Ciao friends, sorry it has been a while!
This past weekend most of our group decided to head to Perugia (Northeast from Orvieto) for one night. We had heard the nightlife there was crazy and wanted to experience it for ourselves. We had no problem gettin there, even with the train change, but we did have quite a difficult time finding our hostel once we were in Perugia. We asked many people how to get there (even the information booth) but no one could give us good directions. We went one way after talking to a nice lady who worked at a cafe, only to be led up a hill through trees and bushes. Another lady told us to go back down the hill we had just climbed and go a different route. We must've asked 5 different people how to get there until someone finally gave us directions we were able to follow. It was weird because the hostel we were staying in is the major youth hostel of Perugia, so we were surprised no one knew how to get there. However, once we got to the driveway, it was stunning! A LONG cobblestone driveway led up to this huge hostel that looked morelike a nice hotel or mansion! We booked two rooms which were right next to each other and very clean (except for the two spiders I found above my bed....EWW)!
After getting settled in, we took the minimetro (a tiny little metro that rides tracks above the city and stops at 6 different popular locations...we all decided it looked like something out of The Jetsons) to the main part of Perugia with all the shops. It was freezing! Not just because of the temperature, but the wind was blowing like crazy, making it way colder than it should've been. We walked around for a while, ran into 5 Americans who happened to be staying in the same hostel as us, and got pizza. After we were minutes away from frostbites, we took the minimetro back to our hostel and started getting ready to go to a club called Cantiere 21. During the time it took for all 6 girls to get ready in our room, it started to get really hot. So of course, we opened the windows. BAD IDEA. Minutes after opening the window this huge bug came flying into our room, freaking all of us out. We were all screaming and running around. One girl thought it'd be a good idea to turn the light off, so it would fly back out the window. It seemed like a smart idea, but it wasn't. She said it had left, but as soon as we turned the lights back on i felt and heard it right by my head! I freaked out, running around and flailing my arms all the way to the other room. We asked one of the guys we were with to come kill it. Luckily he was able to find it and kill it. He was also the one who had killed the spiders above my bed earlier that night- my hero. After our bug scare, everyone was ready to go to Cantiere 21.
This club was in the middle of NOWEHRE! we took a cab ride there (the only way to get there) and tried to go inside right after arriving. Unfortunately for us, this club is an upscale restaurant until 12 or 1 a.m. The bouncers were going to make us wait outside for 2 hours until it was "club time". I'm not sure what happened or if the bouncer just had a change of heart, but he let us in after 10 minutes of us begging, and there was no cover charge! We were all starving by the time we got inside since we had eaten many hours before, and decided to befriend some Italians at a table right by us. A few of them left their dinner early, so me and Colleen snatched their seats. They still had 2 courses left that we got to eat! First I got a delicious pasta dish, and following that was STEAK!!!!! YAY!!!!! It was so nice to eat some red meat since we haven't bought any yet because of the price. It was so good. After that the dinner people filed out and the music started to shake the walls...aka..."Club Time"!
We danced the night away and hung out with our new American friends from the hostel. Once we tried to leave, however, the bouncers wouldn't let us. We couldn't figure out why or what they were saying. Eventually, Colleen was able to duck behind a few taller people and slip out the door. I, on the other hand, am way too tall to pull off that sort of thing and he caught me as soon as I tried to sneak out. I noticed that the people who had just left handed him a small ticket that said "exit" on it. I remembered we had been give "entrance" ones when we first came in. That's when I finally realized what he had been saying. The only way to leave the club was to go to the bar, hand them your entrance ticket, and buy a drink for 15 euros. Only then would you get the "exit" ticket. Well, that explained why there was no cover charge, but I hadn't bought a single drink and I was not about to! So I went back to my best friend the bouncer and tried to sell him this story of how I had tried to leave throught the back patio (there was one...I wasn't making it up) but the bouncer there took my ticket and sent me back inside to go out the front door. I told the bouncer I had already paid my 15 euros but the other bouncer had taken my ticket! He wasn't buying it. Time to amp up the acting. I started to get really sad, trying to get a little sympathy, when Colleen stuck her head inside (she had been waiting for me, unsure of what to do) and tried telling them that I was with her. Seeing as how she had already given them her ticket (haha, sucker!) I was clearly not lying, and the bouncer let me go! VICTORY! We were so proud of ourselves for getting 2 free courses of pasta and steak and hours of dancing, all without having to pay the 15 euros! After all that fighting with the bouncer, we went back to the hostel with some of our other roommates and called it a night.
