HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACH! I hope you don't mind that I told the entire world, haha. I LOVE YOU! For those of you who want to wish him well, my man is 22.
Last night I slept much better because Julia got the air conditioning to work! I've been waking up every the night because I'm always hot, but last night I slept great. It was nice not to wake up to an alarm. We slept til after 10:30 because the shutters do such a good job of keeping out the light!
I'm wearing my new shirt today. It's a burnt red color with Aztec-looking beads on it.
Class starts at 1 again today. My homework was to read notes from Leonardo da Vinci about how to draw perspective properly. He says to follow his instructions and you can't mess up, haha.
Also, I finally got to sit under the skylight and read more of Sherlock Holmes. Yay! I just love how Watson explains the cases as they unfold chronologically, but Holmes can deduce the solution usually before the client finishes explaining!
Looking forward to Venice tomorrow!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Day 7: Padua and Krapfen . . . and an Earthquake?!
Hello all! So here's the thing. I am finding it really hard to catch up on my blogging because they keep us so busy here, and especially now because I have homework to do. I usually write a few short-hand notes in a blog about each day I'm here, so I've posted everything for you to read, and I'll let you know when I add the coordinating pictures and spruce them up a little bit.
Left on bus at 8:15.
Got to University (2nd oldest after alexandria) was closed and we didn't understand why until someone mentioned earthquake in broken english. Returned to Verona at 6, Federica gave us earthquake procedure, and we were sent home to reassure our parents that we were fine, and the earthquake wasn't serious. In all actuality, we had no idea how serious it really was, or that people had died during the day :(
During the day:
st anthonie's
donatello
lunch
ARENA CHAPEL!!! SO COOL!
bus
olympc theater and gelato
Came home to find that our clothes had been washed, the beds and towels changed, and everything neat and tidy! YAY! It's like we have little merry fairies that tidy up while we're gone, haha. Only the clothes weren't dry, so they were spread out on a drying rack and I have to fold them all.
late night Krapfen at 11:30pm. SO GOOD! I learned from Wikipedia that they are donuts from Austria, Germany or Italy, and are typically filled with Apricot preserves (which one of the boys discovered when he took a bite of the unknown flavor). I myself got a creme-filled, which was amazing, and satisfied my cravaing for my typical late-night bowl of ice cream! I am SO going back!
Left on bus at 8:15.
Got to University (2nd oldest after alexandria) was closed and we didn't understand why until someone mentioned earthquake in broken english. Returned to Verona at 6, Federica gave us earthquake procedure, and we were sent home to reassure our parents that we were fine, and the earthquake wasn't serious. In all actuality, we had no idea how serious it really was, or that people had died during the day :(
During the day:
st anthonie's
donatello
lunch
ARENA CHAPEL!!! SO COOL!
bus
olympc theater and gelato
Came home to find that our clothes had been washed, the beds and towels changed, and everything neat and tidy! YAY! It's like we have little merry fairies that tidy up while we're gone, haha. Only the clothes weren't dry, so they were spread out on a drying rack and I have to fold them all.
late night Krapfen at 11:30pm. SO GOOD! I learned from Wikipedia that they are donuts from Austria, Germany or Italy, and are typically filled with Apricot preserves (which one of the boys discovered when he took a bite of the unknown flavor). I myself got a creme-filled, which was amazing, and satisfied my cravaing for my typical late-night bowl of ice cream! I am SO going back!
Monday, May 28, 2012
My Apartment
Ciao! So I have lots to say about my apartment here in Verona, and I didn't want to squeeze it into another blog post. So here it is!
Julia and I live on the fourth and top floor of our building that has a very Italian name, above an authentic Italian pizza shop (which is far better than American pizza, by the way) and across the street from beautiful Italian red tile roofs. The first floor is the shop, the second floor has two apartments: my professor and a double, the third floor has a double and a triple, and my floor has a double for Julia and I, and a quad for the 4 boys. The stairs are marble, and can be very slippery. I've already slipped and fallen coming down! I especially love that each landing has a different brightly-colored wall. The first landing is tangerine orange, the second floor is teal blue, and my floor is bright purple! The colors make he happy on the long walk up to my room :) The rest of the walls going up the stairs are yellow and lime green, and there's a big red picture of an abstract heart (at first I thought it was a poppy, which grow all around here!) in the bottom hallway. So colorful!
