Thursday, December 10, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Photos
These are pictures I promised to post. First picture is a little teaser of what my new bedroom looks like (which has changed quite a bit since this photo was taken). The group picture is from Thanksgiving dinner. And the last pictures are of the Cathedral and scenic views of Siena.
Enjoy!
xx
Enjoy!
xx
Thanksgiving, Tuscana, e Danza
Ciao Tutti,
I apologize again for the delay in postings. Life has been busy here in Roma.
Where did we leave off…
Thanksgiving
Well, I managed to actually have a real turkey dinner last Thursday in Rome. My roommate, Dezera, told me that the Hard Rock Café holds Thanksgiving dinners in most major cities, Rome being one of them! So, I was beyond excited; Thanksgiving wasn’t a lost cause after all! I managed to get a few friends to join me and not a single one was American. It was pretty cool to be able to share this holiday with others my age from across the globe. My group consisted of, Magdalena from Austria, Annemarijn from Holland, Padraic from Ireland, and Mandy from Belgium. It was a pretty solid group and everyone went all out and paid the 25 euro for a real Thanksgiving feast. Our menu was:
-1 flute of champagne
-Onion soup as a starter
-Turkey, baked potato, corn on the cob, and cranberry sauce as the main course
-A bottle of wine -not included in the 25 euros ;)
And for dessert:
-Pumpkin pie or bailey’s Irish cheesecake (which I obviously ordered..YUM)
So, needless to say, we were all rolling each other out of the restaurant. But, it was definitely worth it and I am so lucky that I have such great friends here who wanted to take part in my country’s holiday :)
I hope everyone at home enjoyed their Thanksgivings as well! I was certainly wishing I was in NYC with my family to share the holiday, but I was also thankful to be in another great city across the world.
You should have heard me trying to explain Black Friday to everyone here. It probably only made Americans seem even crazier than they already appear. “You mean you get up at 2am to SHOP?!? Non capisco..”
Next Up: Siena & San Giovanni Trip in Tuscana
My friend, Clementina from Venezuela, and I decided to join the school on their monthly excursion around Italy. This months’ trip was to Siena, and then to a small town called Porta San Giovanni, both of which are in Tuscany, so clearly beautiful places to visit.
It took a good 4 hours to arrive in Siena by bus, but we left around 7:45am so I managed to sleep a few extra hours on the way ;) Siena was a great city and not at all what I was expecting. It was very similar to Pienza and Montepulciano in the way that the town was very, very old and full of cozy, winding roads. However there were a lot of high-end stores that lined the streets instead of the typical butcheries and gelaterias that appeared in the other cities. Don’t get me wrong, Siena had these shops as well, but it definitely had a more modern feel to it. They had stores like Versace, Furla, and etc. so it was odd to see that in such a historic place. You’re probably thinking that I’m a hypocrite right now considering Rome is a historic city with high-end shops as well, but really the difference is that Siena is much, much smaller than Rome and it felt almost like the stores were completely incongruous. In Rome, you don’t really feel like you’re in a historic place until you come across old monuments. Whereas in Siena and these other towns, you are constantly reminded of their time period with the aging buildings, lack of taxis, buses, & metros and really the simplicity of life around you. So, that was interesting to me.
We went inside one of the most amazing cathedrals I have ever seen. It was just called il duomo di Siena (the cathedral of Siena), but it was so unique. The interiors were entirely striped in black & white marble. And the details in the church were absolutely incredible. I mean you could look around that church for years and probably find new sculptures on the walls or ceilings. In one of the areas of the church there was a baptismal bath and when you looked up you could see a circle of angels throwing things down towards the bath. But you really had to look hard or it just looked like a ring of branches or something. So, it’s details like that which made it so unique and exquisite. I’ll post a few pictures so you can get a good image of what I’m talking about.
After Siena we made our way to Porta San Giovanni. Which to be honest wasn’t that exciting because we didn’t get a tour so I didn’t learn much of the history about the place. It had great architecture though and the old buildings were some of my favorite. I was disappointed especially because they had lights on just about everything and I wished it was dark so we could have seen it. I bet it is just amazing once they’re all on. Alas, Clementina and I just grabbed a bite to eat there since we really only had an hour to tour the city and then took pictures of the buildings, etc.
After this city, we made our way home and arrived at the school around 10pm. So, it was clearly a VERY long day. However, we had a good time and met some new people from school (most notably one boy in particular named Samuel who is just the best eye candy you’ll ever see, and of course he just happens to be a doctor, who lives in Switzerland, and is just as friendly to talk to as he is nice to look at ;) so that always makes for a good time too) lol
Sunday I managed to crawl out of bed to go to a dance show with Annemarijn. On our way there we thought we’d take a bus to the train station, hop on the metro, then walk to the teatro. Jumping on our local bus, it was unusually crowded, and Anne got quite a bit ahead of me, but I saw her give me a look of terror as she pulled away from the crowd to grab me. Suddenly I see she’s searching through her purse counting her money and double, triple, quadruple counting all her belongings. Finally she says some woman had been going through her purse as we crowded onto the bus!!!!! Annemarijn’s purse was unlocked, unzipped, and wallet open when she realized this girl’s hand was in her bag. Luckily Anne noticed fast enough to pull away from her and had every single one of her belongings in place. I don’t even think she realizes how lucky she was. When I saw the girl on the bus who had opened Annemarijns purse, I seriously burned a hole through her head with the look I gave her. She was wearing a fur vest and other nice clothes. Who did she think she was trying to steal from Annemarijn??? As she got off the bus only about .10 miles away, we watched her stand there eyeing every single person around her. These poor people had no idea that they were her next victims..
We decided that from now on, we talk only in Italian at the bus stops so we don’t stand out as vulnerable foreigners. And we also continued to essentially HUG our bags the whole night. *sigh* Okay enough of the serious talk.
The dance show we were going to was where dancers were going to compete for the Federazione Italiana Danza (Italian Dance Federation). Basically, this federation would choose the best dancers from all the performances to be in their company. Kinda cool to witness that. And the dances were truly very good. It was mostly modern dance, but some hip-hop that really reminded me of America’s Best Dance Crew competitors. The show started at 4pm and we sat there for like 3 hours thinking it was almost over… ummmm it went on until 10PM!!!!!!!!!!! Thank god we found a woman who told us that it went on until then so we left around 8 to get food and get out of dodge!! Sorry but even Brad Pitt in a tutu wouldn’t keep me there for 6 hours. Well- okay, maybe Brad Pitt would, but let’s be real. Absolutely way too long. And yet absolutely so typical for Italians. We should have known better..
And now, I’m just about to pass out from my busy weekend. Tomorrow I am going to be making plans for a trip to Venice and Garda Lake (near Milano) next weekend! So, look out for details on that trip in the next week or so :)
Sorry this was a rather boring and inevitably grammatically error-filled blog, but my energy was sucked out somewhere between San Giovanni and the 6 hour dance show we nearly sat through. Hope you can at least enjoy the pictures I’m going to post and I’ll be talking to you soon about my next trip :)
Tanti bachi,
-Kate
I apologize again for the delay in postings. Life has been busy here in Roma.
Where did we leave off…
Thanksgiving
Well, I managed to actually have a real turkey dinner last Thursday in Rome. My roommate, Dezera, told me that the Hard Rock Café holds Thanksgiving dinners in most major cities, Rome being one of them! So, I was beyond excited; Thanksgiving wasn’t a lost cause after all! I managed to get a few friends to join me and not a single one was American. It was pretty cool to be able to share this holiday with others my age from across the globe. My group consisted of, Magdalena from Austria, Annemarijn from Holland, Padraic from Ireland, and Mandy from Belgium. It was a pretty solid group and everyone went all out and paid the 25 euro for a real Thanksgiving feast. Our menu was:
-1 flute of champagne
-Onion soup as a starter
-Turkey, baked potato, corn on the cob, and cranberry sauce as the main course
-A bottle of wine -not included in the 25 euros ;)
And for dessert:
-Pumpkin pie or bailey’s Irish cheesecake (which I obviously ordered..YUM)
So, needless to say, we were all rolling each other out of the restaurant. But, it was definitely worth it and I am so lucky that I have such great friends here who wanted to take part in my country’s holiday :)
I hope everyone at home enjoyed their Thanksgivings as well! I was certainly wishing I was in NYC with my family to share the holiday, but I was also thankful to be in another great city across the world.
You should have heard me trying to explain Black Friday to everyone here. It probably only made Americans seem even crazier than they already appear. “You mean you get up at 2am to SHOP?!? Non capisco..”
Next Up: Siena & San Giovanni Trip in Tuscana
My friend, Clementina from Venezuela, and I decided to join the school on their monthly excursion around Italy. This months’ trip was to Siena, and then to a small town called Porta San Giovanni, both of which are in Tuscany, so clearly beautiful places to visit.
It took a good 4 hours to arrive in Siena by bus, but we left around 7:45am so I managed to sleep a few extra hours on the way ;) Siena was a great city and not at all what I was expecting. It was very similar to Pienza and Montepulciano in the way that the town was very, very old and full of cozy, winding roads. However there were a lot of high-end stores that lined the streets instead of the typical butcheries and gelaterias that appeared in the other cities. Don’t get me wrong, Siena had these shops as well, but it definitely had a more modern feel to it. They had stores like Versace, Furla, and etc. so it was odd to see that in such a historic place. You’re probably thinking that I’m a hypocrite right now considering Rome is a historic city with high-end shops as well, but really the difference is that Siena is much, much smaller than Rome and it felt almost like the stores were completely incongruous. In Rome, you don’t really feel like you’re in a historic place until you come across old monuments. Whereas in Siena and these other towns, you are constantly reminded of their time period with the aging buildings, lack of taxis, buses, & metros and really the simplicity of life around you. So, that was interesting to me.
We went inside one of the most amazing cathedrals I have ever seen. It was just called il duomo di Siena (the cathedral of Siena), but it was so unique. The interiors were entirely striped in black & white marble. And the details in the church were absolutely incredible. I mean you could look around that church for years and probably find new sculptures on the walls or ceilings. In one of the areas of the church there was a baptismal bath and when you looked up you could see a circle of angels throwing things down towards the bath. But you really had to look hard or it just looked like a ring of branches or something. So, it’s details like that which made it so unique and exquisite. I’ll post a few pictures so you can get a good image of what I’m talking about.
After Siena we made our way to Porta San Giovanni. Which to be honest wasn’t that exciting because we didn’t get a tour so I didn’t learn much of the history about the place. It had great architecture though and the old buildings were some of my favorite. I was disappointed especially because they had lights on just about everything and I wished it was dark so we could have seen it. I bet it is just amazing once they’re all on. Alas, Clementina and I just grabbed a bite to eat there since we really only had an hour to tour the city and then took pictures of the buildings, etc.
