A Fact of Life

Today is my first day ALONE! Just yesterday.. the A TEAM officially was completely disassembled when dear Kyle got on the train for Paris... I am soooo sad... and then this morning Simon got up at 6 am to leave for Venice. That has been my group of friends here in Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre... and today I find myself kind of in a sad mood just because I didn't want my time with those people to end... but then I realized that nomatter what... in life.. people always come and go... they come into our lives for who knows how long.. and then it is inevitable that they leave... whether it be moving, end of relationships, or death.... and it is so important not to take your time with friends and loved ones for granted... nomatter how permanent you think someone is in your life.. you never know when he or she could be taken away or gone... A lot of times in relationships people try to control the other person... and people get taken for granted... It seems like we treat the people we care most about the worst.. maybe it is because of this false sense of security and the feeling that 'they will always be there'... So I am sorry mom for all the times I have been a little shit... and to anyone else.... haha.... I have 3 more days here in Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre. Last night Simon and I went to dinner. I had stuffed mussels and he had some pasta dish. It was really good. He wouldn't let me pay for mine either. I didn't spend a dime yesterday. I really don't feel like Europe is that expensive... I think it equals out to what you would spend in the US... as long as you don't go to clubs or really fancy restaurants.. which I havent done at all. The fruit stands here are incredible! There are apples that are almost as big as my head.. and the cherries are huge... its all organically grown..and so fresh. That is one thing I love about Italy. There are no fast food chains...almost everyone has a garden and eats from it. The people eat what is in season... the don't import too many other kinds of fruits and veggies, only a few. Italian people are pretty healthy people... if the majority of Europe didn't smoke I think they would live to be ancient... because they walk everywhere.... up steep steep hills... and they eat really well. Also I have noticed that their diet is very high fat... cheeses, meats, olive oil.. but I rarely see a fat Italian... and their skin is incredible.. so tan and no wrinkles.. I think it is the Olive Oil. mmmmmm...... Tonight I am going to make my own dinner... I am thinking Caprese... and go sit on the rocks and read my Buddhism book and watcht the sun set... my kind of evening yo.
Oh and I cant post pictures at this internet place because there is no place to hook in my camera.. but I have great pics of this place... and Simon and Kyle... coming soon hopefully

Cinque Terre

They weren't lying when they said this place is paradise. I am in Riomaggiore right now and have been for the past few days. Its so sos ossossooss sooooooooo beautiful!!! I am here with Kyle and Mallory but tonight is their last night. Its ok though because yesterday I made a friend from Montreal who is staying in my hostel. His name is Simon. Very nice... very cool... and a complete gentlemen. Those Canadians raise their children right.
Everything is relatively cheap here... this place is famous for its Focaccia bread and pesto... and I have eaten ample amounts of both. There is a very cool beach, relaxed vibe here... It is very laid back. Today we are walking to some of the other towns to see new beaches... I have laid on the beach for the past 2 days... its so nice... and it is a topless beach... but I didnt participate... haha
The water is so clear and blue... and its not too salty.. its lovely... and the first day on the beach I looked up to see 2 dolphins jumping across the near horizon following a boat... it was INCREDIBLE! I really love this place.... Oh and I met a cute boy from Brazil who is studying Italian in Bologna and I had a conversation in Italian with him. He said I was the first American who even tried to speak Italian and that he was impressed.
Last night a big group of us climbed out onto a jetty of rocks... watched the sunset.... and then watched for shooting stars... it was incredible.. my idea of a perfect evening... pics coming soon....

