I had a greeeeat time in Aosta!! I am so so so happy that I came here today. It was beautiful. It was snowing the whole time. Luckily I went prepared and was warm the whole time. (you'll see in photos)
Except my burberry boots are killing me!! They are tearing up my heals and my poor toes are numb. I'm really disappointed. I just hope this is happening because it's my first time wearing them or else I'll be pissed! They were great today in the snow. I was able to walk around with no problem plus my feet didn't get wet which was nice.
But about Aosta, it was great. We took a tram (enclosed ski lift) all the way up the mountain for 5 euro. It took about 30 minutes and it was such a climate change. Going from just the snow drizzling and not sticking to the ground to up at the top of the mountain where there was skiing and so much snow!
I took lots of pictures!! I'll post them on Facebook after I write this.
When we came down the mountain, we went around and looked at all of the ancient ruins. There was probably 24 of them and we saw 6. The whole town was pretty. Pretty small but it was cute. I am glad I ended up going, I would have been super bummed.
We stopped to get food up at the top of the mountain and then when we came down we saw some of the ruins and it was snowing so much we wanted to stop and defrost/warm up so we got coffee. Then we went back out and walked around. The girls got some really cute boots. They got real leather, made in Italy boots for 17 euro. Like seriously??
Overall I had a great time with everyone and can't wait to soak my feet.
Miss you guys so much!!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Monday 1/23
I'm really excited right now because I just bought my ticket to Brussels for Feb 3-Feb 6 and my ticket to Rome for Feb 24-Feb 26. Things are finally going in the right direction. Now that I have these two trips planned, hopefully all of my other trips will fall into place. Somewhere I HAVE to go before I come home, Dublin, Ireland. I want to go there for Spring Break.
School this morning was school, nothing special at all. Tomorrow I start my International Marketing class and Wednesday I start International Finance. Then I have my Intercultural Communication class on Friday. My schedule is so easy I really love it. Just a bummer that other people don't have it like this so there will be days that I don't have class but everyone else does.
As for tonight, I'll be home. So if anyone wants to Skype for a little bit, I'll be on!
Miss you guys so much!!
School this morning was school, nothing special at all. Tomorrow I start my International Marketing class and Wednesday I start International Finance. Then I have my Intercultural Communication class on Friday. My schedule is so easy I really love it. Just a bummer that other people don't have it like this so there will be days that I don't have class but everyone else does.
As for tonight, I'll be home. So if anyone wants to Skype for a little bit, I'll be on!
Miss you guys so much!!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Sunday 1/22 trip to Asti
Asti ended up being a great great trip but in the beginning it was a little shaky. We got here at 9:30am and nothing was open. It was dead and we all were worried that we came to a city to do nothing.
We went to the cafe in the train station and got some food. Victor asked the bar tender of a place we could go to to drink some wine from Asti.
He gave us the name and number of a restaurant . I called it and asked when it opened, made reservations and made it clear that we wanted to drink wine.
By this time it was only 10:30am and it was cold! A lot colder than its been this past week in Torino (besides the two snow days) and not like Genova. It's a smaller town and since it was Sunday, no one was around. We were all bummed but we were trying to stay positive since we had lunch reservations at 12. There was 8 of us in our little group but there was maybe 16 of us all together. Our group was the perfect group! We had such a great time together and all got along really well.
As we were walking around, trying to kill time. We came across a church that was having mass. We went to sit it, well it was in portuguese. Joe & I were asking each other "do you know what they're saying?" we assumed it was going to be in Italian!! Haha we felt like idiots but it was cool to see it and listen.
Once it was 12, we headed to the restaurant. It was excellent! I finally got some good food in me. We sat down and they served us champagne right away plus some salami, bread and breadsticks.
We order 4L of red wine, it was the restaurants house wine which was from Asti. It was delicious. I feel like I'm becoming such a pro at wine. (Dad you'd be proud!) For lunch I got ravioli with hen. They were excellent. Easily another top delicious plate I've had here. The ravioli were small and melted in my mouth. Victor also got the ravioli but as a second plate, he got horse meat!! He said it was delicious. I really want to try it next time we go out that offers it. Apparently it's really good in Venice.
After we ate, we order a bottle of their famous Asti champagne. It was so sweet and decadent. Everyone was feeling really good. We were having such a great time together. Another moment where I was truly happy to be in Italy.
We were probably in the restaurant for 2 hours. It was amazing! Another cool thing about the restaurant, all their waiters had down syndrome. We believe that Asti has a hospital or special clinic for people with special needs because we saw a lot of people like that.
After lunch, we walked around the piazza but since everything was closed, there was a huge garage sale going on. People have some crazy shit in their house! Haha but after we looked around for an hour or so, we all hit a brick wall and got super tired. Just decided to come home, take a nap and relax. Over all it luckily ended up being a good day but not as good at Genova.
We went to the cafe in the train station and got some food. Victor asked the bar tender of a place we could go to to drink some wine from Asti.
He gave us the name and number of a restaurant . I called it and asked when it opened, made reservations and made it clear that we wanted to drink wine.
By this time it was only 10:30am and it was cold! A lot colder than its been this past week in Torino (besides the two snow days) and not like Genova. It's a smaller town and since it was Sunday, no one was around. We were all bummed but we were trying to stay positive since we had lunch reservations at 12. There was 8 of us in our little group but there was maybe 16 of us all together. Our group was the perfect group! We had such a great time together and all got along really well.
As we were walking around, trying to kill time. We came across a church that was having mass. We went to sit it, well it was in portuguese. Joe & I were asking each other "do you know what they're saying?" we assumed it was going to be in Italian!! Haha we felt like idiots but it was cool to see it and listen.
Once it was 12, we headed to the restaurant. It was excellent! I finally got some good food in me. We sat down and they served us champagne right away plus some salami, bread and breadsticks.
We order 4L of red wine, it was the restaurants house wine which was from Asti. It was delicious. I feel like I'm becoming such a pro at wine. (Dad you'd be proud!) For lunch I got ravioli with hen. They were excellent. Easily another top delicious plate I've had here. The ravioli were small and melted in my mouth. Victor also got the ravioli but as a second plate, he got horse meat!! He said it was delicious. I really want to try it next time we go out that offers it. Apparently it's really good in Venice.
