Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Notes

First of all, for some reason, it seems that all the pictures I have posted on here are not working- at least, they aren't on my computer. I apologize for this issue, and I will try and figure it out eventually. If you actually still see the photos, however, please carry on as normal.

Secondly, for those unaware of this information, I am receiving a scholarship from Study Abroad Italy for the semester, and for this scholarship I have to send them a summary of each month and some photos that they can post on the website. Here is the link to that site, and my September summary is indeed on there if anyone is interested (just look for my name...the October one should be on there soon):

http://www.saiprograms.com/news

Also, I got hit by a bike today. I knew it would happen eventually...oh well. I'm not hurt or anything, so don't worry!

Not a fan.

Here is a list of things that either annoy me a lot here in Italy, or that are just bothersome:

1. Mosquitos. And I'm not talking about regular old mosquitos in the US that fly around and land on you and stay there for a while sucking your blood until you see them and then smack them. No, these punks are called Tiger Mosquitos, and they never land on you. They just fly around and bite you multiple times so you can't tell, and the next day you have painful, itchy bites all over. And what's worse, they fly in your ears at night (my ears and not my roommate, I don't know why) and they are so loud and I hate them and I just get SO MAD about them!! The sound of bugs near my ears is one of the things I hate most, and ugh it's just terrible.

2. The lack of a dryer. It takes literally days to dry clothes, and if they don't dry fast enough, they smell weird from being damp for so long. We have one drying rack and a clothes line outside, but when it rains, they only option is to keep them inside on the rack and hope for the best. And drying them with a hairdryer is a silly idea to anyone who has seen the hairdryer we have.

3. The water in the shower/ the cheap shampoo I had to buy. Either the water here is hard water and it doesn't wash out the soap in my hair well, or the watery cheap shampoo I got for 1 euro doesn't clean my hair properly. In any case, my hair is never fully clean and it feels horrible. I can't use the good shampoo I brought, since the water can't wash it out of my thick hair.

4. Tourists. They are everywhere, stopping in front of you when walking or looking up to take pictures instead of looking where they are going. Especially when I go running this is a problem, or even when I'm walking home with groceries. Please move, people! I move out of the way for you!

5. The price of food. The only thing I really plan to buy for the rest of my time here is groceries, and it's annoying how expensive everything is. And everything comes in such small packages- ugh I miss shopping at home.

6. Smoking. Italians smoke a lot, and when you are walking down the street behind someone blowing giant clouds of vomit smoke into the air, it's not very pleasant. It sticks to your clothes and gets in your nose and just isn't fun.

7. The cold. Yes they turned our heat on Oct. 31st, but since then it has not worked. It is supposed to be automatic and we aren't supposed to touch it, but I really don't know when it actually going to provide us with heat again.

8. The fact that we only have a few cheap dishtowels that never dry out. Doing dishes every day is not fun when the chinsy fabric of the dishtowels is soaked and smells like dirty rag. I don't mind doing dishes (mainly since the warm water heats my freezing hands), but it just feels gross to use a dirty wet cloth to "dry" clean dishes.

9. The water. It tastes gross, and is as dirty as city water usually is.

10. "Lesson plans" of disorganized teachers. I can't handle a class that won't teach you anything and expect you to get everything they ask correct. Some of my classes are fine and follow a schedule, but others are terrible and it's a guessing game to know what we have to do.

11. The washing machine that ruins my clothes. I have already ruined about 5 shirts, and nothing is the same color it was when I came here. Things shrink, too, and it's really frustrating to have clothes get ruined and then know that everything here is too expensive to replace it.

12. Being constantly reminded of things I miss from home. Pretty self explanatory.

The Foods That I Eat!

Here are some lovely images of the foods that I eat most often here in Italy:

1. The best type of cookies that the grocery store sells...but actually the regular grocery store doesn't sell them and I have to buy them (overpriced) at a little food place near our apartment...but SO WORTH IT. And I actually eat cookies with milk now so it's quite exciting.

2. My most common dinner meal- noodles with powder cheese and ketchup. It may not look very appetizing to most, but to me it is delicious! My favorite noodles are called tortiglioni, but I like shells, too. I am SO glad they have ketchup here! I am already on my 5th bottle I think....

3. Here are other things that I eat a lot, and also our microwave! In this picture is a package of mortadella (really good lunch meat that I've never seen at home), my favorite type of noodles (called tortiglioni), the two types of cheesy rice that I know how to make now (sooood difficult, haha), and the two main meats of my dinners: fish sticks and chicken/spinach patties (both are so good, but I've never had the chicken with spinach and it is so good!). Spinach is one of the only vegetables that I will eat, and it is in a lot of foods here. I also make these noodles with spinach and cheese already inside them, which are really good. I of course eat these with ketchup.

