Home Sweet Rome.

I know it's been a long time since I have last posted. I have just finished cooking my second big meal in my Rome appartamento: rosemary chicken with a side of pesto pasta and broccoli. Fancy stuff, I know. I love love love my apartment and my roommates and I get along really well, especially my direct roommate, Catherine.

Let me start from the beginning, and bear with the length...
Day One in Rome was the most exhilarating feeling. We took at 4 hour bus ride from Florence and it seemed to take forever. I was just so excited. We were dropped off in a Bus parking lot and took a cab to our apartment. I was so giddy riding in the car with Cat at every turn, I was peaking beautiful views of the city that was to be my home for the next three months.

I have three other roommates, and we held our breath as we pulled up to the apartment in Trastevere, preparing ourselves for the worst, as the area directly surrounding leaves something to be desired. But we were met cordially by the sweetest woman of a landlord and we entered the most perfect apartment for all of us. As she showed us around, we got more and more excited as we saw everything. It's tiny, but it's just right. We have a washing machine, a dish washer, a microwave, a stovetop and oven...all very simple things, but like I said, we were expecting a roof over our heads. The last thing we saw took our breath away . The shining piece of paper in the middle of the dining room table that had our WiFi password! We were jumping for joy to be able to be connected free of cost. We immediately took advantage of our ability to settle in. That night, the four of us went out to a cute Italian restaurant and enjoyed our vino bianco over some nice bonding conversation.

The next day, Sunday, we had a brief and informative orientation, followed by a short practical tour, which showed us where the school and surrounding important things were, ending in Piazza Navona. It was a beautiful day and a group of us decided to trek it over to the Colosseum, stopping of course at the Roman forum on the way. We took too many pictures, and I even touched the Colosseum! That night we ventured over to the Vatican area to find Mexican food. Yes, Mexican food. You'd be surprised how old eating pizza and pasta everyday gets. Don't get me wrong, I love the stuff...but we just felt like switching it up. The night was such an adventure. By some stroke of luck, we found our way there, guessing on a bus route and getting help from an English-speaking boy on the way. The restaurant was an adventure too...as there was twelve of us! But it was so much fun. We spent a fortune, but it was so worth it. Delicious sangria and burritos. I had missed ethnic food so much!

After that, everyone was down for going to party it up and watch the superbowl, but here it didn't start until 12:30 AM, and with a 9 AM class, Cat and I decided to find our way home. Only we had no idea where to even begin. The ten other girls told us it was easy enough to figure out. Unfortunately, we decided to jump on the first tram we saw. We looked at the map on the tram, and figured we could just ride it around and eventually end up where we wanted to be. That was a silly idea. Again, we were fortunate enough to be helped by an English-speaking boy, named Laber, and who also spoke fluent Spanish. Smart kid. But not smart enough to get us back to where we wanted to go. We followed his directions and took the underground to a bus station and hopped on a bus that seemed to go in the right direction, until it wasn't anymore. At the point we realized that we were completely off track, it was 11:50 PM and the public transportation system shuts down at midnight here, with the exception of a few night buses. So we had to get off and just cab it home. It was scary. It was frustrating. It took us two hours to get home. But it was kind of good to get lost for the first time and we were happy to finally get home, safe and sound, and exhausted for our first day of classes.

Classes started off as they usually do for me, overwhelming. When you're thinking about all the travelling you want to do, on top of all the Rome you want to see, on top of midterms and papers and finals blah, you just wonder how you will do it all. And by you, I pretty much just mean me. But I'm feeling a lot better about it this week. I like most of my classes, except for Italian Literature, which is a bummer, because I thought I'd really like it. But the professor just talks at us for 2 hours a day and it's so incredibly boring. Hopefully things will look up.

I love my Art History class. We actually have class on site a lot. We went to the 12th century Basilica di San Clemente last week and saw Mosaccio's fresco. It was really cool. This Basilica was actually built on top of a 5th century Basilica which was built on top of a 1st century house, attached to a 1st century temple. So we were able to go downstairs and check out all these ancient buildings. So cool. My International Economics course is pretty cool, but as with all economics courses for me, it takes me a while to wrap my head around everything.

