Cute as a Button

Last week was stress week, this week is overwhelmed week.  Or at least that’s how I feel.  But I’m not going to let that get to me.  Unfortunately the blog is suffering for it.  School comes first…

Yesterday was beautiful May day.  It always sneaks up on me, so I end up celebrating with pretty flowers all month instead of just the first day.  Are you familiar with May day?  I’ve always wanted to create a tradition for that day…but like I said it always sneaks up on me!

Last week I had  to design and give a training session for my training and development class.  My partner {who also happens to be my roommate} and I did a training on sewing a button.  As a snack I made some easy sugar cookies and creatively tried to figure out how to make them look like buttons.  For some reason one of my roommates thought that we were going to sew the cookies to the fabric.  That would have been interesting!

In the process...here they come

Sugar cookies are so easy and these ones are no chill.  Bonus!  I end up eating way too much dough during the process so by the time I get to the actual baked cookies I don’t really want one.  Does that ever happen to you?  And I usually burn or overcook the first batch when I make sugar cookies.  I broke that streak this time!

So here are the yummy cuties right out of the oven:

Anyone interested in a recipe?

Learn By Doing {Part 2}

It’s been a long week, but as promised…

For business majors we have a number of things that we do to
practice learn by doing. We do what are
called case studies. They are usually
written by the Harvard Business Review or a professor. A professor uses situations from their
experience. All the cases set the stage of
the problem, and then go through all the problems and then we have to fix the
problem. We talk about the ways it could
have been done and then what the company actually did. One of my friends that works in HR told me
this week that case studies are real life problems in the business world. I guess we are doing something right.

The other thing we do…group projects. And lots of them. I’m drowning in group projects. Can anyone relate? I am a pro a group projects. Not to worry, I have good group members this
quarter. My friends joke about my group
projects, and the fact that I’m a hard worker.
But really everyone is pulling their weight this time around. And guess what? We have a class that we have to learn how to
be effective in groups {well plus other stuff}.
So there you have it.
To be a good business major, know how to analyze problems and be able to
work in groups. Yes, there’s more to it…but
that’s the basics! :)

Learn By Doing

If you have ever been a student at, or known a student at Cal Poly you have probably heard this motto. You probably know that this motto is the base for every class taught. There must be something in the curriculum that teaches to this. It’s a wonderful {sometimes frustrating} philosophy.

Learn by Doing

Yes, you learn in the “classroom” how to do your major. It’s a wonderful opportunity. It means that biology students are required to take more hands on labs. Architecture students have endless amounts of studio time and often look as if they haven’t slept in days {which sadly, is true}. Liberal arts students are required to observe and to work in the classrooms of local elementary schools. Biomedical engineers not only take more labs but also take field trips into the area of study. Philosophy majors…now I don’t know what they do but that’s not the point. Business majors…Do you know what we do?
I’m in the midst of it so take your guesses. Next time I’ll let you in on how we down {I say this because our building is at the bottom of the hill or “bottom” of campus} in the business college “learn by doing”. Post your guesses in the comments section…

Headphones {listening}

I am not a headphone wearer. I like enjoying others music and don’t like being unreachable. I hate when I talk to someone and then realize they didn’t hear a thing I said...because their headphones were in. I would rather get to enjoy the music throughout the room then blasting my music into my lone ears.
While I was studying the other day {and no, I shouldn’t even being blogging because it’s crazy being back, in the states, in college, with my life}. I felt like my headphones had to compete with the noise. I was in the non quiet part of the library. I don’t know why I thought the library would be a good place to study. Every time I would turn up the music to help me focus, the noise level of the library would rise. Me not liking headphones is rooted in the fact that they make my ears and head and jaw sore or hurt {especially in the case that I listen for more than 20 minutes}. Let’s just say the focus issue wasn’t being fixed or helped by trying to block out the noise. I ended up with wandering thoughts, lack of study focus and the beginnings of a headache.
I find that headphones distance me from others and have unwanted side effects {see above headaches and overall frustration}. I feel like my generation does not listen well. I see it in the class room and in broken relationships. I hear others talk about how they don’t know how to listen and hear God. And while those may seem unrelated, I see the correlation. If you can’t listen in a broken, human relationship, how are you going to listen in the most important relationship?
I love this song, but maybe it’s because it’s a comfort tool after distance has already happened. I believe that God speaks to us and we just have to listen and focus on him. He has a message for us. All the other noise will fall away if we are solely focused on him. Too bad the same thing doesn’t happen when we focus on homework or studying!

