adventures!

June 11, 2010

Boy am I so glad we had a relaxing sp day the night before! We got up early to start our very own planned trip to Sorrento, Capri Island, and Pompeii. This was a very big deal and an exciting one because we wouldn't be going with our API director for once - just me, Gabrielle, Emily and Josh off on a wild adventure of our own! Irene, our awesome API director helped us so much with booking the train tickets and the hotel for us (for which we are eternally grateful!) but other than that, we were on our own! So, I got up and had a good breakfast - oh! Maria Carla loves making preserves and I tried her kiwi preserves…absolutely delightful! It's even better with nutella on freshly made bread!

Anyway, our bus to Tarquina left at 7:30 so I made sure to meet everyone at the bus station by 7:15. Our route is as follows: bus from Tuscania to Tarquinia, train from Tarquina to Rome Central Station, transfer train from Rome to Naples, Naples local train (the Circumvesuviana) to Pompeii/Sorrento. The bus arrived on schedule and more importantly, WE were on time for the bus! We found the train station and started our epic trek across the country!

What an adventure! We had to run through Rome Central Station TWICE to make our train in time! we only had 15 minutes from one train stop to the other and Josh forgot to buy the tickets so we literally had to buy tickets and then FIND where our train left from...man at one point, there was the huge line for tickets and i was doing all the leading and talking in the group and omg daddy would have been so proud - i just saw the line, looked at the clock and was like, there is literally 5 MINUTES until this train leaves and i just walked right up to the counter, and i was like, "mi dispiace peroh, io bisognio un billiete a napoli, ADESSO!" which means, lady i'm sorry but i need a ticket to naples, NOW" and some Americans from like florida or something (accent) were like, "no, you can't cut in front!" and i'm like "well, you should have learned italian before being late for your train lady" (just kidding, I didn't say that but I thought it) but the ticket lady was a centimeter from giving us the ticket but then she said "wait in cue, wait in cue" and i'm like, 'GAHHH!" and we had to RUN to the other side of the train station (this is like running through an airport by the way) and we found a self service ticket thing, bought the ticket, hopped on train and we were like "ok ok, at least we're in the train, not the right car, but at least the right train" so we were just going through the compartments within the train but then a train worker guy saw us and were like "you cannot just walk through the train, you're disrupting everyone" and i'm like "no we're not" but he made us GET OUT. and i'm like, "holy goodness, we have literally 60 SECONDS before this train leaves and we have to GET OUT NOW???!!!" so we got out and SPRINTED (with our bags and everything) from compartment 4 all the way to compartment 9!!!! we jumped in the train and it took off! man, it was an adventure! i should be on the Amazing Race or something!!!

I made sure to say a prayer of thanks when we stepped off the treno and onto the village of Pompeii - we made it! We made it (all of us) safely and we hadn't been robbed in shady Naples!

Although we packed very lightly for the week end it was such a relief to be able to keep our bags in lockers at the Pompeii entrance. I mean, the heat and sun were RELENTLESS and the village is HUGE! I never expected it to be that big! It sure was pretty breathtaking - a lot to wrap my mind around though. I mean, Mt. Vesuvius loomed up in the near distance and I couldn’t' believe that this city was once covered in ash! Incredible! I mean, we walked along it's dusty streets through a maze of ruined corridors adorned with faded painting and marble Latin inscriptions as if they were just Roman ruins or something. I think Pompeii really hit home for me when I saw the preserved bodies of the people buried beneath the ash - completely and tragically frozen in time. The pregnant woman that had fallen in an attempt to flee really made me think and ponder what life must have been like at that exact moment 1800 years ago. I mean, at least 2000 people died when Mt. Vesuvius erupted - standing right there in the middle of a street made it very real to me. in the chaos of the moment, I don't think I'd be able to make it out of the web of streets and actually come out of  the disaster alive! Yet, as incredible as the city was, after spending the entire afternoon under the hot Italian sun, we were all dehydrated, hungry, and ready for shade. We hoped back on the Circumvesuviana and gratefully and finally rested our feet, excited for Sorrento.

lots and lots of pictures coming up soon!

oh Italia!

June 5/6

Holy canoli! I get to have an epic little catch up session! I hope I don't miss anything!

