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Jackie Batanglo is an Interior Design major from Endicott College. She is blogging about her study abroad experience in Florence, Italy...
Hey everyone,
This will be my last and final blog submission because I'm packing up and flying out on friday!!
I can tell all of you reading this that studying abroad has been the best decision of my life and I had a great time traveling and studying here in Florence!! The city is amazing, the people are great, traveling is awesome and you get to see some really beautiful places and sites. If any of you are still on the fence about it, just do it!! You will never get an oportunity like this again to actually live in a foreign country for 3 1/2 months and be able to really imerse yourself in their culture.
This last week has been a little stressful because I'm trying to get all of my projects done for finals this week. I'm mostly nervous for my Italian final! haha.
After a very stressful change of flights I have finaly got a way home after Alitalia decided to get sold to Airfrance and cancel my flights while STA didnt find it neccessary to contact me about it. Nonetheless I figured it all out and I'll be able to get home when I needed. The thought of packing again is quite scary seeing as how now I have more stuff.
Here's a tip: have your parents visit you at least half way through and send them home with a bunch of stuff!! If you're still trying to figure out what to pack, just keep in mind of being able to be mobile and try to bring as many things that don't have to be plugged into an outlet all the time. Be easy, flexible, and willing to throw things out at the end.
I hope that I have helped any of you that are nervous or just have any questions. I had a great time writing to all of you. I hope that if you decide to do it that you have a great time and are safe. Eat lots of good food and try to learn their language. Keep a good head on yourself and be careful of the gypsies! haha.
Ciao tutti!!
Jackie
Hey Everyone,
This past week has finaly been very relaxing and the weather has been amazing! It's starting to get really warm and sunny outside all the time and it makes you not want to do any work and just walk around.
I spent all day friday hiking at Cinque Terra which was awesome and a really good work out. Take my advice and hike the five towns starting with the last one because often times most people only hike the first three and they weren't much to see. The last two are the harder ones but they are also the most beautiful and well worth it.
It took me and my roomie about 5 hours total including about a half-hour stopping to get lunch. We just got up really early and took a train (it took 3 hours to get there) and then came back by about 9:30 or so. Saturday was stay-inside-and-write-a-paper-day and then Sunday we went to a soccer game!! It was soooo much fun! The crowd goes nuts the entire time and chant really cool songs that I tried singing along to but couldn't understand what they were saying so I just mumbled it. hahaha.
They played the Sicily team and tied but it was fun. If you decide to go, you have to buy your tickets ahead of time at a kiosk stand near the duomo (the school can tell you exactly where) and make sure that you bring your passport with you because they ask for your official ID.
Word of advice, don't sit on the ends because that's where all the crazy intense Italian fans sit. We sat along the longer sides and it was really nice.
Now I'm just playing catch up in my homework and dreading all the work I have to get done before I ship out of here.
Talk to ya later,
Ciao!
Jackie
Hey Everyone,
There isn't much news to tell since last week. The only thing that I did this weekend was go on a school trip to Milan for a design show.
It was a really long bus ride there and we spent way too long at the fair place, but the exhibitions were neat. The first one we went to had designs of a lot of interior furniture by younger artists and college students.
From there we walked around. I saw enough tubs to last me a lifetime and my friend and I got lost when we had to meet our class at the end. The place was so big that you had to take a shuttle from one end to the other.
Other than that my roomies and I laid out in the sun at the park only to have the police kick everyone off the grass which was a bummer. Things have been good overall ... starting to really miss home and my family and friends, but the experience is all worth it.
See you next week,
Jackie
Hey guys,
Hope all is well in the U.S. This past weekend me and three other girls went to Barcelona, Spain from Wednesday night to Saturday night. We had to fly out from Pisa airport and to the Girona airport and from there took a bus into Barcelona.
vWe had a great time, saw the Picasso Museum, a ton of Gaudi's buildings which are really cool especially knowing that he designed them in 1910 because they are out of this world.We also went to the beach for a little bit and saw Frank Gerhy's metal fish sculpture which I thought was awesome but the other girls really didn’t care either way, haha. We walked down La Rambla street and saw all the cool street vendors and all the people dressed up in all their crazy costumes.
