Hey guys!
Yet another school week has passed! It's so crazy how fast time seems to pass here, I can't believe its the weekend again already! The week went smoothly, my quizzes were hopefully good as well! On Thursday, it was a Perugian holiday of their Patron Saint, Constantine, so a lot of people had the day off, but I still had classes. There was a huge open air market in celebration of it so our Italian professor took us down there. It was so neat! They had samples of the famous Perugian pastry, which was pretty neat to learn about. We just walked around the market for about 3 hours inbetween classes and actually spoke with a few locals, it was difficult but super exciting to actually be able to understand some of what they were saying.
Then after classes, I made dinner for the apartment and went salsa dancing again!! It's such a neat experience and some of the dancers were super good, which made me look insanely goofy but oh well!
And! today I had an interview for my internship! I was insanely nervous about making the commitment but after speaking with the teachers today I am so excited I made the decision to do it. I will be working at a local high school. I'll help teach the English class and there are a few students who want one-on-one tutoring because they are taking a certification test on feb 26, so that should be exciting but hard! I hope my english skills are good enough! But what im most excited about is that they might be able to let me teach a biology class! When the teachers found out my major, they were so excited because usually they have students who are English or education majors. But they have to speak with the boss first, so hopefully he approves it!! That would be SO neat!!
Eeek im being yelled at! I have to go, we're doing chinese for dinner tonight, very italian :) miss you all tons!!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
ROMA!
Hey guys :)
Sorry its been over a week but things are finally starting to turn crazy! Last weekend we went to Roma, left on Friday around 5:30 (unfortunately there ws a train strike from 9-5 :( but we made it to Roma around 8:30. We stayed in this awful, disgusting hostel for 8.50 euro a night, but it was totally nasty. From now on we will be bringing our own pillows and blankets! But three of us went out to a nice long dinner (haha, yes I love the food..) at this quaint little resturant where noone spoke english. It was very relaxing after a long day of traveling/school work. Around 8 am on Saturday we were out the door and ready for a big day. We saw the Colleseum, Palatina, the Forum, the Ruins, the Arc, the Pantheon, the Spainish Stairs, and the Treve Fountain. We stumbled upon this church that looked awful from the outside but was absolutely breathtaking once inside. We spent about 2 hours there in awe. It was amazing. Then three of us went out to a 4 hour dinner (again) while the other 4 just grabbed pizza and went to bed. After a scary cab ride home, we safely arrived at the hostel. The cab driver was incredibly passionate about Obama being President and was extremely upset that my roommate Lauren did not vote democratic, but voted for Mccain. It was the scariest thing, but at teh same time it was really neat to hear a Roman be so passionate about our president. Even during the inaugaration (not sure if I wrote about this already) but we started at a little caffe near our apartment, and they were all completely quiet watching in amazement. This little old lady was crying she was so excited for the world. So we left and went to a pub that was playing it in English so we could understand and there were quite a few locals with American flags and cheering "Yes we can." It was just eye opening to see that we actually do effect the entire world in such a huge way.
But, back to Roma. On Sunday we were out and about around 8 again to go to Vatican City. We attended mass at the main alter!! THe mass was in Latin and they had a full choir, it was fantastic. We then made the hike up to the top of the dome to see the striking views from above and saw the tombs of the Popes below the basilica. We got to see Pope John Paul II tomb, which was goregous. It was quite an emotional day for the three of us as the others split once we said the word mass. But, nonetheless, we all had a great experience seeing and attending mass. After that we had to catch the 3 pm train home and arrived back to Perugia around 7 Sunday night. Overall, it was such an amazing experience and we all want to go back asap, even if it is only to see Vatican City and St. Peters basilica again. I cant believe I was in Roma last weeekend!! The only downfall is that it was raining (and I mean pouring, like monsooning) all day Friday and Saturday, but Sunday was clear, blue skies. :)
As for home, it rained yesterday, as usual, and were into the second full week of classes. I've already written 3 papers (yikes!) and have a quiz tomorrow morning! So they wait no time in throwing you into it all!
My apartment is still the best I've seen around :) There will be pictures soon, I promise! As for now, I have class and another quiz! Can't wait to hear from you all and hope all is well back in the States :) Ciao!
