To add emphasis on a word just and -as... Sweet-as, cool-as, fun-as, etc.
shout- Buying a round
Piss- Beer
Bob's your uncle
Vegimit- Yummy gotta try it when you're here... NOT
Takeaway verses takeout
Watch out bikes about
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
First stop NZ!
Departed from LAX Wednesday 21, 2010 at midnight to arrive in Auckland NZ Friday morning at 8:30. Val and Ian Rew met my mother, step-dad, and I at the airport to take us about 45 mins. south to Maraetai, belonging to the easternmost portion of Auckland in the Manukau suburb. I must say, I think the view from Val and Ian's ocean view is one of the best I've ever seen. It overlooks Rangitoto and Waiheke Islands.
We spent the first day relaxing and staying dry from the rain that seemed to fall on and off most of the day. However, we did end up making it out to check out Clevedon Village, a wood shop, and dinner at Two Turtles and a Grumby Fish. My mom, who never eats fish, had red snapper for dinner and loved it. It was really good.
Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day. The sun came out so we took a trip up to the city to watch the boys play rugby and then do the typical touristy thing and roam about Auckland. We walked up Queen St. and went up into the Sky Tower to get a spectacular view Auckland and all the surrounding Islands. The Sky Tower at 328 meters (1,076 ft) tall, is the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere. While Ian, Mandy, Brad, and I were up in the tower stomping on 33mm thick glass, watching people skywalk and skyjump; Val was down in the casino winning!
Sunday was spent relaxing and fishing out on the sea. It was amazing! The views were spectacular and the water was beautiful. We lost a lot of gulp (bait) and didn't even catch a single fish. However, you have to take into consideration that it's winter down here and all the fish have traveled North for warmer living. We ended the day with a nice dinner at the Boat club.
Monday morning Alyson Eastman arrived and we all headed out to Waikite Valley just outside of Rotorua. We were off to Bella Vista Farms which consists of 1,200 acres of farming land, 70 pictons, 80+ dairy cows, 3 houses, and 3 plots of forrestry. This is one mighty dairy. Upon arrival, Jennifer Rew, now Saunders was there whom I haven't seen in years. She remembered me as, the girl who never talked, so those of you who know me, know that that was a long time ago. We got our gum boots on and headed out to the milking shed to watch the cows milk and then to see the baby caves who were just born 1-2 days ago go at it on the cafeteria (feeder).
Tuesday was Mauri day. We ventured out to Te Puia and learned about the Mauri and the various options of where it is they came from, Peru, Taiwan, Mongolia, etc. Basically, it came down to the fact that they are from the Polynesian region. We witnessed a Mauri welcoming followed by song and dance. We learned about the carvings, their buildings, rituals, clothing, and their calender. Their calender comprises of 12 months with 30 days each which were organized by the tasks that needed to be completed on that day. Lastly, they ended with a 5 day New Year to make up for the 5 days unaccounted for. We visited Kiwis, NZ's national bird, and then the geysers. We ended the tour to pouring down rain and a visit to the Pig and Whistler for a late lunch. Later that night after Brad returned from his day with a fly fishing guide, we headed to the Waikite Valley hot pools for a warm bath to warm you to the core.
Wednesday we took a true tour of the farm deep and wide. It's a pretty massive. We saw the waterfall on the property, saw what the rotten wild boars did, and probably could have seen a cow give birth if we had only waited a bit longer. We then said our goodbyes as I decided to stay in Rotorua with Jennifer, Brendan, and Alyson; while Val, Ian, Brad, and my mom headed 3 hrs north to Auckland. The girls and I traveled into town to do some chores and have an early dinner.
We spent the first day relaxing and staying dry from the rain that seemed to fall on and off most of the day. However, we did end up making it out to check out Clevedon Village, a wood shop, and dinner at Two Turtles and a Grumby Fish. My mom, who never eats fish, had red snapper for dinner and loved it. It was really good.
Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day. The sun came out so we took a trip up to the city to watch the boys play rugby and then do the typical touristy thing and roam about Auckland. We walked up Queen St. and went up into the Sky Tower to get a spectacular view Auckland and all the surrounding Islands. The Sky Tower at 328 meters (1,076 ft) tall, is the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere. While Ian, Mandy, Brad, and I were up in the tower stomping on 33mm thick glass, watching people skywalk and skyjump; Val was down in the casino winning!
Sunday was spent relaxing and fishing out on the sea. It was amazing! The views were spectacular and the water was beautiful. We lost a lot of gulp (bait) and didn't even catch a single fish. However, you have to take into consideration that it's winter down here and all the fish have traveled North for warmer living. We ended the day with a nice dinner at the Boat club.
Monday morning Alyson Eastman arrived and we all headed out to Waikite Valley just outside of Rotorua. We were off to Bella Vista Farms which consists of 1,200 acres of farming land, 70 pictons, 80+ dairy cows, 3 houses, and 3 plots of forrestry. This is one mighty dairy. Upon arrival, Jennifer Rew, now Saunders was there whom I haven't seen in years. She remembered me as, the girl who never talked, so those of you who know me, know that that was a long time ago. We got our gum boots on and headed out to the milking shed to watch the cows milk and then to see the baby caves who were just born 1-2 days ago go at it on the cafeteria (feeder).
Tuesday was Mauri day. We ventured out to Te Puia and learned about the Mauri and the various options of where it is they came from, Peru, Taiwan, Mongolia, etc. Basically, it came down to the fact that they are from the Polynesian region. We witnessed a Mauri welcoming followed by song and dance. We learned about the carvings, their buildings, rituals, clothing, and their calender. Their calender comprises of 12 months with 30 days each which were organized by the tasks that needed to be completed on that day. Lastly, they ended with a 5 day New Year to make up for the 5 days unaccounted for. We visited Kiwis, NZ's national bird, and then the geysers. We ended the tour to pouring down rain and a visit to the Pig and Whistler for a late lunch. Later that night after Brad returned from his day with a fly fishing guide, we headed to the Waikite Valley hot pools for a warm bath to warm you to the core.
Wednesday we took a true tour of the farm deep and wide. It's a pretty massive. We saw the waterfall on the property, saw what the rotten wild boars did, and probably could have seen a cow give birth if we had only waited a bit longer. We then said our goodbyes as I decided to stay in Rotorua with Jennifer, Brendan, and Alyson; while Val, Ian, Brad, and my mom headed 3 hrs north to Auckland. The girls and I traveled into town to do some chores and have an early dinner.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
October!
Ahhh I can’t believe it is already the month of October!!! The time is just flying by and is getting closer and closer to me getting to meet up with my grandparents and mom and step dad.
On Tuesday October 2nd my study abroad program put together an event of attending the Sleeping Beauty Ballet. Ally, Diana, Emily, and I all went and loved it. I was the only one out of the 4 that hadn’t had at least 6 years of Ballet dancing experience. We all got done up and headed over to the Teatro dell’Opera where the ballet took place, 8:30-12 a.m.
On Wednesday night my friend Rachelle put on a Mexican Dinner night. Ahh it was soo amazing… we had chips and salsa, followed by rice and beans and chicken fajitas. In addition, for dessert we had chocolate chip cookies that were bought from the International Supermercato.
Thursday was an intense day. I spent all morning writing a paper that was due that evening and then I last minute decided to go to Venice with Emily, Ally, and Diana. Originally my plan for the weekend was to go to Florence and stay with a friend till Sunday when my grandparents were supposed to arrive. However, my friend forgot and wasn’t going to be home so I decided to go to Venice and then go to Florence Saturday night and figure something out.
