I arrived in Rome about a week ago, and things have been craaazy hectic..

In February, i accepted a scholarship for Italian-American students to study abroad in Rome for a month, learning about Roman culture, italian history, and generally being nice little diplomats. Rome is a beautiful city. There’s no words. Everywhere you go there’s a palazzo, a piazza, a church, or a monument that’s unforgettable. Already i’ve discovered one of my favorite things to do…

I went to the campo dei fiori for a few nights in a row to party, and on the way back, i take bus number 40 to Termini. When it’s dark there’s an amazing view of the Campidoglio, or Capitoline Hill, lit up with floodlights.

Today we went to Palazzo Montecitorio, where the italian congress meets, and met some people afterward who run the Rome Film Festival. It was a pretty sweet day.

So these things have all helped me take my mind off of the fact that i left my Urbino!!!!

I miss it so much! One of the strangest feelings is that knowing the friends i’ve made and spent so much time with, i may not see again for a long time..maybe years! Even stranger, is knowing that we will never be all together again at the same time… that’s why i’m so happy to even have had the experience at all.

I miss getting drinks in the Piazza Della Repubblica and people-watching (day and night)
hanging out on the terrace

la guerra di acqua!

the bartenders at Piquero

the beach in Pesaro

gelato at Romana

dancing like idiots at Makkia

bonding with other foreigners over a shared language

English slang

Irish slang

piadina

marchese wine

i torricini

my room in Il Tridente

the People!!!!!!

I’ll never forget everything i’ve done here. Leaving Urbino feels like leaving home when i came here. It really started to feel like where i was from – i was so comfortable. Looking back i probably should have done a full year. Maybe then i’d feel ready to leave it.

I’m glad to be in Rome…it’s making the transition a bit easier for me, because i have so many things to do and such a tight schedule, that i don’t have time to relax until i go to sleep! This, however, has brought on a cold…i have a bad cough and a bad headache. On that note, i need to get some sleep…

I’ve pretty much neglected this blog for a while, but things have been so hectic lately.

So here’s where we left off:

The last two days that we spent in Trapani were really exciting.
We stayed at a great bed and breakfast, and the day after we went to Palermo to see the Catacombe dei Cappuccini. It’s these amazing catacombs with hundreds of mummified bodies from the 1700’s and 1800’s in their clothes. They’re just hanging from the walls and a lot of them still have their real hair and skin.

Then we took the train down to Agrigento and saw the Valle of the Temples, which was breathtaking. In this valley, there’s about 10 greek ruins, and some you can just walk right up to them and walk around. The one that still is completely intact, Temple of Concordia, is fenced off. We only had limited time there, but we made good use of it, and found a tour group of old ladies from Kingston, NY which was pretty neat.

We made our way back to Palermo, where the girls bought soccer jerseys (jersies? i don’t know) and we went to this restaurant I Grilli, which i was really excited about, but the guy that worked there didn’t really feel the same.

(BTW: in italian, “i grilli” translates to “the crickets.” It’s plural of grillo, and i swear it’s a real word. for some reason, whenever i tell an italian my last name, they never get it. they tell me it’s not italian. i don’t know why they don’t grasp the whole plural thing.)

So since then, things have been strange, because people are leaving left and right. It’s sad to say goodbye to all the friends i’ve made that don’t live in the US, because it may be years before i get to see them again. I hate to think about it.

Also, exams have been crazy lately. In italy, they only do oral exams. It’s super-intimidating – it’s a real test of your language skills to be able to think on the spot and explain what you’ve learned in the class in about 10 minutes, while a professor stares you down. Fortunately, i’ve gotten good grades so far, but i still have 2 more to go. I feel so overwhelmed because all the other students (even students from the US who go through our SUNY program) are only on a pass/fail basis. However, I’m under a lot of pressure to get the same grades that i do at home in order to maintain my GPA. The catch is that i’m not even doing it english. This is my second language, and i’m pretty much expected to be as proficient in it as i am in english in order to accomplish this.

