Famous Last Words: Confessions from an exhausted college student, week 1

(Sometimes coffee is the only way I can make it through
my week; personal photo, taken by a class mate)

(Napping in the library also helps me get through
the week; personal photo, taken by me)

Week one of the semester is coming to a close for me. It’s after 2:00AM on Saturday, January 21. I’m currently at work, wishing the clock would move a little bit faster. I thought I was done with school work for the night but I just decided to try to fit in one more assignment before my shift is over.

Since this is the first week of class, we didn’t have the regular reading schedule. I had fun picking through different fables in search of inspiration for my first story though. I was a little disappointed in myself this week. I had a very difficult time sparking my creativity. I wasn’t extremely impressed with my first story. It was alright, I suppose. However, I don’t feel it ranks anywhere close to some of my best work. I was writing while at work and trying to multitask, so that could have something to do with it. That’s the typical situation for me when I work school work though. I work full time and commute, driving anywhere from 50 – 100 miles per day on average. So, I’m very rarely working on just one thing at a time.

This semester has already gotten off to a rough start for me. Initially, I was excited and proud of myself because I got a head start in Mythology and Folklore (thanks Mrs. Gibb’s for that opportunity) and I was an entire week ahead before the semester actually began. Unfortunately, I ended up coming down with bronchitis and an ear infection on Tuesday (the first official day of class because Monday was a holiday [Martin Luther King Day]). Due to my illness, I had to miss class Wednesday and Thursday and fell behind in two of my classes. I also technically “fell behind” in this class but thanks to the early start I had, I’m just “on schedule” instead of behind. I’ve been on antibiotics for 3 days now and I’m feeling a little more human again. I worked hard this afternoon to catch up on my assignments and I completed quite a bit. I believe by Tuesday next week I will be caught up in and, with any luck, ahead in all my classes. That’s how I prefer to keep it. I typically try to stay ahead by AT LEAST 3 days on all my assignments. Things aren’t quite in full swing yet, so I’m not sure how things are going to come together just yet but I think the semester will be fun once I get myself into a routine!!

Tech Tip: Embed Facebook in Blogger Post

Hello. I have never embedded a Facebook photo before, although I've used an embedding feature for other things before. I'd like to note that it can be a bit tricky to get this feature to work property. For example, I keep my profile on Facebook set completely to "private". My photos do NOT have an "embed" option. I had to share the photo to my timeline with a "public" privacy setting for this to work! I even tried to "share" my photo and make the new post "public" and that would not work either! Learn something new everyday, I suppose!! Obviously I eventually figured this out, so just for fun, I'd like to introduce you to our "fur" babies!!! =)

This is one of our "puppies", Bandit... He loves the snow and always has!!

He isn't such a "puppy" anymore though...

These two are Sam (left) and Rolo (right)...

This was my chinchilla, Kronk. Unfortunately he passed away recently. =(

These guys are Peach (top), Boozer (bottom, left), and Nugget (bottom right)...

This is our newest (and with any luck LAST) addition, Fury... He was named by an 8 year old that felt "Fury" was fitting, because he furiously attacked my sister's shoelaces when they came over.

And, last but not least, this is Oatmeal... He's a Quaker Parrot and he's hilarious! He keeps our guests entertained when we have company.

Wikipedia Trail: Galápagos Islands to the House Sparrow

(North Seymour Island; web source, Wikipedia)

1. In her introduction, a fellow Mythology and Folklore student, Kasandra Schemel talked about visiting the Galápagos Islands when she lived in Ecuador. I have always loved to travel and see beautiful places, so I thought this was a perfect opportunity to explore another area that I may want to add to my “must see” list. I learned that the official name is Archipiélago de Colón. I also read that the islands are recognized for a number of endemic species that happened to be studied by Charles Darwin and subsequently contributed to the creation of Darwin’s theory of evolution! This was of particular interest to me, as I started my college “career” as a biology student and even now, as a biological anthropology student, my studies are pretty grounded in biology. So, I chose to click on “endemic species” and jump over to the Wiki page about “endemism”.

