FAMILY WEEK!!!-- So needed.
Ok, so this past week was family week! It had been almost three months since I had seen any of my family members. Seeing them really is making finishing out the year that much easier. All I needed was a little family time, and I am now golden. The CUA Rome program really saves some of the most awesome excursions for this week so that our parents are able to participate in the best and most important things, which is AWESOME. Sunday morning my parents arrived. I actually had their plane tracked and had e-mail notifications sent to me so that I knew exactly when they landed and therefore could approximate when they were going to get to their hotel, Hotel Gerber, which I picked because it is right across the street from my school and seemed PERFECT for us. I turned out to be right. :) The accomodated us with 2 rooms, one for my grandma, and one for my dad, mom, tori and I. They gave us a great price, and basically gave us the fourth floor to ourselves. We had a huge personal deck as well as a big public terrace, that non one used except for us---so it was essentially ours. The hotel had a wonderful breakfast and air conditioning (which many hotels do not have). When I got a text from my parents saying that they had arrived, I dropped my blow dryer and basically ran across the street. The feeling I got from seeing my family after so long was truly like nothing I have ever felt before. I am WAY excited for the feeling I am going to get December 16th when I see Nick again!!! Ah! My mom and hugged for basically 5 whole minutes, with a few tears interspersed. Then Dad and I hugged, as well as little Tori and Gram. Tori seemed very into her build a bear at the moment...oh tori. Once we had breakfast, I showed them my campus and we set off for mass at Santo Spirito in Sassia, a church right near the Vatican that I had to write a paper on. I figured I would kill two birds with one stone in that way. After mass, it was basically down-pouring and we all got soaked walking back. Dad and I didn't mind the rain, but everyone else seemed to think "they were going to melt"--as Dad says. LOL. We eventually made it back with a few stolen asian umbrellas that I found under a bush. The jet lag was beginning to set in for them, and everyone basically wanted to chill in the room, which I was totally fine with because I just wanted to talk and catch up on things. I got them Mondo pizza for dinner. Monday, the real tourist stuff started, We toured the Sistene Chapel (where my mom and I illegally snapped a few pictures and where my dad got his cross necklace to be blessed by that Pope) and Vatican Museums that day. That night, my mom also attended my class trip to Il Gesu, a baroque church. It was really something.--A must see. Tuesday, we went to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. I took them out to San Marco that night-- also a big hit. Wednesday, the event of the day was the Papal Audience! We got to see the Pope! My grandma nearly burst into tears at the sight of him and my Dad was just trying to make contact with the Polish people the whole time. Too hilarious. He blessed all of us too, and I got my love lock keys for Nick and I blessed. <3 Thursday we did some shopping and my mom and I attended the Modern Art Museum in Villa Borghese for my Philosophy class. Tori had her 4th gelato that night---she was obsessed. Friday I had English class and we did some more shopping. Oh, and when it came to food, everywhere we went, the only requirement we had for a restaurant was that they had clam linguini, by my Mom's request. She was loving it. I, on the other hand, require something with cheese--lots of cheese. The last night we spent struggling to cram many bottles of wine, various meats, olive oil and balsamic vinagrette into the suitcases for my parents to take home as Christmas presents for friends and family. I am still surprised that they got through Customs even with the police dog sniffing their bags. Overall, it was an amazing week and I was totally ok with saying goodbye because I knew that I would see them in 4 weeks! Its actually down to 25 days now!
BARCELONA!!!-- the city I should have considered for study abroad!
Yes, Rome is perfect for me and I am sure of that, but the beaches of Barcelona--OMG. I was hooked. Barcelona is basically a tropical Washington DC. What more could you ask for right ?! We went from 30 degree weather in Paris, to 80 degree weather in Barcelona. Remember, this was November. We visited that colorful mural wall and walked a good 3 miles to get there because we refused to take the metro after the amount we spent on it in Paris. It was a great walk though and a really nice hill to climb. Also funny thing--- we saw no protestors in Greece, but we were basically followed by them in Spain. They were harmless, but happened to be journeying everywhere we did the whole day. On the way we stopped to look at that huge funky church that is famous--I forgot the name of it clearly. There weren't as many sites to see there, so we spent most of our time shopping and eating. I went on a run while I was there and found the Christopher Columbus monument down by the water. For Halloween we went to a bar where they were giving out Jagger shots-- well more like pouring them down my throat after I had pre-gamed with absinthe. Yep. Not bright on my part. It was a blast and I for sure do not regret it, but lets just say I have the best friends ever here for taking such good care of me that night. I owe them. LOL. Also, In Barcelona, they take Halloween seriously. If you want to dress up go there, but be aware that it will be a wild night. There were a lot of people setting off fake car-bomb things all throughout the city, and the police were doing nothing about it. It was all part of the normal halloween festivities. The last day we walked all along the beach and even put our toes in the water. I could seriously imagine myself going to the beach after class and studying there. OMG. what a dream!!! Barcelona was by FAR my favorite just because I am the biggest beach lover ever. PS-- SANGRIA AND PAELLA ARE AMAZING!!! and do not go out to eat at the tourist traps--- do the authentic places where the Spanish people go. Also, you must try the churros. They are so much better than the fake ones we get in America.
FRANCE!!!
Ok, so here starts the 10 day break. This is a time during which school was cancelled for a whole week and the students had a large amount of tome to travel if they pleased---which I did. First stop, Paris. Since I still have no time in my life I am going to try to re-cap this trip quick.
1.) The first thing we discovered in Paris is that the metro is EXPENSIVE-- especially compared to Rome and DC. Thus, I must emphasize the importance on research before you go places.
2.) After this we went to our apt which was just outside the city. It was perfect for the 8 of us, but the WIFI was horrible. I had to go into the main lobby to get any reception.
3.) Disney World is a quick metro ride!!! But sadly we did not go :(
4.) Paris was really cool I swear, even though all I have said so far are negative things, but humor me with one more.
5.) Paris is FREEZING in the end of October/beginning of November so pack warm clothes, unlike us.
Some cool places we went include the Lourve, Love Lock Bridge, Versailles and Noter Dame. The Lourve was truly the most amazing collection of art that I have ever seen. Literally everything in the world is housed there. The Mona Lisa, however, is ugly and anti-climactic. Go look at the Greek and Egyptian sections instead. The Love Lock Bridge was my main goal the entire time because I wanted to seal my love with my Nicky on this bridge forever. I got my lock, decorated it, locked it to the bridge and threw the key into the river. I have 2 extras also, one for me and one for him. Verasilles was really cool too. Tons of gold and a whole day is needed to explore it all. If you are a student, you can get in for free with your VISA. Unfortunately, I was not able to find Quasimodo at Notre Dame, but I did see someone who looked like a relpica of Esmirelda!
One last thing about France-- GET A CREPE!!!
1.) The first thing we discovered in Paris is that the metro is EXPENSIVE-- especially compared to Rome and DC. Thus, I must emphasize the importance on research before you go places.
2.) After this we went to our apt which was just outside the city. It was perfect for the 8 of us, but the WIFI was horrible. I had to go into the main lobby to get any reception.
3.) Disney World is a quick metro ride!!! But sadly we did not go :(
4.) Paris was really cool I swear, even though all I have said so far are negative things, but humor me with one more.
5.) Paris is FREEZING in the end of October/beginning of November so pack warm clothes, unlike us.
Some cool places we went include the Lourve, Love Lock Bridge, Versailles and Noter Dame. The Lourve was truly the most amazing collection of art that I have ever seen. Literally everything in the world is housed there. The Mona Lisa, however, is ugly and anti-climactic. Go look at the Greek and Egyptian sections instead. The Love Lock Bridge was my main goal the entire time because I wanted to seal my love with my Nicky on this bridge forever. I got my lock, decorated it, locked it to the bridge and threw the key into the river. I have 2 extras also, one for me and one for him. Verasilles was really cool too. Tons of gold and a whole day is needed to explore it all. If you are a student, you can get in for free with your VISA. Unfortunately, I was not able to find Quasimodo at Notre Dame, but I did see someone who looked like a relpica of Esmirelda!
One last thing about France-- GET A CREPE!!!
La Gioconda
First of all, I MUST apologize for not posting in forever!!! So so so so sorry!!! I have been super busy these past 3 weeks with finals, country hopping and family week (as well as many other things). I decided that I had to get done other things before I was able to work on my blog. But here I am! Ok, so in this picture you see the curtain rising over the ballet scene in the 4th act of La Gioconda, the opera that Dr. Ferrario and Dr. Simpson took us out to see for Opera class. It was truly like nothing I have ever seen before. I did not think that I would be that interested in it, but it honestly reads like a play. Even though I was not able to understand a lot of the Italian, I understood the entire story line. The main ballerina was truly amazing. She actually performed her whole duet dance basically naked. She has stickers on a certain area and a thong that basically did not exist, but from where I was sitting, she was butt naked. It was very shocking at first, but once i got over the shock and actually watched her dance, I was truly dazzled. The point of her dancing in such a way I believe was so that the audience was able to see how her muscles moved when she danced. She was RIPPED. The singing of the opera was also beautiful, but I have come to my own personal stance on opera singing---THEY ALL SOUND THE SAME. Their voices are all trained in the same way. Every girl singer sounds the same as every other girl singer, and the same goes for men. Feel free to disagree with me, or prove me wrong, but this is just what I have noticed. Overall, the opera was truly amazing and I recommend that everyone goes to see one in their lifetime.