After we ate, we order a bottle of their famous Asti champagne. It was so sweet and decadent. Everyone was feeling really good. We were having such a great time together. Another moment where I was truly happy to be in Italy.
We were probably in the restaurant for 2 hours. It was amazing! Another cool thing about the restaurant, all their waiters had down syndrome. We believe that Asti has a hospital or special clinic for people with special needs because we saw a lot of people like that.
After lunch, we walked around the piazza but since everything was closed, there was a huge garage sale going on. People have some crazy shit in their house! Haha but after we looked around for an hour or so, we all hit a brick wall and got super tired. Just decided to come home, take a nap and relax. Over all it luckily ended up being a good day but not as good at Genova.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Friday 1/20 and 1/21 day trip to Genova
Friday:
As I write this, I am sitting in my Italian kitchen making some mini tortellini I bought today at the store.
Today after class I went on a tour to the Lingotto mall. It use to be Fiat's headquarters. There was a group of 20 students which was perfect. We had such a fun time with everyone.
I already posted pictures online which I hope you guys all saw! There was a race track on the roof where they would test out the new Fiats. It didn't seem like the safest place to drive a car but it was pretty cool being there.
After we walked around the whole track, we went inside where the maker of Fiat, his wife, had donated a few paintings from their home. These paintings were breathe taking. Can't even describe to you how amazing it was to see them in person. There were two Pablo Picasso painting. Breathe taking!
After that tour, I headed over to Victor's which was where Hannah and Lauren were. I was only there for 15min before I left and got on the bus to head home. (yup got on the bus by myself) I was home for a little, that's when I posted the pictures.
I needed a few things at the market like lunch and dinner. But also laundry detergent (which I ended up buying fabric softener), tape and napkins.
After that little trip, came home, made myself a sandwich and skyped with my mom & friends. It's so great having wifi and being able to Skype. It's always a great!
Once Lauren had figured out what was going on for the night. I packed up my bag and headed to Lauren's for the night. I took the metro all by myself! I was really proud of me for doing that and not getting lost. As the days continue, it's getting better and better.
I got to Lauren's, we put our make up on, Chelsea got there and we partied with Lauren's Italian roommate Veronica. Veronica had a bunch of her friends over which was so much fun. They were loud, drinking and loved talking English.
We played flip cup! No one was drinking beer so we were confused on what we were going to use. They mixed champagne and orange juice together. It was a really good mix but after 4 rounds of flip cup, it gets old.
After we won 3/4 games, we headed downtown to the bar Texas Rangers. It's another "American" bar downtown. We haven't found our good group of people that we continually go out with yet. I like the American bars but only so many times. I really want to go out to the clubs and places where only Italians hang out.
Mom, last night I met this guy called Cesar and he said I had a Tuscan accent when I spoke Italian! I told him that's where you are from and he loved it.
We stayed out until 3:05. Which was a terrible idea because we got us this morning at 6:45am to catch the train for Genova at 8:20am. I'm sitting on the train now. I was able to sleep a little but not enough.
It's a beautiful ride through the country side. Once you leave the big cities, you see more stand alone homes and farms. I love this part of Italy. It's so peaceful and pretty.
I'm on the train now back to Torino from Genova. I loved Genova!! It was a great city. It was more like the cities I've seen before in Italy. Which I really liked and felt more comfortable walking around. First day of traveling was a success!!
Tomorrow we are going to Asti which is pretty close by but is a smaller city. I hope it's really Italian!!
As I write this, I am sitting in my Italian kitchen making some mini tortellini I bought today at the store.
Today after class I went on a tour to the Lingotto mall. It use to be Fiat's headquarters. There was a group of 20 students which was perfect. We had such a fun time with everyone.
I already posted pictures online which I hope you guys all saw! There was a race track on the roof where they would test out the new Fiats. It didn't seem like the safest place to drive a car but it was pretty cool being there.
After we walked around the whole track, we went inside where the maker of Fiat, his wife, had donated a few paintings from their home. These paintings were breathe taking. Can't even describe to you how amazing it was to see them in person. There were two Pablo Picasso painting. Breathe taking!
After that tour, I headed over to Victor's which was where Hannah and Lauren were. I was only there for 15min before I left and got on the bus to head home. (yup got on the bus by myself) I was home for a little, that's when I posted the pictures.
I needed a few things at the market like lunch and dinner. But also laundry detergent (which I ended up buying fabric softener), tape and napkins.
After that little trip, came home, made myself a sandwich and skyped with my mom & friends. It's so great having wifi and being able to Skype. It's always a great!
Once Lauren had figured out what was going on for the night. I packed up my bag and headed to Lauren's for the night. I took the metro all by myself! I was really proud of me for doing that and not getting lost. As the days continue, it's getting better and better.
I got to Lauren's, we put our make up on, Chelsea got there and we partied with Lauren's Italian roommate Veronica. Veronica had a bunch of her friends over which was so much fun. They were loud, drinking and loved talking English.
We played flip cup! No one was drinking beer so we were confused on what we were going to use. They mixed champagne and orange juice together. It was a really good mix but after 4 rounds of flip cup, it gets old.
After we won 3/4 games, we headed downtown to the bar Texas Rangers. It's another "American" bar downtown. We haven't found our good group of people that we continually go out with yet. I like the American bars but only so many times. I really want to go out to the clubs and places where only Italians hang out.
Mom, last night I met this guy called Cesar and he said I had a Tuscan accent when I spoke Italian! I told him that's where you are from and he loved it.
We stayed out until 3:05. Which was a terrible idea because we got us this morning at 6:45am to catch the train for Genova at 8:20am. I'm sitting on the train now. I was able to sleep a little but not enough.
It's a beautiful ride through the country side. Once you leave the big cities, you see more stand alone homes and farms. I love this part of Italy. It's so peaceful and pretty.
I'm on the train now back to Torino from Genova. I loved Genova!! It was a great city. It was more like the cities I've seen before in Italy. Which I really liked and felt more comfortable walking around. First day of traveling was a success!!