My room is a studio apartment, which means that we (Julia and I) have one room that is the kitchen, dining room and bedroom-in-one. The beds are rather small, and if she stretches out, my roommate's feet hang off the end! I, myself, have almost fallen off on occasion because they are so narrow. We now have a little bit of food in the refrigerator, and I wash the dishes every day. I also really enjoy opening the shutters every morning to let in the sunlight, not to mention I feel so cool when I open them and look out onto the bustling street below. We also have a bathroom with a teeny-tiny shower (you literally can't bend over) and we also have a bidet! Pepere asked if I had a bidet, and I told him "no" because I didn't know what it looked like. Well, Pepere, it turns out that I do! For those that don't know, a bidet is very common in European countries, and has a little faucet to wash off your rear after using the toilette. I dare you not to laugh: some girls in my group have been using it to shave their legs!
Above our apartment there is a little door that says "privato," so I don't think we're allowed up there. But there is also a skylight above the stairwell! I am really eager to sit on the landing under the bright sunlight streaming down and read my kindle. I'm still not done Sherlock Holmes! To be honest, I've spent most of my time either skyping or on blogger, but I'm not complaining. Those are the things I want to do most. Reading comes after being in the market, underneath the Italian balconies!
I love walking down the stairs and directly onto the street. We're just a minute's walk away from everything important: the university where we have classes, the river, the fresh fruit market, a convenience store where I have bought sun screen and tissues (I've been rather sick lately), and I live RIGHT next to a pizzeria, an amazing cafe, and bakery! The woman who runs the bakery is my new best friend, haha. She doesn't speak a word of English, but she is so cheerful, and we communicate using hand gestures. Julia and I bought 2 dozen cookies for the group dinner, and I loved watching her count out the cookies in Italian. Then I bought a strawberry cake-thingy for myself and my taste buds died and went to heaven!
I have just two complaints about my apartment; first, the hot water is all gone by the time I shower in the morning. I often jump around because it's so cold, so I've learned to shower at night before bed, even if it means messy hair the next day. And secondly, the noise from the traffic outside my window is unbearable! Despite living on the top floor of the building, even the shutters, windows and curtains can't keep out the shouts of the university students and the revs of the motorcycles (of which there are many). I think the noise reverberates off the buildings on each side of the street. During the day, the buses are the worst. There is a bus stop right across from our apartment. I don't sleep very well. Plus I've had a runny nose and persistent cough since I arrived. All in all though, I really do enjoy my apartment :)
Julia and I live on the fourth and top floor of our building that has a very Italian name, above an authentic Italian pizza shop (which is far better than American pizza, by the way) and across the street from beautiful Italian red tile roofs. The first floor is the shop, the second floor has two apartments: my professor and a double, the third floor has a double and a triple, and my floor has a double for Julia and I, and a quad for the 4 boys. The stairs are marble, and can be very slippery. I've already slipped and fallen coming down! I especially love that each landing has a different brightly-colored wall. The first landing is tangerine orange, the second floor is teal blue, and my floor is bright purple! The colors make he happy on the long walk up to my room :) The rest of the walls going up the stairs are yellow and lime green, and there's a big red picture of an abstract heart (at first I thought it was a poppy, which grow all around here!) in the bottom hallway. So colorful!
My room is a studio apartment, which means that we (Julia and I) have one room that is the kitchen, dining room and bedroom-in-one. The beds are rather small, and if she stretches out, my roommate's feet hang off the end! I, myself, have almost fallen off on occasion because they are so narrow. We now have a little bit of food in the refrigerator, and I wash the dishes every day. I also really enjoy opening the shutters every morning to let in the sunlight, not to mention I feel so cool when I open them and look out onto the bustling street below. We also have a bathroom with a teeny-tiny shower (you literally can't bend over) and we also have a bidet! Pepere asked if I had a bidet, and I told him "no" because I didn't know what it looked like. Well, Pepere, it turns out that I do! For those that don't know, a bidet is very common in European countries, and has a little faucet to wash off your rear after using the toilette. I dare you not to laugh: some girls in my group have been using it to shave their legs!
Above our apartment there is a little door that says "privato," so I don't think we're allowed up there. But there is also a skylight above the stairwell! I am really eager to sit on the landing under the bright sunlight streaming down and read my kindle. I'm still not done Sherlock Holmes! To be honest, I've spent most of my time either skyping or on blogger, but I'm not complaining. Those are the things I want to do most. Reading comes after being in the market, underneath the Italian balconies!
