So our wonderful friend Francesco is leaving tomorrow to go to Australia. So there is a going away/thank you party for him at our apartment. However, last Tuesday they moved movie night back to the studio. Why??? My professor thought since more people are doing work at the studio, people can pop in and out to see the film. The numbers have been dwindling down. All he cares about is people coming to see these films he has picked out, he likes to be “the man.” I really hate this type, now I have to play along so I can do good in his class. So fake!!!
However, I had been feeling kind down all day, but been fighting through it. But by the time movie night started, I was definitely sick. My head was hurting, I had been coughing and I could feel that stuff in the back of my throat. After my roommate got back from getting the pizzas, I went and laid down. It was so loud in the apartment, but I really didn’t care anymore. The professor debut the movie we had been working on since we got here, I didn’t even have enough energy to get up to watch it.
I somehow drifted off to sleep, I woke up later people where still hanging out. The apartment looked a hot ass mess. Not to mention I moped the floor last week and now it looks worst than before. It was quite funny because the “too live crew” came in right before me. I went to get a handle for the mop. So I asked them if they could hang out somewhere else because I was about to mop. One girl says “Right now? We where about to draw and make some pasta.” Now mind you, they walked down the hallway where I had moved all the chairs and rugs. All I could say was “Yeah.” Then they yell back to my roommate “We need to go somewhere else because Arion about to mop the kitchen.” As if I cared, maybe I should mop everyday and they would go away.
Didn’t matter to me because I wasn’t cleaning up, just got some juice, went to the bathroom and back to lay down in the bed. My medicine didn’t feel like it was working. I took another pill and went back to sleep.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Day 28- Pisa & Erykah Badu
Finally, we make it to Pisa. Yesterday, about five of us tried to take the bus to Pisa, but this time the train strike also affected the buses. We had to go look at the pulpit at the Duomo of Pisa for our paper that’s due tomorrow. I really didn’t want to wait to the day before because now we have to rush back for class in the afternoon. I remember passing it when I took the bus from the airport to Lucca.
So as soon as you walk pass the gates right away you see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I thought it would be this huge tower, but it’s actually kind of small. Also the church isn’t that tall compared to all the churches we have been seeing. I was so mad that I left my camera, now I have to come back. In addition, the people that I was with didn’t want to pay the €15 to go inside the tower.
So we go through the baptistery and then the church into the to look at the two pulpits, the first was created by a guy named Nicola Pisano, which started a revolutionary change to design. The other one was created by Giovanni, his son several years later. So outside you see all these people with their arms in the air and taking pictures, as if they are holding the tower up themselves. It is hilarious to watch these people. We grab some lunch and head back out for class.
So I get to my video class, my professor is like oh we need to shot some more for the class video. A couple scenes just didn’t come out right, then we also need to do sound. All this man cares about is this stupid class video! We barely have anytime to do our own work or does he even care…NO! I had finished my tower piece and asked if he wanted to look at it for critic and he was like sure, but we never got to it. So we have less than two weeks to do our two individual projects for the class. I’m having trouble with concepts and ideas, never did videos before and not getting much help.
I will worry about that tomorrow, I finally go home and get dressed for the Erykah Badu concert. What’s really cool is the piazza where the concert is one block down from me. Don’t have to worry about any transportation, paying for parking, leaving early, traffic, just walk out the door and go. Some guy opened up the concert, I have no idea who he was, but he did pretty good. He was singing in Italian, it had a country/slow jams feel.
I was kind of bummed about going by myself, but vino and had a great time. My seat was pretty good, I could see people’s faces. Erykah came out, everybody started screaming, they have a lot of love for her. She had this red wrap on, then she took it off and had on a sliver tube top, one-piece pants suit. It was actually pretty fly! So there was this aisle down middle and people started seating there. So I moved up from row 11 to row 2 and sat on ground. The next thing I know four girls in front of me stood up and everybody else stood up. I went from row 2 to row 7. I wanted to seat down and enjoy the music, which now was impossible because even the people in the seats where standing up and on their chairs.
The security tried to control the crowd, but at this point it the fans had taken over. I was surprised to see a lot of men in the audience. They were cheering, yelling and screaming. I felt like I was the only black person in the audience and singing the songs. She sung all of her songs in English and spoke only two words in Italian, which was Lucca and grazie (thank you). She really put on a great performance. She sang, talked about her album and played the keyboard. It was a great night, until I had to go home and write my paper for class tomorrow.
So as soon as you walk pass the gates right away you see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I thought it would be this huge tower, but it’s actually kind of small. Also the church isn’t that tall compared to all the churches we have been seeing. I was so mad that I left my camera, now I have to come back. In addition, the people that I was with didn’t want to pay the €15 to go inside the tower.
So we go through the baptistery and then the church into the to look at the two pulpits, the first was created by a guy named Nicola Pisano, which started a revolutionary change to design. The other one was created by Giovanni, his son several years later. So outside you see all these people with their arms in the air and taking pictures, as if they are holding the tower up themselves. It is hilarious to watch these people. We grab some lunch and head back out for class.
So I get to my video class, my professor is like oh we need to shot some more for the class video. A couple scenes just didn’t come out right, then we also need to do sound. All this man cares about is this stupid class video! We barely have anytime to do our own work or does he even care…NO! I had finished my tower piece and asked if he wanted to look at it for critic and he was like sure, but we never got to it. So we have less than two weeks to do our two individual projects for the class. I’m having trouble with concepts and ideas, never did videos before and not getting much help.
I will worry about that tomorrow, I finally go home and get dressed for the Erykah Badu concert. What’s really cool is the piazza where the concert is one block down from me. Don’t have to worry about any transportation, paying for parking, leaving early, traffic, just walk out the door and go. Some guy opened up the concert, I have no idea who he was, but he did pretty good. He was singing in Italian, it had a country/slow jams feel.
I was kind of bummed about going by myself, but vino and had a great time. My seat was pretty good, I could see people’s faces. Erykah came out, everybody started screaming, they have a lot of love for her. She had this red wrap on, then she took it off and had on a sliver tube top, one-piece pants suit. It was actually pretty fly! So there was this aisle down middle and people started seating there. So I moved up from row 11 to row 2 and sat on ground. The next thing I know four girls in front of me stood up and everybody else stood up. I went from row 2 to row 7. I wanted to seat down and enjoy the music, which now was impossible because even the people in the seats where standing up and on their chairs.
The security tried to control the crowd, but at this point it the fans had taken over. I was surprised to see a lot of men in the audience. They were cheering, yelling and screaming. I felt like I was the only black person in the audience and singing the songs. She sung all of her songs in English and spoke only two words in Italian, which was Lucca and grazie (thank you). She really put on a great performance. She sang, talked about her album and played the keyboard. It was a great night, until I had to go home and write my paper for class tomorrow.
Day 26- Gondola
I didn’t sleep that good, but I know Jewel did, the snoring confirmed it. I was a little restless, but excited about the day. So we go down for our breakfast at the hotel, they gave us some pastries, had some wonderful yogurt and hot chocolate. Now we are on the hunt to find a gondola. Yesterday, we met a man named Lucca whose gondola is actually in the movie The Italian Job! Gonna be looking for him in the movie when I get home. So he’s a local celebrity. So we find a gondola and they said it would be ∍150 to take us to the Guggenheim museum. So we keep walking, some how we ended back where we found Lucca yesterday, there was a different guy and he said it would give us a 40 minute tour for ∍80, which was a lot better.
Getting into the boat was slightly tricky, it’s rocking back and forth, the weight is uneven, you feel like its going to tip over. Now we are moving, the water is so calm and peaceful, its puts you into a zone. Then we hit the Canal Grande, which is like the main highway and there we see all the other boats. So many people where taking our pictures of us, as if we where celebrities. So we saw the casino, a couple of the museums and churches on the ride. It was so beautiful. There where some alleys that where very narrow, but the way they maneuver the gondolas is incredible.
The rest of the day we shopped and didn’t make it to the Guggenheim museum, which I did want to see. There is just so much of Venezia to see and takes so long to walk through. There was a section of Venezia we never made it too. There was area that reminded me of 5th Ave. in New York, all the stores Gucci, Prada, Dior and so on. We did see the Basillca of San Marco. It was right off the water, there where lots of cruise ships, the sun was shinning bright, it was magnificent.
Since the sales where going on I was looking for a really great pair of shoes, but I really been seen anything that I gotta have or worth he money. I did get a pair of gloves as recommended by my friend Sonya. They are brown leather with tan stitching and cashmere lining, will have to see how warm they are in the winter. So we make back just in time to go tot the hotel to pick up our bags and get on the train. We get to our first stop in Bologna, grab some dinner, then the train is late and switches tracks. So once again we are running around the train station.
Then we get to Prato and missed our next connection train. There is a huge train strike tomorrow, but it starts the night before at 9pm. So we had planned to be back in Lucca before 8:30pm, however, with all the delays it’s already 8:30pm. So there is a train finally on the board for Lucca, which is an hour away from Prato. So now its running late, I’m looking at the board trains are getting canceled left and right. All I can do is sit and wait and hope. It finally shows up and it’s the last train pretty much going out of the station. So glad we made it home. The trains in Italia…not so reliable, but I guess fairly priced!
Getting into the boat was slightly tricky, it’s rocking back and forth, the weight is uneven, you feel like its going to tip over. Now we are moving, the water is so calm and peaceful, its puts you into a zone. Then we hit the Canal Grande, which is like the main highway and there we see all the other boats. So many people where taking our pictures of us, as if we where celebrities. So we saw the casino, a couple of the museums and churches on the ride. It was so beautiful. There where some alleys that where very narrow, but the way they maneuver the gondolas is incredible.
The rest of the day we shopped and didn’t make it to the Guggenheim museum, which I did want to see. There is just so much of Venezia to see and takes so long to walk through. There was a section of Venezia we never made it too. There was area that reminded me of 5th Ave. in New York, all the stores Gucci, Prada, Dior and so on. We did see the Basillca of San Marco. It was right off the water, there where lots of cruise ships, the sun was shinning bright, it was magnificent.
Since the sales where going on I was looking for a really great pair of shoes, but I really been seen anything that I gotta have or worth he money. I did get a pair of gloves as recommended by my friend Sonya. They are brown leather with tan stitching and cashmere lining, will have to see how warm they are in the winter. So we make back just in time to go tot the hotel to pick up our bags and get on the train. We get to our first stop in Bologna, grab some dinner, then the train is late and switches tracks. So once again we are running around the train station.
Then we get to Prato and missed our next connection train. There is a huge train strike tomorrow, but it starts the night before at 9pm. So we had planned to be back in Lucca before 8:30pm, however, with all the delays it’s already 8:30pm. So there is a train finally on the board for Lucca, which is an hour away from Prato. So now its running late, I’m looking at the board trains are getting canceled left and right. All I can do is sit and wait and hope. It finally shows up and it’s the last train pretty much going out of the station. So glad we made it home. The trains in Italia…not so reliable, but I guess fairly priced!
Day 25- Venice (Venezia)
On the train at 5am, to start my five hour journey to Venezia. So I’m finally mastering how the trains work in Italia. There are the slow trains, which are the regionale, local train, the medium and fast train which is the Eurostar. So to take the Eurostar it would have cost ∍120 roundtrip and it cost ∍32 on the local train. So looking at the price difference I took the cheap and slow way. But hey I have nothing, but time!