After this city, we made our way home and arrived at the school around 10pm. So, it was clearly a VERY long day. However, we had a good time and met some new people from school (most notably one boy in particular named Samuel who is just the best eye candy you’ll ever see, and of course he just happens to be a doctor, who lives in Switzerland, and is just as friendly to talk to as he is nice to look at ;) so that always makes for a good time too) lol
Sunday I managed to crawl out of bed to go to a dance show with Annemarijn. On our way there we thought we’d take a bus to the train station, hop on the metro, then walk to the teatro. Jumping on our local bus, it was unusually crowded, and Anne got quite a bit ahead of me, but I saw her give me a look of terror as she pulled away from the crowd to grab me. Suddenly I see she’s searching through her purse counting her money and double, triple, quadruple counting all her belongings. Finally she says some woman had been going through her purse as we crowded onto the bus!!!!! Annemarijn’s purse was unlocked, unzipped, and wallet open when she realized this girl’s hand was in her bag. Luckily Anne noticed fast enough to pull away from her and had every single one of her belongings in place. I don’t even think she realizes how lucky she was. When I saw the girl on the bus who had opened Annemarijns purse, I seriously burned a hole through her head with the look I gave her. She was wearing a fur vest and other nice clothes. Who did she think she was trying to steal from Annemarijn??? As she got off the bus only about .10 miles away, we watched her stand there eyeing every single person around her. These poor people had no idea that they were her next victims..
We decided that from now on, we talk only in Italian at the bus stops so we don’t stand out as vulnerable foreigners. And we also continued to essentially HUG our bags the whole night. *sigh* Okay enough of the serious talk.
The dance show we were going to was where dancers were going to compete for the Federazione Italiana Danza (Italian Dance Federation). Basically, this federation would choose the best dancers from all the performances to be in their company. Kinda cool to witness that. And the dances were truly very good. It was mostly modern dance, but some hip-hop that really reminded me of America’s Best Dance Crew competitors. The show started at 4pm and we sat there for like 3 hours thinking it was almost over… ummmm it went on until 10PM!!!!!!!!!!! Thank god we found a woman who told us that it went on until then so we left around 8 to get food and get out of dodge!! Sorry but even Brad Pitt in a tutu wouldn’t keep me there for 6 hours. Well- okay, maybe Brad Pitt would, but let’s be real. Absolutely way too long. And yet absolutely so typical for Italians. We should have known better..
And now, I’m just about to pass out from my busy weekend. Tomorrow I am going to be making plans for a trip to Venice and Garda Lake (near Milano) next weekend! So, look out for details on that trip in the next week or so :)
Sorry this was a rather boring and inevitably grammatically error-filled blog, but my energy was sucked out somewhere between San Giovanni and the 6 hour dance show we nearly sat through. Hope you can at least enjoy the pictures I’m going to post and I’ll be talking to you soon about my next trip :)
Tanti bachi,
-Kate
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Back from the Dead
Currently listening to: OneRepublic "Good Life"
listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDucOmhxFGE&feature=related
Hey Friends,
First of all, I want to apologize for the super long delay on my latest entry. As my *cough cough* “editor” posted the other day, I’ve been out sick with the stomach flu for the past week. I am still on the mend, but considering I took a five-hour nap this afternoon, I am in no hurry to jump back in bed.
Ergo, I am back to grace your presence with another update on my adventures here in lovely Roma. And, as I am sure the details of this past week will surely not be missed, I will thus jump back a week before, to my move-in weekend!
For those who need reminding, I decided to move on from my host families flat, to one of my own that I’m sharing with 2 other gals. Our cozy abode rests right along the Tiber River with a view of Trastevere across the bridge. And if you juuuust stretch your neck enough you might see the tip of the Vatican from our kitchen window too :)
It’s really a great building with huge oak doors, a classic early 1900’s-style lift, big windows in each of our bedrooms, a huuuge bathroom, an extra bathroom! (total plus), and a great kitchen too.
The surrounding area is wonderful as well. Of course we have the river on one side, but then we’re also just a few blocks from great shopping, theatres, restaurants, a tiny park, and the bus-stop (which is handy for me with class being 40 minutes away). So, it’s really a practical location.
Anywho, it was kind of sad saying goodbye to Rosanna and Mario. I told them that I would try to visit them later in the year if I could and they seemed happy to hear that. They were very sweet throughout the whole move, not acting too disappointed or anything. I really didn’t want to hurt their feelings either, it’s just about my own personal comfort level with living amongst strangers whom they rented out rooms to. Of course, I never told them that’s why I am leaving. I said I was moving in with friends and I was with them all the time anyways so it made sense for me to leave. Either way, we left on a good note, and Nasrin, my old roommate who stayed at her friends a lot, was leaving a week after me so we said our goodbyes’ days ahead of time.
So, my friend, Isabella, helped me move all my stuff out and back into my new place whilst I simultaneously kicked Padraic out of his room to hand over the keys. Haha! I kid. Although he did threaten to lock the doors and pretend not to know who I was when I came a knockin’. And honestly, I wouldn’t put it past his Irish trickery ways to carry through with it..
No worries, he didn’t of course. He hung around a bit before he headed to a hostel (god that’s so depressing isn’t it- I am a mean person). I met up with him the next day though and he seemed to have survived alright. Some odd situation with an older lady being in his room when he got there, but I think they figured that out.. lol
Never-the-less, everyone is settled, my roommates are great. Dezera is from NYC, she’s a broadway performer but teaching English here in Rome and has lived here for 2 years now. And Karry is from Los Angeles and is in International Relations but teaching English here as well. They’re so awesome. We cook and drink wine every night at the dinner table. So, I’m very blessed to have them as roomies.
Don’t know how much I’ll be hanging with my crew this weekend, as I mentioned I am still recovering from my bout with the influenzia. Bleh! Oh, and there is also a little thing going on tomorrow, maybe you’ve heard of this movie coming out, New Moon? Lol Yeah, so my Friday plans have basically been penciled in for about a year now. Other than that, I’ll have pictures up of the new place surely this weekend. I’ll post a few on here and then more on Facebook.
Hope everyone is healthier than I am these days and continue to stay healthy. Oh, and hopefully I’ll post before then, but if not, please, please, PLEASE enjoy your Thanksgiving dinners for me. As I am sure it won’t be quite the same atmosphere here in Rome this week as in America. But, rest assured I WILL be making a Thanksgiving dinner- just maybe a little less grand than I’m used to :)
Love you, miss you, and chat with you soon.
Cheers,
-Kate
p.s. Happy (belated) Birthday to one of my best friends from home, Lindsay Heckthorn!! 23 girllllll!!! Woohooo!!! Love you girlie!!! Kiss kiss! (oh and you better believe I found the most gorgeous Italian wedding dresses here…probably a little out of your budget though lol) Miss you tons sista!!
listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDucOmhxFGE&feature=related
Hey Friends,
First of all, I want to apologize for the super long delay on my latest entry. As my *cough cough* “editor” posted the other day, I’ve been out sick with the stomach flu for the past week. I am still on the mend, but considering I took a five-hour nap this afternoon, I am in no hurry to jump back in bed.
Ergo, I am back to grace your presence with another update on my adventures here in lovely Roma. And, as I am sure the details of this past week will surely not be missed, I will thus jump back a week before, to my move-in weekend!
For those who need reminding, I decided to move on from my host families flat, to one of my own that I’m sharing with 2 other gals. Our cozy abode rests right along the Tiber River with a view of Trastevere across the bridge. And if you juuuust stretch your neck enough you might see the tip of the Vatican from our kitchen window too :)
It’s really a great building with huge oak doors, a classic early 1900’s-style lift, big windows in each of our bedrooms, a huuuge bathroom, an extra bathroom! (total plus), and a great kitchen too.
The surrounding area is wonderful as well. Of course we have the river on one side, but then we’re also just a few blocks from great shopping, theatres, restaurants, a tiny park, and the bus-stop (which is handy for me with class being 40 minutes away). So, it’s really a practical location.
Anywho, it was kind of sad saying goodbye to Rosanna and Mario. I told them that I would try to visit them later in the year if I could and they seemed happy to hear that. They were very sweet throughout the whole move, not acting too disappointed or anything. I really didn’t want to hurt their feelings either, it’s just about my own personal comfort level with living amongst strangers whom they rented out rooms to. Of course, I never told them that’s why I am leaving. I said I was moving in with friends and I was with them all the time anyways so it made sense for me to leave. Either way, we left on a good note, and Nasrin, my old roommate who stayed at her friends a lot, was leaving a week after me so we said our goodbyes’ days ahead of time.
So, my friend, Isabella, helped me move all my stuff out and back into my new place whilst I simultaneously kicked Padraic out of his room to hand over the keys. Haha! I kid. Although he did threaten to lock the doors and pretend not to know who I was when I came a knockin’. And honestly, I wouldn’t put it past his Irish trickery ways to carry through with it..
No worries, he didn’t of course. He hung around a bit before he headed to a hostel (god that’s so depressing isn’t it- I am a mean person). I met up with him the next day though and he seemed to have survived alright. Some odd situation with an older lady being in his room when he got there, but I think they figured that out.. lol
Never-the-less, everyone is settled, my roommates are great. Dezera is from NYC, she’s a broadway performer but teaching English here in Rome and has lived here for 2 years now. And Karry is from Los Angeles and is in International Relations but teaching English here as well. They’re so awesome. We cook and drink wine every night at the dinner table. So, I’m very blessed to have them as roomies.
Don’t know how much I’ll be hanging with my crew this weekend, as I mentioned I am still recovering from my bout with the influenzia. Bleh! Oh, and there is also a little thing going on tomorrow, maybe you’ve heard of this movie coming out, New Moon? Lol Yeah, so my Friday plans have basically been penciled in for about a year now. Other than that, I’ll have pictures up of the new place surely this weekend. I’ll post a few on here and then more on Facebook.
Hope everyone is healthier than I am these days and continue to stay healthy. Oh, and hopefully I’ll post before then, but if not, please, please, PLEASE enjoy your Thanksgiving dinners for me. As I am sure it won’t be quite the same atmosphere here in Rome this week as in America. But, rest assured I WILL be making a Thanksgiving dinner- just maybe a little less grand than I’m used to :)
Love you, miss you, and chat with you soon.
Cheers,
-Kate
p.s. Happy (belated) Birthday to one of my best friends from home, Lindsay Heckthorn!! 23 girllllll!!! Woohooo!!! Love you girlie!!! Kiss kiss! (oh and you better believe I found the most gorgeous Italian wedding dresses here…probably a little out of your budget though lol) Miss you tons sista!!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Short 'n Sweet
Buena Sera,
Gosh, not a whole lot to report on my end so far this week. Kind of feel like I’m getting into a routine of things, which is always good. Guess I can update you on my accommodations situation.
I believe we left off with me telling you that I wasn’t very comfortable living with my current host family. Maybe some people are okay with 15 strangers sharing one bathroom, and unless you’re the Duggars, this is just NOT okay. Thus, I started to look into my other options.
