adjustment

After feeling mildly uncomfortable at home I was lucky enough to have an extremely relieving conversation with Pat last night. Since being home of course it's so nice to see my family and friends who I love so dearly. The vast majority of everyone is like wow you were in italy "how was it" well how the hell does one answer such a question? do you want me to say well it was the best four months of my life because I was able to explore so many aspects of life and the world and growing up and culture in this amazing place and I learned and lived and grew and all these amazing things that I saw and experienced and countries and cities and souvenirs and friends and people and everything that I took in over the time I was there. No I don't say any of that, I don't say that I was at Piazza Navona people watching tourists and Italians mix as I sipped a cappuccino and drew in my sketchbook in my free time, that I wandered around the city getting lost on its tiny cobblestone roads taking pictures of obscure graffiti and people and places and garbage and bums and adverts, how I spent hours in the art studio listening to music and mixing paints and exploring the canvas and my own brain simultaneously, I don't tell them how every weekend for a month straight I was off in another country, or two, seeing the Eiffel tower, Big Ben, hiking, going to museums, a day at the spa, the thermal baths, the mountains, the lake, vineyards, boat tours, the wine, chair lifts over countryside, bike tours, the food, the churches, the views, the beaches and overlooks, and whatever else. I don't really talk about the 25 people or so that I called my family and learned about and became so close with these people who traveled with me to all of these beautiful places, when in the beginning I couldn't even remember their last names and where they were from, I saw and experienced so much with them that I didn't realize the connection that would be left behind. Left in Rome, and now I'm here on Long Island, with the same people, the same people who I've known for so long and love so strongly and know so much about, these people who ask me how my trip was and I reply with "It was great, the experience of a lifetime" and nothing more, the same, nothing less, to every person. And do you know why, it's because I can't talk about it, I'm not going to sit there and blab to you about all these things you never saw and know nothing about and tell you about funny stories involving people you don't even know and that you're never going to meet, because do you really care? Probably not, you're just asking as a courtesy and maybe just maybe once in a while someone who does ask actually will care and caring enough they'll ask a more probing question, aside from "how was it" maybe try asking about my favorite city, or place, or monument, or person I met. Having Bapper over this weekend was slash is really nice because talking to him I'm so comfortable and he's asked me things like the most foreign thing to you, what took the most getting used to or adjusted to, the most overrated thing you did or saw, the most American thing you saw and really seems interested about my experiences and what I was truly able to learn and everything. I feel like my own parents aren't even too interested to hear stories, but at the same time I think I get the feeling that people are just tired of hearing me talk and I don't want to sound like I'm bragging or gloating around that I got to do so many new and different things. Things that I know most of my family and friends will never see in their lives. I don't know what I'm trying to get at really, because I'm not asking people to inquire and to ask twenty questions or to pretend that they care more than they do. I don't really care whether you're interested in my trip at all, but when people do ask me something about it it's so hard for me to answer politely and to not grab them by the shoulders, shake them almost violently and be like "LISTEN MAN YOU NEED TO GET OUT AND SEE THINGS" things that are so beautiful and things that i never knew existed and things people don't usually take the time to stop and appreciate, well guess what I saw so much of it, I want to say I saw it all but I know I didn't, I'm not even close to seeing it all. But I know that I want to, and as much of it as possible. There are some places I wanted to see but didn't have the chance, time, or money too. But I know other people who did and I know how their faces looked when they came back to Rome after their weekend away and I could understand. That travel bug brings understanding, roommates and friends and people traveled to different places and when they came back to Rome whether it be after a day around the corner at the park or a weekend across Europe you would be able to tell by their face how their time there was. It was a mutuality (is that a word) that I feel like everyone just "got". And I feel it when talking to other people who have gotten to travel a little extensively. My cousin Wesley, Sarah, Pat. Pat who has been sustaining and so successfully in Los Angeles and comes home once again to the same people doing the same things with their lives, and I don't want to sound as if I'm knocking that in any way whatsoever because I'm not but when you go away from somewhere, my home, Long Island and you do something so entirely different from the people you left there it's only natural for it to change you. For Pat to be making movies and videos and working hands on with a camera and crew and meeting people and working with people like Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Gwen Stefani, Gavin Rosedale, and Seal and whoever else he's had the opportunity to see and meet and work with and network his way through the system and into an entirely different new and exciting world. A world that he's worked so hard for and showed so much passion towards and he's there, he's finally there and doing things that he loves and learning so much about. He's so excited and new and a sponge there, really soaking up technique and experience and opportunity and so freaking many new things! And it's normal to want to talk about it! To share it all! I'm unclear as to whether getting this out is actually helping or just making me feel more frustration. But at least I can now understand why I feel so anxious sometimes, so uncomfortable now, like my old pair of sneakers finally doesn't fit anymore or something. I guess closer to the fact that they're so broken in my entire foot fits but my big toe, that only one is putting so much pressure against the top of my shoe that I know I need new ones, or it's simply going to bust a hole through the top. And what sucks most about it I think is that a whole new wave of this awkward uncomfortable 'home' feeling is that it's only going to happen all over again when I return to Boston.

