Dublin, Ireland: February 1st 2015

I have decided to share my journal entries from when I was studying abroad. These entries will include things that I did while I was abroad as well as things I learned from the places I visited. This first one is from Dublin, Ireland. 

Cliffs of Moher

This past week has been a major struggle. I went to the school nurse on Monday because this past weekend I felt awful. When I went to visit the nurse the line was ridiculously long, everyone is waiting to get a physical to use the gym. After waiting for about 3 hours I got in. The nurse looked at my throat and told me I had some sort of throat infection. I asked if I had strep throat (I had been googling what it could be) and she responded “I don’t know what you have, it could be strep throat, but I don’t know. Take this medicine and if you done feel better in 3 days come back.” I left the doctor’s office feeling so helpless. When I picked up my medicine I had no idea what I was taking and couldn’t read the labels. I spent the rest of the week going to class and coming back straight to bed to get some rest. By the time Friday rolled around I felt a lot better. It has been really frustrating not knowing what was wrong, but I’m glad whatever antibiotics I took worked.

Cliffs of Moher 

We spent this past weekend in Dublin, Ireland. It was such an amazing experience! Getting there was a whole other story. I now know why the flights were so cheap, you get what you paid for. The lines waiting to board were not even lines, you board outside, and the plane felt like it was going to fall apart. Once we landed everyone clapped, it caught me off guard, but I was happy to be back on the ground. For some reason all of us thought that Ireland used the pound, so when we got there and one of us took out money we were very surprised to get Euros. Aside from the flight over, the Ireland trip was a success. We took a day tour to visit the Cliffs of Moher and other sights around Ireland. The following day we took a tour of the Guinness Factory which was so much fun!

First Guinness Beer in Ireland

Things that I have learned this week:

1. Being sick in a foreign country is difficult
2. Be prepared and bring medicine and vitamins 
3. People in Ireland are very nice
4. Brace yourself for RyanAir flights
5. Still not used to Italian Taxi Drivers
6. Everyone claps when your flight lands
7. Ireland does not use Pounds they use Euros
8. Bring flip-flops for hostel showers
9. Hostels are not as bad as movies make them out to be 
10. Ireland is beautiful 

Studying Abroad In Rome

Colosseum

       This past Spring semester I was fortunate enough to have studied abroad in Rome, Italy. Although this was not my first choice when I decided to study abroad (Paris was my first choice) I am so glad that I decided to go to Rome. It was such a great experience and I would recommend studying abroad to anyone that gets the chance to do so. It will definitely be worth any extra loans you need to take out. 

Altare della Patria: Rome in the quiet hours of the morning

         I must admit when I first got to Rome I was a little skeptical and I was definitely questioning my decision, but after having some time to reflect on this experience it has definitely been one of the most exciting things I have done so far.  I got the chance to spend four months in such an amazing and beautiful city surrounded by history. On top of that I enjoyed amazing food everyday. I mean pizza everyday?! Can it get any better than that? It got to the point that the everyone in the small pizza shop knew who I was and what I was going to order. Aside from the amazing food and beautiful scenery I met one of my best friends while I was studying abroad and learned a lot about myself. I learned how to enjoy my own company, overcome communication barriers, how to manage money, and how to deal with the unexpected.  

View of Vatican City through a Key hole

         Although I was ready to come home when it came time to leave Italy, I did not know what to expect. The first few days back in the United States felt strange. Even though I have lived here my whole life, I felt like a stranger. When I heard people around me speaking English it felt like a foreign language, I had gotten so accustomed to hearing Italian everywhere I went. As the months went by, I adjusted to life back in the United States, but when I finally adjusted I began to miss Italy. I missed the beautiful Italian language, the historic cites, the relaxed lifestyle, and the sound of the accordion everywhere I went. It was like being in a romance movie all the time! Needless to say being back at RIT and trying to do work has been a challenge. 

Sitting in front of the Spanish steps in Rome 

        I recently found this video of Rome and it perfectly captures the beauty of the city (as perfect as you can get without being there).

R O M A from Oliver Astrologo on Vimeo.

I cannot wait to go back and visit Italy!  

Lasagna Recipe

This past weekend I made some Lasagna for a couple of friends and one of them gave me the idea to create a info-graphic. So I decided to make an easy guide on how to cook lasagna and stuff your face! Enjoy! 

Old 43 Cocktail

Over this past summer my best friend and I liked to spend our time hanging out at a local restaurant/ bar called the Yard House. This place has a large beer selection, amazing food, and even better specialty cocktails. Our first time there I tried their drink called the Old 43 and it instantly became my favorite. Throughout the summer I tried a variety of their drinks, but nothing topped the Old 43. I had just recently ordered the Old Fashioned and I thought this drink was a perfect twist on that. At the end of the summer when I learned that the closest Yard House restaurant to Rochester is in New York City I knew that I would need to recreate the drink. Fortunately for me the ingredients were listed on the menu, I just needed to find the right proportions. The ingredients listed on the Yard House Menu were woodford reserve bourbon, licor 43, house citrus agave blend, orange bitters. So this past weekend I bought everything I needed (as close as I could get)  and experimented until I found the perfect combination. 