Tomorrow we are going to Asti which is pretty close by but is a smaller city. I hope it's really Italian!!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Thursday 1/19
Today was nothing special..I went to class again 9-11am. Did my homework with Jessica during our break which was nice because I didn't have to worry about it tonight.
Once Lauren & Hannah were done with their italian at 12:15, USAC took a few pictures of us in front of the school. So cheesy! Haha then we caught the metro to Lauren's apartment in downtown. Dropped off our books and headed for the shops.
We were out shopping for maybe 3.5 hours and I only bought one blue scarf. That isn't me..just nothing was really sticking out to me. There is a ton of sales going on right now. I'm looking for a nice color peacoat but haven't found it yet.
We did so much walking!! Wish I brought some cushions for my shoes. My ankles, shins, knees, thighs, butt and back are all hurting. I'm not use to this much walking.
I was gone from 8:30-6pm today and when I got home, felt great to put my feet up. But was only for 20 minutes because my roommates invited me to go to dinner with them which I wasn't going to pass up since I was probably going to eat cereal.
We went to a Mexican restaurant off a street called Umberto Biancamino. You wouldn't even know it was a Mexican place. Just had a red cover and some Christmas lights. We got there a little earlier than Italians do but by the time we were leaving it was packed! Such a good hole in the wall. I am extremely stuffed.
I was going to go out with Hannah and Jessica but I am so tired and sore from today, I felt it was best to stay in and sleep.
Tomorrow I've got class again 9-11 then a mall tour at 12. Then I need to go grocery shopping. I will be available to Skype probably 4-6pm.
I think I'm going to sleepover at Lauren's Friday night because Saturday we are going on a day trip to Genova. We are suppose to be at the train station by 8:15am. So I don't know how much I'll sleep since I'll be on a couch. I'll probably sleep there again on Saturday because Sunday we have another day trip to Asti. I'm so excited for these day trips. Can't wait to figure out the train schedule and just leave to other cities when I want!!
I'll tell you guys how it goes. Miss you guys so much. Xoxo
Once Lauren & Hannah were done with their italian at 12:15, USAC took a few pictures of us in front of the school. So cheesy! Haha then we caught the metro to Lauren's apartment in downtown. Dropped off our books and headed for the shops.
We were out shopping for maybe 3.5 hours and I only bought one blue scarf. That isn't me..just nothing was really sticking out to me. There is a ton of sales going on right now. I'm looking for a nice color peacoat but haven't found it yet.
We did so much walking!! Wish I brought some cushions for my shoes. My ankles, shins, knees, thighs, butt and back are all hurting. I'm not use to this much walking.
I was gone from 8:30-6pm today and when I got home, felt great to put my feet up. But was only for 20 minutes because my roommates invited me to go to dinner with them which I wasn't going to pass up since I was probably going to eat cereal.
We went to a Mexican restaurant off a street called Umberto Biancamino. You wouldn't even know it was a Mexican place. Just had a red cover and some Christmas lights. We got there a little earlier than Italians do but by the time we were leaving it was packed! Such a good hole in the wall. I am extremely stuffed.
I was going to go out with Hannah and Jessica but I am so tired and sore from today, I felt it was best to stay in and sleep.
Tomorrow I've got class again 9-11 then a mall tour at 12. Then I need to go grocery shopping. I will be available to Skype probably 4-6pm.
I think I'm going to sleepover at Lauren's Friday night because Saturday we are going on a day trip to Genova. We are suppose to be at the train station by 8:15am. So I don't know how much I'll sleep since I'll be on a couch. I'll probably sleep there again on Saturday because Sunday we have another day trip to Asti. I'm so excited for these day trips. Can't wait to figure out the train schedule and just leave to other cities when I want!!
I'll tell you guys how it goes. Miss you guys so much. Xoxo
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Tuesday 1/17 afternoon and night
So before I even get started with how my night ended up, I'll talk about how it was great to Skype my family & friends this afternoon! I hope everyone enjoyed the few pictures I posted on Facebook.
We finally got our wifi to work but that was such a tease because now it isn't working again. The girls think that they maybe turn it off when the store closes but for many of us, it's the perfect time to Skype & talk with friends. Hopefully we can get something figured out so we are able to have it all day long.
So my night, at school a few people had mentioned they wanted to go to an alpertivo, which is where you buy a drink then you get endless food. Of course all of us wanted to do that. Well Jessica and Hannah came to get Allyson and I at are apartment and we went to Lauren's downtown (which is apparently where Steph & Mia lived) it's very cute but modern. When you're inside, feels like I'm in a dorm room from New York or SF. But anyways, We didn't leave for an hour because Lauren was getting ready and the boys were.
Once everyone was set to go, we headed out to the Shore. Lauren lives with an Italian girl who gave us this recommendation. Well they thought it was a lot closer than it was. We ended up walking for 25 min. Luckily Jessica is tall and spotted the place on the other side of some shrubs. We headed over (grant it there is 16 of us) everyone always pushes me to the front to talk in Italian. So I asked if they could accommodate all of us because it looked like a small place. Little did we know, there was a big upstairs. It was so cool! (felt like the NY bars)
It was 9 euro for a drink and food. The food wasn't the great which sucked because I was hungry and was looking forward to a good meal. It was all cold and looked the same. I tried some meatballs and wannabe French fries. I just put some other things on my plate. I ate what I liked. When we left, we all agreed on not going back there.
Here comes the fun part, so my roommate Allyson left to go home about 40min before us. The metro we got off on to get to Lauren's was 25 min away from us and at this point the metro was going to close at 11:40pm. So we wanted to find the quickest way. We asked a group of Italians sitting outside and they said to take the bus. We walked to bus and realized that our special # bus wasn't listed. Plus no cars were around, no people so we figured nothing was open anymore. We headed up the main street hoping to run into a metro entrance or another bus stop with our #. Instead we found a map that luckily showed us where we were. For the people from Chico, the map said we were at the Safeway on Nord and our home was at TJ Maxx. Yeah...a pretty far walk!! Of course we started to freak out.
As we were looking at the map, a bus drove by. We ran to it waving our arms in the air (like Americans) and we got it to stop!!! Jessica asked it if it stopped Porta Nuovo which was where a metro station was. Luckily it did and a little old lady was also getting off that stop and told us she would show us. She pointed us in the right direction but as we were walking, this creepy guy was calling to us "Bella Bella Bella" and started to follow us. At this point, we're running!
