Tag: Food

Reflecting on my time in Florence and Barcelona

Published on by AdriLeave a comment
View of Barcelona
Jewelry crafted for my wax casting class
Pannetone Conference, Florence
NOALYA holiday brand shoot
Studio work
Milan Fashion Week
Local Resturant photography
Local Florence Artist
Artist in Florence
MFW
NOALYA brand shoot
Florence Photography

It has felt like such a whirlwind since being back in the US. But now that it has been a solid length of time, I feel like I can come on here and fully reflect.

Comparing Italy and Spain is like comparing apples to oranges. Yes there are similar aspects, but both of my experiences were very different, for many reasons. The first question people asked me when I returned to the US was: “which place was your favorite?”… but truthfully, I cannot answer this question. Both countries and programs brought me different experiences and wonderful memories. So here are some of those feelings and experiences broken down.

If I’m being honest, Barcelona is probably one of my favorite European cities. I am so filled with gratitude to have gotten to know it and its beauty over a short 10 week time. I am so grateful to have lived in a lively, historic, beautifully designed, buzzing city. I loved hearing Spanish and Catalan, as well as learning more about Catalan history and culture. Having a connection to the language and being able to understand everyday aspects, from stores, to conversations in the street, to ordering in restaurants in Spanish, was a reminder about the importance of learning other languages. It also immensely connected me to my environment and the Spanish culture. Making it feel both so foreign and yet not far from home. Let’s just say that if someone asked me if I wanted to drop everything and move to Barcelona, I probably would. I miss speaking in Spanish and the fast paced yet easy going Spaniard living. I loved living nearby the ocean for the first time in my life, but still being near hills and mountains. I feel like the location of Spain is so ideal, and the geography is truly special. I could spend years just exploring Spain, from the costal villages, to mediaeval pueblos, to new ever sprawling cities, Spain has so much to offer. I have made it my goal to return and do the Camino de Santiago. Spain reminded me the importance of language, history, art, community, socialization, and the art of taking it easy, without missing out on a fast paced world. The academics in Spain were quite good, I had one of my all time favorite professors for a Spanish Lit class, and an absolute genius, philanthropic computer science professor. Reminding me how most everything in the world comes back to art, literature and shared community. So thank you Barcelona for the 1,500,000 (approx) steps of exploration, sightseeing, Long Beach sunset contemplations, and quiet solo time. Until next time, I miss you already.

Now Florence,

Florence holds a special place in my heart. I will admit while I was in Barcelona I often found myself missing aspects of life in Italy. Which caught me off gaurd because I didn’t really anticipate that feeling. I missed the Italian intensity, ordering at a cafe in the only Italian I knew, saying “allora”, produce and resturants, but mostly I missed my classes, photography professors and jewelry professor. The art classes in Florence were quite unmatched. From a wax casting jewelry making class with a lively fiery Brazilian professor, who spoke English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, to the photography studios and long classes. I miss my food photography professor dearly, he often took us on what I would call culture walks, rather than photography walks. Teaching us about gastronomy, wine, food, the stories of local vendors and restaurants, and how to capture a clean professional food content photo. It was wonderful learning and developing film in a dark room for my fashion photography. Fun fact! The photography classes I took in Florence were my first formal photography classes and education! I love the surrounding hills of Florence so much. I hope I never forget the magic of my last day in Florence, wandering through a forested section of the hills above Florence I had never been to. The way the light came through the cypress trees, truly one of the most ethereal experiences in nature I have had. Florence brought my the expansive often frustrating solo travel and train experiences. Looking back I feel like I truly was someone else in my time there; traveling around solo to other countries at the drop of a hat, almost every weekend, without a second thought. Building many skills in dealing with adversity, cross culture communication, and resourcefulness. One of my favorite places in earth is the Dolomites. The mountains will forever be one of the most awe inspiring, humbling, and grounding places for me. After taking the train, solo, through northern Italy and Austria in the middle of a snowy fall night, I was struck with the magic of the landscape. The magic that has inspired so much art and literature, I truly felt the power of the landscape and understood why so many fairytales stemmed from these areas. Inspiring me to remember to find a place that inspires me, or an environment that I find value in- and not to waste time chasing places or superficial aspects of life.

People often focus on the career application takeaways of studying abroad, and push aside the personal. But I truly believe that your personal experiences, whether big or small, which shaped your time in another culture is what builds those career applicable skills.

First adaptability, adapting to life at a new university, with new people, in a new culture and language is not an easy task. You are learning how to navigate and communicate with people again; and when accustomed communication methods fail, you turn to resourcefulness to succeed in your new environment. Leading into communication, luckily modern day technology has made this language barrier easier to overcome. However it can still be a clunky experience that often needs some improvisation.

