So....as I have been scolded at now by a couple people, I figure I should post another blog (this is for you Nicole)...its going to be a long one...
So last week, classes went pretty well. On Monday in my world religion we visited the Synagogue because we were studying the Jewish faith. It was really interesting. I was very surprised to see how the women and the men are still very sepearted in the Jewish faith (for instance, the women have to sit in a different section of the Synagogue, while the men sit in front and closer). I really enjoyed the tour and the history there. The Synagogue was beautiful. I am actually going to attend one of their services soon, because I think it will be interesting to see how their faith works and their community.
I also attended the synagogue on Tuesday with my Women and Religion class. There, we had a different tour guide, who talked more about the differences in men and women, but I actually did not enjoy this tour. The woman was very rude, and skipped over our questions if we asked something about women, and was also kind of rude about Christianity. But it was still nice to see the Synagogue again.
On Thursday night, our roomate Sara said that we were going out with an Italian. Her family knows some friends that live here, and they gave their son Richard our number and told him to call Sara. We all went with her, since no one knew him. But it was actually incredibly fun. Richard took us to a bar, where we had a drink and just sat around and talked for a while. His friend came and hung out with us then...and then we went dancing. Which is my favorite thing to do. It was super fun...it was just Sara, Caitlin and I, and then Richard and his friend, and also another boy that we met a couple weeks ago who is from Ethopia. I am hoping to make more friends while I am here that are not American. I am glad that we finally have met some Italians and locals!!
Anyways..on Saturday, Leah Sara and I woke up really early and took the train to Cinque Terre with some our school. Cinque Terre is about 100 miles north west of Florence and is filled with vineyards, and thounsands of feet of rock forms (which sara described to us in great details!) It is composed of five villages and is why it is called Cinque Terre (translation...five lands). We began by hiking between Monterosso and Vernazza. Monterosso is a land where there are many resorts, lots of crowds, and a beautiful beach. We hiked very high up into the mountain, which was a hard hike, but totally worth it.
It was incredibly beautiful. It was a steep hike, and the rocks were difficult to climb at some points, but so beautiful. It actually reminded me of St. Lucia, and made me homesick to be there actually. I did not think I could find a land that was almost as beautiful as St. Lucia, but Cinque Terre comes very close. The waters were clear, and the scenery amazing. I finally felt incredibly at home. I think I could live there.
Vernazza is the real jewel of Cinque Terre. There is not much noise around there except for the train that goes actually through the mountain. There were many people near the harbour and so many cute little outdoor restaurants and shops. We stopped to eat lunch first. The region is the birthplace of pesto, so obviously, I got pesto pizza. It was incredible. They make it with a mix of half parmigiano cow chesse and half pecorino sheep cheese, garlic, olive oil, and pine nuts. The pizza was soo good, that we decided to go to another shop and try it on their other local specialty, which is focaccia. Its a flag bread with olive oil and salf. The baker roughs up the dough with finger holes and then puts onions, sage and olive bits in it. It was also amazing.
We walked around and took pictures, before we decided to try to manuvear ourselves into our bathing suits and jump in the beautiful water. WE swam for a bit, before we got out and took the boat to Manarola. From Manarola we walked to Riomaggiore. The story goes as follows:
"The Cinque Terre towns were extremely isolated until the last century. Villagers rarely married anyone from outside their town. In the 1920's, a trail was made between the first two towns: Riomaggiore and Manarola. Happy with that trail, the villagers asked that it be improved as a permanent connection between neighbors. Persistent landslides kept the trail closer more than it was open. After WWII, the trail was reopened, and became established as a lovers' meeting point for boys and girls of the two towns. A journalist, who noticed all the amorous graffiti along the path, coined the trail's now-established name, Via dell"amore."
It was a really cool tunnel to walk through, with grafatti everywhere proclaiming people's love for one another.
This was one of my most favorite days so far in Italy. I think because it was in the countryside...I felt so at home. It was also amazing because the air was incredibly clean. I have been having a lot of trouble breathing over here with my asthma because everyone smokes everywhere and there really is no clean air.
This weekend my roomate Laurie Ann, Caitlin and I were walking aroudn the square when we stopped to listen to a band playing. They were playing some Jewish dance music, and this little old lady was dancing by herself to the music. Really fast dancing though. She turned around and I smiled at her, and then she turned around again, grabbed my hand, and started dancing with me. Haha, so this old lady and I were dancing aorund the square...I was trying to follow her steps. It was hilarious. Turns out she was from Germany, and we had a conversation in German. I actually felt really proud that I could finally speak a language and was really happy to tell my Oma about it!
I have been walking so much around here, that I wore my shoes out. I am looking for some boots to get because it is starting to get cold, and I stupidly didnt really pack warm shoes. I love walking around here, just going down random streets and discovering new things.
Today caitlin and I discovered a new market that had incredible prices. We will no longer be getting our fruit and veggies from the downstairs market! We bought 4 huge green and red peppers, 4 massive carrots, a ton of green beans, 5 tomatoes, 10 huge potatoes that looked like they had been plucked from her, a huge bunch of celery, 10 clementines and four large peaches for less than 10 euros. It was awesome.
This week has been a stressful week so far with homework and reading and tests. But I am getting through it and looking forward to this weekend.
