First bit of news: Mary has left the building. On Sunday I noticed her shampoo bottles weren't in the bathroom anymore and after a while we all put it together that we thought she left. Sure enough, when I was out shopping (ugh, again!) Tara went in her room and it was cleared out. She called us and we were jumping up and down in the streets of Florence, hahaha it was super funny! So now, Hilary and I are back to sharing a room of two and Tara and Kristina moved into Mary's room. It's all so perfect now and has relived a lot of tension in the flat!
So, it has been a while since I've written, but classes finally started Monday. They actually don't see that hard and since it's just the 7 of us with each professor I think the class will generate great discussion. I'm really looking forward to it. Most of the classes have various field trips to museums and churches. Lots of fun, little homework. Just how I like it.
Today was our first full Italian class and I have to say I'm really excited to learn. I love our teacher, she is so nice and outgoing. She said one of her pet peeves is when students shake their legs (nervous leg syndrome) and I said uh-oh. She then proceeded to walk up to me, grab my cheeks, say "don't worry" and kiss my forehead. How hilarious! Everyone was laughing and I was super embarrassed. It's so funny because Italians really don't know what a comfort zone or PDA are. We constantly see couples making out as we walk around town.
The only other reason I've been so busy is because I met a guy. He's really nice. His name is Filippo and I've seen him a few times now. I'm just really excited to have met a nice Italian who I can speak/exchange language with and have to show me around. We'll see how it goes! :)
Hmm, other than that, there really isn't much going on. Libbi and I walked what seemed like 5 miles today to the big grocery store, I honestly only want to make that walk like two more times ever in my life. Horrible. Hah! I hope everything is going great back home and the weather has warmed up a bit for you. Just think, if it wasn't so cold in the winter, you'd have a hard time appreciating the warm summer weather! Hey, it was worth a shot! Well, take care and I'll write soon!
Love,
Marissa
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Naples: Italy's New York
The great city of Naples.
Definitely going back here!
Sculptures/Castles/Group Pictures
Machiavelli/Randoms
The pictures on the left are of when we visited Machiavelli's house.
Bottom right -- Illegal pictures of Michaelangelo's David
Top group picture -- Charli, Julia, Me, Libbi, and Seena
Top right -- Chinese food!
Random -- Kitty socks, psycho killer museum
Friday, January 23, 2009
Excursion to Pompei and Naples!
20/01/09
Today we set out early for Naples by train. The train ride took about 2 ½ hours and then we had another 1 hour train ride to Sorrento, where our hotel is. The hotel is so beautiful. It’s actually a cooking school/hotel and we could see students cooking in the kitchen. We checked into our rooms and then set out for the town center. The hotel is about a half-hour walk from the center of the city. The walked seemed really long and when we got to town it was around 2:45. This was bad news. In Italy, the shops, stores, and restaurants close from 1-3 (their lunch hour). I, personally, find this annoying and crazy but regardless, we had to walk around and wait till we could eat. We were all so starving because most of us had only eaten breakfast and that was at 7:00am. We ventured around until we finally found an open pizzeria. We all ordered a pizza each and scarfed them down. We were feeling very full and sort of like pigs. Little did we know how much walking we had left to go. We then proceeded to walk for another mile downhill. The problem when we walk is that we know that 1) if we are walking away from our hotel, we have that entire distance to make up or 2) if we are walking downhill that means we have to walk up eventually. We got to the bottom of the hill and it was so neat because we got to hear the Bay of Naples crashing against the shore. The pictures are amazing. We all wanted to make it back in time for the inauguration so we started to head home after picking up some snacks at a local grocery store. Right as we started our long hike home, we could see a huge storm front coming in and it was right over where we were headed. We were all hoping it wouldn’t pour because most of us only brought one pair of jeans for the trip (I brought two!). Luckily, we got home at record speed and before it started to rain.
We made it home just in time for the inauguration and I was so touched and proud to be an American while watching it. I really think good thoughts about this president. I do feel, he was probably our best hope for turning our government/economy/everything around. Either way though, I definitely shed a tear or two, especially when they said people from all around the world were watching. It was so unique to be in Italy watching this (it was broadcast in English on CNN). The cooking class students and Italian teachers were watching it too. So crazy. I thought it was funny when the justice screwed up and for some reason my hatred for Bush lessened after watching that. I think, however, that maybe it was because he has no control anymore. Great experience all around. I really hope you guys enjoyed it back home as well. How historic, I feel so lucky we were able to stay at a hotel that had CNN.
Well, the monsoon started during the inauguration and hasn’t let up yet. I really hope it’s not rainy tomorrow because we are headed to Pompeii. I can’t believe it’s only 9:40p and I’m going to go to bed. First time before midnight in who knows how long, but probably a long day tomorrow so why spend it tired. Can’t wait to tell you about the historic city of Pompei tomorrow!
Ciao,
Marissa
21/01/09
We woke up at 7am for a continental breakfast; that ended up not being continental. I guess it pays to stay at a cooking school. The main chef cooked up some eggs and bacon just for us. Italians usually never eat eggs in the morning but since he knew we were American he did it. That was very nice of him. Well, the monsoon continued throughout the night and when we woke up, it was still pouring. During breakfast it let up a little bit and we all decided that we still wanted to go to Pompei. We rounded up all the umbrellas in the place and started our walk to the train station.
After the half-hour train ride we arrived at Pompei and the place where the ruins were was right across from the train station. Great location! It was 11 Euro to get in and right away we were snapping pictures. It’s so nice to be down here in Napoli country because it’s very green as oppose to Firenze. I’m sure you guys miss green back home as well. There were columns, houses, statues, and many other ruins all over the place. We even got to see two bodies that had been covered in the ash. For those of you who are unaware. Pompei was a small town that was covered with volcanic ash and lava and ruined when Mt. Vesuvius erupted who knows when, hahaha! Anyway, it was a really neat site and eventually Julia and I ended splitting up from the group and exploring. Of course, we ended up getting lost, but after we found the group again, we went and looked at the grand amphitheatre (coliseum). It was so cool to be stepping where former gladiators have been. When we were walking, I found an orange that fell from tree and I ate it. There are lemon and orange trees all over and their fruits are so great tasting!
We were all done exploring Pompei and decided it was time to take the train home. After an hour break in our rooms, we had class. The best part of the day was coming. For the whole day we knew we were going to be having a 4 course meal at the hotel made by the cooking students. It was almost hard to pay attention during class, but finally it was time to eat. First, we had the most amazing tasting stuffed zucchini flour. I can’t even explain how awesome it tasted. Second, we had a “cup of goodness” which was an upside down cup-cake shape casserole. It had eggplant, peas, rice, tomato sauce, mozzarella, parsley, stuffing, and a hard-boiled egg in the center! This was also very amazing! Next, we had a fish covered in lemon and orange seasoning with a little salad/cabbage with balsamic vinegar on the side. I really can’t talk much about the fish because it honestly made me want to throw up. I really, really hated the seasoning, but of course (because it’s rude) I ate everything on the plate. Needless to say, I was so happy when they brought out chocolate cake for our final course. It wasn’t the absolute best cake ever, but the chocolate tasted good and it was nice to wash the fish down. So, that was our meal tonight. I feel like I had to share it with you because for the most part, it was such a gourmet meal.
Now, we are just playing cards and winding down from all the food. I’ll probably crash in like 20 minutes which is good because we have to be up early again for breakfast tomorrow. If it’s not raining we are going to be heading to Capri, Naples, and then home. Hopefully it’s nice so we can see Capri, but I’m not going to be too upset if we can’t go, because I’m not about to spend the whole day in rain again!
Pace,
Marissa
Ps. Happy Birthday to Cindy! I hope she got my call today. Definitely miss her a lot!
22/01/09
Last day of our trip. We woke up to another amazing breakfast and a little better weather, but we still decided we probably wouldn’t have enough time to do both Capri (the island) and Naples so we just decided, in case of rain and because of money (25euro ferry ride) to just head to Naples and go to a museum. After an hour train ride, we headed to the museum where all of the artifacts from Pompei are. There was also a statue and gladiator exhibit going on. We spent a few hours in the museum and got some really nice pictures, but then we decided to try and find a pizzeria. We ended up finding this quaint little place that had seating outside. We all ordered pizza; I got marinara which is just sauce, oregano, and garlic. It is by far my most favorite pizza and I hope they have it back in the states. A few bites into our pizza, it started to rain. We had to move the tables and all our stuff under the canopy. Luckily for us, it was a short rain, because we still had 5 hours till our train left and we planned on walking around for the most part. After pizza, Professor wanted to find this famous castle that is in Naples. After another long walk (go figure, except this time with my hiking pack on!), we found it and it looked amazing. It was so huge and we ended up being able to go inside for a tour. So cool. Eventually, we were running short on time and headed back to the train station. Made it on time, listened to music on the ride, and finally made it back home! It’s so awesome being able to call Firenze home. It felt so good to get back into our apartment, even though we had an overall fantastic two-day excursion. Tomorrow we get to sleep in, YAY! Then, we are going to have class and eat around 7pm at the Chinese restaurant. Professor heard us talking about it and wanted to go there for his last meal (he leaves Saturday, which is really sad). It should be relaxing, then fun day. I think we all plan on going out after with our British friends. I’ll keep you all posted. Sorry for the long, 3-day post, but we didn’t have internet! Happy reading!
Amore,
Marissa
Today we set out early for Naples by train. The train ride took about 2 ½ hours and then we had another 1 hour train ride to Sorrento, where our hotel is. The hotel is so beautiful. It’s actually a cooking school/hotel and we could see students cooking in the kitchen. We checked into our rooms and then set out for the town center. The hotel is about a half-hour walk from the center of the city. The walked seemed really long and when we got to town it was around 2:45. This was bad news. In Italy, the shops, stores, and restaurants close from 1-3 (their lunch hour). I, personally, find this annoying and crazy but regardless, we had to walk around and wait till we could eat. We were all so starving because most of us had only eaten breakfast and that was at 7:00am. We ventured around until we finally found an open pizzeria. We all ordered a pizza each and scarfed them down. We were feeling very full and sort of like pigs. Little did we know how much walking we had left to go. We then proceeded to walk for another mile downhill. The problem when we walk is that we know that 1) if we are walking away from our hotel, we have that entire distance to make up or 2) if we are walking downhill that means we have to walk up eventually. We got to the bottom of the hill and it was so neat because we got to hear the Bay of Naples crashing against the shore. The pictures are amazing. We all wanted to make it back in time for the inauguration so we started to head home after picking up some snacks at a local grocery store. Right as we started our long hike home, we could see a huge storm front coming in and it was right over where we were headed. We were all hoping it wouldn’t pour because most of us only brought one pair of jeans for the trip (I brought two!). Luckily, we got home at record speed and before it started to rain.
