1. 3 Sep


    ilovedoodle: Lonely Traveller - Art Print at Etsy http://www.etsy.com/listing/71435778/lonely-traveller-print

    ilovedoodle:

    Lonely Traveller - Art Print at Etsy

    http://www.etsy.com/listing/71435778/lonely-traveller-print

     

  2. 1 Sep


    medleymagazine: T-4 days. Believe it or not, I was able to do what was once thought to be the impossible: pack all my essentials into one check-in suitcase! I did cheat slightly, thanks to my momma, who cleverly bought a swivel Samsonite slightly larger than my previous one, but those extra 3 inches made all the difference. I even have some room to spare, so I’ll be rearranging some of my stuff in the suitcase to try to move my yoga mat to the bottom, just for more practicality and neater packing in general. I’ve been seeing comments on Facebook about others planning to check in 2, even 3, bags, AND bringing carry-ons and purses. I always said that I would try my hardest to fit it all into one suitcase, mainly because I don’t want to pay the extra $70 to check in an additional bag, but also because I know traveling light is best. I’m responsible for my luggage, no one else, and I’m exercising some girl power, too, by making sure I’ll be the only one to roll/carry my bags to and from my destinations. Sorry, boys, I’ve got enough arm muscle to haul my own bags across the pond, and then some. I plan on traveling light beyond just bringing only one suitcase. This semester in Firenze will be a time for me to learn what “travel light” really means in all aspects of my life. Over the past two years, I’ve experienced a lot of things that added to my life’s baggage, some of which I had no control over, and some of which I did. Everyone has their own personal devils and personal relationship(s) drama to deal with, and I don’t feel like I’ve been dealing with it in the best way possible. I’m leaving all of that negative energy behind once I board that 9:40 p.m. airplane to Frankfurt, and from there to Firenze. I’ve mediated about it during yoga, I’ve wrestled with all of it in my mind on my own time, and the answer remains the same—negative energy has no place in my life, and I have the power to remove the causes of that negative energy. I don’t expect Firenze to change all my problems and insecurities, but I do hope it will help bring back some of that confidence and joy I feel I lost during the past few years. I’ve been traveling since I was little, and it’s always been a first love of my life; hopefully it can work it’s magic once again, with a little help from me. My mom has been asking me if I’m excited. I know deep down I am, but, like I keep telling everyone, it still hasn’t hit me yet! It’s definitely slowly hitting me because I’m starting to be unable to fall asleep as fast as I normal can, which is a sure sign something is on my mind. I feel pretty good about my situation, going into this semester with a few trips to Firenze under my belt, two solid maps of the city, and a basic knowledge of the Italian language. I think I’m in pretty good shape, and now that my luggage has been 99% packed, I’m feeling fairly thrifty as well :) “He who would travel happily must travel light.”—Antoine de St. Exupery

    medleymagazine:

    T-4 days.

    Believe it or not, I was able to do what was once thought to be the impossible: pack all my essentials into one check-in suitcase! I did cheat slightly, thanks to my momma, who cleverly bought a swivel Samsonite slightly larger than my previous one, but those extra 3 inches made all the difference. I even have some room to spare, so I’ll be rearranging some of my stuff in the suitcase to try to move my yoga mat to the bottom, just for more practicality and neater packing in general.

    I’ve been seeing comments on Facebook about others planning to check in 2, even 3, bags, AND bringing carry-ons and purses. I always said that I would try my hardest to fit it all into one suitcase, mainly because I don’t want to pay the extra $70 to check in an additional bag, but also because I know traveling light is best. I’m responsible for my luggage, no one else, and I’m exercising some girl power, too, by making sure I’ll be the only one to roll/carry my bags to and from my destinations. Sorry, boys, I’ve got enough arm muscle to haul my own bags across the pond, and then some.

    I plan on traveling light beyond just bringing only one suitcase. This semester in Firenze will be a time for me to learn what “travel light” really means in all aspects of my life. Over the past two years, I’ve experienced a lot of things that added to my life’s baggage, some of which I had no control over, and some of which I did. Everyone has their own personal devils and personal relationship(s) drama to deal with, and I don’t feel like I’ve been dealing with it in the best way possible. I’m leaving all of that negative energy behind once I board that 9:40 p.m. airplane to Frankfurt, and from there to Firenze. I’ve mediated about it during yoga, I’ve wrestled with all of it in my mind on my own time, and the answer remains the same—negative energy has no place in my life, and I have the power to remove the causes of that negative energy. I don’t expect Firenze to change all my problems and insecurities, but I do hope it will help bring back some of that confidence and joy I feel I lost during the past few years. I’ve been traveling since I was little, and it’s always been a first love of my life; hopefully it can work it’s magic once again, with a little help from me.