Thursday is my 21st birthday, and I am soooo excited for it. I know what you all are thinking...I am going to go party it up, but if you know me at all, you know that I am going to be quite content to eat a nice dinner and go dancing, which is exactly what my roommates and I are going to do. So no worries about me going out and getting trashed, cause I am not interested in that!! We are going our for our first real, and expensive probably Italian meal (the one with more than one course and wine) and then going dancing. I am so excited because I really love my roommates, they are so amazing...and we are going to have a wonderful time.
On friday two of my best friends from st. Norbert, Autumn and Jenn are coming to celebrate my birthday and visit Italy. they are studying abroad in Spain right now. I am missing them like crazy, so I am super excited to have them here this weekend with me.
So, i should be studying for my first italian test tomorrow, so that is what I am going to do!
The next post will be from the wise old age of a 21 year old in Italy!!!
Miss you all very much!!
Love
Amy
Nicole: Thanks for the wonderful email and for all the cards that make me smile so much. I miss you and wish you could be here with us. Love you so much.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Happy Birthday Auntie Barb
Happy Birthday Auntie Barb!
Hope you had a great 65th
..thinking of you in Italy!
love,
amy
..thinking of you in Italy!
love,
amy
"All I know is I'm wet, I'm hungry, and I'm lost..."
So..another exciting and adventurous week here in Italy.
Pictures slowly being uploaded at: http://s478.photobucket.com/albums/rr141/amykroll/
Warning: This is going to be a long post!!
My classes are alright. I was honestly expecting a lot more from these classes and am very disappointed in them. My Italian is coming along, although I am not quite comfortable enough to ask questions in Italian. Hopefully that will come along soon.
My world religions class is basically a review of everything I know already. My professor is really nice, but I dont she is actually a religious studies professor, and I feel like she just kind of presents basic surface information. But I am the only religious studies major in there, so maybe its new for many people.
My religion and women class seems exciting, but kind of jumbled. She jumps from random topics to random topics. But I am excited for our research paper. We could pick any subject having to do with religion and women and I decided I wanted to research the Islamic traditions specifically in Africa where they still practice female circumcision. I am very excited to get started on that.
My history of the mafia class is alright, not much to update in that except we are watching the Godfather II and I have no idea what is going on in the movie so far. Haha. My environment conservation class is the worst class I have ever had in my entire life. Basically, she stands up in front of the class, and reads really long statements about different decisions and the environment groups around the world wrote. It is the longest 2 1/2 hours of my life, and I dread going to class. Next week we get to watch a documentary, so hopefully it will be better. We also are doing a research project in there, and I think I am going to choose how poverty and pollution are correlated.
Now on to the good stuff: ROMA!!!
This weekend Caitlin, Faith and I went to Rome. And boy was it an adventure.
We left Friday morning and walked to the train station. Once we got there, we walked around like idiots trying to figure out what train we were supposed to be on....our ticket basically said nothing on it besides that we were going from Florence to Rome. So after asking some rude people, we finally met a nice little couple who explained how the train system worked to us.
So we sat on the train for almost four hours, and when they announced that we were pulling in twenty minutes late to the Rome station on the speakers, we figured...well we are here. We hopped off the train and started walking away. When I saw the guy that was sitting by us on the train asking somebody something and running back onto the train, I got a little nervous but figured he must have got off wrong. But as it turned out of course, we were wrong. We had gotten off at a Rome station that was almost spelled the same as the actual station we were supposed to get off. So here we were stuck in Rome, knowing nothing of what to do or where we were. I personally found it hilarious!
So after asking around, we learned that we needed to buy a metro ticket and take it to our the actual train station we were supposed to be at so that we could board the bus that would take us to our hostel. We boarded the metro (which was really sketchy and I hope to never take it again). Caitlin, Faith and I liked shoved ourselves into the corner with our backpacks touching the wall, so that nobody could steal from us because we have heard really horrible things about the metro. We were only on it for like 5 minutes, but it felt like eternity especially with the creepy man just standing there leering at us and looking at us up and down. I was very grateful to get off of there.
We got outside to be greeted by a very heavy rainfall. Luckily, we had our umbrellas. So we walked around trying to figure out where the bus was that we needed to take. We knew the number, we just could not find it. I think i must have asked about 10 people before we finally found it. So we got on the bus, and hoped for the best. A very nice Italian women tried to help us (since she knew no English she wasn't very helpful, but incredibly nice and kept just smiling and nodding her head at us). Then a man helped us figure out when to get off. So after getting off the bus, we were once again lost as to how to get to our hostel. Of course we found a nice Italian who directed us there. So ten hours later, we arrived, soaking wet, hungry and a little bit crabby to our hostel.
After getting there, we put our stuff away and navigated our way to our friend Billy's house, which was by the way, on the other side of Rome. (Our hostel was not even on the map it was so far away). So we learned the bus system fast. We took a couple bus, then a tram, and walked around (soaking wet again) to Billy's apartment. Let me tell you, we were not happy campers. Our four hour trip had turned into ten long, wet hours. Billy goes to St. Norbert with us, and he had visited us with his roommates the weekend before. We basically just sat around and talked until we decided that we were exhausted and wanted to go back to the hostel. On the way home we stopped to treat ourselves to a chicken kabob and a mcflurry from mcdonalds!! It was a magnum bar mcflurry and tasted really different, but pretty good. Then we took the bus back to our hostel, and were thinking how great we were doing. As the bus started to empty, and we pulled into a alley-like road, we realized we were the only people left on the bus and the bus driver had turned off the bus. So, a little nervous, Caitlin asked the bus driver what was happening. Turns our he was just taking a thirty minute break. So we just sat there, and then got back to our hostel an hour and a half later.