Needless to say, i’m kind of having anxiety attacks pretty frequently.

Because of these, whenever i’m not studying, i’m at the beach or the bar (i know, i know, poor baby). It’s hard to really relax when i have these obstacles looming over me. I also find i’m calling home more and more often for support and to vent.

The other day, I had an oral exam for my Democracy in Spain course. I thought these oral exams would be one by one, called into the professor’s office for ten minutes and then we rotate. But no.

I had to take it in front of a classroom of 27 italians. That was pretty much my worst nightmare realized. But i guess what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

And i think i have bedbugs. I don’t think i can learn a moral lesson or get stronger from that. just itchier.
I think i may have brought them back from a hostel i stayed in in Florence last week. But i’ll leave that story for next time….

I realized i haven’t posted in a bit, but this week was an important one: i had my italian exam. I’m pretty sure all went well, but it was a huge ordeal. Plus a few of my friends left, so we were pretty busy here with the goodbye parties.

Day 2 was also spent in Taormina, mostly lounging on the beach.
We paid a student rate of 5 euro and got beach chairs and umbrellas, and enjoyed the view of the turquoise water. It’s always a bit strange to go to the beach in italy because they are very free (meaning lots of topless women and speedoed guys), and i’m still just getting used to it.

For lunch we went up to the center of town to eat at this restaurant i read about in the guidebook. The food was awesome – i had rigatoni alla norma, which is a typical sicilian dish. It is baked rigatoni with red sauce, eggplants, cheese, and basil. However, we had the worst waiter ever! When we tried to order 3 different items (you know, for 3 different people), he got all huffy and rolled his eyes, trying to explain that it’s so much easier for everyone if we all order the same thing and the chef can make 3 portions. We refused to do that, and he said it would just take longer to get the food.

This is not a problem because in italy, one usually waits about 45 minutes to recieve the food. The restaurants here, while they serve some of the best food i’ve ever had, are lacking as far as customer interaction. I do like the american style of dining better, where waiters/waitresses will come around and ask if you need anything and bring fresh bread, etc. Nobody does that in italy, because they don’t make their money in tips. They have a standard salary, so they don’t have to put on the performance. But i miss the performance!! It’s more hospitable!

We went back to the hotel and channel surfed a bit, which is always an adventure when you can find a tv. Italian tv is mostly goofy male comedians and scantily clad women giggling and looking pretty. We did find Funniest Home Videos and watched the Professional, both in italian.

Day 3 was spent travelling from Taormina, on the east side, to Trapani, in the west. Sicily is a small place, but when you have to rely on public transportation, it can take a while to get around. We had arrived really late because our train was an hour and half late, so the town was pretty much closed. We had to take a taxi over to the bed and breakfast – it was so cute and homey. They also had a huge tv with dvd’s and a computer. We watched the Truman show in italian and went to sleep. The people who owned it were also really friendly and accomodating.

I can safely say that Sicily is one of the most beautiful places i’ve ever seen. Alison, Erica and I left Urbino on the 4th of May and made our way to Pisa, where we flew to Trapani, on the northwestern coast of the island. We opted to fly rather than take the train, since the train means 13 hours in the same tiny box with lots of possibly smelly people.

The night we arrived, we got stuck in Trapani. We stayed in a hotel for the night because there were no buses or trains running at the late late hour of 9pm. That was one of the most difficult things to deal with in Sicily – the public transportation was a lot less reliable than mainland Italy. Twice during our vacation, our trains were an hour late.

