Tuscania, Tuscania, Tuscania!

My favorite view in the city!

Yes...that is MY house!

The foyer when you first walk into the house.

La cuchina: the most important room!

The terrace where we eat dinner sometimes, and where they grow all of their herbs, tomatoes, and strawberries.

Today is the day that I finally get to see Tuscania!  It is bittersweet, because I really dont want to leave Rome yet, but I am soo anxious to meet my host family and see this little town.  We got on the bus and had to detour to the airport to pick up Brittni's luggage.  She was one of my roommates in Rome, and her luggage got mixed up and had not come yet so we went to pick it up.  I fell asleep for a few minutes, and when I woke up, I could not believe my eyes.  We were driving through the Italian countryside, and the views were incredible!  I started to get nervous when I saw the signs for Tuscania, because I knew we were close.  I felt so nervous that I wouldnt be able to communicate with my host family because of the language barrier and I just didnt know what to expect.  But thats why this trip has been so fun so far--no expectations.   We were driving through Tuscania, which is adorable.  It is a small, quaint, typical Italian village where everyone knows everyone, and the city itself is beautiful.  The van stopped and Irene said, "Ok, this is your house."  My first thoughts "Shut the front door, this is not MY house!"  I don't even know how to describe it, other than perfect.  I was greeted at the front door by Manuela, my host mom.  If you were to look up Italian mother/housewife her picture would be the definition. haha  She was wearing her apron as she was already preparing lunch for us, and she started to give us a tour of the house.  The entrance way has a big stone arch, with Marble floors and old furniture.  The house has been in her family for 3 generations.  The only room on the first floor is the kitchen.  The second floor is where their living room is, and their kids, Oleania and Patrizio's bedrooms. "Ole" is 18 and Patrizio is 23.  I'll meet them later.  THe communication barrier is pretty large since I know only a few words in Italian and Manuela knows zero english, but through a lot of gesturing and pointing, we are working through it.  I got to the third floor where my room is, and it is so nice.  I have a bedroom, bathroom, and office on my floor and I can see the main city from my windows.  Again, I felt like I was in a movie when i walked into my room and threw open the shutters and all I can see is Italy!  I went down to lunch which she said was "just a quick little something" and was greeted by 8 more people and a full Italian feast. haha  Irene and Mei were there from the school, and Ilaria (Manuela and Felice's oldest daughter) and her husband, Giusseppe, and Felice and Patrizio were home from work for lunch and Oleania home from school.  It was so fun!  Manuela served the first course, Risotto with ragu and we all started to eat. Everyone was talking and eating, and it was just fun (even though it was all in Italian so Irene had to help translate a little bit).  After about 45 minutes, I thought we were done, and then Manuela got up and pulled out huge pan from the oven. Roasted chicken!  And potatoes that were OMG delicioso.  Then we had Cherry crostada and cherries (cilliege) and sat there talking for a long time.  I think that is the best meal I have ever eaten in my life.  If I could choose my last meal, that would probably be it. It was unbelievable.  BUT, after lunch, Manuela apologized for the lunch and said that she didnàt have a lot of time that day, and was sorry she didnt do her best for us!  WHAT?!  I cannot even imagine what her best cooking is if that was her worst, but I am excited to find out :)  Then Felice explained how everything we ate was from their farm.  The beef from their cows, the sausage from their pigs, their chicken, their vegetables and fruit, etc.  They even make their own Ricotta (which was also part of dessert)!  I unpacked and settled in later, and then we had an Orientaion dinner with the school at a local restaurant with all of the American students and some of the "locals" so we could practice Italian (which I need to learn....fast).  It was delicious of course, and I watched some TV with the family (thankfully they put on English subtitles) and went to bed.     Friday morning I had breakfast with Manuela (she made cappucinos and biscotti and yogurt that they made at their farm) and then I went to the park, and sat writing in my journal looking up a tthe most beautiful view of Tuscania. I still cant believe I'm here, and I have some adjusting to do, but I can't  wait to see what is to come, since it's only been a few days and I love it!  We had orientation at the school, went to the Friday market in the historic center, got a tour of the city, and just explored.  I went back for lunch with the family and then hung out with Oleania and their little cousins, Georgio and Elisa (3 and 5--so cute!)  Everyone came back over for dinner which we ate outside on their terrace.  They weren't kidding when they told us that they take a long time for dinner.  We sat outside talking and eating for almost 4 hours!  I am already learning a lot of words, so I can't wait to see how much i know when Im done with the five weeks!