4.More common foods that I always keep around: my breakfast every day (fake Coco Puffs with a lion on it), the milk I drink every day (there are green and blue containers, but I can't tell the difference and green is healthier so I buy the green), the bread I eat every day for my lunch sandwich (such tiny slices compared to back home!), and my 'emergency fruit'-canned pears. I usually eat 2 apples every day, one for lunch and one for dinner, but on days I run out and the fruit market I go to is closed, I have a solid backup!

5.My favorite snack to munch on- Special Flakes. Sadly, though, I can only buy them at a store near my school, and for a while they have not had them in stock. So, I've had to make do with corn flakes. Not the same! I want my Special Flakes back!!

6. And of course, pizza is a popular feature in my diet, but not as common as pasta in my meals. My favorite is margarita (cheese) =]

 

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Interesting things...

- I almost got pooped on by a pigeon.

-I have broken 3 things in our apartment so far.

-An Italian man called me Shakira.

-I have technically broken the law twice already.

-I have successfully made a phone call in only Italian.

-I bought baby food to eat because they had no applesauce at the store.

-Italians have never heard of the name "Gretchen."

-I have ridden a train, a city bus, and a cruise ship for the first time while in Italy.

-The sidewalks here are not made for wearing heels, yet I do it anyway.

-One day when it was pouring, I heard a man whistling "Singing in the Rain" while riding his bike.

-The variety of dog breeds that I see in Florence make me SO happy!

-Unlike almost everyone else in this country, I still do not have a taste for tomato sauce, wine, or Nutella.

Half-way to home!

Hello everyone who reads this!

I know it has been a while since I have posted anything, but hopefully I will make up for some lost time with the things I will post today. The week after our trip to Pisa was rather uneventful, and October began with a Midterm Celebration with our SAI program coordinators. We all met at a pizza place called The Clubhouse and ate some margarita pizza (means cheese...I can't wait to accidentally say 'margarita' instead of 'cheese' when I go home). That weekend, we went on our next excursion to an Organic Farm, which I will describe in its own post. We also went to 2 gardens in Florence that Saturday.

The next week, due to various circumstances, I really made the effort to put aside my homesickness and start enjoying myself more. It had been quite hard for a long time to adjust to all the changes here, but I finally am becoming more comfortable with everything. Going on some fun trips also helped this, because they keep me busy and give me things to look forward to. Being able to walk to places in Florence now without a map also gives me more confidence and has made me feel better about everything.

Amy and I went to a pasta making workshop that week as well, which was fun because I had never made pasta from scratch before! I was also surprised that I liked what we made! I am still not such a big fan of tomato sauce, but I will always try it. =] At the workshop we made Gnocchi di Patate con Salsa di Pomodoro (potato gnocchi with tomato sauce) and  Lasagne al Pesto (lasagna with pesto). Like I said, I liked both, but the lasagna was made with a white sauce that I thought was delicious!! The green color of the pesto almost made me not try it, but being brave certainly paid off. I didn't get any pictures at the event, but here is what they looked like:

 

 

It was fun to hang out with Amy, and even if I don't really remember how to make these foods, I have the recipes still! Cooking really has never been my thing, but it was cool to try it out.

The next day (the 12th), we went on a trip with our SAI program to Siena, which I also will have another post about. The day after that, Amy and I went on my favorite trip of Italy so far, which was to Santa Cristina Castle. That weekend also included some major studying for my Art History midterm exam with my friend Tara. Luckily, all of our studying was worth it and I think the test went quite well! Remembering dates is hard for me, but I think I did a pretty good job.

My other midterm exams went well, also, though it wasn't so fun to have 3 of them in one day! Tuesdays will forever be my most exhausting day of the week with 4 classes totaling 10 hours. For my photography class, I presented my set of photos entitled "A Universal Language That We Can Never Speak." It had to do with the fact that dogs all around the world have no language barrier, while humans struggle if they go to a different country where they don't speak the language. I took photos of dogs that I saw in Florence, and presented this concept to my class along with a short test for the midterm. My teacher, who I am not particularly fond of, actually seemed to like it so I was happy. My midterm for History of Fashion Design was rather easy, especially because I remember most of what she teaches due to how interesting it is. I didn't have too much knowledge of the fashion world beforehand, but I enjoy learning about it a lot! Like I said, my Art History midterm was ok as well, and that concluded my busy Tuesday.

