Wow, guys. Sorry it has taken me so long to get this last post up. The last week in Italy, getting back home, and getting readjusted have all kind of been a bit of a blur for me. But anyway, I wrote this last post while I was still in Italy, in Sicily, so enjoy it, and there will be more to come as soon as I can get it written down!

I’m in Sicily! Cefalu, Sicily, specifically. This place is like something out of a storybook, out of a dream. I feel as though I am living in the early 1900s instead of in 2009. It’s not that there is an absence of modern things; certainly there are cars, motorcycles, computers (though rare), stores with modern clothing and modern conveniences. But the environment, the way people act and react, the lifestyle reminds me of a more simple, distant time, much slower than the age in which we live.
I came here absolutely alone, and so far I am the only American that I have seen. I am staying in an apartment alone in a residential area of mostly Sicilians. When one of them is looking out of their windows or standing outside their doors and I pass by, they look at me as though I were from another planet. I always smile politely and say “Buon giorno” or “Buona sera.” Sometimes they respond, sometimes they just keep staring. It’s like being in a film, it doesn’t feel like real life here. In some sense, I feel like I’ve begun to play along a little; what else can you do? I hum out loud and smile at everyone as I walk down the street, I sing in my house with my windows open, I take my sunglasses everywhere, I dress how I please, which is like I would dress at the beach in America. Cefalu is a beach town, though coming from America, you would never be able to tell it. I almost didn’t believe it until I saw the beach.
Right now I can barely hear myself think because the local produce vendor is outside the window of my apartment yelling to all the people in the neighborhood as he carts his goods around, “Onions! Cherries! Good Price!” I just returned from a local ‘bar’ (where they sell sandwiches and pizza by the slice) where the owner already knows me and smiles when I enter. “Una pizza margherita riscaldata per portare via” she says, because I always get a piece of cheese pizza reheated to go. There are hardly any ‘touristy’ stores or places; I have found one shop for souvenirs here right by the beach, and that’s it. The small town feeling is everywhere here. My apartment has “internet,” but that means that at any random point in time I may or may not be able to access the internet, which has added significantly to my feelings of being in another place and time separate from the 21st century.
Here it’s not like in Florence. In Florence, if they see you struggling a bit with your Italian, they immediately jump in with English. Here in Cefalu, if you speak even a word of Italian, immediately they begin speaking to you (very rapidly) in Italian and expect that you know exactly what they are saying. Not in a bad way, like they think you should be able to understand, but in an excited way, like they are so pleased that you have something in common with them and they can communicate with you. It feels so strange to be typing in English now, or to talk to my parents on the phone in English. This place is truly an immersion in the Italian language. After only 2 days here, I have already begun thinking in Italian, even when I’m by myself. All the American friends I made while in Florence have gone home already, and now it is only Italy and me.
Dialect has not really been an issue. I am told that it is because the dialect is dying out slowly but surely. Now it is only the older generations in smaller towns that speak in dialect. Most young people, merchants, and people that live in cities like Palermo speak Italian proper. I understand most of what I hear spoken on the large streets, but when I climb the hill to my apartment, there are more strange words and phrases. I have gotten so used to going into stores or calling people and immediately speaking Italian that it will be a bit of an adjustment, a bit of a shock to go back to the US and hear English everywhere again.
Basta, enough for now. I am going to the beach for a while.