Cooking Class with Andrea!
Ok, so my posts have been become less frequent, I know. But I have a great reason I swear--The dreaded MIDTERMS WEEK. I would say it is just as dreaded as Finals week. Thus I will only be discussing the super exciting things here from now on instead of day by day posts.
So the exciting thing that happened this week was cooking class! We all did not expect to have such a good looking chef. lol. I swear he looks better than the picture. Anyways, he taught us how to make am amazing four course meal! I can now say that I am able to make pasta sauce from pure tomatoes and garlic. I also learned to blanch a tomato!--super easy, but I had never known what it meant before. For the first course we made two different kinds of bruschetta. The second course was a pasta dish made with my amazing red sauce that was filled with eggplants and basil. The 3rd course was a pan fried steak with a cauliflower kind of side and for dessert we made tiramisu. Since there was so many of us we had to split up into groups. I did not have to make the tiramisu, thank god. I also did not get put on pasta duty, which I was actually sad about because I really wanted to learn how to make homemade pasta! I snick to the other room to see a little bit of how it was made, so I have a slight idea. I would also need to buy a pasta maker/flattener thing to make it anyways. The tiramisu was really beautifully plated, but the dish itself was gross--but that is only because I hate chocolate and coffee--the two main components in tiramisu. Everyone else loved it though! After dinner, Andrea also told us about his restaurant that has a great student deal-- 1 app, 1 main dish, one dessert and wine all for 10 Euros! Such a deal. So, I MUST get back to studying for my Opera class (who am I kidding--I have to start!) because I am going to the opera tomorrow night and won't have much time to study for it tomorrow night! TTYL!
So the exciting thing that happened this week was cooking class! We all did not expect to have such a good looking chef. lol. I swear he looks better than the picture. Anyways, he taught us how to make am amazing four course meal! I can now say that I am able to make pasta sauce from pure tomatoes and garlic. I also learned to blanch a tomato!--super easy, but I had never known what it meant before. For the first course we made two different kinds of bruschetta. The second course was a pasta dish made with my amazing red sauce that was filled with eggplants and basil. The 3rd course was a pan fried steak with a cauliflower kind of side and for dessert we made tiramisu. Since there was so many of us we had to split up into groups. I did not have to make the tiramisu, thank god. I also did not get put on pasta duty, which I was actually sad about because I really wanted to learn how to make homemade pasta! I snick to the other room to see a little bit of how it was made, so I have a slight idea. I would also need to buy a pasta maker/flattener thing to make it anyways. The tiramisu was really beautifully plated, but the dish itself was gross--but that is only because I hate chocolate and coffee--the two main components in tiramisu. Everyone else loved it though! After dinner, Andrea also told us about his restaurant that has a great student deal-- 1 app, 1 main dish, one dessert and wine all for 10 Euros! Such a deal. So, I MUST get back to studying for my Opera class (who am I kidding--I have to start!) because I am going to the opera tomorrow night and won't have much time to study for it tomorrow night! TTYL!
It's All Greek To Me!!!
Seriously though-- Why is my life so wonderful? After this weekend I am seriously under the impression that these past 2 months have been a really long dream. I must be in a coma or something. Literally 3 hours ago I spent off the EasyJet plane from Athens Greece. We were only there for 2 nights/3 days, but it truly felt like longer, in a good way. We never stopped going--which is why I currently cannot feel my butt. SO Day 1- We dropped our stuff at the Apollo Hotel, and set straight off for the Akropolis. It was a little bit of a hike to get up there, but nothing compared to the hike the following day. Once we reached the top, complete awe set into my senses. Once again, I was overcome with pure joy for what I was seeing. I have been studying this stuff for so many years and finally get to see it all in person. Every structure was absolutely massive. This was the first time in my life that I have felt so small. We stayed on top of the Akropolis for a little over an hour and made our descent when they kicked us out for close. By that time, every other educational place was closed, so we just walked around and shopped, which was also a blast. That night we got dinner at an outdoor restaurant--they realllly hawk you in at these places!! I ordered roasted tomatoes stuffed with rice, raisins and another vegetable--I was in heaven.
The next day Maddie, Tori and I went to the Port of Piraeus whilt the others went to some museums. Yes, I wanted to see everything in the museums, but naturally, I am a beach girl and will never say no to the beach. It was really easy to get to the port also. Right when we got there we bought tickets for a ferry to take us to the island of Aegina! The Temple of Ephesos at Aegina is located there, but we did not have enough time to find it :( The ferry that took us over to the island was seriously a yacht/cruise ship. We rode in such style and sunbathed at the same time! After this weekend, I am now tan again--I have never been tan in October! When we got there I swam in the Aegean Sea!!!! It was totally worth it!! And yes, I did swim in a dress because I am insane and I knew I would regret it if I didn't! We also got lunch at this adorable water front restaurant there. I wasn't hungry, so I just got this adorable little wine bottle to drink-- yes, wine can be adorable. We made our way back to AThens by way of another yacht, and met up with the others at the hotel. We all set out then to climb the giant Mount Lycabettus! After just walking up the little street to the mountain, many of us were already tired--but I would not stand for it!! I pushed myself as well as the others to move our young keesters and get up that hill without using the bus! We were all determined to do it and we did. When we all did it we were so proud. Young, WIld and FREE!!--exactly what we are. At the top of the mountain there was a little temple where I little candle for Tori and attached a secret prayer/message to it for her. I have to make myself keep it a secret what I asked for---definitely going to be such a challenge. We stayed up there for a while, but when we were done we hiked back down. After that we shopped some more and got dinner at a place recommended to us by Dr. Ferrario- a great recommendation it was! They gave us free water and free wine! For my dinner I got a sausage dish and baklava for dessert! Nom nom nom!!! We walked around the city after that a bit more and then on the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a candy shop where the others got candy and wine--I got more BAKLAVA!!! And again, it was amazing. I must learn to perfect the art of Baklava-making. That night we had a group meeting at the hotel in our room and shared some wine--I passed just because I already had my Baklava food-baby going hard. Its a choice I had to make. This morning when we woke up in the hotel, we got ready, went to the all you can eat breakfast again, and set out for the Athenian Agora. There, we toured the entire place, but the Stoa of Attalos was the coolest part to me. I was super excited to see the herms that I studied last year in Greek art and Architecture! After that, we shopped some more, a few people got lunch, and we made our way to the airport. Side note---the men in Greece are VERY much like the men in Athens.. They LOVE me. Its so bizarre. I was given 3 flowers from random men, everyone stared at me and wanted to talk to me, they were pretty much mesmerized. I felt like a mermaid/unicorn or some fantastical creature. Honestly, I'm so used to it by now. I do know that I need to be meaner though because I should just blow them off but I don't. I feel bad not saying hi when they do, but I know that I should. I can tell by the looks my girls give me that I need to blow them off, All the ethnicities that people thought I were included were Russian, Canadian, Swiss and German, No one thought I was Polish!! When I told them I was American they got even more excited though! The Greeks love Americans because we spend money there, I was really surprised at the amount of people who knew English there too! Overall, the weekend could not have been more magical (ok well thats a lie--- it would have been a million times more magical if my boyfriend had been there to explore with me <3).
The next day Maddie, Tori and I went to the Port of Piraeus whilt the others went to some museums. Yes, I wanted to see everything in the museums, but naturally, I am a beach girl and will never say no to the beach. It was really easy to get to the port also. Right when we got there we bought tickets for a ferry to take us to the island of Aegina! The Temple of Ephesos at Aegina is located there, but we did not have enough time to find it :( The ferry that took us over to the island was seriously a yacht/cruise ship. We rode in such style and sunbathed at the same time! After this weekend, I am now tan again--I have never been tan in October! When we got there I swam in the Aegean Sea!!!! It was totally worth it!! And yes, I did swim in a dress because I am insane and I knew I would regret it if I didn't! We also got lunch at this adorable water front restaurant there. I wasn't hungry, so I just got this adorable little wine bottle to drink-- yes, wine can be adorable. We made our way back to AThens by way of another yacht, and met up with the others at the hotel. We all set out then to climb the giant Mount Lycabettus! After just walking up the little street to the mountain, many of us were already tired--but I would not stand for it!! I pushed myself as well as the others to move our young keesters and get up that hill without using the bus! We were all determined to do it and we did. When we all did it we were so proud. Young, WIld and FREE!!--exactly what we are. At the top of the mountain there was a little temple where I little candle for Tori and attached a secret prayer/message to it for her. I have to make myself keep it a secret what I asked for---definitely going to be such a challenge. We stayed up there for a while, but when we were done we hiked back down. After that we shopped some more and got dinner at a place recommended to us by Dr. Ferrario- a great recommendation it was! They gave us free water and free wine! For my dinner I got a sausage dish and baklava for dessert! Nom nom nom!!! We walked around the city after that a bit more and then on the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a candy shop where the others got candy and wine--I got more BAKLAVA!!! And again, it was amazing. I must learn to perfect the art of Baklava-making. That night we had a group meeting at the hotel in our room and shared some wine--I passed just because I already had my Baklava food-baby going hard. Its a choice I had to make. This morning when we woke up in the hotel, we got ready, went to the all you can eat breakfast again, and set out for the Athenian Agora. There, we toured the entire place, but the Stoa of Attalos was the coolest part to me. I was super excited to see the herms that I studied last year in Greek art and Architecture! After that, we shopped some more, a few people got lunch, and we made our way to the airport. Side note---the men in Greece are VERY much like the men in Athens.. They LOVE me. Its so bizarre. I was given 3 flowers from random men, everyone stared at me and wanted to talk to me, they were pretty much mesmerized. I felt like a mermaid/unicorn or some fantastical creature. Honestly, I'm so used to it by now. I do know that I need to be meaner though because I should just blow them off but I don't. I feel bad not saying hi when they do, but I know that I should. I can tell by the looks my girls give me that I need to blow them off, All the ethnicities that people thought I were included were Russian, Canadian, Swiss and German, No one thought I was Polish!! When I told them I was American they got even more excited though! The Greeks love Americans because we spend money there, I was really surprised at the amount of people who knew English there too! Overall, the weekend could not have been more magical (ok well thats a lie--- it would have been a million times more magical if my boyfriend had been there to explore with me <3).