On Sunday, our group went on a field trip to Tivoli with Alba (our beautiful director over here who is our pretend mom for the 3 months). Tivoli has two famous places: Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este. First we went to Hadrian's Villa. Hadrian was the old emperor who had built the villa as his official residency. To say this place is huge is an understatement. He had so many ponds, pools, buildings and houses. Anyone living in his villa back then would've been set for life. It is full of lush fields of trees, beautiful paths that snake through the grasses, and ponds completed with imitation Greek statues. Hadrian is said to have been very fond of Greek culture, so when he built his villa, he built it to resemble that of Greek structures and monuments. Walking through the ruins and hearing all the stories was amazing, but once it came to 12:30, we were all starving for lunch. We drove into town to find a place to eat.
After lunch, we went to Villa d'Este (my personal favorite). This villa was created by Ippolito d'Este, after his great disappointment of failing to become the next Pope. He took it upon himself to create the most beautiful garden. And I must say, he succeeded. This garden is the largest garden I have ever seen, filled with many fountains, including the Water Organ Fountain and many paths that wind around the grounds. Even in the winter, this place is breathtaking. There's not much I can say, so I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
Yesterday we had a field trip to Siena. I have heard from many people that it is an absolutely stunning place. Maybe it's because it reminds me of a bigger Orvieto, or because we were inside museums or cathedrals all day, but I wasn't blown away. Don't get me wrong, the city center "Piazza del Campo" is beautiful with it's slanting, circular ground in the middle of the square with tons of restaurants and shops, as well as the Town Hall surrounding it. Colleen and I really enjoyed sitting there in the sun eating our gelato during our break. But other than that Piazza, everything else seemed a bit..."been there, done that". The Duomo there looks very similar to the Orvieto Duomo on the outside, althought the Siena Duomo is much more magnificent on the inside. The streets are just like those of Orvieto, except a little bit wider and busier. I had looked up the weather before we left and it said it was supposed to be 42 degrees Farenheit, but once again, the wind made it feel much colder. I had even bundled up but my entire body was still frozen! Because of that, it was miserable if we were outside. The sun made it a little better, but it was still really cold. By the time we got on our bus to go home, all of our teeth were chattering and everyone had their scarves pulled up around their heads like turbans. Siena was beautiful though, but not as breathtaking as I had imagined it would be.
The next three weeks are going to be crazy! This weekend we have our first 2 day trip to Milan. Lucky for us, this week(end) is Milan's Women's Fashion Week! We are all going crazy finding cute stuff to wear. The following weekend is Carnivale, which is like a mix between Halloween and Mardi Gras. Pretty much, Carnivale is a weeklong party with costumes. A bunch of us are going to Venice for it, which is said to be the best place in Italy to celebrate Carnivale. The next week is our Spring Break! Colleen, her friend Brittany, and I are going to head north to London and Paris for the week. I am so excited! I've been feeling sick lately so I'm going to try and get lots of rest before and in between these crazy weeks ahead. I can't wait to share all of my adventures with you all! Until then, ciao!
Firenze!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Ciao family and friends!
Yesterday we went to Florence (Firenze in Italian) on a fieldtrip. It was amazing! Rome is definitely a place for tourists, but I feel like Florence is the place to be for students. We saw so many American students and almost everyone there spoke at least a little English, which was a nice break from how it is in Orvieto.
We met at 7:30 am (YIKES) and boarded our shuttle bus that drove us 2 hours to Florence. It was freezing. I believe someone said at one time that it was 35 degrees. I had looked up the weather the day before and it said it was supposed to be 57, so none of us were really dressed accordingly. Luckily it warmed up later in the afternoon, but it was still really overcast all day.
For the first two hours we had a guided tour through the city where we walked by the Arno River, shopping markets, and multiple Piazzas. We saw the Florence Duomo, which was stunning!