This week, I was able to present a chapter on Alexander the Great in class which was very entertaining. To make things a bit more interesting, I drew a huge pictures of Alex and made everything on him signify something else about his life - like his cape suggested his hero status and his 6 rings depicted his 6 lovers and his sword pointed east represented how he wanted to conquer the east. That was fun! We had the great opportunity to visit the Etruscan museums here in Tuscania as well as Tarquinia. Afterwards, we aw a real Etruscan necropolis. (I didn't know this at the time until I asked, but a necropolis is pretty much a city of tombs and sarcophagi!) the only problem with this little adventure is that after a while, everything started looking kinda the same. Besides that, it was 100 degrees outside and super bright which meant that our eyes were getting quite the workout adjusting from the dark of the tombs to the bright of the outside world each time we went in and out.

We also went to Giglio Island on the 5th - quite an amazing day trip! It was just our 6 person API group for this one…which made it all the more fun! We left super early in the morning and spent a bit of the morning traveling through Tuscany proper. The countryside was absolutely gorgeous! It's really frustrating taking pictures now, because I feel like the lens just isn't able to capture the beauty of the moment. I wish I could put a little camera in my eye so that you can see what I see. In any case, the views had rolling green and yellow hills accentuated by prairies and dotted with cyprus trees stretching their branches tall into a limitless clear blue sky. The island itself was so beautiful! I felt like I was in a vacation magazine or something! We took a big boat from the mainland to the isola and with the wind and the sun and the beautiful indigo water, I felt like I was on some crazy vacation or something! We spent the morning walking around Giglio and then took a packed bus (like you couldn't fit a penny into that bus with all the people crowded in it but it was still great fun) up to the ancient Mediterranean village on the top of the island. Around afternoon time, we took a 12 mile small boat tour around the entire island. The sun beat down so strongly that even I put on sunscreen! I couldn't help but be absolutely astounded by how gorgeous the water was. Sparkling in the light from the sun, I felt like I was skimming along the top of an aqua cerulean paradise. I loved the smell of the sea air and the sight of the rich brown and green coast. It made me realize how much I love the water!

I never thought I'd actually get the opportunity to jump in the water - I mean the odds were looking bleak when our API director and our group talked that morning while walking through the ancient village. But our captain stopped the boat and said that we could jump in --- and I did! Just…up and dived into the Mediterranean! Wow! What an amazing experience! I've never been in the sea before and it was so cool! Haha, literally too! I couldn't believe how clear the water was - I mean, I could see my feet beneath the water! What more, I could see to the bottom! And the salt…I felt like I was being marinated to be cooked or something with how salty my body was!

We spent the rest of the evening looking at all the shops and gift shops along the coast -- I've decided that I definitely want a room in my future house to be beach themed…white washed wood and red and blue stripes and seashells and everything! A lot of the stuff in the gift shops even looked very creatable….maybe that's what I'll do with the rest of my summer - make crafts!

Oh, and of course, don't think that Gelata wasn't on the lookout for more gelato flavors… I mean, considering how dedicated I am to Falleroni and their family business goodness, I just consider this doing research on the top regional gelato competitors haha. In any case, I tried a little bit of torrone, orange and chocolate, and castelli. Torrone is like an amazing explosion of white chocolate fudge, honey, and almonds (my favorite combo)  and castelli is kinda like a fruit cake - all delicious although nothing like the quality of falleroni - and alas, my loyalties will lie with him!

On the subject of food, I guess I'm so lucky to be living in a host family - not only directly because I'm saving so much money on all my daily meals but also because I get the opportunity to help with cooking and seeing how traditional Italian dishes are made!

Ah! Speaking of families, Maria Carla's daughter came in this week! I guess I was a bit naïve in thinking that only she would be visiting so boy was I in for a surprise! I came home from school and here was a full and busy house! I definitely met Frederica alright - as well as her husband Giovanni, their children cute Francesco (5) and beautiful baby Carlotta (1), as well as Giovanni's parents Marie and Frederico. He was just a bit overwhelming to be quite honest - I mean going from one person Maria Carla to a kajillion was a bit difficult. Here I am in trying to speak Italian  and not knowing if they would like me or not! I went to my room to put my books and bag away after meeting everyone and walking by and bathroom, I saw someone just leaving it - wait a second! That's MY BATHROOM! This is MY house! What are these people doing?! Then, reality kinda smacked me and I  realized how stupid I was being…I reconsidered…this is way more their home than it is mine - by far! I saw how lovingly maria carla looked at her daughter and grandchildren and saw that if anyone was to be imposing, it was me. I couldn't help but feel like I was intruding on family and that I was somewhere that I really didn't

 belong. It kinda hurt, truth be told. At the time, I didn't know how I could possibly make it for another 3 weeks with the rest of the family (they would only leave june 20) but then I realized that there was no point of focusing on this aspect of the experience - I started to look at it as a positive, and a positive it became!

