tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19409213623608275562024-02-06T21:14:23.639-08:00Stacia's Adventures from Milan...it's a nice day to live a great adventure...Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.comBlogger688125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-10764703013467811882016-06-12T11:04:00.000-07:002016-06-12T11:04:42.350-07:00Watercolors, Flamingos, and a CastleI spent today exploring new areas of Milan. I read an article a while back about some fun, hidden places in the city. Today, I went to three of those.<br />
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Taking the 24 tram to the Crochetta stop, I walked to <i>Giardini della Guastalla</i>. This is a public garden/park area. It was very nice and peaceful. A number of people were enjoying the sunny day but it wasn't crowded.<br />
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From the park, I walked to (what the article called) the <i>Milan Watercolors</i>. There is a small street called Via Abramo Lincoln and the houses on either side of the short street are each painted a different color. It was a lovely and peaceful street but also very green with many trees. It was hard to see the houses and impossible to get a picture really showing all of the colors. I enjoyed walking down the street and trying to picture the colors coming more alive in the winter season.<br />
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My last planned stop was to see some flamingos! (<i>Not</i> plastic ones.) I wasn't sure if this would really happen or not... but it did! <i>And</i> I saw a castle on the way : ) That was a fun surprise. The large, ornate building stopped me in my tracks (and that says a lot, considering I was on my way to see flamingos). There was a plaque that showed the building is <i>Palazzo Berri-Meregalli</i> and was built in the early 1900's.<br />
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The flamingos were all out and enjoying the gorgeous day! If you go to <i>Villa Invernizzi</i> on Via Cappuccini, you are able to peak through the gate and into the yard. There is a small pond in the middle of a lovely yard. Four flamingos were enjoying a one-legged lap in the pond, while about 8 or so others were in the yard... some eating and the rest just hanging out.<br />
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Fun day!<br />
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This is one side of the castle: <i>Palazzo Berri-Meregalli</i></div>
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Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com1Milan, Italy45.4654219 9.1859243000000145.2872319 8.86320080000001 45.6436119 9.508647800000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-38306612389400760922016-06-01T04:13:00.002-07:002016-06-01T04:13:34.882-07:00The Italian Emergency RoomFirst -- I'm fine.<br />
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Second -- I had an interesting experience going to the emergency room for the first time... and in Italy, no less!<br />
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Last Thursday at work, my laptop fell on my foot... sideways, so that not only did do I have a nasty bruise but it also sliced me a bit. Definitely not the smartest moment of my day -- placing the laptop hanging half off a shelving cart.<br />
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Upon the fall, my stomach turned from the pain and it took me breath away for a few moments.<br />
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The entire area that was hit turned white, while the rest of my foot turned red.<br />
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A minute or so later, the swelling and bruising began.<br />
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I went to get ice and then thought about how many bones are in a foot. Ugh. I really hoped I hadn't fractured a bone. That was all that was on my mind from then on.<br />
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I taught an 80-minute period sitting in a chair and icing my foot most of the time. Then went back to the nurse and we agreed that I should get an x-ray just to be sure that there were no fractures.<br />
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The lovely middle school secretary drove me to a hospital south of the city and so my first experience to an emergency room began.<br />
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I was put into a wheelchair while I waited to be checked in. About 30 minutes later, I was checked in and given a wristband. I was then sent to sit and wait in the area that was supposedly for foot/ankle injuries. Everyone was limping around.<br />
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After waiting a little under an hour, the doctor saw me. He poked and prodded my foot and we spoke a mixture of Italian, Spanish, and English -- turned out he's from Madrid.<br />
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I was then sent back to the chairs to sit and wait to be called for an x-ray.<br />
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After another hour or so, they took a few x-rays and then it was back to the waiting chairs.<br />
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The process is actually very well set up. There's a television screen that displays how many people are waiting, how many are in the process, and even the level of emergency (3 different color-coded levels) for each. The estimated wait time is updated now and then as well. Maybe this is how it's done in the States too, not sure since I've (thankfully!) never been.<br />
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After about 20 or 30 minutes, I was called into another room, where the doctor was. His first words to me as he looked at the x-rays were that there were NO fractures! My response to this: "<i>Perfetto!</i>"<br />
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He poked and prodded a bit more and then said that I should ice it and take ibuprofen for the next couple days.<br />
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I was off!<br />
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...Well... I made that sound really easy. Along the way, there were many little things to figure out as I bumbled my way through figuring out how a hospital works in Italy. Leaving, I was to pick up documents from the "front window" as I understood it. This took me a while to find... but I did it!<br />
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Here are pictures of my foot on Day 1 and Day 2:<br />