The market there was really awesome and we got some really cheap smoothies. On our last day we went to Park Guel which is designed by Gaudi as well. As a side note as well - if you saw the last season of America's Next Top Model, the last runway show took place here. Not that I really care about that because I love the architecture of it, but most people would only recognize it by that. Anyways, the park was awesome!!
There are really cool mosaics all over the place and the cool curvy benches all mosaic. A lot of the buildings there kind of reminded me of gingerbread houses with their white curvy roof tops. I definitely suggest taking a trip there whenever you get the chance.
As far as classes are going, they are good. It is a little scary about how easy it is to forget about them, but I have a big paper coming up for my culture class that is about the Italian men in the San Lorenzo market that always say "Ciao Bella" to all the girls walking by. I had to conduct a few interviews on them and on some of the American girls to analyze the reactions that happen.
Other than that, things are pretty smooth and normal, nothing too crazy.
See ya later,
Jackie
Hey guys,
Well I'm glad to know that some people are enjoying my blog. Sometimes it feels like I'm talking to space but it was great to hear from some people. haha
Anyways, I thought that maybe I should advise some people about how to get ready for the big trip.
First and foremost, get some of the plastic bags that you can roll out the air so that your clothes flatten. Be careful of the weight of your suitcases also. Bring comfortable shoes!! Italian roads aren’t flat so high heels don’t work no matter how pretty you think they are.
Bring clothes that work for various weather types, like a windbreaker that will also keep you dry and pack an umbrella! Traveling on a tight budget is possible if you take the slower trains instead of the Eurostar and plan ahead for hostels.
If you have a kitchen in your apartment, then cook for most of your meals. Food is really expensive if you eat out often. I usually spend between 30-40 euro a week on groceries plus extra if I get things out here and there. Drinking is really expensive!! Just don’t do it really, plus it can get sketchy at night if you're not careful.
The school trips are a lot of fun and you don’t have to worry about a lot of the extra expenses of traveling. I just got back from a trip to Pompeii and Capri and it was really amazing!! I had a great time and Pompeii was really interesting and we had a really good tour guide. Capri was beautiful and we got our own little boat ride around the island which was really fun. I was only discouraged that the Blue Cave wasn’t open because the water was too high.
Other than that, I will try to think of some other things that people may want to know before they leave and check out some of my pictures that I posted on webshots.com.
Ciao tutti!
Jackie
Hey,
My spring break is over and its back to reality.
I had a great time with my family, but it went by so fast. I took them to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, we took a bus tour to San Gimignano and Siena (which was really beautiful but it rained most of the day).
We also went to Easter mass at the San Lorenzo church. We had planned to go to the Duomo but we got the times messed up but we got out of the earlier service in time to see the massive fireworks display!
Another day was devoted to my dad and brother and I set up a guided tour of the Ducati factory in Bologna which was really cool!! If you decide to go its free, but make sure you make an appointment ahead of time or you cant go in.
Their last day we hung out in Florence and the weather finaly cleared up so I had them climb the duomo while I walked around with my grandma. Afterwards my mom took me shopping and I got a pair of boots finaly after searching the entire city for soo long!! It was very exciting to see them and it was great to have a good dose of family.
After they left I had the apartment to myself for a few days while my other roomates were still away, which was nice and relaxing. All in all it was a great week, but now I feel as though its making me miss my family and boyfriend even more.
I posted pictures on webshots.com of my trips all around. Take a look and I hope you enjoy: http://community.webshots.com/user/jbatanglo
See ya,
Jackie B
Hey Guys,
Uggg... Midterms were this past week which was a drag and, of course, pretty stressful.
This past week my boyfriend came to visit me so we had a great time together and it was great being able to see him again after so long. We went on a trip with my cooking class to a winery in San Gimignano - the Chianti town - and it was really beautiful and they let us do some wine tasting and then we got to buy some of their famous wines. The village was awesome. It is some of the only ancient land that still looks the same way from before WWI. I definitely suggest taking a tour of that place.
