Forza

Forza- In other words strength. This is the word I have heard continuously throughout this year. Every time I was crying because I missed home, or every time I was just to lazy to get up... this word became a habit. It became a comforting thing. My host moms would say it to wake me up in the morning but they would also say it when I was crying and all I wanted was a hug and my real mom.

In this past week, this has been the word that I have been searching for. I am trying to grasp onto the concept that I have to be strong when leaving this place. Somehow, I have yet to find that strength. Tomorrow I board a plane at 9.35 am in Milan, Italy. At 12.30 pm, I will arrive in New York City, and by 7.52 pm central time, I will be back on home turf. Or what used to be home turf I suppose. This year I have gained another home and that makes coming back to my REAL home so much more complicated. I don't know where I belong... all I know is that I have people who love me and who I love so much all over this world and if home is where the heart is.... I have about 200 homes I would assume.

Going home will be a test of my strength, just like saying bye has been this entire week. I started my goodbyes about a month ago and they seem to be never ending, and every single one gets harder and harder. All I know is that no matter how hard this is, it is apart of this experience. It is this way to make me stronger and I am going to use it to better myself.

So that is basically it, I am leaving. There isn't much more to it. Wanna know how I am feeling? Hahahha good luck because I have no idea myself. However one thing I am sure of is that I have learned a lifetime of lessons in the course of 10 months. I'll make a short list because to write it all out would crash the internet.

So here we go...

Things I have learned in 10 months:

1) You CAN choose your family. Maybe you are forced into having one "real" family, but my family seems to have grown to an enormous size. No matter if we share the same DNA, every single person I have met this year has become family.

2) The world is SUCH a big and maybe sometimes scary, but always beautiful place. I though I would be stuck in Kansas my whole life, but once I got out I realized how fortunate we are as humans to live in such a diverse and amazing place. Now I want to see the whole world.

3) If you work hard, you can make anything possible. Just look at where I am at.... that is all the explanation you need.

I think these are the 3 biggest things I have learned in this experience, but definitely not the only. I will be writing more once I get home so for now I will stop and go enjoy the last day as a foreign exchange student in the country of Italy. Thank you for your constant support in my endeavors this past year and I will see you VERY shortly America.

Much love and so much thanks,
Kari Porter

Long Live: Viva Quest'anno

Long live. Something so many people scream out at sporting events and basically everywhere when they want people to know that something will last forever. Not only is this a motto for people, but a song written by Taylor Swift. Walking home from the bus the other day, I was listening to my IPod when this song came on. I started crying. I am positive I looked like an idiot and I am positive that maybe I overreacted. However, some part of me could not let go of the lyrics. The song is originally about her band and the moments they have experienced together, like the night they sang in Madison Square Gardens and realized they had conquered it all. All of their heartache and trials brought them to these moments. Sitting thinking I realized, this song was my exchange. It was every feeling I had felt. It was this year.

I came to school today and I looked at Regan, the only words that came out of my mouth were, "I found the perfect song for this year..." and guess what she said... "It is Long Live by Taylor Swift." That is when I knew I had to write this, I had to put it down in words. How do you explain something? For me it is in music and my words and that is exactly what this song is, it is my explanation.

Here are the lyrics and then I will explain each and every piece. This song is a metaphor to everything I have been wanting to say for so long.

                                                                   "Long Live"

"I said remember this moment, in the back of my mind
The time we stood with our shaking hands
The crowds in stands went wild
We were the Kings and the Queens
And they read off our names
The night you danced like you knew our lives
Would never be the same
You held your head like a hero
On a history book page
It was the end of a decade
But the start of an age

Long live the walls we crashed through
All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you
I was screaming long live all the magic we made
And bring on all the pretenders
One day, we will be remembered

I said remember this feeling
I passed the pictures around
Of all the years that we stood there
On the side-lines wishing for right now
We are the Kings and the Queens
You traded your baseball cap for a crown
When they gave us our trophies
And we held them up for our town
And the cynics were outraged
Screaming "this is absurd"
Cause for a moment a band of thieves
In ripped up jeans got to rule the world

