HOME!

Since my landing on hallowed Texas turf, I have not had a chance to write so Ill take this opportunity to say "howdy" from the Lone Star State and let everyone know that I landed safely and happily at home. Despite four different flights and 48 hours from beginning to end, I got to Austin with all of my luggage in tow. My parents were waiting for me right before baggage and it was so great to see them - I still dont feel like Ive gotten enough hugs in, but I guess I have plenty of time. This brings me to my next point and piece of important news which is that I am staying in Austin now and not going back to Italy. I loved it but felt like 7 months would be enough time and so I applied to school here in Austin, got in, and am going there to graduate instead. I'm really going to miss my roommates and I learned so much there that its hard to part with the place itself, but I know its the best thing for me. Landing in Austin was surprisingly emotional for me, partly because the lack of sleep was sending me into strange mood swings and partly because I had missed it so much. I saw the skyline and got completely choked up with swelled eyes - it was strange to see something so simple like the Frost Tower and the Capitol and to feel home so strongly. The few days since I arrived have been so overwhelming, but in a good way. Ive seen so many people who love me and who I love, and Ive gotten to catch up with them finally after the absence. Im so glad that I have time with them to spend and that Im not rushing back to Rome...at least, not any time soon. I would love to visit my friends and professors there soon, but I know that for now, getting settled and getting into a new life here is what I will be devoting my time, energy and mind to most of all. Its exciting to be going to a new school and to have graduation so close. Its also scary to be embarking once again into a slightly new environment and to learn the ropes again, only to see graduate school in sight and a probable move from Austin in that step. It feels like life is in fast forward sometimes and theres no way to slow it down. I cant wait until right after the Christmas rush when Ive seen my extended family and can meet my cousin's almost-baby, and then spend time reading and relaxing at home before the insanity of life takes over again. I have to say, I thrive in the chaos but a week or two or three for books and fireplaces and walking the dog and watching movies...thats okay too.
All in all, Im back, Im busy, Im happy, and I cant wait until Christmas!

Roommates

Last night was incredibly fun - my roommates and I bought a pannetone and some Prosecco and we ate together before going to this really cute local caffe/bar to hear a friend of ours play the guitar and sing. There were tons of JCU students there and he was really good - we had a great time! I got to see some friends Ive made and say goodbye to them, since everyone is leaving for home today and tomorrow. My roommates and I went to this sandwich shop and got a snack and then headed back for more music before going home for good. We all crashed into deep slumber and the next thing I know, Hrissy is waking me up at 5 AM to say goodbye. I think the grogginess made everything a little easier - I was still half asleep - but even so, I felt the fact that I wouldnt see her for a really long time. Then, later in the morning Irene and I got up and went to the local English bookstore to get a novel for her train ride and one for my plane trip. We walked and talked for the last time through the streets of our neighborhood - at least, for a while. When it was time for her to go catch her train (I hope she made it...we were running late) we hauled her very heavy suitcase down our incredibly steep, very tall flight of stairs and went to the main road nearby to catch a taxi. When we hugged and said goodbye we both started crying. I put her in the taxi and walked back home. It is hard to remember all of the fun and important things we did this semester and also really amazing to think about. It seems like only yesterday that my dad dropped me off and I hugged him goodbye outside of my apartment downstairs. I remember when we first went to the orientation at the school together - before we knew each other at all - and yet, we were always really close. Its strange to think of how far I have come this semester and how much Ive grown without getting a little teary eyed.
Tomorrow morning I leave very early. Next stop: home.

Tuesday December 12th

I wrote this entry on the 12th, but my internet reception was bad and it wouldnt publish:
Tomorrow morning is my first final in The Genre of Fiction. I find it to be a very happy coincidence that this class turned out to be my favorite because it is, afterall, what I plan on studying for about 9 more years. I have been studying non-stop for days now and I feel that after so many hours of meditiation on the same material, I should have received some sort of heavenly englightenment but, alas. I do feel prepared and best of all, interested in knowing what Im learning for the long haul and not just for a grade. I think that, unfortunately, people assume that if you work hard, you are grade-obsessed or that the reason why you work hard is because you only care about your grades. In reality, they are only a way for other people to evaluate you and it has taken me a long time to realize that, if I really want to do well in my field of study, I have to seek to be better and to know more even when I am not in the classroom. The thing about becoming a professor is that you are perpetually a student, though you add the element of learning how to teach. However, after the bachelors level, you are no longer spoon fed the information - you have to seek out the knowledge you hope for. I'm glad because being constantly a student - absorbing new things and coming up with new ideas about them - really thrills me and I know it will make me happy.
My roommates leave town on Friday the 15th, so on Thursday we're going to make a special dinner together and go hear a friend of ours perform locally. We're going to get a pannetone (a special Italian Christmas cake/bread) and eat that together to celebrate the holidays before we go our separate ways. It will be sad to see them go and to be in my apartment the last night by myself. Strangely, I was the first to arrive at our apartment and will be the last one to leave this semester.
I am thrilled to be headed home, on the other hand, and as I get closer to the end it becomes more and more unbearable not to just be there already. The trek home will be a long one - from 4:30 AM on Saturday to 6:30 PM on Sunday with the 7 hour time difference. AH! Fortunately, Chuys TexMex will be waiting for me with open arms when I arrive on the hallowed turf of Texas. Four more days!

Bittersweet

It seems like every step in life is incredibly bittersweet. When I left for Italy, it was the hardest thing I had ever done and also the most exciting. Now, as I prepare to go home, I am more ready to see my friends and family than ever, but also very sad to be leaving Rome and the life I have created here. Looking back on what Ive done and learned, the changes that have been wrought within me are vast and I almost feel like Rome needs to work some more of its magic. I suppose I may always feel that way - we are all such works in progress.
I was sitting the other day and thinking about how attached I actually have become to the school and to my neighborhood and to my roommates and so forth. The great thing about my school, and actually something that would be frustrating after a certain period of time, is the great influx of people coming in and out. Every semester there is a new batch of people from all over! The people who do stay here for a long time form groups that are very exclusive, which my roommates have both taken to since they will be here for four years, but which are easy to evade. There are so many people and they dont bring with them all of their attachments from home - its just that person, raw and new and ready to be changed by the environment, just as you are.
There is something that happens with music from your iPod walking through the main piazza in my neighborhood during this season. All of the vendors come out to sell their arts and crafts for Christmas - different from normal street vendors, these people are in a sort of guild or something and they come out for these sales only occasionally throughout the months. There are children everywhere running around, and everyone in coats with pink noses and the steam from their coffee cups rising. When we laugh, our laughs are visible in the breath that leaves our mouths. At school, everyone is huddled around computers, library full, professors working overtime to meet with all of the students who have questions about papers and finals. The air of stress but of progress, also, is in the air.
For me, in these times when I have lots of school work, I take small breaks but still cant go very far - living out of the school vending machine and relying on my music to take me away from the work at hand has become my speciality. I tend to meditate in these off moments when I think about what I want from life and where Im headed. Its interesting because that notion is always changing but something about it is always the same. I think about how all of us, in college, are headed to be experts in our fields and I wonder if Ill make it as far as I want to go and if Ill be as good as some of the professors I have who simply amaze me. I wonder if they were ever scared or unsure about their futures like I am. I guess they were...Ill have to ask them.

Hmmm

Do you ever stop and realize that you are at the place in your life that you used to wonder about years ago? You used to ask yourself: what will I look like, what will I do for fun, how will other people view me, how will I view myself, will I be smart, will I be happy? You used to muse about the future, which was so far off, and is now your present reality. When you look around, are you disappointed in what you have become or are you pleased, because you have become something. There is a person to look back on and when you are ten years older, or forty, you will look back on the you that you are now. What do you want to look like on the outside and who do you want to be on the inside?
I sometimes wonder if I’ll be like you. I wonder if I’ll travel the world like you did, and marry a man who can cook or play the guitar or write books. I wonder if I’ll be as educated as you are from a university in England or some other place where people drink tea at five o’clock each day. I wonder if twenty-one year olds will want to be like me the way I want to be like you or if they will not know me at all. I wonder what I will do each day. Will I pick up children – my own children – from school and will they want to tell me how it went or will they heave a sigh from the back seat if I ask? Will I still enjoy icicles and cozy blankets and good books and raindrops heard indoors and the smell of grass when the lawn has just been cut? Will I wear my hair long or will I cut it shorter like yours? Will it be dark or light or somewhere in between? Will you know me then, when I am older?
I think of what I want myself to be in the future but I never come up with a good answer. I think of being a person who teaches, a person to talk to, a person who works with kids and I could be all of those things or none of them, but most of all I want to be happy. What will make me happy when I’m older? Will it be a large porch and a white picket fence or a good movie on a Thursday night or chocolate covered strawberries or the words on a page of my favorite book? What will be my favorite book when I am older than I am now? When I get my PhD will I throw my hat in the air or cry because twenty-three years of classrooms is over and I don’t know what that means? Will I think that my life is beginning or will I feel that it is over? Will I want an adventure, like you had, or will I want to be settled, like the smooth, still pebbles in the vase on my window sill?
When you were twenty-one did you know what you would be? Did you believe that you could be something great or was it luck that made you a butterfly? And if you knew you could be great, are you the great thing you thought you would be or another great thing that you did not expect to be, like lightning or the cream on the inside of chocolate candies? Did you know what was true when you were twenty-one? Did you think you had it all figured out, or did you sometimes sit puzzled when asked about what Virginia Woolf was really saying? I bet you knew what she meant. What did puzzle you? Was it the colors clouds turn at sunset or why penguins can’t fly or why people are the scariest things or why people are the most comforting things or how a whole turtle can fit back inside its shell all at once? Was it why children always dance to music or why sushi doesn’t make you sick or why a picture of a heart means love or how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop?
Yeah. I wonder those things too.