Headphones

Perspective

She let out a yell that was a mix between excitement and a war cry. It was a shriek at the top of her lungs. Everyone in the circle stood there for a minute and then we all recovered and stared at her. The little huddle groups all around the room turned and looked to see what had happened. To make sure that everything was alright. My friend Matt turned to me and asked “, Have you ever gotten reaction like that when you say your studied abroad?” “Nope, can’t say that I have.” And yes, this was all because I said that I just got back from studying in Torino, Italy.
I don’t think that we always realize the little things that make an impact on us. All I did was to mention a place and there was immediate reaction to a commonality this girl and I had. Whenever I hear Italian I get the biggest grin on my face {but it’s common now, I look like a kid in a candy store whenever I recognize someone that is speaking a different language}. It’s amazing that things can change our outlook and even our reactions after what to me seems like such a short time.
I was in Italy for 4 months. In international abroad, learn a new culture and way of life time, that’s nothing. In travel time that’s a long time. And in the college quarter system it’s a lifetime. After 3 weeks in Italy, I was no longer taking Italian for 3 hours every day but rather for 2.5 hours 3 days a week. I had not done much traveling, but I was learning new things. I had eaten pizza 3 times and cooked for at least 2 nights worth of meals. Here, in 3 weeks I have: taken many quizzes, done 3 cases in classes, chosen what project groups I will be working with the rest of the quarter, had a long weekend, done 3 interviews, 2 job fairs and I know the dates of every week until the quarter ends. Life is planned out for the next 8 weeks. I haven’t necessarily learned more in 3 weeks, but I have been busier. I have gotten less sleep {and I’ve drunk the same amount of coffee as 3 weeks in Italy}. But…my mindset is totally different. My perspective has changed. And I am so thankful, that I can see life from a different lens.

What is something that changed your outlook?

Doing my first "Link up" with Casey. No endorsement, just love what she writes!

Putting the Study in Study Abroad

San Luis Obispo, California is home to numerous coffee shops. It’s a college town and students flock to the different places to study. Each shop has a unique feeling even if it is has expanded to multiple locations. One shop in particular is called Linnaea’s Café. I’ve been there a couple of times for some studying. They regularly have local musicians come and play. The place has a fun vibe.
A couple of weeks ago I went with a friend to her favorite coffee shop in Torino. She claimed that it was the “Linnaea’s of Torino”. And so it is. They serve breakfast and lunch, have an amazing cappuccino and the lady behind the counter is sure to welcome you with a smile. {It helps that they have free wifi!}

So today, even though I want to talk about my weekend, I’m studying. I have a final in a couple of hours and an important presentation tomorrow. Here are some pictures of the beautiful, bright and cheery café that I’ve spent my morning at. And yes, it’s true… you do have to study when you study abroad!

