Day 129!

It is our last night in Switzerland, on to Germany early tomorrow morning. We have really enjoyed Interlaken and have just been relaxing and taking it easy for the most part. We got here on Saturday, checked in, and wandered around Interlaken. It's a pretty small little town so it didn't take long to explore it. It was a really beautiful day, and the mountains here are just so glorious! That evening we hung out for a bit at the bar in the lobby of our hostel. Our hostel is this really cool family-run place. The people are super nice and friendly and from all over--South Africa, Australia, everywhere!
Sunday Erin and I slept in then went exploring in the opposite direction, away from town. We went through the next town over, Wilderswil, and up into this tiny little town called Gsteigwiler. Another gorgeous day!
Erin and I were planning on going all the way up into the mountains on Monday to Jungfraujoch, known as "the top of Europe" because it's the highest train station in Europe. There is an ice palace/museum at the top that we really wanted to see, and we were planning on sledding down the mountain on the way back down. However it turns out that our Eurail passes don't cover the train ticket to the top, and we didn't feel like paying the extra 120 Swiss francs, so instead we just took the train to Wengen, a little town about halfway up the mountain. We walked around for a little while, got pastries and hot chocolate, and then came back to the hostel and chilled for the rest of the day.
Yesterday we went to Zurich for the day. We went to the Kunsthaus, this really awsome art museum, then just walked around the downtown area for a little while, then took the train back to Interlaken.
Today we didn't really do much of anything. We are enjoying our last day of the relaxation part of this journey. We walked into downtown Interlaken to get dinner. We had heard that cheese fondue is a famous Swiss dish, so we wanted to get some before we left here. Can't really say I was that impressed, unfortunately. It was kind of weird. But the waiter there gave us an extra scoop of ice cream in the banana split that we split, so all's well that ends well!
We have to get up at like 5 tomorrow to make our train to Berlin...nonstop, 9 hours. Woohoo! I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of 2009!
xoxo

Day 124!

Buon Natale, buone feste, e tanti auguri a tutti! What a way to spend Christmas Day☺ First thing this morning, Dina and Angelo came and picked us girls up to drive us around so we could see Novara and then to take us to Mario and Maria’s for lunch. Everyone has been so intent on showing us around Novara—Mario and Enio drove us around Wednesday night; Flavio and Lisa drove us around yesterday during the day; Domenico and Lisa drove us around last night; and now Dina and Angelo this morning! We have gotten the same tour but with different guides each time☺ Mario, Maria, their son Paolo and his wife Teresa, their daughter Daniela, Dina, Angelo, and we girls all had Christmas lunch together at Mario and Maria’s. Such a feast! For appetizers there were little onions, olives, mushrooms, eggplant, pigs-in-a-blanket, little pizzas, two kinds of salami, two kinds of prosciutto, and potato salad. Then the first course was like an Italian-style enchilada (I forget what they are called). There were two kinds, one filled with gorgonzola and mushrooms, the other with cheese and prosciutto, both so delicious! For the second course we had a roast and salad. The meat here is always so tender, I don’t know how they do it. Then out came the cheese, and the clementines, as usual, as well as peanuts and walnuts. After we thought we really couldn’t eat another bite, we had dessert! We had panettone (a type of sweet bread with candied fruit or chocolate inside—this one was chocolate!—that is a necessity for Italian holidays) with homemade whipped cream and prosecco! I don’t think I can ever eat again! The Italians really know how to do Christmas. We had such a wonderful meal and wonderful company. Erin, Alex, and I exchanged little gifts before lunch, but those were the only presents present (pun intended☺). Don’t get me wrong, I love both giving and receiving Christmas gifts, but it’s kind of nice for once to celebrate Christmas without such a huge focus on material things. We got to meet Mario and Maria’s kids, Paolo and Daniela, and Paolo’s wife (since July!) Teresa. They were also so nice and hospitable, welcoming us crazy Americans into their family Christmas celebration.
After our lengthy lunch, we had to say our final goodbyes to Mario and Maria. Che triste! But we promised that we will come back in the spring, a promise I fully intend to keep! Dina and Angelo took us back to Flavio and Elenora’s so we could pack up our suitcases so we will be ready for our EARLY start tomorrow. Our train from Milan to Interlaken is at 9 tomorrow morning, which means we have to leave here at 7 to make sure we get to Milan in time to make it! We said our final goodbyes to Dina and Angelo, and Dina warned us to be careful while traveling because “everyone is good, but [we] are young and beautiful.” She is so crazy, but I love her!
After we packed up all our stuff, we went down to Lisa and Domenico’s for dinner. They were having a bunch of friends over for homemade pizza. Going to a friend’s house instead of staying with family all day on Christmas is a strange concept to me, but we had so much fun! Lisa and her sister kept making pizza after pizza, each with a different variety of tasty toppings—prosciuto, tomatoes, salami, tuna, olives, mushrooms, always mozzarella. It was all so delicious, and Lisa even made up bags of the leftover pizza for Erin, Alex, and I to take on the train tomorrow. There was such a playful, friendly atmosphere during the whole evening. These people may be in their 30s, but they really seem so much younger. After dinner we all played Wii—Erin voluntarily, Alex and I against our will haha. It was so funny to see how much they love to play Wii, and watching some of the Wiifit games was especially entertaining. Lisa had also made up a Secret Santa type of game where we all picked numbers out of a jar that corresponded with newspaper-wrapped “gifts”—things like one piece of panettone, rubber bands, and a button that says “sono schemo” (I’m crazy). Domenico got clown balloons as one gift and started making balloon animals for everyone! I got a giraffe☺ He made Alex a pregnant dog—a poodle with a little balloon inside the stomach! This all led to my personal favorite part of the evening when Domenico performed more magic tricks! He is really good. I honestly have no idea how he did some of them, it’s kind of freaky. He did coin tricks, card tricks, and some with a couple red clown noses. They were all so entertaining. I was so astounded that Lisa said she was laughing harder at my reaction to the tricks than at the tricks themselves. I just love magic! It was such a fun night, I was so sad when Alex and Erin finally decided it was time to head upstairs. I really didn’t want the night to end, or our stay in Novara for that matter. I had so much fun joking around with Lisa and Domenico and their friends. They all make fun of the things we say in English with a hilarious impression of our accent. One of their friends kept trying to say a few sentences in English and kept talking about how “cool” he is. I honestly can’t remember the last time I so thoroughly enjoyed myself! For now I need to get to sleep as we have an early start and a long day ahead of us, but I am for sure coming back here before the I leave Italy!
xoxo

Day 123!

I can’t believe it’s Christmas Eve! Erin’s relatives were planning on taking us around Novara today, but unfortunately the weather was too bad. It rained here all day and is very cold. But that was fine with us because then we got to relax/sleep in/read for most of the morning. Elenora had us come down and eat breakfast—several kinds of cookies, brioches, and nutella (a MUST for Italian breakfast!), coffee, and tea. Around noon the other relatives arrived for Christmas Eve lunch. Mario and Maria came, and we met Mario and Flavio’s sister Dina and her husband Angelo—both so sweet! Dina is a trip, she will go on and on about how bella we girls are and how brava we are because we speak Italian and drink wine and eat a lot—love her!!! Lisa and Domenico joined us about halfway through the meal, which took at least two hours! We started with several different appetizers including roasted red and yellow peppers, little onions, meat with tuna sauce (might not sound good, but it was delicious), something like potato salad, and olives. Then we had the first course—DELICIOUS homemade lasagna! For the second course we had a roast, fried calamari, salad, potatoes, and french fries. So much food! And of course, there is always bread and a wide variety of beverages on the table. Italians always have wine, water, and at least one other choice; today it was coke and Italian style orange juice. At the end of every meal here they bring out a basket of clementines, as they are supposed to help with digestion. I’m not sure if that is a seasonal habit or one that lasts year round, but I like it! We also had dried chocolate-covered figs with a hazelnut inside for dessert and, like good Italians, espresso. It was such a wonderful meal, but not just because of the food! Erin’s relatives are so wonderful themselves. I really wish we could stay here for a few more days. We had really lively, fun conversation throughout the whole meal. The women are especially fun to watch when they talk to each other. I really like being here because it is strange enough to be exciting, but familiar enough to be comforting. Elenora reminded me so much of my grandmothers today at lunch because we were all sitting and eating while she kept going to and fro from the kitchen bringing out more food. Dina was telling us girls about her and Angelo’s travels in America. Years ago they took a trip around the United States to California, Las Vegas, Niagra Falls, and so many other places. They have seen more of my own country than I have! As I said, Lisa and Domenico arrived while we were eating, and they sat down on our end of the table, so I got to talk to them quite a bit. They are both so funny and seem so much younger than they are. Erin, Alex, and I all thought they were about 25 or 26, but we found out tonight that Lisa is 31 and Domenico is 32! We also found out that they have been together since they were 17—14 years! They are such a cute couple because you can just tell that they are happy people and happy to be together. Actually that’s how all of the couples are here, it’s really too cuteJ Anyway, after we were impossibly full from lunch, Flavio and Lisa took us to the train station to try to make reservations for our train to Interlaken. Turns out we have to do it in Milan on Saturday, so we will be leaving here at about 6 that morning! Next Flavio drove us to an outdoor outlet mall close to where Lisa works. There were a lot of great stores, but it was still raining and none of us really needed anything, so we didn’t stay long. After that it was back to Mario and Maria’s for dinner! This time Maria made a dish very typical of this area—risotto with mushrooms. Mario found the mushrooms himself in the woods—he loves to mushroom hunt, but doesn’t really like to eat them, which I think is cuteJ The risotto and the mushrooms were fantastic! We also had roast, salad, cheese, bread, and the famous clementines. Once again we were stuffed to the gills!!! Domenico and Lisa came over after dinner, and we all sat talking for a little while. We found out Domenico is a magician, which absolutely made my day (I LOVE magic tricksJ)! He did a few magic tricks for us, but then we had to leave because Maria needed to get to church to sing at midnight mass. Domenico and Lisa took us to a pub where we sat talking for a long time. They are so much fun to hang out with! It’s so interesting to talk to them, too. They do the funniest impression of us speaking English. They also gave us some hilarious examples of different Italian dialects, like Napoletano (Domenico is from Naples). We made plans for coming back in the spring so we can see more of Novara and the lake. We also talked about meeting in Milan this summer for a South American festival, and I invited them to come to Ibiza with us for my birthday. I really hope all of these plans pan out because I love these people! I am so content here that it’s almost ridiculous. I simply cannot stop smiling and end up feeling kind of silly, but oh well! I wish everyone could meet all of these wonderful people because I know no amount of description could ever do them justice. In fact I want to go on and on and describe every little detail of them all, but it’s just hopeless! And it’s technically already Christmas now, so I better get to bed so Babbo Natale can do his thingJ Auguri!