Traveling Reflections

I cant believe that a week just passed by and that Lindsay is already gone home, and that I have less than three weeks until I am home in Austin. It seems like time is such a bizarre concept - unchanging with respect to science but indefinite with respect to our minds. Our trip was absolutely amazing! It was surreal to be in one country and then another and then another so close together - the beauty of Europa...no trans-Atlantic flights! Its hard for me to describe the trip, so Ill go ahead and give a summary of what happened:
Lindsay came in on Saturday and on both Saturday afternoon and Sunday we walked all over Roma and saw everything! We took tons of pictures and ate some great pizza near the Colosseum. At night, we went to get some pasta at a nearby restaurant and Lindsay had some called carbonara which is a Roman specialty! The next morning, we woke up and were out of my apartment by 4:00 AM! It was an early morning, but being excited about the journey ahead gave us energy. We were taken to the airport along the Via Appia, the oldest Roman Road, which leads out of the city. Our arrival in Paris was breathtaking - we were plopped right in the center near the Arch de Triomph and were taken back immediately, not only by the extreme cold and wind, but also by the amazing beauty of the place. The trees are either orange or have lost their leaves and the Christmas lights are hung. The buildings are grand but also quaintly picturesque and it feels like something out of a story book. They say that the French can be rude, but I thought they were kind and helpful, no doubt with an air of superiority about them, which is sort of elegant, anyhow. In France we saw absolutely everything, and most of it in the rain, including the Arch de Triomph, the Eiffle Tower, the Lourve, most of the gardens, the Obelisk, the Seine, Notre Dame, and Moulin Rouge. There were more museums that we would have enjoyed but we only had two days so we had to cram in as much as possible and I will have to save those for the next trip! Our hostel was great and the people were really cool. When we saw the Mona Lisa and it was really amazing to actually be standing there in front of her! I thought the size of the painting was really underrated: they had a wall that was completely blank and roped off so you could only get so close, and then the tiny painting of Mona Lisa on it...it seemed dwarfed. It was incredible to think that one day so long ago, DaVinci was standing as far from it as I was and was painting on her mysterious face and the details of her setting. We saw the Nike (a statue in the Louvre, who is the God of Speed and which inspired the brand, Nike) and that was really cool - it was my favorite thing to see at that museum. We ate crepes and I fell in love with them - warm and chocolatey but not too heavy. Yum! We had to use our umbrellas a lot - direct affect of extreme rain - and with the umbrella I had, it could only lead to disaster. Mine decided that it wanted to invert every two minutes so that it wasnt actually doing any good and I ended up drenched anyways. I decided to embrace the rain and didnt mind the wetness so much, but dealing with the cold was a test of my sanity. One night, we made dinner out of several of the foods we wanted to try in Paris because we kept circling around but couldnt find a restaurant we wanted to go to and were about to fall over from exhaustion. It ended up being so delicious - bread and cheese galore! When it was time to leave France, we headed to a very early Ryan Air flight to Barcelona. When we arrived in the center we werent all that impressed but the longer we spent, the more we loved it and left wishing we could spend more time. Our hostel was amazing with internet and events planners and a kitchen in our "apartment," which we shared with three other rooms of people. We had a great view and were right off of the main road so that was really convenient. The hostel gave us restaurant ideas and Lindsay had a Spain book, so we felt really ready for the journey ahead. We set out the first day and saw the Cathedral, which was really gothic in nature and had a cool choir room more towards the center than normal. There were chandeliers and stained glass which is prevalent in Barcelona. We spent a lot of time looking at the work of Gaudi, who basically created most of Barcelona's architecture. My favorite of his buildings is one without any straight walls! In another part of the city, he did a building called the Sagrada Familia which has many spires with fruit on top - very bizarre - and in the front has a very rigidly carved nativity scene, which has actually brought some controversy. My favorite place in Barcelona was affected by him but not entirely attributed to him: Park Guell, which is set at the highest point in Barcelona (we had to take escalators to get there) and is a really beautiful site. On the way up there are lots of cool photo stops but nothing compares to the highest point, a small chunk of land on which there are three crosses and you can turn around 360 degrees to see everything: the ocean, the main roads and city grid, the major buildings, etc. There was a sax player and a guitarist up there, and I loved their music - I could have stayed for hours. It was really busy and its was neat to see everyone's reaction to Barcelona. It was as if we all forgot the things we had seen and were looking at it for the first time ever - as if we were looking at trees for the first time and water and mountains and everything for the very first time. On the way back down we stopped in an area designed by Gaudi where dozens of children were playing soccer and running around having a good time - their laughter echoed off of his strangely configured mosaic benches and columns. In Barcelona, I ate Mexican food (though it didnt compare to the food at home) that had a bit of a Spanish twist...including guacamole which was amazing! She made it right there fresh for us and it was really exciting to have after so long of missing it. I still crave Tex Mex but it was a great Thanksgiving present to myself...no traditional food but still a taste of home. Another day we had Indian food, which is very common in Barcelona, and that was really wonderful...I love curry. The last day of our trip, I lost my metro pass somewhere around lunch time and we still wanted to see things way across town, so we walked and agreed Id buy a new one for the next day. I think our feet almost fell off but it ended up allowing us to see and enjoy more of the city than we ever would have in the under-caverns of its metro system (which was heated, even though it was really warm outside). Barcelona has the feel of a city, and reminds me of Roma in some ways, but its laid back atmosphere that makes you feel like anyone will help you if you need it and that people are happy - not rushing on to their next thing. Everyone we ran into wanted to make our stay really enjoyable and that was so incredible to have happen, as none of the other cities Ive come close in hospitality. London was easy because ther was no language barrier, Paris was okay, and Rome is rough but Barcelona was incredible in this respect. Another thing I loved, really quickly, was the market where they had everything there fresh. Ive never enjoyed a market so much - fresh produce, candy, fruit and vegetables, fish, meat, and even juices! At the egg post, there were even emu and ostrich eggs! I loved it.
Overall, the whole trip flew by and I loved it so much! I cant wait to go back and it was perfect traveling with Lindsay, who is always a great friend, even when Im grumpy at 4 AM and even when our feet are falling off. I couldnt have asked for a better trip!

Wee Wee Paris!

Today is my second day in Paris and the typing is slow because Parisian keyboards are really different from the ones Im used to but Ill do my best. My closest friend, Lindsay came to Rome on Saturday and we spent the whole day seeing the city. Then on Monday morning, we left for Paris and are here now! I am having so much fun and find that Paris is something like a mixture between Rome and London. It has the external appearance of London but the culture is more similar to Roman culture...but maybe that is only because I feel foreign in both Paris and Rome, but not as much so in London. Yesterday, we saw the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and some beautiful gardens (where a Parisian man yakked our ears off randomly...practicing his English I think). Today we saw the Eiffel Tower (I got scared), Notre Dame and the area around Notre Dame, which is breathtaking. The Seine is so picturesque! We are hoping to go to Moulin Rouge and if zwe see any tee shirts, I prommise to get you one, Abbey.
Tomorrow I go to Barcelona and I cant wait!!!! Ill write more soon! Happy Thanksgiving soon!

Unable To Sit Still

Yesterday I made the discovery that in one month and two days, I will be HOME!! This revelation first caught me dumbfounded at the sheer unbelieveability of it, and secondly gave me heart palpitations. When I leave Italy for Christmas, I will have been here for seven months - thats 6.25 months longer than Ive ever gone anywhere else in my life - and until now it has felt that I would never reach this point. I remember this summer, in a very low point of my experience in Italy, thinking that it would never end and that the months ahead of me were like a long sentence without a period. Now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and can accept the reality of my upcoming trans-Atlantic voyage back, I can hardly sit still. Let me tell you, this feeling of having the jitters and also the pile of homework I have to do are not a good combination. Fortunately, with some calming tea and about 12 glances at my computer calendar last night (just to make sure this is reality), I managed to finish a major paper, which had been looming over me. I still have quite a few major assignments to go before I leave, so we'll see how those go. I feel like a student with "senioritis" or a child who has been sick and wants to go play. Every bone in my body is itching to run onto an airplane home, which I could probably propell with the sheer force of my adrenaline. I just cant wait to see everyone and to feel Austin again and to sense the holidays at home.
Another reason for my inability to sit still is that my best friend, Lindsay, is coming this Saturday (thats right, two days) and we are going to travel for Thanksgiving! Ive never been to France or Spain, both of which Ill be exploring next week - its so soon! That is one excellent thing about living in Europe - you can see the rest of Europe without paying for a trans-Atlantic flight...so I thought I'd take advantage of it a little bit. I am thrilled to see her and catch up; in addition to making flights at unGodly hours; seeing beautiful European art, monuments and cities; and eating (of course) new and wonderful foods from other countries. There are so many great things about my life and what is coming up ahead of me that its hard for me to stay in one place thinking of it all. Its such a wonderful thing to feel ecstatic just to be living and to be young - to be healthy and hopeful and to enjoy the one moment when the world stops spinning long enough for you to say "life is so sweet."