St. Peter's and the Vatican

Today we are spending the afternoon at the Vatican. No one else in my group wanted to go in the morning to see the papal audience (I know, you are probably thinking the same think I did--why the heck would you NOT want to go see the Pope when in Rome?!), so I didnt get to which was kind of disappointing, but we left later in the day to go tour St.Peter's and the Vatican Museum.  We got there after a LONG; HOT walk but we had tickets so didnàt have to wait.  Our our guide was Paula so she took us through the Museum first.  We walked through the halls with the Greek and ROman statues, then the tapestry room, map room, Rafael's rooms, and I know Mrs. Haas would be proud that I remembered and recognized so many of the pieces!  It was almost a 4 hour tour, so pretty long, and after a while we were all tired and hungry, but it was all so beautiful.  I don't think I can even attempt to describe what it was like to walk into the Sistine Chapel.  It was breathtaking.  We sat there for a long time just to take it all in, but I could have sat there for days!  We kept going through the ROyal corridor, past the quarters of the swiss guards and then the Pope, and got to St. Peter's.  Again, there are no words to describe the beauty or size of that Church.  I was hoping to get the chance to climb the stairs to the top, but there wasnt enough time.  We spent a lot of time in the Church learning about tthe different artwork, and then we approached what looked like a chapel.  She started to explain what it was, and it was the resting place of Blessed JP II.  I didnt realize that we would see that, so that was a good surprise.  We walked through St. Peters square, went to eat again, and then spent the afternoon at the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, and the Roman Forum.  We had a free night, so we met up with some of the other students and went to dinner at ?Nauchiamo, i think was the name.  We got to see almost all of the sites again at night which was magnificent, and we ended the night eating gelato on the stairs of the Pantheon.  Read that sentence again.  I ended my night, eating gelato with my tour group and some of the locals, on the steps of the Pantheon. (I have a video of that to show when I get home) How awesome!  Everytime I look around, I still cant believe I'm here.  I seriously that this is too perfect to be real, it must be a dream!

Roma--Day 1

The API group at the Colosseum.

St. Peter's Square

About to throw my coin in the Trevi Fountain!

First Pizza in Italy.  Yummm :)

I started my first day in Rome with breakfast at the hotel, and got to try nutella for the first time..so good!  Our tour guide for the day, Paulo, met us and we went on a walking tour of Rome.  We went through Campo de'Fiori with a wonderful market so I tried to see if this was the one my host family worked at, but no luck. We went to the Pallazzo della Cancelleria which houses the tribunal of the Vatican, then Piazza Navona (the center for art and night life), and then we turned a corner through some cobblestone roads, and all of a sudden, like out of nowhere, we walked right into the Pantheon!  That is the beauty of Rome.  All of the historic sites are situated within the modern city, so they are so accessible.  Inside the Pantheon is a Jesuit Church which I was excited to learn about.  We took a coffee break and I had a granita de cafe con panna.  Basically tasted like I was eating a coffee bean, haha, but they like strong coffee.  We went to the Church of St. Ignatius--the first Jesuit Church in Rome.  We walked through the streets to the Trevi Fountain, so I got to toss in my coin and make a wish!  We walked to the Piazza Venenzia, saw the Vittoriano monument, the house of Michaelangelo, and the Italian government.  We stopped for lunch, and I had my first pizza in Rome (sorry Lino's but best pizza I've ever haad at the cafe we went to haha).  We toured on our own the rest of the day, which consisted of going back to a few of the things we saw before, shopping, and of course, eating more!  After dinner, we went across the street from the hotel to get gelato and got it for free!  Its already going by so fast!

Arrival in Rome!

Oh my goodness, time is flying!  So much has happened, and I have so much to update!! It will take me a few entries to fill you in on my first week, and then I'll be caught up.  Here are my journal entries from the last week:

May 22nd--Departure day!