xoxo

Day 122!

What a trying but wonderful day! Erin and I planned on meeting Alex (the girl this time—the boy Alex with whom we spent the days in Milan left very early this morning) at the train station and taking the 12:15 train to Novara. However, Alex’s first train from Bologna was cancelled, and she missed her second one, so she was late. Also Erin and I had to wait around at the hotel because Alex (the boy!) forgot to pay for his share! So we had to wait to get his credit card number so we could get our bill all settled. A little after 1 o’clock, Alex (girl), Erin, and I were finally on a train out of Milan and heading for Novara, what should have been a short trip. But when we got to the Novara station, the train doors wouldn’t open! We ran to the next set of doors to get off, but it was already too late, the train was leaving the station, and we were stuck! We had to ride to the next stop and finally got off the train. Luckily the town wasn’t too far from Novara. Erin called her relatives and her (distant) cousin Mario and his friend Enio were nice enough to just drive to the town where we were and pick us up there! Enio is a great big guy with a full beard, and he is such a joker—he reminds me a lot of a combination of some good family friends, in a good wayJ Mario took us back to his house where his wife Maria had made us a wonderful home-cooked Italian lunch—tagliatelli with ragu, chicken, cheese, bread! Mario and Maria are so sweet and hospitable. We ate very well then Mario took us to his brother Flavio’s house. We are staying with Flavio and his wife Elenora because they have more room. They actually have an unusual amount of extra space, especially for Italians, because they have an entire building to themselves. Their daughter Lisa lives on the first floor with her boyfriend Domenico, they live on the second, and their other daughter used to live on the top floor, but she moved so we get the whole top floor to ourselves! It’s really nice and definitely the most comfortable we will be during this whole trip. Once we got settled in here, Mario came and picked us up to take us back to his house for dinner—chicken, fennel, potatoes, cheese, bread, fruit, cookies—yum! I really love this whole home-cooked Italian food, entire apartment to ourselves thing! Better than even the best hostelJ And all of Erin’s relatives are sooo nice. As much as I love Christmas at home with my family, it’s really fun to be here experiencing an Italian Christmas with such welcoming people. It’s also really great to be listening to them talk and to be speaking Italian with them. What a great opportunity! I am really enjoying myself more than I thought possible! I know these next couple days here are going to fly by, but I wish they wouldn’t!

xoxo

Day 121!

We are in Milan! Yesterday was the first day of our Krazee Xmaz Adventure. Erin and I left Bologna around 11 in the morning and got to Milan around noon. Getting to the hotel was quite a task! Erin and I are both really good at overpacking, so dragging our suitcases from the train station to the hotel was a good workout. My arms are still sore! Erin’s friend Alex (a boy Alex, not the girl one who is joining us for Christmas in Novara) was waiting for us at the hotel. The hotel is pretty nice and the man at the front desk is super friendly and really funny. I love Italians! We got settled in then headed out to see Milan! We went to the Duomo and just walked around Milan. It was snowing the whole time! It felt like we trekked around the entire city in a blizzard! But it made for a beautiful winter wonderland, so I’m not complaining. We went back to the hotel, grabbed some food from a supermarket for a quick dinner, then got ready to go out on the town for the evening. What an evening! We wanted to go out to a club or a discoteca or something fun, but ended up getting lost in the snow and wandering around, across town from our hotel. We finally found one bar that was open, so we stopped there, but then they started closing up, so we had to leave. We needed to get back to our hotel, but the metro closes at 12:30, so we ran to the metro stop and just BARELY made the LAST train! Erin and I jumped the turnstile and Alex held the doors open for us as we ran onto the train screaming. A real adventure! But we finally made it back to the hotel. It was a really great dayJ

Today we slept in then got up and got ready for a full day of sightseeing. First, we went to the Palazzo Reale and saw an exhibit of the artwork of Edward Hopper. It was really cool because I had only ever seen one of his works before (Nighthawks) so I didn’t really know who he was, but now I know that I love his work! It’s so great to broaden my artistic as well as cultural horizons while I’m hereJ Next we headed to the Triennale to see and exhibit on the architect Frank Gehery, which was also very interesting. Our last big event of the day was walking down the famous Via Monte Napoleone, the home of high fashion! This, of course, was my favorite part…well it would have been if I could afford ANYTHING! We saw all my loves: Gucci, Armani, D&G, Versace, Prada, etc. We only went in a couple stores (Prada and Armani) because it was just too sad to see all the beautiful things that I will never be able to have! Nonetheless, it was really cool just to be there. Tired and hungry, we headed back to the hotel and had dinner at the little osteria right underneath. I had pizza with mozzarella, gorgonzola, and speck—delicious as usualJ

I like Milan a lot, especially with the Christmas decorations both manmade (beautiful lights!) and natural (soooo much snow!). On to Novara tomorrow!

xoxo

Day 119!

Ciao! I leave tomorrow for my grand Christmas adventure, and I am so excited! I've been trying to pack for most of the day today. I am famous for overpacking and this is no exception. I still need to do some narrowing down. Erin and I are leaving on the 10:40 train tomorrow, so I will have some time in the morning to finish up.
I had my first oral exam on Thursday. I was really nervous about it, even though it was with Prof. Ricci. But all went really well, and I got a 30 (A+) to my surprise! Now I just have to study for my other exam in Jan for literature and write a paper for cinema. I have a lot of time to work on all this, so I'm not too stressed out, which is nice!
There has been a lot of snow here this weekend, and everything looks so pretty and Christmasy! I was walking around today just soaking up the holiday spirit and the festive atmosphere. As much as I miss being with my friends and family this time of year, I really have enjoyed experiencing the holidays here. It really just feels like Christmas in the air, and I just LOVE it. Every city in the world should put up Christmas lights the way Bologna does. And the snow just completes the feeling! I added a few new pix of the snow (at the end of the album).
I think I will be brining my computer with me on our trip, so I will try to make time to keep you updated and post pix during the journey!
Buon natale!!
xoxo

Day 115!

Ciao tutti!
Nothing really exciting to share today, but I just want to check in because I have been so bad about blogging recently! I have been going to classes and studying this week. I had my last cinema class yesterday and our oral exam is tomorrow. I'm so nervous! I still need to study a lot, but I feel like even if I know all the material, I am still going to get stage fright and forget everything. Why do Italians think that oral exams are a good idea? Because I don't. Oh well, at least this one is with Prof. Ricci, so hopefully I won't get too intimidated talking to him haha. This is also my last week of literature class before we have a break for Christmas. I will still have a weeks worth of classes when we get back and then the exam in late January. I miss the American system where the entire semester is done and over with before Christmas break because now I am going to be spending my break worrying about school! I have the oral exam for literature and a huge paper for cinema due in January. I would rather just get everything over with, but oh well!
I can't wait for Monday when Erin and I leave for our trip! Oh, and Alex is coming now too! It's going to be so fun, I keep thinking about it and then I get so excited that I can't study haha. Speaking of which, I need to get back to, but I'll write again before the break:)
xoxo

Day 111!