After meeting with the accommodations department at my school for about 3 weeks, I decided that sharing an apartment, rather than staying with a host family, would be a better option for me. I think host families are there for students who need some support or guidance, for example, a younger student. And that really is best for some people. But, at this point, I think I can handle things on my own and I’ve got enough of the culture surrounding me 24/7 to keep me submerged in the Italian way of life. (my spinning class alone is enough of a culture shock every day- all those tight Italian butts, and they still eat carbs?? ..completely foreign to me)
Anyways, I found out that there was an opening in a 3-bedroom apartment in one of the best areas in Rome for young people. It’s also a 5 minute walk from two of my good friends. So, I was really excited. The other two girls living in the apartment are both American, but do not go to my school. Still, I think it’ll be nice to meet people outside of class. Thus, the accommodations office recommended I see the apartment before settling on my decision. So, currently, an Irish boy named “Porick” (sp?)(Gaelic for Patrick) lives in the room I’ll be moving into. He met with me after class last week and we spent the evening touring his neighborhood and apartment. The room will be superly duperly teeny tiny, but welcome to Rome. He told me not to look into the other girls’ bedrooms because it’ll just upset me with how much bigger they are. But then again, they are probably paying a whoooole lot more than I am too. So, I’m okay with my cozy abode. Porick was such a great help and a really nice guy. I took him to a local pub to meet my friends on Friday night, and Saturday he took me to a concert with his friends at Circolo Degli Artisti Coop, a very hip venue outside of the city. So, here I go adding another country to my Roman friends list:
Ireland
Sweden
Holland
Belgium
Russia
Venezuela
Greece
France
Italy
Argentina
.
.
.
And I’m sure I’ll be adding more as the months continue..
Anyways, I should be moving in this upcoming Saturday. A bunch of my friends said they’d help me move-in so I’m very lucky to have the help. I’ve acquired so many things while staying here that it’d be next to impossible to move everything myself.
So, hopefully I will have updates on my living situation next week, or even as close as this weekend. (I’ll have new internet at the new apartment! So hopefully it’ll be faster than this one) Until then, hope you are enjoying the blogs. Sorry this weeks’ is a bit boring. Maybe I’ll post again later in the week once things are more in motion. Either way, talk to you soon.
Tanti Bachi,
-Kate
Gosh, not a whole lot to report on my end so far this week. Kind of feel like I’m getting into a routine of things, which is always good. Guess I can update you on my accommodations situation.
I believe we left off with me telling you that I wasn’t very comfortable living with my current host family. Maybe some people are okay with 15 strangers sharing one bathroom, and unless you’re the Duggars, this is just NOT okay. Thus, I started to look into my other options.
After meeting with the accommodations department at my school for about 3 weeks, I decided that sharing an apartment, rather than staying with a host family, would be a better option for me. I think host families are there for students who need some support or guidance, for example, a younger student. And that really is best for some people. But, at this point, I think I can handle things on my own and I’ve got enough of the culture surrounding me 24/7 to keep me submerged in the Italian way of life. (my spinning class alone is enough of a culture shock every day- all those tight Italian butts, and they still eat carbs?? ..completely foreign to me)
Anyways, I found out that there was an opening in a 3-bedroom apartment in one of the best areas in Rome for young people. It’s also a 5 minute walk from two of my good friends. So, I was really excited. The other two girls living in the apartment are both American, but do not go to my school. Still, I think it’ll be nice to meet people outside of class. Thus, the accommodations office recommended I see the apartment before settling on my decision. So, currently, an Irish boy named “Porick” (sp?)(Gaelic for Patrick) lives in the room I’ll be moving into. He met with me after class last week and we spent the evening touring his neighborhood and apartment. The room will be superly duperly teeny tiny, but welcome to Rome. He told me not to look into the other girls’ bedrooms because it’ll just upset me with how much bigger they are. But then again, they are probably paying a whoooole lot more than I am too. So, I’m okay with my cozy abode. Porick was such a great help and a really nice guy. I took him to a local pub to meet my friends on Friday night, and Saturday he took me to a concert with his friends at Circolo Degli Artisti Coop, a very hip venue outside of the city. So, here I go adding another country to my Roman friends list:
Ireland
Sweden
Holland
Belgium
Russia
Venezuela
Greece
France
Italy
Argentina
.
.
.
And I’m sure I’ll be adding more as the months continue..
Anyways, I should be moving in this upcoming Saturday. A bunch of my friends said they’d help me move-in so I’m very lucky to have the help. I’ve acquired so many things while staying here that it’d be next to impossible to move everything myself.
So, hopefully I will have updates on my living situation next week, or even as close as this weekend. (I’ll have new internet at the new apartment! So hopefully it’ll be faster than this one) Until then, hope you are enjoying the blogs. Sorry this weeks’ is a bit boring. Maybe I’ll post again later in the week once things are more in motion. Either way, talk to you soon.
Tanti Bachi,
-Kate
Short 'n Sweet
Buena Sera,
Gosh, not a whole lot to report on my end so far this week. Kind of feel like I’m getting into a routine of things, which is always good. Guess I can update you on my accommodations situation.
I believe we left off with me telling you that I wasn’t very comfortable living with my current host family. Maybe some people are okay with 15 strangers sharing one bathroom, and unless you’re the Duggars, this is just NOT okay. Thus, I started to look into my other options.
After meeting with the accommodations department at my school for about 3 weeks, I decided that sharing an apartment, rather than staying with a host family, would be a better option for me. I think host families are there for students who need some support or guidance, for example, a younger student. And that really is best for some people. But, at this point, I think I can handle things on my own and I’ve got enough of the culture surrounding me 24/7 to keep me submerged in the Italian way of life. (my spinning class alone is enough of a culture shock every day- all those tight Italian butts, and they still eat carbs?? ..completely foreign to me)
Anyways, I found out that there was an opening in a 3-bedroom apartment in one of the best areas in Rome for young people. It’s also a 5 minute walk from two of my good friends. So, I was really excited. The other two girls living in the apartment are both American, but do not go to my school. Still, I think it’ll be nice to meet people outside of class. Thus, the accommodations office recommended I see the apartment before settling on my decision. So, currently, an Irish boy named “Porick” (sp?)(Gaelic for Patrick) lives in the room I’ll be moving into. He met with me after class last week and we spent the evening touring his neighborhood and apartment. The room will be superly duperly teeny tiny, but welcome to Rome. He told me not to look into the other girls’ bedrooms because it’ll just upset me with how much bigger they are. But then again, they are probably paying a whoooole lot more than I am too. So, I’m okay with my cozy abode. Porick was such a great help and a really nice guy. I took him to a local pub to meet my friends on Friday night, and Saturday he took me to a concert with his friends at Circolo Degli Artisti Coop, a very hip venue outside of the city. So, here I go adding another country to my Roman friends list:
Ireland
Sweden
Holland
Belgium
Russia
Venezuela
Greece
France
Italy
Argentina
.
.
.
And I’m sure I’ll be adding more as the months continue..
Anyways, I should be moving in this upcoming Saturday. A bunch of my friends said they’d help me move-in so I’m very lucky to have the help. I’ve acquired so many things while staying here that it’d be next to impossible to move everything myself.
So, hopefully I will have updates on my living situation next week, or even as close as this weekend. (I’ll have new internet at the new apartment! So hopefully it’ll be faster than this one) Until then, hope you are enjoying the blogs. Sorry this weeks’ is a bit boring. Maybe I’ll post again later in the week once things are more in motion. Either way, talk to you soon.
Tanti Bachi,
-Kate
Gosh, not a whole lot to report on my end so far this week. Kind of feel like I’m getting into a routine of things, which is always good. Guess I can update you on my accommodations situation.
I believe we left off with me telling you that I wasn’t very comfortable living with my current host family. Maybe some people are okay with 15 strangers sharing one bathroom, and unless you’re the Duggars, this is just NOT okay. Thus, I started to look into my other options.
After meeting with the accommodations department at my school for about 3 weeks, I decided that sharing an apartment, rather than staying with a host family, would be a better option for me. I think host families are there for students who need some support or guidance, for example, a younger student. And that really is best for some people. But, at this point, I think I can handle things on my own and I’ve got enough of the culture surrounding me 24/7 to keep me submerged in the Italian way of life. (my spinning class alone is enough of a culture shock every day- all those tight Italian butts, and they still eat carbs?? ..completely foreign to me)
Anyways, I found out that there was an opening in a 3-bedroom apartment in one of the best areas in Rome for young people. It’s also a 5 minute walk from two of my good friends. So, I was really excited. The other two girls living in the apartment are both American, but do not go to my school. Still, I think it’ll be nice to meet people outside of class. Thus, the accommodations office recommended I see the apartment before settling on my decision. So, currently, an Irish boy named “Porick” (sp?)(Gaelic for Patrick) lives in the room I’ll be moving into. He met with me after class last week and we spent the evening touring his neighborhood and apartment. The room will be superly duperly teeny tiny, but welcome to Rome. He told me not to look into the other girls’ bedrooms because it’ll just upset me with how much bigger they are. But then again, they are probably paying a whoooole lot more than I am too. So, I’m okay with my cozy abode. Porick was such a great help and a really nice guy. I took him to a local pub to meet my friends on Friday night, and Saturday he took me to a concert with his friends at Circolo Degli Artisti Coop, a very hip venue outside of the city. So, here I go adding another country to my Roman friends list:
Ireland
Sweden
Holland
Belgium
Russia
Venezuela
Greece
France
Italy
Argentina
.
.
.
And I’m sure I’ll be adding more as the months continue..
Anyways, I should be moving in this upcoming Saturday. A bunch of my friends said they’d help me move-in so I’m very lucky to have the help. I’ve acquired so many things while staying here that it’d be next to impossible to move everything myself.
So, hopefully I will have updates on my living situation next week, or even as close as this weekend. (I’ll have new internet at the new apartment! So hopefully it’ll be faster than this one) Until then, hope you are enjoying the blogs. Sorry this weeks’ is a bit boring. Maybe I’ll post again later in the week once things are more in motion. Either way, talk to you soon.
Tanti Bachi,
-Kate
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Tuscana Adventures
Hey Everyone!
Welcome back to your weekly dose of Katie’s adventures in Italy ;) I apologize for the tardy posting, my internet has seen better days..
To start, this past weekend I went along with my school for one of our monthly excursions. This particular trip was to two Tuscan towns: Pienza & Montepulciano.
One known for their cheeses, and the other for their wine. A perfect pair! This trip also happened to fall on Halloween :) So, I was very excited to celebrate this holiday in new towns with their own little histories and mysteries to be explored.
Tuscany is about a 2 and a half hour bus ride from Rome, so it wasn’t too bad getting there. My friends, Anna, Annemarijn, Jan, and Isabella were all with me too. Our school tour guide spoke only in Italian, obviously, but I could really tell my Italian was improving as I understood the majority of her explanations at the sites.
First stop was Pienza. This was the most amazing, quaint, beautiful, perfect little town I have EVER laid eyes on. You can only read about towns like this in fairy tales. Imagine Belle’s town from Beauty and the Beast -but cuter. and even more quaint. In fact, there was only one main road in the entire town. It was medieval and perfect for Halloween day because the air was crisp and clear with only the scents of smoked ham and burning wood filling every inch of the winding alleys and shops that lined the streets. People were even dressed in medieval wear and riding massive horses; however, they were filming a movie on location here so I doubt this is normal for the town. But, the girls and I just kept saying how the town was nearly magical with its ability to transcend you through time.