We got back to the hostel, announced that we hated Rome and passed our in our beds.
The next morning we decided to get an early start to see Rome. We took the bus to the Vatican and St. Peter's Basicila. We didnt go inside the Vatican because we are going for a tour in November, but saw the outside and the Basicila. It was amazing. Then we walked around near the Vatican and stopped in a few stores. I got a new finger rosary (Andrea bought me when she was here, but it broke) and a Mother Theresa pendant. We walked down a beautiful little street and had a small lunch. Then we took another bus to the Colosseum. Immediately, some gladiators ran up to me and were like take a picture with us. So totally taken aback, Faith snapped some pictures of me, and then some more gladitors came and took pictures with all of us. Of course nothing is free, and they said "5 Euro". But we figure the pictures were worth it. We walked around, and met a hilarious British guy who we ended up talking with for about 30 mintues. Of course his ultimate goal was to take one of us out, (haha), but we had a nice talk and he told us some great places to go. So we bought a ticket and went to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.
The Roman Forum was amazing. We walked through it for about two hours...it was incredibly beautiful. Hopefully I will have a link to photobucket with my pictures. Then we went to the Colosseum and walked around for a bit. It was wonderful. Then we walked to the Trevvi Fountain, which I feel was a little overrated just because there were so many tourists. So we threw a coin in, made a wish and walked to a gelato place. We ate the most amazing gelato ever. I have nuetella, berry, and mango flavored. Then we decided maybe we should eat dinner. So we were persuaded to eat at a restaurant , and we actually had our first real Italian meal. We had a bottle of sparlking wine, and then I had bruschetta, and then homemade pasta with sasuage and mushrooms. (oma, you would have loved this meal!!) Our waiter was really nice, and actually invited us to hang out later at some of the local places!
We went to Billy's and hung out for a while. We actually played this word game which made me so crabby because I couldnt figure it out and it was making me incredibly crabby!! We went out to this dance club that was supposed to be really fun, but when we got there it was a mostly a thirty year old crowd and no one was dancing. So we ended up leaving and trying to find a night bus home. Which was another adventure! The club was cool if there would have been people dancing. IT was outisde and there was a pool. Very classy and nice.
So we packed up early, and left for the train station the next morning. It took a nice long four hours, and we finally got home.
I was super excited to go home to Florence. Rome was nice, but to visit. I am glad I am not living there. I was actually homesick for Florence. The only thing I have been homesick for so far just happens to be to Florence!!
So it was a weekend of adventure and fun. We got lost, had fun, and I had a lot of firsts.
I had my first real train ride, my first bus ride, my first time being alone in a foreign country with no one helping me, my first metro ride, my first real Italian meal, my first picture with gladiators, and my first hostel!
Sorry this has been long! I'm sure there will be many more adventures to write about soon. As for now, I have to go read my Cosa Nostra book about the Mafia!
Ciao!!
Pictures slowly being uploaded at: http://s478.photobucket.com/albums/rr141/amykroll/
Warning: This is going to be a long post!!
My classes are alright. I was honestly expecting a lot more from these classes and am very disappointed in them. My Italian is coming along, although I am not quite comfortable enough to ask questions in Italian. Hopefully that will come along soon.
My world religions class is basically a review of everything I know already. My professor is really nice, but I dont she is actually a religious studies professor, and I feel like she just kind of presents basic surface information. But I am the only religious studies major in there, so maybe its new for many people.
My religion and women class seems exciting, but kind of jumbled. She jumps from random topics to random topics. But I am excited for our research paper. We could pick any subject having to do with religion and women and I decided I wanted to research the Islamic traditions specifically in Africa where they still practice female circumcision. I am very excited to get started on that.
My history of the mafia class is alright, not much to update in that except we are watching the Godfather II and I have no idea what is going on in the movie so far. Haha. My environment conservation class is the worst class I have ever had in my entire life. Basically, she stands up in front of the class, and reads really long statements about different decisions and the environment groups around the world wrote. It is the longest 2 1/2 hours of my life, and I dread going to class. Next week we get to watch a documentary, so hopefully it will be better. We also are doing a research project in there, and I think I am going to choose how poverty and pollution are correlated.
Now on to the good stuff: ROMA!!!
This weekend Caitlin, Faith and I went to Rome. And boy was it an adventure.
We left Friday morning and walked to the train station. Once we got there, we walked around like idiots trying to figure out what train we were supposed to be on....our ticket basically said nothing on it besides that we were going from Florence to Rome. So after asking some rude people, we finally met a nice little couple who explained how the train system worked to us.
So we sat on the train for almost four hours, and when they announced that we were pulling in twenty minutes late to the Rome station on the speakers, we figured...well we are here. We hopped off the train and started walking away. When I saw the guy that was sitting by us on the train asking somebody something and running back onto the train, I got a little nervous but figured he must have got off wrong. But as it turned out of course, we were wrong. We had gotten off at a Rome station that was almost spelled the same as the actual station we were supposed to get off. So here we were stuck in Rome, knowing nothing of what to do or where we were. I personally found it hilarious!
So after asking around, we learned that we needed to buy a metro ticket and take it to our the actual train station we were supposed to be at so that we could board the bus that would take us to our hostel. We boarded the metro (which was really sketchy and I hope to never take it again). Caitlin, Faith and I liked shoved ourselves into the corner with our backpacks touching the wall, so that nobody could steal from us because we have heard really horrible things about the metro. We were only on it for like 5 minutes, but it felt like eternity especially with the creepy man just standing there leering at us and looking at us up and down. I was very grateful to get off of there.
