vacation leftovers | liberation break

In italy, all schools are let out for a week in the month of April for something called, “liberation break,” which is basically a national holiday celebrating their independence as a country! (Yes, they get a whole week to do that.)

My roommate’s boyfriend, along with his brother and best friend, came during that time to backpack Europe, so we spent the break together touring Rome and Cinque Terre, Italy. Here’s a little video I made of the trip. 🙂 The quality is very low budget, and I had no understanding of how to manually focus or use the zoom, but its still fun to look at. If anything, the music is pretty catchy!

GODERE! (:

The Last Supper @ Casa Vino

 

Spring Cleaning.

The month of March was a fun one. Traveled with new friends, caught up with old ones. Visited five different countries. Played in the rain, played in the sun. Got my phone stolen (twice). Watched an English musical, watched Spanish flamenco dancers. Rode a gondola in Venice, rode an ATV in Greece. You know, the usual. (:

Now, it’s starting to look a lot like spring around here. Flowers have started to bloom and patches of dirt have been newly replaced with fresh green grass. My favorite part? Looks like flip flops are out for good.

But a change of season means more to me than just pretty nature. Like fresh laundry and new sheets or a clean page in the journal, spring is the opportune time to turn a new leaf in my own personal life. A total spring cleaning.

New priorities, new goals. This month of April, I want to actively start adding healthy habits and good decisions into my daily life. And it will look a bit like this…

• Get back to the heart of worship. Recently I heard that what we know about God is, and will be, the most important things about ourselves. That is a very strong claim, but I am an absolute firm believer in it. With all the travels and craziness that consumed my life in the past four months, my pursuit to know my maker fell into the backseat more times than I’d like to admit. But, Jesus has reminded me of his infinite grace and love; and in response, I am shaking the dust off my hands (again) and fixing my eyes back on Him.  What will that practically look like? Fill my brain with more truth, less garbage. I would be kidding myself if what I read, what I watched, or what I talked about didn’t influence my thought process and eventually, actions. I know alllladat is very closely interlinked. So, I want to start spending more of my free time reading encouragement and truth, reading the word, listening to sermons, and enjoying/pursuing interests the Lord has placed on my heart.
• Take care of my body. I never had a healthy eating habit. Most of my meals were consumed in the car ordered from the drive-thru, or past midnight, or purchased from the bakery of the grocery store. Now that my body is decaying and my metabolism is slowing at an uncomfortable rapid rate, I need to start taking care of myself better. What will this look like? Eat less carbs, more veggies. Stop snacking or eating out of boredom. Eat more meals at the table, not on the couch. Pour less sugar in the coffee. 
• Work out every day. I picked up pilates this past month. Nothing extreme, just some youtube videos I found online, but I’ve actually noticed difference in toning and posture — and body image as well! I dread Insanity and I dread running even more, so it’s nice that I’ve found a work out I enjoy! (:
• Read two books. I don’t work too well without a deadline, so I’m going to add some pressure and try to read two-three books each month. This month I plan on finishing two books before the calendar turns.
• Journal. I come home in exactly 26 days. Before I know it, life in Europe will only be a memory, and the only thing real I’ll have left are these blog posts, photos, and faded memories I manage to retain. And to help that retention, I want to journal each day — feelings, funny moments, interesting foods, lessons learned — to really make the days count.

Polka Dots in the Water

When we arrived to Barcelona, we were greeted with brisk wind and abundant sunshine. After all the rain and fog Italy had been receiving, it was a nice change of pace. We embraced Barcelona’s sun with open arms and decided to capitalize on its perfect weather by staying outdoors. We walked along the main streets, took a short boat ride gaining an incredible view of Barcelona gems, and then relaxed with cold cider on the beach.

To dress for the occasion, I wore bright, bold colors and paired them with equally bold prints — a polka dot collard tank and a cheetah print belt. Take a look:

 

XO.

Friday Five

Magical dusk at Barceloneta Beach.