I love walking down the stairs and directly onto the street. We're just a minute's walk away from everything important: the university where we have classes, the river, the fresh fruit market, a convenience store where I have bought sun screen and tissues (I've been rather sick lately), and I live RIGHT next to a pizzeria, an amazing cafe, and bakery! The woman who runs the bakery is my new best friend, haha. She doesn't speak a word of English, but she is so cheerful, and we communicate using hand gestures. Julia and I bought 2 dozen cookies for the group dinner, and I loved watching her count out the cookies in Italian. Then I bought a strawberry cake-thingy for myself and my taste buds died and went to heaven!
I have just two complaints about my apartment; first, the hot water is all gone by the time I shower in the morning. I often jump around because it's so cold, so I've learned to shower at night before bed, even if it means messy hair the next day. And secondly, the noise from the traffic outside my window is unbearable! Despite living on the top floor of the building, even the shutters, windows and curtains can't keep out the shouts of the university students and the revs of the motorcycles (of which there are many). I think the noise reverberates off the buildings on each side of the street. During the day, the buses are the worst. There is a bus stop right across from our apartment. I don't sleep very well. Plus I've had a runny nose and persistent cough since I arrived. All in all though, I really do enjoy my apartment :)
This is a view of our apartment from across the street! We enter through the little door next to the blue awning, which is the pizzeria. Julia and I have the top set of windows :)
Day 6: Italian Renaissance and Tourism
Happy Memorial Day. Enjoy your All-American BBQs and parades! At least I'll be in Italy for June 2nd, which is their independence day. I learned that Justin Beiber is playing in the Roman Arena as part of the celebration, hahaha.
slept in. took my time in the shower while julia went for a run. Then ate cereal and found 15 euro in my pocket! I love surprises!
first class at 1pm. was 3 hours long and it was rather hard to concentrate. I love my professor's lectures, but they are long enough in a regular semester when they are 1 hour and 15 minutes long. These are twice that!
I also lost the back of my earring during class. I'm not sure where it fell out...on the street or in my apartment, or in school. I'll have to find a new pair to wear. I'm afraid one of my ears is closing because I pushed it through on one side and it was bleeding yesterday.
walked around with my new friend jess. bought much-needed tissues and shampoo at the convenience store (I want all of the pretty nail polish colors they have!). Then we went actual clothes shopping. Passed Juliet's balcony!!! Locks are sooo cool. Balcony built in 1936. Then bought dress and tank top and nice shirt. Jess and I wandered through my favorite piazza, Piazza Erbe and ate and a very very expensive tourist-y cafe. I had pear juice, which I loved sooo much and I can't wait to look for it in the grocery store (there are very few supermarket-style stores. most places are small markets). I had my first American-ish meal of beef stew and french fries. And saw these sights from my seat!!! Then came back and skyped with the family for Memorial Day. I wish I could be with you all!!!
slept in. took my time in the shower while julia went for a run. Then ate cereal and found 15 euro in my pocket! I love surprises!
first class at 1pm. was 3 hours long and it was rather hard to concentrate. I love my professor's lectures, but they are long enough in a regular semester when they are 1 hour and 15 minutes long. These are twice that!
I also lost the back of my earring during class. I'm not sure where it fell out...on the street or in my apartment, or in school. I'll have to find a new pair to wear. I'm afraid one of my ears is closing because I pushed it through on one side and it was bleeding yesterday.
walked around with my new friend jess. bought much-needed tissues and shampoo at the convenience store (I want all of the pretty nail polish colors they have!). Then we went actual clothes shopping. Passed Juliet's balcony!!! Locks are sooo cool. Balcony built in 1936. Then bought dress and tank top and nice shirt. Jess and I wandered through my favorite piazza, Piazza Erbe and ate and a very very expensive tourist-y cafe. I had pear juice, which I loved sooo much and I can't wait to look for it in the grocery store (there are very few supermarket-style stores. most places are small markets). I had my first American-ish meal of beef stew and french fries. And saw these sights from my seat!!! Then came back and skyped with the family for Memorial Day. I wish I could be with you all!!!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Day 5: Mass in the Duomo and Dinner with Julia
walked 20 minutes to 11am mass.
could follow along well
church cut in half. only used back
Add website
Add pictures
Coughing fit. came back next to nice lady. knew enuff to say welcome.
