I have Italian class everyday at 9 a.m., and then I don't have another class until 3:30. That's a pretty big gap in the day! Recently I've been spending it at this place called Coffee Break, a coffee shop and one of the few internet spots in Perugia. Each morning there is a guy, who I recently found out is called Francesco, that works the counter. He makes a mean caffè (aka espresso), and over daily morning caffes we have talked more and more.
Today, we decided to be each others language teachers. He speaks decent English, as I speak decent Italian, so we manage to get by! I'm excited for this new friendship. It's exactly what I've been looking for in my trip abroad...real interaction with Italian people. We exchanged music today, so now I have some real Italian music that is actually good! He also made for me a drink called caffe shakerato made with a shot of espresso and Bailey's then blended with a touch of sugar. It's excellent! It will definitely be my drink of choice come summertime.
I'll keep you updated on my progress with my "real" Italian teacher.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Weekends in Perugia
The past two weekends I have spent in Perugia trying to become more acclimated to the place I now call "home." It's been really nice being able to just wander through the narrow alleys and find new places. There is a beautiful Saturday market that always has great stuff.
This past Saturday, Kristen and I went on an adventure to find the Medieval Gardens. I've read about them, and they have occupied a spot on my To-Do list for a while now. We walked around aimlessly, but eventually found them. Unfortunately for us, they are only open during the week (apparently, guidebooks sometimes lie). However, they look beautiful, and I'm hoping to go back sometime this week when I can actually walk around.
On another note, there are posters around town advertising various events. One particular poster for a dance company called Momix has been catching my eye for the past week or so. I mentioned this to Kristen Saturday at lunch, and we decided to go. It was in Assisi, which is only about a 20 minute train ride away. We got dressed nicely for the theater and decided to go early for a long dinner. When we called the box office before leaving Perugia, they said it was all sold out. We were already dressed, so we decided to go to Assisi anyway...even if it was just for a nice dinner.
Sunset in Assisi upon arrival
A pretty church
We get to Assisi, go to the box office, and find that tickets are available! We got fourth row seats! Happily, we walked to find a place to eat. It was a great dinner, and we were both incredibly excited that the show worked out. The show ended up being one of the most beautiful spectacles I have ever seen. Please check out their website. The company is called Momix, and they have various shows being performed throughout the world. We saw "Passion," and that night has turned into my favorite night here thus far.
The full house
Definition of excitement
This past Saturday, Kristen and I went on an adventure to find the Medieval Gardens. I've read about them, and they have occupied a spot on my To-Do list for a while now. We walked around aimlessly, but eventually found them. Unfortunately for us, they are only open during the week (apparently, guidebooks sometimes lie). However, they look beautiful, and I'm hoping to go back sometime this week when I can actually walk around.
On another note, there are posters around town advertising various events. One particular poster for a dance company called Momix has been catching my eye for the past week or so. I mentioned this to Kristen Saturday at lunch, and we decided to go. It was in Assisi, which is only about a 20 minute train ride away. We got dressed nicely for the theater and decided to go early for a long dinner. When we called the box office before leaving Perugia, they said it was all sold out. We were already dressed, so we decided to go to Assisi anyway...even if it was just for a nice dinner.
Sunset in Assisi upon arrival
A pretty church
We get to Assisi, go to the box office, and find that tickets are available! We got fourth row seats! Happily, we walked to find a place to eat. It was a great dinner, and we were both incredibly excited that the show worked out. The show ended up being one of the most beautiful spectacles I have ever seen. Please check out their website. The company is called Momix, and they have various shows being performed throughout the world. We saw "Passion," and that night has turned into my favorite night here thus far.
The full house
Definition of excitement
Monday, January 28, 2008
Frozen in time
This weekend I went to Pompeii, Sorrento, and Ercolano with two of my guy friends Geoff and Spencer. We left on Friday, which turned out to be a day full of a comedy of errors. We had an early train, so none of us had a lot of sleep. We had to take a train to Naples, and then get on a smaller regional train to go to Sorrento (that's where our hostel was). Once we get on the regional train, we see that Ercolano is a stop on the way to Sorrento, so we decide to stop off at Ercolano before we arrive in Sorrento.
Ercolano (Herculaneum) is the city that was covered in ash by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. Since it was not covered in smoldering hot rock, the buildings and especially paintings are much more preserved than those in Pompeii. It's about 1/5 in size of Pompeii too, so we were able to cover it in about 2 hours.