Long live the walls we crashed through
All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you
I was screaming long live all the magic we made
And bring on all the pretenders
I'm not afraid
Long live all the mountains we moved
I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you
I was screaming long live that look on your face
And bring on all the pretenders
One day, we will be remembered

Hold on to spinning around
Confetti falls to the ground
May these memories break our fall

Will you take a moment, promise me this
That you'll stand by me forever
But if God forbid fate should step in
And force us into a goodbye
If you have children some day
When they point to the pictures
Please tell them my name
Tell them how the crowds went wild
Tell them how I hope they shine

Long live the walls we crashed through
I had the time of my life, with you
Long, long live the walls we crashed through
All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you
I was screaming long live all the magic we made
And bring on all the pretenders
I'm not afraid
Singing, long live all the mountains we moved
I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you
And long, long live that look on your face
And bring on all the pretenders
One day, we will be remembered"

So here we go. The beginning talks about how nervous they were as they stood with "shaking hands", they read their names and they became known. This was our first day at school, our first day with eachother, and our first day of this year. We were terrified and we didn't know what was to come. We knew we had eachother but we didn't know how important these friendships would become. We didn't know that we would become a family. We would hold eachother up and become everything to eachother. All we knew is that our lives would never be the same. 

There was the one person who held their head up through it all and told us we could do this. They were our hero at the time, and that hero was constantly changing. When someone was down, someone would help. We are eachother's heroes. 

This next part to me is so important in explaining what this is to me. "It was the end of a decade but the start of an age." Everything we knew was changing and it seemed like we were losing some part of us, the part of us that was back home. What we didn't quite realize was that it was the start to the rest of our lives. The decade was sweet but the age to come will be so much sweeter because of what we have gone through together. 

On to the chorus. Long live this year. It is something we will always remember. Maybe all the lights didn't shine on us for too long, but we knew what we were doing and I think that was all the recognition we needed. When she says bring on the pretenders, to me she means all the people who thought they knew what was happening, who said they were their friends and who promised to be there though it all. We all lost friends and we all changed and maybe lost a piece of the person we used to be, but what we gained was SO much better. Our friends promised to keep in touch, and some of them did, but the ones who didn't are the people who are not significant to us anymore. I am not afraid of what is to come because I know I have all the people I need in my life and the others are just extras. And as far of us being remembered... maybe here they won't remember us and maybe 20 years down the line they won't even know our names... but WE will always remember. We will remember eachother and we will remember the memories. 

The next line she talks about passing around pictures and showing what her life used to be, showing how she got to this moment. If I had a dollar for every time that happened while we were here, I would be rich. We reflected on our pasts with eachother and told our stories. We used them as ways to understand one another better. We showed pictures, and we made it clear that we had a life back home. We all knew we maybe couldn't replace our old friends and family but we did know that we were going to gain an entire new life. We got to this moment because of our past and our family and friends back home. We will do this 20 years from now and 100 years from now, we can only hope our family will pass our pictures around and inspire other people to make this choice, to have this experience, and to change their lives like we did. 

The next line makes me laugh so much. It says, "You traded your baseball cap for a crown."  This could not remind me more of DeWayne. He came to the first Rotary dinner with a baseball hat and well quite honestly we were a little worried there for a moment. However, now he has done a 360 and is literally an entirely new person. We all are. I know that sounds so incredibly cliche, but it could nto be more true. We are 12 entirely different people. We have grown and we have matured. We make mistakes, but that is expected. We are people that we can be proud of. I traded my baseball cap in and became the person I have wanted to be for so long. I am proud oof who I have become and I can only hope that with time I will grow even more. Our crowns are diamond studded, our lives are diamond studded.

As for the cynics... maybe they weren't outraged... but I would like to think we proved them wrong. How many people thought I was crazy.. I cannot even tell you. How many people said I would be home at semester. How many people laughed at me when I told them that this was where I wanted to be. How many people thought back in October that I would be home in a second because my life seemed to be "falling apart." It is absurd. This year has been absurd and I am the first one to admit that. Maybe I am crazy, but I would not have it any other way. The cynics made this victory so much sweeter. We made it. We did it. We are here 9 months later with tears in our eyes but the biggest smile on our faces.