The next day we woke up super early (5am) and got ourselves to Taormina, which took some time (forever). We wandered around, did a little souvenir-shopping, ate cannoli and went to the Greco-Roman Theater, one of the coolest places I’ve ever been. During the summer they actually still put on shows and operas. The view from the top of this place was like no other.
There were so many gorgeous views in Taormina. The town is perched on the side of a mountain, so it’s easy to get up high and look down to the rocky coast and turquoise water. In the theater it was great because you could walk all over – we sat in the same spot where greek people watched tragedies and romans watched gladiators fight lions over 2 millenia ago. It’s completely mind-blowing.
After the theater, we went to the public garden, which also afforded beautiful views, along with plenty of shade and roses. We hung out there for a bit and I wrote some postcards while resting my feet. It was a great place to relax. We also had to suppress the urge to pick the oranges and lemons from the trees. (The whole of Sicily is covered in groves and groves of bright citrus trees.)
We crossed the street and ate at the Ristorante Ai Giardini, or Restaurant at the Gardens. I got caprese salad and some fried calamari. I had made a promise to myself to eat seafood everyday while I was in sicily, but it ended up falling through soon after this meal…most times we were too strapped for cash and time to sit down to a dinner.
The hotel we stayed at that night was decent – Cundari Inn. It was clean and the people were friendly, but it was still at 40-minute bus ride from Taormina, but probably only 10-15 minutes in a car.
One thing I did notice about visiting Taormina is the mass amounts of Germans. Taormina is a resort-type of city, which relies heavily on tourism. Apparently Germans are to Italian tourism what the Japanese are to New York City tourism. Even in Urbino, there are lots of German couples walking around, taking in the scenery for the weekend. Here it was more like NYC because there were tourists by the busload.

The weather here is gorgeous.
It’s about 70 and sunny. all of the flowering trees are in bloom, and pollen floats around like a slow snowfall.
All of the restaurants and caffes in the piazza have put out their outdoor tables, so all of italian social life happens in the open air this time of year.
The atmosphere helps keep me relaxed.

I’m still a bit worried about exams and such, but all the other foreign students keep telling me not to worry so much. I’m trying. I really am. It’s just the compulsive student in me.

Oh and by the way, security did catch me. They came to my door yesterday with the cleaning ladies and made me sign some form.
One of my block-mates Nadja is going to come with me to try and sort it out. We went early this morning, but a lot of people are off this week due to the holiday.
Again?
Yes.
This week is the 62nd anniversary of Italian freedom from the Nazis, so it’s an official holiday. I feel like i’m never in class. (this partially contributes to my test anxiety. that and the whole second language thing.)
I may go to a festival in Pesaro, a nearby town, tomorrow.

Also, this weekend i think we’re visiting San Marino, another nearby town, for a day trip with some of the students from Finland.

After that, my next planned trip is for May 4-10 to Sicily. I hope to hit Palermo, Mt. Etna, Taormina, the Valley of the Temples, and Licata, where my grandmother’s family is from. it should be fun and full of beach time.

After my 2 week vacation, it’s back to stress stress stress. On the day i left the US to come back here, my house flooded from all the rain, and VATech happened.

Everybody here’s talking about the VA Tech shooting. That whole situation is so bizarre. I never thought it could happen in a college, but i guess if you have mental issues it doesn’t matter how old you are.

My time assignment to sign up for classes ended up being the time i had to be at the airport, so i got there, paid for internet, but found that i didn’t have the code that advisor’s give for signups.
I ended up calling my boyfriend and talked him through the process.
I still didn’t get the classes i need though.
I guess i’ll have to try getting the instructor’s permission for a few of them.

Also, i’ve been dodging school security, at least until may 1st hits.
Apparently, we were supposed to leave our key with the people who work in the lobby. However, i was never told, because when i moved in i received no information whatsoever. They put up signs about it after i left, so i didn’t see those either. The reason it’s such a problem is that if you didn’t leave your key, they’re charging 50 EURO (about $70). That’s more than we get charged at NP for losing your key. It happened to my friend erica, but she said that the deadline to pay it is april 30, so if i never receive a letter or anything else, i won’t have to pay.
Here’s hoping…
(If i do, i’m definitely going to someone’s office to fight it.)

I am now super sick. It kills me because the weather here is so nice, but i really don’t even want to get out of bed. The school doctor isn’t here until tuesday, so i’ll have to tough it out.

I have to go make some tea.