That saturday I took my boyfriend to Venice for the day and we walked around, saw Murano with the glass blowing again, and I finally got to go on a GONDOLA RIDE!!! I was soo excited and it was a lot of fun. Make sure you bargain with them some were charging 100 euro but we got one for only 60 euro, which is still a lot but its one of those experiences you need to have before you die. haha.
I just got back from the airport to see him off and now my parents are coming for my spring break and I'm really excited to see them. Its feels good to have a dose of family while you're here.
Ciao!
Jackie
Monday, March 10, 2008
Hey guys,
School is getting stressful in preparation for mid-terms like usual. This weekend was really fun though because I just got back from the school's Nice trip.
We woke up at the crack of dawn and ventured to the bus and made our way to Monte Carlo. The teachers that semi-chaperone the trips were awesome and told us some history and little facts about each place that we went.
The first day rained, but it was pretty to see none the less. We spent the night in Nice, tried to go to the casinos but I'm a dummy and forgot my passport and they won't let you in without the original. Needless to say we found a really cool bar and chilled out - more fun and no risk of losing your entire bank account.
The second day was better weather and the sites were amazing! We went to Cannes, San Paul Devance, and then we went to a perfume factory in Eze. The towns there were really awesome because they were built in the huge cliffs off the coastline. The people there definitely are loaded!! All in all it was an awesome trip - great sites, great food, and we came back Sunday night.
Ciao for now!
Jackie
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Hello again,
Let me just start out with saying that Venice is amazing!! It is definitely a place that you have to see with your own eyes. My friends and I went Friday and Saturday and had a great time.
We woke up really early and took a 6:30 a.m. train there (we are cheap so it took us about 4 hours but only cost us 18 euro). We had the whole day in Venice which worked out really well. We walked around quite a bit just to get a feel for the place and made our way to St. Marks, only to find out that it costs 6 euro to get in and so we decided just to sit outside and admire it from the outside. haha.
We had a lot of fun running through all the pigeons and people were going crazy with them and they would land all over you. We stumbled on this great park and sat down watching a group of little Italian kids playing and just relaxed. Our hostel was really far away and turned out to be a camping ground, which we found completely hilarious, but at least it was clean and quiet and was really cheap.
We had bought the 24 hour boat and bus pass (which I highly recommend) and used that all day friday and then it came in handy for saturday when we wanted to go to Murano to see the glass blowing and then to Burano to see all the brightly colored houses. It was great and it was fun to go inside all the glass shops and see all the gondola men in their striped shirts and hats all over.
Classes have been going good, but starting to get harder since mid-terms are coming up. It's hard to really think about homework when you only have classes three days a week and are traveling most of the time. But then again, traveling is also the reason why you study abroad, so take advantage of your opportunities.
I found out recently that I can make my own postcards out of my own pictures that I take right here at school, and they cost about the same. So I was really excited about that and made a bunch for my relatives. Next weekend I am off to Nice, Monte Carlo, and the French Riviera with the school so I will report back and let you all know how it goes.
Ciao!!
Jackie
Monday, February 25, 2008
Hey Readers,
Italy is treating me very well. Classes have been good especially since I only have them three days a week.
My History of Italian Cuisine class is my favorite! We made Gnocchi with pesto sauce, this really awesome zucchini torte, and some really good olive bread. My teacher is amazing and is very knowledgeable.
My Studio course is alright except I'm doing practically the same thing as last semester and designing a high fashion boutique.
My Italian Language class is somewhat intimidating because my teacher refuses to speak an ounce of english and I leave feeling like a deer with headlights in its eyes. haha
This weekend we layed low and only did a day trip to Lucca, which was fantastic and a lot of fun. I definitely advise going there and renting bicycles and riding along the city walls. It was the best 2.50 euro I've ever spent and it brought us back to feeling like kids again. We had a blast and the sun was shining and great considering my family told me they had gotten a huge snowstorm back at home.
