Finished the application tonight, read it over and over and sent it in, twice by accident I think. At least they'll know how badly I want them to receive it. As a reward I caught up on an episode of the Real World Cancun, and I've come to notice that as the seasons go on the cast members get more and more immature. It's still pretty early into this one but they've had a boys vs girls split already and you know I bet no one really cares to be reading about that drama. But I enjoy the show nonetheless because it's original and I've grown up with it.

Today I tried out a new route home, it's easier to come up Winchester rather than take Beacon street all the way through to Washington. The only draw back is the hill at the end is a little longer but less steep so it'll probably be good for when I'm riding home really tired. On this experimental route ride I found a red wicker basket on the front lawn of a house. Inside of it there was a pair of tattered white open-toe shoes. Looking around I emptied the shoes and measured the basket up to the front of my bike. I think it'll fit a little snug but I have to move around one of the reflectors in order for it to fit at all.

The next step in the application process is a phone interview sometime with in the next two weeks, tuesday-friday. What's crappy about this is that I had to request a phone call at 9:45 am because during all of the other time slots I'd be at work. What's even more crappy is that since I'll be in VA on vacation next week they could call any day then too and I have to be up at 9:30 every day just in case. Boooo

I think I'm going to cut out of work early this week to go to NY earlier, the As Tall As Lions show at the Paradise this weekend sold out already for Saturday night so I'm thinking I'll work an earlier shift Thursday, then cut right to the bus station to get to Manhatten in time to see them open in Union Sq. Which works out perfectly because the subway right there goes straight to Katie's place in bk, or Rohan's even. It'll be nice to be home for a day or two before leaving for vaca too, make sure everythings packed, hopefully see some friendly faces, etc.

I guess I should pack my bag here tomorrow then, I'm really hoping to have room to bring my peeeellow.

buenos noches

I went back to my livejournal for more private things after returning from abroad, now I'm here just to say hey I'm back and want to bloggggg blog blog

This past weekend I went to Bourne on the Cape and reunited with many delightful people. I came back to Boston feeling entirely refreshed which was surprising considering how hungover and tired I should've felt after sleeping a mere 15 hours from thursday to sunday night.

It really amazes me how these bonds haven't loosened, you know I'm not the best person at keeping in touch with other people by any means but once we were all face to face it was as if we'd never left Rome and were just somewhere nearby for another one of our international weekends.
The host of the weekend, Mr. Steve Juckett, blew us all away with his amazing hospitality, itenarary for the weekend and his stunning parents who took care of us all weekend and beautiful home that was open to us all. Each morning we woke up to fresh coffee, bagels, doughnuts, muffins, cereal, fresh fruit, a full table spread. We were supplied with coolers filled with beer, a barbeque one night, a million pizza pies the next, simply the nicest people ever.

The biggest highlight for me for the weekend was Ms. Kate Walker herself her flew in all the way from Wawatosa WI just for our little get together. In true Ddubs fashion she went to bed early each night (I mean around 1/2am we're all just insane and up until we see the sky getting light, then we rush to bed before it's too late) Really I think it's like that because we genuinely enjoy each others company so much and knew the time together this weekend was limited so we rode it to the fullest.

I'm really putting off sending in the rest of my CELTA application. It's the original reason why I brought my laptop out of my room in the first place, to focus, a lot of good that's done for me thus far. For the first time in my life I've been doubting myself and my ability to accomplish something that I really want to do, i.e this program and living abroad for a few years to kick off this potential career. Career? yikes, the word salary has been really irking me lately. Do I want a salary? People are so worried about job security and such and I don't even want that because I'm afraid of getting stuck doing something I don't like or will like for a little while and get stuck in and tired of not soon after. I have some growing up to do.

Recently I've realized this is partially the reason why I have so much trouble with men. Really though what happens happens and I'm still trying to figure out myself and exactly what I'm looking for. Part of it I know, and some more I've learned about over the last few months, I hope the rest will come with experience and time, trials and tribulations as well I guess.

sigh oh growing older, hopefully wiser?

ok enough is enough, if I don't finish this before the weekend I'm going to be very upset with myself.

I'll be back soon

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.