Some of the AIFS stuff I did this week was pretty cool too. On Tuesday, we had an apertivo with the program again, which is a before dinner drink, accompanied by a lot of appetizers. It was in the Ducati Caffe, so there were motorcycles in the back. It was a lot of fun, and I saved on dinner that night by stuffing my face with the food. Best part, it was all free!

Wednesday I attended a cooking class. Watch America, I'm coming home a culinary master. We went to Francesca's house. She is a native Italian and she, her husband and daughter were all so nice! We made pasta all'amatriciana, meat sticks (thinly sliced beef rolled and stuffed with grounded beef and ham), and for dessert we made chocolate and coconut balls and ricotta and coconut balls. It was so delicious. And it was really relaxing.

This past weekend was filled with adventure. Thursday night we tried to find a bar in Testaccio called "On the Rox." We wandered around Rome for 3 hours and finally gave up, frustrated with the cold. Friday, we were more successful. We went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner (I know...we are easily bored). It was really good and really cheap. Then we visited another friend's apartment and drank some wine. Then we actually found On the Rox and it was a blast. The ceiling was decorated in rocks and there were so many AIFS people there. It was very American, but I was able to make casual conversation with one or two Italian men. As sketch as these guys can be, I don't hate being able to practice my Italian. They even correct me, which is nice.

On Saturday, Cat and I explored Rome and saw the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the Pantheon. Everything is so much more amazing in person. We also had the most amazing gelato next to the Trevi. Mango, melon, and peach. Ahhh! So goood! I've decided that I will try every gelato flavor known to man before I leave...so again, prepare yourselves for a bigger and better Allie.

I have some good things to look forward to: another apertivo tomorrow night, with Italian students this time, a Carnival party on Thursday night, a Roma soccer game on Sunday, and then Dave Matthews Band in Rome next Tuesday. Not to mention the last weekend in February, I'm visiting the lovely Celia Fox in her temporary home of Prague!

So many things to look forward to, but I'll always miss home a little bit. Some days more than others. I'd like to thank everyone who has put up with my stress and my struggles to adjust. But it's a new week, and I'm feeling really good about it.

A prossima!

Arrivederci Firenze

Today is our last day in Florence. It's a little sad, but I'm more excited than words can express to finally get to Rome. To finally settle in, no longer living out of a suitcase. To sleep farther than 2 centimeters from my roommate. To be in Roma! But this also means that I have to use this day to soak up all that is Florence and commit its beauty to memory. Today is my last chance to walk across the Arno River. To easily walk anywhere and everywhere (Rome is just slightly bigger than Florence). To know my way around (until I get my bearings in Rome). To avoid the dirty business left behind by all the Florentine dogs (they literally do not even attempt to clean up after their dogs, here). To rock out one last time, Florence style.

Of course, tonight we have to study for our final exams, so technically last night was all or nothing. We went to this classy bar called "Moyo." It was really fun, but one cocktail was 7 euro. A budweiser was even 7 euro. Not so fun. We stayed out far too late and I struggled through class today. But it's over now, so thus begins another (hopefully) fun-filled day. Perhaps I will shop around the Florence markets or climb the Duomo. The weather is not very favorable today, unfortunately, so we shall see where the flow takes me.

As for the last few days, they have been typical: filled with fun things to do, but slightly calmer than other days. The wine tasting was great. It was in a castle, and we were given four wines to taste. Two of them were different types of Chianti Classico. The last wine was a dessert wine that burned like brandy and had an almond taste. They gave us a side of biscotti to actually dip in the wine. It was delicious. The view from the castle was amazing. We took some really nice pictures, some a bit life-threatening.

