Home Sweet Home

When I was just two years old, my parents put me on a plane and brought me to the beautiful island of Sardinia, Italy. After our first trip there, we couldn’t help but spend one month vacationing there each summer. Sardinia is where my journey begins.

The island feels like a second home to me. I first learned to swim on the beaches there, I tried seafood for the first time there and I started to speak Italian there. The island represents family to me. When I think about Sardinia I think about how I’ve spent every summer of my life enjoying time with my family and close friends.

Although I was technically born in Morristown, NJ, it feels like I was born in Sardinia, Italy. As a child, spending my summers on this island felt like something ordinary, but now being here makes me realize how blessed I am.

The Eternal City

So many emotions run through my head as I start to get settled into my new apartment in Rome. I’m filled with excitment and nerves when I think about the next four months of my life. I am finally alone, without my parents and without my close friends. That is exactly how I wanted it to be.

Beauty in the Unknown

Traveling is about taking a step into the unknown the discovering places that you didn’t even think could exist. Before I left for my journey in August, I spontaneously decided to book a trip to Croatia in September. Croatia was the only country that I booked without researching or knowing anything about it. It sounded intriguing and different so I decided to go with it.

When I got there I was completely blown away by how beautiful it was. It was so peaceful, foreign and beautiful. There were small islands off the country that were quiet yet I felt the need to explore. One day I decided to go rafting along the Cetina River. I felt connected with nature as I slowly floated down the cool, clean water. The surrounding area was silent and the mountains looked so majestic as they towered over me. I was captivated by the beauty I found as I continued to slide down the river. There was something so simple yet beautiful about the rain drops falling while the sun was shining and how the rainbow was glistening after the rain was done. There where hidden waterfalls along the raft down the river and there were flowers and creatures that looked like they came from another world.  I didn’t expect Croatia to be so special but I’m glad I decided to explore a foreign place and have such a spiritual connection with it.

Prost to Oktoberfest

Traveling to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest was quite the adventure. It was my first time in Germany and my first time at Oktoberfest so it was a weekend to remember. The weekend was filled with hundreds of carnival rides,  steins, oversized pretzels, whole chickens, making new friends and singing German tunes. With over 100 beer tents, each tent had its own personality, theme and unique people. Oktoberfest was a celebration for Germans. I’ve never seen so many people in one place at one time.  They were so excited to scream the famous song “Ein Prosi” and cheers with their oversized steins of beer.

My favorite part about Oktoberfest was the positive energy and the good vibes. People were so happy to share each others company and unite to sing, drink, eat and be merry. There were no worries and everyone was having a good time, living for the moment. Everyone dressed up for the occasion. Women wore their dirndls and stockings and men wore their lederhosens, clogs and feathers on their hats.

The famous tent known as “Hofbräuhaus” was where my friends and I spent majority of the weekend. We wore dirndls, met German friends and danced around like we were from Germany. Being in Germany for Oktoberfest made me feel like I was apart of their culture for a quick weekend and I loved every minute of it.

The Perfect Baguette 

Ever since I was a young teen my mom always told me that if there was one city I was going to travel to, it had to be Paris. My mom traveled the world, lived in many cities and I knew that I had to take her advice and experience it for myself. The city itself was orderly, sophisticated and very artistic and I can tell why people instantly fall in love with it.

One thing I noticed about Paris was the expense of everything. Food was very overpriced in Paris, however I found myself completely content eating a lot ham and cheese baguettes from the hostel breakfast. I found it interesting how something so simple like a ham and cheese baguettes is so satisfying when you are a study abroad student. The cost of living is doubled when you are a student who is constantly traveling Europe every weekend.

Being in Paris made me realize that I didn’t need to eat out at a nice restaurant or buy an expensive dress on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, all i needed to do is soak in the beauty around me. I realized that I was perfectly content eating ham and cheese baguettes, going on free walking tours and sleeping in a hostel. It’s all about making the best of everything.

Lost In Canals

My favorite part about traveling to different cities is soaking in the culture. In Amsterdam and throughout the Netherlands, people are legally allowed to sell marijuana in designated stores known as coffeeshops. They huge part of their culture and the smell and weed can be found around every small street and corner. With well over 100 coffeeshops in the small city of Amsterdam they are easy to find however they cannot sell to anyone under 18 and no more than 5 grams at a time may be purchased.

This abnormal cultural lifestyle is one that I can really appreciate. This country has legalized and commercialized marijuana for anyone over the age of 18, being on one of the only places in the world, yet they always retain order in their society. It goes to show you how the government is different everywhere you go.

The city really had such an artsy, funky vibe and for a New Media major it was particularly intriguing to explore. It was so interesting to experience and soak in a different culture and part of northern Europe.