Bells ringing when out of church.
walked back. heard "JULIE!" met up with group.
Crossed bridge to go home. Saw rafts again. Boston Redsocks hat. yelled. framingham state
almost lost voice. slept 3 hours 1-4. then worked on blog and skyped.
Found super market open on Sunday. Around arena. Got cereal, milk, pasta, sauce and iced tea. yum. I've had cereal for breakfast ever since, saving me a few euro instead of buying fluffy croissants at the corner cafe I love so much.
Dinner with Julia at the pizza place right outside our front door. They are very nice there. Julia and I had great time bonding and learning more about each other. (also, finally posted the first blog. i've been writing a little each day, but it's so hard to catch up!) Excited for first class tomorrow
could follow along well
church cut in half. only used back
Add website
Add pictures
Coughing fit. came back next to nice lady. knew enuff to say welcome.
Bells ringing when out of church.
walked back. heard "JULIE!" met up with group.
Crossed bridge to go home. Saw rafts again. Boston Redsocks hat. yelled. framingham state
almost lost voice. slept 3 hours 1-4. then worked on blog and skyped.
Found super market open on Sunday. Around arena. Got cereal, milk, pasta, sauce and iced tea. yum. I've had cereal for breakfast ever since, saving me a few euro instead of buying fluffy croissants at the corner cafe I love so much.
Dinner with Julia at the pizza place right outside our front door. They are very nice there. Julia and I had great time bonding and learning more about each other. (also, finally posted the first blog. i've been writing a little each day, but it's so hard to catch up!) Excited for first class tomorrow
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Day 4: Rafting and Group Cooking!
May 26, 2012 (Originally posted May 30)
This morning I was going to meet people from downstairs at the corner cafe for breakfast. Since I couldn't hear anything in their room, I walked across the street myself and was thrilled to find that the woman behind the counter recognized me! After I answered with a shy but cheerful "Caio!" and saw that no one else was there yet, I waited around. Since no one else showed up I crossed the street, went back up to my 4th floor appartment and had "Armonie dorate" which I think is the name for sliced biscottate, cuz it just tasted like toast.
We took public bus system using the booklet of 10 tickets we each bought at the tobacco shop the night before. Tobacco shops here have blue signs with white "T"s on them that say "Sale e Tobacchi" meaning salt and tobacco because both used to be taxed. As our professor, Peter, jokingly said "The downfall of mankind-salt." It's not taxed anymore, though the word is still on the signs. Tourists need tobacco shops because they sell bus tickets (singles or books of 10) and postage stamps.
Rafting!!! History lesson. One big splash-soaked
Walked to university cafeteria with soaking wet shoes. yuck
Planned group dinner for that night. Julia and I made garlic bread. Bought at market. Bought Cookies at bakery. Met my new best friend the bakery lady. Got myself delicious strawberry-topped cake.
Oven smoked. Opened all the windows and boys' windows across the hall. Used oven in someone elses's apartment. Everyone in our apartment for dinner. Menu. washed the dishes.
Out to walk around city. Got hot tea at cafe and waiter thought I was strange. Julia got hot chocolate and he laughed at both of us. Came home late because I wasn't about to walk across the city by myself after dark, no matter how safe I feel.
This morning I was going to meet people from downstairs at the corner cafe for breakfast. Since I couldn't hear anything in their room, I walked across the street myself and was thrilled to find that the woman behind the counter recognized me! After I answered with a shy but cheerful "Caio!" and saw that no one else was there yet, I waited around. Since no one else showed up I crossed the street, went back up to my 4th floor appartment and had "Armonie dorate" which I think is the name for sliced biscottate, cuz it just tasted like toast.
We took public bus system using the booklet of 10 tickets we each bought at the tobacco shop the night before. Tobacco shops here have blue signs with white "T"s on them that say "Sale e Tobacchi" meaning salt and tobacco because both used to be taxed. As our professor, Peter, jokingly said "The downfall of mankind-salt." It's not taxed anymore, though the word is still on the signs. Tourists need tobacco shops because they sell bus tickets (singles or books of 10) and postage stamps.