2. An endemic creature is one that is unique to a specific location or habitat type. If a species can be found in multiple habitats or geographic area, it is not considered endemic. Endemic animals are also known as precinctive animals. I then chose to explore the opposite of endemism.

3. Cosmopolitan distribution refers to a group of organisms that can be found across all or most of the world, within appropriate habitats. Cosmopolitan distribution can be applied to a species or a subspecies and many factors, such as temporal variations may be taken into account when considering whether a species falls within this definition or not. Next, I chose to jump over and learn about a specific species that falls within cosmopolitan distribution; house sparrow.

4. You are more than likely familiar with this species. The house sparrow is a very common bird seen all over the world. I know I have seen sparrows quite frequently in different parts of Oklahoma (although I can't be 100% certain that I've ever actually seen the "house" sparrow subspecies). I learned that the males are typically a bit more colorful, as are the younger birds in the species (fun fact, that’s a pattern I’ve noticed among a good portion of the birds around the world)! Another not so surprising fact about these birds is that one of its major predators is the domestic cat. Something that may be slightly more shocking though, is that there are other predatory birds out there that have deemed the house sparrow as valuable prey. 

(Male house sparrow; web source, Wikipedia)

Growth Mindset

I have never heard of the growth mindset before but I really like the idea and I feel like I've always held this thought process. Why wouldn't we want to encourage people to think in a way that elicits growth? That's what the growth mindset is all about, in my opinion; thinking in a way that encourages personal cultivation as opposed to promoting stagnant progression. My reaction to the growth mindset is pretty positive. I'll use a personal example to better explain my point of view. 

I did competitive gymnastics for about 10 or 11 years when I was younger. Quite often at a competition, they would give out ribbons up to 15th or 20th place. Depending on the event, 1st place would get a gold medal or blue ribbon, 2nd place received a silver medal or red ribbon, and 3rd place was awarded with a bronze medal or yellow ribbon. Then depending on the venue, 4th place might have received a pink or purple ribbon or some other color they chose to give out. Often, 4th place and up would receive a rainbow colored ribbon. I always felt disappointed in myself when I would receive those ribbons - Well, okay, if I'm being honest here, I was slightly disappointed with anything less than a gold medal or blue ribbon. If I placed lower than 5th though, I didn't feel worthy of an award. The reason I felt that way was because I knew that I was capable of better. 

I do want to clarify here that I feel this mindset should be adjusted accordingly for the individual. If a child has struggled really hard in a certain area in the past and they make an improvement, that should definitely be celebrated. I just personally feel that we encourage mediocrity by doling out awards for just showing up and filling a spot. We should encourage greatness on an individual level for everyone; child, teenager, adult, etc. I'll go further even, to say that we should expect greatness from our children, family members, and friends (meaning that we expect them to live up to their own full potential). We should explain to our children how proud a big accomplishment that took hard work to achieve can make them feel. Why should we sugar coat it when our loved ones fail (I can't reiterate enough that when I say fail, I mean that they have not lived up to their own full potential). Why is it a faux pas to tell them they didn't do their best and encourage them to try harder next time? I for one would rather be told the full truth than to be told an altered version of it that someone thinks will make me feel better. When I was in gymnastics, for example, I used to get angry when my parents would tell me "You did your best and that's what matters." when I knew I hadn't done my best.

Recently I've heard stories about "participation" awards. I'm going to be very frank here and say that I believe these awards are ridiculous. Even as a child, I understood that they meant nothing except to send the message, "Here's an award. Please don't be sad that you didn't win". The very definition of award negates the idea of a participation award. "award: (noun) something that is conferred or bestowed especially on the basis of merit or need. (Merriam-Webster)" I honestly believe no good will come from giving out these "awards" because they eliminate an incentive for working hard to achieve a goal.