Yesterday was our double-class day. It was definitely a rough day. And I did abosolutely horribly on my listening and comprehension test, but life goes on...After class I did my first load of hand-washed laundry. Not quite as fun as it sounds, but such is one of the many possible joys of the study abroad student. Clean undergarments are a pretty important thing.

Nothing too exciting, aside from the impending departure to Rome tomorrow afternoon. It will probably be a while before the next update, as I don't even know how I will get to school in Rome, let alone find internet.

But until then,

Ciao!

Venezia, Siena, e piu...

Riding on the bus back from Venice, looking out the window at the snow-covered fields rolling through, tears formed in my eyes. Not because I was sad, but because it was just so beautiful. Then I cracked open my journal and wrote twelve pages, as I was able to snag a seat by myself and get some much-needed “me-time.” That’s right, twelve pages…so get yourselves ready for a long one.

I left you all in suspense on Thursday about the Uffizi Gallery and “L’Italiana in Algeri.” They were both incredible. Peter was my tour guide again. He talks a bit much, but his Dutch accent is so enchanting, you can’t help but listen to what he has to offer about Giotto, Caravaggio, Rafael, and the other artists I had the pleasure seeing in this huge Florentine museum. Of course, he couldn’t resist making his snide comments, poking fun at the other tourists whose voices were “too loud” for Peter to give an audible explanation of any given painting.

The opera was so beautiful. So many colors. So much talent. And so funny, as well. Unfortunately, I was only one of a handful of students who actually stayed through the entire thing. It was understandable, as we were all tired and opera is an acquired taste, I suppose. We were also up with the sun to leave for Venezia on Friday. After a four hour bus ride, with a stop to the most elaborate rest stop I have ever seen (they sold DVDs and wine and nutella-to-go) and a water-taxi ride, we arrived, tired and hungry. So we immediately went to find food, and of course, like American magnets found a panini store. I don’t know how Italians are not obese. The only food we all have for lunch is pizza or panini, senza verdure (lacking vegetables). I don’t know what’s going to happen to my body by the time I come back, but I know it’s not going to be good. I also know I don’t care too much because everything I eat is amazing.

Friday afternoon in Venice, we visited some more great museums flooded with more Renaissance art. I won’t bore you with all their names, partially because I don’t remember them entirely. But we did learn some interesting facts about Venetian art: while other Renaissance artists gave their paintings a very finished look, like Michelangelo, Venetian painters are quick, and don’t attempt to cover their brush strokes, so they show in the finished product, as in works by such artists as Tintoretto, of which I saw many.

After the tour, we went back to the hotel. I was in the Centro Culturale. The other half of the group was in another hotel. Now…let me tell you a thing or two about my hotel. It was once a monastery. And if that wasn’t interesting enough, post-monastery, it was orphanage. And it is a very creepy place. We’re not talking creepy Spanish film “El Orfanato” creepy, but still. We actually got the better of the two hotels, so I can’t complain. The best part about our living situation for the weekend was that I was able to stay with my roommates for Rome. We had a nice bonding experience and it was good to actually live with each other and feel secure that we all mesh well together. It made me quite excited to go on and get settled into Rome, where my apartment is (according to Google maps) only a 20 minute walk from school. Not bad!

For dinner, we found a deliciously cute Italian tavern and enjoyed a nice meal. Then I forced a small group to go on an adventure in search of gelato. After asking for directions at the other hotel, we set out and ran into this place called “Grom,” where we met a really nice English-speaking Italian women studying International Business. After the adventure, everyone was too tired to continue, so I gave up nagging and we turned in early.

With Saturday came more and more cold cold cold museum visits. But it was so beautiful! We took a short gondola ride across one of the rivers, just to get the experience…it was somewhat horrifying. I pity the poor men whose lives are at risk everyday as they actually stand on these things. We went to St. Mark’s Basilica and the Palazzo Ducale (Duke’s Palace), where we saw the largest canvas painting in the world, by Tintoretto. There was also a prison in the basement, which we took a tour through. Despite the loss of feeling in my toes, it was an educational morning.

