My Language Wishlist

Hello everyone!! As you all know I have always been fascinated with languages. I only know English and Spanish fluently but I have spent many years learning Italian and one year learning Japanese. I decided to make up a list - you know how much i love lists - of all the languages I would like to know eventually. It would be nice if I could at least start learning these in the next 5 years. :) Eventually I would like to be fluent in:

1. English
2. Spanish
3. Italian
4. Japanese
5. Portuguese
6. French
7. Chinese

And if for some reason I want to learn more Russian, Hebrew and German also interest me. Do you think this list is possible?? I hope so!!!

Mia♡

Do you remember my 5 Things Posts??

If you ever followed my UCD blog then you will know that back in the day I used to do this thing called 5 Things That I Heart Right Now. In those posts I would pick 5 little things that made me happy during the week. Well, I feel like I may be taking some things for granted/ I am forgetting to mention things about Italy that are not in the U.S. or are just awesome...Sooo, I decided I am going to start doing 5 Things I Heart About Italy This Week.

1. Kiko: I LOVE KIKO!! Kiko is a cosmetic brand made in Milan that is not too expensive. To me it is like Sephora. I go there to admire the displays. I always have to resist buying something and I've actually gotten pretty good at leaving the store empty handed. It may be because it is always crowded and it is such a small store. Here is my Kiko collection. :)

Not pictured: The Kiko bag I just bought, two nail polishes and an eyeshadow.

2. Universitá di Firenze Sweatshirt: It's pink, cute and keeps me warm. What more could I ask for?

3. Fedez: I am obsessed with this Italian rapper called Fedez.  He is such a cutie and has a voice I could listen to for days. Click here to listen to one of his songs.

4. Paula: Paula is a book written by Isabel Allende. I am reading it in Italian so I am very dependent on my Italian dictionary. I figured it would be a nice way to expand my vocabulary. This book is also written in Spanish and in English so if you are looking for something new to read I recommend it!

5. Pandoro Melegatti: Basically a cake. It's delicious bread that comes in an odd shape made in Verona. If you want more info click here if you want to know more about it.

Mia♡

I Speak British Part II

Hey!!! Like I mentioned before I am getting to know some Brits in Italy!! My roomie Lucy was raised in London and my dear friend Vicky is English. Well I've been around them so much I am able to translate these for you now! :)

Councial Dress - The Projects

Fancy Dress - Costume

Jumper - sweater

Take Your Kit Off - Take Off Your Clothes

Chips - Fries

Crisps - Chips

Cuddly Toys - Stuffed Animals

Rub Off the Board - Erase the Board

Uni - College/University

Telli - T.V

Tea - Dinner

Loo - Bathroom

Lift - Elevator

Slag Tag - Tramp Stamp

Cotton Bugs - Q Tips

Mia♡

Here's a video just for you...

It's me singing Amy Winehouse. If you are reading this, chances are you have already heard me singing one of Amy's songs. Afterall, they don't call me Mia Winehouse for nothing. But it's still something I've been wanting to do for awhile. I'm not a pro, it's just all in good fun. Anyway, hope you like it. Just in case you miss my voice. lol. ♥ Mia

New Years Eve Italian Style

I was so excited to celebrate New Year's Eve here in Florence. I was sure there were going to be tons of people, that I was going to dance the night away and have fun. Well, that's exactly what I did! I glamed up for the big night and had my two girls, Lucy and Lilly with me. It will definitely be a night for the books. :)

This is me dressed up and ready to go!

Lucy and I at Fish Pub.

I met the owner at the gym and he invited us so we got free drinks. :)

After we headed to Piazza Della Signoria for some Fireworks with some new friends.

 At the stroke of midnight we all had some champagne.

 This is one of the guys we met. Someone had taken a group picture but I'm not sure where it went. Anyway, these guys were from Pennsylvania.

The piazza was filled with hundreds of people. It was insane. All of Florence was like this!! Still, it was a pretty memorable night. I wish I could do it all over again.

Mia♡

Christmas Eve in Firenze

I know I'm late but so much has been happening!!! This Christmas I was lucky enough to celebrate it here in Italy. What is there to complain about right?? WRONG. Christmas is all about friends and family. I have made some very lovely friends here however, no one can replace family. More importantly, it was impossible to have a single tamal during the holiday seasons. Everyone knows Christmas is the best excuse to eat tamales!! So I was deprived of yummy Mexican food and family whom I love very much.

I was surrounded by beautiful lights, a lively city and friends who enjoy doing the same things I do. Here are some pics of my Christmas Eve. I say Christmas Eve because on actual Christmas I was stuck in bed all day with a high fever, cough and everything else. :/

I'm happy in this pic because my roommate, Lucy did my makeup. Isn't it lovely?

This is me at the restaurant. We went to a small place close to my apartment. My Christmas dinner consisted of yummy bread, pasta, chicken, potatoes and wine.

Since there was no one to give me Christmas presents I bought myself something from Yamamay, which is like Victoria's Secret, and The United Colors of Benetton.