And the best part... My band of thieves in ripped up jeans. My best friends. My family. The poeple who will forever hold pieces of my heart. Regan, Kayleigh, Lenny, Connor, Ilsa, Esther, DeWayne, Josiane, Tianmai, Gwen, and Tessa; if only I could explain to you what you all mean to me. We are the band of thieves who ruled the world for one year. Well maybe not the whole world, but at least our own little exchange student world. I am not going to say goodbye just yet, but what I am going to say is I love you 11 people more than anything in this world. In one month we will be strung out across the world but the funny thing is, we will all still be together because nothing could tear us apart. We fight, we laugh, we cry, we fall (Kayleigh in particular), we hurt, and we grow together and nothing will change that. I don't care where in this world you put me. I will still find my way back to you. If I could put this into words... trust me I would. But guess what guys, the crazy country girl with the southern accent is at a loss for words. The girl who never shuts up... can't think of how to put it. I cannot explain to you how much I love you. I cannot even write this without crying. Each and every single one of you, no matter our differences, are a part of my family. And you, the people who get me to talk the most.... have put me, at a loss for words. I love you to Germany, I love you to Canada, and I love you to each coast of our country. Thank you for helping me grow and for making me the luckiest girl on this planet.

The dragons we have fought together have made me who I am. Our dragons were big and scary and somehow we got over them. And we did it together.

And oh the looks on our faces. Whether it is Regan making her stupid teeth face, Kayleigh rolling her eyes, Tessa making her "ugliest face" which is actually TERRIFYING for such a beautiful girl, Connor with his weird eyebrow raising, DeWayne with a huge smile, Lenny with her big eyes, Esther with her perfect cheeks and sweet smile, Ilsa with one of the most flawless faces I have ever seen, Josiane with her look of, "Oh my god, who are you.", Gwen with her disapproving mother face, and Tianmai with her why are you touching me look. The faces that are forever ingrained in my mind. The beautiful faces of the 11 beautiful people I love so very much.

And after the confetti falls and this year is over, I will forever hold on to these memories.

And here we go, the part of the song that makes me realize... this is ending.

"Will you take a moment, promise me this
That you'll stand by me forever
But if God forbid fate should step in
And force us into a goodbye
If you have children some day
When they point to the pictures
Please tell them my name
Tell them how the crowds went wild
Tell them how I hope they shine"

Fate has stepped in. We are being forced into our goodbyes in one month. But one thing I can promise you is that my children will hear every story, see every picture, and know what a year this has been. I will tell all the names, tell them the crowds went wild (even if they didn't), and I will make sure they are as every bit perfect as the people I met this year. I will take the advice everyone has given me and use it to help me grow. I will use it 50 years from now and I will use it on my death bed. These memories will be told, oh trust me they will be said a thousand times. I will stand by you all forever and I will make sure that it is never a goodbye, just a see you later. We will see eachother later, of that I am sure.

In conclusion, this is my year. These are the words I had to search to find. These are my memories, this is my heart. This year will forever be remembered. Long live these moments. Long live these memories. Long live this year.

With much love and thanks to every single wonderful person I have met,
Kari Porter.
<3 <3 <3  

This Slope is Treacherous.

Finalmente. Kari Porter is writing a blog post without being asked and although it is very late... at least I am writing. So shush to all the people shaking their heads. It is late here now, about 11pm. I am sitting in my bed with the lights out and about to sleep when I realize... I said I would write a LONG time ago and have yet to do so. In short, this is what I am doing... writing for all of you who are so easily amused by my pretty strange life. :)

So it goes like this, I haven't posted in months and quite frankly I have lost track of all that has happened in that time. I will start in March, when the family came to town!

