Amalfi

(picture of me at the beach and the other is the view from the room we had our last night there)
I know it has been a bit since I wrote last. Lemme tell you, its been busy but fun! I spent the past four days away from Orvieto at the Amalfi coast. I went with a few friends from the program. I traveled there with two gals. We did the whole booking a hostel and like good planners bought our train tickets there and for our return trip.

Our trip went as follows. Of course after much back and forth of planning of what we could afford and where we wanted to go...you have the actual trip. We met at the funicular at 8:15 am (the funicular is a lift of shorts...only is shuttle form for those of you that donno...i had never heard of it before). This brought us to the lower level of Orvieto (I am living up on an amazing hill!) where the train station is.

On our way down we chatted with a few other people in the program. Two other gals were going to Madrid and were on the same 8:57am train to Roma with us. Let me tell you, when they say 8:47 they mean 8:47! Aside from one train arriving a little late, I have found that Italy's trains are quite timely!

We got to Rome around 10:15am. I was pretty nervous about this trip because I had heard horrifying things about the Rome train station. Not as bad as I thought. I bit hectic and very full of people but I was also with a gal that had maneuvered the train system before and she knew what to do.

From Rome we hop a train to Salerno. Before getting on the train we ask a conductor (or someone that looked like one at least) which car we should get on. He points to the closest two. Us being innocent and niave jump on. Don't worry, it wasn't anything exciting like we got on the wrong train. I was pleased to find a very open and nicely air-conditioned train. We sat next to an older American couple, white middle class and very chatty. A bit too chatty in my opinion. Anyhow,when the guy came around checking our train tickets he informed us we were on the wrong cart and nicely asked us to switch when we arrived in Naples. The other second class carts, not so great. Very crowded and we had a heck of a time finding out seats. We did manage.

Ok so I could write an entire blogg about the trip to Amalfi alone! Sorry I had no internet access for a few days and the cafe I found I had to pay so no time to blogg!

We found our way to Amalfi. From Salerno you can get to the nearby coast towns either by bus or water taxi. We chose the water taxi. Quite a lovely experience :)

Amalfi was SO humid! But i managed to run all three days we were there!

Remember how I mentioned we got our return tickets? Those were for sunday the 13th. The night before (after only 1 full day in Amalfi) I was talking with my friends and told them how it'd be so nice to stay! Long story short, I blew off my ticket and an Italian class. It was worth it but I must admit I am GLAD to be back in Orvieto. It was hot and humid there beyond belief!

If you have a chance, go to Amalfi. The beaches aren't quite like Im use to...ie sand. They are rocky and slightly painful to walk on but they rent beds and umbrellas for pretty inexpensive and you can kick back all day if you so choose!

free time

these two pictures are of two different roads (obviously) the one thats a dirt trail is part of the actual trail that goes all the way around Orvieto. The road is about a 1/2 mile hill I've been running up lately :)
It’s something of a blustery afternoon here in Orvieto. I have spent the past couple hours trekking around the city taking pictures and on a search for a bathroom. I finally went and took pictures of where I run, but the pictures I got are of a new place I found only yesterday. It is nice to have variety.

It is so calm now. I’m sitting in the living room listening to the wind blow through the trees and watching the curtains float into the room and settle back down. There’s a window or a shutter in some part of the apartment that will make a banging noise every now and again. I love the wind. I love being able to cozy up and listen to it bluster around me.

I decided to brew myself a nice cup of Italian espresso. Making my coffee here is much more involved than it is back in Tucson. I like my coffee better! They have these little espresso makers you put on the stove and you get a little shot of espresso. What I do is also heat up milk on the stove and I have myself a homemade “latte.” (The quotation marks are for Katlyn if you’re reading this :D)

There’s nothing quite like slowing yourself down after buzzing about and feeling full of anxiety. I find it a gift when I feel so stressed and anxious and I’m able to sink into a comfortable chair and simply let everything go. I love having time to do that. How pleasant to have only one class a day for a mere fifty minutes and the rest of the day to do as I please? Ironically, it is not always a pleasant experience. Learning how to use time I’m not use to having is a challenge. I’m still learning how to shape my days on my own, without having obligations such as work and school to rely on for structure.

Rome

Yesterday (Friday the 28th) I went to Rome. We were split into two groups and my group when to the Vatican. I think we lucked out because it rained a good half of the day. I love it. The smell of rain was so refreshing.
Our tour guide for the visit was this little old Italian woman. She had so much spunk. At one point she was showing us pictures of the Sistine chapel (because you're not allowed to give tours in the actual chapel)and informed us that the ceiling part that Michelangelo painted he started from the end of the creation story and worked his way back to the beginning. Because of this he actually drew Even being created first "and that I think is more accurate" she said "because Adam and Even were actually created not side by side." Our tour guide, Gabriella, holds that the original translation says this and that the rib story was added later. "When somebody asks me how do I know this? I ask them how do they know any different?" :-) She was an instant favourite of mine.
It is so hard to describe what I feel when I'm surrounded by so much history. I saw one gal actually crying in the Sistine Chapel and at one point I thought maybe I'd do the same. I kept asking myself why do people want to keep sculptures with only the torso remaining? Why is this HUGE museum kept and why do so many people come from around the world to see it? Is it just because we learned about it in a textbook at some point? And because the creators of these works of art greatly affected art as it is today? Perhaps those are a couple reasons but I think it is more. I am not an art aficionado so I don't even appreciate fully all of the technical aspects of the art. For me there's something beyond just the art. It is the building, the place itself. To be withing walls that hold so much history is intoxicating. Just walking down the halls and into the Sistine Chapel there is a presence, a largeness (pardon the not so great choice of words)that surrounds me and feels powerful. That is why people hold to history and places like the Vatican. Its history and prevalence today is powerful.