Sorry, it has been a little while, but I have been so busy recently! The time is flying quickly by and my time in Florence is almost up! Though I am excited to see family and friends again, I would be more than content to stay in Florence for an indefinite period of time.
This past weekend, we went to Naples and Pompeii, which was quite a long train ride (6 hours!), but well worth it! I must say that when I got into Naples, my first impressions were somewhat less than flattering. It was something like, “Hmm, this must have been Dante’s inspiration for the Inferno.” Upon closer inspection, I realized that my initial reactions were pretty much spot on. There is trash everywhere. I’m talking about mountains of garbage, not just the random bottle or piece of paper in the street. And the streets are torn up, huge holes everywhere. Not potholes, mind you; holes that look like a meteor shower hit Naples. Our hotel was in a decent-looking part of town, near the train station, and from our balcony window we could see prostitutes on the street corner; for a while, we watched them go away with people and come back, and compared times. People drive like maniacs, red lights mean nothing, laundry is strung out between buildings, and the buildings are so close together it makes you feel claustrophobic! I was a little afraid for my life. But the pizza was very good, hehe.
Pompeii was much more family-friendly entertainment, but I have never been so hot in my entire life. I sweat so much that I don’t think I peed once that day, and I drank two huge bottles of water (sorry if that’s a bit graphic, but I’m trying to give you an idea of how hot it was). It was hot. No shade. No breeze. Just hot. Pompeii was definitely worth it, though, because it is just such a unique place. You walk through it, and it’s almost eerie, how it seems that at any point the owners of those houses are just going to return and continue on with their lives. It is so well preserved, it really gives a beautiful picture of what city life was like in early Italy. Prettiest spot: Garden of Hercules, where we found a patch of shade and sat down for a quick rest. Lots of flowers and a nice set-up. Saddest spot: Garden of the fugitives, where the shapes of around 10 bodies, including small children, are preserved in exactly the same position where they died when Vesuvius erupted. Most entertaining: the Lupanare (the town brothel, complete with illustrations on the walls of what went on…just goes to show, some things never change!).
On the train ride back home, we anticipated getting home at around 1:45 in the morning Tuesday morning. Instead, we got home at 3:30. Our train left almost 2 hours late, because there were electrical problems at the station ahead of us, and so we were all very tired once we finally got back home. Plus, apparently there weren’t enough seats on the train, so we had to stand for the last 3-4 hours of the trip out in the hallway. All in all, it was quite an experience.
Now, I’m back in Florence for the last few days, trying to soak up as much as I can and enjoy myself before I leave on Sunday for Cefalu, Sicily!

Things I Love About Italy/Italians!

Being an observer of a foreign culture has always been fascinating for me, but I think by far the most fascinating culture I have encountered is that of the Italians. Not just because it is what I study, they truly live a unique lifestyle. I thought I’d take this time to dedicate a post to things that I have discovered that I absolutely love about the Italian culture and people.

-From random shopkeepers to people standing in line at the grocery store, to the old homeless man on the corner…everyone whistles opera tunes. Everyone. It’s incredible. Coming from the USA, where opera seems to be something feared and looked upon as being for snobs, this has been pleasantly shocking. Not just the standard, “La donna e mobile” o “Musette’s Waltz,” serious, lesser known but still beautiful opera arias. I will truly miss that once I get home.

-Shopping in Italy:
Guy at the leather factory/shop: It costs 35 euro.
Me: I have 24.30 euro
Man: Va bene, you speak Italian very well for an American student, I’ll give you discount.
Enough said. But shopkeepers are friendly, there are open air markets everywhere, and it was a serious mistake to eliminate the piazza from city planning.

-Leading me to another point. Speaking Italian! I have had soooo much fun speaking Italian here, it is unreal. Everyone is so impressed to see an American that speaks Italian, that they are always so excited to chat with me, and are very helpful when I don’t catch all their phrases. So I am learning quite a bit of new vocabulary, as well as really solidifying what I already know. Speaking a second language (and having native speakers of that language understand and respond to what you have said) is almost an adventure in itself, it is so fulfilling!

-And in general, people talk more than in the USA. Italians are so very (VERY) open, to anyone and everyone. They say hello, they ask about you and your family, they speak their minds. They tell stories with such animation and passion. It’s as if every time they tell something, it has to be a grand production, complete with visual aids and sound effects. I love it! It’s so relaxing, so entertaining, just to chat and laugh together. In a world of email, cell phones, and Facebook, I feel like we’ve lost a little bit of that in America. Granted that sometimes the men are a little too open with their opinions, but you just take it as a compliment and keep walking (maybe I’ll miss that just a little bit too once I get back home).