Then we broke for lunch. 10 other girls and I went to a pizza place for lunch where we ordered pizzas and calzones and coronas with lime! Yes! Even though it was cold outside, it was like paradise in a glass. The owner was so friendly and quickly came over to talk to us. We learned that he had grown up as a kid in San Francisco, and one of his workers (who we later met) was from Long Beach! I told her I was from Torrance and we instantly became best friends.
After lunch we walked around the museum that was located in the Piazza della Signoria. It was SO cool, but my favorite part was when we walked into a huge room with blue walls, COVERED in gold fleur de lis. For those of you who don't know, I have been obsessed with fleur de lis since High School, and it is now the symbol of my sorority. This room was amazing.
At the end we got to see the Damien Hurst "For The Love Of God" diamond encrusted skull. It was so pretty and neat, but we weren't allowed to take pictures of it :(
After the museum we walked through a chocolate market. Every single tent had chocolate galore. We treated ourselves to strawberried with chocolate and whipped cream. Needless to say, it was delicious. After our desserts we took the bus home.
Florence was absolutely amazing, but most of us were really upset that we didn't get to go to the museum with the famous David statue. We had all just assumed we would be going there, but we didn't :( We did get to see a smaller replica outside the other museum though, so at least we got a little glimpse. I'm not sure if I will have the time or money, but I'd love to go back some time and see the real thing.
Today in class we read part of a poetry novel by Calvino. It was written in Italian (we read the translated English version) which we were told made more sense because it flowed better, but it was still beautiful in English. Here is an exceprt from the novel that was written about Orvieto. I hope it helps you paint an even better picture in your minds:
"The city does not tell its past, but contains it like the lines of a hand, written in the street corners, the window grates, the railings along the steps, the lightning rods, the flagpoles...every segment marked in turn by scratches, nicks, cuts, flourishes. I could tell you how many stairs there are in the stepped streets, what kind of arches in the porticoes, what kind of zinc plates the roofs are covered with, but I already know it would mean nothing. This is not what the city is made of- it consists of the relationship between the measurments of its space and the dangling feet of a hanged usurper".
I hope you all see the beauty in his words like I did.
Shout out to my Kidzone family! I miss you all so much! When we were at the chocolate market all I could think was how much fun the kids would have there. There were tons of kids running around, and I just wanted to have my family with me!
Until next time, ciao!
Yesterday we went to Florence (Firenze in Italian) on a fieldtrip. It was amazing! Rome is definitely a place for tourists, but I feel like Florence is the place to be for students. We saw so many American students and almost everyone there spoke at least a little English, which was a nice break from how it is in Orvieto.
We met at 7:30 am (YIKES) and boarded our shuttle bus that drove us 2 hours to Florence. It was freezing. I believe someone said at one time that it was 35 degrees. I had looked up the weather the day before and it said it was supposed to be 57, so none of us were really dressed accordingly. Luckily it warmed up later in the afternoon, but it was still really overcast all day.
For the first two hours we had a guided tour through the city where we walked by the Arno River, shopping markets, and multiple Piazzas. We saw the Florence Duomo, which was stunning!
Then we broke for lunch. 10 other girls and I went to a pizza place for lunch where we ordered pizzas and calzones and coronas with lime! Yes! Even though it was cold outside, it was like paradise in a glass. The owner was so friendly and quickly came over to talk to us. We learned that he had grown up as a kid in San Francisco, and one of his workers (who we later met) was from Long Beach! I told her I was from Torrance and we instantly became best friends.
After lunch we walked around the museum that was located in the Piazza della Signoria. It was SO cool, but my favorite part was when we walked into a huge room with blue walls, COVERED in gold fleur de lis. For those of you who don't know, I have been obsessed with fleur de lis since High School, and it is now the symbol of my sorority. This room was amazing.
At the end we got to see the Damien Hurst "For The Love Of God" diamond encrusted skull. It was so pretty and neat, but we weren't allowed to take pictures of it :(
After the museum we walked through a chocolate market. Every single tent had chocolate galore. We treated ourselves to strawberried with chocolate and whipped cream. Needless to say, it was delicious. After our desserts we took the bus home.
Florence was absolutely amazing, but most of us were really upset that we didn't get to go to the museum with the famous David statue. We had all just assumed we would be going there, but we didn't :( We did get to see a smaller replica outside the other museum though, so at least we got a little glimpse. I'm not sure if I will have the time or money, but I'd love to go back some time and see the real thing.