This was me visiting Baby Jesus. It wasn't midnight yet so he wasn't displayed yet (Although he was obviously underneath that blanket! Who are they trying to fool?)

After dinner we had some drinks and it was karaoke time!!! There are videos!! I will post those soon! :)

Mia♡

Rome in Videos

So you might have seen some of these pics of Facebook. But I didn't posted these videos on here. That's something special just for you. I love you all. Here is Rome throught videos. (I am not a pro so these short videos are just a glimpse of what I got to see while in Rome). Enjoy.

These two videos are at the Colosseum.

This is a video of a beautiful building. I have no idea what it is but it was so grand and amazing that I had to take pictures of it and record it. I will return and find out what it is.

This is a video of the Trevi Fountain. :)

This is Michelangelo's Pietá. Such beauty.

Mia♡

My Roman Holiday

In December I was lucky enough to go to Italy's capital, Rome. I completely fell in love with the city. I visited the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and the Vatican. It was not too expensive to go actually and only a 4 hour bus ride. I went with my friend Lilly and we stayed in a hostel called The Yellow, it was cheap and had some pretty interesting people. Here are some pictures from Rome:

Inside our room in the hostel. In front of the Colosseum.

Inside the Colosseum

 I was amazed by its beauty.

 Imagining all the Romans being here back in the day....daaaaang. Wish I could have seen that!

 This is why people don't mess with me.  I may seem sweet...but I puts it down when I have to!

 Me and Lil

Beautiful

 Foro Romano

 The Trevi Fountain.

Christmas lights decorating the streets of Rome - Appropriately green, white, and red.

 The Vatican!!!

 Looking out to St. Peter's Square

 The enterance

 Pietá - My favorite sculpture done by Michelangelo. I was beyond happy to visit this piece again.

 Lilly and I in front of the Spanish Steps

 Look at all the tourists. Rome is a beloved city to all.

 Me at the top of the Spanish Steps

 Harry Potter is world wide and Italians love HP as much as everyone else. So much they decided to have a HP flash mob in one of Rome's busiest piazzas.

This trip definitely left me wanting to visit Rome again. It would be nice to spend more than just a couple of days exploring the city. I couldn't have asked for a better holiday. :)

Mia♡

A Typical Day As A Nanny

As most of you know, I worked as a nanny for a month and a half with this lovely Brazilian family. I lived with them in Bagno a Ripoli, a town 30 minutes on bus from Florence. I took care of 2 lovely girls ages 7 and 11. I was laid off unfortunately before I was able to make this post. Since they are not Italian citizens they had a problem registering my with the city and were in danger of losing their job so they had to let me go. L Anyway, I did enjoy my time with them. Here is a look at what a day was like for me as a nanny.

7am: Wake up to make the kids breakfast. They ate toast, one piece of bread with Nutella and the other with butter. They drank chocolate milk.

7:35am: Make sure the little one got dressed, brushed her hair and brushed her teeth.

8:10am: Walked the little one out to the “bus stop” where she was picked up by a man in a van full of children.

From 8:15am to 2:45pm I had free time but had to do my chores at some point during that time.

8:15am: Did my chores of the day. A week’s work consisted of cleaning the girl’s rooms, the bathrooms, the living room, the kitchen, swept the house and ironed. I would tackle these one day at a time.

9:30am: Walk down the hill to catch the bus.

9:50am: I would get on the bus.

10:20am: I would get off the Piazza San Marco bus stop.

10:30am: I would be in my apartment.

11:00am: I would be off to the gym!! :)

1:20pm: I would get on the bus back to Bagno a Ripoli

1:40pm: I would get off the bus and start walking up that hill.

2:15pm: I would be in the house making some lunch.

2:45pm: I would be at the bus stop waiting for the little one.

3:00pm: I would make her a snack and would watch a little bit of tv.

3:30pm: We would be doing her English and Math homework.

From 4:30-7pm would be me time unless the little one needed something.

7:00pm: I would start making dinner.

After dinner I had the rest of the day off. I had weekends off and that’s when I would go to my apartment in downtown Florence.

* I would like to note that I went to the gym 3 days a week.  I had two days where I would go directly back to bed instead of going downtown to the gym.

Mia♡

Why was 2011 so awesome?

I wanted to make an end of the year post. This year felt so short yet so many wonderful things happened. I had so many firsts and life changing experiences that I feel truly blessed. I enjoy life more and more with each year that passes. 2011 was the best. 2012 will be better J

In 2011, I got to teach Italian at Napa High School for 3 months. Even though it was only two classes of level one Italian it was a challenge!! Are you kidding me? Teaching FRESHMEN anything is difficult. Lol. I had plenty of ups and downs and it left me with some wonderful memories. I will teach again. I love the feeling I get when I teach someone something new. Not just Italian but anything. If someone wants to know how to keep a steady hand while painting their nails that is something. If they want to know the correct spelling of a word and I help them out that’s good too. Knowledge is so powerful and educating another human being is one of the most rewarding things you can do.