With our free time Saturday afternoon, we decided to go to the top of the St. Mark’s bell tower (Fun Fact: every church here has a bell tower). We could see pretty much all of Venice. Unfortunately it was a bit foggy, as it had snowed the night before (which also left the piazza in front of St. Mark’s flooded, requiring us to walk around on raised planks). Then we took a water-taxi to Murano, one of the Venetian islands famous for its glass. We got to see glass-blowing at two separate factories. One man was making bicchieri (drinking glasses) and the other made a horse. It was so amazing! Then a few of my friends purchased some glass souvenirs, with the hope of their survival during transportation back home. That night, we found a bar in the Campo de Santa Margherita called Madagan’s. It was full of AIFS students. It was a bit overwhelming, so I hung out in the less crowded back room and had some nice conversations.

Sunday morning was my favorite. We went to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, which, once home to Peggy herself, is now home to some of the most famous contemporary artists. I saw Picasso, Magritte, Chagall, and Jackson Pollock. My favorite was a painting called “At the Cycle-Race Track” by Jean Metzinger. Ah! I could have stayed there forever, but eventually hunger took over. On our way out, we were stopped by a Venetian man trying to sell us water color paintings. He gave us a demonstration of his work, speaking quickly in broken English (much like I would sound speaking in Italian). He gave us a nice parting, saying "Love art. Everyday. Ciao. Happiness. Ciao." We hung out in Venice until two o’clock and then trekked it back to Florence, glimpsing the breathtaking snow-capped Alps as the bus pulled away.

Travelling didn’t stop there. On Monday, we made our way to Sienna for the day. It was so beautiful! The view, the Duomo, and square in which they have really intense horse race competitions every summer between the “neighborhoods” of Siena, which are all named after animals. My tour guide was wearing a gothic pink and black hat with cat ears…she even showed us the store she got it from! I can give you the address if anyone is interested in expanding their wardrobe.

Unfortunately, in Siena, I experienced my first taste of culture shock. After our guided tour, we went shopped around as almost every store had “SALDI!” written on their windows in big red letters, meaning “SALE!” And now for the story of how I got a stern talking-to from an angry Italian woman: In America, (any sentence starting with this phrase for the next three months has a high probably of ending badly)…In America, when shoe boxes are laid out on the floor, it’s typically a self-service deal. In Italy, nothing is self-service. If you try to serve yourself, they know you’re a foreigner. So I kneel down and open a box to examine a shoe and the angry Italian woman came running toward me, first yelling in Italian, and then switching to English at the look on my face. I felt as though I was being scalded for theft. I felt so awful, I just apologized (in Italian, of course) and left. Other than that little mishap, I’d say Siena was a success. I got some real nice pictures out of it… but I’m still gonna leave you all in suspense on those. Our advisors also got us a nice treat. Something fried and delicious. I will find out the name later. Promise.

Yesterday was another great day…there are nothing but things to do here. We went to the Academia after classes and I saw Michelangelo’s David. I stared up in awe until my back hurt and I had to sit down. This guy has got it going on. He is all that is man. He is literally the most beautiful piece of three-dimensional artwork I have ever seen. He is perfect. My guide for this tour was an interesting man named Luca, who gave me and a friend travel advice: Sicily is now on the dream travel map.

Then I had a meeting about volunteering while in Rome. There is a variety of opportunities, but two in particular interested me: language assistance to elementary school children, or working with a center for immigrants and refugees. I’ll have to look more into them before I make a final decision.

Then, to end the night right, we went to a bar called “Bebop,” at which a Beatles cover band was playing. I again got that delicious drink with all the crazy ingredients and the funny name, for the sole reason of being able to commit its name to memory: Caipiroska alla freggola (freggola means strawberry, one of its main ingredients).