Along the edge of the town is a peripheral view of the mountains that line Tuscany. It was truly surreal. As I walked by the real estate agency, I couldn’t help but think how amazing it would be to live there. Believe me, if you’re looking for a place to retire- I’ve found your town!
Before we left, we stopped for lunch in a tiny family-owned ristorante, where we comfortably spoke Italian to the waitress and even spoke to their parrot which said “buongiorno” and “ciao” lol. Very cute place and had the BEST gnocchi con ragu. Yumm.. By the time we left lunch we had to book-it to get to the bus for our next stop.
So, after Pienza, we went about 20 minutes up the winding roads to the mystical town of Montepulciano. The roads were so tight and windy, in fact, that we had to get off the bus and walk about twenty more minutes up to the main entrance of the town. Once we entered the main street to Montepulciano, we noticed that most of the shops were closed for the afternoon. It was Saturday, after all, and Italians know weekends mean relaxation for all, not just the privileged. So, we were kinda bummed, but we were soo excited to get to the main square because this was where the second Twilight Saga movie, “New Moon”, was filmed. So, we raced up the winding streets to get to the square and we all took pictures and purchased authentic posters that the town made specifically for the movie. It was so funny because even the shops had gossip magazine clippings in their windows of Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart (“New Moon” stars). Clearly they were very proud of their new-found fame- especially for such a small town. They even had an article on the recent Rome Film Festival where they had a special screening and red carpet for the Volturi characters (Twilight’s quasi vampire government) from the movie. (more details on my experience at the Film Festival below).
So, like I said, we took lots of pictures where the movie was filmed and toured through the surrounding church and castle nearby. Montepulciano also had a great view of the rolling hills in Tuscany. And the fall weather provided such a large pallet of differing vineyard colors. Green, yellow, orange, red, brown… spectacular place.
Anywho, we only had 2 hours to tour Montepulciano so by the time we walked up to the square and back we only had time to grab some yummy crepes at a local shop and then proceeded back onto the bus.
In sum, it really was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I had always heard of Tuscany and how beautiful it was, but these towns had such character that it was so easy to fall in love with the area even more so. However, it wasn’t nearly enough time to get to tour everything, so some of the girls and I have planned to come back in the spring so we can get a glimpse of more churches, etc.
And now, of course I have my own Montepulciano red wine to share with all my friends back in Roma :)
Well, hope everyone enjoyed my Tuscana adventure. Next month we visit Siena! I hear it’s absolutely beautiful so I can’t wait!
Until next time..
Buena Notte
-Kate
and
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JORDAN! Love you big brother!!! And miss you tons! :) Hope you have a great great great day (which could only mean that your boss doesn’t show up for work ;)
For the Twilight followers who care:
In reference to the Film Festival mentioned earlier, I was one of the lucky few to actually attend the red carpet event for the Rome Film Festival premiere of “New Moon”. Being the experienced celeb-stalker that I am, I quickly weaseled my way to the front line of the red-carpet to make sure I could talk with the stars and get only the BEST pictures :) haha! So, I met the “New Moon” screen-writer, Melissa Rosenberg. She was also the screen-writer for the first Twilight film and will continue to write for the entire Twilight Saga movies. She’s also the writer for the tv series “Chuck”. So, she’s a busy lady.. She told me personally that I’m “going to love “New Moon” and that she had just viewed the film so she was very excited about it. I also met three of the so-called “evil vampires” from the Twilight saga: Caius, Demetri, and Alex (those are their character names). But, they were verrrry nice and probably glad that I could speak English considering no one standing along the red carpet spoke a word of it, or coherent enough to hold a conversation. So, we talked about typical topics: Twitter, Vancouver (where they’re currently filming) and their experiences in Italy. It was the coolest experience; even to just attend a red carpet event was amazing.
But, ahhh! I can’t believe in the span of one month I’ve been to where “New Moon” was filmed AND met the Volturi! I don’t know about you, but November 20th CANNOT come soon enough ;) And you know I’ve already sought out all the English movie theatres here. Because Edward is NOT the same in Italian. Mi dispiace Italiani genti. Solo mio (opinion).
Welcome back to your weekly dose of Katie’s adventures in Italy ;) I apologize for the tardy posting, my internet has seen better days..
To start, this past weekend I went along with my school for one of our monthly excursions. This particular trip was to two Tuscan towns: Pienza & Montepulciano.
One known for their cheeses, and the other for their wine. A perfect pair! This trip also happened to fall on Halloween :) So, I was very excited to celebrate this holiday in new towns with their own little histories and mysteries to be explored.
Tuscany is about a 2 and a half hour bus ride from Rome, so it wasn’t too bad getting there. My friends, Anna, Annemarijn, Jan, and Isabella were all with me too. Our school tour guide spoke only in Italian, obviously, but I could really tell my Italian was improving as I understood the majority of her explanations at the sites.
First stop was Pienza. This was the most amazing, quaint, beautiful, perfect little town I have EVER laid eyes on. You can only read about towns like this in fairy tales. Imagine Belle’s town from Beauty and the Beast -but cuter. and even more quaint. In fact, there was only one main road in the entire town. It was medieval and perfect for Halloween day because the air was crisp and clear with only the scents of smoked ham and burning wood filling every inch of the winding alleys and shops that lined the streets. People were even dressed in medieval wear and riding massive horses; however, they were filming a movie on location here so I doubt this is normal for the town. But, the girls and I just kept saying how the town was nearly magical with its ability to transcend you through time.
Along the edge of the town is a peripheral view of the mountains that line Tuscany. It was truly surreal. As I walked by the real estate agency, I couldn’t help but think how amazing it would be to live there. Believe me, if you’re looking for a place to retire- I’ve found your town!
Before we left, we stopped for lunch in a tiny family-owned ristorante, where we comfortably spoke Italian to the waitress and even spoke to their parrot which said “buongiorno” and “ciao” lol. Very cute place and had the BEST gnocchi con ragu. Yumm.. By the time we left lunch we had to book-it to get to the bus for our next stop.
So, after Pienza, we went about 20 minutes up the winding roads to the mystical town of Montepulciano. The roads were so tight and windy, in fact, that we had to get off the bus and walk about twenty more minutes up to the main entrance of the town. Once we entered the main street to Montepulciano, we noticed that most of the shops were closed for the afternoon. It was Saturday, after all, and Italians know weekends mean relaxation for all, not just the privileged. So, we were kinda bummed, but we were soo excited to get to the main square because this was where the second Twilight Saga movie, “New Moon”, was filmed. So, we raced up the winding streets to get to the square and we all took pictures and purchased authentic posters that the town made specifically for the movie. It was so funny because even the shops had gossip magazine clippings in their windows of Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart (“New Moon” stars). Clearly they were very proud of their new-found fame- especially for such a small town. They even had an article on the recent Rome Film Festival where they had a special screening and red carpet for the Volturi characters (Twilight’s quasi vampire government) from the movie. (more details on my experience at the Film Festival below).
So, like I said, we took lots of pictures where the movie was filmed and toured through the surrounding church and castle nearby. Montepulciano also had a great view of the rolling hills in Tuscany. And the fall weather provided such a large pallet of differing vineyard colors. Green, yellow, orange, red, brown… spectacular place.
Anywho, we only had 2 hours to tour Montepulciano so by the time we walked up to the square and back we only had time to grab some yummy crepes at a local shop and then proceeded back onto the bus.
In sum, it really was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I had always heard of Tuscany and how beautiful it was, but these towns had such character that it was so easy to fall in love with the area even more so. However, it wasn’t nearly enough time to get to tour everything, so some of the girls and I have planned to come back in the spring so we can get a glimpse of more churches, etc.
And now, of course I have my own Montepulciano red wine to share with all my friends back in Roma :)
Well, hope everyone enjoyed my Tuscana adventure. Next month we visit Siena! I hear it’s absolutely beautiful so I can’t wait!
Until next time..
Buena Notte
-Kate
and
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JORDAN! Love you big brother!!! And miss you tons! :) Hope you have a great great great day (which could only mean that your boss doesn’t show up for work ;)
For the Twilight followers who care:
In reference to the Film Festival mentioned earlier, I was one of the lucky few to actually attend the red carpet event for the Rome Film Festival premiere of “New Moon”. Being the experienced celeb-stalker that I am, I quickly weaseled my way to the front line of the red-carpet to make sure I could talk with the stars and get only the BEST pictures :) haha! So, I met the “New Moon” screen-writer, Melissa Rosenberg. She was also the screen-writer for the first Twilight film and will continue to write for the entire Twilight Saga movies. She’s also the writer for the tv series “Chuck”. So, she’s a busy lady.. She told me personally that I’m “going to love “New Moon” and that she had just viewed the film so she was very excited about it. I also met three of the so-called “evil vampires” from the Twilight saga: Caius, Demetri, and Alex (those are their character names). But, they were verrrry nice and probably glad that I could speak English considering no one standing along the red carpet spoke a word of it, or coherent enough to hold a conversation. So, we talked about typical topics: Twitter, Vancouver (where they’re currently filming) and their experiences in Italy. It was the coolest experience; even to just attend a red carpet event was amazing.
But, ahhh! I can’t believe in the span of one month I’ve been to where “New Moon” was filmed AND met the Volturi! I don’t know about you, but November 20th CANNOT come soon enough ;) And you know I’ve already sought out all the English movie theatres here. Because Edward is NOT the same in Italian. Mi dispiace Italiani genti. Solo mio (opinion).
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
For those without Facebook access.. here's a few pictures
the group picture is of (starting from the left) Annemarijn (Holland), Mandy (Belgium), me, Clementina (Venezuela), and Isabella (Sweden)
Monday, October 26, 2009
Campo di Fiori
Ciao Tutti,
Well, I’m not even sure where to begin with this one.
Suppose I’ll start with Saturday night…
The girls (Mandy, Annemarijn, Isabella, Clementina) and I decided to have a fun night out after a REALLY long day of tours near the Colosseum (and yes these were finally in English, thank god). We wanted to go to a discoteca we’d heard of near the Campo di
Fiori so we headed that direction around 11pm. We found the club we were looking for and unfortunately it looked a little too expensive for our budgets so we ended up just going straight to the heart of the piazza in Campo di Fiori, itself.
Well.
I don’t think we were expecting the night that resulted from this decision.
First of all, if you’ve ever been to Campo di Fiori, you’ll know that it’s a HUGE hot spot for the young crowd. And when I say young, don’t forget that the drinking age is much less in Italy, so even high schoolers were gathering here :/ kinda weird.
So, we head into an inviting bar called “Sloppy Sam’s”. Everyone in the bar seemed to be either study abroad students or Italians who really wanted to get to know Americans, because nearly everyone was speaking English.
Anywho, we grabbed some drinks and headed back to the center of the piazza to enjoy the beautiful night. As we were walking to the statue in the center of the square, a bunch of teenage boys surrounded us and literally attacked us with desperation for us to KISS THEM. Hahahaha! Like are you kidding me? Completely disgusting. I was at least 5 years older than all of them so this was all a bit disturbing.
Some of the girls were amused with the attention, but Clementina and I were certainly NOT. So, we escaped back into the bar. The bartender was very sweet (sounded like he was from London) and got us some more drinks then Clementina and I headed back onto the patio of the bar to just chill out.