Rafting!!! History lesson. One big splash-soaked
Walked to university cafeteria with soaking wet shoes. yuck
Planned group dinner for that night. Julia and I made garlic bread. Bought at market. Bought Cookies at bakery. Met my new best friend the bakery lady. Got myself delicious strawberry-topped cake.
Oven smoked. Opened all the windows and boys' windows across the hall. Used oven in someone elses's apartment. Everyone in our apartment for dinner. Menu. washed the dishes.
Out to walk around city. Got hot tea at cafe and waiter thought I was strange. Julia got hot chocolate and he laughed at both of us. Came home late because I wasn't about to walk across the city by myself after dark, no matter how safe I feel.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Day 3: Orientation and Tour
May 25th, 2012 (Originally posted May 30)
On way to university, met at cafe on the corner
University. learned about quiet hours, business hours, busses and trains
Break
After our break, the photography professor, Peter, took us on a walking tour of Verona, which he has visited many times before. We first walked to Piazza Erbe like we had the day before, but then we took a left, onto a shopping street paved with marble! There are many high-end clothing shops, a lot like Newbury Street (or at least, I think so). Also, people walk their dogs everywhere! This includes the marble streets and into the clothing stores. Naturally, when you take pets out in public, they will have to do their business, and in Verona they do it on the streets. Yuck. If you are lucky enough to visit Verona in the future, you have been warned. Also, I have to wonder what the unfortunate people with dog allergies do. They must either lock themselves indoors or take really heavy medication, because they are unavoidable here.
Street performers are really popular here. One man dressed as a Roman soldier came up to my group and did some role playing with Julia. I got pictures of one man who was frozen in time, with his tie and jacket thrown out behind him like he was in a rush! I would have thought he was a statue, but he sloooowly turned his head to smile at us (it was really creepy).
Keep in mind that this man is standing absolutely still! His tie and jacket are positioned to stay like that, and his hat is on the ground for money. I can't imagine how bad his back leg must hurt.
At the opposite end of the street was Piazza Bra, the largest and busiest piazza in Verona, which is built around the Roman Arena! When it was built in 30 AD (!!!), the arena was outside the city, but now, it's close to the center. It is one of the best-preserved ancient structures of all time, and has many operas and concerts there every year (Justin Bieber is singing on Saturday, June 2nd as part of Italy's independence day festivities)! If you want to read a little more on it, I'd suggest Wikipedia.
As a side note, I can hear church bells ringing as I write this entre. Cool!
Across the piazza we found my favorite gelato place, which I think is better than Federica's favorite. Their gelato is creamier. Yum!
To be continued!!!
Castle, up the hill, took pictures of the city from above
On way to university, met at cafe on the corner
University. learned about quiet hours, business hours, busses and trains
Break
After our break, the photography professor, Peter, took us on a walking tour of Verona, which he has visited many times before. We first walked to Piazza Erbe like we had the day before, but then we took a left, onto a shopping street paved with marble! There are many high-end clothing shops, a lot like Newbury Street (or at least, I think so). Also, people walk their dogs everywhere! This includes the marble streets and into the clothing stores. Naturally, when you take pets out in public, they will have to do their business, and in Verona they do it on the streets. Yuck. If you are lucky enough to visit Verona in the future, you have been warned. Also, I have to wonder what the unfortunate people with dog allergies do. They must either lock themselves indoors or take really heavy medication, because they are unavoidable here.
Street performers are really popular here. One man dressed as a Roman soldier came up to my group and did some role playing with Julia. I got pictures of one man who was frozen in time, with his tie and jacket thrown out behind him like he was in a rush! I would have thought he was a statue, but he sloooowly turned his head to smile at us (it was really creepy).
These two are also street performers; an Egyptian mummy and the Statue of Liberty (didn't quite get the color right, though)!
At the opposite end of the street was Piazza Bra, the largest and busiest piazza in Verona, which is built around the Roman Arena! When it was built in 30 AD (!!!), the arena was outside the city, but now, it's close to the center. It is one of the best-preserved ancient structures of all time, and has many operas and concerts there every year (Justin Bieber is singing on Saturday, June 2nd as part of Italy's independence day festivities)! If you want to read a little more on it, I'd suggest Wikipedia.
As a side note, I can hear church bells ringing as I write this entre. Cool!
Across the piazza we found my favorite gelato place, which I think is better than Federica's favorite. Their gelato is creamier. Yum!
To be continued!!!
Castle, up the hill, took pictures of the city from above
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