Third time's a charm.

Just a little blurb to show that life is normal and not all excursions and exotic.

It's been raining the past few days in Rome and is supposed to continue for the next, oh, 10 days? Who knows if it actually will, but it's been consistent the past two. I don't like this! Why isn't life here perfect? We didn't pay for this...

Just kidding!
It's really alright, just a bit of a downer.

I'm using Donna's computer, sitting on her bed while she does a crossword puzzle in Star magazine.

Is it true that you can get electricuted if you take a shower during a thunder and lightning storm?

Anyway, I'm tired, I'm going to bed soon. A presto!

Bonjour!

I'm just gonna throw new information in your face like it's nobodies business!

Well, it's been a few days past, but this previous week was our fall break from school. Everyone went everywhere and seemed to enjoy themselves. One thing we all talked about was, if we were back in the United States getting ready to go on fall break to say, Paris, Amsterdam and Egypt, we'd be the talk of the town, the envy of all our friends, and definitely jumping out of our seats with excitement to travel to foreign countries. For some reason, living in a European country, only to travel to another European country, has been mentioned so nonchalantly.

"Where are you going for break?"

"Oh, we're going to Greece for 5 days then making our way to Egypt for 3. What are you doing?"

"I'm going to France."

"Cool, see you next Monday!"

Yeah, those were typical conversations the days preceding our fall break. And yes, I went to France! Ohhh, France.

To start from the beginning, I was supposed to leave on a Friday but missed my flight. I woke up too late considering there was a public transportation strike all day. It was quite unfortunate, but I was abnormally calm. I had to buy a new ticket (thanks again, padre!) which was a fat pain, but not outrageous. Saturday I found my way to Montpellier, France to see my best friend since we were 12, Kirsten. Again, we were abnormally calm about being reunited in a foreign country, but I supposed that's just our friendship. It's a beautiful thing. Anyway, fresh off the train, we headed to an outdoor cafe for a Happy Hour. I don't know whose idea that was, but I got to sit in an adorable, open area, in downtown Montpellier with Kirsten and her friend Kim. After a beer, and still being in awe of the towns cuteness, we headed to Kirstens dorm. The thing I enjoy about the program she is doing is that she really gets immersed in to the French college experience. She lives in a dorm with all kinds of people, from all over the world, goes to a university where all her classes are in French, and really getting a true college experience...in another country. Yeah.

Later that night, we made our way back to the downtown area, which seems to be the most alive part of the city! Kirsten and other French friends convinced me to rent a bike to ride into town. It was about a 15 minute bike ride. Ohh, boy. I don't ride bikes in Cincinnati, I haven't in years. Montpellier is very flat, but I was still a bit out of practice. Needless to say, I crashed! Ok, not as bad as it sounds. It was wet and my wheel got caught in a tram track. Believe me. Anyway, I fell and bruised up my legs, they're pretty colors at this point; I'll spare you pictures. But nothing could ruin the fact that I was riding a bike alongside my best friend, in France, with some great French people! It was all an experience, and definitely one at which to look back and laugh. Nothing was really accomplished that night, but it was just plain fun.

The next day, Kirsten and I went to a flea market and just looked around. It was very, very cool. I really loved all the antique furniture and house-trinkets that were everywhere. I wish I had a house closeby because I would have furnished the entire thing in about an hour. After we walked around, we went back to her area and lazed around for the majority of the day and spent time with some cool people. Monday, Kirsten and Kim took me on the Montpellier tour (pictures to follow soon). Really, it's a beautiful city with a cozy and charming character. Kirsten and I made our way to Lyon (about 3 hours north-ish ? where I flew in from Rome) on Tuesday morning to spend the day and night, so I could get my early flight back home (to Rome!) on Wednesday. We truly had no plans; we walked off the train, I checked my duffel bag at the station, and we headed outside to see what we could see. Again, pictures to follow, they will help me document what I actually did.

