Work. Eat. Play.

With week two of work complete and week three almost over, so much has happened. Between learning more Italian, gaining a better relationship with coworkers, eating my heart out, and traveling around Italy I would have to say I am nothing but happy here. At work, Reale_Firenze, I have been able to learn and practice my Italian through speaking to customers and being taught words and phrases by fellow Italian coworkers. While at times the language barrier is difficult, I have been able to break the awkward barrier by using positive facial expressions and talking with my hands. The more we work, the more the people of Reale_Firenze have opened up. They have become extremely nice and welcoming by greeting us as they would Italians, asking us questions about home, and always ensuring that we are "tutte bene," "all good." Working on the weekend means a lot of time for activities and eating during the week. As a Foodie, experiencing new food and drinks is a hobby of mine. Being around a newly opened bar and restaurant atmosphere, I find myself observing the time they take on the appearance of dishes and beverages. Each drink and dish has a specific look that no matter how busy the night, consistency is always kept.

Since a friend of mine was coming to visit me for the week, I wanted to take her to Reale_Firenze. Aside from showing her where my internship was taking place, I wanted to try the food and the handcrafted beverages. The food we got were specialties of Southern Italy including arancini, fried rice balls, and a dish made of cucumber, crackers, mozzarella, and tomatoes. The food was fresh and amazing to say the least.

With friends of ours both coming at the same time, Liz and I wanted to take them on a trip to a coastal Italian town, so we went to Napoli or Naples as it is pronounced in America. With stereotypes being thrown at us about Napoli from many people and websites we visited, we were a bit anxious to see how accurate they would be. Turns out, we did not experience the stories we were told and instead had a great hospitable experience with great people. Between being taken on a boat tour to private swimming beaches, being fed amazing mozzarella and pizza at a local restaurant, and seeing an ancient castle, Napoli was beautiful city.

After Napoli, my friend and I traveled to Roma. Words can not describe my love for the ancient city. With only having 24 hours to show off the city, I was nervous of how realistic it would be to hit the highlights. Sure enough, we were able to overcome the challenge and visit the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, and Vatican City. It was a busy day, but every minute spent there was unbelievable. The past couple of days have made me realize even more, how much I love this country.