-All the food is good. Even in the strangest little side street no-name hole in the wall places. Things I don’t like at home I eat here. The Italians just really know how to cook! (Granted, they’ve had what, 3,000 years to perfect things?)

-Incorporated English words. Words like “bar,” “facebook,” “sport,” “jog,” “shopping,” etc. in an Italian accent. It‘s really cute! I especially enjoy the commercials for American-made products, “Coco Pops” commercials in particular. Imagine a lot of really fast, really excited talking in Italian, and then all of the sudden thrown in there you hear “Coco Pops” (think about how the godfather would pronounce it, and you’ll get a mini-idea of how funny it is).

-Perhaps the thing that I have liked the most and will miss the most is the pace of life here. The Italians are known for being ‘inefficient’, which is true in a way, but it really does work for them. Shops are open at sporadic times, teachers come into class 5 or 10 minutes after the class was supposed to start, and in general people show up AT LEAST 5 or 10 minutes later than they say they will be somewhere, and no one thinks anything of it. Time has a different meaning here. It’s not a hunter chasing us down and forcing us forward as it sometimes seems to be in the US. Here, time is just a companion, someone along for the ride, gently reminding you to take advantage of what you have before moving casually on to what’s next. If you get everything done, great. If not, great. If you found something else to do instead, great. Everyone goes with the flow. It’s as if they just decide that they don’t want to be stressed, and so they aren’t. And it rubs off!

-There is history everywhere! I walk by the Duomo everyday on my way to school. I eat gelato looking out on the Piazza della Signoria. There is any opera you could want to see anywhere for any price at any given time. In a place so old, everything is full of history. And every time I step outside my door, I discover something new. There is so much to explore, and it is all so beautiful! I could spend a year here and still not be even close to discovering everything!

Basta, enough for now! I’ll be heading out to Venice this weekend, so look for new pictures and a blog at the start of the week!

I’m watching “Harry Potter e la Camera dei Segrei” (Chamber of Secrets) dubbed into Italian, getting ready to go to bed after a very long day in Turin, Italy. What an adventure this day has been, this whole trip really, full of all kinds of unexpected surprises. Apparently someone thinks I need to learn how to go with the flow a little more, worry a little less, which is exactly what I tried to do this weekend. Just another aspect of my Italian education!
This was my first trip completely by myself! I took the train Friday afternoon after class from Florence to Turin, and arrived here around 9pm Friday evening. I had planned on a hotel, but once I got there (by taxi) I felt very uneasy about staying. It was in a strange-looking part of town, no lights were on…I did not feel comfortable. So I asked the taxi driver if he knew any safer hotels, closer to the center of town, somewhere he wouldn’t mind leaving his daughter by herself, and he took me to Hotel Ferrucci, where I have been all weekend. The man at the desk, Gianni, is so very sweet, he has been almost like a grandfather for me. He has taken very good care of me, given me all kinds of directions, and he’s so very patient. All the people here have been very nice and very eager to help.
All day today (Saturday) I have been walking around, exploring Turin, which has again gone astray from my plans. The two things I really wanted to see while I was here were the tombs at Superga and the Museum of the Risorgimento d’Italia. No one was able to tell me how to get to Superga, and I finally found out that it was way up on top of a mountain, and the train that usually takes people there was out of service today. So, I went to see the Risorgimento Museum, only to find out that it has been closed (since 2006) for renovations! So I found a place to sit in a piazza nearby, took out my tourist map, and started looking for things to do and see. I found several museums, a few palaces, and a medieval village, circled them, and started walking.
And I walked and walked and walked and walked and…you get the idea. I’m surprised my legs didn’t mutiny (though I think they would have if I had stopped walking long enough for them to)! I went to Palazzo Reale, the last residence of the last prince of Italy before the royal family was exiled after WWII for allowing Mussolini and fascism to take control of the country. Next to this palace, while I was waiting to go in, I popped into a church, San Lorenzo, which was apparently built by several members of the royal family in succession (it took a while to build). It was the result of a promise made to God that if an important battle was won, a church would be built in honor of whichever saint happened to be on the day of the battle (apparently they won on the day of San Lorenzo). All this (and possibly more that I didn’t quite catch) was told to me in very fast iffy Italian by the tour guide, whom I had just told that I was American, not Italian. Didn’t do me a whole lot of good!
From there I made a circuitous route over to the Egyptian museum, which was really impressive! They had SO MUCH stuff! (I know “stuff” isn’t the technical term, but Egyptian artifacts aren’t really my specialty, I was just in there to see what I could see). For a split second it almost made me wish I was an archeologist, it would have been so awesome to dig up some of that! From there, I made my way over to the Cinema Museum, also impressive for the amount of stuff there. Also, there is an elevator that takes you up to the top of the building for an amazing view of Turin. From there I could see Superga, the only glimpse of it that I got all day, but I understood a little better why no one knew how to get to it (I mean, it was waaaaaaay up there).
Finally, I made it over to the Valentino Park (named for the Valentino Palace, not St. Valentine the loverboy). This was probably my favorite part of the day, because I just walked around this beautiful garden, watching people, enjoying a beautiful evening by the Po River. There was the sweetest thing, a father was taking his little toddler son for a walk, and when they came to a short little wall, he held his son’s hand and let him walk on the wall, and then the little boy would jump and the father would catch him in his arms and twirl him around…it was so cute! Inside the garden there was a preserved medieval village and another palace (palaces were everywhere in Turin, because it used to be the capital of Italy). In the village a couple had just gotten married and they were taking their wedding pictures, one of which I might be in, because I didn’t realize what they were doing! It was very interesting, I didn’t get to go inside very much because it was closing, but walking the streets was fun. Then I walked by the Valentino Palace, and wow! If I had to pick one to live in, it would be that one (see picture above)!
All in all, even though it didn’t go exactly the way I had planned it in my head, I still had a fabulous time, and I wouldn’t mind going back again sometime!