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The saga continues...<br />
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Since the injury happened at work, there was documentation from the hospital to give to school. When I handed that all in Friday morning, the HR Manager saw that the documentation said I was to be out of work for one week -- through June 2nd. The paperwork was all in Italian and I hadn't even tried to read it but the doctor never even mentioned this to me! The doctor had simply said <i>ice</i> and <i>ibuprofen</i>.<br />
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So... I was kicked out of school and have been home since. It's actually been a gift of time, especially at this time of the year and so much going on in my personal life as I prepare to move back home.<br />
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Thankfully, I can walk on my foot alright. It's been tender and sore but is feeling better and better. The bruise is now more yellow/green, which I take to be a good sign. Since I've been home, I have been able to keep it elevated as much as possible.<br />
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I had a check-up appointment with my doctor yesterday. This was so that the documentation process can be closed. Hilariously... she read through the papers and never once looked at my foot! I had loosely tied sneakers on and they never came off. She wrote a note and said that should be sufficient.<br />
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Overall, I'm fine. It was a silly accident that gave me an interesting experience in Italy towards the end of my time here.Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-80150563904577438772016-04-22T02:28:00.002-07:002016-04-22T02:28:22.233-07:00Jesolo Trophy Gymnastics CompetitionI love love love the gymnastics competition in Jesolo! I'll be sad to miss this once I'm back in the States. The arena is small and intimate... I'm so close to the best gymnastics from four countries -- including the United States!<br />
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Ali Raisman and Gabby Douglas were both present this year again (like last year) -- they were on the 2012 Olympic team in London. Both girls are shown in the photo below, where the girls are lining up to present themselves to the judges before competing on the balance beam:<br />
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Gabby on bars:</div>
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Ali about to go on beam:</div>
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There were also a number of "throwback" people present that were really fun to see!<br />
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Marta Karolyi is the national team coordinator (and in charge of choosing the US Olympic team) -- this will be her last year, as she plans to retire after the 2016 Summer Olympics:</div>
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Above -- Marta is talking to Ragan Smith -- a newcomer to the senior level this year and doing really, really well! Look up a video of her floor routine -- it's adorable and the choreography is awesome.</div>
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Kim Zmeskal is coaching and has a couple girls from her gym that are on the U.S. national team. She was part of the 1992 Olympic team and also World Champion! (This is her below, center... looking over her shoulder.)</div>
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Shannon Miller's coach, Steve Nunno is back and coaching a girl who is new to the national team: Emily Gaskins.</div>
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<br />Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com030016 Lido di Jesolo, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy45.5063264 12.64573889999996945.4173054 12.484377399999969 45.5953474 12.807100399999969tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-58095043302965421812016-04-22T02:26:00.002-07:002016-04-22T02:26:58.817-07:00Jesolo Gymnastics Competition - around townOne of my favorite weekends of the year -- the Jesolo gymnastics competition!!<br />
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I made the trip to Lido di Jesolo again this year. It is west of Venice on a strip of beach and is filled with hotels for the summer months. Going in March, the entire place is pretty much shut down and quiet.<br />
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The annual gymnastics meet is a big deal. It is the first international meet that the gymnasts prepare to have their full routines ready for. <i>And then</i> this year it's even bigger since it's an Olympic year!! The U.S. girls attend this competition -- there are 4 countries each year. United States, Italy, France, and Brazil were included this year for the senior girls.<br />
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A friend and co-worker of mine came with me this time! It was fun to have a friend to go with and we even found some nice restaurants (that were actually open, too) for dinner in the evening. We each had a full apartment to stay in, too! Haha... being low season, the costs are lower and it can be a bit difficult to find a place to stay that's open this time of year.<br />
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Below are pictures from around town:<br />
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Treasure hunting:</div>
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Enjoying a walk on the beach : )</div>
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Heath, going into his apartment with a box full of fresh cookies and biscuits from a bakery! These made for the perfect snack during the competition. : )</div>
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Enjoying a walk along the beach to get to the arena:</div>
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Hahaha -- a mannequin meeting in the off season:</div>
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There were young girls all over town for the gymnastics meet. In between the junior competition (under 15 years old) in the morning and the seniors in the afternoon, many girls were playing around and doing gymnastics tricks on the beach. These two girls below were impressive!</div>
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<br />Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com030016 Lido di Jesolo, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy45.5063264 12.64573889999996945.4173054 12.484377399999969 45.5953474 12.807100399999969tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-64148133581702818492016-04-21T02:19:00.000-07:002016-04-21T02:19:19.187-07:00only in Italy - the taxi bell<br />