I did it again, I apologize! Let me just say that I cannot believe it's already half way through December! And I have been here for over 100 days! This semester has really flown by. I am already completely done with one of my classes! I had the final for my Italian grammar class on Dec. 3, so I spent most of the first week in December studying for that. It's such a relief to only have two classes to think about now, even though grammar was my favorite class.
Saiya, one of my very best friends from IU, was here from the 5th to the 11th. She just finished studying this semester in South Africa and was making a few stops in Europe to visit people before she headed home for Christmas. I'm so glad she was here for a week, it was a really wonderful time. It was perfect timing, too, because Dec. 8 is a national holiday here (for the Immaculate Conception I think). So I didn't have any class on Monday or Tuesday last week--a FIVE DAY weekend! Saiya got in on Saturday afternoon, and we went grocery shopping and just walked around Bologna a little bit. She and I, Rodolfo, Anne, and Alex all went out for an aperitivo and gelato Saturday night. Sunday Saiya and I just caught up and chilled. She is a wonderful cook and made me African food--baked squash with spinach sauteed with garlic and onions with yogurt on top. It was delicious.
She and I and Rodolfo went to Venice on Monday for the day. It was a pretty gray day, but Venice was still such a beautiful city! We took a boat to Murano, the island famous for its glass. I could have spent the whole day just in Murano, there was so much to look at! I definitely want to go back before the end of the year.
The rest of the week I just showed Saiya around Bologna and introduced her to the wonder that is real Italian food haha. She also cooked for me a lot, which I really miss! I liked introducing her to new things here. We tried roasted chestnuts for the first time--there are people selling them on the streets this time of year. They were delicious! It was so good to have someone from home here. I liked showing her around because it made me realize just how much I have learned since getting here. It was very sad to see her go, especially since it meant that I really have to focus on my schoolwork now! I have my final for my cinema class on Thursday. It's an oral exam, so I am getting pretty nervous about it! I also have to write an 8 to 12 page paper (in Italian, of course ugh) for that class. It's not due till Jan 15, but I want to get a head start on it so I can just focus on studying for my literature class when I get back from my Christmas trip.
Speaking of which... Erin and I have planned a trip from Dec 21 to Jan 4 or 5. We are going to Milan, Novara for Christmas eve and Christmas day (Erin has family there), then Interlaken, Switzerland, Berlin for the BIGGEST New Year's Eve celebration in the world!, then Munich on the way back to Bologna. It may sound extravagant, but I know I will need something really exciting and distracting to do over the holidays so I don't have too much time to think about missing my family and everyone back home! There will be LOTS of pix, of course!
I have been a little bit homesick just because of the season, but it is also exciting to be here for the holidays. Bologna, and all of Italy I think, is really getting into the holiday spirit. There are Christmas lights strung across all of the major streets as well as many other small ones. The taller of the two famous towers of Bologna is all lit up, and I can see the top of it from my window. The whole city just has a really festive feeling, and I really love it! Little Christmas markets have sprung up across the city. It's fun just to wander through and browse all the gifts. I have never spent the holidays in a city before, and I kind of like it. There are always people bustling around Christmas shopping and carrying lots of bags and packages. Sometimes there are people on the street playing carols on a saxophone or accordion, and as I mentioned, there are chestnut vendors on the main streets. I just love the Christmas season, even though I can't believe it's here again already!
xoxo
Check out my latest album!

Day 97!

I'm still here! I apologize for not posting in over 20 days! Totally unacceptable how fast time goes by here. So much has happened since my last post. The week of the 9th was midterms for me, so I did nothing but study for those. I did pretty well on my grammar midterm and got 100% on my test for my cinema class! I was so surprised.
We went to Padova as a big group on Friday the 13th. I missed the first train with everyone because my alarm didn't go off, then missed ANOTHER one, not really sure how! But I finally made it there around 1. We wandered around the city, had a tour of the university there, and saw Giotto's frescoes. Padova is a really cute city.
Nothing too exciting the next week, just class and homework, the usual.
The weekend of the 2oth, Erin, Rodolfo, and I went to Barcelona! What a beautiful, fun city! It was a really fun weekend. We flew out on Friday afternoon, arrived in the evening. We settled into our hostel and went out for dinner, walking around the Ramblas and just experiencing Barcelona. Saturday we got up and walked to Gaudi's Sagrada Familia--SO AMAZING! We took a tour bus around the city for most of the day, stopping at places we wanted to see: Gaudi's Park Guell and Casa Batllo and the Picasso Museum. We got to see so much of the city from the bus, too. We saw the sight of the 1992 Olympics, the ports on the Mediterranean, beautiful views of Barcelona. Really a beautiful place and a wonderful day. Sunday we had to check out of the hostel and make it back to the airport, but we all agreed that we have to return sometime this year!
Once again, just class and homework this week. Our program provided a lovely Thanksgiving dinner for us on Thursday, so that was fun (and delicious!). I can't believe it's almost December! Time has really flown by!
Be sure to check out the pix of Padova and Barcelona!
xoxo

Day 76!

Ciao! I can't believe it's been almost another whole week since I last blogged! The days are just flying by. Not much really to tell about this week. I've just been going to class and do school work pretty much. I have midterms for both of my BCSP classes next week, grammar is on Tuesday and cinema is on Thursday. So I've spent most of yesterday and today studying for those. Alex and I went to the Sala Borsa, the public library, to study yesterday. It's so big and beautiful. I felt super productive and focused, so I think I will make going there to study a habit!
Wednesday night Erin, Allegra, Alex, and I went to the Irish Pub to get hamburgers since everyone was craving American food! I guess Wednesdays are big soccer nights here. The place was packed with people to watch the game. I didn't stay for the whole game, but Erin and Allegra did, and they said things got a little crazy a times!
Last night Anne, Alex, and I went to Ristoro delle Fate on Via Zamboni for drinks. It's a really cool restaurant/bar and has a great atmosphere. It was an early night though, nothing crazy!
Tomorrow I think I am going to go to mass in the morning and then go to this gym I found to join it so I can get back in shape! It's a little far away from my place, but it is a lot cheaper than the other closer gyms. I am looking forward to working out again. I have the time for it, and I will feel so much better when I have some physical activity again. It has been far to cold for me to run this week, and I feel so lazy! Other than that, I will be studying all day tomorrow. My Unibo class has been cancelled for this week, which is wonderful timing for me. Now I only have class on Tuesday and Thursday this week, so I can spend all of Monday and Wednesday studying for my exams! Not too fun, but very helpful.
I'll try to blog sometime in the middle of the week this week for once!
xoxo

Day 70!

I tried to post this last night, but my internet was down. So here it is now!

Whew, what a week! I have been so busy this week with schoolwork. A lot of reading and a paper to write, etc. I am slowly but surely regaining my once brilliant study habits haha! I really have a lot of free time here, I just need to be better about time management. But I really got a lot accomplished this week, so I feel pretty good about my studies right now!
I have been running again in the giardini Margherita. This week I befriended the adults who I always see running there together in the morning! Well to be more precise, they invited me to start running with them. They are so nice and in great shape! I am really excited that I know them now because I can exercise and practice my Italian at the same time! And now I am more motivated to actually get up at 7 and get out to the giardini to run with them.
Halloween here was fun but not nearly as exciting as it is back in the States! A bunch of us all dressed up and went to Erin's. Erin was a geisha, Alex was a fairy, Allegra was a spider, and I was Hello Kitty. I found bat and ghost shaped cookies and gummy vampire teeth, so we had some Halloween treats! No candy corn though, which I was sad about. I actually had a dream about candy corn last week! Haha sometimes I miss the strangest, most random things from home! We were all going to go out to the discoteca in the giardini Margherita after our Halloween festivites, but Allegra and I were too tired, so we just went home!
I got up this morning and went to 10:30 mass with Maria, Michael, and Maria's dad, who's in town for a few days. It was such a beautiful day today! The sky was perfectly blue, not a cloud in sight, and it really wasn't that cold. I am starting to feel much more at home in Bologna, like when I am walking around the city. I have always enjoyed it, but have had a few boughts of mild homesickness in which I haven't really appreciated what a beautiful place it is. But today walking back from mass, I was just overwhelmed with how pretty everything was. I walked under the two towers with the sun shining on them and the blue sky behind them--I am just so blessed to have the opportunity to live here for a year! Spent the rest of the day sitting in my room reading for my Italian literature class. I am still reading the first of the novels we talked about, Conversazione in Sicilia (Conversations in Sicily), and we are now talking about the fourth! But luckily I only have to read two of the four, so I am not really as far behind as it seems. And the way exams work here, I will have a lot of time between the end of the lectures and when the exams are to study, so I can always catch up on the reading. But I made a lot of progress today, so like I said, I am feeling good about my studies, and I feel like I am learning a lot!
I think I am going to hit the sack a little early tonight to rest up and get a fresh start to my week tomorrow. Ciao!
xoxo

P.S. Check out the pix from Halloween!

Day 65!