Ive Fallen in Love

This weekend I fell in love. Everyone expected that in Italy I would meet a really attractive Italian man and fall in love, but as it turns out, my true European love is London. Five of my friends and I went there, the most wonderful city ever, and spent Friday through Sunday seeing everything. If the sterling pound were not twice as strong as the dollar, I would have called JCU and said "um....withdraw me from my classes. Im staying" but thats not the case. Three of my friends left on Thursday night, while one other girl and I left Friday morning early early. We had to wake up at 3:00 to catch our flight because the airports are all far away from the center. When we arrived in London, I already felt like I was at home - the city just fit me perfectly - in a way I cant explain. Of course, everyone told me I would love it this way before I went, and they were right (congratulations to Mom, Dad and Lindsay).
We started out on Friday and through the course of the weekend we saw Westminster Abby, Big Ben, the London Eye, the Aquarium, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace...the list goes on. Mostly, we hit all of the major buildings and additional areas like SoHo (where two of my friends tried to go get their noses pierced but failed) and Chinatown. I really enjoyed the theater district and the area near Chinatown all the way to the London "Time Square" which were all so full of life. We spent some time in a park in Hyde Park (not the actual Hyde Park, but another one) and also ate at a really wonderful Japanese restaurant called Nobu which was started in London. My friend, Alexa, and I are obsessed with sushi so she went crazy with it. On Saturday morning, we went to a great little breakfast place and had a "typical English Breakfast" which was absolutely to die for - I had forgotten what a good breakfast tastes like since Italians only drink coffee for breakfast (they might have a cornetto, too). I was thrilled with the accent, which I've always wished I had, and it was magnificent hearing everyone speak in English and not having to think of how to say simple phrases. The funny thing is that I actually found myself evaluating how I would say something in Italian, forgetting that I didnt have to! Oh, and we made several trips to Starbucks for their holiday blends, because lets face it, Im addicted.
London was freezing cold - much colder than Rome - but I was prepared with a big jacket and the air was crisp and refreshing. In Rome, I sometimes feel like the cigarette smoke and smog and general pollution takes over, but in London it was incredible how even being in the center of the city had a very country-air type of feeling. I never felt overwhelmed by industry or by urban traffic. There are huge parks in London everywhere, and I especially loved one of them which had lots of lawn chairs out, provided by the government, for people to sit in! We joked that, in Italy, they wouldnt last two minutes without disappearing and then reappearing on someone's back porch...how true it is.
Even though my feeling in London was significantly more positive than anything Ive ever felt in Italy (especially, Rome), I dont regret my choice to go to Italy to study. In fact, I applied to several schools in England but decided ultimately, that I would gain the most from a study abroad experience by going somewhere completely opposite from the U.S...and I was dead on in my assumption. Italy is nothing like the States, which goes in and out of disappointing me and thrilling me, but no matter what else it is, it is unique and new 100% of the time. I can really see myself living in London one day or for a while, and Rome is somewhere that I can only live in short term, but its definitely been worth the experience Ive had to come here. Ive learned infinitely more about myself in Italy than I could have learned in England just for the nature of the place. Italy has the potential to teach more because its so different from what I know and identify with.
I loved London because it is the perfect mixture of what is wonderful about Europe and America, but without the negative elements. I felt so at ease and so happy - I could have spent so much more time there, but I suppose now I have an excuse to go there again soon!

E Molto Freddo!

Winter is upon us here in Roma. My best friend checked the internet for our temperature in fahrenheit and it was 46 degrees without wind, or the fact that I walk everywhere, taken into consideration. Only a week ago I was going to school in a skirt and tee shirt - maybe pants or a long sleeved shirt but not both. Now, a swift cold front moved through and has changed the landscape to what seems to be a quick decline into cold weather. Unfortunately, our heating doesnt come on for two more weeks, and once its on, we arent sure how warm it will actually be. Im convinced that our favorite person, the landlady, will spite us and give us only enough heat to argue that she turned it on. On the other hand, the winter is fabulous here. Im fond of cold air because it is so crisp and refreshing. It makes me want to get some tea in my new cow mug (see previous post) and curl up on my bed with some sudoku for hours. It is the winter when I really appreciate the fact that Im a literature major; there is always something good to read, while tucked into a cozy blanket, and not only that, but Im doing work at the same time! Brilliant.
There is an art festival going on in the main piazza near my apartment and many vendors have set up stands there for the weekend. There are so many neat things, including jewelry made right in front of you, funky rings based on comic books and japanese lettering, Venetian glass, hand-woven bags and so forth. Everyone seems to be freezing (where are those chestnut roasters when you need them?) but it brings some beautiful life to the piazza.
Im looking forward to seeing just how much cold I can endure. Being from Texas, this is a true test of will power - I am determined that I will prevail and somehow force myself to adjust to the cold. One of my roommates is from Bulgaria where it takes 40 minutes to shovel snow from the driveway every morning in the winter (hah!)...she laughs at my Californian roommate and I who were both shaking and chattering our teeth when it was 50 fahrenheit outside...its going to be a long one.

Birthday and Halloween Fun

Monday was my 21st birthday and it was a really special day. Starting somewhere around midnight I began receiving a multitude of text messages to say "happy birthday" and the following day, got to talk to my best friend and my parents. My friends got me a balloon that looks like a small creature with eyes that move back and forth (see Flickr photos) and one of them got me a mug that looks like a cow, which I love. My roommates got me a manicure and a massage at this spa near our apartment, and that is such a treat! At night, my four best Italian friends and I went to dinner at my favorite pizzeria and talked and laughed. It was a perfect night spent with them.
The next day, October 31st, was Halloween!! In Italy, Halloween is not as big of a deal as November 1st, All Saints Day, when everyone takes off of work. Still, as early as 5:00 there were both kids and adults out in their Halloween outfits ready for some fun. I went over to my good friend Alexa's house, because she was sick and brought her some medicine. She didnt want to go out so we decided to make the night fun staying in. We went down to the Standa (Roman grocery store - the biggest one they've got...Ill take pictures sometime) and we got 2 pumpkins, which we carved. I should say, which Mel and Alexa carved, because I was rather unsuccessful and using the very fat kitchen knives to round the edges of my pumpkin's eyes...but I think Im okay with that failure. My contribution was chocolate chip cookies, which burned on the bottom (the ovens here are insane) but their roommates (8 of them!) thought they were good. Wahoo! When we tried to turn on the oven, which is a gas oven and lights from the bottom, I put the lighter in there and it looked like an A bomb had just exploded and a plume of fire came up momentarily, threatening to melt my face in one poof. It didnt happen, fortunately, but we had a good laugh. Why Italians refuse to come into the electricity age is beyond me. Alexa had some movies and we watched those until the wee hours of the morning and then fell asleep. Those are the nights when you really feel that it doesnt matter if youre at a party or burning your face with the oven fire or scraping seeds out of a pumpkin or doing nothing at all - its completely about who youre with when youre doing it.

Brazilian Night

Last night, at the school, we celebrated "Brazilian Night." I think that every year, the student government puts together a night of Brazilian fun, and last night was just such an occasion. It was so cute - I felt like I was at a middle school dance again or something. The school is so small and in Italy, its almost impossible to find decorations, etc. so it was really funny and I loved it! I was especially fond of the crepe streamers and the balloons (except that one of them popped right next to my head).
We ate some Brazilian food: various salads, rice and beans, in my case, and for all of those omnivores out there: several kinds of meat cooked different ways. Then, to end it we had grilled pineapple, thinly cut, which was really sweet and delicious!
There were supposed to be Brazilian dancers but they didnt show up (yeah, this is Italy...not shocking) and so the student government people (crazy kids that they are) had a limbo contest. It may have been one of the funniest things I have ever seen. There's a boy at our school who is one of the friendliest, most hilarious people I have ever come into contact with and he definitely shimmied under the limbo crepe paper (yeah, there was no stick...we made do) with so much bravado that I almost had to run to the bathroom I was laughing so hard. He was more flexible than any 5 foot girl there and dominated the competition, which I must say seemed to give him pride.
Throughout dinner we listened to Brazilian music, which makes you just want to get up and start dancing. If you dont, you'll at least be tapping your foot because its impossible not to. It was great when everyone started dancing (some people were more impressive than others), and I saw one of the top guys in Housing out there shakin' it with one of his co-workers...he has some Brazilian dancing skills.
Meanwhile, our school was playing the only other American University in Rome and we had updates throughout dinner (those Italians love their calcio a.k.a. soccer). We won the game in the end. It was funny, going to such a small school, to be at one event for the school and to hear about another one taking place at the same time. Everyone was connected and all it took was a phone call from one group to another...something that can only happen in a university of 750.
I am now hoping for a Mexican Night so that we can have queso...its been almost 5 months and I still havent gotten over that craving.

