2015: Transitions, School, & Life Changes

2015...
My did the year fly by!
The year started out soon after I arrived back from my semester abroad in Italy. In January, I got a job at the Autism Society of NC working as a community skills instructor and I am very glad I got to experience that! At the beginning of the year, I was anxiously waiting for the replies from grad schools on whether or not I would receive the opportunity to study to be an occupational therapist. In the meantime, I continued at Meredith College part time in the spring since it was my last semester before I graduated college! During the semester, I worked on finishing up my senior thesis and at the end, I presented it at Meredith's CSA Day and at the annual Carolina's Psychology Conference.
Merely a week and a half before May 9th, I received my acceptance letter from MUSC and I was thrilled to be given the opportunity and immediately accepted the offer! That gave me exactly two weeks to graduate from college, throw a graduation party, give my two weeks notice at ASNC, pack up my things, find a new apartment, move from Raleigh to Charleston, and do all the other necessary things when starting a new school! Needless to say, I was frantically busy trying to plan the next two years of my life in less than a couple weeks. May 9th came and went in a blur and now I can proudly say that I have my Bachelors in Psychology! I found a place in Charleston and the move went smoothly. I was all but ready to start my new chapter May 20th at MUSC. Let me just say, I have never been so challenged academically ever before in my life. It is an excellent program, yet very challenging. I absolutely love the people I met and became friends with while in Charleston! My MUSC peeps will forever hold a special place in my heart! That is why I was so heartbroken to have to leave beautiful Chucktown. Fate, God, Destiny, whatever you believe in, had to have played a role in my life at that time. One week prior to leaving the wonderful program at MUSC, I was accepted to the MSOT program at ECU. ECU was originally my number one choice which I was wait-listed at until I received a rejection email (I'm assuming the spots were then full) and then by a stroke of luck, a spot must have become available because I got the email I was accepted. I will miss the people I met in Charleston and I hope to visit sometime soon!

So, again, I pack up and move. This time, I had slightly more notice. A whole 3 weeks to do everything again before the new program started! I succeeded in again finding a new place to stay, moving, and starting a new program all over again. #OT school take two.


Meg

Charleston!

On Friday, May 15th I made the move to beautiful Charleston, SC! (Fun Fact: I was actually born here in Chucktown, so maybe it's more like I'm coming home for the first time.) As many of you know, I was accepted into the Medical University of South Carolina's Occupational Therapy program! I am thrilled to be a part of this amazing program and not to mention to now live in this extraordinary city!

A couple weeks before graduating Meredith College on May 9th, I still had no idea where I would be or what I would do after I graduate. Fortunately, on April 29th I got the email from MUSC notifying me of my acceptance! I had to reread it twice to make sure it was true! So, basically in about 2 weeks I finished up my last year of college and senior research thesis, graduated, and moved to a different state on top of all the other things going on in life!  Needless to say, it was a positive stressful time.

For all of you that have heard how busy life is in grad school, it is no joke. I had no idea how different graduate school is from undergrad. I have much higher expectations in class and a much much larger course load. Anatomy is about to be the death of me.

Milano!

One of my favorite things about traveling is the ability to just pick up and go!

With my trip to Milan, I did just that!

I decided last minute and booked my train ticket the night before visiting Milano. Fortunately, my host family's oldest daughter goes to university in Milan and I was able to stay with her for the weekend. During the day, I explored the big city, saw all the beautiful shops, and of course ate some delicious food along the way. 

Duomo di Milano

This cathedral was one of the most elaborate that I saw while in Italy!

Made a couple friends while wondering

Very thankful Camilla allowed me to stay with her!

An artist I bought a painting from (I have no idea why the guy who took the picture put his hat on me haha)

This mall had a lot of floors to see and a ton of well-known brands!

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II; one of the oldest malls in the world

Ciao!
Meg

Bologna!

I loved Bologna! I would highly recommend going to any food lovers coming to Italy! 

Touring a factory where Parmigiana Reggiano is made!  

Lunch and wine tasting with my tour group at Corte d'Aibo!

Yum! Parmesan! 

Touring where prosciutto is made!

View from the Asinelli Tower, one of the symbolic Le Due Torri of Bologna

Basilica di San Petronio 

Prosciutto 

Cooking class!

Learning how to make pasta!

The pasta we made!

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers 

Cappellacci stuffed with Butternut Squash with Butter and Sage 

Tagliatelle with Porcini, Marsala, and Mascarpone 

Bolognese Ragu

Ricotta Mascarpone Mousse

Learning how Parmigiano Reggiano is made

Learning how aceto balsamico is made

I felt this blog post was best depicted in pictures; a picture is worth a thousand words they say!
Meg

Poland

My trip to Poland was a very educational and eye-opening experience. I had the opportunity to join the Auschwitz Jewish Center Study Program for Students Abroad and spent four days in Poland learning about the Holocaust. 