Overall, I strongly agree with the idea of keeping a growth mindset. I see no reason not to think this way and behave in a way that reflects a desire for ultimate personal greatness. I think we should encourage our children and everyone around us to think the same way in anyway we possibly can. I feel like I did a pretty good job of this already, even before I knew what the "growth mindset" was. For instance, there have been semesters where I was told a particular teacher was a "sure A" and I took a different section, because I wanted to actually challenge myself to learn. I really wish more people would maintain this mentality and challenge themselves and others. Just imagine what kind of place this world could be if everyone strove to be the very best version of themselves. 

As I was writing this post an episode of Spongebob SquarePants came to mind (yes, I am almost 27 years old and I still watch SpongeBob). Patrick Star, Spongebob's best friend accidentally received an award that was meant for Spongbob but he didn't realize it wasn't for him. Once Patrick found out the award was for SpongeBob, he was very disappointed and decided to start copying everything SpongBob did in order to win an award. Eventually, SpongeBob tires of Patrick trying to imitate everything he was doing and encouraged Patrick to be himself, instead of copying someone else. Although what Patrick figures out he is best at is "doing nothing", I think the message applies very well here. The idea of the growth mindset is to strive to be the best possible version of ourselves by pushing our boundaries and reaching beyond our comfort zone. 

(Outstanding achievement in achievement; web source, ifunny)

Time Strategies; My planner obsession!

Time management is a struggle I think most people understand. Whether it is for day to day life or a specific project, I bet everyone reading this has struggled with feeling like they didn't have sufficient time to complete a task at one time or another. There are so many elements that go into poor time management. Some people, for example, have no motivation to start a project. Others may have no idea where to start. Some people have a poor concept of time, feel like they have "plenty of time" to finish a task, and end up rushing to complete it before their deadline. 

For me, time management is a struggle because I have such a busy schedule that it often feels like I don't have enough time in my days or weeks to complete everything I set out to do (often because I literally don't have enough time). I work full time and I'm a full time student. I live in Tuttle and commute to Norman for school and to downtown Oklahoma City for work. I work 10 hour shifts, with an 8 days working and 6 days off schedule and I usually have classes 5 days a week. My husband and I are also currently in the process of buying a house, so now I've got to find time to pack and take care of all the details involved with that (there are a lot! Lol). So, my lifestyle demands a very meticulous schedule to keep everything sorted out. The only way I can survive my week is by laying out my week in a very detailed fashion so I know exactly what I need to do when! I'm kind of a craft junkie and I fell in love with fancy planners a while ago, so I started combining the two. I customize my planner and do a bit of scrap book decorating throughout to make it fun and give myself a reason to want to open it every day (photo example below)! My favorite is the Erin Condren planner (check out these products, here). They are a bit pricey but I think my sanity is worth the price. :) There are also other cheaper versions if you're on a more strict budget. The cheaper, very similar version to the Erin Condren that I really like is the Happy Planner or create 365 Planner (check out these products, here). What I really like about both of these planners is that they're very customizable, so it is really easy to make them perfect for your own needs. I break down my planner into "reading", "homework", & "studying / review" and I write exactly what I need to do for an assignment. For example, I may write "Sam Noble Museum write-up; complete rough draft". Then, I don't mark off the assignment until I am 100% done with it or have made a choice to move the work to another day and noted it down. I also put any due dates on the monthly overview for double assurance that I don't miss anything! Finally, I color code my planner. Each subject has it's own color and I highlight anything for a certain class in its specified color and test days are blocked in red as well! I have misplaced my planner in the past and joked about my entire life depending on finding it. 

(Personal photo; Scrap book create 365 planner, taken by me)

This morning I read "The Psychology of Checklists" (check it out, here), by Lauren Marchese. I chose this article, because I use checklists very often to help organize things in my life and I thought it would be interesting. Occasionally my planner will even have layers within a page. I have sticky notes that are sized proportionally to fit the squares in my planner so, sometimes when I have too many things to do in one day I will use them with, you guessed it... CHECK LISTS!! I can't honestly say that I got any new ideas from this article but I'm okay with that, because I have a pretty solid grasp of how to manage my time at this point. It did however, give me some insight into what chemical processes are going on that make my methods for time management a success. People often ask me how I manage my hectic life and I tell them that diligent organization is my secret! 