We finally got to the damn metro station at 11:26 (closes at 11:40) we bought our tickets and RAN down to the train. We made it on time and got home safely. But seriously I am never going out on a school night like this again. I was scared, nervous, frightened all at once. Not something my body needs right now when it's sick.
I'm so glad to be home and laying in bed writing this blog. You have no idea!!
We finally got our wifi to work but that was such a tease because now it isn't working again. The girls think that they maybe turn it off when the store closes but for many of us, it's the perfect time to Skype & talk with friends. Hopefully we can get something figured out so we are able to have it all day long.
So my night, at school a few people had mentioned they wanted to go to an alpertivo, which is where you buy a drink then you get endless food. Of course all of us wanted to do that. Well Jessica and Hannah came to get Allyson and I at are apartment and we went to Lauren's downtown (which is apparently where Steph & Mia lived) it's very cute but modern. When you're inside, feels like I'm in a dorm room from New York or SF. But anyways, We didn't leave for an hour because Lauren was getting ready and the boys were.
Once everyone was set to go, we headed out to the Shore. Lauren lives with an Italian girl who gave us this recommendation. Well they thought it was a lot closer than it was. We ended up walking for 25 min. Luckily Jessica is tall and spotted the place on the other side of some shrubs. We headed over (grant it there is 16 of us) everyone always pushes me to the front to talk in Italian. So I asked if they could accommodate all of us because it looked like a small place. Little did we know, there was a big upstairs. It was so cool! (felt like the NY bars)
It was 9 euro for a drink and food. The food wasn't the great which sucked because I was hungry and was looking forward to a good meal. It was all cold and looked the same. I tried some meatballs and wannabe French fries. I just put some other things on my plate. I ate what I liked. When we left, we all agreed on not going back there.
Here comes the fun part, so my roommate Allyson left to go home about 40min before us. The metro we got off on to get to Lauren's was 25 min away from us and at this point the metro was going to close at 11:40pm. So we wanted to find the quickest way. We asked a group of Italians sitting outside and they said to take the bus. We walked to bus and realized that our special # bus wasn't listed. Plus no cars were around, no people so we figured nothing was open anymore. We headed up the main street hoping to run into a metro entrance or another bus stop with our #. Instead we found a map that luckily showed us where we were. For the people from Chico, the map said we were at the Safeway on Nord and our home was at TJ Maxx. Yeah...a pretty far walk!! Of course we started to freak out.
As we were looking at the map, a bus drove by. We ran to it waving our arms in the air (like Americans) and we got it to stop!!! Jessica asked it if it stopped Porta Nuovo which was where a metro station was. Luckily it did and a little old lady was also getting off that stop and told us she would show us. She pointed us in the right direction but as we were walking, this creepy guy was calling to us "Bella Bella Bella" and started to follow us. At this point, we're running!
We finally got to the damn metro station at 11:26 (closes at 11:40) we bought our tickets and RAN down to the train. We made it on time and got home safely. But seriously I am never going out on a school night like this again. I was scared, nervous, frightened all at once. Not something my body needs right now when it's sick.
I'm so glad to be home and laying in bed writing this blog. You have no idea!!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
2nd day of school Part 2
So I know I had a rough morning but my day has gotten better. I just really need to stop relying on other people and just rely on myself!
My class was good, it was a nice review for Italian except I was hopping for some more vocabulary rather than what we did. But I have it every day for the next 6 weeks so I'm sure vocab will pop up somewhere. We are using the same book I used in Brunnella's class. I wish I had known because I have it all filled out back in Chico!
Some girls and I went out to lunch today to Eataly. It's the place I was saying in previous blogs that's just like whole foods. It's amazing!! I would love to go grocery shopping there except it's a little far. I wouldn't be able to carry bags of groceries on the bus. But they have mini places to eat all over which is what we did. I got a margarita pizza.
On my way back home, I stopped at the super market to get a few things. Like water, peach ice tea, umbrella and face wash. Then I went and paid my rent (the lady isn't the nicest) and now there is a man here trying to figure out our wifi. I hope he is able to come up with something so we don't have to buy the USB drive.
YESS WE HAVE WIFI!
My class was good, it was a nice review for Italian except I was hopping for some more vocabulary rather than what we did. But I have it every day for the next 6 weeks so I'm sure vocab will pop up somewhere. We are using the same book I used in Brunnella's class. I wish I had known because I have it all filled out back in Chico!
Some girls and I went out to lunch today to Eataly. It's the place I was saying in previous blogs that's just like whole foods. It's amazing!! I would love to go grocery shopping there except it's a little far. I wouldn't be able to carry bags of groceries on the bus. But they have mini places to eat all over which is what we did. I got a margarita pizza.
On my way back home, I stopped at the super market to get a few things. Like water, peach ice tea, umbrella and face wash. Then I went and paid my rent (the lady isn't the nicest) and now there is a man here trying to figure out our wifi. I hope he is able to come up with something so we don't have to buy the USB drive.
YESS WE HAVE WIFI!
2nd day of school
I got left alone at the bus stop. So then I had to get on the next bus which took 10minutes. Then I didn't know which stop to get off at. I got off at the one I thought. Then I got totally lost. I called my advisor crying because I had no idea where I was. I finally made it to class 20 minutes late. So 2nd day of school - was terrible!
Monday, January 16, 2012
1st day of school
Once my roommates were ready to go, we headed to the bus stop to meet up with Hannah & Jessica. As we were crossing the street the bus came so we had to run to it to catch it. Talk about being American!
This morning we had a 3 hour orientation about school, our apartments and just going over a few things. We just had a lunch break and am now waiting to meet our teachers.
I might drop my History of Modern Art class because it's on Thursdays 5:30-8. And a lot of people were mentioning they would want to leave Thursday night when we go travel. There is a 20th century art class that is on Mondays 5:30-8 so I might just switch into that. I'm going to both so I'll see which one seems better.
Many students are only taking the Italian speaking classes. So none are actually getting "credits" towards their major.