Weekend in Venice
We had a great time in Venice. We did a lot of walking around the first day and getting acquainted with the island. We walked around San Marco’s square with the pigeons, took the boat taxi around to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum which was full of various famous artists’ works. We decided that we weren’t going to pay the 70 euros or whatever to take a gondola ride around the canals so instead we took the .50 euro gondola that taxied you across the canal. We didn’t make it to the island of ma… where they are famous for glass blowing, but we did watch a man in his shop make a glass necklace which was pretty amazing. Although I do remember being in Venice 10 years ago, I don’t remember much so I was glad that I went on this short trip with the girls. The next morning it was raining and San Marco Church was closed so we spent the entire afternoon at the Bienale. The Bienale is a huge art exhibit that is done every other year from June to November. This art exhibit was Emily’s whole purpose for going and her day was made when she found out that we could go to it. It was a whole day event with about 100 rooms all dedicated to different artists from all over the world, United States, Russia, Switzerland, New Zealand, etc. Some of it was a little weird for me, but majority of it was very interesting and enjoyable. At closing I ran to the boat taxi to get to the train station because I heard back from my friend Jessie who is studying abroad in Florence and she said she would love for me to come and stay with her. It was quite an adventure; first I missed my train, then I got on the wrong one and was told I had to get off, and then I was in this station alone and had to figure out what train to get on in order to get to Florence for the night. It all worked out and this man helped my locate the last train from Minestra to Florence.
Sunday morning woke up and met with grandma and grandpa at their hotel. It was so nice getting to spend all Sunday, Monday, and half of Tuesday with them. We checked out Piazza del Duomo, walked down to Piazza della Signoria, and to Palazzo Vecchio. We also walked over the Arno River via PonteVecchio, built in 1220. This is the oldest bridge in Florence after being the only one to survive the German army during World War II. The rest of the trip we spent on the double décor bus sight seeing tour. We had a wonderful time but had to board a train Tuesday morning and head back to Rome.
Mom and Brad arrive in Rome!
I spent the rest of the afternoon at school but then planned on meeting my grandparents and mom and Brad at their hotel. To my excitement I received an email that afternoon from my brother letting me know that he proposed to Sarah and that they are getting married! Congratulations to my brother and sister-in-law to be! I met up with the family and we had a nice pizza dinner on the roof of the Campo Di’ Fiori Hotel.
Wednesday I had my accounting class and then spent the rest of the afternoon with the family venturing around various sites in Rome. We met in the Vatican City at San Pietro’s to see and hear Pope Benedict give the Wednesday morning mass. We stayed and watched for a little but then got on the Rome sight seeing tour bus and ventured around the city till we got to the Colosseum stop which is one touristy thing I haven’t experienced yet. From there I went to check out the Palantine and then to class. I met up with the family after class and we had dinner in campo di’fiori at this restaurant that I wouldn’t recommend to anyone. After dinner my mom, Brad, and I took a walk to get gelato, walk through Piazza Navona, see the Pantheon, and the famous Trevi Fountain which is based on Nicolo Salvi’s design and completed in 1762 (famous scene in Three Coins in the Fountain and the Italian classic La Dolce Vita).
Thursday morning woke up early and met the family and went to the San Pietro Basilica. The line was really long but moved along quite quickly. We went in and headed straight for the Copula which took you up a huge flight of stairs to the inside of the dome to look down into the church. From there you could take another 320 steps to the outer top of the dome. At the top was a spectacular view of all of Rome. I had to leave for class while my family stayed to check out more of the church and then head to the Vatican Museums and see the Sistine Chapel. I told the family to meet me at my apartment around 6:30 for dinner that Emily and I wanted to prepare for them. It was a really nice dinner; we had my family, Emily’s mom, and the twins over. We had bruscetti as an anitpasta, followed by dinner which consisted of salad, ravioli, and the famous Yogurt Torta.
Friday morning I met my mom and Brad at the airport for Greece. We had a great weekend in Athens and fun on the Island Aegina where we took a short day trip. We did a lot of sleeping while in Athens. Our bodies were pretty much worn out every evening from all our exploring during the day. On our first day there we went to the Plaka and had a fabulous Greek lunch/dinner. I had a gyro which was absolutely amazing especially since my stomach hasn’t had much of anything besides pastas and breads. We spent the remainder of our first day walking around and planning what we were going to do the next day. That night we got to experience Athen’s first rain after 4 months, I think my mom and Brad brought the cold rainy weather to both Rome and Athens.
Saturday morning we did most of our sight seeing by going to: the Acropolis where we saw the Partheon, the temple of Athena Nike remains. Then we walked around ancient Agora, the plaka which is full of small stores, and then took a public bus to Glyfada (a coastal city where we had dinner/ lunch). The water was amazing and we got to watch the sun set over the ocean. The hardest thing for me in Athens was the Greek writing and not having even the slightest idea of what things said unless they were written in English. On our last full day, we took a ferry to a nearby Island called Aegina. We took a 45 minute ferry ride over and walked around the quaint island. We had lunch and returned to Athens with just enough time to take a walk for dessert and to the 1st Olympic Stadium built in 1895 for the 1898 Summer Olympics. The stadium was made entirely of marble and was absolutely breath taking.
Monday we took a taxi to the Athen Airport to fly back to Rome and then up to Cinque Terre for a couple of days. On our way to the coast we stopped in Pisa for an hour which only gave us enough time to run to the leaning tower of Pisa, snap a picture, and run back. Tuesday we spent the entire day hiking along the 5 various little villages which make up Cinque Terre (The five Villages). The hike took you all along the ocean and that connected all the villages. For lunch we ate a pesto pizza and then headed back to Manarola where we stayed so that I could shower and get to the train station. It was time to say good bye to my mom and Brad as we headed our separate ways. It was a blessing that my family was able to come and visit me while I’m in another country and wouldn’t have changed it for anything else (no not even to have my camera back).
Wednesday night (after my big accounting Mid-term) we had dinner at Ally and Diana’s house. Ally and I went to their house together and did the cooking while Emily and Diana did some last minute things at school.
Thursday made for another travel adventure. This time we were headed for Barcelona, Spain. We had a little trouble getting to the Ciampino airport and I thought for sure Emily wasn’t going to make it to check in on time. However, to my amazement she arrived just in time and we flew to Barcelona. I stayed in my first hostel ever called Gothic Point and it was absolutely wonderful. We met a lot of very interesting people and everyone was so nice.
Friday we spent the entire day walking all around the city. We walked to the National Art Museum of Catalunya, down to the Olympic Stadium, took a bus over to Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia church, and then down to his Casa Batiló (fish house). After returning to our hostel and having dinner we meet three boys who are studying abroad in Germany and ended up going out with them to a club called The Catwalk. Saturday was not such a good day, I seemed to have caught a 24 hr. flu and felt horrible for the whole day but still got in some sight seeing. We went to the Picasso Museum for a couple of hours, then walked to the Parco de Ciutadella, to the beach, and then to our cooking class. On the first day these girls told us about a cooking class where you can learn to make: Sangria, an appetizer, and paella. I am really glad that we decided to do it because it was really good in spite of me not having much of an appetite.
Tuesday October 23rd was the most depressing day thus far. I had bought a plane ticket to London with the twins to stay with their cousin who is going to school in Oxford, however my merciless, stubborn, and annoying social psychology teacher wouldn’t let me take my test before I left so I had to cancel and rebook my flight for the weekend of November 15th. I still can’t believe that my teacher was being so ridiculous especially when the only reason I bought the ticket for that day was because she said the test was going to be today on this Tuesday.
Wednesday night I went with my friend Rachelle to JCU’s first soccer game of the season. We got there after half time but got to celebrate in our 2-1 win.