A Week Since I left Arizona

It has been officially a week since I flew out of the Phoenix airport. This week has felt long. I have found that is what happens whenever I begin something new; the first while feels long and then as more time passes, it goes quicker. I had a teacher tell me one time that is because you have more time to compare it to. That is why the older you get, the faster time goes. When your 5 you only have five years of life as a reference but when you're 55 you've got 50 years more than when you were 5.
That was a random tangent. I have been processing a LOT as I'm sure you can imagine. It is hard to know where to start or what exactly to write about. I could list out everything I've done and tell you in detail about all the tours I went on yesterday. I got to see some awesome sites in Orvieto! They took us to the local theater and up a clock tower. AMAZING view from up there. We also saw the duomo (which is I believe cathedral in Italian) and I learned that Orvieto has lots of underground caves. They took us to the caves and we got a history lesson on how to make olive oil. I don’t remember much.

But through all this sight seeing, I bring myself. What I mean by that is I bring not just the physical me but my thoughts, emotions, perceptions, insecurities, worries, hopes, dreams. I think the main thing that stands out for me from this past week is my self insecurity and self perception. I find myself constantly comparing myself to other girls. I’m talking about looks. Personality too, but mostly looks. How do I match up? Oh she dresses better, but I’m prettier. Or she is so skinny, I’m jealous. You know, stuff you’d expect. I’m not sure yet what I’m going to do with these perceptions. When stuff like this becomes a major issue for me I ‘pounce’ on it right away. I cannot live in a world where I hate myself. I’ve tried, it doesn’t work.

I had my first digital photography class today. I found out quickly that I did not buy the appropriate camera. I only have a basic point and shoot and we were supposed to get a fancy smansey camera. Oh well, the professor said he’d work with it because we are in Italy and don’t have a way to get me another camera.


For this class we are going to generate a collection of photos that have a theme. He didn’t ever use the word theme but that is the way I understand the assignment. I found myself at times going into panic mode. What if my pictures are horrible? What if my idea is terrible? In fact, I don’t know where to start with an idea. I feel as though my imagination went out the window after 13. So, aside from feeling 10 steps behind the rest of the class with my lackluster camera, I also feel little to no creative juices. We will see where this leads…

Last day of no classes

The first picture is my school! The food was my dinner last night, or wait the night before? don't quite remember. It was delicious. The other picture is a view from my apartment. Beautiful eh?
Last night I went to bed around eleven, was about to fall asleep and all of the sudden my roommates started speaking very loudly. I was woken up and after that could not fall asleep until around two or three in the morning.
We had our orientation meeting this morning so there was no sleeping in. Our meeting was in what use to be a church. You could tell the room was old, it has the same musky smell as my ‘apartment’ here does. I use quotes because I feel like our apartment is more like a house. Anyhow, we were addressed by Alba and Claudio, the two Italian organizers of this program, along with Dr. Soren who is from the U of A and I guess comes here every summer.
After a run down of some paper work and logistics, we got a brief tour of the school. It’s small, only about 6 classrooms and a couple computer rooms so I don’t think I’ll be getting lost, which is great.
At one point during the meeting I was inspired to ask about taking a third class, drawing which made for more waiting around so Alba could add me to the roster. But over lunch (a glass of wine included) I was talking with my roommate and decided I do only want to take two classes while I’m here. I want time and not be stressed.
Orvieto is becoming my running heaven. I discovered a trail that goes around the entire town of Orvieto (4 kilometers which I think is 2.5milesish giving you a good idea of how tiny the town really is). It has these amazing hills and is shady and provides me with the most AMAZING view of ‘down the hill’ from Orvieto. Gorgeous. I will be taking pictures at some point.
Well, I think that’s all for now. I’ll try to post some pictures but the internet seems really slow here and I have been having a hard time with loading pictures.

Ciao!

Third Day in Italy, Second Full Day In Orvieto

this is from yesterday 5/23/10
The picture is me with my first Italian Pizza!! I eventually ate the entire thing! Yumm!!!

