This was an undertaking that I was clearly unprepared for. I have since realized that I am a slacker who knows no bounds... As much as I enjoy writing these posts (truly, I do... I crack myself up) I find that not exerting any effort at all is just so much easier.
Spark Notes:
Europe is super fun.
Baguettes in Paris, beers in Munich, the inexpensive glory that is Prague, fake British accent and those red phonebooth things in London, salsa dancing and exhaustion in Madrid, truffles in Bologna... maybe I'll post more detailed stories when I get back to America.
But probably not.
DON'T LOSE FAITH IN ME
(but it's probably best if you do...)
Cinque Mesi Italiani
A Chronicle of My Semester Abroad
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Sigh of Relief
Dear Precious Reader,
I can practically hear you squeal in excitement wherever you are because yes, I am back, and boy do I have some stories for you.
I must apologize for my lack of posting... It has been a month since my last post, on my honor, or may I be chopped up and turned into soup.
Let's start from the top:
My last post told the story of the adventurous adventure park and that, my dear friends, was my final day in Cortina.
I spent the weekend in Venice at the Biennale- an art exhibition held every year which featured both a film festival and an architecture feature this year. This event marked the beginning of my temporary job.
Carlotta and Nicola produce an architecture magazine called The Plan, and they decided to launch their new social platform at the Biennale this year. I went with them and functioned as an intern- handing out invitations to randos, putting up signs, giving out free goodies, and getting people to subscribe to the magazine.
Even though I was there to work, Carlotta and I did take a night off to visit the film festival... Zac Efron's new movie was premiering and we decided to get tickets. Unfortunately, the premier Zac was going to was already sold out, so we were forced to watch in the theater next door with the general public... how humiliating. So much for my plan to casually rub elbows with Zac, have him realize that I have "it" and then have him make me famous... Maybe next time.
I didn't even get his autograph! Ughh.
My Venetian weekend also included some museums, and a touch of sightseeing (Piazza San Marco at night... wow). We also left just moments before the entire Grand Canal was shut down for the Historical Regatta. The event has been held annually for thousands of years, so they're clearly still trying to get it to catch on...
Once back in Bologna, I immediately began working for The Plan. I created a twitter account, helped update the official Facebook page, and edited the English translations. Shameless plug.
I worked for two weeks, taking a day trip to Verona in the process (that day requires it's own separate entry), and finally, it was time for my semester to start.
On September 16, I headed to Florence.
I can practically hear you squeal in excitement wherever you are because yes, I am back, and boy do I have some stories for you.
I must apologize for my lack of posting... It has been a month since my last post, on my honor, or may I be chopped up and turned into soup.
Let's start from the top:
My last post told the story of the adventurous adventure park and that, my dear friends, was my final day in Cortina.
I spent the weekend in Venice at the Biennale- an art exhibition held every year which featured both a film festival and an architecture feature this year. This event marked the beginning of my temporary job.
Carlotta and Nicola produce an architecture magazine called The Plan, and they decided to launch their new social platform at the Biennale this year. I went with them and functioned as an intern- handing out invitations to randos, putting up signs, giving out free goodies, and getting people to subscribe to the magazine.
Even though I was there to work, Carlotta and I did take a night off to visit the film festival... Zac Efron's new movie was premiering and we decided to get tickets. Unfortunately, the premier Zac was going to was already sold out, so we were forced to watch in the theater next door with the general public... how humiliating. So much for my plan to casually rub elbows with Zac, have him realize that I have "it" and then have him make me famous... Maybe next time.
I didn't even get his autograph! Ughh.
My Venetian weekend also included some museums, and a touch of sightseeing (Piazza San Marco at night... wow). We also left just moments before the entire Grand Canal was shut down for the Historical Regatta. The event has been held annually for thousands of years, so they're clearly still trying to get it to catch on...
Once back in Bologna, I immediately began working for The Plan. I created a twitter account, helped update the official Facebook page, and edited the English translations. Shameless plug.
I worked for two weeks, taking a day trip to Verona in the process (that day requires it's own separate entry), and finally, it was time for my semester to start.