Sorry its been over a week but things are finally starting to turn crazy! Last weekend we went to Roma, left on Friday around 5:30 (unfortunately there ws a train strike from 9-5 :( but we made it to Roma around 8:30. We stayed in this awful, disgusting hostel for 8.50 euro a night, but it was totally nasty. From now on we will be bringing our own pillows and blankets! But three of us went out to a nice long dinner (haha, yes I love the food..) at this quaint little resturant where noone spoke english. It was very relaxing after a long day of traveling/school work. Around 8 am on Saturday we were out the door and ready for a big day. We saw the Colleseum, Palatina, the Forum, the Ruins, the Arc, the Pantheon, the Spainish Stairs, and the Treve Fountain. We stumbled upon this church that looked awful from the outside but was absolutely breathtaking once inside. We spent about 2 hours there in awe. It was amazing. Then three of us went out to a 4 hour dinner (again) while the other 4 just grabbed pizza and went to bed. After a scary cab ride home, we safely arrived at the hostel. The cab driver was incredibly passionate about Obama being President and was extremely upset that my roommate Lauren did not vote democratic, but voted for Mccain. It was the scariest thing, but at teh same time it was really neat to hear a Roman be so passionate about our president. Even during the inaugaration (not sure if I wrote about this already) but we started at a little caffe near our apartment, and they were all completely quiet watching in amazement. This little old lady was crying she was so excited for the world. So we left and went to a pub that was playing it in English so we could understand and there were quite a few locals with American flags and cheering "Yes we can." It was just eye opening to see that we actually do effect the entire world in such a huge way.
But, back to Roma. On Sunday we were out and about around 8 again to go to Vatican City. We attended mass at the main alter!! THe mass was in Latin and they had a full choir, it was fantastic. We then made the hike up to the top of the dome to see the striking views from above and saw the tombs of the Popes below the basilica. We got to see Pope John Paul II tomb, which was goregous. It was quite an emotional day for the three of us as the others split once we said the word mass. But, nonetheless, we all had a great experience seeing and attending mass. After that we had to catch the 3 pm train home and arrived back to Perugia around 7 Sunday night. Overall, it was such an amazing experience and we all want to go back asap, even if it is only to see Vatican City and St. Peters basilica again. I cant believe I was in Roma last weeekend!! The only downfall is that it was raining (and I mean pouring, like monsooning) all day Friday and Saturday, but Sunday was clear, blue skies. :)
As for home, it rained yesterday, as usual, and were into the second full week of classes. I've already written 3 papers (yikes!) and have a quiz tomorrow morning! So they wait no time in throwing you into it all!
My apartment is still the best I've seen around :) There will be pictures soon, I promise! As for now, I have class and another quiz! Can't wait to hear from you all and hope all is well back in the States :) Ciao!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
What a Great First Weekend :)
Ciao !
Theres SO much to tell about the weekend I'm really not sure where to start! Friday we finally got to sleep in which was exactly what we all needed. It was so nice to not have to worry about having any specific agenda! We got up and walked down to a few speciality stores to pick up fresh meat, fish, bread, and cheese. It was fun to just stroll through the town friday afternoon. After lunch, we walked around and looked at all of the local boutiques. And we did run into the newsreporters covering the trial of the murder that happened here last semester. Noone seems too upset about the entire thing. Theres just always a lot of reporters and cars outside of the courthouse. Turns out she was a student at the University of ForI really don't know a lot about it, but there are still alot of individuals protesting the bombings in Gaza. We've already run into a march for peace and today they had a tent set up with a lot of bloody awful pictures. I found it weird to see all of it because I kind of assumed we wouldn't run into any of that being in a small town, but apparently I was wrong. I was talking to an advisor and she said that sometimes professionals will just protest and you'll randomly see a group of doctors marching through the street with their scrubs on - that should be an interesting sight.