MARCH 2013-
Who: The Family, Molly and Aunt Karen
What: Family visit
Where: Monticelli D'Ogina (repping the home town), Cremona, Milan, Venice, and Rome
When:March 15th and stayed for a week
Why: I think it is obvious... they missed me ;)
How: A plane and an awesome aunt

Here is the short version. My family arrived at Malpensa at 7 in the morning, bright and early. I had been anticipating their arrival since I stepped off the plane myself back in September. I was so excited to show them what this country was all about. That day we spent in Milan, despite the rain, jetlag, and the fact that it was a Sunday and NOTHING was open. Va beh, la vita e' cosi. Anywho, we did that then went back to my host family's house in Monticelli. We ate and had fun just talking, well maybe they had fun. I was the translator and let me tell you, it is exhausting. The next day we spent in Cremona, meeting my friends, climbing the bell tower (in the snow might I add), drinking a hot chocolate at my fave cafe, lunch with my first host family, and dinner at a pizzeria with both of them together! So that was fun. The day after that we hit up the train station and headed to Venice. We spent two days in the sun and in a pretty swanky hotel, courtesy of The Aunt Karen ;) We saw all there was to see and even roamed random streets. Ate at a resturaunt where I had a fight with the waiter in Italian over the price... he won, but I spoke Italian... so in retrospect, I actually won. Anyways, moving on. After two days in Venice we hopped on the train and headed to Rome. We did as the Romans do and ate A LOT of pizza and gelato, threw coins in the Trevy, saw the Colesseo, and of course did some shopping! Basically we did Rome in 3 days, but didn't miss a single thing. Talk about exhausting. So after those 3 days we headed back to Monticelli where we ate a DELICIOUS dinner and went to sleep. We woke up at 4 the next morning and they headed to the airport to catch their flight. I was sad to see them go but I knew I only had 3 months left. I had an amazing time and I hope to come back with the family again!

Now I will post a few photos!

 

So maybe I cried a little.

The family

The snow sucked. And no, we do not look like twins at all!

                                                                

At the top of the bell tower!

Venice!

When in Rome.

Rumor has it that this means I will return!

The host momma with the family. We raise the bar ;)

 

 

 

APRIL 2013-

April was a pretty chill month for me.. hahahah NOT! I literally was all over the place for about 2 weeks. My host parents went to visit their daugther in The US for 10 days so I was stuck here all alone. Luckily my class was going to France 3 days later, so it wasn't much of an issue. The weekend before we left for France, I stayed with my host uncle and aunt at their house. They took me to Turin, which I fell in love with. There are so many museums and the view is just stunning. Then, I went to France!

 

France- I went to France for three days with my class. We went for something called the Viaggio Della Memoria. It is to remember all of those who lost their lives during World War II in the concentration camps. It really opened my eyes to the world and truly changed my perspective on many things. The first day we took a bus from Cremona to Stratsbourg. It is funny because you have to drive through Switzerland to get to France and it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, however the Italians didn't seem to notice that we were driving through what looked like heaven. That day after SEVEN HOURS on the bus, we went to a concentration camp. The only one in France and it is located in Strasbourg. Natzweiler-Struthof is it's name and now I will post a short piece from Wikipedia telling you the background.

 

"Natzweiler-Struthof was a German concentration camp located in the Vosges Mountains close to the Alsatian village of Natzwiller (German Natzweiler) in France, and the town of Schirmeck, about 50 km south west from the city of Strasbourg.
Natzweiler-Struthof was the only concentration camp established by the Nazis on present-day French territory, though there were French-run temporary camps such as the one at Drancy. At the time, the Alsace-Lorraine area in which it was established was administered by Germany as an integral part of the German Reich." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natzweiler-Struthof

So we went there and saw how the camp used to run and things of that matter. It was something I will never forget in that it truly changed my life. Seeing how poorly these people were treated has showed me that racism is so extreme and so unnecessary. Okay, enough of the depressing stuff. That night we went to the hotel and of course my class insisted on going out to get beers, that of which I did not partake in, and of course who took them out? The teachers. The things that are normal here are things that could get us arrested in the US and I love seeing the differences! The next day we went to a museum and memorial for all the victims of the concentration camp and it was truly eye-opening. That night was the night of the Boston Marathon bombings and it just put these things even more in perspective. I can truly say my life was changed from that trip. That night we went into the center of Strasbourg as well. The cathedral there is unlike anything I have ever seen and I instantly fell in love. The next day was our last day and I was one of the very few people who was allowed to go into The European Parliament. We had the chance to speak to 3 representatives of the Parliament and it was truly amazing to see. That night we went home and I could not have been more tired at that point!