Firenze

So almost two weeks ago API sponsored another trip for us to go to Florence for two days and one night. Of course this meant that we had to be up at the crack of dawn to leave Friday morning but even after only two and a half hours of sleep we were up and ready to go. The bus ride was about four and a half hours but I slept the entire time, including through the rest stop we made around 8:30.

After arriving we check into the hotel, dropped our bags and began our guided tour of the city. We saw the D'Uomo and Santa Croce churches as well as the statue of David in one of the museums.D'Uomo
Santa CroceFrom left to right: Chelsea, me, (David) Lindsay. This picture was taken illegally since you're not supposed to have cameras out at all. Shhh don't tell.

We passed the Uffizi gallery which is the home of the most Italian paintings in the country, and headed to the Ponte Vecchio bridge. After a couple hours of that we had free time to spend in the famous leather and goods market. I hunted for about 45 minutes going up and down every street looking for the perfect shoulder bag which is all I wanted out of this Florence trip. Eventually I set on one and started to haggle with the small man trying to push it onto me. I won't say how much I paid but I will say that I got him down by 60 Euro which I was proud of. I'd like to think I'm a pretty savvy bargain shopper, so this one splurge is ok with me.
ugh it's SO nice. But anyway after that we trooped back to the hotel for an afternoon nap before the night festivities. At 7pm we met back up with the entire group and walked over to a great Apertivo place for Italian cocktail hour. The food was fantassstic but because we were there on an API sponsored event we had to get fruit drinks or soda which was lame because I just wanted a glass of wine. After apertivo mi amici and I wanted to see as much of the city as we could since we were only there for really a day and a half because we were scheduled to leave at 5 on Saturday afternoon. We decided to find some Florentines and ask them what to do at night. Luckily enough we found two girls about our age outside the Santa Croce where we had apertivo and they gave us a few nightspots to see, with the last one being an Italian discoteca called Mericana. Before making it there we went to three different places while taking a mini walking tour and a much needed stop for some gelati. Once ending at Mericana we met up with some more friends and danced the night away.

Api loves waking up early so we dragged our bodies down to breakfast in the morning where I had the best hot chocolate ever mixed half way with a cappuccino and a lovely ciccolato cornetto, the essential Italian breakfast, coffee and a chocolate pastry. Who can't live with that. Following breakfast was another guided tour across the Ponte Vecchio, through town and up a great hill to a beautiful church overlooking the entire city.View from the center of the Ponte


This is the Ponte Vecchio and when you cross the bridge either side is lined with shops and trattorias. Lots of jewelry for sale here. The church we saw was on top of this hill overlooking the city. Look to the right of my chin and there is the bridge in the earlier picture.

After the second guided tour we had more free time to shop and see anything else in the city we were interested in. I stayed with Kate for the most part and we shopped here and there. I really wanted to get into the Uffizi but we didn't leave enough time because I didn't account on the line being almost an hour to get in. I'm planning on going back to Florence for at least a day trip to make it to the museum. Kate and I also got lunch then gelato and sat on the D'Uomo steps to do a little people watching.

We met back up with the rest of the group to head back to Rome around 5. Various people were now adorned with new leather jackets, belts and bags. Everyone was giddy from their shopping and haggling experience but only 15 minutes into the bus ride, as usual, the bus was silent and everyone napped the ride home away.

Tonight I'm flying to Budapest with Lindsay and Chelsea and staying with one of Chelsea's friends and day tripping to Vienna on Saturday. I'll be back in Rome Monday night but hopefully I'll get in one more entry before I leave tonight, I have much more to catch up on.

9/22/08

So I've just walked for about an hour trying to find the deBernardis camera shop near Campo. I began too proud to stop and ask someone to help me find it but have already referenced my map three times since I left the art studio. Defeating from wandering, I finally stopped in a little trattoria and asked, turns out I was around the corner for the last fifteen minutes just not looking in the right place. Damn the little Roman curvy side streets everywhere with no street signs. As I follow the road a dentra (to the right) the store front comes into view with the kodak logo hanging above the door, the door which is blocked because of the large metal grate that's been pulled down. Shop's closed. I look at my phone: 3:30. Here I sit killing time til 4 when I hope the shop reopens after riposo. Roman naptime.

