Adventures in Italy: The Last Chapter

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ENJOY :)

Ciao Italia

Capri


Venice



Tuscan vineyard




wine tasting in Tuscany

Venice canal

Helllooooo Americaaaa!!!

Katie is BACK in the USA! And man is it nice to hear English! :)

I've been home for two weeks already and yet it seems I've been away from Italy foreverrr. It's sad to think about because in Rome I had my own routine, friends, and really a whole different life. So, it's hard to grasp, still, that I will no longer be a part of that again. However, as one chapter ends, another begins.. So, I'm looking forward to all the other adventures I have ahead of me!

Can you believe that just 7 months ago I was jumping off a plane and into a foreign country ALONE!? Honestly, I'm not even sure I could do that again. Well- never say never right?! ;) But, what an amazing experience I had.

First the whole crazy, strange living situation at my host families' house. They really were sweet people, and I can't blame them because anyone would be stuck in their ways by the time they hit 76 years old. And I got to meet some great people by living there too. Like my roommate Nasrin, from Iraq. She was the sweetest, most beautiful person I've ever met. And I think she kept me a little more sane than I might have been otherwise, if she hadn't spoken English. So, I'm very thankful I got to meet her and start our Italian experience together. Who'd have ever thought that two women from completely different "worlds" would embrace each other so quickly and fully. I still think about the first time we met.. (http://kstu-italiano.blogspot.com/2009/10/and-so-adventure-begins.html) I also met the lovely family from Colorado who was staying at the host families' house while I was there. If it wasn't for Massimo, the dad, I don't think I could have ever communicated with Mario (my host grandpa) or Rosanna (host grandma). He really helped me with the basics like, "I'm going out tonight and will be home late", "am I allowed to put groceries in the refrigerator?"... believe it or not, those are hard sentences to convey when not speaking the language the first few weeks. So, I owe him a lot! I actually just heard from the mother, Lara, the other day. She told me all about the snow they got on Sunday night in Denver. insane! But anyways, like I said, not all bad things came from living in the house :)

And then there are my awesome, brilliant, beautiful, amazing, fun, crazy friends I've made. To name them all would be a little overwhelming, but you know who you are ;) and I am beyond grateful that I met each and every single one of you! You've made my experience the best it could have possibly been. And I hope in the coming years we can visit each other because I can't imagine never seeing your faces again, or laughing about our silly lives over wine and pizza. But even if I don't, I'll never forget you. Because it's impossible to forget memories so special and sacred. I'll cherish each of you and each memory we've made over those 6 months. No one will ever understand or witness how precious those days were. Thank you for being part of my life. I love you all!

"Goodbye is like forever. Farewell is like the end. But in my heart's a memory, and there you'll always be."

*Tantissimo Baci*

I can't forget my amazing friends and family who also came to visit me while I was in Rome. First, my best friend and "sis" Jennie Ziringer!!!! (who, by the way, just got ENGAGED! She's going to be one knock-out bride and I'm beyond thrilled for her and Clayton). She came to visit me right before Christmas and we had a great time hanging out with Clementina, Isabella, and Isabella's friends from Sweden (Anna & My).

Next, came my beautiful cousin, Hillary Stuart, and her friend Kristen Wilcox who put all my adventures to shame as they are AWESOME at taking on any challenges (especially hiking up Santorini in 30 minutes.. haha) They are truly superhuman, in every way, and we had a blast traveling through Italy and Greece together. And I hope to visit them this summer to add on to our adventures :)

And thennn, my other two cousins, Maggie & Caroline Stuart, came to visit me about 2 months ago during their spring break. We had some crazy good times as we took on the dangerous streets of Napoli and roamed the beautiful landscapes of Orvieto with Lance Meixner, Maggie's friend. Now, I can't wait to see them again in the States so we can drink the Absinthe we bought! yikesss!!

And most recently, my parents came up for two weeks to travel from Rome to Tuscany, Venice, Napoli, Capri, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast and back up to Rome again. We had an unforgettable time as we took in all the unbelieveable sights of the Amalfi coast and Capri. It was surreal. The pictures posted are of our travels, up top.