So Jewel, is my mother’s age, but she doesn’t try to go there, which is great and why we traveled together to Venezia. Since we are the only sistas we have been having a good time relating and kicking back. So after taking three trains, we finally start to pull into the Venezia station. The whole city is surrounded by water, so all we see is water on both sides, it’s amazing.
Coming out of the train station right away you see this huge bridge, lots of people, the boats, gondolas, churches and it’s breath taking. I buy a map and we walk towards our hotel. So I booked this hotel that I randomly found on the Internet last night for ∍65. I actually did pretty good, it wasn’t far from the train station, we drooped off our bags and started walking around. Everywhere we look there are these signs in the windows that say “saldi.” So Venezia has started their summer sale, while Lucca is holding out.
We walked around all day and still didn’t see all of Venezia. Some of the streets are really narrow, there are no cars on the roads, I don’t remember even seeing any bikes. There are people everywhere…lost. I would find where we where on the map, make a couple of turns and had no clue where we are. A lot of the streets where spelled differently on the map or just weren’t there, how did I end up with the bootleg map?
There are so many bridges, Venezia is comprised by all these small pieces of land. I have never seen anything like it. We make it back to the hotel, take a serious nap and change for the evening. There is some jazz club that we are trying to make it to. We stopped at a ristorante for dinner. I have noticed that the Italians serve quite smaller portions than in the U.S. and you hardly see any people that are overweight.
I manage to get us to the right area for the jazz club, but couldn’t exactly find it. So we ask a few people and manage to find it. We get to the door and they tell us it’s over. The laws of Venezia require all live music to be over by 11pm, but yet all the bars play music al night. So we are forced to do as the Italians, go hangout at the bar and have drinks!
So Jewel, is my mother’s age, but she doesn’t try to go there, which is great and why we traveled together to Venezia. Since we are the only sistas we have been having a good time relating and kicking back. So after taking three trains, we finally start to pull into the Venezia station. The whole city is surrounded by water, so all we see is water on both sides, it’s amazing.
Coming out of the train station right away you see this huge bridge, lots of people, the boats, gondolas, churches and it’s breath taking. I buy a map and we walk towards our hotel. So I booked this hotel that I randomly found on the Internet last night for ∍65. I actually did pretty good, it wasn’t far from the train station, we drooped off our bags and started walking around. Everywhere we look there are these signs in the windows that say “saldi.” So Venezia has started their summer sale, while Lucca is holding out.
We walked around all day and still didn’t see all of Venezia. Some of the streets are really narrow, there are no cars on the roads, I don’t remember even seeing any bikes. There are people everywhere…lost. I would find where we where on the map, make a couple of turns and had no clue where we are. A lot of the streets where spelled differently on the map or just weren’t there, how did I end up with the bootleg map?
There are so many bridges, Venezia is comprised by all these small pieces of land. I have never seen anything like it. We make it back to the hotel, take a serious nap and change for the evening. There is some jazz club that we are trying to make it to. We stopped at a ristorante for dinner. I have noticed that the Italians serve quite smaller portions than in the U.S. and you hardly see any people that are overweight.
I manage to get us to the right area for the jazz club, but couldn’t exactly find it. So we ask a few people and manage to find it. We get to the door and they tell us it’s over. The laws of Venezia require all live music to be over by 11pm, but yet all the bars play music al night. So we are forced to do as the Italians, go hangout at the bar and have drinks!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Day 24- 4th of July
So today our field trip is only for half of the day. We are going to the Gori Foundation, to see this guy's private collection of sculptures. He has this massive piece of property on the hill, where he invites different artists to make sculptures. However, it's like a forest and none of the work can hurt or damage nature. So they don't cut down trees, everything is natural and how nature takes its course.
We did a lot of walking, we had to be out there for at least three hours. I was dying of thirst. They didn't tell us there was nowhere to buy food or water. There were a few water fountains, but limited. The fountains shot about six feet in the air when you first step on the button, then it comes down to where you are able to drink it. So there are these huge abstract sculptures in various places all over. I really liked that you could touch and interact with with all of them. Which is a switch from all the galleries and museums we have been going to.
So we get on the bus back to Lucca and my roommate makes the announcement that we are hosting a Fourth of July BBQ/Party at our apartment. Now mind you we never talked about it, but it's not like I would have said no. So I had kinda of heard talk about it, but we never confirmed it. So now everybody is coming over at like 6pm. So I'm like cool it, it's there thing. I cooked absolutely nothing!!! I did go buy some wine.
and one vegan in our group. Some and the other with meat. We have one So they where making hamburgers and hot dogs on our wonderful stove top, we have no oven or grill. The professor next door made his famous chili. So I stepped out for a few minutes to call my family, but when I got back all the food was almost gone. They went hard, I did make myself a hot dog with the last bun. The chili was actually pretty good. He made one vegetarian and the other with meat, we have one vegetarian. Other people brought stuff, but that was pretty much gone. So everybody was having a great time drinking, partying, playing music and hanging on the balcony. However, we where the only ones, the Italians could care less. Somebody bought a watermelon, it was pretty sweet. All we needed was some fireworks!! By the end of the night people where so drunk. Somebody found Budweiser beer. Good ol' America, oh how I miss it!
So what do I miss about food in the USA:
1. Ziplock bags, enough with the foil
2. Belgian Waffles or any breakfast besides pastry
3. Real bacon and potatoes
4. Mexican/Chinese food
5. Salad dressing besides vinaigrette
6. Fast food chains besides McDonald's (which are there are only a few)
7. My Dad's BBQ
We did a lot of walking, we had to be out there for at least three hours. I was dying of thirst. They didn't tell us there was nowhere to buy food or water. There were a few water fountains, but limited. The fountains shot about six feet in the air when you first step on the button, then it comes down to where you are able to drink it. So there are these huge abstract sculptures in various places all over. I really liked that you could touch and interact with with all of them. Which is a switch from all the galleries and museums we have been going to.
So we get on the bus back to Lucca and my roommate makes the announcement that we are hosting a Fourth of July BBQ/Party at our apartment. Now mind you we never talked about it, but it's not like I would have said no. So I had kinda of heard talk about it, but we never confirmed it. So now everybody is coming over at like 6pm. So I'm like cool it, it's there thing. I cooked absolutely nothing!!! I did go buy some wine.
and one vegan in our group. Some and the other with meat. We have one So they where making hamburgers and hot dogs on our wonderful stove top, we have no oven or grill. The professor next door made his famous chili. So I stepped out for a few minutes to call my family, but when I got back all the food was almost gone. They went hard, I did make myself a hot dog with the last bun. The chili was actually pretty good. He made one vegetarian and the other with meat, we have one vegetarian. Other people brought stuff, but that was pretty much gone. So everybody was having a great time drinking, partying, playing music and hanging on the balcony. However, we where the only ones, the Italians could care less. Somebody bought a watermelon, it was pretty sweet. All we needed was some fireworks!! By the end of the night people where so drunk. Somebody found Budweiser beer. Good ol' America, oh how I miss it!
So what do I miss about food in the USA:
1. Ziplock bags, enough with the foil
2. Belgian Waffles or any breakfast besides pastry
3. Real bacon and potatoes
4. Mexican/Chinese food
5. Salad dressing besides vinaigrette
6. Fast food chains besides McDonald's (which are there are only a few)
7. My Dad's BBQ
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Day 23- Midterm
So my day started early, I woke up at 2am from my nap to head to the studio to work on my video assignment. So Lucca is pretty safe, nobody is really out at night, its very quite. So I'm walking, I see this black dog running, I'm not scared of dogs so it's cool. Then it starts barking and running straight for me. So now this dog is chasing me and I'm yelling. I see the owner, 2 guys and they are calling their damn dog, but it's not listening. So now I'm running down the street, thinking ain't this some shit!! I wasn't even fully woke up yet. All I could think was I'm going to get bit by this dog. So it finally backs away and I'm yelling at owners, asking them if they think it's funny? All they say is no, no, no. What would have been really funny was a law suit!!
So I get to the studio and start on my project. I did the filming earlier in the week , so now I was uploading to the computer to edit it down. We are using this program called Final Cut Pro, which I have no clue how to use. I felt bad, asking the girl in my class all these questions, but did get the hang of it and leave the studio at 7:30am. Then I wake up to rush back to the studio for 9am. So I'm walking by and my roommate is knocked out sleep. So I wake him and we make it a little late, but nothing had started yet.
For the midterm, we go into everybody studios, look at their work, then critique it. So this was going on until like 3pm, we had a lunch break. I took another allergy pill and was knocked out on the couch, I was late coming back from lunch...but it was ok. So for my video class, our professor showed the trailer for the movie we had been shooting. Then it was like umm...anybody have anything else to show. I'm so glad I had worked on my piece because our class really had nothing to show. It's also only four people in the class, so they were like ok what's going on. So I got good reviews on what I did so far on my footage of the church towers.
So later that night Kelly, the head of the program had a dinner at her house for the professors and the grad assistants. It was her way to review how the program was going and what was coming up next. So we talked about the work, they were really dishing the dirt on what they thought on some people's work. Everybody had lots of wine and wasn't holding it in. I guess they felt comfortable talking in front of Erte and I because we are only in the video and art seminar class. So before we know it, it's time to head back to our apartment for video night/the party house.
So my roommate has a bike, so he's like get on the back, so we can rush over. That was the most fun/worst bike ride ever. He's standing up peddling and I'm seating on the seat, getting bounced around. Luckily, there was a rack in the back because I definitely slide off the seat. Then Kelly is riding her bike with another professor in the back seat she has for her 5 year old son. It was hilarious seeing him squeeze into the seat. Then we are going through the crowd of people and making all these abrupt stops because people love to stop and look in the windows. So after like 5 minutes we back to our apartment, all so toasted and laughing hard.
Luckily, not that many people show up. A lot of people where up late doing work for the midterm. But for some reason, people started rolling in half way through he movie, after their naps. We watched some slow boring movie on this woman who finds out her husband is cheating and does nothing about it. Then she had issues with her sexuality and morals...it put me to sleep, especially with all that wine. Also the food was pretty good.
So I get to the studio and start on my project. I did the filming earlier in the week , so now I was uploading to the computer to edit it down. We are using this program called Final Cut Pro, which I have no clue how to use. I felt bad, asking the girl in my class all these questions, but did get the hang of it and leave the studio at 7:30am. Then I wake up to rush back to the studio for 9am. So I'm walking by and my roommate is knocked out sleep. So I wake him and we make it a little late, but nothing had started yet.
For the midterm, we go into everybody studios, look at their work, then critique it. So this was going on until like 3pm, we had a lunch break. I took another allergy pill and was knocked out on the couch, I was late coming back from lunch...but it was ok. So for my video class, our professor showed the trailer for the movie we had been shooting. Then it was like umm...anybody have anything else to show. I'm so glad I had worked on my piece because our class really had nothing to show. It's also only four people in the class, so they were like ok what's going on. So I got good reviews on what I did so far on my footage of the church towers.
So later that night Kelly, the head of the program had a dinner at her house for the professors and the grad assistants. It was her way to review how the program was going and what was coming up next. So we talked about the work, they were really dishing the dirt on what they thought on some people's work. Everybody had lots of wine and wasn't holding it in. I guess they felt comfortable talking in front of Erte and I because we are only in the video and art seminar class. So before we know it, it's time to head back to our apartment for video night/the party house.