Very Important People

Admittedly, even though I was in Brussels for 2 days I did not get to see much of the city. But I still learned a lot. I could tell you of the places I didn’t go and the things that I didn’t see that I wanted to but let’s focus on the experience that I had.
It’s funny but every city that I go to in Europe is definitely European but that doesn’t mean that they all look the same. Brussels was the same way, European but definitely metropolis. The first day that we arrived it was a mad scramble to get to the specific commission building we needed to be at. There was enough water in the air that everyone looked disheveled, but not enough for an umbrella. The lady we asked for help gave us directions and then said ‘it’s across the street from the pretty glass building’. That last sentence was not helpful. There are skyscrapers that are ‘glass buildings’ everywhere in this part of town and none of them look ugly.
Moving on… The first meeting was in a Commission building, but not the commission building because of security reasons. When we walked in I felt like I was going to debate the future of the world in the classy board room. Even though the lecture was requested to be in English apparently the fact that we are from Torino trumped that. The lecturer only spoke {sarcasm} Italian, French and a little bit of English. Our professor translated which was nice. I was so proud of myself because I think I would have gotten most everything between listening closely to the Italian and reading the slides.
After that we had a little break where we went and bundled up a little more and then grabbed some ‘Belgian’ waffles {tourist trap} and then some Belgian fries. And then we walked to a really nice building where we had to have our names on the list to get in. I felt so important as I walked into the annual conference of the European People’s Party and the icing on the cake was that they keynote speaker was Jose Manuel Barosso. Barosso is a wonderful man that is the Commission President. Not only does he have a lot of influence, but he is considered a strong leader and he was a really good speaker. To watch what we were saw you can go here. After him there was a panel and all the talk centered around the euro zone. The euro is kind something that all the people who are educated or read the news talk about. That night I went to the hostel well informed brain active, and so tired.
The next day only held more important places as we went to the Committee of the Regions to hear about what this group actually does. I think of all the places I visited and learned about this branch most closely matches my personality. They are close to the people/citizens and give them a voice as well as the fact that they don’t make the important decisions but the help to influence them and guide them down the path that makes the best sense for the citizens and not the big guys. The speaker was so kind to us and made the talk fun and interesting.
We had a little break where I grabbed lunch with some friends and then we walked to the park to eat it and enjoy some more fall weather. The little café that we got lunch at is a chain, but they need a similar option in the US. It’s kind of like healthy, fresh, premade food. Whole foods meets Trader Joe’s…errr something like that.
Our next big building was the parliament building. It’s one of the three parliament buildings, but the other ones are in different countries. We heard a little background on the parliament and what was happening in the chamber presently and then we got sit in the chamber. It was so neat! We were supposed to meet a deputy {high official} of Italy and get to ask him some questions but were not able to. Even though he had nothing to do with the situation, the fact that he represents Italy means he had to be present at the negotiations. When I was in Brussels, the fate of the Italian President was being negotiated and decided in Rome. It’s amazing, scary, and exhilarating all at the same time. I didn’t find this out until Thursday.
Instead of meeting with a member of parliament I went and learned more at the Parliamentaruim, a museum about the Parliament. It was actually really fun and interactive. It’s brand new and has lots of hands on technology that gives the history of the EU, parliament, and world events. Before we went we were told it was supposed to be an interesting building so lots of people opted out of going. It was so worth the extra time!

The next day it was off to the airport and back to home sweet Torino!

This is a very condensed version of these 2 days, that doesn’t have many details in it. If you have any questions, want clarification or more information let me know!

L'art Nouveau

by de Fuere

via

If you haven’t noticed I throw the phrase “I love” or “I like” at a lot of different topics. I have interests or some knowledge on a lot of topics but I never feel like I have that niche. One of those topics that I have great admiration of and sometimes put myself in the category of having some talent is…ART! That’s right I love art. Well, that’s broad, and I don’t love all art styles. I now have a name to one style that I have admired for a couple years. I don’t think I realized that I liked it so much until I spent a 2.5 hour lecture on it yesterday in interior design class…ugh. Sitting for that long is difficult, but at least I got look at pretty art!

via

I like the French variation of L’art Nouveau. It is a style that basis is rooted in Japan and was adapted to become what it is by Europeans. This was very surprising to me because I don’t usually like East Asian art, but I am learning I am fond of Japanese art and how it was shaped into L’art Nouveau. It was developed and invested in by this man named Siegfried Bing. One of my favorite artists was a designer of his, de Feure. De Feure originally designed posters so basically an early graphic designer {is that why I like his designs?}. The other designer I really enjoy is a Belgian designer named, Victor Horta.

Ok now that all you non art fanatics are bored and weren’t looking for a history lesson or to tour a museum we will do a little segway. This style that I have finally learned the name to and could give you plenty of information on now {ask any questions you may have} was realized and centrally located in Paris in France. They have some great museums with this style and impressionist art {another favorite, ironically appearing just before this style in history} in Paris.

Victor Horta...in all mediums
This weekend I am headed to Paris. I keep getting the question of why I am going if I’ve already been before {it’s true}. I had a fine experience in Paris, but there are a few things that need to redeem themselves…hence why I’m going again. I am all about second chances and redemption, please Paris redeem yourself. And really, who wouldn’t want to visit this famous city?

All these pictures are not my own, so I do not take credit for them.

Tasting new things...

I had another cooking class this week. I am loving the cooking and getting to know more people in my program in a different way, but this week, not so many recipes I’m going to duplicate. Ok about half and half, it was either a hit in my book or not so much.
We started with 2 antipaste {<--using my plural Italian} or 2 appetizers that were:
Bruchetta the poor man’s way and Bruchetta with chicken liver
And then the 2nd {I know but those were variations of the same thing…} Grilled vegetables with Anchovy cream sauce

So here are my least favorite dishes and you might think I’m a picky eater. Above all I did what my momma taught me and I tried them {with a glass of water close at hand}. This is not now bit we are talking about here. I’m being brave in coming here, new situations and in eating food.

