Friday, May 31, 2013

My most recent obsession...FREDDIE MERCURY!


It's all coming together...

Today I realized that things have just been making sense lately. I know that sounds weird but I just feel like the past several years of my life have led up to me studying abroad in London and now it is almost here.

I will write more about this later but after several attempts at writing a decent posts and failing each time, I am going to just think on it!

Hope xx


Thursday, May 30, 2013

#Nores


Four months ago, I decided I was going to have a no reservations mind set for my time abroad. I was afraid to be away from home, sad to leave my friends, scared I wasn't going to make new ones, and nervous to be in such a big city alone. I didn't realize how much I would gain by making that decision. I have made friends that I know I will never forget. They are people that have changed me into a better person. It seems strange that I have only known them for fourth months when now I can't even remember what it feels like to not have them in my life. I know that we will stay in touch but even if we eventually drift apart...we will always have Rome.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

The best four months of my life.


It's all going to be fine.

That's what everyone keeps telling me and they are right. I just have to make sure I am learning from all of this.

I will be in London in almost 7 months(I can't wait!). Then after I graduate I plan to live all around the country and world. I have to get better at being away from the people I love. I have to get better at coping on my own. I don't want to shut myself down and not talk to my friends but I also don't want to lean on them too much. I am having quite a bit of trouble finding that balance right now. It's difficult for me because I feel like I feel things so intensely that not many people understand.

Hope xx

Lovely find!



Friday, May 24, 2013

Things that I like:

Hearing Molly and Sofie breathe while I am lying on the couch. 

Seeing people walk on the grass instead of the sidewalk. 

Hearing my mom laugh while talking to my dad on the phone but not knowing why. 

Underlining my favourite lines in books. 

Taking the leaves off plants as I walk by and ripping them up in my hand. 

The sounds of Rome in the morning. 

The feeling you get when you are with someone and you know that they are feeling the exact same way you are and you don't have to say anything.

Videos of babies swimming underwater. 

Telling people they are beautiful and not that they look beautiful.

The days I wake up knowing exactly why I woke up. 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The study abroad curse... (Continued)

I'm back. I have been back for two weeks and it feels like I have been home for three months. Over the past 4 weeks time doesn't seem to make sense. My last two weeks in Rome seemed to go by in fast forward and now it feels like someone put life in slow motion.

I am not transitioning back into my life in Pittsburgh as well as I had hoped. All I want to do is sleep. All I want to do is think about being in Rome with all of my friends and cousins. Don't get me wrong, I am so excited to see my friends, family, and dogs again but I just feel so unsatisfied.

I feel like I am falling and think someone is going to catch me but I didn't tell anyone I needed them too.

So, instead I am going to use reading and writing! I am going to start reading classics and use the stories to help me get out of this funk. Then, I am going to write what I learn from each book on here to help organize my thoughts :)

Sorry for the depressing post. I am sure it isn't the last but with every day and every book life will get better!

Hope xx

Friday, May 3, 2013

We have reached 10,000 views!!!

I just want to thank everyone for reading my blog the past four months! You don't know how much it means to me! I am so lucky to have such amazing friends and family that support me in everything that I do!

Stay tuned for my summer traveling and before you know it I will be posting from England (my homeland)!


NEXT STOP: PITTSBURGH

JANUARY 2014: LONDON!

Thursday, May 2, 2013

I am back on Tumblr!

I dream about this meal….

Goulash, bread dumplings, and a pepper and tomato salad! It was so good! Again, I can't explain how much I loved this meal! Plus, we got potato pancakes for the table so I had one of those! Prague was my favourite place to eat, and that is saying something from someone who is studying abroad in Italy. 


Heaven on Earth….

I have no words to explain how much I love these things…they are perfect. 



Prague!!

After Rennes, I went back to Paris for the afternoon and then flew to Prague to meet Sophia and her mom. I absolutely loved it! It was quite cold, but the city was beautiful! Not only that, but the food was AMAZING!! Once I get home, I am going to post the addresses/websites to the places we ate because they were fantastic! 

Good Eating around Rennes!


 I ate Kebab my first night! I had my first french fries in a long time!

 Galette, buckwheat crepes! They were so good and savory!
 We ate at a really cool restaurant! It was nice and cozy!
 I even enjoyed the cider!
 Baguette with chocolate chips in it! I ate the whole thing :)
We had Chinese food the second night. It was really good! It was the only Chinese food I have had the entire 4 months.
 Crepes for dessert…obviously! haha
 Breakfast in the Parc du Thabor!
 Our picnic lunch! We went to 'Carrefour' and bought cheese, salami, and patte. Then we went to a bakery and bought fresh baguette. It was delicious!
 Macarons for dessert!
















Our last meal together :(

Having a host-family!



It was so cool to see Holly in France! Not only did I get to see her with her friends and at school, but I got to have a mini home-stay experience too! Let me tell you, it is very different from living in an apartment! Every time we entered the house we had to go into the garage, take our shoes off and change into slippers (aka house shoes). Then, we had to go and chat with Holly's host mom. Then we could go upstairs into Holly's large bedroom. We could only shower between 5:30 and 9 (Holly, correct me if I got those hours wrong haha).
The hardest thing for me was that I had to be quiet in the evening because Holly's host-siblings were sleeping. The nicest thing was hearing people quietly talk in French while we were sitting in Holly's room. It was nice to have a family feeling again. I have Tony and Maria but for people without that, I feel like a host-family would be comforting.








Random tidbit: To prepare me for my visit, Holly kept reminding me that her host-family did not speak any English. This obviously made me very nervous because I talk a lot haha. So, after picking me up from the train station, Holly and I walked up the stairs into the room where her host mom was watching tv. Holly introduces me and starts telling her about my train ride all in French, when all of a sudden her mom starts talking to me in English! Holly looks at me and goes 'Hope…can you understand her?". It was so funny! I have never seen someone as shocked as Holly was in that moment!

Visiting Holly in Rennes!

My favourite place in Rennes! I went to Parc du Thabor everyday I was there. It was just peaceful and refreshing to walk about a quiet park after being in busy Rome for two months! 


Another park in Rennes!  

 Me and Holly!

It was so nice to see her…meeting up with a friend in Europe..It was craziness! 


No more apologies!

I keep saying sorry for not posting as frequently as I used to but I am not anymore because I have been living! This past month I have traveled to Orvieto, Pompei, Sorrento, Capri, and Cinque Terre! I have been to the opera, a soccer game, and explored Rome even more! I really can't complain that I haven't had time to post…but now I have the task of catching you all back up!