Ercolano
Ancient Snack Bar
Floor mosaic
Me in Ercolano
Geoff and Spencer
After Ercolano, we wanted to head to our hostel to check in, then eat, and sleep. Because of our lack of sleep, we dozed off on the train and were wakened by an old man telling us the train was finished. We weren't in Sorrento. Luckily, he was extremely nice and showed us the way to get to where we needed to be. Despiste that good fortune, we arrived in Sorrento about an hour later than we wanted to.
We checked into our hostel, which was surprisingly nice. Then we wanted a nice, long dinner, and that's precisely what we did. Upon heading home, we are all looking forward to a bed and shower. Unfortunately, Geoff used the wrong key to get into the door, so the key broke off inside the lock. We weren't able to get into our room! Geoff and Spencer tried to get the key out, but nothing worked. I called the man at the front desk, but he was rude and not helpful at all. We had no place to go, so we decided to sleep on the floor outside our room for the night. We would have to wait until the next day to fix anything.
I had dozed off, so I guess it was about an hour later when our neighbors came home. They were Americans too and invited us to stay in their room for the night. One of the guys had a pocket knife and offered it to Geoff. Spencer and I were talking to the guys when miraculously Geoff got the key out of the lock, and we were able to open our door with the correct key! Few times in my life have I been happier than in that moment. It was hands down the best night's sleep I've had.
We woke up the next morning and headed to Pompeii. We spent all day there. It was huge and absolutely overwhelming. Seeing Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background was constantly daunting. It's hard to imagine that an entire city was preserved so well. It was the perfect time to go too since it wasn't very crowded.
Mt. Vesuvius in the background at Pompeii
Mt. Vesuvius
Amphitheater
Taking a break inside the Amphitheater
Dad: Deer hunting for you
Mom: A warthog/javelina thing for you
Sorrento & the Mediterranean
All in all, it was a great weekend. Sorrento is absolutely beautiful. Many things were closed because it's low season, but we still enjoyed ourselves. Mom, I found Vueve Rosè there. Some convenient stores even have champagne in little bottles.
Tiny champagne
Naples is pretty gross though. After talking to a woman in Sorrento, I think the trash strike is over, but rubbage still remains on the street. Money was paid to open up dump sites, but somewhere along the line, the money disappeared (a.k.a. the Mafia took it). Now that the workers are back, there literally is no place to put the trash. In Ercolano and Naples, this sadly disgusting castrophe was very apparent.
Naples was a scary city. I don't know if it was because I knew beforehand that it is a major place for Mafia activity, but I didn't feel very safe walking around. Luckily I had two huge boys looking out for me, so that made me feel a bit better.
Ercolano (Herculaneum) is the city that was covered in ash by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. Since it was not covered in smoldering hot rock, the buildings and especially paintings are much more preserved than those in Pompeii. It's about 1/5 in size of Pompeii too, so we were able to cover it in about 2 hours.
Ercolano
Ancient Snack Bar
Floor mosaic
Me in Ercolano
Geoff and Spencer
After Ercolano, we wanted to head to our hostel to check in, then eat, and sleep. Because of our lack of sleep, we dozed off on the train and were wakened by an old man telling us the train was finished. We weren't in Sorrento. Luckily, he was extremely nice and showed us the way to get to where we needed to be. Despiste that good fortune, we arrived in Sorrento about an hour later than we wanted to.
We checked into our hostel, which was surprisingly nice. Then we wanted a nice, long dinner, and that's precisely what we did. Upon heading home, we are all looking forward to a bed and shower. Unfortunately, Geoff used the wrong key to get into the door, so the key broke off inside the lock. We weren't able to get into our room! Geoff and Spencer tried to get the key out, but nothing worked. I called the man at the front desk, but he was rude and not helpful at all. We had no place to go, so we decided to sleep on the floor outside our room for the night. We would have to wait until the next day to fix anything.
I had dozed off, so I guess it was about an hour later when our neighbors came home. They were Americans too and invited us to stay in their room for the night. One of the guys had a pocket knife and offered it to Geoff. Spencer and I were talking to the guys when miraculously Geoff got the key out of the lock, and we were able to open our door with the correct key! Few times in my life have I been happier than in that moment. It was hands down the best night's sleep I've had.
We woke up the next morning and headed to Pompeii. We spent all day there. It was huge and absolutely overwhelming. Seeing Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background was constantly daunting. It's hard to imagine that an entire city was preserved so well. It was the perfect time to go too since it wasn't very crowded.
Mt. Vesuvius in the background at Pompeii
Mt. Vesuvius
Amphitheater
Taking a break inside the Amphitheater
Dad: Deer hunting for you
Mom: A warthog/javelina thing for you
Sorrento & the Mediterranean
All in all, it was a great weekend. Sorrento is absolutely beautiful. Many things were closed because it's low season, but we still enjoyed ourselves. Mom, I found Vueve Rosè there. Some convenient stores even have champagne in little bottles.