The Floating City-- VENICE!!!
Oh My God. Venice is seriously the most gorgeous place I have EVER been to. I truly did no realize it would be so breathtaking. It is seriously the most magical place in the world. I spent this past weekend there and it was not nearly enough. The city seriously looks like it is wither floating, or flooded. It is SO surreal. Words and pictures are not at all enough for a person to understand it. You really have to go there yourself. My mind is so scattered just thinking about it that the things I say may not be in the order in which they happened. One really funny thing I keep forgetting to tell you, Nick, is that I met this older couple on one of the ferries who was from long island NY! Actually I met 2 couples from there, but this one was the most interesting because they are members of MBYC!!! Just like you!!! SO weird. They said they take their boat our from there! And you know how great I am with names, so naturally, I don't remember their names. Nonetheless, it made me feel so much closer to you just talking to them.
WHile we were there, we visited St. Mark's Cathedral (Basilica?) as well as the Doge's Palace. BOth were magnificent. Being the shopping freak that I am though... all I wanted to do was shop! I did that basically every other second I had free. We had a lot of free time this weekend to do pretty much everything we wanted. This is seriously the earliest ever that I have had all my christmas presents bought for people. I am definitely spending more money than I usually would during the school year, but thats only natural. I will never get an experience like this again, and I want all the little trinkets to remember each place that I go to. However, I seem to be spending the least out of everybody anyways. I am a CHAMP at bargain shopping. While in venice we had an amazing Venetian style dinner that included a LOT of fish! I was in heaven. I had an oyster, clams, calamari, shrimp, and probably other fish too. And we were finally served white wine over red!!! <3 my white wine---makes so much sense that they served it too because it pairs well with fish. I have also been employing my proper wine drinking skills that I learned at the Pazzi Castle in Tuscany :) Mom-- you would be proud. Before dinner we all went to get the drink or Tuscany-- a Spritz. Not sure how to describe it other than by saying it is a bubbly wine mixed with an orange liquor and topped with an olive and an orange. SUPER tasty, but being the Americans that we are, we added sugar to it lol. At least I used splenda! SUnday, we went back to Tuscany to shop around more. There are two islands with specialties there--one for blown glass, and the other for lace. I really wanted to go to the lave one badly, but we ended up at the blown glass one ugh whatever. It ended up being really cool though (even though I am sure the lace would have been at least just as amazing) We got to watch how blown glass was made. We toured many shops and then sat down for a drink/lunch. I wasn't hungry so I just got a drink---Sparkling wine infused with peach--- AMAZING!!! I was in heaven. While we were eating I was getting stared at by these really creepy old men. They would not stop staring and I was beginning to feel really uncomfortable. I asked Marie(speaks more Italian than me) to try to pick up what they were saying. She didn't hear much but completely understood what I was seeing. They did not stop for the whole time. And, it only got worse from there-- after we left a basically every store we walked by, the Italian men came out and just stared. Marie kept translating and said that I really did not want to know what they were saying. It was not nice. I felt like I had toilet paper stuck to my butt or something like that, but I did not--I checked. I experienced Italian men staring and hooting at me many times this past month, but THIS---it was BAD. They were so RAVENOUS in Venice--it was insane. Maddie even got so mad at them doing this to me that she yelled at them!! <3 Maddie--always got my back! Overall, though, Venice was truly Magical. The lesson I learned though was so wear clothes that don't flatter me at all. Also, just dress comfortable so that when the train is delayed 2 hours I am not sitting there in a dress when I would be much more comfortable in sweats!!
WHile we were there, we visited St. Mark's Cathedral (Basilica?) as well as the Doge's Palace. BOth were magnificent. Being the shopping freak that I am though... all I wanted to do was shop! I did that basically every other second I had free. We had a lot of free time this weekend to do pretty much everything we wanted. This is seriously the earliest ever that I have had all my christmas presents bought for people. I am definitely spending more money than I usually would during the school year, but thats only natural. I will never get an experience like this again, and I want all the little trinkets to remember each place that I go to. However, I seem to be spending the least out of everybody anyways. I am a CHAMP at bargain shopping. While in venice we had an amazing Venetian style dinner that included a LOT of fish! I was in heaven. I had an oyster, clams, calamari, shrimp, and probably other fish too. And we were finally served white wine over red!!! <3 my white wine---makes so much sense that they served it too because it pairs well with fish. I have also been employing my proper wine drinking skills that I learned at the Pazzi Castle in Tuscany :) Mom-- you would be proud. Before dinner we all went to get the drink or Tuscany-- a Spritz. Not sure how to describe it other than by saying it is a bubbly wine mixed with an orange liquor and topped with an olive and an orange. SUPER tasty, but being the Americans that we are, we added sugar to it lol. At least I used splenda! SUnday, we went back to Tuscany to shop around more. There are two islands with specialties there--one for blown glass, and the other for lace. I really wanted to go to the lave one badly, but we ended up at the blown glass one ugh whatever. It ended up being really cool though (even though I am sure the lace would have been at least just as amazing) We got to watch how blown glass was made. We toured many shops and then sat down for a drink/lunch. I wasn't hungry so I just got a drink---Sparkling wine infused with peach--- AMAZING!!! I was in heaven. While we were eating I was getting stared at by these really creepy old men. They would not stop staring and I was beginning to feel really uncomfortable. I asked Marie(speaks more Italian than me) to try to pick up what they were saying. She didn't hear much but completely understood what I was seeing. They did not stop for the whole time. And, it only got worse from there-- after we left a basically every store we walked by, the Italian men came out and just stared. Marie kept translating and said that I really did not want to know what they were saying. It was not nice. I felt like I had toilet paper stuck to my butt or something like that, but I did not--I checked. I experienced Italian men staring and hooting at me many times this past month, but THIS---it was BAD. They were so RAVENOUS in Venice--it was insane. Maddie even got so mad at them doing this to me that she yelled at them!! <3 Maddie--always got my back! Overall, though, Venice was truly Magical. The lesson I learned though was so wear clothes that don't flatter me at all. Also, just dress comfortable so that when the train is delayed 2 hours I am not sitting there in a dress when I would be much more comfortable in sweats!!
Jagerbombs in Italy?! I think yes.
Ok so basically I have no time to do anything these days. I am going to recap this past week as fast as I can. Wow I am really struggling on this blog thing. But there are only 10 more weeks here!! OMG!! So short! And my family comes in 6 weeks!! Yay!! Omg I have never been so excited--ok maybe I have-- but seriously I am so pumped to show them everything. So this past week my Philosophy class started up again. HUGE UGH. I really enjoy the content, but the class in general, no. I just don't feel like it is philosophical. This is my 6th Philosophy course, I should know. I feel like my teacher thinks there is only one way to think about something, but I am pretty sure that philosophy requires a lot of interpretive thinking, and therefore there are may ways to think about something. Whatever, I still think that the way I think about art is correct and I am standing by that. Friday I had my Italian midterm, which I think went fairly well. That night we all went out to the Abbey for dinner. AMERICANS FO LYFE. We always find our way to our favorite Irish pub, whether we are in Rome or not. lol. I got chicken tenders- amazing!!!- and bruschetta. For my drink I got a mixed drink called the Irish Kiss. It tasted a lot like a Tequila Sunrise. Then an Irish band came for some live music! That set the night off on the right note. It also made all the girls order Jagerbombs---IDK how that happened. If you look at the picture you can see me examining my Jagerbomb and thinking "Dear God, What did I get myself into?!". I've had them before, but I have seriously become a grandma lately and haven't been drinking much at all, so this was interesting for me to be doing. After dinner we all went to out favorite bar, the Steelers Bar, to chill with our favorite bartender, Giovanni. He is the BOMB. So funny-- he asked me where I was from and before I could answer he said that I looked like I was from heaven. lol. He thought all my friends and I were beauties---which we are!! Nothing wrong with knowing it. He also really enjoys giving us free shots often--hence why we go back! After having long talks and heart to hearts with eachother as well as with Gioavanni, we made our way back to the dorms where I passed out. The next morning, Saturday, we went to the Circus Maximus, where there was this massive farmers market with free wine and cheese samples at almost every stand. There was even a man selling honey, as well as extracting it from his beehive right next to him! SCARY! I bought pears and this amazing apple juice there. SO GOOD and no sugar added. It was all natural. Today, Sunday 9/30, I woke up at 8 am to go on a guided bike tour of all the tombs and catacombs on the Via Appia. Everything we say was really cool, but I thought the tour guide could have been a little more interesting as well as professional. He didn't have a uniform or anything and I could barely hear him. Nonetheless, I saw a lot of important things from my studies. After that we went back to the Abbey Theater for brunch! I ordered an omelet and homefries, but they strangely brought me mozzeralla and proscuitto... I was very confused. She brought it back to the kitchen and but the right order in. SO AWKWARD. And now i have been doing homework since i have been back---got so much done this weekend OMG I needed to. TTYL!