2 days later, I was super happy to be part of a fully, busy household once again! I guess everything reminded me of home - or being in india….family meals times all together and little Francesco reminded me a lot of my little brother Max. Frederica is really cool - I kinda see her as the bigger sister I never had. I mean, she's so cute and knows a bit of English and is really friendly and stylish and likes to bake and cook like her mom. She's a bit fiery too -- there's always a bit of a defensiveness in her tone of voice when she has to answer to someone else although with the little winks she gives me, I can deduce that she's joking half the time. She actually reminds me of a mix between my sister Chrystal and one of my best friends, Hannah :) Frederica is 5 years older than giovanni and although she pretty much runs the house (bills, cooking, mainly taking care of the kids) she still ahs to answer to Giovanni. That's the one thing I noticed right away - Italy is a very masculine dominated country.  I mean, right there at the dinner table, the only men in the house were sitting around waiting for food to appear in front of them even though everyone else was running around (including me) preparing the meal and setting the table. Quite frustrating! Good news though, I found Giovanni helping out a few days later with dinner stuff.

Speaking of Giovanni, I think it's so cute to see how he is with kids - I mean, yes he can be a bit of an ass sometimes,, but I can tell that he's a good dad. I love being a part of a big household now - things are always going on and everything is just a lot more lively. I'm getting to know everyone - whether that's helping Frederica and Maria Carla cook dinner or offering all the mom's in the house massages (that was a hit!) It's such a blessing to be able to experience true Italian family life - I mean yesterday, (june 14) we watched the Italy vs. Paraguya FIFA game before and during dinner and it was great! They were all yelling and getting excited and dancing around - it was so cool! Italians use their hands SO much in conversation (even little Francesco!) I can't help but laugh watching them! It's also very entertaining because it's like they're inherently bipolar or something - they going from angry to happy in as little time as it takes to spread some warm mozarella on bruschetta! Oh! That reminds me of another thing - CHEESE!  Italians eat so much cheese! But it's all so fresh and yummy! Actually, they call cream cheese "Philadelphia" because that's what it says on the packaging! Haha! And they just cut up a block of it and eat it just like that! Every course of the meal has to be on it's own separate plate as well. They looked at me like I was crazy when I put some salad on my half eaten pasta dish (I mean, I was only pulling a classic Christine and mixing everything in sight!).

On Thursday, I helped Fredericka make pizza in the cool outdoor wood oven I made crostatas win! We made a mozarella and fior di zucca (zucchini flower), a delicious margarita one, and frederica made some meat ones - I couldn't help with those because our API group went to Viterbo's thermal baths as a cool culture event. That was really neat - they are these natural hot mineral springs that's really good for your skin. We stayed about an hour there. Of course, we had to go home and eat the pizza I helped make and Maria Carla wanted Gabrielle and Emily over for dinner since they live in apartments and don't have host families to feed them. Everything was delicious! Quite a success!

Mi piache gelato!

