It's all about me

hello again from italy!! i know you're all probably wondering why i'm writing so soon again, but i just thought i'd update you on some stuff that's going on outside of traveling.

my schooling is going well. my photography teacher really likes my pictures, which is a good thing :)........ i'm hoping to be able to take some more classes when i get back to champaign.... it really interests me. our second project was to shoot people, but have them portraying everyday life. at first, i just attempted to shoot people without them knowing it. this was kind of difficult because everyone would dodge out of the way so that i could get the monument behind them that i pretended i was shooting. as nice as it was..... it kinda ruined my plan. i ended up asking a couple people if they could just stand where they were so that i could get them in the shot. it was especially important to ask parents of children, so that i wasn't so "stalkerish". here are some of my photos:

although the project was difficult, it really made me get out of my comfort zone. not only did i have to ask random people for their picture, but i had to ask it in a different language! that is one thing that i have definitely gotten out of my trip here: being more open..... both socially and mentally. i have been tested many times to stand up for my beliefs..... something that i didn't really plan on running in to. it was really nice to hear what one of my roommates had to say the other day. after a long conversation on my faith, manuel (a guy student from spain that lives with us) said,

"valerie...... i like the way you talk. bonnie is funny, michelle is interesting, but you are so fun to talk to. you have these beliefs that are very traditional, and not what everyone else believes, but you are very firm in them. our conversations are very good"

granted his english isn't the best...... it really meant alot. we've gotten into political and spiritual discussions in which my knowledge on my beliefs has been tested beyond what it normally is. i was amazed to learn that our 17 year old girl roommate from mexico, valentina, lives by herself with her 15 year old brother. apparently, her parents have been divorced for the majority of her life, and she never sees her father....... then, about 3 years ago, her mother died. so she was stuck raising her 13 year old brother when she was only 15!! it has really made me re-evaluate how tough some people have it, and how spoiled i actually am. on the other extreme, i have friends here who have never done their own laundry, so it challenges me to realize that i can have an impact on those even more sheltered than myself.

i'm still really enjoying florence. bonnie and i had tickets to go to venice this morning, but i went to the train station and cancelled them because i just wanted a day to enjoy the city without any plans (don't worry, i'm going to venice next weekend). so today i wandered the streets for hours just stopping in little local shops. i'm really going to miss the "non-walmart" way of life here. i enjoy going and buying my fresh fruit in the morning, and a slice of pizza or panini at the cafe around the corner of my school. i may even miss the slow-paced and ineffecient system of inconvenient internet, expensive water, crazy work hours, and long dinners. i think the culture shock has really started to wear away lately....... just in time to go home!

good-bye for now.... and i'll update again next week.