I have a blog? Say WHAT?

Well, I decided to jump on the study abroad blog bandwagon and get one for myself. I have neurosed about getting one for months...why, I do not know.

If you're curious, the name of thise blog was a random idea I got over my Christmas break - Gillian, for my name (duh), and asana, which is the name of yoga poses. Yoga is an essential part of ME and my life. My practice began with my first semester as a freshman at Converse College, with an amazing professor whose knowledge of yoga as a practice and a philosophy opened me up to a bran dnew way of thinking and seeing the world. The beliefs that yga encompasses just clicked for me, and I have been hooked ever since. I practiced on and off after that semester, but yoga came back full force into my life this past fall, my first semester as a Junior and one of the most difficult, painful, and growth-provoking times I have faced. I came back to my yoga, and at least for a few minutes out of my day, I could just be. It saved me.

Still, I felt it was definitely time for change. So, what to do when you feel stuck in a rut? Head off to Europe! And here I am, studying abroad in the beautiful city of Firenze, Italia! I am insanely blessed with an infinitely strong support source in my family, and I have felt so lucky every day here that I had the ability and resources to come. It's just....breathtaking.

Ponte Vecchio

Let's rewind: My journey started in the Logan Airport on Sunday (Domenica), January 24th. I arrived in Florence after passing through Munich on Saturday afternoon, jetlagged and disoriented. I was taken to the Gran Hotel Baglioni, where API Orientation would be held until we moved into our apartments. This hotel was bellisima!

This was the ceiling of my room, which I was completely obsessed with. I just lay on the bed and stared at it, I found it somehow very relaxing :)

My first day in Firenze was, well, exhausting. We had a lovely welcome dinner - btw, arugula (rucola) is one of the best thigns about Italy. The flavor is just so intense! MMMM, che sapore!

MMM, rabbit food!

The next day began with a brief walking tour of the Centro Storico - the historical centre of the city. The entire time I kept thinking, "I can't believe I LIVE here."

We moved into our apartments - pics to come - and I just adore it. It is just wonderful beyond words to have a kitchen! And to be able to just walk outside onto the street and wander. My roommates are FAB and we are all English majors! Love it.

I just love the Italian language. It is beautiful and I can't wait to practice MOLTO!

I will warn my readers now - I am a total granola head-health food hippie. Food is my favorite topic (next to language and yoga, of course!). Making it, eating it, talking about it or looking at it, I find it to fascinate me in so many aspects. So, expect lots of talk about it! I LOVE Italian food (one might hope, no?) and am thrilled to be in such a gastronomically-focused country.

Happy First Blog Post! It's not perfect - need to learn how to upload pictures so that they don't mess with the text, so please excuse its imperfections! Life wouldn't be any fun without them, anyway.

~Ciao & Namaste~