On September 16, I headed to Florence.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
The Aptly Named "Adventure Park"
August 27
I spent the day at the local ropes course (literally called
“Parco Avventure”) and needless to say, it was aptly named. The park itself is
a sort of obstacle course, but built into tall larch trees. There are many
different courses, each varying in their degree of difficulty, but whether it’s
the smallest course designed for 8 year olds, or the most difficult course
available only to adults, each ends in a glorious zip line, making up for such
discomforts as shaky knees and emasculating squeals.
However, the afternoon’s story has nothing to do with the
park itself, it simply provided the unsavory characters and unstable terrain
upon which the story unfolded…
As we were going to spend the entire afternoon outside, Anna
decided that rather than leave her dog, Spike, home alone, it would be prudent
to bring him with us. What started as a reasonable decision turned out to be
the “if only we hadn’t…” part of this anecdote.
Anna, being the most responsible/only Italian-English
translator in our party, headed into the main office to negotiate ticket
payment and the signing of the waivers, so it fell to me to hold Spike. Surveying our surroundings, Spike and I spotted an adorably friendly-looking
black lab, so naturally we went over to make his acquaintance. However, much to
our surprise, this dog was in no mood for friendly butt sniffing, and decided
that Spike would make a better chew toy than a sidekick.
I found myself caught in the middle of this tussle, tangled up in two leashes,
and desperately kicking at Spike’s assailant. Carlo, seeing my distress, ran up
and threw a sweatshirt over our foe’s face, momentarily disorienting the dog
while he pulled Spike away from the scrap. However in his haste, Carlo failed
to see the steps behind him, and fell backwards, breaking his fall on his arm.
He eventually righted himself and appeared fine, but we later discovered that
he had slightly fractured his right wrist, but Carlo is a tough grandpa and
sports his new cast proudly (though he waited until we were done climbing
before he deemed it necessary to visit the emergency room).
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
America vs. Italy Musings
Aside from being offered cheese in place of dessert, there
are a few other things that are rather different over here in Italia. I have
been making special mental notes about them in the hopes of collecting enough
to make an entry out of them… It’s a work in progress.
1.
Cheese: no matter how many times it’s offered to
me, and clearly no matter how many times I mention it here, I still won’t get
used to it. Coming from a country that specializes in junk food, it’s quite
strange to be offered a hunk of bleu cheese instead of an Oreo and a glass of
milk. I absolutely love it, but it’s still a strange concept.
2.
Clothes: this one requires a bit more
explanation… In Cortina, the traditional clothing is similar to that of Germany
(lederhosen and whatnot). However, I was unaware that it is still considered
acceptable to dress children in such clothing on days other than October 31…
What I thought was an attempt at irony, turned out to be a widely occurring
thing. I will post a picture of one such child as soon as I can get one.
3.
Those 6 Glorious Inches: you know the ones I’m
talking about. That small swatch of cloth that covers that critical area of
man-thigh just above the knee. That tiny region which American males so
desperately cover with long, baggy shorts, are paraded about by Europeans without
any regard for common decency. It has been quite a culture shock.
4.
Food: it’s amazing. My afternoon snack looked
like something I would serve as an appetizer for an esteemed guest. I think
I’ll be okay here.
5.
Snacks: there are none. I have taken to hoarding
a personal stash of nectarines in my room, which I find I have to replenish
every couple of days. It’s like these Italians have never heard of secondbreakfast, elevensies, or even afternoon tea.
6.
Humor: I hang out with a 13 year old whose
second language is English. Don’t get me wrong: she’s amazing. Very mature for
her age, and hysterical, but through an unfortunate combination of the language
barrier and our age difference, I find my jokes are often lost on her. This pains
me. Without constant access to twitter to vent my constant random musings, or
texting to share my latest mishap, I find myself unable to share my more
amusing thoughts, my most recent one being this morning’s realization: The
house/ski cabin I currently reside in is constructed out of wood (duh), but the
floors aren’t the finished wooden floors I’m used to from my own home, they
have a more natural feel to them. This is great. It lends the house a very
authentic atmosphere, which makes me feel like I should be yodeling with my pet
goats. However, because the wood is unfinished, it leaves feet vulnerable to
splinters. Unaware of this hidden danger, on the first night I was running
around barefoot like some savage. Giovanna nearly had a heart attack, found a
pair of slippers for me, and insisted that I always wear them when in the
house. It wasn’t until I put them on this morning that I realized how
ridiculous I looked: while Guido and Anna donned their adorable blue and red
slippers lined with wool and embroidered with snowflakes, I was schlepping
around in old, albeit comfortable red grandpa slippers. Without even realizing
it, I would put on a skirt or a dress for the day, and then complement my
outfits with my slippers, sometimes going so far as to rock my always-patterned socks with them... I cringe even now as I type. Though my father
would commend me for my choice of comfort over fashion, my mother would be torn
between fits of hysterical laughter, and outright shame. Thank goodness my only
witnesses are people who already love me for my wit and sparkling personality.