Today in class we read part of a poetry novel by Calvino. It was written in Italian (we read the translated English version) which we were told made more sense because it flowed better, but it was still beautiful in English. Here is an exceprt from the novel that was written about Orvieto. I hope it helps you paint an even better picture in your minds:
"The city does not tell its past, but contains it like the lines of a hand, written in the street corners, the window grates, the railings along the steps, the lightning rods, the flagpoles...every segment marked in turn by scratches, nicks, cuts, flourishes. I could tell you how many stairs there are in the stepped streets, what kind of arches in the porticoes, what kind of zinc plates the roofs are covered with, but I already know it would mean nothing. This is not what the city is made of- it consists of the relationship between the measurments of its space and the dangling feet of a hanged usurper".
I hope you all see the beauty in his words like I did.
Shout out to my Kidzone family! I miss you all so much! When we were at the chocolate market all I could think was how much fun the kids would have there. There were tons of kids running around, and I just wanted to have my family with me!
Until next time, ciao!
AMORE ROMA
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The Vatican City
Beautiful sunset over the bridge
Spanish Steps
THE COLOSSEUM!!!!
Trevi Fountain
My favorite picture I took of the Colosseum!
Beautiful sunset over the bridge
Spanish Steps
THE COLOSSEUM!!!!
Trevi Fountain
My favorite picture I took of the Colosseum!
WHEN IN ROME
Monday, February 7, 2011
That's right! First weekend in Italy...obviously we spent it in Roma! My roommates and I, along with 16 or so others took the train late Friday night to Rome. We checked into our Hostel called "Hotel Beautiful 2". The man working at the desk was a complete creep and had no clue what was going on. He kept messing up our reservation. I will NOT be going there again! Aside from the hostel, our first hour in Rome was amazing. The train ride was easy, the hostel was easy to locate, and we went on a search for some Discotecas soon after we got situated in our rooms. Unfortunately, we didn't know that nightlife in Rome is treated like fashion week in New York; if you are not dressed in an extremely nice outfit you will be turned away from every club! It was disappointing because we all just wanted to dance, but we made our own fun and the night turned out to be interesting anyways.
On Saturday we woke up at 10am, showered, and ran out the door to go to the Colosseum! We took a cab because it was far from our hostel. The drive was fun because our cabbie was playing American music that we had never even heard before, but LOVED! Me and Colleen are already planning on downloading the songs. We didn't know what to expect of the Colosseum, but as soon as we turned left onto a street, it was standing right in front of us. It was hands down the most amazing moment of my life. I've taken many art history type classes and have spent months learning about the Colosseum. To see it just standing there in all it's brilliance was mind-blowing. I got so emotional I thought I was going to cry. It was SO BEAUTIFUL! Colleen and I were disappointed when we found out that the rest of the group didn't want to go inside of it, but we are planning on going back in a few weekends, so we're planning on seeing the inside of it then. We were all starving so we stopped for pizza on our way to the Trevi fountain. We went the wrong way once on our journey to the fountain, but quickly realized our mistake and turned around. The Trevi Fountain was gorgeous. We treated ourselves to some gelato and sat by the water while eating it. And of course, we threw a few coins in the fountain for good luck :) From there we walked to the Spanish steps, which just so happen to be by the fashion district/streets of Rome. We walked by Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, and so many more. We were all in awe of how many people we saw walking down the streets actually holding these designer name shopping bags! Wish I had that much money to go shopping with! We did eventually make our way to a store called Zara (kind of like an Italian Forever 21, but a little nicer). I let myself splurge a little and got a very cute trenchcoat that I'm obsessed with for 30 euros...a very good price I decided! After shopping, we walked to the Vatican City which is a very conservative Catholic city. We had to wait in security lines for a while and go through the whole airport security procedure. People who aren't dressed conservatively enough are turned away, but luckily all of us were dressed appropriately. We went into th basillica of the church. It was beautiful! Mass had just started so we stood and listened to some of the hymns for a little bit, and then stopped at the gift shop and got postcards.