Weekend in Rome
Saturday the entire apartment, Kassandra, Alex, Emily, and I took a trip to Piazza Argentina to have lunch at Insalata Rica where we each got a nice big salad. We then walked around and went to the various vintage stores around the area in search of boots for the cold rainy season to come. Emily and I went to this boot store and each found a pair that we liked. Now I have my very own Italian Leather Boots which I bought for 59 euro. That night Emily and I got ready, dressed in our boots, and went to the 2007 Rome Film Festival to watch the Premier showing of the American film Juno. As we were entering we saw one of the actresses from the movie, Olivia Thirlby, who played Leah. The movie was great and very entertaining.
Sunday I woke up and took the longest running adventure around Rome. I didn’t intend on being gone for 1 hr. 22 minutes but I took a road that took me in a big loop all the way around the outer wall of the Vatican City. It was such a beautiful day though so I didn’t mind being outside running at all. I spent the rest of the day relaxing and not getting any studying done for the next days test.
On Tuesday October 2nd my study abroad program put together an event of attending the Sleeping Beauty Ballet. Ally, Diana, Emily, and I all went and loved it. I was the only one out of the 4 that hadn’t had at least 6 years of Ballet dancing experience. We all got done up and headed over to the Teatro dell’Opera where the ballet took place, 8:30-12 a.m.
On Wednesday night my friend Rachelle put on a Mexican Dinner night. Ahh it was soo amazing… we had chips and salsa, followed by rice and beans and chicken fajitas. In addition, for dessert we had chocolate chip cookies that were bought from the International Supermercato.
Thursday was an intense day. I spent all morning writing a paper that was due that evening and then I last minute decided to go to Venice with Emily, Ally, and Diana. Originally my plan for the weekend was to go to Florence and stay with a friend till Sunday when my grandparents were supposed to arrive. However, my friend forgot and wasn’t going to be home so I decided to go to Venice and then go to Florence Saturday night and figure something out.
Weekend in Venice
We had a great time in Venice. We did a lot of walking around the first day and getting acquainted with the island. We walked around San Marco’s square with the pigeons, took the boat taxi around to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum which was full of various famous artists’ works. We decided that we weren’t going to pay the 70 euros or whatever to take a gondola ride around the canals so instead we took the .50 euro gondola that taxied you across the canal. We didn’t make it to the island of ma… where they are famous for glass blowing, but we did watch a man in his shop make a glass necklace which was pretty amazing. Although I do remember being in Venice 10 years ago, I don’t remember much so I was glad that I went on this short trip with the girls. The next morning it was raining and San Marco Church was closed so we spent the entire afternoon at the Bienale. The Bienale is a huge art exhibit that is done every other year from June to November. This art exhibit was Emily’s whole purpose for going and her day was made when she found out that we could go to it. It was a whole day event with about 100 rooms all dedicated to different artists from all over the world, United States, Russia, Switzerland, New Zealand, etc. Some of it was a little weird for me, but majority of it was very interesting and enjoyable. At closing I ran to the boat taxi to get to the train station because I heard back from my friend Jessie who is studying abroad in Florence and she said she would love for me to come and stay with her. It was quite an adventure; first I missed my train, then I got on the wrong one and was told I had to get off, and then I was in this station alone and had to figure out what train to get on in order to get to Florence for the night. It all worked out and this man helped my locate the last train from Minestra to Florence.
Sunday morning woke up and met with grandma and grandpa at their hotel. It was so nice getting to spend all Sunday, Monday, and half of Tuesday with them. We checked out Piazza del Duomo, walked down to Piazza della Signoria, and to Palazzo Vecchio. We also walked over the Arno River via PonteVecchio, built in 1220. This is the oldest bridge in Florence after being the only one to survive the German army during World War II. The rest of the trip we spent on the double décor bus sight seeing tour. We had a wonderful time but had to board a train Tuesday morning and head back to Rome.
Mom and Brad arrive in Rome!
I spent the rest of the afternoon at school but then planned on meeting my grandparents and mom and Brad at their hotel. To my excitement I received an email that afternoon from my brother letting me know that he proposed to Sarah and that they are getting married! Congratulations to my brother and sister-in-law to be! I met up with the family and we had a nice pizza dinner on the roof of the Campo Di’ Fiori Hotel.
Wednesday I had my accounting class and then spent the rest of the afternoon with the family venturing around various sites in Rome. We met in the Vatican City at San Pietro’s to see and hear Pope Benedict give the Wednesday morning mass. We stayed and watched for a little but then got on the Rome sight seeing tour bus and ventured around the city till we got to the Colosseum stop which is one touristy thing I haven’t experienced yet. From there I went to check out the Palantine and then to class. I met up with the family after class and we had dinner in campo di’fiori at this restaurant that I wouldn’t recommend to anyone. After dinner my mom, Brad, and I took a walk to get gelato, walk through Piazza Navona, see the Pantheon, and the famous Trevi Fountain which is based on Nicolo Salvi’s design and completed in 1762 (famous scene in Three Coins in the Fountain and the Italian classic La Dolce Vita).
Thursday morning woke up early and met the family and went to the San Pietro Basilica. The line was really long but moved along quite quickly. We went in and headed straight for the Copula which took you up a huge flight of stairs to the inside of the dome to look down into the church. From there you could take another 320 steps to the outer top of the dome. At the top was a spectacular view of all of Rome. I had to leave for class while my family stayed to check out more of the church and then head to the Vatican Museums and see the Sistine Chapel. I told the family to meet me at my apartment around 6:30 for dinner that Emily and I wanted to prepare for them. It was a really nice dinner; we had my family, Emily’s mom, and the twins over. We had bruscetti as an anitpasta, followed by dinner which consisted of salad, ravioli, and the famous Yogurt Torta.
Friday morning I met my mom and Brad at the airport for Greece. We had a great weekend in Athens and fun on the Island Aegina where we took a short day trip. We did a lot of sleeping while in Athens. Our bodies were pretty much worn out every evening from all our exploring during the day. On our first day there we went to the Plaka and had a fabulous Greek lunch/dinner. I had a gyro which was absolutely amazing especially since my stomach hasn’t had much of anything besides pastas and breads. We spent the remainder of our first day walking around and planning what we were going to do the next day. That night we got to experience Athen’s first rain after 4 months, I think my mom and Brad brought the cold rainy weather to both Rome and Athens.
Saturday morning we did most of our sight seeing by going to: the Acropolis where we saw the Partheon, the temple of Athena Nike remains. Then we walked around ancient Agora, the plaka which is full of small stores, and then took a public bus to Glyfada (a coastal city where we had dinner/ lunch). The water was amazing and we got to watch the sun set over the ocean. The hardest thing for me in Athens was the Greek writing and not having even the slightest idea of what things said unless they were written in English. On our last full day, we took a ferry to a nearby Island called Aegina. We took a 45 minute ferry ride over and walked around the quaint island. We had lunch and returned to Athens with just enough time to take a walk for dessert and to the 1st Olympic Stadium built in 1895 for the 1898 Summer Olympics. The stadium was made entirely of marble and was absolutely breath taking.
Monday we took a taxi to the Athen Airport to fly back to Rome and then up to Cinque Terre for a couple of days. On our way to the coast we stopped in Pisa for an hour which only gave us enough time to run to the leaning tower of Pisa, snap a picture, and run back. Tuesday we spent the entire day hiking along the 5 various little villages which make up Cinque Terre (The five Villages). The hike took you all along the ocean and that connected all the villages. For lunch we ate a pesto pizza and then headed back to Manarola where we stayed so that I could shower and get to the train station. It was time to say good bye to my mom and Brad as we headed our separate ways. It was a blessing that my family was able to come and visit me while I’m in another country and wouldn’t have changed it for anything else (no not even to have my camera back).