For this class in particular, I think I will use the same organization that I've been using for a while now (described above), because it is what works for me. I really like that our weekly assignments are laid out in a very specific manner, because that makes it easy for me to break down my daily work and keep up with the course work. 

Reading Options

For the week 2 reading, the first unit that jumped out at me was Aesop's Fables (Jacobs). Mainly because I had seen several of them when I was searching for a good piece to base my story on this week and I liked several of them but couldn't think of a good story right off of the top of my head to write, so I passed over them. Before this week, I hadn't heard of these stories but I enjoyed reading them and would like to read more. The stories don't particularly interest me because of any connections to art that I enjoy. I think with most of these stories, my attraction is to the animal aspects involved in them. As previously stated, I'm a very big animal lover and I tend to connect with animals on a spiritual level a lot more than I do with human companions!

I had a slightly harder time choosing a second unit of interest for week two, because I don't care much for biblical stories and I wanted to find something that was different for my second unit (I didn't want to choose both Aesop's Fables, for instance). I decided to use the "Types of Units" section to help me figure out what second unit I'd like to explore. I thought the idea of a continuous story might be fun, because it's more like reading a slightly longer book, instead of many short tales. I think I may have an easier time remembering things about a longer story than remembering any details about several short stories. I found Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche interesting, so I think that will be the unit I use for my week 3 reading. I have never seen this material before but it is similar to many books I've enjoyed in the past and movies I like to watch. The stories seem to have some mystery mixed in as well as romance. I think this will be fitting for me as a romance and fantasy fan.

(Psyche revived by Cupid's kiss; online source, musee)

For week 9 and 10, I picked Eskimo Folk Tales. I think I'll find this unit challenging but I also believe I'll enjoy it. I chose it, because the stories within this unit seem like something different than anything else I'm familiar with. I've learned a lot about Christian tales and a fair amount of Native American tales in the past but I haven't really heard any for Inuit peoples. The writing styles seem similar to those I've seen in Native American stories but also different in a way I can't quite explain. In doing research for other classes, I have learned much about Native tribes and their beliefs and traditions. I'm fascinated by some of the shaman stories I've read most of all and I'd like to see what comparisons can be made between those I know and these unexplored ritual accounts.

(Tupilak; web source, sacred-texts)

Also from week 9 and 10, I decided that Native American Marriage Tales would be of interest to me. As I said above, I've read much about Native American traditions and I really enjoyed learning about a very different culture than my own. Most of what I've learned however, was spiritually based. One tradition that I've been intrigued by ever since I read about it is that of the beardache in certain tribes. From what I recall, these are men that are spiritually guided to act the part of women; cooking, making jewelry, etc. I have not on the other hand, read much about marriage traditions so I think it will be interesting to read these stories. 

(Stairway of dreams; Web source, josephinewall)

Storybook favorites; The Brother's Grimm, Alice's Journey, & Mermaid CSI

I had a hard time just picking three storybooks, because a lot of them seem very creative, just from the titles. I wanted to pick out three that I felt would be personally intriguing to me; something I’d like to read for pleasure and not just because I have to for an assignment. I think this class gives us a lot of leeway to make the course our own personal experience and I'm going to take full advantage of that!


The first storybook that caught my eye was "The Brother's Grimm" (You can view the storybook, here). I remember doing a project in a theater appreciation class that I used a Brother's Grimm story for and I really enjoyed the story, so the title was familiar to me. So, when I saw this one, I was intrigued and wanted to check it out. I thought the title was a little vague but after reading the introduction, I think the title works. It would be difficult for the author to be more specific about the storybook in the title, since he/she used several different stories instead of one continuous storyline. The author did a terrific job of encouraging interest in the storybook through the introduction. I really love the idea of bringing in surprise characters from other well known stories to add some mystery to the tales. Honestly, I just like the idea of the storybook presented in this one more than any particular style used in the intro. The overall physical layout of this one is very plain in my opinion. I think I would like to use a little more creativity in the physical design of my storybook. I do however like how the stories are in a straight forward list off to the side. It is obvious which one was intended to be below the intro, which is below that, and so on. I liked the picture below for one of the stories because I feel like the artist was very creative with the expressions on the animals' faces and how he / she showed that the goats were shocked and / or afraid and trying to get away from the wolf.