The End and The Beginning

Today is my last day in my Siena Italian Studies program... Maura left this morning for Rome and then she is off to France. I am so sad! I miss her, but I know we will keep in touch and she will come visit me in Utah! Vegas Reunion for the A Team!
Tomorrow Kyle, Mallory, and I leave early in the morning to catch the train to Cinque Terre. I am soooo excited to go there. There are beautiful beaches and supposedly the best pesto in the world.
I am staying with those 2 for the first night and then I move into the hostel I already booked.
Yesterday was amazing. Lavinnia (the program director) took us to these natural hot springs in the middle of the Tuscan countryside. There was a complete panoramic view of the most beautiful place I have ever seen! And I was laying in a giant natural hot spring pool. On the bottom of the pool there was this white mud that people were putting all over their faces and bodies. Lavinnia told us it was really good for the skin so we all put it all over us. I have funny pictures of that coming soon.
Then we went to a group farewell dinner that was soooo delicious. We had pasta, pesto, dessert, salad, zucchini, cheese, and lots and lots of wine. mmmmm
Later we met all of our friends in the Campo and had a beer. It was most of my friends' last night here in Siena. I spent a lot of time talking to Richard the South African. That was fun. He gave me a necklace. : )
This morning I woke up and saw Maura off with my host mom. I am drawing her a picture and writing her in Italian how much I appreciate her and what a great 'MOM' she was and what an amazing cook she is.
I understand Italian so much more than I did before.. well obviously because I knew nothing before I came. But I find myself reading signs and feeling more comfortable in stores when I have to ask for things. It's an amazing feeling and I am going to keep studying Italian.. and Spanish. then maybe French.
I wrote my final paper this afternoon. Its pretty good.. I am not gonna lie. And yesterday we took our final test for Italiano.
All the people of Siena are getting things ready for the Paleo. It is this HUGE and IMPORTANT horse race that they do twice a year. 60,000 people come each year and squish into the Campo to watch it. If you saw the Campo you would understand why that is insanity... Its not that big. I am kind of sad I will be missing it but I am glad I wont be trapped in a sweaty, hot, grumpy crowd of people for 6 hours. I am perfectly happy with watching it on the internet. I am going to try to come back to Siena for the August 16th Paleo. It has been really fun because each district in Siena has a symbol that represents them. My family's symbol is the Eagle for example, and each district throws parties, dances, and dinners for the 2 weeks up until the Paleo. Its craziness... and I really love how much commradery there is in each district. There are all very unified. I have never seen anything like it back home.
I am sad to be leaving Siena, but excited to start on the real adventure!!! And I am excited for freedom! And to go to the music festival! I miss my iPod so much and music in general.. i have found some good Italian bands that I am going to download when I get home.. but I need me some good American music. So... arrivederci Siena!!!! Be back soon...

Classy soccer

Last night we got a bunch of people together and played soccer. There were people from all over the world playing together... boys and girls.. there were people from South Africa, Italy, France, Denmark, and the US all playing together. It's pretty amazing when you think about it.
We went straight from Italian class to the soccer field, and I had a dress on... but I coudn't resist getting in on the action.. so I played barefoot and in a dress!!! And I kicked butt! The boys were at a total disadvantage because they aren't going to knock over a girl and I knew that so I was really aggressive with them and they just let me have the ball! hahah
The night before was Romaney's birthday party. She is a girl living here in Siena, but she is from Cape Town, South Africa. She is really cool. She is getting her PhD in Genetics in Paris this fall. I have met a lot of her friends and I like them alot... I think we are all going out tonight too!
We have a favorite restaurant. It is called the Focacciaria. Its delicious and really cheap. It is £2 for a pizza. The guys that work there are really cute and we are good friends with all of them. They give us free food and drinks sometimes...That is where we had Romaney's party.
Monday is our final test for Italian class.. and I have to write a paper before Wed. However, tonight we are going to the Bottini (the underground acquaducts of Siena), tomorrow we are going to Florence for the day, Sunday we are going on a hike to Mt. Olivo. Then Monday we are going to some hot springs in Siena... so I don't know when I will have time to write this paper. haha. The night of Romaney's party we went to a outside dance party. During the summer right before The Paleo (the horse races) each contrada has parties and BBQ's... it is pretty fun. I danced with a very good looking boy from South Africa for most the night. His name is Richard and he has a undergrad degree in Mathmatics and he is moving to Arizona in the fall. I told him he has to come visit me. I told the director of our program that I really want to come back to live in Siena and he told me that I should... and we talked for about 2 hours about learning the language, volutneering, America\Italy, and living here.... it was a great conversation and I learned a lot.

Isola d'Elba

This past weekend we went to The Island of Elba. It is a small island just off the western coast of Italy in the Mediterranean... On Thursday night I had a sleepover at Ella and Jessica's house with Maura and Kyle. Maura and Kyle have been secretly licking face behind all of our backs and it has come to the surface as of late. In the morning we woke up and caught a 2 hr bus to Piombino. The countryside was incredible on the bus ride there... then we hopped on a ferry to Elba. We made it there successfully and it was well worth the journey. Elba is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen and I have been to Belize, Mexico, California, Florida... The ocean in the Mediterranean is so much clearer and so BLUE... the Pacific doesn't even compare.
We found a campground and set up our tent... there were 4 girls in my little 2 person tent... we were like sardines in a tin box. Kyle had a sleeping bag and slept on the beach... It was so much fun!
We slept there Friday and Saturday night.. hung around on Sunday and took the ferry\bus back.
We had dinner at 2 really yummy nice places each night... and Nutella filled crepes... it was a fantastic weekend. I bought a leather purse... locally made on Elba and I met the man that made it. Ella bought some loafers that were adorable.. I love Ella... she wants me to marry her brother so we can be sisters and he has a sailboat. Elba was full of sailboats and it really made me solidify my idea of sailing around the world. Someday I will do this.... it will be my life.
We saw Napolean's house and walked A LOT!!! It was a unforgettable weekend....