Now for some pictures!

This is what our bus ride through Switzerland looked like.

The BEST class I could have ever asked for. I love them and I am not sure how I will be able to say goodbye in July.

The memorial at the camp for all the victims.

A guard tower.

One of the rooms in the "prison"

In the crematorium.

The entrance to the camp.

:)

My 3 favorite Italian girls <3

The cathedral in Strasbourg. This was as night so you can't see how extremely breathtaking it actually was.

The European Parliament.

The cathedral during the day.

 

 

MAY:

Oh my gosh... it is already May. Actually May is almost over. Therefore I have less than a month and a half left in this amazing, lifechanging experience. So far this month has been a little hectic. I have been studying like crazy for the ACT and at this point I am content with the fact that it is going to be bad. No matter how hard I try to study, I just remember, I only have a month and a half left and no one wants to spend their time sitting at home, studying. Mom, this is a heads up that I may not get a very good score. I guess we will find out!

 

In this month I feel like I have had such a great experience. Knowing we are leaving soon, we have been living like we were dying. In a sense, a part of us is. This exchange has become such an insanely important experience in my life. It has made me who I am today and taught me more than I could have ever learned had I never had come. I am so very grateful, each and every day for these opportunities and it is still hard for me to grasp the realization that it is ending. We are on the steep downhill and I am scared out of my mind for what is at the end. I know that from here it can only get better but I also know that it won't be easy. I will have to readjust to my ife back home, catch up with my friends who I haven't seen in a year, and make a whole new life for myself because of how much I have changed. However, I am ready. I am ready to take on the world and I will not be going down without a very strong fight.

 

Back to this month. I have been to Tuscany twice in the past month and took the typical Leaning Tower of Pisa photo. I have become even closer to my host family, which includes bickering like they were my real parents. I have been to the sea, eaten too much pizza for my own good, and downed half a gelato shop. This month has been the month that I have given up the hope of a "bikini body" and said, "whatever". I have a month left and I am not letting anything stop me from making it the best month of my life. I have spent every waking moment with friends and family here, almost like when I left for exchange. I have improved my Italian, hung out with random people, and laughed more than I ever have in my entire life. I am counting my blessings and making as many memories while I still can. I have vowed to spend more time out with friends and watching movies with my host family than sitting on Facebook and Skyping home. Italy is my life for the next month and as much as I love you all back home, you may not be hearing much from me until I step off that plane in KCI Airport in July.

 

I will post a few pictures from this month before I go, but this may be one of my last blog posts until my exchange has come to a close. One of the many lasts that I hate, but then again, Everything good must come to an end.

 

Now for a few pictures!

 

Host parents anniversary in Tuscany!

The sunset was beautiful.

And of course I had to eat gelato.

Look who I saw! Karrin from Kansas ;)

Priceless.

I love this woman so much. She is my second mother and someone I look "up" to very much, despite the height difference.

MY SISTER! :) My host parents first host daughter and someone who has become a sister to me. Love you Lenny!

I saw a swan and I wanted to take a picture. Sorry guys :) This was the day I went to Lago D'Iseo with my host family and Lenny!

The best host dad a girl could ever ask for <3

Awkward picture of me... but this is my body guard. He is a good friend of my host parents and a club bouncer and well I love him.

Like mother like daughters ;)

I looked tan and a little crazy in this picture. However I kinda like it a lot.

Sister love on the beach in Tuscany.

I got the ultimate photo! Pisa swag.

Never again will I be able to eat Italian food in Amuurica. Nothing compares.

Oh hey Rotary!