So, to end, I hope you guys enjoyed reading my posts. I know they came few and far between, but with so many great things going on with my life in Italy, it was hard to keep track of it all. In terms of my future plans with Italian, I am planning to continue studying and speaking the language (as my brain is begging me to since I'm dreaming in Italian), so that is the plan for now. And maybe, someday, I'll take a trip back to Rome to practice with the natives once again :)

Again, hope you enjoyed it and thank you a million times over again to my friends (domestic and abroad) for making this adventure one I can NEVER forget!

Ciao for now,

-Kate

p.s. stay tuned for a video of my second semester in Italy

Stuart Cousin Adventure: Parte Due (II)

Buongiorno Tutti,

So, this week my two cousins, Maggie and Caroline, came to visit me in Rome! We had a ton of fun together. They arrived last Sunday and for a few days we just walked around Rome, and they did a few tours to see all the sites while I went to class. On Wednesday, we made a trip out to Napoli, which ended up being a little unexpected adventure ;)

The last time I went to Napoli (Naples), was with my school, and we went by bus, so I didn't really pay attention to where we were and how we got there. Thus, as we got off the train on Wednesday, I was all out of sorts, and to make matters worse, someone thought it would be a great idea to put the train station in the worst area of the city. So, that was not. cool. But, having the adventurous Stuart blood in us, we found our way out of an uncomfortable situation and into the main shopping/ristorante district.

After the, also unexpected, long train ride (3 hours), we were famished! So, we jumped into the first cafe we could find. Then, we just meandered around town, dodging beggers and garbage that lined the streets. (quick history lesson: Napoli went 4.5 months without any garbage pick-up....mafia issues- I don't ask! but, this issue is still being fixed so there's still a sanitation issue at hand) Anyways, eventually after a much needed gelato break, we stumbled into a nice bar/gelateria. Once the bartender realized I spoke Italian we became the objects of everyone's affection in this place. Three bartenders actually slide their numbers over to us with glasses of water to take us out that night! HAHA! Yeaaaaahhhh, not exactly sure that Napolitano's were on our agenda for that day. So, I gently told them that we would be leaving...immediately. From there, we just grabbed a few traditional Napoleon pizzas for the road. So, it wasn't the day we were expecting, but if nothing else, at least we got to enjoy some real, authentic pizza, famously originated in Napoli, Italia in 1780. (a little better than your neighborhood Pizza Hut)

On Thursday, it was a normal day as I headed to school and the girls went out shopping in Rome. Then on Friday, we took another day excursion out to Orvieto, Umbria (just north of Rome, Lazio) with Maggie's bf Lance (who is currently studying in Rome, as well). We had a lot of fun there. It really reminded me of Montepulciano, Pienza, and Siena. It had a very Tuscan-feel to it. We also really lucked with the weather, in both Orvieto and Napoli, meaning NO rain, which is a rarity in Italy right now. Orvieto was so pretty, all nestled up on a hill, like Montepulciano, and is known for its wine. So, we obviously had to have a few glasses to get the full feel of Orvieto ;)

Well, after a week, I'd say we really enjoyed ourselves. Despite the disappointing visit to Napoli, it's never a real Stuart vaca unless some sort of adventure is involved, so we really should have seen that one coming.. But, I'm so lucky that 3 of my cousins and 1 of my best friends has visited me (Maggie, Care, Hillary, and Jennie Ziringer) in Rome. Who knew I was so popular! haha! juuuust kiddin'...

So, two more weeks left of school then my parents arrive in Italy! Then, we're traveling all of Italia before my departure back to the homeland. Can't believe this chapter is almost over. Scary.. Sad.. But that's a WHOLE other post for another day :)

Well, enjoy your Sunday and I'll write to ya'll soon!

Arrivederci,

-Kate

Pronti? Mai.