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I find the picture above really funny. This was taken just outside the Santa Margherita train station -- a small station that in Liguria, on the seaside.<br />
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There is a nice taxi sign with the number to call (the white sign on the left) -- and then this open yellow box right next to it... with the same number to call but handwritten. Inside the box is the best part -- and most perplexing.<br />
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There is a phone hooked up to the wall and a bell. The bell is like the one that hangs in the library at school where I work, which rings to begin and end each class period.<br />
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I'm not sure what this is all about or if he's really old fashioned. This is the first time I've noticed something like this -- and when I did notice it, I had to take a photo.<br />
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<i>Only in Italy! </i> : )Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0Santa Margherita ME, Italy38.0996556 15.49547039999993138.0871601 15.475300399999931 38.1121511 15.515640399999931tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-36390888125493324952016-04-20T13:02:00.002-07:002016-04-20T13:02:22.010-07:00Duomo di Milano<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Cathedral" target="_blank">Milan's cathedral</a>, or <i>Duomo</i>, is truly magnificent! (<a href="http://staciamaiorani.blogspot.it/2013/11/milans-duomo-up-close.html" target="_blank">I've blogged about it before with photos</a>... and I'm going to do it again, ha!)<br />
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A fun fact from the Wikipedia page (linked above): Milan's cathedral is the fifth largest in the world! -- and <u>the</u> largest in Italy.<br />
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Not from the Wikipedia page... but told to me by Clara, the lady that runs the <a href="http://staciamaiorani.blogspot.it/2016/02/cooking-in-milan.html" target="_blank">Cooking in Milan</a> classes: the famous bronze <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonnina_(statue)" target="_blank">Madonnina</a> (Mother Mary) statue atop the cathedral has always been the tallest point in all of Milan. Today, there are two modern buildings in the city that are taller... and they each have a mini Madonnina on top, in respect to the Cathedral's! The only way the OK was granted to construct each building that tall, was if a mini Mary statue was put on top. I love that. I really like how Italy sticks to tradition out of respect for... well... tradition.<br />
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Spring is here!</div>
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One weekend in the Fall, the duomo's piazza is covered with white paper and people can create public art by writing and/or drawing. Lots of fun. I like when cities create fun communities like this.</div>
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<br />Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0Milan, Italy45.4654219 9.1859243000000145.2872319 8.86320080000001 45.6436119 9.508647800000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-2963133289281102742016-04-19T00:04:00.000-07:002016-04-19T00:04:30.344-07:00back on the bike!I'm SO happy to be riding my bicycle to and from school again! That is one piece that I've missed from when I lived in Opera. I haven't ridden to work since being in the city this school year because there has been construction along the way and I'd have to be on a busy road for part of the ride. Now that the bike path (shown in the first picture below) is complete, I am absolutely loving the ride!<br />
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The ride is about 5 miles each way and takes me less than 25 minutes. It's faster than taking the bus! I miss my reading time on the bus but am enjoying the exercise and the ride even more. Because I'm on the path and don't have to worry about traffic, I listen to music along the way too. It's just a very enjoyable way to start and end each work day.<br />
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(There has been one day so far that I've forgotten to pack my work outfit! Ha! I ended up in leggings and my jacket all day. Thankfully, they actually looked like a decent outfit together.)<br />
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Some days are foggy... super foggy...</div>
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Last Saturday morning I rode past school and out to Opera to go to the morning market! I was hoping to pick up some curtain material for my mom but they don't have the specific style anymore. I still enjoyed the ride to and from... </div>
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The past couple of weeks have been <i>fabulous</i> with the trees blooming... and poppies along the way too!</div>
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The set of four pictures below is from my ride from school to IKEA on a Saturday after keeping score at a basketball tournament. I took a bit of a detour to go by an abbey in Chiaravalle called <i>Santa Maria di Rovegnano</i>. It's gorgeous!</div>
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Mostly recently -- just this past Thursday, the two pictures below show the difference in weather between my ride to work in the morning and my ride home in the afternoon (not everyday is like this... but sometimes!) --<br />
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It's not often that I'm gifted with the lovely view of the mountains... not many days are clear enough to see them. ...But then a day comes along that is clear and the mountains are amazing! A picture really doesn't do it justice.<br />
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Funny enough -- I've been seeing the same people on the bike path each morning. As I'm heading to school they are heading into the city, presumably to work. We are on the same morning schedule. There's one man that bikes past me in the morning... <i>and</i> in the afternoon! Haha. Last week I smiled and waved a couple times -- it's funny to see each other every day to and from work.<br />