Night with Nuns- Tuscany!!
Ok so friday night (9/21) we had a night with the Franciscan nuns. The talk was about the year of faith. Really interesting. After though... we got a free dinner! The appetizer I think was bruschetta, and for the meal we got to choose between two pastas. For dessert we could either have tiramisu(gross!) or this fluffy cake thing that also ended up being gross--like all spongey, mooshy and watery. But it was for Maggie's b-day so yay! After dinner, almost everyone went out to the bar except for 5 of us. It was already 11 pm and we had to wake up by 7 am. Ha no. I do not do that. I am officially a grandma and I love it. Once i got back to the dorm with a few others I skyped Nick and my family <3 I wasn't going to have access to technology all weekend, so I had to say goodbye. Then I packed and went to bed. In the morning I was so ready to go. 3 people didn't make it into the bus--most likely because they partied too hard the night before. They had to take and pay for a train themselves to get to tuscany. On the first day we went to Siena. We went to the church of San Domenico, where the head of St. Catherine is located. I get thats its religious and all but honestly....GROSS!!! It was this shriveled head with no eyeballs like the shrunken heads in the 3rd Harry Potter movie!! OMG. We also went to the Sancturio di Santa Catarina. This is where St. Catherine grew up as well as the place where her mother is said to have seen her levitating up the stairs. In Siena we also visited the Monte de Paschi di Siena, Piazza del Campo, and the Dumom(gorgeous!). Oh and how could I forget... I was standing right next to Guy Fieri!! I knew it was him when I saw him! He must have been in Siena on the job for Food Network! Too cool! OMG though-- he is SO SHORT. SO mad that I didn't even think to get a picture with him ugh. Oh, and we also went to church in Italian during our break. I literally fell asleep during the homily--OOPS. That night we went to the Hotel Minerva and had dinner at the hotel. We were served bread, wine, pasta and gelato. After that Dr. Dawson took us into the city of Arezzo(where our hotel was) and showed us where we could go out. We found this awesome American bar that had lights that changed colors. SO COOL. There I got a mai tai and a tequila sunrise(not strong enough if I may say so). We headed back to the hotel around 1. When we got back the Loyola kids were bring beyond rude screaming in the hallways. Its really sad when people aren't able to handle drinking liquor appropriately as well as to control themselves when they have consumed any. Really pathetic and immature. Also really sad when some girls feel the need to show off certain piercings, especially when your body is less than appealing. Anyways, we ended up getting barely any sleep that night even though we had politely asked them to quiet down.
The next day before we set out they got scolded in front of the whole group, as they should have--though I don't think it was nearly as harsh as it should have been. We headed into Arezzo again to explore the town a little more. That night though was the highlight of the day. We took the longest bus ride into the hills of Tuscany to this Medieval Castle where we had a wine tour and tasting! It was seriously a once in a lifetime experience. I learned how to properly drink and taste wine. I also learned how to tell if my wine is good/its alcoholic content. We tried four wines--one white, two red, and a dessert wine. I loved them all except the dessert wine. Gross. It tasted like really bad syrup. After that, we went out of the castle to their dining area where we had a feast of breads, risotto, meat and potatoes, and this creme dessert---oh and obviously wine. :) I casually sipped my glass, while others tended to keep refilling and ended up drunk off of wine, and the budget of the university. CLASSY... They did so much for us that day and still, some people take take take. Its really just sad. Other than certain people, it was an amazing time. I also bought a few things at the gift shop there :)
The next day we went to Arezzo and Pienza. Just walked around both towns a little bit and visited a few churches. At Pienaz we went to a restaurant that Dr. Dawson lead us to. There I got a pumpkin risotto. Really tasty and super fresh. Then we headed back to the bus for a long ride back to Rome. That night when we got back I went for a run along the Tiber. OMG. I needed that run more than anything. Your totally supposed to eat anything when your on vacation, but when you get back home--- Detox and workout time for sure.
The next day before we set out they got scolded in front of the whole group, as they should have--though I don't think it was nearly as harsh as it should have been. We headed into Arezzo again to explore the town a little more. That night though was the highlight of the day. We took the longest bus ride into the hills of Tuscany to this Medieval Castle where we had a wine tour and tasting! It was seriously a once in a lifetime experience. I learned how to properly drink and taste wine. I also learned how to tell if my wine is good/its alcoholic content. We tried four wines--one white, two red, and a dessert wine. I loved them all except the dessert wine. Gross. It tasted like really bad syrup. After that, we went out of the castle to their dining area where we had a feast of breads, risotto, meat and potatoes, and this creme dessert---oh and obviously wine. :) I casually sipped my glass, while others tended to keep refilling and ended up drunk off of wine, and the budget of the university. CLASSY... They did so much for us that day and still, some people take take take. Its really just sad. Other than certain people, it was an amazing time. I also bought a few things at the gift shop there :)
The next day we went to Arezzo and Pienza. Just walked around both towns a little bit and visited a few churches. At Pienaz we went to a restaurant that Dr. Dawson lead us to. There I got a pumpkin risotto. Really tasty and super fresh. Then we headed back to the bus for a long ride back to Rome. That night when we got back I went for a run along the Tiber. OMG. I needed that run more than anything. Your totally supposed to eat anything when your on vacation, but when you get back home--- Detox and workout time for sure.
9/18
WOW. So its been a week since ive posted. Sorry! Since I can't fully remember every detail of what I have done the last seven days I'll do my best to re-cap the important stuff. Tuesday and Wednesday of last week I think were pretty normal. Thursday though I went on my first run since I've been here. BAD, I know. I am truly horrible at running outside. I am a great uphill walker due to my gym workout of walking at a huge incline(burns more calories than running people!!!), but running--NO. Boo my asthma. :( Nonetheless, I knew I needed to work out so I went and did intervals. I felt SO good after it OMG. I ran from campus all through Vatican City and through the Castel Sant Angelo area. Probably only two miles total, but still, it felt so good. After that one time I decided that I would do it at least 3 times a week. And then I got sick...AGAIN. This time I have a cold. So that stopped my workout for a little while. Today though I was able to get back on track and work out. Ok so back to last week-- Friday we had this optional thing with priests where they gave us a talk about confession. Now, I don't usually do that sort of thing but this time--it included FREE DINNER--hello DAD for your Polish-ness and training me to seek out every free thing I can get my hands on :) In the end though it ended up actually being really fun. The "priests in training (PIT's)" were really cool people and didn't lecture us on God much at all. They are actually NORMAL people! Who knew!? They went out to dinner with us afterwards--the dinner that they clamied was small. Once again--small Italian dinners are 3 course dinners. NOT SMALL. For appetizers we were all brought bruschetta, fried olives, and some other fried vegetable thing. We also got out choice of wine, soda or beer. For the second course we got our choice of 4 personal pizzas. I got Margherita, per usual(also Margherita was my Spanish name in spanish class in middle school, so I have this deep connection to the name to start with). For dessert everyone was given tiramisu--except me(chocolate hater 4 lyfe) and those people with allergies. For our dessert they brought a whole 1/8 slice of a watermelon. The way they serve watermelon is insane. I will take a picture of it next time and post it. Saturday I woke up and me Cold/Fever/allergies/whatever it was really kicked in. I tried to rest all day. I had no appetite all day so I literally ate nothing for like 15 hours. Then my dorm friends all started getitng ready to go out and were trying to get me to go. OHHHHH NO. I was so not about to go. But then... I remembered that 2 weekends ago I stayed in like a lame-o because I was sick then too. I was NOT about to let some illness stop me from partying in Roma, especially when I have less than 3 months left to do it! Also, Shannon was just as sick as me and she decided that she was not going to let it stop her! I got right up then, did my hair, make-up and put on a bar outfit an walked right out that door! (OMG I'm so dramatic!) YOLO!!! First stop, we went to the Abbey Theater--seriously we have all made this our place to eat and pre-game at. They know us right when we walk in. They have this really good deal there that gets you a meal and a drink for 10 euros(ok so not that good, but good enough, and we can use out meal tickets to buy liquor :0). After that we tried to go to the Drunken ship(bar with pong that I have been DYING to go to--OMG I miss pong so bad), but it was super packed so we didn't even try. Instead, we went to this bar right around the corner called Femme that the girls said was really fun and cheap. We definitely had a blast. For 20 Euros you can get a pitcher of mixed drink and TEN shots. Such a deal. They chose to get Vodka-Tonic, which I particularly don't like, but the shots were good. We went into the back of the bar where there were these couches. I didn't realize until we were in there that the room we were in had a provocative name...message me if you really want to know (little eyes read this blog--lol). While we were there though I got hit on by these 4 random Italian guys. Honestly I thought they were just being friendly and hitting on more than just me, but the girls said differently. Wow I am bad at interpreting men. ANyways though we were going to go to the Drunken Ship with them afterwards so that I could show them how I could WHOOP them at pong, Americano style, but then we sort of lost/ditched them. They weren't worth looking for lol. We got AMAZING Gelato instead and headed home. Sunday I just did homework. Monday, I received the BEST care packages in the history of the world from my Mom, Dad, and Tori(your pictures of us were the best part <3). The rest of the care package included an extension cord and pounds and pounds of junk food. I am going to get FAT OMG. So much for getting a 6 pack in Rome. lol. JK JK. I can still do it. Pringles and candy corn are essential for 6 packs right?! Number one rule with all of it though--MODERATION. I pretty much have an American grocery store in my dorm room though, hilarious. I even have people offering to pay me 5 euros for 1 piece of candy corn. I'm considering it... lol. For Liturgy class yesterday we went to Santa Prassede, Santa Pudentiana and Santa Maria Maggiore(the picture is of the ceiling decoration here...I think...). One of the "P" churches was super cool because it was from early Christianity and was much lower than the street level. This was because over time, the city is built on top of itself, and in that way ancient buildings get lower and lower as time goes on. We were able to see exactly how thick 1600-1700 years of earth was. TOO COOL. Oh, and yesterday was Jacob's birthday! We all went out to dinner at the Abbey Theater to celebrate. I got salad and water because I am lame, and everyone else got beer/wine and a burger/pasta. After that some people stayed to drink, while tbe rest of us got gelato. Today, I went on a really long walk and went to try these pants on again that I have been wanting so bad but am still not sure. They are black leather pants/leggings. SO COOL, but I just dont know. I want them so bad, but I'm just not sure. I have a feeling I will be going back there for a third time later this week to buy them. They are 15 euro, so not too bad, but I just don't know if I want to save that for something else. UGH Life. Omg but thwy would look SO good with my black leather boots in the wintertime. OMG I need them. Oh and as of today I am feeling a LOT better thank god. I'm hoping to go on a run Thursday. SOMEONE, MAKE ME GO. TTYL! ;)
9/11 :(
Before I inform you guys of my life I want to recognize all the men, women, and DOGS--yes dogs-- who risked and lost their lives for us on this day eleven years ago. I have watched many videos of men coming home to their families from Iraq as well as many dogs searching through the rubble for any survivors. Every time it brings many tears to my eyes. Even though I was lucky to not be directly effected, I still feel the huge loss that we suffered. I just want to finish with saying thank you to all who served us as well as to those who currently do.
