of tasks leading up to studying abroad were more stressful and overwhelming than I ever thought they would be, but once I landed in Italy it felt like it had never even happened. Even though I hadn't slept in well over 35 hours, I somehow made it to what turned out to be my absolute best meal so far in Italy with my roommate and her parents. The appetizers of pear and cheese were the most amazing flavor combination, my ravioli came to the table still sizzling, and we somehow made room for three desserts after, including a pear and chocolate cake. I have a new infatuation for pears.
      I slept until five o'clock in the evening the next day, so it was lucky that my flight had gotten changed to be a day early because I was somewhat rejuvenated by the time it was move-in day.
      My apartment is just as I imagined it would be. We live on a cute little "via" that cars are not even able to fit on to drive through. Vespas line the sides, including one filled with beautiful flowers that is on my list of things to take a picture of. I didn't think much of living on the fourth floor in terms of stairs, but each floor is two flights of stairs, so by the time we get to the top we are absolutely winded (but secretly grateful and hoping that we are working off that pizza and gelato we had for lunch). Everything about the inside is small, old and quaint, and I love it. My bedroom window opens up to the backside of the Museo di Palazzo Vecchio, which is gorgeous. I am so excited by everything, and I don't think it has actually hit me that this is really my home for the next four months.

          Our quaint bedroom!

The beautiful view outside our bedroom windows!

          Move-in day!

A view of the hallway and front door.

Part of the living/common area, with a surprisingly comfy couch!

Arrivederci for now! :)