Koffee with KayLeigh - Surviving and Thriving?!?

Wednesday, April 6, 2016




I can't believe I am half-way done with studying aboard, can you?!? I knew it was going to go by fast, but not this fast! But, I feel like I say that about everything in life the older I get. I miss having coffee/lunch dates with all you peeps. Hence the name, Koffee with KayLeigh! (and because I'm actually starting to like coffee haha) I hope this blog post feels like you are sitting across a table from me hearing what's new in my life. I can't wait till I hear about all the things that have happened from y'all when I get back!

1. School
I guess we can start off with the reason I am in Italy, aka school! Since I am half-way done, that means I survived midterms! Yay! Studying for midterms, honestly, felt like studying for the first round of college tests. At TCU, I'm so used to the structure or what to expect because of past classes or friends who have taken the same class. In Florence, I had no clue what expect..... a whole new ball game! Now that they are over, and have gotten my grades back, I'm more confident about preparing/taking finals at the end of the semester! Now, the nervousness hasn't gone away, because it's moved to a few papers I have due in each of my classes the week before finals. I could do projects all day, but I hate writing papers. I'm so self-conscious about my writings and I procrastinate as along as I can! At the end of the day, I know I will get them done and everything will be fine, I just got to start! Getting in the "study" mood here is more difficult than I thought, but I'm making it work. I never thought I would say this, but I miss the TCU Club Lib! The one here doesn't even come close to it!

2. Home
I laugh when I think about my arrival in Florence. My apartment seemed so far away from everything on that first day! Oh, how I was so wrong!! I couldn't be more happy with the location of our apartment, it's perfect in my mind. It's funny how this apartment has really become my home over the past few months...... or really how much Florence has become my home! I truly miss it SO MUCH when I'm away from it! There has also been a few funny mishaps in the apartment! I have shrunken a sweater, put to much soap in the dishwater, and my phone charger blew up turning the lights in my apartment off. While these things are not anything to spectacular, I think they are some of my favorite memories in Florence. One of my biggest concerns was about washing my clothes! I know that sounds bad, but I'm so used to my big washers and dryers, something Florence does not have. To my surprise, I haven't had any issues with the size of our washer. I will admit, I wear each clothing piece a little bit longer before washing than I do at home. I thought I would also miss my dryer a lot more! My jeans could go for a little shrink, but hanging all my clothes has become so natural! 

3. Food 
If you watch my snap story (@kayleighnava), you probably think the only thing I do is eat! I promise that I do more than that! But there is just so much good food here! Also, Italian food is my favorite, so of course I am in heaven in Italy. Cappuccinos are my new favorite drink, and I didn't even like coffee before Italy! Same thing with croissants! I wouldn't say I didn't like them before, but they weren't my favorite. Come here and have a cornetto al chocolate and your life will be changed. Cornettos are life. Surprisingly, pizza is not my favorite thing I have had here! Don't get me wrong, I have had plenty of amazing pizza. My favorite foods have been the Lampredotto sandwich and Pear Ravioli. Both so good in there own unique way. The lampredotto is so juicy and salty. While the Pear Ravioli is such a surprisingly amazing combination. I will say I do miss meat! Of course it's not like meat isn't available here, but pasta is just so much cheaper. Madi and I are also getting more adventurous with our cooking! We make quite the cooking team here at home. Conads (the grocery store) and the 99 cent store are our jam. We always pick up our staples like rice cakes, peanut butter, chocolate, and cheese. 

4. Traveling
I'll give some more thoughts on traveling later on, but it's so crazy to see the things I have always heard about and dreamed about seeing! It is a pretty surreal experience. Traveling also just puts me so much in awe of our Creator! The beauty in this world points directly to Him! Traveling around Europe also make me more excited to explore Fort Worth back home! Over here, I want to see as much as I can, because who knows when I'll be back! At home they are so many things I don't take advantage of or don't do because I tell myself that they will always be there. My big, Tobi Carter, wrote a blog post about this very topic! She put all my thoughts into words. Here is the link! Okay, now that you have read her article, you can understand how great of a human she is. Speaking about exploring back home, traveling also makes me realize how much of a homebody I am. After a few days of going, going, going I need some time to recharge....... but I guess that is what summer is for, Right?!?

5. Blogging
How I had so many plans for this little blog. I wished I posted more, but I never realized the time and effort it takes to sit down and write a post! Also, I have so many thoughts that sound good in my head, but when I go to write I'm at a loss for words or just forgot that one thought as a whole! Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read all my many thoughts! Especially, those travel posts because I feel like I need to write down every detail..... which makes them super long! I'm definitely using this blog as my own little travel diary. While I will keep blogging about my travels, I want to try to work harder this second half of the semester to blog more about the little everyday things that happen in Florence! I just don't want to forget these little memories!

6. Fashion
I always joke that I went from a uniform of green and khaki to a uniform of nike shorts and oversized t-shirts! In Florence, I only wear t-shirts to bed and I left all my nike shorts at home! It's such a strange concept to have to pick out a new outfit each day! I don't think I could have been a public school kid! On the flip side, I do put more together here since I'm actually wearing real clothes and not lounge clothes. I haven't bought many clothing items since arriving in Florence, but it's fun to see the different styles between my two homes. There are some trends here that I love, but if you would have asked me about  before I came here I would hate them. I have also never worn so many sweaters in my life! It might look like I wear the same outfit due to my scarves and trash bag jacket( I read a blog post that referred to those puffy jackets as trash bags and it just made sense ya know??), but I promise I don't! Luckly, I have very few sweaters days left because it is getting warm in Florence! I wore a dress the other day and it felt so weird showing my legs. The first day back to class after spring break, all the girls were wearing shorts, dresses, or sandals. It was so weird to see because I hadn't seen sandals in so long! #texasprobs I was so excited to break out my sandals! While my nikes are my most comfortable walking shoe, I could live in sandals and I haven't had much shoe luck here. (aka blisters!) Well,I got three wears out of my new sandals before the strap broke! I'm hoping I can get them fixed this week, or it looks like I'll just have to buy another pair! 

Thanks for catching up with me!

Hugs, 
KayLeigh 

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