Hey Friends,

So, my post today is a bit more somber than previous entries. The reason being that I had to say goodbye tonight to one of my best friends here in Rome. It's a long, complicated story, but my friend, Clementina, had to leave early from our program in Rome to head back to Venezuela, where she lives.

It's amazing how time has flown here. We were reminiscing at dinner tonight about all our memories here and how everything now is routine and common, whereas it definitely didn't start off that way.

I remember the first day of school like it was yesterday. I walked downstairs in our building and saw four people sitting at a table together, looking very shy and quiet. I sat next to a blonde girl, Isabella (who is now one of my closest friends here), and Clementina, Demetri, & JonCarlo. We asked each other normal questions, "how long are you here for?", "what level of Italian are you?", "are we in the same class?"...etc. I destinctly remember Clementina's response to 'how long are you here for?' because she said, "six months. But I know I won't last that long".

You see, Clemen is only 18. And in my mind, going to college is hard enough at that age. Imagine going across the world, to another country where you don't speak the language and having to live on your own. Not exactly the easiest thing to do at the volunerable age of 18. So, I understood as her homesickness was stronger than the others. However, it only made our bond stronger (between all of us girls, really) as we supported each other and leaned on one another when family and friends were time zones away.

Throughout the months, Clementina and I went on many of the school trips together (Siena, San Giovanni, Pompei, Napoli..), shared our passion for high-end fashion (which is, of course, dangerous in Rome ;), laughed about boys, cried about boys, had each others backs when people let us down, and had, not to mention, the four to seven hours of class together everyday. So, inevitably, we became really close friends.

Never in my life would I think that one of my best friends would reside in Venezuela. It's such an odd idea, but just another one of life's surprises. Never did I think that any of my close friends in life would be from any further than Canada. But, in fact, the hardest part about my experience here isn't the language, but meeting amazing people from all over the world, building the strongest of friendships, and then leaving them & having to keep such huge distances' between us for the rest of our lives.

The friendships here are unlike any I've experienced. It's like kindergarden, or first grade.. you all cry when your mom leaves you with these strange people, but then you look around the room and see that each person is feeling the same things you are and before you know it, you've formed some of the strongest bonds of friendship you'll ever know. And it's like that all over again, but this time you're aware it's happening, and especially aware that you won't be sharing the next 12 years with these people.

Despite the coming goodbyes, I am so grateful that I have met such amazing people here. And I'm very lucky that I still have another month and a half left to continue creating great memories. It's also taken me this experience of Clementina leaving early, to appreciate the moments shared, and savor the moments left.

So, Clementina, I will miss you beyond belief. But, it's not goodbye, it's see you later..

And as the wise Emily Dickinson once said,

"That is will never come again is what makes life so sweet."

Words to live by..

Buena Serata,

Kate

Greece Pictures

Me doing a quasi-Heisman pose at the Partheneon

Santorini red-beach

Hillary and I at Fira, Santorini

IA, Santorini

view of houses cliff-side (Santorini)

Athens, Santorini, Florence & Rome..

