Saturday afternoon I wandered through the train station in Perugia. Sitting on this bench, reading a book over on that bench, purchasing phone minutes and fruit mentos from the bar next to the bench, and periodically checking the train arrival schedule.
After much anticipation, the train from Foligno arrived at 4:00pm.
After shrieking to a stop, the passengers unloaded one by one, dragging their rolling suitcases behind them. But alas, my sought after travelers were no where to be found.
I resigned myself to another bench as I waited for the train from Rome.
Finally, the train from Rome arrived and Patti and my dad stepped down onto the platform. They had made it! Apparently it had been quite an adventure traveling in Rome on Easter Sunday and our usual methods of communication had been inconveniently stolen by a gypsy. (I will name no names). Hence, the slight uncertainty on the exact arrival date of my Dad and Patti.
We gratefully left the station after our reunion hugs and kisses and began our Perugian adventure by taking the mini metro into the historical center. During our two and a half days together I was able to show them just about everything that I have enjoyed about Perugia; the beautiful II century rotunda church, the parks, the historical frescoes by the Perugino, the steps in the center, the panoramic views, the university, the gelato, wine, and the of course, the pizza.
The last day of their trip we regretfully said our goodbyes in from of the University building and then I went off to prepare for my final Italian presentation. As Patti and Dad traveled by train back to Rome I presented a 15 min presentation in Italian on the city of Austin. After receiving so many questions, inquiries, and comments about cowboys, I had decided to provide my Italian professor at the Umbra Institute with a little information about the Texas capital.
Today my classes are pretty much wrapped up, I have taken the final test at the University, given the presentation, and already sent one suitcase home with my Dad.
Looks like my remaining time in Italy is ticking. Three days to bid my friends and roommates (who have really become a family to me) goodbye as they wish me a buon viaggio back to The United States.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Mantova- city of bicycles
This past weekend I visited Mantova, a little city about an hour and a half away from Verona. Lined with cobblestone streets surrounding a spacious town center, Mantova is a beautiful medevial town with fresco filled, ancient palaces.
I went on two separate tours led in Italian by a local woman who reccounted famous stories of the nobles who lived, conducted business, and hosted parties in these spaciously lavish mansions.In the Palazzo Ducale I learned that the previous town rulers and aristocrats did not bathe very often (once a year), as they thought it was bad for your health. Because of this, perfume and scented powders were heavily used. The architecture was incredible.
The architects thought it would be clever to design the palace in such a way that every room felt like/appeared to be on the first floor. The floor gently slopes either up or down in every hallway and room, but there are very little stairs. While looking at a beautiful garden outside of one window the guide explained that the garden, which appeared to be on the ground, was actually lifted up on pillars to create the feeling that you were on the ground floor.
On Sunday we took a bicycle tour led by the same woman and heard stories of love, war, and family rivalries while gazing at frescoes of the under sides of horses and greek gods galloping above our heads. My favorite frescoes were the ones which were designed to appear so life like that when you walked across the room, the arms seemed to clench and unclench, and the eyes followed you. Often the paintings were personalized and the artist would depict an ancient mythological scene that somehow reflected the life or charactor of his employer, creating a kind of advertisement for the family name.
It seems that every Italian town has its own unique history and hidden historical/artistic wonders.
I went on two separate tours led in Italian by a local woman who reccounted famous stories of the nobles who lived, conducted business, and hosted parties in these spaciously lavish mansions.In the Palazzo Ducale I learned that the previous town rulers and aristocrats did not bathe very often (once a year), as they thought it was bad for your health. Because of this, perfume and scented powders were heavily used. The architecture was incredible.
The architects thought it would be clever to design the palace in such a way that every room felt like/appeared to be on the first floor. The floor gently slopes either up or down in every hallway and room, but there are very little stairs. While looking at a beautiful garden outside of one window the guide explained that the garden, which appeared to be on the ground, was actually lifted up on pillars to create the feeling that you were on the ground floor.
On Sunday we took a bicycle tour led by the same woman and heard stories of love, war, and family rivalries while gazing at frescoes of the under sides of horses and greek gods galloping above our heads. My favorite frescoes were the ones which were designed to appear so life like that when you walked across the room, the arms seemed to clench and unclench, and the eyes followed you. Often the paintings were personalized and the artist would depict an ancient mythological scene that somehow reflected the life or charactor of his employer, creating a kind of advertisement for the family name.
It seems that every Italian town has its own unique history and hidden historical/artistic wonders.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
A Swedish dinner in Italy
Yesterday I spent the whole day with my Swedish roomate, Lovisa. Lovisa has been tutoring an Italian friend named Roberto in Swedish for the past couple months and they had made the mutual decision to throw a dinner party made up of all Swedish plates. The problem was, up until 3pm Lovisa still had no idea what she wanted to make. So with only the apples and potatoes we had bought at the Saturday market, we set off for Roberto's apartment to brainstorm, google search, and make an official grocery list. Once at Roberto's, we added up the guest list and found that the number of invitees had climbed to 14 people. Between our roomates and Roberto's Italian roomates and friends, we had a big, hungry group of people heading our way around 9pm. Needless to say, we were going to need a few more potatoes. After many urgent promptings from Roberto, slight decision making resistence from Lovisa ("We can just decide when we are in the store.."), a long distance call to a Swedish mother, and a few adorable squinty grins, Lovisa finally settled on a dinner of Swedish potatoes on the side of a fish and vegetable broth main course with cinnamon rolls and apple crumble for dessert. A trip to the nearby grocery store led us right back to the apartment where Roberto's roomates and I began peeling potatoes. (Side note: An Italian expression, "go peel potatoes," started as a military exression but outside of that means just twiddle your thumbs, ie. don't do anything.) We peeled, sliced, diced, chopped, mixed, sprinkled, and stirred under the direction of our Swedish chef for the next few hours. As people began showing up around 9:15 pm the potatoes were almost ready, the fish was cooking with the vegetables, the cinammon roles were in the oven and the apples were chopped for the apple crumble. Despite the fact that the rolls were a little soggy, (stupid oven) the dinner was a big success and all credit went to Lovisa. During the informal dinner party we filled the kitchen and most of us stood with our plastic plates having conversations in Italian, English, German, and the occasional Swedish lesson from Lovisa. Around midnight we parted ways, most of the group heading off to a party some Spanish students were putting on (no doubt there was food being cooked there too) and the rest of us headed home.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Il giorno delle donne!
Tanti Auguri per il giorno delle donne!
Oggi, il 8 di Marzo e' un giorno speciale quando tutte le donne in Italia celebrano il feminismo e anche ricordono le donne che hanno ucciso nel fuoco della fabbrica a Chicago negli Stati Uniti tanti anni fa. Stasera, per celebrare, molte donne cenerano insieme e tutto il giorno ricevano un tipo di fiore giallo, il primo fiore della primavera, che representa questo giorno speciale per le donne.
Today, the 8th of March is a special day when all women in Italy celebrate femminism and also remember the women who were killed in the factory fire in Chicago in the US many years ago. Tonight, to celebrate, many women will eat dinner together and all day long receive yellow flowers, the first flower of the spring, that reprents this special day for women.
So thankful for all of the women in my life!
Oggi, il 8 di Marzo e' un giorno speciale quando tutte le donne in Italia celebrano il feminismo e anche ricordono le donne che hanno ucciso nel fuoco della fabbrica a Chicago negli Stati Uniti tanti anni fa. Stasera, per celebrare, molte donne cenerano insieme e tutto il giorno ricevano un tipo di fiore giallo, il primo fiore della primavera, che representa questo giorno speciale per le donne.
Today, the 8th of March is a special day when all women in Italy celebrate femminism and also remember the women who were killed in the factory fire in Chicago in the US many years ago. Tonight, to celebrate, many women will eat dinner together and all day long receive yellow flowers, the first flower of the spring, that reprents this special day for women.
So thankful for all of the women in my life!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Carnivale a Venezia
Yesterday at 6am I walked from my apartment to the pullman (bus) that would take over one hundred students studying at the University of Foreigners on a five hour ride to Carnivale in Venice. On the way, I chatted with my friend Yesse, originally from Togo in Africa and now working in Perugia as a mathematician and computer programer. At a rest stop I met the woman sitting behind me. She and her son, who was sitting next to her, came from Conneticut to Perugia so she could get credit for her masters in language. She said that they will both be heading to Buenos Aires soon to get Spanish credit. It seems like everyone I meet has such an interesting and unique story.
