One of the first things I noticed when I stepped off the plane in Rome was how adorable Italian kids are. Have you ever heard a small child speak Italian? It will melt your heart and make you squeal inappropriately (maybe that's just me?). There's always so much happiness in their voices and they speak slowly enough so that I can understand everything they say! Now imagine that adorable image and take it to the next level of preciousness: puffy jackets and beanies. Adorable! I wish I had a picture, but I thought randomly taking pictures of young children was kind of creepy.
The people in Italy dress themselves and their children like they were preparing to brave the arctic tundra. The coldest it's been since I arrived as been in the low 30s. It's usually in the mid to high 40s, but there's no way to know that by looking at what everyone is wearing. They even dress their dogs in sweaters. People in Perugia take their dogs everywhere. They also rarely use leashes, so sometimes I'll see a dog roaming the streets 20 feet ahead of their owner. It's something I would rarely see in the US. Also, no one here picks up after their dog. No one. There is dog crap all over the place. In the middle of the street, on major public sidewalks and in large piazzas. But, the real hot spot for dogs to relieve themselves seems to be right outside my apartment building. I have yet to step into anything but all of my roommates have fallen victim. On my way to classes I often see a city worker sweeping up dog poo. I think that might be his official job.
Another thing that has puzzled me during my time in Perugia, besides scattered dog scat, is the concept of paying for water at a restaurant. I know that this is common practice all over Europe, but it annoys me to no end. America got it right with the free water at restaurants. Also, if you order a coffee or a pastry and decide to sit down and enjoy it at a table, you'll be charged a sitting fee. What!?!?! Yes, you have to pay to sit down! Again, it's common practice throughout Europe, but that doesn't mean it doesn't piss me off.
And don't even get me started on the transportation strikes. There was a train strike this past weekend, that had been premeditated for almost two weeks. Yes, they plan their strikes. They usually last 24 hours and there often exactly during the times you want or need to travel. What are they trying to accomplish with the strike? "We want better wages so we're striking for 24 hours!" Does that work? I'm honestly curious as to how effective it is. My theory is that they want a day off. In which case, it is a little bit brilliant and probably (more than) a little bit corrupt.
*Sigh* cultural differences...
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Wait, it hasn't been a month already?
Almost every person I've talked to about studying abroad has told me that the time would fly by. I've been here for about 10 days and I have to say it feels like a lot longer. It doesn't feel longer in the sense that I'm completely settled in or I know my way around or that I feel like I belong here. Just in the sense that the week has gone really slowly. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I feel like I'm living in some alternate reality. I wake up in the morning and have to remind myself that I'm in Italy. It's a very strange feeling. However, classes start tomorrow and I'm hoping that once I have my schedule as it will be for the rest of my time here that I am able to settle in fully and time will probably start to fly.
Also, I have been so tired the entire time I've been here. Often times I feel like falling asleep in the middle of the day or in the middle of a meal. I blame jet lag, but my roommates say I have to stop using that as a crutch. Someone told me that for every hour of time change you need a day to recover. It'll be nine days tomorrow so I'm hoping I wake up and am magically healed of all jet lag and ready to go.
Anyway, the last week has been spent getting acquainted with Perugia and practicing my Italian. I had Italian class every day from 9 until 12 and then again at 1:30. My professor is an Italian man named Francesco and he is hilarious. He always tells me "hai la tua testa fra le nuvole" or "you've got your head in the clouds." To be fair, I often am spacing out whenever he calls on me (tuition money hard at work!) but I've been learning a lot. The morning was spent reviewing grammar and in the afternoon we learned practical skills like grocery shopping, ordering coffee, traveling and eating at a restaurant. The practical lessons were incredibly helpful and have proved themselves useful many times over already. We actually went to the supermarket to learn about grocery shopping in Italy. We took the Minimetro which is one of Perugia's forms of public transportation. I'm pretty sure it's called the Minimetro because it's so adorable you want to put it in your pocket. I didn't take any pictures of it (yet) but I had to find a picture on google image to illustrate its preciousness.