Today we are going to a wine tasting in Tuscany. It should be good. If I discover any delicious delicious wine, I shall inform you and demand that you go find it at your local wine (or grog) shop. And tomorrow we have double class to make up for the class we missed for our trip to Venice on Friday. Not exactly what I would call fun, especially since during the double part of the day, we have an oral listening and comprehensive quiz. Zero fun. But it’s always good to face your biggest fears. Of which I have many…but that’s what I’m here to do. Face my fears. It’s the scariest feeling, but I’m pretty sure this is what it’s supposed to feel like, so I’ll go with it.

Until next time,

Ciao. Happiness. Ciao.

Cioccolata con latte (Hot chocolate with milk)

The title for this post is appropriate because I am currently drinking hot chocolate that was dispensed from a machine. I know that this is not a completely new idea, but it excites me immensely nonetheless.

I am currently typing away in the student lounge of our school, where I get to go every day for a half hour as my class gets out earlier than everyone else. Today was okay. The language is difficult to be "good" at, in my opinion. I struggle understanding conversation and then, of course, responding. But I am pretty good with grammar. I did pretty well on our first quiz today, only making one minor mistake. So that was encouraging. I have asked so many people for advice on how to improve speaking and reading and listening, and they just say practice, and that it will take time. Good advice, but it gets frustrating along the way.

Yesterday, I went to the .99 centissimi store, equivalent to our dollar store. It was AMAZING. I bought two notebooks and some lotion for 2.97 euro. These stores are like all over the place. I really hope they have them in Roma. Other than that excitement, I didn't do much yesterday, with the exception of getting thoroughly confused about my Italian phone...it's incredibly difficult to have a broken English-broken Italian conversation about something as important as my means of communication here. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually.

Today, I'm going to tour the Uffizi gallery and then off to the opera! This opera is called "L'Italiana in Algeri," and my Italian professor tells me that it is a comedy. I'm very excited. Tomorrow morning at 8 AM (ugh), we leave for Venezia! It's going to be unbelievably cold there. I'm literally already wearing all my layers here in Firenze - we're talking layers and layers...leggings under jeans with boots zipped up to the knee, multiple long-sleeve shirts with my rugby, sweater, and pea coat, as well as wool gloves and hat. If I freeze to death this weekend, it was a pleasure knowing all of you! Kidding! It should be fun, I'm sure, despite the weather. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and journal so I will be able to relay my adventures to you all on Monday.

Abbiate in cura! (Take care!)

Buon Giorno! (Good Day! or Good Morning!)

This title is appropriate because it truly is a beautiful day here in Firenze! I just got out of Day 3 of Italian class. It's a bit tough at times, but I am enjoying myself.

Yesterday we went to Pisa. We left here around 2 PM and arrived in the quaint little town slightly after 4 PM. We had two hours to walk around and then we departed. You may be thinking,"ONLY TWO HOURS?" But believe me, that is all you need in Pisa. We were given a tour of the Piazza dei Miracoli, also called the Piazza del Duomo, meaning cathedral. That is because there is a cathedral in the center of the piazza. It is quite pretty standing there, even in the pouring rain we endured for the entirety of our visit. The main doors are enormous and covered with carvings depicting different stories of the Assumption of Mary (I took a moment to make a silent shout-out to all my Assumption bests). From the cathedral you can also see the Baptistery, standing tall with a statue of St. John the Baptist at its peak.

Then...drumroll...the leaning tower, which was originally built as a bell tower for the cathedral. I laugh out loud when I say this because due to poor construction and location, resulting obviously in the tower's lack of ability to stand straight, a project taking nearly 200 years, the bells of the tower have actually never been rung as they were intended. It's a sad sad story. But the bright side is, I was able to take the ultimate tourist picture (soon to be seen on facebook)!

After our quaint tour, we went to the fanciest looking McDonald's I have ever seen. Everyone was ordering food, claiming that the European quality was superior (secondo me (according to me), "superior McDonald's quality" is an oxymoron). I decided to wait for our usual three-course, delicious, and most importantly, free meal at the hotel.

