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.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
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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