Ciao Amici,
Thought I'd bring you all up-to-date on my adventures here in Italia. I should first tell you that it's been so long since I've written because my laptop pooped out on me here :( Believe me, this was probably the biggest issue since I've lived in Europe. So, I apologize for the delay in writing. Luckily, by the great skills of the Geek Squad in good ol' USofA, I have my laptop back here and ready to take on the world. Well, world-wide-web, at least.
Alright, where to beginnnn...
About a month ago, my cousin, Hillary, and her friend, Kristen, came out to visit me in Roma for 2 weeks! They came all the way from Oklahoma and camped out on my floor like the troopers they are. However, we didn't stay in Italy the whole time they were here. Our first trip was to Athens, Greece!
It was pretty awesome. We met two ladies from Greece while waiting for our plane in Rome and we are sooo lucky we ran into them. They helped us figure out the airport in Athens and took the subway with us to our hostel. I don't know if we would have made it without them, as we didn't realize how difficult it was to get around the city. But, we made it! And stayed in a decent hostel called "Easy Access" LOL Despite the name, it actually was a pretty nice place. They had free internet and breakfast for $15 euro a night! pretty amazing. After only one night in Athens, we left to travel to the Greek islands. We aren't exactly the richest girls so we decided to choose just one. Kristen had always wanted to go to Santorini (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants island), so we chose that one.
After an 8 hour ferry ride (which we'll never do again), we arrived in a rainy, cold Santorini. Not exactly the best time to go island hopping. However, we made the best of it, and met some more extremely nice Grecians who helped us find a cheap, beautiful hostel right in the capital of Santorini, called Fira. *word of advice: keep in mind when looking on hostelworld.com that some hostels may not be open due to off-season schedules... yeah we didn't think far enough ahead lol which is why we needed a recommendation as to where to stay when we realized we'd be stranded*
Anyways, we had a great time, enjoying the food, people, and scenery in Santorini. We hiked a few days up and down the cliff-side of the island, which was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Absolutely unreal. (I'll post pix)
After 3 or 4 days in Santorini, we went back to Athens to tour the Parthenon and the rest of Acropolis. Once we left "Easy Access" for the last time, we headed back to Rome.
Hillary and Kristen wanted to tour more of Italy, so we went to Florence for a day and then they continued on to Venice, as I headed back to Rome for school. Florence was amazing. It was like a smaller Rome with beautiful landscapes surrounding it. The only thing with Florence was the insane amount of Americans there. I honestly heard more English than Italian while there. Kinda crazy. Although, we met some nice American grad students there who were traveling throughout Europe for 100 days to study architecture. Sounded amazing, and expensive! But, they were pretty cool kids.
Once Hillary and Kristen made it back to Rome, they toured the city more in depth and actually ran into our Florence friends at the Vatican! Such a coincidence. But very cool.
My moms good friend from home was also visiting in Rome while Hillary was here, so we got to meet up with her (shout out to Tricia ;) It was great getting to meet up and have dinner/wine with family friends from Pittsburgh.
But before I knew it, Hillary and Kristen were on their way home :(
I had an unforgettable time with them and hope to visit them this summer or fall in Oklahoma! It may not be Rome, but doesn't matter where you are when you have your friends :)
Now, I am getting ready to head off to Pompeii (Naples, Italy) on Saturday with my school for a day trip. Should be fun! Just hope the weather holds up. Italy has been super rainy here. It actually snowed for the first time in 25 years in Rome last week! I was excited I got to experience that while here. All the Brazilians and south american students from my class ran outside immediately to play in the snow, as they've never seen it before! So, that was extra cool to witness. The weather is starting to get better. Still rainy, but definitely more warm. It felt like spring today and I absolutley LOVED it! Nothing puts me in a better mood than great weather.
Well, I'm sure I'll have stories to tell about Pompeii and many pictures to share. So, stay tuned and I'll talk to you soon!
Love,
-Kate

Vatican City

Buon Natale!

Hey Friends, Family, Random Blog Stalkers ;)

Sorry it’s been like 10 years since I last blogged. It’s been crazzzzy busy with the holidays and school, etc. I’m sure most of you can relate. Anywho, thought I would bring you up-to-date on my adventures in Italy. Actually, this time some of my adventures take place in the good ol’ U.S. of A! Confused? Some of you should be..

It all began about a month ago when I realized all my friends in Rome would be going home for the holidays. Being that most of them are from Europe, this made sense for them to take their (unfairly short) 2-hour flights home for our winter break. Thinking about the fact that I would be all alone for Christmas and New Year’s made me doomed to be Ebenezer Scrooge in the upcoming weeks. Thus, my parents decided to help me out and send me home for the holidays :) I was sooo excited!! I thought the next time I would be stepping foot on my homeland would be another 4 months ahead of me! And, to add to the excitement, I decided to make it a surprise for all my friends and family. Pretty sneaky, huh?!? We’ll get back to this in a minute..