This picture does not do it justice. You just have to ride on it to experience it. It's like riding the monorail at Disneyland but infinitely better. I'm looking for excuses to ride it again just because it's so wonderful. I'll be sure to more fully document my next minimetro adventure
Shopping at the grocery store was pretty much similar to any grocery store in the US. The main difference was there was an entire aisle devoted to pasta. I didn't realize there were so many types of pasta. My favorite moment was when I found Mr. Clean in Italian. Something about it struck me as hilarious.
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. Yesterday I went on a tour of the city and it was nice to see more of the area. Zach, one of the Umbra staff members, was our guide and he provided a lot of interesting stories and tidbits about Perugia. If anything I got some gorgeous photos of the city and the views and a great workout.
Today we went to a farm to learn about olive oil and how to make fresh pasta. I have to say that Italy knows how to make olive oil. Even the bottle we bought for 3 euro at the grocery store is far superior than the crap they have in the US. Did you know olive oil is supposed kind of taste like olives? I didn't. You can imagine how great the fresh olive oil at the farm was.
The pasta making presentation was interesting and fun. I didn't get a chance to make any of my own pasta. This is probably for the best because I could see it ending with someone accidentally getting smacked in the head with a rolling pin. We did get to take some of the fresh made pasta home and my roommates and I will be having it for dinner tomorrow night
We also spent some time with our program coordinators talking about our experiences so far in Perugia and our expectations for the semester. It was a little too Kumbaya-esque at some points, but they offered some good pieces of advice about adjusting to different customs and practicing our Italian.
In other exciting news, I booked my flight to Paris for April! I'm so excited! Sadly the trip is still 3 months away so I'm in the process of planning some more weekend adventures. I'm hoping to make it to London, Spain (Madrid or Barcelona), Prague and hopefully Switzerland along with exploring Italy more. My parents will be coming to visit for two weeks in March and two of my best friends from Villanova will be coming to spend spring break with me.
Italian Who Wants to be a Millionaire is on, so I'm off to practice my Italian
Ciao!
Also, I have been so tired the entire time I've been here. Often times I feel like falling asleep in the middle of the day or in the middle of a meal. I blame jet lag, but my roommates say I have to stop using that as a crutch. Someone told me that for every hour of time change you need a day to recover. It'll be nine days tomorrow so I'm hoping I wake up and am magically healed of all jet lag and ready to go.
Anyway, the last week has been spent getting acquainted with Perugia and practicing my Italian. I had Italian class every day from 9 until 12 and then again at 1:30. My professor is an Italian man named Francesco and he is hilarious. He always tells me "hai la tua testa fra le nuvole" or "you've got your head in the clouds." To be fair, I often am spacing out whenever he calls on me (tuition money hard at work!) but I've been learning a lot. The morning was spent reviewing grammar and in the afternoon we learned practical skills like grocery shopping, ordering coffee, traveling and eating at a restaurant. The practical lessons were incredibly helpful and have proved themselves useful many times over already. We actually went to the supermarket to learn about grocery shopping in Italy. We took the Minimetro which is one of Perugia's forms of public transportation. I'm pretty sure it's called the Minimetro because it's so adorable you want to put it in your pocket. I didn't take any pictures of it (yet) but I had to find a picture on google image to illustrate its preciousness.
 | ||
| ADORABLE! |
This picture does not do it justice. You just have to ride on it to experience it. It's like riding the monorail at Disneyland but infinitely better. I'm looking for excuses to ride it again just because it's so wonderful. I'll be sure to more fully document my next minimetro adventure
Shopping at the grocery store was pretty much similar to any grocery store in the US. The main difference was there was an entire aisle devoted to pasta. I didn't realize there were so many types of pasta. My favorite moment was when I found Mr. Clean in Italian. Something about it struck me as hilarious.
 |
| Mastro Lindo! |
 |
| Even the Boring Buildings are Awesome |
 |
| The Main Fountain |
 |
| The Outskirts of Perugia |
Today we went to a farm to learn about olive oil and how to make fresh pasta. I have to say that Italy knows how to make olive oil. Even the bottle we bought for 3 euro at the grocery store is far superior than the crap they have in the US. Did you know olive oil is supposed kind of taste like olives? I didn't. You can imagine how great the fresh olive oil at the farm was.
 |
| Rolling Out the Pasta |
 |
| She's a Pro |
The pasta making presentation was interesting and fun. I didn't get a chance to make any of my own pasta. This is probably for the best because I could see it ending with someone accidentally getting smacked in the head with a rolling pin. We did get to take some of the fresh made pasta home and my roommates and I will be having it for dinner tomorrow night
We also spent some time with our program coordinators talking about our experiences so far in Perugia and our expectations for the semester. It was a little too Kumbaya-esque at some points, but they offered some good pieces of advice about adjusting to different customs and practicing our Italian.