Anyways, Friday we just shoppped around and hung out all day. It was a pretty relaxed day of just getting to know each other. But! we stumbled across this delicious bakery where I finally had my first cup of gelato. It was the best gelato ever!! As for Saturday, we decided to head out to Assisi. A group of 8 of us went, which I think we learned is just too big of a group to travel with considering 5 of us stopped every 5 seconds for a picture while the others just wanted to get through it, slightly disappointing. We didn't get to see alot because some girls were really anxious to get back to Perugia. We misread the train times and ended up sitting on the train all alone from 1045-1130. Other than that the traveling went surprisingly well. We only got to see the tomb and basilica of Saint Francesco, but it was absolutely breathtaking. Since it was such a foggy day (which still made for some really neat pictures) we will be heading back for another day trip soon to see Saint Chiara and the beautiful views that we missed. We ate a delicious lunch at a cute little restuarant where I randomly picked a dish and I got egg noodles with tomato sauce - I was slightly disappointed to learn I didn't magically pick veal, but it was a delicious meal.
Today was yet another orientation, but it was the last one! yay! We had to be ready to go at 9 am (yuck) This orientation was through Arcadia University and buses took us out into the countryside. Once we got to this little farm, we learned all about culture and tradition of a typical family farm. We learned how to make pasta, baskets, and how they make olive oil. This area grows over 50 types of olive trees and each individual type has its very own needs. It was neat because the farm is completely self sufficient and we got to eat the pasta that we made earlier in the day! The family made us a four course meal and they were so sweet to us. You could see their passion for their way of life and their pride in their home/business. Turns out the olive oil that they produce was voted number 3 in the entire world! Pretty neat to say the least. After a long day at the farm, we arrived back in town around 6 tonight. It was one long day and everyone slept on the quick busride back.
Tomorrow starts classes but I only have Italian from 1030-12 and Human Development from 145-5 so it should be a pretty easy day (hopefully)! As for now, I have 6 exercises to complete and an essay about myself to write! Miss you all and hope youre staying warm! Ciao :)
PS - it was about 50 degrees again today :)
Theres SO much to tell about the weekend I'm really not sure where to start! Friday we finally got to sleep in which was exactly what we all needed. It was so nice to not have to worry about having any specific agenda! We got up and walked down to a few speciality stores to pick up fresh meat, fish, bread, and cheese. It was fun to just stroll through the town friday afternoon. After lunch, we walked around and looked at all of the local boutiques. And we did run into the newsreporters covering the trial of the murder that happened here last semester. Noone seems too upset about the entire thing. Theres just always a lot of reporters and cars outside of the courthouse. Turns out she was a student at the University of ForI really don't know a lot about it, but there are still alot of individuals protesting the bombings in Gaza. We've already run into a march for peace and today they had a tent set up with a lot of bloody awful pictures. I found it weird to see all of it because I kind of assumed we wouldn't run into any of that being in a small town, but apparently I was wrong. I was talking to an advisor and she said that sometimes professionals will just protest and you'll randomly see a group of doctors marching through the street with their scrubs on - that should be an interesting sight.
Anyways, Friday we just shoppped around and hung out all day. It was a pretty relaxed day of just getting to know each other. But! we stumbled across this delicious bakery where I finally had my first cup of gelato. It was the best gelato ever!! As for Saturday, we decided to head out to Assisi. A group of 8 of us went, which I think we learned is just too big of a group to travel with considering 5 of us stopped every 5 seconds for a picture while the others just wanted to get through it, slightly disappointing. We didn't get to see alot because some girls were really anxious to get back to Perugia. We misread the train times and ended up sitting on the train all alone from 1045-1130. Other than that the traveling went surprisingly well. We only got to see the tomb and basilica of Saint Francesco, but it was absolutely breathtaking. Since it was such a foggy day (which still made for some really neat pictures) we will be heading back for another day trip soon to see Saint Chiara and the beautiful views that we missed. We ate a delicious lunch at a cute little restuarant where I randomly picked a dish and I got egg noodles with tomato sauce - I was slightly disappointed to learn I didn't magically pick veal, but it was a delicious meal.
