Buonanotte

What a funny night! Everyone has reached the end of their rope with all of this stress, tension, and urgent Humanities studying, which means there have been outbreaks of tickle fights, shouting matches, insane laughter, intense ping pong, and impromptu study sessions all around the house. Jason compared the various study parties to the different scholars studying their various philosophies around Florence, in the School of Athens, etc. There is so much to cover! We are moving quickly through the Renaissance at unparalleled speed. As for me, my hair is hanging in greasy strings and my eyes are sore and tired from pouring over texts but I'm hyper from all the sugar and all set to power through it. Pray the weekend comes quick!

Buonanotte,

Liz

Mercoledi!

"Prove me, O Lord, and try me;

test my heart and my mind.

For your steadfast love is before my eyes,

and I walk in your faithfulness." --Psalm 26:2-3

Ciao everyone! Studying hard for our big Humanities test tomorrow and trying to plan this weekend's trip to Venice, made difficult by the train strike on Friday and a general lack of cheap hostels near Piazza San Marco. Time for a gelato break soon I think. Ah! Ho molti compiti stasera! Also trying to avoid the cold that is going around. Thankful for hot tea and lots of tissues.

Hope everyone is well :)

Arrivederci,

Liz

"Peace is not a matter of prizes or trophies. It is not the product of a victory or command. It has no finishing line, no final deadline, no fixed definition of achievement. Peace is a never-ending process, the work of many decisions by many people in many countries. It is an attitude, a way of life, a way of solving problems and resolving conflicts. It cannot be forced on the smallest nation or enforced by the largest. It cannot ignore our differences or overlook our common interests. It requires us to work and live together." 

- Oscar Arias Sánchez

Soccer, Week 2

This week it was me who got hit in the face with the ball. But no worries, it didn't even hurt! I also scored 2 goals :) We had Leonardo, our Humanities professor, playing with us, and he was REALLY GOOD. He told me he used to play semi-pro. I kept hoping he'd get hit in the head with a soccer ball and forget to give us our test on Thursday...but no luck.

The field we play at is really nice, and fun because you get to watch the trains rumble past just yards away. Soccer is such a big deal here, because it's really the only major sport they play. And the Italians are GOOD because most of them have been playing since they were toddlers. Aah, what a fun game. Super sore and scraped up now (what else is new?) - time for bed.

Arrivederci!

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."

-Mark Twain

"Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind." --1 Peter 3:8

"and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." --1 Timothy 1:14

Thought of the day: Community. It is just so much FUN living in a giant house with all your friends! True, there is hardly ever any peace and quiet, and true, sometimes people can be annoying, and true, we are quick to run out of things like toilet paper and tiramisu - BUT, at the same time, I absolutely love it! I love eating breakfast with my stats professor and playing soccer with my humanities professor. I love listening to the dogs bark while I do my homework and singing Happy Birthday to people over cake and gelato. I love falling alseep to the sound of everyone's voices at night (believe it or not) and gathering together for movies or a game of ping pong.

Most of all, I love never being more than a few yards away from all of my peers. I'm afraid I'll never be able to live alone now cuz I'll just be too lonely.

Have a blessed day, and enjoy your friends and families!

Ciao!

Liz

"Laughter is timeless, Imagination has no age, and Dreams are forever." Walt Disney

Fun night! Everyone was buzzing at dinner, just having returned from various trips, and it was someone's birthday so we all got cake and gelato. Now we're watching Back to the Future in the common room and it is definitely reminding me of home! Miss you guys! Nighty night!

CINQUE TERRE

Where There's A Will, There's A Way

Cinque Terre was everything I hoped it would be and more! Figuring out train tickets was stressful and intimidating but we made it and that's what's important. We arrived in Monterosso just in time for lunch, then we sprinted down to the beach, literally flung off our clothes, and dove into the brilliantly blue Mediterranean. We swam and sun-bathed for a few hours, then dried off and began the trek through the mountains to the next town. What a BEAUTIFUL hike - up and down and up some more, over slippery rocks, through cliff faces and leafy tunnels, only to emerge, sweaty and exhausted several hours later, directly above the breathtaking buildings and canals of Vernazza! Here, we explored, ate the best pizza I've ever had, stopped for gelato, and finally prepared to take the train home. We were deliriously tired; acting silly, singing and dancing, and, finally, crashing.