I'm glad to be taking so many art classes here. I hope it opens my eyes to new things. Already I can feel my perspective changing. Painting today was relaxing and really cleared my mind, the fact that we're allowed to listen to music while we do so is really enjoyable too.

Sometimes I feel the pressure from the city crunching down on me. It's not school because my classes aren't so hard or anything, and I get along with everyone here so the only thing else I could think of it to be is the hustle and bustle of the city. Boston never really got to me like Rome does, it's much bigger here and way more intimidating. It's definitely the city that's bothering me, and it's inhabitants. The pushing and honking and rudeness, you never escape it. Maybe a good talk with my photo or sketch professor would do me good. I think I'm missing adults in my life. When I'm at home I have my family around me at all times and when I'm in Boston I have professors to talk to as well as people at Bed Bath. I want to talk to everyone everywhere I go now, just strike up conversation with a stranger, especially when I see mom's on the tram with little kids or babies, but the language barrier is killing me, I've been trying to get better though. I don't think Italians are too up for random conversation though.

scrap book

I've been buying a few postcards from each place that I've been to so far.
The only one I've missed is Bracciano when we went camping, but at the same time I'm kind of glad I didn't get one because that entire weekend was like a hazy riposo so it seems fitting to not have one. Once this trip is over I plan to make a giant scrapbook and use the post cards as well as pictures and tickets and little written passages about each place I went to and the things I did with my new friends and roommates. I hope it's something I'll actually do and complete it before I lose interest it in. Maybe I'll ask for a nice photo album/book for Christmas.

AS ROMA

So two Tuesday's ago on the 16th was Adriano's birthday and a couple days before some of the guys were talking about going to a soccer game. AS Roma happened to be playing that day so a bunch of them went to see how much tickets would be. Well as everything API gets, it began with 6 of us buying tickets, then calling our respective roommates to let them know and of course more and more people found out about it and it ended in about 30 American students trying to get on one bus all wearing various Roma jerseys and t shirts that we had bought earlier that day to show our Roman pride. Which we had to made sure that the tickets were in the Roma fan section of the stadium otherwise we wouldn't have been able to sport our new gear. I, of course, bought my jersey from a street vendor and was so proud that I haggled him down from 10 to 6 euro only to later find out that Mancini, the name on the jersey, was traded to another team last season. Haha, that would happen to me. But everyone said he was a sick player and I figured that it also made me look like a long time fan to have an old jersey.

The game started at 8:15 i think and I didn't get out of class until 6:30 so I had to rush home to change and meet up with people to leave at least an hour before the game started to get there in time. We attempted at splitting into three smaller groups and traveling to the game just so we weren't in such a huge obnoxious group, but would we really be Americans if we weren't? Of course we ended up meeting a group downstairs that took extra long to leave and another group of people once we got on the tram, then arriving at the bus stop we met up with even more people that we didn't know were going also. As annoying as the huge group was it really made it a lot of fun. Once getting to the stadium after talking to an Italian kid on the bus about American football and "real" football the original 6 or 7 of us who bought tickets first realized we weren't sitting in the same section as everyone else but a little further up, which actually made for better seats because you see the field in its entirety. After about 10 minutes into the game we decided to sit down with the rest of the group because they were all together down about 20 rows.

This is me and the birthday boy Adriano.

The game was for the Champions League qualifier and was against some Romanian team that I don't know the name of. All I do know is that it was supposed to be an easy win for us. Roma scored in the first like 20 minutes of the first half and then that was it. The other team had two more goals throughout the game and after they made the first one Roma pretty much fell apart and stopped playing as much offense and needed to work on their defense more. We were bummed that they lost in the end but it was still a lot of fun to see all the hardcore Italian fans yelling and cheering and organizing chants and stuff like that, waving flags and scarfs everywhere to show their team pride.

What have I even been doing?

Clockwise from top (roommates): me, Kate from Wisconsin, Emily from Boston, and Chelsea from California

Just some things I've done while in Rome.

One night we went to a special club event at this place called Gilda. It happened to be Stephanie's (my apartment-mate) birthday so all the girls got made up nice and went out with the boys from our program to dance the night away.
The special DJ for the night was DJ AM who is actually from PA and is quite famous apparently in the US for DJing obviously but also collaborating with musical artists and dating Nicole Richie. So a lot of people were excited to see him but I had never heard of him before. Regardless we had a great night of dancing and partying only to find about a week and a half later DJ AM was flying out of Atlanta with Travis Barker the drummer from Blink-182 and their plane crashed due to problems at takeoff. Four of the six passengers died leaving just DJ AM and Travis to survive with 2 and 3 degree burns all over their chests, arms and heads. So crazy that something like that happened right after we saw him in ROME. Weird.