Until next week, Ciao!
Jackie
Monday, February 18, 2008
Hey Readers,
Sorry I'm a little late on this blog but internet access isn't the easiest. It's actually quite crazy how you can get used to not having the internet when in the US we are so used to having it at our fingertips.
This past weekend my roommates and I traveled to Rome! It was AMAZING!! Word of the wise to those who want to see the Colosseum... go to the Palantino first and buy a ticket that gets you in there and the Colosseum.
Get up early and go to the Palantino, its really beautiful and full of ancient ruins and gardens. Then afterwards you can cut the whole line since you already bought your ticket for the Colosseum. It's the greatest feeling to cut a mile long line and walk right in.
Make sure you go inside the Colosseum, it was great.
Sunday we went to the Vatican and to go in the Basilica is free and is absolutely breathtaking. The marble and frescos are something everyone should experience. The Sistine Chapel was closed unfortunately so I'm planning on going back some other time, but we did get to see the Pope give a prayer and speech out his little window - apparently he does that every Sunday at 12 noon.
I had a little mishap of course and got my wallet stolen which really was frustrating because then I had to rely on everyone else for food and my train ticket back, but at least I didn't get my passport stolen. Never carry your original with you! Always have a copy!!
The weekend was great, we had awesome weather, but a little chilly. Rome is a must see.
Ciao!
Jackie
Monday, February 11, 2008
Hey Readers,
Studying abroad has been awesome so far. I have finally had all my classes and they seem pretty interesting so far.
I love the cooking class that I'm taking because I get a mixture of the history behind the food as well as cooking it. Expect to pay quite a bit in lab fees though because you are paying for the food you cook and the class trips. I am going to end up paying about 225 euro for everything, but it will be well worth the experience.
My roommates and I took a day trip to Pisa to see the leaning tower on Friday and then went to Bologna on Saturday. The weather was great and sunny, a little chilly.
Pisa was great and we just walked around the city and the train was only 5 euro each way (for the slow train). Bologna wasn't the most exciting but they have a ton of outdoor flee-market-like stands and everything there is much cheaper because not a lot of tourists go there. It was more on the hippy/ punk rock style if you're more into that then try it out.
That train was long but was the same amount but we had to stop and take another train. Word of the wise - make sure you validate your train tickets before you get on the train because a guy doesn't come around stamping your tickets after you've left like most do in america.
I fully believe that you will have the best experience abroad if you try and talk with the Italians and take in their culture. As the saying goes, "Do as the Romans do" definitely applies.
Ciao!
Jackie Batanglo
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Hello,
Let me start off by telling you a little about myself. My name is Jackie Batanglo and I am from the Berkshires in MA. I go to Endicott College for Interior Design and am currently a junior.
I am studying abroad in Florence, Italy at the Lorenzo de' Medici school and so far it has been quite the ride! I am still trying to get used to the time differences which makes it hard to sleep at night, but overall it has been amazing!
I live on Via Faenza street which is really close to the school and in the center of everything. Right down the street from me is the Duomo and the piazza where the copy of the statue of David is found. The city itself is breath-taking!
The best part so far is just walking around the streets, being careful not to get hit by a scooter of course, and getting lost in all the commotion going on. When I first came here, it was nerve-racking not to have a cell phone, but we went to one of the Internet stops and we got one right away.
The apartments won't have internet, so forget going on Facebook 24/7 like most do at home. Most places will only take cash so make sure you have a decent amount of Euro before you come.
We had the first weekend to relax and mingle with the locals, so my friends and I met up and went out to dinner and went to a couple bars. Italians can spot Americans out with no problem. Take my advice and don't go crazy just because you are in a different country. Drunk and loud Americans are embarrassing!!
Definitely take any advantages that come your way with an open mind and try to be observant with their mannerisms and language. The only excursions that my roommates and I have done so far has been walking over the Ponte Vecchio bridge which was beautiful.
Plan ahead for trips because they have strange hours and most of the time you need to get tickets ahead of time. Have fun, Florence is awesome!!
Ciao!
Jackie
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