    My mom has been asking me if I’m excited. I know deep down I am, but, like I keep telling everyone, it still hasn’t hit me yet! It’s definitely slowly hitting me because I’m starting to be unable to fall asleep as fast as I normal can, which is a sure sign something is on my mind. I feel pretty good about my situation, going into this semester with a few trips to Firenze under my belt, two solid maps of the city, and a basic knowledge of the Italian language. I think I’m in pretty good shape, and now that my luggage has been 99% packed, I’m feeling fairly thrifty as well :)

    “He who would travel happily must travel light.”—Antoine de St. Exupery

     

  3. 29 Aug


    medleymagazine: T-7 Days. It’s all there. Everything, all the essentials, I think I need to spend four months living in Firenze. Sans shoes and carry-on items, all of those things on and around my library’s leather lounge chair need to fit into one suitcase. I think I have a decent handle on things… now let’s just hope my luggage’s handle can hold up to the weight of my crap. I may have to sit on it to fully zipper up, but it’ll be a small price to pay. I can already tell from my packing attempt that this trip is going to be a learning experience for me in many, many ways. A small lesson will be in packing, but another will be in relaxation. Of this, I am certain, because I’m a workaholic. Hurricane Irene left my house without cable or Internet for about a day and a half, and while my mother was frustratingly coping with no news coverage, I was coping with the fact that I couldn’t access my work on my computer. Living in Firenze will be the ultimate challenge for me, as a workaholic, to time manage in a way I’ve never really had difficulty with before—balancing business with pleasure. I’ve always been able to have time for myself, in the ways what I want it, and balance my workload at the same time. Doing work for the publications I work for internationally and finding time to soak up all of the Fiorentina sun will be interesting. I’m going to have to do some sacrificing, some serious multitasking, or negotiate with The Big Man Upstairs to add additional hours to a day… or a combo of all three. Kurt Vonnegut wrote one of my favorite quotes of all time with, “Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.” No doubt, this trip will be one of my life’s biggest dancing lessons to date, but, as my friends will tell you, I always go out with the sole purpose to dance the night away.

    medleymagazine:

    T-7 Days.

    It’s all there. Everything, all the essentials, I think I need to spend four months living in Firenze. Sans shoes and carry-on items, all of those things on and around my library’s leather lounge chair need to fit into one suitcase. I think I have a decent handle on things… now let’s just hope my luggage’s handle can hold up to the weight of my crap. I may have to sit on it to fully zipper up, but it’ll be a small price to pay.

    I can already tell from my packing attempt that this trip is going to be a learning experience for me in many, many ways. A small lesson will be in packing, but another will be in relaxation. Of this, I am certain, because I’m a workaholic. Hurricane Irene left my house without cable or Internet for about a day and a half, and while my mother was frustratingly coping with no news coverage, I was coping with the fact that I couldn’t access my work on my computer. Living in Firenze will be the ultimate challenge for me, as a workaholic, to time manage in a way I’ve never really had difficulty with before—balancing business with pleasure. I’ve always been able to have time for myself, in the ways what I want it, and balance my workload at the same time. Doing work for the publications I work for internationally and finding time to soak up all of the Fiorentina sun will be interesting. I’m going to have to do some sacrificing, some serious multitasking, or negotiate with The Big Man Upstairs to add additional hours to a day… or a combo of all three.

    Kurt Vonnegut wrote one of my favorite quotes of all time with, “Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.” No doubt, this trip will be one of my life’s biggest dancing lessons to date, but, as my friends will tell you, I always go out with the sole purpose to dance the night away.

     

  4. 20 Aug


    medleymagazine: “You may have the universe if I may have Italy.” - Giuseppe Verdi There may have never been a truer statement than Verdi’s quote above, and I’m truly feeling the heat now as I prepare for my semester abroad in the lovely Firenze. I’m Valentina Palladino, one of Medley magazine’s senior editors, and I’ll be sharing my experiences oversees with you readers throughout the entire fall semester. My goal ever since I knew I wanted to become a journalist was to bring the world to those who did not have the means to see it for themselves, and I think this semester will be the perfect way for me to do that. I hope you’re as excited as I am! I’ve been to Firenze before. At least twice, possibly more times. The two most recent times were with my family during a summer vacation and with a group from my high school over spring break. I used to refer to Firenze as “my city,” because after a few visits and the days I spent there, I was super proud of myself for knowing the important landmarks and being able to decipher where I was just by memory. I might even be able to do that still, however, I wouldn’t bet any money on it, hah. I’m hoping after a semester living in this great city, I’ll grow to be a decent navigator! My trip begins September 5 when I leave on a nighttime flight from JFK to Frankfurt, then from Frankfurt to Firenze. It still hasn’t hit me yet that I’ll be leaving in a few short weeks, especially since packing as only just begun today with me lugging my suitcase out from the dusty caverns of my basement and placing one, lone pile of clothes near it. I’m only allowed to check in one piece of luggage, and packing a semester’s worth of essentials into 27-inch Samsonite will be an adventure all of its own. My hope for this blog is that readers will be inspired to move out of their comfort zones a little and explore the world whenever they get the chance, whether it be within the next year or the next ten years. While the blog will also serve as a kind of personal documentation for me about my trip, I really hope the focus is on readers and how these travels speak to them. So please, interact with me, comment, ask questions, give suggestions, whatever! I’ll do my best to post as much as I can. I hope you all enjoy this journey as much as I anticipate I will! Until my departure, I’ll post some of my old photos of Firenze and Italy as well, just to get in the traveling spirit :)