The fam, minus Cecilia. Once June rolls around, these two adults better brace themselves. :)

 

 

So there you go, that is that. One of my very last blog posts while I am still here in this beautiful country. I don't know how I am going to be able to say goodbye to all these amazing people and I will definitely be leaving pieces of my heart all over the world. I am scared and sad to go, but I also cannot wait to get home to my normal life. This year has been a dream and I still am unsure if I am even awake. I have had to pinch myself thousands of times in the past year and I know it will be something that may never seem real to me. How can one sum up an experience like this. How can I explain to someone how much it meant if I cannot even explain it to myself. Maybe one day I will find a way to tell you all what this year really was for me, but then again maybe I won't ever know myself. All I know is I have grown into someone I can be proud of, I have broken down barriers, changed my viewpoints, grown up, and most importantly had the time of my life. I will post again before I leave to try and sum this whole year up but I promise you, it will never be easy. Here's to the next month and the rest of my life. To all the ups and downs. To every smile and to every laugh. To every piece of my heart that has been spread across the world. To my friends in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, and Austrailia. Here's to this year.

 

Love and best wishes from the girl who's life has been forever changed,

 

Kari Porter. 

 





Rush to Finish With Style.

So, guess what.... I haven't posted in FOREVER. And you are all mad, I am sure ;) And I apologize. Let me just say that life has been INSANE lately. Trying to get stuff in before the end of this year and starting to figure stuff out for when I return home is stressful. I have started doing summer homework and studying for the ACT, so it always feels like I have things to get done. Not that I am making excuses, I have just been insanely busy. I am sorry though and I will be updating VERY soon with pictures and lots of things to say! So much has happened since my last post and I have a lot to talk about! But until I find the time to do that, here is something to keep you entertained.

I had to write a short reflection on my exchange and this experience as a whole for my school, so here it is! And again I will be posting within the next week with LOTS of pics and stories! PROMISE!

................................................................................................................................................<3

           My name is Kari Porter and I am from Kansas, USA. I am 17 years old and have lived in Kansas my entire life. Almost two years ago I decided to do this exchange, and it was the best decision of my life. I knew that I wanted to come to Europe but I was unsure at the time which country. Eventually I chose Italy and I could not be happier for that. I am here on exchange with Rotary Youth Exchange International. I found out about this experience through my school in America. I came here to study Italian as well as experience the culture. I have been living here for 8 months and will return home in July, so in total I will have spent 10 months away from home. It seemed impossible to make it this far 8 months ago, but now that I am here at this point, I cannot believe how fast it went.

            I chose Italy because of the culture, the food, the language, and the opportunities to experience everything. While here I have seen many other parts of Italy as well as Europe. I have been to Milan a few times, Rome, Toscana, Venice, Verona, Cinque Terre, Lago di Garda, and many other small cities throughout Northern Italy. I have also been to London and Bath, England, as well as Strasbourg, France. I feel very lucky to have experienced these trips and to have seen so much of this beautiful country and continent.

            The thing I have liked the most about this experience is meeting new people. I have made so many lifelong friends from all over the world. I have made Italian friends who I plan to come back and visit as well. I am not sure how I will be able to leave in July because I know I will be leaving behind so many great people. My host families have become like second families to me and I feel extremely close to them, as I would my own family. My class is school has been amazing and I will miss them so much. I have also had the chance to meet other exchange students throughout Italy and they have become my family. Overall, the people I have met have made this experience what it was. There are so many beautiful people in the world and the fact that I had the chance to experience all of this is truly incredible.

My exchange is so difficult to explain to others because it is difficult to explain to myself. I cannot grasp how much this whole experience has meant to me. It is such a major part in my life and it seems impossible that it has almost ended. To think that in 2 months I will be going home is not only terrifying, but impossible to imagine. These past 8 months have gone by so quickly and I am so scared to go home and attempt to figure out how to live normally again. This exchange has taught me to take care of myself and be responsible for my actions. It has taught me that this world is bigger than just small town Kansas. Most importantly, it has given me the confidence to be who I want. I don’t need other people telling me how to live my life, because now I know what I want for myself. This experience has been incredible and I can truly say it has changed my life. Thank you to everyone who has made this year what it was. This is a year I will never forget.

Kari Porter 4F

.....................................................................................................................................................<3

Thank you for reading and keep checking in for more updates!