Through the freezing cold windows we saw the snow covered mountains, a flowing river, and bright white snow eventually turn into green land with warm, spring like climate.
I was the first one off the bus when we arrived in Venice, stiff legged and ready to take in the sites and sounds of the city. My friends Yesse (Togo, Africa), Jerome (Belgium), one guy from Lebannon and another Arab (country unknown) and I started off toward the heart of the city, our destination being San Marco, the largest piazza in Venice that sides to the sea. In front of the train station were tables and chairs set up where artists painted brightly colored, sparkling masks on the faces of men, women, and children alike. On every corner there were mask shops and souvenir stands selling every kind of mask in every shade, magnets, snow globes, post cards, and jewelry.
The crowds were massive and the journey to San Marco was challenging with the skinny alley ways and hand rendered signs directing us all over the city. On the first bridge we crossed, over looking the canal and paddling gondalas I took a picture with the entire cast of Alice and Wonderland.
After hours of wandering around the city we finally got to the San Marco which was filled with massive crowds, caffe tables spilling out from the restuarants, people in sparkling masks flashing their cameras at the charactors dressed in insanely creative costumes, and a fountain flowing with red wine. It was absolute chaos.
At the back of the piazza was a stage set up with a huge screen displaying the people in costumes and who knows what else. The costumes ranged from aristocratic gentlemen from the days of Marie Antoinette and King George, to Mario and Luigi, to human pizza slices. Unlike Halloween, Carnivale is a holiday for people of all ages and throughout the day we saw kids dressed up along with their parents, tossing colorful confetti and spraying unsuspecting victims with silly string. Two little girls dressed as princesses waited on either side of a store entrance for their mother to exit and proceeded to toss handfuls of confetti as high as they could over her head and clothes. This is one of hundreds of scenes I saw throughout the day.
By the time we loaded the pullman to head back at 9:30pm, the sun had gone down and the lights over the stone passageways shown brighter over the constantly growing crowds of people and the night air had cooled to a chilly temperature. We had walked what seemed to be over 10 miles, breathed in the sea air, gazed into the never ending strings of store front windows, seen thousands of masks, posed for hundreds of photos with people dressed in outrageous costumes, waved goodbye to the gondala drivers in their striped shirts paddling black, shiny gondalas through the canal, and were absolutely, unbelievabley, thouroghly exhausted.
Through the freezing cold windows we saw the snow covered mountains, a flowing river, and bright white snow eventually turn into green land with warm, spring like climate.
I was the first one off the bus when we arrived in Venice, stiff legged and ready to take in the sites and sounds of the city. My friends Yesse (Togo, Africa), Jerome (Belgium), one guy from Lebannon and another Arab (country unknown) and I started off toward the heart of the city, our destination being San Marco, the largest piazza in Venice that sides to the sea. In front of the train station were tables and chairs set up where artists painted brightly colored, sparkling masks on the faces of men, women, and children alike. On every corner there were mask shops and souvenir stands selling every kind of mask in every shade, magnets, snow globes, post cards, and jewelry.
The crowds were massive and the journey to San Marco was challenging with the skinny alley ways and hand rendered signs directing us all over the city. On the first bridge we crossed, over looking the canal and paddling gondalas I took a picture with the entire cast of Alice and Wonderland.
After hours of wandering around the city we finally got to the San Marco which was filled with massive crowds, caffe tables spilling out from the restuarants, people in sparkling masks flashing their cameras at the charactors dressed in insanely creative costumes, and a fountain flowing with red wine. It was absolute chaos.
At the back of the piazza was a stage set up with a huge screen displaying the people in costumes and who knows what else. The costumes ranged from aristocratic gentlemen from the days of Marie Antoinette and King George, to Mario and Luigi, to human pizza slices. Unlike Halloween, Carnivale is a holiday for people of all ages and throughout the day we saw kids dressed up along with their parents, tossing colorful confetti and spraying unsuspecting victims with silly string. Two little girls dressed as princesses waited on either side of a store entrance for their mother to exit and proceeded to toss handfuls of confetti as high as they could over her head and clothes. This is one of hundreds of scenes I saw throughout the day.
By the time we loaded the pullman to head back at 9:30pm, the sun had gone down and the lights over the stone passageways shown brighter over the constantly growing crowds of people and the night air had cooled to a chilly temperature. We had walked what seemed to be over 10 miles, breathed in the sea air, gazed into the never ending strings of store front windows, seen thousands of masks, posed for hundreds of photos with people dressed in outrageous costumes, waved goodbye to the gondala drivers in their striped shirts paddling black, shiny gondalas through the canal, and were absolutely, unbelievabley, thouroghly exhausted.
Monday, February 28, 2011
La Presentazione di Pubblicita, il femminismo, e i cambiamenti nell'appartamento
Today I begin writing my 15 minute presentation on advertising that I will give, all in Italian, next Wednesday to a small audience of a few instructors and peers.
I was given free reign over my topic and chose advertising because-
a) I thought, hey, here is an opportunity to review old concepts ive long forgotten/replaced with irregular trapassato verb conjugations
b) I would get to show advertising clips (Helloo Old Spice "The man your man could smell like" ad!)
c) I am still looking for a summer internship. Ok this is not a reason.
...
In class this morning, my conversation teacher brought up the idea of femminism. (il femminismo in Italian. Is anyone else curious why its masculine?)
Due to the widely diverse cultures represented by our class (Helloo Libya, Israel, Uganda and Pakistan!), the conversation was pretty interesting. Mariam from Uganda talked about gender roles in Uganda. Once a man marries he is not supposed to do anything in the kitchen or the house. That is the wife's terrain and its not to be touched. His job is to work outside, not inside.
According to Mariam, the women of Uganda are generally content with this role, and it is culturally understood that by serving the man in the home, she shows him respect. She said there are also married couples where both the wife and husband work outside of the home, but the household work still falls on the woman most of the time. I don't think there is anything wrong with the traditional roles, in fact I think the idea of respect (mutual respect) in a marraige is very important. However, I am still very happy to live in the US where more contemporary couples share housework and the work that goes along with raising kids.
Lastly, one of my roomates changed apartments (apparently she minds all of the noise at night that comes from the bar below us..shocking), and the agency was able to find her a quieter place. Her room will soon be filled by another student. We wonder, what nationality will she be? Will she speak Italian? English?
We shall see, (Vediamo!)
~Kaitlyn
I was given free reign over my topic and chose advertising because-
a) I thought, hey, here is an opportunity to review old concepts ive long forgotten/replaced with irregular trapassato verb conjugations
b) I would get to show advertising clips (Helloo Old Spice "The man your man could smell like" ad!)
c) I am still looking for a summer internship. Ok this is not a reason.
...
In class this morning, my conversation teacher brought up the idea of femminism. (il femminismo in Italian. Is anyone else curious why its masculine?)
Due to the widely diverse cultures represented by our class (Helloo Libya, Israel, Uganda and Pakistan!), the conversation was pretty interesting. Mariam from Uganda talked about gender roles in Uganda. Once a man marries he is not supposed to do anything in the kitchen or the house. That is the wife's terrain and its not to be touched. His job is to work outside, not inside.
According to Mariam, the women of Uganda are generally content with this role, and it is culturally understood that by serving the man in the home, she shows him respect. She said there are also married couples where both the wife and husband work outside of the home, but the household work still falls on the woman most of the time. I don't think there is anything wrong with the traditional roles, in fact I think the idea of respect (mutual respect) in a marraige is very important. However, I am still very happy to live in the US where more contemporary couples share housework and the work that goes along with raising kids.
Lastly, one of my roomates changed apartments (apparently she minds all of the noise at night that comes from the bar below us..shocking), and the agency was able to find her a quieter place. Her room will soon be filled by another student. We wonder, what nationality will she be? Will she speak Italian? English?
We shall see, (Vediamo!)
~Kaitlyn
Sunday, February 27, 2011
"What Heaven will be like"
As I have been sick with a stomach flu the last couple of days, I have had alot of time to be on facebook, youtube, etc.
Today I listened to a podcast of an Austin Stone sermon called "What Heaven will be Like"
http://www.austinstone.org/resources/sermons/category/heaven_and_hell
Truly a beautiful, thought provoking, and inspiring sermon that focuses on many places in scripture such as Revelation 24:1-4, Luke 23:39, John 14:1, Rev 21:1-3 and Rev 19:11-16.