School is very small but it's nice! There is a cafe where anyone can get breakfast or lunch. I love all of the wood features in each room. Seems so European! It was pretty easy to get here with the bus too. The bus transportation around here is getting easier for me to learn.
The classes aren't every day and shouldn't be a big deal. The teachers all seem ok..they're teachers. All of the teachers have strong accents and their English isn't that great. It will be a little hard in the beginning getting use to what they're saying.
Hopefully school doesn't take away from my travels and getting to know the Italian culture!
This morning we had a 3 hour orientation about school, our apartments and just going over a few things. We just had a lunch break and am now waiting to meet our teachers.
I might drop my History of Modern Art class because it's on Thursdays 5:30-8. And a lot of people were mentioning they would want to leave Thursday night when we go travel. There is a 20th century art class that is on Mondays 5:30-8 so I might just switch into that. I'm going to both so I'll see which one seems better.
Many students are only taking the Italian speaking classes. So none are actually getting "credits" towards their major.
School is very small but it's nice! There is a cafe where anyone can get breakfast or lunch. I love all of the wood features in each room. Seems so European! It was pretty easy to get here with the bus too. The bus transportation around here is getting easier for me to learn.
The classes aren't every day and shouldn't be a big deal. The teachers all seem ok..they're teachers. All of the teachers have strong accents and their English isn't that great. It will be a little hard in the beginning getting use to what they're saying.
Hopefully school doesn't take away from my travels and getting to know the Italian culture!
Sunday 1/15
Sunday:
Today I went to the mall with Hannah & Jessica. It's HUGE!! I was in love with how big it is and how many stores there are. I could have brought an empty suitcase and would have been fine with buying clothes here (figure of speak haha) but it use to be where Fiat would manufacture its cars. Eric said there is a race track on the roof!
It doesn't look like a mall from the outside at all, more like army barracks. I don't know for sure but it looks like there is 7 floors to shop on. We only made it to the 2nd floor because we tried to go into every store. I was able to buy myself a purple blanket (would you expect any other color) so now my bed feels more like home. Now I just need a new pillow and Dwayne to complete my bed!
We weren't able to go into the store that is like Whole Foods because it was getting close to 5:30pm and we wanted to head home so we could Skype our family and friends. We planned that the weekends we don't travel, we'll probably go to the mall on Sundays.
We all went to the local cafe and got Internet and were there for probably two and a half hours. Once we got home, we planned on going out to dinner. This time Allyson came with us. In our USAC book they suggested a ton of places to go and one of them were Pasta e Basta, and she had seen it yesterday. It was great being all together. It's more fun with more people. We all got huge plates of pasta. I took pictures so I'll post those as well. When we were walking to dinner we passed by a gelato place and wanted to go after but we went another way home so we think we passed it but then we walked back trying to find it and couldn't. So we think it closed because it's 10:30pm now and on Sundays things don't stay open late, just like back at home.
Tomorrow we have our first day of school! Well for the kids in elementary Italian (so not me, since I'm fluent and what not). They apparently are going to go over with us the schedules and meet our teachers. Plus we are filling out paperwork for the police department. I'm not sure if I'm going to bring my laptop to school yet or not. Might just bring my iTouch so I can get wifi.
I'll write how it goes tomorrow night! Wish me luck at my first day of school. Feel like a 1st grader again!
Miss you guys so much!! Xoxo
Monday morning:
As I'm sitting in my room, waiting for my roommates to finish getting ready, I look outside and it's snowing! First day of school and it's snowing!! Culture shock here I come. I'm bundled up into 5 layers and my 2 roommates are in tights and a dress or skirt. This is going to take some getting use to.
Today I went to the mall with Hannah & Jessica. It's HUGE!! I was in love with how big it is and how many stores there are. I could have brought an empty suitcase and would have been fine with buying clothes here (figure of speak haha) but it use to be where Fiat would manufacture its cars. Eric said there is a race track on the roof!
It doesn't look like a mall from the outside at all, more like army barracks. I don't know for sure but it looks like there is 7 floors to shop on. We only made it to the 2nd floor because we tried to go into every store. I was able to buy myself a purple blanket (would you expect any other color) so now my bed feels more like home. Now I just need a new pillow and Dwayne to complete my bed!
We weren't able to go into the store that is like Whole Foods because it was getting close to 5:30pm and we wanted to head home so we could Skype our family and friends. We planned that the weekends we don't travel, we'll probably go to the mall on Sundays.
We all went to the local cafe and got Internet and were there for probably two and a half hours. Once we got home, we planned on going out to dinner. This time Allyson came with us. In our USAC book they suggested a ton of places to go and one of them were Pasta e Basta, and she had seen it yesterday. It was great being all together. It's more fun with more people. We all got huge plates of pasta. I took pictures so I'll post those as well. When we were walking to dinner we passed by a gelato place and wanted to go after but we went another way home so we think we passed it but then we walked back trying to find it and couldn't. So we think it closed because it's 10:30pm now and on Sundays things don't stay open late, just like back at home.
Tomorrow we have our first day of school! Well for the kids in elementary Italian (so not me, since I'm fluent and what not). They apparently are going to go over with us the schedules and meet our teachers. Plus we are filling out paperwork for the police department. I'm not sure if I'm going to bring my laptop to school yet or not. Might just bring my iTouch so I can get wifi.
I'll write how it goes tomorrow night! Wish me luck at my first day of school. Feel like a 1st grader again!
Miss you guys so much!! Xoxo
Monday morning:
As I'm sitting in my room, waiting for my roommates to finish getting ready, I look outside and it's snowing! First day of school and it's snowing!! Culture shock here I come. I'm bundled up into 5 layers and my 2 roommates are in tights and a dress or skirt. This is going to take some getting use to.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Saturday night
Saturday night was more fun than Friday night!! Jessica and Hannah finally got ahold of some people's numbers so we were able to meet up with them.
First we went to Cory's apartment and met his 3 roommates. We drank some wine and hung out. Then Cody (who was here last semester) showed us how to take the bus. It seemed easy enough but you just have to get to know landmarks because the stop names are confusing.
