I am beginning to think the greatest thing about this city, next to the endless history and beauty, is when you meet an Italian person who speaks English. Most Italians I have met either speak no english or just the tiniest little bit, but there are of course a number who are Italian but are probably from the States because their English is perfect. And then there are the people in between, they are Italian and speak English but it is most definitely not their first language. The majority of my professors land in this category and this lack of communication ability is the only thing that has been getting me through 3 hours of class with each one every day. Each class period is like a miniture game of Reality Catch Phrase. Every other sentence the professor pauses and mumbles to themselves, "Come si dici?" while the rest of us attempt to guess what he or she is trying to say! In my photography class, a boy in my program and I made a points game out of it. 1 point if it was obvious. 2 points if the other person guesses but were wrong. 3 points if the professor says the word in Italian and you guess from what it sounds like in English. and 5 points if its a complete guess and you get it right. It is awesome!
This week was relatively uneventful. I got really sick last weekend, which supposedly always hits students right after the homesickness wears off. So it came right on time. We had the opportunity to go to an Opera at the Opera House that was built for Mussolini in the 40's. The Opera House was goregous, but as far as the actual production...I couldn't say. I fell asleep within the first half hour and woke up only during the breaks between acts when they turned the lights on. Everyone said the play was pretty boring so I didnt miss anything, although I think the woman I was seated next to got a little upset when my head started bobbing in her direction because I had no where to rest it during my nice nap. I am making incredible impressions for America all over the place here!! :)
It rained all week here. Such a downer. Apparently this has been the rainiest winter they have had in a long time, but its in the 50's most every day and I think I would choose rain and wet clothes/shoes over negative degree weather and frozen nostrol hair any day!
I am beginning to feel at home here. I am loving the big city atmosphere, although public transportation gets a little old, and the incredible views found around every corner. I went for a run after class yesterday and got lost in the process. It was probably the best thing to happen to me all week (besides the Reality Catch Phrase, of course). I turned when I felt like and ran where ever my legs took me and accidentally ran into the most goregous spot in Rome to date. On the side of one of Rome's hills near my apartment was an incredible fountain spanning the side of building overlooking the entire city and beyond. I could see every monument, ruins site, and the mountains in the distance from this spot. I am not entirely sure if I will ever be able to find it again but I definitely plan on trying.
Tomorrow we are going to Pisa for the day. Yay for the Leaning Tower!!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
An Untouched City and A Fountain of Dreams
Last Friday Accademia Italiana took the 33 of us to a small city outside of Rome called Tivoli. Tivoli used to be home to a Cardinal during the 1500's at most incredible villa I have ever seen and one of the largest gardens in Italy. We spent the day there walking around the open air market and the Villa. I still cant believe I amhere...even with concrete pictures to prove it!
On Saturday we all decided to spend some time being tourists for the day! We went to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. The Trevi Fountain is said to be a must see place in Rome to come to just before you leave the city. The coin throwings of the fountain vary but the one I like the most is: throw one coin and you ensure your return to Rome, two coins will lead to a new romance and three will ensure either a marriage or divorce. I have also read that it is lucky to throw three coins with your right hand over your left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain and all three will come true. I did not throw any yet...we all vowed to come back right before we leave to come home because at that point we hopefully wont want to leave at all!
The Spanish Step were beautiful, but packed with people so I will have to get back there again during the week when it isnt so busy. Good news is, I found all the wonderful designer shops right by the Steps!!
Some girls and I started planning our weekend trips throughout the semester so I am finally getting really excited that I am here. Having these trips to look forward to has already helped calm my nervous and make me think less about missing home so much. We are still working out all the details but we've booked flights to Paris, Florence/Tuscany, and Barcelona throughout April and are checking out flights to London, Greece, Berlin, Sicily and Southern Italy (for Spring Break). And then of course my lovely parents and I will be taking a romantic weekend to Venice and hopefully Trieste (which is supposed to be even more beautiful than Venice) when they come! This is going to be an incredible semester and I am beginning to love living in a huge city...most especially this city!