Thanks to a wonderful roomate, an Italian pharmacy, a couple of cab drivers, and God, I feel much better than I did on Friday and am looking forward to getting back to class tomorrow.
Coming up is my 15 min presentation (in italian) on Advertising trends in the US, as well as my trip with the student's travel agency to Venezia for the Carnivale on Saturday.
Shout outs: Thanks so much for the package and homemade granola Aunt Laura and Mom! Happy birthday to my Grandad, and thank you God for allowing modern medicine to make his hip better!
Ciao a tutti,
Kaitlyn
Today I listened to a podcast of an Austin Stone sermon called "What Heaven will be Like"
http://www.austinstone.org/resources/sermons/category/heaven_and_hell
Truly a beautiful, thought provoking, and inspiring sermon that focuses on many places in scripture such as Revelation 24:1-4, Luke 23:39, John 14:1, Rev 21:1-3 and Rev 19:11-16.
Thanks to a wonderful roomate, an Italian pharmacy, a couple of cab drivers, and God, I feel much better than I did on Friday and am looking forward to getting back to class tomorrow.
Coming up is my 15 min presentation (in italian) on Advertising trends in the US, as well as my trip with the student's travel agency to Venezia for the Carnivale on Saturday.
Shout outs: Thanks so much for the package and homemade granola Aunt Laura and Mom! Happy birthday to my Grandad, and thank you God for allowing modern medicine to make his hip better!
Ciao a tutti,
Kaitlyn
Monday, February 21, 2011
Firenze, la seconda volta.
Questo fine di settimana i miei compani di classe ed io abbiamo visitato Firenze. Il tempo era bellisimo, con sole e un cielo ciaro. Abbiamo preso il minimetro alla stazione del treno, e poi abbiamo preso il treno. Il viaggio ci e voluto quasi due ore e mezzo. Quando siamo arrivati abbiamo fatto un giro tra la bellissima citta, mentre molte persone caminavano con i suoi bambini, alcuni in costumi per il Carnivale. Abbiamo trovato L'Accademia e siamo entrati dopo abbiamo comprato i nostri biglietti. La Davide era meravigliosa, grande e splendida, meglio di tutte le foto avevo mai visto. Dopo L'Accademia abbiamo pranzato e ho mangiato un po di pane e una pera che ho portato con me. (tutto il cibo a Firenze e troppo costoso). Allora, le ragazze hanno lasciato i ragazzi e abbiamo separati per un po di tempo per fare lo shop in tutti i negozi carini, alcuni costosi, alcuni con molti saldi. Ho comprato due borse piccole per le mie sorrellestre, e un masca per il Carnivale. Quando siamo stati insieme di nuovo, abbiamo visitato Sante Croce. Nella piazza di Sante Croce c'era un piccolo spettacolo con puppets vecchissimi e due persone hanno fatto i movimenti a mano e i puppets bailavano alla musica. Alle sei, stanchi e contenti, finalmente abbiamo ritornato alla stazione e abbiamo preso il treno a Perugia. Era un giorno abastanza perfetto.
This weekend my classmates and I visited Florence. The weather was beautiful with sun and clear skies. We took the mini metro to the station, and then the train. The trip took about two and a half hours. When we arrived we took a walk around the beautiful city with many people walking around with their kids, some in costume for Carnival. We found the Accademia and entered after buying our tickets. The David was beautiful, big and splendid, better than all of the pictures I have ever seen. After the Accademia we ate lunch and I had some bread and a pear that I had brought with me. (All food in Florence is expensive.) The girls left the boys and we separated for a bit to do some shopping in the cute shops; some very expensive and some with many sales. I bought two little purses for my step sisters and a mask for Carnivale. When we returned together we visited Santa Croce. Nearby there was a puppet show with really old puppets. Two people made the puppets move to the music. At six we returned to the station, worn out and happy, and took the train to Perugia. It was an almost perfect day.
This weekend my classmates and I visited Florence. The weather was beautiful with sun and clear skies. We took the mini metro to the station, and then the train. The trip took about two and a half hours. When we arrived we took a walk around the beautiful city with many people walking around with their kids, some in costume for Carnival. We found the Accademia and entered after buying our tickets. The David was beautiful, big and splendid, better than all of the pictures I have ever seen. After the Accademia we ate lunch and I had some bread and a pear that I had brought with me. (All food in Florence is expensive.) The girls left the boys and we separated for a bit to do some shopping in the cute shops; some very expensive and some with many sales. I bought two little purses for my step sisters and a mask for Carnivale. When we returned together we visited Santa Croce. Nearby there was a puppet show with really old puppets. Two people made the puppets move to the music. At six we returned to the station, worn out and happy, and took the train to Perugia. It was an almost perfect day.
Friday, February 18, 2011
La frangetta
Today I had my hair cut and styled at a local salon in the historic center named 'Hair Up.' They give students discounts (stranger/foreigner discount, really) for 20% off.
I had them cut frangetta, bangs and straighten it to a glossy finish.
The conversation with the man who washed and styled my hair circled around the United States, Eminem (the rapper) and American cities. He said that he loved the United States and wanted to go there because the police in the US follow the rules. (Interesting perspective). He knew about Elvis, where Bruce Lee was buried, and that the Houston license plate has a rocket shooting into the sky.
I left 'Hair Up' with a smile on my face, a free espresso, and a new Italian hairstyle.
Three cheers for full immersion!
Tonight, dinner at il ristorante Argentino with international friends, e poi, (then) domani vado a Firenze.
I had them cut frangetta, bangs and straighten it to a glossy finish.
The conversation with the man who washed and styled my hair circled around the United States, Eminem (the rapper) and American cities. He said that he loved the United States and wanted to go there because the police in the US follow the rules. (Interesting perspective). He knew about Elvis, where Bruce Lee was buried, and that the Houston license plate has a rocket shooting into the sky.
I left 'Hair Up' with a smile on my face, a free espresso, and a new Italian hairstyle.
Three cheers for full immersion!
Tonight, dinner at il ristorante Argentino with international friends, e poi, (then) domani vado a Firenze.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Italian Art = Advertising inspiration
Hooray for times when completely separate interests collide!
Advertising + Italian inspiration = I'm interested.
Here is an example of the Austin based T3 (The Think Tank) ad company in Austin using Bottecelli's Primavera as inspiration for interactive ads.
Marriott: Reveal Renaissance
http://t-3.com/work/view/marriott/reveal_renaissance
Advertising + Italian inspiration = I'm interested.
Here is an example of the Austin based T3 (The Think Tank) ad company in Austin using Bottecelli's Primavera as inspiration for interactive ads.
Marriott: Reveal Renaissance
http://t-3.com/work/view/marriott/reveal_renaissance
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Le Cose che abbiamo in comune.
Here is a song my professor had us listen to and then fill in the missing words. (listening comprehension).
I have been listening to it on repeat all morning, its so cute.
Its called Le cose che abbiamo in comune/The things we have in common by Daniele Silvestri.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGdKLPTW0KI
Perfect valentines day song:)
I have been listening to it on repeat all morning, its so cute.
Its called Le cose che abbiamo in comune/The things we have in common by Daniele Silvestri.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGdKLPTW0KI
Perfect valentines day song:)
Perugian chocolate factory
Here in Italy there are chocolates called Baci (kisses) which are made up of dark chocolate and hazlenuts mixed together with a single whole hazlenut on top and covered with a coating of dark chocolate. They are covered in foil and in each Baci is a love saying stamped on a slip of wax paper. These chocolates are made in factory just outside of Perugia.
Yesterday my roomates and I took a bus to the factory and got a free tour of the inside of the factory. We walked through a hallway overlooking all of the moving belts transporting the chocolates to and from the silver cases where the magic of transformation happens step by step. We were able to observe the making of the chocolate Pasqua (Easter) eggs which (according to local Italians I had dinner with that night) every candy company in Italy produces. According to them, the best ones are from a brand called Kinder. Inside each football sized chocolate easter egg is a surprise; a small stuffed animal (pulush), a toy, legos, or puzzle. Each child receives on average, from various family members, about 10 of these giant eggs during Easter!
Before the tour, we viewed a short film about the history of the factory and were shown advertisements for Perugina from the 50's until today. The target audience historically ranges from couples in love, to young people, to families, and now couples in love again.