June 4, 2010

Wow! There's so much to catch up on! Today was a great day! I woke up and spent about an hour in the market which was a cool experience. I got this cool pear that was fully red like an apple but very sweet and soft like a pear.  I've never seen one like it before. Plus, I met and talked for a while with a beekeeper who was selling all sorts of honey. He told me to visit his actual shop in campo de monte in montefiascone tomorrow but we'll be in Giglio Island all day so I don't think I'll be able to. I felt bad talking to him for so long and not buying something from him so I went to purchase one of his honey lollipops but he gave it to me for free! Afterwards, I had about an hour before I had to meet with our group for our excursion today so I found this road that just billows out into the countryside and just walked it. I passed by the tomb of Regina or something or other - an old Etruscan ruin and crypt thing. There was a gate and a dirt road looking path that probably wasn't open to the public but I wanted to see where it led so I followed it and found this incredible view! I felt like I was in a post card for Tuscania or a Google image or something because everything was perfect - the sun was bright and bold in the sky and the fields were SO green!  The bank looked out over a field of gorgeous red wild flowers and off in the distance was the solid strong san pietro. My little reverie broke when a dog started barking at me and the lady chasing after him had to tell me that the visitor center was closed. I thanked her (Grazie, me dispiache, va bene" and proceeded on my way. Then, as I was walking on the country path, I heard all these wind chimes. I investigated further and walked in upon a field of sheep - each of them had a bell! That me smile because it was just so random! I love this road though - it's great for thinking. I thought a lot about just this experience and stuff. I was able to help Maria Carla plant some flowers - they have this lovely purple brilliance and I felt like I was at home again helping my parents do the same thing. The morning excursion was absolutely fantastic! We took this epic little hike up a mountain which was gorgeous in itself. I find it wonderful that we were going to see an art gallery….things just work out like that here - I mean, we're going to see an art gallery and even the walk up there is beautiful! We were joined by the neighborhood dog Pluto who escorted us up there and back the entire way! The gallery itself was absolutely beautiful. I mean, the German artist Johannes made all the sculptures and paintings from things he found in the streets -- instrument parts and metal gears and wire and such -- he definitely showed how one person's trash is another's treasure! Also, he's very talented at making mechanical art - or art that moves. For instance, he has a lot of stuff in which the art is actually the shadow that is created from the wires moving around at certain angles under particular lighting. He even had a few talking and responsive robots! WHIMSICAL was the word of the day! I truly felt like I had just walked into a little fairy's tinkering home -- it was like walking into a modern day Alice in Wonderland!

June 6, 2010

There's something magical about Tuscania that I think everyone here feels. It's this idea of slwoing down and focusing on what's truly important. Here, people aren't ruled at al by the clock and schedules like we are in the States, but instead by their relationships with other people and themselves. People go out of their way to spend time with each other and to make others feel welcome. I think life here is amazing and just so much healthier. My Italian language teacher was telling us how just a few decades ago, Tuscania was a peasant land and how the fields were worked by the hard labor of their parents and their parents before them. He said that this is where the people in Tuscania get their ideals from. For instance, they place a high value on food and how you should only take enough. More than enough means that you're wasting it and it's almost unheard of to throw food away directly because they understand that there are so many people who starve to death.  If something cannot be eaten, like half a loaf of bread or something, they'll make it into a biscotti or a bread pudding dish. They eat or rework leftovers or even just feed the dog with the scraps. Food and mealtimes are always a time for relationships too. I have yet to see a meal here eaten in a hurry or while doing 3 other things. People either take that time to slow down and enjoy their cappuccino (or whatever) and think or read a newspaper or even strike up a conversation with the café owner or others around them if they're by themselves.  Italians aren't nearly as loud here as I expected. In fact, I think they are quite quiet compared to Americans. They wake up early but not too early (which means they definitely don't need a venti mocha frappuchino at 5am). Most stores open at 8:30 and only a few cafes are open at 6am. People take time in the morning to work, come home around 2 or 3 for a reposso (like a siesta) and most stores even close between 1-4pm. They take the time in the evening to hang out with each other. Sunday mornings like this one are great because people have really slow mornings and take time for passagiatas (walks) or to jus sit in the park and think. I mean there are 2 people that have been in this park longer than I have and 2 others that have been here for just as long.

There's really so much to value in living in a smaller town and also in a home stay. I learn so much each day and have such great contacts with people. My API group wonders how I know so many people in this town and really all it takes is introducing yourself. I mean, I pass by the same group of cute grandparents sitting next to the neighborhood fountain every day…and every day I stop by to say hi to them - it's as simple as that! People here are SO friendly and really WANT to make connections with all of us.