We got outside to be greeted by a very heavy rainfall. Luckily, we had our umbrellas. So we walked around trying to figure out where the bus was that we needed to take. We knew the number, we just could not find it. I think i must have asked about 10 people before we finally found it. So we got on the bus, and hoped for the best. A very nice Italian women tried to help us (since she knew no English she wasn't very helpful, but incredibly nice and kept just smiling and nodding her head at us). Then a man helped us figure out when to get off. So after getting off the bus, we were once again lost as to how to get to our hostel. Of course we found a nice Italian who directed us there. So ten hours later, we arrived, soaking wet, hungry and a little bit crabby to our hostel.
After getting there, we put our stuff away and navigated our way to our friend Billy's house, which was by the way, on the other side of Rome. (Our hostel was not even on the map it was so far away). So we learned the bus system fast. We took a couple bus, then a tram, and walked around (soaking wet again) to Billy's apartment. Let me tell you, we were not happy campers. Our four hour trip had turned into ten long, wet hours. Billy goes to St. Norbert with us, and he had visited us with his roommates the weekend before. We basically just sat around and talked until we decided that we were exhausted and wanted to go back to the hostel. On the way home we stopped to treat ourselves to a chicken kabob and a mcflurry from mcdonalds!! It was a magnum bar mcflurry and tasted really different, but pretty good. Then we took the bus back to our hostel, and were thinking how great we were doing. As the bus started to empty, and we pulled into a alley-like road, we realized we were the only people left on the bus and the bus driver had turned off the bus. So, a little nervous, Caitlin asked the bus driver what was happening. Turns our he was just taking a thirty minute break. So we just sat there, and then got back to our hostel an hour and a half later.
We got back to the hostel, announced that we hated Rome and passed our in our beds.
The next morning we decided to get an early start to see Rome. We took the bus to the Vatican and St. Peter's Basicila. We didnt go inside the Vatican because we are going for a tour in November, but saw the outside and the Basicila. It was amazing. Then we walked around near the Vatican and stopped in a few stores. I got a new finger rosary (Andrea bought me when she was here, but it broke) and a Mother Theresa pendant. We walked down a beautiful little street and had a small lunch. Then we took another bus to the Colosseum. Immediately, some gladiators ran up to me and were like take a picture with us. So totally taken aback, Faith snapped some pictures of me, and then some more gladitors came and took pictures with all of us. Of course nothing is free, and they said "5 Euro". But we figure the pictures were worth it. We walked around, and met a hilarious British guy who we ended up talking with for about 30 mintues. Of course his ultimate goal was to take one of us out, (haha), but we had a nice talk and he told us some great places to go. So we bought a ticket and went to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.
The Roman Forum was amazing. We walked through it for about two hours...it was incredibly beautiful. Hopefully I will have a link to photobucket with my pictures. Then we went to the Colosseum and walked around for a bit. It was wonderful. Then we walked to the Trevvi Fountain, which I feel was a little overrated just because there were so many tourists. So we threw a coin in, made a wish and walked to a gelato place. We ate the most amazing gelato ever. I have nuetella, berry, and mango flavored. Then we decided maybe we should eat dinner. So we were persuaded to eat at a restaurant , and we actually had our first real Italian meal. We had a bottle of sparlking wine, and then I had bruschetta, and then homemade pasta with sasuage and mushrooms. (oma, you would have loved this meal!!) Our waiter was really nice, and actually invited us to hang out later at some of the local places!
We went to Billy's and hung out for a while. We actually played this word game which made me so crabby because I couldnt figure it out and it was making me incredibly crabby!! We went out to this dance club that was supposed to be really fun, but when we got there it was a mostly a thirty year old crowd and no one was dancing. So we ended up leaving and trying to find a night bus home. Which was another adventure! The club was cool if there would have been people dancing. IT was outisde and there was a pool. Very classy and nice.
So we packed up early, and left for the train station the next morning. It took a nice long four hours, and we finally got home.
I was super excited to go home to Florence. Rome was nice, but to visit. I am glad I am not living there. I was actually homesick for Florence. The only thing I have been homesick for so far just happens to be to Florence!!
So it was a weekend of adventure and fun. We got lost, had fun, and I had a lot of firsts.
I had my first real train ride, my first bus ride, my first time being alone in a foreign country with no one helping me, my first metro ride, my first real Italian meal, my first picture with gladiators, and my first hostel!
Sorry this has been long! I'm sure there will be many more adventures to write about soon. As for now, I have to go read my Cosa Nostra book about the Mafia!
Ciao!!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
VIP nightlife
So after my first week of classes was finished, we decided that we wanted to have fun this weekend.
Caitlin and I worked it out so that we dont have classes on Thursday or Friday. So Thursday we slept in (which is actually what we do a lot of the days because we are still not on a good sleep schedule and have trouble falling asleep at night).
Sidenote: our neighbors are playing the song ku fu fighting right now, and must have it on repeat because this is about the 5th time I have heard the song in a row now.