Wednesday night (after my big accounting Mid-term) we had dinner at Ally and Diana’s house. Ally and I went to their house together and did the cooking while Emily and Diana did some last minute things at school.
Thursday made for another travel adventure. This time we were headed for Barcelona, Spain. We had a little trouble getting to the Ciampino airport and I thought for sure Emily wasn’t going to make it to check in on time. However, to my amazement she arrived just in time and we flew to Barcelona. I stayed in my first hostel ever called Gothic Point and it was absolutely wonderful. We met a lot of very interesting people and everyone was so nice.
Friday we spent the entire day walking all around the city. We walked to the National Art Museum of Catalunya, down to the Olympic Stadium, took a bus over to Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia church, and then down to his Casa Batiló (fish house). After returning to our hostel and having dinner we meet three boys who are studying abroad in Germany and ended up going out with them to a club called The Catwalk. Saturday was not such a good day, I seemed to have caught a 24 hr. flu and felt horrible for the whole day but still got in some sight seeing. We went to the Picasso Museum for a couple of hours, then walked to the Parco de Ciutadella, to the beach, and then to our cooking class. On the first day these girls told us about a cooking class where you can learn to make: Sangria, an appetizer, and paella. I am really glad that we decided to do it because it was really good in spite of me not having much of an appetite.
Tuesday October 23rd was the most depressing day thus far. I had bought a plane ticket to London with the twins to stay with their cousin who is going to school in Oxford, however my merciless, stubborn, and annoying social psychology teacher wouldn’t let me take my test before I left so I had to cancel and rebook my flight for the weekend of November 15th. I still can’t believe that my teacher was being so ridiculous especially when the only reason I bought the ticket for that day was because she said the test was going to be today on this Tuesday.
Wednesday night I went with my friend Rachelle to JCU’s first soccer game of the season. We got there after half time but got to celebrate in our 2-1 win.
Weekend in Rome
Saturday the entire apartment, Kassandra, Alex, Emily, and I took a trip to Piazza Argentina to have lunch at Insalata Rica where we each got a nice big salad. We then walked around and went to the various vintage stores around the area in search of boots for the cold rainy season to come. Emily and I went to this boot store and each found a pair that we liked. Now I have my very own Italian Leather Boots which I bought for 59 euro. That night Emily and I got ready, dressed in our boots, and went to the 2007 Rome Film Festival to watch the Premier showing of the American film Juno. As we were entering we saw one of the actresses from the movie, Olivia Thirlby, who played Leah. The movie was great and very entertaining.
Sunday I woke up and took the longest running adventure around Rome. I didn’t intend on being gone for 1 hr. 22 minutes but I took a road that took me in a big loop all the way around the outer wall of the Vatican City. It was such a beautiful day though so I didn’t mind being outside running at all. I spent the rest of the day relaxing and not getting any studying done for the next days test.
Month of September!
So my original plan in terms of journaling was to do it once a week, but as you can see I haven't been doing so well. As I have mentioned, we do not have internet access in our apartments so we can only use our computers by walking a mile to school or by paying to use it at various cafés around the area. It makes blogging a little inconvenient. However I will work on doing a better job and getting some good pics up, I'm still not in the routine of things. I can't believe the month of September is already over and that I have been living in Rome for 5 weeks now! I have been spending a majority of my time with 3 of the greatest girls in the world: Emily (my rommie), Ally, and Diana. We do just about everything together and have been planning various trips to take while here. The first major trip that we planned was our trip to Capri! Our original plan was to go to Pompeii for a day and then Capri for a day, (however our rafting trip got switched to Saturday from Friday and were no longer able to do that). As a result, we decided to wake up early Friday morning, catch the 6 am train to Naples and then take a ferry to Capri where we could spend the entire day doing whatever we want. We arrived at the station with just enough time to jump on the "Harry Potter train" and sleep until our arrival. We made it to Capri around 10 and took a boat tour around the island to see all the various sites and grattos along the way. The water was magnificent! The boat trips main purpose is to take you to the "blue gratto" (azzura grotto) which in my opinion wasn't worth the extra 9 Euros to see. Basically it’s a grotto that’s completely closed off from the sunlight by the cave walls of the island and the sea, except for a small opening in the side of the rocks that is only about 5 feet across and 4 feet high. Once inside the water is illuminated by the sunlight shining from outside through the sea but it’s mostly just dark. In order to go in though, you have to leave the tour boat and squeeze into a tiny boat that can fit in through the tiny opening. All in all, the boat tour around the island was nice and really there is no other way to tour it since the coasts are all sheer cliffs. The weather was perfect and it was breezy, but the boat was crowded and after two hours I was ready for some exploring of my own.
We got back on land at about 3:00 and enjoyed a bit of time on the beach. The water wasn’t too cold and the beach was made from smooth pebbles instead of sand! It was beautiful but painful to walk on without shoes. After drying off I was ready for a new adventure and to actually go around and explore the city and shops of Capri. Within our little quartet Ally and I are the fast paced, direction oriented girls, whereas Emily and Diana are the slow, relaxed, no sense of direction girls. My favorite episode with Emily was the first week of school when Emily still needed help finding her way to school. Ok enough of the side note, the four of us started walking and we came upon a sign that read, Centro Capri so I said hey lets follow the sign and see what’s up there. I thought the twins were going to kill me because we walked for a very long time up this steep narrow walk way which looked like it was going to take us no where. However I was determined and had faith that we would end up somewhere amazing. After about 20 minutes of walking, vuala we arrived at spectacular view of the ocean and the island below. After finding the center I still was not satisfied and took the girls on another adventure in search of a church called, Chiesa San Michele. After finding this tiny little church all tucked away off a small side road we decided it was time to head back down to the dock and wait for our ferry home.
Saturday morning was wonderful because I was able to sleep in until 10 am or so. From there, Emily took a trip to the supermarket, Simply, and bought some groceries. In surprise and disbelief the cashier explained to us that there was a problem with the bank lines or something, and they couldn’t accept credit or debit anywhere in the city until they were fixed! Can you imagine what that would do to shops and stores in America! We were a little behind schedule so we had to rush home, pack our lunches, and run to Piazza Trillusa to head out for our white-water rafting! We arrived at the location where we received a 40 minute tutorial, got suited up, and headed to the drop point. We were dressed up in the most attractive suits you can imagine. I felt like I was going to train the dolphins. The drop off spot was amazing. It was directly under what is the largest waterfall in Italy and maybe in all of Europe. The entire ride was about forty minutes with a few particularly exciting jumps and slides. The river banks were beautiful and it was warm enough that the water wasn’t uncomfortably cold. No one from my raft fell out but the raft just in front of us lost two boys overboard! When we got back to the rafting center we got a chance to shower off, change, and eat at the café before getting back on the bus at 6:30. On the way home everyone was knocked out and slept till we arrived back at our familiar location of Trastevere.
As a roommate to a vegetarian I have been learning to add a variety of new fruits and vegetables to my diet. I have grown to love, which most of you are going to want to say, “Duh”, peaches, oranges, nectarines, and green beans. This is still only the second month, so maybe by the time I get home my list will have doubled. I have actually grown accustomed to pasta and carbs for every meal and cooking every night, it gets costly.
With the topic of food, Emily and I decided to host an International potluck at our house on Thursday night. We ended up having a larger turn out than what we had expected. A total of 10 fellow classmates arrived at our house around 8 where we spent the next couple of hours eating various types of food. Our main items were, spaghetti, vegetables, rice, tofu, chicken, veal, beans and onions, horse fillet, and a variety of wines. It was a wonderful event we conjuring up our next potluck idea, “American Breakfast Potluck”. For dessert we had my cousin’s famous yogurt torta and the twins Diana and Ally’s home made crepes. They were both excellent and everyone seemed to have a great time.