So my roommate has a bike, so he's like get on the back, so we can rush over. That was the most fun/worst bike ride ever. He's standing up peddling and I'm seating on the seat, getting bounced around. Luckily, there was a rack in the back because I definitely slide off the seat. Then Kelly is riding her bike with another professor in the back seat she has for her 5 year old son. It was hilarious seeing him squeeze into the seat. Then we are going through the crowd of people and making all these abrupt stops because people love to stop and look in the windows. So after like 5 minutes we back to our apartment, all so toasted and laughing hard.
Luckily, not that many people show up. A lot of people where up late doing work for the midterm. But for some reason, people started rolling in half way through he movie, after their naps. We watched some slow boring movie on this woman who finds out her husband is cheating and does nothing about it. Then she had issues with her sexuality and morals...it put me to sleep, especially with all that wine. Also the food was pretty good.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Day 20- Bike
So Monday has turned into the day to dread. It's homework day, grocery shopping and cleaning. So I try to wake up early and get ahead start. So the grocery store is all the way on the other side of town, outside the wall. If we buy groceries inside the wall of Lucca it's a lot more expensive. So it takes about 20 minutes to walk there. So going is fine, but coming back with a backpack full of groceries and bags in hand make the trip seem like forever. So I'm struggling with the concept of buying as you need. I like to make one trip for a couple of weeks.
This week I ask one of the girls to borrow her bike. What an adventure that was. So inside the walls of Lucca where we are staying, they really try to reserve the original look of the town. So the roads are really narrow and made mostly of cobble stone. So the road is shared by cars, bikes and people walking. So when you hear the horn, you move to the side. Some streets are so narrow that when a car goes by (only one car can be on the road at a time) I stop in fear of being hit. So some streets have sidewalks, but most of the time so many bikes are parked on them u have to walk in the street. So outside the wall of Lucca (new Lucca), there are regular streets and side walks.
So I can't remember the last time I road a real bike (exercise machines doesn't quite count). I felt a little rusty, but not falling over or anything. Then having to navigate through the people was a whole another thing. All I can say is that I'm not sure about getting a bike. Since the bike shop didn't give us a group discount, I kind of put it off. Besides I really like walking, it's like being in New York, a sense of being at home.
So I make it through, but just barely. Now once I got on the path to go outside the wall, it was great, not many people, I could pick up speed. Then when I put the bottles of water in the basket and the bags on the handle bars, it was so different. Now when I rung my bell, nobody moved for me. In addition, my friend's bike the bell just rings all the time due to the cobble stone jerking the bike around. So I had to find some side streets where there weren't that many people around. The bike was also heavier on one side, I tried to balance the weight, but it didn't work out too well with the water bouncing around in the basket.
Also the big thing in Lucca is to stop while you are walking to look in the shop windows. So many people don't even care about who is behind them or when they start walking again they just walk. Being on the bike made it 10 times more irritating!!! I think I'm gonna stay walking, a little less stressful.
This week I ask one of the girls to borrow her bike. What an adventure that was. So inside the walls of Lucca where we are staying, they really try to reserve the original look of the town. So the roads are really narrow and made mostly of cobble stone. So the road is shared by cars, bikes and people walking. So when you hear the horn, you move to the side. Some streets are so narrow that when a car goes by (only one car can be on the road at a time) I stop in fear of being hit. So some streets have sidewalks, but most of the time so many bikes are parked on them u have to walk in the street. So outside the wall of Lucca (new Lucca), there are regular streets and side walks.
So I can't remember the last time I road a real bike (exercise machines doesn't quite count). I felt a little rusty, but not falling over or anything. Then having to navigate through the people was a whole another thing. All I can say is that I'm not sure about getting a bike. Since the bike shop didn't give us a group discount, I kind of put it off. Besides I really like walking, it's like being in New York, a sense of being at home.
So I make it through, but just barely. Now once I got on the path to go outside the wall, it was great, not many people, I could pick up speed. Then when I put the bottles of water in the basket and the bags on the handle bars, it was so different. Now when I rung my bell, nobody moved for me. In addition, my friend's bike the bell just rings all the time due to the cobble stone jerking the bike around. So I had to find some side streets where there weren't that many people around. The bike was also heavier on one side, I tried to balance the weight, but it didn't work out too well with the water bouncing around in the basket.
Also the big thing in Lucca is to stop while you are walking to look in the shop windows. So many people don't even care about who is behind them or when they start walking again they just walk. Being on the bike made it 10 times more irritating!!! I think I'm gonna stay walking, a little less stressful.
Day 19- Cinque Terre
Time for the beach! So I've been enjoying the apartment all to myself, but the beach was calling me. So we get tickets for the train, make it to our first stop and change trains. However, the train was delayed, so we are waiting and waiting. Then it gets cancelled. Since our friend Francesco came with us, he tells us to get on the next train. So we are sitting scattered all over and decide to take a little nap since it would be an hour. So I'm seating next to a man and across from us is a couple. The next thing I know, I wake up to this woman yelling and the man next to me going back and forth. So apparently the train we got on wasn't a regionale (local) train, it was like the Eurostar where you pay for your assigned seat.
This woman is showing them her ticket and speaking Italian really fast. The man next to me keeps telling the couple not to get up, we all paid for a seat and so on. So they carry on for about five minutes. I all I can think is when are we getting off. So this older man on the other side of the aisle gets up and gives the woman his seat. So since our train was canceled the conductors on the train understand and let you ride anyway, but we need to get up when the person comes for their seat that they paid for. So we make another stop, I had to get out my seat, but I found another one. Italians really love to argue, some man yesterday was going off on the train conductors. The man just kept yelling, even when we got off the train he started right back up. If only I could understand.
So finally we make it there. The water was so beautiful. It is the first time since I've been in Italy that I have actually seen blue water. All the water has been a green muddy color. The day was nice and sunny, the sky was clear with fluffy white clouds. It couldn't have been a better day to go, in addition to it being hot. So we find a place to put our towels, grab some lunch, I couldn't wait to get in. When you walk into the water you can see the pebbles on the ground. The water was so clear and all of the scenery was just breath taking. I'm so mad I didn't bring my camera, I was worried about it coming up missing.
So I got into the water, it wasn't cold but felt perfect. There was this huge rock out in the water that people were climbing up and diving off of. I never made it to the rock, maybe next time. I have to make it back to take pictures. It was just a beautiful day, drank lots of water and gelato (ice cream). I normally don't eat a lot of ice cream, but the heat and it's just so good. This by far was the most relaxing day I have had since I've been here.
This woman is showing them her ticket and speaking Italian really fast. The man next to me keeps telling the couple not to get up, we all paid for a seat and so on. So they carry on for about five minutes. I all I can think is when are we getting off. So this older man on the other side of the aisle gets up and gives the woman his seat. So since our train was canceled the conductors on the train understand and let you ride anyway, but we need to get up when the person comes for their seat that they paid for. So we make another stop, I had to get out my seat, but I found another one. Italians really love to argue, some man yesterday was going off on the train conductors. The man just kept yelling, even when we got off the train he started right back up. If only I could understand.
So finally we make it there. The water was so beautiful. It is the first time since I've been in Italy that I have actually seen blue water. All the water has been a green muddy color. The day was nice and sunny, the sky was clear with fluffy white clouds. It couldn't have been a better day to go, in addition to it being hot. So we find a place to put our towels, grab some lunch, I couldn't wait to get in. When you walk into the water you can see the pebbles on the ground. The water was so clear and all of the scenery was just breath taking. I'm so mad I didn't bring my camera, I was worried about it coming up missing.
So I got into the water, it wasn't cold but felt perfect. There was this huge rock out in the water that people were climbing up and diving off of. I never made it to the rock, maybe next time. I have to make it back to take pictures. It was just a beautiful day, drank lots of water and gelato (ice cream). I normally don't eat a lot of ice cream, but the heat and it's just so good. This by far was the most relaxing day I have had since I've been here.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Day 18- Tell All
So I have the house to myself!!! I slept so good last night. I didn't wake up until 11am. So my roommate is gone to Venice, along with the bday girl and another girl. I believe three is a crowd, but clearly the other girl didn't mind being the third wheel or maybe it's not that serious. Well whatever the case couldn't be me!! I'm just lad they are gone.
Also my professor has two girls staying with him that go to NYU. So won't be haring from him either, he has guests to entertain. So the girls are traveling all over Europe, but plan to stay in Lucca for a week. My professor has this really small apartment, so don't know who's sleeping where, but also not trying to find out. Now these girls look like they are 18, but I will give them benefit of the doubt that they are 21. My professor said they worked together on some movie/video project....sure. He looks like he's 45-50, starting to grey, slight gut.....
Now it's not that I don't mind people coming over, but they never go home. Also they be dumb drunk and making hella noise. Not to meantion one of them droppeda whole bottle of wine, which happened to be my bottle that wsn't openned. I love how you go on these trips and now we are all best friends because we have no choice. But NO, I'm not looking for new friends, I love the ones I already have. Besides I'm not that trusting like some.
So later on in the day, I go to see this gallery opening for a professor that goes to Pratt. So I end up going with one lady in the group, who is an older woman. Oh she got on my nerves, I was taught to respect my elders, but she was pushing me to the limits. She is so not trusting of my decisions. We get off the train and have to figure out where exactly the gallery is located. So we are looking for the map, we find it. It looks far, but she thinks we can walk. I told her "I'm taking the bus." Then walk away to go buy my ticket. Here she comes following behind.
Now granted she is a mother, grandmother, so I think she's use to being in charge, but you will not tell me what to do. I'm grown just like you!! So then she doesn't understand why we need to buy two tickets for the bus. Once we stamp them they are only good for 75 minutes, so the opening is for 2 hours and we are early, meaning we will be longer than 75 minutes and we will need a ticket to come back!! At this point she can go wherever she please. I know what I'm doing.
So we make it to the gallery and try to find some food to eat before the opening. I told her I don't want to go to anyplace hungry. She thinks that they may have food. So I'm like ok, don't eat, but I'm going to. We try some restaurants, but they weren't open yet for dinner. So we have pizza, but she wants to split it, so I'm like ok. Finally, it's time for the opening, two other people from our program meet us there. I should have came with them. The work was abstract, but good.
So we leave out and almost missed the bus because there wasn't a sign. We get to the train station, the train is late. So it then changes tracks, then there is an announcement in Italian, we were doing our best to figure it out. The track changes again, but then the train disappears off the board. We talk to a train conductor, he has no idea what is going on. The ticket counters are closed. So we go back to the other track and the train is leaving from there. So we are on and make it to Pisa, where we have to change trains to get back to Lucca.
However, when we get there our train is gone. We missed it by like 2 minutes. It was also the last train. So now, everybody is running around trying to figure out different ways to get home. We try to find a bus, but there are none that go to Lucca. We call and find out that there is no way to get back. We had to take a taxi, which end up costing 43 euro. We split it among four people so it was like 10 euro each, which wasn't that bad. Had it only been myself, I might have waited for the 6am train, the next day!