This week was filled with several special moments, including celebrating a friend’s birthday, visiting Vicenzia, finding a new favorite cafe, and appreciating time for rest. I leave for Rome Saturday and friends of friends have graciously welcomed us to stay at their home for the night and even offered a ride to the airport. On Sunday, we leave for Greece where we’ll spend the rest of the Easter Break. Hopefully I’ll return with some color on my skin! It actually feels a bit strange that I won’t be celebrating this Easter at home. My church hosts a “passion week” revival and an extravagant Easter dinner each year, and although I can’t join them, I will keep this holiday in mind and be joyful nonetheless. Jesus has risen, people! Hallelujah! (:

Here are my five favorites of the week. Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Sail boats were everywhere in Spain and it ignited a new desperate desire in me to find a sail buddy. Where’s a Nolan when you need one? (“Revenge”, anyone?)

Coffee gelato + girl talk @ Amorino.

We celebrated a friend’s 21st birthday with 21 gelato pops! (Scoops of gelato dipped in chocolate, then frozen) I tried the custard and mint — both were delicious. Now I’m looking for a reason to make my way over there and try more flavors.

A new store has opened in Verona; it’s comparable to a Nordstrom or Whole Foods. The first floor is a sophisticated eatery complete with an oyster bar, sandwich counter, fresh produce, and more. The design is phenomenal and I found myself equally enchanted by both the food AND branding. I plan on copying this hanging clipboard design to showcase print in my future apartment. 

Happy Friday!
XO.

Less isn’t So Bad Afterall

The crust is my favorite part of the pizza. I’m a firm believer in the idea that “the best should be saved for last,” which is why the inventors of pizza placed the dangerously delicious doughness we now call “crust” around the END of the pizza. (Because it’s the best.)

This belief might be due to the fact that I’m from Chicago, home of the incredible deep dish pizza. (Miss you, Lou’s. I’ll be back one day.) The deep dish pizza — one slice’s width, length, depth all bigger than the palm of my hand, requiring silverware in order to enjoy it. My need for a fork and knife is probably a good thing so I don’t step over the barbaric line in public and just inhale the whole thing. The past three years while I was on campus in Champaign, deep dish (done well) was always difficult to find, so I would religiously make a trip to Lou Malnatis, my favorite pizza joint, every time I visited home. One deep dish pizza, Lou’s salad, and a side of pepperoncinis always did just the trick.

So once my bags were packed and we said our good-byes, (Me and Lou Malnatis, that is), and made the difficult decision to go live in Italy for a semester, you can imagine my disbelief when I found out that Italians enjoyed their pizza THIN-CRUST!!!!

“Wait a minute. You mean to tell me, there’s LESS crust? LESS?! I just don’t understand… What’s the point?” 

Simply put, I was pretty upset.

Anyway, trying to be the open-minded and not-typical- ethnocentric-American individual I am, I gave it a try.

Confession: I actually liked it. 

My roommate from sophomore year and oldest friend came to visit Italy for her spring break. For her first night, a few of us from the same hometown decided to all go out to dinner and celebrate. We chose San Matteo as the venue because it was highly recommended across the board to be THE best pizza in town. Plus, apparently news had broken out that one of the employees was a former model, so not only was it famous for its pizza, but also for the adolescent girls flocking for some eye candy. Both reasons were enough for us to make a visit. Dinner and entertainment? Done.

The menu was long and extensive with pages after pages of different pizzas. The four of us are very indecisive individually, so collectively, it took that much longer to order a dish. We each perused the menu carefully reading each description under pizza name, and finally settled on three that we decided to share family-style.

{ Italian thin crust is something entirely different from Chicago style. The crust is thin and chewy, crispy around the edges. The sauce is light and fresh as opposed to the usual thick and creamy tomato sauce. This one was topped with shredded cheese, pepperoni, and mushrooms. Despite the thinness, it was actually very filling! }

{ Fresh mozzarella and prosciutto shaped in a heart. I didn’t fancy this one too much because the prosciutto made each bite a little too salty, but the other girls really liked this one. Despite the thinness of the pizza, it was surprisingly very filling and satisfying. Between the four of us, we were struggling to finish the last slices! }

{ Cooked spinach and fresh mozzarella  This one was one of my favorites. Between the thinness and freshness of the ingredients, it really brought out the complex flavors of cheese, tomato, and buttery goodness. }
 

My lovely dinner dates. 

I keep finding myself craving for thin-crust pizza now. My palate has expanded — not that I’m abandoning my first love by any means — there’s enough [ food ] love to go around for this chick.