Anyways..Caitlin and I walked around with three of my roomates around Florence in the shopping district. We wanted to check out all the local artists and the shopping that is around here. While we found some very expensive American like stores, we also found very cute local stores with less expensive items. I have not bought anything though because I am only going to buy something that I really love so I can save money for traveling. We then picked up some more of our school books, and walked to the art store. Laurie Ann is an artist, and an amazing one (check out her work at http://www.laurieannejohnson.com) . Jenna, you would have been in heaven at this cute little art store, it was so adorable that I even bought some of nice writing markers. Well she had to buy well over 300 American dollars for her art supplies and we helped her lug them back home. Boy, was it a lot. Who knew that large canvases could feel like you were carrying a small dinosaur?
So after that, the girls and I all got dressed up to go for a night out on the town. We decided to walk to a bar called the Noir that is very classy and located near the Ponte Vecchio. We went there for appretivo, which is where you order a drink and get free appetizers buffet style. It was very crowded when we got there, so since there were eight of us, they escorted us to their...now wait for it....VIP room. So we were lead through some massive doors to a black velvet carpeted room, that was super classy and ritzy. Needless to say, we felt pretty great. I ordered a drink that was much too strong for my taste and only had a little bit of it. They seem to forget to put the juice and flavors in the drinks here and pour a lot of alcohol in instead, which is too much for me. (Being as my favorite drink is sparkling grape juice! haha)
So afterwards we decided we wanted to dance. We went to this dance club/bar called Twice. It was amazing because there was no cover charge like most of the other dance clubs, and you did not have to buy a drink to stay there (which was great cause the cheapest drink was 12 american dollars and a water bottle cost us 5 dollars when we did buy it). We had so much fun!
Anyways, the next day, our friend Billy from St. norbert and two of his roommates came to visit us. They are studying abroad in Rome. We were going to show them around Florence, until our first thunderstorm in Italy occured. But boy was it nice to finally have the weather cool off. Since Friday, it has been raining all weekend and the weather is cooling off. So the boys wanted to go out dancing, and we took them along with us to twice. But first we wanted to check out this other place we heard of called the fish pub. It was noisy and crowded so we headed to twice and danced the night away to the techno music that was the theme for the night. We had a ton of fun, and stayed out very late. I was exhausted the next day though, seeing as I am not used to staying out so late, especially two nights in a row (the night life scene isnt as thriving in good old de pere as it is here).
On saturday we just lounged around with my roomates and our visiting friends, and then cooked a large, delicious dinner for all of them. They wanted to go out again, and we were all a little tired, but being the hosts, we went out with them. (this was over my limit of how much I can go out!!) So when a series of events led us back home in less than an hour, I was very happy to jump into my pj's and watch a movie with Caitlin.
Today I lounged again and did homework. Lots of reading to do. But the classes are interesting, which makes it better. I have been feeling a bit sick (kind of like my bronchitis was coming back...so I have been resting and popping vitamin C pills all day). Hopefully the fact that I have been taking all my extra daily vitamins since I have been here will kick that little bug that keeps infecting me in the behind.
Anyways, I am going to go make dinner. Hope everyone back home is enjoying the cold weather that I hear is overtaking wisconsin, and that everyone abroad is enjoying their experience.
Love to you all
Amy
Caitlin and I worked it out so that we dont have classes on Thursday or Friday. So Thursday we slept in (which is actually what we do a lot of the days because we are still not on a good sleep schedule and have trouble falling asleep at night).
Sidenote: our neighbors are playing the song ku fu fighting right now, and must have it on repeat because this is about the 5th time I have heard the song in a row now.
Anyways..Caitlin and I walked around with three of my roomates around Florence in the shopping district. We wanted to check out all the local artists and the shopping that is around here. While we found some very expensive American like stores, we also found very cute local stores with less expensive items. I have not bought anything though because I am only going to buy something that I really love so I can save money for traveling. We then picked up some more of our school books, and walked to the art store. Laurie Ann is an artist, and an amazing one (check out her work at http://www.laurieannejohnson.com) . Jenna, you would have been in heaven at this cute little art store, it was so adorable that I even bought some of nice writing markers. Well she had to buy well over 300 American dollars for her art supplies and we helped her lug them back home. Boy, was it a lot. Who knew that large canvases could feel like you were carrying a small dinosaur?
So after that, the girls and I all got dressed up to go for a night out on the town. We decided to walk to a bar called the Noir that is very classy and located near the Ponte Vecchio. We went there for appretivo, which is where you order a drink and get free appetizers buffet style. It was very crowded when we got there, so since there were eight of us, they escorted us to their...now wait for it....VIP room. So we were lead through some massive doors to a black velvet carpeted room, that was super classy and ritzy. Needless to say, we felt pretty great. I ordered a drink that was much too strong for my taste and only had a little bit of it. They seem to forget to put the juice and flavors in the drinks here and pour a lot of alcohol in instead, which is too much for me. (Being as my favorite drink is sparkling grape juice! haha)
So afterwards we decided we wanted to dance. We went to this dance club/bar called Twice. It was amazing because there was no cover charge like most of the other dance clubs, and you did not have to buy a drink to stay there (which was great cause the cheapest drink was 12 american dollars and a water bottle cost us 5 dollars when we did buy it). We had so much fun!
Anyways, the next day, our friend Billy from St. norbert and two of his roommates came to visit us. They are studying abroad in Rome. We were going to show them around Florence, until our first thunderstorm in Italy occured. But boy was it nice to finally have the weather cool off. Since Friday, it has been raining all weekend and the weather is cooling off. So the boys wanted to go out dancing, and we took them along with us to twice. But first we wanted to check out this other place we heard of called the fish pub. It was noisy and crowded so we headed to twice and danced the night away to the techno music that was the theme for the night. We had a ton of fun, and stayed out very late. I was exhausted the next day though, seeing as I am not used to staying out so late, especially two nights in a row (the night life scene isnt as thriving in good old de pere as it is here).