Today was yet another orientation, but it was the last one! yay! We had to be ready to go at 9 am (yuck) This orientation was through Arcadia University and buses took us out into the countryside. Once we got to this little farm, we learned all about culture and tradition of a typical family farm. We learned how to make pasta, baskets, and how they make olive oil. This area grows over 50 types of olive trees and each individual type has its very own needs. It was neat because the farm is completely self sufficient and we got to eat the pasta that we made earlier in the day! The family made us a four course meal and they were so sweet to us. You could see their passion for their way of life and their pride in their home/business. Turns out the olive oil that they produce was voted number 3 in the entire world! Pretty neat to say the least. After a long day at the farm, we arrived back in town around 6 tonight. It was one long day and everyone slept on the quick busride back.
Tomorrow starts classes but I only have Italian from 1030-12 and Human Development from 145-5 so it should be a pretty easy day (hopefully)! As for now, I have 6 exercises to complete and an essay about myself to write! Miss you all and hope youre staying warm! Ciao :)
PS - it was about 50 degrees again today :)
Thursday, January 15, 2009
first week of classes...DONE!
Heya!
I finished the first week of classes today around 3! The intensive Italian week is over and I took a placement test around 9 am this morning. Our last "field trip" was to go to the supermarket today. We had to take a mini metro down to the bottom of the hill. Its cute because the mini metro is only a year old and all of the locals are extremely proud of it. Its literally this little tiny box on rails that takes you up and down the hill that Perugia is built around and the bottom of the hill is modern! I didn't even recognize it as the antique town of Perugia! Anyways, we got to the "Big Coop" It looks exactly like your typical Krogers, which was somewhat sad but somewhat comforting all at the same time. Since we learned how to order meat, cheese, fish, bread and such I wanted to put my skills to good use and I actually had a conversation with the cheese lady! We understood eachother and I didn't even point! I was so excited afterwards my friends wont stop making fun of the huge smile on my face. Oh well, it was the neatest thing ever!!
But its now the weekend, and we're all so excited to actually be able to sleep in tomorrow! It should be interesting to see when we wake up.. ha. But i think we're going to take it easy this weekend and explore the nooks and crannies of Perugia, head to the open air market, and then day trip to Assisi, which is about 30 minutes by rail. I cant wait to start traveling out of Italy either!!
On another note, last night one of my roommates, Lauren, and I just realized that we are in the same sorority, it was the oddest discovery ever!! What are the chances!! Everything is still going well (which is great because ive only been here 6 days.. haha) but its so neat that my roommates and I get along SO well, We're all incredibly different! And Perugia is still as beautiful as the first time I saw it :) and just because I can rub it in, it was about 48 degrees F today :) Only downside is that it keeps spitting rain at least once a day, but no down pours, just a little drizzle here and there and the locals freak out and get out their ponchos, umbrellas, rainboots, EVERYTHING! While all the Americans are like wow, this is nothing haha
Anyways, I think Im going to head out to meet some friends for salsa dancing :) but keep up the emails!! i love getting them!! miss you guys SO much and hope all is well back home! Ciao!!
I finished the first week of classes today around 3! The intensive Italian week is over and I took a placement test around 9 am this morning. Our last "field trip" was to go to the supermarket today. We had to take a mini metro down to the bottom of the hill. Its cute because the mini metro is only a year old and all of the locals are extremely proud of it. Its literally this little tiny box on rails that takes you up and down the hill that Perugia is built around and the bottom of the hill is modern! I didn't even recognize it as the antique town of Perugia! Anyways, we got to the "Big Coop" It looks exactly like your typical Krogers, which was somewhat sad but somewhat comforting all at the same time. Since we learned how to order meat, cheese, fish, bread and such I wanted to put my skills to good use and I actually had a conversation with the cheese lady! We understood eachother and I didn't even point! I was so excited afterwards my friends wont stop making fun of the huge smile on my face. Oh well, it was the neatest thing ever!!
But its now the weekend, and we're all so excited to actually be able to sleep in tomorrow! It should be interesting to see when we wake up.. ha. But i think we're going to take it easy this weekend and explore the nooks and crannies of Perugia, head to the open air market, and then day trip to Assisi, which is about 30 minutes by rail. I cant wait to start traveling out of Italy either!!