Hey there! I am so sorry it's been so long since I last posted! Nothing exciting happened last week, and I was very busy with school work. I literally stayed in all weekend reading and working on homework. It was pretty cold, so it was a good weekend to do that! It was actually kind of relaxing to just lounge around my apartment, get things accomplished, and not have to go out into the cold.
However, this past weekend more than made up for my lack of action the weekend before! Maria, her boyfriend Michael, Michelle, Rodolfo, Allegra, Alex, and I went on a roadtrip to Austria! We rented two little Italian cars. I rode with Michael, Maria, and Michelle. We all left Thursday night at about 11 and drove through the night to Vienna. I slept almost the whole way, but was awake long enough to see the AMAZING night sky over northern Italy/Austria. The stars were sooo big and bright, and the constellations were really easy to pick out. Easily the most amazing night sky I have ever seen:)
We arrived in Vienna at about 7 Friday morning, but we got lost within the city for about 3 hours! Turns out Vienna is quite a large place and difficult to navigate when you accidentally get into it on the wrong side of town... I enjoyed our morning drive around the city, however. Vienna is absolutely beautiful. It is unlike anything I have seen in Italy. This whole trip really showed me how different Italy is from other parts of Europe. Vienna is much more open, with much bigger, grander buildings than anything in Bologna. We finally found our parking garage and got out of the car to walk around the city. We headed into the center of town and met up with Rodolfo, Allegra, and Alex at the parliament building (gorgeous!). We were all famished and in dire need of nutrients/COFFEE, so we headed to a cafe. I had a delicious and much-needed cappuccino and jam-filled pancakes--yum! After we had all regained our energy, we decided to go see one museum type thing--there were plenty to choose from! We ended up seeing the silver and china collection belonging to the Hapsburgs, as well as the royal apartments/palace rooms. So elaborate and beautiful! Then we just decided to walk around and see the city instead of going through more museums. The weather was absolutely beautiful, much warmer than the past week in Bologna, sunny, very fall. We started walking and ran into a kind of fall festival with lots of food stands, music, activities. It was the perfect thing! I have really been missing the usual fall type activities, and this festival really hit the spot! We tried strum, kind of a mix between beer and wine, hard to describe, but very good! There was a wonderful little candy stand, so of course we all got treats--I bought a marzipan potato:) After that we just walked around some more. Maria, Michael, Rodolfo, and I went into this beautiful gothic church and then talked to a bunch of strangers (everyone in Austria is SO friendly!) to get suggestions for a good place to get wienerschnitzel. We all ended up going to this little pub for an early dinner. I ended up having some kind of wurst instead of wienerschnitzel, but it was sooo good! Right after dinner we headed to Salzburg, about a 3 hour drive (relatively easy!) We arrived in Salzburg about 10 pm or so, checked into our hostel, and IMMEDIATELY went to bed!
The next morning, feeling quite well rested :), I got up early to enjoy the great breakfast spread provided by our hostel. This was my first hostel experience, and it was such a nice one, I think I'm spoiled now! Our plan for Saturday was to do the "Most Unique Sound of Music Tour." The real Trapp family is from Salzburg, and most of The Sound of Music was filmed there! We had this crazy British tour guide, Sue, who was QUITE enthusiastic! We saw the gazebo from the "16 going on 17," but unfortunately couldn't go inside because an old lady broke her hip a couple years ago trying to dance from bench to bench. We saw the lane where Maria sings "I have confidence," the two different houses they used for the Von Trapp home, the convent (both from the movie and the one the REAL Maria was in), the church where they filmed the wedding, the lane they drive down when the kids are climbing trees in their curtain outfits, and the garden where most of the "Doe a deer" scenes were filmed. Besides that we got to see lots of beautiful Austrian scenery, mountains, lakes, and the headquarters of Red Bull (Austrias BIGGEST export, even before Swarovski crystal!). It was a great tour, really cool to be in the places where they filmed The Sound of Music, and a great way to see Salzburg. We got one of Maria's favorite things--apfelstrudel with vanilla ice cream from this little cafe that has won awards for its strudel! After the tour, we spent some time wandering the garden and then went to dinner. We found this super authentic Austrian restaurant. This time I DID have wienerschnitzel :) and Sacher torte, a chocolate and apricot cake that originates in Vienna and Salzburg. We ate so well in Austria haha! Rodolfo, Allegra, Alex, Michelle, and I went to an Irish pub after dinner to enjoy the Salzburg "night life." We were all pretty tired, however, so we went back to the hostel (and bed) before long.
Sunday we got up planning to do some shopping, but soon realized that shops in Salzburg aren't open on Sundays! Michelle and I wandered around downtown Salzburg for the morning, getting pretzels and chocolate:). After that we met up with Maria and Michael and headed back to the hostel to get the car and make our way back to Bologna. We spent most of the day driving back, and finally got back to Bologna at about 7 in the evening. The scenery on the way back (when I was awake) was gorgeous--fall colors and mountains everywhere!
It was a long, sometimes hard, weekend, but I am so glad we did it! Austria is absolutely beautiful. It reminds me of something out of a fairytale, and I really didn't want to leave! I hope I get the chance to go back and stay for more than just a few days.
I have just had class yesterday and today, nothing too exciting. Now I have a lot of work to catch up on since I didn't have time for homework this weekend. Last night, Erin, her mom and grandma, Michelle, Alex, Allegra, Anne, and I took a cooking class at a little bed and breakfast outside of the city. We learned how to make handmade pasta! It was really fun, although I don't know if that will be a dish I make for myself as it is quite time consuming. We had a delicious meal with three different types of pasta (all made at least in part by us!). It was not only yummy, but was also a fun way to spend an evening.
All right, I wanted to get everyone caught up and tell you about Austria while it's still fresh in my mind, but now I really have to get to work!
xoxo

p.s. PIXX OF AUSTRIA

Day 53!

It has started to get COLD here in Bologna! Monday was rainy and gray, but the rest of the week has just been cold (like in the 50s) but sunny. It was so cold last night that I woke up in the middle of the night and had to find another blanket! I've been sleeping in a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up! Haha. I got my winter coats in the mail today, from Mom and Dad--just in the nick of time! I am done with class for the week. My Italian Contemporary Literature class was difficult to follow this week, but I started talking to this really sweet girl, Francesca, who usually sits in the front row with me. I borrowed her notes last weekend, and they really helped my comprehension of the class, so I will probably make that a habit. My Italian grammar and Italian cinema classes both started this week, and I am really enjoying both of them! They are both through BCSP and are structured more like American classes--aka there's regular homework. I don't like that about them, but I'm glad to be back in a regular grammar class because I know I need it! And the cinema class is really interesting. It's taught by Prof. Ricci, the director of our program. We have two lectures a week, two hours each, and we have movie screenings on Thursday. Today we watched Roma Citta Aperta, a very good, but very sad, film. I haven't really done much else this week, just trying to get caught up on all the things I feel like I need to do! My roommates and I had a little conference yesterday (the first time we've all been together!) about how things work in the apartment, bills, rent, spese in comune (olive oil, paper towels, coffee, etc.), things like that. I found out that Giuseppe is moving out! He and Alessandra (his girlfriend) are looking for a place together, and they hope to find one soon. So I will probably have a new roommate soon. Giuseppe and Alessandra are both really nice, but I don't see them much at all, so I'm not too upset by this news, more surprised than anything.
By the way, I have not forgotten about putting up pictures of my apartment! I wanted to wait until I had decorated my side of the room and Flavia had decorated hers. My side is done I think, and it's starting to seem like Flavia won't really be decorating her side, so I will try to get some pictures up soon!
I would like to ask you all to pray for my friend Maria and her family. She went home a couple weekends ago for her grandpa's funeral, and just this week she lost one of her cousins. She has been having a rough time with all this, of course, and I know she and her family could really use some prayers!
xoxo

Day 50!

I've been here 50 days! I can't believe it.
I had a really nice weekend. I'm feeling more and more settled here, which is definitely a good feeling!
Danielle organized a picnic for some of the BCSP kids on Friday. Alex, Anne, Erin, Maria, Rodolfo, and me. We were supposed to go up to Villa Gighi, a park outside of the city center, but it started raining, so we just ended up going to the BCSP office and eating our food there. Still so fun! Danielle brought her adorable little dog, Lilo, who is afraid of EVERYTHING except Danielle. She also brought a deliciously gooey chocolate cake that was basically fudge, yum! We had several different cheeses, some prosciutto, fruit, bread, gelato, and prosecco. Quite a feast! Maria drew a big sun on the whiteboard, so we still had a picnic-like atmosphere, and we played hangman, in Italian, of course! That night, Erin, Alex, her roommate, & his friends, and I all went to Covo, a club outside of the city center to a Rakes concert. It was SUCH a good show! I had never heard of the Rakes before, but they are a fairly well-known band from London. They kind of reminded me of a combination of the Killers and Franz Ferdinand. They really play a GREAT live show. We were all right up front by the stage, dancing our hearts out, it was so fun! Erin and I met the drummer, both guitar players, and the bassist (everyone except the singer/frontman) after the show. We ended up talking to the drummer and guitar/keyboard player for a couple hours! They were both so nice and funny, not to mention fantastic musicians. It was a really amazing night:)
Saturday Anne, Erin, and I went to Mambo, Bologna's modern art museum. It has some really great pieces, and I was quite impressed with the collection overall. It was a really nice way to spend an afternoon. Erin and I went out to dinner after at a restaurant across the street from Alex's apartment. I had pizza with prosciutto, yummm! Then we went and got a carton of gelato to take to Alex's. Alex, Erin, and Alex's roommate watched Trainspotting and ate gelato. I went home after because I was soo tired! It was fun, though. A nice, relaxing day overall.
Sunday was relaxing as well. I started reading Conversazione in Sicilia, one of the books I need to read for my Contemporary Italian Literature class. It's not too hard to read, but it is still pretty slow going. I went to 6:30 mass at San Martino, down the street from my apartment. I can't wait till I actually know the mass responses in Italian!
Today seems like it's going to be kind of dreary. It rained REALLY hard for about 5 minutes, I think there might have even been some hail.
xoxo

p.s. pixxx from this weekend.

Day 46!