The rest starts to get a little blurry from here due to the alcohol consumption going on. However, the blurrier, the more entertaining, I say…
Before we knew it, the other girls had finally escaped the boys, Isabella returning with a rose in hand. lol Just too funny.
We sat talking for a bit. We had all found some “eye candy” in our vicinity so we sat just having some nice conversations when two Italian boys come up to us and one says something that basically translates to “there’s a party in my pants”. ! . How American of them. Then, the same Italian boy introduces himself as, none-other than, Chuck Bass. I can’t be fooled. I know this is the playboy character from Gossip Girl. I quickly tell him that that’s funny because my name happens to be Blair Waldorf! Funny coincidence…
Before any more harassing could ensue, two OTHER boys at a table next to us start yelling at them in Italian telling them to bugger off and leave us alone. These new Italian boys told us that most Italians are dirt, like that. The boy talking was named, Lucca. He didn’t look quite so Italian because he had dark blonde hair and blue eyes.
The other boy looked very Italian with deep brown eyes, black hair, and dark olive skin. He’s originally from Spain, I believe, but he’s lived in Rome most of his life. His name stays in the “blurry” category. I had him repeat it about 15 times and even asked, “Come se scrive?” Which is “how do you spell it?” And of course I still can’t even remember that. Something along the lines of Ignasio..?
Anyyyyyways. We chatted with them for a while. They were both 25, and studying in college. Lucca said he wants to leave Rome asap. He hates it here. He’s lived here his whole life and said he’s just ready for a change. I can respect that. He really wants to move to New York City, which I can REALLY respect.
Eventually, Clementina got tired around 1:30 and Annemarijn and Isabella walked her to a cab. Which meant Mandy and I were going to stay out with the two cute Romans(!!).
Lucca told us the thing that stinks about Rome is that all the bars close by 2am because fights break out a LOT. And it’s true. We witnessed a real messy one right near the next bar we ventured to. Since they’ve lived here most of the lives they knew some random pubs that stay open past the normal curfew. So, we headed out for another drink. Then, that bar quickly pushed us out after about a half-an-hour and we decided to call Annemarijn to see where they were.
We met up with them quickly and the 6 of us decided to stay out a bit longer. We walked for a while trying to find some open bars but everything seemed closed. Eventually, Lucca recommended we drive to another spot near their neck of the woods.
Now. Listen up. Normally, I would NEVER do this. Never in a million years would I get into a car with a random boy who said “oh hey I know of this place where I live…” that screams BAD. But, if I’m going to be honest, and I am, I’m in FLIPPING ROME PEOPLE. I’M 22!!! AND WITH TWO CUTE ITALIAN BOYS WHO WANT TO TAKE ME OUT FOR A DRINK. AND. AND. AND. THEY’RE TWO CUTE ITALIAN BOYS!!
*sigh*
So, we said yes.
However, if you know anything about Europe, you know the cars are teeny tiny. And if you think 6 people are going to fit into one car, you’re nuts. You’re lucky to fit 3. So, we split up. “Ignasio” picked Isabella and me up in his Smartcar, blarring “Come Together” by the Beatles because he said he remembered I liked their music. It was sweet. Isabella and I giggled the whole way there because we couldn’t believe we were in a car with an Italian boy.
Can’t imagine how I’ll react once I’m on a vespa ;) yeah. sure.
Eventually, after a crazy ride in our teeny Smartcar, we all we got to this quaint pub and continued to get to know each other, shared a margherita pizza, and finished off more drinks. Before we knew it, it was nearly 4 or 5am (set the clocks back an hour that night) and Ignasio was calling me a cab and soon I was staggering up the stairs of my apartment.
It was such a fun night and I really hope we get to hang out with Lucca and “Ignasio” again. Maybe next time I’ll have the right name in my blog lol.
Next up is a school trip to Montepulciano on Saturday, aka where they filmed New Moon in Tuscany. Yayyy!!! So, details on that are to come. Also to come, is my meeting with the screenwriter of the Twilight series, and all the Volturi cast members :)
So, as always, stay tuned..
Oh! And as a side note, I’d like to congratulate one of my best friends, Jenna Basso. She just performed at the Grand Ole Opry this past Thursday in Nashville, TN. She’s truly the most beautiful and talented country singer out there. Love you Jenna!!
xx
-Kate
Well, I’m not even sure where to begin with this one.
Suppose I’ll start with Saturday night…
The girls (Mandy, Annemarijn, Isabella, Clementina) and I decided to have a fun night out after a REALLY long day of tours near the Colosseum (and yes these were finally in English, thank god). We wanted to go to a discoteca we’d heard of near the Campo di
Fiori so we headed that direction around 11pm. We found the club we were looking for and unfortunately it looked a little too expensive for our budgets so we ended up just going straight to the heart of the piazza in Campo di Fiori, itself.
Well.
I don’t think we were expecting the night that resulted from this decision.
First of all, if you’ve ever been to Campo di Fiori, you’ll know that it’s a HUGE hot spot for the young crowd. And when I say young, don’t forget that the drinking age is much less in Italy, so even high schoolers were gathering here :/ kinda weird.
So, we head into an inviting bar called “Sloppy Sam’s”. Everyone in the bar seemed to be either study abroad students or Italians who really wanted to get to know Americans, because nearly everyone was speaking English.
Anywho, we grabbed some drinks and headed back to the center of the piazza to enjoy the beautiful night. As we were walking to the statue in the center of the square, a bunch of teenage boys surrounded us and literally attacked us with desperation for us to KISS THEM. Hahahaha! Like are you kidding me? Completely disgusting. I was at least 5 years older than all of them so this was all a bit disturbing.
Some of the girls were amused with the attention, but Clementina and I were certainly NOT. So, we escaped back into the bar. The bartender was very sweet (sounded like he was from London) and got us some more drinks then Clementina and I headed back onto the patio of the bar to just chill out.
The rest starts to get a little blurry from here due to the alcohol consumption going on. However, the blurrier, the more entertaining, I say…
Before we knew it, the other girls had finally escaped the boys, Isabella returning with a rose in hand. lol Just too funny.
We sat talking for a bit. We had all found some “eye candy” in our vicinity so we sat just having some nice conversations when two Italian boys come up to us and one says something that basically translates to “there’s a party in my pants”. ! . How American of them. Then, the same Italian boy introduces himself as, none-other than, Chuck Bass. I can’t be fooled. I know this is the playboy character from Gossip Girl. I quickly tell him that that’s funny because my name happens to be Blair Waldorf! Funny coincidence…
Before any more harassing could ensue, two OTHER boys at a table next to us start yelling at them in Italian telling them to bugger off and leave us alone. These new Italian boys told us that most Italians are dirt, like that. The boy talking was named, Lucca. He didn’t look quite so Italian because he had dark blonde hair and blue eyes.
The other boy looked very Italian with deep brown eyes, black hair, and dark olive skin. He’s originally from Spain, I believe, but he’s lived in Rome most of his life. His name stays in the “blurry” category. I had him repeat it about 15 times and even asked, “Come se scrive?” Which is “how do you spell it?” And of course I still can’t even remember that. Something along the lines of Ignasio..?
Anyyyyyways. We chatted with them for a while. They were both 25, and studying in college. Lucca said he wants to leave Rome asap. He hates it here. He’s lived here his whole life and said he’s just ready for a change. I can respect that. He really wants to move to New York City, which I can REALLY respect.
Eventually, Clementina got tired around 1:30 and Annemarijn and Isabella walked her to a cab. Which meant Mandy and I were going to stay out with the two cute Romans(!!).
Lucca told us the thing that stinks about Rome is that all the bars close by 2am because fights break out a LOT. And it’s true. We witnessed a real messy one right near the next bar we ventured to. Since they’ve lived here most of the lives they knew some random pubs that stay open past the normal curfew. So, we headed out for another drink. Then, that bar quickly pushed us out after about a half-an-hour and we decided to call Annemarijn to see where they were.
We met up with them quickly and the 6 of us decided to stay out a bit longer. We walked for a while trying to find some open bars but everything seemed closed. Eventually, Lucca recommended we drive to another spot near their neck of the woods.
Now. Listen up. Normally, I would NEVER do this. Never in a million years would I get into a car with a random boy who said “oh hey I know of this place where I live…” that screams BAD. But, if I’m going to be honest, and I am, I’m in FLIPPING ROME PEOPLE. I’M 22!!! AND WITH TWO CUTE ITALIAN BOYS WHO WANT TO TAKE ME OUT FOR A DRINK. AND. AND. AND. THEY’RE TWO CUTE ITALIAN BOYS!!
*sigh*
So, we said yes.
However, if you know anything about Europe, you know the cars are teeny tiny. And if you think 6 people are going to fit into one car, you’re nuts. You’re lucky to fit 3. So, we split up. “Ignasio” picked Isabella and me up in his Smartcar, blarring “Come Together” by the Beatles because he said he remembered I liked their music. It was sweet. Isabella and I giggled the whole way there because we couldn’t believe we were in a car with an Italian boy.
Can’t imagine how I’ll react once I’m on a vespa ;) yeah. sure.
Eventually, after a crazy ride in our teeny Smartcar, we all we got to this quaint pub and continued to get to know each other, shared a margherita pizza, and finished off more drinks. Before we knew it, it was nearly 4 or 5am (set the clocks back an hour that night) and Ignasio was calling me a cab and soon I was staggering up the stairs of my apartment.
It was such a fun night and I really hope we get to hang out with Lucca and “Ignasio” again. Maybe next time I’ll have the right name in my blog lol.
Next up is a school trip to Montepulciano on Saturday, aka where they filmed New Moon in Tuscany. Yayyy!!! So, details on that are to come. Also to come, is my meeting with the screenwriter of the Twilight series, and all the Volturi cast members :)
So, as always, stay tuned..
Oh! And as a side note, I’d like to congratulate one of my best friends, Jenna Basso. She just performed at the Grand Ole Opry this past Thursday in Nashville, TN. She’s truly the most beautiful and talented country singer out there. Love you Jenna!!
xx
-Kate
Monday, October 19, 2009
Just Another Manic Lunedi
Buena Sera, Amici!
