Classes, LIFE, Florence

I once again apologize for no new blog for a long period of time. A mix of me being lazy, busy with school, LIFE, traveling, and slow internet has made it difficult to update my blog, but that's neither here nor there. So let's begin!

For the past two years, during my time at University of Iowa, I have taken 18 semester hours every semester. As such, class assignments, tests, and studying took up an enormous portion of my time at Iowa, and I was constantly tired, busy, and tired. This semester here at Paderno, I decided to take a break and only take 13 semester hours or 5 classes. They are: Intercultural Communication, International Finance, International Marketing, Entrepreneurial Strategy, and Directed Readings in Management and Organizations (this is a 1 hour course which is extremely easy). I am enjoying all my classes so far, especially Entrepreneurial Strategy which surprises me because I never thought I would when I signed up for the class, but I thought it would be useful in the field of consulting. I found out at the beginning of classes that there will be no multiple choice tests, all essay & case based. Well...I guess I can't have it to easy, right? :) But all in all I am not swamped with work which is a nice change for me, I have more time to work out, meet people and just relax. I even started swimming again!

The first weekend here in Paderno seemed like an eternity. Friday I started the LIFE (Leadership Initiative for Excellence), which is a program designed essentially as a leadership development seminar. Going into it I was quite skeptical. I have been through previous leadership seminars, programs, and lectures, and I didn't get anything out them. They were all lecture-based and had no practical experience whatsoever. So I thought to myself, "This is probably another waste of my time, but it's free and here, so I mind as well try it." But....I was wrong.

Now, I was a swimmer in high school, and I thought that was tough, both physically and mentally. Not only is swimming one of the hardest physical sports out there, but it takes a lot of mental fortitude to push yourself to keep going even though you're tired (also this prevented you from drowning). Along with swimming, I was an avid tennis player, and it also took a lot of mental capacity to be successful. But both sports combined could not compare to the mental pain I felt during LIFE. I have NEVER EVER been pushed as badly as I was out of my comfort zone. I would be lying if I said I didn't think about quitting after only the first night. I was yelled and shouted at, ridiculed, belittled, and torn down. By the end of the program, I was exhaused both physically and mentally. But despite the fact that I hated the entire process up until the end, never have I been so happy to have gone all the way. All I could think about was how the trainers were out to get me, but what I didn't realize was that I was being pushed to break down my barriers and excel. In the beginning I could only think, "God, I could be in Venice right now." But I have absolutely no regrets missing out on that weekend, because I have definitely experienced a change in myself for my own benefit. In my mind my future goals and priorities are painted in a much clearer picture. Because of LIFE, I am without a doubt a better person.

Since I didn't get to go travel the weekend of LIFE, my friends and I that bonded during our experience with LIFE decided to treat ourselves a trip to Florence!! The city of Florence is roughly 4 hours away by bus from Paderno del Grappa. We left Friday, 4 in the morning! Fortunately I was able to sleep on the bus, and when we arrived we had no trouble finding our hostel, PLUS Florence. The hostel was amazing. It was well kept and clean, had outstanding service, the rooms were nice and we had our own showers. Not only this, but in the basement, there was a dance floor and bar as well as a restaurant should we feel to save money.
During the same day, we decided to take in the sights. We first went to the Uffici, a large museum of art and sculptures. I am not too much of an art person, so I didn't really enjoy my time there, but it was all right. Next, we went to the Duomo, an extremely large cathedral with an amazing view. Much like St. Paul's Cathedral in London, you have to take a long, treacherous climb up to the zenith of the cathedral. By the end of the climb, my legs were on fire, but it was worth it. The sun was gleaming, not a cloud in the sky, and the view was breathtaking. I think we stood there for about 45 minutes before we decided to go down (we were still recovering from the climb :P).
The next day we took a bus to Siena, the city nearby. The Tuscan countryside was gorgeous, but I didn't do much in Siena except eat and chill. But the following night, we went to club Space which was a lot of fun, but there were too many Americans. On our last day in Florence, we made a quick trip to the Academia which houses Michaelangelo's Statue of David. The statue was cool, but the museum was extremely small. This next weekend, some friends and I are going to Lubiana, Slovenia! All in all, I am really enjoying my time here in Paderno del Grappa. I enjoy my classes, and everyone here is friendly and we all get along nicely. But next weekend I get to go on my week long break and visit my lovely girlfriend, Joy!! Whoopee!!!!