On saturday we just lounged around with my roomates and our visiting friends, and then cooked a large, delicious dinner for all of them. They wanted to go out again, and we were all a little tired, but being the hosts, we went out with them. (this was over my limit of how much I can go out!!) So when a series of events led us back home in less than an hour, I was very happy to jump into my pj's and watch a movie with Caitlin.
Today I lounged again and did homework. Lots of reading to do. But the classes are interesting, which makes it better. I have been feeling a bit sick (kind of like my bronchitis was coming back...so I have been resting and popping vitamin C pills all day). Hopefully the fact that I have been taking all my extra daily vitamins since I have been here will kick that little bug that keeps infecting me in the behind.
Anyways, I am going to go make dinner. Hope everyone back home is enjoying the cold weather that I hear is overtaking wisconsin, and that everyone abroad is enjoying their experience.
Love to you all
Amy
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
So Many updates....
So, I have been here in beautiful Florence Italy for over a week now, and it has been wonderful.
We went to a shop called the Oil shoppe for lunch and it was so delicious. They make your sandwhich and then grill it (a panini), but for some reason it is way more delicious than any other sandwhich I have ever had. We then walked through the outdoor market....very overwhelming. We went to the indoor part of the market where the food is located and were hit with the overwhelming smell of a barn. The downstairs consisted of meats and cheeses, and some items that were supposed to be meat, but actually just looked like of heap of murdered animal. So needless to say, we passed by the meat because and went upstairs to the vendors. Upstairs, the locals were selling fresh fruit and veggies, olive oil, noodles, and spices. We bought lots of fresh fruit and veggies and other necessities to cook with, so that we could start saving some money by not going out everyday. We later found out that it is only cheaper to buy the fruits and veggies there, and buy the rest at our local market. Right underneath our apartment is a market called the Magi. They have the essentials, and Caitlin and I shop there pretty much everyday. Its so convenient because if we need something really last minute, we can just run downstairs and grab it.
On friday night we decided to stay in and do some good old fashioned roommate bonding. I am so blessed..I love my roommates to death. First there is Laurie-Ann. We call her our mom. She is a super senior at her college in Alabama and is 22 years old. Shes like our little southern mama. Then there is Faith. Faith is from the Chicago area but goes to school in California. She is so fun to be around....and her fashion style reminds me of the Olson sisters. She is adorable. Then there is Sarah...she is from the Chicago area also. She is so fun, because she her humor is just like mine and Caitlins. She just comes waltzing in the room, announces something random, and leaves. Her roommate Leah reminds me of our friend Jenn. She is very quiet, but then will burst out of nowhere with the most hilarious comments. She also sasses us right back, so we love it. Then there is Morgaine...Morgaine lived in ENglad for a good deal of her life, but now lives in Hawaii, but goes to school in Vermont. She is crazy, and a ton of fun. Her roomate Tracy is from Boston and goes to school with her in Vermont. She is also a crazy fun girl.
So basically we just bonded this past weekend...doing a personality test that Faith just happens to carry around with her, playing cards, and of course dancing.
On Saturday we went on a walking tour with our school. We walked for about three and a half hours, but it was well worth it. We traveled over the bridge to the other side of Florence, where the actual Florentines live. It is more peaceful there, and there is a lot more greenery. The part that we are in is more of the touristy area. Tomorrow, since Caitlin and I dont have class, we are going to put on our tennies and walk up to the vineyards and the green part of Florence to discover the countryside. I am hoping to get some good hiking in over there these next couple of months. We then had a free cocktail and food at Gonzo, the schools restaurant. And of course we went since...free is still afterall my middle name.
On Sunday the girls and I had a great idea to walk down to the supposedly beautiful park "down the road." Well the down the road was more like a 45 minute walk in the sweltering heat (by the way, its been in the 90's the whole time we have been here). We got there to find construction and tape all around the "beautiful" park. The park also happened to be not that shaded, and well the grass was dead. So we laid our blankets in the dirt and leaves and sat for about 20 minutes before deciding that the park adventure was a bust. But it was great bonding time, especially when an Italian man keep circling us on a bike over and over talking to us in a language we did not actually understand. But it was an adventure all the same!
Monday I started classes. It was so nice to start getting into a schedule and what not. I had Italian on Monday, which was extremely hard for me. Languages have never been my strong suit, and he began the class by talking very quickly in Italian. I kind of wanted to cry. Caitlin is going to help me though, cause otherwise i might just fail!! ahhh.
I also had world religions on monday. I am super excited for that class. We will be looking more in depth into the Buddhist and Islamic religions which I am super excited to explore deeper. Hopefully, I will be able to develop even more spiritually while I am here. We will also be visiting some churches and museums.
On Tuesday I had Women and Religion which I am very excited about. Caitlin was freaking out a bit about the class, because it is a little out of her element, but I think the class is going to be wonderful. We are going to be traveling to Rome for the day for this class, as well as do a lot of
visits to the mosques and other spiritual places. The first day, our professor sent us out onto the streets of Florence to find different portrayals of women throughout Florence.
We also had our history of the mafia class. Our professor has a very strong accent and talks very fast, so it was a bit hard to understand. I think the class will be interesting and probably break a lot of stereotypes that we all have of the mafia due to our medias portrayal of it.
