First day of work, Scootering and La Rocca

Well today was my first day at Sicilian Reality and it was wonderful. I met most of the staff and everyone is so kind. I am really excited about working there this summer. Everyone is helping me with my Italian and in turn, I am helping with English. Today I got to call a client in Canada, that was cool.

So I might get to ride on a scooter this summer...hopefully. This really sweet guy named Giuseppe (of course-and NOT the creepy one) wanted to show me around Cefalu. He works at the resturant down the street from my apartment (It is the resturant that is right by the steps that go down to the rocks where are the cats live). Just so everyone knows he is mom approved. But we shall see.

I climbed La Rocca today and it was exactly the same and wonderful. The same old mountain man was at the same place asking where we were from. When we said US he asked "New York, Boston, LA" just like last summer.

Nothing really has changed here. Not even the construction. The things that were under construction last summer are still under construction last summer. However, there are more clothing stores (with better clothes). I haven't gone yet into new town so we shall see how things look there.

Friday I am going to go to Maljk. These italian's have incredible memories. Not only do they remember me from last year but they also remember my name. I love it.

Here are some pictures from the hike:

A presto!

I AM IN CEFLU!!! It is very strange. At any moment I expect to see one of my study abroad friends turn the corner with a big bottle of beer in their hand. All of these great memories are flooding back, little things I never thought I would remember. Regardless it is still a magical place.  I am lucky enough to be here with my mom and our family friend Bobbi and her daughter Rebecca who is my age. We have been having such a great time. Rebecca and I were going to go to Maljk, on of the local clubs, tonight but is isn't open sooo I guess we will find something else to do. 

I met with Massimo this evening and he told me to think of him as my older brother and he will protect me. I love it! I love the Sicilian mentality of protection. For example there is a sweet older man who works at the resturant across from the apartment my mom and I are staying in named Angelo. He is always outside and always greets us as we leave and return. He told us he will watch the apartment and us so we are safe. I love it!

I forgot to up load pictures to my computer. I will do it tonight so I can post them tomorrow! 

ciao!

Packing

Well this packing business is not going the way I intended. I feel like I am packing triple what I packed last summer. NOT GOOD. I can't find anything, it is like all my chargers, adapters, converters, and random other cords decided to disappear two days before my trip. I have been pacing my house muttering, "I swear I saw that right here three days ago..." ALL FREAKING DAY.  It seems like it would be much easier to pack for a guy. Seriously. They would need two pairs of shoes, 2 pairs of shorts, slacks, a couple tshirts, a button down, and a couple pairs of underware and they would be good for two months. But girls on the other hand (or namely me) I have like 800 bajillion items of clothing, shoes, makeup, hair stuff, and other random things girls need. not fair. Though I am putting most of this on myself, I will admit, but one has to pack differently when packing for an internship. I have to have office clothes, club clothes, beach clothes, athletic clothes, and then everyday clothes. Granted some items can be double dipped into other catagories. But still....
Seriously. This is frustrating. Then to top it all off, I have to make sure the outfits not only look work appropriate, but also look italy appropriate-or Bella Figura. That is alot of pressure to put on a college student who doesn't have a job and is spending all of her savings and then some on this internship. I go to sleep at night and the phrase bella figura echos in my head all night. So not only am I exhausted, I am frustrated with the packing, worried my clothes will be ok, and stressed because I can't find a damn thing! Man am I looking forward to the beach...and tan...and italian men....and the sexologies at Maljk. I'm purrring right now from the forthcoming bliss (that was a cassie reference...imu)
Anyway, I leave in two days TWO DAYS TWO DAYS! and I can't really believe it.
Goodnight blog land may you dream of sexy italian men (or women) and remember to always keep your chargers and cords in one place.

Plans

You know that saying, "while we make plans, God laughs"? Yeah well I must be giving him a stomachache from laughing so hard. 

I have planned my life for the next 20 years or so. We shall see how well this goes,

1. I will become TOFEL certified and will learn French before graduating from UNT.

2.  After graduation, I will secure an English teaching position in Asia, India, or anywhere that will give me a job that is not on the North or South American Continent. (If this does not work out then I will join a peace corps like organization...this is TBD) 

3. Then after establishing residency in New York, I will go to NYU for a masters of science in Global Affairs with an emphasis in human rights and social justice. (This doesn't work out then which grad school I do attend is TBD…but will be in DC, NYC, San Fran, or Chicago, or will be in another, industrialized country like England)

4. Next, I will secure a job with a Multinational Corporation who is socially conscious. My position will include travel and making lots of money (my position, how I get this amazing job, and what the company actually does, is TBD)

5. Then after make my first couple million and securing a partnership with this company, I will purchase a flat in London, making that my permanent home.