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When I rode the bus each day it was kind of the same thing -- seeing many of the same faces. There's a difference though, being on the bike path instead of public transport. It's ok to be more friendly and wave, acknowledging that we see each other every day.<br />
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A photo from a usual morning on the bus to work a month ago or so:</div>
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<br />Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com020090 Novenasco MI, Italy45.3954528 9.2115973999999645.0390898 8.5661503999999589 45.7518158 9.85704439999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-1608261746214747262016-04-17T23:44:00.000-07:002016-04-17T23:44:14.815-07:00enjoying MilanFinally getting around to posting some pictures that I've taken while out and about in the city this school year. I'm really enjoying living in the city and being close to everything! The past two years in Opera were peaceful and quiet... but it's so nice to be in the city and able to get around more easily and so much faster.<br />
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There are many industrial buildings around my neighborhood. I found one that now houses a large leather purse outlet! Ummm yes, please! (I've bought a few so far... just a few...) :P</div>
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Metro ridin'</div>
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Great piece of street art about a block from my apartment building.</div>
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An entire crew of teachers all ended up on the same tram heading home one night!</div>
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Just gorgeous. </div>
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Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0Milan, Italy45.4654219 9.1859243000000145.4654219 9.18592430000001 45.4654219 9.18592430000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-7174370596205030232016-04-17T09:28:00.001-07:002016-04-17T09:28:27.487-07:00Santa Margherita and PortofinoYesterday, Ali (a friend and co-worker) and I took a day-trip to Santa Margherita and Portofino. These are two small sea-side towns in Liguria and it takes just over two hours by train from Milan! I am really glad we went. The day was a bit overcast but I loved being by the water and it wasn't too cold to be out and about, enjoying the views.<br />
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Starting out in Santa Margherita:<br />
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We hopped on a local bus for a 15-minute ride to Portofino! Nice to see another town... and one with such a cute, picturesque harbor! We had a seafood lunch here and took a walk around.</div>
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Funny enough -- Ali and I both went to St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY for our undergraduate degrees! She is two years younger than I am but we overlapped. She actually recognized me when we started working at ASM here in Milan. During our orientation week, she said I looked familiar and then we figured out that it's from Fisher! Funny... small world.Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com016034 Portofino, Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy44.3031559 9.209787900000037644.2974739 9.1997029000000374 44.3088379 9.2198729000000377tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-39979210309201511072016-04-14T05:39:00.001-07:002016-04-14T05:39:38.023-07:00enjoying the FOOD Italian-styleMmmmmm the food and treats in Italy :D<br />
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I have about 3 months left in Italy... I'm going to miss breakfasts like this one!!!!</div>
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My mom will like this one! Focaccia bread with green olives!</div>
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This was my breakfast one day at school:</div>
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On a recent Sunday morning, I enjoyed a muffin and caffe latte with a book about careers:</div>
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Third-grade twins from China brought me a moon cake for the Chinese Lunar New Year!</div>
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This was <a href="http://stacia-adventuresfromvietnam.blogspot.it/2011/08/moon-cake.html" target="_blank">reminiscent of my time in Vietnam</a> when they also celebrated the New Year with moon cakes : )</div>
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Hoooooomade tiramisu by an Italian! Perfetto!</div>
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Our Help Desk Manager made tiramisu for a staff member's birthday:</div>
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I love walking through the markets here. The colorful fruits look great here:</div>
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<br />Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0Milan, Italy45.4654219 9.1859243000000145.2872319 8.86320080000001 45.6436119 9.508647800000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-4592843358869697262016-04-12T01:11:00.000-07:002016-04-12T01:11:01.177-07:00Winter Concert - Santa Maria delle GrazieSoooooo my school's winter concert was in the <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_delle_Grazie_(Milan)" target="_blank">Santa Maria delle Grazie</a></i> -- which is the church where THE <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Supper_(Leonardo_da_Vinci)" target="_blank">The Last Supper</a> is! The Last Supper is painted on a walk within the refectory building, attached to the church. Amazing!<br />
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The entire program was absolutely stunning. The choir, string orchestra, and band played. The mix of holiday music was well done and I am always so impressed with the students' talents. I was blown away. All of this, within such a great structure -- the inside of this church is very beautiful.<br />
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The pictures above were taken by staff at school and posted onto ASM's social media sites -- they are not my pictures. The two below are ones that I took during the concert with my phone : )<br />
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<br />Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com1Milan, Italy45.4654219 9.1859243000000145.2872319 8.86320080000001 45.6436119 9.508647800000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-37136115146632636012016-04-11T04:10:00.000-07:002016-04-11T04:10:22.021-07:00antique and first edition booksA mother of two high school students collects antique and first edition books. She brought some in (wrapped and packed safely) one afternoon and I oogled over them!<br />