Lunch today was pretty amazing! We had lunch with 2 of Maria Carla's friends and her sister who came in from Rome to visit. The first course, the antipasta, was a plate of 4 different cheeses and some kiwis and pears with honey. The next course was the pasta - I had this really yummy soft pasta dish with a great sauce and lots of vegetables. The third course is supposed to be meat but I had a melted mozzarella and vegetable and fried phyllo dough looking thing that was super yummmy. Our last thing was the coffee (cute little espressos) but me and Maria Carla's friend had a café fredda called a ShaKerradda with crema d'whiskey. It was soo delicious! Then, they continued to talk forever and I did a combination of day dream and listen - I mean, this lunch was starting to go on 2.5 hours already :)

Maria Carla told me that I was free to leave whenever I wanted but I stayed because I didn't want to be rude - I mean, I just got a traditional 4 course Italian meal for free! But boy am I glad I stuck around! one of Maria's friends really wanted gelato so we went to the best gelateria in town (Falleroni) and he got us all gelato! It was on my goal list to become friends with the workers at the gelateria so when my favorite gelato guy/barista came in with his wife and new born baby girl, I took that as my opportunity to talk to them.  That was simply fantastic because I could just feel my Italian growing and they started talking about how I'm the girl who always comes in and wants to taste every flavor before buying a scoop so one of the guys took me to the back to see how the gelato is made!

The next 3 hours was a dream come true! I helped make all the gelato! Not only did I help, I came up with some new flavors! ( bananas and caramel, white chocolate, hazelnut, caramel, and honey and hazelnut) I'm currently in the process of working on a dark chocolate mint one hehe! That's when I found out that I had just become the apprentice to not just some gelato guy but THE OWNER and created of the gelateria himself! His name is Nenno and he's like famous in the whole Tuscan area! He started Falleroni in 1974! I learned all the secrets and all the love and I got to taste test every flavor I made during that time (lemon, vanilla, tiramisu, caffe, peach, black berry, pistachio, strawberry, and strawberry-lemon-yogurt) I found out that it's a family run business which explains why everyone is SO friendly! I'm on a first name basis with everyone at the store and they want me to stop in again tomorrow!  I even got to practice my Spanish again because the wife of my favorite barista is from Mexico! What a great afternoon!

In the evening, we watched the beautiful procession for Corpus Domani - there was a whole patterned path made entirely of flower petals on the road - it was so cool! After dinner, I helped Maria Carla dry some rosemary for cooking. I'm excited - I get to meet her daughter and family tomorrow! 

beautiful tuscania!

May 28, 2010

It was so cool today - I said "ciao" to someone and he wanted to talk to me! I found out he was from Argentina so I said "se habla espanol?" and he said yes! I talked to him for a while in Spanish and he showed me his guitar shop and stuff where he makes all sorts of string instruments (including one that he made a long time ago that's a little guitar made from an armadillo shell!) it was really cool! Talking to him made me want to visit Spain. Maybe I will! I loe this pace of life - being able to take a walk early morning and afternoon and then just sitting in the park and writing - yeah, that doesn't happen too much or even at all at home. Sitting here makes me miss family and friends back home though - I wanna share this with everyone!

May 29, 2010

I decided that this would be my "go off on my own adventure and explore Tuscania" day. So I did. Hehe. I just started walking down those cobblestone streets and found the cutest shop that I know a friend back home would LOVE! It's kinda like a little Tuscanian Anthropology. I loved speaking in Italian to the lady that works there - Amanda. And then I found out that she speaks English so we were able to get to know each other a bit which was great. She told me about the ceramics lab where the owner of the store makes all the wonderful tea sets and things in there with her dad and grandpa and also told me about a wedding that would be going on the next day. So, here I am off on my own and I find all this stuff! I went off the beaten path to find this ceramics lab and I totally thought I was going the wrong way, but it's cool because I stumble upon this awesome little overlook with a little slide and swing park and shady bench just for me! I found the lab by asking some old grandmas for clues to its location and then went off again and found this great little shop that features stuff from the Middle Ages. Later that evening, Maria Carla took me to Viterbo - the nearby city- where I saw a Ferrari festival and went to this great frozen yogurt place called Baby Yogurt , went to Santa Rosa church and actually saw Saint Rose kinda half decaying in her casket that was on display and went back home. After dinner, I had a pretty good time talking with Maria Carla and watching the Italian news and another TV program in Italian. It's crazy how quickly you can learn things here - especially the language!

May 30, 2010

What a day! Or should I say, what a weekend!