This year I had my two treasured groups at UC Davis. Since Fall 2009 I had been a part of the Interested Ladies of Lambda Theta Alpha. My last year with them was amazing!! I made new friends, made stronger bonds, educated the community about LOVE, had plenty of road trips and left with two new best friends that will be a part of my life even now that I am no longer in the group. I also feel like I can call any of the girls any time and they will just take me in. <3 those are some good girls.

Mujeres Ayudando La Raza was a major part of 2011, especially during Spring Quarter, when to be honest I needed them more than they needed me.  One of my favorite memories was doing the Relay for Life. Seriously I was there until 3am walking around for Cancer!!!  And I did it with my cuddle buddy, Beverly, as well as some of the other girls. We had a tent and some games. It was all fun and all for a cause. I also finally got over my fear of dancing in public!! It took many late night practices, patience from Karen cuz sometimes I just wouldn’t get the moves, but I performed at Noche De Estrellas with the girls. Honestly, it was one of my favorite experiences at UC Davis period. We rocked it, our lovely Mujeres made signs for us and it was something to check off the Bucket List. I just strutted my stuff up there as if I were freakin Beyonce or Shakira. Lol. We also had banquet where we got our Seniors’ sash and present. I will cherish those friendships, the memories and that bracelet for years to come.  Thanks Mujeres for making 2011 so awesome!

Not only did I dance in front of my biggest crowd to date but I also sang in front of my biggest crowd.  Seriously how many people were at Chi/Latino graduation?? Like hundreds for sure, a thousand maaaaybe. It was one side of the Aggie Stadium plus the graduating class yo!! Even though we only had a few seconds to give our shout outs I spent a good 10 seconds singing Blue Skies followed by 10 seconds of giving shout outs to all my fans. I was so effing proud of myself and so happy that I had my loved ones to support me that I didn’t care how long I was up there. I even cursed!- although that was on accident. Lol. I didn’t want to do it. I was convinced I wasn’t going to but Jesus and Adrian kept texting me begging me to do it! I stopped and thought and I was like fuck it. It’s my moment. Just do it.

Along with the last part… just GRADUATING FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS.  Are you kidding me?? The smile on my face the day of graduation could not be wiped off no matter how hard anyone tried. Seriously, it was on from the time I woke up to the moment I knocked out with Jenny. It was such a good feeling. Not many people have the opportunity to go to a 4 year University. Out of those who do, not everyone makes it to graduation. I graduated with two majors and was only there for two years. J I gained so much knowledge, made so many friendships, went through unimaginable experiences and grew more than I expect as a person. I am blessed to have been able to be at my University and to have been able to go through everything I went through. For that I am thankful. Thanks God. J

This year I also turned 23, which is my favorite number. I have such a good feeling about 23 that I am sure this is one of the years that I will look back to in life and distinctly remember. I had that feeling going in and let me tell you, being where I am today, I was not wrong. It will only get better going into 2012 but for the little bit I was 23 in 2011 it was nothing but grand. I started taking charge of my life as an adult, started my post-college life and am on a full search of knowledge and adventure. I decided this is the year to experiment, make mistakes, explore and follow my heart. So far I’m doing just fine.     

Finally, the most obvious one being as you are at this blog right now, in 2011 I MOVED TO ITALY!! Seriously, the best decision I have ever made in my life. I am not saying that Italy is glamorous or that I am accomplishing much here, because to be honest, I am not.  I am, however, learning so much about myself. I don’t know what I was expecting when I moved here and I am not sure if I found it. I do know that every day is a new experience. Every day I learn, explore, live. Here there is no comfort zone, there are no certainties at any given moment, there is no one you have known for more than a month or two, there are no refunds, and everything is fast paced. You do not fit in. Everyone knows you are an outsider. There isn’t too much time when it comes to making any type of decision. In order to make it here you have to think fast. You have to take chances. By doing this I am growing and I am learning. It’s funny but even though I get homesick I really like it here. I love the thrill of any decision making, I love that I complain about having to walk into one store for food, another for clothes, another for workout clothes and another for shoes. There is no Target or Costco. Back home I don’t even like going to those places alone. Here I go everywhere alone. When I have a friend to go with that is a luxury. The point is, Italy is making me notice things about myself I didn’t notice before. I am also changing here and I can tell it’s for the better. I am also growing comfortable with who I am as a person because it’s the only stable and secure thing I have here. I am the only thing that belongs to me in this country. Back home I would think twice about telling people some of my experiences, especially the ones I am ashamed of. Here I a, completely honest. I tell people my stories because they are the only thing I have and also, because people trust me with their stories as well. I’ve told people here things I’ve never told my best friends back home. I’ve mentioned things I wouldn’t ever bring up after knowing someone for two weeks. But here, things just come up.

The people are the ones I will remember the most. Those students from NHS and my mentor Vito will always be in my heart. Same goes for the interest group, my buddies, Mujeres, my besties, my professors, my family, my Napa friends, my Italian majors, the Via Lingua crew, the students from the American Language Center, my roomies here in Italy, the random people I’ve met here, the Brazilian family who hired me here and many others who made 2011 so awesome. 

Mia♡