On another note, last night one of my roommates, Lauren, and I just realized that we are in the same sorority, it was the oddest discovery ever!! What are the chances!! Everything is still going well (which is great because ive only been here 6 days.. haha) but its so neat that my roommates and I get along SO well, We're all incredibly different! And Perugia is still as beautiful as the first time I saw it :) and just because I can rub it in, it was about 48 degrees F today :) Only downside is that it keeps spitting rain at least once a day, but no down pours, just a little drizzle here and there and the locals freak out and get out their ponchos, umbrellas, rainboots, EVERYTHING! While all the Americans are like wow, this is nothing haha
Anyways, I think Im going to head out to meet some friends for salsa dancing :) but keep up the emails!! i love getting them!! miss you guys SO much and hope all is well back home! Ciao!!
Monday, January 12, 2009
First Day of Classes!
Ciao!
To start with, I just have to tell you that Im at a local internet cafe right now enjoying the momst delicious and thick cup of hot chocolate I have ever had. Its like he literally melted chocolate bars into a glass.. mmmm :) Speaking of food, last night a group of us headed out for a Sunday meal. We were at the restuarant for about 3 and a half hours, had a 4 course delicious meal, and a few bottles of wine (there was a LOT of us!) all for 15 euro apiece! It was probably the best meal I have ever had and the people are so friendly! Tonight, we made our first family apartment dinner and it was delicious! It seems everything is fresh here and it just tastes better :)
The intensive Italian week started today. I have grammar from 9-12 and "Surviving Italia" from 145-330. I'm picking up on it but the big problem is I keep blurting out french!! Thats the most challenging barrier to get over right now.
Theres so much to tell, I seem to always forget it when I sit down and finally get on the internet. Pictures of the amazing apartment/town will be coming soon, promise!! The cafe is about to close, so I need to go do homework.. ugh. :) Ciao!
To start with, I just have to tell you that Im at a local internet cafe right now enjoying the momst delicious and thick cup of hot chocolate I have ever had. Its like he literally melted chocolate bars into a glass.. mmmm :) Speaking of food, last night a group of us headed out for a Sunday meal. We were at the restuarant for about 3 and a half hours, had a 4 course delicious meal, and a few bottles of wine (there was a LOT of us!) all for 15 euro apiece! It was probably the best meal I have ever had and the people are so friendly! Tonight, we made our first family apartment dinner and it was delicious! It seems everything is fresh here and it just tastes better :)
The intensive Italian week started today. I have grammar from 9-12 and "Surviving Italia" from 145-330. I'm picking up on it but the big problem is I keep blurting out french!! Thats the most challenging barrier to get over right now.
Theres so much to tell, I seem to always forget it when I sit down and finally get on the internet. Pictures of the amazing apartment/town will be coming soon, promise!! The cafe is about to close, so I need to go do homework.. ugh. :) Ciao!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Sundays in Perugia
Hey guys!
So I'm all nice and settled into my apartment. I have four other roommates, two from CA, one form PA and one from NH. We all get along really well which is a great relief to say the least! Tonight we're having our first little family dinner :) As for the apartment, its about a 5 minute walk from the town square and its brand new. Theres just a kitchen with one loveseat as our "living room," two bathrooms, and five singles (my first single in college!!) Its really neat though, everything is extremely green here. For our apartment alone, you have a key card to get into the building, your apartment, and your room. But in order for the lights to turn on, your key card must be in the slot and everything is on a timer or motion sensitive. Its really neat actually. They also regulate your heat, allowing only a few hours at a time of heat, which super sucks. It is about 52 degrees in our apartment so we never take off our winter coats but we're hoping we'll get used to the freezing cold.. maybe. Our views are great, hopefully I'll post some pictures out of my bedroom window sometime soon.
Perugia is a great city. I'm already getting to know the city well, mostly because everything is extremely close together. A majority of the shops are closed on Sunday and most shops are closed from 1-4 in the afternoon for lunch break. Everything just seems more relaxed here and a majority of the locals are very friendly. Later tonight we're going on the nighttime stroll with the locals. They all just stroll around the town and hang out in the center around 6pm. I'm really looking forward to it!
I should probably head back to the apartment soon, we've been exploring the shops/city/school since 8 am so Im beat. I hope everyones safe, happy, and healthy. I miss you all terribly!! Ciao bella bella!