Come Stai? (see you guys can learn Italian too). How am I, you ask..? Well, I could be better. I managed to catch a really bad cold that consists of every symptom you can think of: sore throat, stuffy nose, runny nose, cough, congestion, never-ending sleepiness, loss of appetite and freezing cold 24/7. So much fun when you’re a million miles from home :( However, I am one of many in my classes that has this cold so at least I know I’m not allergic to Rome or anything ;)
Alas, this put a major damper on my weekend plans. I can’t even remember what I did Friday night, but Saturday I went to IKEA(!) and the largest mall in all of Europe, which just happens to be right outside of Rome. I went with my friends' Isabella (from Sweden) and Clementina (from Venezuela). We shopped ‘til we literally dropped and complained the whole bus ride back to our station how tired we were. At this point it was 7:30pm and we promised our friends Mandy and Annemarijn that we’d go to the discoteca that night. So, we had to put on a happy face and rush home to be ready to meet them BACK at the station by 9:30pm.*deep breath* So, I hurry through the fastest shower of life and jump on the bus and get to the termini to meet Mandy and Annemarijn to only get a text from Isabella that she and Clementina probably weren’t coming anymore. Ugh! I even showed up in heels! Which is quite gusty with all the cobblestone. Luckily Katie thought ahead and brought sandals ;)
Well, Mandy, Annemarijn, and I decided to head out anyways and I told Isabella to text me if they changed their minds. By the time we got to the bus stop near the Vatican, death was upon me. My nose was about to fall off and I had the chills beyond recovery (even in 60 degree weather). So, we decided to just head to a caffe in a nearby square. It was gorgeous. Actually it was one of the squares that was in Angels and Demons (the movie). I never saw the movie but Mandy is obsessed with Dan Brown so she knows all the spots. Lucky for her, she lives right near the Vatican so she sees stuff like this all day, every day. Anywho, we enjoyed some cappuccinos and hot ciccolate as I simultaneously died from the decreasing amount of tissues I had available. Then Mandy and Annemarijn decided to teach me some more Dutch. I didn't know that Dutch was the second hardest language to learn aside from Mandarin. Truly. This is a fact. I think it’s a beautiful language. It sounds like German but less harsh on the tongue. Kinda like German with a French twist. I duno, either way, I learned how to count in Dutch and say a few random words so that was fun. My nose also made some of the words impossible to pronounce so we had a good laugh over my incessant incapability to sound pretty when I speak another language.
However, after my nose made it apparent that he was running the show for the night, I decided to pick up a cab and head home to die at least in a semi-warm bed.
On Sunday, I ventured around my neck of the woods to find a supermarket and then laid in bed all day watching Friends episodes and When Harry Met Sally (best movie of all time).
Today, class was the same ol’ class. I went to try to see a movie with the other American, Jan, but the theatre was closed. Bummer. So, we’re gonna try another time.
Tomorrow, it’s time to visit the Colosseum!! Can’t wait. I had a sneak peek of it with Ursula on our first-day tour of Rome. But tomorrow will be the real deal, and in Italian too! It’ll be a long day with classes from 9-5pm but at least there’s time for fun afterwards :) Again, I promise pictures are sure to come. Probably this weekend.
Well, as always, I miss everyone and hope you’re enjoying the blogs. I’ll try to post at least once a week. Don’t forget if you ever want to email me I’d love to chat:
Kstuart2009@gmail.com
Love you all,
xx
-Kate
Come Stai? (see you guys can learn Italian too). How am I, you ask..? Well, I could be better. I managed to catch a really bad cold that consists of every symptom you can think of: sore throat, stuffy nose, runny nose, cough, congestion, never-ending sleepiness, loss of appetite and freezing cold 24/7. So much fun when you’re a million miles from home :( However, I am one of many in my classes that has this cold so at least I know I’m not allergic to Rome or anything ;)
Alas, this put a major damper on my weekend plans. I can’t even remember what I did Friday night, but Saturday I went to IKEA(!) and the largest mall in all of Europe, which just happens to be right outside of Rome. I went with my friends' Isabella (from Sweden) and Clementina (from Venezuela). We shopped ‘til we literally dropped and complained the whole bus ride back to our station how tired we were. At this point it was 7:30pm and we promised our friends Mandy and Annemarijn that we’d go to the discoteca that night. So, we had to put on a happy face and rush home to be ready to meet them BACK at the station by 9:30pm.*deep breath* So, I hurry through the fastest shower of life and jump on the bus and get to the termini to meet Mandy and Annemarijn to only get a text from Isabella that she and Clementina probably weren’t coming anymore. Ugh! I even showed up in heels! Which is quite gusty with all the cobblestone. Luckily Katie thought ahead and brought sandals ;)
Well, Mandy, Annemarijn, and I decided to head out anyways and I told Isabella to text me if they changed their minds. By the time we got to the bus stop near the Vatican, death was upon me. My nose was about to fall off and I had the chills beyond recovery (even in 60 degree weather). So, we decided to just head to a caffe in a nearby square. It was gorgeous. Actually it was one of the squares that was in Angels and Demons (the movie). I never saw the movie but Mandy is obsessed with Dan Brown so she knows all the spots. Lucky for her, she lives right near the Vatican so she sees stuff like this all day, every day. Anywho, we enjoyed some cappuccinos and hot ciccolate as I simultaneously died from the decreasing amount of tissues I had available. Then Mandy and Annemarijn decided to teach me some more Dutch. I didn't know that Dutch was the second hardest language to learn aside from Mandarin. Truly. This is a fact. I think it’s a beautiful language. It sounds like German but less harsh on the tongue. Kinda like German with a French twist. I duno, either way, I learned how to count in Dutch and say a few random words so that was fun. My nose also made some of the words impossible to pronounce so we had a good laugh over my incessant incapability to sound pretty when I speak another language.
However, after my nose made it apparent that he was running the show for the night, I decided to pick up a cab and head home to die at least in a semi-warm bed.
On Sunday, I ventured around my neck of the woods to find a supermarket and then laid in bed all day watching Friends episodes and When Harry Met Sally (best movie of all time).
Today, class was the same ol’ class. I went to try to see a movie with the other American, Jan, but the theatre was closed. Bummer. So, we’re gonna try another time.
Tomorrow, it’s time to visit the Colosseum!! Can’t wait. I had a sneak peek of it with Ursula on our first-day tour of Rome. But tomorrow will be the real deal, and in Italian too! It’ll be a long day with classes from 9-5pm but at least there’s time for fun afterwards :) Again, I promise pictures are sure to come. Probably this weekend.
Well, as always, I miss everyone and hope you’re enjoying the blogs. I’ll try to post at least once a week. Don’t forget if you ever want to email me I’d love to chat:
Kstuart2009@gmail.com
Love you all,
xx
-Kate
Friday, October 16, 2009
Classi di Roma
[written two days before post-date]
Hello Hello!
So, since we last talked through my blog, I have started my real Italian language classes. And I love it! I have three professors: Claudio (who looks like Santa Claus), Susanna, and Silvia. I have class for SIX hours a day. eiy yah yaeh! But, it’s good because I am learning to speak and understand the language extremely fast and well too. It’s like jumping right into level 3 languages in college- no one is allowed to speak English, and professors REFUSE to speak anything other than Italian. But, it’s so much fun and I totally stumped my class the other day playing Hangman with “quattro formaggi” aka my favorite pizza! Haha..so we’re having a good time.
Our waiters last night told me that I spoke better Italian than they speak English, so that was nice to hear. My friends poke fun of me at school because I have such an American accent compared to them. Like I say “pair fave-or-ehh” instead of “perrr favorrreh”. But, I’m working on it. I can't help I'm American!!
My classmates and I are getting closer everyday. There is one more American girl who joined our class, so I’m not completely alone in representing our country. However, my closest friends here are from Holland, Stockholm (Anthrop), Sweden, and Venezuela.
I hang out with the girls who speak Dutch a lot, so they are trying to teach me the language, as well. I’m on language overload! All of the girls are big Twilight fans (stop rolling your eyes) and this is huge. We’re all going to try to see the red carpet when the movie stars come on the 22nd for the Rome Film Festival. But, we’ll see how that plays out. But, we’re definitely going to the see New Moon when it comes here, so I’m very excited for that.
Today we talked about joining a gym together, which would be ah-mazing. I mean, we walk enough as it is, but a gym makes me feel like I’m actually doing something for myself, ya know?!? Anywho, enough of the boring stuff…
On to the drama.. ugh.
So, I’ve decided as of late, that I think I am going to move out of my host families’ house. Don’t get me wrong, Rosanna and Mario are nice people, but they are very strict with rules in their house, which is causing me to lose out on some vital things. For example, I am not allowed to use their internet and I am now jacking up my phone bill trying to communicate with family. Also, we are not allowed to use their phone, even with a calling card (weird, I know). I only found out today that I am allowed to use their refrigerator because Massimo (whom you might remember from my previous post) translated to Rosanna that I would really like to store some things. And on top of all this, I feel like I am living in a hostel considering there are eleven people using one bathroom. Yes. ONE. And Laura (Massimo’s wife) told me tonight that 5 more people are showing up tonight. Uhhh Not. Cool.
Laura thinks things will be better once she and her family leaves, but I can’t help but think that maybe more families will just take their place..no? Especially since Laura and Massimo are paying to stay here so it’s like a business, not a nice gesture to some family friends or anything.
Also, my roommate doesn’t stay here at night so I’m all alone. I really enjoy her company and we have classes together too but I basically don’t have a roommate because she stays at her friends’ house in a nearby village every single night. She doesn’t even have a suitcase here. It’s a shame because we get along really well and she is so fun.
Alas, I went to the accommodations office today at my school and asked for a host family that my one friend left (to move to a flat with another gal) because they have internet and better hospitality. So, we’ll see how this progresses. I really hate to move because I do feel at home here, in a way. But, we’ll see what happens. And of course I’ll keep everyone posted.
p.s. I just gave Massimo a whole list of questions that he can translate to Rosanna for me tomorrow before they leave. Hopefully this will clarify some concerns. Eh. We shall see..
Well, I hope everyone at home and around the country is doing well. I miss you all terribly and wish I could share all of these experiences first hand with you. I love you and will talk to you soon.
xx
-Kate
Hello Hello!
So, since we last talked through my blog, I have started my real Italian language classes. And I love it! I have three professors: Claudio (who looks like Santa Claus), Susanna, and Silvia. I have class for SIX hours a day. eiy yah yaeh! But, it’s good because I am learning to speak and understand the language extremely fast and well too. It’s like jumping right into level 3 languages in college- no one is allowed to speak English, and professors REFUSE to speak anything other than Italian. But, it’s so much fun and I totally stumped my class the other day playing Hangman with “quattro formaggi” aka my favorite pizza! Haha..so we’re having a good time.
Our waiters last night told me that I spoke better Italian than they speak English, so that was nice to hear. My friends poke fun of me at school because I have such an American accent compared to them. Like I say “pair fave-or-ehh” instead of “perrr favorrreh”. But, I’m working on it. I can't help I'm American!!
My classmates and I are getting closer everyday. There is one more American girl who joined our class, so I’m not completely alone in representing our country. However, my closest friends here are from Holland, Stockholm (Anthrop), Sweden, and Venezuela.
I hang out with the girls who speak Dutch a lot, so they are trying to teach me the language, as well. I’m on language overload! All of the girls are big Twilight fans (stop rolling your eyes) and this is huge. We’re all going to try to see the red carpet when the movie stars come on the 22nd for the Rome Film Festival. But, we’ll see how that plays out. But, we’re definitely going to the see New Moon when it comes here, so I’m very excited for that.
Today we talked about joining a gym together, which would be ah-mazing. I mean, we walk enough as it is, but a gym makes me feel like I’m actually doing something for myself, ya know?!? Anywho, enough of the boring stuff…
On to the drama.. ugh.