I am done with my first week of classes! Well, my first week of one of my classes anyway. My University of Bologna class, Contemporary Italian Literature, started on Monday. My classes through BCSP don't start until next week. So I had class Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 3-5. My class is a huge lecture of literally hundreds of students. This week, I had some trouble understanding everything my professor said. He talks really fast, and I'm not altogether familiar with literary terms anyway. But every day has been a little bit better, and I borrowed this week's notes from an Italian girl, so hopefully looking over those will increase my comprehension. Today I am staying in and copying notes and reading the novel we have been talking about, Conversazione in Sicilia by Elio Vittorini. I really want to try to stay ahead of the game since I'm working with such a severe language handicap. I think I will like the class, though, once I understand more. And apparently our professor is really funny; there have been a few times that he says something and everyone cracks up. Of course, I didn't catch the joke, but at least I know he has a sense of humor, haha right? The other thing is, I know he is really good about helping foreign students, so I can always go to him for help if I really need it.
I have started running and working out again! I have gotten up and ran three times so far this week. I like getting out at about 7 am because there are less people to run around on the sidewalks. Also the morning air here is so nice, and both the sun and moon are in the sky. I have been running across to Via Zamboni (the one that most of the university buildings are on) down to Via Castiglione to the Giardina Margherita. I really love the garden. It's still so green, fall really hasn't settled in here yet. There are quite a few regular runners I have started recognizing in the garden. Working out more means I can eat more gelato, right? Haha.
Rodolfo, Rob, Alexandra, Erin, Alex, Allegra, Anne, Michelle, two of Maria's housemates, and I all had a little birthday party for Maria on Monday. She just turned 20! I feel old. We made pasta with a tomato and mushroom sauce, salad, cake, and gelato. There were too many of us to eat in the kitchen, so we all feasted sitting on the floor of Maria's bedroom. It was really fun, and I think Maria really enjoyed herself.
Anne and I went out to Swine Bar (right next to my place) and Cafe Zamboni last night to sample both aperitivos. Swine Bar has this really cool room on the street side of the sidewalk, like and outdoor bar with really comfy couches and little tables. It had such a cool atmosphere! There wasn't a lot of food there, but I think it was better quality than Cafe Zamboni. Cafe Zamboni was packed by the time we got there and was super noisy and crowded. It's pretty well known for its aperitivo, so there are always a lot of people there. There's always a lot of food, too. By the time we left, I think they must have been running out, though, because they literally had set out an entire platter of hot dogs cut up into little pieces. I kid you not. I'm glad we got our food before that! I preferred Swine Bar, and it's really close to my house, so I will probably go there quite a bit. Aperitivo is a really good deal, buy a 6 or 7 euro drink and eat as much as you want! I know I'm going to miss that next year!
xoxo

cinque terre pixx!

here they are!

Day 42!

I just got back yesterday from the Cinque Terre, a national park made up of five little towns on the coast of the Ligurian Sea. Anne and I planned this little trip a couple weeks ago because we knew we would have a long weekend available to travel before classes really started up. We left Thursday morning on the 7:30 train. I slept a lot on the way there! We got to Riomaggiore, the town furthest south and the one we stayed in, around 1:00, I think. We checked into the hotel first thing. Our room was up three flights of stairs from the main street and then up 6 more once we got in the building! But the view was definitely worth the extra effort. We could see the whole city spread out around us. The room was sooo tiny, too. The bed took up the whole room, and the bathroom was divided into two rooms, one with the toilet and bidet (always necessary in Europe, even when there is clearly not enough room for it!), and the sink and shower in the other. Anne and I (neither of us big people) could barely squeeze by the sink to the shower or around the bed to get out to the only big part of our room--the terrace! After getting settled in, we walked around Riomaggiore and just took in the sights. It's such a cute, quiet little town and very vertical. It's a steep climb walking up the main street from the water. We went down to the water and climbed out on the "beach," a bunch of huge rocks, where we sat for awhile just talking and watching the sun go down. So peaceful! We had a really nice dinner that night, and our waitress was this cute little middle aged Italian woman who really liked that we spoke Italian to her. Then we went to bed early to rest up for the hike on Friday.
Friday morning we got up and took the train to the northernmost city, Monterrosso al Mare. There are trails between each of the 5 cities so you can hike from one to the other. We hiked from Monterrosso to Vernazza, then from Vernazza to Corniglia, then stopped there for lunch. Those are the two hardest sections of trail, with LOTS of stairs!!! Anne and I stretched before we started and when we stopped in every city, and I think that's the only reason we were able to walk the next day at all! The trails from Corniglia to Manarola to Riomaggiore were SO much easier, we didn't even break a sweat. The views were so worth the effort of the hike, and we felt so accomplished when we finished! All of the towns are so cute and feel very iconic Italy, despite all the American and German tourists who were there. My favorite was definitely Vernazza, the second town. It sits right on the water and is so colorful and quiet. There is a tiny little harbor and beach and a bell tower overlooking the town. It was also a lot more horizontal than Riomaggiore! After the hike, we were both pretty wiped out, so we went back to the hotel, napped, showered, and then hit the town again. We bought wine from this little wine shop. The man was so nice to us! After we shamefacedly asked if he sold Fragolino (our favorite--a delicious, sweet, strawberry wine) he informed us that they don't make Fragolino anymore! Sad news! But he suggested a different wine, which we bought (and it was delicious!), and opened it halfway for us, since we didnt have a bottle opener in the room. Once we got back to the room (up about 35094 stairs) we proceeded to break the cork! So we had to go alllll the way back and have him open the bottle the rest of the way. It was worth the effort, though. We had dinner out on our terrace overlooking the beautiful town. I had pesto pizza which was unbelievable! That region is famous for pesto, so I simply had to try it. Excellent decision! It was another early night for us, since we were still so tired from the hike.
Saturday we got up and got on the train back to Bologna. We finally made it back around 4. I hung out with Allegra, Erin, Alex, and her Italian roommates, who are so nice and really funny. The rest of the weekend has been pretty lowkey. I did some laundry today and am just trying to get prepared for classes starting tomorrow. My University of Bologna class, Contemporary Italian Literature, is from 3 to 5. I will let you know how it goes!
xoxo

ps. I am trying desperately to post pix of Cinque Terre, but Facebook is not cooperating right now. I will post again as soon as they're up!

Day 37!

Agian, sorry for the delay. I just had finals for my presession class yesterday, so I have been busy studying for those, although apparently not enough because the culture section of the test was SO HARD! So a lot has happened since the 23rd when I wrote last.
On the 24th, Anne and I went on an underground tour of Bologna! It was so cool and a little creepy. Definitely check out the pix. We learned a lot about Bologna, like one quarter of the city used to be on water like Venice! But the canals were too dangerous, and too many people kept drowning so they closed them up. Bologna's only natural waterway is underground, we walked along it the whole tour. It really wasn't that impressive, but I guess when there's a lot of rain, it gets kind of dangerous.
Then Friday we had our last class and had to give our final presentations. I was so sad, because I am really going to miss our teacher Clara! Later that night, we all went out for Michelle's birthday to this cool little osteria. It was really fun, she got a cake and everyone sang to her. There was this guy singing American songs there, too, so we were all singing along of course. It was a fun night.
Saturday we all went to Urbino for our culture class. Urbino is so pretty! The views were spectacular, check out the pix. We walked around the Palazzo Ducale for the whole morning, then had the usual fantastic lunch :), then went to this park wayyy up on a hill, where I got the most of my pix. We also saw Raphael's house where he was born and grew up, but we weren't really allowed to take pix, sorry! It was a really beautiful day in a beautiful place with beautiful people. There was a very spirited conversation between Dr. Ricci (the director), Prof. Benevolo (our culture teacher), and Clara. Best half hour of my life! Italians are sooo funny! :)
Sunday was spent studying for the exams. Definitely not exciting:(
Monday we had exams, which I would really rather not talk about any more... Then Anne and I went and had Chinese food for lunch. Italian Chinese is so good!! We pretty much spent the whole day together just relaxing and trying to do things that didn't require any brain power whatsoever (like watch the Office and Freaks and Geeks).
Today, I have just been lazing about my apartment. Flavia just left for class. She's such a sweetie! Last night when I got home she told me she would teach me how to cook! Yay! I think I am going to go to an aperitivo with some Italian students in a little bit, so that should be fun. I'm still in my pjs, so I need to go get ready for that! Ciao!!
xoxo

pix

New pix. Will write later today!

Day 31! I have a roommate!

Ciaooo! This week has been pretty slow. I've just been going to class, doing homework, laying out on my terrace, and walking around Bologna. Nothing too crazy or exciting until this evening when my roommate, Flavia, finally arrived! She is from Marche, the region just below Emiglia-Romagna on the Adriatic Coast. She is 20 years old and studies philosophy. She is so nice and easy to talk to! Erin, Maria, Allegra, Alex, Flavia, and I all went to an aperitivo tonight. We spoke in Italian the whole time because Flavia came with us, which was really good for us. It was hard though, too, and my brain is so tired now! I know I am going to be speaking so much more Italian now that I have a roommate, so hopefully I will improve quickly! I need to go now and work on my presentation that is due on Friday. The outline is due tomorrow though. Sorry for the short post!
xoxo

Day 28!

