When in Roma!

This semester I am fortunate enough to spend it in Roma, Italia! I am very excited and will be posting much more frequently (I actually promise this time!).

I'm excited to live in Roma for a semester and be fully immersed into the culture.  It will be an adventure and I am happy to have amazing friends (both old and new) to share this adventure with!

Tonight was our first night I was able to explore the eternal city.  It is finally starting to sink in that I am here for four months.  They organized a scavenger hunt for us explore (aka get lost on) the streets of Rome.

We made our way to the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and Piazza Navono among a few other piazzas and many impressive fountains.  

I had to add a picture of my first gelato on the trip.  Many more to come! 

Trevi Fountain

Fountain and Pantheon 

Just a tip, if you are ever on a scavenger hunt and want to win, download the offline Google Maps app to try and make your way around a little easier!

More orientation events coming up and Saturday we make our way to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum!

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @C_SCHULTZ19 for a more up to date adventure of my time abroad!

theSkimm

Today we are celebrating many great things.  It is October 1st, so we start a new month, it is World Ballet Day, and theSkimm Day! 

First off, I have been taking ballet classes for 16 years.  Dance has always been a passion of mine and something that I cannot give up.  Celebrate World Ballet Day today by watching some of the great companies live or just dance to some of your favorite songs!

It is also theSkimm Day!  You might ask, What is theSkimm?  Well I am here to tell you!

theSkimm is a fast 5 minute email newsletter that is delivered to your inbox every morning Monday through Friday.  It is a great way to stay up to date on the most important news with some fresh editorial content.  I can't imagine my day without theSkimm.

As a college student, I do not stay as up-to-date with current issues as I would like.  However with theSkimm, I am able to know what is happening in the world.  How much do you know about the presidential candidates?  Well theSkimm has given all the candidates a chance to be part of a Skimmguide.  

"Basically theSkimm is top news with some wit" 

Do yourself a favor and sign up here!

This article is specifically for college students but it applies to everyone.  Check it out if you need more convincing.  

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

The next series of posts will be about my time in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam this summer. 

Traveling to Vietnam, much less Asia, was not something that I expected to be doing before I graduated from college. Once the opportunity arose for me to go to Ho Chi Minh City, I knew that I had to take the opportunity. I have been out of the country many times before, but I knew that this trip would be nothing like anything I have experienced thus far. 

Traveling is freeing. Leaving everything you know and going to a new city, experiencing a new culture, learning a new language, meeting new people, and learning how to "fit in with the locals" is freeing. Even though I had wifi at the hotel, I loved being able to disconnect from technology and really connect with the other dancers I was with. We "lived in the moment" (no matter how cheesy that sounds) and enjoyed our short time in Vietnam. 

Did I take a Vespa tour around the city? Yes!  Did I try new food? Yes.  Did I meet some incredible people?  Did I learn about a new culture?  Yes.  There is no easy way to describe the number of experiences that I had but one thing is for sure, I was way out of my comfort zone. 

I had learned so much about myself because I was not comfortable. I pushed myself and realized that I am capable for much more.  

So traveling to a foregin place might not be the easiest thing for everyone.  So how can you get out of your comfort zone on an everyday basis? 

1. Put down your phones! 

So much is happening, and you can experience it if you first acknowledge it! Take the opportunity to look around you and see what else is going on. 

2. Talk to strangers. 

I know, I know.  Mom always said stay away from strangers.  However, something I learned while in Vietnam is that personal space is very Americanizd. Yes it is nice to have time to ourselves, but everyone is in their own bubble. Talk to people around you, especially when traveling. We met people from all around the world by starting conversations. 

3. Don't be afraid.

There are so many wonderful opportunites available if people would say yes.  It may be scary, but like my trip to Vietnam, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I wouldn't change for the world.  Sometimes the best things are the ones that we were once afraid to do.  

Here are some of the picturest that I took while in Vietnam. My next post will be all about Ho Chi Minh City, so look for that soon! 

What do you do to get out of your comfort zone?

Working!

I am currently working on the blog!  I have a lot of exciting things coming so check back in the next few days.  Follow me on Instagram for the latest things happening!  Great posts coming about Vietnam!

South Beath Miami Culinary Food Tours

One of my favorite things my family did while in Florida was the South Beach Miami Culinary Food Tours. I didn't know what to expect when my mom told me she signed us up. 

Surprisingly, it was so much fun!  The tour lasted 2.5 hours and took us to 6 different restaurants.  I didn't know how much food we would be getting, there were 3 full sized meals, 1 flat bread sandwich, and 2 desserts!  If you don't leave full, then you didn't eat enough of what was in front of you!

We walked a little over a mile over the 2.5 hour course.  There was great commentary along the way, both historical, cultural and just interesting comments! 

Here are the 6 restaurants we went to:

Bolivar

A Colombian restaurant that served Ceviche (a seafood dish typically made from fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices) and empanadas.  Honestly, the raw fish wasn't my favorite, but I think that was more of a texture thing.  The atmosphere was great and truly felt like a South American restaurant.

Manolo

If you haven't tried a churro yet, you are missing out! A churro is crispy on the outside with a sweet and salty coating with a dulce de leche filling.  It was delicious and one of my favorite things I ate on the tour!

Larios (On the Beach)

Larios is run by the Estefan family and served my favorite main dish of the night.  With the atmosphere of old Havana, they served a Cuban classic of beef ropa vieja and sweet plantains mariquitas.  Basically, pulled pork in a barbecue-ish sauce.  Not barbecue, but similar.  That was served with plantain "chips" which were also very good.  

The Tides South Beach Hotel Restaurant

I was starting to hit a food coma here.  Everything was prepared very well, but there was a lot of food! I don't remember what I ate, but it was some sort of chicken dish.  The chocolate truffles were excellent though!

Blocks Pizza Deli

This restaurant is all-organic!  Here we had the Sun Dried Hippie Pocket, which had sun dried tomatoes, feta, baby spinach, basil pesto, and olives.  

Milani Gelateria

Delicious gelato! Traditional Italian style gelato with many flavors to choose from.  Definitely check it out.  

Has anyone else done a food tour?  I know I will be doing another one in the future!