Anyway, we saw some surprising and wonderful things. It's a day that I will REALLY never forget. It was the day the Kirsten and I talked about when we were in 7th grade: exploring European cities together when we are "older and in college!" Well, we're older, and we're definitely in college, so I guess it's all working out for the best.

Keep an eye out for pictures, I promise that the hard part is over for me, I'll find a time to get some pictures arranged on this thing.

Kirsten gets to Rome on Friday; we're conquering Europe bit by bit. I'm really excited for it. I can't wait to show her my new home, explore new things with her and share what I've grown to love about the city! Actually, it will be fun for the following two weekends. November is going to be hectic, I'll tell you that much. The weekend after this coming, my brother Dan is visiting, and the weekend after my dad will be here! I can't picture either of them in a foreign country, let alone Italy, but I know they will love it. I just wish everyone could see what I get to see on a daily basis.



When I got back to Rome, I hadn't slept in over 24 hours. I was the first one back to the apartment and was alone for about 2 hours, only to be greeted by my two favorite people in the world, my roomates Donna and Jen. They just got back from Greece and we were reunited at last. We had the apartment to ourselves for about 3 days and it was just relaxing. We had a great time being together and loving the city; good times.

At this point, it's back to school, but I'm still enjoying it. Perhaps appreciating it a bit more? Either way, I still want to stay. Don't worry, I AM coming home, I just don't want to.
Kidding.

Toscana

Ok, so I know it's a little late, but I do need to share some pictures and tid-bits from Tuscany.

The bus ride from Rome to Montalcino was about 3 hours, maybe a little less, but it felt like

forever. It was continuous snake turns up a mountain, in the country-side. About half the bus got sick, it was horrible. I got motion-sick pretty bad and almost lost it after I witnessed my dear friend Nicole lose hers all over the place. Woops! Anyway, it figures that after a stomach-assaulting ride, the first stop is the Castello Banfi, which happens to be one of the most important wine producers in Tuscany. We did a wine tasting of three regional wines, all reds. I don't remember the names of the wines, only that I preferred the first of the three we tried.


We had some time to walk around the estate, which was absolutely beautiful. This picture to the left is the view that surrounded us; the two guys are Charles and Phil, other friends from CEA. It was breathtaking and spacious and astonishingly green. We realized that there's not much greenery in our everyday life in Rome, so it was nice to be surrounded by nature. At least for a little bit.





After the beautiful sights and tastes we made our way back to the bus and on to lunch in a smaller little town in Montalcino. I forget what it was called, but think of a tiny stone village in the country of Italy, and that's where I was. On top of a mountain-hill, overlooking miles of rolling hills, is where we spent about an hour. The restaurant we went to was a hole-in-the-middle-of-nowhere kind of place and you couldn't find better food. Handmade pasta, vegetables grown down the mountainside, fresh bread; there were really no words to describe it. Not to mention the people in the place were all smiles and laughter at these 28 American kids who somehow found their way to their restaurant.

Again, we return to the bus to make our way to Siena. I hope you did your reading, you definitely had some time to study up, with my lack of frequent writings and all...Anyway. We checked in to our hotel and it was like we stepped in to a movie.
NB: For about 15 of us, this trip was mandatory for either/both the Food and Wine class and the Living Italy (culture) class because we had just learned about the culture of Siena, etc. I happen to be in both of them.
It's hard to describe, as well as appreciate, the beauty of this little town. Yes, the city is absolutely beautiful with an almost private, but still welcoming, charm; but there's so much more to the people and the city and the history. Comparable to someone who has studied and developed a heart for art history, and finally have a chance to step foot in to the Sistene Chapel and get an upclose look at the details you've only read about.
The next day, Saturday, we got a tour of the city, which isn't very large, from a woman belonging to the Bruco (caterpillar) contrada. Nicoletta was in high spirits because her contrada had one the August 2008 Palio. And believe me, she didn't waste a chance to throw in how much pride she has for her own contrada. The whole tour was just seeing little details that made up the true character of Siena. The flags on the balconies, the animal logos in the breadshop windows, anything and everything you can see is part of the Sienese identity.