I have officially decided that I LOVE traveling!!! We had the perfect group - myself, Nicole, Jocelyn, Andrew, Jay, and Andrea - which made for interesting conversations and lots of goofing off. It was nice being so independent and getting to decide for ourselves what we wanted to do, and when, and where. I can't wait for the next adventure!

Arrivederci!

Liz

"Guys, I know this was a hard hike...but just think! Now all of our butts will look like Michelangelo's David." -Andrea

Cinque Terre!!!!

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." Ecclesiastes 3:11

Ciao! How is everyone? I would love to hear from you!

Great day today - work in the kitchen, then classes, then off to the gym, back for lunch, homework and projects, out for cappuccinos, shopping in the city, back for dinner, work again, then packing and bed!

Tomorrow, I'm going with some friends on a day trip to Cinque Terre. It's right on the coast, with a bunch of little villages tucked right into the cliffs! We'll be hiking, relaxing, and hopefully taking some great pictures =)

God is good! Have a blessed day!

Liz

"Faith is permitting ourselves to be seized by the things we do not see." - Martin Luther

Despite all the blistered feet/exhaustion/sweating/hunger, our walking tour was very interesting! Amidst dodging cars and buses and vespas, and practically having to run after our very swift professor, and trying to get our ear pieces to work so we could actually hear his commentary, we got to visit some fascinating places! The palace of the Medici family....The orphanage where a bunch of famous names in history abandoned their illegitimate children....The little, easy-to-miss carving of a face etched into a wall rumored to have been done by Michelangelo himself....And more! Florence is a fascinating center of art and history, and I feel I could explore it forever and still not discover everything there is to know about its many streets and squares.

Oh - and we also learned where to get the best gelato :)

Ciao! Fun evening - first, Bible study of Hebrews in the Library, led by my friend Nicole; then, Lorenzo took a bunch of us to play soccer (I assisted in a goal!) - it was fun up until he took a soccer ball to the face (but don't worry, he's fine now); THEN we brought our homework to a local restaurant and studied the night away!

Amidst all the stress and high emotion of the past week, it was nice to get out and have a good time. I've been feeling quite overwhelmed with everything, but at the same time I'm just grateful to be here and excited for everything that is to come.

Bedtime! Buonanotte!

"God is preparing His heroes. When the opportunity comes he will fit them into their place in an instant, and the world will wonder where they came from." –A.B. Simpson

Nothing exciting to report! First week of classes going smoothly. We have our first walking tour tomorrow for Humanities - I'm not sure where we're going, but I'm sure wherever it is it will be awesome! It's cool learning about Italy while living IN Italy.

I'm looking into getting a "tutor" to teach me extra Italian, as I'm not learning as much now that we don't have intensive 6 hours a day. I really want to come back fluent in the language!

Interesting fact: did you know that the dessert "tiramisu" is named from the verb "tirare", which means "to pull"? To pull -- to pull up -- to cheer up -- and Tiramisu is supposed to cheer you up! One of the guides told us that (but don't quote me on it...he may've been kidding)!

Ciao for now!

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable." –CS Lewis

Lessons in Humility

First time working in the kitchen today! Wow. Tough stuff. Thankful to God for a humbling experience. Some people do that kind of work ALL DAY LONG - and I was struggling after an hour! (How hard could dishes be, you say? Apparently, very. We students use a LOT of dishes.) Grateful for all of the hard work that goes into the cooking, cleaning, and preparing that makes this place so homey.

I have been very impressed so far with the Italians' work ethic. My new friend Cosimo worked a 13-hour day on Sunday! He is saving up to visit the U.S. and I was inspired by his humility. It's easy to forget that comfort takes work, especially when we are not the ones working! Even taking communion last night required someone to pour the wine and serve the bread, and to clean everything afterwards. I hope I will continue to be humbled as I partake in all these blessings!