Ok, so I left off with Saturday. I had planned to go to the beach, but it turned out that almost no one was up for it. Thus we decided to all go to this antique fair that everyone seemed to be interested in. I HATE antiques. lol. But I went anyways because thats whee everyone was going. Surprisingly, it ended up being really cool! I shopped for a really long time and tried to be really good with my money. There were so many things I wanted to get for my boo (Nick-lol), but I wasn't sure if he would like them or of they were good quality-- like not cheap knockoffs. But in the end, I ended uo leaving with this HOT antique flamenco dress. I absolutely love it. Nick-- you need to take me out dancing now. <3 After that I'm pretty sure I stayed in and did homework.
Yesterday, 9/10, for my liturgy class we were instructed to meet in some random piazza at the top of the Aventine hill. I personally loved the uphill walk because that is what I do for my workout. Other people were definitely riding the strugglebus though. Once we got there there was this little peep-hole in a door that we were instructed to look through. It had the PERFECT view of the Vatican from the top of Rome. Gorgeous. Then we visited the oldest Christian church in Rome, Santa Sabina, and a monastery. For dinner, we were taken to a German food place. We all shared the best fondue and desserts. Everyone got a beer but me. lol I just HATE beer and there is no changing that!
Ok, so I left off with Saturday. I had planned to go to the beach, but it turned out that almost no one was up for it. Thus we decided to all go to this antique fair that everyone seemed to be interested in. I HATE antiques. lol. But I went anyways because thats whee everyone was going. Surprisingly, it ended up being really cool! I shopped for a really long time and tried to be really good with my money. There were so many things I wanted to get for my boo (Nick-lol), but I wasn't sure if he would like them or of they were good quality-- like not cheap knockoffs. But in the end, I ended uo leaving with this HOT antique flamenco dress. I absolutely love it. Nick-- you need to take me out dancing now. <3 After that I'm pretty sure I stayed in and did homework.
Yesterday, 9/10, for my liturgy class we were instructed to meet in some random piazza at the top of the Aventine hill. I personally loved the uphill walk because that is what I do for my workout. Other people were definitely riding the strugglebus though. Once we got there there was this little peep-hole in a door that we were instructed to look through. It had the PERFECT view of the Vatican from the top of Rome. Gorgeous. Then we visited the oldest Christian church in Rome, Santa Sabina, and a monastery. For dinner, we were taken to a German food place. We all shared the best fondue and desserts. Everyone got a beer but me. lol I just HATE beer and there is no changing that!
9/9/12
Ok so I've been meaning to address this for a while. Rome is TROPICAL. I literally had no clue it was. But maybe I am being dumb because it is in the Mediterranean which I do associate with being tropical. Well nonetheless, I have concluded that Rome(Italy in general actually) is tropical. No complaints here!
So I have no clue where I last left off--lets just start with Wednesday. This day I has opera class which was once again totally cool. We were assigned our term project since there are only 13 classes left in the whole semester! Super weird, but awesome (<3 once a week classes). Once the sheet got around to me to pick my Opera on which my project would be based there was only one left. So essentially, I didn't get to choose. However, being the brilliant musician that I am(violin, cello, and a-cappela in high school--lol), I actually got the good opera. Mine is by the composer Vivaldi, who many probably thought was some random guy who they had never heard of. EVERYONE has heard Vivaldi in their life, I'm sure of it. The opera I am doing is called Cato in Unica. I am actually planning on getting this project done this week so that I don't have to worry about it and can focus my attention on my senior project. I had a meeting with Dr. Ferrario right after class about my senior project. It went very well and I feel like I am really on the right path. It is seriously the coolest class ever. It is almost entirely independent except for a few meetings here and there. It is my job to assign myself homework and make plans to finish certain parts of it. I am my own teacher. It is hugely focused around time management and organization. I had settled on the topics of Roman emperors and their achievements. I have decided to change it to Roman emperors and their achievements/failures because there are so many emperors who are known for being terrible. I am also going to include any monuments or buildings that those emperors may have built in it. The class will include about 40 lectures. Later in the day I had Italian. I really love that class. The whole time we are so engaged that time just flies by so quick. Thursday I had NO CLASSES!! So I decided to focus that day on my senior thesis and studying Italian. I also went for a walk to the Vatican and shopped a little at the vendors. Love the vendors omg. They sell the cutest dresses for so cheap. I'm actually thinking og going back there tomorrow because I have a vision of a dress that I want and I'm hoping they have something like it. Its like a black long sleeve dress but the arms are lace(yes mom, I know you hate it)-- but I need to at least see it. Lace is really in now too. Allora(Italian lol), so yesterday was Friday. I had Roman literature in the morning and Italian in the evening. Both of those went well. Actually that was the fun part of my day. That night I had this awesome plan to go to this bar called the Drunken Ship. I found it on a website that said it was one of the top ten bars for american students looking to have a blast. However, we ended up going to a different bar last minute because it was one of the girl's birthdays here. I was totally fine with this up until the bar ended up being in the sketchiest part of Rome and our guide ended up barely knowing her way. I would definitely say we walked a good three miles and asked at least 5 people where we were along the way. By the time we got there we discovered that there was a 8 euro cover for the guys, we thought it was free for everyone, and the bouncer didn't give the guys change back for their 20 they used. At that point, the night was truly ruined for me. I know it wasn't my birthday and I shouldn't have been such a baby, but I was truly uncomfortable being so far out of the way. Also, the drinks cost 9 euro for one. RIDICULOUS. And then, I started to get really emotional because the bar had US license plates all over the inside. I really do hate when Italian bars do that because it makes me miss home more. When I'm in a foreign country, I want to feel like I am in a foreign country. Don't even try to trick me with your US license plates! Fake!!!! Maddie (lifesaver) figured out how to get back and we left together. We found the sketchy bus stop and waited a good 45 minutes for it come. There was a sandwich shop right across the street and we were both starving so we took advantage of that. The bus ride back seriously felt like I was inside of a shake-weight---rumbling like woah. I think I got a workout by sitting there. It also almost made the sandwich come right back up(ewwww). But it stayed down thank god lol. So ya, Friday STUNK!!!!