Tivoli, Italy
The Villa at Tivoli, Italy
The Villa at Tivoli
The girls and I at the Trevi fountain
The Spanish Steps
My Roommates and I at the fountain
SO GORGEOUS!
Stephanie!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Pictures from the Farm Country!
Some girls in my program at lunch at the Farm last Sunday.
My Roommates and I
Some roomies
First picture of the semester at the farm!
Gyped by the Gypsies
When people told me to hold on to my bags in public areas and on the buses in Rome, I took it to heart but never pictured it happening to me. Thankfully it didn't happen to me, but it did happen to my roommate yesterday! We were having our final orientation for Accademia Italiana at 11am so my roommates and i jumped on a tram that takes us right up by our school. After a few stops the tram was jam packed with people on all sides. Looking around i noticed a man with a small baby, which really was just not that cute. The man kept sort of cooing at the baby and seemingly distracting everyone around him from the lack of personal space everyone was experiencing. It seemed odd to me that this man was on a tram in very casual clothing on a monday morning going into the city with a small baby so i began to hold my small wallet clutch a little closer. As we got off the tram my roommate, Kristen burst out in a furry of anger about the wife of this man trying to steal her wallet. The purse she was carrying was a small over the should purse that had a flap and a zipper. The woman managed to get Kristen's flap and zipper open and it wasnt until the woman had her hand in Kristen's purse did she begin to notice a tug on her bag. Kristen turned and saw the woman's hand in her purse, grabbed this woman's hands and shook them to make sure she didnt manage to take anything and then pushed her away. Luckily Kristen walked away with everything she got on the tram with and a little pride knowing she just killed this nasty family's mission of distraction and stealth. Unfortunately as we got to school my other roommate, Jessica, noticed her wallet was missing. By the end of the day after searching all over the apartment, we concluded this family's small boy must have gone in her purse (which was similar to Kristen's) without her noticing. So, the family did win in some respects. Luckily all she had in her wallet was a few euros cash, her credit card, and her bus pass. She was able to cancel her credit card and get a new bus pass by the end of the day before anything was charged by the gyspy family. It was beyond scary and nerve-wrecking to see this happen to people i know and were standing right next to on the tram. Its a hard way to learn a lesson but from now on i am only carrying necessities and in areas no one could get to without my noticing!!
After that whole extravaganza we had a small orientation at school. My classes sound interesting though. I am taking Beginning Italian, Master Pieces of the Vatican (where we will actually take class time to go to the museums of the Vatican and study the art), Italy Today (which studies the history of Rome and how it has changed politically and economical throughout time), International Business, and Photographing Rome.
I only have class monday through thursday and I have each class once a week for 3 HOURS!! AHH! With the exception of Italian which i have every day for 2 hours. This is going to be rough.
Later that day we were split up into groups and were given short walking tours of the city which was nice except that my group's tour guide was the Cinema professor at the school and I am still not quite sure how he is allowed to teach any classes in english. I could not understand a word he was saying and it was raining so it was not very much fun. But i did find out one interesting fact: the level at which Rome is built is not actually the level of the city. Because of this Rome has a real space issue for parking and such because instead of building underground parking ramps they are forced to build up. The level at which the city really is at is where all the old ancient Roman ruins are found.
I am beginning to really find the beauty in this place instead of just wanting to cry that I'm not at home. I think this will be a very challenging semester for me personally but something Im sure at one point will truly charish. For now, Im just waiting for the feeling of loving where I am and what I am doing.
After that whole extravaganza we had a small orientation at school. My classes sound interesting though. I am taking Beginning Italian, Master Pieces of the Vatican (where we will actually take class time to go to the museums of the Vatican and study the art), Italy Today (which studies the history of Rome and how it has changed politically and economical throughout time), International Business, and Photographing Rome.
I only have class monday through thursday and I have each class once a week for 3 HOURS!! AHH! With the exception of Italian which i have every day for 2 hours. This is going to be rough.