After the Vatican we took the Metra (like a subway) back to our hostel. WHAT an interesting ride. We got our tickets and waited for it to come. I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure a man tried to pick-pocket me!!! We were standing waiting for the bus/train and i felt something at my waist. It coul've been a water bottle or something, but when I looked to my right there was a man standing there with a jacket over his arm that was kind of covering my purse. I grabbed my purse and walked away. I instantly checked my purse and my zipper was opened! I was pretty sure I had zipped it right after getting my ticket because I was so nervous about taking the Metra. I checked and everything was there still. I think I caught him right before he was going to grab my wallet, which was on top, but all of my money, passport, cameras, etc. was still in my purse. Phew! Needless to say, I held on to my purse very tightly for the rest of the day. There was some big rugby game in Rome that day because there were tons of people from Ireland repping their teams' jerseys. One stop after we were on the Metra, about 20 fans shoved themselves into our tiny car. We legitimetly couldn't move! It was so jam-packed we didn't even need to hold on because of all the bodies around us. The man with the big belly by me was being of great support. But we got home with no navigation problems, so the Metra was a huge success!
Rome was absolutely amazing!!! I can't wait to tell you all about our field trip to Florence coming up on Wednesday. Until then, ciao!
On Saturday we woke up at 10am, showered, and ran out the door to go to the Colosseum! We took a cab because it was far from our hostel. The drive was fun because our cabbie was playing American music that we had never even heard before, but LOVED! Me and Colleen are already planning on downloading the songs. We didn't know what to expect of the Colosseum, but as soon as we turned left onto a street, it was standing right in front of us. It was hands down the most amazing moment of my life. I've taken many art history type classes and have spent months learning about the Colosseum. To see it just standing there in all it's brilliance was mind-blowing. I got so emotional I thought I was going to cry. It was SO BEAUTIFUL! Colleen and I were disappointed when we found out that the rest of the group didn't want to go inside of it, but we are planning on going back in a few weekends, so we're planning on seeing the inside of it then. We were all starving so we stopped for pizza on our way to the Trevi fountain. We went the wrong way once on our journey to the fountain, but quickly realized our mistake and turned around. The Trevi Fountain was gorgeous. We treated ourselves to some gelato and sat by the water while eating it. And of course, we threw a few coins in the fountain for good luck :) From there we walked to the Spanish steps, which just so happen to be by the fashion district/streets of Rome. We walked by Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, and so many more. We were all in awe of how many people we saw walking down the streets actually holding these designer name shopping bags! Wish I had that much money to go shopping with! We did eventually make our way to a store called Zara (kind of like an Italian Forever 21, but a little nicer). I let myself splurge a little and got a very cute trenchcoat that I'm obsessed with for 30 euros...a very good price I decided! After shopping, we walked to the Vatican City which is a very conservative Catholic city. We had to wait in security lines for a while and go through the whole airport security procedure. People who aren't dressed conservatively enough are turned away, but luckily all of us were dressed appropriately. We went into th basillica of the church. It was beautiful! Mass had just started so we stood and listened to some of the hymns for a little bit, and then stopped at the gift shop and got postcards.
After the Vatican we took the Metra (like a subway) back to our hostel. WHAT an interesting ride. We got our tickets and waited for it to come. I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure a man tried to pick-pocket me!!! We were standing waiting for the bus/train and i felt something at my waist. It coul've been a water bottle or something, but when I looked to my right there was a man standing there with a jacket over his arm that was kind of covering my purse. I grabbed my purse and walked away. I instantly checked my purse and my zipper was opened! I was pretty sure I had zipped it right after getting my ticket because I was so nervous about taking the Metra. I checked and everything was there still. I think I caught him right before he was going to grab my wallet, which was on top, but all of my money, passport, cameras, etc. was still in my purse. Phew! Needless to say, I held on to my purse very tightly for the rest of the day. There was some big rugby game in Rome that day because there were tons of people from Ireland repping their teams' jerseys. One stop after we were on the Metra, about 20 fans shoved themselves into our tiny car. We legitimetly couldn't move! It was so jam-packed we didn't even need to hold on because of all the bodies around us. The man with the big belly by me was being of great support. But we got home with no navigation problems, so the Metra was a huge success!