Also my professor has two girls staying with him that go to NYU. So won't be haring from him either, he has guests to entertain. So the girls are traveling all over Europe, but plan to stay in Lucca for a week. My professor has this really small apartment, so don't know who's sleeping where, but also not trying to find out. Now these girls look like they are 18, but I will give them benefit of the doubt that they are 21. My professor said they worked together on some movie/video project....sure. He looks like he's 45-50, starting to grey, slight gut.....
Now it's not that I don't mind people coming over, but they never go home. Also they be dumb drunk and making hella noise. Not to meantion one of them droppeda whole bottle of wine, which happened to be my bottle that wsn't openned. I love how you go on these trips and now we are all best friends because we have no choice. But NO, I'm not looking for new friends, I love the ones I already have. Besides I'm not that trusting like some.
So later on in the day, I go to see this gallery opening for a professor that goes to Pratt. So I end up going with one lady in the group, who is an older woman. Oh she got on my nerves, I was taught to respect my elders, but she was pushing me to the limits. She is so not trusting of my decisions. We get off the train and have to figure out where exactly the gallery is located. So we are looking for the map, we find it. It looks far, but she thinks we can walk. I told her "I'm taking the bus." Then walk away to go buy my ticket. Here she comes following behind.
Now granted she is a mother, grandmother, so I think she's use to being in charge, but you will not tell me what to do. I'm grown just like you!! So then she doesn't understand why we need to buy two tickets for the bus. Once we stamp them they are only good for 75 minutes, so the opening is for 2 hours and we are early, meaning we will be longer than 75 minutes and we will need a ticket to come back!! At this point she can go wherever she please. I know what I'm doing.
So we make it to the gallery and try to find some food to eat before the opening. I told her I don't want to go to anyplace hungry. She thinks that they may have food. So I'm like ok, don't eat, but I'm going to. We try some restaurants, but they weren't open yet for dinner. So we have pizza, but she wants to split it, so I'm like ok. Finally, it's time for the opening, two other people from our program meet us there. I should have came with them. The work was abstract, but good.
So we leave out and almost missed the bus because there wasn't a sign. We get to the train station, the train is late. So it then changes tracks, then there is an announcement in Italian, we were doing our best to figure it out. The track changes again, but then the train disappears off the board. We talk to a train conductor, he has no idea what is going on. The ticket counters are closed. So we go back to the other track and the train is leaving from there. So we are on and make it to Pisa, where we have to change trains to get back to Lucca.
However, when we get there our train is gone. We missed it by like 2 minutes. It was also the last train. So now, everybody is running around trying to figure out different ways to get home. We try to find a bus, but there are none that go to Lucca. We call and find out that there is no way to get back. We had to take a taxi, which end up costing 43 euro. We split it among four people so it was like 10 euro each, which wasn't that bad. Had it only been myself, I might have waited for the 6am train, the next day!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Day 17- Bologna
Field trip day. I was so not impressed with Bologna. This city was more of a business city there was lots of building, they did have good architecture. I saw so many 99 cent stores. We only have one in Lucca, that has a few good things. I got some tupperware and a strainer for pasta.
We did go to the Pinacotteca Nazionale Bologna. Which had some really great large painting that took up most of the height of the wall. There where a few that you had to stand on the other side of the room to take it all in. After we started walking to the next museum, on the way I saw this stack of washing machines. It turns out that there was some music festival and they had turned the washing machines into stereos and where playing the music we heard from them. It was really cool. Next we go to Museo Morandi, which had a huge collection of his work. He had paintings, ecthings and drawings of the same setup from different angles. We breaked for lunch.
So we walked all around the city of Bologna, I once again sweated so much and drank so much water. Our wonderful leader, Mike took us the wrong way. Somehow walking the extra blocks and the heat made me miserable. We finally make it to the MAMBO Bologna). I really enjoyed seeing some modern art (Museo d'Arte Moderna disince all we've been seeing so much historical stuff. I was so tired by the end of the day, I only had a few hours of sleep. I was knocked out on the first train. The second train was delayed, but we eventually made it back.
We did go to the Pinacotteca Nazionale Bologna. Which had some really great large painting that took up most of the height of the wall. There where a few that you had to stand on the other side of the room to take it all in. After we started walking to the next museum, on the way I saw this stack of washing machines. It turns out that there was some music festival and they had turned the washing machines into stereos and where playing the music we heard from them. It was really cool. Next we go to Museo Morandi, which had a huge collection of his work. He had paintings, ecthings and drawings of the same setup from different angles. We breaked for lunch.
So we walked all around the city of Bologna, I once again sweated so much and drank so much water. Our wonderful leader, Mike took us the wrong way. Somehow walking the extra blocks and the heat made me miserable. We finally make it to the MAMBO Bologna). I really enjoyed seeing some modern art (Museo d'Arte Moderna disince all we've been seeing so much historical stuff. I was so tired by the end of the day, I only had a few hours of sleep. I was knocked out on the first train. The second train was delayed, but we eventually made it back.
Day 16- Umm...Pressa
So I wake up early...I'm on a mission to find a flat iron. I go the Internet cafe, ask the lady that works there where to find a flat iron. She tells me to go outside the wall and to a store called Euronics and ask for a "pressa." If I bought one inside the wall of Lucca, it would cost more.
So I remember seeing the store on the way to the Supermarket. I go inside and its like Best Buy. They sale all electronic devices. I locate the hair dryers and find the flat iron on the other aisle over. They are really expensive, I buy the cheapest one which was 30 euro. They had some that where up to 80 euro. I hope it works and if not i can return it. They girl at the register did not speak English.
I get back tot he apartment and turn it on. It only has one switch, on or off. To my surprise it worked and worked well. It got most of my roots straight, new growth is starting to come in!!
Also for my video class we started filming our group video. the professor wrote out the movie. Our Italian friend Francesco, got a few of his friends to be in the movie also. So its about a guy who likes this waitress, but she has a boyfriend. He stalks her and get ready to kill her or him, but gets hits by a girl on a bike. Now he's unconscious and falls in love with her.
So the girl that is playing the waitress and the boyfriend are really a couple. So it's funny at the end that she has to get mad at her boyfriend and slap him. So we are filming the scene over and over because they can't be serious and stop laughing. So finally we decide to change the scene and have her jut throw water on him. It actually worked, he was so surprised and had a natural reaction. So I can't wait to see the film later in the studio.
So we rush back to our apartment, to do movie night. We where filming from 3:30 to almost 8pm. So one of the girls in the "too live crew" birthday is on Friday. So they are planning a surprise her at midnight with a cake and champagne. So at midnight we have cake, that has liquor in it. It tasted really weird, but good. The apartment is a hot mess, we have dishes and bottles everywhere. I start to clean up because we will be gone all day tomorrow. I went to go use the Internet and come back. The party went on and I closed my door and went to sleep!
Sidebar....my roommate and the bday girl are kind of hooking up which was why it turned into a huge deal!!! Hope it doesn't turn into Real World Lucca.
So I remember seeing the store on the way to the Supermarket. I go inside and its like Best Buy. They sale all electronic devices. I locate the hair dryers and find the flat iron on the other aisle over. They are really expensive, I buy the cheapest one which was 30 euro. They had some that where up to 80 euro. I hope it works and if not i can return it. They girl at the register did not speak English.
I get back tot he apartment and turn it on. It only has one switch, on or off. To my surprise it worked and worked well. It got most of my roots straight, new growth is starting to come in!!
Also for my video class we started filming our group video. the professor wrote out the movie. Our Italian friend Francesco, got a few of his friends to be in the movie also. So its about a guy who likes this waitress, but she has a boyfriend. He stalks her and get ready to kill her or him, but gets hits by a girl on a bike. Now he's unconscious and falls in love with her.
So the girl that is playing the waitress and the boyfriend are really a couple. So it's funny at the end that she has to get mad at her boyfriend and slap him. So we are filming the scene over and over because they can't be serious and stop laughing. So finally we decide to change the scene and have her jut throw water on him. It actually worked, he was so surprised and had a natural reaction. So I can't wait to see the film later in the studio.
So we rush back to our apartment, to do movie night. We where filming from 3:30 to almost 8pm. So one of the girls in the "too live crew" birthday is on Friday. So they are planning a surprise her at midnight with a cake and champagne. So at midnight we have cake, that has liquor in it. It tasted really weird, but good. The apartment is a hot mess, we have dishes and bottles everywhere. I start to clean up because we will be gone all day tomorrow. I went to go use the Internet and come back. The party went on and I closed my door and went to sleep!
Sidebar....my roommate and the bday girl are kind of hooking up which was why it turned into a huge deal!!! Hope it doesn't turn into Real World Lucca.
Day 15- Hair Emergency
My first assignment is due for my art seminar class. I find a place to print copies for .10 cent, which is great and cheap!! I was actually able to participate in class this week, since I wasn't having an allergy attack. So in Italy you have to go to the pharmacy store to get any medication. It's almost like going to the doctor's office. They ask you what's wrong, what's your symptoms, then bring you so medicine. So I have gotten cold and allergy medicine.
So after I leave class, I go home to wash my hair. There is a blow dryer there, but it doesn't have a comb on it. So I bought one of those brushes that have the bristles all around. It took me forever to blow dry my hair. I am so glad I cut it. I cannot imagine how long it would have taken me if my hair was still down my back. My hair still needed to air dry since it was still damp on the scalp. So I figure later I will flat iron it, since it's time for my Italian language class.
So later comes, I plug up my flat iron. It goes all the way up to 25, so I start at 5 since the conversion with the wattage here. I test it on the back of my hair, it gets it straight, but not really good. So I increase it to 8 or 9, come back and now its not hot at all!!!
I was so blown that my flat iron just burned out!!!! I have a mop on my head, my hair is really thick and everywhere. All I can think is what am I going to look like for the rest of the trip!! A hot mess if I can't this hair together, so not ready for natural.
So after I leave class, I go home to wash my hair. There is a blow dryer there, but it doesn't have a comb on it. So I bought one of those brushes that have the bristles all around. It took me forever to blow dry my hair. I am so glad I cut it. I cannot imagine how long it would have taken me if my hair was still down my back. My hair still needed to air dry since it was still damp on the scalp. So I figure later I will flat iron it, since it's time for my Italian language class.
So later comes, I plug up my flat iron. It goes all the way up to 25, so I start at 5 since the conversion with the wattage here. I test it on the back of my hair, it gets it straight, but not really good. So I increase it to 8 or 9, come back and now its not hot at all!!!
I was so blown that my flat iron just burned out!!!! I have a mop on my head, my hair is really thick and everywhere. All I can think is what am I going to look like for the rest of the trip!! A hot mess if I can't this hair together, so not ready for natural.
Day 14- The Party House
So I woke this morning to a phone call from my mother. I was so excited to hear from her, it really started my day off right. I have been battling this cold, but not allowing it to keep my down. The weather is great and I'm in Italy!! Besides have class today.
So Tuesday and Thursday, we have movie night. So everybody in the program comes together in the studio to watch these Italian classic movies. So last Thursday, apparently after the movie, after I left, it got really noisy. The priest called our program director to complain. Our studio is inside a church building. So he knocked on the door and asked the remaining people to quite down, but he felt disrespected because the noise continued.
So my roommate said that Kelly asked if we could do movie night at our house!! I'm thinking hell no. However, my roommate made some really good points. Our housing is free since we are grad assistants, it gives a chance for some people to hang out who usually don't, we can have food and we don't have to leave our place. However, my points where that now we have to setup, cleanup, buy more toilet paper, dish washing liquid, food, water and most importantly now we have "the party house." There already is a certain group that doesn't know how to go home!!