An example:
As I and several friends were walking back to the hotel from dinner on Friday night, we got a tad lost. We stopped to ask some older gentlemen who were standing in the doorway of a restaurant, in which direction was the Hotel Athena, where we were staying.

He scoffs, "Ohhh, Pantera!" in a disdainful, yet playful (kind of) way, making typical Italian hand gestures.

Why is this worth noting? Well, as you know, there are 17 contrade within Siena, all of which have strict boundary lines that only the people of Siena are aware of. Certainly these men were from a different contrada from where our hotel was located, perhaps even a rival contrada. That short moment was what I consider to be a true glimpse of the engrained personal identity that the people of each contrada hold.
Fascinating, truly fascinating.

Since I've been in Italy, I've learned so much about the country and the history and the culture and have been realizing that there is so much we, as Americans, have no clue. As I get the chance to experience things as I learn them, is something I will never take for granted. I've been learning what it feels like to be excited about new information and applying it to my life and my own culture; taking bits and pieces and really figuring out what makes me tick and what really makes me run. Dad, you'll be happy to know that I actually enjoy doing my homework here, contrary to popular belief. Maybe I'll be a little more in to school when I get back to Cincinnati. Maybe not. But the charm of Italy-the beauty of my surroundings, the people, the culture-definitely has its hold on me.

Yes, yes...I know...

I realize I'm still slacking on the regular updates; I'm sorry.

Tuscany was absolutely beautiful! Thinking about it now, it almost feels unreal that I actually witnessed all the beauty that was surrounding me. Before I update fully, I need you all to do some quick homework, because I don't feel like explaining certain things. But here are a few things that need to be said:

I haven't uploaded my pictures yet. I think I'm developing arthritis from sitting on this cold, hard linoleum. I've tried pillows. I will do that this week, though!

Friday, I leave for Montpellier, France to visit my best friend, Kirsten, who is also studying abroad. I. CAN'T. WAIT. So that will be another several days senza update.

Did you know?

(This took me awhile to figure out about the geography of Italy...)

Tuscany is not a city. So when I say that I went to Tuscany, and visited several cities, don't be confused! Italy has 20 regions and within those regions are all the cities that we're familiar with. Rome is in the Lazio region. Toscana (Tuscany) is another region, and during our trip, we visited Montalcino and Siena.

Montalcino is the home of one of the most important wine producers in Tuscany, Castello Banfi. We got to visit and experience a wine-tasting and walk around the villa that houses wine tastings and a sort of gift shop. That was pretty cool. It was beautiful. More later.

Siena was amazing. To fully appreciate Siena you must:

-Learn a few basics.

-Know what a contrada is.

-Find out about the Palio.

(Lane and Barb, some day, we need to make a special trip to Siena to experience the Palio. I'm sure you'd love every second of it).

Anyway, make sure to check those links before the next post, because I'll be talking about those things as if you have a basic understanding. I know, perhaps it defeats the purpose of explanatory writing, knowing my audience, blah blah blah...I'm taking a short cut. 

I had a great time over the weekend, it was beautiful, and exciting to see what I've learned so much about. Oh yeah, in one of my classes, we talked a lot about Siena and the culture, so the trip to Siena had much more significance. Mid-terms this week. At this point, one down, one to go. After tomorrow, I'm good to go. After Thursday, I'm super-good to go.

I'm still having the best time, and I still miss everyone. Just wanted to let you know.

Un giorno nella vita.

As suggested, I'll start updating with some day-to-day adventures since, yes, every day is an adventure.

Well, today was any normal Tuesday. It's been getting colder at night and in the mornings and the government doesn't turn on the heat until...November 1st? Well, I got up and took a shower and got coffee with Jen on the way to school. We always stop at Mirko Bar which is right around the corner from "campus." I put "campus" in quotations because our "campus" is really a renovated villa (a large house) with a big cement wall and iron gate blocking it from the rest of the street. It's beautiful! Anyway, the bar is small, but it's always the same few baristas and they are so nice. They know our coffee orders. So we sat, enjoying our morning caffe and headed to class, Jen to her Human Politics class, me to Food and Wine.