Later that day we were split up into groups and were given short walking tours of the city which was nice except that my group's tour guide was the Cinema professor at the school and I am still not quite sure how he is allowed to teach any classes in english. I could not understand a word he was saying and it was raining so it was not very much fun. But i did find out one interesting fact: the level at which Rome is built is not actually the level of the city. Because of this Rome has a real space issue for parking and such because instead of building underground parking ramps they are forced to build up. The level at which the city really is at is where all the old ancient Roman ruins are found.
I am beginning to really find the beauty in this place instead of just wanting to cry that I'm not at home. I think this will be a very challenging semester for me personally but something Im sure at one point will truly charish. For now, Im just waiting for the feeling of loving where I am and what I am doing.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
A Day on the Farm
So our schedule has been really crazy the last couple days so i haven't really had time to even stop and breathe let alone take in where I am and that I am going to be here for another 4 months! I just finished orientation with my program today and tomorrow we have orientation for my school, Accademia Italiana until tuesday. I've been so busy that I feel like im on a tour of Rome so I am thinking once we're left to be completely on our own my home sickness is realllllllly going to kick in until im used to the city at least.
Anyway yesterday we went up to school to meet the professors and the staff of Accademia Italiana (which is in the Piazza Navona and then had a lonng orientation with the director of my program. After that we all went to dinner at a place near the Piramide Viale Giotto, the square has a huge old pyramid in the middle which none of us can figure out why it was every built but something to look into I suppose. After dinner a bunch of us went to one the group's apartments and hung out and then went to a bar in Campo de Fiori...The whole square is full of bars and there were a lot of Americans there cuz its the touristy hot spot for bars and clubs.
Today was awesome though. We went to the "Farm Country" aka to a working farm just outside Rome in the same area as where the Pope and his crew live during the Summer! We took a bus out to the farm and the owner gave us a tour of how they make wine and all their other products. The farm is huge and they have stables for people in/near town to keep their horses for free and they let groups use their land for free. The whole idea it to better the land and the community not make millions. Definitely a different mentality than America...something to consider i think. After the tour we sat down at like 12:45pm for lunch and they fed us literally a 5 course meal with plenty of wine and coke! We didnt get up from the table until 3:30. Its just so insane to me how they can a. eat that much food (cuz eat course was a tonnn of food) and b. sit there for so long!! But after than we got to walk around on the farm a little and buy some fresh produce from their market.
The italians and specifically romans live verrry differently than we do i've noticed. For example:
-they eat a tonn of meat with all their foods almost
-instead of eating breakfast everyone goes to the "bar" which is actually a coffee place and they drink a really quick cup of coffee and eat a cresant or bread for a couple euro.
-no one is on any time schedule. Unless they are driving..then they dont stop of anything!
-not many people know english. its very annoying...i use a lot of hand motions to get what i want.
-all the women get their hair done (as in straightened and curled) at the hair dresser and then just leave it for daysss. Which is also why we have a separate toilet looking thing in out bathroom that supposedly cleans your butt and other areas cuz they dont shower as often.
Its all very strange for me at this point but im sure it all something ill get used to in the 125 days im here...
~Shannon
Anyway yesterday we went up to school to meet the professors and the staff of Accademia Italiana (which is in the Piazza Navona and then had a lonng orientation with the director of my program. After that we all went to dinner at a place near the Piramide Viale Giotto, the square has a huge old pyramid in the middle which none of us can figure out why it was every built but something to look into I suppose. After dinner a bunch of us went to one the group's apartments and hung out and then went to a bar in Campo de Fiori...The whole square is full of bars and there were a lot of Americans there cuz its the touristy hot spot for bars and clubs.
Today was awesome though. We went to the "Farm Country" aka to a working farm just outside Rome in the same area as where the Pope and his crew live during the Summer! We took a bus out to the farm and the owner gave us a tour of how they make wine and all their other products. The farm is huge and they have stables for people in/near town to keep their horses for free and they let groups use their land for free. The whole idea it to better the land and the community not make millions. Definitely a different mentality than America...something to consider i think. After the tour we sat down at like 12:45pm for lunch and they fed us literally a 5 course meal with plenty of wine and coke! We didnt get up from the table until 3:30. Its just so insane to me how they can a. eat that much food (cuz eat course was a tonnn of food) and b. sit there for so long!! But after than we got to walk around on the farm a little and buy some fresh produce from their market.