So we agreed to do a trial run, but people need to go by midnight! So I already know I like my "me time," but this trip confirms it even more. Or maybe I so ready to live on my own and call the shots. Then again I think I'm so past college, hang out every night stage and more of a mature adult. I really think I'm transitioning. My mom thinks I'm sometimie, but I like to think if I feel like than I do and if I don't then I don't. But I never let anyone down.
So the movie night turned out alright. Some of the girls cooked, then they did the dishes, so couldn't complain. Everybody was pretty much gone by midnight, so we shall continue the movie nights at our place.
So Tuesday and Thursday, we have movie night. So everybody in the program comes together in the studio to watch these Italian classic movies. So last Thursday, apparently after the movie, after I left, it got really noisy. The priest called our program director to complain. Our studio is inside a church building. So he knocked on the door and asked the remaining people to quite down, but he felt disrespected because the noise continued.
So my roommate said that Kelly asked if we could do movie night at our house!! I'm thinking hell no. However, my roommate made some really good points. Our housing is free since we are grad assistants, it gives a chance for some people to hang out who usually don't, we can have food and we don't have to leave our place. However, my points where that now we have to setup, cleanup, buy more toilet paper, dish washing liquid, food, water and most importantly now we have "the party house." There already is a certain group that doesn't know how to go home!!
So we agreed to do a trial run, but people need to go by midnight! So I already know I like my "me time," but this trip confirms it even more. Or maybe I so ready to live on my own and call the shots. Then again I think I'm so past college, hang out every night stage and more of a mature adult. I really think I'm transitioning. My mom thinks I'm sometimie, but I like to think if I feel like than I do and if I don't then I don't. But I never let anyone down.
So the movie night turned out alright. Some of the girls cooked, then they did the dishes, so couldn't complain. Everybody was pretty much gone by midnight, so we shall continue the movie nights at our place.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Day 12- The Pope
So the next morning, my new friends leave and I head out on my own for the day. So I go to see the Vatican the where the Pope Benedict XVI lives. I am baptised Catholic and thought I should go see it. So they have a underground train system called the Metro. Its 1 euro a ride and 4 euro for an all day pass. So they have TVs in the station and on the train, they are one up on us. So Mom, I got my Metro card! Also the air conditioning worked really well, despite the amount of people on them.
So it turns out that the Pope is giving a blessing there and not at mass as I thought. So I decide to stay and wait. I get a nice seat on the railing by the fountain and wait over an hour. That sun was beating hard on me, luckily I still have my broke down umbrella in my bag. I hold it up and drink my hot water. So about thirty minutes before noon the window where the Pope will speak opens. We have to look up at this building and are nowhere close to him. Everybody cheers, then right at noon a curtain is pulled and the Pope appears.
He is speaking in Italian and has a mic hooked up to him so everybody can hear. I can pick up on a few words, then he speaks some in English, Spanish and a few other languages. I think this man is phenomenal. He knows all these languages, people love him, they sale all kind of stuff with his picture on it. Its better than being the president.
So after I find some place to eat and change. So to go inside Saint Peter's Basilius women cannot have on pants or skirts that are above the knee nor have on shirts that show your shoulders. So I had some leggin in my bag that I put on and a scarf which I will use to cover my arms. I'm so glad I could make this quick change. So I wait forever and I'm finally able to go in. It was by far the best. I was able to go up to the top of the tower, I bought the elevator lift ticket and still had to walk up 320 stairs to go go all the way to the top.
Those stairs where no joke, I had to take a break half way through, along with some other people! By then I was also out of water. I really need to use this exercise ball I bough and look for a gym. The stair way is really small, narrow and half the time the wall is touching you. I make it up and the view is so awesome. I can see all of Roma and beyond. There is no way really to describe how it feels to see all these amazing things.
I make it back down, there is a refreshment stand and buy some water. Then I go into the church and look at all the sculptures, paintings alters inside. So they have the bodies of the some of the past Popes. Some are in the clear alters and you can see the bodies. It's very....interesting, but some people want to see it.
So I look around and next thing I know it's time to catch my train. So being in Roma for two days, I didn't a chance to see half of the sights. I'll be back for a field trip in a couple weeks. So I take the first train back to Firenze, the second train back to Lucca brakes down. Luckily we had just pulled into a station, so we sit on the train. My car has no power which meant no AC and the doors could not open. They have these really cool doors that open with a touch of a button. So I move to the next car and then the conductor tells us to get off another train would pick us up. I get on the second train and it almost breaks down also. The cars kept losing power.
I finally make it back, so glad to take a shower once again. But I am also coming down with a summer cold. I couldn't find the 24 hour pharmacy, I go to restaurant to at least get something to eat. I must have had the worst lasagna, but I did get to see the soccer game. So Italy ends up losing and they are out! There was no celebration like the last game.
So it turns out that the Pope is giving a blessing there and not at mass as I thought. So I decide to stay and wait. I get a nice seat on the railing by the fountain and wait over an hour. That sun was beating hard on me, luckily I still have my broke down umbrella in my bag. I hold it up and drink my hot water. So about thirty minutes before noon the window where the Pope will speak opens. We have to look up at this building and are nowhere close to him. Everybody cheers, then right at noon a curtain is pulled and the Pope appears.
He is speaking in Italian and has a mic hooked up to him so everybody can hear. I can pick up on a few words, then he speaks some in English, Spanish and a few other languages. I think this man is phenomenal. He knows all these languages, people love him, they sale all kind of stuff with his picture on it. Its better than being the president.
So after I find some place to eat and change. So to go inside Saint Peter's Basilius women cannot have on pants or skirts that are above the knee nor have on shirts that show your shoulders. So I had some leggin in my bag that I put on and a scarf which I will use to cover my arms. I'm so glad I could make this quick change. So I wait forever and I'm finally able to go in. It was by far the best. I was able to go up to the top of the tower, I bought the elevator lift ticket and still had to walk up 320 stairs to go go all the way to the top.
Those stairs where no joke, I had to take a break half way through, along with some other people! By then I was also out of water. I really need to use this exercise ball I bough and look for a gym. The stair way is really small, narrow and half the time the wall is touching you. I make it up and the view is so awesome. I can see all of Roma and beyond. There is no way really to describe how it feels to see all these amazing things.
I make it back down, there is a refreshment stand and buy some water. Then I go into the church and look at all the sculptures, paintings alters inside. So they have the bodies of the some of the past Popes. Some are in the clear alters and you can see the bodies. It's very....interesting, but some people want to see it.
So I look around and next thing I know it's time to catch my train. So being in Roma for two days, I didn't a chance to see half of the sights. I'll be back for a field trip in a couple weeks. So I take the first train back to Firenze, the second train back to Lucca brakes down. Luckily we had just pulled into a station, so we sit on the train. My car has no power which meant no AC and the doors could not open. They have these really cool doors that open with a touch of a button. So I move to the next car and then the conductor tells us to get off another train would pick us up. I get on the second train and it almost breaks down also. The cars kept losing power.
I finally make it back, so glad to take a shower once again. But I am also coming down with a summer cold. I couldn't find the 24 hour pharmacy, I go to restaurant to at least get something to eat. I must have had the worst lasagna, but I did get to see the soccer game. So Italy ends up losing and they are out! There was no celebration like the last game.
Day 11-Roma (Rome)
So my wonderful friend Jessica has a friend who is also out in Italy. So I'm suppose to meet her in Roma. So I take a train to Firenze, then get onto another train called the EuroStar. So I get on and think wow this is really great. It reminds me of airplane seating. So I get comfortable, the guy comes for my ticket and I hand it to him. He tells me that I'm in the wrong seat. I'm trying to understand him. So apparently they have assigned seating on this train unlike the other train I've been on, in addition I didn't have a first class ticket. So I got booted.
It was slightly embarrassing, but hey I'm new to this country. So the people at the ticket counter should explain this process, but they don't. I guess I'm suppose to figure it out. So I make it finally to my assigned car, but can't figure out where I'm suppose to sit, all the seats are taken. I find the train conductor, he takes me to my correct seat, somebody is seating in it. So this guy gets up, someone is seating in his seat. So I'm not the only person who doesn't get it.
I make it to Roma, it took about three and half hours to get there from Lucca. This train station is huge, with people and shops everywhere. I try to get in contact with the girl I'm meeting, but I can't. So I figure I'm on my own. I buy a map and start to figure out where to go and how to get there. I try to go the restroom, it costs .70 euro. I can't believe they charge to use the restroom. They have a underground mall.
I head to the hostel where I'm suppose to be staying at with the other girls. Somehow I find the girls I'm suppose to meet there which was great. So the thing with the hostels are you pay per person and not for the room. So there are five of us and there is suppose to be four. So the lady is looking like what's going on, so since I didn't come with them, they say I'm just hanging out. So they check in and come get me later to drop off my stuff.
So now we are headed to the Colosseum. We stop at McDonald's to get some lunch. So I had the chicken nuggets, which tasted almost the same to me. They have curly fries, which was great. I tasted the Fanta orange soda, which is a lot lighter, it almost looked like it was watered down. It tasted different, but not bad. So the girls want to walk instead of take the train. Which was cool with me, but it's hot. I sweated the whole entire day and sure I smelled unsure!!
The Colosseum was amazing to see. Our tour guide was so great. She gave us a lot of info and showed pictures. The Colosseum looks nothing like how it use to, the stage is gone where the gladiators use to fight on. The seating is gone, but it's still so massive and has a lot in tact. We leave there to look at the fountain, which is so grand!
So that night we meet more people from the program my new friend is apart of. We are headed out on a Pub Crawl, you pay 20 euro to drink free for the first hour, then they take us to other bars and give out free shots. So it was so many people there, my group decides its to many people. So we head out to find the clubs, we run into another girl who is doing a another Pub Crawl. So my friend get in free because it's her birthday and they have less people. So we go in.
I had some glasses of wine and I'm doing great. Soccer is really big out here, these two guys from Norway explain how it works. They are in the finals now and everybody is excited. I learned that in America we count down on the clock and they count up. So there is no five, four, three, two, one, time up! I also met another guy from Sacramento, California. There was also two guys from Richmond, California. So I think these Pub Crawls are designed for Americans because that's all I really see. So the night is going great until one girl we came with gets dumb sloppy drunk and needs to go home immediately. So the rest of the night is.....
It was slightly embarrassing, but hey I'm new to this country. So the people at the ticket counter should explain this process, but they don't. I guess I'm suppose to figure it out. So I make it finally to my assigned car, but can't figure out where I'm suppose to sit, all the seats are taken. I find the train conductor, he takes me to my correct seat, somebody is seating in it. So this guy gets up, someone is seating in his seat. So I'm not the only person who doesn't get it.
I make it to Roma, it took about three and half hours to get there from Lucca. This train station is huge, with people and shops everywhere. I try to get in contact with the girl I'm meeting, but I can't. So I figure I'm on my own. I buy a map and start to figure out where to go and how to get there. I try to go the restroom, it costs .70 euro. I can't believe they charge to use the restroom. They have a underground mall.