After dinner, I walked my roommate, who now has tonsilitis, to the gelateria to help her sore throat. Did I mention my roommate has tonsilitis? And by roommate, I mean the person who sleeps literally one foot from my own bed? Yeah, fun, I know. Last night, we slept with the window open, and I was sure to "steal" as many oranges as I could manage from the dessert tray last night. Vitamin C overload. I am determined to not have need for Italian medicine.

Today is actually a pretty chill day. Nothing is planned with the exception of academic advising, simply meaning that we will officially register for our courses in Rome. I plan on figuring out my Italian phone situation as well so I can finally get in contact with the people here. I also have to study for my first Italian quiz!

Tomorrow I will be touring the Uffizi Gallery, an art gallery in Florence, checking out a food tasting at school. (That should be interesting...in a room too small to even fit 100 people. Add free food to that mix and you've got yourself a problem.) At night, we will be attending the opera. I'm beyond excited to dress up and even more excited to actually go to an opera.

In conclusion, everything is going well. I miss home a lot, but there is plenty going on to distract me. I even had a really good conversation yesterday about using this time for self-exploration. This is the best time for it, as I am completely separated from everything familiar. I hope to grow while I'm here and come back stronger and ready to face my last year of college.

Thank you again to everyone who has been supportive through this. I will try to get photos up so you can keep up with the stories!

Arrivederci!



PS. I fixed a few spelling errors in my last post. There still might be some (as well as in this one). Sorry about that! I only have so much time to be online :)

Una lunga settimana... ( A long week...)

It has been one week in Europe and I feel as though I have been here forever. Literally. Everything is different, and at first, everything is horrifying. But every time I do something once, I am less afraid. And I have done some AMAZING things in the last week, things I could not have imagined before coming here. Get ready for a week's worth of updates:

It all began in London. Day one was the longest day of my life. I had no idea what time it was. Ever. But it was still fun. I was sick from the plane, so as soon as we arrived at our bed & breakfast, I napped. Then I joined a group of explorers, and we wandered around the beautiful city. Our bed & breakfast is a block away from Hyde Park, which is equivalent to NYC's central park, but not nearly as large. We walked around there looking for what was called the "Princess Diana Memorial" on our map, but instead we stumbled upon a playground...a playground which is actually the Princess Diana Memorial, but they wouldn't let us in because we didn't have children. So, then we checked out some museums, science and natural history. Pretty interesting stuff. Down the street from there was the famous Harrod's department store. This place was intense. There was practically a food court inside. That night in the apartment we had a welcome "drink"/social. After this, starving and exhausted, we found ourselves a pub and tried the local cuisine of fish and chips, which is apparently very bland in England. Then we called it an early night after drinking a beer at another pub, called the Black Lion.

Day Two we had a bus tour of London, led by scottish Sean, who claimed to be a direct relative of Sean Connery. We saw all the major sites: Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, London Bridge and Tower Bridge (which, according to Sean are often confused - just a fun fact). After the bus tour, we went off on our own in a group of six or so, which due to different lunch preferences quickly became a group of two, myself and one other girl, when we went to find ourselves some asian food and forgot to pick a meeting place for the rest of the group. No worries, though. It was a great bonding experience, and we saw so much...Platform 9 and 3/4, enjoyed street performers who begged us for money after the show in Covent Gardens, toured the Globe Theater, where I learned a lot about theater in London during the time of Shakespeare, the Tate Modern, and we walked across the millenium bridge at night: absolutely gorgeous. Last event of the night was the "broadway" show, Blood Brothers, starring sporty spice. True story. It was pretty good, but definitely weird. Those brits...

After London, we had another long travel day to Pisa, and from Pisa to Florence. We were thrust into Italian-speaking everyone and Italian-written everything. I was pumped. I jumped right in and started trying it out. I'm no where near good at speaking it, but I hope by the end of this I will be a master. The important thing is that I can get my way through any given day here. We just started language classes yesterday, and I tested into the highest level. So far, it's not too bad. I have some trouble understanding what is being said sometimes, and thus, I have trouble responding sometimes, but all-in-all, it's not too bad.