It's been pretty chill but I've decided that I really like Tuscania. Today was one very relaxed day. I got called French 3 times today and someone else thought I was South American. Yet another person told me that I looked like a famous actress though couldn't remember the name haha. Anyway, I woke up and went to the little stand that this lady has every week and bought some dried fruit -- the exotic kind…dried pineapple, strawberries, cantaloupe, and kiwi) which was yummy since I've never tried it before. Then, I found the wedding that Amanda had told me about yesterday! It was really cool to see since Italian weddings seems to simple but so wonderfully elegant.

It's funny how much Maria Carla reminds me of my real momma - she's a neat freak and is very protective but at the same time really supportive and even likes to watch TV right up until she goes to bed. I'm really glad that she has her cute, but very energetic/slightly annoying little puppy Nirina. I think she might get a little lonely otherwise (although she has family and friends over quite a bit). She's very accommodating and it's cool how we can really have a good time together now - we understand how to communicate! I think I'm even getting used to the Italian way of life - like eating dinner at 8/8:30 at night!  I feel like I've learned so much already in the week that I've been here! It's been a very slow but fast week at the same time. There has been so much packed into the last 7 days - it's incredible!

May 31, 2010

Happy Memorial Day back home!

I'm sitting in my favorite park (one of the only people here this bright beautiful morning) and I can't help but smile…I've got the first day of school jitters! I'm excited to be taking Italian - it'll definitely help with the communication factor!

May 31, 2010

School was cool!

My Italian teacher is really enthusiastic and my Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations class teacher has the coolest Italian/Irish accent EVER!

After dinner my first night of school (pasta with an asparagus pesto and a whole fish), I met Maria Carla's cousin Andrina. They're like best friends so it was really cool to hang out with them for a little bit. The two of them remind me a lot of my mom and aunts - just the way they hang out and gossip and talk and just have fun together.

June 1, 2010

We had a very Italian morning I should say! In between classes, Gabrielle, Emily, and I had a little break and stopped in this Café called La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life) and had baby canolies and other little delicious treats! I also had a cappuchino with ginseng which was awesome!

June 2, 2010

What a very rainy day! We got caught in a storm but I'm all nice and warm now drinking tea in Maria Carla's kitchen. I feel very at home since this is what I'd do at home anyway. I was able to journal a lot which was nice while I waited for Maria Carla to make some phone calls. I had asked on my very first day here in broken Italian if we could bake together and she said that today was the perfect day to do it!

When we actually did - I felt like I was blessed! I mean, this is what I've wanted since I was like 10! We baked! She just pulled her Sicilian dishes off the wall where they're hung up all nicely and she just showed me how she baked from the heart - no recipe, no nothing…just trusting herself and knowing what tastes tood. We ended up making 5 different crostatas or tart/pies…blueberry, fig, peach, raspberry, and nutella/ricotta. They were SO GOOD. Maria Carla was such a proud mama haha. She wrapped one up to take with me to school the next day! It was great! And I think it was a bonding experience for us because we definitely got closer :)

On another note, Colleen (another student) and I were talking about how great of an opportunity this experience is. And a unique one at that! I mean, we got to be tourists in Rome for a week and really got to know the Italian culture - and now everyone in this beautiful, calm place to settle down is wonderful and I'm having such a great time! I'm very glad I did the home-stay option because not only am I learning Italian and having a very authentic experience, I'm also learning a lot about myself and how to be on my own and think on my own 2 feet. I mean, I knew no one going into this trip and it's been great! I'm a lot more confident now with travel and just being on my own now. I'm also really happy that I chose to stay in Tuscania instead of Rome or Florence because this is what I've always looked for but never knew existed. I feel like I can really get to know the locals here and the locals feel perfectly fine approaching us and asking us questions and introducing themselves too! It's a great place to make connections with people.

For instance, yesterday, I was able to make a connection with the local grandmas. I felt right at home! Maria Carla and I went over to Andrina's and as we were just chilling, some grandmas came over and started making fun of some new study abroad kids and how they were pronouncing everything incorrectly. They kept telling me I was exotic  and "bellisima" and asked if I was from India. When I said yes, they asked me all about my culture which I had to explain in Italian which was cool. They also made fun of me being a vegetarian in Italy and said that I wasn't really trying Italian cuisine if I wasn't having il carne (meat)…although with all the delicious pasta, rice, fish dishes I've been having, I beg to differ! Haha! 

gelato!

tuscania

Tuscania!

May 27, 2010

We did so much in Roma...so here's an overview...and then on to Tuscania!