We made it home just in time for the inauguration and I was so touched and proud to be an American while watching it. I really think good thoughts about this president. I do feel, he was probably our best hope for turning our government/economy/everything around. Either way though, I definitely shed a tear or two, especially when they said people from all around the world were watching. It was so unique to be in Italy watching this (it was broadcast in English on CNN). The cooking class students and Italian teachers were watching it too. So crazy. I thought it was funny when the justice screwed up and for some reason my hatred for Bush lessened after watching that. I think, however, that maybe it was because he has no control anymore. Great experience all around. I really hope you guys enjoyed it back home as well. How historic, I feel so lucky we were able to stay at a hotel that had CNN.
Well, the monsoon started during the inauguration and hasn’t let up yet. I really hope it’s not rainy tomorrow because we are headed to Pompeii. I can’t believe it’s only 9:40p and I’m going to go to bed. First time before midnight in who knows how long, but probably a long day tomorrow so why spend it tired. Can’t wait to tell you about the historic city of Pompei tomorrow!
Ciao,
Marissa
21/01/09
We woke up at 7am for a continental breakfast; that ended up not being continental. I guess it pays to stay at a cooking school. The main chef cooked up some eggs and bacon just for us. Italians usually never eat eggs in the morning but since he knew we were American he did it. That was very nice of him. Well, the monsoon continued throughout the night and when we woke up, it was still pouring. During breakfast it let up a little bit and we all decided that we still wanted to go to Pompei. We rounded up all the umbrellas in the place and started our walk to the train station.
After the half-hour train ride we arrived at Pompei and the place where the ruins were was right across from the train station. Great location! It was 11 Euro to get in and right away we were snapping pictures. It’s so nice to be down here in Napoli country because it’s very green as oppose to Firenze. I’m sure you guys miss green back home as well. There were columns, houses, statues, and many other ruins all over the place. We even got to see two bodies that had been covered in the ash. For those of you who are unaware. Pompei was a small town that was covered with volcanic ash and lava and ruined when Mt. Vesuvius erupted who knows when, hahaha! Anyway, it was a really neat site and eventually Julia and I ended splitting up from the group and exploring. Of course, we ended up getting lost, but after we found the group again, we went and looked at the grand amphitheatre (coliseum). It was so cool to be stepping where former gladiators have been. When we were walking, I found an orange that fell from tree and I ate it. There are lemon and orange trees all over and their fruits are so great tasting!
We were all done exploring Pompei and decided it was time to take the train home. After an hour break in our rooms, we had class. The best part of the day was coming. For the whole day we knew we were going to be having a 4 course meal at the hotel made by the cooking students. It was almost hard to pay attention during class, but finally it was time to eat. First, we had the most amazing tasting stuffed zucchini flour. I can’t even explain how awesome it tasted. Second, we had a “cup of goodness” which was an upside down cup-cake shape casserole. It had eggplant, peas, rice, tomato sauce, mozzarella, parsley, stuffing, and a hard-boiled egg in the center! This was also very amazing! Next, we had a fish covered in lemon and orange seasoning with a little salad/cabbage with balsamic vinegar on the side. I really can’t talk much about the fish because it honestly made me want to throw up. I really, really hated the seasoning, but of course (because it’s rude) I ate everything on the plate. Needless to say, I was so happy when they brought out chocolate cake for our final course. It wasn’t the absolute best cake ever, but the chocolate tasted good and it was nice to wash the fish down. So, that was our meal tonight. I feel like I had to share it with you because for the most part, it was such a gourmet meal.
Now, we are just playing cards and winding down from all the food. I’ll probably crash in like 20 minutes which is good because we have to be up early again for breakfast tomorrow. If it’s not raining we are going to be heading to Capri, Naples, and then home. Hopefully it’s nice so we can see Capri, but I’m not going to be too upset if we can’t go, because I’m not about to spend the whole day in rain again!
Pace,
Marissa
Ps. Happy Birthday to Cindy! I hope she got my call today. Definitely miss her a lot!
22/01/09
Last day of our trip. We woke up to another amazing breakfast and a little better weather, but we still decided we probably wouldn’t have enough time to do both Capri (the island) and Naples so we just decided, in case of rain and because of money (25euro ferry ride) to just head to Naples and go to a museum. After an hour train ride, we headed to the museum where all of the artifacts from Pompei are. There was also a statue and gladiator exhibit going on. We spent a few hours in the museum and got some really nice pictures, but then we decided to try and find a pizzeria. We ended up finding this quaint little place that had seating outside. We all ordered pizza; I got marinara which is just sauce, oregano, and garlic. It is by far my most favorite pizza and I hope they have it back in the states. A few bites into our pizza, it started to rain. We had to move the tables and all our stuff under the canopy. Luckily for us, it was a short rain, because we still had 5 hours till our train left and we planned on walking around for the most part. After pizza, Professor wanted to find this famous castle that is in Naples. After another long walk (go figure, except this time with my hiking pack on!), we found it and it looked amazing. It was so huge and we ended up being able to go inside for a tour. So cool. Eventually, we were running short on time and headed back to the train station. Made it on time, listened to music on the ride, and finally made it back home! It’s so awesome being able to call Firenze home. It felt so good to get back into our apartment, even though we had an overall fantastic two-day excursion. Tomorrow we get to sleep in, YAY! Then, we are going to have class and eat around 7pm at the Chinese restaurant. Professor heard us talking about it and wanted to go there for his last meal (he leaves Saturday, which is really sad). It should be relaxing, then fun day. I think we all plan on going out after with our British friends. I’ll keep you all posted. Sorry for the long, 3-day post, but we didn’t have internet! Happy reading!
Amore,
Marissa
Monday, January 19, 2009
Brazilian Dancer
Last night ended up being so much fun. Two of the international students from the British Institute came over to our place at around 10:00 for some drinks and then to go out and find a club. Their names were Charli and Seena (both girls). When we left to go out we had a few places in mind near Santa Croce, but as we were walking, these club promoters came up to us. One of the clubs called the Fish Pub had this deal that all you had to do was bring in the flyer from the guy and you got a free shot. Also, you could get 5 shots for 5 Euros. So with 5 of us each shot was only 1 Euro. It was a good deal and the club had loud hip-hop music playing. Julia and I started dancing and immediately we attracted men. I met this Brazilian man named Jesse Carlos who happened to be a fighter. He was really funny and a good dancer. All the girls were having but we really wanted to head to another place. We to make a long story short, we walked around forever trying to find a place, asking for directions, and eventually, after like an hour, when we did find it, it had like a private party going on! Ha! But, it was so funny because when Charli (British) was asking for directions she kept saying afterwards, is that guy pissing? And we were all like, where? But she just meant that she thought he was purposely not giving us the right directions. Ha, I love the language barriers. It’s so much fun learning new lingo.
Today was a great day. For anyone that knows the situation (and for anyone that doesn’t, don’t worry bout it), but Professor Jeffery’s decided to kick Mary out of class. She really wants to go home, so I’m hoping that pans out soon. It was a great surprise for us.
We had class, then went to see the real Michelangelo’s David sculpture. It was so unreal. There were no pictures allowed, but come on, they make rules to break them. So a few of us got pictures, haha whoops. After that, I came home and napped for four hours! Amazing. Finally got to catch up on some sleep. Woke up, made spaghetti and grilled cheese, and FINALLY Dad and Cindy called. It was so great to hear their voices and then we setup skype. Even better to see their faces. I’m definitely looking forward to getting high-speed internet so that the connection doesn’t have to keep cutting out.
Well, it’s pretty late and one of the roommates in the computer room is annoying me so I’m going to cut it short. I’m sure you are all happy about that! :) Take care.
Love ya,
Marissa
Today was a great day. For anyone that knows the situation (and for anyone that doesn’t, don’t worry bout it), but Professor Jeffery’s decided to kick Mary out of class. She really wants to go home, so I’m hoping that pans out soon. It was a great surprise for us.
We had class, then went to see the real Michelangelo’s David sculpture. It was so unreal. There were no pictures allowed, but come on, they make rules to break them. So a few of us got pictures, haha whoops. After that, I came home and napped for four hours! Amazing. Finally got to catch up on some sleep. Woke up, made spaghetti and grilled cheese, and FINALLY Dad and Cindy called. It was so great to hear their voices and then we setup skype. Even better to see their faces. I’m definitely looking forward to getting high-speed internet so that the connection doesn’t have to keep cutting out.
Well, it’s pretty late and one of the roommates in the computer room is annoying me so I’m going to cut it short. I’m sure you are all happy about that! :) Take care.
Love ya,
Marissa
Saturday, January 17, 2009
I'll have due orders of Chinese per favore!
Instead of going shopping yesteday, and spending more money, I decided to stay in and catch up on a bunch of things. Later last night we had a social gathering at the "Artbar" which is a really trendy bar with the most amazing cocktails. There were a bunch of other international students and a few of our administrators. It was happy hour from 6:30-8:00 and all drinks that are normally 8.50 Euro were only 5 Euro. So an amazing deal. First, I got a bloody mary which had carrot and celery stocks jumping out of it. It was pretty good, but I didn't think it was very strong. Next, I got a pina coloda. All the fruit drinks come with a mound of fruit on top. It had pineapple, coconut, passion fruit, apple, orange, lemon, pretty much any fruit you could name. Also, they kept bringing out pizza bites, popcorn, and chips. For my last drink (it was 8) I got a Mai Tai. It was really strong and kind of gross. But altogether it was a great deal and a lot of fun.
Since it was after happy hour we all decided to leave and try to find this dance club we heard about. We ended up not being able to find it, walking for a few miles, and wasting a couple hours. Finally, after much persuasion, we got the British students to come to Friends Pub with us. It was packed in there and we had a great chance to sit around a table with each other and chat. It started to get late and two-by-two we began to leave. A pretty fun night, after a rough morning dealing with Mary.