6. I will then meet an English Lord whom I will marry. We will go on to have two kids with quintessential English names (or I will marry a wealthy Swiss banker with Italian origins, who ever I meet first, or whom ever I love more...) We will then merge our wealth and become wealth overlords.

7. We will then purchase fabulous houses/villas/apartments in Tuscany, Cefalu, the Swiss Alps, Morocco, NYC, London, and Thailand. We will also have a summerhouse in Vancouver in case it gets too hot in any of the aforementioned areas. 

8. Then I will become the CEO of the Company and sell it for 200 times from what it originally was worth. 

9. I will retire. 

10. Over the course of these years I would become fluent in Italian, French, and Spanish and proficient in Mandarin, Russian, Arabic, and Japanese. 

Good plan right? But first thing's first, I got to get the hell out of Robson Ranch....

5 Reasons why one shouldn't post-pone freshmen classes till senior year

5. when one is a senior, one will usually go into the freshman class with a disgruntled attitude. 4. when one is a senior, one usually can tell when the professor actually cares about the subject and when he/she doesn't. 3. when one is a senior, one can figure out, usually pretty easily, the minimum amount of work required to get an A, as one is consumed with other work more pertainant to their major/minor and therefore graduation. 2. when one is a senior, one has usually already taken a plethora of upper level classes which deal with the same subject only more indepth, thus leaving the senior feeling either unchallenged or just over the topic completely. 1. when one is a senior, one typically gets swiftly annoyed with holier-than-thou, challenging-the-professor, I-know-more-than-anybody-about-anything, I-am-the-greatest-thing-to-happen-to-academia-since-algebra-yet-I-get-facts-wrong attitude typical of 18 year old freshmen. Yet, one doesn't really say anything because the senior will realize there is no point because said person will not care and will continue to be an annoyance the rest of the semester and will then probably direct attacks to the senior. *let it be known...I haven't said anything...and will not because...I am a senior...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Affects By Effects

I don't know what I want to do. I have no idea. I do know, however, I want to make an impact. What a trite expression. Making an impact. So many people my age use this very term and yet they haven't the slightest idea how. Like me. So first I guess one has to define what "making an impact means to them" (god that sounds like an admission essay, doesn't it?) To me it means taking part in something so powerful, it transcends the "good deed" or  "charitable act" and becomes a metamorphosis of belief and well being. Easier said than done....

Blake Mycoskie, the founder of Toms, came to speak at UNT on Wednesday and I was so inspired by his story. I have always adored the mission of Toms. Not only is the idea of, "One for one" brilliant from a business perspective, but from a humanitarian perspective as well. Nevertheless, this is one of those things that would be considered "making an impact." This is one of those things I want to do.

I have changed since my first semester in college, hell, since high school, and I have realized I have this desire to affect more than effect, or maybe I want to affect by effect. Whichever.

I am so "college-y."  It is just that, I have been, for the first time in awhile, encompassed with this feeling of being able to do anything. And I want to make it count.

That's it. If you made it this far...your probably my mom... :)


Goodnight blog land. May you dream well.

Vegetarianism

I am supposed to be writing a paper for my Moral Philosophy class discussing if society should be required to be vegetarians to stay morally consistent. However, as I do more and more "googling," I am becoming more and more repulsed by what I am discovering. I know the factory farming industry is inhuman and these poor animals are forced to stand in their own poop and their legs and wings fall off and they are confined to such small spaces they can't even turn around but I never wanted to admit that in a way, by eating meat, I was reinforcing this practice.

I am a meat eater. I love me some chicken and osso buco and bacon. BUT I am ashamed of what I have albeit, indirectly, helping.


WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO AHEAD.

This video is from Meat.org, go there to see the bigger version.

It is awful, sick, disturbing, plus a thousand more variations of the same word.

If you are interested in more information about factory farming, watch the documentary called Food INC. It is pretty fasinating.

Basically what I am saying is, I have decided to go veg for one month. I have said this in the past but it was only for the health benefits. Now it is for the life benefits.

 Thats right I will not eat any product made from a cow-including milk, a pig, a turkey, or a chicken-including eggs for one month.  This is my public statement. This will be worth it. So that is all for now. Here are some cute pictures:

good night blog land, may you sleep well and dream of cute animals that share this earth with us.