Love is Love

Today I volunteered at this organization called the Laborotorio. It is a group completely run by volunteers and donations to help\organize activities for mentally disabled people. I had went once last week and today was my second day. I have to say it has been a profound experience. The first day I worked with them, of course I was totally out of my comfort zone. I was hesitant.. scared.. but the people didn't really care. They were sort of like children in the way that it doesnt matter who you are or if you can speak their language... they just want to spend time with you. More than 70% of communication is done through the body movements, not actually through the speech itself... and that has never been more apparent to me than when I spend time with the people at this place. Its a very unique and special place as well because the have fun activities everyday! They are taking about 8 mentally disabled people to Paris next week. I cant think of one organization that does this in the USA. First of all it is too hard, to costly, and would take so much time and patience. I am in total awe of the fact they do this for these people. Their quality of life is incredible... This one man I am particularly fond of. His name in Giangi... kind of like Georgie in English I guess.. he loves me and allll the ladies for that matter. He can't really speak. He yells a few words like ''a qui' = come here... but he definately gets his point across. He makes me sit by him all the time. If I even move a few feet away he yells and then smiles and gets all shy and hides his face... Its adorable. He reminds me of the brother of Cameron Diaz in ''There's Something About Mary''...
Giangi wheeled himself over to the CD player this morning and put in a CD... There was another girl with down syndrome and another mentally disabled man next to Giangi. I just sat next to them and observed.... They were smiling so big... they loved the music...and the one guy was holding the down syndrome girl's hands and swinging them... like they were dancing.. and she was laughing and so happy.... It was genuine love and caring coming from these people... I think sometimes people in society completely disregard people not like themselves... maybe because we are scared of things and people that are different than we are... but LOVE is love... and that has never been so clear to me as it was today....

Pisa and Lucca in a nutshell

Where to begin...this last weekend we went to Pisa on Saturday. It was really different than Siena... much dirtier... and a completely different vibe. If I could describe Pisa in one word it would be REVOLUTION. All the young Italians there dress very punk\anarchist style.. kind of in your face... while in Siena it is the very classical\elegant look. Pisa is very liberal and politically involved. Marianna was telling us they always have rallies and demonstrations. We attended the concert after a demonstration to legalize pot and reopen a building that was used for non profit\volunteer organizations. The concert was amazing... at first I didnt really like Pisa. It stunk.. it was dirty.. and had a hard edge, but the more time we spent there the more it grew on me. The Pisa nightlife was something very unique and it was almost like you felt a part of something that not many people get to ever see in their lives. It was me and my closest friends in this group leaning up against a wall in a area full of locals jamming out to some really amazing Italian rap music. I felt like we were a part of the angry heartbeat of Pisa.. I felt a part of the culture... not just like a tourist...It was surreal. Pisa is also the home of Galileo and I got to see his pendulum in the cathedral where he did expirements. THAT was incredible. We went to the leaning Tower of Pisa of course and did the very touristy photo of holding the tower up. Then our teacher Marianna took us to her brother's bar that he works at as a bartender. He was sooo hot. He was so cute. The boy version of Marianna. The next day we went to Lucca and that was beautiful. We walked so much on both days... we were all exhausted. I saw a lot of backpackers at the train stations and it made me really excited to get going on my backpacking adventure. I am so excited for that. There were SO many backpackers... I couldn't believe it. This weekend me and my friends are planning a weekend because we have free time. If it is good weather we are going to an Island called Elba just off the coast of Italy... if it is raining we will go to Torino or Bologna. I really want to go to Torino because it is very close to the Alps\Aosta and it is more modern, but not as modern as Milan.
Today I was laying in the campo with my friends getting some sun and a lady started singing opera down in the center or the Campo. It was wonderful. To just be laying in the sun after eating a delicious Nutella Crepe, taking a little snooze with my closest friends, and listening to a woman singing the most beautiful opera is my idea of heaven.
Tonight we have a dinner with our teachers, supervisors, classmates, and host families. It should be fun and delicious.
Oh last Thursday we had cooking lessons... I may have already mentioned that.
Everything is going really well... I love Italy so much. I could definately live here...