Friday of that same week we left Rome for an API excursion weekend. First stopping at Mt. Vesuvius after the tightest squeeze I've yet to see a bus get through on the road we let out our breaths and got off the bus and began the hike up to the crater top.
These pictures don't even give you a good idea as to how deep it was.

After that we got back on the bus, checked into our hotel in Sorrento and went out for dinner on API's tab. For starters we had lobster and seaweed fried dough balls which were delicious and oily. Tomato and basil sauce potato gnocchi for dinner and some kind of lemon layer cake with whipped cream for dessert. At night we got some champagne wandered around the city and went to karaoke.

Saturday morning was so overcast and rainy while we were eagerly awaiting the hydrofoil boat to take us to Capri. The weather was such a downer and we were just outside getting wet for about 25 minutes. Once we got on the boat and over to Capri it was like a whole new day. The sky cleared up and the sun burst through. Luckily by lunch time, where we stopped for the best pizza in town, it was so hot out we wanted to find the beach after eating. So we did a self guided walking tour on Via Tragara that led us across the coast of the island and down to the beach where we got pina coladas and hung around by the water.

Next the group split up and I took a bus with Josh, Alec and Adriano to the other side of the island called Anacapri which held the mountain with the chairlift to the highest point on the island. We found the chairlift station and I had assumed that it would be like a car that held 4-5 people at a time and took you up but I was very wrong. Instead it was a single chair per person much like those swings at a carnival with the small metal bar that comes down across your lap and your legs dangle down so I had to take off my flip flops to make sure I didn't lose them. It was so awkward for me to get on and off the chair lift because its just like a ski lift so it's constantly moving, which is also a little intimidating to me because it's all about timing and grace getting on and I have a hard time with that haha. So up we went a 12 minute ride each way. My ride up was the absolute most peaceful moment I've ever had in my life.


I think it allowed me to reflect on my time here thus far and to realize how lucky I am. It was probably one of the first times I've gotten a chance to just sit down and pinch myself to realize this is all real and I'm having the greatest opportunity ever, this 12 minute ride lasted longer for me, and only concluded to allow me to be one of the most complete forms of happiness I've ever had. Once reaching the top we regrouped and soaked in some more great views. On the ride down I called Winston to share the moment with him after calling my parents to wish my momma a very happy birthday and see how everyone was doing as well as talk about my trip so far.

After the chairlift we headed back to dock for the boat back to Sorrento to spend another night there. After a little shopping we went out for dinner which was mildly disastrous because I made the mistake of inviting about 30 ppl to meet in the lobby at 8 and thinking some people would go off and do their own thing i expected 10 at the most. But when all 30 showed up I began to panic because we didn't have reservations or anything and we were walking across town to a restaurant that I read about in a book. So we got there, and obviously they didn't have room for us and we split into three smaller groups and went separate ways. I got sort of upset that the night or dinner rather didn't go the way I had planned it to and it made me feel like my mom. Mainly I think because especially when it comes to organizing some kind of event or group of people she always makes sure everyone is put ahead of herself and it's all planned out to run smoothly, but when it doesn't for me I panic and get upset because it didn't execute the way I thought it should've therefore my expectations are set too high sometimes I think.

Anyway dinner ended up just fine with a nice mix of most of my roommates and some boys that don't live across the hall and therefore we don't see as much. Afterwards we met up with some more people and got warm cider/beer at a pub and kept the night pretty low key just talking around the table.


Sunday was Pompei! Which I enjoyed way more than I expected to. The API group split into three smaller groups and had about a two hour walking tour of the ruins with an extremely informative guide. There were stray dogs everywhere playing and following us around. I learned a lot about their architecture and building methods as well. Afterwards we had an hour or so of free time to eat and get souvenirs. This is my roommates Lindsay (NJ) me and Emily (MA)
Sooo I guess thats a pretty substantial update for now. Next up for post is the AS Roma soccer game!

I can't believe it's taken me this long to see Life is Beautiful.
My head is so heavy right now I can't write anything else about it.









I'm going to Tuscania this weekend. With Michael Moore, Kate, Guy and James.
Camping, a lake, a castle and a city.
Hopefully soon I'll write about the Amalfi Coast and this trip afterwards.

I'm actually going to school here... right?

So I've failed to mention anything about my classes thus far. Now about the third week in I'm pretty used to my routine for school during the week. Mondays I have off. Which is splendid, and has allowed me to go to the Santa Marinella beach a couple times with Linsday who also has off and Kate, who is done with class at 10am. But back to classes--

Tuesday's I have my Intro to Painting class from 2:30 to 5 with Guy and a different Lindsay, one he went to high school with. This class is probably going to be my most challenging because I haven't painted at all since 9th grade and even then it was an abstract and a still life for Mrs. Pepe who loved me and gave me A's regardless of what my 'art' looked like. I really like the lax setting of art classes but at the same time I don't think I'm going to be getting enough instruction and input from the professor. Jeremiah has him for a different class and we agreed that art professors are teachers or artists and him being a real artist isn't going to have anything to help me with but telling me whether he likes what I'm doing or not, which could be bad news for me. I'm trying hard though I really am. Today I went to the studio on my own and thankfully it was empty. I was able to work on my still life alone with my music playing and the windows open.