Rome was absolutely amazing!!! I can't wait to tell you all about our field trip to Florence coming up on Wednesday. Until then, ciao!
More Pictures!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Family Dinner third course: dessert: mascarpone
Family Dinner, second course: veggie lasagna
Family Dinner Saturday, first course: assorted appetizers: meat, bread, cheese, and artichoke
the view from the top was worth it
LONGEST STAIRWELL EVER to the top of the clocktower!!!! it was the hardest stair workout any of us have ever gotten!
walking through the underground tunnels
the most amazing pizza i've ever had: ricotta, mozarella, cream of truffle, bacon, and italian sausage :)
Family Dinner, second course: veggie lasagna
Family Dinner Saturday, first course: assorted appetizers: meat, bread, cheese, and artichoke
the view from the top was worth it
LONGEST STAIRWELL EVER to the top of the clocktower!!!! it was the hardest stair workout any of us have ever gotten!
walking through the underground tunnels
the most amazing pizza i've ever had: ricotta, mozarella, cream of truffle, bacon, and italian sausage :)
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Here are some pictures of my adventures!
Where I write all my blog entries at Montanucci Internet Cafe!
My hobbit house....Megan in Wonderland???
My FAVORITE street :)
My Street: Via del Popolo, 39
BEAUTIFUL Duomo Cathedral right next to my school!
The backyard of my apartment, overlooking the beautiful countryside below!
More pictures to come when I'm not running off to my tour of the underground city of Orvieto!
Where I write all my blog entries at Montanucci Internet Cafe!
My hobbit house....Megan in Wonderland???
My FAVORITE street :)
My Street: Via del Popolo, 39
BEAUTIFUL Duomo Cathedral right next to my school!
The backyard of my apartment, overlooking the beautiful countryside below!
More pictures to come when I'm not running off to my tour of the underground city of Orvieto!
The Beginning!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Yesterday we had orientation where we signed papers and took a walk around town to find out where everything was. I must say though, Orvieto’s streets are so windy and confusing, I doubt I’ll remember where all of the places were. On the up side, all the places we went to we’ve already stumbled upon randomly, so I think I will find my way around town soon.
During our break for lunch, me and 8 other girls went to this really cute restaurant on the main drag. They sat us upstairs in our own separate area with an overview of the restaurant. I had my first Italian pizza! I ordered a Margherita pizza, but it is much different than the American version. It is still thin crust, but to us it would just be considered a cheese pizza. But OMG it was amazing!!! They know exactly how to mix the flavors and how much to add of each thing. The cheese was so delicious and you could tell it was very fresh. Plus, it was only 4,50 Euros! Even though the meals we’ve been having out are amazing, cooking in our apartment is quite difficult. The grocery stores here and different than the ones at home. There is no selection of sliced turkey or any toppings for sandwiches, which is what I always eat at home. The cheeses there are all very gourmet; not your usual Munster and cheddar cheese. And all of the meat is raw and some kind of pork…no chicken ☹. My entire daily menu consists of yogurt, cereal, salame and provolone, and a piece of bread with nutella on it. For those of you who don’t know what nutella is, shame on you! It is the most delicious chocolate spread that you put on toast or make sandwiches out of. It is the European version of peanut butter…the staple food you turn to when you can’t think of anything else to make. Last night we did make spaghetti though. But, Italians make their own tomato sauce for their pasta so the jar we bought at the market turned out to just be tomato paste. It was interesting to say the least, but at least it filled us up a little bit.
Today was our first day of classes. I have 3 in a row from 9am to 12:30pm. Then I have a break until 3:30 when I take my final class of the day. The classes seem okay so far. I’m hoping the teachers are somewhat easy on us since we’re also here to travel and experience the culture, but it’s too early to tell. I like my teachers though, so that’s a plus! We have a lot of reading assignments since we only have classes Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, but no homework assignments as far as I can tell. Wednesdays and Fridays are designated for traveling and field trips, but this week it’s all just tours around Orvieto. All of us students are getting pretty anxious to start traveling, so we might go somewhere this weekend, but we’re not sure. We’re all very excited for our Florence trip next Tuesday though! I’ll keep you all updated ☺. Until then, ciao!
