Jul
30
Buongiorno tutti! As my time in Italy comes to a close, I find myself vaguely nostalgic. I’ve seen so many interesting things and met so many awesome people, it almost seems a shame that I have to leave.
Friday we had our final exam for my Italian course, I finished up both my 10-page internship research paper AND my 10-page art history paper, and I gave a quick presentation on what my internship experience in Italy has been like. Otherwise, I was only been packing my bags and getting ready to hop on a train tomorrow to Rome.
I successfully bought gifts for all my family members and taken more pictures than I probably needed to, but as many of the students here are fond of saying, you never know if you’ll come back. (I, of course, will be coming back. No doubts.)
We ended the night with a party at the Eden, where I saw that movie earlier in the summer with my host family. Actually, host families were able to come to the going away party, so everyone was there.
The infamous Eden.
Yes, that’s a bar over a pool.
Kirsten with my host mom, Tiziana.
Everybody is having a good time!
We had a buffet style dinner and lots of drinks and it was absolutely beautiful.
Be jealous.
After ‘partying hard’ at the Eden, some of us left to go hang out at MyWay Bar and then Caffé dei Costanti, which is known as ‘that place with the lights.’
Cale with his host brother, Ricardo.
Luca and I with McClane creepin’ in the background.
See, look at the pretty lights!
Last night out!
So yeah, there were lots of tears and mournful goodbyes. It was emotionally devastating for some, especially those who had to leave at midnight (Like Cinderella!). But it was an awesome experience and we all had an amazing time in Italy. For anyone who’s thinking of going to Italy, this is challenge to do so. I promise you won’t regret it.
Ciao Italia, 2012
Ciao!
Jul
24
Hey team,
SALVE!
Jason and I have been in Arezzo six weeks today, and I am just getting the blog sorted out. (Perhaps already becoming a little more Italian …)
We are here with Victor (our one-year-old) for a year of teaching and supporting the OUA program. The summer Ciao!Italia program led by Jason concludes on Friday, and with that, we bid arriverderci to 18 of the hippest young travelers I know.
Those of you who followed me at peregrinatio in 2005 will know how happy I am to have an outlet like this for writing about our experiences abroad. There is something more literary about blogging than simply updating one’s Facebook profile like a maniac.
So, I’ll be working on this blog, and plan to share lots of stories, recounting successes and frustrations as we move through this year in Arezzo. I also have a new digital Canon Elph, and will be sharing plenty of pictures.
a dopo!
Monica
Jul
22
Buongiorno tutti! Today was a lovely day with cloud cover and a slight wind, which was nice since the last time I went to Siena, I was basically cooked alive.
We headed off at 8:00 am on the bus (not a train! I’m shocked!) and it took us about an hour and 15 minutes to get to Siena. We started off the day with a trip to the Duomo, which was constructed around the end of the 13th century and beginning of the 14th century. They were going to add on to it, but then there was the flooding, the famine, the bankruptcy, all cumulating in the Plague. So yeah, that never got completed. It’s still pretty epic though.
Duomo!
Altar Space at the Duomo!
Dome and Bell Tower!
After the Duomo, we walked across the way to the museum of the Duomo, which has Duccio’s Maesta and other cool pieces of art that I wasn’t allowed to take pictures of.
However, we were able to climb to the top of the façade tower and get some great pictures of Siena from high vantage point.
Il Campo!
Siena from on high.
Oh, hello. It's me!
After this, we walked over Il Campo and broke for lunch. Of course, my host mother made lunch for me, so I got to have tuna and tomato on real Tuscan bread (my host mother emphasizes this fact). After lunch, we went to the Crypt of the Duomo (Disappointing. There weren’t any dead people.) and the Baptistry. Which had some pretty cool stuff inside.
Some fountain thing!
Some amazing art thing!
Following the amazing Baptistry adventure, we all met up at the Siena Municipal Building and headed upstairs (everything is stairs in Siena. It’s kind of annoying. For example:
Yeah.)
We went through the fresco series, which tell the history of Siena and show the secular and religious influences on the political world during its time as an independent city-state. Look up the frescos called the Allegory of Good and Bad Government. It’s extremely cool.
Then we just wandered around Siena for an hour, looking for gelato and randomly chatting. It was nice, mainly because of the very helpful cloud cover. Seriously, it was a Godsend.