Friday night was “cooking for the Italians night”. A friend of mine Rachelle promise three Italians a fine home cooked meal so I told her that I would help. The menu of the night was Chicken Parmesan, garlic bread, and spaghetti con Bolognese. It was very good and even the Italian approved of it. From there Rachelle and I went out with a group of Italians and got into the club Chalet right away because one of the bouncers knew one of the guys we were with. It was really packed but ended up being a lot of fun. We got home late and had to be at our bus at 5:45 am so we decided to stay up, eat the left over chicken parmesan and go to the bus headed for Ventotene.
The four of us (anytime I say four of us I am referring to Ally, Diana, Emily, and I) joined a group of 15 other JCU students and loaded a bus and headed for the coast and Ventotene, which literally means “keeps wind.” It’s an island on the Amalfi Coast not too far from Capri. The Island and weather were absolutely perfect, not too hot and not too cold. Once we settled in, we jumped in a small boat and toured around the island. We pasted by various spots where you could get out and jump of rocks so Emily and I decided to go for it. Saturday night, we had dinner at a restaurant on the beach, but it really wasn’t all that yummy so we had to go back up to the town and find some gelato for dessert. There wasn’t a whole lot to do on the island as far as the night life was concerned; however there was a drum circle performance that was going on so we stood around for about an hour to listen.
Sunday was leaving day but first we spent the whole morning/ afternoon at the beach. Ahh it was soo beautiful and the water was crystal clear. We laid out, swam, and took a short break for a boat ride to the small neighboring island which used to harbor a prison, Alcatraz. However, before the prison it was home to the royalty offspring to relax. The prison was closed in 1965 due to financial reasons, which was the same year Alcatraz was closed due to psychological reasons. After our tour we continued enjoying the beach and jumping off the nearby rocks up until the time we had to pack up and go home. It was a wonderful weekend at Ventotene with all the girls and the new friends that we made.
On the last Wednesday of September, Ally and I joined our Study Abroad Italy group for a special Language Exchange night. We still aren’t quite familiar with how to get from one place to the other on the buses so it took us about an hour to get the meeting location which made us late. However the night ended up being a lot of fun and was able to practice and work on my Italian skills before my second date with an Italian friend of mine. The event was put on by the SAI organization as a way for us Americans to get out of our bubble of other American friends and meet and greet with some Italians. It was really nice experience and we got snacks and drinks with it.
The last weekend of the month was spent here in Italy. On Friday we took a bike tour around the area known as Via Appia Antica. Via Appia Antica is located in the very South Eastern part of Rome and is beyond the original wall that enclosed Rome. On our way to the bike tour we began noticing that all the public transportation buses that were driving around and the tram that runs in front of our apartment all had the word, “Deposito” which we came to find out means that yes the buses are driving around however they are on strike so they aren’t making any stops to pick people up. This was not good due to the notion that by that time we had about 30 minutes to get to the bike tour location. I was able to use my trusty Italian handbook to ask a driver how to get to that part of the city. He proceeded to point to a general direction in which we began walking, if you are wondering why we didn’t have a map the answer would be yes we had a map but it didn’t cover that region of the city. We finally arrived on location and began our bike tour. The tour guide was full of information, too much information, so we ended up doing a lot of listening and less riding. All in all it was a lot of fun and we had the last stretch to do free riding back to the shop. We spent the rest of the afternoon napping, eating, packing, and getting ready to go out to a club called, “The Loft”. At the gym that Emily and I work out at, we met these two American guys, Sam and Jason, who have been living here in Rome for the past, 2 and 1 years (respectively). They called us and told us about their friends band who would be playing at this club and that we should come. Emily and I got ready and headed over to the twin’s house where we would be sleeping because we had an early day in the morning. The club was pretty fun, got in free, and danced for a couple of hours. Saturday called for a long day of transportation and hiking. We woke up at 6 a.m. and took a bus and train to the outskirts of town to be driven to Monte Circeo in the town of Latina which is just South of Rome. We spent the whole day hiking along the top of the mountain ridge which was located on the coast. The view was spectacular and you were able to see the ocean from every angle as it surrounded about ¾ of the mountain we were on. We took advantage of our weariness by going to bed early to get to the Vatican Museums early on Sunday morning. If you ever decided to take a trip to Rome and want to go to the Vatican Museums free (regular 12 euro), then you should schedule your trip to be there for the last Sunday of the month because the Vatican Museums have free entrance. I had my own personal tour guide, Emily who was able to walk me through a majority of the art collections and explain what they represent and who the makers were. The highlight, of course, was the Sistine Chapel- painted by Michelangelo followed by the Lacoön which was sculpted by an unknown artist. This last sculpture was a Roman replication of an authentic Greek work from the 4th C.B.C. which shows Lacoön with his two sons locked in an eternal struggle with the serpents. This sculpture has become the symbol of classic male beauty, rivaling Michelangelo’s David statue. I had such a wonderful time listening to Emily explain and inform me about the various aspects of art and the fight between Michelangelo’s passion for sculpture and Leonardo Da Vinci’s passion for painting. After using up all our brain power in the museum we were in dire need for some chibo (food). My carabiniari friend Rossando met up with us and we had some pizza in Piazza Cosimato. We had a terrific time and a great way to end the month of September.
We got back on land at about 3:00 and enjoyed a bit of time on the beach. The water wasn’t too cold and the beach was made from smooth pebbles instead of sand! It was beautiful but painful to walk on without shoes. After drying off I was ready for a new adventure and to actually go around and explore the city and shops of Capri. Within our little quartet Ally and I are the fast paced, direction oriented girls, whereas Emily and Diana are the slow, relaxed, no sense of direction girls. My favorite episode with Emily was the first week of school when Emily still needed help finding her way to school. Ok enough of the side note, the four of us started walking and we came upon a sign that read, Centro Capri so I said hey lets follow the sign and see what’s up there. I thought the twins were going to kill me because we walked for a very long time up this steep narrow walk way which looked like it was going to take us no where. However I was determined and had faith that we would end up somewhere amazing. After about 20 minutes of walking, vuala we arrived at spectacular view of the ocean and the island below. After finding the center I still was not satisfied and took the girls on another adventure in search of a church called, Chiesa San Michele. After finding this tiny little church all tucked away off a small side road we decided it was time to head back down to the dock and wait for our ferry home.
Saturday morning was wonderful because I was able to sleep in until 10 am or so. From there, Emily took a trip to the supermarket, Simply, and bought some groceries. In surprise and disbelief the cashier explained to us that there was a problem with the bank lines or something, and they couldn’t accept credit or debit anywhere in the city until they were fixed! Can you imagine what that would do to shops and stores in America! We were a little behind schedule so we had to rush home, pack our lunches, and run to Piazza Trillusa to head out for our white-water rafting! We arrived at the location where we received a 40 minute tutorial, got suited up, and headed to the drop point. We were dressed up in the most attractive suits you can imagine. I felt like I was going to train the dolphins. The drop off spot was amazing. It was directly under what is the largest waterfall in Italy and maybe in all of Europe. The entire ride was about forty minutes with a few particularly exciting jumps and slides. The river banks were beautiful and it was warm enough that the water wasn’t uncomfortably cold. No one from my raft fell out but the raft just in front of us lost two boys overboard! When we got back to the rafting center we got a chance to shower off, change, and eat at the café before getting back on the bus at 6:30. On the way home everyone was knocked out and slept till we arrived back at our familiar location of Trastevere.