Life in General

Life, in general, is really going well right now. Until this point my sights have really been set on home (not ONLY on home) because it felt like so long before I would get to see my friends and family again (7 months is a while for me), but now that I can see that end in sight, its clear that Ill also be leaving some things behind when I go home. I still cant wait to be in Austin again and to see my cousin, who is carrying a beautiful baby, and to have all of our Christmas traditions; to bake with a stove that works and to have TexMex, finally!
The weather here is cool but you can wear shorts and short sleeves on most days and be comfortable. When it rains, the air cools down and we have to wear pants (sometimes, even sweatshirts or jackets) but thats not the trend quite yet. My roommates and I fear that day, because our apartment is not only freezing constantly, but the heating doesnt come on in Rome (it is a city-wide system) until mid-November! Yikes. Also, our landlady is the one to flip the switch for the heating in our building and to regulate it for our apartment (strange...) and so with the fear of cold is the even greater fear of dealing with the apartment-owning witch. I bought some Nesquik, because it has lots of calcium and tastes like chocolate, to make in the mornings before school or, on the weekends, before I write papers. We also make coffee a lot. Two days ago, I was heating some milk when it started coming out of the handle (which I was holding) and it was VERY hot. I was scalded all over half of my palm, and so I held the only frozen thing in our apartment on it for an hour...chicken. The chicken was getting a sort of soft quality about it so I put it back and then soaked my hand in water for over an hour to try to make the stinging stop but all was to no avail. I was near tears so my roommate from Bulgaria, who believes in this miracle cream of hers (and which Ive always had my doubts about) told me to put it on. It WORKS! I was in complete shock and will forever believe her about Bulgarian remedies. It was still hard to use my hand but I couldnt believe how much of the pain it took away. Strange.
Ive been writing papers for my Italian class (a language, like most foreign spoken languages, at which I am horrible) and my vocabulary is so awful that I end up spending half of my time glued to the dictionary. I think my professor feels badly for me because Im just one of those people who has to work extra hard at getting the whole concept of...well, everything...in Italian. Fortunately, on my first test I did very well but oral presentations are a whole different story. Upon moving (and before I moved) to Italy, I thought of how "easy it would be to learn Italian." Muah ha ha ha...well. When you have roommates who speak English, and all of your classes are in English, and so forth, you have very little time left over for complete emersion. I guess I originally had this idea that I would just befriend a bunch of Italians, but Italians dont really want to be friends with people who are not already fairly proficient at communication (Im not quite there) and they also dont want to be friends with Americans. The proficient reason is because talking and having a friendship is difficult, and the American reason is because lots of people dont like us. As for me, its annoying to constantly hear your home put down and the "American way" criticized, even if you can agree with the sentiment some or even most of the time. Its home, no matter what else it is, and sometimes you just want to say "new topic."
I am starting a new book now, Washington Square, by the great Henry James, and am really enjoying that. Im not too far in but its going well so far - he is so sarcastic and hilarious which I love...very much like Jane Austen, my all time favorite. I just finished House Behind the Cedars, She's Not There, and Mary Barton, all of which were good. My favorite was She's Not There, but each was enjoyable. I cant believe how many books Ive already gone through this semester - its flying by!
So, life in general is going great. Im happy here and Ill be happy to see home, also. Im excited about what's ahead of me when I return and can apply some of the self-knowledge and academic knowledge to my life at home. Its a beautiful beginning...all over again.

Two Tidbits

First, I bought a plane ticket to London yesterday!!! Five of my friends and I are going to fly there for the weekend (Friday through Sunday, since we dont have class Fridays) and Im so excited! I love those girls!
Secondly, I am up to my ears in midterm work...in fact, Id say Im up to my scalp in it. I had my first and hardest midterm yesterday, Early Italian Renaissance Art, which I think I did pretty well on despite the nervous convulsions that nearly took place mid way through. Today I have a midterm in Italian III and we will see how that one goes, but the whammy is that this weekend I have something like four papers to write, 300 pages to read, two movies to watch for a film class, and so forth...insanity. On Monday I will get down on my knees and thank GOD that I have two more months before I have to do it all again...

Amy

Congratulations to my cousin Amy who is pregnant!!! This will be the first great-grandbaby of my grandparents on either side of my family! Wow!

Mom's Visit, Part 2

On Wednesday evening my mom arrived in Rome, for the second time, in preparation for an extra day on her trip to spend with me!! Earlier that week, my roommate and I had planned out a route to her hotel (across the city from my neighborhood) and had successfully arrived at her hotel. I wanted to make sure that I could do it well on the day when I went to see her and to take her around Rome. So, Thursday morning I got up and headed out to the buses. I made it past the first hurdle and arrived onto my second bus, but I stayed on it too long (because I thought it made a loop to a street closer to her hotel) and I ended up discovering too late that I should have gotten off. I ended up out by the highways that lead OUT OF ROME and I was freaking out. I actually started crying at the point when I asked a man on the bus bench what bus I should take and he said that none would take me back into town; they all left town from that point! AHHHH! So, I tried to call a taxi but there was only a busy signal and I was already really late to meet my mom. So, I started walking towards the stop light just a little ways away and when I got there I was able to find a bus stop that would take me closer. A very kindly old man saw that I was upset and smiled at me and let me get on the bus before him. Its rare to meet people like that in Rome. Anyhow, I eventually made it to her hotel after some very fast paced walking and I was so excited to see her! It had only been a little over a week since I last saw her but Ive missed her so much that it still felt like a great reunion. We left the hotel and made our way to the main shopping road. From there, we walked all the way back to my apartment in some relatively good weather. We stopped in Campo dei Fiori and looked at all of the produce, herbs, kitchen wares, clothes and flowers! We saw some old and famous buildings and just had a good time enjoying the day and each other.
When we got to my apartment, I was pleasantly surprised that my mom thought it was really cute and liked it (though she admitted it needs a paint job). That made me feel good, not because I have some sort of pride for its creation, but because I wanted her to like where I live and see that we like it, too. We dropped off some things and then walked to lunch at a really good restaurant near my school, which Ive wanted to stop into but never have. I had a pizza and mom had a pizza with mushrooms. It was really good and pretty light.
We went to the school and I gave them the grand tour. Mom and I both agree that my school is the university version of my middle school. Thats okay though because its not negative, just small and based on a community idea. I think she liked seeing where I have class and all of the things I talk about in my emails to her. It was also neat to show her part of my life that I may never have gotten to show her if she hadnt been here. It meant a lot to me that she saw my life here and what I do so that forever I will know that she understands it.
We finished at the school and went to the church in the main piazza, the oldest place for Christian worship (in a building)! Mom really loved that part a lot and she thought it was breathtaking. We saw some Cavalli and the mosaics are beautiful. She really liked one of the side chapels a lot, also. From there, we went to a shop in the neighborhood and mom bought me a necklace that I love. Its so nice to have something that she left here with me so that all the time while Im wearing it, I can think of her and how she was here to share Rome with me.
We returned to the apartment and did some CD burning so that I could get her pictures onto something for her to take home (from a memory card she needed to leave with me) and we organized the suitcase she had left with me, which shes taking home now. It had some of my summer things that I can unload and she gave me some of the snacks she had brought with her on the trip that she no longer needed. I also got some magazines and mom, if youre reading this, I saw your note and you'll be happy to know that Ive eaten breakfast everyday that Ive been in Italy. :)
For dinner we went to this place on one of the main roads of the neighborhood and I had a REALLY amazing pasta dish with salmon and herbs. It was wonderful! I think it was the perfect ending to a day with her. We went to grab a taxi and they were off not long from then, but I could feel mom lingering and how much I miss her. I cant wait to see her again in December. Its hard when someone is there right before you but then you know it will be a while before seeing them again. Actually, for me, its not long until I can enjoy her company again and spend some time - only something like 8 weeks! I think that time will fly by.

Autumn is All Around Me

A week or two ago, I guess, autumn began cropping up all around me: the smell of it, something Ive never been able to put my finger on, the sight of changing colors and falling leaves, not to mention the weather which is getting increasingly colder. The air is crisp and cool so that I brace myself a little bit in the mornings as I walk to my Tuesday/Thursday 9 AM class, before the sun has heated everything up. Ive now officially seen a woman standing in direct sunlight so she could receive the most warmth...its not summer anymore, thats for sure. Vendors seem to love this time of year and all of the stands are out everyday, not just Fridays and Saturdays. Gelato seems more and more to be inappropriate and Im dreaming of cozy blankets and hot chocolate (s'mores, too, but I have to wait for home to make those).
The thing that strange about autumn in Rome is that you notice some things that are really similar to what youre used to - the feel of it and the internal sense that its that time of year - but some things which are really different. At home, there are traditions that come with the season, but here, its the feeling without the action. I think that next autumn when Im able to do the things I normally enjoy doing this time of year, Ill appreciate each thing more than I ever have before. Its funny how we take for granted the small things we always do. For example, in Italy, no one carves pumpkins and there arent party stores decked out in Halloween this-and-that. There are chesnuts on the streets where you can stop and get some warm and roasted, but there arent caramel apples, small county fairs or country bonfires. Everything is different and, as you think of the traditions that are important to you either consciously or subconsciously, think of how no one elses are exactly like yours: no one else opens presents on Christmas quite like your family, or sits down to Thanksgiving dinner just like you do, or decorates cupcakes for Valentines just the way your mom taught you. What you have, the accumulation of your entire life worth of years stacked upon years, no one else has, and no one else lives life the way you and your family do. Its a special feeling to recognize that you really are very tied up in those traditions and in the people you share them with.