Today though, I had a blast! Woke up around 11, got ready, did some homework and laundry, and then met everyone downstairs for our first group adventure! First stop was the catacombs of St. Sebastian. I thought we would just be seeing smelly old graves, but they ended up being really awesome smelly old graves! The religious aspect of burying the dead was really apparent on the tombs with things slike pictures of whales to indicate the story of Jonas. Tons of prayers were also etched into the wall that directly addressed Peter and Paul. The catacombs were very musty and a lot of them actually were kind of wet. They were really small too because people were shorter back then. Then we made our way up to the church built on top of the site(note the site is outside of the city walls because it was illegal to bury the dead within the walls) where we saw our first of three weddings today. <3 Next, we loaded back onto the bus and went to the town where the Pope summers (I thought holy people, especially Popes, were not supposed to live a life of luxury, but one of modesty... :/...). Anyways, we hiked to the top of a hill to get there. It was well worth it. This town overlooked a huge lake formed by a volcanic eruption. There were so many amazing places to eat and shop there. We all went to this little bakery and got an Italian dessert. Mine was this cornocopia shaped thing filled with a lemon custard. AMAZING-- and only 1 euro! I also bought an awesome tee-shirt here with Pope John Paul II's face on it (be jealous). After this we walked back down the hill and drove to another town where we had dinner. Thil hill we had to hike up was much much higher. I loved it though because it was an incline exactly like I do when I work out. I miss the gym!!! :( The restaurant we went to looked like a place where a traveling barbarian would stop to buy a slab of meat and a pint of beer. lol. It was so ITALIAN country. Loved it. Everything was so rich and fresh. They brought out so much food too!-- Bread, Grilled Bread with olive oil, mozzarella, smoked pork, these beef stick things, sausages, salami, proscuitto, wine, pasta with red sauce, then a pasts with pepper and bacon in it, and then lastly cookies for dessert. I had to make myself stop eating. I only had the pasta with red sauce. Such will power!! It was such a cultural meal though, and totally worth it. Lots of people seemed to be loosening their belts after that meal--Hilarious. By this time it was around ten and we got back on the bus(walked down the steep hill ah!) and headed towards campus. And now I am here. Hopefully some really cool stuff will happen in these next few days that I can tell you all about! Planning on the beach tomorrow!
So I have no clue where I last left off--lets just start with Wednesday. This day I has opera class which was once again totally cool. We were assigned our term project since there are only 13 classes left in the whole semester! Super weird, but awesome (<3 once a week classes). Once the sheet got around to me to pick my Opera on which my project would be based there was only one left. So essentially, I didn't get to choose. However, being the brilliant musician that I am(violin, cello, and a-cappela in high school--lol), I actually got the good opera. Mine is by the composer Vivaldi, who many probably thought was some random guy who they had never heard of. EVERYONE has heard Vivaldi in their life, I'm sure of it. The opera I am doing is called Cato in Unica. I am actually planning on getting this project done this week so that I don't have to worry about it and can focus my attention on my senior project. I had a meeting with Dr. Ferrario right after class about my senior project. It went very well and I feel like I am really on the right path. It is seriously the coolest class ever. It is almost entirely independent except for a few meetings here and there. It is my job to assign myself homework and make plans to finish certain parts of it. I am my own teacher. It is hugely focused around time management and organization. I had settled on the topics of Roman emperors and their achievements. I have decided to change it to Roman emperors and their achievements/failures because there are so many emperors who are known for being terrible. I am also going to include any monuments or buildings that those emperors may have built in it. The class will include about 40 lectures. Later in the day I had Italian. I really love that class. The whole time we are so engaged that time just flies by so quick. Thursday I had NO CLASSES!! So I decided to focus that day on my senior thesis and studying Italian. I also went for a walk to the Vatican and shopped a little at the vendors. Love the vendors omg. They sell the cutest dresses for so cheap. I'm actually thinking og going back there tomorrow because I have a vision of a dress that I want and I'm hoping they have something like it. Its like a black long sleeve dress but the arms are lace(yes mom, I know you hate it)-- but I need to at least see it. Lace is really in now too. Allora(Italian lol), so yesterday was Friday. I had Roman literature in the morning and Italian in the evening. Both of those went well. Actually that was the fun part of my day. That night I had this awesome plan to go to this bar called the Drunken Ship. I found it on a website that said it was one of the top ten bars for american students looking to have a blast. However, we ended up going to a different bar last minute because it was one of the girl's birthdays here. I was totally fine with this up until the bar ended up being in the sketchiest part of Rome and our guide ended up barely knowing her way. I would definitely say we walked a good three miles and asked at least 5 people where we were along the way. By the time we got there we discovered that there was a 8 euro cover for the guys, we thought it was free for everyone, and the bouncer didn't give the guys change back for their 20 they used. At that point, the night was truly ruined for me. I know it wasn't my birthday and I shouldn't have been such a baby, but I was truly uncomfortable being so far out of the way. Also, the drinks cost 9 euro for one. RIDICULOUS. And then, I started to get really emotional because the bar had US license plates all over the inside. I really do hate when Italian bars do that because it makes me miss home more. When I'm in a foreign country, I want to feel like I am in a foreign country. Don't even try to trick me with your US license plates! Fake!!!! Maddie (lifesaver) figured out how to get back and we left together. We found the sketchy bus stop and waited a good 45 minutes for it come. There was a sandwich shop right across the street and we were both starving so we took advantage of that. The bus ride back seriously felt like I was inside of a shake-weight---rumbling like woah. I think I got a workout by sitting there. It also almost made the sandwich come right back up(ewwww). But it stayed down thank god lol. So ya, Friday STUNK!!!!
Today though, I had a blast! Woke up around 11, got ready, did some homework and laundry, and then met everyone downstairs for our first group adventure! First stop was the catacombs of St. Sebastian. I thought we would just be seeing smelly old graves, but they ended up being really awesome smelly old graves! The religious aspect of burying the dead was really apparent on the tombs with things slike pictures of whales to indicate the story of Jonas. Tons of prayers were also etched into the wall that directly addressed Peter and Paul. The catacombs were very musty and a lot of them actually were kind of wet. They were really small too because people were shorter back then. Then we made our way up to the church built on top of the site(note the site is outside of the city walls because it was illegal to bury the dead within the walls) where we saw our first of three weddings today. <3 Next, we loaded back onto the bus and went to the town where the Pope summers (I thought holy people, especially Popes, were not supposed to live a life of luxury, but one of modesty... :/...). Anyways, we hiked to the top of a hill to get there. It was well worth it. This town overlooked a huge lake formed by a volcanic eruption. There were so many amazing places to eat and shop there. We all went to this little bakery and got an Italian dessert. Mine was this cornocopia shaped thing filled with a lemon custard. AMAZING-- and only 1 euro! I also bought an awesome tee-shirt here with Pope John Paul II's face on it (be jealous). After this we walked back down the hill and drove to another town where we had dinner. Thil hill we had to hike up was much much higher. I loved it though because it was an incline exactly like I do when I work out. I miss the gym!!! :( The restaurant we went to looked like a place where a traveling barbarian would stop to buy a slab of meat and a pint of beer. lol. It was so ITALIAN country. Loved it. Everything was so rich and fresh. They brought out so much food too!-- Bread, Grilled Bread with olive oil, mozzarella, smoked pork, these beef stick things, sausages, salami, proscuitto, wine, pasta with red sauce, then a pasts with pepper and bacon in it, and then lastly cookies for dessert. I had to make myself stop eating. I only had the pasta with red sauce. Such will power!! It was such a cultural meal though, and totally worth it. Lots of people seemed to be loosening their belts after that meal--Hilarious. By this time it was around ten and we got back on the bus(walked down the steep hill ah!) and headed towards campus. And now I am here. Hopefully some really cool stuff will happen in these next few days that I can tell you all about! Planning on the beach tomorrow!
9/2-9/3
So yesterday was boring and I basically did homework and went to the grocery store. That was all I could do because I was feeling so sick. I feel a little better today though thank god. The best part of yesterday though was when Claudia, our "dorm mom"(thats what I call her because I don't know exactly what she does) made me risotto! It was so amazingly delicious and made me feel so special cause she only made it for me. Im spoiled. lol That was literally all I was able to digest though yesterday. Atleast what I did eat was delicious. I am starting to think that my stomach problems are connected to missing Nick and my family so much. I'm having a blast. seriously, but this is the hardest and most different thing I have ever done in my life. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Is it possible? Message me if you do. So, now for the interesting part--today in Liturgical Art and Architecture we went to St. Peter's Basilica! We actually got to go inside as well as to the crypt floor. I couldn't tell you how many dead popes I saw. As like holy and amazing as it is...it was also kind of gross. The church as a whole was breathtaking, but the dead, rotting popes...not so much. I was being really weird and thinking to myself when I saw them things like..."Yo bro!! You look like you need some water man!! Your really old!" Or..."Wake up old man!" I'm sorry. I just couldn't help it. At least I didn't say it out loud. The attached picture is a body of one of the dead popes. Basically what we had to do for this assignment was to really take in the basilica as a whole and try to find meaning in why things were crafted or designed the way they are. Like certain colors used, shapes, etc. Then we had to get the historical context in which is was built and try to make connections there. Sounds boring, yes, but it was actually very interesting. After that class I was done for the day and went back to my dorm to do homework. For dinner we all went to an Irish pub where we are able to use our meal tickets. Everyone got burgers, liquor, and a few people got dessert too--except me. My stomach is still being weird, so I got beef stew. It was the special and actually good. It didn't upset my stomach too much--until we got back to the dorm ugh. LIFE. The girls left without the busy after dinner because they stayed behind to have more drinks. Their selection was amazing. Maybe when/if I get better I will be able to go back and have drinks too. :( In the Roma Blog I have posted a few photos of the menu(must see--too cool!)
