Studying Abroad: Arrivederci Italia

There are some things you can be taught and others you have to learn. For me these can be two very different things. There are many things you can be taught in a classroom but it might not be until you reach a certain situation that you need to truly learn how to overcome something or how to adapt to a situation at hand.

On The Steps of the Palace

We'll Always Have Paris

Dior: Couturier du rêve

36 Hours in Milan

Verona, Italy

Two households

both alike in dignity

In fair Verona

where we lay our scene

:Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare

Last weekend I took a day trip with my friend Sammy (https://pesick.com/) to Verona, Italy. From Florence it was a short train ride, around an hour and twenty minutes with only one stop in Bologna. 

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico, where do I even begin? Mi isla del encanto cuanto te extraño. You've been my home for the past 19 years of my life and you've been one of the most influential parts of my upbringing and growth as a person. Growing up in an island in the Caribbean, your perspective on things is very different to many things compared to those on the mainland in the United States. Even though we are all United States citizens (something I've had to repeat and clear up way too much), our culture and background is so fundamentally different to that of someone from let's say, Ohio.

It's so hard to have left the island to go to university in the states and I thought at the moment that would be the hardest thing I would have to do. But this past week Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane Maria. The island has been left without power, there is almost no running water throughout the entire island, lines for gasoline and food stretch for hours, hospitals are running out of diesel to run their generators. People are quite literally dying because help cannot come to them soon enough, and I'm halfway around the world feeling hopeless and selfish that I can't do more for my island in their time of need. I have been fortunate enough to have some communication with my family and know they are all right but this is not the reality for many many families on the island which a week later still don't know how many of their family members are. There are less than fifteen flights leaving a day and people are desperate to get out.

I could go on and on forever about different scenarios I've heard of, but I think the one that struck me the hardest, the one that made me visualize the situation the best was a text a friend of mine posted that her father sent her. She posted it on her facebook but I think it encaptures the situation perfectly well.

"Well the stone age continues on the island. Funny how much we need all these gadgets and then you get used to not having them and would just settle with an elevator that works so you don't have to climb 4 times a day to the 19th floor.. But in general it's almost funny how screwed up its getting. Food is scarce at the markets so people are buying whatever they get their hands on... I am buying lunch for everyone at the office everyday. Today the person that was in charge of getting food could only find cheese filled knockworst. Needless to say I had an orange for lunch. But the crazy part is the fact that without electricity people can't keep much in their houses or cook so we need to buy food from restaurants... Problem is that nobody is taking credit cards because systems are down and the cash machines aren't working because of communication issues. So everyone is running out of cash an they can't buy food and they can't call people to ask for food because their phones don't work, communication in most places is non-existent and they can't drive anywhere to find the food because gas is so limited that they stand in lines that have 250cars waiting at a time so they wait is 5hours.. But it gets complicated because they can't stand in them or they miss work and won't get a paycheck. So maybe they can go after work? Nope.. Because everybody has to rush home because curfew starts at 7 so all gas station workers start closing at 5. Some banks are starting to open but lines are horrendous... Today I send a worker to stand in line and he was In the line from 8am until 4pm..the bank had to close for a long time because they ran our of diesel for their generator. But those are the lucky ones.. Most companies haven't opened hundreds of thousands of workers will not get paid.no work, no pay. No money, no food, no running water, no oven, no police to protect them because the police has to be protecting the diesel fuel that is going to urgent care facilities because hoodlums are stealing the gas.. But you still see people with axes cutting down fallen branches. They say it keeps their mind of the fact that they along with their mom, brother neighbor and uncle just had the roofs peeled off their homes. They have nothing but they have hope. So they feel they have it all. There's lots of talk of humanitarian relief coming soon. I hope it gets here before more tragedy hits.. Hungry, angry, unbathed, working all day and going home to heat, hard floors without beds because they were washed away. Today I was able to change a check for $1,000 because of limits in exchange and handed it out amongst the workers so they would at least go home with cash. I had the warehouse guys standing in the gas lines with all of the office personnel cars to fill their $20 quotas. We made it thru another day.. I hope people will show up for work tomorrow because you don't know what situation they will face.. But the day goes by, we get into our jobs and all seems somehow normal.. It's like people have cried so much they don't want to cry anymore because people keep telling them, hey at least your still alive.. One of the girls that works in merchandising was telling us the days it took to take her neighbors body away because the proper personnel couldn't make it thru.. He died from a heart attack during the storm.. Sad stories.. But she said the story and then turned back to her Computer screen. It took me hours to just comprehend that incident.. Anyways.. I hear the cavalry is arriving soon...i think that as soon as people start seeing power turning back on things will turn around fast."

So if any of this resonates with you, I urge you, any dollar amount counts. There are many thrustworthy non-profit links set up to help recovery in Puerto Rico.

http://unidosporpuertorico.com/ (in spanish)

http://unidosporpuertorico.com/en/ (in english)

https://www.gofundme.com/studentswithpr

https://www.generosity.com/emergencies-fundraising/puerto-rico-real-time-recovery-fund

https://hispanicfederation.org/donate (and where it says ‘I would like to designate this gift for’ click Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief)

Text UNIDOS (space) YOUR AMOUNT (space) and YOUR NAME to 41444. Press send. Click link.