The day is here!  I am leaving to go to Italy, FINALLY!  I was too excited to sleep so I packed and re'packed and ran around making sure everything was in order.  Nana and Aunt Denise came over, we took some pics, and headed to VanGalder to get the bus to Ohare.  We got to the international terminal and I started getting nervous, "oh my gosh, I'm really doing this!" I found out my flight was delayed until 4:15, and then 6:45 so dad and I hung around and ate lunch (and then dinner haha) until it was time to go.  I went through security; got to my gate, and found out the flight was delayed again until 9pm at the earliest and they said it would most likely be cancelled and we could stay in the hotel until the next day.  Uhoh! That was not in the plans!  So with no working cell phone, I got to a pay phone, called dad and went back out to the terminal until 9pm.  Then I went back through security to my gate where they told s the crew hadnt arrived yet.  So we finally boarded when the crew got there around 10:00.  We got all ready to go, and the pilot said that we were going to sit and wait out the rainy, thunderstormy, weather.  SO close!  We waited about an hour, and finally took off.  After that, the flight was good, I slept a lot, and made it to Rome.  We got off the plane and got on a shuttle to the airport, went through customs, and then I had to find my way to the hotel.  API was supposed to pick us up, but because of the delay, I had to take a taxi.  That was when it really hit me that I am I really doing this. It was kind of scary knowing that I was in a place I;ve never been, I dont speak the language; and I dont know anyone so I was definitely feeling out of my comfort zone.  BUT, I did it and I got to the hotel, met the other girls and we went walking throughout the  city.  It was everything I had envisioned, and nothing that I expected at the same time.  I felt like I was in a whole different world!  Irene, the Director of my program, took us to dinner at a "typical" restaurant, and she taught us about the culture, the food and the area of Rome. And I enjoyed my first Italian meal! Which was delicious, by the way :)  Long day of sightseeing tomorrow!  Now is about the time I wish I knew more Italian, but hopefully I learn fast!

I'm here!

I'm here--I am in Italy!  I know this is late since I've been here a while, but I just wanted to do a quick update to let everyone know that I'm here, and it's been wonderful so far.  When I get more time, hopefully on Monday, I will update with what I've done this last week in Roma and once I got here to Tuscania.  My host family is wonderful, and the city is beautiful, and I already love it here.  It seems like I'm living in a dream, or in a movie! I will try, try, try to update more soon!

OMG! It's really happening!

Departure day!!!  I am too excited to sleep!!  I have packed and re-packed and re-packed, making sure everything is as it needs to be.  I don’t think it has fully hit me yet that I will be in Italy within the next 24 hours.  It probably won’t until I walk into the airport. Through the API and Marquette orientations, I have had a lot of opportunity to think about what I want to get out of this trip, and some goals I have, however, I am really going into this trip with a completely open mind and very little expectations. I just want to embrace every experience as it comes, and just enjoy my time there.  My family tells me I am too calm and wonders how I do not seem nervous.  Truth is, I AM nervous—especially for the whole “flying for the first time by myself and internationally thing” and not knowing what to expect—but the excitement outweighs the nervousness/anxiety so that it doesn’t seem so bad.  It makes me a little anxious that I don’t know anyone yet, that I don’t speak the language, and that I’ve never traveled alone before, but hey, ya gotta live and learn!  This trip is going to make me step outside of my comfort zone (for a whole 5 weeks), which is kind of daunting and scary, but I know I will learn so much about myself and it will all be worth it. 

I am taking the bus from Rockford to O’Hare with my dad.  Then I will be checking my luggage, going through security and all that jazz, and then boarding my plane for the 9 hour flight to Roma. I am supposed get there at about 8am their time, get picked up by API staff, check in at my hotel, and start to explore with the other students! 

I'll leave you with two of my favorite quotes:

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."  --Helen Keller

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover." --Mark Twain

Next time I post, I will be doing so from Italia.  Here’s to embarking on the adventure of a lifetime!

Andiamo!

24 hours!