--L

"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

-Matthew 23:12

"And all who believed were together and had all things in common" –Acts 2:44

BBQ at Elizabeth's house in the Tuscan hills today! (Kinda like driving thru the Hollywood Hills only WAY more beautiful.) It was about the most gorgeous place I have ever laid eyes on. They served us appetizers, a pasta course, a pizza course, ribs and salad, steak, AND dessert. Needless to say I need to go to the gym tomorrow...We all hung out in the sunshine, eating and playing games. There were lots of people there, all the students and some of the staff and guides and many of Elizabeth's neighbors, families with small children, the dogs...We also got to make our own little pizzas in the huge brick oven out on the patio! So amazing. I am in LOVE with Italy. What a nice way to hang out all together and unwind after a busy week.

Ciao till next time!

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favour and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow.

--Hillsong

Saturday

POURING rain right now! And there's thunder and lightning too! I am resting in my room after a long day consisting of grape picking, a soccer match, dinner, gelato, and walking miles and miles in the rain. What a great day to be in Florence! =)

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." --John 10:10b

There is something really beautiful about communicating with someone in their own language. You are forced to really connect with the person on a deeper level as you attempt to give one another the courtesy of understanding. Talking is not merely a polite pastime, but almost a game. You are forced to look deeper than their words, since you're not entirely sure what they're saying, and read their tone, their eyes, their expression. Language is not merely spoken, after all. I can't wait to be better at speaking Italian so I can converse more and more with the people here. I am in awe of the human spirit and thankful that it surpasses words -- in any language.

Monastic spirituality says that we are to honor one another. We are to listen to one another. We are to reach across boundaries and differences in this fragmented world and see in our differences distinctions of great merit that can mend a competitive, uncaring, and foolish world.

- Sr. Joan Chittiste

Exam was cosi cosi (so-so), but praise God the worst is over! Afterward, my roommate and I went on a walk through the city. On a crowded central street bustling with shops and pedestrians, we ended up running into one of our Italian guides from yesterday, Emanuele, on his bike! He asked where we were going, and we told him we were looking for "un supermercato". He promptly showed us how to get to a couple different stores and introduced us to Puga, which supposedly serves the best pizza in town. He also showed us where he lives and told us to come by if we ever need anything.

I LOVE being able to say that I ran into a friend in downtown Florence!!! This city truly is starting to feel like home...

To my parents: I just want you guys to know that we are being well cared for. Today, randomly, I needed two things: tape and a cough drop. All I had to do was walk upstairs to Alessio's office, and he had both for me! The staff has made everything so easy and been so helpful. They've truly gone above and beyond :) So no need to worry about anything!!!

Love to all!

"...we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." --Acts 2:11b

Buon giorno! Hope everyone's day is filled with peace and joy. Go spread blessings in whatever languages you know! God is good.

Thoughts - Thursday

“If God contains the fullness of all good things in himself like an inexhaustible fountain, nothing beyond him is to be sought by those who strike after the highest good and all the elements of happiness.” –John Calvin

Studying in our beautiful library with some friends. Music in my ears, warm Italian air blowing in from the open window, squashy red armchairs near the fire, good smells from the kitchen...who knew studying could be so fun?? :)

Tonight, after class, we are all going out for gelato. Our big test begins at 8:30 tomorrow morning! Then we are all venturing out together on one final "uscita"...and finishing with a pizza party. Aaah, mi amo Italia. God is good.

Ciao!

Today's Excursion

Miercoledi!

I have to say, hiring cute Italian guys to guide us around Florence and speak to us in Italian was a smart decision on Pepperdine's part! I am feeling very inspired to learn the language now :)

We went to the post office today to apply for our permesso di soggiorno (resident permits). My group also went out for gelato and I got my favorite caffe frappe! So good. I found out that one of our guides, Leo, has a vespa! Che fortunado...

This week has been awesome, it literally feels weird speaking English now that we've been learning so much Italian. (Leo would glare at us every time we spoke English while in the city - even to each other!) It is a beautiful language and I ADORE being able to communicate with people in this way. After all, God speaks all languages.

Hope everyone is well! Arrivederci!

“What you plan - and what takes place - ain’t ever actually been similar.” -Firefly

Sitting in our newly renovated room! Special thanks to Tucker, Jay, and (kind of) Andrew for helping to move furniture!!!

Just got back from studying with some lovely ladies at the pizzeria with the red door. The cute Italian waiter, Claudio, helped us with the words we didn't know! And on the way back we ran into other students hanging out in various parts of downtown Firenze. Very fun.