- I tried limoncella when they gave it to us for free at a super friendly place called Miscellena where we went for lunch right behind the Pantheon
- wonderful delicious gelato at Mariotti
- the Colosseum
- Pantheon
- Trevi Fountain both by day and night
- Arch of Constantine
- Trastevere...this absolutely beautiful town on the other side of Rome
- Spanish Steps
- Castelle San Angelo
- the Angel Bridge
- Piazza d'Fiori
- Piazza Navona and the Four Rivers Statue

But yes, Tuscania is amazing really - Rome was absolutely fantastic but Tuscania is special in it's own way. Maria Carla is wonderful - she is so sweet and very motherly. I didn't know what to expect but she is so cute! Her house is beautiful and my room and bathroom are both great. I couldn't have asked for anything better! This is even greater than the hotel! I would have been happy with anything but I feel truly blessed!
Let me tell ya- if there's ever a way to learn a language, it's to be thrust right into a situation where you have to use it for basic survival! Maria Carla knows maybe 3 words of English. Trying to speak to her at first must have been a hilarious sight - me flipping like crazy through my little Italian phrase book and dictionary...and her just being soo patient! The hardest part are the silences and wanting to say something but not being able to because we both don't know how but we're both pretty outgoing and after a while, our little way of communicating through keywords and charades really goes a long way.  I'm learning quickly though!

The food in Tuscania is wonderful! Yesterday, we had a delicious dinner at a local restaurant with olives and tomatoes and mozzarella - everything is just soo fresh! Afterwards, we saw the Etruscan tombs that were right below the restaurant!

Let me try to describe Tuscania....

This is the place I never thought I'd find but actually exists. I mean right now, it's 4pm and I'm sitting in this most amazing park that overlooks an incredible view. I was the only one here until a little Italian grandma joined me on another shady bench and now we're both looking at this expanse of tumbling green that stretches as far as they eye can see. The verdant landscape is covered with lush trees sprinkled across sloping valleys and quiet meadows. Only the luminous copper brown church of St. Peter sits magnificently in the distance picture perfect as the sun casts its golden glow on its tall walls. Rising slowly from crumbles along the church's base is the ruined Etruscan wall dating back a few thousand years. You can trace the wall clearly across the green fields until it reaches a peaceful cluster or brickred roofs and burnt oragne walls. Then , the Etruscan Wall becomes Tuscania's wall...protecting its inhabitants and proclaiming the propensity of this tiny village. This village that immediately gives me a sense of home. It is almost the stark opposite of Rome in busyness but equal in its vibrant energy. As I walk down deep navy silver cobblestone streets, I notice the click clack of my shoes is adding to the soundtrack of the constant birdsong around me. I close my eyes and I feel the caress of a pleasant breeze that brushes across my cheek like a kiss. The generous sun warms my back and I duck into the shade of an olive tree. I discover that I've joined the company of 3 fully stretched out cats. I smile at them and they blink at me until one the pretty gray and brown speckled one gets up, purrs, and brushes along my legs in invitation. I follow the little thing until it leads me to a very picturesque street lined with colorful flowers. I bid my furry friend adieu and as I turn to walk down the path, I am hit with a wave of baking bread so sweet, i can almost feel the steam that wisps out when the baker breaks the bread apart. I breathe deeply and jot down the name of the bakery so I remember to stop in later. I'm struck by the beauty of the houses here in the historic district. "Bonjourno" I say to the little lady that steps out of her house right then. "Ciao!" she replies and dumps a cup of water on the rose bush dripping with magenta flowers right outside her window. It is then that I smell the most wonderful collection of lemon, olive, and fresh flowers that just seem to saturate the air after the light afternoon drizzle. I breathe deeply and smile. I can already feel myself slow down and I'm happy.

finally! updates!

Hi! So I haven't quite been able to update this due to internet problems, but here are a few blogs to finally catch things up!


May 24-25


Boy! What a crazy 2 days it's been! We have been busy busy busy and pretty much going nonstop!
The other kids on the Tuscania group trip are awesome! Still, I'm excited to go off and explore on my own too :)
I was able to find a lot of souvenir ideas at cute little shops and such in Campo d'Fiori and Piazza Navona - as well as ridiculous amounts of delicious gelato! It's gotten to the point that my new nick name is Gelata! haha! Chestnut, white chocolate, pistachio, strawberry and Noci (hazelnut) is definitely very very good -- molto buono! It was funny actually - even after we bought our gelato, the store owner was like "try this one!" and gave us a taste test of this absolutely delicious flavor that was blue. When I went to check what the name of it was, I had to laugh...it was called "Viagra!"