The italians and specifically romans live verrry differently than we do i've noticed. For example:
-they eat a tonn of meat with all their foods almost
-instead of eating breakfast everyone goes to the "bar" which is actually a coffee place and they drink a really quick cup of coffee and eat a cresant or bread for a couple euro.
-no one is on any time schedule. Unless they are driving..then they dont stop of anything!
-not many people know english. its very annoying...i use a lot of hand motions to get what i want.
-all the women get their hair done (as in straightened and curled) at the hair dresser and then just leave it for daysss. Which is also why we have a separate toilet looking thing in out bathroom that supposedly cleans your butt and other areas cuz they dont shower as often.
Its all very strange for me at this point but im sure it all something ill get used to in the 125 days im here...
~Shannon
Friday, January 9, 2009
The first Day
So I arrived at the JFK airport in NY on the 8th at like 1030ish their time. It took me about 30 minutes to figure out that after exiting the plane from Minneapolis which terminal I was actually in and then another 30 minutes figuring out how the junk I was supposed to get to the main terminal...three years of college and i cant find my way around an airport!! When I finally got to the main terminal and I found my airline, I sat down to wait for the check-in line to open. After looking like a blubbering mess in the middle of a very public airport, I finally stopped the tears and runny nose. I was beyond scared and incredibly nervous. For a solid 5 minutes i even had a personal conversation with myself, you know the one with the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other. I was beginning to think this was up there on the "Worst Decisions I have Ever Made List." Part of me is thinking: Are you stupid?! You are leaving every person you know and love to go to some random country where you dont speak their language or have a clue what the next four months will be like" and the other part is thinking; You'll be find...it will be fine...everthing is fine.. I honestly still coudlnt tell you whih thought was meant to be the devil or the angel.
Around 1pm that day I found out that my plane to Rome that was supposed to leave at 5pm had not even left Rome yet. So after having what i thought couldnt get worse of a day suddenly turned into an extra 12 hours of waiting...in an airport...with crappy food and no internet service. I did meet up with 8 other people who were going on the same trip as me so i was nice to get to know them but I couldnt help but think how much i would have rather been laying on my couch watching TV with my dad/mom nagging me in the background to do something productive. (Love you mom and dad!)
We finally boarded the plane at 1 am NY time. Me and another girl cohursed an old italian man to switch seats with me so we could sit together. Of course he didnt speak any english so the entire sence took over 5 minutes and involved a lot of hand motions. When we finally got the picture through to him, I started to get settled in my new seat by looking up to see where I could put my very large backpacking bad in the overhead compartment and of course the one compartent open is used soley for Aircarft emergency equipment and so I rode the entire 7.5 hour plane ride with no foot room and my oversized purse sitting in my lap. It was the Traveling day from hell to say the least. But we made it ar about 330pm Rome time and every bag was accounted for!
Around 1pm that day I found out that my plane to Rome that was supposed to leave at 5pm had not even left Rome yet. So after having what i thought couldnt get worse of a day suddenly turned into an extra 12 hours of waiting...in an airport...with crappy food and no internet service. I did meet up with 8 other people who were going on the same trip as me so i was nice to get to know them but I couldnt help but think how much i would have rather been laying on my couch watching TV with my dad/mom nagging me in the background to do something productive. (Love you mom and dad!)
We finally boarded the plane at 1 am NY time. Me and another girl cohursed an old italian man to switch seats with me so we could sit together. Of course he didnt speak any english so the entire sence took over 5 minutes and involved a lot of hand motions. When we finally got the picture through to him, I started to get settled in my new seat by looking up to see where I could put my very large backpacking bad in the overhead compartment and of course the one compartent open is used soley for Aircarft emergency equipment and so I rode the entire 7.5 hour plane ride with no foot room and my oversized purse sitting in my lap. It was the Traveling day from hell to say the least. But we made it ar about 330pm Rome time and every bag was accounted for!
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