In other exciting news, I booked my flight to Paris for April! I'm so excited! Sadly the trip is still 3 months away so I'm in the process of planning some more weekend adventures. I'm hoping to make it to London, Spain (Madrid or Barcelona), Prague and hopefully Switzerland along with exploring Italy more. My parents will be coming to visit for two weeks in March and two of my best friends from Villanova will be coming to spend spring break with me.
Italian Who Wants to be a Millionaire is on, so I'm off to practice my Italian
Ciao!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
The First Few Days
I'm all moved into my apartment. It's not too fancy, but it's cozy and wonderful. We have a washing machine and even better, we have wireless internet! We got so lucky!
The apartment has two singles and a double room. Since Lauren and Melissa were already friends they were gracious enough to volunteer to take the double. The two singles vary quite vastly in size. One is pretty much a closet and the other one is bigger than the living room. Kylie and I flipped a euro for the bigger room and I won. It's pretty sweet, but Kylie's room is connected to Lauren and Melissa's so I feel somewhat secluded. Luckily the apartment is so small that we can all sit in our own rooms and have a conversation. The woman who lives below us is 90 years old and mostly deaf. we've decided to befriend her in the hopes she'll teach us how to cook authentic Italian meals. Or just cook them for us. This morning she was watching mass on her television so loudly that we could hear it in our apartment.
After we moved in we went to grab a bite before our placement tests. As we walked to the school we realized that the town seemed really quiet for the middle of the day. We realized that it was pausa. Pretty much all the stores close from about 1:00 - 4:00 so everyone can go home and eat a big lunch and take a siesta. I knew this already, but I don't think I realized how serious they were about their naps. Three hours of the day devoted to eating and rest? Yes, please.
The walk to school is about 5 minutes, entirely uphill. After we arrived at the school I realized how horribly out of shape I am. Since the first day I've walked up this hill an average of 5-7 times a day. If I don't have buns of steel when I leave, I'll be pissed.
The placement test wasn't too bad. There was a written exam and an oral exam. I managed to cobble together some broken Italian sentences for my oral exam. It worked because I placed into the class I need for credit.
After the placement test was finished we had another meeting for orientation and afterward we had the night to do what we pleased. I bought towels so that I could shower and we went to the grocery store to stock up on some food. Then I went to dinner with my friends from Villanova, Laura and Kelly. We went to a Pizzeria. We somehow managed to order and successfully ask for the check.
After that my roommates went out and I decided to stay in and fell asleep the second my head hit the pillow. I'm pretty jet lagged. Unfortunately I woke up at 5am so it wasn't as good a night's sleep as I had hoped for.
I went on a walking tour of the city at 12:30 and then had an orientation meeting at 2pm where they went over the basics of the program and answered questions. Afterward my roommates and I walked around the city for a while. I got some gelato and we walked through old Perugia. Old Perugia is actually a giant fortress where they used to hide the Pope during the 1300s. It's pretty much an underground city. It's crazy and kind of creepy. Around 4 we headed back to school for an open house-type thing. I entered a raffle to win a free trip to Morocco. We'll see what happens.
Tomorrow I being my week of intensive Italian classes. Hopefully after the week is over I'll feel more confident in my Italian and have learned more about the city.
That's all for now.