After that class I rush over to main campus with Lindsay for my Intro to Art History class. This is the only real academic class I'm taking with a written mid-term and a short term paper about 4 pages on any work of Roman art created before the Renaissance. (any suggestions?) Probably the most boring thing in the world because we sit in a dark room for an hour and a half and listen to this middle aged man talk in monotone about his slides and scribble notes furiously to make sure I get all the information before he switches to the next slide. Thankfully I found out he posts all the power points online so I can catch up with my notes before the next class, or before the midterm. Hah. We've been in this class twice a week for three weeks and he still has no idea of anyone's name and how many people are in the class because he just calls attendance and doesn't directly address anyone for the rest of class. At least last week we were doing Egyptian art so I was super interested in that, and the pyramids and stuff, really cool.

Wednesday's I have only one class from 2:30 to 5 and that's Rome Sketchbook. Lindsay (my roommate this time) is in that class with me and we just sit and draw buildings from different perspectives. Each class we meet at a different piazza in Rome and find something cool to sketch. The professor for this class seemed much like my painting professor at first but I've come to learn that he lets us draw on our own and as we do he comes around asking us questions about proportion and perspective and straight lines and other things. I like the way he teaches because he makes us realize our own, not so much mistakes but little wrongdoings along the way of the sketch, and if they're too large to correct in the current sketch or if he is generally unhappy with the proportions or something like that then he'll tell us to start over and improve as we go on to the next sheet.

Thursdays I have Black and White Photograpgy from 10:30 to 1 and then Art History again later in the afternoon. Photography is only a class of about 6 and is instructed by the only Italian professor that I have. Serofino has been speaking English for the last 5 years and still struggles with sentence structure sometimes. My favorite parts of class time is when he can't think of the word he's trying to translate and he looks to us for help. Sometimes we understand and other times we give him the same questioning stare back. The miscommunication between us doesn't effect the understanding of class material. This is my favorite professor and I think part of it is the mysterious brow he always hides behind and only occasionally allows his wonderful personality and passion for pictures out for the world to take in. Even after only one class I learned a lot about lighting and shutter speed and lines in photos. You have to listen to him carefully to decipher the little tricks and hints about taking pictures he hides in his accent.

So that's a little info on my classes. Now I'm off for Henry and Lisa's birthday celebrations, next update will be about the Amalfi coast trip API took us on last weekend.

Ciao!


ps. leave commentsss! i think enabled comments for people who don't have blogs so you can try again if you're still reading Aunt Susan.

Love and miss you all! <3

Cinque. two.

The rest of the weekend went by so quickly that I haven't had another chance to write about it until now. The train ride home, hah. Needless to say that first morning we did find a beach soon after, a nice small public one that was thankfully empty and at pretty low tide at 7:30 in the morning.

To the left of the big rocks on the beach is where we slept and awoke about 10:30 am. The nap was mildly refreshing but so hot sticky when we got up to see other tourists taking pictures of the bums sleeping on the beach... oh yea that was us. After lounging for a while and swimming in the bluest water we packed up and set off for our first hike to town number two, Vernazza. About an hour and a half later we arrived and began to seek out a room for the night. Ringing a sketchy doorbell brought an armpit forest italian woman to the window three stories above instructing us to come up and talk to her. She only had two two people rooms for the night and the price was well over what we were expecting to pay so we searched on. As Guy was calling a number posted on a front door to ask about rooms two Americans passed by with their luggage, we stopped them and asked where they stayed and for how much, their place was even more expensive than the two rooms Hairy already offered us but they said there was a long haired man with a red shirt at the train station offering rooms. And this is how we came to meet Egi, who we affectionately called Eggy for the rest of the weekend. Guy took the reigns on this horse and schmoozed with Egi for a little while to lower the price of the four sleeper room he had. Explaining that we were students and six people in a four person room got Egi down for us, also the fact that Guy seemed interested in his soccer jersey and to learn that he had a wife and was pregnant for the first time due in only two weeks, they had quite a little chat and the next thing we knew we had a decently large room with access to a bathroom, shower and towels for two nights at only 40 Euro a person which was money.