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Less than 24 hours until I will be sitting on a plane on my way to Roma!  I am running around doing all of my final errands, and packing.  To my surprise, I have EXTRA room in my suitcase, and it is underweight.  But with all of the trips I have been on, I guess I have learned to pack efficiently J 

Just a side note, I will not have my phone in Italy, so I won’t be able receive any phone calls or text messages.  I will have an international cell phone, but that is only for emergencies and my parents J  I WILL, however, have pretty consistent access to the internet and computers so I can receive e-mails and/or facebook.  I will try to update this blog as often as possible also so you know what I’m up to.  

Mia Famiglia de Tuscania

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Just when I thought I couldn’t get more excited for this trip, I received my host family assignment.  I AM SO THRILLED!  I will be living with the Nicolai family for my 5 weeks in Tuscania.  The father, Felice, is a farmer and the mother, Manuela, is a housewife.  They have a daughter, Oleania who is 18, and a son, Patrizio who is 23.  I will have my own bedroom and bathroom, and they will be providing three meals per day during the week, so I will be getting some real, home-cooked Italian food! Also, to make things even more exciting, the family travels to Rome every weekend to sell their goods from their farm at the market, which I will now be part of!  So when I’m not off on an API excursion, I will be able to travel to Rome with them and participate in their family business. 

I am starting to meet some of the other people on my trip through facebook, and we are all so excited, and counting down the hours.  There are only five other people in my program, so we will get to know each other quite well.  Three of them will be living in apartments about 5 minutes from my house, and two of them are also with host families.  My house is in the historic center of the city, and only a five-minute walk from my school, Lorenzo de’Medici Italian Institute.  

One Week!

May 15, 2011 

After finishing exams and officially being half way done with college (whoohoo, upperclassman!), moving out of the dorms and making plans to move into my house (moving in to a “Crew house” with my teammates), and finishing rowing season by making quarter-finals at DadVails, life really couldn’t get much better!

Oh wait it can… in one week, my Italian adventure begins! 

Where has the time gone?!  It seems like I just started the process of looking for programs and applying (which was not an easy task), and here I am months later, starting my blog and beginning to pack.  With all that has filled my schedule, I haven’t been able to focus much on the trip, but now that it’s almost here, I cannot believe it.

For those of you that do not already know, I will be studying abroad in Tuscania, Italy with Academic Programs International (API) for five weeks.  I fly straight to Rome, and will spend the first few days there with the other students in my program.  After those few days, we will all travel to Tuscania where we will have an orientation, move into our housing (I am living with a host family), and learn about the city.

Tuscania is a small town about 90 minutes from Rome and on the border of Lazio and Tuscany. One of the reasons I chose this API program, was because it was in a smaller city, where I will be able to separate myself more from my own culture, and truly live and experience the Italian culture, rather than simply being a tourist.  I will be “studying” (if you can call it that haha) at Lorenzo de’Medici- Italian International Institute during the week, where I am enrolled in Italian Language Immersion, and Current Trends in Italian Cuisine.  If all goes as planned, I will return with some new language skills, and a fabulous recipe book! 

My API—Tuscania group,which is about 6 students and one resident director, will go on a few different “excursions” throughout the five weeks.  One to Rome, one to Florence, one to Cinque Terre, and one to Isola del giglio.  We will also do some other activities that we will plan as a group when we arrive such as festivals, and historic visits.

A lot of people ask me why I am doing this.  Well…ever since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to go to Italy, and it’s something I’ve dreamed of doing.  When I heard about this specific program from my RA who went last summer, I knew that this was something I had to try to do.  How could I turn down an opportunity to travel to and live in the place I’ve dreamed about, to learn the language I’ve always wanted to learn, and immerse myself the culture of my ancestors?  Well, I couldn’t.  So here I am, about to embark on a journey of my dreams, and I could not be more excited. Every free moment has been spent preparing for this trip, and I CANNOT WAIT until I step of that plane and begin my adventure in Italy. 

For these last few days, I will be spending my time frantically shopping and packing and making sure everything is in order and ready, and learning as much Italian as I can. 

P.S. I have never kept a blog before so bear with me as I figure out how this thing works!