So today, a bunch of the roommates wanted to use our day off to go to Siena (about an hour away). They wanted to leave 8am so I already knew last night that I wasn't going to go as long as someone else wanted to stay back. I just was yearning for sleep-in day. Julia, Libbi, and I ended up hanging back (don't worry, I'm sure we'll go there some other time, because we heard it is beautiful). The main reason, however, that we stayed back was because today was the day we were going to find a chinese restaurant. We have been craving it so bad.
So, after napping all morning. We headed to the Chinese place (not knowing if it would be open) and to the big grocery store that is after the Chinese place. The walk was sooooo long. It's probably a couple miles and as we approached the place we started to get nervous it wouldn't be open. It was, thank god. I got due (doo-ay, two) orders because I was thinking about bringing one home. I ended up getting chicken and bean sprouts and then fried chicken (like sweat and sour). The portions aren't even nearly as big as home so I ended up eating both. No worries, we burned it all off anyway. It was probably the best Chinese food ever. I for sure will be taking anyone that visits to that place!
We left the Chinese place and headed to the grocery store. It looks like pick 'n' save only a little smaller with narrower aisles and 10 times more people. We are told the best time to go is at 6:30p and it's like that time in 9 minutes. So we ended up going too early and it was jam packed. I will never, ever take for granted how easy it is to go to the store in the States. Grocery shopping is a bitch beacuse everyone is just pushing. We waited in the checkout line for like 20 minutes and then they charge us for bags, too. I'm just glad I got enough so I don't have to go back anytime soon. However, the walk home was horrible. My shoulders are killing me because I carried two bags and then I had my book bag full of the heavy stuff. Ahh, insane. Just try and feel blessed that you don't have to worry about that... although, you are in -20 degree weather... hahaha! Makes me feel a little better, sorry!
Tonight, we are having the international students over for a few drinks and then we are hopefully going to head to a dance club that is near Santa Croce (5 minutes from our apartment) that doesn't have a cover charge. It should be fun and I'm really enjoying getting to know some of them. This one girl, Seena, wants to get a ski trip organized and I was all for it. We'll have to see what comes of that.
Well, I better go shower and clean up a bit, we don't want them to think we are dirty Americans! :) By the way, has anyone seen Dad or Cindy. Would be maybe nice to hear from them since it's been like 2 weeks. Tell them I'm wondering. As for the rest of you, make sure you bring a personal heater with you everywhere you go; wouldn't want you to freeze up into an ice sculpture. Although that would be pretty cool to look at! :) Talk to you soon!
Pace,
Marissa
Since it was after happy hour we all decided to leave and try to find this dance club we heard about. We ended up not being able to find it, walking for a few miles, and wasting a couple hours. Finally, after much persuasion, we got the British students to come to Friends Pub with us. It was packed in there and we had a great chance to sit around a table with each other and chat. It started to get late and two-by-two we began to leave. A pretty fun night, after a rough morning dealing with Mary.
So today, a bunch of the roommates wanted to use our day off to go to Siena (about an hour away). They wanted to leave 8am so I already knew last night that I wasn't going to go as long as someone else wanted to stay back. I just was yearning for sleep-in day. Julia, Libbi, and I ended up hanging back (don't worry, I'm sure we'll go there some other time, because we heard it is beautiful). The main reason, however, that we stayed back was because today was the day we were going to find a chinese restaurant. We have been craving it so bad.
So, after napping all morning. We headed to the Chinese place (not knowing if it would be open) and to the big grocery store that is after the Chinese place. The walk was sooooo long. It's probably a couple miles and as we approached the place we started to get nervous it wouldn't be open. It was, thank god. I got due (doo-ay, two) orders because I was thinking about bringing one home. I ended up getting chicken and bean sprouts and then fried chicken (like sweat and sour). The portions aren't even nearly as big as home so I ended up eating both. No worries, we burned it all off anyway. It was probably the best Chinese food ever. I for sure will be taking anyone that visits to that place!
We left the Chinese place and headed to the grocery store. It looks like pick 'n' save only a little smaller with narrower aisles and 10 times more people. We are told the best time to go is at 6:30p and it's like that time in 9 minutes. So we ended up going too early and it was jam packed. I will never, ever take for granted how easy it is to go to the store in the States. Grocery shopping is a bitch beacuse everyone is just pushing. We waited in the checkout line for like 20 minutes and then they charge us for bags, too. I'm just glad I got enough so I don't have to go back anytime soon. However, the walk home was horrible. My shoulders are killing me because I carried two bags and then I had my book bag full of the heavy stuff. Ahh, insane. Just try and feel blessed that you don't have to worry about that... although, you are in -20 degree weather... hahaha! Makes me feel a little better, sorry!
Tonight, we are having the international students over for a few drinks and then we are hopefully going to head to a dance club that is near Santa Croce (5 minutes from our apartment) that doesn't have a cover charge. It should be fun and I'm really enjoying getting to know some of them. This one girl, Seena, wants to get a ski trip organized and I was all for it. We'll have to see what comes of that.
Well, I better go shower and clean up a bit, we don't want them to think we are dirty Americans! :) By the way, has anyone seen Dad or Cindy. Would be maybe nice to hear from them since it's been like 2 weeks. Tell them I'm wondering. As for the rest of you, make sure you bring a personal heater with you everywhere you go; wouldn't want you to freeze up into an ice sculpture. Although that would be pretty cool to look at! :) Talk to you soon!
Pace,
Marissa
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Top Left, the whole group.
Top-middle, Professor Jefferys talking to randoms, always doing that!
Top Right, some ceramics in Orvieto. Mom, I thought you'd enjoy them!
Middle, the girls warming their hands with candles on the first day!
Bottom Left, random statue person on the street, they are everywhere!
The stained-glass of Santa Croce.
Mid-bottom, the graffeti which sadly paints the city.
Bottom right, the Ponte Vecchio, we live a block away off of it. It's the only street that doesn't have cars on it!
Second Family
Random pictures of my roommates and me throughout Florence.
Just for reference, the girl in the red scarf is Julia.
Thomas is the guy.
Libbi is the hippie looking girl.
Hilary is the girl in the blue scarf.
Kristina is the Italian looking one with me on the bus.
Tara & Mary are not pictured.
Machiavellian Lifestyle
Machiavelli was a controversial philsopher during is time period, and today we got the chance to take a half-hour bus ride to the place he was exhiled to. Firenze exhiled him because of his drastic ideas on how to run a principality. It was great because we finally got to see wine country! There were vineyards everywhere. The first thing we did was go into his house which is a restaurant upstairs and his house and basement that was to the side of the restaurant. There were huge barrels of wine in the basement. It was like a dungeon of wine. So cool. After we walked around and took some pictures, we went back up to the restaurant and ate some desert. I ended up having apple pie with gelato, because nothing else sounded that great. The apple pie was a little weird, it had this apricot jelly substance on top, but the creme gelato was amazing, as usual! When we were done everyone purchased some wine for friends and family. It was fairly expensive though, the best one (which also had a Machiavelli label) was 25 Euro. I decided to just wait and see if I want to get some the next time.
The bus ride back was a nice because I sat next to the professor and we talked the whole way back. He's going to try and help me find a woman's soccer league that I can join. That would be insane! I hope it pans out. Tara and I went shopping after we got off the bus because I really wanted to get black jeans. Sounds crazy for you Americans, but the only thing (at least right now) that Italian women wear are black boots, black jeans, black shirt, black coat, and black scarf. For real! The other day I wore kakhi's and I didn't see any other person on the street in them. Not going to happen again! I ended up buying a pair of black jeans, a black zip-up track jacket type of thing, and these sweet black tennis shoes. I'm going to take a pair of my shoes because they look awesome. I look like some punk rock chick when I have them all on together. So not my style, but I like it!
The pretty much sums up the day. Now, I'm just sitting at Friend's pub writing emails and blogging. They give free internet, all you have to do is buy a drink. I've had two bloody Mary's and they are great here (as you may remember). I think it's so cool that we are becoming regulars here. I think Mossimo really likes us! I'm getting pretty tired now though. Tomorrow we have class and then we are meeting the international students at the "Art Bar" and since we don't have class saturday it will probably be a long night. The bars stay open until 4am here... crazy! Hope you are all staying warm in the -15 degree weather, guess I shouldn't have been complaining last week, huh? Take care and stay caldo (warm)!
Love ya,
Marissa
The bus ride back was a nice because I sat next to the professor and we talked the whole way back. He's going to try and help me find a woman's soccer league that I can join. That would be insane! I hope it pans out. Tara and I went shopping after we got off the bus because I really wanted to get black jeans. Sounds crazy for you Americans, but the only thing (at least right now) that Italian women wear are black boots, black jeans, black shirt, black coat, and black scarf. For real! The other day I wore kakhi's and I didn't see any other person on the street in them. Not going to happen again! I ended up buying a pair of black jeans, a black zip-up track jacket type of thing, and these sweet black tennis shoes. I'm going to take a pair of my shoes because they look awesome. I look like some punk rock chick when I have them all on together. So not my style, but I like it!
The pretty much sums up the day. Now, I'm just sitting at Friend's pub writing emails and blogging. They give free internet, all you have to do is buy a drink. I've had two bloody Mary's and they are great here (as you may remember). I think it's so cool that we are becoming regulars here. I think Mossimo really likes us! I'm getting pretty tired now though. Tomorrow we have class and then we are meeting the international students at the "Art Bar" and since we don't have class saturday it will probably be a long night. The bars stay open until 4am here... crazy! Hope you are all staying warm in the -15 degree weather, guess I shouldn't have been complaining last week, huh? Take care and stay caldo (warm)!
Love ya,
Marissa
Sculptures
The 3 in the middle are from the Italian Cemetary.
The 2 crosses on the sides are from the American Cemetary.
There are two sculptures of Dante.
The rest are random. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Orvieto: Beauty on a Hill
Yesterday, the only really exciting thing we did was meet at the British Institute for a drink social. We met all the other students, which isn’t many, and had a few glasses of wine. It was actually really fun, interesting, and a great opportunity to make friends. A few of the people exchanged numbers and we hope to see them soon. They are from all around. One girl was from Oregon, another from Scandinavia. A pretty wide variety! After the social, most of the roomies and I went to Friends pub and had just one drink. When we got back, we had a few glasses of wine while we played phase 10!! I was so excited to finally get everyone to play and it was a nice chill game, even though it got late and a few people dropped out. I ended up having the final phase hand and would have won, but I didn’t realize I had it. So the beginner won, go figure!