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The book covers and illustrations inside were really beautiful to see. So much detail -- even in the edging and design on some of the book spines!<br />
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The illustrations in this book were actually glued onto each page:</div>
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<br />Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0Milan, Italy45.4654219 9.1859243000000145.2872319 8.86320080000001 45.6436119 9.508647800000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-8961829309711175002016-04-06T08:12:00.001-07:002016-04-06T08:12:20.504-07:00East Market, MilanEast Market takes place in the northeast part of the city and it's a lot of fun. I've been a couple times now -- the photos below are from my second visit, when I went with Carrie, a friend from school.<br />
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The market takes place in two different buildings - both large warehouses. There are new things from many local designers, used/vintage things, an entire record section, and food trucks!<br />
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Mmmmmm cannoli food truck!</div>
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And we took a super cute tram back home... I love the one-car trams with wooden benches.</div>
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<br />Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0Milan, Italy45.4654219 9.1859243000000145.2872319 8.86320080000001 45.6436119 9.508647800000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-14628846371856954892016-04-05T12:14:00.002-07:002016-04-05T12:14:50.177-07:00Friend Time in ColoradoIt had been over a year since I had visited Colorado and it was so nice to see some of my friends there!! I really miss them. The 4 years that I lived in Colorado were some of my favorites. I feel extremely fortunate in life to count <i>many</i> years as favorites (<i>does that even count as 'favorites' then??</i>).<br />
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Seeing my buddy Andy is a <i>must</i> when I'm in Denver. It's always nice to catch up with him. Andy, Lenny, and I went to a new tea cafe near where they both live. My pumpkin tea latte was deeeeelicious!<br />
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Wendy! We went for a walk and out to lunch on a gorgeous sunny day. She's the best candy buddy I've ever had :P Not long after returning to Milan, I received a great Valentine's Day care package from her that was packed with goodies!<br />
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A bit hazy... but I adore the view of the mountains from Denver. It's really a great city.<br />
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I met up with Julie a few times and this day (shown below) took us to the Cherry Creek Mall and a nice, free view : )<br />
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I tried to see everyone while I was in town, by hanging out at our favorite local dive bar for an evening and hoping people would stop by and hang out for a bit. It was so much fun to see so many faces that I've missed! This turned out to be a really nice night : ) <br />
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<i>I miss you already, Denver!</i></div>
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Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0Denver, CO, USA39.7392358 -104.99025139.3486558 -105.635698 40.1298158 -104.344804tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-88550373363679055432016-04-05T12:05:00.002-07:002016-04-05T12:05:37.188-07:00A-Basin mountain time, ColoradoWow. I really need to make this blog more of a priority... but with a full-time job, trying to fit in travels along with that, aaaand preparing to move back to the States (and find a JOB!)... I just haven't kept up.<br />
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I've been on two rather big travel trips since being home in the States over the winter holidays... so I want to finish up my winter holiday times and share my travels (including southern Italy in the Puglia region and, most just last week: traveling to Luxemourg, Strasbourg, and Amsterdam!).<br />
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OK ---- Go! ----><br />
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While in Colorado after the lovely New Year spent up in Estes Park, I got to go on another mountain trip with my brother, Lenny, to A-Basin! He went snowboarding for the morning, so I decided to practice the sport that I invented years ago: <i>high altitude reading</i> (hahaha).<br />
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I love a trip to the mountains! On this one, I took the chairlift part-way up the mountain, went into the lodge, put my slippers on, and read. : ) Perrrrfection.<br />
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Lenny came and got me mid-way through the morning and I rode another chairlift all the way to the top of the mountain. What a glorious view!! We were overlooking the other side of the mountain (from where we had parked and gone up). I love taking in an amazing view.<br />
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Lenny!</div>
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I was the ONLY person riding the chairlift DOWN. Hahaha. In passing, one guy actually called out to me: "Enjoying the view, eh?!" Haha. It was a great morning -- although I wish I had packed/worn more than just jeans and my rain boots.<br />
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Also on my way down, I was able to watch Lenny in action -- that was cool. He stopped every now and then to wait up for me to pass on the chairlift, which was moving much slower than he was.<br />