My parents spend $700 to fly me home for the two weeks that i have off for a few reasons:

it’s cheap.
I accepted a scholarship and will be in italy until august, so this is the only time i’ll see them.
I don’t have enough money to travel for all 10 days and then live for another 6 months.

so i have a vacation and a chance to see everyone that i miss.

therefore i also don’t have any study abroad experiences to write about for now. But i fly back on the 16th.

It’s kind of nice not to represent an entire country for a while. When i’m at home i don’t have to worry. Nobody’s judging me. Nobody’s critical of my language skills. At the university i feel like i’m the only example of an american that some students may ever meet, so if they don’t like something about me or i’m not smart enough or i don’t speak well or i don’t look great 24/7, i’m a sloppy, stupid american.

I am sans self-pressure/italian pressure for a nice while and enjoying the great company.

Paris is wonderful. There’s no words. I’m starting to think i should do a semester in Paris during grad school. It’s quite close to perfect.

It takes a whole day to get there. literally. I took a bus, a train, a bus, a plane, and a bus to get to the outskirts of paris. Then i had to try and find a subway in a language i know nothing about. But the parisian people are very accomodating if you’re polite. So i managed to meet my friend Naomi under the eiffel tower at 11 at night (mind you i left urbino at 7 in the morning).

The rest of the trip was great and everything went according to plan.
here’s the list of things i did:

Went to the louvre twice
Went to the orsay once
Went to the top of the eiffel tower and tagged it with me and my boyfriend’s names.
Went to the arc de triomphe and therefore the champs elysees (??) and the latter was highly overrated.
Went to all of ernest hemingway’s hangouts and bought books at the Original Shakespeare and Co twice.
took a boat tour down the seine
Ate creme brulee (??)
Ate baguettes and cheese everyday
Ate a chocolately french pastry
Drank a french specialty: beer and lemonade
Drank french wine and coffee
Ate sushi, which i can’t get in urbino
and finally, ordered a royale with cheese at mcdonalds.

Not bad for 4 days.

I have to confess i’ve been back in urbino for a bit, but forgot to update when i came back, since i had so much to catch up on, as far as work and friends, etc. I’m sorry!

It’s hard to make generalizations about italians or italian culture when i’ve only been here for 6 weeks, but i have noticed two extremes. They either hate or love americans.

On the one hand, I can go to clubs and get into the VIP section and have plates of fruit and free bottles of champagne brought over simply because the guy who runs the place loves us/ wants to practice english. (I don’t care either way, because it’s all free anyway.)

On the extreme other end, I try to carry on a conversation at a party and get laughed at and ridiculed for my skills with the language. It’s like they can’t believe that i’m american, female, and have a brain. One of my friends was actually told at a party that she was “butchering the language.” It’s really cruel. And it even happened to me in the middle of explaining that i’ve only been here and short time, and i’m trying to improve my language skills – i got laughed out of the dinner table by a bunch of hateful italian girls.
It really kills your confidence. And i do think it’s because we’re americans, because the other spanish/french/irish/english people here have no problem mingling and being accepted.

You can’t practice if people have no patience to hear you even speak.

That said, i have one more issue with the program:

NOBODY TOLD ME THAT THE DORM CLOSES FOR 10 DAYS!!!

I found out a week or so ago. So now, i’ve got nowhere to go: all of the other europeans go home and the americans all have people visiting. I am without hotel reservations for the busiest week in Italy – Easter. There’s so many tourists that all the hotels raise their prices, and the cheap hostels are all booked up. It looks like i have to pay the equivalent of $100 a night for a hotel, which puts me at A GRAND TOTAL OF $1,000 (that’s without food and transportation, mind you).

Thanks italy. Thanks alot. And thank you University of Urbino, for never telling me any pertinent information that could affect whether i live in a train station for a week or not. Real nice.

Hey Italy, we’re not on speaking terms right now. So please leave me alone, and stop offering me delicious food and wine. it’s not going to work.

eh, maybe it will.

Here in Italy, Friday was Festa Della Donna, or Women’s day. What this means is women walk down the street and men are obliged to say “tanti auguri” (best wishes) and give us flowers. They had traditional italian dancers in the piazza all night, dancing to folk music. We got some drinks and hung out in the piazza with the german girls in our program.