Tiny champagne
Naples is pretty gross though. After talking to a woman in Sorrento, I think the trash strike is over, but rubbage still remains on the street. Money was paid to open up dump sites, but somewhere along the line, the money disappeared (a.k.a. the Mafia took it). Now that the workers are back, there literally is no place to put the trash. In Ercolano and Naples, this sadly disgusting castrophe was very apparent.
Naples was a scary city. I don't know if it was because I knew beforehand that it is a major place for Mafia activity, but I didn't feel very safe walking around. Luckily I had two huge boys looking out for me, so that made me feel a bit better.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The Return of the Sun
After only seeing one day of sunshine in Perugia thus far, I was thoroughly pleased to wake up to an actual sunrise and head for school with a blue sky. We are all so thankful for the sunshine, and I can only hope that it lasts for a few days.
This weekend I'm going to Sorrento, which is in southern Italy close to Naples. Three of us are headed there to see Pompeii and Herculaneum. It should be a really humbling experience.
We'll only be in Naples for a short while to transfer trains, so hopefully we won't smell too much of the stinch of all the trash. Don't know if news from Naples is reaching the US, but the trash workers have gone on strike. This week there is 3,500 tons of garbage lining the streets. It's down from the 7,000 tons from last week! People are starting to burn it in the street. It's really bad stuff, but we'll be safe, and I'm going with two big guys so I feel pretty safe.
I'm going to enjoy the weather!
This weekend I'm going to Sorrento, which is in southern Italy close to Naples. Three of us are headed there to see Pompeii and Herculaneum. It should be a really humbling experience.
We'll only be in Naples for a short while to transfer trains, so hopefully we won't smell too much of the stinch of all the trash. Don't know if news from Naples is reaching the US, but the trash workers have gone on strike. This week there is 3,500 tons of garbage lining the streets. It's down from the 7,000 tons from last week! People are starting to burn it in the street. It's really bad stuff, but we'll be safe, and I'm going with two big guys so I feel pretty safe.
I'm going to enjoy the weather!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Al Dentista
I chipped a tooth last week. There's not a great story behind it; I just bit into a piece of chocolate with nuts, and that did it! Naturally, I couldn't wait 4 months to return to the US and get it fixed. Hence, I would have to face the dentist here in Italy.
I went to the administrators at school, and they set up an appointment for me. It was this morning. They guaranteed at least one person there would speak English. That made me more comfortable.
As I walk to the office, I'm told to look for a daunting grey door on the side of a busy street. Excellent! But that was precisely what it was. An indistinct door with a small sign on the side. I don't know how I found it, but I was lucky I suppose. I walk in to an empty room of chairs and magazines. No secretary, no check-in. I see two doors, one is labeled "Toilette" so I open the other. It's a hallway with dentist rooms, and a nurse got on to me and told me to wait in the other room...in Italian. So I waited for approximately three minutes.
The same nurse came back out to get me, and I told her I was a student from Umbra, but that didn't phase her. She sat me in the operation chair without me even telling her my name! The dentist comes in, asks me what happened, leans the chair back, and starts drilling. I couldn't very well ask if there was anyone who spoke English in the office while drills were buzzing in my mouth.
He did his thing, fairly well I'm assuming from the lack of pain on my end. When it came time to pay, I entered my name, birthday, and home address into their computer. That's it. Paid in cash, and I left. The entire ordeal took a maximum of 20 minutes.
Lessons learned from my dentist visit today:
1. Magazines are the quintessential reading material for doctors' offices everywhere.
2. It must be a universal requirement to be young and beautiful to become a dental hygienist.
3. Italians don't waste time when it comes to medical issues.
4. When in doubt, consult the bilingual dictionary.
I went to the administrators at school, and they set up an appointment for me. It was this morning. They guaranteed at least one person there would speak English. That made me more comfortable.
As I walk to the office, I'm told to look for a daunting grey door on the side of a busy street. Excellent! But that was precisely what it was. An indistinct door with a small sign on the side. I don't know how I found it, but I was lucky I suppose. I walk in to an empty room of chairs and magazines. No secretary, no check-in. I see two doors, one is labeled "Toilette" so I open the other. It's a hallway with dentist rooms, and a nurse got on to me and told me to wait in the other room...in Italian. So I waited for approximately three minutes.