Here is an example of an old print ad for Baci.
http://melissamuldoon.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/baci-perugina-7.jpg
Example of a Baci
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOnkfBvx8OLlK9XbmT5jn3jlP3oS5X6I5E1cl2L16LC-0nOeKVIK5onJ4bMmaQWvXKCvKk7-XmjNj1rkvwMn5WxRvjZ6nsqURznS4GaYsLZnf95LpBbLj1HEdfjxcueg8jWg8gU_I-e0/s1600/bacio2.jpg
At the end of the tour and after looking at a model of the record breaking worlds largest Baci we were able to taste test almost every Baci product. Yea!
A presto,
kaitlyn
Yesterday my roomates and I took a bus to the factory and got a free tour of the inside of the factory. We walked through a hallway overlooking all of the moving belts transporting the chocolates to and from the silver cases where the magic of transformation happens step by step. We were able to observe the making of the chocolate Pasqua (Easter) eggs which (according to local Italians I had dinner with that night) every candy company in Italy produces. According to them, the best ones are from a brand called Kinder. Inside each football sized chocolate easter egg is a surprise; a small stuffed animal (pulush), a toy, legos, or puzzle. Each child receives on average, from various family members, about 10 of these giant eggs during Easter!
Before the tour, we viewed a short film about the history of the factory and were shown advertisements for Perugina from the 50's until today. The target audience historically ranges from couples in love, to young people, to families, and now couples in love again.
Here is an example of an old print ad for Baci.
http://melissamuldoon.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/baci-perugina-7.jpg
Example of a Baci
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOnkfBvx8OLlK9XbmT5jn3jlP3oS5X6I5E1cl2L16LC-0nOeKVIK5onJ4bMmaQWvXKCvKk7-XmjNj1rkvwMn5WxRvjZ6nsqURznS4GaYsLZnf95LpBbLj1HEdfjxcueg8jWg8gU_I-e0/s1600/bacio2.jpg
At the end of the tour and after looking at a model of the record breaking worlds largest Baci we were able to taste test almost every Baci product. Yea!
A presto,
kaitlyn
Sunday, February 6, 2011
What a weekend. Just like the biscotti di marmalata (jam cookies) that a friend and I attempted to bake in a toaster oven Saturday afternoon/evening while watching L'Amore, Davvero/Love Actually, in the sunniness of the weekend, all of the details have baked together into one lumpy torta (cake) in my head.
Starting with Friday, international party followed by Caffe Morlacchi, followed by Saturday: lots of adventuring, Perugian outdoor market, jam cookie making, pizzeria, and finally Sunday: day trip to see the Basilica of San Francesco/Saint Francis in Assisi.
The international party Friday night was really cool. Each person was supposed to bring/make qualcosa (something) from their native country. Consequently there was food from all over the world: crepes with pear, sushi, fruit cake, spinach pie, rice, chocolate cake, wine, etc. My plate was as diverse as the people who made up the party.
The TexMex guacomole and tortilla chips my Mexican roomate and I made were a hit and were gone by the end of the evening (the tortillas fried in olive oil turned out well by the way; cripsy and bubbled up a bit. I cut them into triangles). We were very pleased with ourselves and our diplomatic efforts.. I got to practice Italian alot that night and only had to answer a question about an American celebrity once. Success!
The next day I went to the Saturday market with Francesca and Candice and got a Italia shirt, leather skirt, and sparkly dress for 3 euro. Yea! Saturday night Francesca and I made biscotti and then split a veggie pizza at local pizzeria. (3 euro each, yea!). We left a paper oragami bird on the table as a tip.
Today I went to Assisi and visited beautiful churches, oh the churches. When I saw one by the train station that was a church within a church, I felt like I had seen everything that there was to see as far as religious buildings go. So, so beautiful, all of them, but maybe this goes without saying.
Beautiful weather, beautiful weekend, grazie a Dio.
A presto,
Kaitlyn
Starting with Friday, international party followed by Caffe Morlacchi, followed by Saturday: lots of adventuring, Perugian outdoor market, jam cookie making, pizzeria, and finally Sunday: day trip to see the Basilica of San Francesco/Saint Francis in Assisi.
The international party Friday night was really cool. Each person was supposed to bring/make qualcosa (something) from their native country. Consequently there was food from all over the world: crepes with pear, sushi, fruit cake, spinach pie, rice, chocolate cake, wine, etc. My plate was as diverse as the people who made up the party.
The TexMex guacomole and tortilla chips my Mexican roomate and I made were a hit and were gone by the end of the evening (the tortillas fried in olive oil turned out well by the way; cripsy and bubbled up a bit. I cut them into triangles). We were very pleased with ourselves and our diplomatic efforts.. I got to practice Italian alot that night and only had to answer a question about an American celebrity once. Success!
The next day I went to the Saturday market with Francesca and Candice and got a Italia shirt, leather skirt, and sparkly dress for 3 euro. Yea! Saturday night Francesca and I made biscotti and then split a veggie pizza at local pizzeria. (3 euro each, yea!). We left a paper oragami bird on the table as a tip.
Today I went to Assisi and visited beautiful churches, oh the churches. When I saw one by the train station that was a church within a church, I felt like I had seen everything that there was to see as far as religious buildings go. So, so beautiful, all of them, but maybe this goes without saying.
Beautiful weather, beautiful weekend, grazie a Dio.
A presto,
Kaitlyn
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Permesso di Soggiorno, moving along.
I had the pleasure of visiting the police headquarters here in Perugia yesterday morning,
but not for reasons you are now probably thinking. No the reason is much more boring.
In order to obtain the 'permesso di soggiorno' (permit to stay), an immigrant (that's me) must visit the police station and get his/her fingerprints taken and placed on record. This is just one of the many hoops one must jump through. Not that im complaining.. (does the Italian government read foreign student blogs?). My current understanding is that after 25-31 days I will be able to obtain the date that I am able to pick up the 'permesso' after logging on to the website that was provided to me and filling out more information. Super!
On another note, one of my sweet roommates, Despoina (from Crete) moved to Milan this weekend to complete her program at the University there. We sent her on her way early Saturday morning with a box of Perugian chocolate (its the best in Italy) and a hand rendered goodbye card.
This weekend I made delicious hot chocolate for my roomates, Francesca, and a couple of my friends in the full immersion program. After brief speculation we concluded it was the best hot chocolate ever made in the history of mankind.
It included:
1 cup of Vanilla soy milk
1 big square of melted down 56% cocoa chocolate (with extra fondant)
A sprinkle of Perugian bitter cocoa powder
A pinch of salt.
*cooked on the stove.
As a result of our current inspired state, my friend Francesca and I have decided to open an Italian chocolate shop upon our return to the US. So we all have that to look forward to..
Yea!
but not for reasons you are now probably thinking. No the reason is much more boring.
In order to obtain the 'permesso di soggiorno' (permit to stay), an immigrant (that's me) must visit the police station and get his/her fingerprints taken and placed on record. This is just one of the many hoops one must jump through. Not that im complaining.. (does the Italian government read foreign student blogs?). My current understanding is that after 25-31 days I will be able to obtain the date that I am able to pick up the 'permesso' after logging on to the website that was provided to me and filling out more information. Super!
On another note, one of my sweet roommates, Despoina (from Crete) moved to Milan this weekend to complete her program at the University there. We sent her on her way early Saturday morning with a box of Perugian chocolate (its the best in Italy) and a hand rendered goodbye card.
This weekend I made delicious hot chocolate for my roomates, Francesca, and a couple of my friends in the full immersion program. After brief speculation we concluded it was the best hot chocolate ever made in the history of mankind.
It included:
1 cup of Vanilla soy milk
1 big square of melted down 56% cocoa chocolate (with extra fondant)
A sprinkle of Perugian bitter cocoa powder
A pinch of salt.
*cooked on the stove.
As a result of our current inspired state, my friend Francesca and I have decided to open an Italian chocolate shop upon our return to the US. So we all have that to look forward to..
Yea!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Church in Italy. The hardest sermon I have ever heard.
I am really enjoying life in Italy right now and I am learning alot about another culture, another people, another way of living. As I learn more about the world, I am also learning about different faiths and beliefs about God from conversations with friends and personal reflection. While here, I continue to listen to sermons from my home church in Austin, the non denominal church of Austin Stone. As I read the bible on my own a bit, I am struck like I never had before on the urgency of what Jesus says. If we really believe the bible (and I understand that many do not and there are many reasons for this) then the words he says will shape the way we live everyday.