Andrew is sitting on my bed, trying to plan out all his travel weekends. This is unfortunate because I just want to sleep! Oh - this just in - APPARENTLY we are going to Paris for our long weekend! Details to follow :)

Ciao ragazzi!

Villa Life

Ciao everyone!

I thought I'd give you a basic explanation of daily living here in Florence. I'm staying with around 50 other Pepperdine Students in what used to be a hotel but which now belongs to the university. We are very near central Florence - maybe a 5 minute walk (the picture to the right is of our street). The upper floors contain rooms, the middle is where we eat and hang out, and the bottom contains classrooms. Meals are served three times a day by our AMAZING chef - I have never had so many different types of pasta!! There is also a beautiful patio, a library, and many other things I have yet to discover. I am rooming on the 2nd floor with two other girls, Nicole and Jocelyn, who are absolutely lovely. Our quaint little room contains a view of the patio; three beds; three dressers; two desks; and an adjoining bathroom. We are in the process of decorating!

Arrivederci!!!

P.S. Exciting things coming up: grape-picking, soccer match, service project and educational field trip to Sicily, pizza party, and of course our first travel weekend!!!

“We see like children, and when we try to be wise we see nothing.” -Oswald Chambers

More Adventures

First outing to the gym tonight. The walk took approx. 20 minutes each way - we dodged cars and vespas and splashed through puddles in the pouring rain, only to get lost several times! After a trek through a creepy underground tunnel (like the one in Harry Potter 5, where they get attacked by the dementors) we finally found the place and traipsed in, soaking wet. "Pepperdine?" Asked the man behind the desk. "Si, si!" We replied, and he showed us where to go....

One pilates class down, twenty to go! (And all for one measly P.E. credit.) Time for a hot cappuccino and a movie in the lobby while we all wait out the storm :)

Arrivederci!

"A learning experience is one of those things that says, 'You know that thing you did? Don't do that.'" --Douglas Adams

Random Thought

Oh! And I found my new favorite drink: a "frappe" made with "caffe" (coffee) gelato. It's like a frappucino, but BETTER. As my friend Grace put it: "It tastes like chocolate whipped cream!" And for only 2 euro!

Monday/Lunedi

Ciao USA! Buon giorno from Italia! I hope you all are well. God is good.

First things first: the previous pics are from yesterday's trips to Siena and San Gimignano! Both were absolutely beautiful cities, and we got to hang out in the famous square where they hold the huge annual horse races. I bought some cool souvenirs, ate a slice of pizza larger than my head, and toured several grand Italian cathedrals. And then last night we had pizza out on the patio, followed by our first group worship service (my first time taking Communion with real wine)!

As for today, it's day 1 of Intensive Italian. We had class immediately after breakfast, then a break, then a 2-hour trek around the city before lunch, and now we have another break until our final class from 3:30-5:30. We toured the city in small groups, and will continue to do so every day this week. Ellio, our tour guide, is il mio amore (my love)! He is cute and nice and we had some very hilarious conversations as he attempted to teach us Italian words and phrases ("Zito" means "Shut up", etc.). I think I'm going to ask him to marry me. Seriously.

Ciao!

“...not even the smallest detail of life happens unless God’s will is behind it.” – Oswald Chambers

Thoughts - Saturday

"The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory" --Isaiah 62:2a

It has been an exciting couple of days! Shopping in the bustling square of central Florence, ordering pastries and cappuccinos at Caffe Liberta, taking nighttime tours of the city - and all under the influence of severe jetlag! Everyone is getting used to living in The Villa, which is beginning to feel like home. We even have two chocolate lab puppies staying here with us! The Italian staff have done an amazing job making everyone feel welcome.

Today, after several more hours of orientation and a presentation from an energetic Italian policeman, we are getting ready to explore Fiesole and Piazzale Michelangelo. Tomorrow we are traveling to Siena, and finally Monday marks the start of a week-long program of intensive Italian (6 hours of study a day)! In the meantime, we are also busy planning our future excursions - for now, all I'll say is that trips to London and Egypt may or may not be in the mix! ;)

Ciao!

As I explore the height and the depth and the breadth of life, each discovery I make about life is a discovery about God, each is a step with God, a step toward God.

- John S. Dunne