Semester 2...

Alright, I have started my second semester of grad school rather painlessly. Actually, it's been pretty awesome because this entire first week my classes have been in English!!! AH! Brilliant! Why you ask? Well, it's because we have 3 students visiting from Georgia (not the state, the country) and they don't speak Italian. So, default international language: English! Win! hahah.

It's already been extremely interesting. We're working on a 15th century fresco in Locarno a town about an hour from Lugano. We're removing "white wash" layers that were painted over the fresco, so that involves in some cases taking a hammer to the fresco! Yes..I panicked at first too. I don't know...I've just got a good feeling about this semester. I know I'm going to do better and learn more, and I suppose that is what's important. I can't believe it's almost March though! How crazy is that?? This year is going to be over before I know it, and so is this program.

I really don't understand how time goes so fast. The weeks of vacation were done and over in a blink. My visit to Ireland in total was 8 days long. I feel like I was there for 3. It was so much fun though. Not a big sight-seeing trip this time around, but a legitimate vacation. We went to a famous pub in Dublin where they filmed P.S. I love you to see an amazing musician named Robert Delaney. And I also went to a winter ale beer festival at this really cool pub in Cork called the Franciscan Well. So I guess you could say a lot of my sightseeing involved the inside of a pub. Don't judge, it's part of the Irish culture...I mean where else can you get the atmosphere of a large group of people, watching a national rugby match?? You can't. It is solely reserved for the Irish pub, and I did that this time around too. I actually really like rugby! I plan on watching more too.

As for other things going on, not much else but school and my YouTube channel. I'm still plugging away at it with 4 videos now. I'm hoping in the very near future I can get some original stuff going too (Ah!). I really really love it, and the response has been so positive! I'm blown away really! Maybe you may think I'm crazy, but I don't care. I think this is going to go somewhere...to a place that I've dreamt of since  I was a little girl. It may be silly to think it, but then don't dreams always start as silly ideas?  I've kind of always pictured my name in lights. Who knows, maybe this time around we can make it happen. :) Either way if you read this, watch, share and subscribe! www.youtube.com/sarahbraun03

Until next time, love to you from Switzerland <3

What a crazy 2 weeks....

So, I realize that even more days have passed since my last post, but the last couple of weeks have been full of get togethers, last dinners, and goodbyes. Not to mention I was finally able to sleep after exams were finished. I was not crazy about the goodbye part. BUT, I did find out that for the most part I did well enough on my exams. So that's good news.

I'm on vacation now for the next two weeks. I found dirt cheap plane tickets to come visit Katie and my friend Louise in Ireland. I have no doubt there will be interesting stories to follow from this experience....hahahah.

As for the goodbyes, most of my friends left for their home countries over the last week. They were Erasmus students (European equivalent of study abroad), so they were only in Lugano for a semester. :( Boo. Anyway, this last week was nothing but the 'lasts' of everything. And yes...there were tears on multiple occasions. We'd become a family at Lanchetta, and it was really hard to see them go. I still like to think that we're all on vacation and when I get back they will be there....

I wish I could really convey to you all how amazing these people truly are. I love them with all of my heart, and I know that we'll be friends always. Sometimes I wonder how that can happen in such a short amount of time, but really and truly I will never be the same because of them. And it's a change for the better. So many great memories....

And one of these memories just happens to be getting me on YouTube with my own channel. It's crazy and amazing all at the same time, and after just 3 days I have over 1,000 views and 26 subscribers!!!! (apparently that #84 for the week for all musician channels) Unbelieveable. I guess I should have done this a long time ago. Thank God they were persistent over here at Lanchetta. :) Anyway here's the link to the first video if you're interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOnvm4LnNzo I plan on having a new one up tomorrow. I've got a good feeling about this... :)