I head to the hostel where I'm suppose to be staying at with the other girls. Somehow I find the girls I'm suppose to meet there which was great. So the thing with the hostels are you pay per person and not for the room. So there are five of us and there is suppose to be four. So the lady is looking like what's going on, so since I didn't come with them, they say I'm just hanging out. So they check in and come get me later to drop off my stuff.
So now we are headed to the Colosseum. We stop at McDonald's to get some lunch. So I had the chicken nuggets, which tasted almost the same to me. They have curly fries, which was great. I tasted the Fanta orange soda, which is a lot lighter, it almost looked like it was watered down. It tasted different, but not bad. So the girls want to walk instead of take the train. Which was cool with me, but it's hot. I sweated the whole entire day and sure I smelled unsure!!
The Colosseum was amazing to see. Our tour guide was so great. She gave us a lot of info and showed pictures. The Colosseum looks nothing like how it use to, the stage is gone where the gladiators use to fight on. The seating is gone, but it's still so massive and has a lot in tact. We leave there to look at the fountain, which is so grand!
So that night we meet more people from the program my new friend is apart of. We are headed out on a Pub Crawl, you pay 20 euro to drink free for the first hour, then they take us to other bars and give out free shots. So it was so many people there, my group decides its to many people. So we head out to find the clubs, we run into another girl who is doing a another Pub Crawl. So my friend get in free because it's her birthday and they have less people. So we go in.
I had some glasses of wine and I'm doing great. Soccer is really big out here, these two guys from Norway explain how it works. They are in the finals now and everybody is excited. I learned that in America we count down on the clock and they count up. So there is no five, four, three, two, one, time up! I also met another guy from Sacramento, California. There was also two guys from Richmond, California. So I think these Pub Crawls are designed for Americans because that's all I really see. So the night is going great until one girl we came with gets dumb sloppy drunk and needs to go home immediately. So the rest of the night is.....
Day 10- Siena
Friday, is field trip day. It's like being back in elementary school. So we take this small charter bus to a city called Siena. We go to see the Duomo of Siena, that began being built in 1258 and
wasn't completed until after 1386. It is amazing to see these churches that take hundreds of years to build. They kept expanding and adding on the churches trying to out due the other churches. It's also amazing to see that the churches are still standing, especially since different architects worked to complete one church.
We also saw a hospital that was across the street from the Duomo, which is now museum. We got to see some great paintings that are still on the walls. We even saw the chapel and some of the tombs. They had a lot of great artifacts, we even got to go underground, which was a little creepie. Then we had a break for lunch.
So one of the two people that where held up at customs finally made it. To my surprise it was another black person. Our count is up to two, so excited to no longer be the only one. She is a wonderful woman and we spend lunch together catching up. Someone I can talk to and dish out the dirt of the program. So glad she made it. Still waiting on the last guy to come.
Then we got he museum of the Duomo, there we are able to some on the original statues and paintings. A lot of the original sculptures have been taken out and replaced due the weather to preserve them. We then climb up to look out at the tower, which was a workout. This is how I know I'm out of shape, those stairs had my legs burning. But the view was worth it. I could see the whole city, the mountains, the air was so fresh. We went to another museum then headed out for our bus.
So the bus was late picking us up this morning, then had a flat tire so it was late again picking us up. By the time we got on the bus, I was tired and funky. I so could not wait to come home and take a shower. It has been really hot the last few days, which is great because I only brought one pair of long pants. I felt like I was wearing the same thing everyday.
wasn't completed until after 1386. It is amazing to see these churches that take hundreds of years to build. They kept expanding and adding on the churches trying to out due the other churches. It's also amazing to see that the churches are still standing, especially since different architects worked to complete one church.
We also saw a hospital that was across the street from the Duomo, which is now museum. We got to see some great paintings that are still on the walls. We even saw the chapel and some of the tombs. They had a lot of great artifacts, we even got to go underground, which was a little creepie. Then we had a break for lunch.
So one of the two people that where held up at customs finally made it. To my surprise it was another black person. Our count is up to two, so excited to no longer be the only one. She is a wonderful woman and we spend lunch together catching up. Someone I can talk to and dish out the dirt of the program. So glad she made it. Still waiting on the last guy to come.
Then we got he museum of the Duomo, there we are able to some on the original statues and paintings. A lot of the original sculptures have been taken out and replaced due the weather to preserve them. We then climb up to look out at the tower, which was a workout. This is how I know I'm out of shape, those stairs had my legs burning. But the view was worth it. I could see the whole city, the mountains, the air was so fresh. We went to another museum then headed out for our bus.
So the bus was late picking us up this morning, then had a flat tire so it was late again picking us up. By the time we got on the bus, I was tired and funky. I so could not wait to come home and take a shower. It has been really hot the last few days, which is great because I only brought one pair of long pants. I felt like I was wearing the same thing everyday.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Day 7- First Day of Class
So class is in session officially. I started my video class, I have no clue what the hell the professor is talking about. So I really got my work cut out for me. So I have never spent so much time with professors before, its crazy. Luckily he didn't turn into Serious Guy from Mr. Cool Guy. We talk about our first video that we are going to shot, the professor already has it mapped out. So we go at sights, most will be right in our own apartment.
So I have this really great apartment in Lucca. You walk down this long hallway and there are two bedrooms and a bathroom. Then there is a living room and a kitchen. The best part is the balcony!! We are the only ones that have a balcony on the the whole block. I feel so fortunate. So my roommate allowed me to pick my room. I got the smaller room, but I have a a full mirror closet and the full size bed. We even have TV with satellite, there is only one English channel which is BBC, so I say up on my news. Also MTV is pretty good about showing a diverse mix of videos and some English shows. Maybe when I get better in my Italian I'll watch more TV.
So after that I hang out out the cafe, start getting my blog going. I have the best best friend ever, Shani Hilton. She is awesome and brought you this blog!! It's so hard to stay mad at her. So while there I met some more Americans. There is a huge group staying here for five weeks from Cincinnati music school.
So then I go home and three of the girls are over. I'm going to call these girls "the too live crew." My roommate made dinner, it was great, we ate pasta and drank lots of wine. Then we left for the 9pm movie showing in our studio. So every Tuesday and Thursday we have movie night. So we watch these Italian movies with English subtitles, which is such a blessing. There is a cinema right next to the cafe, thinking about seeing Indian Jones in Italian. It might be the only movie that I can understand without the language.
So later I call Steven, I'm talking about my day and my roommate. So I say, "He made dinner, it's great." He so got stuck on "HE." So I so thought I had told him about my rooming situation, but it looks like it was of those conversations I imagined. So since I am a grad assistant, the two grad assistants live together and there was suppose to be another guy but he dropped out. We have the best apartment, might I add. I so don't see it as a big deal. My roommate and I just mix. He's from Cali, so laid back and chill, just like me. We have no problems, he shares, he thoughtful, but so not my type, if you know what I mean. So I'm hoping he understands that the setup is nowhere near Real World. Also my professor lives right across the hall, he's always around, along with half the other students who wanna hang out. So he has nothing to worry about.
So I have this really great apartment in Lucca. You walk down this long hallway and there are two bedrooms and a bathroom. Then there is a living room and a kitchen. The best part is the balcony!! We are the only ones that have a balcony on the the whole block. I feel so fortunate. So my roommate allowed me to pick my room. I got the smaller room, but I have a a full mirror closet and the full size bed. We even have TV with satellite, there is only one English channel which is BBC, so I say up on my news. Also MTV is pretty good about showing a diverse mix of videos and some English shows. Maybe when I get better in my Italian I'll watch more TV.
So after that I hang out out the cafe, start getting my blog going. I have the best best friend ever, Shani Hilton. She is awesome and brought you this blog!! It's so hard to stay mad at her. So while there I met some more Americans. There is a huge group staying here for five weeks from Cincinnati music school.
So then I go home and three of the girls are over. I'm going to call these girls "the too live crew." My roommate made dinner, it was great, we ate pasta and drank lots of wine. Then we left for the 9pm movie showing in our studio. So every Tuesday and Thursday we have movie night. So we watch these Italian movies with English subtitles, which is such a blessing. There is a cinema right next to the cafe, thinking about seeing Indian Jones in Italian. It might be the only movie that I can understand without the language.
So later I call Steven, I'm talking about my day and my roommate. So I say, "He made dinner, it's great." He so got stuck on "HE." So I so thought I had told him about my rooming situation, but it looks like it was of those conversations I imagined. So since I am a grad assistant, the two grad assistants live together and there was suppose to be another guy but he dropped out. We have the best apartment, might I add. I so don't see it as a big deal. My roommate and I just mix. He's from Cali, so laid back and chill, just like me. We have no problems, he shares, he thoughtful, but so not my type, if you know what I mean. So I'm hoping he understands that the setup is nowhere near Real World. Also my professor lives right across the hall, he's always around, along with half the other students who wanna hang out. So he has nothing to worry about.
Day 6- Supermarket
Ok so it's Monday, we really need groceries. So there is this grocery store outside the wall that is suppose to be really cheap. Ok, so the city of Lucca is one of the only cities that still has a wall that encloses the city. The wall was made of stone and is huge, there are secret entrances that you can walk through to get out. So your not really trapped but can't enter by turning down just any street. The wall is really high up, sorta like the Wall of China.
So we live south in the city, this supermarket is north outside the wall, so it takes us like 20 minutes to walk to the other side of the wall. We make some wrong turns, but end up at one of the secret entrances. All of sudden it was like walking into the batcave! The entrance by us it not like this one. We walk down, make some runs, it a little dark in there, have no idea when it will end. We make it out, but decide no to take that entrance again.
So we walk, we run into people in our program along the way, so at east we know we are going the right way. So we make it, so to get the cart you have to put a one euro coin in the slot. I felt like I was back in the hood. So the three of use split up and go at it. So I'm reading the labels and looking at the photos trying to figure out what I'm buying. So they don't really sale salad dressing here. They use a lot of vinaigrette and oil. It took me the longest time to find the sugar, which was next to the ice cream in the front of the store. So I spend 68 euros on groceries.
Now it's time to get it all home. So I brought a backpack and my carry on should bag. Fill it all up and still have to carry two bags. My roommate brings a duffel bag, the professor brings nothing!! Why, there are some questions I just don't even bother to ask. I mean I still can't use my door! So we leave, but look for a cab. We can't find one. The professor leaves us and his groceries to find one. We waited for like fifteen minutes, in the mean time my allergies start really coming down. I'm like I gotta go, I start walking on this path back through the wall, they had just mowed the loan. I start sneezing like crazy, trying to walk fast, but got all these groceries. It was torture!
So I make it back in, they are right behind me. We found a quicker route back to the apartment, I was so tired and my arms and back were hurting. I was dying for a cold glass of water. There is a cafe right under our building, so we go get cold water and catch our breath. this was more manual labor.
So the people that own the building are suppose to be there at 6pm to wrap my roommates mattress in plastic. So my roommate as all these small red bumps all over. Some people said it's bed bugs, however, they don't itch and I don't have them. So it's e mystery as to what is going on. I have some experience, but I thought it was allergy to something because there was so many and they where all over. It looked like the chicken pocks. So they came earlier in the day, and had no clue what bed bugs are. Then they start looking for them...umm they don't come out during the day and they are inside the mattress. They tell my roommate that there is nothing they can do about the bed, but fresh linen on...two sets of sheets.
So we hope my roommate doesn't get bit and I don't either. Kelly, the instructor, said someone last year had them.