During our break for lunch, me and 8 other girls went to this really cute restaurant on the main drag. They sat us upstairs in our own separate area with an overview of the restaurant. I had my first Italian pizza! I ordered a Margherita pizza, but it is much different than the American version. It is still thin crust, but to us it would just be considered a cheese pizza. But OMG it was amazing!!! They know exactly how to mix the flavors and how much to add of each thing. The cheese was so delicious and you could tell it was very fresh. Plus, it was only 4,50 Euros! Even though the meals we’ve been having out are amazing, cooking in our apartment is quite difficult. The grocery stores here and different than the ones at home. There is no selection of sliced turkey or any toppings for sandwiches, which is what I always eat at home. The cheeses there are all very gourmet; not your usual Munster and cheddar cheese. And all of the meat is raw and some kind of pork…no chicken ☹. My entire daily menu consists of yogurt, cereal, salame and provolone, and a piece of bread with nutella on it. For those of you who don’t know what nutella is, shame on you! It is the most delicious chocolate spread that you put on toast or make sandwiches out of. It is the European version of peanut butter…the staple food you turn to when you can’t think of anything else to make. Last night we did make spaghetti though. But, Italians make their own tomato sauce for their pasta so the jar we bought at the market turned out to just be tomato paste. It was interesting to say the least, but at least it filled us up a little bit.
Today was our first day of classes. I have 3 in a row from 9am to 12:30pm. Then I have a break until 3:30 when I take my final class of the day. The classes seem okay so far. I’m hoping the teachers are somewhat easy on us since we’re also here to travel and experience the culture, but it’s too early to tell. I like my teachers though, so that’s a plus! We have a lot of reading assignments since we only have classes Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, but no homework assignments as far as I can tell. Wednesdays and Fridays are designated for traveling and field trips, but this week it’s all just tours around Orvieto. All of us students are getting pretty anxious to start traveling, so we might go somewhere this weekend, but we’re not sure. We’re all very excited for our Florence trip next Tuesday though! I’ll keep you all updated ☺. Until then, ciao!
Bonjourno! Sorry it has been a few days, I have to pay 5 Euros per hour for Internet at a café ☹. On Thursday the 27th I woke up at 5am to catch my 8:45 plane ride. A girl named Marissa who is in Orvieto with me was on the same flight so we met up at the airport. We were both furious when the flight attendant told us we’d have to check our carry-ons because the others who had boarded before us took up all the overhead space (even though we were the ones who checked in online first!)…Um WHAT?!?! We had all of our important belongings in those bags! Contacts, umbrellas (which have come in very handy since arriving), toothbrushes, etc. We were so nervous our bags would get lost and not make it to Italy. However, after two long flights and 1 short hour of sleep, we arrived in Rome right after sunrise and our bags were there waiting for us ☺. I have to say, I was nervous about being in the airport lugging around all 3 of my bags. We had a very thick student handbook that described what we should expect, and I was expecting to see the men being much more forward than I’m used to, and to be pick-pocketed left and right! That handbook needs to be rewritten because it was not crowded, the Italian men kept their hands to themselves, and I never came close to getting robbed. The handbook did fail to mention how awful Italians drive though. I’m pretty sure I’ve almost been hit 10 times!
We all got into a huge Greyhound bus that took us to Orvieto. The ride there was all green with cows and sheep grazing the grass. It did not look what I had imagined Italy looking like. We finally made our way up the windy road that led us up the hill to our city. The view was breathtaking. Orvieto is a city in the clouds. If you look over the wall of the road, everything is so small below. We all got our luggage and our landlords picked us up and brought us all to our different apartments. I was sad to know that we weren’t all in the same building. I am rooming with Colleen, Caitie, and Annie. We get along GREAT! Our apartment is very small with a cottage-like feel. Colleen and I are in one room and Caitie and Annie are in the other. The floors are old brick, which looks really neat, but it’s cold and hard so we can’t lie on the ground. The two girls across the hall are in a two-person apartment that has a full kitchen, dining area, and living room. We are supposed to share their kitchen because ours only has two burners and no oven, but they keep locking us out! We’ll see how that goes. We are at the top floor (4 long flights of stairs…ugh) so the roof is slanted. Needless to say, I will be coming home with brain damage because of all the times I’ve hit my head in my room while changing or getting into bed. Our heater has a mind of it’s own and decided not to work for a while on Friday, so we were all bundled up at the table with glasses of wine to provide us warmth. A major downside to our apartment other than not having Internet is that we have no washer. We asked our landord about it and she said we have to wash our clothes by hand. Well, there goes any hope I had of getting laundry done during these three months! Since we were all dropped off at our apartments separately, we never got to see where everyone else was living. We spent two hours that Friday wandering around looking for our friends and the rest of the night getting lost around town.