Today was a great day. It was actually really rainy, but we had a day trip planned to Orvieto and everyone was in high hopes that it would clear up a bit. We caught a 9:00a train to Orvieto, which is 2 ½ hours away. I slept pretty much the entire train ride. Right when we got there, we took a tram (looks like a San Francisco trolley only it goes vertical) to the top of a hill in which the city sits.
It was still a little misty, but it actually was pretty warm out so it felt good. It was so beautiful there. Once I figure out the photoblog situation I will put them up. I’m trying so hard to get it done, there’s just not enough time in the day. But I think you will all love these pictures from today. We got to see this amazing cathedral, eat the best gelato (I finally got anana, which is pineapple in Italian), and I also had a chicken sandwhich. We had the whole day to spend there, so we got to see a lot of sights. We got to walk down this huge well (you’ll understand with the pictures) and after seeing some more sights we slip up for a bit.
Quick story, we were walking down the street and all of a sudden I spotted this really cute cat. The first cat I’ve seen since home. I just wanted to get a picture of it and it was a such a little sweetie. Tara and I ended up walking down the street into a park to take some great landscape pictures and guess what?! The cat followed me! It was sooooo precious. Normally, I wouldn’t pet a wild animal, but I knew it was harmless the way it was acting and I don’t think it was a stray. Mom, I can’t wait till you see the pictures… you would have told me to bring it home. Needless to say, it really made me miss Skyler.
Julia, Libbi, and I really wanted to climb this high bell tower. It only cost 2 euros. When we got to the top, we had the best view of the city. Every time I think I’ve seen the most amazing view here, it is always topped. We hung out up there for at least an hour and the bell kept ringing and it scared the crap out of us. We got some really funny self-timer pictures. It was so neat because we were the only ones up there since the town is pretty quiet and it’s not tourist season yet.
After the tower, we went shopping for a bit and then decided to stop in a pub. I was really hoping for a bloody mary! They ended up having it so we all got one and then split two glasses of wine. The bloody could have been better, but I enjoyed getting some tomato juice in my system. They didn’t have pizza there so we decided to try and find a pizzeria. We only had an hour left before we had to all meet up and it ended up working perfect. We found a pizzeria and got a black olive, caper, and cheese pizza with wine. The capers were something else. Looked like an artichoke and tasted like a super salty olive. It was a little too much for me.
We met up with everyone else and took the train home. It felt like it took a lot longer on the way home. Now, we are all pretty tired so I think I’m going to get some sleep since I didn’t get much last night! I haven’t heard much from everyone, I hope it’s just because you are all very busy. Take care!
Love,
Marissa
Today was a great day. It was actually really rainy, but we had a day trip planned to Orvieto and everyone was in high hopes that it would clear up a bit. We caught a 9:00a train to Orvieto, which is 2 ½ hours away. I slept pretty much the entire train ride. Right when we got there, we took a tram (looks like a San Francisco trolley only it goes vertical) to the top of a hill in which the city sits.
It was still a little misty, but it actually was pretty warm out so it felt good. It was so beautiful there. Once I figure out the photoblog situation I will put them up. I’m trying so hard to get it done, there’s just not enough time in the day. But I think you will all love these pictures from today. We got to see this amazing cathedral, eat the best gelato (I finally got anana, which is pineapple in Italian), and I also had a chicken sandwhich. We had the whole day to spend there, so we got to see a lot of sights. We got to walk down this huge well (you’ll understand with the pictures) and after seeing some more sights we slip up for a bit.
Quick story, we were walking down the street and all of a sudden I spotted this really cute cat. The first cat I’ve seen since home. I just wanted to get a picture of it and it was a such a little sweetie. Tara and I ended up walking down the street into a park to take some great landscape pictures and guess what?! The cat followed me! It was sooooo precious. Normally, I wouldn’t pet a wild animal, but I knew it was harmless the way it was acting and I don’t think it was a stray. Mom, I can’t wait till you see the pictures… you would have told me to bring it home. Needless to say, it really made me miss Skyler.
Julia, Libbi, and I really wanted to climb this high bell tower. It only cost 2 euros. When we got to the top, we had the best view of the city. Every time I think I’ve seen the most amazing view here, it is always topped. We hung out up there for at least an hour and the bell kept ringing and it scared the crap out of us. We got some really funny self-timer pictures. It was so neat because we were the only ones up there since the town is pretty quiet and it’s not tourist season yet.
After the tower, we went shopping for a bit and then decided to stop in a pub. I was really hoping for a bloody mary! They ended up having it so we all got one and then split two glasses of wine. The bloody could have been better, but I enjoyed getting some tomato juice in my system. They didn’t have pizza there so we decided to try and find a pizzeria. We only had an hour left before we had to all meet up and it ended up working perfect. We found a pizzeria and got a black olive, caper, and cheese pizza with wine. The capers were something else. Looked like an artichoke and tasted like a super salty olive. It was a little too much for me.
We met up with everyone else and took the train home. It felt like it took a lot longer on the way home. Now, we are all pretty tired so I think I’m going to get some sleep since I didn’t get much last night! I haven’t heard much from everyone, I hope it’s just because you are all very busy. Take care!
Love,
Marissa
Monday, January 12, 2009
Lectures... ugh!
Today was a lecture day. We had class for 2 hours at the British Institute with Professor and right after we got lunch at the café under our apartment. I ended up getting a spinach and cheese panini. It was good for the first couple of bites but then it got too spinachy.
Then we went to Santa Croce again. The church we went to the first Sunday, but this time we went into the museum and were able to take pictures in the church. I think I’m going to go to an internet pub (The Friends Pub) downstairs and I will try and upload a bunch of pictures.
We had to rush from the Santa Croce museum back to the institute. We attended a free lecture which was like 2 ½ hours long. It got kind of boring and I was getting tired. Too much class for one day! :)
Then we came home and cooked Italian sausage and marinara sauce with noodles. Thomas and Hilary put a shit-load of spices in it. I think I have heart burn right now. But, it was actually really good. I don’t usually cook, as you all know, so instead I just do everyone’s dishes... haha, fits me pretty well too, huh?
After, Thomas and I went to the 85cent store and picked up a few things. We came back and cleaned the place a bit and I got a shower in. Now, I’m just waiting to skype Tia. Last night was fun because Brittany, Katie, and Tia all skyped me together. It was only 11:00p, but after like 20 minutes my roomies were bitching and I was talking quiet. We only get internet in one room (most of the time) and it happens to not be mine. Usually, they stay up till like 1am, but of course the night I skype, they want to go to bed early. I was a little ticked off, but I’m just going to try it in my room tonight.
Well, that pretty much chronicles the day. I’m trying to keep it short, once I get into a routine I won’t be blogging as much. Thomas was making fun of me about how much I write, so sorry if it seems like a lot. But frankly, you don’t have to read it if you don’t want to ;) … although, I’m glad you all do! Talk to you soon!
Love,
Marissa
Then we went to Santa Croce again. The church we went to the first Sunday, but this time we went into the museum and were able to take pictures in the church. I think I’m going to go to an internet pub (The Friends Pub) downstairs and I will try and upload a bunch of pictures.
We had to rush from the Santa Croce museum back to the institute. We attended a free lecture which was like 2 ½ hours long. It got kind of boring and I was getting tired. Too much class for one day! :)
Then we came home and cooked Italian sausage and marinara sauce with noodles. Thomas and Hilary put a shit-load of spices in it. I think I have heart burn right now. But, it was actually really good. I don’t usually cook, as you all know, so instead I just do everyone’s dishes... haha, fits me pretty well too, huh?
After, Thomas and I went to the 85cent store and picked up a few things. We came back and cleaned the place a bit and I got a shower in. Now, I’m just waiting to skype Tia. Last night was fun because Brittany, Katie, and Tia all skyped me together. It was only 11:00p, but after like 20 minutes my roomies were bitching and I was talking quiet. We only get internet in one room (most of the time) and it happens to not be mine. Usually, they stay up till like 1am, but of course the night I skype, they want to go to bed early. I was a little ticked off, but I’m just going to try it in my room tonight.
Well, that pretty much chronicles the day. I’m trying to keep it short, once I get into a routine I won’t be blogging as much. Thomas was making fun of me about how much I write, so sorry if it seems like a lot. But frankly, you don’t have to read it if you don’t want to ;) … although, I’m glad you all do! Talk to you soon!
Love,
Marissa
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Breath-taking
Today was a relatively quiet day. We woke up for a two hour class in our apartment at 10:00. After class I got a shower in and then five of us decided to take a city bus up to Fiesole, a little town above Firenze. It was only about a 25 minute bus ride although it climbed some big hills and rough corners. I was a little scared, but everyone told me to close my eyes. When I opened them I saw the most amazingly beautiful view of the city. For those of you who aren’t aware, Casey made me a playlist for Christmas, and this was the moment when I played “For when you see something breath-taking” which was “Don’t Blink” by Kenny Chesney. It was perfect, once again, so thank you Case! We decided to go to a museum that was at the top. It was of a Roman and Tucson temple and ruin site. We walked around that forever and then got a little worried about when the last bus would be coming back up since it was Sunday, so we decided to head to the other side of the hilltop that overlooks the entire city facing the west side. The sun was about 2-3 hours away from setting so it was really too bright to get a decent picture, but at least my eyes got to see it! We are all planning on going back up there some weekday night around sunset to get another, and probably the most breath-taking view. We didn’t stay long at that lookout point because our bus left at 3:40p. When we got back, Hilary and I went to the grocery store and ended up meeting this older lady who was studying abroad with 6 young women just for 3 weeks. It was crazy because she said the girls did not want to try anything and that she was up for everything. We were astonished because it was like our situation only backwards (for those of you who know about Mary). We told here about the situation and said she should switch. It was so crazy at the end of our conversation when we introduced ourselves… she said her name was Mary. I almost died; I had to hold back laughter!!! What a fricken coincidence! After we got back, we made a salad, chicken cordon blue patty, and a potato. I skyped Tia (which was amazing) last night and I was able to skype her and Katie again today. Seriously, everyone should get it! After our rocky conversation (the internet is so unstable right now) I hung clothes out on the line and have pretty much just been sitting here trying to upload photos. I’m going to try and do a photo blog and will let you all know as soon as that goes through. I think you’ll love the pictures. Can’t wait to show them off. I have a few hours till Katie, Brittany, and Tia skype me together, so until then I’m going to try and get some reading done (or I just might sit in the other room and chat)! Haha :)! Keep me updated on what’d been going on at home. I enjoy hearing about your lives just as much as I do telling you about what’s going on with mine! Take care!