On Saturday, I went to Bologna with two friends to go shopping at the outdoor market. It didn’t live up to my expectations, but i found some good deals. My best purchase was a few silk scarves for a euro each. After that we ate at a chinese restaurant, which I was dying to check out since i haven’t eaten it in a while – it was fantastic. (Here’s the thing about Italy – their food is so good that they don’t have to have great international cuisine.) I have a serious lack of sushi in my life because i haven’t seen a japanese restaurant in all of my travels. There is a chinese restaurant in Urbino, but a few friends advised me never to go, since they all ended up with food poisoning one night.
After eating, we found H&M and Pull and Bear and did some shopping for clothes. We also found a little pastry shop, where i bought something that had chocolate and coffee beans, which in the language of italian-pastry translates to delicious.
I’m also registering for classes this week, which is a huge production, since the courses don’t quite transfer exactly. It boils down to me not having enough credits to be a full time student. But i’m not going to bore you with the details…

Needless to say, with all of this action going on, i need a vacation from my italian vacation…

…So i’m going to PARIS!

I leave on wednesday and will return monday morning, so no blog updates until afterward. I’m also meeting an american friend there! My plans for paris include:

• going to the louvre every day with my friend, so she can educate my ignorant self in art.
• bringing A Moveable Feast and relaxing in a park somewhere with a coffee
• going to McDonald’s and ordering the “Royale with cheese” because, yes, i’m that nerdy.
• visiting the eiffel tower – what kind of american tourist would i be if i didn’t?
• Maybe Notre Dame? Tour of the Seine? Who knows?

If there’s any sort of Hemingway tour, i’ll be on it in a second. I’m super-excited. I got one of my friends here to teach me a few french phrases, so i’ll be set with the how-do-you-do’s
Wish me luck!

This weekend was a relaxing one. I was able to wake up early and get things done, leaving my day free to lay in the daisies on top of fortezza albornoz, one of the highest points in the city, with gorgeous views and warm breezes.

Every saturday morning, there is a market near the fortress where you can buy fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, cheese, fish, wine, and clothes. I stuck to the food, and left the scene having spent about 5 euro for strawberries, apples, red peppers, a head of lettuce and a bottle of wine. It’s bound to be a weekly event for me – i loved it. There were people yelling to each other, bartering over the price of fish, cheese, or leather boots.

I spent the rest of my day exploring and sunning my shoulders. The weather here is like late spring. I don’t even need a jacket anymore!

The next day, i met up with a few friends to check out the antique market that comes to town once a month. I ended up buying a corkscrew and a pocketwatch. I even successfully completed my own italian-language market-barter over a gift for a family member!
The rest of that day was spent at the fortezza as well, with nutella sandwiches in hand and an anthology of fairy tales in italian.

One of my favorite things about living here is the food. Urbino is famous for a certain sandwich, cresce sfogliate. It looks like a folded over quesadilla, but crispier and flakier, and filled with whatever you like – i like salame or spinach. It’s great. Then there’s the piadina, which is Emilia-Romangia’s claim to fame. it’s similar, but less flaky and grilled in grease. needless to say, it’s also delicious.

I started classes this week, which is less stressful than i had anticipated. I’m actually enjoying my Italian Literature class. The professor wears too much blue eyeshadow, but she speaks loudly and clearly. I’m also taking a language class, History of Europe and History of the Italian language. It’s not so bad.

Here, class is not mandatory. Italians almost never go. In fact, i was on my way to class which happens to be next door to a bar (go figure) and there were more people in the bar at 2 in the afternoon than in my class. Urbino has 22,000 students and 15,000 people, so it’s a really laid back, youth-friendly atmosphere. When the students finish here they get the title of Doctor, similar to our PhD system. Most of the students here are just a bit older than me, in their mid-20’s.

Another interesting fact is the the University celebrated it’s 500 year anniversary last year. My school is older than the whole U.S.A.!

Here’s a few photos of the town: