Week 16 update + Cinque Terre hike

Hi again :) sick of hearing from me yet? ;) 

A hectic last week has come to a close. I seriously cannot wrap my head around the fact that I'll be back in the states on Tuesday. There simply aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done!! I spent the week trying to squeeze in studying, last minute shopping (I was very successful in this endeavor), packing, cleaning, and snagging some last minute photos around Florence. 

The goodbyes have started too, which is something I'm not ready for. I made so many friends this semester in my classes and it's hard to think that we'll all head back to our different universities in the fall for senior year without each other. My class friends that turned into gym buddies, restaurant exploring friends and travel companions are some of the best friends I've ever had. 

The first goodbye that happened though was to Victoria, our Italian chef who did all of my cooking labs this semester. She's 85 but she'll light a fire under your ass real quick, no bullshit in her kitchen. She scared the crap out of me week 1 after the threw a metal ladle against the floor to get the class to be quiet. I quickly learned to get on her good side and I'm so glad I did because once she knows you're there to learn and take things seriously, she becomes your best friend. She's absolutely hilarious and has told me some of the funniest stories this semester, her Italian dry sense of humor and wit is something I'll miss most. Giving her a hug goodbye was one of the saddest things I've ever done. The most unexpected people can become such a influential part of your life so quickly. 

Aside from the sad stuff, I spent the week sitting up top on our terrace watching the sunset with my friends and really just enjoying everything about our apartment that has become my home. While I can't say I'll miss the stove top that you have to relight 6 times before the burner stays on, the kitchen floor that's a magnet to crumbs despite sweeping after every meal, or the hot water machine that shuts off at least once a week (we put in a maintenance request for this thing once, if not twice every single week), I will miss the old wooden table in the kitchen where I drank tea by the window every morning, the views from the big window in our bedroom, and of course the sunset from our terrace. We got way too lucky with the apartment we were assigned. Borgo Pinti 32 will always be home. 





This semester I was fortunate enough to have helped my friend Jamie with her photography class by being her model. Jamie is a phenomenal photographer and has her own business for it back at home, and I got to help her grow her portfolio this semester. Her final project was to "take photos in ordinary places make the ordinary inspiring" which I thought was really cool since there was no real direction given. Jamie is very creative and always manages to blow me away with what she comes up with. The following photos are from the street next to our apartment, our kitchen (and kitchen window!), and our terrace. 



































Like I mentioned, I did some final shopping this week. My last purchase of abroad was made at Gucci Garden, the Gucci museum in Florence that houses pieces that were designed, created, and sold in Florence in the last 100 years. I bought myself a tote bag that is made with leftover material from a luggage line that was designed & sold in 1921. Instead of throwing away the leftover material that wasn't used, Gucci made a select number of totes with the vintage print. Inside the bag is the Florentine emblem and the address of where in Florence the material was designed. I'm definitely not one to purchase anything designer, but it was such a different kind of vintage piece that I knew I'd have major regrets later on if I didn't get it. 









On Saturday, my roommates and I took a nice little study break and went and hiked the Italian coastline. Cinque Terre means '5 towns,' and we did a 3 mile hike from town to town. We really really reaaallllyyy lucked out with the weather, it was forecasted to rain Thursday-Sunday and only be a high of 48 degrees. To our surprise, the sky completely cleared up and it even jumped up to 65 degrees. We got drinks and food and laid on the beach for 2 hours after our hike. It was truly the perfect end to our 4 months together. 



























And here I am, procrastinating cleaning the apartment & finals studying by looking back over all my pictures from this semester abroad :) Truly the fastest 16 weeks of my life, but I couldn't have asked to spend them doing anything else. One more blog post to come on my final thoughts regarding the study abroad experience. 

Xoxo, 
Katie girl 


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