Then we left at 4:30 pm, returned to Arezzo around 5:45 pm, and I headed home to get some work done on the papers that I have due on Friday. Yeah, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Interesting Stories of the Day:
- After lunch we had some time to shop around and we ended up going inside this awesome candle shop. They actually hold the patents for some of the candles that they make, and they were working on creating a new candle while we were there.
So talented!
- At the museum they had some gargoyles that used to be on the Duomo. Some of the were particularly creepy. Like this one.
Why does it have to have a human face?!
- At the Duomo, they have the popes carved into the upper parts of the walls. There’s probably a name for it but I don’t know what it is. Anyway, I found Jesus and Peter, the first Pope!
There they are!
- They also had a music library filled with the old music books, all of which were hand made from sheep skin with gold leafing. They used to prop them up in front of the choir so that everyone could read them, which is why they are so big.
- So. Cool.
Jul
16
Ciao tutti! Today is the 14th of July and though in Italy that is not a big deal, it is in Arezzo and the surrounding towns. Let me give you some background.
Villa Mancini.
- Waiting for the film to start.
A few words from the director.
Walking to the memorial.
The tomb that was erected in honor of the victims.
The field where the victims dug their own graves.
- The only people who came into my internship today were Americans. My supervisor was very happy because it meant that she didn’t have to try and speak English to them. She says it makes her nervous. Honey, I know exactly how you feel.
- When I was going home, I stopped for gelato with Alex and Sean. Alex said something very true: “Gelato is the gateway drug to all Italian desserts.” Yes, Alex. Yes, it is.
Jul
9
In Bordeaux, France, meeting a German student
This last week was a mixed bag of emotions, frustrations, confusion, but also memories I hope never to forget. In my last post I talked about my trip in Sharm As-Sheikh to keep me busy, but I’ve still been very homesick with no way to hear my mother’s voice.
How we all feel after trying for hours to get the internet in our dorm
I finally spoke with her a few days ago and I was so relieved, I cried at the sound of her voice over the phone, thousands of miles away from me.
My beautiful niece in 2008
My best friend since I was 2 years old
Yes, my emotions these days seem to run quite high, I am embarrassed to admit. But out of it all I spoke with and became closer to people with whom I never expected to have much contact. I took too many pictures…I don’t know if it really has sunken in that I will be here in Egypt for an entire year. Time moves so slowly and yet so quickly concurrently.
The newest addition to my heart. Lameese and I are two peas in a pod
My parents. I miss them like crazy
My mom, brother, and newest addition to the family, my niece Rowen
My confidence in my abilities sky-rocketed even after a brief chat with my mother. I recently realized how important it is to keep good ties with family members and friends back home in order to keep yourself grounded and sane. No contact with my family until quite recently has made me feel vulnerable and fragile, ready to blow away by the first wind of criticism or disapproval.
Awesome dorm-mates and new friends
One of my sisters in Christ, Kelly!!
Even the sound of my mother’s voice makes me feel so safe, secure in the fact that people are persevering with me in spirit, thousands of miles away from me. It’s heart-warming, really. It gives me the courage to continue in my endeavors and increase my motivation for self-sufficiency in a country with which I am completely unfamiliar.
New friends in a new program! Grace and I
Summer domestic flagship, last summer in Austin, TX
I’ve come to the conclusion that new experiences and new friends are always a treasure, and we should never fear stepping out from what is comfortable. I feel that is rather clear.
My sister in Christ, Xin Zhang, in Archachon, FR
However, this does not by any means imply that through this, we break and lose the ties to those who know us best. There is value in expanding our horizons, making new–and perhaps lasting–friendships through our adventures.
Arcachon, FR 2011
But perhaps that which is priceless is our closest or oldest ties, those relations that we forget are so valuable because of our close proximity. I have always loved to travel and jump into the next thing, but that oftentimes causes me to take for granted those whom I love so dearly, cheering me on in my wake. As wonderful as the future always appears in our dreamy thoughts, the present is a gift in itself and should never be pushed to the side.
Bordeaux, FR 2011
To all of you who I have left behind for these trips and adventures I feel I “need” to take: I am sorry for the times I caused you to feel that I didn’t care or didn’t try. I am sorry for making you feel like you don’t matter.
Austin, TX at the ESL dinner with lovely Eman
Fayetteville, AR 2012Another fabulous niece, Cassie
Because in truth, I am only here today, living my dreams, because of you. Your influence over me has been crucial, and will remain a part of me forever. I love you all, and I thank you for your unwavering support and encouragement, even when you did not understand my intentions or goals. Thank you for standing with me in spirit. It is the cornerstone on which I base my life.
