I sat with Katie at the CinCin bar, my enormous rolling bag propped at my side, trying to find the silver lining to my increasingly frustrating situation. I had just left/been kicked out of the house I was living in after quitting my job as a nanny after only two weeks of employment, but that’s another story. I had no place to live, minimal funds, no job, and I could remember almost none of my Italian from classes only a couple years before. I was in a tight spot. Katie, on the other hand, kept telling me I would be laughing about all this soon enough, and although I was dazed, I was definitely not feeling at all jolly. We made a game plan over a cappuccino, for myself, and a pot of hot water for Katie. She has her quirks. After we... Show more

The first Friday after I had arrived in Siena for a Summer Abroad Program through UC Santa Cruz, my new friend and soon to be soul sister Allison, and I, decided we needed to get away. That first week of language classes had tired us out and we were ready to let loose and start enjoying ourselves. We had both heard of a small area to the northwest called Cinque Terre, or five lands, which was really five small cities situated along a breathtaking coastline with a hiking path connecting them. It was the perfect two day vacation we needed and on Saturday morning we took an early train out to the first city, Riomaggiore, and were immediately drawn to the startling view of calm, turquoise waters, which flickered specks of sunlight into our... Show more