This is a sermon from the Austin Stone, my church back in Austin, that I listened to this morning for church on podcast. Its on a subject that no one on earth likes to think about, but is something Jesus talks about alot. Its given by Matt Carter and speaks on God's grace, justice, God's perspective on heaven and hell, and what Jesus says about hell.
http://www.austinstone.org/resources/sermons/category/heaven_and_hell/
What do we do with what we have heard? What will I do when I am reminded of the purpose of life on earth and the reason that what Jesus did mattered so much?
For anyone who believes in Jesus and yet believes that they lack a sense of urgency in living for God and sharing what you believe with others, listen to this message and be reminded.
This is a sermon from the Austin Stone, my church back in Austin, that I listened to this morning for church on podcast. Its on a subject that no one on earth likes to think about, but is something Jesus talks about alot. Its given by Matt Carter and speaks on God's grace, justice, God's perspective on heaven and hell, and what Jesus says about hell.
http://www.austinstone.org/resources/sermons/category/heaven_and_hell/
What do we do with what we have heard? What will I do when I am reminded of the purpose of life on earth and the reason that what Jesus did mattered so much?
For anyone who believes in Jesus and yet believes that they lack a sense of urgency in living for God and sharing what you believe with others, listen to this message and be reminded.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
San Costanza-the favorite patron saint of Perugia
In case you are not familiar with the term, 'adventuring,'
at least for me in Perugia, consists of purposefully wandering
around with my head swiveling back and forth
between caffes, store front windows, tall cathedrals,
and massive stone arches overhead.
I had a cool day and evening last night of adventuring and
this weekend is the holiday celebrating Perugia's favorite patron saint, San Costanza.
Last evening was spent looking for the church dedicated to San Costanza
and I actually stumbled upon a celebration for him
after adventuring a bit outside of the city walls
for over an hour. It was fun seeing more of Perugia
outside of the historical center.
Once I found the church I noticed that people were handing out roman torches
that we lit with a small community fire. About 30 minutes later
I participated in a torchlit procession to the church of San Costanza
where I sat in on a Catholic service. (It was mainly all old Italian couples).
I was so afraid that people were going to find out that
I was neither Catholic nor Italian!
Today I went to a massive outdoor market just for the holiday
for the patron saint and bought the traditional fruit cake that is shaped like
a wreath as well as candied mixed nuts. Then I had some marinara pizza
with my good friends Francesca and Taylor (shout out!).
Perugian patron saints rock.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Firenze.
Florence:
After a weekend spent in Firenze, home of the David and the Duomo, this is what I have discovered: Florence is a touristy city chock full of jewelry, history, ancient churches, shoes on sale, glamorous stores, many museums, priceless art, gelaterias, and waffles with nutella.
Saturday I viewed Damien Hurst's diamond covered skull scuplture which was set alone in a completely black room (you can imagine the sparklyness). I also took a tour of the Medici's old mansion home, the Palazzo Vecchio, entirely covered in frescoes of greek gods and goddesses. I traversed una strada completely dedicated to diamond rings, bracelets, gold and silver necklaces, etc, all artfully displayed in giant glass windows facing the well populated streets. Bling!
The bad part about the weekend was that we did not sleep well Saturday night because of the noise on the street. The three other women and I stayed in a room that was entirely pink (bedding, curtains, walls) in a hostel owned by an angry Russian man who could speak a little Italian and a little English.
In spite of this, Sunday was a fantastic day of exploring and art viewing. We made it into the Uffizzi without any wait and walked around viewing the statues and famous paintings for almost three hours. My favorite part of the musuem was seeing Botecelli's Primavera. After the Uffizzi we had a great lunch of affordable personal pizzas made by an Italian man who did all of the cooking, cleaning, and waiting at a nearby pizzeria that he just opened in December. We learned that the trick to not paying over 9 euro for a bowl of vegetable soup is to make sure the restaurant does not charge a sitting charge in addition to tip. (Hello tourist city!).
We were amazed by the elaborate tombs kept company by sculptures of sad looking women in the Sante Croce Cathedral. I had alot of fun taking pictures of the arched ceiling, detailed relief, and red candles reflecting on a small statue of the mother Mary.
We witnessed a short lived sciopero (strike) on the beautiful Ponte Vecchio bridge (15minutes) and enjoyed espressos in the (very overpriced) caffes in the center.
Florence is a fantastic place to visit (and expensive!) but as I stepped off of the train after a brief 2.5 hour train ride and took the city bus back home, I was very, very happy to be back in the university town and historical center of Perugia, in my own cream colored bedroom with my very kind, considerate roomates.
Hurray for my first weekend of travel!!! Salute:)
After a weekend spent in Firenze, home of the David and the Duomo, this is what I have discovered: Florence is a touristy city chock full of jewelry, history, ancient churches, shoes on sale, glamorous stores, many museums, priceless art, gelaterias, and waffles with nutella.
Saturday I viewed Damien Hurst's diamond covered skull scuplture which was set alone in a completely black room (you can imagine the sparklyness). I also took a tour of the Medici's old mansion home, the Palazzo Vecchio, entirely covered in frescoes of greek gods and goddesses. I traversed una strada completely dedicated to diamond rings, bracelets, gold and silver necklaces, etc, all artfully displayed in giant glass windows facing the well populated streets. Bling!
The bad part about the weekend was that we did not sleep well Saturday night because of the noise on the street. The three other women and I stayed in a room that was entirely pink (bedding, curtains, walls) in a hostel owned by an angry Russian man who could speak a little Italian and a little English.
In spite of this, Sunday was a fantastic day of exploring and art viewing. We made it into the Uffizzi without any wait and walked around viewing the statues and famous paintings for almost three hours. My favorite part of the musuem was seeing Botecelli's Primavera. After the Uffizzi we had a great lunch of affordable personal pizzas made by an Italian man who did all of the cooking, cleaning, and waiting at a nearby pizzeria that he just opened in December. We learned that the trick to not paying over 9 euro for a bowl of vegetable soup is to make sure the restaurant does not charge a sitting charge in addition to tip. (Hello tourist city!).
We were amazed by the elaborate tombs kept company by sculptures of sad looking women in the Sante Croce Cathedral. I had alot of fun taking pictures of the arched ceiling, detailed relief, and red candles reflecting on a small statue of the mother Mary.
We witnessed a short lived sciopero (strike) on the beautiful Ponte Vecchio bridge (15minutes) and enjoyed espressos in the (very overpriced) caffes in the center.
Florence is a fantastic place to visit (and expensive!) but as I stepped off of the train after a brief 2.5 hour train ride and took the city bus back home, I was very, very happy to be back in the university town and historical center of Perugia, in my own cream colored bedroom with my very kind, considerate roomates.
Hurray for my first weekend of travel!!! Salute:)
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Snow.
Snow flurries in Perugia today! What started out as sleet soon turned into fluffy white puffs of snow sticking thickly on the wet ground.
Yay for real snow!
Also, I found a store that I really like nearby.. uh oh.
That's all for today,
a domani.
Yay for real snow!
Also, I found a store that I really like nearby.. uh oh.
That's all for today,
a domani.
Salsa.
Yesterday (Mercoledi/Wed.) was a busy day. Class from 9-6 with little breaks in between and then something called Tandem at 7:30pm, and then salsa dancing at the Lunabar. 'Tandem' is an opportunity for Italian students wanting to learn English to partner with American students wanting to practice Italian. There was a big group at Biriaio, the location for Tandem, a Morraccan style bar and lounge with shabby chic looking furniture, giant sitting pillows and a splatter of tables and with clusters of chairs filling up the space in each room. I sat with friends from the Full Immersion program and we were soon joined by three Italian girls all studying here in Perugia. We switched back and forth from Italian and English so we could all practice our language of study.
The conversation was broken up with questions about certian words, significances and frases. To say "I am excited/looking forward to this" you say "non vedo l'ora" (I can't see the time). You do not say "sono eccitante" This means something else.. And when you meet someone, you say "piacere conocerti" Its a pleasure to meet you.
Later that evening I went with my roomates to the Luna Bar for salsa dancing. I have only salsa danced maybe three other times in my life, but thought it would be a good idea to go and wing it. It was.
By the end of the evening I felt as if I almost knew what I was doing.
This is what I was taught about salsa from the people there;
When you dance, you dance with your smile, not with your feet or your hands. (Interpret freely.)