(The wolf and the seven young kids, novatale)

Another one that caught my eye was "Alice's Journey...Through social media?" (You can view the storybook, here). I never really read the stories, but I'm a big fan of the Alice movies, so the title was familiar to me. I really like how this storybook is more modern than most tales you will find out there. I think the title was very fitting for the storybook. As I read the introduction, it was exactly what I was expecting from the title. I really love the creativity put into this one. The white rabbit's social media post was hilarious to me.


(The rabbit's rude post; web source, simitator)

I enjoyed how the story is told from a first person point of view, rather than the typical 3rd person style of writing used in many fairytales. I also like the brightness of the page itself on this one. I think the writing style throughout this storybook is a bit juvenile but I don't think that's a bad thing. Alice is supposed to be a young girl and I think her story would be told in this way, rather than a more mature fashion. I think the page is well organized and it is very easy to navigate. I really like how this storybook was a continuous story with the same characters and I think I would likely do something similar for my storybook.


Finally, although the title wasn't familiar to me, "Mermaid-- CSI" (You can view the storybook, here) caught my attention. When I was a child, I loved the Little Mermaid. It was one of my favorite shows and I have always really liked the idea of mermaids. I'm also working towards a career in CSI, so when I saw this title I thought "I have to check this out!" I'm not sure what, if any, story this is based off of because I can't recall reading anything of the sort before, but I really love the story line. I think the title could have been reworded a bit, because when I read it I thought the storyline was going to be about a mermaid CSI and the story would mainly be an underwater tale. The introduction did a very good job of grabbing my attention and making me want to read more. I would have liked to see a little more creativity in the page design itself. I'm not fond of the plain, one or two colored pages like this one. I really like the idea of using more intricate designs. Overall though, the page is well organized and easy to navigate, so that's a plus!

Introduction to an outgoing introvert...

Hello there,

(Personal photo; The after effects of
dental anesthesia, taken by my husband)

(Personal photo; Good hair day!!, taken by me)

(Personal photo; Fun sunglasses!!, taken by me)

(Personal photo; Oops! Failed attempt to get out of a very
messy truck filled with obstacles, taken by my husband)

This is me. My name is Chrystal Brehm. I’m a pretty introverted person, so I find bonding with people difficult at times. I tend to enjoy the solitude of losing myself in a good book or movie (mostly fantasy and romance). Some of my favorite fantasy series are Harry Potter, Divergent, the Hunger games, and Twilight. I really love any kind of book or movie that I can get emotionally involved in. The more I feel I personally know the characters, the better. I love a book (or movie) that makes me hate the writer (LOL), because it feels like real life when things don’t go exactly how you’d like them to in your fantasy world. I’m also very musically grounded. I listen to a wide variety of music, but my favorite is classic rock. My all time favorite band is Blue October (check them out, here)! I've had the pleasure of meeting them on multiple occasions and they're incredibly nice and down to earth in person too!!

(Purchased photo; Meeting Blue October, Taken at Brady Theater in Denton, Texas)

I also love Metallica, the Offspring, Nickleback, & a lot of others! I’m a huge animal lover and my family likes to call me Elly May sometimes. We have several pets and we also foster kittens from time to time. Plus my husband and I work with several rescue groups to help get animals adopted.

(Personal photo; Our dogs, taken by me)

(Personal photo; 3 of our cats, taken by me)

(Personal photo; Our youngest cat [foster "fail", also seen below], taken by my husband)

(Personal photo; Some of our previous
foster kittens, taken by me)

I’m almost 27 years old and I’ve been married to the love of my life for over 6 years (we have been together for over 10 years)! I have an almost 11 year old step son named Hayden and I’m blessed to have a good relationship with his mom (my husband’s ex wife). We all get along really well and we often have gatherings together, such as Hayden’s birthday celebrations. My husband and I are currently in the process of buying our first house, which is pretty exciting!! I’m the youngest of 11 children and I’m a really big family person. Holidays around my family are never a bore.