Florence has been a lot of fun. Our Hotel is called the Hotel Anglo-American, and it has the most elaborate rooms. I don't mean it's fancy - but every room is different. Some actually have staircases IN them. It's sweet. We also get breakfast and dinner at the hotel, and let me tell you, Italians like to eat. A lot. All the time. Get ready, friends and family, because I will be coming back at least 30 pounds heavier.

The first night here we went out to a bar called the Fish Pub, or something along those lines. It was a distinctly American bar. 5 shots for 5 euro. It was a lot of fun. The next day we had orientation. Playing those fun games that we all do at student leader training, you know...build a tower with balloons, grab a nametag out of a bucket and go find that person, human knot, all the good ones. Of course, it was actually heartbreaking when no one was as excited as I was. Oh well. I'll just save my ice breaker enthusiasm for when I'm back at Assumption. Also during orientation, we were explained the safety precautions we should take against the evils of Italian pickpocketers and men, in general. I'm pretty sure 70% of the listening group were slightly distracted by the gorgeous Italian cop giving the presentation. All of our eyes went to his left ring finger. Fail.

The next day, we took a walking tour of the beautiful Florence and at night, I went to mass in the Duomo. It was amazing...the mass was in Italian. Before the mass, the priest walked up to us and just said "USA?" We must havebeen given away what with all staring up, with our mouths wide open. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, and by far the most beautiful cathedral. That night I found an internet cafe for only one euro per hour. I got to see my parents and brother, and matt. And almost Carleigh, but not so much. So yesterday we fixed that problem and I got to see her. After skyping and beginning this post, I went on an art tour of Florence with an adorable English-speaking Italain man who made fun of the security guard at one of the cathedrals we entered, who interrupted him and told him "sotto voce" - to lower his voice. "He disturbs me," he said in his little Italian accent.

After the tour, we met the whole group (all 100 of us students) at a bar and got a free drink. All the girls ordered this drink with a silly name and too many ingredients to count: lime, brown sugar, strawberry, grenadine, and too much smirnoff vodka. It was a nice pink color. We felt bad for the bar tender, as he literally made about 50 of these, and the process requires smashing the limes in the glass with a twisting motion. We didn't feel too bad though - watching the smoking hot bartender flex those arms muscles, we really couldn't complain.

For the next two weeks we will be in Florence, we have class 4 hours a day and extravagant trips planned:Venice for the weekend, day trips to Pisa and Siena, and a wine tour in Tuscany, just to name a few. I'm having a lot of fun, despite various instances of homesickness. I miss everyone so much. Pictures to come to facebook soon!

It Begins... (Comincia...)

I decided to start this blog as a way of keeping in touch, and of course as a way for friends and family to "stalk" me if they so desire. For those of you with no Italian knowledge at all, "la dolce vita" means "the sweet life," the life I hope to have for the next three and a half months. I will try to keep this thing updated, but my internet access is limited, so bear with me.
-----
Tonight is my last night in America for the next 107 days.

I have just finished dinner with my family. A nice sendoff: steak, potatoes, green beans, and salad, followed by a nice big cake to celebrate my brother's 25th birthday early. A nice American meal before I venture Italian cuisine for a while, for which I am very excited. And I definitely am excited, but more so nervous. I have never been one for uncertainty or spontaneity. But that's the really beautiful thing about this experience. I will have to be. I will be thrown into a completely different world, and my sheltered lifestyle will finally be shattered, in a good way. I will be introduced to things that I have never seen, people that I have never met, and food that I have never even heard of. I will be the most independent that I have ever been. But I will be sure to keep in touch, of course.

I have been looking forward to this experience since the summer before I was a senior in high school, when I began touring colleges. So this is it. I'll probably be up all night, as I am absolutely too nervous (and excited) to sleep. So arrivederci a tutti! And a special thank you to everyone who has helped me through the predeparture process, especially my parents.

Good luck to everyone while I am away, and know that I'll be thinking of you when I go wherever la dolce vita takes me.