Currently…

Spring Break was this past week and I celebrated with some girlfriends in Spain! We started in Barcelona, stopped by Valencia to catch the end of the Las Fallas festival, and then made our way to our final destination, Madrid. It was nice to escape the rain in Italy and be surounded by the sun and palm trees of Spain. It wasn’t quite hot enough to jump into our bikinis, but there were some days we dozed off on the beach. I guess I really shouldn’t complain about weather though to friends back in the midwest. I heard there was a terrible snow storm last night?! Glad you were at least rewarded with a snow day though, right? (:

I have one week of “normalcy” AKA staying home in Verona, and then next week is Easter vacation. Starting Sunday, I’ll be in Greece! Pretty much everyone from my program made reservations at the pink palace in Corfu. It’s supposed to be this fun-loving resort that provides living accommodations, breakfasts/dinners, group activities like booze cruises, snorkeling, beach volleyball, and more IMPORTANTLY, one complementary pink toga for each guest. (: I know, that alone sold me.

I’ll try to squeeze in posts of my adventures in Paris, London, and Spain before I head off!

* side note: I have exactly five weeks and five days left in europe, and then it’s back to the states! man, how FAAAST did time fly! i also do have exciting plans for this summer. starting june, i’ll be interning at the chicago office of HAVAS WORLDWIDE through the 4A’s MAIP program. not only will I be in the office +40 hours a week, I will also fly to NYC twice this summer to attend ceremonial dinners, participate in weekly seminars, and be a new member of the MAIP network. i’ll be trading easy italian gelato for starbucks coffee, walks on cobblestone streets for rides on the metra, and 4-hr lectures for 8-hr work days. as much as i want time to just slow down right now so i can milk each and every experience while here, i’m also ecstatic and ready to be in a regular workflow. ready to be consumed with conversations on consumer behavior and insights, brainstorm sessions with our feet up and take-out in hand, late nights before big pitches, preparing research decks and documents… i’m ready to be in my element. but again, italy, don’t take it the wrong way and slip out of my hands quite yet. (;

i think this is what growing up starts to look like.

Eating in Paris

There are a lot of things I say that I don’t mean. Like…

“I’m on my way now.”

“Just five minutes away.”

“I’m gonna start dieting today.”

You get the point?

But there is also a list of things I am very reliable for. Like remembering really obscure quotes from movies. Taking 900 photos while on vacation. Owning an odd amount of nail polish. And more importantly? If you ever, ever need a breakfast/lunch/dinner date, I am your woman.

But speaking to this blog, one thing I promise to always be reliable for is bringing home food porn. (: Starting with Paris.

Let’s begin. 

They say you glow when you’re in love; and by looking at this photo, I think it’s safe to say that that statement is fully warranted. After two long months of separation anxieties and coping mechanisms of flirting with generic coffee, I was finally reunited with my love, Starbucks, and it was the sweetest reunion ever. (: And yes, Starbucks totally constitutes for food porn. Just ask every Instagramm-er out there. Better yet, look up #latteart.

(So maybe I’m not exactly glowing, but my eyes do look a glossy. Tears of joy?!) While we’re on the topic of all things American girls love, I bring you my next goodie.

That’s right. Paris not only has Starbucks but also CHIPOTLE! It was like I died and went to foodie heaven. (: My order? A burrito bowl with extra white rice, half steak, half chicken, medium salsa, tomatoes, corn, salad dressing, and a wittle bit of sour cream. My taste buds didn’t know how to handle this surprise treat, but they were so delighted that the excitement transferred beyond control and translated into flailing arms, random shrieks of OMG’S, and eyes opening as wide as a pair of Asian eyes can. I was given some dirty looks from Parisians at the other tables but you know what, true love has no shame.

After curing a case of food-sickness, I got on the Parisian bandwagon and devoured dined Parisian cuisine. For one of the meals, we went to BREIZH CAFE because it was recognized for its phenomenal crepes and cider. I think the entire city of Paris believed the hubub because Breizh Cafe was ridiculously crowded. There was a maximum time limit per reservation for one hour. If this was America, those servers would be making BANK with that many turned tables a night.

We ordered a bottle of pear cider for the table and it was plenty for the four of us girls. The taste of alcohol was subtle and just sweet enough to complement the meal.