We went to the bar Murphy's and watched the 49ers game!! David was wearing his Gore jersey and everyone was cheering. Some of the Italians were confused on what we were watching haha many of them here don't watch futbol americana. Woo hoo, the 49ers won!!
After we were there for an hour or so the Italian boys came. It was close to 2am and we were getting hungry so they took us to their friends restaurant. We got free caprese salad and drinks!
After that we wanted to head back to the bar to see if the other guys were still there. Some people were still there but many were heading home since it was almost 3am. We stayed in the bar a little longer. Cory was going to meet up with his roommates who had gone to the club/discoteca by the river. But when our Italian boys heard that they said they didn't want us to go there and they weren't going to take us. It's apparently sketchy and not the best place to go if it's just us 3 girls.
As we were standing outside, Cory's roommate came back from that club. He told us he almost got his passport taken away from him. He could feel the guy taking it out of his back pocket and grabbed his arm. But once he did that, 3 other guys surrounded him. They were about to beat him up but some how he was able to talk himself out of the situation but they still took 100 euros from him.
For me, I don't want to go to this place at all. Cody did say its a fun experience and that we should go at least once. We'll see about that....
Other than that, my 2 roommates left early this morning to go snowboarding. I tried contacting Hannah but she didn't answer. She is probably still asleep..it's almost 2pm!!
We are heading to the mall by school. It's the only place that's really opened on Sundays. I heard its got lots of restaurant and this one place that's BETTER than whole foods. So I'm bringing my camera and I'll be the judge of that. Ha I'll write again tonight about how this goes!
First we went to Cory's apartment and met his 3 roommates. We drank some wine and hung out. Then Cody (who was here last semester) showed us how to take the bus. It seemed easy enough but you just have to get to know landmarks because the stop names are confusing.
We went to the bar Murphy's and watched the 49ers game!! David was wearing his Gore jersey and everyone was cheering. Some of the Italians were confused on what we were watching haha many of them here don't watch futbol americana. Woo hoo, the 49ers won!!
After we were there for an hour or so the Italian boys came. It was close to 2am and we were getting hungry so they took us to their friends restaurant. We got free caprese salad and drinks!
After that we wanted to head back to the bar to see if the other guys were still there. Some people were still there but many were heading home since it was almost 3am. We stayed in the bar a little longer. Cory was going to meet up with his roommates who had gone to the club/discoteca by the river. But when our Italian boys heard that they said they didn't want us to go there and they weren't going to take us. It's apparently sketchy and not the best place to go if it's just us 3 girls.
As we were standing outside, Cory's roommate came back from that club. He told us he almost got his passport taken away from him. He could feel the guy taking it out of his back pocket and grabbed his arm. But once he did that, 3 other guys surrounded him. They were about to beat him up but some how he was able to talk himself out of the situation but they still took 100 euros from him.
For me, I don't want to go to this place at all. Cody did say its a fun experience and that we should go at least once. We'll see about that....
Other than that, my 2 roommates left early this morning to go snowboarding. I tried contacting Hannah but she didn't answer. She is probably still asleep..it's almost 2pm!!
We are heading to the mall by school. It's the only place that's really opened on Sundays. I heard its got lots of restaurant and this one place that's BETTER than whole foods. So I'm bringing my camera and I'll be the judge of that. Ha I'll write again tonight about how this goes!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
First night out
Friday Jessica, Hannah and I went exploring around downtown. It was a lot of fun but lots of walking. My knees and calves were hurting. Hopefully I get use to all this walking soon. I only have so much Advil haha but anyways we discovered a lot places. We were going down all the streets and cutting corners that I don't even remember how to get to certain places. Our main goal was to get a phone so we could contact each other and the other USAC students. It's a little flip phone and has T9 texting. So weird to go back to a phone like it, reminds me of 6th grade. But it works so it doesn't matter.
I was a little worried about showering and getting ready to go out to the bars because I didn't know how everything worked but I figured it out. Plus my roommates were helping me out so that was nice. Things are getting better in the roommate department. Jessica and Hannah said I looked really Italian last night haha but I still feel like I need some pepper spray with me.
The 3 of us went out last night. First we drank some white wine at their apartment then headed out for dinner around 9:30pm. Everyone eats so late around here. That's going to take some getting use to. But we asked this cute old couple a good place to eat and they pointed us in the right direction. The place was excellent! I got a parmesan risotto and of course we order more wine.
After we were done with dinner it was close to 11:20 and more people were coming out. It seems like people don't go out to drink until 12. It's all about the night life here. You see old people walking around during the day and then young people at night. It's a trip! But I love it here. I'm getting use to more things so it's easy. But anyways about our night, after dinner we headed to all sorts of different bars. Again I had no idea where we were walking. I felt like we were going in circles but we found pubs! After a couple of random ones we finally found a place where other USAC students were. It was so much fun!! We met Italian boys and they were buying us drinks. Which are expensive. I brought 20 euro with me and came home with 0. Haha I didn't get home until 3:30am and slept in until 11:45. But once I finally got up and went out it was already 1pm. I feel like I lost my whole day!
Jessica had met this cute boy who is going to take us on a tour of Torino around 4:30pm. I'm excited and I hope he shows us how to use the metro & bus. It seems so confusing! Then tonight we are making gnocchi together and probably going out again. But I'm only bringing 10 euro with me this time.
I can't wait to start traveling and seeing other countries. On Monday we are going to school for our first meeting. I guess they are going to talk about school and our schedules. This one kid, Victor, was in Spain last semester and really knows how to travel. He said he wants to go on an eastern Mediterranean cruise for spring break!! I def want to be apart of that trip.
Also this is my address:
USAC Italy office - Torino
Scholar di Amministrazione Aziendale (SAA)
Bianca Massimillo
Via Ventimiglia 115
10126 Torino, Italy
I'm going to try to find some post cards to send to you guys soon!! Miss and love you all :) xox
I was a little worried about showering and getting ready to go out to the bars because I didn't know how everything worked but I figured it out. Plus my roommates were helping me out so that was nice. Things are getting better in the roommate department. Jessica and Hannah said I looked really Italian last night haha but I still feel like I need some pepper spray with me.