Once settling in we beached for a little while, showered and went to a great place for dinner, with the best view of the sunset over the water and mountains and the freshest seafood in town. We ventured to anchovies since it was the celebratory weekend of the little fish and split mussel and clam risotto as well as a mixed seafood pasta dish with a light red sauce. To end the night right we got gellato-- mine were the two specialty flavors of the shop, Cinque terre and Vernazza's own.



The next morning we were up and out by 9:30 to set on the hike for the remaining three cities. Corniglia Manarola and Riomaggiore. On the way to Corniglia we met two Americans that had been traveling around the world since Janurary, starting off in New Zealand and Australia, all through Asia, now in Europe and finishing in South America, to be home by Christmas. They too have their own travel blogs you can check out.

http://jasonvandenbrand.com/
http://erinschneider.wordpress.com/

So awesome to talk to them about traveling and life and how they just saved money, quit their jobs and left for a year with only clothes a camera and a tent. I hope that I can only do something so amazing in my life. Once arriving to Corniglia we had so much adrenaline pumping from the hike that we kept going and decided we'd look around the city on the way back. Onward to Manarola we were leaving our new friends behind to eat and find a room.

At Manarola I asked everyone to stop so I could get some food to refuel and it was the greatest spinach and cheese pizza I've ever had and I even splurged for a riso torta dolce for dessert. MMmm The only issue was that it took me about a half hour to order my food because Italians do whatever they want and kept sneaking in front of me in line and talking to the owner causing him to ask their order and skip over me. I didn't mind waiting though because it just smelled so good to be in there in the first place. After eating we filled up on water and set for the shortest hike of only about 20 minutes to Riomaggiore. Here the boys ordered pizza for themselves while Em and I searched for a public toilet. What we were directed to was a small wooden shack with a running water sink and a porcelain hole in the ground. After cracking up about it we took our turns squatting and headed for the beach, which consisted of massively large marble rocks that you climbed to sun bathe on or jumped off to swim in the water.

After a short nap and a quick swim Em and I headed back to Vernazza on the same path we came while James and Zach took the quicker scenic ferry ride and Guy and Hen Hen searched for an alternate trail back. It was so nice to have some alone time with Emily and none of the boys around. We talked a lot about our families and friends, what it's like being on a team because she plays softball at Merrimack and I told her how much I miss volleyball sometimes. Of course we talked about boys too. Later on the beach back in Vernazza we shared more private family stories and things and I found that we have a lot more in common than I knew we already did. She is the first person in Rome that I've talked to about the different things my family has been through and overcome.

Next thing we know the church bells start ringing and we see a crowd of pleasantly dressed Italians exiting, soon after come the wedding party and the bride and groom and everyone begins throwing rice everywhere. They kiss and hug family and friends and proceed to walk around the main piazza not soon after they disappear into a door next to the gelato place we ate at the night before, only to reappear two stories above waving to everyone on the beach including the small children who are now holding plastic bags and eagerly anticipating something we didn't know. Just then the bride and groom appear to be holding a large wicker basket and start throwing candy in every direction, by the handful. Next thing we know kids are scrambling for it and adults begin cutting one another off just to receive some dolce. Henry and I look at each other, debate for maybe 20 seconds then quickly get off the towels we were sitting on and begin collecting out own candy stash. Without a plastic bag to hold our sugary treasures we make trips back to the towels to drop them off with Emily. Guy and Zach soon join us in collecting. Needless to say about 5 more baskets of candy later we rounded up a nice stash, keeping us with a great sugar high for the rest of the weekend.

Later that night Emily went to bed early and I watched the boys polish off a bottle of rum and one of whiskey, which later induced them to getting naked and jumping off the rocks into the water. Lucky for me it was really dark out and no one else was on the beach at this hour of the night. Honest to God the only thing I could see was the white as rice butts in the night for the 2 seconds before they put their shorts back on. Sooo hilarious though. I still can't believe all four of them did it at the same time.

The next morning we left around 9am to get home early. After getting off the train in La Spezia we made a last minute decision to take the train to Pisa to snap some pictures with the leaning tower, which is what we heard to be the only thing to see/do while being there so we decided to make it quick. Once getting of the train there we were literally in the city of Pisa for 53 minutes before getting back on the train and finishing off the weekend journey back into Trastevere.

Cinque Terra = exhilerating and breathtaking

It's September 5th and an ungodly hour in the morning. Around 7:30 now I think. I'm in Montorosso al Mare one of the five towns. Last night Emily, Guy, James, Henry, Zach and I met up at Termini to catch an 11:58pm train to La Spezia. Waited a quick ten minutes and drooled at the Mc Donalds sign and then hopped on one to Montorosso where I currently am.