The same nurse came back out to get me, and I told her I was a student from Umbra, but that didn't phase her. She sat me in the operation chair without me even telling her my name! The dentist comes in, asks me what happened, leans the chair back, and starts drilling. I couldn't very well ask if there was anyone who spoke English in the office while drills were buzzing in my mouth.
He did his thing, fairly well I'm assuming from the lack of pain on my end. When it came time to pay, I entered my name, birthday, and home address into their computer. That's it. Paid in cash, and I left. The entire ordeal took a maximum of 20 minutes.
Lessons learned from my dentist visit today:
1. Magazines are the quintessential reading material for doctors' offices everywhere.
2. It must be a universal requirement to be young and beautiful to become a dental hygienist.
3. Italians don't waste time when it comes to medical issues.
4. When in doubt, consult the bilingual dictionary.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Weekend in Florence
A group of us went to Florence for Friday and Saturday. It was absolutely stunning. Friday we went to the Accademia Museum to see the David. The David was unbelievable. I've seen pictures of him, but I never thought he was going to be that big. He was at least 20 feet tall. We stayed there looking at him with amazement for a good 15 minutes. There wasn't much else in the building. Most of the remaining statues were only plaster replicas, so we didn't stay much longer after that.
I snuck a picture of David.
We then walked and shopped for a bit.
The best panino I think I will ever eat.
Mom, Dad: You would have LOVED this store.
As we passed the Duomo it was about 4:30, so we randomly decided to head to the top of the Duomo for sunset. It was the best 6 euros I think I'll ever spend! To get to the top, you have to climb 463 stairs. That may or may not sound like a lot, but let me tell you....I was feeling it the next day! Reaching the top, not only were we out of breath from physical exersion, but looking out over Florence at that time of day, truly took our breath away.
Photos from the top
The peeps. Me, Lauren, Kristen, Casey, and Andrew
Casey and I
Lauren
Italy's a fan of live music in the streets, which I completely enjoy.
Kristen and I soaking in some Vitamin D, something we haven't seen much of in Perugia.
Overall, it was a great weekend. Florence is a beautiful city, but it made me really thankful to be studying and living in Perugia. I'm actually able to speak the language here. In Florence, people wouldn't even let me attempt to speak Italian to them before they spoke English right back to me. Another thing that annoyed us: we went to dinner Friday night at a pretty small restaurant. It was really good food, but they basically shoved us out because other Florentines were waiting to eat and the owner said he needed to seat them! That would never happen in Perugia. We were slightly disheartened by that, but it didn't dampen our spirits too much.
On another note, I tried dance class out back here in Perugia last Thursday night. The class was composed of mostly high schoolers, so I felt a bit out of place. It was strange too because the instructor didn't even lead class at all. The warm-up was memorized by all the girls, which I thought was strange. They told me to go back on Tuesday to the class that starts an hour later...it's an advanced class. I'm hoping that will be a bit better. It felt good to dance again though because it had been nearly a month!
I snuck a picture of David.
We then walked and shopped for a bit.
The best panino I think I will ever eat.
Mom, Dad: You would have LOVED this store.
As we passed the Duomo it was about 4:30, so we randomly decided to head to the top of the Duomo for sunset. It was the best 6 euros I think I'll ever spend! To get to the top, you have to climb 463 stairs. That may or may not sound like a lot, but let me tell you....I was feeling it the next day! Reaching the top, not only were we out of breath from physical exersion, but looking out over Florence at that time of day, truly took our breath away.
Photos from the top
The peeps. Me, Lauren, Kristen, Casey, and Andrew
Casey and I
Lauren
Italy's a fan of live music in the streets, which I completely enjoy.
Kristen and I soaking in some Vitamin D, something we haven't seen much of in Perugia.
Overall, it was a great weekend. Florence is a beautiful city, but it made me really thankful to be studying and living in Perugia. I'm actually able to speak the language here. In Florence, people wouldn't even let me attempt to speak Italian to them before they spoke English right back to me. Another thing that annoyed us: we went to dinner Friday night at a pretty small restaurant. It was really good food, but they basically shoved us out because other Florentines were waiting to eat and the owner said he needed to seat them! That would never happen in Perugia. We were slightly disheartened by that, but it didn't dampen our spirits too much.
On another note, I tried dance class out back here in Perugia last Thursday night. The class was composed of mostly high schoolers, so I felt a bit out of place. It was strange too because the instructor didn't even lead class at all. The warm-up was memorized by all the girls, which I thought was strange. They told me to go back on Tuesday to the class that starts an hour later...it's an advanced class. I'm hoping that will be a bit better. It felt good to dance again though because it had been nearly a month!
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