Wednesday I had my Italian midterm, which wasn't too bad. I'm trying not to mix up Spanish and Italian too much, since I will have to take Spanish right away in January. I think it will be ok, though. We don't get through that much material each week due to the fact that the class is only 45 minutes per day.

Thursday I had my last midterm, which was for my Pompeii history class. I really like that class because I have always been interested in Pompeii, and we get to learn about the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses, which have also always interested me. I am super eager to answer questions in that class, and I don't even care that my fellow classmates (there are only like 7 of us) think I am rather odd for doing so. I like the teacher as well, who says "Brava!" to me all the time. Thursday was also Casey and I's 3 year anniversary, so I decided that it was the best day to place a padlock on Ponte alle Grazie (a bridge over the Arno River that I walk on every day). Lots of other locks are there too, and although it is technically illegal, I am a rebel and and a romantic. I will take a picture of it to put on here soon. For those of you who don't know about what I am talking about, these "love padlocks" can be found all over Europe to symbolize everlasting love, a tradition that in Rome was made popular by a book. I love things like that, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

And now here we are on this weekend, which has been rather chill due to the fact that I have come down with a quite unpleasant cold. It has gone through 2 of my roommates already, so I suppose it is my turn! Amy and Shannon left for Ireland on Thursday (lucky!!) and Kim's mom and sister arrived yesterday to explore Italy with her during the break. I, on the other hand, will not be travelling, but instead will be enjoying the tranquility of being alone for a while. It is so nice to wake up and know that I have absolutely nothing to do that day, and I can just take my time to do the things I want. That's definitely a good way to spend the semester break, in my opinion.

So now please read on (or go backwards) to learn about the trips I have listed above, and until next time, Ciao! =]

 

 

 

Tour of Siena!

On October 12th, SAI took us on a trip to Siena, and it was quite the day! We started our journey at a the Basilica of San Domenico, where Tara and I prepared for our Art History midterm by pointing out all of the architectural features of the building. This church even had the real finger of St. Catherine as a relic for worshippers. After that, we went to the famous Piazza del Campo, a courtyard where they have the horse race called Il Palio every summer. This Piazza was huge, and apparently they cover it with sand for the horse race. Each district of Siena is represented by a horse, and it is quite the big deal in Siena.

Next we went to the gigantic cathedral of Siena, the Duomo di Siena, which was so beautiful both on the outside and inside. It was cool to see a building that is actually in my Art History book! The outside facade is incredible, and so much detail is in every bit of it. Pictures hardly do it justice! There were also mosaics covering almost all of the floor, and it was such a beautiful place to see.

We had free time to walk around and get food after that, and then it was back on the bus. We soon arrived at Villa Dievole, a famous vineyard in the Chianti region of Tuscany. There I experienced my first wine-tasting, and since I still have yet to acquire a taste for wine (especially red wine), I had more fun holding the wine glass and being fancy than actually drinking it! We also got to sample some excellent pecorino cheese and see the big barrels where they keep the wine. Overall it was really cool to see the beautiful vineyard and everything, but I still do not like wine- not at all! I always try a sip though, just in case my taste buds decide to change their mind one day.

It was a great day in Siena, and so culturally- enriching! =]

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Castello di Santa Cristina!

My favorite trip in Italy so far was definitely the weekend Amy and I had at the Santa Cristina Castle in Grotte di Castro. We left on Saturday, October 13th, and took a train to the city of Orvieto. I have been on 2 trains now, and I will admit that they are not as bad as I thought they would be. Still hate planes, though!

Once we arrived at the train station, there was a lady named Francesca who was holding up a sign with my name on it, just like in the movies! Haha that made me happy. She then drove us in a fancy Mercedes Benz to the castle, but unfortunately, we hit a deer on the way there! Don't worry- we were all ok, since deer in Italy are rather small. The curvy road was not the best place to hit one, but luckily Francesca is a good driver and didn't swerve or anything. The car was fine, and it was even kind of funny because after asking if we were ok, she exclaimed "Was a Bambi, a BIG Bambi!" It was quite the start to our trip!!

At the castle grounds, Francesca drove off and left us quite alone in this absolutely gorgeous place. A man showed us where our room was (in a beautiful building covered in vines and furnished with antique-looking awesomeness) and then he disappeared, too, leaving us to wander around the castle grounds and take pictures. It was all so beautiful and it felt like we were in England instead of Italy. It felt like that even more when we finally met the lady who was going to take us on the ride the next day- her name was Ms. Vicki and she was British. She was super nice and had an adorable dog named Molly.