So I'm all nice and settled into my apartment. I have four other roommates, two from CA, one form PA and one from NH. We all get along really well which is a great relief to say the least! Tonight we're having our first little family dinner :) As for the apartment, its about a 5 minute walk from the town square and its brand new. Theres just a kitchen with one loveseat as our "living room," two bathrooms, and five singles (my first single in college!!) Its really neat though, everything is extremely green here. For our apartment alone, you have a key card to get into the building, your apartment, and your room. But in order for the lights to turn on, your key card must be in the slot and everything is on a timer or motion sensitive. Its really neat actually. They also regulate your heat, allowing only a few hours at a time of heat, which super sucks. It is about 52 degrees in our apartment so we never take off our winter coats but we're hoping we'll get used to the freezing cold.. maybe. Our views are great, hopefully I'll post some pictures out of my bedroom window sometime soon.
Perugia is a great city. I'm already getting to know the city well, mostly because everything is extremely close together. A majority of the shops are closed on Sunday and most shops are closed from 1-4 in the afternoon for lunch break. Everything just seems more relaxed here and a majority of the locals are very friendly. Later tonight we're going on the nighttime stroll with the locals. They all just stroll around the town and hang out in the center around 6pm. I'm really looking forward to it!
I should probably head back to the apartment soon, we've been exploring the shops/city/school since 8 am so Im beat. I hope everyones safe, happy, and healthy. I miss you all terribly!! Ciao bella bella!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Finally in Perugia!
Hey all!
After flying through Chicago, Frankfort, and Rome, then taking a very long three hour bus ride, I'm finally in Perugia! Thankfully the flights were smooth with little turbulance, just a lot of old men snoring and nudging me all flight. However, I've already had a little trouble with speaking Italian. Once we got into Rome, Jessie and I wanted to try out our Italian skills (great idea) so we thought we would head over and grab a nice shot of authentic espresso. After embarrassing ourselves while trying to order it and the four cashiers laughing at our accents, we sat around for about 5 minutes thinking they would call out a number or something. Turns out you have to step up to a bar and put down your receipt. So, like the Romans we step up with our receipts and she takes both of them but only brings back one shot of espresso. We told her trying to use our Italian, waited five more minutes, and had to ask again (we have no idea what we talked to her about the first time around). Needless to say we somehow got our espresso after about 20 minutes of discussing who knows what with the barista.
As for now, we're staying the night in Perugia at the Hotel Gio. Its a pretty little place with two twin beds in each room. I'm rooming with a girl from Colorado, but it appears she's not one of my four roommates but I will defiently meet them at 1130 am tommorrow! So we're just checking email for a while then napping and probably doing a little walk around the town until we have to be back for dinner at 8 pm.
It is about 2:45 pm here on Friday the 9th, while back home its 7:45. So Im pretty groggy and think its time for that nap! I miss you all and I still can't believe Im actually in Italy. Ciao!!
After flying through Chicago, Frankfort, and Rome, then taking a very long three hour bus ride, I'm finally in Perugia! Thankfully the flights were smooth with little turbulance, just a lot of old men snoring and nudging me all flight. However, I've already had a little trouble with speaking Italian. Once we got into Rome, Jessie and I wanted to try out our Italian skills (great idea) so we thought we would head over and grab a nice shot of authentic espresso. After embarrassing ourselves while trying to order it and the four cashiers laughing at our accents, we sat around for about 5 minutes thinking they would call out a number or something. Turns out you have to step up to a bar and put down your receipt. So, like the Romans we step up with our receipts and she takes both of them but only brings back one shot of espresso. We told her trying to use our Italian, waited five more minutes, and had to ask again (we have no idea what we talked to her about the first time around). Needless to say we somehow got our espresso after about 20 minutes of discussing who knows what with the barista.
As for now, we're staying the night in Perugia at the Hotel Gio. Its a pretty little place with two twin beds in each room. I'm rooming with a girl from Colorado, but it appears she's not one of my four roommates but I will defiently meet them at 1130 am tommorrow! So we're just checking email for a while then napping and probably doing a little walk around the town until we have to be back for dinner at 8 pm.
It is about 2:45 pm here on Friday the 9th, while back home its 7:45. So Im pretty groggy and think its time for that nap! I miss you all and I still can't believe Im actually in Italy. Ciao!!
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