Noi Siamo Infinito

Noi siamo infinito:
Direct translation: We are infinite
True meaning: This life is infinite. The memories made and the people we meet are infinite. We are leaving a mark on this world. We are changing it in ways we have never known. No matter how small our mark, it is a mark and it will be left for future generations.

Rotary Youth Exchange leaves a mark on this world. It changes lives.
Exchange students, no matter how small we may seem, are creating our fingerprint on this world.
We are changing our lives and our opinions of others. We are creating a path for future students, as the students in the past had for us.
We are normal, everyday people, with some not so everyday experiences.
We can only hope we have left our mark, no matter how small. Every single person's mark on this world is greater than themselves. It is greater than those who told them they couldn't. It is greater than the obstacles that stood in their way. Our mark is infinite. Noi Siamo Inifinito.

I have reached my halfway point. The point in my exchange where I am stuck in between the person I used to be and the person I am becoming. I hope that the person I am becoming is someone that people can be proud of. I pray that I am half the person my role models are. This year has been one hell of a whirlwind. I feel like Dorothy, and no, not because I am from Kansas. It's like that scene in the movie when she is on the Yellow Brick Road. She has met new people and her life has changed. She is no longer scared of the unknown. When I stepped off that plane just 5 short months ago, I was scared out of my mind. I was definitely not in Kansas anymore. I didn't know what was to come. Everyone and everything was so strange. I couldn't understand anything and everyone looked at me strange. Now I am at that part in my exchange where I understand what is happening, I expect certain things to happen, but I know to never be surprised by the unexpected. I am growing and learning. I am creating new memories everyday and having experiences unlike any other.

But I am also at that point where I am scared out of my mind. I am scared of what is next. In 5 short months I will be on my way home. I will be leaving what I have known for one year, with the intentions of using it to better my future. This is scary because I don't know when I will be back. I will never get these moments back. They will soon become just a memory. Getting on the plane to come here was hard, but I knew I would be coming back. Leaving will be nearly impossible... because I am leaving everything, not knowing what is next.

However, now I have realized what this year means. It means a step towards my future. A step towards becoming who I am supposed to be. I am finding myself. I am beginning to leave my mark. I may not know who I am yet, or who I want to be, but I know one thing, I know I have time to get there. Life is full of opportunities. It is a never ending battle. And most importantly, it is beautiful.

Trying to put this experience into perspective is nearly inpossible. There are no words to describe it. I have realized that no matter how hard I try, this is greater than I can imagine. This is one thing that leaves me speechless. This year is something no one can put into words. 1000 pictures and smiles tell a story, and a picture may be worth a thousand words. But there are no words. I am forever changed. 5 months left and I am already a completely new person. One I hope my family and friends are proud of.

These are my feelings on this halfway mark. I am not sure how else to say it. And I hope that this gives you insight. To everyone out there who is still unsure of what's next, just remember, no matter what is next, your mark on this world is special. You have changed this world in one way or another and no one can take that away. We are infinite. Our memory is infinite.

Moving on: Okay, the part where I try to explain my feelings to you is over. I am sure you are all so happy. I will post a few pictures of this past month. Enjoy! <3

Night out with the girls :) This is at a disco in Cremona. I will miss discos when I get home. Maybe I will make one in someone's garage or something. Any takers? ;)


This basically explains me and Regan.... This is what we do when we are bored... :)




Our attempt to be photographers, its a new thing.



A picture from Lago D'Isola, where I went with my host parents the other weekend.




A medieval town near my town. It had snowed a lot and it was beautiful.



Thanks for reading. Love you all! <3 -Kari <3

Finalmente un nuova posta

Sorry guy's for not posting in so long. It has been a looonnnngggg break. Going back to school on Monday... which quite frankly even the thought of it makes me annoyed. I hate school and school hates me lol. But anyways, things have been good!

2 weeks off from school was much needed. And in that time so much has happened! I went to Verona for the first time and it was beautiful! I also celebrated New Years and Christmas, Italian style! Tomorrow I move to a town just outside of Cremona, into a new host family. With Rotary you change host families 3 times throughout the course of the year. I am happy to be gaining new experiences and a chance to see Italian life in a new perspective, but at the same time I am sad to be going. I love my host family now, but I also know that I will love my new one!