Crazy Landlady

My two roommates and I have recently come to the conclusion that our landlady is, in fact, insane. On our first day in the apartment, as I said in a recent entry, we told housing about the maintenance issues at hand and asked them to fix the more problematic ones. So, they turned in the housing maintenance form to the landlady, who is obligated to fix things according to her contract. Then, before we have heard anything, we find our landlady (Simonetta) at the exterior door to the apartment waiting on us to return home (its getting dark at this point...). It just so happened that that night, my roommate Irene was having over her mom, brother, aunt, uncle and two cousins to see the place before going out to dinner. Did that stop Simonetta? Oh no! She came right upstairs with us, despite the obviously bad timing and lack of notice, and began to MEASURE our furniture. No one is sure why she did this, but she and her daughter each had a measuring tape and they began in my room, making their way back and forth to the other side of the apartment. We were all in shock, and therefore unable to appropriately respond to this intrusion, so we just let her come and go without much said. Afterwards, the conversation went something like this:

Me: So, our landlady was just at the front door waiting on us to get home.
Irene: Yeah, what if we didnt come home until the middle of the night?
Me: Maybe she has a key.
Irene: Yeah. I think shes allowed to come when she wants.
Me: No, shes not allowed to come at all. JCU said its illegal.
Irene: ILLEGAL? We have to tell housing about her...shes crazy.
All of us: (much rambling about how insane she is and the fact that she wears clothing that resembles a sheet draped over her)

So, the following morning we did go to housing and tell them our woes about Simonetta. They called her in front of us and told her that she isnt allowed to come over without notifying JCU and setting up an appointment, and that it is illegal for her to even have a key to the apartment. So, no more problems, right?? HAH!
About a week later we realized that it had almost been four weeks since we submitted the form for maintenance and nothing had been done. Perhaps it was lost in the shuffle? We thought we would check it out so we went into the Housing office and they said that things were getting taken care of. Apparantly, Simonetta would lose rent money if she didnt get the problems fixed. Overjoyed would not describe the way we felt: hot water in our sink...its almost too much! Sure enough, Simonetta called us and set up an appointment, which she never came for. She called again and said that this Thursday (yesterday) she would call around 3 or 3:30 to confirm and that she would like to be confirming a 5:30 or 6:00 time to come over to fix our kitchen problems. YAY! Well, no phone call yesterday at all so we assumed we would hear from her yet again for another appointment. Oh, would that we were so lucky! Actually, at 7:00 she calls us while we are at the school waiting on a friend to go eat dinner nearby and says that she is in front of our door (familiar?) and that we must come home. Woah woah woah! I have a certain fear of this very irrational and scarily insane woman so I had my roommate talk to her. Our landlady said that "oh I could just go in and fix things in the kitchen"...but isnt it illegal for her to have a key? Thats what we said. We rush home, despite the fact that two friends are waiting on us, and we let her in, allow the maintenance guy to fix the sink (yay!) and go. We are grateful for her finally getting this done, but are a little bit peeved by the whole trend that she has set in dealing with these problems. So, another visit to housing is in order for Monday. Yuck! Still, its a little bit funny to be dealing with an Italian and certainly educational. We always get some good laughs at her expense...sinful laughs, but laughs anyways. She is so "typically" Italian and that cracks us up. It was especially funny when she pretended that there was no hot water in the sink because of the city...? and also when she acted like she didnt speak English so thats why she had misunderstood times before (even though our ITALIAN roommate spoke to her in ITALIAN about it). Oh shes a character...I look forward to two more months of the madness.

Mom's Visit, Part 1

My mom came Saturday and Sunday to Rome to begin her tour of Italy and to see me! I knew that I would be excited to see her but the minute she opened her hotel door and I got to hug her I could feel home rushing back to me. It was so nice to get to have her physically there in front of me and I could almost not believe it, after having not seen her for months now! The first day, she was jet lagged and needed to get some rest for the coming trip, so we stayed at their hotel, which was really fancy and beautiful! It had a huge pool and nice tennis courts - nice even by American standards, and by Italian standards well, woo hoo! So, we had a great time just walking around the grounds and then taking a nap together before I went home. She had a dinner for the tour group to attend (an information session). Then, the grand event was yesterday when we went on a walking tour of Rome with her tour guide (I got some gelato that was Orange Chocolate and thought of dad). After that, we loaded their bus again and took off for this special restaurant where you eat everything from antipasto (appetizers) through dolce (dessert) while listening to opera! It was excellent and we had a blast because the singers were both extremely good and hilarious. They sort of performed while we were listening and the pieces were all especially Italian, making it really feel special. The place itself was sort of small and settled into a nook but the inside was wonderful with low lighting, paintings, a grand piano, and some balconies above. We had a great time and it was so nice because I was able to meet some of the people from her tour and see what she would be doing, while seeing her! I couldnt have asked for a better night.
Mom comes back in a week and a half, which I cant wait for! I know it will be hard to say goodbye then, just like it was hard for me to go last night. It feels like saying goodbye all over again, except with the knowledge that Ill see her sooner rather than later. I felt like I had reformed this connection Ive been missing and then had to lose it again so soon, but it wont be long until December when we really get to spend some time together. I hope the rest of her trip goes well and that the tour guides stop waking them up so early! haha. When youre thinking of Italy, think of my mom who is exploring it for the first time!

Sick!

Today, it seems, I am on the road to recovery from a 48 hour illness. Yesterday was definitely the worst of it where, at one point I wasnt sure of anything that was going on and nearly passed out. I slept for over 21 hours straight, though I am shockingly still a bit tired, and have managed to only miss one class in the mean time. Last night, I took a really hot bath, which actually made me feel more sick immediately afterwards, but then better in the long run. I think I sweated out all of my toxins or something. My roommates said that I looked like a ghost yesterday but that Ive regained some color, and my mom is bringing medicine this weekend, when she comes. I am so excited for her visit and am glad I got sick now rather than this weekend, when she is in Rome! Wish me luck that no relapse takes place!

My Roommate's Birthday!

Today is my Bulgarian roommate's birthday and last night we all went out to celebrate so that at midnight, when she turned 19, we would all be there with her! Irene, my Italian roommate, and I looked up this restaurant and found out that it was open late and that we could get a traditional Italian meal there from appetizer to dessert. We have a difficult time finding it because Italian maps are sometimes...well, not correct. So, on one page of this map book it said one thing, while on another page, it told us something completely different! It was funny and we amused ourselves in trying to get there. We sat down and by the time the meal was over we knew every person on the waitstaff - Italian meals take forever! The way traditional meals work in Italy is that you have many bowls or plates of various foods on the table and people pass them around to get what they want. For the appetizer, we had lentils, seasoned tomatoes, potatos balls filled with rice and cheese (and some had meat), and mozzerella balls (which are fresh in Italy). The meal continued in this fashion from pasta (which you do get one single plate of - no passing), all the way to a torte (cake!). We told the waiter that it was her birthday so we sang to her in Italian and the only candle they had was a 9, so thats what they put on the cake. In Bulgaria, if its your birthday you celebrate by hosting a huge party and serving everyone else, as opposed to the other way around. You get presents for everyone and you buy them alcohol and food. Hrissy was so moved by the fact that her birthday was really centered around her that she cried for about 30 minutes. It was so sweet and we had a great time, just eight of us, talking and laughing until the clock struck 12 and we could all cheer that she was 19. Happy Birthday, Hrissy!

When it ALL Falls Apart

Our apartment is becoming a sort of legend... When we first moved in, as my dad will testify, there were many problems with it: only two burners worked on the stove and only one knob (which you move back and forth between them), there was no hot water in the kitchen sink (making sanitation in dishwashing very difficult), there was no water pressure in the sink (literally, a trickle of water), many lightbulbs were weak or burned out, and the furniture was falling apart. All of these things, my roommates and I were willing to accept for a short period of time until the housing department could get around to us (we even filled out forms!)...well, it has now been three weeks and what were once small problems have now become more significant ones. We can also add to the list of broken things: the fruit basket which refuses to cooperate (it kept falling down and the links of its chain kept coming apart, so we just took it down for good), one of the phones to our outside door (when people buzz up you talk to them on this phone) wont stay on the hook, the coffee pot spews coffee out of the sides (Italian coffee pots are different from American ones), and the refrigerator decided not to cool!!! Yes, thats right: the big kahuna, our fridge (complete with cheeses, yogurt, milk and meat). It seems that our forms were not forceful enough because it has now been almost 4 weeks, so we have decided to go in like the Mod Squad and tell Housing that we have needs...like the need to not get some kind of disease and spend two days in our bathroom from spoiled food. I think its going to be a successful errand and hope that in a week we will be up and running at a more functional level. To be honest, living with all of our calamities is as funny and entertaining as it is inconvenient and this venting is as much a statement of hilarity as it is of discouragement. We're doing what we can and part of being here is being creative...we are expanding our minds in dealing with our broken apartment...or something like that.

So Much Reading

While the rain clouds are taking a rest in Rome, my homework still falls in sheets like rain in a thunderstorm. Fortunately for me, I love the work Im doing. In my Roman Influences on Literature course we are looking at ancient Rome and how history has either repeated itself, or people have learned from it, all the way to present day. The readings have to do with which pre-Christian Roman values were passed onto the people of Brittania when they were invaded and what that means for us now. Since middle school, when I was taught by Todd Gunn, Ive scarcely had as inspirational a professor who, when he speaks, sounds like a well planned book. How words drip so smoothly from the mouths of some people will always amaze me and its easy to sit through that class. Plus, he is hilarious! He told us a story about a Rugby match he and his friend, Dave, went to and it almost had me rolling on the floor laughing. In my Passing in Literature and Film class we are learning a lot about what it means to "fit" in society and about how we present ourselves. We just finished the Scarlet Letter, which is all about passing - private versus public, reality versus apperance and so forth. We talk about what parts of us are most important and how no one could really fit into the boxes society has created to define us. Its extremely interesting, especially Foucault's concepts of discipline and the Panopticon's function in society. In Genre of Fiction we just finished Love and Excess, which I originally found to be really fun and quick but soon wanted to rip to shreds. Now we are reading Emma, and I LOVE that story, not to mention Jane Austen. My Grandmama gave me a copy of her book from Jane Austen's actual home and I think of her now when I read it. In my Art History class I did my first on-site journal entry and was shocked at how much I have learned, even in a state of constant confusion at her complete disorganization in class. The words just came to me and flowed onto the page. Before I knew it, I had spent two and a half hours in front of a very small mosaic by Cavalli!
Wish me luck as I embark on my first Italian test Thursday, and my first lengthy paper in one week!

Rain Drops Keep Fallin' On My Head...

