Ciao Italia

Capri


Venice



Tuscan vineyard




wine tasting in Tuscany

Venice canal

Helllooooo Americaaaa!!!

Katie is BACK in the USA! And man is it nice to hear English! :)

I've been home for two weeks already and yet it seems I've been away from Italy foreverrr. It's sad to think about because in Rome I had my own routine, friends, and really a whole different life. So, it's hard to grasp, still, that I will no longer be a part of that again. However, as one chapter ends, another begins.. So, I'm looking forward to all the other adventures I have ahead of me!

Can you believe that just 7 months ago I was jumping off a plane and into a foreign country ALONE!? Honestly, I'm not even sure I could do that again. Well- never say never right?! ;) But, what an amazing experience I had.

First the whole crazy, strange living situation at my host families' house. They really were sweet people, and I can't blame them because anyone would be stuck in their ways by the time they hit 76 years old. And I got to meet some great people by living there too. Like my roommate Nasrin, from Iraq. She was the sweetest, most beautiful person I've ever met. And I think she kept me a little more sane than I might have been otherwise, if she hadn't spoken English. So, I'm very thankful I got to meet her and start our Italian experience together. Who'd have ever thought that two women from completely different "worlds" would embrace each other so quickly and fully. I still think about the first time we met.. (http://kstu-italiano.blogspot.com/2009/10/and-so-adventure-begins.html) I also met the lovely family from Colorado who was staying at the host families' house while I was there. If it wasn't for Massimo, the dad, I don't think I could have ever communicated with Mario (my host grandpa) or Rosanna (host grandma). He really helped me with the basics like, "I'm going out tonight and will be home late", "am I allowed to put groceries in the refrigerator?"... believe it or not, those are hard sentences to convey when not speaking the language the first few weeks. So, I owe him a lot! I actually just heard from the mother, Lara, the other day. She told me all about the snow they got on Sunday night in Denver. insane! But anyways, like I said, not all bad things came from living in the house :)

And then there are my awesome, brilliant, beautiful, amazing, fun, crazy friends I've made. To name them all would be a little overwhelming, but you know who you are ;) and I am beyond grateful that I met each and every single one of you! You've made my experience the best it could have possibly been. And I hope in the coming years we can visit each other because I can't imagine never seeing your faces again, or laughing about our silly lives over wine and pizza. But even if I don't, I'll never forget you. Because it's impossible to forget memories so special and sacred. I'll cherish each of you and each memory we've made over those 6 months. No one will ever understand or witness how precious those days were. Thank you for being part of my life. I love you all!

"Goodbye is like forever. Farewell is like the end. But in my heart's a memory, and there you'll always be."

*Tantissimo Baci*

I can't forget my amazing friends and family who also came to visit me while I was in Rome. First, my best friend and "sis" Jennie Ziringer!!!! (who, by the way, just got ENGAGED! She's going to be one knock-out bride and I'm beyond thrilled for her and Clayton). She came to visit me right before Christmas and we had a great time hanging out with Clementina, Isabella, and Isabella's friends from Sweden (Anna & My).

Next, came my beautiful cousin, Hillary Stuart, and her friend Kristen Wilcox who put all my adventures to shame as they are AWESOME at taking on any challenges (especially hiking up Santorini in 30 minutes.. haha) They are truly superhuman, in every way, and we had a blast traveling through Italy and Greece together. And I hope to visit them this summer to add on to our adventures :)

And thennn, my other two cousins, Maggie & Caroline Stuart, came to visit me about 2 months ago during their spring break. We had some crazy good times as we took on the dangerous streets of Napoli and roamed the beautiful landscapes of Orvieto with Lance Meixner, Maggie's friend. Now, I can't wait to see them again in the States so we can drink the Absinthe we bought! yikesss!!

And most recently, my parents came up for two weeks to travel from Rome to Tuscany, Venice, Napoli, Capri, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast and back up to Rome again. We had an unforgettable time as we took in all the unbelieveable sights of the Amalfi coast and Capri. It was surreal. The pictures posted are of our travels, up top.

So, to end, I hope you guys enjoyed reading my posts. I know they came few and far between, but with so many great things going on with my life in Italy, it was hard to keep track of it all. In terms of my future plans with Italian, I am planning to continue studying and speaking the language (as my brain is begging me to since I'm dreaming in Italian), so that is the plan for now. And maybe, someday, I'll take a trip back to Rome to practice with the natives once again :)

Again, hope you enjoyed it and thank you a million times over again to my friends (domestic and abroad) for making this adventure one I can NEVER forget!

Ciao for now,

-Kate

p.s. stay tuned for a video of my second semester in Italy