It's so hard to believe I've only been here for 28 days. Less than a month! So much has happened, it's a little crazy.
Our "gastronomical tour" on Thursday went well. We all met in the Piazza Maggiore and then walked around that area getting a little history of that part of the city. We stopped in a pasticceria and learned about/sampled some different kinds of breads, cakes, and pastas. It was interesting, as well as delicious! We then moved on, finally ending up at Tamburini, a restaurant that we have all eaten at already--it's so good! There we had red wine, bread, six different types of coldcuts, and parmigiano reggiano. After the tour, Anne and I wandered around the city looking for rain boots. We found some inexpensive ones at Upim, a department store. Maria had me over for dinner that night. We made this really delicious casserole type dish with rice, chicken, prosciutto, tomato sauce, garlic, onions, basil, and brie and mozzarella cheeses melted on top. We can actually make a tasty meal! Later that night, we met up with everyone in Piazza Maggiore. We were planning on going to this little osteria where you just buy wine but can bring in your own food, but it was closed by the time we found it. So instead we just got gelato (of course!) and sat in the Piazza. It was a really beautiful night!
Friday we had class in the morning. It was actually sunny again, not raining! So of course I laid out on my terrace after class. I'm afraid I won't have many more days nice enough to do that. Then in the afternoon, we all had to go out to the immigration office and file our requests for our living permits. I hate bureaucracy! We were at the office for at least two hours, wasting a beautiful day. Oh well. Friday night, everyone came over to my place again, then we went out to the Celtic Druid, then Irish, both Irish pubs haha. It was a good night, although pretty relaxed.
Saturday morning we all had to be at the medieval museum at 10:30 for another culture lesson. It was pretty interesting, and thankfully not too early! Right after it was over at 12, Erin, Rodolfo, Allegra, and I left for Florence! The train ride there was only about an hour long. We spent all day there walking around and seeing the sights. We saw Santa Maria Novella, the Duomo, the Uffizi, some leather markets, the Ponte Vecchio, the Palazzo Pitti, and the Giardino di Boboli. Florence is a beautiful city, but I am glad I'm studying in Bologna instead. Florence is soooo touristy! We literally saw more Americans than Italians there. Michelle met up with us after the Giardino and we got gelato and walked around some more. We had a really nice dinner together. I forgot to take pix of my food, so sorry! But it was delicious. I had spaghetti with seafood and mushrooms in a cream sauce, and I had panna cotta with chocolate for dessert. We walked around some more, killing time till the nightlife started. We walked by the Uffizi again, and there was this guy, Ken Mercer, playing music to a crowd of people. He was really good, so we sat and listened to him. He was playing covers of Simon and Garfunkle, U2, things like that. It was so perfect to sit there in the twilight in Florence and listen to beautiful music. I even bought his CD at the end of his set. After that, we met up with some friends of Erin's who are studying in Florence. We all went to the opening of this club called Space. Which was interesting. None of us really got into it or partied because we were all too disgusted by the behavior of our fellow Americans. We have been here less than a month, and we are already such Eurosnobs! But seriously, Americans are gross. No offense to any of you! It was just so easy to see why the rest of the world hates us so much. Americans are rude, self-important, and obnoxious, and they drink way too much. This club was almost entirely Americans. Another reason I am glad I'm in Bologna. We actually get to experience the real Italian nightlife here, instead of the American nightlife transplanted to Italy. We stayed at Space until about 2 am, then headed toward the trainstation. Our train for Bologna didn't leave until 4:30, so we hung out at McDonalds (the only place that was open) for a couple hours. The train ride back was the looongest hour and a half of my life! But we finally made it back home at around 6 this morning. Everyone promptly parted ways for home and bed! The only reason I am awake right now is because I haven't written my composition for tomorrow yet! Then I'll probably go right back to bed! It was a crazy, whirlwind day/night in Florence! It was a great experience, and I'm so glad we did it, although it certainly took a toll on everyone. Well, you only live once!
xoxo

ps. more pix & a new album!

Day 25!

Buon giorno! Sorry I haven't updated in a few days! I don't really know where my time goes here. We really have a lot of free time, but somehow I feel like I never get anything done. Maybe we have too much free time? I think that's possible...
So Saturday we went to Ravenna, a city in Emilia Romagna on the Adriatic coast. It is famous for its mosaics. We spent most of the day walking around the city, going from one historical site to another. It's a really nice little city. I love Bologna, but Ravenna is so much quieter and more peaceful. We went to the Battistero degli Ariani first. The focal point there was the mosaic in the middle of the ceiling of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River. The old man on the left is a personification of the river, which I thought was kind of cool. Around the centerpiece are the twelve apostles and a throne for Christ.
Then we went to Sant'Appolinare Nuovo. These mosaics spanned the entire length of the church and were absolutely incredible. At the front of the church, Mary and baby Jesus are one one side with the three wisemen. On the other is Jesus and four archangels. At the back there is a scene with the city and a ship on one side and a palace on the other side. Then in between I think they are all saints or something. Anyway very cool. The three wisemen were my favorite part because they are wearing animal print leggings...
Up next was the Battistero Neoniano. The mosaic in the ceiling here was the same theme as the first one, Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist with the twelve apostles. This mosaic was much more realistic than the other one with a lot more detail. The whole building was more elaborate and the inside was simply covered in mosaics. It was really beautiful.
Next we stopped by Dante's tomb, which was cool, but not nearly as exciting as the mosaics! Really not much to say about it. We couldn't even go in, just looked from the outside. It was pretty simple.
Next up was everyone's favorite part of the day: LUNCH. We always know we will eat well when BCSP provides the food. We went to this great restaurant that had really cool architecture. We ate in what appeared to be an old converted courtyard. It felt like we were still outside because the cieling was just frosted glass. The meal was wonderful: first course was pasta filled with cheese and a delicious meat sauce; second course was a variety of delicous vegetables, warm bread, several different coldcuts including prosciutto and mortadella, and this awesome soft cheese; desert was macedonia (fresh fruit salad); and then there was caffe! So delicious!
After everyone was sufficiently stuffed, we headed for the Basilica di San Vitale. It's this amazing two-story church that is absolutely covered with mosaics. It was my favorite place because the colors were so brilliant. I'm still upset that my camera wasn't good enough to really capture the beauty there. Features there include the "Rainbow Jesus," a scene with Abraham, and I think emperor Justinian and empress Theodora.
We then went to the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia. I didn't post any pictures from there because it was way too dark to get any good ones. It was relatively boring though, having just witnessed the glory of the Basilica di San Vitale.
After that we just had free time for the rest of the day until our train left at 5:30. Sky, Maria, Erin, Alex, Anne, Allegra, and I walked around and did some window shopping/real shopping. Sky and I found a little candy stand (really Erin's nose found it) and we bought fresh marzipan. Which is almond-flavored heaven in the shape of different fruits. Wonderful.
So that was Ravenna! We all went out Saturday night, and then spent all of Sunday doing homework.
Monday was very rainy, and we had class. I went grocery shopping, not a super exciting day. My roommate was supposed to move in on Tuesday, but she STILL isn't here. I don't really understand what's going on with that. We had class and a meeting with one of the university professors on Tuesday, too. He teaches Contemporary Italian Literature, which I think is the class I'm going to take this semester. It was another gross, rainy day. That evening, we girls went over to Allegra's apartment to celebrate her finally moving in! We made hamburgers and salad. It was delicious! We went out after that, but Anne and I weren't really feeling it, so we got crepes (nutella and mascarpone for me!) and just had some girl talk. She's great! She studied abroad in Italy for her senior year of high school, so she has the scoop on how to survive/thrive in this kind of situation. She has a lot of advice and wisdom that will definitely come in handy this year. Yesterday she and I went out to lunch before our culture class. After class we all had to go the the Sala Borsa (the public library) to get our library cards. It is so beautiful there! I don't know if I will be able to study there because I'll be too distracted!
Today instead of class, we have a "gastronomical tour" of Bologna, in the words of Prof. Ricci. I'm not quite sure what that means, but it sounds good! I will, of course, let you know how it goes!
xoxo

P.S. new pixxx

pix

More pix. And a whole new album. I will write later, promise!

Day 19!

Tuesday night everyone came over to my place, and then we went out to Vicolo Bolognetti from here, then to Coroto Maltese. There were more people out this time at both places, so it was a lot more fun. We actually danced this time!
Wednesday we didn't have class in the morning, but we had our first cultural class in the afternoon. This one was on Ravenna, where we are going tomorrow. It was pretty interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing the mosaics tomorrow. Most of the day on Wednesday I just spent at home doing homework and decorating my room some more.
Thursday I got up at 7 to go for a run! I went down to the Giardina Margherita on the south side of town. It was nice, but my body hates me for it right now! After class, a bunch of the girls and I went out for lunch. Then later in the afternoon we all took the bus wayyy out to one of the several "malls" in the outskirts of Bologna. It was called Meriville and was basically a glorified strip mall. It was nice though. I went to the sporting goods store and got weights so I can work out without joining a gym! We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant there haha! It was fun.
I got up and ran again this morning, had class, and now I'm waiting for 1:30 to go have my academic meeting with Prof. Ricci.
We go to Ravenna tomorrow, so I will be sure to take a lot of pictures there!
xoxo

Day 16!