This time of year in Texas it is near 100 degress outside, but in Rome right now, the temperature swiftly changed from dead summer heat to cool rainy autumn! While I consider many of my friends at my favorite outdoor music festival this weekend, and envy them for enjoying this tradition, which I love, I also consider that they are probably guzzling water down just to stay hydrated for all of the sweat thats pouring from their bodies...and well, Im less envious than before.
When I walk to school or anywhere (to the grocery store, to the mailbox, to a friends house...) I have to have an umbrella and my rubber shoes. These shoes, Crocs, as they are called, are perfect for the wetness but not so perfect for the cobblestones. I find myself sliding around on them a little bit too often (almost every step I take) and I am certain that Im putting my limbs in danger -no broken bones yet, though! The streets in Rome are made of cobblestones, but there is no rhyme or reason to them. Im pretty sure the people who made the streets didnt have any plan ahead of time; they just started cramming these stones in there until no more could fit and then moved on. Much of the road should really have more cement to hold the stones together (or any cement at all, in some cases), and when it rains, many pools of water form all over the place. Needless to say, its more like walking in a small stream rather than a road, at times.
Despite the difficulty of getting around in the rain, I do love it! I am so glad that Im a person who loves to sit down with some hot tea and a book (or homework, as it has recently manifested itself to be) and a blanket and really relax while I get things done. The rain just calms me down and makes me feel less rushed. Its really enjoyable.
For the small period of time that the rain let up on Friday night (actually, much of the night on Friday) I went with my two roommates, a friend of ours, and three of her friends to this club in Rome called "The Art Cafe." It is extremely trendy and virtually impossible to get into unless you know someone, which we were fortunate enough to do. It was amazing and everyone there was so "Italian chic." They had the most high tech sound and lighting equipment, a huge stage and all around there were statues and things in a maze-like outdoor setting. Its really far away from where we live in the Villa Borghese but it was a great experience and a ton of fun. Unfortuantely, everything there is really overpriced, but its free to get in and the dancing is fun, so hopefully we will make it back there sometime soon.
Im looking forward to another week of rain and Ill be wishing some on my friends in Texas!!

Notte Bianca

Saturday night was Notte Bianca in Rome, which is a special celebration held annually in which three to four million people stay out all night long and celebrate. I'm not sure that anyone really knows what is being celebrated, but the Italians keep all of their stores open all night and bars, discos, etc are all alive. There are acrobats and jazz bands and other performances in designated places all over the city! About seven of my friends and I went out that night until 5:30 AM and when we went home it seemed as though the city-wide party would be pulsing for many hours more. The streets were filled with people like New Years Eve and anyone wishing to drive on the roads must have been kidding themselves because not a space was unoccupied with people. The buses were filled to the brim, carrying expectant people from one display to another all over the city. Crepe and panini stands were open for this night only all over the place and police swarmed with the heightened sense of disorder. Everything felt very safe and fun and connected by a harmony that we were all there experiencing the night as a whole group. In Italy theres a chant (ohhh oh oh oh oh ohhhhh oh) that you come to know really well after not too long, and, randomly, all of us in the Via del Corso would break out into it and hear it ring above all of the trendy shops and kiosks. It was amazing to feel that as you walked along - just an elation to be where you were.
We had a great time and slept really late the next day. Check Flickr for some pictures (I didnt take too many but there are a couple).

Professors and Reading and Due Dates, Oh My!

Monday was my first real day of classes and things are going wonderfully! I love my professors, who are educated at The University of Genoa, Harvard, Cambridge, The University of London, The University of Rome, Oxford, and so on. They really know their material and have a special passion for what they teach here that I find to be really energizing.
My first class is Passing in Literature in Film which is about people who have stigmatisms (social, mostly) and how they "pass" under concealment for something which they arent. We have spoken about the black author, Anatole Broyard, who was light skinned and made the world believe he was white, but the course will study a wide variety of topics. That one is taught by a guest professor from Connecticut College and the class is mostly juniors. My second class is Early Italian Renaissance Art which is taught by a quirky lady with a dry humor that makes me laugh sometimes. While I think I will really learn a lot in that class, Im prepared for lots of extra personal excursions to various sites in Rome and also to Florence. When my dad was in Rome, we even went to some of the places that Im now reading about, and its so cool to think that I am right here where it all happened so long ago. I knew that taking an art history class in Rome would be rewarding, because where else can you study, on-site, the things you are reading about in your text book?! My third class is Roman Influences on English Literature, taught by my advisor. He has a charming British accent and when he speaks, everyone listens with rapt attention. He reminded us that the campus buildings are owned by an ancient Scientific Academy down the road which has been here for so long - long enough that every great mind who has entered Rome walked along the very road where I walk everyday. I saw him after class later in the day and he looked at me and said, "there is Milton. Do you see him?" and he looked down the road ahead of us. He is inspiring in that he has passion in equal measure for the promise of new discovery in literature and also for antiquity and great authors of the past. The class is also one of a few that I can only take here in Rome and that will really be beneficial and unique for my major. My fourth class is The Genre of Fiction, which I originally thought would be an easy course because of its broad title but it is taught by a British woman from Oxford who is determined to really make everything we do count. Im excited because she has said that for our first essay she will grade us very harshly and that as time goes on she will look for improvement and help us to become better writers. I know that it will be a huge help to have a teacher who is going to push me to a limit in writing. Also, I absolutely love fiction and could read novels all day long, which is what this course explores. There will be a good deal of theory and that will be a completely unexplored field for me. Finally, I have Intermediate Italian 1 (third level Italian). I was so nervous walking in and before the class started, I noticed that everyone around me looked equally as unsure, so we talked about how we felt about the class and many of us had a bond before we even began. It made me feel like I could make mistakes and that would be alright. I love the professor, who is Italian (like all of the other Italian language professors) but she may have to change to a different day and a new professor may take her place. In any case, the course is taught entirely in Italian, and English is prohibited, which made me nervous at first but now excites me for the possibility that I could learn so much in a very short period of time. The first part of the class will be review, also, and after that I feel like I will be ready to go.
My roommates and I are really getting along and studying hard. I have tons of reading and these courses are pushing me harder than I have been pushed in a long time. I love school so thats exciting to me and the challenge is welcomed. Ill have to really stay on top of things but I know I can do it and Im happy that there are such high expectations here from the professors, and also from my fellow students.

Campo dei Fiori

Campo dei Fiori (a piazza of "flowers") is famous in Roma, especially to college students and young people. My neighborhood is just across the bridge from it (an extremely short walk). During the day, the piazza is full of vendors who sell flowers (hence, the name), fruit, vegetables, and sometimes even homemade trinkets. At night, all of the bars (not like a typical American bar - they often have some food and lots of kinds of drinks that are non-alcoholic) and discos (what a typical American club would look like) open up and people fill the piazza to talk and have a good time.
Yesterday, we were on a tour with the University to see "The Fountains of Rome" and came to Campo and saw TONS of polizie (police). They had shields and their normal guns and pepper spray, or whatever they hold in their police belts. As we turned towards the center, there were banners flying and a man speaking into a HUGE megaphone about anti-facism. Apparantly, the police had heard about the rally and decided that they needed to be present. Of course, we got out of there as fast as we could because we didnt know when people would start protesting but on all of the off-shoot roads there were also lots of police blocking things in (not normal citizens, but in case there was a problem). We think that it was because lots of tourists gather there during the day that there was such a police presence, but it was quite an experience to see something like that. A few hours later, people were out there for the normal nightlife, so there must not have been must of an uprising, but its interesting how facism is such a sensitive topic in Italy, as compared to the States. There are lots of differences politically between the two countries and the history is so different, as well.
In other news, things are going well here. I like my roommates even though I often feel that they have more of a connection than I have to either of them. They have the same habits (like, smoking for example, yuck) and have had similar life experiences, but we all get along and have a good time. We eat meals together and have the same group of friends. I am really ready for classes to start tomorrow for the fact that I like school and also because I am ready for a routine again. I feel like Ive been on vacation forever and even though thats nice, its something I get tired of. Wish me luck tomorrow!

Classes

Today I met my advisor (who also happens to be one of my professors) and I really like him a lot. He seems to have high expectations but we were also able to joke around a little bit while I was getting things in order for the year. I dont have much to write now, but my classes for the coming year total to 15 hours (5 classes) and are: Intermediate Italian 1 (third level), Early Renaissance Art, The Genre of Fiction, The Passing of Literature and Film (a one time offering with a guest professor), and Roman Influences on English Literature. Im really excited about all of them and I think its the best balance I can find with all of the literature classes that I still need to take in addition to things I wanted to take while I have the opportunity to in Rome. Everything will fill some requirement that I still have and it looks like Im well on my way to a busy and really educational semester! Oh, and at JCU classes are only held Monday through Thursday since students travel, so I always have Fridays off from classes!

Making Friends

Things seem to be improving day by day. Sometimes I dont feel that way, but I think that most of the time, I do. My roommates and I click and are lucky about where we live and the fact that there are three of us, rather than eight like this one girl Ive met! We met another girl named Alexa who is hilarious and so sweet. My roommates are both only 18 but she is 20, like me, and from Texas! She was actually born in Mexico and is fluent in Spanish (always speaking it with her parents) but went to San Antonio to school before coming here and shes also only here for a year. It is so great to meet someone else who has had queso and who will miss Mexican food!!! No one else Ive met knows what a burrito or enchilada is, and they have no clue what queso tastes like! Gasp. We met another girl named Ottavia whose family is from Italy and speaks Italian, also.
Last night, Alexa came over and the four of us stayed up until 2:30 talking and laughing and just getting to know each other. Before we knew it we were rushing to get to sleep so that we could be ready for orientation today. We talked about everything from Bulgarian/Balkan politics to guys to Italy and how it feels to be here. I feel lucky that we have the common experience of never having done something like move to Rome basically alone. I think that we have the makings of a small community and on Monday we will all meet more people with classes starting, too. The situation is certainly looking up from what it was this summer and even a day or two ago when I first saw my apartment. Im still not entirely settled and I still miss home but I can feel myself on my way to a different place where Im more at peace. There is nothing that will make me stop missing home, but I am working on being present here now that the situation is much more conducive to happiness for me. I have thought a lot about coming home in December, not because I dont feel like I can do it here, but because I may feel that after 7 months Ive had the experiences I hoped to have and that I need to get on with acquiring credits and getting on to my Masters degree. Im not sure what I will want, but whatever I choose I know it will be whats best for me and I know that either way, Ill have the support of my family and friends. So, let the chips fall.