I currently work full time as a 9-1-1 dispatcher for the Oklahoma City police department. People often ask what exactly that entails, so I’ll give you a brief summary. Basically, when someone calls 9-1-1 in a crisis, I’m the voice of reason that helps to calm them and guide them through giving the most important information to help me get emergency assistance to them in a timely manner. I’m also responsible for the safety of 15+ officers’ at any given time. Its part of my job to make sure they have the pertinent information to maintain their own safety, as well as the safety of any citizens involved in a given situation. There are days where my job can be rather emotional and others where it’s very frustrating (people occasionally call 9-1-1 for silly reasons or they’re sometimes extremely disrespectful when speaking to me because they’re upset about their own situation and don’t appreciate that I’m not the cause of their hardships). Still, there are other days when my job is very rewarding. Those are the days that keep me going in my job; the days where I go home at the end of my shift and I know that I’ve made a difference in someone’s life. My job is mostly thankless but when I’m able to help someone in a way that I know has significantly impacted their life in a positive way, that’s all the thanks I really need.

I’m also a full time student, working on a double major (Biological Anthropology + Forensic Science) as well as a minor (Spanish). I would like to work as a crime scene investigator (CSI) for the department I currently work for and eventually I’d like to go on to work with the FBI as part of the evidence response team (basically the same thing as CSI, but on a national scale). I’ll graduate with my first major and my minor in spring of 2018 and as long as things go as planned, with my second major in spring of 2019. The next few years have a lot of new adventures for me and I can’t wait to experience them!

I don't believe there is much else to add about me, so I'll just leave it there!

Week 1 Story: The Hay Isn't Always Greener on the Other Side

"The Hay Isn't Always Greener on the Other Side."

(Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Web source)

Dominick Wilkerson, as a young man of 16, agreed to work as a farm hand for a poor farmer. “I can’t pay you much” stated the farmer “but I’ll do my best”. At first, the boy was grateful. He exclaimed to his mother, “I’ll bring home the weekly bread”! Soon enough however, he became frustrated with his meager restitution. On his 21st birthday, Dominick decided by the end of his next full turn around the sun, he’d be working somewhere else, making a much higher salary and the little farm would be long gone.

He began to keep his eye out for any opportunity to leave the old farm. He searched for a while, his efforts apparently in vain. Then one day, “finally!” he thought, an opportunity came. A big corporate warehouse in the next town over was searching for someone they could bring over. “In need of a strong young lad that will work very hard.” the ad read, “He should be good with his hands and not bothered by occasional dirty work in the yard.” Dominick was sure he was perfect for the job, so he set up an interview to talk with the boss.

The interview came and things seemed to go well. The boss said he was impressed and asked him to come back the next week for interview two. Dominick agreed and went straight to the farmer. “I’m quitting this job for 3 times the salary of a farmer” he said. With no notice or warning, he left the poor man with no farm hand. Too old and feeble to do much work himself, the farmer would be in quite a rough spot if he didn’t find some help.

The following week, when he returned for his interview, Dominick received some bad news. The director had decided to promote from within and cut out a position, so there was no need to hire him. Dominick returned to the old farmer, wanting to resume his job at the little man’s side. “No thank you Dominick. I have found someone else. She is grateful for the salary and occasional spare grain and most import she’s promised she won’t leave me high and dry again."