Pace (pa-chay),
Marissa
Pace (pa-chay),
Marissa
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Updates: Last Three Days
Thursday:
Thursday was kind of a crazy day. We woke up early because we had to make copies of our passport (every page) and then go to the post office to hand in these forms that make us temporary citizens of Italy. I was a little mad because it ended up costing around 60 Euro total. Not too happy about that, but it actually went a lot quicker than I thought at the post office so it wasn’t so bad. After that, we grabbed some lunch, or I should say everyone else did. I ordered a pizza, but the lady must have forgotten because I never got it. I didn’t feel like ordering again because I realized I wasn’t hungry enough to spend money so I just ignored it. When everyone finished, we had our first Italian language class at the Institute. It was very scary and intimidating at first because she was speaking only in Italian, but we eased up a bit and it went smoothly. We did some exercises and then we pretty much just went over how class will be. She seems like a really great professor and I’m really excited to start using the language as much as possible. After that, we met with our landlord finally. We took care a lot of business, like how to work the oven, laundry machine, and other stuff like lights that were out. Our professors also talked to the landlord about reimbursing us for the sheets and blankets and he agreed eventually. So everything’s good on that front.
While Libbi and Julia went to their first ballet class (amazing, huh? I want to try tennis lessons or yoga class) I showered. So by the time they got back, they were on such a rush that they wanted to go out. Since we had yet to go out even once at night I forced myself to do it even though I actually wanted to stay in and sleep. There is this nice little pub just right down the street, it’s called The Friends Pub. We walked in and got a menu. I was so insanely happy when I saw BLOODY MARY on the menu. Oh my gosh, I was thrilled. I really didn’t think Florence had them at all. So we got a Bloody Mary each with a beer too. It was one of the best Bloodies I’ve had. Julia was making good conversation with the bartender. His name was Fabrizzio and he was an Asian Italian and his family owns the restaurant. His girlfriend was also working at the bar and she was really nice too. I was happy we were able to talk to them because we plan on going there as regulars. After that, we wanted to walk around and find another place. It was beautiful out and we got some really good pictures. It was nice because it was all quiet out and there were hardly any people walking around. The downside was that nothing was open. We decided to go back to the pub. We ordered the same thing and also got to meet Fabrizzio’s brother Mossimo. I got really tipsy off of those 4 drinks. I was pretty surprised because I don’t usually get drunk off of 4, but the alcohol content is so much higher here. All-in-all it was a great night.
Friday:
It wasn’t a great morning, however. I felt like shit and we had to be up really early to go walk around the city. Liz, one of the directors, wanted to show us places around the city that we might need to know. We got to finally see a big supermarket like a pick ‘n’ save. It was a long walk and I got a huge cut on my heel from my shoes, but it will be nice to go there and get cheaper supplies. We walked for a few hours, as usual, and by the time we got back we were all so tired. We must have gotten back by 2p and I napped till 6-7p. It felt so good to catch up on sleep. After I woke up, I just went into Julia and Libbi’s room and hung out with them. We read a little for class and ended up staying up until 2am talking. Since we napped during the day, we weren’t tired, plus we were able to sleep in the next day as well.
10/01/09
Today was amazing because it was one of the first days we were able to sleep in. A few of us stayed up until 2am, which is normal, but for once I slept till 10:30. It was great, but when I woke up all my roommates were all ready. I was so confused because we didn’t need to be ready until 12:15, but they just couldn’t sleep late probably because we are so used to being up early. We met Vanessa (Brit Institute Director) and our professor and then went to the train station. On the agenda today was going to the Florence American Cemetery. It’s the cemetery for the American soldiers in WWII. It looked like Arlington. It was so beautiful. It’s crazy because we had to take a bus there because it is actually outside of Firenze’s walls. We got a lecture for about an hour about it from the groundskeeper. It was so neat because he told us about the war and then about personal stories about family members who have come to visit their young son or daughter (nurses) who were killed. It was very touching. A few of us had tears in our eyes. We stayed there till 4p. After that we came back and ate a little something and then went shopping for a bit. On the way to the market there was this big Palestine riot/protest going on in the street. I was actually kind of scared and after a while we decided it was best to head back home. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home and grabbed some cheap wine. I’m drinking some right now. We are just going to have a chill night and maybe watch some movies.
I think I’ve caught up on most of my emails and finally my blog. I really have to try and set apart some time to blog each day because it’s hard to remember. I hope you all are enjoying this. Sorry for being so long-winded, I think I got it from Casey! Haha just kidding! Take care everyone!
Love,
Marissa
Thursday was kind of a crazy day. We woke up early because we had to make copies of our passport (every page) and then go to the post office to hand in these forms that make us temporary citizens of Italy. I was a little mad because it ended up costing around 60 Euro total. Not too happy about that, but it actually went a lot quicker than I thought at the post office so it wasn’t so bad. After that, we grabbed some lunch, or I should say everyone else did. I ordered a pizza, but the lady must have forgotten because I never got it. I didn’t feel like ordering again because I realized I wasn’t hungry enough to spend money so I just ignored it. When everyone finished, we had our first Italian language class at the Institute. It was very scary and intimidating at first because she was speaking only in Italian, but we eased up a bit and it went smoothly. We did some exercises and then we pretty much just went over how class will be. She seems like a really great professor and I’m really excited to start using the language as much as possible. After that, we met with our landlord finally. We took care a lot of business, like how to work the oven, laundry machine, and other stuff like lights that were out. Our professors also talked to the landlord about reimbursing us for the sheets and blankets and he agreed eventually. So everything’s good on that front.
While Libbi and Julia went to their first ballet class (amazing, huh? I want to try tennis lessons or yoga class) I showered. So by the time they got back, they were on such a rush that they wanted to go out. Since we had yet to go out even once at night I forced myself to do it even though I actually wanted to stay in and sleep. There is this nice little pub just right down the street, it’s called The Friends Pub. We walked in and got a menu. I was so insanely happy when I saw BLOODY MARY on the menu. Oh my gosh, I was thrilled. I really didn’t think Florence had them at all. So we got a Bloody Mary each with a beer too. It was one of the best Bloodies I’ve had. Julia was making good conversation with the bartender. His name was Fabrizzio and he was an Asian Italian and his family owns the restaurant. His girlfriend was also working at the bar and she was really nice too. I was happy we were able to talk to them because we plan on going there as regulars. After that, we wanted to walk around and find another place. It was beautiful out and we got some really good pictures. It was nice because it was all quiet out and there were hardly any people walking around. The downside was that nothing was open. We decided to go back to the pub. We ordered the same thing and also got to meet Fabrizzio’s brother Mossimo. I got really tipsy off of those 4 drinks. I was pretty surprised because I don’t usually get drunk off of 4, but the alcohol content is so much higher here. All-in-all it was a great night.
Friday:
It wasn’t a great morning, however. I felt like shit and we had to be up really early to go walk around the city. Liz, one of the directors, wanted to show us places around the city that we might need to know. We got to finally see a big supermarket like a pick ‘n’ save. It was a long walk and I got a huge cut on my heel from my shoes, but it will be nice to go there and get cheaper supplies. We walked for a few hours, as usual, and by the time we got back we were all so tired. We must have gotten back by 2p and I napped till 6-7p. It felt so good to catch up on sleep. After I woke up, I just went into Julia and Libbi’s room and hung out with them. We read a little for class and ended up staying up until 2am talking. Since we napped during the day, we weren’t tired, plus we were able to sleep in the next day as well.
10/01/09
Today was amazing because it was one of the first days we were able to sleep in. A few of us stayed up until 2am, which is normal, but for once I slept till 10:30. It was great, but when I woke up all my roommates were all ready. I was so confused because we didn’t need to be ready until 12:15, but they just couldn’t sleep late probably because we are so used to being up early. We met Vanessa (Brit Institute Director) and our professor and then went to the train station. On the agenda today was going to the Florence American Cemetery. It’s the cemetery for the American soldiers in WWII. It looked like Arlington. It was so beautiful. It’s crazy because we had to take a bus there because it is actually outside of Firenze’s walls. We got a lecture for about an hour about it from the groundskeeper. It was so neat because he told us about the war and then about personal stories about family members who have come to visit their young son or daughter (nurses) who were killed. It was very touching. A few of us had tears in our eyes. We stayed there till 4p. After that we came back and ate a little something and then went shopping for a bit. On the way to the market there was this big Palestine riot/protest going on in the street. I was actually kind of scared and after a while we decided it was best to head back home. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home and grabbed some cheap wine. I’m drinking some right now. We are just going to have a chill night and maybe watch some movies.
I think I’ve caught up on most of my emails and finally my blog. I really have to try and set apart some time to blog each day because it’s hard to remember. I hope you all are enjoying this. Sorry for being so long-winded, I think I got it from Casey! Haha just kidding! Take care everyone!
Love,
Marissa
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Today:
- It was such a rainy day today. You all know I loved that. It was so calm and there was less people on the streets. The freshness of the rain was amazing, especially since I haven't showered in two whole days (I finally got a shower in 10 minutes ago) :) Not by choice! Our hot water pilot light broke apparently so no one could shower today. At least I'm fresh and clean right now.
-So we were supposed to meet for class today at 9:00a, but professor had another meeting he had to go to so we all woke up for no reason and were all ready. A little pissed about it, but then we were able to get a jump start on the morning. We all went to the cell phone place to get minutes put on it. The people last time were so nice to us and spoke un po (a little) English. Well, this time the lady was mean and didn't speak any English. It was a great chance for us to practice Italian. I actually enjoyed it and we are really learning so much. I want to continue taking some kinda Italian language class when I get back. Anyone interested?!