So we live south in the city, this supermarket is north outside the wall, so it takes us like 20 minutes to walk to the other side of the wall. We make some wrong turns, but end up at one of the secret entrances. All of sudden it was like walking into the batcave! The entrance by us it not like this one. We walk down, make some runs, it a little dark in there, have no idea when it will end. We make it out, but decide no to take that entrance again.
So we walk, we run into people in our program along the way, so at east we know we are going the right way. So we make it, so to get the cart you have to put a one euro coin in the slot. I felt like I was back in the hood. So the three of use split up and go at it. So I'm reading the labels and looking at the photos trying to figure out what I'm buying. So they don't really sale salad dressing here. They use a lot of vinaigrette and oil. It took me the longest time to find the sugar, which was next to the ice cream in the front of the store. So I spend 68 euros on groceries.
Now it's time to get it all home. So I brought a backpack and my carry on should bag. Fill it all up and still have to carry two bags. My roommate brings a duffel bag, the professor brings nothing!! Why, there are some questions I just don't even bother to ask. I mean I still can't use my door! So we leave, but look for a cab. We can't find one. The professor leaves us and his groceries to find one. We waited for like fifteen minutes, in the mean time my allergies start really coming down. I'm like I gotta go, I start walking on this path back through the wall, they had just mowed the loan. I start sneezing like crazy, trying to walk fast, but got all these groceries. It was torture!
So I make it back in, they are right behind me. We found a quicker route back to the apartment, I was so tired and my arms and back were hurting. I was dying for a cold glass of water. There is a cafe right under our building, so we go get cold water and catch our breath. this was more manual labor.
So the people that own the building are suppose to be there at 6pm to wrap my roommates mattress in plastic. So my roommate as all these small red bumps all over. Some people said it's bed bugs, however, they don't itch and I don't have them. So it's e mystery as to what is going on. I have some experience, but I thought it was allergy to something because there was so many and they where all over. It looked like the chicken pocks. So they came earlier in the day, and had no clue what bed bugs are. Then they start looking for them...umm they don't come out during the day and they are inside the mattress. They tell my roommate that there is nothing they can do about the bed, but fresh linen on...two sets of sheets.
So we hope my roommate doesn't get bit and I don't either. Kelly, the instructor, said someone last year had them.
Day 5- A Day of Rest
So I was so knocked out, I didn't wake up until 1:30pm. It was my first day to sleep in over a week. That sleep was so needed. So I wake up and my professor wasn't on the couch, he somehow cracked open the lock and got into his room. So I'm telling my roommate what happened and just laughing about the whole thing. However, we no longer have a lock on our door, there is a hole.
So we decide we really need to get groceries and Internet. Ok, so the best deal in all of Europe is at the Bar Astra. So for 25 euro, I get unlimited Internet access for 30 days. Everywhere else is charging 9 euro for one hour!! It is crazy out here. So I'm now forced to hang out the Internet cafe, which is really smart on their part. The longer I sit there, the more I buy.
We meet some students from our program there and they said that the supermarket is closed. So now I get some seafood pasta and glass of wine for the bar and catch up on my emails. Not being on the Internet for few days really takes a long time to go through. I go home and a few people are there and hanging out. Which is cool, then a few more come over. My roommate has a cell phone so people call and they show up. We have 10 people over, it's cool, we drink wine, eat my roommates cheese and salami.
So let me tell about the most amazing Luciana we know, this guy named Francesco, he's a friend to the program. He knows all about the city and where to go. So we leave our apartment and go to the pub they went to last night. One of the girls got into a huge argument with some guy who hates Americans!! So we go in they say they are closed, they can't serve after 1am, it's the law. So Francesco goes to another bar on the block, he says a few words to the owner and we are in just like that. That was the best VIP treatment ever.
They so open up just for us, somebody has given him the nickname "the mayor." So we sit, order drinks, talk and hang out some more. So Italy is really big on soccer, they have a fuse ball table and everybody goes and plays. I sit and watch and highly entertained. So eventually I leave, I didn't think it would be cute to be the girl sleep at the bar.
So we decide we really need to get groceries and Internet. Ok, so the best deal in all of Europe is at the Bar Astra. So for 25 euro, I get unlimited Internet access for 30 days. Everywhere else is charging 9 euro for one hour!! It is crazy out here. So I'm now forced to hang out the Internet cafe, which is really smart on their part. The longer I sit there, the more I buy.
We meet some students from our program there and they said that the supermarket is closed. So now I get some seafood pasta and glass of wine for the bar and catch up on my emails. Not being on the Internet for few days really takes a long time to go through. I go home and a few people are there and hanging out. Which is cool, then a few more come over. My roommate has a cell phone so people call and they show up. We have 10 people over, it's cool, we drink wine, eat my roommates cheese and salami.
So let me tell about the most amazing Luciana we know, this guy named Francesco, he's a friend to the program. He knows all about the city and where to go. So we leave our apartment and go to the pub they went to last night. One of the girls got into a huge argument with some guy who hates Americans!! So we go in they say they are closed, they can't serve after 1am, it's the law. So Francesco goes to another bar on the block, he says a few words to the owner and we are in just like that. That was the best VIP treatment ever.
They so open up just for us, somebody has given him the nickname "the mayor." So we sit, order drinks, talk and hang out some more. So Italy is really big on soccer, they have a fuse ball table and everybody goes and plays. I sit and watch and highly entertained. So eventually I leave, I didn't think it would be cute to be the girl sleep at the bar.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Day 4- Firenze (Florence)
So today, we go to Florence by taking the train. We ended up on the local train that made a lot stops and took about two hours. On the ride when I wasn't reading, I noticed the amount of graffiti. It was everywhere on the trains, the walls and buildings. What I did like about their graffiti was that it was more than words, but drawings and lots of bright colors. It looked more like art, however, I have no clue what the words or images mean.
Once in Firenze, we past by the Duomo of Firenze. It was so magnificent to see all of the beautiful sculptures and paintings still intact on the walls. I have to go come back, so I can go inside and look out from the tower. We then proceeded to the cathedral where the fake David statue is outside. The real David statue is inside, protected from the acid in the rain. It is incredible, I am in awe looking at these sculptures. All the things that I have studied and looked at in text books are alive in front of me.
We go to the Uffiizi museum, I have never seen so many paintings of Madonna and Child. Most of the painting are gigantic, painted in 1200-1500s and where taken from churches. They are beautifully painted, bright colors and lots of gold frames. I think what really blew me away was the Birth of Venus and Spring painting by Sandro Botticelli. It is the painting that I remember studying the most and so worth the trip to see.
So we all are suppose to meet back at 3:15pm, we lose our first person that doesn't have a cell phone. We hang out for a while, but we end up leaving someone behind to try to wait for her. We go to another church, there are so many churches in Italy, it impossible to see them all. We also go over to a science museum, which was kind of whack in my opinion. We looked at lots of animals, I had never seen so many birds. Then at the end were wax replicas of the human body and how it looks inside. We did find our missing person.
After we are free do do as we like. So we hang outside at a bar, the day was very beautiful. It has been raining and very cloudy, since we got to Italy. So we all enjoy the great weather. Then we hang out on the bridge, take pictures and have wine. The second best part of the trip is appertivi. So they don't do happy hour, but during the hours of 7-10pm they give out free food at bars if you buy a drink. So for six people, we paid 45 euro to have dinner and a drink. The food was great, it was all kind of meat, bread, pastas and vegetables. It was so many people, they were outside on the street, hanging out by the bridge, but everybody was happy!
So somehow we make back for the last train at 10pm. We drink more wine and I drift off to sleep. When I wake up we are back in Lucca. Some of the others go to a pub, but I head back to the apartment. Once I unlock the second door, I see a man in our doorway. I'm thinking "what the fuck!!" I hate how these serious moments kills your buzz. It was my professor, I'm thinking "why are messing with the lock, you should be sleep, we left you like 3 hours ago!"
Well it turns out that he put his key in our door, which it didn't work and it broke off in our lock. He had jimmied our door and at least now I could get into my apartment. By now it's midnight and I really wanna go to sleep. So he's going back and forth, tying different things to jimmie his door, but his wasn't as easy as ours. So finally at like 1:30am, I tell him I'm going to bed, he should just crash on the couch. He keeps trying, I close my door and go to sleep. My buzz is totally over!
Once in Firenze, we past by the Duomo of Firenze. It was so magnificent to see all of the beautiful sculptures and paintings still intact on the walls. I have to go come back, so I can go inside and look out from the tower. We then proceeded to the cathedral where the fake David statue is outside. The real David statue is inside, protected from the acid in the rain. It is incredible, I am in awe looking at these sculptures. All the things that I have studied and looked at in text books are alive in front of me.
We go to the Uffiizi museum, I have never seen so many paintings of Madonna and Child. Most of the painting are gigantic, painted in 1200-1500s and where taken from churches. They are beautifully painted, bright colors and lots of gold frames. I think what really blew me away was the Birth of Venus and Spring painting by Sandro Botticelli. It is the painting that I remember studying the most and so worth the trip to see.
So we all are suppose to meet back at 3:15pm, we lose our first person that doesn't have a cell phone. We hang out for a while, but we end up leaving someone behind to try to wait for her. We go to another church, there are so many churches in Italy, it impossible to see them all. We also go over to a science museum, which was kind of whack in my opinion. We looked at lots of animals, I had never seen so many birds. Then at the end were wax replicas of the human body and how it looks inside. We did find our missing person.
After we are free do do as we like. So we hang outside at a bar, the day was very beautiful. It has been raining and very cloudy, since we got to Italy. So we all enjoy the great weather. Then we hang out on the bridge, take pictures and have wine. The second best part of the trip is appertivi. So they don't do happy hour, but during the hours of 7-10pm they give out free food at bars if you buy a drink. So for six people, we paid 45 euro to have dinner and a drink. The food was great, it was all kind of meat, bread, pastas and vegetables. It was so many people, they were outside on the street, hanging out by the bridge, but everybody was happy!
So somehow we make back for the last train at 10pm. We drink more wine and I drift off to sleep. When I wake up we are back in Lucca. Some of the others go to a pub, but I head back to the apartment. Once I unlock the second door, I see a man in our doorway. I'm thinking "what the fuck!!" I hate how these serious moments kills your buzz. It was my professor, I'm thinking "why are messing with the lock, you should be sleep, we left you like 3 hours ago!"
Well it turns out that he put his key in our door, which it didn't work and it broke off in our lock. He had jimmied our door and at least now I could get into my apartment. By now it's midnight and I really wanna go to sleep. So he's going back and forth, tying different things to jimmie his door, but his wasn't as easy as ours. So finally at like 1:30am, I tell him I'm going to bed, he should just crash on the couch. He keeps trying, I close my door and go to sleep. My buzz is totally over!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Day 3- First Day in Lucca
I wake up to go to Kelly's apartment, one of the other professors. My other bag is suppose to leave Lucca at 8:30am, which is about an hour away. I now have had on the same clothes going on three days. I will never pack all my clothes in one again, another note to self. So it wasn't there, Kelly suggested I come back in another hour or so. I go back to my room and crash, I didn't sleep that well last night. I wake up its now 2pm, almost time to meet at the studio. I rush to Kelly's house and I see her leaving out.