Also, the man suggests movements, for example a twirl, and the woman accepts. This is slightly different from the traditional leading and following concept.
Finally, la pausa. The pause in salsa is very important. Salsa is onetwothree, pause, onetwothree, pause. Everything else about the dance is not salsa, but free movement and personal style.
Fantastic.
The conversation was broken up with questions about certian words, significances and frases. To say "I am excited/looking forward to this" you say "non vedo l'ora" (I can't see the time). You do not say "sono eccitante" This means something else.. And when you meet someone, you say "piacere conocerti" Its a pleasure to meet you.
Later that evening I went with my roomates to the Luna Bar for salsa dancing. I have only salsa danced maybe three other times in my life, but thought it would be a good idea to go and wing it. It was.
By the end of the evening I felt as if I almost knew what I was doing.
This is what I was taught about salsa from the people there;
When you dance, you dance with your smile, not with your feet or your hands. (Interpret freely.)
Also, the man suggests movements, for example a twirl, and the woman accepts. This is slightly different from the traditional leading and following concept.
Finally, la pausa. The pause in salsa is very important. Salsa is onetwothree, pause, onetwothree, pause. Everything else about the dance is not salsa, but free movement and personal style.
Fantastic.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Ieri sera/Last night I went to a conversation practice group with my Russian roomate Yana. She does not speak much English and is fantastic to practice Italian with because she gently corrects my mistakes as I stumble around consonants and trip over vowels separated by awkward pauses. I found out that she is not only from Russia, but actually lives in Siberia! Woah. She said it gets to be about -30 degrees there.
Conversation group practice:
EVERYONE there was absolutely fluent, or it seemed that they were to me. There were about 20 pple there who were all either international or Italian. Ero la sola Americana. I was the only Americana, so I got interesting questions: Is George Clooney really gay? Have you ever seen a famous person? Do you like George Bush? Also, no one could pronounce my name, "Kait-lyn" So for two hours. TWO HOURS I just sat and tried to understand their questions and stories, and even had to present myself to the group and sit in the 'hot seat.' Era troppo difficicle per me.
Romantic tidbit: However, I did talk to one Egyptian graduate student (he knew English) and he told me his tragic love story about the girl that he was in love with for 4 yrs whose father would not accept him. He even went back to the father's house in Egypt, confessed his love for Aulla, and promised to get enough money for the marriage despite being a poor student. Che tragico!She is married to someone else now, but he says he is doing much better and has hope for his future. I wish I could have understood more of these people's stories. Maybe if I keep going every Monday...
This weekend I may go to Florence Sat and Sun with my roomates and we will stay in a bed and breakfast. The very idea of visiting Florence makes me incredibly excited.
A presto,
Kait-lyn
Conversation group practice:
EVERYONE there was absolutely fluent, or it seemed that they were to me. There were about 20 pple there who were all either international or Italian. Ero la sola Americana. I was the only Americana, so I got interesting questions: Is George Clooney really gay? Have you ever seen a famous person? Do you like George Bush? Also, no one could pronounce my name, "Kait-lyn" So for two hours. TWO HOURS I just sat and tried to understand their questions and stories, and even had to present myself to the group and sit in the 'hot seat.' Era troppo difficicle per me.
Romantic tidbit: However, I did talk to one Egyptian graduate student (he knew English) and he told me his tragic love story about the girl that he was in love with for 4 yrs whose father would not accept him. He even went back to the father's house in Egypt, confessed his love for Aulla, and promised to get enough money for the marriage despite being a poor student. Che tragico!She is married to someone else now, but he says he is doing much better and has hope for his future. I wish I could have understood more of these people's stories. Maybe if I keep going every Monday...
This weekend I may go to Florence Sat and Sun with my roomates and we will stay in a bed and breakfast. The very idea of visiting Florence makes me incredibly excited.
A presto,
Kait-lyn
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Today the other Arcadia students and I took two buses to the Umbrian countryside to spend the morning and afternoon at an organic farm run and belonging to an Italian family. We were greeted by the son and his wife and his two little dusty dogs and were given a quick walking tour of the farm. The son showed us the olive trees and explained the difference between the olive branches that grow straight up, (almost extinct, but they are saving this type), as well as the trees with down sloping branches (easier to pick the olives!).
We were then taught how to make pasta dough and roll it out with our hands and a long rolling pin. Those old Italian women make it look so easy! First you create "una fontana" a fountain, with the flour, then you crack two eggs, using a fork, into the center of the flour fountain. E poi, you whisk the eggs and slowly add in the surrounding flour. Then you flatten the dough with the heels of your hands and use the rolling pin to flatten and stretch the dough, turning the little pancake every few rolls.
After our lesson we had to participate in a feedback session with the two leaders of Arcadia. Imagine thirty students sitting in chairs in a circle with two leaders and clip boards. It went something like this: "Ok so how is everyone feeling." ... "Ok lets go around in a circle and introduce ourselves" ... "Great now lets hear whats good and whats challenging, and what you expect from this semester" ..Generic responses were pretty common, but most people had funny experiences already and the leaders even had good advice. For example, the customer/employer courtesy tradition is different here then in the US. When you enter a store, bar, etc. in Italy, the it is the customer's job to greet the employer, and then he/she will be helped. A bit of a role reversal.
Ok so after the little feedback circle which was closed by "Now remember that you can call Arcadia, as well as Umbra for any and all questions, feelings, or concerns that you have.."
...
Anyway, after that we have un bounisimo pranzo with about five million corses made up of all things from the farm including the olive oil, pasta, tomatoe sauce, and wine. Tutto.
1. Bread slices with various spreads: patte, cheese, egg.
2. cup of fagiolina soup with bread slice
3. big plates of pasta noodles with tomatoe sauce and dusted with cheese.
4. some kind of meat piatto ( I skipped out on this..)
5. chocolate biscotti and piccolo slice of pound cake.
After this fantastic, organic meal we said thank you as a group to the wonderful family, took a picture, and headed by to the historic center of Perugia on our respective buses.
We were then taught how to make pasta dough and roll it out with our hands and a long rolling pin. Those old Italian women make it look so easy! First you create "una fontana" a fountain, with the flour, then you crack two eggs, using a fork, into the center of the flour fountain. E poi, you whisk the eggs and slowly add in the surrounding flour. Then you flatten the dough with the heels of your hands and use the rolling pin to flatten and stretch the dough, turning the little pancake every few rolls.
After our lesson we had to participate in a feedback session with the two leaders of Arcadia. Imagine thirty students sitting in chairs in a circle with two leaders and clip boards. It went something like this: "Ok so how is everyone feeling." ... "Ok lets go around in a circle and introduce ourselves" ... "Great now lets hear whats good and whats challenging, and what you expect from this semester" ..Generic responses were pretty common, but most people had funny experiences already and the leaders even had good advice. For example, the customer/employer courtesy tradition is different here then in the US. When you enter a store, bar, etc. in Italy, the it is the customer's job to greet the employer, and then he/she will be helped. A bit of a role reversal.
Ok so after the little feedback circle which was closed by "Now remember that you can call Arcadia, as well as Umbra for any and all questions, feelings, or concerns that you have.."
...
Anyway, after that we have un bounisimo pranzo with about five million corses made up of all things from the farm including the olive oil, pasta, tomatoe sauce, and wine. Tutto.
1. Bread slices with various spreads: patte, cheese, egg.
2. cup of fagiolina soup with bread slice
3. big plates of pasta noodles with tomatoe sauce and dusted with cheese.
4. some kind of meat piatto ( I skipped out on this..)
5. chocolate biscotti and piccolo slice of pound cake.
After this fantastic, organic meal we said thank you as a group to the wonderful family, took a picture, and headed by to the historic center of Perugia on our respective buses.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
On Thursdays I only have one class in the evening, and Friday no class at all. I filled this ample amount of free time with lots of wandering, adventuring, and sitting on the steps of the Cathedral in the main Piazza Novembre where if you sit, its is commonly said in Perugia, you will see everyone you know. Everytime I do, I at least see a couple of people I know, which is saying alot since I only know about thirty people in the entire country. I took more photographs of the town, practiced Italian with friends on the steps, bought some apples, pears and carrots at open air market, and went to class for a couple of hours from 5-7, then had ravioli con zucche with white wine and red pesto sauce. So good.