The Whole Schmageggi

What a whirlwind past two days these have been! Dad and I arrived in Rome on the 26th but still everything was moving relatively slow because we had only to see the city. No matter what youre doing or what your schedule looks like, Rome is always crazy and its always overwhelming. So, when I moved my bags into my new apartment on the 28th, things really got started on a whole new level. Not only juggling Roman life and moving in, meeting roommates, attending orientation, but also thinking about classes and trying to create a community here for myself. On the 28th, none of my roommates moved in, the Italian renter was still moving out, and the place seemed a little bit disappointing. It was an exhausting day where we were shuffled from one room to another to fill out forms and get things taken care of and it ended with me feeling discouraged about my time here. Then, yesterday the other two of my roommates came! One of them, Irene, is from California but is Italian born (as are her parents) and is fluent in both Italian language and culture. Her mom is a chef in California and her dad lives in Milano. The other of them is Christina, who is from Bulgaria! She and Irene are pretty different people but I think there are threads that tie us all together and that we will have a good time this year - we already stick together and lean on each other a lot and I hope we continue in that way.
Today I take my Italian placement exam at 3:00 and that will determine whether or not the classes Ive been taking are of the caliber that JCU offers in Rome. Clearly, Italian taught in Italy will move faster and speaking will be of more importance but I dont know where I line up yet and will find out fairly soon. I have exempted from my math and english exams so those are just one less thing to worry about! On Friday I register for classes and get books, etc. and on Monday I actually begin them! Im excited because the class sizes here are between 8 and 20 people but normally closer to the lower end, so I should meet lots of people in those and really have lots of attention from professors.
Things are looking up but this morning my dad left for home again and that was sad for me. I feel like we had a great time together and he has helped me out so much! I know that it would be possible for me to have come here without him but so much harder and more overwhelming - I think Id have been in tears for the first few days, at least. I waited all summer for him to arrive and it seems like he was only here for a second before leaving, but at least I get to see him in a few months when I go home. Mom will get here in one month and I hope that by then I know things better.
OH! Last night, in the Piazza of Santa Maria in Trastevere (a church) there were these two people who did a dance with two fire balls each and it was awesome! Dad and I call that piazza, which is the main one, The Circus because there is always something or someone completely bizarre there! One time, we saw two really old hippies there and often there are performers and tourists and so on. I guess it sort of represents Rome and the university - extremely diverse and sometimes very random or hard to figure out.

Apartment

Today dad and I woke up, ate breakfast, and called a taxi to take us to the university where orientation was beginning. Its a marathon event - all the way from the 28th through the 4th - and we were there with a small pack of other people filling out forms, getting IDs, getting permesso di siggornos, etc. I managed to have all of my documents with me and do everything pretty quickly, so there were no problems. Then, we got our housing contract and keys and went over to the new apartment! Ive waited months for this moment and was hoping that some roommates were already there or coming shortly. We came to the door and there was an Italian woman there with her daughter who own the place and are renting it to the university, which is renting it to me. She showed us some things, including many things that dont work and so forth. Living there is like living a few decades back in the US. The stove requires a lighter and only has two working burners, the dishwasher doesnt work at all, theres a bath tub but no shower, and the oven requires a lighter, also. Its very different and it feels like a small Italian apartmnent. Also, despite the small size, its bigger than I thought. Needless to say, no roommates ever showed today, so the other two should arrive tomorrow. I dont have any information on them yet but I am eager to meet them and have some friends. At each step in the journey from Lucca to classes, I think that the next one will make it easier, but at each step, I have felt basically the same way. Im learning new things but Im struggling and I hope that really, I do feel more excited and more connected here soon. Tomorrow is a new day!

Dads Arrival

Yesterday, my dad arrived in Lucca and I was so happy to see him that it was all I could do to fight back tears of joy when he got off of his bus and I got to hug him. It is so wonderful to have a familiar face and a friend to talk with - a companion to show all of the things I have been doing and to have conversations with. I look at him and I can see him sitting in our living room and it makes me think of home so much! He reminds me of home and what I love about it, and it both makes me feel relieved to have some connection to it this week and also makes me miss it even more than I did before.
Today, we went around the town on rented bicycles and saw all of the main piazze and churches. I think that he likes Lucca the best because its so well manicured and beautiful, with friendly people. It is near everything and yet remains relatively quaint and simple. I also think that when I look back on life here, I will have a certain sentimentality about it.
I wont be able to write much for the next week because we will be in transit - or, I cant count on internet access, at least. Tomorrow we head to San Gimignano and then to Siena. After that, to Assisi and then, finally, Roma! Im really ready to be in one set place after having moved around more than seven times, when all is said and done, this summer. This will be my first time to lug luggage around Italy without a group with me, so wish me luck! We are going to do our best not to be robbed blind or broken down with muscle aching...my suitcases are big.

Excitement Building

As of today, I have less than one week until my dad comes to pick me up in Lucca, at which point we will travel for a couple of days and arrive in Roma! I am so thrilled, not only to see him and enjoy his company, but because Ive made it so far and I never thought I would. So many times over the past three weeks (since I stayed at the Italian family's home) and the two weeks before that (with Mark and Zeek), I have felt like I didnt know how I would make it through the next day, much less the weeks ahead. For someone as reliant upon social interaction as myself, its been a hard road to travel, mostly alone, and quite an accomplishment, as I look back on it now.
While I had moved away from home for college, I still lived nearby and with my very best friend, so I had never lived completely by myself until this summer. Its strange to be in a place where, when you need something like lined paper or a washer for your bike, you have no idea how to find it. Things that seem so easy (and will be, over time), and that are simple tasks at home, require a lot more thought - to talk to someone in Italian and find the words to say, but also to locate the correct type of store without a car and request the thing you need. Everything takes more thought, but I think that sometimes having to think about the very small moves we make in life does force us to feel them more. We become numb to the ease of our everyday tasks that we forget how crucial communication is and how enjoyable taking things a little slower can be. Living alone has opened my eyes to the difficulty that foreigners in the United States must have in living, where I never really thought about it much before. Its true that being an outsider is much more work!
Soon, I will be starting school and Im growing more and more excited everyday. I will have roommates again - new people to meet and befriend - and also new classes, professors, a new campus, and the eternal city of Roma! I know that Im about to embark on a grand adventure - one that I hope I will enjoy - and knowing that there is some kind of greatness ahead of me feels thrilling and scary all at the same time. Either way, here I go...

Grocery Excursion Part 2

Yesterday I acquired a bicycle from the next door neighbors who have been generous in every respect, and now in one that is very crucial to a positive grocery store experience. When I last went to the supermarket, I walked and found that the walk back was the longest Ive ever experienced in my life - I had back pain for at least four days. I vowed never to walk it again, and now this nice bike with a basket and everything is mine to use. I decided that I would only get enough this time to fill the basket and a bag on either handle bar, and so I proceeded. I arrived at the supermarket in record time and parked the bike in one of those bike racks. As I was leaving to get a basket, a little old Italian lady (also a cyclist) asked me in very fast Italian if I would help her with loading her huge 6 bottle water case onto the bike to take home (ALONG WITH all of her other groceries...she has obviously been doing this for a while). Of course, as is true when most Italians speak to me without at least a few minutes of warning for me to perk my ears up to the different language, I was completely lost and needed to follow her hand signals. I did finally succeed and, I think, its even possible that she doesnt know Im a foreigner. Im really getting better at Charades. So, I went inside and got all of the things I wanted that I wasnt prepared to buy at the corner market. Some things are harder to find, like good pudding (that has been properly refrigerated), a variety of cereals (I like special K with berries), popsicles and other frozen things, etc. I went through check out, always a stressful time in an Italian grocery store, and managed to get out alive with everything in my possession. In Italy, when you check out at a supermarket, there is no one to help you bag and the checkers are incredibly quick (there are scanners on all sides of their machine) so its very stressful because you have to manage to bag everything faster than she can scan it and pay but if you dont, everyone behind you waits while you finish red-faced and shaking from the shot nerves. Fortunately for me, Ive been through this with the Gherardi's and twice on my own so Ive become accustomed to the stares and it puts me in less of a panic than other tourists Ive seen. Anyhow, I got out and put my basket back and managed to find spots for everything on the bike. What I didnt realize before I left was that actually steering such a contraption so heavily loaded down would be quite difficult. If you can imagine, me...riding down the side of the road (at the part where theres a small shoulder for bikes) with a bag on each side and one in front, with two boxes of cereal under the latch in the back...I am sure there were many laughs had on my behalf. No matter, I strolled on only managing to almost ram into about 12 cars on my way back. However, half way there, I heard this really loud sound like a popped tire and started cursing the grocery store, my bicycle, the groceries, and heck, even Italy when I realized that one of my bags had sort of lodged itself in the spokes of one of the wheels. I managed to pull it free and watch for it the rest of the ride home, making it safe and sound. Even with all of the drama of the tight-rope-like balancing act, it was still 100 times better than carrying everything home in a backpack and by hand. I plan to make a well-organized plan of action for my next time out so that I can start on the road to professional-dom that the water-lady I met has already completed. I aspire to such greatness.