Much love, Kari Porter

Pensieri di mezzanotte

Yes, it is midnight. And yes I am going to school tomorrow. But as a person who wants to be a writer, I can't fight the urge to write when ideas are storming through my head. And yes this post may have absolutely no point to any of you, and yes I should probably make another blog for all my rambling posts, but this is exchange and it is my life and this is how I define my life... In writing.

Writing, a truly amazing thing and something I feel so priveleged to have a talent in. Maybe everything I write isn't beautiful and they are full of grammatical errors, but I was gifted with the knowledge, that I have the power to write whatever comes to mind. And I was gifted by our founding fathers with the right to speak my feelings.

Many people see these as downfalls in Americans. Our uncanning ability to say what we feel. But I have always been taught to never leave something unsaid. The words unsaid are the ones that you will regret the most in life. And I believe this to be true.

Blessings, something so evident in my life at this moment. I am blessed beyond words. And I know I am so painfully redundant when I say this, but how can I not be? Look at where I am and how I got here. I am one of the most blessed people on this planet. I was blessed with a Mother, who has taught me to love unconditionally and to never give up. A Father, who has always taught me to speak my mind and choose to see the light in all the darkness. Two Beautiful Sisters, who have taught me what it means to have family and have never failed to be there for me when I needed them, no matter the price. Exchange, that has taught me that there is no impossible. Everything can be achieved and the adversity and the strife only make the victory that much sweeter. Friends, who have shown me that flaws do not define me and who I will become but only make me stronger, and who have held me up when my world seemed to be crashing.

Life, the scariest thing in life, is life itself. We are scared to know when we will take our last breath. We are scared to lose the things and people we hold dearest in our lives. But the most important thing about life that people so rarely remember is it is a privelege. I am priveleged to be breathing at this very moment. And I am priveleged to live the life I do. And it is always worse for someone else. But sometimes we forget these things. We get so wrapped up in something that we forget the simple beauties and priveleges of this life. I am as guilty as ever. But one thing this year has taught me is to never take a single moment forgranted. I will never get back the first time I saw the ocean, I will never get back the last time I heard a dear friend laugh, I will never get back the feeling of sitting on my dads' shoulders knowing he could stop any monster from getting me. I will never get these things back, but yet I still focus so much on the future and forget to live for now. What I would give to hear my mom singing a lullaby to me, or to push my little sister in a swing even though I wasn't much bigger than her. Or that feeling of waking up on Christmas knowing Santa had come. So many things that seem so ordinary... but I will never have those moments again in my life.

So what this year has taught me, and the moral of the story is this... Life is filled with blessings that we take forgranted. And try as we might we cannot live for now. We always have to be ahead. I guess the reason I am writing is to say, I am deciding right now to live for now. To remember how blessed I am and to never look back.

I apologize if this made no sense to anyone. I really don't expect my rambling to have any sense even to myself, but when I am laying in bed and my mind is racing, I know I have to write. Whether it has sense or not, I have to write. So thanks for reading.

Much love, Kari <3

England is Calling

ENGLAND, Inghliterra, Great Britain, The UK, Home of the Queen, Land of the most beautiful Prince, The place to keep calm and carry on, One Direction central, that place with that one tower, inventor of tea and crumpets, and so many more.

Call it what you want, but what I have come to know this beautiful country as is, the place where I made memories I will never forget. This past week I went with my school on a trip to England. And let me tell you, it is unlike any place in the world. It is such a mixture of America and Europe and I have never felt so close, yet so far from home. Being there made me realize what this year is. A chance to get away from everything that seemed so normal, but at the same time, keep a little of who I was and use it to better myself into the person I want to become.

I have fallen in love with this country in the short week I spent there. I made memories that will last a lifetime and became closer to some Italians and my lovely American friends (if that is even possible, seeing as we are closer than most families are.) When the week was over, I was so sad to go, because I knew I wouldn't get these moments back. I don't think people truly understand how precious life is until they experience the moments that cannot be repeated. I will never get the satisfactory feeling of seeing Starbucks after 6 months back. I will never walk down the streets of London again with Italians who I have become close to. I will never roam the streets of Bath, purposefully trying to waste time. These things will never happen again. And it scares me to think of all the moments I will lose when I return home, to my real home. But one thing I do know for sure is, I had the greatest week of my life and spent it with the best company I could have ever asked for.