As a roommate to a vegetarian I have been learning to add a variety of new fruits and vegetables to my diet. I have grown to love, which most of you are going to want to say, “Duh”, peaches, oranges, nectarines, and green beans. This is still only the second month, so maybe by the time I get home my list will have doubled. I have actually grown accustomed to pasta and carbs for every meal and cooking every night, it gets costly.
With the topic of food, Emily and I decided to host an International potluck at our house on Thursday night. We ended up having a larger turn out than what we had expected. A total of 10 fellow classmates arrived at our house around 8 where we spent the next couple of hours eating various types of food. Our main items were, spaghetti, vegetables, rice, tofu, chicken, veal, beans and onions, horse fillet, and a variety of wines. It was a wonderful event we conjuring up our next potluck idea, “American Breakfast Potluck”. For dessert we had my cousin’s famous yogurt torta and the twins Diana and Ally’s home made crepes. They were both excellent and everyone seemed to have a great time.
Friday night was “cooking for the Italians night”. A friend of mine Rachelle promise three Italians a fine home cooked meal so I told her that I would help. The menu of the night was Chicken Parmesan, garlic bread, and spaghetti con Bolognese. It was very good and even the Italian approved of it. From there Rachelle and I went out with a group of Italians and got into the club Chalet right away because one of the bouncers knew one of the guys we were with. It was really packed but ended up being a lot of fun. We got home late and had to be at our bus at 5:45 am so we decided to stay up, eat the left over chicken parmesan and go to the bus headed for Ventotene.
The four of us (anytime I say four of us I am referring to Ally, Diana, Emily, and I) joined a group of 15 other JCU students and loaded a bus and headed for the coast and Ventotene, which literally means “keeps wind.” It’s an island on the Amalfi Coast not too far from Capri. The Island and weather were absolutely perfect, not too hot and not too cold. Once we settled in, we jumped in a small boat and toured around the island. We pasted by various spots where you could get out and jump of rocks so Emily and I decided to go for it. Saturday night, we had dinner at a restaurant on the beach, but it really wasn’t all that yummy so we had to go back up to the town and find some gelato for dessert. There wasn’t a whole lot to do on the island as far as the night life was concerned; however there was a drum circle performance that was going on so we stood around for about an hour to listen.
Sunday was leaving day but first we spent the whole morning/ afternoon at the beach. Ahh it was soo beautiful and the water was crystal clear. We laid out, swam, and took a short break for a boat ride to the small neighboring island which used to harbor a prison, Alcatraz. However, before the prison it was home to the royalty offspring to relax. The prison was closed in 1965 due to financial reasons, which was the same year Alcatraz was closed due to psychological reasons. After our tour we continued enjoying the beach and jumping off the nearby rocks up until the time we had to pack up and go home. It was a wonderful weekend at Ventotene with all the girls and the new friends that we made.
On the last Wednesday of September, Ally and I joined our Study Abroad Italy group for a special Language Exchange night. We still aren’t quite familiar with how to get from one place to the other on the buses so it took us about an hour to get the meeting location which made us late. However the night ended up being a lot of fun and was able to practice and work on my Italian skills before my second date with an Italian friend of mine. The event was put on by the SAI organization as a way for us Americans to get out of our bubble of other American friends and meet and greet with some Italians. It was really nice experience and we got snacks and drinks with it.
The last weekend of the month was spent here in Italy. On Friday we took a bike tour around the area known as Via Appia Antica. Via Appia Antica is located in the very South Eastern part of Rome and is beyond the original wall that enclosed Rome. On our way to the bike tour we began noticing that all the public transportation buses that were driving around and the tram that runs in front of our apartment all had the word, “Deposito” which we came to find out means that yes the buses are driving around however they are on strike so they aren’t making any stops to pick people up. This was not good due to the notion that by that time we had about 30 minutes to get to the bike tour location. I was able to use my trusty Italian handbook to ask a driver how to get to that part of the city. He proceeded to point to a general direction in which we began walking, if you are wondering why we didn’t have a map the answer would be yes we had a map but it didn’t cover that region of the city. We finally arrived on location and began our bike tour. The tour guide was full of information, too much information, so we ended up doing a lot of listening and less riding. All in all it was a lot of fun and we had the last stretch to do free riding back to the shop. We spent the rest of the afternoon napping, eating, packing, and getting ready to go out to a club called, “The Loft”. At the gym that Emily and I work out at, we met these two American guys, Sam and Jason, who have been living here in Rome for the past, 2 and 1 years (respectively). They called us and told us about their friends band who would be playing at this club and that we should come. Emily and I got ready and headed over to the twin’s house where we would be sleeping because we had an early day in the morning. The club was pretty fun, got in free, and danced for a couple of hours. Saturday called for a long day of transportation and hiking. We woke up at 6 a.m. and took a bus and train to the outskirts of town to be driven to Monte Circeo in the town of Latina which is just South of Rome. We spent the whole day hiking along the top of the mountain ridge which was located on the coast. The view was spectacular and you were able to see the ocean from every angle as it surrounded about ¾ of the mountain we were on. We took advantage of our weariness by going to bed early to get to the Vatican Museums early on Sunday morning. If you ever decided to take a trip to Rome and want to go to the Vatican Museums free (regular 12 euro), then you should schedule your trip to be there for the last Sunday of the month because the Vatican Museums have free entrance. I had my own personal tour guide, Emily who was able to walk me through a majority of the art collections and explain what they represent and who the makers were. The highlight, of course, was the Sistine Chapel- painted by Michelangelo followed by the Lacoön which was sculpted by an unknown artist. This last sculpture was a Roman replication of an authentic Greek work from the 4th C.B.C. which shows Lacoön with his two sons locked in an eternal struggle with the serpents. This sculpture has become the symbol of classic male beauty, rivaling Michelangelo’s David statue. I had such a wonderful time listening to Emily explain and inform me about the various aspects of art and the fight between Michelangelo’s passion for sculpture and Leonardo Da Vinci’s passion for painting. After using up all our brain power in the museum we were in dire need for some chibo (food). My carabiniari friend Rossando met up with us and we had some pizza in Piazza Cosimato. We had a terrific time and a great way to end the month of September.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
First Week- Exploring Rome
Upon my first day in Rome, my roommate and I decided to take a walk to find our school. We had absolutely no idea where we were except for the small direction map that Study Abroad Italy supplied us with. Rome is not designed in a grid designed format, instead it is as though they set up buildings and then decided to make walking/ driving paths to fit between the buildings. On the way to our school we probably took at least 15 turns within a mile, which includes the streets that you come to that fork out and you have to pick and choose which one is going to lead you in the correct direction. We finally made it to our school and later figured out a much quicker route for the next trip.
We did a lot of walking around for our first week. We went to all the major sites in the city like: Forte Acqua Paola (A large fountain at the top of a hill that looks out over the Rome), we walked along the Fiume Tevere and up to the Vatican City, saw Saint Peter’s Basilica, walked by Saint Angelo’s Castle, to the Piazza Novona, Campo De Fiori (the nightlife hangout), the Spanish Steps, an island in the middle of the Tevere, the Coliseum, the Palatino, the Roman forums, the Circus Massimo, the Costantino Arch, the Trevi fountain, and the last but not least the Pantheon. Everything was so amazing to see. I haven’t really go in everything like the Vatican Museum but I figure when people come to visit they will want to go see it. I am really enjoying my time in Rome so far, and trying to get used to living in a totally different city where you have to watch out for all of your belongings and yourself. It is very different from living in California where I feel completely comfortable walking just about everywhere, to here where it is not such a good idea to be walking on the street along.