Due to the sensitive nature of the photographs, I chose not to post many from the Auschwitz concentration camps.

Just so you know, Poland is cold this time a year! The whole time we were there the weather was cold, gloomy, and a little rainy. 

Kraków, Poland

I am very thankful I took the opportunity to go to Poland. Before arriving, I knew next to nothing about Poland, the Jewish community there, or typical foods. I believe food is a big part in every culture I know of. It seems to me just about every country has its own typical foods. On the first night, we went to a traditional Polish restaurant and tried different types of pierogi which are similar to dumplings and they were delicious! Another food I tried was called zapiekanki or also referred to as “drunk bread”. It was also great! Zapiekanki is like a long toasted half of a sub with whatever toppings you want on it. 

Pierogi

Zapiekanki

 On Friday, we toured Kazimierz, many synagogues, and the former Jewish ghetto in Kraków. 

Some of our group in Kraków

Lunch was at this little place called Bagelmama and I would recommend this spot for some good bagels! 

Later in the afternoon, after touring the Jewish synagogues, we heard a lady from Righteous Among the Nations give her testimony at Klezmer-Hois. 

The whole group with Mirosława Gruszczyńska

That night, we went to a Shabbat service at a local synagogue. I'm glad I got to experience that for the first time because it was different than from what I expected. After the service, we ate dinner at the JCC (Jewish Community Center).

Dinner at JCC

Saturday, we took a tour of the Auschwitz Jewish Center before heading to Auschwitz I.

Group at Auschwitz Jewish Center

There is a lot to say about what I learned at the concentration camps, but I don't feel online is the best place for me to share this information. I did take a lot of pictures while visiting the camps and if  anybody is interested in hearing what I learned about Auschwitz feel free to contact me. Here is the website for those who are interested in learning more http://en.auschwitz.org/h/

Auschwitz I

It says in German "ARBEIT MACHT FREI" which means "Work makes you free".

On Sunday, we toured Auschwitz-Birkenau before heading back to Kraków. Keep in mind, many individuals died during the Holocaust at these concentration camps.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

I greatly value the new knowledge and experience that this trip gave me because I now possess a greater understanding of the Holocaust and Jewish culture. I hope my generation and future generations continue to be educated about this to hopefully prevent anything like the Holocaust from occurring again in the future.  

Grazie per la lettura,

Meg

Pompeii and Capri

Hello All,

Pompeii was a very humbling sight to see. If you haven't heard about this archeological site, I encourage you to check out this link and read about the History of Pompeii.

A view of the ruins of Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius in the background

A child frozen in time by the ashes and heat

It really doesn't seem right to smile in such a solemn city...

After exploring Pompeii, we spent the night in Sorrento before heading on the boat to Capri. I didn't get a chance to see the Amalfi Coast, but I hope to go back one day to experience it!

Ahhhhh Capri!

What a gorgeous place to visit! Capri/Anacapri is an Italian island off of Napoli's coast and is a popular VIP holiday location consumed by tourism. The prices are inflated on this spectacular island, but the views are worth it.
One of the most popular touristy sites we visited in Capri was the Blue Grotto. There is virtually no sunlight in this unique cave and yet, the water shines a bright blue. My camera really did not do the Blue Grotto justice. To get into the cave, you must get on this tiny little canoe-like boat with one other person and lay back as the guide pulls the boat under the narrow opening to avoid getting your head smashed against the rock.

Inside the Blue Grotto with view of the tiny entrance into the cave

With the flash on, you really can't tell the water is glowing.

Terrible picture, but it better depicts the glow.

Lido del Faro

In Anacapri, we went up to Monte Solaro via chairlift to see the breathtaking view over the island. As we hiked back down the mountain, we came across a trail and I insisted we explore to see where the path led. I am sure glad we did! We came across this small monastery and were greeted by several friendly monks who offered to show us the view from the back of the monastery. Wow just wow! It is situations like these that fuel my passion for travel! I remain grateful that they allowed us into their home and conversed with us, not many people get that opportunity.

The view from the monastery with the Faraglioni in the background

One evening in Capri, I decided to do some exploring off on my own, and I went to the lighthouse on Anacapri called Lido del Faro. I would highly recommend anyone wanting to watch a beautiful sunset to come here and enjoy the view!

Ciao,
   Meg

Venice!

I can now say I have been to Venice! 

Now, I can check riding a gondola in Venice off my bucket list!

Our gondolier, Luca! 

In Murano where most of the Venetian glass is made!

Taken from the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

There were a lot of people in Venice!

Me, Jenna, and Joanna on the Grand Canal

View from the bell tower of Palazzo San Marco

View from the bell tower

Nothing like ending my trip to Venezia with some gelato and sitting on the Grand Canal!