So on to what I have been doing this break, spending lots of money, eating lots of food, and seeing all my friends. What else does a teenager do in their free time, right? ;)

For Christmas, Rotary had a dinner party and although it was the most boring 5 hour dinner of my life, it was fun to get dressed up and look cute for once ;) Now I will post a picture from the party of all the lovely exchangers!

  Here is all 11 of us at dinner! Looking our finest of course ;)

 And I needed to post this, because it is about the only time you will ever see a picture of me and Kayleigh together when we aren't making some crazy face... :)


Now on to Christmas! On Christmas eve, my host mom's family all came over and we had a HUGE meal and opened presents. I bought presents for all my host family, but my favorite was the slippers I bought for my younger host brother, I will post a picture in a minute. They were freaking awesome. And he loved them! On Christmas day we went to my host dad's families house for lunch and ate a ton of food. And then we went and got hot chocolate, a family tradition in my host family :)


 Our Christmas tree and all the presents! :) Yayayayyayay!


 Corrado and his present from me! I think he liked them :)



Now on to New Year's Eve! Me and Regan went to a party at a friends house. We had a good time, and well there really isn't much else to say lol. So that is that. On New Year's Day,, we went with my host family (soon to be her hots family) to Verona! As you all know Verona is the land of Romeo and Juliet! We saw Juliet's balcony and other historical landmarks. I have officially fallen in love with Verona. It is so beautiful and it makes you feel like love is in the air ;) So here are a few pictures!

 Me and Regan in front of the Colleseum in Verona! The day was kinda crappy, but Verona is still beautiful! :)

 This is the entrance to Juliet's house. It is graffitied (spelled wrong) with names of thousands of people. It is so cool. Anyone can write their name and leave their mark in Fair Verona <3


 This is a tree filled with letters to Juliet. There were so many languages and so many stories to be told. We wrote a letter and put it on the tree. We felt it was necessary :) Now we have left our mark.


 This is the statue of Juliet and supposedly it is good luck to touch her chest... hints our hand placement. So now we have good luck in love! <3

 Juliet's Balcony! Yay! :)

Well that is about all I can say for now. I will make a new post when I switch families! :) So until then, CIAO and thank you for reading!

<3 With love, Kari!

Aspetta per un settimana piu

ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL WINTER BREAK! Unless we die before then, Mayan probs..... But you will have to wait until then for an update cause I dont have much time and not much to say yet! So give me a week! <3 Sorry for the wait!


Love you all! Ti voglio bene <3



P.S. <3 <3 <3 mi dispiace.

The Therapy of Writing

When someone iss stressed they typically do something to get all their worries off their mind. Maybe they run, sing, dance, act, or simply read a book to feel better. I was always told as a child that writing your feelings could help in that they wouldn't build up into one big issue. I of course, being the stubborn girl I am, never listened. So now here I am, after having a slight nervous breakdown, writing on my blog because it makes me feel better.

Now don't worry, I am not going crazy and I also have no intentions of making this a lasting feeling. I am just super stressed as many exchange students get during this time of year. Maybe you all don't understand in that you all have not left home for a year, or maybe some of you have and you completely understand. I am not sure, but either way, writing is my way to deal with the stress and that is exactly what I am doing. I was also told by some of my friends that I needed to share my thoughts and feelings and although I have always been good at that verbally, I have never been one to want to share my writing. I feel like it is easier to be judged when the person isn't looking you in the eyes and really knowing your feelings. So I am trying my best to explain these feelings in my writing.

Another reason I am writing is because I have not updated in so long and I know you all just hate having nothing to read ;) I hope you can sense the sarcasm in that. My life may seem quite interesting, and well to be quite honest, it is, but it is definitely no Nicholas Sparks novel and I am sure that this can get quite boring to all of you. This post won't be much of an update, but more of a venting session in which I practically talk to myself. Maybe you are reading up to here and realize this has no importance to you, and that is totally okay with me! Feel free to stop at anytime, no harm done!

