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
08 October 2009
05 October 2009
04 October 2009
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!
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!
29 September 2009
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
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
25 September 2009
23 September 2009
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
xoxo
20 September 2009
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!
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!
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