On Wednesday we had meetings for housing, and the school and then everyone through the SAI (Study Abroad Italy) program was invited to dinner at a local pizzeria. It was really good, we each got a drink, bruschetta, pizza, and a fruit dessert. It was a good opportunity for a the SAI students to get to know each other. Once we were done, Joe and I took all of our tables left over pizza and handed them out to the homeless people living in the Piazza Di Santa Maria.
On Thursday didn’t do a whole lot, walked around the city, had Diana, Ally (our twin friends from New York) over for dinner, and came to realize that my camera was either stolen or I lost it within a 3 block radius. That night we walked around and looked for a jazz club called Big Mama but never found it so instead we walked along the Fiume Tevere and watched a group of Tango Dancers.
Friday was a big day, it was the last day to sign up for all the activities that you wanted to take a part in with the school. I signed up for the canoeing trip, the rafting trip, a hiking trip, and a weekend trip to Ventotene Island which is an Island near Capri. Friday was also the day that I met and talked to the hottest degree seeking Italian in the school, Davide. The girls and I were later given a personal tour of Trastevere by him, simple because no one else showed up for the tour. For dinner we went to a restaurant right next to our school called, T-Bone Steak House, and had some American food. It was kind of weird to be eating at a steak house in Italy but we were already missing food besides pizza and pasta. Today we found out that I wasn’t the only one who has had something stolen. One of the apartments on Rosazza was broken into between 5-8 am and two of the girls got their cameras and computers stolen. We were all sent out a message about it and a reminder to shut our windows and knock all our doors at night and anytime we leave our apartment because people can climb up the building walls and crawl into your rooms. Most of the time they send little kids up to get into little windows and then go to the front door to let the adults into the apartment. The girls that got broken into were all unharmed but were a little shaken up by the fact that someone was in their room while they were sleeping.
Saturday morning the girls and I took the fountain tour which took us all around Rome looking at different fountains and buildings along the way. We learned about the Farnesa family and their large estate that they lived on. Also about the many things that Michael Angelo was in charge of designing and building within the city. In Campo di Fiori there is a statue of a monk which we learned was Monk Bruno who was burnt at the stake for Heresy. We traveled to the Piazza Navona and saw the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (which represents: the Nile, the Plate, the Ganges, and the Danube which were the four major rivers). This fountain and the Fontana del Moro (Muscle-bound Moor) were both constructed by Bernini during Pope Innocent X reign in the 17th century. We also took a walk to the Trevi fountain which was magnificent and you must see if you come to visit. After our morning tour, the four of us girls and our friend Sean went to the beach of Osteri. We took a bus to the Piramide train station and then the train station to Saint Polare to go to the beach. It was a little difficult at first to figure out all the train stuff, but once we figured it out it was smooth sailing. It was only a 30 minute train ride to the beach and once we got off it was only a 5-10 walk to the Mediterranean sea where we ran and jumped into the sea.
The water was great, wayyyy warmer than the Pacific beach at home. It was a great temperature to be laying on the beach, except for the gusts of wind that threw sand into every crevice of our body while we slept. As the day proceeded we began to get hungry so we walked and walked until we found a Chinese Restaurant to have dinner at. It was really good and very affordable.
Sunday woke up late and walked to the local market which is held every Sunday just down the street. It pretty much looks like a huge junk yard with hundreds of people walking around in it. We walked around and looked at things but didn’t find anything that caught our eyes (what I was really looking for was someone selling me camera that I believe was stolen by a gypsy ). After our flee market adventure, we returned to our apartment, I made a sandwich, and rushed out the door to go with the guys to another tour at 3 p.m., the tour of Ancient Rome. This was a great tour; the tour guide took us the Emanuel II Monument where we were able to see a great view of the ancient forums and the Coliseum. We learned about the Ausustus forums, Ceasar forums, and the Roman forums. We then walked through the 1st Jewish Ghetto that was started in the 2nd century B.C. when the Jews came to Rome as traders. In the 16th century when the Jews were being persecuted, Pope Paul IV forced all the Jews to live within a walled enclosure which is still visible today. Lastly, we walked by the Piazza della Minerva and the Trojan Column which was built in A.D 107.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
First week at John Cabot University
Yes this is the from door to my wonderful school here in Rome, Italy. My first thought was that I was going to be attending a medium sized school, but I came to realize that it is very small. The school consists primarily of two buildings which are both only 2 stories tall, this includes the 3 computer labs, classrooms, offices, and library. It was really nice getting here a week before school because at arrival there were many familiar faces. The first week of classes have been pretty boring but don't seem to be too difficult. Well I have to go to my Literature class now, so I will finish up later. Ciao!
ok so I'm back and have an update for you!
Monday was the start of our second week here in Rome. It started at 8am which was when I had to wake up to attend my first class. The day consisted of getting all organized with my classes, the school, and anything else that was needed. The rest of the week was pretty much dealing with school and arranging my classes to better fit my schedule. The school wasn’t the best organized in terms of getting into classes because they don’t have a waiting list so if the class is full you just have to keep trying to get in the class every day until it works. So… come Thursday, which is the closing day, I signed up for 2 Italian classes because I didn’t want the early 8am class on Tuesday-Thursday and when the add/drop was closed I was signed up for 20 units and didn’t realize that would be a problem until Friday morning when I went in to ask a question and they told me I would have to pay extra for a class I don’t even need. Long story short, I got them to drop the charge “because they were being nice” but force me to stay in the 8 am class. They weren’t being very nice. Anyways… my classes don’t seem like they are going to be all that hard, however a few seem like they are going to be extremely painful in the boredom department.
Tuesday night after class, we went to the bookstore near the Spanish steps and bought our books. Pretty expensive but all books are. After that we hopped back on the bus and went out toward the twins apartment, went to the supermacato, and then to their apartment for dinner and a movie. We watched She’s the Man.
Wednesday was just the same, going to my classes and fighting to get into my preferred Italian class with Emily. That night we bought pizza bread and made pizza and salad for dinner. It was very good and we are very proud of our cooking so far. Once we finished we called Josh, Sean, and their roommate Patrick to see if they wanted to go on an evening walk with us through the city. We walked to the Circus Maxima, the building with a peep hole to see Saint Peter’s Basilica all lit up, and the Emanuel Monument to look at the coliseum and forums below.
Thursday night we had a JCU BBQ (5 Euros). We had hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, veggie burgers, and nutella and crackers. It wasn’t spectacular but it was a nice event. Our friends Diana and Ally were supposed to be at the BBQ as well but earlier that day on the way to school Diana was knocked over by a motocicleta (motorcycle). She wasn’t ran over but to get out of the way she feel over on her hip, got a big bruise, and twisted her angle so they couldn’t make it. Therefore, after eating we decided to go over and give them a visit and watch Crank.
Friday was a nice day because I got to sleep in and then spend the afternoon at the beach. Ahh it was a prefect day for the beach and much easier to get there after doing once before. My roommate had some things to do so I went with the guys (when I say the guys it will probably be referring to Colby, Joe, Dave, Kyle, Jose, Paul, and Chris). We met up with some other girls and guys there and just enjoyed the water and the sun. The Mediterranean is different to me in the sense that it was all really choppy waves verses flat waters until the breaking of waves at the shore.