La Scuola Lorenzo de Medici

Ciao a tutti! I’m laid up in bed right now with a terrible ‘mal di schiena’ (backache), so I guess I’ll try to update this again.
Classes started today! I am taking 6 credit hour super-intensive advanced Italian, and it certainly lives up to it’s name! There were only 8 of us in the class this morning, and after the first class there are now 6, out of whom I am the only American! Three of the students are from Switzerland, one is from Japan, and one is from Poland. So we don’t even all have English as a common fallback language, all we have is Italian. So when we’re trying to describe things or when someone doesn’t know what a certain word means, we have to give definitions in Italian, which is new for me. Fortunately, though I don’t talk nearly as quickly as all of them, I am much better with the grammar and have a larger vocabulary than most of them, so as far as grades, I don’t think I’ll have any problems. Our textbook is fairly large, larger than I would expect for a class of only 4 weeks, so I expect we will move extremely quickly through the material.
My teachers are both Italians, and both seem very nice. There is Mariangela, who does most of the conversation practice first, and then Irene, with whom we work on grammar and writing. Irene actually taught at UNC through some sort of exchange program a few years back, which I thought was interesting. Sometime I will have to ask her what she thought of it. Not a lot of homework yet, but I know its coming. Plus I will probably have to help my roommate and her friends along. They are taking beginning Italian, which I think is very exciting, and so hopefully I can help some! I think we are planning to have homework sessions together in one of the museums, since we have free passes to all of them and they are some of the few buildings that have decent air conditioning! My roommate, being from Hawaii, thinks that 70 degrees is cool. I can’t quite agree!
Last night we walked two blocks from our house, ate pizza and gelato, and sat on the steps of the Duomo until it got dark, chatting. It seems a lot of people do that. In the evenings, those who aren’t still sitting around the table at dinner chatting are out in the piazza or sitting around whatever is there, just socializing and relaxing. There was a woman singing opera in front of the Duomo, and a lot of people selling counterfeit artwork. They are always entertaining to watch, because as soon as the police drive by, they close up shop so quickly, its amazing! (They have obviously had plenty of practice.) Living in the center of the city is nice, because we see so much, but it is very noisy all the time.
By the way, feel free to comment after my blogs, or on Facebook. I have internet at my house, so I check things fairly often.