So, I’ve decided as of late, that I think I am going to move out of my host families’ house. Don’t get me wrong, Rosanna and Mario are nice people, but they are very strict with rules in their house, which is causing me to lose out on some vital things. For example, I am not allowed to use their internet and I am now jacking up my phone bill trying to communicate with family. Also, we are not allowed to use their phone, even with a calling card (weird, I know). I only found out today that I am allowed to use their refrigerator because Massimo (whom you might remember from my previous post) translated to Rosanna that I would really like to store some things. And on top of all this, I feel like I am living in a hostel considering there are eleven people using one bathroom. Yes. ONE. And Laura (Massimo’s wife) told me tonight that 5 more people are showing up tonight. Uhhh Not. Cool.
Laura thinks things will be better once she and her family leaves, but I can’t help but think that maybe more families will just take their place..no? Especially since Laura and Massimo are paying to stay here so it’s like a business, not a nice gesture to some family friends or anything.
Also, my roommate doesn’t stay here at night so I’m all alone. I really enjoy her company and we have classes together too but I basically don’t have a roommate because she stays at her friends’ house in a nearby village every single night. She doesn’t even have a suitcase here. It’s a shame because we get along really well and she is so fun.
Alas, I went to the accommodations office today at my school and asked for a host family that my one friend left (to move to a flat with another gal) because they have internet and better hospitality. So, we’ll see how this progresses. I really hate to move because I do feel at home here, in a way. But, we’ll see what happens. And of course I’ll keep everyone posted.
p.s. I just gave Massimo a whole list of questions that he can translate to Rosanna for me tomorrow before they leave. Hopefully this will clarify some concerns. Eh. We shall see..
Well, I hope everyone at home and around the country is doing well. I miss you all terribly and wish I could share all of these experiences first hand with you. I love you and will talk to you soon.
xx
-Kate
Monday, October 12, 2009
And So the Adventure Begins
Ciao,
Well, currently, I am sitting downstairs in the caffe of my university, wet as a dog, with more blisters than I can count, and yet I couldn't be happier. However, my story didn't start quite as happy as you might think.
Where to begin..??
ROOMMATE (ah now here's a funny -no- interesting story)..
So, after I wrote my lovely little blog the other day on my first night, I had quite a different opinion on many things in the house. It started late at night, around 11:00, when myself, Rossana, and Mario were watching the football match (soccer) -Italia vs. Ireland and there was a knock on the door. Mario gets up from the couch and in walks a girl about my age. I was shocked because although I was expecting a roommate, I didn't think she was arriving 'til the next morning, not at 11:00 at night! Not to mention she had no luggage.
Well, it gets interesting.
She asks me "Parla Italiano?" (Do you speak Italian). I said "Solo un po'" (only a little bit). She walks away, clearly not knowing much English and readies for bed. I was thinking, what in the world just happened?? Well, I decide to go to bed and seeing that she's was not in my room I thought maybe since they have so many rooms, they are spreading us out.. I duno..
So, I'm laying in bed when I hear ANOTHER knock on the door. This time around midnight. ugh! I was concerned to say the least. I hear an old woman come in speaking fluent Italian and some children as well. WHAT IS GOING ON?? WHERE AM I..A HOSTEL??
Anywho, I tried to fall asleep- despite the strange happenings in this apartment- and woke around 8am to Mario and Rossana making breakfast. I asked them "aiuto?" (can I help?) and they said no so I went back to bed.
The next thing I know, the girl who was about my age comes in my room and starts asking me in Italian what I wanted to do for the day. Then as she continued and my face surely showed signs of confusion, she started speaking ENGLISH!! Yes, this girl knows english!! HALLELUJAH!
Her name is Irene and she is from Russia (yes Masha I immediately thought of you ;) She said she has a sister named Kate so this made it easy for her to remember my name. (People have trouble remembering Katie or pronouncing it so it's either Kate or Katerina) Anywho, we had our coffee and toast then a man named walks into the kitchen. Ah! Another person I didn't know about?!? However, he goes, "Oh hey! An American". Not even a hint of an accent. I knew I was talking to a real American. YES YES YES. So, things were looking up. His name is Massimo (which I'm finding is veerrrry popular here) and he was staying at Mario and Rossana's house with his wife and children (the old woman is his mother whose native of Italy). He and his family are from Colorado and are vacationing all over Italy. I didn't get a chance to ask why they are staying with the Leopardi's (my hosts last name), but they are thee nicest people. I talked to his wife, Laura, for a while and she was so excited for me to be here and gave me her email address to stay in touch. They'll be staying with us til Friday, so we have plenty of time to get to know each other well still.
So, after breakfast, Irene and I went to the Villa Borghesa, which is like Central Park to Rome. It's a huge park a block away from our apartment and it has a zoo, museum, tons of beautiful fountains, and dogs parks (my personal favorite) ;) But after we went there we headed to the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and Spanish steps- making many stops at Churches, shops, and ristorantes along the way. Irene's english is not the best. She only knows how to say a few things. But this is good because I was able to practice my Italian for like 4 hours! Again, I didn't understand her a lot but I was able to figure a few things out. We talked about siblings, where we live, why we like Rome, etc. She is 23 I found out, from Moscow, and has been taking classes at my university for a week and will only be here one more week. She told me that I was going to have a roommate in my room. So, I was glad to hear I would have somone for more than a week to get me through this.
We had a great day, but the walking and talking (or saying "non capisco" a hundred times) wore me out. I passed out on my bed and woke up around 6pm. Irene was gone, probably out for dinner, and I decided to talk to Mass and Laura some more. So, we chatted and had a good time. Laura worried like a normal American mom about how I was going to handle getting dinner on my own and yada yada.. Luckily I have protein bars, which by the way Mom- they absolutely only fill you up for about a half hour. So, two nights in a row I have gone to bed starrrrrving. This I plan to figure out in the next week or so, how I am going to get dinner and not pass out from hunger.
Finally, around 8:00pm my roommate arrived!!! Her name is (at least pronounced) Nasthalie. She is from Iran (thought of you, Arezou, of course) and she is awesome. She walks in and goes, "Parla Inglese" with pleading eyes and I said, "YES!" (oh she just came downstairs to the caffe and gave me a hug, seriously love her) Anywho, we talk English and Rossana gets mad at us, of course. But, we're having fun. We went to school together today and were immediately separated because I found out she will only be here for about 2 months :( So, we're in different programs. But, we've already planned a trip to Tuscany to visit her friends who are expecting a baby...yay! I met them yesterday as well. I should also add that Irene is about 32 years old. She won't tell me her age lol that's why I say 'about'. She jokes about it. But she acts very young and is so cool.
I'm sure I'll have more stories about my rooommate as the days progress but that's all I have on this topic for now..
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
I got to my school right on time and couldn't understand the receptionist at. all. haha! She sent me downstairs and I pretended to understand where she was directing me but after a few minutes of losing my way I walked back upstairs and found a woman who directed me in English. *ah relief* I came downstairs to our club room and found four students about my age sitting at a table so I joined them. They were all speaking english *relief again* but clearly had accents from other countries. I asked them where they were from. Isabella is from Sweden, Clementina is from Venezuela, Demetri is from Russia, and the other boy was from Venezuela, as well. More students slowly shuffled in. All in all, there are about 15 of us (300 in the school total). I am the ONLY American. There are lots from France, but really people are from all over. The directors of the school came and talked to us and then we were off to tour Roma for four hours...whoa. Not expecting this on my first day but it was amazing. Ursula, a director at my school, took us on this tour and we had a great time. She is originally from Germany but has been living in Italy for the past 20 years.
She and I bonded as she showed us around Roma. I had lots of questions and she had so much to tell me. She taught me tricks like how traffic literally stops for you as you walk across the street. No need for pedestrian signals. I felt so powerful. haha! You just walk right into the street and cars stop cold. I told Ursula that was the best trick I'd learned in Italy so far!
I got to know all the students in the class very easily as we took cover from the sudden downpour, complained about sore feet, and begged for lunch, since none of us ate breakfast due to the early start time. I met a girl named, Mandy, who loves Twilight so I know we'll be fast friends, and hung mainly with Isabella and Clementina (who cried all day) :( I felt bad. But she explained she really misses home and I know we can all relate. Ursula kept comforting her and we all took turns hugging her as we walked. I know these people and I will be great friends. Mandy and I were followed by our first Italian pursuer. He kept yelling "ohh come party with me ladies. Come on American girl! I know you party." hah! yeaaahh right. Luckily we were with our group and he lost us somewhere between the Pantheon and the Piazza Spagna (I think that's the name).
Anywho, we had a great day all-in-all, despite the rain, blisters, hunger pains, and pursuers. I can't wait to see how our friendships progress. Tomorrow will be my first day of real class and it should be VERY interesting. I can pretty much say "Ciao, mi chiamo Kate. Sono American di Pittsburgh. Parlo Italiano, ma solo un po' ". That's the extent of my Italian so we'll see how this goes.. But, everyone else in my class is a beginner for the most part so we're all in the same boat.
Well, if you got to this point of reading I am impressed. You must really like me. I love you all and can't wait to share more of my adventures en Italia! I'll try to write again in a few days, but, internet is sparce so maybe I'll write on Wednesday, Thursday..?!?
Until next time,
x
-Katie
p.s. rest assured pictures are sure to come. I'm taking a plethora of them!
Well, currently, I am sitting downstairs in the caffe of my university, wet as a dog, with more blisters than I can count, and yet I couldn't be happier. However, my story didn't start quite as happy as you might think.
Where to begin..??
ROOMMATE (ah now here's a funny -no- interesting story)..
So, after I wrote my lovely little blog the other day on my first night, I had quite a different opinion on many things in the house. It started late at night, around 11:00, when myself, Rossana, and Mario were watching the football match (soccer) -Italia vs. Ireland and there was a knock on the door. Mario gets up from the couch and in walks a girl about my age. I was shocked because although I was expecting a roommate, I didn't think she was arriving 'til the next morning, not at 11:00 at night! Not to mention she had no luggage.
Well, it gets interesting.
She asks me "Parla Italiano?" (Do you speak Italian). I said "Solo un po'" (only a little bit). She walks away, clearly not knowing much English and readies for bed. I was thinking, what in the world just happened?? Well, I decide to go to bed and seeing that she's was not in my room I thought maybe since they have so many rooms, they are spreading us out.. I duno..
So, I'm laying in bed when I hear ANOTHER knock on the door. This time around midnight. ugh! I was concerned to say the least. I hear an old woman come in speaking fluent Italian and some children as well. WHAT IS GOING ON?? WHERE AM I..A HOSTEL??
Anywho, I tried to fall asleep- despite the strange happenings in this apartment- and woke around 8am to Mario and Rossana making breakfast. I asked them "aiuto?" (can I help?) and they said no so I went back to bed.
The next thing I know, the girl who was about my age comes in my room and starts asking me in Italian what I wanted to do for the day. Then as she continued and my face surely showed signs of confusion, she started speaking ENGLISH!! Yes, this girl knows english!! HALLELUJAH!