Maria, Erin, Alex, Rodolfo, and I went to Milano Marittima on Sunday to spend the day on the beach. We took the train at 10 and got there about 11:30. The ride went by quickly, and the views were wonderful! Be sure to check out the pix because I took a lot from the train. We had a hard time finding a free spot on the beach once we got there. Most of the beaches are "owned" by certain hotels or businesses I guess, I don't really know what to call them. Anyway, what they do is set up tons of beach chairs and umbrellas that you can rent for the day. We tried to just pretend like we had already paid but ended up getting kicked out of a couple different places. We finally found a spot of sand where we could just lay our towels out for free! The weather was perfect and the water was warm. The waves were so strong!! We spent the whole day just laying in the sun and took the 7:15 train back to Bologna. It was a very good day, indeed!
Yesterday we had class in the morning. I laid out on my terrace in the afternoon :) and did my homework. Later I just kind of wandered around my area of town on my own. I had some errands to run, like I had to get an adapter for my electrical outlets, but it was nice to just explore my area a bit. After that I just worked on getting my room more settled. All I really have left is to decorate it, and I promise I'll take pictures after that!
Today we had class again in the morning. I laid out again and worked on homework. I really love love love my terrace! It's nice here now because it's still sunny and warm, but it's not sweltering like it was the first week and a half. This afternoon we had a general academic meeting at the BCSP office. Professor Ricci talked to us for two hours about academics here! We had to sign up for individual meetings to discuss with him what classes we will take this semester. My meeting is on Friday.
Allegra's birthday is on Thursday, but we have presentations due the next day, so we have decided to just celebrate a little every day this week. And we don't have class tomorrow morning, so we will probably go out tonight. So now I'm back home about to clean my room becuase I think everyone is meeting at my place to hang out for a while before we go out. People don't go out here until like 1 in the morning! I might take a nap first...
xoxo

Day 13!

Yesterday we finished up our first week of class. It was a really good lesson, and I feel like I am learning a lot from the class in general. And my teacher, Clara, is absolutely wonderful! We had a lot of homework, but we went over all of it really well, so it's not just busywork which is good.
After class, a few of us went to the market again. It got even bigger than it was before! I didn't think that was possible, but it happened nevertheless.
Later in the afternoon, Maria, Rodolfo, Erin, Anne, and I made the journey to IKEA and back. Having never been to an IKEA before, I had no idea what to expect. What I witnessed when we got there was certainly beyond my wildest dreams!!! I'm just going to go ahead and say that IKEA is a gift from God, the Swedes were only the vessle through which it was delivered. We spent most of the afternoon there. I got a bunch of stuff that I needed for my room, like a dresser (my "closet" here is not quite what I was used to). It was quite an adventure getting my bag of stuff AND the dresser (in pieces all boxed up, of course) back to my apartment, but I eventually made it. Thank God I worked my upper body so much this summer, otherwise I don't think I could have handled carrying it from IKEA to the shuttle, across a piazza to a taxi, into my apartment building, up five flights of stairs (I carried it on my head for this leg of the journey), and down the hall to my room! I started putting the dresser together, but then realized I didn't have a screwdriver. I ran down to the 99 centesimi store across the street from my apartment today and bought one, and I just finished making the dresser. I will feel so much better once I get my stuff put away and my room decorated. I will post pictures of my place after that.
Last night a bunch of us went over to Erin's to hang out. Gabriele, one of our Italian friends, joined us. We went out later, but once again had really bad luck with the clubs. We ended up at the Celtic Druid, an Irish pub on Via Zamboni. It was pretty chill, but not the night of dancing we had anticipated!
Today I slept in for the first time! I have just taken the day to do things around the apartment. I made my dresser and did laundry and homework. I just got back from l'aperitivo with Erin, Alex, and Rodolfo. We went to Caffe' Zamboni, which is known for it's l'aperitivo. Now I am back at the apartment, trying to decide if I want to write my composition for Monday now or later. Probably later. But we are going to the beach tomorrow, so I should do it now.
xoxo

pix

I had to start another album!

Day 11! Sorry for the delay!

Ciaoooo! Wow it has been quite a week. I'm so sorry I haven't updated since Monday. The move to my apartment went well, but I am still working on getting settled in. What with that and classes this week, things have just been super busy so I haven't had the time or energy to write. I also couldn't figure out the internet at my apartment at first, and I also am having issues with the outlets here. So many things involved in settling in! I will do my best now to fill you in on what's happened this week.
Ok, so after class on Tuesday, Maria, Rodlofo, and Erin graciously helped me lug my bags up five flights of stairs to my new apartment. We just dropped my stuff off and then left because it was way too hot and overwhelming to even think about unpacking!
We had a meeting at the BCSP office and then l'aperitivo (like coffee and conversation). I think we have that every Tuesday with Italian students. It will be an excellent way to meet people. I actually met a boy, Gabriele, there on Tuesday who studied at IU last year. I had met him once last semester through the overseas office, but it was so good to run into him again! He and his friend Andrea are super nice and really fun.
After l'aperitivo Maria and I helped Rodolfo move into his apartment. He lives just outside of the city walls. It's a really really nice place, just too far away for me!
On our way back from that, Rodolfo and I stopped and bought a couple bottles of wine. The man in the shop was absolutely crazy and reminded me of and Italian Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future. But he was very nice and suggested some good wine for us. We headed back to my place (MY PLACE!!) and invited a few people over to share our wine. Erin, Alex, and Max came over, and then Andrea and Gabriele joined us later. It was really nice to have eveyone over to my apartment. Elena (one of my roommates) joined us for a little bit too.
We then decided to go out on the town! Gabriele and Andrea took us down to a place in Giardini Margherita, but it was still closed for the summer when we got there, so we went all the way back up to an outdoor club called Vicolo Bolognetti. It was nice, but not very crowded still. I can't wait for all the students to get back in town! Still, it was a good night, especially nice to sleep in a bed of my very own! Gabriele and Andrea have both studied in the United States, so they are really fun to talk to. They were telling us all kind of slang words and things that young people should know but that we won't learn in class!
As for Wednesday, we had the day off for morning class because we had two very long (very boring) meetings at the BCSP office in the afternoon. Maria and I used the morning to go grocery shopping since we now are responsible for our own nourishment! We went to Pam, which is the big grocery store in the city center. It was so fun! It was so cool to see how some things were the same and some were so different. For example, I recognized a lot of brand names, especially of hair products and stuff like that. Some things are SO different though--we saw a lady just hacking away at this huge fish that was easily five feet long and at least a foot and a half in diameter. I was proud of us when we figured out how to weigh our produce. Then I realized there was a huge sign above every scale that told you what to do. Oh well! This time around I just got prosciutto already cooked, some cheeses, yogurt, cereal, fruit, veggies. Nothing I have to cook since that makes me nervous. Cooking is something I want to learn how to do here, but that is another project for another time! I figure that can wait until I at least have my clothes put away...
After the meetings, we had some errands to run. We got school supplies and looked at a poster shop. I like the notebooks and folders here. It's so interesting to see the little details that are so different here.
We had dinner at Maria's place that night. Her roommates are all out of town right now, so it was just her, Rodolfo, Erin, Alex, and me. Maria provided the pasta and sauce, Rodolfo and I got salad and caprese fixings, and Erin brought some white wine. It was so fun to try our hand at cooking (well I actually just took pictures of everyone else cooking). We had an indoor picnic in Maria's room because the kitchen was a little too small for us! We are thinking we are going to make it a tradition to go to someone else's place every Wednesday for dinner. I'm looking forward to it!
Today (Thursday) I got up and went to a little market off the Piazza Maggiore to buy some plants. I got two cacti--Fabio has soft hair-like needles, and Donnatella has prickly ones and little pink flowers. They make a really cute couple!
We then had class, during which we watched a movie, and then after stopping at Paninoteca (maybe my favorite bar) for lunch, we moved Erin into her place. It was just Erin, Alex, and I lugging Erin's crazy heavy bags up I don't even know how many flights of stairs! But we made it, and it was so worth the heavy lifting. Her apartment is also outside the walls, but is really great. Her roommate is really fun too!
We headed back into town afterward, stopping for caffe on the way. I have already developed a mad coffee habit, but it's just so good here! We did a little shopping, and then parted ways. I went to buy a power strip, which doesn't actually fit my outlets:(, and then headed back to my place. I then proceeded to take the best nap ever!
Alex and Michelle came over after to work on the LOADS of homework we have for tomorrow. Speaking of which, I need to get back to finishing that up...
But I just wanted to bring everyone up to date! Ciao for now!
xoxo

Day 8!

It is impossible to believe that I have only been here a week! Every day has been so long and busy, I feel like I have been here at least a month.
Today was our first day of classes. Maria, Erin, and I went on a little adventure this morning to try to find a bookstore that still had copies of our textbook available, but everyone is sold out. Apparently one store is getting more in tomorrow, so we will try again then.
Class was from 10-12:30. I am definitely in the less advanced group, but that is fine with me! Our teacher's name is Clara! She is so nice and easy to talk to. Our lesson today was just like a long group conversation, telling about ourselves, discussing the idea of "art," etc. I feel like my conversational skills (while still very basic) are definitely improving already!
After class I walked over to my apartment to pay the rent for September and to get the keys. I met Giuseppe's girlfriend, and she was really nice. I think they have yet to find another girl for the other spot in the double, but hopefully they'll find someone soon. I move in tomorrow! I am excited to get settled in and to not be in a hotel/living out of suitcases anymore, but I am also nervous to be with only native Italians!
Rodolfo and I helped Maria move in today. We hung out at her apartment for most of the afternoon. Her roommate Serena is so nice!
Rodolfo and I left Maria there and went to l'aperitivo with Alex, Erin, Allegra, and Anne at a little cafe right down the street from the hotel. It was good, but not as expensive as a real meal.
Serena had invited Maria to go out with her and her friends for her friend Ariana's 21st birthday tonight, and Maria texted me while we were eating to say that we were welcome to come, too. So we did, and it was really fun! We met three of Serena's friends, who were all really funny and friendly. We went out to a pizzeria and just talked for a really long time. I really tried to push myself when it came to contributing to the conversation. I know I sounded really dumb sometimes, but it was really good for me for the most part. It was good to actually go out with Italian students.
Now I have homework to do for class tomorrow, and Maria's not here to do it with me:(
xoxo

Day 7!