The 3 of us went out last night. First we drank some white wine at their apartment then headed out for dinner around 9:30pm. Everyone eats so late around here. That's going to take some getting use to. But we asked this cute old couple a good place to eat and they pointed us in the right direction. The place was excellent! I got a parmesan risotto and of course we order more wine.
After we were done with dinner it was close to 11:20 and more people were coming out. It seems like people don't go out to drink until 12. It's all about the night life here. You see old people walking around during the day and then young people at night. It's a trip! But I love it here. I'm getting use to more things so it's easy. But anyways about our night, after dinner we headed to all sorts of different bars. Again I had no idea where we were walking. I felt like we were going in circles but we found pubs! After a couple of random ones we finally found a place where other USAC students were. It was so much fun!! We met Italian boys and they were buying us drinks. Which are expensive. I brought 20 euro with me and came home with 0. Haha I didn't get home until 3:30am and slept in until 11:45. But once I finally got up and went out it was already 1pm. I feel like I lost my whole day!
Jessica had met this cute boy who is going to take us on a tour of Torino around 4:30pm. I'm excited and I hope he shows us how to use the metro & bus. It seems so confusing! Then tonight we are making gnocchi together and probably going out again. But I'm only bringing 10 euro with me this time.
I can't wait to start traveling and seeing other countries. On Monday we are going to school for our first meeting. I guess they are going to talk about school and our schedules. This one kid, Victor, was in Spain last semester and really knows how to travel. He said he wants to go on an eastern Mediterranean cruise for spring break!! I def want to be apart of that trip.
Also this is my address:
USAC Italy office - Torino
Scholar di Amministrazione Aziendale (SAA)
Bianca Massimillo
Via Ventimiglia 115
10126 Torino, Italy
I'm going to try to find some post cards to send to you guys soon!! Miss and love you all :) xox
Friday, January 13, 2012
First Apartment Entry
I was able to meet 3/4 of my roommates last night. Two of them have been here since the fall semester. They really know their stuff which I hope helps me out on the long run with getting to know the right and wrong ways. From talking to them last night they said our apartment is the best one. We have 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, washer AND dryer and the kitchen is stocked with everything. Plus they said that the beds came with sheets, pillows & blankets. I hope this is all true because this sounds awesome.
The other girl I met is from Las Vegas and is quiet. But she seems really nice. The last girl is arriving today and she was also here last fall but went home for the Christmas break!
The apartments aren't what I thought they were going to be like. They are scattered around the midtown area. We aren't in one big complex which should be interesting when going to other peoples homes.
I'll tell you more once I actually get there and see for myself!!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Plane Ride and FINALLY made it to Torino!
Airplane blog
I checked in my bags with no hassle. I got through security fine. Now I'm on the plane waiting to take off. I am the first row after first class. The small tv screen is right above me. I'm going to end up getting a neck spasm. Luckily I am sitting next to two men, who seem nice but aren't the talkative kind. I don't even have a good table to put my laptop on. This is going to be a long 11 hour flight. Sadly I am no where near any of the other students flying on the plane. I'm going to have to try to walk around and talk to them. But luckily I'll be one of the first ones off the plane when we land in Germany. We take off at 2:40pm. I miss you so much Mom, Dad & Monica already!!
Well it's been 3 hours into my flight and it's going great! I probably have the BEST seat in the house. A small mini screen was inside the pocket of my seat. I can watch the tv right I front of me plus pick whatever movie I want to watch. First pick: Footloose (Mom you've got to see it, you'd love it!) Dinner was gross but what do you except for airplane food? I ate the bread & brownie haha Also the man next to me ended up being very nice. He gave me his business card. So I can watch his movies online for free. He is a strange one...he is on this plane headed to India. Yup I said India. And oh yeah he is going there to LIVE for the rest of his life. Just packed his stuff up in a suitcase & he said he is going to live out on the streets until he finds what he wants to do. He told me to just stay in Italy for the next 10 years and for me to get off the merry go round that I'm on. Don't worry Mom & Dad, I will come back home!! Time for my next movie, Monte Carlo.
The plane isn't full and luckily Lauren found me and had 2 open seats next to her. I am now sitting next to her. The stewardess is so nice. She brought us each brownies and a "black and white" bar. My butt is killing me though. I've been sitting for the past 6 hours. We still have 5 hours to go. I JUST WANT TO BE IN ITALY ALREADY!! I'm going to try and sleep for a couple of hours. They said they are serving breakfast in 3 hours! Crazy because it will be 11:00pm Cali time for me.
They just served breakfast and it was terrible. There was a little bowl of fruit but had kiwi & pineapple which I don't like. So once again I just ate the bread roll with butter and jam. Right now we are 1:11 hours away from our destination. I'm watching another movie, Dolphin Tale, but I don't know if I'll be able to finish it. I just want to land already. I feel like I've been on this plane for days!
Woo hoo, we landed on time in Frankfurt. My butt is numb and my head is killing me but I'm here..finally! Now I've got a little wait until my flight to Torino. Luckily that plane ride is only 1 hour and 35 minutes.
Flight to Torino:
The lay over wasn't bad in Frankfurt. It was actually pretty nice because everyone was meeting there from other flights. I'm on the plane now to Torino. I got myself a small glass of red wine. I know it's only 1:30pm but what the heck? I'm in Italy (or at least I will be in an hour)! I've met so many new people except I don't remember all of their names. Hopefully we have some type of name game or else I'll never learn them all. I'm sick of flying and just want to be in Italy already!
Hotel Roma:
We all finally made it to Torino. There was about 50 of us on the bus to the hotel. And there is 70 students total with the USAC group which means 20 were already here before us or coming later. Lauren & I are sharing a hotel room for the night. This is a really cute hotel (Mom, we should stay here when you come in May). At 6:30pm we are going out for our pizza dinner then we are free to do what we want. Everyone is so tired from traveling that we want to sleep but we also want to explore! I am not sure yet what I am going to do. I showered my body and re-did my make up. Now Lauren is showering. I don't feel like I'm officially in Torino yet. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
I found out my living situation! I am living in midtown with 4 girls. Yup, 4 girls which means there is 5 of us total. I'm not sure how this is all going to work out. Hannah & Jessica are in an apartment so I might ask to move in with them. But we'll see tomorrow how it goes. Can't believe it's already 5:45pm here in Torino. The day has flown by but I am glad I am done traveling!
I checked in my bags with no hassle. I got through security fine. Now I'm on the plane waiting to take off. I am the first row after first class. The small tv screen is right above me. I'm going to end up getting a neck spasm. Luckily I am sitting next to two men, who seem nice but aren't the talkative kind. I don't even have a good table to put my laptop on. This is going to be a long 11 hour flight. Sadly I am no where near any of the other students flying on the plane. I'm going to have to try to walk around and talk to them. But luckily I'll be one of the first ones off the plane when we land in Germany. We take off at 2:40pm. I miss you so much Mom, Dad & Monica already!!
Well it's been 3 hours into my flight and it's going great! I probably have the BEST seat in the house. A small mini screen was inside the pocket of my seat. I can watch the tv right I front of me plus pick whatever movie I want to watch. First pick: Footloose (Mom you've got to see it, you'd love it!) Dinner was gross but what do you except for airplane food? I ate the bread & brownie haha Also the man next to me ended up being very nice. He gave me his business card. So I can watch his movies online for free. He is a strange one...he is on this plane headed to India. Yup I said India. And oh yeah he is going there to LIVE for the rest of his life. Just packed his stuff up in a suitcase & he said he is going to live out on the streets until he finds what he wants to do. He told me to just stay in Italy for the next 10 years and for me to get off the merry go round that I'm on. Don't worry Mom & Dad, I will come back home!! Time for my next movie, Monte Carlo.
The plane isn't full and luckily Lauren found me and had 2 open seats next to her. I am now sitting next to her. The stewardess is so nice. She brought us each brownies and a "black and white" bar. My butt is killing me though. I've been sitting for the past 6 hours. We still have 5 hours to go. I JUST WANT TO BE IN ITALY ALREADY!! I'm going to try and sleep for a couple of hours. They said they are serving breakfast in 3 hours! Crazy because it will be 11:00pm Cali time for me.
They just served breakfast and it was terrible. There was a little bowl of fruit but had kiwi & pineapple which I don't like. So once again I just ate the bread roll with butter and jam. Right now we are 1:11 hours away from our destination. I'm watching another movie, Dolphin Tale, but I don't know if I'll be able to finish it. I just want to land already. I feel like I've been on this plane for days!
Woo hoo, we landed on time in Frankfurt. My butt is numb and my head is killing me but I'm here..finally! Now I've got a little wait until my flight to Torino. Luckily that plane ride is only 1 hour and 35 minutes.
Flight to Torino:
The lay over wasn't bad in Frankfurt. It was actually pretty nice because everyone was meeting there from other flights. I'm on the plane now to Torino. I got myself a small glass of red wine. I know it's only 1:30pm but what the heck? I'm in Italy (or at least I will be in an hour)! I've met so many new people except I don't remember all of their names. Hopefully we have some type of name game or else I'll never learn them all. I'm sick of flying and just want to be in Italy already!
Hotel Roma:
We all finally made it to Torino. There was about 50 of us on the bus to the hotel. And there is 70 students total with the USAC group which means 20 were already here before us or coming later. Lauren & I are sharing a hotel room for the night. This is a really cute hotel (Mom, we should stay here when you come in May). At 6:30pm we are going out for our pizza dinner then we are free to do what we want. Everyone is so tired from traveling that we want to sleep but we also want to explore! I am not sure yet what I am going to do. I showered my body and re-did my make up. Now Lauren is showering. I don't feel like I'm officially in Torino yet. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
I found out my living situation! I am living in midtown with 4 girls. Yup, 4 girls which means there is 5 of us total. I'm not sure how this is all going to work out. Hannah & Jessica are in an apartment so I might ask to move in with them. But we'll see tomorrow how it goes. Can't believe it's already 5:45pm here in Torino. The day has flown by but I am glad I am done traveling!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Leaving TOMORROW!
Well the day has come..my last full day in Cali. Weird to think that back in August I was planning this trip, running around getting papers notarized, and just dreaming about this day. Well now it's here and I am freaking out. I of course don't feel fully packed but that is expected. Here I am checking and double checking all of my papers with the things I need to bring and buy for my 5 month journey! I didn't sleep at all last night and I know I won't sleep tonight. I've got too much excitement and anxiety in me to sleep. I leave tomorrow (Wed 1/11) at 2:40pm and I land in Frankfurt, Germany around 10:40am (1/12, their time). Then I have a two hour wait until I board the plane to Torino at 12:35pm and arrive at my destination at 1:55pm. I might post one more time while I'm at the SFO airport before I leave. Last dinner with my family tonight until I am reunited with them on May 26th. I will post pictures!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Leaving in 6 days!!
Today I finally brought up the suitcase and am going to start gathering things around it. I really feel like I am going to forget something but I am trying to write everything down when I think of something. My closet is a disaster from me trying to pick out outfits and make sure everything goes together. I want to bring 15 jackets, 7 pairs of jeans, 30 tops and 6 pairs of shoes but clearly that will not all fit into ONE 50lb suitcase. In the packet my mom got from USAC, it says to pack your suitcase then take out 50% of what you packed. Getting rid of one top is hard for me! I'm going to have to make some compromises or there is no way I will make the weight limit. I get more excited and nervous as the days start to dwindle down but I am holding myself together. I hope I don't forget anything!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Leaving in 10 days!
I finally made my first blog! I am going to try and post as much as I can here while I am away in Italy. Hopefully this becomes easier for me to use and I learn how to post pictures and what not. I cannot believe that it is already January 1st and that I am leaving in 10 days. I am scared, nervous, happy and excited all at different times. Today was one of my first goodbyes to all of my girl friends who are from Chico. I had a minor melt down infront of the boys but I quickly pulled myself back together. Just have to keep reminding myself that I am so extremely lucky to be able to go on such an amazing trip! I haven't started packing yet..which just makes me stressed having to think about packing my life away in one 50lb suitcase, small carry on and a backpack for five months. I leave January 11th and return on May 25th. I hope for good roommates, an unforgettable trip and that I don't have big problems while I am there. I will blog again once I have started packing and when the big day gets closer!
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