Author's note. I chose a story with a generic message that I believe is very important in live. Basically, don't depend on something that hasn't happened yet. The story "The Milkmaid and her Pail" is about a milkmaid that gets a little too ahead of herself on the way to market. She begins daydreaming about what she will do with the money she gets from selling her milk, which she is carrying on her head. As she fantasizes about snubbing another woman because of her fortune, she accidentally pours all of the milk out of her pail. The young milkmaid made a mistake that many people make on a regular basis; she allowed money to drive her actions which resulted in an unpleasant end result for her, so I found the story relatable and felt there were a lot of directions I could go with it. Honestly, who can truthfully say that money doesn't at least in some way drive their everyday thought process and actions? I doubt there are many! I chose to write about a poor farmer and his ungrateful farm hand, because I live on a farm and have been around a lot of the work that goes into farming and I have seen many people take for granted the work that goes into the upkeep of a farm. Finally, I thought a woman taking over the job Dominick threw away for a "possibility" that didn't pan out would add the ultimate humility to the story. 

Bibliography. "The Milkmaid and her Pail" in Fables of Aesop by Aesop. 

Italy: My favorite place!

In the summer of 2014, I had the privilege of visiting Italy for a study abroad program. I spent an entire month in Europe & it was probably the best summer of my life. During my time in Italy, I stayed in Rome for 3 days and got to see most of the hot tourist spots. My favorite place to visit there was the Colosseum. It was really hot inside and it took a really long time to get around to see inside but every second was worth it. The sight was breath taking! Once inside, the size really set it. It is hard to tell from pictures but inside the Colosseum is massive!

(Personal photo; Outside the Colosseum, taken by me ~ June 2014)

(Personal photo; Me inside the Colosseum, taken by me ~ June 2014)

I highly recommend visiting the Colosseum if the opportunity ever comes about! However, you should keep an eye out for those that want to trick you! For instance, someone may walk up to you in costume and "generously" offer to take a fun picture with you as a keepsake, then after taking said picture demand $25! Although the pic below turned out pretty cute, in my opinion, I was upset that I got fooled into paying so much for a silly picture. Note; you CAN and SHOULD barter the price if you take any of these photo ops!

(Personal photo; Me outside the Colosseum, taken by me ~ June 2014)

I "lived" in Arezzo for the majority of my time in the country. At first, I had a really hard time there. There are a lot of hills in Arezzo and my apartment happened to be on one of the higher hills in town and also one of the furthest from the OU Arezzo (OUA) campus. I have knee problems because I did competitive gymnastics for several years, so this was hard for me.

(Personal photo; The dreaded walk to my apartment in Arezzo, taken by me ~ June 2014)

However, by the end of the month I was in much better shape, lost over 10 lbs, and knew my way around town pretty well. The OUA "campus" was pretty small, of course. I think it only has 10 rooms or so. There was a small computer lab, a small kitchen, and several small classrooms.

(Personal photo; OUA entrance, taken by me ~ June 2014)

I even had my own little study area in town, basically at the very top of the city. There is a big park that has a concrete ledge overlooking miles of land. I spent most of my free time sitting on that ledge studying and / or just soaking in the beauty. There was a small lizard that came up and sat with me on occasion too. It was almost as if he was watching the sunset with me. :)

(Personal photo; My favorite study spot in Arezzo, taken by me ~ June 2014)

The difference in culture in the area was incredible. I was shocked by some of their customs and surprised at the lack of some customs I'm used to living in the United States! For example, I visited Florence for a day and while I was there I learned that bartering is something that is still very much acceptable. I had a lot of fun shopping and bartering for things. There was a little street market that I spent literally hours walking around trying to get the best deal possible on things I wanted to bring home as souvenirs.

I was rather disappointed that I wasn't able to visit Sicily while I was there and I definitely intend to go back and see it one day. Although the island alone is beautiful, there was one thing in particular that intrigues me about Sicily and that is a 3 story water slide that goes from one pool to another until finally, it drops you straight into the Mediterranean Sea!

(Scenic water slide in Sicily: Awol, January 2015)

I promised myself that I will eventually make the time to go to Italy again and I WILL visit Sicily. I'd like to visit different places all around the country someday and there are many other places I imagine will become favorite places. For now though, Italy takes the cake, because not only do I think it's a beautiful place to visit; I know it is from first hand experience.