Ingredients 

Woodford Reserve Bourbon 

Licor 43

Agave 

Orange Bitters 

Orange (for Garnish) 

*Since I did not have access to their house blend agave I just used regular agave and that worked fine. 

First I muddled an orange peel and 1 teaspoon of agave. Then I added equal parts Bourbon, and Licor 43 and two splashes of orange bitters. I stirred all of ingredients together until well combined and then added ice (best thing would be to use a shaker, but unfortunately I did not have one at the time). Wait until the drink has chilled and then enjoy! 

Cheers! 

Fall Fashion Favorites

 Fall has to be my favorite season, not because of all of the pumpkin spiced flavored drinks and food (although those are amazing!), but because of the fashion. All of the flannels, boots, scarfs, hats, and red lipstick are perfect for this fall season. Over the past couple of weeks I have found my self wearing mostly solid colored clothes, mainly black with a variety of red shades. The following items have been my go to fall fashion and make up items. 

The leather jacket is from Macy's, the boots and hat are from Aldo, lip stick and lip-liner are NARS, and the scarf is a red knit scarf my mom made for me. 

Laraenna Hat: Aldo $30

I have not worn these shoes very much since I purchased them two weekends ago. I love the way they look, but they have not been the most comfortable the two times that I have worn them. I'm hoping that I just need to break them in, which has usually been the case with my past Aldo boot purchases, because I really love they way they look. They are a subtle statement piece perfect for the fall. 

Desare Boots: Aldo $140.00

I bought both the NARS lipstick and the NARS lip-liner at Sephora the same weekend I bough my Aldo boots and I have been wearing them almost daily. These colors pair perfectly to create dark red vampire inspired lips. They color is long lasting and does not leave dark lip stains on everything you drink which is great. I usually find that when I wear lipstick it ends up all over the drinking area of my water bottle and eventually all over my hands, but so far with this lipstick I have not had that problem. 

Lanikai Lip-liner & Bette Lipstick: NARS 

Pumpkin Pancakes

Since it is fall I have been enjoying everything pumpkin spiced from pumpkin spiced lattes to pumpkin bread. So in the spirit of the fall season I decided to tweak my favorite pancake recipe to make it pumpkin spiced. I made minor changes and topped the pancake with candied walnuts. These need a little longer to cook, but I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. 

Candied Walnuts

-1 cup halved walnuts

-1 tablespoon of butter

-1/4 cup brown sugar

Toss all ingredients on a medium heat skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes (make sure to keep turning them so they don't burn).  

Pumpkin Pancakes 

Makes 6-8 pancakes  | Prep time: 10 min. | Cook time: 6 min per pancake 

Dry Ingredients 

-1 cup regular white flour

-2 teaspoon (tsp) brown sugar

- 1/2 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp of baking powder

-1/4 tsp of baking soda 

-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

-1/4 teaspoon cardamom

-1/4 teaspoon allspice

-1/4 teaspoon clove 

Wet Ingredients 

-1 egg

-1/2 cup of pumpkin puree

- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter (I've also used salted)

-3/5 cup of buttermilk

-1/4 cup of milk 

Optional: candied walnuts, chocolate chips (didn't try this, but I think it would taste amazing)

Mix the dry ingredients with a whisk. Mix melted butter,egg yolk, and pumpkin puree in a separate bowl. Mix milks and egg white in a third bowl. Once they have all been mixed in separate bowls, mix all ingredients together with a whisk. Make the pancakes on a griddle on medium heat. Cook pancake until bubbly on top and golden on the bottom and then flip and cook until pancake is golden on both sides. 

Optional: Add olive oil to griddle for crispier pancakes. 

p.s. Don't forget to pair these pancakes with some mimosas! (maybe an apple cider flavored mimosa!) 

Buttermilk Pancake Recipe

One of my favorite things about Sunday mornings is having a nice brunch with some mimosas. This past weekend I invited some friends over for brunch and made this delicious pancake recipe so I've decided to share it with you. It is a simple recipe and does not take more than 10 min to prepare. Just make sure to follow the directions and not just mix all of the ingredients together at the same time or you will not get a nice stack of fluffy pancakes. Make sure to give this recipe a try with some scrambled eggs, bacon, and a refreshing guava mimosa! 

Makes 6-8 pancakes  | Prep time: 10 min. | Cook time: 4 min per pancake 

Dry Ingredients 

-1 cup regular white flour

-2 teaspoon (tsp) sugar

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp of baking powder

-1/4 tsp of baking soda 

Wet Ingredients 

-1 egg

-2 tablespoons of unsalted butter (I've also used salted)

-3/5 cup of buttermilk

-1/4 cup of milk 

Optional: chocolate chips

Mix the dry ingredients with a whisk. Mix melted butter and egg yolk in a separate bowl. Mix milks and egg white in a third bowl. Once they have all been mixed in separate bowls, mix all ingredients together with a whisk. Make the pancakes on a griddle on medium heat. Cook pancake until bubbly on top and golden on the bottom and then flip and cook until pancake is golden on both sides. 

Optional: Add olive oil to griddle for crispier pancakes.