Moving on…the pasta {or first course} was risotto with saffron. It was delicious but I had a wonderful risotto here so I was expecting a little bit more flavor. The saffron does not do anything but turn it yellow. We get a history lesson with our food and that was one of them. The saffron was added to it to show that the man who came up with the idea had more wealth. The more yellow or gold your food the more financially stable you claimed to be, and it’s not like saffron is inexpensive!

My favorite dish is right here…and I had a very similar version last night. It comes from a famous battle dealing with napoleon when they ran out food and threw whatever they had into a pot to feed soldiers. Italians are all proud because it it’s the dish that has a birthday! Beef {or chicken} with a sauce that combines herbs, orange peel, onion, wine and a few other ingredients. Tomato paste was later added in.
Served with it is polenta which is truly a poor man’s dish. It’s filling and cheap and easy. {College students did you hear that?} But really I would make this again, maybe modify the recipe a little but it was delicious! It has four cheeses layered with the polenta and then you bake it. It is the only Italian recipe that I have seen so far that slightly resembles a casserole.

For dessert {which always happens to be amazing, maybe because I don’t have to try funny things and there is sugar} was similar to a homemade gelato. It is slightly frozen and has eggs, cream, hazelnut nuggets, and crumbled meringue {did I mention eggs?!?}. We drizzled some dark chocolate sauce over it. I know your mouth is watering…so is mine not to worry!

There you have the installment of Italian cooking class.
I will be in and out this weekend internet wise as it is the last time with my parents before Christmas! I am trying to soak up all the time I can, because when I get back in the states I will only have a few days with them before heading back to school.

Off to Venice it is!

Living in History

Used From: eusa.org.za no endorsement

I don’t know how much you watch, listen to, or consume the news but Europe is trouble. Or rather the European Union is in trouble which includes 27 “European” countries. So that means it’s a big deal. There are constant negotiations going on about whether to let Greece go or collectively pay for its debt. If Greece is let go…well…then Italy is next to be under fire. This is not to worry you, or to make you think that I’m unsafe over here. I’m living in history. Isn’t that amazing?!
There is an aspect to all of this that is hard to think about. As my professor said today “When I read the reports of people that are more intelligent than I, I get thrill and have trouble sleeping” {He is Italian, so English grammar/words is not always perfect when he speaks}. What he is referring to is the possible collapse of the Euro, or monetary system. If the euro collapses then the EU will most likely collapse. No one knows the consequences of Greece staying or leaving and no one knows the future if the euro collapses. He asked a German girl in my class what the German people’s attitude was to all this and she said that the people feel “…quite lost, and disappointed in the government. It is negative and pessimistic…” attitude in relation to the euro and the government pushing for the euro to be imposed. In a way the members of the EU are waiting for what might happen. Like I’ve said, I’m living in history right now.
In about a month I will be going to Brussels to see the EU buildings and to meet some of the officials. Yes, I’m going to meet really important people that change the lives of Europeans that ultimately change the lives of you and me. Is that scary or wonderful? I’m not really sure.
I guess the point of all this is; live in the moment, say a prayer for the leaders of the world {specifically the EU}, and keep tabs on World news {none of that just American news stuff}.

On another note:
Life is not dull here, but is settling into a pattern with classes and tests and snippets of time to explore the city. As well as keeping everyone informed on day to day adventures, I would love to hear your questions and comments. I had planned to write a post about the differences in life here and America but they have become less apparent. Here is where you come in…Ask a question about life here or Italian culture or anything that applies to what I have written. It might get put into a post or at least will be answered by me!

Bellisimo!

Oh my, wondrous food! This week in cuisine class was better than last week for me. So good!
*This is your warning; do not read if you are hungry! And there is going to be major picture overload so you can get a full experience…
Here’s what we made:
Aperitivos
Piedmontese Fondue which was delicious! It has fontina cheese and egg yolks, milk and pepper in it. We served in little flaky pastry bowls. We all smiled when our teacher called this dish nutritious. I can pretend it’s really good for me, it has calcium right?

