Well, I'm back in Gainesville. The thrilling and adventurous European posts are over; now it's back to my daily life in Gainesville. Hopefully I can figure out how to make this just as exciting ;) Today began the second week of classes here at the University of Florida. Classes began last Wednesday and I started my second year of college. For those of you that don't know, or may have forgotten, I am a General Business major with a minor in Mathematics. The plan (as of now) is to one day become a math professor. So, that means that this semester I am taking Calculus II, Financial Accounting, Business Statistics, and Age of Dinosaurs. The last class is just a general education requirement, nothing special. It looks like it is going to be a very challenging semester, but hopefully doable.
I am living with Callie at a new apartment this year. Callie went to Leon High School in Tallahassee and I met her through her boyfriend, Justin, who rowed on the crew team with me. Both Callie and I are very organized and a little bit OCD, so we get along great. We are living in a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment. So far, I'm loving it! It's on the third floor and there is no elevator...so, I get to work out my quads a few times every day by climbing the stairs. We have a full sized kitchen so I am looking forward to cooking a lot of meals this year :)
CrossFit begins the 1st of September and I am eager for it to resume. I am so out of shape and need the routine of working out back in my life. However, I know that the first few weeks are going to be absolutely awful as my body loses some fat and starts to rebuild the lost muscle. Oh well. No pain, no gain...right? I am planning on working out three times a week in the mornings before class, so around 9:00 a.m. I am hoping that this will be a good start to my day and I can develop a healthy habit of waking up at a reasonable hour and getting my day started.
As far as clubs and involvement on campus goes, I have not started looking into clubs intently...as classes just started. My goal is to join at least one organization on campus this semester. Possible candidates as of now are Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and Toast Masters (a professional speaking club). I am also looking to volunteer at a local school to start developing contacts, connections, and experience in the education world. Through volunteering, I hope to eventually be able to tutor some kids for a little bit of extra spending cash.
It's raining here in Gainesville, and I'm sure most of you in Florida are experiencing similar weather. Although I don't particularly like walking to school in the pouring rain, I do love looking at all of the students with their different colored umbrellas. I imagine that if one was to take an aerial shot of the campus during this rainy week, it would prove to be a pretty cool picture. Tropical Storm Isaac looks like it will miss most of Florida come time for impact, but stay dry anyways! Happy Monday, make it a great one.
On August 7th, I returned to the United States of America. My morning began with a 45 minute taxi ride to the airport. As I rode out of the city of Rome, it hit me for the first time that I was leaving Europe. As excited as I was to go home and see my friends and family, I was also very sad to be leaving Rome; it proved to be a remarkable, unbelievable city that I had the privilege of spending my entire summer in. I arrived at the airport immediately after two gigantic groups on Astro buses. Perfect. Fortunately, they were not flying on the same airline as I was or else I might have missed my flight home. I checked in with US Airways and watched Pirates of the Carribean 2 on my laptop as I waited to board my plane to Charlotte, NC. The plane was an hour delayed leaving Rome. I can't say that I didn't expect it, but I was still an unhappy camper. When it finally came time to board the plane, a mob formed and we all pushed and shoved through to board the plane from the tarmac. During my summer living in Rome I learned how to push, shove, and weave better than most Americans; I was through the mob and on the plane in no time at all.
The plane ride to Charlotte, NC was 10 hours. This flight home seemed shorter than the ride over there and I was grateful for that. Although we made great time to Charlotte, we arrived an hour later than scheduled due to the delay and I was most likely to miss my flight. I tried to be patient through the long line at customs, but spent most of my time in line bouncing up and down. When I made it through customs it was 5:20. Boarding began in 5 minutes and my flight left in 40. I sprinted to the baggage claim where I had to pick up my luggage and re-check it. The lady at the help desk suggested re-booking my flight due to the time, but I said "No thank you. Please put my luggage on the flight, and I will see it in Jacksonville at 7:00 p.m." I was determined to make my flight. To my unfortunate surprise, I had to endure another security checkpoint and time was growing close. It was now 5:40. 20 minutes until departure. A few understanding people let me cut them in line and made way for the anxious girl trying to make her flight. As I made it through security, I threw everything in my backpack, slung it over my shoulder, hopped into my shoes, and sprinted to my gate. Literally. I passed dozens of people on the moving sidewalks and a few shouted "You can do it!" or "Good luck!" as I passed by. I made it. With almost no time to spare, I boarded the plane and we took off within 10 minutes. I was on my way home. I was seated next to four Florida students...what a small world! The hour plane ride flew by with conversation about the University and Gainesville.
I scurried off of the plane after it landed and sped walk to the baggage claim to see my parents who would be greeting me when I arrived. As I turned the corner, I saw two signs labeled "Kristy" and "Schmidt" being held up by two young men. Around them was a group of 15-20 high school and college aged guys. I tried not to show my confusion and scanned the group for familiar faces. None. As I walked towards this herd of men, I had no clue who any of them were. When I get about 20 feet away or so, they began to chant "Kristy! Kristy! Kristy" and divided into two lines to form a tunnel. I decided to go along with it all and ran through the tunnel of cheering boys to find my parents waiting for me at the end of it. What a greeting! I was so confused, but also so happy to see my parents. As things settled down, I learned that they had been waiting on their friend Scott who had just returned from a month in Spain. After they greeted him, they said to my parents, "We're waiting for Kristy Schmidt" and asked for the signs. My parents had no idea who this group was, but they said yes. Of course. Well it made for the most interesting, exciting, and unique greeting I will probably ever receive at an airport. We picked up my luggage at the baggage claim (all of it!) and headed to the parking garage after a farewell to my new friends. I was finally home. Almost. 3 hours later, I would arrive in Tallahassee, Florida...but Jacksonville was close enough. With Zaxby's in my belly for dinner, I was a happy camper.