Each country has a different development and stability level. Learning how to plan ahead and be aware of this is key to success in travel and safety. As well as understanding how other cultures communicate needs and how corporations are built. Much travel chaos occurred in Italy during my time there during the (frequent) strikes. This left workers taking advantage of people, and all levels of order out the window. Panic buying and long lines ensued. As well as the inhibilty to find anyone to help you. Learning not to panic in high stress and uncertain times, will lead to better self management and money management. Recourse-fullness and having or finding backup plans was a big key takeaway and learning how to swim against the current to get yourself where you need to be. Taking your own route, stopping, observing, figuring out options and not following the herd.

Intercultural communication, trends, art, history, and language. All intertwined aspects of culture and cross cultural understanding.

Studying abroad for most of this past year, I have immersed myself in creative industries, culture, and entrepreneurship. I practiced translating storytelling into visuals that connect across cultures. My time studying abroad was truly the most invaluable, cherished experience of my life. I spent around 4 months in Florence and 3 in Barcelona.

While in Italy I was able to immerse myself into a new culture and language. Which was a wonderful experience, that taught me so many lessons in adaptability and inter cultural communication. It was also a joy to return to Spain. Knowing the language and being able to deeply connect with Barcelona culture and locals was the best experience.

From communicating in my daily life in Spanish, to taking a Spanish literature class where I learned about Catalan culture was an excellent sharpening of my Spanish skills and knowledge.

While abroad I made it my goal to take full advantage of my time and opportunities from travel, to academics, networking and photography.

While in Florence I was able to take in depth, time intensive, photography and art classes. I had the opportunity to develop my technical skills and creative eye. From studio shoots, to creating editorial content and presentation all were wonderful opportunities. I was able to develop my own stylized creative concepts, and direct photo shoots. I learned how to develop film and about the unmatchable quality it offers. Including the opportunity to shoot for a luxury Italian chocolate brand through my professor.

I also traveled to Milan for fashion week where I was credentialed to photograph. My photos were then featured on the fashion brand’s social media.

On my free time I spent time taking solo trips and meeting individuals from across the world. Including meeting local artists in Florence and Barcelona. I developed personal photo project rooted in the local craftsman community, designed custom jewelry pieces inspired by Italian craftsmanship, and balanced my studies in fine arts, business, and media with hands-on creative work.

Living abroad pushed me to adapt quickly, communicate across languages, and push my creativity. Being able to focus on photography and develop my portfolio was a highlight of my time.

As I look ahead, I’m excited to bring this global, artistic, and cultural-centered perspective into new opportunities.

Thank You, Fear.

Published on by Mattie EmbreyLeave a comment

I wrote my second blog post about my trip from home to Morocco, and how my fear of flying affected it. It’s a little silly to read through now, even though it was only a month ago. I had so much fear and anxiety inside me that I wrote nearly a thousand words exclusively about my flights and feelings relating to them. It was even worse in the month leading up to departure. Every time somebody asked if I was excited, I only ever responded with grief about being on an airplane. I must’ve been a huge bummer, and my list of pre-departure regrets only grows from there.

I’ve already posted about my worry about societal roles and air travel, but that pattern is getting kind of old. If I write this in-depth about every single fear or anxiety I encounter, I’ll have written a very long and emotionally draining novel:

Chapter 1: I’m Scared to Travel Alone

Chapter 2: I Hate Flying

Chapter 3: The Horror of a Long-Distance Relationship

Chapter 4: I Don’t Know Any Languages

Chapter 5: I’m Scared of Being a Woman

Chapter 6: I’m Doomed by My Sense of Direction

Chapter 7: I Don’t Know How Taxis Work

Chapter 8: Unaware of Unspoken Social Rules

Chapter 9: I Really Don’t Like Heights

Chapter 10: Seriously, How Do Taxis Work Here?!

I’m happy to say that, despite all my time wasted on worry, I haven’t let fear hold me back. Every single time, I rose up to the challenge and did what I needed to do. Over the weeks, I kept surprising myself, and my curiosity grew. Why was I so terrified, but also being so uncharacteristically courageous?

There were times where I was just forced to be brave, like when I needed to take a taxi by myself for the first time. I still didn’t understand how the system worked. I could either: 1.) Flag down a petit taxi and attempt explaining where I needed to go to someone who doesn’t speak English; or 2.) Awkwardly wander around the grand taxis with set destinations, hoping someone would direct me to one set for Bassatine (I genuinely don’t know how Moroccans just know which ones go where. There’s no sign or indication anywhere on the street or vehicle itself).