Now I am sure my mother and my counselors are reading this and thinking, oh goodness, Kari is going crazy, but I promise you all I am fine :) Life couldn't be any better and I love Italy more than I ever thought I could. But with Christmas coming up, it is definitely hard not to think about homem and my family. Every exchange student gets this way, and I have been told it is completely normal, so no worries. I would never even consider coming home at this point because I love it so much, I am not sure I ever want to come back. Mom this should be a bigger concern to you ;) So in this next few minutes I will try to explain to all of you the feelings any typical exchange student is going through right now, as I have seen in myself and other students here in Cremona and all over the world.


1) Proud that they have lasted 3 months. Who would have ever thought you could get on a plane and just leave your life and everything you have ever known for a year full of unexpected twists and turns. And now that I have been here for three months, I see how much stronger I have become and it makes me a little self proud... but I promise I am not getting an ego ;)

2) Scared to death. Anyone who has left home for any amount of time gets a little nervous knowing it will be some time before they see their loved ones again. Especially when they miss a big event such as a holiday or birthday. I have already missed a few holidays and birthdays, including my own and that can definitely cause some stress. Exchange students are scared that they will miss out on an important family tradition or event that maybe they will never get the chance to witness simply because it was a once in a lifetime thing.

3) Excited. I know I am excited to see what the next seven months has to offer, as I am sure every other student is.

4) Homesick. Only to the slightest because maybe now we are realizing that we are missing out on Christmas at home... something some people may take forgranted. But then again, it is hard to be TOO homesick because well... I live in Italy. I love you all though and don't think this means that I don't miss you all ;)

5) TOO MANY EMOTIONS FOR ANY ONE HUMAN BEING. Sorry for all the caps... I just needed to emphasis this point ;) I swear I go through about 35 emotions in any given day, and I didn't even know that was possible. But again, I am still overwhelmingly lucky and happy to be here.


I only listed a few emotions... but I am pretty sure number 5 gives you an idea on how difficult but also rewarding this experience is as a whole. So maybe this will give you an insight as to how our lives work. It isn't all travel and fun and games but the outcome is something I will NEVER regret and I know that this experience is only making me a better person, regardless of the challenges I have to overcome.

As I have said many many times, I am so very thankful for every single opportunity that was so graciously placed at my feet and I will rememeber these experiences, good and bad for the rest of my life. <3 Thanks for taking the time to read this incredibly long and maybe a tad insane post... Love and miss you all.

With much love and thanks, Kari Porter <3

P.S. Mom, I am fine and there is absolutely no need to worry, because I know you do that so very well ;)

Cibo di Italia.... Questo Mi Piace

The title is TERRIBLE Italian so don't judge me! I tried to say... Food of Italy.... This I like... I know it isn't perfect and it probably never will be... but hey I'm learning some ;)

So this past weekend we went to a festival known as the Feste di Torrone. It is the most famous festival in Cremona because Cremona is known for it's Torrone! It was created here! :) It is made of honey, sugar, nuts, and other delicious things. I actually like it alot.

This is Torrone... It doesn't look so great but I promise it is good! So this is what the festival was centered around!


Also a TON of exchange students came to the festival... so I got to see all my lovely exchangers and meet some new ones as well. There were kids from Sardinia and it was pretty cool to hear about the differences in the south. They stayed the whole weekend so we got to spend a lot of time with them and show them the city as well! It was great! Now I will ppost a few pictures to excite your visual senses ;) Creative statement I think. <3

 This is just a small idea of how we all act in public... From left to right, Tessa- North Carolina, Chris- Missouri (repping the midwest ;)), Me!, Esther- Germanyyyyyyy! <3 Love these kids more than anything!

 My lovely friend Connor! Yes we are really this weird.. Breadstick mustaches are typical occurances at dinner in public. That's what us Midwest kids do... what can we say? ;)


 This picture KILLS me! I think it is so freaking funny! This is Kenneth from Sardinia! He is originally from Washington! He didn't know I was taking this and that is why it is SO funny!

 My girl Anna! From New York! Love her to death! She lives three hours away which makes me sad... but spending the weekend with her was awesome! :) Come visit me soon love <3


 Chowing on some cannolis with my girl Gwen, from Seattle, Washington :) Literally the BEST Italian food I have had... I could have ate 1,000.


 If this doesn't describe my eating problem... I don't know what does... ;)


 Not this weekend... but this was the 50 euros we found lying in the street... so what did we buy you may ask? Food... DUH! <3


That's all for now! More to come soon! Love and miss you all! <3 Kari!