Ciao ciao ciao! What a day!
I got up this morning at 5:30 to go running. Of course no one else wanted to go that early, so I had a nice little solo jog around the city. This time I went north of the hotel to il Parco della Montagnola. It was nice, but not nearly as pretty as Giardini Margherita, so I think I will run there from now on. It is farther away, but what with all the pasta I'm eating, I can use the extra exercise!
Maria, Rodolfo, and I went to mass this morning at the basilica of San Petronio, right off the main piazza. It was nice to go to mass, but it made me sad to see that there were only about a dozen people there and absolutely no young people!
Later, after coming back to the hotel and having breakfast, Rodolfo, Maria, Elisabetta, and I took a hike up to the sanctuary of San Luca, a church up on a hill well outside of the main city walls. It took us about 2 hours each way, but was well worth the hike! I took a lot of pictures of the church and the view, so check those out! I really want to go back soon.
We were absolutely starved on the way back from San Luca, so we stopped at Trattoria Meloncello for lunch. It is a highly acclaimed "cento percento" (100% ) Bolognese restaurant. There is no menu, the waiter just suggests food for you! We all got what he suggested, which was a sampler of three different typical bolognese pastas. All of which were unbelievable, of course. I don't remember what all of them were called, but my favorite was the tortelloni with ricotta, burro (butter), e salvia (sage).
We walked with Elisabetta to her apartment (she moved in on Saturday!). It was so big and so beautiful. I like mine better though, because it's a double and soo much closer! But it was nice to see her place. We also stopped on the way and I bought a Vogue Italia. It came with a free shopping guide too, so I have two Italian magazines to use to start brushing up on my reading skills! All my vocabulary is going to be della moda (concerning fashion). We got back to the hotel and both Maria and I took wonderfully long naps!
Later Erin, Meghan, and I went out to dinner at the Trattoria del Bassanotte, a nice little place just around the corner from the hotel. I had prosciutto e melone (prosciutto ham with cantaloupe). The salty ham and the sweet, juicy melon are the perfect combination!
My first Sunday in Bologna was just about as perfect as it could be!
Classes start tomorrow!
xoxo

Day 6!

FLEAMARKET. That was the adventure of the day today. Maria, Erin, Julia, Alexandra, Meghan, and I all went back to the fleamarket that Maria and I found yesterday. It was so intense! We spent three hours there, but it seemed like so much longer! We picked up some things that we are going to need right when we move in, like towels--only 4 E for a set of 2! They have all kinds of cosmetics, perfume, shampoo, conditioner, etc, too, so I won't ever have to spend that much on household stuff/toiletries.
I had a lot of free time today again since both Maria and I have housing already. Nothing too exciting really happened.
Rodolfo, John, Alexandra, Meghan, Julia, Erin, Maria, and I all went out to dinner at Il Portico, which wasn't too adventureous, but it was raining, so we just wanted somewhere close! It was delicious though. I ate an entire pizza! I know that sounds crazy, but that's how it's done here. One pizza per person. They seem big, but are paper thin, so one Italian pizza probably equals about tree slices of what you guys know as pizza. We went for gelato after at Peccati di Gola (sins of the throat!). I had nocciola (hazelnut) and biscotto (cookie). DELICIOUS.
And now more free time. I'll be glad to start classes on Monday just so I have something to do!
xoxo

Address

I forgot to say this earlier, but my address is going to be Via Righi 14. Google Maps/Earth it--you can see my terrazzo!

pixxxxx
xoxo

Day 5! (written the morning of day 6...)

Ciao a tutti! I got back to my room really late last night, so I didn't get time to blog. Yesterday was very fun though! We all had to get up early and walk to the post office to file our applications for the living permits we need in order to be legal here. It took forever!
Other than that, Maria and I had a lot of free time. We walked around a lot, and Maria had an appointment for an apartment at 3:30. She now has an apartment too!! It is so cute and sunny, and I actually really like it too, but it's too far out of the centro (downtown) for me. The one roommate we met was really nice too. I'm really excited for everyone who is finding apartments and making friends with their Italian roommates. We are all going to have such a good year!
We also wandered around and stumbled into the BIGGEST flea market I have ever seen. I love love love to shop and even I was overwhelmed by how much stuff there was! We are going back today:) so I'll try to remember to take some pictures. Seriously though, the size of this thing is incomprehensible! Shoes, jeans, clothes, jewelry, purses, belts, everything you could possibly think of all for really cheap! It just happens to be right around the corner from my apartment and it goes on every weekend YEAR ROUND!
Maria and I also wandered around and found a cartoleria (stationary store) to buy academic planners. It was so funny because we actually went to several shops trying to find an American style planner with one week per two pages, because that's the way we both like to see our calendars. But then when we did find one like that, it looked so BORING next to the Italian style planners, so we just got those instead. They are so different, one day per page, and the pages are graph paper. Most of the notebooks here are that way. Very Italian.
Andrea hosted a pizza party for all of us last night at his apartment. It was out of the city walls and really beautiful. I really enjoy all the time I get to spend with the people in the program! And Chris, Andrea's wife (who is American), is such a sweetheart and so helpful! She was telling us all about what clubs to go to, which supermarket is the cheapest, where to get our hair cut, stuff like that. All good things to know!
After the pizza party, Erin, Max, Rodolfo, and I went out to a discotech! It was really more like just a bar, and because it's still summer vacation here (in a "college town"), it was pretty dead. But we still had a good time. We befriended the bartender and the six Italians who were actually there. It was a very good night, my first night out in Bologna! That is why I didn't have time to blog last night!
More pix later...
xoxo

P.S. A lot of you have been emailing/facebooking me, and I love it! You can also leave comments here on my blog, I would love that too. It's always so good to hear from everyone, I really appreciate it!

Day 4! HO TROVATO UN'APARTAMENTO

I FOUND AN APARTMENT! I am so excited and relieved. I can't believe I found one so quickly, and it's such a huge weight off my shoulders. I have been on cloud 9 all day because of it. I called this morning and made an appointment, so Maria and I went to go see it at noon. I really liked it then, but asked if I could think about it and call tomorrow morning. But I acutally called back this evening and went back to ask a few more questions and secure my place. I just had a really good feeling about it from the beginning, and the more I thought about it, the more I knew that it's where I belong this year.
The apartment is on Via Righi, which is right in the middle of town and very close to the hotel and the BCSP office. It is on the 4th floor (technically the 5th), and there isn't an elevator. But I am used to stairs, having lived on the 4th floor of Collins for the past two years! The apartment takes up the entire top floor of the building, so it is quite roomy by Italian standards. There is a huge double room, where I will be living with another girl. My room faces south, and the wall is almost completely windows! There are two other rooms which are singles, a bathroom with a sunny window overlooking the terrace, a decently sized kitchen, and a HUGE, beautiful, sunny, perfect terrace. The view is so beautiful, and thanks to all the windows, there is so much light in the apartment. I really really love it. I will take pix as soon as I move in so everyone can see it!
My roommates are really really nice, too. Right now there is a girl Elena and a boy Giuseppe, and there will be another girl sharing my room, but I don't know who yet. Elena knows some English, and she is very good about being able to tell when I don't understand what she is saying. Guiseppe speaks much more quickly than Elena does, but speaking to him will be a good challenge for me every day. I really had a great feeling about this place even after just talking to Elena and Guiseppe on the phone to make the appointment. I just know somehow that this is the place for me!
Rodolfo, Maria, and I went to a little bar for lunch. I had a piadina (like a flatbread sandwich) with speck ham and mozzarella cheese. I almost wept it was so delicious!
Then we had to go back to the office for a meeting about our pre-session classes. We met the two teachers, Christine and Clara! They were really intimidating at first, but turned out to be sooo nice and easy to talk to. We all had to take a little placement test because we will be split into two groups for the pre-session based on skill level. I fully expect to be in the lower group, but that is fine with me. I need all the help I can get right now!
We had an "aperitivo" after the test with the teachers, Andrea and Danielle, and some really friently Italian students. Aperitivo (appetizer) is a thing that Italians do before dinner and consists of wine or other drinks with little snack type foods eaten standing up. This one was provided for us for free, but it's a really nice thing to have at a restaurant because you just have to pay for a glass of wine, and then you can eat all the appetizers that you want to! Anyway it was delicious of course! We had prosecco, which is kind of like champagne, and all kinds of little sandwich type things with ham, mushroom, zucchini, tomatoes, cheeses, and I don't even know what else, and then there were these little cream puff type things called bigne' and tarts with strawberries on top. All of the Italian students were so nice and super friendly, as well as patient with my limited vocabulary! I think it will be easier to make friends with Italians than I thought it would be. It's so funny because they are very stand-offish in public, like when walking down the street, but they really are very cordial, warm, and welcoming when you talk to them.
Well, it's going to be an early night for me. I don't really have anything else to do right now, so I need to catch up on my sleep!
xoxo

more pix!