The train was four hours and fifteen minutes long and since we walked so slow to board the train by the time we got on we didn't have a car to sit in, even after walking from the back all the way to the front of second class. This resulted in us congregating in the hall and using the small fold out seats in a meek attempt to sit and get some sleep. Once realizing this was not going to be a reality we took out a bottle of rum and hoped for the time to pass quickly. Upon passing the bottle with a coke to chase the burn we associated with some Brit's named Shane and Dan. Dan was really tired since they were approaching the end of their three week traveling holiday so he kept to himself and attempted to sleep most of the time. Shane indulged in our rum and conversation. Telling us stories of his travels and giving us tips on what to see and what not to do. We talked about music and he told us of his band, but for steady work he lectures about music theory and technicalities to the elderly and mentally challenged people who want to learn a little more about it. We disembarked from the train just three stops before our new comrades and tried to persuade them to extend their trip just one more weekend, after refusing we said our goodbyes and waited quick for the next train from La Spezia to Montorosso. The second train ride was much quicker and completely empty.

Upon entering Montorosso the time was just about 5am and we were exhausted and mildly hungover. Immediately we gravitated to the beach to lay out some sheets and crash for a few hours. Guy had the brilliant idea of stripping down and skinny dipping in the ocean as celebration for reaching Cinque Terre, so he did, alone. Not even two minutes later an angry Italian man came out of a beach hut and began waving his arms and yelling towards us. Panicking, especially since we had no idea what he was saying we grabbed our bags and sheets and bolted off the beach, leaving Guy in all his glory in the water. Once he realized what was happening on shore he shamelessly exited the water ass naked to pick up his clothes, smile and apologize to the man, and proceeded to take his time drying off and dressing; then met us on the pier.

Since our plans to sleep we crashed we had no choice but to walk around in hopes of finding a hostel still open. We referenced our maps and checked out a few places, unsuccessfully we meandered the island for the next two hours. Now it being a little after 7am we found a nice place to eat breakfast that Rick Steve's claims to be the best in town, called the Bar Dari. I ordered a panini of turkey cheese and tomato as well as a ham and cheese. Hopefully soon we'll find the beach open and able to be slept on.

Trips all around town

So today Linsday, Henry and Matt booked their trips to come with me to Paris and Barcelona Thanksgiving weekend. I think more people are planning to come too which is sweet. Now we just have to research some hostels.

Also Emily told me that her, Guy, Henry, and James are going to skip the tour of St. Peter's basilica and Castle de St. Angelo on Friday to go to Cinque Terre for the weekend. So I'm hopping in on those plans too.

My boy Mike Moore arrived today, he's living with the boys next door. I'm so psyched for him to be around because it's nice to have a familiar face. I think it'll hold me over longer before I get homesick.

I caved today and bought McDonalds at the Spanish Steps. I know I know, I'm in Rome with some of the best food in the world but I really just needed a BigMac and it was delicious.

Tonight a nice big group of us are going out to dinner, hopefully at this place I found where you sit and eat in a huge outdoor garden. We really haven't gone out to eat more than once so I'm ready to order a nice 3 course meal like the Romans do.

Marcus finally messaged me back so a weekend trip to Sicily is going to happen soon enough. So bomb.

The first week in one entry. Brace yourself.

So I'm getting a bit of a late start on this guy but I figured I better start soon before I have more than a week of activities to catch up on.

First off getting to the airport last week I still didn't feel like I was actually going to Rome for 4 months. My brother decided not to come with my mom and dad, which upset me a little bit but whatever he does what he wants all the time anyway. Once departing my parents I felt more alone than I ever have in my life. Standing on a ridiculously long security line clutching my passport the worst was running through my head. Here I was on the edge of the US and going blindly into the world of Romans and ancient ruins and wine, with no one familiar to comfort me or give me that feeling of stability. Checking my voicemail as i was trying to kill time I hear a message from Kasie who is a girl also going to Rome through API and leaving on the same flight as me, she got my information from my supposed to be roommate (I'll explain that later) and wanted to say that we should travel together and whatnot. So I was saved by not having to wait another hour in the terminal by myself but with Kasie Moriarty from UMASS instantly a new friend. We chatted it up and then boarded our flight. I had the pleasure of sitting next to a drunken Irish man who was in his early 30's and ordered two small bottles of white wine and got me extra pretzels from the flight attendant. We didn't talk at all to one another but shared laughs while watching Ironman and we napped together. There really is something about mutual understanding I think that went on between us. Everytime a flight attendant passed he'd get me more pretzels and more wine for himself. It was nice.

Next we landed in Dublin and had about an hour and a half layover. While waiting for Kasie to come off the plane I met Lindsay from NJ, who is one of my roommates and Jeff from CT, who is also in the same program. We grouped together through customs and searched for our terminal. It was so nice to be picking up travelers on the way who were in the exact same boat, or plane rather, that I was. We shared stories about what we expected Rome to be like and what we'd already heard about the program as well as the usual where are you from and where do you go to college blah blah. Once arriving in Rome we found the API group after getting so worried that we were going to miss the 12pm pick up bus. We made it with some time to spare and with every piece of luggage needed.