8/31-09/01
Ok, so I think I have my dates mixed up but w/e. This is what happened within the last 3 days. Thursday I had my second, and last for a little while, Philosophy of Art class. She had us go to a random piazza in the city and "get lost". I understand the concept-- like maybe if we got lost we would get to explore random places and discover new and beautiful things by means of our senses. For example, one of our instructions when we were there was so close our eyes. This makes your sense of hearing as well as seeing more intense--and tasting/smelling. Some of the instructions were a little weird though like..."follow a little boy and see where he goes". I reallly don't think his mother would appreciate that... stalker status! So with this month off of Philosophy, my partner and I have to do some sort of art project using a sheet of plastic--shouldn't be very hard at all. Later that day I had Italian class. Same old stuff. Except, we were playing some learning game and I was starting to get kind of angry because my team wasn't winning. Ya, I'm definitely a little too competitive. I don't really remember what happened after that which is why I need to update this more often. At some point last week we took a trip to the Trevi Fountain. It was really cool just to walk around. We also got lunch there, 3 courses for 10 euros. They ended up being pretty small courses, as it should be. It was bruschetta, lasagna, and then sorbet. Friday, I had my 1/15 Roman literature classes. It is definitely going to be very interesting. ALl of my classes have a lot of reading, but I actually really love it. It is all stuff that I am very interested in as well as stuff that I already know. After studying the Classics for so long, it seems as though things get repeated for those who have not. I have already fully read 4/8 of my books for the semester, and the ones I haven't I know most of the content. I read them all again anyways to re-cap though(and for fun!--I'm such a nerd). That night we went to an Apertivo place. Apertivo is where you have one glass of wine(vino)/beer(beera) and all you can eat food for around 9/10 euros. There were eight of us total. They brought us 3 pizzas, tons of fingersandwiches, pasta salad, olives and peanuts. It was all so good. After we went and got gelato. Mine was half strawberry and half orange/carrot flavor. SOunds weird, but it was really good. Unfortunately though, since Friday night I havent really eaten anything because I came down with a stomach virus. Doctors appt Monday--ugh. I swear I have lost atleast 5 pounds in the past 24 hours. So Saturday we went to the beach at Santa Marinella. Honestly, it was kind of a letdown. The public beach was basically a sandbox and there was no safe way to get into the water. Also, I had the stomach bug at this point and it was cold/cloudy out. Next beach trip, we are not going there and we are going to make sure that is nice weather. After the beach we went out to eat. I felt kind of bad though because I awkwardly didn't order anything because I felt so sick. When we got back to the dorm I passed out for 6 hours, woke up at 9, said goodbye to everyone going out for dinner and bars(so sad I coudnt go), and stayed in to do Theology homework. SO NOT ME. But I had to and I am glad I did. I need to get better fast. I passed out by 1 am last night and here I am now. I'm going to go out and try to eat something because I seriously have to. I tried on my pants this morning and they were legit so loose. I love how they look, but I would rather that I was that tiny because I ate really healthy stuff and then worked out a bit ya know? Not just because there is legit no food in my body. So that is actually my new plan. Eat very healthy basically the whole time that I am here and do my dorm workouts and run outside if I am up to it #problemsofarunninginducedathsmatic.
8/30/12
Ok so Tuesday the 29th was Day 2 of classes. My first class was Philosophy of Art (6th philosophy to complete my minor!!! yay!). For that class our teacher gave us all binders filled with all the work for the semester as well as a notebook. Then once she distributed them she said, "ok so those will be 20 euros each." ummm... ya no. I can get my own notebook, which I actually already have for free. So basically I'm not going to give her any money until i truly truly have to. It was just kind of weird ya know? But whatever. Other than that the class was great Really interesting stuff. Strangely though we have that class this week, and then we have a break from it for a month... i really don't know why but I'm not complaining. We had the last class of it today. After philosophy i had a long break until Italian class at 3. She still speaks in straight Italian to us, but its so helpful Confusing at first, but I eventually got it. Last night though I stayed in and did homework because the night before, yeah. I went out to say the least. It was so beyond fun though. First we had gone out a a group dinner, which we decided to make a weekly thing! Its so cute-- we are like such a family here. We shared 4 bottles of wine between about 12 of us. I keep trying the red because I want to like it so bad, but I really don't. I will always be a white wine girl, which I guess is a good thing because if I spill on myself its NBD. I had the BEST dinner I've had so far. I forget the Italian name for it, but it was basically a penne pasta in this amazing olive oil with basil, mozzarella and tomatoes mixed in. Literally my dream dinner. I was hoping they would have a whole grain pasta option here in Italy, but they definitely do not. The white tastes better anyways #healthconsciousgirlproblems. After dinner though, the wine realllly got me in a mood to go out-- damn you wine! Six of us decided to go out. First stop we went to this very american bar. The bartender was from Canada so he spoke great English. He actually sounded like he was from Boston. So the first drink I got there was this passion tea kind of thing. It tasted exactly like the starbucks kind but with a KICK! After that I split this set of shots(more like shooters) with Shannon :) They had the best name ever-- Surfer Girl on Acid. I just had to. The ingredients were Malibu, pineapple and Jager. This is my new drink of choice for sure. 5 for 10 Euros. I thought it was a good price. This place was seriously a CUA bar, but in Rome. It felt like Hawk and Dove--RIP. The bartender was so nice he even gave us all free shots! I think they were Pittsburg Steeler shots. They had a cinnamon flavor--good but not as good as my Surfer girl. So all of us CUA kids were there and then randomly the Loyola kids showed up who we share the program with! So we all then decided to stick together and go to a new bar. This one we stayed at for a little while-- we had ben there the weekend before. The coolest bar though was the last one(see picture). It is located on the Tiber, basically on a party boat. There was 2 bars and couches everywhere--all outdoors. It was basically a rager. I got home that night at like 3 am. Yeah. It was really fun but I'm dumb cause I had class the following morning. I made it to both of them easily though. First I had my Roman opera class. I can tell its going to be cool. Basically what we do is read operas, put them in their historical context, and then watch the opera. Next month we even get to go to a live opera! That should be really interesting. After class though, I was really tired and took a mini nap. Then I made my way over to the Spanish steps for Italian class. My teacher, Letecia, is so dramatic when she teaches which is really helpful when she speaks. Its basically like charades. While she says a word she points to something or acts it out for us. She was trying to teach us to roll out "r"s. Yeah--not happening for me. lol But I put it on my list of goals for this semester.
8/28/12
Alright, so Sunday was the last day of orientation, thank god. Our teachers and dorm staff were extremely helpful and I never would have been able to navigate around the city without them, but I am definitely ready to be out on my own and do my own thing. The first thing I did that morning was pack up and go to my last breakfast at the hotel. We discovered where they were hiding the eggs from the day before and were super excited to have them. OMG. They were gross--like worse than the pryz. I can usually handle and actually sort of like Pryz eggs, but there--intolerable. It makes sense why they were so bad though because Italians never have eggs like that. The thought of eggs and bacon for breakfast is disgusting to them. For breakfast it is common to have coffee and a croissant. I have yet to try the coffee because back home I hate it, but it is supposed to be amazing here so I might have to. Their big meal of the day is lunch, which in America tends to be my smallest. During the day we went on a tour of our neighborhood as well as went over dorm policy. Blah blah blah. I rarely listen to that stuff because it is all common sense-- Don't do any thing stupid that even has the slightest possibility of getting you in trouble. Its that simple. The highlight of the day though was dinner. We went out, just CUA kids, to a restaurant where we could finally choose absolutely anything off the menu. Since the tab was on CUA/St.John's University, I decided to get whatever I want. I mean, we pay enough to go here in the first place (Thanks mom and dad <3). So, I got this shopping sized steak, rare. It was cooked perfectly and so tender. Before that though, our advisors ordered antipasti and bruschetta for all of us to share. You have NEVER had real mozzarella until you have had it in Italy. Seriously-- there is nothing like it. It is so much more milky and rich than in the states. For dessert we had 4 choices. I remember 2 were tiramisu and the lemon sorbet. I got the sorbet (picture) and when it came they served it to me in a frozen lemon!! Too cool. After dinner we were sufficiently stuffed and decided to go on a night tour of the Castel Sant' Angelo. The entire structure is 400 steps total, but we managed to make it all the way to the top. It actually wasn't very hard at all. At the top you are able to see an amazing view of a good chunk of Rome. St. Peter's basilica was truly breathtaking from up there. It was really cool think that we were on top of the structure that the Pope has used in the past to escape to when under attack. When we got back I basically passed out from walking so much that weekend. Oh, and this was also a great day because it was Nick's and my 1 year and 9 month anniversary. <3.
The day after, Monday the 27th I had my first class, Liturgical Art and Architecture, at 9 am. We were instructed to meet at the Column of Trajan. I was very nervous about taking the bus there, especially since I still barely understand how to get from point A to point B. We ended up making it there 45 minutes early. THe rest of the class and the teachers met us there soon enough. From there, we walked to the Basilica of Santi VII Apostoli. It was seriously a gorgeous basilica. The inner structure and art was very Baroque stylistically in such an intense way that the art seemed to be climbing out of the walls. Beneath the church the martyr was buried. We were able to go down a spiral staircase and visit the tomb ourselves which was very cool (but musty smelling). After that we went back to campus and did some classwork. My big accomplishment of the day though was going to the Wind store to get a new SIM card and minutes on my phone. Trying to speak to an Italian without a translator is beyond complicated. I survived though. After that I got on the metro 2 stops for my Italian class orientation. These classes are 2 hours a day, 3 days a week for 2 months. Then Italian is done and I only have to worry about my other classes which is awesome. They do it this way so that we have enough time to actually use the Italian that we learned on the streets. Oh, and while I was there one of my advisors who is Italian, obviously, said that I look exactly like Paris Hilton. lol. I seriously get that A LOT. That evening when I got back to the dorm Maddie (oh hey girl!) and I went grocery shopping with out "Dining Dollars"-- I guess you could call them that. The grocery store we went to was called Billa. It is basically on the bottom floor of Coin-- which is the equivalent of our Macy's. The food there is generally normal. The big difference is that our grocery stores back home are massive where as theirs are much smaller. There isnt as much of a selection but it is good enough. At the register we seriously held up the line like crazy because we hadnt measured and put labels on our fruit/vegetables. I saw the machine that you had to do it on, but had absolutely no success because I can't read Italian like at all. The lady behind us spoke English thank god and helped us out. People looked at us funny on the way back too because our bags were legit exploding with food. I guess they only buy a little at a time here. NOT IN AMERICA!! BULK PURCHASES ALL THE WAY! Omg that makes me miss BJ's so much. So with the stuff I had gotten at the grocery store I decided to make lox. I opened up my bread that I was going to put it on and smelled it. OMG. It legit smelled like it was infused with alcohol. So gross. I threw it away. Thankfully that was the only gross thing I bought. After dinner I did some reading and FaceChatted with Nick <3.
The day after, Monday the 27th I had my first class, Liturgical Art and Architecture, at 9 am. We were instructed to meet at the Column of Trajan. I was very nervous about taking the bus there, especially since I still barely understand how to get from point A to point B. We ended up making it there 45 minutes early. THe rest of the class and the teachers met us there soon enough. From there, we walked to the Basilica of Santi VII Apostoli. It was seriously a gorgeous basilica. The inner structure and art was very Baroque stylistically in such an intense way that the art seemed to be climbing out of the walls. Beneath the church the martyr was buried. We were able to go down a spiral staircase and visit the tomb ourselves which was very cool (but musty smelling). After that we went back to campus and did some classwork. My big accomplishment of the day though was going to the Wind store to get a new SIM card and minutes on my phone. Trying to speak to an Italian without a translator is beyond complicated. I survived though. After that I got on the metro 2 stops for my Italian class orientation. These classes are 2 hours a day, 3 days a week for 2 months. Then Italian is done and I only have to worry about my other classes which is awesome. They do it this way so that we have enough time to actually use the Italian that we learned on the streets. Oh, and while I was there one of my advisors who is Italian, obviously, said that I look exactly like Paris Hilton. lol. I seriously get that A LOT. That evening when I got back to the dorm Maddie (oh hey girl!) and I went grocery shopping with out "Dining Dollars"-- I guess you could call them that. The grocery store we went to was called Billa. It is basically on the bottom floor of Coin-- which is the equivalent of our Macy's. The food there is generally normal. The big difference is that our grocery stores back home are massive where as theirs are much smaller. There isnt as much of a selection but it is good enough. At the register we seriously held up the line like crazy because we hadnt measured and put labels on our fruit/vegetables. I saw the machine that you had to do it on, but had absolutely no success because I can't read Italian like at all. The lady behind us spoke English thank god and helped us out. People looked at us funny on the way back too because our bags were legit exploding with food. I guess they only buy a little at a time here. NOT IN AMERICA!! BULK PURCHASES ALL THE WAY! Omg that makes me miss BJ's so much. So with the stuff I had gotten at the grocery store I decided to make lox. I opened up my bread that I was going to put it on and smelled it. OMG. It legit smelled like it was infused with alcohol. So gross. I threw it away. Thankfully that was the only gross thing I bought. After dinner I did some reading and FaceChatted with Nick <3.
ATTENTION!!!
So I have been dying to find out how people can comment on my blog. Basically, I discovered that this is not a blog, but just my own website. I have just added a blog to the left side tab bar. Its called Roma Blog!(obviously). I havent reallt decided what I am going to put there now since I am pretty deep into this page. Maybe I will just and copy and paste all this there. We'll see. Check back tonight for a new post!
DAY 2 In ROMA
WOW. So this experience has been a huge thrill. I made it to Rome around 10 am and have been going going going every since. Internet and getting calls through has been a huge problem these past few days but I am seriously trying my hardest(sorry Mom, Dad, Tori and Nick). I managed to get a call through to the US last night to Nick. Oh my god-- It was the best phone call of my life Hearing his voice was too amazing. However, they told us to basically cut off some of our communication with the US so that we are able to immerse ourselves completely in the culture. Understandable. So, Friday morning when we arrived at the airport we pretty much whipped through customs--so much easier than everyone else said it was. Then we went to find out checked bags which was a major struggle bus because we didn't realize that our area was wayyyy down the other end. But w/e. The bad part was that when my bag finally came through it had a gaping rip at the top of it. I dont think any of my stuff was broken or fell out, but I for sure need a new suitcase(MOM!!!). After that we went outside and got a van for the 6 of us. The drives was really sweet and carried my burst open suitcase. Ir was 95 Euro between the 6 of us which I thought was reasonable especially because we had so many bags and people. When we finally arrived at the dorm we were greeted at the door, given important things and brought to our rooms. They are small, but perfect for one person. Mine has the most gorgeous view oberlooking a terrace with fountains. The key to the door is also really cool as well. It isnt a typiocal key-- Its a sort of magnetic lazer that we aim at the door and automatically opens it. Its a little hard but I'll get used to it. After that we packed a quick bag for the hotel and and headed over, gross and sleep deprived. After dropping our stuff off and meeting a few Loyola students we sough out somewhere to eat lunch(we hadn't eaten in like 14 hours). At lunch I had my first Italian pizza!! And it was amazing. The sauce is what makes it most different from America, I think. Its much sweeter. We then headed bacck to the hotel and were guided on a tour of pretty much the entire city of Rome, or atleast everything important. My feet---well I dont feel like I have feet anymore, but it was so worth it. It was truly amazing-- no more than amazing--to see eberything-- every piece or art, every piece of architecture that I have been studying about for so long(9 years). Oh! I almost forgot that out teacher who guided us but all of us our first taste of gelato! The watermelon was definitely the best flavor by far. When we saw the Colosseum-- oh my god. I'll admit it--I cried(under the shield of my sunglasses of course). Yes, I know its weird but seriously, it was so emotional for me. I could not hold it in. Its one of those things that I dont exactly know how to describe but the emotions that I felt--oh my god. Like nothing I've ever felt before. I'll also admit that I had a moment of self doubt with this trip where I had a mini heart attack. It was so weird. But that all went away FAST when we went on the monument tour. Oh yeah...lol.-- the Wine helped calm my nerves A LOT. We had dinner right by the Colosseum at this amazing authentic Italian restaurant. They opted for the light dinner version because they had to feed so many mouths. But seriously, let me tell you--it was NOT light. I was stuffed and still am. The first course was an antipasto dish with prosciutto, mozzarella and tomato. There mozz. is like nothing I have ever tasted. It is so much richer and milkier than what we have in America. For the second course I chose the pasta pomodoro, which was a red sauce. OMG. So delicious. The pasta and sauce are both so much better than home. I am taking a cooking class in a few weeks, so hopefully after that I will be able too cook exactky like they do(doubtful, but a girl can hope). They had a 2 extra dishes and, of course, they gave one to me. lol FATTY STATUS. However, I could barely eat 2 bites and shared it with the best of my table. The restaurant was called Naumachia, I believe, and they must make their own wine there because that was what the wine they served us was called. I opted for the white wine but tried both. I usually hate red wine, but theirs I actually liked! I had a few glasses... :/ lol. Then for the third course they served us this whipped vanilla dessert they was served in a cone with raspberries. Also, amazing. A few of us were thinking of going out after dinner, but at that point we all knew that the smart idea was to go back to the hotel and sleep. We took the bus back, which we were taught to use. Pretty easy, but cramped. We were also taught to cross the street. lol It was definitely a necessary lesson though. Overall, I have been having an amazing time, and I cannot wait to do morek, especially without the assistance of our teachers. They are a great help, but I am definitely ready to do it myself. I miss my family and Nick so much but I know that this is a once in a lifetime chance and that I made the right decision. Oh and Nick-- sorry but Rome is soooo much better then NY. Love ya!!
PS-- I promise to include tons of pictures very soon.
PS-- I promise to include tons of pictures very soon.
3 days Pre-Departure
Italia!!! Its finally come!!-- well almost. I would say I'm 90% excited, 10% nervous. Those percentages change every day though. This past weekend I spent saying goodbye to Nick. :( We had the best weekend ever in NH at Rye beach shopping, drinking, eating, going to the gym(well actually that was just me while Nick slept--sorry Nick lol) Oh and fam-- I didn't forget you-- super glad you were there too. At this point I have almost everything packed except for the last minute stuff. My suitcase currently weighs in at 48-49 pounds, so I am definitely not touching that. So that means its up to the carry ons to handle the rest of it! For my second to last full day in M-boro (tomorrow) I have a decent amount to do. Haircut is a number one priority especially since I haven't gotten one in about a whole year and I have super dry beach hair. Also tomorrow we have sister dentist appts. Then Dollar store for random things for Italy. Lastly, I HAVE to tan. I'm golden, but seriously-- not gold enough. Alright, clearly I'm bad at blogging lol. TTYL!