Below is a music video that I created while abroad. It features Jennifer and I around Europe in famous places such as the Colosseum, the Eiffel Tower, Florence, Venice, and much more! It is to the very popular song "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Ray Jepsen. This video, to me, reflects my experience in Europe just as accurately as all of my blogs. Enjoy! Thanks so much for following me on my European Escapade! I am now back in Gainesville for another school year at the University of Florida and will resume my normal blogging routine this coming Monday. Have a wonderful Wednesday! :)
Our final trip in Europe would be a weekend excursion to Venice, Italy. Four hours by high speed train, Venice is a sinking island, and a beautiful one at that. We left on Friday after our final exam and arrived in Venice around 8:00 p.m. Our hostel was actually located on another island called Tronchetto, so all we planned on doing that night was eating and then heading to the hostel. After walking around for about 20 minutes or so, we found a place to eat. Seated at a table by the water, we ordered from a set menu that included three courses. After dinner we took the People Mover to the island of Tronchetto. Here we would catch a bus to Jolly Camping. Yes, we would once again be camping. This campsite was from the same company as our campsite in Florence. Appearance wise, it was much nicer with much nicer bathrooms and a better layout of the campground. However, the tents were placed so close together that one could hear every conversation going on in the tent next to you. Unfortunately for me, I can't go to sleep unless it's silent. Well, I have my sleep machine of course. After two hours of listening to these girls talk next door, I finally went over at 2:30 and asked them very nicely to be quiet. Around 3:30 a.m or so, I finally drifted off to sleep.
Saturday was our one full day in Venice. We started the morning off with some breakfast from the local supermarket: chocolate donuts and strawberries for me. Mmmm. We missed the shuttle to the main island so we were forced to take the public bus. No biggie; we were professionals. Following a 15 minute walk, we made it to the bus stop and headed down the island on a 25 minute bus ride. Once on the island, we just began walking. And walking. And walking. Venice is the perfect city for wandering. No big roads, just little back alleys. We stopped in almost each and every little shop, trying on the famous Venetian masks and looking at the beautiful Murano glass. Shelley, Jennifer, and I each bought souvenirs for family and friends. Through wandering in the back roads, we finally made it San Marco Square: the most famous square in Venice. We toured the basilica and walked up to the edge of the water. The water was absolutely breathtaking, with the gondolas perfectly placed along the shore and docks. San Marco's Square was overtaken by pigeons. Hundreds and hundreds of pigeons flew overhead and walked along the ground. I had to be careful not to step on one and kill it. Many children had purchased bird seed and would hold out their hands as pigeons swarmed over and landed on their shoulders, arms, and heads. It was quite the sight to see. Close to 4 p.m. we took a gondola ride through the back canals of Venice. Though it was rather expensive, it was the one "thing to do" in Venice, and it was worth the money. Our gondola man was friendly and pointed out little fun facts for us throughout the 35 minute ride. The rest of our evening was spent exploring more shops before catching the 9:30 p.m. bus back to the campsite.
Sunday was a half day. Shelley would catch a train home at 2:30 p.m to meet up with her aunt in Rome and Jennifer and I would catch the 5:00 train back to Rome. We had one mission today: buy masks. Venice is famous for its beautiful masks and we each wanted one. After trying on dozens and dozens of masks and once I had about 10 pounds of glitter on my face, I finally found my perfect mask. And it was lovely. Jennifer found hers at the same place as mine, but Shelley still had not found "the one". Well, when Shelley finally found her perfect mask, she actually found three. Venice is Shelley's favorite place in the entire world, so three masks was a must. I'll admit, they were all beautiful. We had completed our mission and with an hour or so to spare. We searched for a place to eat lunch and found a smal bar/cafe. The Olympic Games were on so we spent a while watching the women's marathon before heading to the train station. One last gelato stop and we headed to the train station. Jennifer and I chose to wait in the train station; it was much too hot to be walking around and we had already accomplished all of our goals. The train ride home was rather long, but for a long stretch of it all I could see out the windows were fields of sunflowers. I was a happy camper. Jennifer and I arrived back in Rome at 9:00 p.m. Tomorrow would be my last day in Rome before heading home to America on August 7th. Gosh, time truly does fly when you're having fun.
I am living with Callie at a new apartment this year. Callie went to Leon High School in Tallahassee and I met her through her boyfriend, Justin, who rowed on the crew team with me. Both Callie and I are very organized and a little bit OCD, so we get along great. We are living in a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment. So far, I'm loving it! It's on the third floor and there is no elevator...so, I get to work out my quads a few times every day by climbing the stairs. We have a full sized kitchen so I am looking forward to cooking a lot of meals this year :)