Today I again had Italian (eek) and Environmental Conservation. That class is extremly dull, and it going to be a beast, because our professor is actually kind of boring and the content seems extremely boring also. So we will see what the class brings us.
We have been eating a lot of pizza from this cute little pizza shop just down the road. It is called mi amore pizza, and the women there is a little older woman who is absolutely adorable. She doesnt speak English, and we dont speak Italian (yet), but she often helps us pronounce the words of what is on the pizza. We also had gelato here a few times, and man is that yummy.
Ahh, but enough for now. I will post more after we travel to the countryside of Italy.
For now, I am feeling pretty good, not that homesick, but do miss everyone, especially my family. Hope everyone is doing well. I do have interent in my room, so if you want to talk to me...download skype (its free) and we can chat!!
Love to all..
Amy
We went to a shop called the Oil shoppe for lunch and it was so delicious. They make your sandwhich and then grill it (a panini), but for some reason it is way more delicious than any other sandwhich I have ever had. We then walked through the outdoor market....very overwhelming. We went to the indoor part of the market where the food is located and were hit with the overwhelming smell of a barn. The downstairs consisted of meats and cheeses, and some items that were supposed to be meat, but actually just looked like of heap of murdered animal. So needless to say, we passed by the meat because and went upstairs to the vendors. Upstairs, the locals were selling fresh fruit and veggies, olive oil, noodles, and spices. We bought lots of fresh fruit and veggies and other necessities to cook with, so that we could start saving some money by not going out everyday. We later found out that it is only cheaper to buy the fruits and veggies there, and buy the rest at our local market. Right underneath our apartment is a market called the Magi. They have the essentials, and Caitlin and I shop there pretty much everyday. Its so convenient because if we need something really last minute, we can just run downstairs and grab it.
On friday night we decided to stay in and do some good old fashioned roommate bonding. I am so blessed..I love my roommates to death. First there is Laurie-Ann. We call her our mom. She is a super senior at her college in Alabama and is 22 years old. Shes like our little southern mama. Then there is Faith. Faith is from the Chicago area but goes to school in California. She is so fun to be around....and her fashion style reminds me of the Olson sisters. She is adorable. Then there is Sarah...she is from the Chicago area also. She is so fun, because she her humor is just like mine and Caitlins. She just comes waltzing in the room, announces something random, and leaves. Her roommate Leah reminds me of our friend Jenn. She is very quiet, but then will burst out of nowhere with the most hilarious comments. She also sasses us right back, so we love it. Then there is Morgaine...Morgaine lived in ENglad for a good deal of her life, but now lives in Hawaii, but goes to school in Vermont. She is crazy, and a ton of fun. Her roomate Tracy is from Boston and goes to school with her in Vermont. She is also a crazy fun girl.
So basically we just bonded this past weekend...doing a personality test that Faith just happens to carry around with her, playing cards, and of course dancing.
On Saturday we went on a walking tour with our school. We walked for about three and a half hours, but it was well worth it. We traveled over the bridge to the other side of Florence, where the actual Florentines live. It is more peaceful there, and there is a lot more greenery. The part that we are in is more of the touristy area. Tomorrow, since Caitlin and I dont have class, we are going to put on our tennies and walk up to the vineyards and the green part of Florence to discover the countryside. I am hoping to get some good hiking in over there these next couple of months. We then had a free cocktail and food at Gonzo, the schools restaurant. And of course we went since...free is still afterall my middle name.
On Sunday the girls and I had a great idea to walk down to the supposedly beautiful park "down the road." Well the down the road was more like a 45 minute walk in the sweltering heat (by the way, its been in the 90's the whole time we have been here). We got there to find construction and tape all around the "beautiful" park. The park also happened to be not that shaded, and well the grass was dead. So we laid our blankets in the dirt and leaves and sat for about 20 minutes before deciding that the park adventure was a bust. But it was great bonding time, especially when an Italian man keep circling us on a bike over and over talking to us in a language we did not actually understand. But it was an adventure all the same!
Monday I started classes. It was so nice to start getting into a schedule and what not. I had Italian on Monday, which was extremely hard for me. Languages have never been my strong suit, and he began the class by talking very quickly in Italian. I kind of wanted to cry. Caitlin is going to help me though, cause otherwise i might just fail!! ahhh.
I also had world religions on monday. I am super excited for that class. We will be looking more in depth into the Buddhist and Islamic religions which I am super excited to explore deeper. Hopefully, I will be able to develop even more spiritually while I am here. We will also be visiting some churches and museums.
On Tuesday I had Women and Religion which I am very excited about. Caitlin was freaking out a bit about the class, because it is a little out of her element, but I think the class is going to be wonderful. We are going to be traveling to Rome for the day for this class, as well as do a lot of
visits to the mosques and other spiritual places. The first day, our professor sent us out onto the streets of Florence to find different portrayals of women throughout Florence.
We also had our history of the mafia class. Our professor has a very strong accent and talks very fast, so it was a bit hard to understand. I think the class will be interesting and probably break a lot of stereotypes that we all have of the mafia due to our medias portrayal of it.
Today I again had Italian (eek) and Environmental Conservation. That class is extremly dull, and it going to be a beast, because our professor is actually kind of boring and the content seems extremely boring also. So we will see what the class brings us.
We have been eating a lot of pizza from this cute little pizza shop just down the road. It is called mi amore pizza, and the women there is a little older woman who is absolutely adorable. She doesnt speak English, and we dont speak Italian (yet), but she often helps us pronounce the words of what is on the pizza. We also had gelato here a few times, and man is that yummy.