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I had just decided the night before to get up early and go with Lenny on this jaunt -- afterwards, I realized that we should have at least called our brother, Sean, to see if he'd be free and want to meet up there too! <i>...Next time, Sean!</i>Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0Colorado, USA39.5500507 -105.7820674000000233.2362192 -116.10921590000001 45.8638822 -95.454918900000024tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-3484854678810898782016-03-10T08:00:00.000-08:002016-03-10T08:00:08.481-08:00Estes Park, ColoradoFor the New Year, I joined my brother, his wife, and her parents up in Estes Park. I love a trip to the mountains! It was really nice to be able to spend time relaxing and playing games in the lodge with the Stuarts. : ) They often go up to the YMCA in Estes for Christmas. This national park is where Lenny and Lexey were supposed to get married when there was massive flooding in Fall of 2013, which canceled those plans. Their wedding was still fabulous -- and impressively re-planned within less than 24 hours!! I really enjoyed being able to see the wedding venue this time -- a beautiful outdoor chapel (and at this point, it was covered in a blanket of white). Koura (Lenny's dog) and the Stuart's cat, Vito, also joined for the time in the mountains!<br />
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Lenny, Lexey, Ken, and Koura outside for a walk in the sunny cold.</div>
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Koura LOVES this place!</div>
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The chapel : )</div>
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Perrrrfection. : )</div>
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<br />Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0Estes Park, CO, USA40.3772059 -105.521665140.2804199 -105.6830266 40.4739919 -105.36030360000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-5556451605887987852016-03-07T05:01:00.000-08:002016-03-07T05:01:57.316-08:00KOURA!When I'm not in Denver, I miss this nut a lot:<br />
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I love having a dog in the house and I've missed not having one while I've been abroad and living alone. Koura is a GREAT dog -- and buddy!<br />
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Koura and I also really like the new floor tiles in the bathroom!</div>
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<br />Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-992974447524726782016-03-04T04:49:00.003-08:002016-03-04T04:49:32.876-08:00First Stop Back in Denver - The LIBRARY!My first stop once reaching Denver is usually one of two things: a trip to the public library to pick up my books on hold OR a meal at Benny's for Mexican food! My Denver trip around the New Year turned out to be the library first. I usually go through my list of To-Read books and put as many as I can on hold at the library one week before going home (that's how long they'll let them sit on the shelf before moving them on again). I love going in and having a huge pile of new books waiting for me. -- Especially since living abroad and not having the ease of access to new English books like I do when I'm in the States.<br />
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My almost-annual library book picture with Koura! THIS means I'm HOME. : D</div>
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Koura was pretty worn out from our major road trip and lost interest in my library books pretty quickly.</div>
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I make daily trips to the library. One of the days I sat for a while and read through some of the newer picture books that I've seen good reviews on:</div>
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<br />Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-75010138595941378012016-03-03T07:39:00.002-08:002016-03-03T07:39:41.714-08:00ROAD TRIP -- Florida to ColoradoooFrom our time in Florida for Christmas, Lenny and I then drove allll the way back to Denver with his dog, Koura! It was quite the road trip. Lenny was "all business" as I said along the way -- making it the 30 hours of drive time in just TWO DAYS. It was a fun trip with lots of laughs, music, and listening to the entire first season of the <i>Serial</i> podcast on NPR. We also drove through the middle of the major ice storm in Texas. (Yikes! Turns out that there were hurricanes very nearby to where we stayed overnight. Thankfully, our trip was smooth and safe.)<br />
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Mmmmhmmmmmm. We stopped for an amazingly delicious and BIG barbecue lunch!</div>
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Ice covered everything in Texas!</div>
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All trees were coated in ice.</div>
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Even the gas pumps were coated in ice!</div>
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Frozen receipt on the gas station's machine:</div>
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Our last night of driving... getting there, getting there!</div>
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<br />Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com2United States37.09024 -95.712891000000013-36.4186355 99.052733999999987 90 69.521483999999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-7181904709067968102016-02-29T02:01:00.001-08:002016-02-29T02:01:44.369-08:00Roxie and Koura together in FloridaI was very much looking forward to witnessing Koura (my brother's dog) and Roxanne (my parents' dog) meeting for the first time! Lenny and his wife, Lexey, drove from Denver so that they could bring Koura with them. She got to swim in the ocean for the first time!<br />
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Roxanne loves going down to Florida with my parents. I'm really glad that she was able to make it down there one more time before passing... at SIXTEEN years old! What a happy, lucky girl she ended being -- having my parents adopt her from a shelter at 3 years old.<br />
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Going for a walk with all of the girls : )</div>
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Koura and her beer</div>
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Cutie pie, Roxanne</div>
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Koura's new present! Bahahaha</div>
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Koura is worn out from all of this <i>Christmas morning </i>shenanigans!</div>
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Mom and Lenny both went outside... and the girls are WORRIED!</div>
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Aaaaand probably wondering why they aren't outside with them!</div>