Ciao!
 |
| The Kitchen |
The apartment has two singles and a double room. Since Lauren and Melissa were already friends they were gracious enough to volunteer to take the double. The two singles vary quite vastly in size. One is pretty much a closet and the other one is bigger than the living room. Kylie and I flipped a euro for the bigger room and I won. It's pretty sweet, but Kylie's room is connected to Lauren and Melissa's so I feel somewhat secluded. Luckily the apartment is so small that we can all sit in our own rooms and have a conversation. The woman who lives below us is 90 years old and mostly deaf. we've decided to befriend her in the hopes she'll teach us how to cook authentic Italian meals. Or just cook them for us. This morning she was watching mass on her television so loudly that we could hear it in our apartment.
 |
| My Bed |
 |
| My Closet and Desk |
After we moved in we went to grab a bite before our placement tests. As we walked to the school we realized that the town seemed really quiet for the middle of the day. We realized that it was pausa. Pretty much all the stores close from about 1:00 - 4:00 so everyone can go home and eat a big lunch and take a siesta. I knew this already, but I don't think I realized how serious they were about their naps. Three hours of the day devoted to eating and rest? Yes, please.
 |
| The Italian Countryside from Perugia. |
The walk to school is about 5 minutes, entirely uphill. After we arrived at the school I realized how horribly out of shape I am. Since the first day I've walked up this hill an average of 5-7 times a day. If I don't have buns of steel when I leave, I'll be pissed.
 |
| Buns-O-Steel! |
The placement test wasn't too bad. There was a written exam and an oral exam. I managed to cobble together some broken Italian sentences for my oral exam. It worked because I placed into the class I need for credit.
After the placement test was finished we had another meeting for orientation and afterward we had the night to do what we pleased. I bought towels so that I could shower and we went to the grocery store to stock up on some food. Then I went to dinner with my friends from Villanova, Laura and Kelly. We went to a Pizzeria. We somehow managed to order and successfully ask for the check.
After that my roommates went out and I decided to stay in and fell asleep the second my head hit the pillow. I'm pretty jet lagged. Unfortunately I woke up at 5am so it wasn't as good a night's sleep as I had hoped for.
I went on a walking tour of the city at 12:30 and then had an orientation meeting at 2pm where they went over the basics of the program and answered questions. Afterward my roommates and I walked around the city for a while. I got some gelato and we walked through old Perugia. Old Perugia is actually a giant fortress where they used to hide the Pope during the 1300s. It's pretty much an underground city. It's crazy and kind of creepy. Around 4 we headed back to school for an open house-type thing. I entered a raffle to win a free trip to Morocco. We'll see what happens.
 |
| Pope Fortress! |
Tomorrow I being my week of intensive Italian classes. Hopefully after the week is over I'll feel more confident in my Italian and have learned more about the city.
That's all for now.
Ciao!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Oh hey Italy!
I made it! I'm exhausted but I made it!
My flight to JFK was spent nodding in and out of sleep. I met a delightful woman who was on her way to Egypt (and I thought I had a long day of flying). Once in New York I was left to move my 3 bags from one terminal to another. I rented a luggage cart, loaded it up and headed for the airport tram. One stop later and I was in the international terminal checking in for my flight to Zurich. Once I checked in and made it through security I had about 4 hours until my flight boarded. I walked to the gate and saw a group of college looking students. They noticed me awkwardly staring and asked if I was heading to Perugia. I answered yes and we all introduced ourselves. Then I promptly forgot most of their names (I blame lack of sleep). My friend Laura from Villanova arrived and we had Panda Express for dinner and hung out. We spent the time until our flight chatting with our future classmates and trying to get to know each other. After what seemed like days we were boarding the plane!
Let me say that if anyone ever needs to fly international, Swiss air is not a bad way to go. It was so nice. I never want to fly domestic again. Or until I have to. Whichever comes first. There was a nice plaid motif going on with the seats and blankets. I had an aisle seat (thank god!) in the last row of the plane. After we took off I watched a few TV shows on the personal TV in the seat back in front of me (for free! Take that Delta Airlines!). We were served a pretty decent dinner and the drink carts came by what seemed like every 15-20 minutes. After dinner the flight attendants passed out eye masks and ear plugs and I passed out. When I woke up it was morning. I almost missed breakfast, but I managed to shake down one of the flight attendants for a croissant and a cup of coffee. I spent the rest of the flight listening to my ipod and reading about Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds romantic New Years Eve.
