Wonderland ♥: Food, Wine, and Life.

Well its been quite a while....
Blogging has been one of my main priorities in the last few months. But I havent had the chance to do it....

Why?

Because I just got back from spending the last two months working and traveling around Europe.

If you follow my blog consistently, you know how much I yearn for adventure and travel. How the greatest lessons in my life come from these experiences.

Well this one was no different.

However, the lessons I learned were not the ones I expected.

Let me start from the beginning.

I flew into Nice, France. June 3rd 2012. I had no expectation or idea what this summer was going to have in store for me. All that I knew for sure was that I needed to find myself again.... I needed adventure, thrill and connection. I had become so introverted and lost in the past year being back in Salt Lake City, UT.

So of course, I turned to the one thing that has always helped me find myself.

Travel.

From Nice I traveled to San Remo for orientation for my summer job. Teaching English in Italy through a program called ACLE. Orientation was amazing. Just like every other traveling experience I have had.... I was shocked at how fast I bonded with some people. Within a week I had developed friendships that I knew would last me the rest of my life.

After orientation I headed off to my first job assignment. In Rho, a small suburb of Milan, Italy. This experience was very different from that of orientation. I had a crazy camp director, my host family did not like me too much...., my personality clashed with the other camp tutors, and my class of 9 six year old boys.... Well that wasnt the easiest thing to handle for 8 hours a day. I wanted to give up. It challenged me to the point of tears. I called my mom and told her that there was no possible way that I could handle this for two months straight.

Thankfully, two weeks came and went a lot fast then I expected and finally it was ALL OVER. I prayed that my next camp experience would be better.... And thankfully it was. I was sent to San Pietro in Vincolli, a small village outside of Rivenna, Italy. I had the most amazing host family. The mom was so much like me.... It was actually kind of scary. From her taste in jewelry, to her home decor. She was amazing. She showed me so much generosity and love. Within a week I had developed such a bond with her that I cried through our goodbye. One that broke my heart was her longing for travel, photography, and the world. She never got to do those things before she got married and had children. And you could see in her how badly she regretted it. I felt like she was so inspired by me that it gave me motivation.

The following week I was moved to a new host family, but stayed in the same location for work. This host family was just as amazing as the last. They were so kind, warm, and had quite the liking for homemade wine. ;) I felt as if I was a part of their family from the very first day of meeting them. They were so excited to have an English speaker in their home... and they did everything to make me feel welcomed. From them I learned how to make the BEST pizza I have ever eaten. (Granted it might have been because I made it... Therefore it tasted better to me.)

From there I was finished working and had three weeks to travel.

I went to Florence, Italy for four days. What an magical city. It was beautiful. And the gelato there..... The best I have ever had. Hands down. Rome, Italy was the next destination. It was so good to meet up with my friends from orientation there! It was so good to be with people who I felt like I actually related too. Like I said... The friendships I make travelling always seem to challenge the ones I have had for years at home.

After Rome my friend Katherine (shes from New Zeland!) flew off to Athens, Greece. There we met up with three other New Zelanders (they call themselves Kiwi's). I couldnt believe how moved I was by the history and the art. I was almost brought to tears looking at the statues and the ruins of the Acropolis. It really blows your mind when you see things that mankind created in the past.... With out technology and computers. It almost surreal.

Next stop was Mikanos, Greece! Yup.... The worlds biggest party island. All that I will say about Mikanos is that it lived up to its reputation.

Somehow I survived.

From there we headed to Santierni, Greece. This was the most beautiful place I have ever been.... From the white buildings that clung to the side of the cliff, to the teal blue water. I couldn't even comprend that a place this beautiful existed. We sat and watched the sunset and ate crepes.... It was one of those moments were it really was hard to believe that this was REAL life. It seemed like a total dream.

The next day Kathrine and I said goodbye to the other Kiwis and headed back to Rome.

From there I got on a cruise ship and headed off to France, and Spain.

France... Well lets just say this. Nutella Macroon on the beach.

Barcelona, Spain? Jaw dropping. I fell in love. From the moment I laid eyes on the city I knew that this was a place that I could defiantly see myself coming back to... maybe even living there. Never in my life have I been moved how the beauty of this city moved me. I literally started crying when I saw the world famous cathedral, it was that incredible. I only got to spend one day there... But it was probably the most amazing day of my entire two month long trip.

Finally, it was back to Italy and too Pisa for one day. Yes, I got the famous tourist picture with the Leaning Tower! Then back to New York to stay with my brother for two weeks!

That's were I am now... Writing this. Reflecting on everything. Thinking about how lucky I was to see so much this past summer.... More then some people get to see in a life time.

However, not all of this experience was easy for me. After the first month I was physically and mentally exhausted. I was longing for routine, home, and air conditioning (a rarity in Italy). It really challenged me and I must admit I broke down and cried a few times. But throughout it I learned to appriecate the smallest things such as having food, money, clean bathrooms, air conditioning, a car, wi fi..... Little things that we all take for granted.

Coming out of this summer my greatest lessons was this: I can do anything. It might be challenging. It might be stressful. I might be sweating my ass off and dehydrated lugging a 40 pound suit case around, sleeping next to a homeless man, and being coughed on by a lady with hairy armpits. But at the end of the day... There is nothing but beauty, love and friendship that comes out of all of it.

With that I leave you with the quotes that helped me make it through the last few weeks and some photos! Till next time my loves!!!

xoxox

ps. 21 in..... 2 days!!!!!

" Its about the rewards of risk taking, living, feeling, learning, and loving; its about having the strength to be ourselves and taking steps toward making our dreams real"

"We discover the world as we physically move around the planet; we discover ourselves in the inner journey that accompanies our travels. The rewards are many; we try on many new identities as more independent, self sufficient women; we explore new behaviors; and we develop a greater awareness of our potential. Remember the risks are far out weighed by the reward."

"You gain strength, courage, confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do" - Eleanor Roosevelt

"She is open to adventure; seeks connections with people in other cultures; faces her fears; puts herself out there in the world; is transformed by travel"

San Remo