And to everyone who made this week special, Vi voglio TANTO bene. <3

Now on to pictures. I don't want to have to type out some long description of the weeks events, so I will try my best to show it in a few photos. REMEMBER, you can always check out all the photos on my Facebook!

Before I start with photos, I will add just a few comments. So we left Monday night from Milan and got into London at about 11:30pm local time. That was a fun night trip. We stayed in a hotel and spent the whole next day exploring London. We saw things such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, The London Eye, and even the Hard Rock Cafe. (a must see for all Italians.) After the day spent in London, we took a bus to Bath, England. We spent the rest of our week there, staying in host families. Kayleigh and I had a very old host family, who happened to give us both the flu, thank you for that one! Anyways, in the mornings the Italian students had English lessons, so we spent the mornings roaming town and drinking Starbucks. I don't think anyone realizes how much we have missed it! After their lessons we would eat lunch then go on little trips around England. We saw StoneHenge, Bristol and the SS Great Britain, as well as Salsbury and the Magna Carta. It was such an amazing week. We came home Saturday afternoon. And since then I have been extremely sick, hints why I am writing this so late at night! No school for a few days :( And yes I am actually sad about that because I miss my class!!!!

Now for the photos!


 This is the Roman Baths in Bath, England. They were used during Roman times as a type of spa. The stories are actually really interesting, not to mention, they are beautiful.

 Oh hey British boys! Hope I wasn't being too creepy for you ;) But really though, marry me?

 Pizza night!!! The Italians liked it, but quite honestly I prefer authentic Italian pizza... Maybe I have become to spoiled.
 I am now the captain of the SS Great Britain. ;)

 London and Weasley ;) But for real though, does this kid not look like Ron Weasley? IDENTICAL!

 The bears of the group. All they do is eat and sleep, therefore they are bears. <3

 We were just way too excited to drink our 800th Starbucks of the week. Honestly though I think we had about 15 each. Maybe more. To the CEO of Starbucks.... we now deserve to own a piece of your company.

 Hahahahha, this picture cracks me up. The British humor is something else. This is a store, which clearly everyone believes the name to be something it's not.
 In the Cathedral in Bath, England.


 The Salsbury Cathedral. Inside is the Magna Carta. This church is breathtaking.

 Kayleigh and I at Stone Henge!!!

 I have seen so much history, another thing that shows me how truly blessed I am.

 If this doesn't explain the life of an exchange student, then I dont know what does.

 We found Krispy Kreme.... We cried.


 About 10 minutes and 5 exchange students later.


 The London Eye!


 As much as I want to KILL this kid at times, he is still family. Love you Connor!!!

 And we found KFC ;)

 M&M World, London, England

 London at night, someting everyone must see once in their life.

 Hard Rock Cafe, London!

 Buckingham Palace, where one day I will be living with Prince Harry ;)

 The Americans, plus Weasley, in front of Big Ben! :)
 This screams London, does it not?

 Guards!!!


 The official first Starbucks after 6 months.

 The Rossetta Stone inside the British Museum!

 The inside of the British Museum was so cool.

And now for some of my favorite pictures from the trip, courtesy of Regan Wagner Photography ;)


 London at night, like I said, unlike any other.

 USA <3

 M&M World.

 We MUSTACHE you a question ;)

 What I will wear during my marraige to Prince Harry ;)

 We should have read the signs ;)


I absolutely LOVE this picture. These girls are unlike any others. I cannot explain how much I love them. They are family. <3

 Everyone has to take a telephone booth photo, right? ;)

 With our lovely German <3 :)
 Representing the USA with two Italians and a German!


 Ignore the two strange men in the back. They are not our friends!

And one final photo with the people who made this trip what it was. I love you all so much. <3 I had the best week of my life and it was thanks to all of you.

So there was my week in short. Hope you enjoyed it! <3

Much love, Kari <3