We landed in Zurich and made it through customs (My first passport stamp! I'm still not sure why no one else was as excited as me). The only parts of Switzerland I saw were through the windows, but wow, it's gorgeous. I mean, it's stunning. We could see the snow covered mountain tops and I think I saw the Matterhorn (note: I didn't. Let me have my moment). I was hungry so I bought a sandwhich and a bottle of water. It was pretty much daylight robbery as far as I'm concerned, but I was hungry so I paid for it. Then we boarded our flight to Rome. It was only a short hour flight, so before I knew it we were in Rome! CRAZINESS! I still haven't comprehended the fact that yes, I'm in Italy and yes, I'll be here for the next four months. We grabbed our luggage and met the Umbra (the school I'm attending) staff. We ended up waiting at the airport for almost an hour because there were several students with flight delays who were supposed to be on our bus. I spent the time hanging out with Laura and playing the airport game (making up back stories for the people in the airport. Thanks Modern Family!) and chatting with my classmates. I converted my U.S. dollars to Euro and when I came back we were mobilizing to the buses to leave for Perugia. It was about 4pm when we got on the bus. I tried to stay awake to look at the scenery, but nearly 24 hours of travel had taken its toll on me and I passed out. When I woke up we were in Perugia.
We stayed in a hotel last night. I shared a room with my the girl who I'll be living with all semester (shout out to Kylie!). Our other two roommates were in the room next to us (hey Lauren and Melissa!). I squeezed in a shower and we rushed down to dinner. We were kind of late so the four of us sat in a table in the corner by ourselves. It allowed for roommate bonding so we didn't mind. We had pasta, salad, roasted chicken and DELICIOUS potatoes for dinner. Unfortunately I was so tired that I was pretty full after the pasta, so I didn't eat much of the potatoes or chicken (what's wrong with me? I'm always hungry). However, I did make room for dessert: chocolate mousse. which was fantastic. Perugia is known for its chocolate. They have a chocolate festival every October and are famous for their version of a Hershey kiss (I can't remember the Italian name for it, I'm still learning). After that my roommates and I spent some time playing cards and drinking wine. It was quiet night. I fell asleep around 1am because I was wide awake for some odd reason.
This morning I had breakfast with my roommates (the coffee is fantastic here, as to be expected). In about an hour we're leaving to go to our apartment. I'm excited to see how it looks. We've been imagining it in our minds. So far we think we all have our own master suite, a walk-in waterfall shower and a personal butler named Massimo. Sadly, I think our fantasies will be far from filled. The street we live on is called Via Bella or Beautiful Street. I hope the Italians don't enjoy ironically naming their streets, or I'll be screwed.
This afternoon I'm taking the placement test for Italian. I'm hoping I get a chance to study a little beforehand because my Italian is rusty. The rest of the weekend is filled with walking tours and orientations about Perugia and city life. I'll be getting a cell phone on Sunday afternoon (Mom, I'll call when I get a chance). Classes start on Monday, but the first week of classes is all intensive Italian. Grammar in the morning and functional Italian in the afternoon. Thank god, because I need all the practice I can get. Regularly scheduled classes start on the 17th. My class schedule is pretty sweet! I have time for a siesta everyday!
That's pretty much it for now. I need to go pack so we can meet our ride to our apartment. Pictures to come, once I actually take some pictures. Internet access might be spotty for a few days, but I'll be so busy I don't think I'll have time to do anything but settle in.
Here's to the start of a great adventure!
Ciao!
My flight to JFK was spent nodding in and out of sleep. I met a delightful woman who was on her way to Egypt (and I thought I had a long day of flying). Once in New York I was left to move my 3 bags from one terminal to another. I rented a luggage cart, loaded it up and headed for the airport tram. One stop later and I was in the international terminal checking in for my flight to Zurich. Once I checked in and made it through security I had about 4 hours until my flight boarded. I walked to the gate and saw a group of college looking students. They noticed me awkwardly staring and asked if I was heading to Perugia. I answered yes and we all introduced ourselves. Then I promptly forgot most of their names (I blame lack of sleep). My friend Laura from Villanova arrived and we had Panda Express for dinner and hung out. We spent the time until our flight chatting with our future classmates and trying to get to know each other. After what seemed like days we were boarding the plane!