Saturday night a girl named Bonnie (who is a UA and Orvieto program alum who moved to Orvieto after she graduated and married a man she met here) set up a nice dinner for us at her husband’s restaurant. For 15 Euros each we got wine, appetizers, a veggie lasagna, and dessert. It was delicious, and it was our first “family” dinner, so it was tons of fun! After dinner we all took a walk to each other’s apartments so we could all see where everyone actually lived. After our walk all of us went to an American bar called “Beer House” where we met students from Kansas State who are here studying too! It was so fun to meet new people…and to talk to people who knew English because most of this town doesn’t know any.
Monday will be our orientation where we will finally find out where everything is in this town and get our class schedules. It has been extremely difficult getting around town because we don’t know where anything is. We did find the grocery store yesterday though, so that was an accomplishment. It’s weird but I am actually excited for classes to start because I have had such a long break with nothing to do. It will be nice to have some structure to my days again. I wonder how things will change after we actually know where to get our shopping done and where to eat. Until then, ciao!
P.s. My internet doesn't like me so it won't let me post pictures, but I'll try to get them up asap!
We all got into a huge Greyhound bus that took us to Orvieto. The ride there was all green with cows and sheep grazing the grass. It did not look what I had imagined Italy looking like. We finally made our way up the windy road that led us up the hill to our city. The view was breathtaking. Orvieto is a city in the clouds. If you look over the wall of the road, everything is so small below. We all got our luggage and our landlords picked us up and brought us all to our different apartments. I was sad to know that we weren’t all in the same building. I am rooming with Colleen, Caitie, and Annie. We get along GREAT! Our apartment is very small with a cottage-like feel. Colleen and I are in one room and Caitie and Annie are in the other. The floors are old brick, which looks really neat, but it’s cold and hard so we can’t lie on the ground. The two girls across the hall are in a two-person apartment that has a full kitchen, dining area, and living room. We are supposed to share their kitchen because ours only has two burners and no oven, but they keep locking us out! We’ll see how that goes. We are at the top floor (4 long flights of stairs…ugh) so the roof is slanted. Needless to say, I will be coming home with brain damage because of all the times I’ve hit my head in my room while changing or getting into bed. Our heater has a mind of it’s own and decided not to work for a while on Friday, so we were all bundled up at the table with glasses of wine to provide us warmth. A major downside to our apartment other than not having Internet is that we have no washer. We asked our landord about it and she said we have to wash our clothes by hand. Well, there goes any hope I had of getting laundry done during these three months! Since we were all dropped off at our apartments separately, we never got to see where everyone else was living. We spent two hours that Friday wandering around looking for our friends and the rest of the night getting lost around town.
Saturday night a girl named Bonnie (who is a UA and Orvieto program alum who moved to Orvieto after she graduated and married a man she met here) set up a nice dinner for us at her husband’s restaurant. For 15 Euros each we got wine, appetizers, a veggie lasagna, and dessert. It was delicious, and it was our first “family” dinner, so it was tons of fun! After dinner we all took a walk to each other’s apartments so we could all see where everyone actually lived. After our walk all of us went to an American bar called “Beer House” where we met students from Kansas State who are here studying too! It was so fun to meet new people…and to talk to people who knew English because most of this town doesn’t know any.
Monday will be our orientation where we will finally find out where everything is in this town and get our class schedules. It has been extremely difficult getting around town because we don’t know where anything is. We did find the grocery store yesterday though, so that was an accomplishment. It’s weird but I am actually excited for classes to start because I have had such a long break with nothing to do. It will be nice to have some structure to my days again. I wonder how things will change after we actually know where to get our shopping done and where to eat. Until then, ciao!
P.s. My internet doesn't like me so it won't let me post pictures, but I'll try to get them up asap!
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