    medleymagazine:

    “You may have the universe if I may have Italy.” - Giuseppe Verdi

    There may have never been a truer statement than Verdi’s quote above, and I’m truly feeling the heat now as I prepare for my semester abroad in the lovely Firenze. I’m Valentina Palladino, one of Medley magazine’s senior editors, and I’ll be sharing my experiences oversees with you readers throughout the entire fall semester. My goal ever since I knew I wanted to become a journalist was to bring the world to those who did not have the means to see it for themselves, and I think this semester will be the perfect way for me to do that. I hope you’re as excited as I am!

    I’ve been to Firenze before. At least twice, possibly more times. The two most recent times were with my family during a summer vacation and with a group from my high school over spring break. I used to refer to Firenze as “my city,” because after a few visits and the days I spent there, I was super proud of myself for knowing the important landmarks and being able to decipher where I was just by memory. I might even be able to do that still, however, I wouldn’t bet any money on it, hah. I’m hoping after a semester living in this great city, I’ll grow to be a decent navigator!

    My trip begins September 5 when I leave on a nighttime flight from JFK to Frankfurt, then from Frankfurt to Firenze. It still hasn’t hit me yet that I’ll be leaving in a few short weeks, especially since packing as only just begun today with me lugging my suitcase out from the dusty caverns of my basement and placing one, lone pile of clothes near it. I’m only allowed to check in one piece of luggage, and packing a semester’s worth of essentials into 27-inch Samsonite will be an adventure all of its own.

    My hope for this blog is that readers will be inspired to move out of their comfort zones a little and explore the world whenever they get the chance, whether it be within the next year or the next ten years. While the blog will also serve as a kind of personal documentation for me about my trip, I really hope the focus is on readers and how these travels speak to them. So please, interact with me, comment, ask questions, give suggestions, whatever! I’ll do my best to post as much as I can. I hope you all enjoy this journey as much as I anticipate I will!

    Until my departure, I’ll post some of my old photos of Firenze and Italy as well, just to get in the traveling spirit :)

     

  5. 17 Jul


    view from an area of Deception Pass Mount Vernon, Washington

    view from an area of Deception Pass

    Mount Vernon, Washington

     

  6. 3 Apr


    “Artist in Residence”—Roma

    “Artist in Residence”—Roma

     

  7. 3 Apr


    North Cascades National Park, here I come! end of june, please come soon.

    North Cascades National Park, here I come! end of june, please come soon.

     

  8. 1 Apr


    (via flight001)

     

  9. 28 Mar



    Desidero che vita florentina venga presto…

    Firenze non può venire abbastanza veloce.

    I feel like a new person since I’ve been accepted into the Florence study abroad program. I’ve wanted this since I considered Syracuse during the college application process, and now that my abroad experience is only a few months away… it’s overwhelming and exciting. Especially after this year, I cannot wait to get away, far far away from everything and everyone who I have interacted with and been affected by in a negative way.

    I’m learning more and more each day that we meet people in our lives who are supposed to teach us something, either about the world, ourselves, or both, but their use stops there. Sometimes we meet people in our lives who are supposed to only stay for a while, fulfill their duty, and then leave. If we don’t let these people go, their dead weight will bring us down. There’s a lot of dead weight in my life right now, and because of the atmosphere that I live in this year, I cannot remove myself totally until I go home for the summer. Only six more weeks, and I can finally leave the dead weight behind.

    Someone great once said we have to let go of the parts of life we honestly don’t want. Parts of my life that were helpful and beneficial a year ago are no longer positive for me anymore. And while I will be eternally grateful for the good times and experiences of the past that shaped me from these parts, I know now that if these parts are not removed I will be doing myself more harm than good. I can finally acknowledge those parts of life I honestly don’t want anymore.

    I usher in new beginnings with summer and a rebirth in a new country.