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<br />Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0The Villages, FL, USA28.927019 -82.00376080000000928.704604 -82.3264843 29.149434000000003 -81.681037300000014tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-42454737081620467582016-02-28T00:50:00.000-08:002016-02-28T00:50:01.227-08:00The Villages, FloridaWe used to take trips to The Villages to see my grandparents almost once a year while I was growing up. I love being down there. Their house is on a small lake and you can drive the golf cart all over town. There are even miniature parking spaces at the grocery store, specifically for golf carts!<br />
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I really like these first two photos below as a set:<br />
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A festive Rudolph flamingo!</div>
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Our favorite spot for freshly squeezed orange juice! Expensive but woooorth it.</div>
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Sean was able to rig up the lighted Christmas tree at the end of the dock, just like our grandpa used to do it! The tree looked great at night. We could even see it from the other side of the lake when we would drive over to the square each evening.</div>
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My dad and I were reading one morning and <i>this</i> happened: </div>
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Gorgeous!! It was really nice to be in Florida with family. The weather was great. We even got up to the pool a couple times. ...Soon enough, I hope to be back again!Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0The Villages, FL, USA28.927019 -82.00376080000000928.704604 -82.3264843 29.149434000000003 -81.681037300000014tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-46507617023882687212016-02-28T00:48:00.004-08:002016-02-28T00:48:59.020-08:00Family in FloridaIt was so nice to be home in the States with family for the winter holidays. Especially after recently deciding to leave Italy at the end of the school year and head back to the States, in a big part -- to be near family. It was great to have all of those feeling re-affirm.<br />
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Lenny and Lexey are taking part in the "golf cart community."</div>
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There are multiple squares in The Villages and they each have live music <i>every night</i> for four hours! We were able to see a couple of their favorite groups play throughout the week. (Truthfully, I would sit and work on Sudoku puzzles some of the time. Hehe.)<br />
Mom and Dad dancing at the square. </div>
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We went to my Great Aunt Fran's new house! She was all set with plenty of homemade Italian holiday cookies. : ) Mmmhmmmmm! The Pizzelles (bottom left) are my favorite!!</div>
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My mom got my brother, Sean, and I outside to play tennis a bit one day. It was fun to get outside and hit the ball back and forth a bit.</div>
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Mom and Sean</div>
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Can you see where the ball is in the air below? (HA!)</div>
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Mom and Dad <3</div>
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We took a golf cart ride to a pond to watch the sunset one evening.</div>
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Sean, Mom, Lenny, Dad, Lexey, me!</div>
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Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0The Villages, FL, USA28.927019 -82.00376080000000928.704604 -82.3264843 29.149434000000003 -81.681037300000014tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-49263429293778066092016-02-20T00:32:00.001-08:002016-02-20T00:32:54.329-08:00Winter Break - arriving home in the StatesIt was GREAT to go home to the States for the winter holidays! We had a full 3 weeks off from school because of the way an Italian holiday fell right after the New Year. Yeah!<br />
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My parents have been enjoying a few months at The Villages in Florida, so we all met there for Christmas. My mom and her siblings have kept my grandparents' house, which I'm really thankful for.<br />
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I love this photo of ice crystals on the plane's window:</div>
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Grandma and Grandpa's house : )</div>
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I woke up around 4:00am my first day (...noon by Milan time!). I made coffee in my grandma's personalized mug with the lovely pumpkin chai concentrate that my mom made for me. : )</div>
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(Note: I'm wearing my grandma's robe, as my luggage didn't make it with me upon arrival... more on this with the last photo below...)</div>
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I love cuddle time with Roxanne!! Sadly, Roxie has since passed. She lived to an amazing 16 years old!! What a sweetheart.</div>
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Ahhhh, this view. What a breath of fresh air (literally).</div>
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This is the backyard. Ummmm -- yes, please!</div>
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Haha. Nice Dad.</div>
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Coffee trip by golf cart!</div>
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THIS is NOT my suitcase. (More below...)</div>
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I was able to get on an earlier flight from Newark to Orlando, which was GREAT! BUT... my suitcase ended up not making it with me. We were told that the suitcase could be delivered the next morning. Wonderful!<br />
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6am the next morning a bag was delivered. ...Not <i>my</i> bag. Ha! Oh sheesh.<br />
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The driver swung back around to collect this bag and try again. My bag <i>did</i> make it later. Thankfully!<br />
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Funny enough, I was in a jet lagged fog and my mom had woken up from the picture text message of the bag delivered outside the front door... we were both apparently quite confused. My mom said that my bag arrived and handed me this suitcase. I didn't really know what she meant since I knew that this was not my bag (the one I was waiting for). I thought maybe she meant it was an old bag of mine... I just put it aside.<br />