Food and Wine was as usual today, an hour and half of the lesson dedicated to lecture, followed by a half hour break, followed by a professional cook coming in and preparing two regional dishes, paired with two wines that we all get to try. Today I didn't so much prefer either dish. One was a risotto, cooked in red wine and butter (yeah, I know, boo-hoo) and the other was a sliced veal with a mayonnaise spread that had lemon and tuna blended in to it, topped with capers; (again, boo-hoo). The wines were both red and very different from one another. I think I prefer whites.

After class, Donna and I made our way to Via del Corso, a long and prominent street in Rome that's famous for it's shopping. I was directed to this area in search of an art supply store. We found it, and it's fabulous! There are two parts to it,  two separate stores, actually. One is like Cappel's, where it had all the holiday decorations, it was great! This was the first sign of anything Halloween or Christmas; just another adjustment from seeing Halloween and Christmas decorations in August. Anyway, we passed all the fun and walked in to the art supply store and I got excited. They had EVERYTHING! 

Mom: They had a fair selection of beads, jewelry supplies, a great selection of books with things such as patterns and pictures and instructions for numerous things. I didn't look so closely, but there was quite a variety.

I ended up getting a sketchbook, markers and colored pencils. I can finally make some Roman art of my own, yeah! All in all this excursion was exciting and successful, I look forward to others. My roommates are starting to come home. And if you've seen the most recent post previous to this, you'd see that my internet spot is right by the door. It's almost dinner time and I have homework to do. Our house smells good.

Mama mia!

Wow, apologies for the lack of updates lately. 

The internet in Via Nomentana has been very tricky as of late. Also, due to my personal internet situation, I've come to avoid getting online at the apartment much anymore. Please, take a look at the one place where I get a connection, and one that isn't even ours:

Yes, that beautiful, spacious little corner on the floor is where I spend countless seconds catching up with friends and family back in the States. It kind of reminds me of the song, "In My Own Little Corner" from the Rogers and Hammerstein version of Cinderella.

Anyway, really, it's not that I don't care, it's just that I can only take so much of the cold, hard linoleum floor.

Enough of that, Rome is fabulous. Besides the fact that I've been sick for almost two weeks, I still love it here. I went to the doctor today for that little cough that just hasn't gone away, and boy did it make me appreciate what we have in the States. It's not that things are bad here, it's just not as easy; especially being a student abroad. It's alright though, I'm in a different country so of course I have to expect some speed bumps. Either way, I've been thinking lately about adjusting to life here. I feel like the way of life is very easy to adjust to, the pace, the style, the beauty. But of course, being from the United States, it can be a little more difficult to get used to. I hope that makes sense. I guess it's easier for some than others to just accept the fact that things are different, I just suppose that none of us thought it would be so different. I'm not complaining one bit, I love life here. In fact, (mom, dad, don't read the next line), I don't want to come home. Of course I miss home... I miss driving, I miss my friends, I miss my family and Drew, I even miss my unintelligent pets! I've gotten out of Cincinnati for once, and now I want to see what else there is out here. In the world. In Italy. It's all so fascinating and I feel like I could do this forever! 

Don't worry, I know that by December I'll be ready to come home... at least for a couple weeks ;)

Not much else to update on. It's been pretty low-key lately because I've been lacking energy from not going for more than a few minutes without coughing. BUT! In the upcoming weeks I want to take advantage of everything Rome has to offer. There are so many music festivals and clubs, performances and exhibits that are happening this month and I want to see them! I get to visit Kirsten in her world of Southern France in roughly TWO WEEKS! Ohh, I absolutely cannot wait. 

OK, now that I've updated sufficiently, there's not much to say at this point. I haven't been taking pictures because I haven't gone anywhere. I will make sure to document my experiences more thoroughly from now on, I know you've all been dying in anticipation. Not to worry, I won't keep you on pins and needles for long periods of time anymore. Expect more after the weekend.