I catch her, grab my bag and rush to shower and put on clean clothes. That shower has to be the best shower ever. As a grad assistant, I have to help straighten up the studio. So I get there, we are unpacking boxes, moving stuff and getting setup. Talk about some real manual labor! The other people in the program come and we get a packets on Lucca. Try to figure out where to go to get stuff. Two people in our group are still trying to get here, they are having problems with customs.
Then my art seminar class met, we got handouts of stuff to read for the trip tomorrow. After a few of us leave to grab dinner at this restaurant called Ristorante Giglio. I was starving, I hadn't eaten all day. They brought us bread and dinner couldn't come fast enough. Another note to self: don't drink campaign on an empty stomach, it made my headache worse I think.
This was a really classy restaurant and the food was great. I had pasta stuffed with meat and meat sauce...ravioli. I did decide not to drink the wine however...which is so good here. After I decide to go to sleep, while the others hung out a bit. I go back to the room, which I am now able to open all the doors with no problems.
I catch her, grab my bag and rush to shower and put on clean clothes. That shower has to be the best shower ever. As a grad assistant, I have to help straighten up the studio. So I get there, we are unpacking boxes, moving stuff and getting setup. Talk about some real manual labor! The other people in the program come and we get a packets on Lucca. Try to figure out where to go to get stuff. Two people in our group are still trying to get here, they are having problems with customs.
Then my art seminar class met, we got handouts of stuff to read for the trip tomorrow. After a few of us leave to grab dinner at this restaurant called Ristorante Giglio. I was starving, I hadn't eaten all day. They brought us bread and dinner couldn't come fast enough. Another note to self: don't drink campaign on an empty stomach, it made my headache worse I think.
This was a really classy restaurant and the food was great. I had pasta stuffed with meat and meat sauce...ravioli. I did decide not to drink the wine however...which is so good here. After I decide to go to sleep, while the others hung out a bit. I go back to the room, which I am now able to open all the doors with no problems.
Day 2- Still in the Airport
I wake up some how just in time for breakfast and there is only about an hour before we land in Rome. Great, I slept the whole night. They serve only one kind of juice, which is now my favorite juice. It is a red orange called Arancia Rossa. I can't wait to get more. Sal, my new buddy, gives me the whole history on this amazing red orange.
So we land and now we are late for our connecting flight. So Sal says, "They have to wait for us, they know our flight is late coming in." So this man has me running around the Rome airport with him. Since I have no clue how to navigate through this airport, I gladly follow him. Then we make it to the next gate, but we have to go through security again, which takes forever. Then we continue running through the airport, we grab carts for our bags (which was free). Then we have to split because my gate is the opposite direction. Sal says, "Ciao, baby. Remember everybody at the gates speak English, be careful. Have a wonderful stay in Lucca!" My new friend is gone.
I finally make it to my gate...there is no plane!!! It left me, so long for Sal's words of it waiting for me. I go back to the ticket counter and wait in line. While waiting some people get into it, I witness my first altercation in Rome. A woman walks over form the other line to join her daughter because that line moved faster. They where screaming at the girl, no one said or did anything. I was astonished and lost for words.
Then it's my turn and these two women are behind me but breathing down my back. I get my ticket and before I can even pick up my bag on the ground, the woman is at the counter. I'm thinking "What the hell!!" I say, "Can I pick up my bag?" She says, "Oh sorry, we are running late." At that moment, my opinion of Italians might be changing. I just walk away and shake my head.
So I walk around the airport and guess who I run into...my friend Sal. He says, "Let's get coffee." I say, "Sure, need to go to the restroom." I wait forever in line for the restroom, one woman just walks to the front and takes the next empty stall. Once again my opinion is changing.
So the next thing to do was to exchange my money. My $1,000 US dollars quickly became 540 euro!!! Damn, Bush and our slow growth period!!!
I go back and I don't see Sal. I proceed to get something to eat. I make it to the gate where I spend two more hours waiting for my flight. I find Sal there, we sit and talk to pass the time. His flight leaves before mine, he goes and wishes me well. In the mine time, I see a man that looks familiar. He turns out to be my professor, who I meet the other day to bring these two extra laptops. We make it to Pissa and go to get my luggage. I cannot believe one of my bags is missing!!
Finally get to my apartment, where my roommate is waiting with my keys and my professor has the other apartment across from us. We get settled and meet the rest of the group for dinner. It our only free meal from Pratt. So we ate good and enjoyed some red wine made from Lucca. I decide to leave and can't wait for this long day to be over. I called the airport and my bag is here and they will drop it off in the morning.
I get to the apartment and open the front door, proceed up the stairs to our apartment on the third floor. I play with the door, finally some how it opens. Then I have to open the third door, which I can't. I keep trying and trying. Then I go back to the other door, I don't know how but I ended up locking myself into the hallway. So now all I can do is sit there, I sat and drifted in and out of sleep. The wine is finally setting in from dinner. Two hours go by and I'm still sitting. I get mad and try to unlock the door again, it opens. I'm finally free after two and half hours of sitting. I run down the stairs, my roommate and professor are coming up. They open the door with no problem.
These doors are old school, you have a lock and dead bolt lock. You have to twist the key another turn once its unlock and hold it, then the door opens. This has been a long day and immediately crash.
So we land and now we are late for our connecting flight. So Sal says, "They have to wait for us, they know our flight is late coming in." So this man has me running around the Rome airport with him. Since I have no clue how to navigate through this airport, I gladly follow him. Then we make it to the next gate, but we have to go through security again, which takes forever. Then we continue running through the airport, we grab carts for our bags (which was free). Then we have to split because my gate is the opposite direction. Sal says, "Ciao, baby. Remember everybody at the gates speak English, be careful. Have a wonderful stay in Lucca!" My new friend is gone.
I finally make it to my gate...there is no plane!!! It left me, so long for Sal's words of it waiting for me. I go back to the ticket counter and wait in line. While waiting some people get into it, I witness my first altercation in Rome. A woman walks over form the other line to join her daughter because that line moved faster. They where screaming at the girl, no one said or did anything. I was astonished and lost for words.
Then it's my turn and these two women are behind me but breathing down my back. I get my ticket and before I can even pick up my bag on the ground, the woman is at the counter. I'm thinking "What the hell!!" I say, "Can I pick up my bag?" She says, "Oh sorry, we are running late." At that moment, my opinion of Italians might be changing. I just walk away and shake my head.
So I walk around the airport and guess who I run into...my friend Sal. He says, "Let's get coffee." I say, "Sure, need to go to the restroom." I wait forever in line for the restroom, one woman just walks to the front and takes the next empty stall. Once again my opinion is changing.
So the next thing to do was to exchange my money. My $1,000 US dollars quickly became 540 euro!!! Damn, Bush and our slow growth period!!!
I go back and I don't see Sal. I proceed to get something to eat. I make it to the gate where I spend two more hours waiting for my flight. I find Sal there, we sit and talk to pass the time. His flight leaves before mine, he goes and wishes me well. In the mine time, I see a man that looks familiar. He turns out to be my professor, who I meet the other day to bring these two extra laptops. We make it to Pissa and go to get my luggage. I cannot believe one of my bags is missing!!
Finally get to my apartment, where my roommate is waiting with my keys and my professor has the other apartment across from us. We get settled and meet the rest of the group for dinner. It our only free meal from Pratt. So we ate good and enjoyed some red wine made from Lucca. I decide to leave and can't wait for this long day to be over. I called the airport and my bag is here and they will drop it off in the morning.
I get to the apartment and open the front door, proceed up the stairs to our apartment on the third floor. I play with the door, finally some how it opens. Then I have to open the third door, which I can't. I keep trying and trying. Then I go back to the other door, I don't know how but I ended up locking myself into the hallway. So now all I can do is sit there, I sat and drifted in and out of sleep. The wine is finally setting in from dinner. Two hours go by and I'm still sitting. I get mad and try to unlock the door again, it opens. I'm finally free after two and half hours of sitting. I run down the stairs, my roommate and professor are coming up. They open the door with no problem.
These doors are old school, you have a lock and dead bolt lock. You have to twist the key another turn once its unlock and hold it, then the door opens. This has been a long day and immediately crash.
Day 1- The Airport
So it's really here. I have been anticipating this trip for months. I don't think the excitement really set in until I got to the airport. I hand the lady at the counter my ID card and she gives it back to me immediately and takes my passport. My ID no longer matters, only my passport which tells almost my whole life story. My two pieces of luggage were taken away, I so thought I was going to get played. I had called the day before to confirm that I could have two pieces, despite the new laws.
So then all I'm left with is my carry-on bag and a heavy laptop bag. I sit in the airport with my wonderful boyfriend Steven, I start to realize that I'm going to miss him. He's such a big part of life that I never really thought about. When it's time for me to go through the security and get to the gate, i felt sad. We kiss, then I get in line, I wait a few seconds and just like the movies he's standing there looking back at me. I smile, wave goodbye and move forward in the line. The next time I tun around he's gone and I watch him fade away. I realize now that I am truly alone going on this trip of uncertainty.
I make it to the front of the line, I take three laptops out and put them in a tray. It takes forever to get through. The man says to me, "That's a lot of laptops." I just say "Yeah," and quickly repack them before I have to go through the extra security. So down at the gate, the flight has been delayed. Now I sit and wait, finally after an hour, we board. I feel so tired after waking up early to pack. Note to self: Don't plan two trips back to back and hang out the night before you leave to pack for 6 weeks.
We wait forever for our turn to take off and then we are in the sky. Goodbye USA! I end up sitting next to this older guy and he wants to talk. I'm thinking, please shut up, all I want to do is go to sleep. Well, he actually turns out to be an Italian guy who travels back and forth. He starts teaching me some Italian. Our dinner comes, and hats off to Alitalia, it was the best airplane food I had in a long time! I even got free wine, who needs first class, if it's free in economy? Sal, my first Italian friend, keeps the wine coming. Pretty soon I'm fast asleep and hope to be in Rome.
So then all I'm left with is my carry-on bag and a heavy laptop bag. I sit in the airport with my wonderful boyfriend Steven, I start to realize that I'm going to miss him. He's such a big part of life that I never really thought about. When it's time for me to go through the security and get to the gate, i felt sad. We kiss, then I get in line, I wait a few seconds and just like the movies he's standing there looking back at me. I smile, wave goodbye and move forward in the line. The next time I tun around he's gone and I watch him fade away. I realize now that I am truly alone going on this trip of uncertainty.
I make it to the front of the line, I take three laptops out and put them in a tray. It takes forever to get through. The man says to me, "That's a lot of laptops." I just say "Yeah," and quickly repack them before I have to go through the extra security. So down at the gate, the flight has been delayed. Now I sit and wait, finally after an hour, we board. I feel so tired after waking up early to pack. Note to self: Don't plan two trips back to back and hang out the night before you leave to pack for 6 weeks.
We wait forever for our turn to take off and then we are in the sky. Goodbye USA! I end up sitting next to this older guy and he wants to talk. I'm thinking, please shut up, all I want to do is go to sleep. Well, he actually turns out to be an Italian guy who travels back and forth. He starts teaching me some Italian. Our dinner comes, and hats off to Alitalia, it was the best airplane food I had in a long time! I even got free wine, who needs first class, if it's free in economy? Sal, my first Italian friend, keeps the wine coming. Pretty soon I'm fast asleep and hope to be in Rome.
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