Best friend forever, Tiffany, in Cali. I've known her since I was 7
My sister in Christ and partner in crime, Hannah. 🙂
Jul
9
This last week we all headed to Sharm As-Sheikh, the famous resort town, for a few days of vacation from classes. I had heard stories of how this town was built around tourists and how it is quite different from other areas of Egypt, but all of those stories were gross understatements to the reality of this place. Sharm As-Sheikh is the Las Vegas of Egypt, and quite possibly of the Middle East. 
There were no restrictions on clothing there, and I saw almost more Russians than Arabs wandering the streets, buying trinkets with inflated prices. The staff at any restaurant, café, hotel, or shop spoke English fairly fluently, and a few even spoke Russian. I truly forgot I was in Egypt for a few days.
A little surprise from the cleaning staff at the hotel
The degree of westernization was astounding, to say the least. On the 4th of July, a group of us all went to a club and begged the DJ to play American songs, as we were the only people there. He finally agreed and we danced until 2am to songs we all knew. It was an unforgettable moment in time, on the open balcony of the club, the lights of such a tourist town twinkling around us and the gentle waves of the sea in the near distance.
Early 4th of July party in Alexandria the day before we left for Sharm
We all had to fight in order to speak Arabic with most of the people there, especially our guide when we took a boat out to the beautiful coral reefs of the Red Sea. Our guide confessed that our group was the first to which he could give instructions all in Arabic in the 14 years he had lived in Sharm As-Sheikh.
On the Red Sea
Out on the Red Sea, I was blown away by the crystal clear blue waters, only a thin veil to the picture underneath the waves. I went snorkeling for the first time, and I hope never to forget what I saw, the silent world of fish and sea creatures pulsing with life. There was no sound, but the waters were tense with energy, even the plants and coral seemed to breathe in their bright colors, flowing with the soft current curling around their edges. Even the schools of fish all seemed to have such purpose, such importance. I only wish I had an underwater camera.
The coral reefs, from the boat
Showing a little Egyptian pride
The color changes where you can see the solid coral reefs
By the end of the four days we spent there, I was ready to return to Alex. Despite the luxury of the experience as a whole, I was ready to leave a place that felt so manufactured, so fake. The thought that wouldn’t leave my head was that some people come to a place like this, and they have no concept of what the rest of Egypt, the real Egypt, is like. Perhaps they think that Egypt is that tolerant to loud tourists, or bars, or bikinis on the beach. They would be shocked and most likely disturbed by the reality. I, however, prefer the real Egypt, despite its flaws. Outside of Sharm As-Sheikh, Egypt does not seem so stifled, so perfect. 
It has the feel of a bustling, crazy city, a nugget of the real world in a very populated area. Just like the my view underneath the Red Sea, Egypt seems to flow with a type of current, tense with energy, filled with purpose, ideas, feelings, opinions.
On the boat with friends
Jul
7
Ciao tutti! I hope you all are having wonderful air-conditioned days, wherever you are. Today was a lovely day with a heat that burned immensely. It was good times.
But really it was very fun. I liked Florence a lot when I was there with JTI and it was just as cool this time, especially since I actually knew where we were going almost all the time.
The day started off at 7:30 am at the train station in Arezzo. My host mother made me some breakfast and sent me off with a nice sack lunch (tuna sandwich. Yum!) and we left on the 7:45 am train to Florence.
Train stations are always busy.
It's like the lottery!
Arriving at the train station, we immediately made our way towards the Palazzo Rucellai, where we met up with a professor there who went to grad school with Professor Houston. He was pretty awesome and specialized in Renaissance history, so he had a lot to say about the political situation during the time.
It's a school now!
I don't know what's happening, but they're definitely Greek.
After looking around the Palazzo, we all headed to Santa Croce, though we stopped by some familiar sights on the way there. It didn’t even matter, because it was just as awesome the second time as it was the first. So we saw all this coolness.
The Duomo!
Municipal Building!
Church of Santa Croce!
And inside the church were…
The Tomb of Galileo!
And the Tomb of Michelangelo!
Following Santa Croce, we walked to San Lorenzo so that we could eat lunch and walk around the leather market. So we went inside the indoor market and ate, then walked into the chaos of the leather market outside. Some people spent all their money and literally had nothing left. Those who know me know that that did not happen to me.