Italy thus far has been a pleasant experience. I don’t think I’ve been here long enough to feel homesick. But I am seeing certain things that will begin to get aggravating and or tiring after a five week stay.
First thing is my apartment’s showers! Our main bathroom is a large bathtub with a showerhead at the level of the tub spout. (this is pictured above) Hmm…and then we have another shower that I tried using earlier today. I let the water run and run to get hot. Half of the water felt warmish and just as I started to get my hair wet, the water turned off. Great. So that is going to get old.
Second, I have to take a solid 15 minute walk to an internet café that has touch and go internet. (snapshot of the counter above)Just now I was trying to talk to Eugene. The conversations were seconds long so finally we graduated to chat and then my internet just disappeared entirely. A Sense of disconnection has arisen for the first time since I arrived. I have not other way really to communicate except for a little phone card I bought. So I’m hoping for better internet access at the school. (hence I’m writing this on word).
Those are the two things I see for potential frustration. It’s really hard to tell though. Tomorrow the real stuff starts. We are meeting for our orientation meeting, signing stuff etc and later getting a tour of Orvieto. Classes start Tuesday, hurrah. I am actually looking forward to some sort of structure.
I went for my first run in Italy today! It was an easy going run. I went with one of my roommates. I’m looking forward to exploring a little more and running a little longer. The roads are NARROW!! But we managed fine and found so many awesome things! The country side here is breathtaking!! I kept wondering; “What would it have been like to grow up here? To just walk down the street and for it to be normal to see a building that was probably a castle back in the day.” I’ll have to take my camera sometime when I go running, or go for another exploratory walk.

Arrival in Orvieto Italy

If there is one thing I have already learned since I left to the USA, flew across the Atlantic for the first time in my life, and arrived in Italy is that just because I speak Spanish it does NOT mean that I will be right about my guesses as to what certain things mean in Italian. Also, I learned that Newark is not the same as New York. Heh...


Here's why I say this. After my 8 hour flight to Rome from Newark I stood in a long line to go through customs, this means essentially you hold up your passport for a guy in a booth to wave you past. And I got this nifty visa for what? No stamp, nuttin. Anyhow. Upon passing through there I saw right away an exchange window. I handed the lady my 220 dollars I wanted exchanged. This lady spoke very poor English and tried to explain to me something in Italian about 5 euros and I still don't know what that was about. After handing her my passport for ID conformation, I received 131 euros for 200 dollars. For some reason she found no need to exchange the extra 20. I dunno.

I ran in to fellow Orvieto goers at the exchange window (Elderly couple and another man around their age)! Three professors. I overheard one of them telling the lady that they were staying in Orvieto. It was quite lovely to have company as we looked for our luggage band and waited anxiously for our suitcases.

Newark, not the same as New York. The lady of the couple and I were speaking and at some point I used Newark and New York synonymously. Then I asked her "Why do they say Newark. Whats the difference?" I got an amused chuckle 'heh, well distance for one.' I googled Newark it is NOT New York, its just in the state New York. I think the reason I thought this is that not until high school did I learn New York is also a state, not just a city. I supposed that idea has just stuck in my head. But aside from that, on the boarding pass they write Newark/New York. See the slash? Doesn’t that imply this or that, ie the same thing??

Thank God I got to take a shuttle! Me and my new found friends/professors got our luggage and headed out to the gate. Right away we found a couple U of Aers waiting at the allotted meeting spot. Slowly more and more of us accumulated to a group of about 35 or so.

After about a two hour bus ride we arrived in Orvieto. Orvieto is atop a very large hill. It is such a cute town! We were dropped off by a bus station of sorts. There I was assigned the name of my apartment and some roommates. We managed to squeeze our luggage (some suitcases weighed 60 plus pounds!) in the back of a small car, and then we squeezed ourselves in.

Now I know why Europeans drive such teensy weensy cars!!! The roads here are more narrow than in Oaxaca and some of them are two way!! The whole town feels like a labyrinth. We went left, right, straight until I didn’t know which way was which because the buildings are so tall!

Our apartment is ADORABLE! I will try and post pictures asap.

So…I have more things to tell but I think I’ll end with my story about why I shouldn’t rely entirely on my Spanish. At some point yesterday my roommate and I left on a hunt for a phone card to call our families and let them know we are alive and well. We ended up in a café/bar close by. I decided I needed to use the restroom. I got downstairs to the "toilettes" and saw the bathrooms side by side. They were labeled “signore” and “signori” and being o so savvy in Italian, because of my fluency in Spanish, I quickly deduced that of course its “signori” is the female and proceeded to that room. The restroom was a single person restroom which I much prefer. The toilets here are different than the USA toilets. The tank is actually attached to the wall, up high, and you push a button in the wall to flush the toilet. The hole in the toilet where all the water goes faces the opposite direction than in the USA and there’s very little water that sits in the bowl. Anyhow…back to the story…

While I was washing my hands I saw a guy come downstairs. He looked a little confused and was looking at me and at the different bathrooms. I wisely and knowingly said “I think that one over there is the men’s.” He seemed grateful and went in. I saw him close the door to his bathroom. Low and behold there was a figure of a little woman on the door; you know the typical women’s restroom sign (my bathroom didn’t have that.) Haha. Thankfully they were single person bathrooms.

So Italian 101 e is female i is male :)

More to come!