***Ciao ragazzi! Ci vediamo!

Milano for a day.

Well as you can tell by the title... I went to Milan for a day with Kayleigh, another exchange student. We went with her host family to shop!!! Every girls dream of course ;) And let me tell you, it was like I was in heaven. Almost cried walking in Zara... it was sad. But I had an amazing time and managed to make it out without breaking my bank! I will post a few pictures from our trip. But this post will be short and sweet :)

 Kayleigh and I in front of the Galleria!


 Louis... yes this is real life and yes it was like being in heaven. However I couldn't bring myself to go in for the fact that I would leave completely depressed.



 Just about the only store I could afford.. But it was SUPER cool! Loved it!


 The entrance to a 5 story Zara... aka, the gates of heaven.


 Abercrombie model... Oh heyyy gorgeous. ;)

 Inside the Duomo, seriously breathtaking.


 Kayleigh and I, outside the Duomo... Yes, it really is as beautiful as it seems. Actually way more beautiful in person. I can't explain it.

Well that is all for now. I have more on Facebook if you are curious! I will post soon! Until then, ciao ci vediamo belli ;) -Kari <3

Realizations!

Okay, I have had a longggg month. Lots of rough times or things that seemed like they would ruin this experience for me... But I am still breathing and alive to tell you that nothing in the world could ruin this for me. Stupid boys and dumb drama back home means nothing to me because I am here. My mind is in Italy and that is where it needs to be. I wanted to write a post because I know you all love reading them ;) and also because I need to let you know of a few things I have come to realize in these past two months. Things I think I should've known a long time ago, but was too blind to see.

Here goes nothing,
1) Life goes on. I say this to myself constantly... and I always try to convince myself it is true but I have never believed it until now. People will break your heart and life will leave you in the dust... wondering what the hell is happening. We all have these experiences when we are pretty sure our whole world is crashing... but what I've come to realize is that these things are so minor in the long run. Move on and breathe because it does get easier. I have had some of the worst nights here where all I want is to be home... nights where I honestly didn't sleep because all I needed was a hug from my mom, but the next morning I wake up and realize where I am... I walk out and see the tallest bell tower in Europe. I wake up to someone speaking Italian. I eat cookies for breakfast because that is normal here. I go to school and make new friends every single day.... I couldn't be more lucky. So I have realized that dwelling on the past gets me no where.

2) The friends who stay by you when things are going bad are the ones who will be there for you when things couldn't be any better. My best friends back in Kansas have stuck with me through all of this and this whole roller coaster of emotions. I have put my friends through so much to get to this point and I owe them my life for all the support they have constantly given. Thank you so much Harley and Paige... I love you girls more than anyting and I miss you more than words can say. Along with them, the friends I have met here will be lifelong friends and I know that. Connor, Kayleigh, Tessa, Regan, Lenny, Esther, DeWayne, Gwen, Ilsa, Josiane, and Tianmai... I love you guys so much, You have been here to laugh and cry with me and every single one of you means the world to me. The main point of this is to say thank you. I have realized that I could not have better friends to get me through this crazy, whirlwind year I am in.

3) A realization that has been two months in the making.... I AM IN ITALY! I am living my dream... and I couldn't be any more exstatic, probs spelled that wrong, to be doing so. Anyone who has helped me get here is forever in my heart. I say this a lot and maybe it is getting a bit redundant, but I couldn't get here without all the help I have recieved. So thank you everyone, even if it is simply just giving me well wishes and staying updated on my life. Thank you sooooo sooo much. You have improved my life and changed it for the better and I cannot thank you enough.

This post was mainly because I finally have realized that life is perfect for me right now... no matter what happens, I am in Italy and that isn't changing anytime soon. I think this is making me a better person and showing me that life has challenges you just have to run at them knowing you ocan make it... Thanks for reading my blog and listening to me rant constantly :) Hope all is well wherever you are at! Love and miss everyone! More post soon to come. Happy Halloween and best of wishes to everyone! <3 With much love and thanks, Kari.

*Ciao a tutti, grazie mille per questo experienza. Te amo. <3 Mi Italiano e` molto horribile. Mi dispiace. :)