Later that night my friends and I gathered at the apartment of one girl that has the most amazing view in Perugia, overlooking the city, rolling hills, little patchwork gardens on top of roofs, and the mountains in the distance. Friday was an amazing day. With no class, I did grocery shopping, switched out my SIM card which was defective, mailed some postcards, and took the minimetro with a friend to jog in the only park in Perugia.
Side note: Italians love dogs. I have never seen so many cute dogs being walked anywhere in the States. Italians are very friendly about letting you pet them too, its a way to be social. To ask if you can pet the dog you say, "permesso?" or "con permesso?" To which they answer, "Certo, si."
After the jog I went to see a showing of the Italian film at the Universita per Stranieri called Amacord by Federico Fellini. The story of an Italian family is based in Italy in the 1930's and was shown entirely in Italian, but I was able to piece together most of the colorful dramatic comedy from the great acting, thoughtful art direction and creative visual story telling. I definitely recommend seeing it!
My roomates and I had a wonderfully filling and cheap dinner at a Kabob place nearby our apartment. It was a nice break from pizza and pasta. After dinner we went to Merlin's pub and restaurant which has a really good DJ. Once the crowd at Merlin's had moved onto another late night dance spot the bartender requested salsa music and my roomates and I ended the evening with a salsa lesson from the bartender. We plan on going to the official lessons which take place every Wednesday (Mercolodi) from now on.
Later that night my friends and I gathered at the apartment of one girl that has the most amazing view in Perugia, overlooking the city, rolling hills, little patchwork gardens on top of roofs, and the mountains in the distance. Friday was an amazing day. With no class, I did grocery shopping, switched out my SIM card which was defective, mailed some postcards, and took the minimetro with a friend to jog in the only park in Perugia.
Side note: Italians love dogs. I have never seen so many cute dogs being walked anywhere in the States. Italians are very friendly about letting you pet them too, its a way to be social. To ask if you can pet the dog you say, "permesso?" or "con permesso?" To which they answer, "Certo, si."
After the jog I went to see a showing of the Italian film at the Universita per Stranieri called Amacord by Federico Fellini. The story of an Italian family is based in Italy in the 1930's and was shown entirely in Italian, but I was able to piece together most of the colorful dramatic comedy from the great acting, thoughtful art direction and creative visual story telling. I definitely recommend seeing it!
My roomates and I had a wonderfully filling and cheap dinner at a Kabob place nearby our apartment. It was a nice break from pizza and pasta. After dinner we went to Merlin's pub and restaurant which has a really good DJ. Once the crowd at Merlin's had moved onto another late night dance spot the bartender requested salsa music and my roomates and I ended the evening with a salsa lesson from the bartender. We plan on going to the official lessons which take place every Wednesday (Mercolodi) from now on.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Pizza..and more pizza. Oh and pizza.
There are so many places to get pizza here in Perugia. Its a good thing you hike hills to get anywhere around here otherwise I would probably have to be rolled home.
Just kidding. But really.
Last night a group of friends and I went to a pizzeria that you had to know about to find. A leader at the Umbra Institute gave us the scoop and we ventured out to find the back alley where the uneven steps where we were greeted by a young Italian man sweeping away the dirt (Italians are very tidy) who informed us that we were in the right place. "Si, la pizzeriae qui." We were the group to come in for dinner and as prompted by Zach, the leader at Umbra, we asked the pizza maker if we could make our own pizza...He let us! At least three of us got the chance before the little ristorante started filling up with locals. Pizza oven and all, we got to observe three pizzas made from the dough. So much simpler than you would think! Just spread the dough, drizzle a bit of olive oil, top with aregano and mozzarella (or tomatoe sauce), and slide into the stone oven for about 1.5 minutes. Presto! A puffy pizza that is molto bella.
Im learning so much.
Oh, and class is going well too.
A domani (until tomorrow),
Kaitlyn
Just kidding. But really.
Last night a group of friends and I went to a pizzeria that you had to know about to find. A leader at the Umbra Institute gave us the scoop and we ventured out to find the back alley where the uneven steps where we were greeted by a young Italian man sweeping away the dirt (Italians are very tidy) who informed us that we were in the right place. "Si, la pizzeriae qui." We were the group to come in for dinner and as prompted by Zach, the leader at Umbra, we asked the pizza maker if we could make our own pizza...He let us! At least three of us got the chance before the little ristorante started filling up with locals. Pizza oven and all, we got to observe three pizzas made from the dough. So much simpler than you would think! Just spread the dough, drizzle a bit of olive oil, top with aregano and mozzarella (or tomatoe sauce), and slide into the stone oven for about 1.5 minutes. Presto! A puffy pizza that is molto bella.
Im learning so much.
Oh, and class is going well too.
A domani (until tomorrow),
Kaitlyn
Monday, January 10, 2011
L'ufficia postale e il primo giorno di classe.
Today I visited the post office to turn in paperwork for my permesso di soggiorno. The post office in Italy, like in the US, is a wonderful place with lines of people learning patience, piles of paper work, signs, and office workers who love their jobs. Yes the post office was a magical place, expect, I had no idea what to do, what line to be in, or who I was supposed to talk to. Because of nerves, all of the Italian I knew fell out of my head. It was quite a cultural experience.
One older Italian man with graying hair pointed me to the other side of the room. I doubted his expertise in my situation and stayed in the line I was in, chatting in broken English and Italian with one Italian guy who had learned English by spending time in San Fransisco. He was nice enough to ask the man at the desk where I should be when his turn came. The office worker reaffirmed what the older Italian had said, and I ventured down to the last lane in the office.
When I finally waited in the correct line and my turn came (it had already been over an hour), the annoyed office worker made me fill out more paper work. He then got into an argument with the only other male worker about..something. You learn to make time for these delays in Italy. It would have been funny but I was pretty terrified. Gratefully everthing was finished and post office adventure ended.
My first and only Italian class of the day was four hours long in a building called "procciuti" (which means curred hams but is the last name of someone), with fifteen minute breaks each hour. I sat by a couple of friends from my program as well as some girls from Korea. The rest of my 25 classmates were from all over the world. The teacher spoke Italian the whole time we reviewed grammer, but she spoke slowely and very clearly, and I comprehended most of what she said.
For la cena I cooked wheat pasta and dropped in some chopped carrots and mixed in some of the best pesto I have ever had. I also had toasted bread and made hot chocolate with cocoa powder and soymilk. The rest of the evening I spent getting to know my roomates who represent three different countries: Russia, Greece, and Mexico. Still with them in the nearby caffe, each on our respective computers talking to those who we miss and wish were in Italia with us.
One older Italian man with graying hair pointed me to the other side of the room. I doubted his expertise in my situation and stayed in the line I was in, chatting in broken English and Italian with one Italian guy who had learned English by spending time in San Fransisco. He was nice enough to ask the man at the desk where I should be when his turn came. The office worker reaffirmed what the older Italian had said, and I ventured down to the last lane in the office.
When I finally waited in the correct line and my turn came (it had already been over an hour), the annoyed office worker made me fill out more paper work. He then got into an argument with the only other male worker about..something. You learn to make time for these delays in Italy. It would have been funny but I was pretty terrified. Gratefully everthing was finished and post office adventure ended.
My first and only Italian class of the day was four hours long in a building called "procciuti" (which means curred hams but is the last name of someone), with fifteen minute breaks each hour. I sat by a couple of friends from my program as well as some girls from Korea. The rest of my 25 classmates were from all over the world. The teacher spoke Italian the whole time we reviewed grammer, but she spoke slowely and very clearly, and I comprehended most of what she said.
For la cena I cooked wheat pasta and dropped in some chopped carrots and mixed in some of the best pesto I have ever had. I also had toasted bread and made hot chocolate with cocoa powder and soymilk. The rest of the evening I spent getting to know my roomates who represent three different countries: Russia, Greece, and Mexico. Still with them in the nearby caffe, each on our respective computers talking to those who we miss and wish were in Italia with us.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Hightlights: Listened to Austin Stone sermon online this morning at the Tommy Bar. Great sermon on trusting God and how our seemingly tiny decisions make up our charactor. References Romans 5 and the parable about seed planting. Had meetings on the permit to stay, a document you need if you stay longer than 90 days; costs about 80 euro. Later, I cooked pasta with my roomates; simple twisty whole wheat pasta with red tomatoe sauce and bread with olive oil. Then walked to Grom and had gluten-free dark chocolate sorbet. (why gluten free? Not sure, seemed like it would be healthier. Doubtful because it was SO good and rich.) Great day getting to know my roomates and walking around. Class tomorrow, all classes in Italian.