Here, Where Dessert is Cheese
An Account of 3 Days in Cortina
August 24
A combination of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, interspersed
with a walk into town with Anna and her dog Spike, and telling jokes (the same
ones as the day before) with Fabio, his wife, and his little son Federico.
(Fabio joined Carlotta and Isabella in America for a few summers as children)
August 25
A little bit of seasonal confusion after I went skating and
drank the most delicious hot chocolate pretty much ever made. Then came a pizza
dinner with Anna’s American friends who recently moved to Bologna.
August 26
Wait a second… it rains in Narnia??
Typical rainy day spent inside: more hot chocolate,
and Anna and I made pancakes. Carlo and Giovanna had their friends over for
dinner, and Giovanna made me try grappa… Apparently it’s an acquired taste (one
I haven’t quite acquired yet).
Side Note: I’m terribly sorry if my daily reports bore you,
but this blog is not so much for you as it is for me. I plan to show this to my
children one day, and I work with the material I’m given so calm down and go
read Calvin and Hobbes if you need entertainment.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
For Those of You Feeling a Bit Lost...
For those of you still with us: I’ve thrown a lot of
information at you over the past few entries. Here’s some quick notes that I
think will help clear up any confusion.
When my mom was a kid, he parents found an Italian family
that wanted to expose their children to America/the English language.
Naturally, neither couple having actually met the other, they both decided to
do a sort of exchange: every summer there would be an exchange of children.
This created a lasting friendship among the two families which is still alive
today.
My mother became bestiezzz with the eldest daughter
Carlotta, and we try to see them at least once a year. Carlotta and Nicola have
two children: Anna, 12 (my little sister Olivia’s age) and Guido, 8. This is
the family we went to Croatia with.
Carlo and Giovanna, Carlotta’s parents are still intent on
keeping the child exchange alive, so when I decided to stay in Italy for the
three weeks between when the family vacation ended and my program began, they
were more than excited. I am currently living in their ski cabin, just chillin
with the two of them plus Anna and Guido. Now, back to your regularly scheduled
programming.
My Life as Julie Andrews (with English subtitles)
August 23
My short-lived stay in Bologna was over. I packed for Cortina and Venice, and went into the city with Nicola and Anna.
My short-lived stay in Bologna was over. I packed for Cortina and Venice, and went into the city with Nicola and Anna.
While Nicola tied up some lose ends at work, Anna took me
shopping in the city. Little known fact: in Italy, all the sales happen AT THE
SAME TIME. Guess what time it was when I got there? Yep. You guessed it. Sale
time. The two of us shopped for a bit before heading to her grandparents’ (on
Nicola’s side) apartment. Once there, I met Anna’s great-grandparents, who
taught me how to play a card game called Machiavelli, which is so super fun.
Then came the 3 ½ hour drive into the Alps, to a little town
called Cortina (home of a smattering of the Olympic events when they were held
in Torino).
Anna and I then took her dog Spike for a walk. We ended up
on this gorgeous hill covered with wildflowers, so naturally I started twirling
and singing in a way that I hoped would be even slightly reminiscent of this, but
probably ended up being more like this.
Then came the real work. Though both the children I am
living with (Anna and Guido) speak English fluently (as do their parents,
Carlotta and Nicola), their grandparents (Carlo and Giovanna, whose house I am
living in) do not. Neither Carlotta nor Nicola could join us on this
mountainous getaway, so I have found myself stranded in Italy, being forcefully
taught Italian. (yes, this was the plan, I did intend for this to happen, but
that DOES NOT make it any easier, and half the time I find myself standing
there, utterly lost.). HALP.
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