After getting to the hotel from the airport Lindsay and I found out that we were staying in a room with Kate from Wisconsin who was also one of our roommates. We dropped our luggage and introduced ourselves to everyone in sight and then just forgot a lot of names and tried to match them to faces unsuccessfully. Later that night we attended a delicious welcome dinner at another hotel and experienced our first Roman meal. After that a ridiculously large group of people all left the hotel together to explore our area and we found the Victor Emmanuele (wedding cake) and the Colosseum. After snapping pictures with all these new strangers/friends we got some gelato and began a hunt for a bar. We ended up at Scholars an Irish pub (I know we're in ROME people) and had some celebratory shooters for making it to Italy and to a great upcoming semester.

Tuesday morning we had complimentary breakfast at the hotel and began our guided tours of the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Trevi fountain, Campo di Fiouri, Piazza Navona and some other nearby attractions. After napping and showering the same group from the night before met again to go out for dinner. We split into two tables and polished off two bottles of wine per table . I ordered spinach and ricotta crepes and shared a mixed plate of brusscetta with Kate. After dinner we wandered over to Campo di Fiori for more drinks and celebration.

Wednesday was move in day so I finally met the rest of my roommates. Kristen is from NJ, Chelsea from CA, Emily from MA and Stephanie from FL. We all unpacked and got settled then went out together to grocery shop at the discount market only a block from our building. Originally there was supposed to be 8 of us in total but as I said earlier my supposed roommate, Christa, couldn't make it. She unfortunately got into a bad diving accident a couple of days before her flight and not only tore ligaments in her neck but fractured vertebrae in her spine putting her in a neck brace for the next couple of weeks, maybe months. So she had to withdraw from the semester but she'll be making a full recovery and coming to Rome in the Spring semester instead.

Thursday was filled with a meeting on John Cabot campus and registration for platform and the permesso di sorgiorno or something along those lines. We also walked around the area quite a bit and found a nice piazza with a fountain and a cute little trattoria to eat at, equipped with an accordion and guitar player to serenade us on the patio. That night we walked around for like an hour or so looking for a new pub in the area and became frustrated because it's still August and a lot of Italians are on holiday still so many things are closed for the month. Down by the river we smoked a little hookah and then returned to Scholars. It's ok for now I guess since we still don't know the area too well but I hope we're not going to be there a lot as the semester progresses.

We were out extremely late that night and I ended up walking home some drunk friends and getting to bed around 5am. As a result I slept late Friday and missed the tour of the API office and of Trestevere area, but my roommates went and gave me a briefing later on so it was all good anyway.

Saturday a bunch of people ventured on the train to the Santa Marinella beach and swam and layed out from about 10:30 to 18:00. It was so beautiful out and there were palm trees everywhere. When in the water up to your shoulders you could still see your feet and little fish swam around your legs. We swam a little ways out to the rock barrier to preserve the shore and hungout there looking at the sea urchins and crabs and sea cucumbers that were all around.

After taking the train back we stopped at the grocery store and bought chicken and pasta and sauce and cheese, string beans, potatoes, eggplant, and three loaves of bread to use for dinner. I made chicken parm, penne al a vodka, macaroni with pesto sauce sauteed string beans and little fried/baked potato cubes and grilled some eggplant and made garlic bread. It was a pretty sweet deal because we all split the groceries, I pretty much cooked with my roommates coming in and out to help between rotating showers. Then after dinner all the boys cleaned up and we sat at the table drinking white wine. I'd say in total we had about 15 people for dinner, including the 7 roommates. Two days before me and my friend Christina cooked dinner (best Italian sausage I've EVER had!) three boys did dishes and two paid for groceries. It's really fun and so much better than eating out all the time, cheaper and more relaxed then trying to find somewhere inexpensive and big enough for everyone.

Sunday I layed low for the most part and we just went to the market down the street. I bought a sweet pair of sunglasses after haggling with an Indian man who spoke Italian. Later that night some of us watched the Departed and I passed out after an exhausting week.

Yesterday I went back to the beach with Lindsay since we didn't have any class and Kate came too after her one morning class. It was way less crowded then Saturday so it was nice to see it emptier and quieter. Last night we went out to the hookah bar again and explored a little further down the river.

So that's the massive update for now and I have my first class in ten minutes. Then two more after that. Today is Rahul's birthday so I think we're planning a pub crawl and tmrw Mike Moore arrives!
Pictures will be coming soon and are already scattered all over facebook if anyone is into checking that.

Ciao mi amici and I'll update again soon!