Nike Cortez

Give me sneakers over heels any day and I'll be the happiest woman in the world. Don't get me wrong I love a great pair of heels or wedges but sneakers speak to me at my core, they have the ability to be stylish and provide great comfort when done well, and I don't think many brands do this as well as Nike does. As we roll in way into 2017, we get to celebrate 45 years of the Nike Cortez, which many can accredit to giving Nike the status it has today. After having been unveiled in the 1972 Olympics, the shoe quickly gained traction from both pop culture and street life alike.

(https://s.yimg.com/xd/api/res/1.2/cQ7fzzpTBoF5efgz2UBcSw--/YXBwaWQ9eXR3YXVjdGlvbnNlcnZpY2U7aD00Njc7cT04NTtyb3RhdGU9YXV0bzt3PTcwMA--/http://nevec-img.zenfs.com/prod/tw_ec05-7/7ace4019-4371-418e-8954-9d51acf8645a.jpg)

September Playlist

It's been a while but here's this month's playlist installation, hope you all enjoy and jam out to it.

 

Cinque Terre

I am shocked, which doesn't happen often, that I never talked about my day trip to Cinque Terre. Cinque means five in Italian, and terre is land so today we are talking about these five towns that make up Cinque Terre. We were able to visit three of the five towns this day which I think was great considering we were a few hours at the last town sun bathing and relaxing at sea.

Croatia

When I decided to study abroad I wasn't just excited about being able to live in Florence for five months, but also at the possibility to be able to explore new parts of Europe I had never been able to go to. Two weekends ago I had the incredible opportunity to visit Croatia, a country I had seen so many beautiful photos from other friends who had been here in the past and it definitely had started to make its way onto my list of places to visit. I went with a company called Smart Trip which specializes in organized trips for students studying abroad in Europe. They organize trips to different countries such as weekend trips to Germany for Oktoberfest, and also day trips to Cinque Terre and wine tasting tours to name a few examples.

21st Birthday

On September 6th I turned 21 and needless to say it was a magical day filled with great food, great friends, and perfect photos. Like I said in my previous post, I went out super early in the morning with my friend Maddie (https://madelinechardon.wordpress.com/) and took photos around the Duomo in the morning before any tourists crowded around and to take advantage of the amazing natural light at dawn. As a 21st treat to myself, I splurged on this beautiful Burberry trench coat I found at a boutique here in Florence and I needed the perfect excuse to test it out, so what better way than with some photos to celebrate my 21st!

Sunrise Sunshine

I love Florence in the morning. There's no tourists, the air is crisp and cool. The cafes are beginning to open up and the smell of freshly brewed coffee and croissants are the way to my heart at 7:30 am. I went around the Duomo of Santa Maria de Fiore to take some photos early last week to start off my birthday celebrations (my photos will be up later this weekend/early next week) I was able to also get some beautiful shots of my friend Maddie who is also studying in Florence with me this semester. I love Maddie's style, she has the perfect mix of preppy chic with classic sophistication.

This City is Magic

Walking through the streets of Florence in the afternoon is like seeing magic slowly come alive. The tourists start to dissipate from the streets by the Duomo and you feel like the city once again can breathe a sigh of relief. The afternoon glow of the sunsetting against the architecture of the city gives the perfect backdrop for any walk through the streets. My favorite part of the afternoons are hearing the street musicians, especially the violinists that play to people strolling around.

Flares and Frayed: Florence Fashion (1)

Pisa, Italy 19.08.2017

I've officially landed in Florence, Italy for my semester abroad with Kent State University. I'm so excited to be able to study in Italy but before classes commence next week, my roommates and I took a day trip to Pisa to see The Leaning Tower, take some photos and look around the markets. I highly recommend if you're already in Florence going to Pisa. It's so cheap to take the trenitalia from Firenze Santa Maria Novella which takes about and hour to get to Pisa Centrale and from there walk to the tower. 

ColourPop Haul & Review

I would like to think that when it comes to make up I'm fairly well versed. I've been into make up since I was young enough to notice the blue MAC eyeshadow in my mom's make up bag and swipe it on my eyelids with my fingers. Thankfully there's no photo evidence of that time in my life. Since then I would say my taste has refined and I've become a bit of a make up geek in the years following.

Thank You

From the bottom of my heart right now I want to say thank you. It's not easy when you release very personal pieces of writing for the entire world to see and that's exactly what I did yesterday with my previous post. Death is never an easy subject to write or talk about but with the years it's been something that I've had to accept and greet calmly. I knew writing my last post that some people would see it, but I never imagined that the post would get over 1,600 views in less than 24 hours seeing as this little blog is something I do for my own enjoyment and if others follow me along this strange path then I welcome them with open arms. I can't thank everyone enough for all the kind words about my last post and I hope maybe you found some words of solace for whatever you might personally be going through.

5 Things I've Learned In 5 Years

It's been five years since you passed away. We usually commemorate milestones for happy occasions: a wedding anniversary, birthdays, graduations. I never thought I would be writing about your death five years later but here I am. I always knew that time is relative, sometimes you feel like ten minutes feels more like three hours or sometimes five years feels more like five days. I look in the mirror sometimes and don't realize how much I've changed physically in five years, I see the same eyes of my fifteen year old self but I don't stop many times to see what else has changed; I've gotten taller, my style has gotten better (thank god), and overall there's this sense that I am older. But that's the thing, as I've gotten older, you will forever stay seventeen. When I see photos of us I'm transported back to when I was fifteen and believed I was invincible. But a lot can happen in a very short amount of time, and in five years I've learned five very valuable things:

1. The human soul is the strongest part of your body: When I found out you passed away, I thought my life was crumbling. I saw no way out for weeks and months. And while no part of me was quite literally physically hurting, internally everything ached. Every breath I took hurt, I felt like I was being punished from way within me. But with time that pain began to slip away, I began to smile a little more, began to enjoy my life the way I knew you would have wanted me to. I pulled myself up and although there are still moments in my life where it's hard to keep going knowing you aren't by my side, my soul is at peace and I have an internal calm I had never felt before. 
2. New found independence: I was always someone that felt independent, but I never really understood that. When I lost you I felt like I was alone for many things, not only did I lose a friend but I lost my best friend, my soulmate, the closest person in my life I was comfortable sharing any and everything with. We were like family, you were always there when I needed you even if you had other things going on, we always made time for each other. I lost that person, I lost the person who completed me, you were the opposite to me in so many ways, yet that's what worked for us a lot of the time. When I said goodbye to you, I said goodbye to half of me and I've had to continue my life sometimes feeling like something is missing from my day. This independence wasn't something I asked for, it was something that was thrown at me because I had to learn to do things alone I didn't want to. 
3. Say I love you more often: The second I found out about your accident the first thing I texted you before knowing the severity of the event was "I love you" because in that moment I was terrified and felt like I had never really told you those words. Looking back at all our years of friendship now I do know we said them multiple times, but at that moment when I felt you slipping away all I wanted you to know was how much you meant to me, that I didn't take our friendship for granted. Now every time I'm about to step out the door, I get in a car or a plane to go somewhere, I always tell my parents I love them. Even if we've just had an argument, I try to never leave my house without having them hear me say I love them. Five years ago I realized how precious life is, but also have fragile it can be.
4. Your heart can break in a million ways: but it will also heal. It might take time but it will heal and it'll be a million times stronger than before. But you'll also learn to love more, to appreciate the people you have in your life. 
5. You won't be the same person you were before, but that's not a bad thing: I recognize that when I look in the mirror now, my physical look is not the only thing that has changed. Naturally with time we all change and evolve in some ways. But the person I am today is a million ways different to the girl I was back in 2012. I say yes to more things, I'm open to more adventures, I've found happiness being by myself sometimes, I've learned to not be afraid to say I love you more often, I'm not afraid to go traveling by myself, I'm no longer afraid to drive a car, my friends have become more like family, and I've learned to stand up for myself when no one else will, I've made some of the hardest decisions by myself in the past five years but I wouldn't change any of it. 

I would not be the person I am today if it weren't for the events that have occurred in my life. And while I miss you all the time, I've found the strength to be at peace, to enjoy my memories of you without feeling so much sadness that you're no longer here. You'll always be my boy wonder, the person that wanted to be a diplomat and save the world, and I'll forever be grateful that you allowed me to be a part of your world.

Zara

It's been a while since I was able to go into a proper mall and shop around. What I have always loved about living in Puerto Rico is the fact that we have so many stores that are found primarily in Europe more than the US sometimes does. Zara just happens to be one of those stores that is as common for us as maybe GAP or American Eagle. But living in the states for school, being able to shop in a Zara store can be difficult as they aren't as common to come across in malls, if I even make it to a mall during the semester. Now being plus size has it's issues of course when it comes to shopping, especially at a store like Zara that isn't known to be the most plus size friendly. But I absolutely fell in love with these two tops last time I went into the store and even more with the fact that they came in a size XL, even though I could have gotten away with the Large. I love the embroidery detail on both shirts

 

May Playlist

Fashion School Shenanigans

Over the weekend I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship from Kent State's Fashion School. Being a junior fashion merchandising major at Kent State has been a dream and a whirlwind for me and I can't wait to continue the adventure next semester as a senior in Florence, Italy. 

Met Gala 2017 Review: Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between

 

Formal Formalities

Relay For Life

Relay for Life at Kent State is one of my favorite events in the whole year that my sorority, Chi Omega, participates in. Having lost very close friends and family members to cancer I do everything in my power to make sure money is raised to fund treatment and research so that hopefully one day cancer is something that has a cure. I relay for more days filled with laughter, why do you relay?

Oh Happy Days

                   

Fashion Forecasting Trade Shows Fall 2017

Fall 2017 Color Trend Report

Fashion Forecasting: Mapping The Zeitgeist

April Paylist

Fashion Forecasting: Backcasting Spring 2017