-On the way home Julia and I went shopping for a bit. It's called the sale season here and it just started today. Eveything in almost every store is 50% off. Wish I woulda know that a couple days ago when we went shopping! haha.. Oh well! I got a little coin purse because they are such a coin and cash driven society. The last thing we did on our walk home was get this waffle treat. It's a waffle on top of a waffle with whipped cream inside. It was so embarassing eating it cause we had whip cream all over the table. Very fun little adventure we had. Julia and I seem to have a lot of those. Hopefully we stay out of trouble though, :) just kidding parents!
- From 12:00p to 2:30p we read and did some studying. Lame, that's why this point is short! Actually the reading was pretty interesting.. but only for like the first half hour!
- We had our first introduction and meeting at the British Institute today. It was pretty exciting and a little overwhelming. We met the people we will be in contact with if we have questions and problems and we also got to meet one of our professors. His name was James. The meeting was in the library and it lasted around 2-3 hours and then we got a tour of the library. We were all happy when we got done because we had a little time (like 2 hours) to relax before dinner.
- At 8:00p we met Vanessa (The director at British Institute for our program), James, and our professor to go out to eat. We walked a long way, but it was worth it. Vanessa knew the owners so they treated us well. They brought out some bruschetta, liver on bread, and mushrooms on bread. I tried all but the mushrooms of course and I'm not going to lie, the liver was good. Next, they brought out two dishes of pasta. We passed it around a few times thinking it was the final course. Wrong. We were all stuffed and they usually bring out a meat dish, but we had eggplant, broccoli, and fennel. That was great too. Not a huge fan of eggplant, but the other two were good. So then, we were all full. No pio (more!) But then they said dessert and you know I can't pass that up. I had gelato and it came with two different kinds, creme (vanilla) and hazelnut. It was actually the best yet! Yummmm. Oh yeah, and I had to glasses of wine.. still gross!
- Anyway, that pretty much concluded the day. Tomorrow we have a lot of stuff to do, so my head might be spinning, but I'll try to blog. If not for you, at least for myself! Sorry about the emails too! I really want to catch up on those.
I miss you all very much. I really hope everything is going great back home. Also for you Dad and Cindy, I hope your trip is going good and you are able to have some fun. Hopefully Beth and Ashley took you out for a few drinks, I know you've been missing the heavy drinking with Tia and I. :) We miss it too! Have a great rest of the night. It's crazy that it's midnight here and you all still have a lot of your day left! Enjoy it!
Love Always,
Marissa
- It was such a rainy day today. You all know I loved that. It was so calm and there was less people on the streets. The freshness of the rain was amazing, especially since I haven't showered in two whole days (I finally got a shower in 10 minutes ago) :) Not by choice! Our hot water pilot light broke apparently so no one could shower today. At least I'm fresh and clean right now.
-So we were supposed to meet for class today at 9:00a, but professor had another meeting he had to go to so we all woke up for no reason and were all ready. A little pissed about it, but then we were able to get a jump start on the morning. We all went to the cell phone place to get minutes put on it. The people last time were so nice to us and spoke un po (a little) English. Well, this time the lady was mean and didn't speak any English. It was a great chance for us to practice Italian. I actually enjoyed it and we are really learning so much. I want to continue taking some kinda Italian language class when I get back. Anyone interested?!
-On the way home Julia and I went shopping for a bit. It's called the sale season here and it just started today. Eveything in almost every store is 50% off. Wish I woulda know that a couple days ago when we went shopping! haha.. Oh well! I got a little coin purse because they are such a coin and cash driven society. The last thing we did on our walk home was get this waffle treat. It's a waffle on top of a waffle with whipped cream inside. It was so embarassing eating it cause we had whip cream all over the table. Very fun little adventure we had. Julia and I seem to have a lot of those. Hopefully we stay out of trouble though, :) just kidding parents!
- From 12:00p to 2:30p we read and did some studying. Lame, that's why this point is short! Actually the reading was pretty interesting.. but only for like the first half hour!
- We had our first introduction and meeting at the British Institute today. It was pretty exciting and a little overwhelming. We met the people we will be in contact with if we have questions and problems and we also got to meet one of our professors. His name was James. The meeting was in the library and it lasted around 2-3 hours and then we got a tour of the library. We were all happy when we got done because we had a little time (like 2 hours) to relax before dinner.
- At 8:00p we met Vanessa (The director at British Institute for our program), James, and our professor to go out to eat. We walked a long way, but it was worth it. Vanessa knew the owners so they treated us well. They brought out some bruschetta, liver on bread, and mushrooms on bread. I tried all but the mushrooms of course and I'm not going to lie, the liver was good. Next, they brought out two dishes of pasta. We passed it around a few times thinking it was the final course. Wrong. We were all stuffed and they usually bring out a meat dish, but we had eggplant, broccoli, and fennel. That was great too. Not a huge fan of eggplant, but the other two were good. So then, we were all full. No pio (more!) But then they said dessert and you know I can't pass that up. I had gelato and it came with two different kinds, creme (vanilla) and hazelnut. It was actually the best yet! Yummmm. Oh yeah, and I had to glasses of wine.. still gross!
- Anyway, that pretty much concluded the day. Tomorrow we have a lot of stuff to do, so my head might be spinning, but I'll try to blog. If not for you, at least for myself! Sorry about the emails too! I really want to catch up on those.
I miss you all very much. I really hope everything is going great back home. Also for you Dad and Cindy, I hope your trip is going good and you are able to have some fun. Hopefully Beth and Ashley took you out for a few drinks, I know you've been missing the heavy drinking with Tia and I. :) We miss it too! Have a great rest of the night. It's crazy that it's midnight here and you all still have a lot of your day left! Enjoy it!
Love Always,
Marissa
The Time Has Come!
So many firsts have occurred in the last two days and I figured it was about time to catch you all up. Where. To. Start?
Yesterday (Monday) actually turned out to be a pretty lazy day. We woke up early and met the professor in a street café. It was pretty cool, but I think we overstayed our welcome a bit since our drinks only lasted maybe the first half hour. After that, we walked around, as usual. We got to see Dante’s house which was pretty neat. I also gave pizza another shot at a new place and it was a lot better. Maybe it was because we were starving and cold. On the way home we stopped to shop for a bit. It was really frustrating and annoying because they literally have no big sizes, even the biggest sizes were small. I was feeling fat and mad. I ended up getting a peacoat, a black turtle neck, and a white scarf. I look a little more European now, so that was exciting.
My first “First” of the blog comes now. It is Libbi’s birthday today so last night we all decided to drink a little. We had to read first so we allocated two hours to study and then we started the party. Seven us, around a table, playing card games, drinking……. Wine! Well, I still think wine is gross, so obviously I _________ it. Fill in the blank (friends you should def. know this!) I was drunk in no time. It was so much fun, but by midnight, birthday girl was puking and all of us were ready to pass out, haha! It was such a great time and really good way to get to know the roommates better.
Today (during the day) was great. After waking up with a Vino headache, I got dressed and ready to go to class. Julia talked professore into having class at 10:30 instead of 9, which ended up being great because we were able to nurse our hangovers a little bit longer! I had frosted flakes for breakfast and then we headed out to meet Prof. Jeffreys in Piazza dela Republica. Turns out today was Italy’s epiphany and they celebrate it immensely. We decided to have class later and check out the events going on around the city. La Befana is like their Santa Claus and all around town they have women who dress like her and hand out stuff to the kids. We didn’t see any of them, but we did check out this really awesome parade. I’ll have pictures up sometime to show you all the outfits. All the people were dressed up in medieval clothes. After the parade there was this big gathering in front of the Duomo where they all celebrated. We went down there, but there were like hundreds of people and we couldn’t see anything. Julia and I got annoyed at all the Italians pushing so we decided to leave. On the way home we stopped at a pizzeria pub and I had my third try at pizza. This was the best of all. We got garlic and oregano, but like it didn’t have any cheese on it. It still tasted amazing. This will probably be one of our regular hangouts so Dad and Cindy, when you come, we’ll for sure go here. The second, “first” was that I ordered a beer at the pub. It was a Denmark “Strong Ale” and it was a big bottle about 1 liter. It was gross and I had to wash the beer down with pizza. The pizza was like my chaser. I thought you guys would appreciate my openness. When I come home I’ll probably be a beer and wine drinker.
Well, it’s late and the internet is not working, so I’ll probably have to post this tomorrow. I’m trying to keep everything updated, but we are super busy right now. Take care everyone!
Love,
Marissa
Yesterday (Monday) actually turned out to be a pretty lazy day. We woke up early and met the professor in a street café. It was pretty cool, but I think we overstayed our welcome a bit since our drinks only lasted maybe the first half hour. After that, we walked around, as usual. We got to see Dante’s house which was pretty neat. I also gave pizza another shot at a new place and it was a lot better. Maybe it was because we were starving and cold. On the way home we stopped to shop for a bit. It was really frustrating and annoying because they literally have no big sizes, even the biggest sizes were small. I was feeling fat and mad. I ended up getting a peacoat, a black turtle neck, and a white scarf. I look a little more European now, so that was exciting.
My first “First” of the blog comes now. It is Libbi’s birthday today so last night we all decided to drink a little. We had to read first so we allocated two hours to study and then we started the party. Seven us, around a table, playing card games, drinking……. Wine! Well, I still think wine is gross, so obviously I _________ it. Fill in the blank (friends you should def. know this!) I was drunk in no time. It was so much fun, but by midnight, birthday girl was puking and all of us were ready to pass out, haha! It was such a great time and really good way to get to know the roommates better.
Today (during the day) was great. After waking up with a Vino headache, I got dressed and ready to go to class. Julia talked professore into having class at 10:30 instead of 9, which ended up being great because we were able to nurse our hangovers a little bit longer! I had frosted flakes for breakfast and then we headed out to meet Prof. Jeffreys in Piazza dela Republica. Turns out today was Italy’s epiphany and they celebrate it immensely. We decided to have class later and check out the events going on around the city. La Befana is like their Santa Claus and all around town they have women who dress like her and hand out stuff to the kids. We didn’t see any of them, but we did check out this really awesome parade. I’ll have pictures up sometime to show you all the outfits. All the people were dressed up in medieval clothes. After the parade there was this big gathering in front of the Duomo where they all celebrated. We went down there, but there were like hundreds of people and we couldn’t see anything. Julia and I got annoyed at all the Italians pushing so we decided to leave. On the way home we stopped at a pizzeria pub and I had my third try at pizza. This was the best of all. We got garlic and oregano, but like it didn’t have any cheese on it. It still tasted amazing. This will probably be one of our regular hangouts so Dad and Cindy, when you come, we’ll for sure go here. The second, “first” was that I ordered a beer at the pub. It was a Denmark “Strong Ale” and it was a big bottle about 1 liter. It was gross and I had to wash the beer down with pizza. The pizza was like my chaser. I thought you guys would appreciate my openness. When I come home I’ll probably be a beer and wine drinker.