After spending an hour and a half at the leather market, we met to go over to the Academia, where Michelangelo’s David is located. Once more, I was not able to take pictures, but it is just as impressive the second time as it is the first.
Then we all walked out and down the street, getting gelato at the place run by Sicilians. It was really good and their fruit and nut gelato were the best.
So those of us who were not staying the night walked over to the train station, hopped on the train, and headed home. I’ve had some chicken, green beans, and bread for dinner, and I’m probably just going to chill tonight. Florence was exhausting.
Interesting Stories of the Day:
- So one of the girls realized when we got to Santa Croce that her purse was missing from her bag. Which has all of her money and credit card. So there was this mess with trying to cancel the card and stuff. Then we found out that the purse was found by the police on the train, so that was good. It’s still up in the air if all her stuff is in it, but at least it didn’t get far.
- At the Palazzo Rucellai, there was a summer performing arts program going on with students from Santa Barbara in California. So we were treated to the lovely sounds of classical music as we toured the building.
They were very talented.
- Also, there was the guy at the leather market that I bought something from and we got to talking. He asked what I was doing in Italy, and I told him I was studying Italian. He said that I should get Rosetta Stone because it’s a very good program. I told him that if I was going to get Rosetta Stone, I’d probably get it for Arabic and then he said, “Oh, you’re also studying Arabic? Ahlan.”And I just freaked out! He then pulls his computer out of nowhere and pulls up all the languages he has on Rosetta Stone. He had 27! It was ridiculous. His name was Matteo and he is now my new best friend.
Jul
2
Buongiorno tutti! It is hot and I am tired, but more importantly, Assisi!! That’s right! The home of St. Francis himself (or San Francesco if you’re Italian).
The day started out with a train at 9:00 am, so I said goodbye to Melinda and Elizabeth (who were still able to sleep, lucky jerks), and headed off to the station to meet up with the rest of the Ciao Italia group.
After taking a nice train ride (1½ hours), we arrived at the Assisi train station (which in reality is part of a suburb of Assisi called Maria degli Angeli).
YAY!
We then visited the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. We weren’t allowed to take pictures of the inside, but it reminded me a lot of my old parish at home, St. Ann’s. It had the same feel. And smell. All churches smell the same. It’s kind of weird.
Saint Francis!
See that monster church? That's Santa Maria.
But anyway. After that, we hopped on a bus to get as close to the Rocco d’Assisi as possible. Of course, this was still a difficult climb, especially since it was ridiculously hot. But the view at the top was so worth it.
Oh, Assisi...
Valley behind Assisi.
Rocco (Fortress) of Assisi.
Oh, and this is Professor Houston.
Hi, Professor!
After walking around the super cool castle (that was once a fortress, but it was really more against the people of Assisi because they didn’t like the people who ‘ruled’ them) we headed downwards to grab some lunch.
After lunch, we walked over to the Basilica di San Francesco. It is really beautiful and there are in fact two churches. One is above the other. Basically, there was so much stuff that they wanted to put in that they couldn’t fit it in the church that was already there. So they built another one. Go figure.
It was really interesting.
And had a monastery!
Following the Basilica, we wandered down to the bus station, grabbed one back to the train station and then waited around for an hour for the 5:17 pm train. We happened to end up in an air-conditioned carriage (Grazie a Dio!) and most of us promptly fell asleep. Walking around Assisi was absolutely exhausting.
I then waited around in Piazza Guido Monaco for my host family. Since I didn’t actually know what my host mother looked like, and she didn’t know what I looked like, I hoped that my luggage and lost expression would be a clue. And it was!
I was picked up and taken to their apartment (which, by the way, is very nice). I had this amazing chicken salad sandwich (I think?) for dinner and then collapsed into bed. After a very nice chat in Italian. ^_^
Interesting Stories of the Day:
- When we wandered inside Santa Maria degli Angeli, they were having mass. I kind of felt like a horrible person for not participating. Catholic guilt for the win.
- We kept running into these University of Minnesota (?) students. At the Rocco, at lunch, it was ridiculous. They were very nice though.
- Also, the oldest picture of Saint Francis is located inside the Basilica di San Francesco. All the drawings inside were originally done by Cimabue, but later his student, Giotto, was commissioned to go over his work with a more ‘modern’ style. Giotto did this, but left Cimabue’s Saint Francis alone, even though it kind of looks out of place with what was put next to it. It was commissioned sooner after Saint Francis’ death than any other representation of him, making it, most likely, the closest to the reality of how he looked during life.
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