Her name is Irene and she is from Russia (yes Masha I immediately thought of you ;) She said she has a sister named Kate so this made it easy for her to remember my name. (People have trouble remembering Katie or pronouncing it so it's either Kate or Katerina) Anywho, we had our coffee and toast then a man named walks into the kitchen. Ah! Another person I didn't know about?!? However, he goes, "Oh hey! An American". Not even a hint of an accent. I knew I was talking to a real American. YES YES YES. So, things were looking up. His name is Massimo (which I'm finding is veerrrry popular here) and he was staying at Mario and Rossana's house with his wife and children (the old woman is his mother whose native of Italy). He and his family are from Colorado and are vacationing all over Italy. I didn't get a chance to ask why they are staying with the Leopardi's (my hosts last name), but they are thee nicest people. I talked to his wife, Laura, for a while and she was so excited for me to be here and gave me her email address to stay in touch. They'll be staying with us til Friday, so we have plenty of time to get to know each other well still.
So, after breakfast, Irene and I went to the Villa Borghesa, which is like Central Park to Rome. It's a huge park a block away from our apartment and it has a zoo, museum, tons of beautiful fountains, and dogs parks (my personal favorite) ;) But after we went there we headed to the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and Spanish steps- making many stops at Churches, shops, and ristorantes along the way. Irene's english is not the best. She only knows how to say a few things. But this is good because I was able to practice my Italian for like 4 hours! Again, I didn't understand her a lot but I was able to figure a few things out. We talked about siblings, where we live, why we like Rome, etc. She is 23 I found out, from Moscow, and has been taking classes at my university for a week and will only be here one more week. She told me that I was going to have a roommate in my room. So, I was glad to hear I would have somone for more than a week to get me through this.
We had a great day, but the walking and talking (or saying "non capisco" a hundred times) wore me out. I passed out on my bed and woke up around 6pm. Irene was gone, probably out for dinner, and I decided to talk to Mass and Laura some more. So, we chatted and had a good time. Laura worried like a normal American mom about how I was going to handle getting dinner on my own and yada yada.. Luckily I have protein bars, which by the way Mom- they absolutely only fill you up for about a half hour. So, two nights in a row I have gone to bed starrrrrving. This I plan to figure out in the next week or so, how I am going to get dinner and not pass out from hunger.
Finally, around 8:00pm my roommate arrived!!! Her name is (at least pronounced) Nasthalie. She is from Iran (thought of you, Arezou, of course) and she is awesome. She walks in and goes, "Parla Inglese" with pleading eyes and I said, "YES!" (oh she just came downstairs to the caffe and gave me a hug, seriously love her) Anywho, we talk English and Rossana gets mad at us, of course. But, we're having fun. We went to school together today and were immediately separated because I found out she will only be here for about 2 months :( So, we're in different programs. But, we've already planned a trip to Tuscany to visit her friends who are expecting a baby...yay! I met them yesterday as well. I should also add that Irene is about 32 years old. She won't tell me her age lol that's why I say 'about'. She jokes about it. But she acts very young and is so cool.
I'm sure I'll have more stories about my rooommate as the days progress but that's all I have on this topic for now..
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
I got to my school right on time and couldn't understand the receptionist at. all. haha! She sent me downstairs and I pretended to understand where she was directing me but after a few minutes of losing my way I walked back upstairs and found a woman who directed me in English. *ah relief* I came downstairs to our club room and found four students about my age sitting at a table so I joined them. They were all speaking english *relief again* but clearly had accents from other countries. I asked them where they were from. Isabella is from Sweden, Clementina is from Venezuela, Demetri is from Russia, and the other boy was from Venezuela, as well. More students slowly shuffled in. All in all, there are about 15 of us (300 in the school total). I am the ONLY American. There are lots from France, but really people are from all over. The directors of the school came and talked to us and then we were off to tour Roma for four hours...whoa. Not expecting this on my first day but it was amazing. Ursula, a director at my school, took us on this tour and we had a great time. She is originally from Germany but has been living in Italy for the past 20 years.
She and I bonded as she showed us around Roma. I had lots of questions and she had so much to tell me. She taught me tricks like how traffic literally stops for you as you walk across the street. No need for pedestrian signals. I felt so powerful. haha! You just walk right into the street and cars stop cold. I told Ursula that was the best trick I'd learned in Italy so far!
I got to know all the students in the class very easily as we took cover from the sudden downpour, complained about sore feet, and begged for lunch, since none of us ate breakfast due to the early start time. I met a girl named, Mandy, who loves Twilight so I know we'll be fast friends, and hung mainly with Isabella and Clementina (who cried all day) :( I felt bad. But she explained she really misses home and I know we can all relate. Ursula kept comforting her and we all took turns hugging her as we walked. I know these people and I will be great friends. Mandy and I were followed by our first Italian pursuer. He kept yelling "ohh come party with me ladies. Come on American girl! I know you party." hah! yeaaahh right. Luckily we were with our group and he lost us somewhere between the Pantheon and the Piazza Spagna (I think that's the name).
Anywho, we had a great day all-in-all, despite the rain, blisters, hunger pains, and pursuers. I can't wait to see how our friendships progress. Tomorrow will be my first day of real class and it should be VERY interesting. I can pretty much say "Ciao, mi chiamo Kate. Sono American di Pittsburgh. Parlo Italiano, ma solo un po' ". That's the extent of my Italian so we'll see how this goes.. But, everyone else in my class is a beginner for the most part so we're all in the same boat.
Well, if you got to this point of reading I am impressed. You must really like me. I love you all and can't wait to share more of my adventures en Italia! I'll try to write again in a few days, but, internet is sparce so maybe I'll write on Wednesday, Thursday..?!?
Until next time,
x
-Katie
p.s. rest assured pictures are sure to come. I'm taking a plethora of them!
First Day in Roma..
[Written a few days before post-date]
Buena Sera!
Well, I made it to Roma! I’m very exhausted from not sleeping on the plane and will be going on nearly 30 hours with no sleep, but I’ll surely sleep well tonight. I was lucky enough to sit next to an American girl my age on the plane ride here so we shared magazines and watched movies & Friends episodes the whole time. I knew my nerves would never let me sleep anyways..
Once I got to the airport in Rome, my driver seemed to be annoyed with my ignorant American ways (2 large suitcases and 2 big carry-ons, for which you must remember that cars here are the size of a suitcase itself). But, he clearly doesn’t know me. Oh, and his driving made NYC taxi drivers seem like saints.
My host mother (or grandmother rather), Rossana is beyond lovely. She had me at “Ciao” lol. But honestly, she is the dearest lady. Very short, tiny, with dark gray hair, and huge glasses that give the illusion of bug eyes. Too cute. She talks fast and I don’t understand much but I pretend to, and figure things’ll play out as I go. Neither host parent knows much English, but sign language and drawings seem to be helping our communication. It took them about a half-hour to just explain how to open and close the gate to their apartment building this afternoon. But, we’re managing and I know enough Italian to get my point across.
My host grandfather, Mario, is absolutely presh. I gave him a gift, a book of Pittsburgh history, and explained in Italian that although the text was in English it had lots of illustrations to compliment the reading. He was very appreciative and told me he can understand some English, but only ‘un po’ (a little). So, I went back to my bedroom and then when I came out a while later, he was sitting in the kitchen reading the book (or at least looking at the pictures) and it was very sweet. He might be the cutest old man in Italy.
The apartment is molto grande!!! It’s the entire first floor of the building. There are four bedrooms, a family room, ONE bathroom, and a large kitchen. All the floors are marble, and my bedroom, specifically, has the biggest wardrobe set I’ve ever laid eyes on. It puts the wardrobe from Beauty and the Beast to shame. There are hand-painted butterflies on the outside then beautiful swans on the inside. Immaculate. Really, no words.
The reason for so many bedrooms is that they have three sons. One of whom has met the Pope (which is probably more common than I realize). They are all older and do not live with Rossana or Mario, but come to visit often. I can’t wait to meet them! (Hope they have some sons of their own, considering they’re in their late 40’s, early 50’s) ;) P.S. one of the son’s names is Massimo. The Wedding Planner anyone? lol.. I’m so lame.
Well, I’ve already written too much, but I wanted to give you an update and I’m sure there will be more to come later this week.
Stay tuned for roommate news and school orientation day…
Ciao,
-Kate (or Kat-er-een, as they call me)
Buena Sera!
Well, I made it to Roma! I’m very exhausted from not sleeping on the plane and will be going on nearly 30 hours with no sleep, but I’ll surely sleep well tonight. I was lucky enough to sit next to an American girl my age on the plane ride here so we shared magazines and watched movies & Friends episodes the whole time. I knew my nerves would never let me sleep anyways..
Once I got to the airport in Rome, my driver seemed to be annoyed with my ignorant American ways (2 large suitcases and 2 big carry-ons, for which you must remember that cars here are the size of a suitcase itself). But, he clearly doesn’t know me. Oh, and his driving made NYC taxi drivers seem like saints.
My host mother (or grandmother rather), Rossana is beyond lovely. She had me at “Ciao” lol. But honestly, she is the dearest lady. Very short, tiny, with dark gray hair, and huge glasses that give the illusion of bug eyes. Too cute. She talks fast and I don’t understand much but I pretend to, and figure things’ll play out as I go. Neither host parent knows much English, but sign language and drawings seem to be helping our communication. It took them about a half-hour to just explain how to open and close the gate to their apartment building this afternoon. But, we’re managing and I know enough Italian to get my point across.
My host grandfather, Mario, is absolutely presh. I gave him a gift, a book of Pittsburgh history, and explained in Italian that although the text was in English it had lots of illustrations to compliment the reading. He was very appreciative and told me he can understand some English, but only ‘un po’ (a little). So, I went back to my bedroom and then when I came out a while later, he was sitting in the kitchen reading the book (or at least looking at the pictures) and it was very sweet. He might be the cutest old man in Italy.
The apartment is molto grande!!! It’s the entire first floor of the building. There are four bedrooms, a family room, ONE bathroom, and a large kitchen. All the floors are marble, and my bedroom, specifically, has the biggest wardrobe set I’ve ever laid eyes on. It puts the wardrobe from Beauty and the Beast to shame. There are hand-painted butterflies on the outside then beautiful swans on the inside. Immaculate. Really, no words.
The reason for so many bedrooms is that they have three sons. One of whom has met the Pope (which is probably more common than I realize). They are all older and do not live with Rossana or Mario, but come to visit often. I can’t wait to meet them! (Hope they have some sons of their own, considering they’re in their late 40’s, early 50’s) ;) P.S. one of the son’s names is Massimo. The Wedding Planner anyone? lol.. I’m so lame.
Well, I’ve already written too much, but I wanted to give you an update and I’m sure there will be more to come later this week.
Stay tuned for roommate news and school orientation day…
Ciao,
-Kate (or Kat-er-een, as they call me)
Sunday, September 27, 2009
12 Days til Roma
Hey bloggers :)
Welcome to my new Blogsite! This site will strictly pertain to my adventures in Italy for the next 6 months. Follow me on here to read about everything I do, visit, and experience.
Oh, and for those who don't know, I am going to be enrolled in the Dilit International Language School in Rome, Italy to become fluent in Italian from October to April. I decided to embark on this journey in order to become more cultured and broaden my international knowledge :) So. Here I am, 12 days from my departure and I cannot wait!!!!
So, stay tuned for the real fun :)
Arrivederci Amici,
~Kate~
~Kate~
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