Carne all’Albese is raw meat (beef or veal) with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and flakes of parmesan. We also used truffle oil which added a very different flavor. It’s a thing to do here to have raw meat. I don’t know if I’m a fan, but this appetizer was really good.

Can you guess what this is?

Oh yes…Pesto! It was delicious, simple, and easy.

We also made a sauce called Spaghetti all’Amatriciana. I really like this simple sauce and it’s filling because it has meat in it. Italian’s don’t do meat sauces like Americans. This one comes close though. I also learned about different types of pasta while this cooked. Did you know… that before World War II spaghetti was eaten with your hands and was primarily for lunch, not dinner?

For our secondo, or meat and vegetable course we made Saltimbocca alla Romana. Translated this means to jump in your mouth created in Rome. That’s right they are so good that they jump in your mouth. It is meat with bacon, sage and if you choose a carrot slice rolled up and cooked in butter, oil and Marsala wine. The flavor was the best part! This was served with greens to add a lighter aspect.

Dolce was nothing other than Tiramasu. Which means “pick me up” because of the rum, coffee and chocolate all wrapped into a dessert.

Happy face! Full tummy!
Ok now that we are all hungry I have to let you in on the fact that we have to wait for 2 weeks before another class full of recipes. I know it’s disappointing, but I will have lots of recipes when I come back from Italy!

Side note: I have changed the comment’s section so that anyone can leave a comment (: Please, if you decide to be “anonymous” either sign your name or leave me an email telling me who you are. I love to know “you” are reading.
Please pray that I don’t get sicker. I’m trying to knock this cold out of my system, but there’s a little something going around here.

Speaking Italian

Looking out my bedroom balcony, those are some of the clothes lines blending in.
I had Italian for 3 hours straight and I thank God that he allowed me to struggle through Spanish for 3 years. He knew that I would take Italian and need any knowledge that I had to feel comfortable. I feel so intimidated by speaking to shop keepers in Italian. I don’t expect them to speak English, but man do I feel on the spot! I have to go to the phone store and the tobacco store today. And no, the tobacco store sells bus tickets and passes, permit of stay stamps and regular stamps. Most of them also have the post box right there as well. Italians know how to sort their mail! There is a slot for all mail staying in the city and a slot for all mail “going out.” They aren’t so great at delivering mail but, hopefully it will get here still!

I used the washer for the first time. Itsy, bitsy. It took a little longer than I’m used to, but that’s not a problem. After hanging them out on the line off our balcony (getting used to dangling clothes over the side of a building) they were ready to put away less than 2 hours later. Who said dryers were better? ;) It should also tell you how hot it has been.

We finally met our landlord which then led to us knowing everything we could ever know about our apartment. His English is not excellent but it is so much better than my Italian! Yay for cooking pasta in the apartment for the first time! Ahh for making the bread a little too crispy. I need to come up with a better use for stale bread…

First day of School!

First day of school and all day orientation. Needless to say I’m beat. Today I have learned so much, but have also listened to information that was repeat or unneeded. The school is called SAA and it stands for the School of Business Administration (in Italian of course). It is one building and looks like a highschool because of the corridors. We sat in a classroom for hours listening to the details of our program. After a break for lunch we listened again to details this time from professors about the particular course they are teaching. For lunch I decided to try the cafeteria, which they call the lunch bar. It is so funny to see how they use American English words and put an Italian twist on it. Once inside the lunch bar they had a western sign talking about bars and saloons. Oh my!

The first professor to talk is not teaching a class that I am taking but he was so funny to listen to, a true jokester. His last name is Ferrari and the jokes he made about not having one made everyone laugh. Old Italian men are made of rare stuff!
We are having some difficulties in our apartment with the gas stove and the hot water heater. Apparently our landlord was going to come by to meet us and answer questions, but that didn’t happen. This is the second time we have been told he is planning to come by and hasn’t. Everything takes longer in Italy! It would be nice to cook in my apartment and take a [at least] lukewarm shower. I’m praying it all works out soon and smoothly. I really don’t mind so much, except that Italy is not cheap! I have been blessed with so much [for example internet], that I don’t like complaining for what I don’t have.

Tomorrow, first day of Italian class! (so nervous)

{I'm a little behind in posting but I'm trying to write it all down so that even if its the next day ya'll can read about it}