Well, it’s late and the internet is not working, so I’ll probably have to post this tomorrow. I’m trying to keep everything updated, but we are super busy right now. Take care everyone!
Love,
Marissa
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Laid Back Sunday
Today was pretty laid back. But, I feel that's how it always is right before something big starts. As Dad was wondering, yes, I do start school tomorrow. Well, at least class with our travelling professor. Wednesday we have this big orientation and dinner with the British Institute professors and International advisors. That should be interesting and a little intimidating. Although, the roomies and I have been really practicing our Italian. We learn numbers 1-10 today and are working really hard on memorizing our greetings and salutations.
Anyway, back to today. We woke up for the church service that started at 9:30 at Santa Croce. I was actually quite diappointed for it being my first church in Italy. From the outside this church is massive and beautiful. It has a white and green paint on it, of course in a intriguing pattern. The inside, however, wasn't as great as I expected. I guess I had high expectations. It was being remodeled, but the stain-glassed windows were small and didn't shine like I've seen in other churchs and it was a very sunny day. When you first walk into the church, you have to walk to the last 1/8 part until pews start, and even those weren't filled during the service. Our professor said that religion has taken a backseat here in Italy. I was shocked, needless to say. Also, as expected, the whole service was in Italian so we didn't understand a thing and the hymns had no organ music with it and since there were so few people in the church, there was actually barely any singing. (Kind of like church on Christmas eve!) One neat thing was that some of the girls went up for communion. It was nice to see that. Next week we are going to a Lutheran church, so I might be a little nervous to get up there, but I think it would be cool to say I did! My last comment about the church experience was that it was soooooo cold. None of the churches are heated (which is understandable because of their size and Europe's electricity crisis). We were all shivering the whole time.
Probably the thing I miss the most is heat in general. We had to go from a cold church to a cold street to a cold apartment. It's really crazy because it isn't that cold here (like 40's) but our body never gets to warm up, except for maybe in the shower. The sun was out, but the buildings are so tall that the only time the sun hits you is when you are in a sqaure. If you all were wondering, the heat in our apartment is working. But, they are raidiators and they can only be on from 5a-10a and 5p-10p. Only 10 hrs a day, and we don't get to choose and we also can't turn it up. I don't want to should too whinny, but I mean, we are cold 24/7!
Moving on, after the church service, we went to a cafe and I ordered hot lemon tea. It was 1.50 Euros, not too bad. Oh yeah, just to add, the cafes aren't heated either! :) But at least we got out of the wind for a while and we were all huddled together. We left the cafe and our professor still wanted to walk around. I love seeing the sights, don't get me wrong, but this trip was fairly pointless and I had high clogged boots on. We walked for 2 hours in completely the opposite direction of our apartment. All I kept thinking about was how we had to walk all that way back, hahaha! We got to see some cool things, like this random vespa (moped) rally. Like Harley's driving down the street. There must have been at least a hundred of them. Pretty cool. We also went to the muesum where Michaelanglo worked, but for some reason we didn't go through it. I was happy when we finally got back to the apartment because I was so cold and my feet hurt. Heck, it was SUNDAY.. that's my fun-day... or at least relaxing!
We ate leftovers from last night when we got home. Then we had to do some reading for tomorrow. It was so awesome, we all went up on the terrace with our blankets and sat in the sun and read. Most of the girls had a glass of wine, what a life, huh? Then we had a study group discussion so we would be all ready for tomorrow's class. The terrace was amazing and I kept getting smells of hamburgers and summer (it was most likely in my head!) and we all agreed that we need to get a grill.
We all just hung around for a bit after that. A couple of people went out to go shopping around town and the rest of us stayed back. But, of course, we decided to venture out and get a few groceries we were missing. It was nice to get out again. After we came back, we were just chilling and I got a shower in. The pretty much leads up until now. A few of the roomies are getting drunk off of wine right now in the living room, but I really felt like just having a relaxing night and getting to bed early since we have class in the morning. And, if you were thinking, "Of course you didn't drink Marissa, you don't like wine." Don't worry, I got a bottle of vodka, I just wasn't into it tonight. Case, your playlist came in real handy tonight! Thanks!
Well I better get off to bed otherwise I'll end up being up as late as last night! Hope the snow isn't hitting you too hard back in the States. I realize I shouldn't be complaining so much because it hasn't snowed or rained yet (knock on wood) and I'm not driving in the crap either! So, you all be safe driving to work!
Love,
Marissa
ps. oh yeah, and I guess I'm probably missing more than just the heat :)
Anyway, back to today. We woke up for the church service that started at 9:30 at Santa Croce. I was actually quite diappointed for it being my first church in Italy. From the outside this church is massive and beautiful. It has a white and green paint on it, of course in a intriguing pattern. The inside, however, wasn't as great as I expected. I guess I had high expectations. It was being remodeled, but the stain-glassed windows were small and didn't shine like I've seen in other churchs and it was a very sunny day. When you first walk into the church, you have to walk to the last 1/8 part until pews start, and even those weren't filled during the service. Our professor said that religion has taken a backseat here in Italy. I was shocked, needless to say. Also, as expected, the whole service was in Italian so we didn't understand a thing and the hymns had no organ music with it and since there were so few people in the church, there was actually barely any singing. (Kind of like church on Christmas eve!) One neat thing was that some of the girls went up for communion. It was nice to see that. Next week we are going to a Lutheran church, so I might be a little nervous to get up there, but I think it would be cool to say I did! My last comment about the church experience was that it was soooooo cold. None of the churches are heated (which is understandable because of their size and Europe's electricity crisis). We were all shivering the whole time.
Probably the thing I miss the most is heat in general. We had to go from a cold church to a cold street to a cold apartment. It's really crazy because it isn't that cold here (like 40's) but our body never gets to warm up, except for maybe in the shower. The sun was out, but the buildings are so tall that the only time the sun hits you is when you are in a sqaure. If you all were wondering, the heat in our apartment is working. But, they are raidiators and they can only be on from 5a-10a and 5p-10p. Only 10 hrs a day, and we don't get to choose and we also can't turn it up. I don't want to should too whinny, but I mean, we are cold 24/7!
Moving on, after the church service, we went to a cafe and I ordered hot lemon tea. It was 1.50 Euros, not too bad. Oh yeah, just to add, the cafes aren't heated either! :) But at least we got out of the wind for a while and we were all huddled together. We left the cafe and our professor still wanted to walk around. I love seeing the sights, don't get me wrong, but this trip was fairly pointless and I had high clogged boots on. We walked for 2 hours in completely the opposite direction of our apartment. All I kept thinking about was how we had to walk all that way back, hahaha! We got to see some cool things, like this random vespa (moped) rally. Like Harley's driving down the street. There must have been at least a hundred of them. Pretty cool. We also went to the muesum where Michaelanglo worked, but for some reason we didn't go through it. I was happy when we finally got back to the apartment because I was so cold and my feet hurt. Heck, it was SUNDAY.. that's my fun-day... or at least relaxing!
We ate leftovers from last night when we got home. Then we had to do some reading for tomorrow. It was so awesome, we all went up on the terrace with our blankets and sat in the sun and read. Most of the girls had a glass of wine, what a life, huh? Then we had a study group discussion so we would be all ready for tomorrow's class. The terrace was amazing and I kept getting smells of hamburgers and summer (it was most likely in my head!) and we all agreed that we need to get a grill.
We all just hung around for a bit after that. A couple of people went out to go shopping around town and the rest of us stayed back. But, of course, we decided to venture out and get a few groceries we were missing. It was nice to get out again. After we came back, we were just chilling and I got a shower in. The pretty much leads up until now. A few of the roomies are getting drunk off of wine right now in the living room, but I really felt like just having a relaxing night and getting to bed early since we have class in the morning. And, if you were thinking, "Of course you didn't drink Marissa, you don't like wine." Don't worry, I got a bottle of vodka, I just wasn't into it tonight. Case, your playlist came in real handy tonight! Thanks!
Well I better get off to bed otherwise I'll end up being up as late as last night! Hope the snow isn't hitting you too hard back in the States. I realize I shouldn't be complaining so much because it hasn't snowed or rained yet (knock on wood) and I'm not driving in the crap either! So, you all be safe driving to work!
Love,
Marissa
ps. oh yeah, and I guess I'm probably missing more than just the heat :)
English Major?
Just wanted to share a laugh with all of you about my English error. "Costed." Amazing. But it is midnight! I'm sure there will be more so hopefully Casey isn't too critical... just kidding :) Goodnight!
I Would Walk 500 Miles...
I'm going to try my hardest to sum up today briefly:
-First day of trying Gelato (Italy's ice cream) two times sweeter. amazing. I got chocolate chip, but the strawberry appears to be the tastiest. I'll keep everyone posted as I try more :)
-I should change this title to "I will walk 500 miles." Today, we walked like 10, not including the 10 flights of stairs we walk up and down at least 3 times a day. Great workout. My roommate wants to do yoga on our terrace, but it's too cold, plus right now, we are getting way too much of a workout!
- We finally got food in the apartment! We went grocery shopping, it costed Hilary and I 50 Euros which was way better than we thought. We cooked tortallini with pasta sauce and olives. The olives are just as expensive here as Amercia. A little disappointing.
- Last bit of great news. I finally, finally took a shower. It felt sooooo good. We can only do one shower at a time even though we have two showers. Plus, we all overslept today and had no time to get a shower in before we met our professor.
Minus the million-mile hike today, it was pretty laid back. Not much to tell. The same probably goes for tomorrow, but I'll keep you posted!