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Not even sure what I thought the bag was or what I was going to do with it. My mom was surprised that I wasn't more excited that my suitcase had arrived! Ha!<br />
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Later, once we both woke up more, I realized that she thought it was the bag I was waiting for... and that this random suitcase had actually been delivered to the house <i>instead</i> of mine. She had been confused about my lack of response but had gone back to bed for a bit.<br />
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All-in-all, we had a good laugh over that and my suitcase full of holiday presents showed up! All was good : )<br />
<br />Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-17037668133740092912016-02-10T07:30:00.002-08:002016-02-10T07:30:54.874-08:00Cooking in MilanA couple weekends ago, I partook in an Italian cooking class. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would AND I had already heard great things from colleagues of mine that have done this same cooking class!<br />
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I took one of the Market Tour cooking classes with <b><a href="http://www.cookinmilano.com/" target="_blank">Cook in Milan</a></b>. Clara is an Italian woman that began this business in her home around the time that I moved to Milan over two years ago. She is well-organized and a good manager, so that the participants get to take part in cooking as well as it being easy, productive, and fun. I am not a proficient cook <i>but</i> Clara put me in charge of the bechamel sauce for the lasagna and it turned out alright!<br />
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We began the morning in a local market to pick up cheeses and fresh produce for the menu ahead:<br />
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Clara explained the multi-course menu ahead in her living room:</div>
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I love an Italian kitchen! It is usually small, cozy, and packed with all the utensils needed.</div>
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The day's group included people from Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States!</div>
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Clara and I each enjoyed a bubbly drink during a quick aperitivo while the pie cooled before our meal. Italians do it well!</div>
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We made two primi dishes (yes!). One was <i>lasagna di zucca</i> -- lasagna with squash. The other was <i>risotto al radicchio</i> -- risotto with chicory. For the secondi, we had a lentil and meat dish (not pictured).<br />
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My new favorite is chestnut jam! I had never heard of it before the day at Clara's but now I have 3 jars in the cupboard :P We made a <i>crostata di castagne</i> -- sweet chestnut pie. I haven't liked roasted chestnuts when I've tried them in the past but this jam is smooth, sweet, aaaand delicious.<br />
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I was supposed to go to this cooking class over the summer with my mom and aunt but there was a glitch in the website's registration system. The system charged my aunt's credit card but did not actually reserve any spots for the day. D'Oh! Clara was very nice and apologetic but we were not able to fit into the cooking class during their time in Italy. That was a bummer. The fee was refunded to my aunt and Clara gifted one free class. My aunt then gifted the free class to me as a birthday gift!! Super sweet of her. I was excited to experience the cooking class BUT... the entire time, I was thinking about how much fun it would have been to do it together, the 3 of us. My mom and aunt would have loved it. <i>(Maybe in the future!)</i> Overall, if you decide to sign up for one of Clara's classes (I completely recommend doing so if you're in Milan!), I would follow up with her to make sure the registration went through on her end.Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com0Milan, Italy45.4654219 9.1859243000000145.2872319 8.86320080000001 45.6436119 9.508647800000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1940921362360827556.post-6103598631278405402016-02-05T11:33:00.003-08:002016-02-05T11:34:23.075-08:00I'M MOVING HOME!!!Hello Everyone,<br />
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It's been much too long since I've posted on here. Working on my blog has been on my to-do lists every weekend since returning to Milan after the winter holiday a month ago. I just finished an extra-busy week at school, hosting Garth Stein (best-selling author of the novels <i>The Art of Racing in the Rain </i>and <i>A Sudden Light</i>)... but I also just hadn't figured out how I wanted to write/say this... so I'm just going to put it out there now:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">I'M MOVING HOME!!!! </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">--to Rochester, New York, that is.</span><br />
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My contract here ends this June and I've decided that it's time to get back to the States and be near friends and family. I'm excited about that : )<br />
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There are definitely many different emotions all mixed together in this decision but it just feels <i>right</i>. So I'm going with that.<br />
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I currently have a job that I love and where I am supported. Part of me thinks I might be crazy to leave this.<br />
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I also love living in ITALY!<br />
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For the past <i>five years</i>, I have been lucky enough to travel the world and, really, only have to worry about myself.<br />
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With that, though, I've been very far from my family and friends. I've met incredible people while living abroad and want to continue traveling to see them, visit, and catch up...<br />
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But I'm very ready to not feel so <i>alone</i> anymore. I'm trying to not have many expectations for my return to the States but I do hope that this piece changes. I've been on my own for the past five years and am ready to be HOME.<br />
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Five more months to enjoy here... and then new adventures! : )<br />
<br />Staciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14688836578936341659noreply@blogger.com3