Mi dispiace, sorry its so short. Must get rest for an earlier morning than I am used to.
Mi dispiace, sorry its so short. Must get rest for an earlier morning than I am used to.
Yesterday was a great day for 'adventuring.' A friend and I took pictures around Perugia of la fontana, the giant fountain in the Piazza Novembre next to the fourth ugliest cathedral in Italy (according to our tour guide), hung out on the steps of the cathedral and people watched, then gathered with the other hundred students to listen to a presentation on safety from the head of security of Florence. He was something like a movie star.
E poi, about 15 of us went out for pizza alla pizzeria Ettecruchetto and I ordered for us in Italian. For two metro pizzas, we would get two bottles of wine for free. It almost worked out perfectly, but when we went to pay, and most people had left, we were somehow 15 euro short! So the remaining people (me and one other girl) paid up and said, grazie, ci vediamo. After a lovely skype date, many of us went to the Merlin bar to say hello to friends. When I returned to my apartment, there was a group of people hanging outside our door, not sure from where, did not seem Italian. My roomate and I asked them to please be quiet, "scusa, non posso dormire.." and after high fiving me, they actually left and it was very quiet, that is until I fell out of bed at the sheer volume of my alarm this morning..
Some tips from la polizia:
-Always keep your purse where you can see it, on the side of buildings when you walk down the sidewalk
-Never walk home alone
-Be wary at places of public transportation especially
-for every action, there is a reaction, therefore, do not be rude, simply ignore adament admirers.
-the national sport of Italy is surprisingly not calcio (soccer), but women.
-Everyone can tell you are a foreignor.
What an education I have gotten so far.
Classes start tomorrow.
A domani (until tomorrow).
E poi, about 15 of us went out for pizza alla pizzeria Ettecruchetto and I ordered for us in Italian. For two metro pizzas, we would get two bottles of wine for free. It almost worked out perfectly, but when we went to pay, and most people had left, we were somehow 15 euro short! So the remaining people (me and one other girl) paid up and said, grazie, ci vediamo. After a lovely skype date, many of us went to the Merlin bar to say hello to friends. When I returned to my apartment, there was a group of people hanging outside our door, not sure from where, did not seem Italian. My roomate and I asked them to please be quiet, "scusa, non posso dormire.." and after high fiving me, they actually left and it was very quiet, that is until I fell out of bed at the sheer volume of my alarm this morning..
Some tips from la polizia:
-Always keep your purse where you can see it, on the side of buildings when you walk down the sidewalk
-Never walk home alone
-Be wary at places of public transportation especially
-for every action, there is a reaction, therefore, do not be rude, simply ignore adament admirers.
-the national sport of Italy is surprisingly not calcio (soccer), but women.
-Everyone can tell you are a foreignor.
What an education I have gotten so far.
Classes start tomorrow.
A domani (until tomorrow).
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Last night's dinner with the new students was fantastic. We ate at the Hotel Gio and had trofie pasta with red tomatoe sauce, and then the secondo piato, chicken with a cripsy outer skin and yellow potatoes with salad, and bread. For dessert with had a chocolate fondu. Just water to drink. The little town of Perugia is so pretty with the Christmas lights still up, and they love American music here, so when we went out after dinner at Merlin's the DJ played Kesha, Lady Gaga, and Usher. I am enjoying the cold weather, but hoping my lost luggage arrives shortly so I can have a few more wardrobe options. The fashion for women I have seen alot is textured tights with black boots and skirt, sweater, with a longish coat and oh the scarves. So many different kinds. Hats are also very practical against the ear-attacking cold wind. My new favorite phrase is 'ci vediamo,' we will see each other again.
Ci vediamo.
Ci vediamo.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Sitting in the Tommy bar/cafe with my friend Francesca. This morning we took the placement test and set foot for the first time in the Universita per Stranieri. The ceilings are beautiful in the building with ancient greek looking relief and painted blue. That is where I will be taking classes. Soon after we took the placement test I was placed in the B1 level, the first half of intermediate. Later we took the mini metro to the largest grocery store in Perugia. It was slightly overwhelming trying to find everything and deciding what to buy, but I ended up with pasta, pesto, fruit, cereal, milk, dish soap, toothpaste, and a reusable bag to put it all in. I cannot wait until it is warm enough to get gelato from the many gelaterie in the area. I met some other girls when we took the test this morning, one from France and one from Holland. It is the French girl's birthday today, and she knows no one, so we will take our new friend out tonight for a celebration after we have dinner with the program people. One hundred more students arrive today who are taking General Studies classes!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Finalmente, ho arrivato.
Ciao tutti!
I did make it to Rome safely and met up with the other 12 students in the immersion program. They are from around the US and one guy is from Canada. We spent alot of time in the FCO airport before heading to Perugia on a three hour bus ride. The weather is 11 degrees C and around 41 degrees F and there is a slight drizzle. We are staying in the very charming Hotel Fortuna with four floors and wifi internet access.
Tonight we had a fantastic dinner with the Arcadia leaders, Zach and Rachel, as well as some of the older administrators in the program. The meal consisted of approximately three bean soups, followed by salad with pork and for dessert, crema with dark chocolate. White wine with dinner and espresso to finish. The small ristorante with two tables was casual and welcoming and the chef served up each piatto himself. Fresh ingredients, simple dishes and very good, exactly what I expected. I am getting to know the other 12 students very well so far and they are a good group. This town is very pretty with old buildings and white strings of lights forming an archway over the main street, ancient looking churches with bells that chime every hour and winding stone alleys and walkways.
Unfortunately, one of my bags did not make it, so I filled for lost baggage and will have it it mailed to me in the next few days. I most of my essentials with me on my carry on bag and have been lent a coat, so I should be fine for a while.
We begin classes at the Universita per Stranieri on Monday and have our placement test on Friday.
Miss you all! My address is below.
Kaitlyn Howard
The Umbra Institute
Via Bartolo 16
06100 Perugia, Italy
I did make it to Rome safely and met up with the other 12 students in the immersion program. They are from around the US and one guy is from Canada. We spent alot of time in the FCO airport before heading to Perugia on a three hour bus ride. The weather is 11 degrees C and around 41 degrees F and there is a slight drizzle. We are staying in the very charming Hotel Fortuna with four floors and wifi internet access.
Tonight we had a fantastic dinner with the Arcadia leaders, Zach and Rachel, as well as some of the older administrators in the program. The meal consisted of approximately three bean soups, followed by salad with pork and for dessert, crema with dark chocolate. White wine with dinner and espresso to finish. The small ristorante with two tables was casual and welcoming and the chef served up each piatto himself. Fresh ingredients, simple dishes and very good, exactly what I expected. I am getting to know the other 12 students very well so far and they are a good group. This town is very pretty with old buildings and white strings of lights forming an archway over the main street, ancient looking churches with bells that chime every hour and winding stone alleys and walkways.
Unfortunately, one of my bags did not make it, so I filled for lost baggage and will have it it mailed to me in the next few days. I most of my essentials with me on my carry on bag and have been lent a coat, so I should be fine for a while.
We begin classes at the Universita per Stranieri on Monday and have our placement test on Friday.
Miss you all! My address is below.
Kaitlyn Howard
The Umbra Institute
Via Bartolo 16
06100 Perugia, Italy
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Airport Woahs
Airports are tricky. Apparantly United Airways and Continental have merged. It has proven complicated. This morning I jockeyed between United and Continental check in stations until, after being told that I had no ticket, and in response to tears and drama, I was finally checked in by Continental with the help of a United workers. A good team it will be, no doubt. Now if I can just get this Blackberry thing figured out... I leave for Rome from D.C. in a couple of hours.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Ciao everyone! For the next four months I will be attending the Universita di Stranieri in Italy. This blog is intended to share with my friends and family highlights from bits my time in Italy. I look forward to open air markets, walking, wine, films, weather, history and culture. Some challenges I forsee will be cooking, a language barrier despite my oh so refined Italian instruction at the University of Texas, the chilling mountain air and, not sure what else. All of my classes will be taught in Italian and challenging. I will be living in a student apartment about a ten minute walk from L'Universita. Things I forsee coming in handy: leather gloves, italian/english dictionary, black boots, and my Italian wine bible, certo.
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