As the holidays neared in Rome with all the piazza markets open and street lights hung, one of my best friends from Pittsburgh, Jennie, came to visit me the week before we both headed back to the States. We had fun walking the streets of Roma, showing her the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Trastevere, Spanish Steps, etc, etc. One of the things I hadn’t seen, since my arrival in Rome, was the Vatican. So, she and I, and my Irish & Swedish friends, made a day visit to Vatican City. It was pretty amazing to see the Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel. All the history of the paintings was just unreal. Seeing Da Vinci paintings and Michelangelo’s ceiling- I feel like you could visit it 100 times and still have more to learn about the art. We were pretty lucky this particular day because we moved fairly easily through the museum, hearing that otherwise it’s normally wall-to-wall people and you’re typically just pushing your way through. Not sure why it wasn’t quite so crowded considering it was less than a week before Christmas and the streets of Rome were getting more and more claustrophobic by the minute! But, I guess we were just lucky.

After the tour of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican museum, Jennie and I decided we wanted to see the actual Vatican, itself. My other friends had seen it before so they said they’d meet up with us later that night and headed back into the city. Jennie and I waited patiently in line for about 45 minutes until we noticed that the line wasn’t even budging. I saw a few police officers monitoring the line so I went to ask them what was going on. From what I could understand, there was some sort of church mass going on and would be over shortly. As promised, the line began to move and as we reached the front a man asked us for our tickets. We didn’t know we needed to buy a ticket to get in so we just moved aside and asked where we could find a ticket booth. As we asked this, a generous young man offered two extra tickets to us. We were thrilled! So, we jumped back in line and headed into the Vatican. When we read what was on the ticket, it said something about the Pope and universities in Rome. We were sort of confused until a nice girl, around our age, from Nigeria told me that the Pope was going to be speaking to us about students in Roman Universities. So, long-story-short, we got to listen to the Pope speak for about 2 hours about how these students were going to have a big impact on the world, etc, etc. He could have been talking about why the grass was green and I would still be in awe of him. I mean, I GOT TO SEE THE POPE!! And not in a typical way either, which made it extra unique. I, of course, took many pictures of him (which will be posted later) and was happy to be able to understand him, for the most part. Definitely goes down as one of the best memories I’ll have in Rome :)

Jennie and I continued to have fun in Roma, going to the best pizzeria in Rome, right around the corner from my apartment in Trastevere, and eating at the best gelateria in all of Italy near the Pantheon. Then we walked all that food off by doing some damage shopping the streets of Via Del Corso, near the Spanish Steps. Before we knew it, it was nearing time to leave for Christmas.
We headed home on the 22nd, and after a relatively smooth flight, despite the ignorant woman next to me who flung a ravioli on my new winter coat, I arrived back in the States and was picked up by my friend, Sara. She’s the best. She drove all the way out to the airport to pick me up and help me surprise my friend Stephanie at her house. It was worth staying up ‘til 7am Rome time seeing Steph’s shocked & confused face as I stood on her doorstep. lol I continued to surprise people as the week progressed, and loved getting every reaction possible: screams, tears, pure shock -definitely the most entertaining moments of the entire trip back. I was so glad I got away with all the surprises and extremely happy to be sharing the holidays with all the people I loved.

After a too-short break, I headed home. :( I have to tell you the weirdest thing that happened on my trip back though..
During my flight en route to Rome, an [assumed] narcoleptic man fell next to my seat & was lying passed out in the aisle. After about 20 seconds, and some man slapping him on the face, he jumps right back up & asks if anyone was in the bathroom ..?? After my initial shock, that apparently no one else shared, I turn to the man across the aisle and whispered “oh my gosh!!!” whom responds with a shrug & continues to stare out the window. Now, I've either been watching too many Twilight Zone's or absolutely NOTHING affects Americans anymore.
Molto molto strano..

*phew*
Man! This was a long blog. Hope you didn’t fall asleep reading it- I think my hands did writing it! Anywho, my cousin Hillary comes to visit me this Thursday and we’re heading to GREECE on Friday!! I can’t wait!! I’ll have many stories to tell and lots of pictures to share.

Talk to you soon.
xx

Kate