Things Ive Learned...

1. The corner market will sell me two tomatoes, a cucumber, two carrots and a huge bottle of water for under 3 Euro.
2. The Florence train station is incredibly confusing and one should not attempt to navigate it without much frustration or a map.
3. You dont actually have to pay to ride buses in Italy because the bus drivers get off and everyone loads then, so no one checks. Of course, you should still buy the tickets...
4. Florence is hotter than Rome.
5. It rains in Tuscany when it gets hot (it has rained - thunder and all - for four days straight).
6. Murder She Wrote and Matlock air in Italy (in Italian) as do Friends and Gilmore Girls almong some.
7. Many pizza joints are open until after 11 PM in Lucca.
8. Bicyclists in Italy have learned to be very quiet so that when they pass you, you nearly have a heart attack at their sudden appearance right THERE.
9. Italian boys and men wear these three-quarter length capri pants everywhere...things I have never even seen on a man in the states.
10. The only type of food sold in Italy is Italian food...no wonder they are so good at making it!
11. Italians do not care about street signs either in the car or out of it. Pedestrians do not wait for a signal to walk in the middle of the street but cars dont care about their lives - a dangerous combination! Also, mopeds cut in front of the lines and cars swerve across lanes to make their exits even in dense traffic. Shudder.
12. Italy needs to discover wireless internet.

The Beach!

Yesterday, I went to the beach for the first time by myself. I had attempted this once before but when I stepped off of the bus, it started storming and it didnt seem like a good idea to tackle the waves. So, I decided to try out a new beach yesterday, Viareggio, and I really loved it. The sky was amazing and the clouds were some of the fluffiest white I have ever seen. From the shore (as is true on most Italian beaches) you can turn around and look into the mountains, and that is also breathtaking. I took some pictures of surfers (yes, there are surfers - I was surprised to see them in Italy though) and of the jetty and the kids making sandcastles. Viareggio is actually a fairly substantial town, unlike most beach areas around here, and I found the boardwalk to be much more like a Texas boardwalk than anywhere else Ive been in Italy.
I walked up to get some food from the bar and there was a girl there trying to order in very broken Italian. When she had finished I asked her what state in America she was from and she said Florida. Perhaps that was presumptuous of me, but I had a pretty good inkling. It turns out she had an umbrella next to mine with a friend of hers who was also from Florida and studying at Florence for the summer. They got me really excited about the coming school year because of how much they had enjoyed having classes and roommates and traveling in Italy. I can see how, when youre surrounded by new people to meet and new information to learn, things move so much faster. They leave soon but it was nice to meet people my age who had encouraging words about the coming year and said that they would "definitely do it again." Wahoo! Rome here I come...3 weeks and counting...

Nightmare Parts 1 and 2

Okay, today I have two interesting stories to tell. The first: imagine that you are locked in a jail cell-like holding space between your house and the garden. The gate in front of you is closed in wrought iron with four bolts locking it. The door behind you just locked you and a 10 year old Italian boy inside because he didnt tell you that it did that. If you imagine yourself in that situation, you are where I was this morning. Oh, and add in the fact that once Andreà, the boy, realized our circumstances he began screaming "aiuto!" (help) and "oh Dio!" (oh God). Looking back I can see how hilarious it is and even then I knew that it would be funny to remember but he was crying and my phone was dead and we were as stuck as you get and I was actually scared about what we would do. So, naturally, I started to yell with him! What is a girl to do? So, here we are screaming with the huge blonde lab dog in the yard wimpering because she wants out and finally the neighbor comes. We gave him the key and got out and everything settled down until....
Story number two: I got on the phone with Gisella because Andrea had called her to ask her how to work the multi-bolt door. Unfortunately, he was still sobbing from the previous incident (the boy is afraid of his own shadow, so you can only imagine) and she was at work and was very annoyed at the situation. I got on the phone at her request and that is when the yelling commenced. I couldnt believe that someone I had only known for three days was screaming at me that I should know how to work the door (despite never having been shown and the fact that none of the keys would work). So, it upset me and I felt overwhelmed. We went on a walk but the whole time I was thinking of how I could possibly stay there for more than three weeks until school. I realized that my Italian was just not good enough to entertain a 10 year old boy and that I couldnt live for so long always fearing that my hostess would explode when I didnt know how to do something or was unfamiliar with the culture. I feel like I tried really hard to do things the right way and not to be a burden. I cleaned and cooked two meals a day for Andrea and I tried to help out, but I guess that I wasnt ready for the experience and I am sure that my hostess had too much going on to be able to help me in the ways that I would need to be helped. Living in a foreign country is hard but even harder when communication is bad. So, I told her that I would be leaving and now I am back at the Gherardi house with the Aussies and things are okay. I spoke with the right people and I left on good terms, so things are worked out. It was quite a morning but what I keep telling myself is that sometimes things just arent what you plan them to be...and thats okay. You just have to regroup and create a new course, so these three weeks I will be venturing out and trying to be creative to fill my days with new and exciting things. Wish me luck!

New Home

On Friday I moved in with a new family - the Pucci's! I really love them and things are going very well here at their house. On Saturday we went up to their mountain home where it was something like 30 degrees cooler and absolutely wonderful! I got to meet all of the extended family and taste some true Italian family cooking, which is to die for, by the way. Gisella, the mother who I love, and I walked up to the highest peak on one of the mountains where you can see everything! Its also the place where many people take off in hot air balloons and so forth and while we were up there we saw a hang glider, which was neat. I went to Mass on Sunday and got to experience not only Catholic church but also Italian Catholic church, of which I only understood a little bit.
The first night I was there there was a car race on the windy roads of the mountain. I couldnt believe it because its scary enough just driving it at a slow speed in a normal car, but to race is absolutely insane. Anyhow, every year they bring out the Paramedics and people camp out for two nights to watch the event...sometimes people drive over the edge but they say its rare, so they must be professionals. Lots of people were in the community that Sunday and theres a market where everything is sold and also a big park so it felt like a huge family picnic. I really love it there and I think we are going back next Friday.
I have so many things to write but my blogs will be short this month because I have limited time on the internet. Let me just say that staying with an Italian family is so much better than trying to simulate the Italian experience elsewhere. I really love everything that we are doing here and I am already feeling very much a part of the family.
Oh! Someone told me I looked like an American yesterday...imagine that! haha! What do Americans look like, anyway?

Mosquitos and Other Such Nonsense

I have never in my life experienced a mosquito problem like the one in Italy...specifically my living room in Lucca. There is no air conditioning, so people leave their windows open and even with screens (which have very small holes) there seems to be room for those little insects of evil to get through. You just dont have a choice about it so the appropriate measures are taken to keep them away: "Vape" which is the equivalent of "OFF" in the States. It comes in a spray and also in a dish that you set in your room and heat, but nothing works. Everyday I am at least bitten about eight times before noon. I have also developed a keen sense for when a mosquito is about to strike and Ive become a very apt hunter. Lizards are also everywhere...geckos especially. One time, I found one near the ceiling in the "casseta" (little house) but I couldnt get it down, so I hope it got out on its own.... These creatures have really become some of my only company over the past few days. Theres a black cat that lives in the garden and these bugs and such. Mark and Zeek made it back to the States safely and in the mean time Ive been biding my time until I go to the Pucci home for a month. I actually leave tomorrow at 3 PM. It seems like these past two months have been a lifetime. I love Italy but it is so much slower than the pace of my normal life. Of course, I dont think that will last for long with school coming up and chaotic Roma, but its still very bizarre to even know what this much free time feels like.
I was also thinking about how my dad is coming here to Lucca in one month and, after a few attempts at narrowing down the things I want to show him, I realized that Ive experienced so much since I got here. I managed to find places where Im actually recognized as a "regular" and I have favorite spots. There are so many things that I didnt think were making an impact on me that actually have and Ill miss my small nook in Lucca. I think at the end of next month there will be a certain pride in getting to show him around "my first Italian city" and in actually knowing about it in my own rite. Arrivederci!

Camomille in the Rain

Life is ironic. Today I set out to go to the beach for the first time. Unsure of my way, which bus to take, and whether or not I would end up in the right place, I bought a ticket for the trip to Camaiore because I know there is a place called Lido di Camaiore (which Ive been to before), literally meaning "beach of Camaiore." It seemed like a good bet. Camaiore, the town, is on the other side of the mountain from Lucca so we went through some winding roads and beautiful countryside. There are trees and ivy everywhere; I even saw a whole 2 acre field full of sunflowers from up high. When you drive through the country, people will sometimes be in their gardens and stop to see you go by or the bus driver will recognize a friend in a roadside cafè and give him a wave. Well, I arrive in Camaiore, which seems to be much more overcast than usual, and as I step out of the bus, a huge clap of thunder and bright bolt of lightning flash right in my view. Within two minutes, it was pouring rain...so much for the beach! I also found that Camaiore is different from Lido di Camaiore and theres an additional bus to take from Camaiore to the shoreline. Now, I know for the future. I wandered in the rain down the main road until I got to an inviting pizzeria where I could read and eat lunch, but they were closed, so I continued on. I got to a little cafe on the side of the road with covered tables outside and I decided to stop for some camomille tea. I enjoyed the pitter patter of rain above me and people walking by with umbrellas. There were puppies prancing in the rain with their owners calling after them and children jumping in the cobblestone puddles. The beach will always be there but days like this one, and the little surprise adventures I found, cannot be planned. I ended up walking to the bus stop in the rain and enjoyed the ride home as the skies cleared up above.