Let me say that if anyone ever needs to fly international, Swiss air is not a bad way to go. It was so nice. I never want to fly domestic again. Or until I have to. Whichever comes first. There was a nice plaid motif going on with the seats and blankets. I had an aisle seat (thank god!) in the last row of the plane. After we took off I watched a few TV shows on the personal TV in the seat back in front of me (for free! Take that Delta Airlines!). We were served a pretty decent dinner and the drink carts came by what seemed like every 15-20 minutes. After dinner the flight attendants passed out eye masks and ear plugs and I passed out. When I woke up it was morning. I almost missed breakfast, but I managed to shake down one of the flight attendants for a croissant and a cup of coffee. I spent the rest of the flight listening to my ipod and reading about Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds romantic New Years Eve.
We landed in Zurich and made it through customs (My first passport stamp! I'm still not sure why no one else was as excited as me). The only parts of Switzerland I saw were through the windows, but wow, it's gorgeous. I mean, it's stunning. We could see the snow covered mountain tops and I think I saw the Matterhorn (note: I didn't. Let me have my moment). I was hungry so I bought a sandwhich and a bottle of water. It was pretty much daylight robbery as far as I'm concerned, but I was hungry so I paid for it. Then we boarded our flight to Rome. It was only a short hour flight, so before I knew it we were in Rome! CRAZINESS! I still haven't comprehended the fact that yes, I'm in Italy and yes, I'll be here for the next four months. We grabbed our luggage and met the Umbra (the school I'm attending) staff. We ended up waiting at the airport for almost an hour because there were several students with flight delays who were supposed to be on our bus. I spent the time hanging out with Laura and playing the airport game (making up back stories for the people in the airport. Thanks Modern Family!) and chatting with my classmates. I converted my U.S. dollars to Euro and when I came back we were mobilizing to the buses to leave for Perugia. It was about 4pm when we got on the bus. I tried to stay awake to look at the scenery, but nearly 24 hours of travel had taken its toll on me and I passed out. When I woke up we were in Perugia.
We stayed in a hotel last night. I shared a room with my the girl who I'll be living with all semester (shout out to Kylie!). Our other two roommates were in the room next to us (hey Lauren and Melissa!). I squeezed in a shower and we rushed down to dinner. We were kind of late so the four of us sat in a table in the corner by ourselves. It allowed for roommate bonding so we didn't mind. We had pasta, salad, roasted chicken and DELICIOUS potatoes for dinner. Unfortunately I was so tired that I was pretty full after the pasta, so I didn't eat much of the potatoes or chicken (what's wrong with me? I'm always hungry). However, I did make room for dessert: chocolate mousse. which was fantastic. Perugia is known for its chocolate. They have a chocolate festival every October and are famous for their version of a Hershey kiss (I can't remember the Italian name for it, I'm still learning). After that my roommates and I spent some time playing cards and drinking wine. It was quiet night. I fell asleep around 1am because I was wide awake for some odd reason.
This morning I had breakfast with my roommates (the coffee is fantastic here, as to be expected). In about an hour we're leaving to go to our apartment. I'm excited to see how it looks. We've been imagining it in our minds. So far we think we all have our own master suite, a walk-in waterfall shower and a personal butler named Massimo. Sadly, I think our fantasies will be far from filled. The street we live on is called Via Bella or Beautiful Street. I hope the Italians don't enjoy ironically naming their streets, or I'll be screwed.
This afternoon I'm taking the placement test for Italian. I'm hoping I get a chance to study a little beforehand because my Italian is rusty. The rest of the weekend is filled with walking tours and orientations about Perugia and city life. I'll be getting a cell phone on Sunday afternoon (Mom, I'll call when I get a chance). Classes start on Monday, but the first week of classes is all intensive Italian. Grammar in the morning and functional Italian in the afternoon. Thank god, because I need all the practice I can get. Regularly scheduled classes start on the 17th. My class schedule is pretty sweet! I have time for a siesta everyday!
That's pretty much it for now. I need to go pack so we can meet our ride to our apartment. Pictures to come, once I actually take some pictures. Internet access might be spotty for a few days, but I'll be so busy I don't think I'll have time to do anything but settle in.
Here's to the start of a great adventure!
Ciao!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Away We Go!