Love Always,
Marissa
-First day of trying Gelato (Italy's ice cream) two times sweeter. amazing. I got chocolate chip, but the strawberry appears to be the tastiest. I'll keep everyone posted as I try more :)
-I should change this title to "I will walk 500 miles." Today, we walked like 10, not including the 10 flights of stairs we walk up and down at least 3 times a day. Great workout. My roommate wants to do yoga on our terrace, but it's too cold, plus right now, we are getting way too much of a workout!
- We finally got food in the apartment! We went grocery shopping, it costed Hilary and I 50 Euros which was way better than we thought. We cooked tortallini with pasta sauce and olives. The olives are just as expensive here as Amercia. A little disappointing.
- Last bit of great news. I finally, finally took a shower. It felt sooooo good. We can only do one shower at a time even though we have two showers. Plus, we all overslept today and had no time to get a shower in before we met our professor.
Minus the million-mile hike today, it was pretty laid back. Not much to tell. The same probably goes for tomorrow, but I'll keep you posted!
Love Always,
Marissa
Friday, January 2, 2009
The Never Ending Day
Wow.. to say the least! Hello to all of you and I hope your new year has started off bright, mine for sure has. When I arrived at the airport I was super nervous so I decided to be the first person through security so I could sit by the gate to calm down. I said goodbye to my mom and then went through. I was waiting for everyone else for like 10 minutes when Hilary walks up and says, "You're Dad was here!" After I realize I can't go back through security, I start balling. I was so suprised he came and then sad I couldn't show my appreciation. The whole group was so nice about it. Gosh, these last couple days I've been such an emotional wreck! Haha, hopefully that's over now.
Anyway, the first flight from gb to chi was very short and it gave us all a good chance to bond. I did, however, get a dirty look from the flight attendent because I was talking during her demonstration. It was kinda funny and I had to avoid her when I was leaving the plane. Anyway, the next flight from chi-town to europe was crazy. 8 hrs on a plane, but losing a whole day. I ended up sitting next to this really nice guy name Guy and it was an easy and fairly enjoyable ride plus the plane was so huge that it really didn't feel like I was on a plane. Also, they showed like 5 movies the whole time continuously. I watched Eagle Eye and Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants II. I fell alseep during both, but lucky for me it was an 8 hour flight so I was able to see the endings about 2 more times! The only negative was that my legs really started to cramp.
After arriving in Frankfort we all had to go back through security because they are super strick there. Well guess what, 3 of us had water in our water bottles from the last flight. It was a minor ordeal especially because of the language barrier, but it all worked out. Even before the next plane, headed for florence took off, I was knocked out so that trip was pretty much a blur but it was only an hr ride. Let me tell you, the sights of Florence from a plane are breath-taking. The snow-capped mountains and the beautiful tuscon valley looked amazing from the sky.
So next up was baggage claim. All bags accounted for so that was great. The taxi's to our apartment ended up being pd for by the program so that was neat. The Italian drivers are crazy though, they drive so fast and the streets are so small, I think now our biggest worry is getting hit by one! We finally arrive at our apartment and guess what, like most Italians, our landlord was not there. Apparently Italians don't have a great sense of time and usually show up late. Well, it's probably 30-35 degrees out and at first it felt refreshing but it got old quick. We waited probably a good half hour, and finally we were able to bring our bags up to the apartment. We live on the top floor, I think it's like 5-6 stories up, luckily there is an elevator; probably the smallest ever! After we got all our luggage up, we ran around screaming... literally. It is so amazing here. Sure, the apartment is a little dirty, but the view is amazing, probably the best I've ever seen. I really, highly recommend you all coming to see it for youselves!
Then, we got done picking rooms and unpacking. I won't even begin to tell you the setup of the place. It's so random and like a maze that you will just have to see it for yourself. Oh yeah, one huge glich.. they didn't put the heat on yet so basically we were freezing all day and without blankets! My roomies were actually huddled around a table of candles to try and stay warm. Later, Hilary dropped one of her mittens on it and it started on fire: classic! Just a few hours ago we got a ride to IKEA which is about a half hr from our apartments. It's like a Walmart and Sam's Club all in one, only 10 times bigger. I seriously have never been in a bigger store. We got some sheets, blankets, and pillow covers for cheap. We plan on taking a bus trip back for other stuff we need around the flat.
Also, I randomly found a wireless connection and am bumming off of it. Hope that's not against the law here! For some reason my computer seems to be the only one that will connect, gotta love small laptops!
Last bit of news: I had my first authentic Italian dinner. The majority of us got pizza and although the sauce was spectacular, the rest of the pizza (crust, cheese) was pretty disappointing. We'll have to try a new place, I'm sure it will top it.
I think that's pretty much it right now. I still can't believe I'm here. Adjusting to the Italian language has been hard, but the rest of the transitions are going great! Well, I'm finally going to head to bed, I've been up since I left to go to the airport! I can't wait to see what day 2 brings!
Love Always,
Marissa
Anyway, the first flight from gb to chi was very short and it gave us all a good chance to bond. I did, however, get a dirty look from the flight attendent because I was talking during her demonstration. It was kinda funny and I had to avoid her when I was leaving the plane. Anyway, the next flight from chi-town to europe was crazy. 8 hrs on a plane, but losing a whole day. I ended up sitting next to this really nice guy name Guy and it was an easy and fairly enjoyable ride plus the plane was so huge that it really didn't feel like I was on a plane. Also, they showed like 5 movies the whole time continuously. I watched Eagle Eye and Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants II. I fell alseep during both, but lucky for me it was an 8 hour flight so I was able to see the endings about 2 more times! The only negative was that my legs really started to cramp.
After arriving in Frankfort we all had to go back through security because they are super strick there. Well guess what, 3 of us had water in our water bottles from the last flight. It was a minor ordeal especially because of the language barrier, but it all worked out. Even before the next plane, headed for florence took off, I was knocked out so that trip was pretty much a blur but it was only an hr ride. Let me tell you, the sights of Florence from a plane are breath-taking. The snow-capped mountains and the beautiful tuscon valley looked amazing from the sky.
So next up was baggage claim. All bags accounted for so that was great. The taxi's to our apartment ended up being pd for by the program so that was neat. The Italian drivers are crazy though, they drive so fast and the streets are so small, I think now our biggest worry is getting hit by one! We finally arrive at our apartment and guess what, like most Italians, our landlord was not there. Apparently Italians don't have a great sense of time and usually show up late. Well, it's probably 30-35 degrees out and at first it felt refreshing but it got old quick. We waited probably a good half hour, and finally we were able to bring our bags up to the apartment. We live on the top floor, I think it's like 5-6 stories up, luckily there is an elevator; probably the smallest ever! After we got all our luggage up, we ran around screaming... literally. It is so amazing here. Sure, the apartment is a little dirty, but the view is amazing, probably the best I've ever seen. I really, highly recommend you all coming to see it for youselves!
Then, we got done picking rooms and unpacking. I won't even begin to tell you the setup of the place. It's so random and like a maze that you will just have to see it for yourself. Oh yeah, one huge glich.. they didn't put the heat on yet so basically we were freezing all day and without blankets! My roomies were actually huddled around a table of candles to try and stay warm. Later, Hilary dropped one of her mittens on it and it started on fire: classic! Just a few hours ago we got a ride to IKEA which is about a half hr from our apartments. It's like a Walmart and Sam's Club all in one, only 10 times bigger. I seriously have never been in a bigger store. We got some sheets, blankets, and pillow covers for cheap. We plan on taking a bus trip back for other stuff we need around the flat.
Also, I randomly found a wireless connection and am bumming off of it. Hope that's not against the law here! For some reason my computer seems to be the only one that will connect, gotta love small laptops!
Last bit of news: I had my first authentic Italian dinner. The majority of us got pizza and although the sauce was spectacular, the rest of the pizza (crust, cheese) was pretty disappointing. We'll have to try a new place, I'm sure it will top it.
I think that's pretty much it right now. I still can't believe I'm here. Adjusting to the Italian language has been hard, but the rest of the transitions are going great! Well, I'm finally going to head to bed, I've been up since I left to go to the airport! I can't wait to see what day 2 brings!
Love Always,
Marissa
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year/Buon Anno & Italy Bound
Ciao,
Welcome to my very first blog. It's about 5 minutes until the New Year hits central time and I feel very blessed that I'll always be able to look back at New Years '09 and remember that I was headed to Florence, Italy. A year ago I was thinking about how amazing studying abroad would be, but that was merely just a dream. Well, tomorrow that dream starts to come true.
As many of you know, I wanted to study abroad for many reasons: to delay graduation, visit my heritage, and to use as a stepping stone for further adventures. I hope that this experience will encourage me to follow all my travel dreams including join the peace corps. I really just want to thank everyone who was involved in helping me through financial and emotional support. I could not have followed through with this plan without all of you. I'm obviously scared (especially about the plane), but I know I have a great support system to fall back on.
I realize as the "central time ball" drops that I have a great family and amazing friends whom I'm very thankful for. I created this blog so I will be able to keep all of you up-to-date with my daily life in Florence. I encourage all of you to email me whenever you feel like it. I'm clearly going to miss all the lovely people I'm used to seeing on a daily basis. Be safe back in the States and I hope the first part of 2009 treats you well.
Love Always,
Marissa
Welcome to my very first blog. It's about 5 minutes until the New Year hits central time and I feel very blessed that I'll always be able to look back at New Years '09 and remember that I was headed to Florence, Italy. A year ago I was thinking about how amazing studying abroad would be, but that was merely just a dream. Well, tomorrow that dream starts to come true.
As many of you know, I wanted to study abroad for many reasons: to delay graduation, visit my heritage, and to use as a stepping stone for further adventures. I hope that this experience will encourage me to follow all my travel dreams including join the peace corps. I really just want to thank everyone who was involved in helping me through financial and emotional support. I could not have followed through with this plan without all of you. I'm obviously scared (especially about the plane), but I know I have a great support system to fall back on.
I realize as the "central time ball" drops that I have a great family and amazing friends whom I'm very thankful for. I created this blog so I will be able to keep all of you up-to-date with my daily life in Florence. I encourage all of you to email me whenever you feel like it. I'm clearly going to miss all the lovely people I'm used to seeing on a daily basis. Be safe back in the States and I hope the first part of 2009 treats you well.
Love Always,
Marissa
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