Ahh, but enough for now. I will post more after we travel to the countryside of Italy.
For now, I am feeling pretty good, not that homesick, but do miss everyone, especially my family. Hope everyone is doing well. I do have interent in my room, so if you want to talk to me...download skype (its free) and we can chat!!
Love to all..
Amy
Thursday, September 4, 2008
settling in...
Well....
day two. We had our first Florence University of the Arts orientation today, and it went well. They informed us about a lot of one day trips or weekend trips that we can participate in, for not that much money. So I am super excited because hopefully I will be able to go on some trips around Italy without losing all of my money.
They also informed us about a lot of free things that we can do around campus and Florence. Since free is my middle name, I decided I am going to participate in all of these activities. For instance, there is a free DANCE class, so obviously, I will be taking this. So be prepared to go out dancing with me because if you thought my moves were good before I left...just wait till I get back home! :)
They also have pilates classes and yoga...which I am hopefully going to participate in. Also, it sounds like you can play rec soccer, and I might take a look into that, because I miss playing soccer so much.
I only have classes Monday-wednesday (which yes, I did plan!)
So i will be taking Intro into Italian, History of the Mafia, Environmental Conservation, world religions and women and religion.
I am excited to get a schedule going and start a plan (cause as most of you know, i like plans and i like checking things off!!!).....
Well anyways...I am about to go to a meeting about living in Florence....so I will update when I have more exciting things to update about.
Ciao!! (also i will learn a new word soon so that I can write something else!)
day two. We had our first Florence University of the Arts orientation today, and it went well. They informed us about a lot of one day trips or weekend trips that we can participate in, for not that much money. So I am super excited because hopefully I will be able to go on some trips around Italy without losing all of my money.
They also informed us about a lot of free things that we can do around campus and Florence. Since free is my middle name, I decided I am going to participate in all of these activities. For instance, there is a free DANCE class, so obviously, I will be taking this. So be prepared to go out dancing with me because if you thought my moves were good before I left...just wait till I get back home! :)
They also have pilates classes and yoga...which I am hopefully going to participate in. Also, it sounds like you can play rec soccer, and I might take a look into that, because I miss playing soccer so much.
I only have classes Monday-wednesday (which yes, I did plan!)
So i will be taking Intro into Italian, History of the Mafia, Environmental Conservation, world religions and women and religion.
I am excited to get a schedule going and start a plan (cause as most of you know, i like plans and i like checking things off!!!).....
Well anyways...I am about to go to a meeting about living in Florence....so I will update when I have more exciting things to update about.
Ciao!! (also i will learn a new word soon so that I can write something else!)
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Arrival
Hey everyone,
Well I flew into Florence with Caitlin last night and we got to our school around 8pm. We got our apartment assignments and were so close that we walked to our apartment. HOwever, once we got there, we realized that we had the wrong keys. So after some walking back and exchanging, we got into our new apartment. It is huge. We have a nice kitchen (with two fridges, not one!), two single bedrooms, and three double bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a living room. They are all really nice and spacious. Kind of bare, but huge! I have seven roommates: including Cailtin they are Laurie Ann, Faith, Tracy, Morgaine, Leah, and Sara. WE have been getting along very nicely, and I am looking forward to living with them.รน
The flights went pretty well, all things considered (which would be my fear of flying and the fact that I get sick on every plane ride). But I sucked it up, and felt sick for only a part of the time (probably due to the fact that I knocked myself out with motion sickness meds!) So we got here safe and sound.
Caitlin and I ate our first Italian meal of pizza. I am not sure what was on it, but it was delicious. We walked around a little bit today and saw such beautiful things. I cant wait to explore the city more.
Its very surreal that I am here. I dont think it has hit me yet that this is where I will be living for the next four months. I am excited and sick about it at the same time. Right now, I just feel like I am on a short vacation. I am a bit homesick, when I think about all the people that I love that I left bedhind.
But thats all for now, because they are closing the internet lab!
Will update more when I get a chance. But for now, Ciao!
Well I flew into Florence with Caitlin last night and we got to our school around 8pm. We got our apartment assignments and were so close that we walked to our apartment. HOwever, once we got there, we realized that we had the wrong keys. So after some walking back and exchanging, we got into our new apartment. It is huge. We have a nice kitchen (with two fridges, not one!), two single bedrooms, and three double bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a living room. They are all really nice and spacious. Kind of bare, but huge! I have seven roommates: including Cailtin they are Laurie Ann, Faith, Tracy, Morgaine, Leah, and Sara. WE have been getting along very nicely, and I am looking forward to living with them.รน
The flights went pretty well, all things considered (which would be my fear of flying and the fact that I get sick on every plane ride). But I sucked it up, and felt sick for only a part of the time (probably due to the fact that I knocked myself out with motion sickness meds!) So we got here safe and sound.
Caitlin and I ate our first Italian meal of pizza. I am not sure what was on it, but it was delicious. We walked around a little bit today and saw such beautiful things. I cant wait to explore the city more.
Its very surreal that I am here. I dont think it has hit me yet that this is where I will be living for the next four months. I am excited and sick about it at the same time. Right now, I just feel like I am on a short vacation. I am a bit homesick, when I think about all the people that I love that I left bedhind.
But thats all for now, because they are closing the internet lab!
Will update more when I get a chance. But for now, Ciao!
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