Saturday was our Canoeing at Lake Martignano day. We woke up at 7 and met at Piazza Trilussa by 8 am. We took a bus for ~1 hr to the Northern part of Rome. We spent the remainder of the morning and afternoon canoeing and swimming along the lake at four different swim spots. It was a lot of fun, met a lot of new people and were red as tomatoes by the end of the day. We all traded around canoes so that some people weren’t stuck with the crappy canoes that sent you going in circles when you were trying to just go straight. We finished our canoeing and swimming and loaded the bus around 3:30 to head back home. We didn’t have much time because we needed to get home, take a shower, and nap before the big night that was before us. Tonight September 8 was the traditional Notte Bianco (which translates to the White night). This event happens every year and starts from the time the sun goes down till the next morning when the sun comes up. The night is dedicated to art, music, history, and a variety of different events. We took a nap and finally made it out by 11:30. We walked to the Circus Maximus where they had hundreds of lights all strung out on the field and changed different colors. It was very beautiful and a spectacular sight to see. We continued up the road and ventured over to the Piazza Venezia where there was a museum for Spider man. In the museum we also viewed Albert Sughi’s painting which was for the most part very dark and ire. At this point it was 2 am and Emily and I wanted to make it to the Circus before it ended at 3 am so we hurried up the road to Piazza Popolo to see the end. It ended up being a whole lot of fun. We saw a man juggle 6 balls, we saw 3 ribbon acrobats and then it finished off with tumbling and crazy stunts on trampolines. The best part however, was a silly clown act that started off with a man swilling a paper airplane through a fire hoop which turned into a two man dance to “Walk this way” by Arrow Smith and Run DMC. It ended at 3 am so we started making our way back to Trastevere to cram into a tram that was completely full of people to where when you would go and stop you didn’t move because of the wall of people that we became part of. If you are wondering what the atmosphere of the night was, think about attending a huge football game with two rival teams and there you have it. You are walking down the street and you see groups of people chanting different things back and forth to each other while stumbling because they are all so drunk. The streets are full of trash because the trash cans are over flowing with beer cans and plastic cups. However, all in all it was a great experience and was happy to be a part of a traditional event in Central Rome.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Italy Arrival
Hey! Well I have finally arrived to Rome and all settled into my apartment and now getting to know my school. It is a very tiny campus (one two story building). It was pretty warm today compared to Switzerland. I think someone said 30°C which is like 95°F The wedding this weekend was also a lot of fun. For some of you who didn't know my second cousin Gerald got married this weekend. The wedding was in Laussane which was the French speaking area so we were totally lost in the language department, however there were couple of ladies that spoke English we weren't completely outsiders. The wedding was at 4-5 and then the reception that followed lasted from 5:30 till 2 am. I guess they know how to throw parties. lol It was lots of fun, we did a little dancing and lots of eating. After the wedding, Kristen and I boarded another train to Milan Italy where we stayed the night in a Best Western. It was nice but we had a little trouble finding the hotel because we left our itinerary papers at home with the confirmation number, oh and due to the fact that the first Best Western we went to said there are 5 in the city of Milan. So we found our hotel, got changed and roamed around the city. We took the Metro to Duamo which is “old town” where we walked around and looked at all the old buildings, a big castello (castle), and a park. Stopped to have dinner at a cute little pizzeria place while someone played an accordion behind us. Had gelato and headed back to the hotel for sleep. Today (Monday) woke up early, went to the airport, got a little confused, and then was picked up by the JCU reps at the airport where they brought me to fill out papers and take me to my apartment. At arrival to the apartment, my driver Monte basically pointed to the apartment building doors and said “Arrivaderci” and they drove off. Lol I think it was their way of getting us out of our comfort level and forcing us to find things on our own and solve our own problems because we will be doing it for the next 4 months. However at the time I didn’t know because I was the first to be dropped off and had no idea where I was going. However, an old Italian man, who I believe was telling me he owns/ runs the place helped me to the elevator with my bags. I arrived to my cute little apartment and unloaded my stuff while two to the girls Cassandra and Alex slept. My other roommate, Emily, who is in my room arrived couple hrs later and then we took our first venture to our campus. It was a good 1.1 miles from our apartment 1724 meters however it felt longer probably because of all the winding turning roads we were on, throws you all off. Anyways… this was only meant to be a short, “Hey I made it to my destination” email but ended up being a little longer. Talk to you later! Oh and I don’t have internet in my room so I’ll only be able to use skype during a limited time of day. My school closes at 10p.m. so that is 1 p.m. in California. P.S. my skype name is wcauzza so you have to put that in as the search item and then click to add me as a friend. Otherwise I won’t know if you have a skype and may not be able to find you. I do have my cell phone now for those of you who know it or want to call me it doesn’t cost ME anything to receive calls. 011 39 335-714-6462.
Two Weeks in Switzerland with the Cauzzas' and a Bacon!
hello all! Just wanted to give you all an update and let you know how things are going. I have been spending the last 5 days in Cugnasco, Switzerland. It has been really nice getting to know my family members that live her. We have been going around and looking at different sites. It has been really nice here except the last two days have been really rainy. Today Kristen and I woke up at 7 and went to Bellinzona where we got on a train to Luzern where we spent the remainder of the day. We had a small breakfast, walked around the city, saw the famous lion in the mountain, and went to a museum where we learned about the history of Luzern, glaciers, and walked through the hall of mirrors. This part of Switzerland was a little more difficult to get used to because everyone was speaking German instead of Italian which is what we have been speaking Cugnasco. Last night, yes we went out, but it wasn't until 10 p.m. Kristen, Elena, and I went out to the Beach Lounge to hang out and ended up meeting some distant cousins of ours. One was Elena who was out for her bachelorette party. From there we went to a discoteca where we went dancing. It was a lot of fun and the group of ladies we went with were the first one’s on the dance floor. It was pretty much the same atmosphere as in America only we got many more looks from people. Oh and they play a lot of American music along with Italian and disco/rave. We are having a blast! Not sure what we are going to do tomorrow, depends on the weather. We might try riding bikes to the lake, or going on a run and maybe back to Lucarno. This weekend, we will be traveling to where Nelle and Carolina live to go to one of our cousin's wedding on Saturday. Then on Sunday we will take the train to Milano where we will stay at a hotel (Best Western) and then I will load my plane Monday morning for Rome.
For some of you who didn't know my second cousin Gerald got married this weekend. The wedding was in Laussane which was the French speaking area so we were totally lost in the language department, however there were couple of ladies that spoke English we weren't completely outsiders. The wedding was at 4-5 and then the reception that followed lasted from 5:30 till 2 am. I guess they know how to throw parties. lol It was lots of fun, we did a little dancing and lots of eating. After the wedding, Kristen and I boarded another train to Milan Italy where we stayed the night in a Best Western. It was nice but we had a little trouble finding the hotel because we left our itinerary papers at home with the confirmation number, oh and due to the fact that the first Best Western we went to said there are 5 in the city of Milan. So we found our hotel, got changed and roamed around the city. We took the Metro to Duamo which is “old town” where we walked around and looked at all the old buildings, a big castello (castle), and a park. Stopped to have dinner at a cute little pizzeria place while someone played an accordion behind us. Had gelato and headed back to the hotel for some shut eye.
For some of you who didn't know my second cousin Gerald got married this weekend. The wedding was in Laussane which was the French speaking area so we were totally lost in the language department, however there were couple of ladies that spoke English we weren't completely outsiders. The wedding was at 4-5 and then the reception that followed lasted from 5:30 till 2 am. I guess they know how to throw parties. lol It was lots of fun, we did a little dancing and lots of eating. After the wedding, Kristen and I boarded another train to Milan Italy where we stayed the night in a Best Western. It was nice but we had a little trouble finding the hotel because we left our itinerary papers at home with the confirmation number, oh and due to the fact that the first Best Western we went to said there are 5 in the city of Milan. So we found our hotel, got changed and roamed around the city. We took the Metro to Duamo which is “old town” where we walked around and looked at all the old buildings, a big castello (castle), and a park. Stopped to have dinner at a cute little pizzeria place while someone played an accordion behind us. Had gelato and headed back to the hotel for some shut eye.
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