My flight leaves in 8 hours! I'll fly from LAX to JFK then from JFK to Zurich, Switzerland and then off to Rome! I'm about 95% packed and I successfully taught my parents how to skype. Now, I'm really tired but way too anxious to sleep.
I've been waiting for this day since I decided to study abroad in Italy. Originally I wanted to study in New Zealand, but then I had a dream I was studying abroad in Italy and it was a pretty awesome dream. After that my decision was made (I swear I'm not crazy).
After deciding to spend my semester in Italy I had to figure out what city I wanted to study in. I originally picked Florence. I'd heard great things about it and it wasn't as big as Rome. Then I met with my study abroad advisor. He asked me what I wanted to get out of my semester in Italy. I didn't really know what to say. I figured "a vacation under the ruse of 'studying'"was inappropriate so I answered "Oh, I don't know...It would be cool to be fluent in Italian" (side note: I have two years of Italian under my belt. Sadly I feel like I don't remember a thing. I'm optimistic though!). He informed me that I would become decent in Italian pretty much anywhere I went, but fluent wouldn't happen in Florence. He also pointed out that it's a big art history and studio art city and I told him that was probably a bad thing because I once drew a horse with claws. So he suggested some cities, but he was really excited about this Perugia program. So I left the meeting under the instructions to look over all the options and come back in a week with my decision. Siena looked cool, Ferrara had it's charms, but I was really feeling Perugia. So it was decided. I would spend the spring semester in Perugia, Italy.
Half the fun has been explaining to people where exactly Perugia is. It's usually the same conversation:
Me: I'm actually studying abroad next semester
Person: Oh that's so great! Where are you going?
Me: Italy. I'm so excited!
Person: That's great! Where in Italy? Rome? Florence? Venice?
Me: No, Perugia.
Person: Oh how fun...where's that?
Me: It's about half way between Florence and Rome. Right in the middle of the country
Person: That's so great. You'll have so much fun. You'll basically get to live off of wine and pasta.
Me: Yeah, that's the plan.
and on and on and on. Slight variations here and there, but mostly the same conversation.
Well, I'm going to try and sleep now. Hopefully I'll update pretty regularly with tales and pictures of my adventures.
Ciao!
I've been waiting for this day since I decided to study abroad in Italy. Originally I wanted to study in New Zealand, but then I had a dream I was studying abroad in Italy and it was a pretty awesome dream. After that my decision was made (I swear I'm not crazy).
After deciding to spend my semester in Italy I had to figure out what city I wanted to study in. I originally picked Florence. I'd heard great things about it and it wasn't as big as Rome. Then I met with my study abroad advisor. He asked me what I wanted to get out of my semester in Italy. I didn't really know what to say. I figured "a vacation under the ruse of 'studying'"was inappropriate so I answered "Oh, I don't know...It would be cool to be fluent in Italian" (side note: I have two years of Italian under my belt. Sadly I feel like I don't remember a thing. I'm optimistic though!). He informed me that I would become decent in Italian pretty much anywhere I went, but fluent wouldn't happen in Florence. He also pointed out that it's a big art history and studio art city and I told him that was probably a bad thing because I once drew a horse with claws. So he suggested some cities, but he was really excited about this Perugia program. So I left the meeting under the instructions to look over all the options and come back in a week with my decision. Siena looked cool, Ferrara had it's charms, but I was really feeling Perugia. So it was decided. I would spend the spring semester in Perugia, Italy.
Half the fun has been explaining to people where exactly Perugia is. It's usually the same conversation:
Me: I'm actually studying abroad next semester
Person: Oh that's so great! Where are you going?
Me: Italy. I'm so excited!
Person: That's great! Where in Italy? Rome? Florence? Venice?
Me: No, Perugia.
Person: Oh how fun...where's that?
Me: It's about half way between Florence and Rome. Right in the middle of the country
Person: That's so great. You'll have so much fun. You'll basically get to live off of wine and pasta.
Me: Yeah, that's the plan.
and on and on and on. Slight variations here and there, but mostly the same conversation.
Well, I'm going to try and sleep now. Hopefully I'll update pretty regularly with tales and pictures of my adventures.
Ciao!
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