I went out with a bunch of friends last night. It was me, Ella, Jessica, Mallory, Kaitlin, Gabby, Mandy, and the group of boys we met in the Campo with the guitars. We all went to Luna Park where there was this huge carnival. A bunch of us rode on the swings and the boys really liked the trampolines. haha! Then we relocated to another bar and met up with some of Kaitlin's guy friends. Federico is probably one of the most beautiful boys I have ever seen. And when I say boy, I MEAN boy, because he was 19 years old...but he looked like he was 25. He is tall, dark handsome... and beautiful. The boys here are not just good looking... they are beautiful. There is this Romanesque, timeless\classic quality to their ridiculously good looks. Federico danced with me and Ella all night... I love Ella... He and I talked for a while about a lot of things. He told me he always dates older women after I told him I was 24 and he was too young for me. Then he told me that he had been to the USA 3 times, and he is going back soon to study in Delaware I think..He really liked Hoboken which is a place I am super fond of, so we talked about that. He asked where I was from and I told him SLC. He asked if it was in Colorado. I don't think many Italians know where Utah is... this other lady I talked to asked where I was from and I said Salt Lake City...and she was like OH!... New York City! Ahhh.... and walked away. hahaha... Federico's biggest dreams are to go to Miami and Aspen because he is a professional skier. I told himUtah has better snow. He is super young and its seeps out in all his ambitions... he pretty much wants to participate in partying, girls, sex, rock and roll. Italians glamorize the American\Hollywood\Posh Lifestyle so much. All the music they play here is American Pop. There is a bit of Americana everywhere I go... which is what I wanted to escape from. So alas... me and Federico have nothing in common and I realized this when they were driving me and 3 other girls home while playing Britney Spears on the CD Player. I realized that nomatter what country I travel to.. I still hate Britney Spears... However, he is very nice to look at and if I ever find myself at the ripe age of 30 years old\single\childless... He will be the man to donate his genes for the procreation of my baby. hahah...you know... like how Madonna did it with her first child. He asked if I had a phone and I said yes.. so he gave me his number. I plan on keeping it until I am 30.. hahaha.....
On Wednesday, we went to the huge Market held in the park here. It was HUGE and it had everything... all kind of fresh food, seafood, salumi, clothes, purses, kitchen supplies, shoes... everything your little heart could ever desire. I bought a shirt, jacket, and a Pashmire Scarf made inItaly. My mom would have loved it.
The past couple nights our Italian family has cooked the best dinners ever. Last night she made this eggplant\prosciutto\pecorino cheese casserole thing. It was phenominal. Everynight I am like, ''Brava! Brava!'' to my little Mommy. She loves it... she told us the girls before us were super picky and wouldn't eat anything... they were crazy for not tasting her delicious food.
Tonight we have Italian class and then we get out early for cooking lessons. We learning to make pasta and some other things. I am most excited for the Tiramisu!!!!!!!!!! Then we get to eat what we make. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....... I had Nutella for lunch today... People go nuts for Nutella here. I saw a sign for a ''Nutella Party'' .. I can only imagine how that would be...

The Sweet Life

Today Maura and I woke up early and went to Italian class with the rest of our fellow students... that was fun. For our volunteer service we went and worked in the 'soup kitchen' that is ran by nuns. It was a really good experience... I almost started to cry because I can't imagine what it would be like to not be able to afford food...especially if you had a child...there were quite a few children there today... I must be on monthly emotion rollercoaster that some people so fondly call 'PMS' because I have been really emotional lately... I could look at pidgeon and cry. Did you know they eat pidgeons here? yeah..... yuck... PIDGEONS ARE FRIENDS-NOT FOOD!!! I think we will start a rally.
This weekend we are going to Pisa and Lucca. We can attent a rally\political demonstation of some sort while we are there in Pisa. Our teacher, Marianna, and her friends are taking part in it because she is from there...I couldn't really understand what it was for. Something to help non-profit\volunteer organizations. I am really excited for that.
Then the weekend after that, the newly renovated A TEAM (Maura Kyle Ella Jessica and Me) are taking a trip to Elba... which is an island that is really popular with local Italians. I have heard it is gorgeous with clear blue waters and white sand. We are leaving Friday morning and sleeping there Friday and Saturday night. We will most likely camp on the beach. I am super excited to be going with these people... we all have a ton in common and lots of fun together. They remind me of my friends back home... I am happy I have gotten the chance to bond with Ella and Jessica. They are supercute girls...anyway.. I cannot wait for that trip...
Last night we discussed politics at the dinner table with our host family. They really like OBAMA like me!!! They said he was like John F. Kennedy and that they liked him 'molto'=very much... I asked them if they liked their president and they got really sad and said no no no... then started rambling things in Italian that I couldn't understand.. but I got the jist of it.
It has been kind of rainy here the last couple days... but still very warm. We want the sun to come out so we can lay out and get a tan...
Yesterday we walked around and looked in shops.. I found the cutest little Bohemian style hat for £15. I have to purchase it... It would be perfect to wear at the musical festival in Belgium!!! HEY Hey!!! hahahah... I am very happy... Italian class is hard but I am going to make flashcards tonight and study hard. I miss my family and friends alot. Last night I talked to my mom and she was torturing me by telling me she made shrimp with tomatoes and parmesan... she is such a good cook.. oh and asparagas.... mmmm... I would kill for sushi or a green salad right about now.. The Italian diet is very high fat, high protein and high carb.. NO FIBER... I am one of those weirdos that like veggies.... anyway life it good... la dolce vita