I can't even begin to describe the amazing intensity that is Rome - everything is absolutely beautiful - it's exactly as I imagined it and even better! 


As we were walking around, we passed by this one restaurant and the waiter picked me out from our group and was super friendly and gave me a taste test of THEIR gelato...lemme tell ya! it was the best chocolate gelato I have ever tried! I had to tell him that we'd be back later so he kissed my hand and said "ciao bella!"


Speaking of, I've gotten a lot of "ciao bellas" so far which is cool because that's what I always pictured when I thought of Rome :)


The crazy part of this whole thing is that so much has gone on in the past few days and I haven't been able to reflect on nay of it! I wish I could but time slips through our fingers like the water in any one of the beautiful fountains we've seen here so far. Life in Roma is amazing - I can't get enough of walking around and day dreaming and talking with other people. I'm seeing my map skills increase like no other (thank you daddy!) and it's great because without a map, it would be hard to find the way around the wonderfully twisty streets. I mean, I love asking the locals in broken Italian but it gets kinda crazy when I just have to nod because the locals are talking too fast! (I still love it though!)


Today was absolutely amazing! I wanted to get up and walk around on my own but I really didn't get a chance to. I did get to see the Pope though! Josh and I walked all the way to Piazza d'San Pietro to see the Pope's address to the Papal Audience and that was really cool! We walked back along the river and walked through Piazza d'Fiori to do some shopping. I found some fashion forward clothes I would like to buy hehe. Then, we went on the most incredible tour of the Vatican Museum, the Sistene Chapel, and the most amazing St. Peter's Basilica. My goodness - I can put up pictures but nothing can describe the wonder that has filled my heart the moment I saw these moments of history.  I remember walking through one of the rooms Raphael painted and being floored by the majesty of this amazing masterpiece. I was looking at the School of Athens and that's when it hit me -- I was actually standing in the presence of one of the most talented artists in history! I had read about an studied this work of art in middle school and high school but nothing could compare to the magnificence before my eyes. I let myself pause for a moment and as my eyes searched the faces of the philosophers that graced the wall, I was transported back in time when Raphael and his school of followers painted this al fresco. Learning the history behind it was perfect. This was in a room that held the values of theology, philosophy, aesthetics or beauty, and judgement/social justice -- what a perfect balance! I took some time to think about this for myself and wondered how precious life could be if you focused on these values. When I stepped into the Sistene Chapel, tears sprang to my eyes. I stood in the center, trying not to give attention to the droves of people ;pushing and chattering around me and just looked up. I almost started crying -- there was God creating life with the touch of his finger with just barely a second, he created man - man that could portray the beauty of his power through art. I just pictured Michaelangelo who didn't even want to paint the Chapel in the first place toiling away on scaffolding at the expanse of this incredible ceiling. I could feel my own back start to ache just from staring up for so long - I can't imagine what he had to go through and yet he created a masterpiece that people are STILL coming to appreciate hundreds of years after his death! If there was any such thing as human immortality - this is it. 


That inspired me right then and there to ask myself what I had done. After all, wasn't Michaelangelo human afterall? One blessed with incredible talent yes, but still a human! It made me wonder what would happen if everyone lived up to their full potential? What if everyone ignored an aching back for a while in the name of something inspirational? and yes, of course, I understand that not everyone can paint or sculpt like Michaelangelo or Raphael (I know I definitely can't!) but I do believe that everyone is great at something - whether that's art or communication or climbing mountains...and it is this that people should pursue to the best of their ability. I think that it's such a sad moment - such a shame when someone doesn't believe in his or herself -- we only have one life to live and even if we can't be the best, there's SOMETHING we can do -- and in that is the magic. If you ever find someone who loves doing whatever they are doing so much, look at them carefully. You'll see no worry, no pressure, no loss in focus...instead you'll see love. Love for their craft and everything connected to it - which is so important....which is why we should find and embrace our calling as quick as we can....who else can we find inspiration from than the very people around us?