Neither option sounded great, but it was a 15-minute drive to somewhere I needed to be in 15 minutes. I wish I could say that I navigated everything perfectly, but honestly, it was a bit of a hot mess. I waved down a petit taxi and told the driver the name of the neighborhood I was going to but had zero idea how to describe the specific spot. So, I sat next to the woman in the back seat, and frantically searched for a voice memo that I’d been sent as a reference. Once it was located, I handed my phone up to the driver, but he didn’t speak French, which was apparently what the memo was in. He then handed my phone to the lady next to me, who replayed it a few times before finally telling the driver where I was going.

Then we took off, and I was really crossing my fingers that I was going to the right place. I was relieved when we began passing familiar streets, and handed the driver my payment. But, as I was exiting the taxi, I stepped right into a pothole and fell down as the door closed. Embarrassing. At the very least, I got there and even had my own dramatic exit. Although I’m not even close to perfect yet, I’ve become more comfortable with taxis and proud of myself for it.

I’ve taken particular interest in the times where the pressure comes from myself rather than external reasons. For example, my program went on an excursion a few weeks ago to Ifrane National Park, which included an afternoon at Azrou Adventure Park. I’d never done a ropes course or anything similar before, mostly due to my fear of heights. My peers opted for the most difficult course that made my stomach twist just by looking at it. But the idea of trying an easier one, or sitting out entirely, made me feel even worse. I had no idea why– it didn’t feel like the social pressure or fear of being left out. Nonetheless, it was enough motivation for me to put on a harness and go somewhere labeled: “NOT FOR BEGINNERS!”

Don’t get me wrong, I was shaking, sweating, and nauseous whilst watching my friends and waiting my turn. Then, once I joined our accompanying staff member on the first platform, the realization that I couldn’t turn back hit me like a slap in the face. Upon seeing my expression, he asked if I was alright, and I revealed my fright.

“Why are you doing this, then!?”

I shrugged and giggled, both because of the humorous circumstances and because I didn’t know how else to respond. Why did I do this? No matter how– I really had a good time.

I’ll give you another instance. Since my program is short in comparison to others, we have two long weekends in the place of a week-long break. My three roommates and I went to Lisbon, Portugal for this past one (which was SO much fun!!!), but I had zero ideas for the other. As time went on, everyone developed and solidified their own plans, and I was left as one of the only people without a travel group. My mind was constantly occupied by attempts to solve my pickle.

I should ask them if I can join their trip. No, that’s weird. Also, what if they don’t want me there? They likely wouldn’t mind– but still that’s weird. Plane tickets are probably expensive by now, so maybe I’ll just stay home? No. I can’t stay home while everyone else is gone. But I also can’t just latch onto somebody else’s plan. And I can’t go anywhere by myself, no way. So, I guess I could just stay at home and relax? Or wait– maybe I could go somewhere by myself? No. Yes? Well, now I want to. But that’s scary. But since I thought of it, now I have to, don’t I?

Yes, absolutely.

Traveling for four days by myself is still a really scary thought, since I’d never done anything like it before. I actually hadn’t traveled much before coming to Morocco at all. Even when I did, I was just a kid cluelessly shadowing my mom like a lost puppy. But when I imagine myself sitting in my apartment all that time thinking, “I could be somewhere else right now,” that truly sends shivers down my spine. I became plagued by nightmarish visions of myself 10 or 20 years from now, lying awake thinking about that stupid, stupid decision. The potential turmoil of mourning such opportunities and experiences is beyond spooky. This prompted a very enlightening realization: my biggest fear is, in fact, regret.

So, I guess I’ve subconsciously been trying to prevent remorse (as best as anyone can). And, as a result, I now have one plane ticket, one bed at a hostel, and a one-person itinerary for the small beach town of Essaouira, Morocco. After realizing that I could do anything as long as I was more scared about not doing it, committing to everything was surprisingly easy. Anxiety is still rattling around in my brain, and I do still obsess over how I’m getting from the train station to the airport, if eating alone will look weird, and many other obsolete details. But they’re a problem for later.

Of course, fear is a natural reaction that keeps us safe. I’m not going to start ignoring my instincts completely– that would be a very bad idea. You won’t catch me jumping into a tiger enclosure or walking the sketchy part of town at night just for fun. However, these hesitations are backed by survival needs. My terror surrounding taxis, solo travel, and heights, however, are not.

So, scare yourself into fighting your demons. Your future self is watching you from their memory right now– what do you want them to think of you?

Become petrified by regret and horrified of your own judgment. If fear is the one and only thing holding you back from something, you can’t not do it. Trust me, it makes living life a lot more fun.