Backpacks and Barbells

Wait what? How does that make any logistical, financial, travel sense? How does that make any sense at all? It doesn't. Ha. It truly doesn't, but sense and rationality are irrelevant in matters of the heart. Okay, so who is this, and where is Amanda? Where is the Amanda that plans her days weeks in advance, that hates to pay more than $30 for any article of clothing or anything for that matter, that is rational living defined? There is no way she would change all of her plans, book last minute tickets, and travel half way around the world at the drop of hat...I've changed a lot in the two months I've been over here. Not changed in the way that I'm a different person; I still stand with the same values, same sense of self, same future aspirations, but I've learned to view life as an experience as opposed to a checklist. I've realized things about the life I was living that were keeping me from truly experiencing. I lived a schedule. An impenetrable continuous...

Just over a month in the land of pasta and pizza, and there are some things that appear commonplace in Italy. Here are a few of the things that stood out to me as an American. Things that reveal a way of life different than what I'm use to at home.  Food... Italian. It's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In the States we can have sushi for lunch and Mexican for dinner. Maybe a gyro for a snack. Gelato for dessert. A wide range of options pretty much whenever we're hungry. In Italy, there are still a ton of options, but they are all Italian. How many ways can we make pasta? And protein...protein in Italy is like a salad at McDonalds. It's expensive and you just get weird looks when you ask for it. It's all about the carbs. Carbs and wine. I realized pretty quickly on arriving in Italy that it would be nearly impossible to stick to my fairly selective American diet without sacrificing a large part of the experience (and my budget). Food in Italy is more than just food...

My last post left off in a small Tuscan town just north of Pisa. Lucca, Italy. I spent three full weeks in the splinded city living in small apartment right in the heart of the town. If you're looking for the Italian town that depicts romantized Italy, Lucca is your destination. It's not a city overrun by tourists but one in which the restaurants, gelaterias, churches are very much maintained by the locals. It was easy to feel immersed. A part of the crowd. There was less English spoken here than most other touristy areas of Italy. I can't tell you how many times I was approached with a flash of Italian words, and all I could do was give the dumb American look and with a smile say "no Italiano". Sometimes this meant that we just understood each other through a mutual language barrier. Neither understanding the other's way of speaking, and it was ok. The universal use of English is so often used as a crutch when abroad; and without it being a constant, I actual...