My beautiful dinner dates! (: This meal — and Paris, in general — was SO, SO much fun with these girls. I’m so happy I got to experience such a beautiful city with such beautiful people. Two are from my program, and also my hometown, and the last girl on the right is actually currently studying abroad in Paris right now so we met up with her for dinner. (: She was the one who actually introduced us to this cafe! 
The menu was long and complex like anything that’s in a foreign language, so we decided to order a bunch of dishes and share so we could try them all. Family style! (: For starters, we ordered a salmon crepe. How CUTE is its presentation?!


The ultimate symbol of accomplishment.

Although the items were a bit pricey and portions were rather small, Breizh Cafe was a really enjoyable experience, from the food to the service to the ambience. (: It was unique and lively! Would I go there again? Eh, probs not… dat green tea ice cream, doe.

We went to another Parisian favorite, CHEZ JANOU. PLEASE do yourself a favor and go here. Oh, and did I say that Breizh Cafe was crowded? That was NOTHING compared to Chez Janou. Their waiting area + bar + foyer was comparable to a bathroom, and everyone was bumping and grinding on each other waiting for a table. Not even exaggerating. I wish I had proof because I’m pretty sure it exceeded maximum capacity by way too many and was the EPITOME of a fire hazard. And if your table was even approximate to the front, forget intimacy or even a decent conversation, because the people waiting will bump and grind all over your table, too. We made our reservation for 10 pm, and weren’t seated until close to 11pm. I know, I know, why did I tell you to go there? Because it’s awesome. And the people are hilarious. And the food is delicious. And they give out unlimited chocolate mousse. Yes, you did read that right. Just trying to save the best for last, that’s all. (:

Lamb shanks with green beans.

Duck with a side of potatoes.

And this is the massive bowl of chocolate mousse. It was bigger than MY HEAD! And I, unfortunately, have a very big head. They kind of just PLOPPED it on our table and told us to dig in. We really wanted to do them proud by eating the most they’ve ever seen because then maybe they’d give us bumper stickers or put our pictures on the wall or something… but we could barely even put a dent in it. Not a whole lot of accomplishment going on here. But I probably made up for it later that night. Anyway, if you like good, timely service and your own personal space, then stay far, far away from this place. All your fears will come alive! But, if your love for chocolate mousse trumps all, then… I think we can make for good friends in the future. (:

Hope I delivered a fine share of food porn. Ciao for now!

The Lord provides…

 

“…How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” — Matthew 7:11

We asked for a church, and the Lord delivered so much more. (:

Attending a church in Italy — let alone finding one — was more challenging than I anticipated. There were travel excursions planned the first three Sundays in Verona, so we went through a hiatus of no communal worship or service, and I could just feel my soul longing community. Fortunately, through a friend who studied in Verona previously, we got in touch with a few American Christian churches in the vicinity.

We decided to check out a home church made up of two American missionary families. They invited us to evening service — and supper, as well! Kind folks they are. (;

Each week we gather in the family room and sing along to the music/slideshow on the tv screen, listen to a sermon, followed by a home-cooked meal. (: Last week we met two hours earlier to spend more time together. We ate bread, drank tea, played board games, and just enjoyed each other’s company.

Sundays with these people have been some of my favorite memories while living in Europe. Sometimes I leave church feeling so overwhelmed with the Lord’s love shown through these people. I’m learning more and more why the Lord calls the church beautiful and why he stresses the importance of unity and love within it. Time with the body softens our hearts, allows us to be vulnerable, reveals Christ love in the flesh, reminds us of our purpose, fills us with truth, love, and encouragement, and in turn, reenergizes us to be light in our mission field. And that we can’t do it on our own, He never intended it that way. We need the body.

Living in Europe — apart from CFC + LWAC — has definitely developed a new appreciation for a church to call home. For services to regularly look forward to. For a community to worship with. For brothers and sisters to walk life with. For the word preached to prune you. For leaders to hold you accountable. For prayer meetings and revivals to remind you that the Lord wants to transform you. Being here has increased my love and appreciation for the body. 

Thank you, Jesus, for your provision. (:

Overdue.

So many things I want to share with you all — like how I went to Belgium, or how I found an amazing church, or what I’ve been cooking, etc — but it will have to wait until I return from Paris next week. When I do return, though, get ready for a long overdue rampage of recollections.

Til then, here are some of my favorite photos from last week.