Eventually we were given a tour by the reception man, and then after playing badminton and having a wonderful chat outside, we ate dinner in the restaurant on the first floor of the building our room was in. We were not even sure what the meal would be, but it was very good and since we were the only ones there, we got wonderful service and it was just delightful. That night we watched movies until we went to bed.

The next morning, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast on the first floor of the castle, which we had not yet been in. Later we would get a tour of the castle, but for breakfast we just ate in a little restaurant area they had. Then we met Vicki by the riding arena, where she introduced us to our horses for the day. Her horse’s name was Moo-ka (since she is patterned like a cow!), Amy’s horse was a dark bay named Pabo, and my horse was a chestnut Irish Hunter (actually from Ireland!) named Frederico, or Fred for short. All of the horses were gorgeous, and so well behaved!

To start, we rode for a bit in the arena just so Vicki could see where our riding level was at. Then we set off on our ride, and to say the least it was incredible! The landscape of the beautiful forests and farmland were so cool to see, especially from the back of a horse. It felt like we had gone back in time on these old trails through the woods, and it was wonderful to have such nicely-trained horses that actually enjoyed the trip as much as we did. Vicki’s dog Molly even came with us, and she would run ahead and wait for us to catch up, being as perfect as any dog could be! We even saw some sheep at a nearby farm, and I just love all the lambs. It wasn’t at all like a pony- ride, which is a lot of what tourist horse-back riding opportunities in Italy are like. We got to trot (quite fast!) and traversed hills and everything. I LOVED IT!!! I couldn’t stop smiling when we were trotting in the sunshine along the green fields…every moment was so wonderful. I could tell that Amy was having a great time too, and I am so glad she went with me. She used to ride and have horses, as well, and is a great friend to hang out with.

Our ride was about 3 hours or so, and then Vicki drove us to a restaurant by Lake Bolsena for lunch. There we met some of her friends, who were also British, and a man named Peter, who was from Australia. Everyone was so nice, and the food was great! Peter even joined us for our afternoon ride, which was just as wonderful as the first one! Before we left, I even got to canter Frederico in the arena, making me feel pretty special. We rode English, which I am not used to, but to my credit I did quite well and remembered most of my equitation from my lessons. During the afternoon ride, Vicki also took pictures with Peter’s camera, and later he shared those photos with us.

Following the ride, we groomed the horses and got ready to leave. However, right before we left, the man who owns the whole place gave us a tour of the castle, which had been passed down in his family since the 1700s. Everything inside was in perfect condition, and once again it was like we had gone back in time! I absolutely LOVE castles and old stuff like that, so I was freaking out!! It was so amazing to be there and see everything as it was in the 1700s when the original Caterini family owned it. He even took us up to the tower, where we watched the sun set. It was a perfect end to a wonderful day, and I was so extremely happy that I had planned the whole thing for Amy and I. It was so great to get out of the city with a good friend and to do something that I love. Planning the whole trip myself also gave me more confidence about everything, and hanging out with Amy brought us closer, too. I will remember this trip forever, and I hope that I will go to other places in Italy that fill me with the happiness that I felt at Santa Cristina Castle.

 

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Garden Day- Bardini & Boboli!

On October 6th, Kim and I went to the Bardini Gardens and also the Boboli Gardens with a few people from our SAI program. It was a beautiful day so it was very lovely to be in the gardens!

The Bardini Gardens are smaller than the Boboli, located in the Oltrarno area where we live. It has a big staircase which can be seem from very far away, and also has a great view of the city since it is up so high!

The Boboli Gardens are MUCH larger, and you can almost get lost walking around in them! To get to them, you have to go through Palazzo Pitti (Pitti Palace), which I will be going back to many times I hope! There were so many cool statues and fountains, which I love, and of course lots of plants that were a welcome change from city streets.

Here are some pictures from the Bardini Gardens....

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And these are from the Boboli Gardens:

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Organic Farm- Il Forteto!

Organic_farm

On October 5th, our SAI group traveled to an organic farm here in Tuscany, called Il Forteto. We got to go into the building where they store all of the cheeses that they make, and it was cool to see all of the different kinds! The people there were very nice and served us an AMAZING lunch after the tour of the farm. We got to the the Chianina cattle, which are huge! They were awesome to see up close. They also had Maremmano horses, which are used for races sometimes. As for the lunch, I tried so many types of cheeses and oh it was so delicious!!! They also had sausage and other things that they made at the farm, and it was definitely one of my favorite meals of Italy so far. Yay me for trying new foods! The picture attached is just a small sample of all the cheeses they had. Also you can see the cattle  and the group of us that went on the trip. I am on the left!