I am quasi unpacked and settled into my home away from home for the next four weeks. But did I ever have an adventure getting here!
Our story begins in Charlotte, NC, where a small town girl living in a lonely world did not take the midnight train going anywhere, but instead the midday plane going to Philadelphia. Once there, I somehow managed to kill 5 hours of layover time before my flight at 6:20 pm to Rome, Italy! The flight was, as most international flights are, unbearably long, slow, and boring. You try to trick your body into thinking that it’s time to sleep, but it knows better. And as punishment, it makes you toss and turn the whole flight. I think I would have traded my right hand just to be able to lay flat somewhere, not hunched over in an airplane seat next to two other girls and a screaming baby (why are there always screaming babies on overnight flights where people are trying to sleep?).
Anyway, I FINALLY got to Rome at 9 am the next morning, and the proceeded to roll my 58-pound suitcase all over Italy. You think I jest, but just from trying to get out of the airport alone, I’m sure we’re talking the distance across Sicily. I met up with a girl going to the same place named Kim. Then we made our way to the Leonardo Express (express my …!), to get to the Rome Termini and catch a train to Florence. The Leonardo Express got us about half way through what was supposed to be a 30-min trip, and then all out stopped on the tracks. A message in Italian came over the intercom (which I translated for the girls traveling with me) that said we were on the wrong track, a train was coming towards us on the same track, and they had to wait for communication from their leaders to know what to do. So we sat on the railroad track for 45 minutes, turning our supposed 30-minute trip into an hour and 15-minute trip. On a train without air conditioning when it was 27-degrees Celsius (that’s about 81-degrees Fahrenheit).
Well, we finally got to the Rome Termini, bought our train tickets to Florence, and thought we had gotten on the right train. We checked with everyone getting on the train, and they all said that it was headed to Florence, which was correct. However, we had bought tickets for the express train to Florence, which was labeled as the train to Venice (but that stopped at Florence first, a fact we missed). This train would have taken a little over an hour to get to Florence. The train we got on took us 4 hours and we stopped every 15 minutes.
Finally, I was in Florence. I had planned to arrive at 1:30pm, and instead got there at around 6pm. I made it safely via taxi to my home-stay, and met my ‘parents’, Sonia and Marzio, and their two children Lapo and Emma. My roommate, Zhihua, got their a little later. She is from University of Hawaii and speaks no Italian. She is a very sweet girl, though, and I have enjoyed spending time with her and her group from UH.
As for my adventures with the Italian language, I found that I have gotten along fairly well and been able to talk with almost everyone I’ve come in contact with. I had a few problems asking for bug spray and a memory stick adapter, but other than that I have been very proud of myself!

As many of you may know, I will be leaving for Italy on Wednesday, May 20th! I'll be flying overnight into Rome, meeting up with a new friend, Kim, and taking a train to Florence to meet my new family for the next 6 weeks!
Hopefully this trip will give me many new adventures to share, and I wanted to be able to share them with more people at the same time, so I'll be journaling and posting pictures on this blog. (Since I'm not in Italy yet, I just grabbed this pic off the web, but there will be PLENTY of my own pictures to post very soon!)
Right now, I'm feeling a little nervous, very excited though! I can't tell you how many times I have packed and unpacked my suitcase, trying to decide what I might need over the next month and a half. It will be an interesting experience living out of a suitcase for this long. I have been on trips before, and I have been to Italy twice, but never for more than a week and a half at a time. The first part of my trip will be spent taking classes at Lorenzo de'Medici in Florence. Then, I will fly to Cefalu, Sicily for a few more classes. In Florence, I'll be living with a family, and in Sicily I will have an apartment to myself near the beach! I've got all the details planned out, in my usual style, but how they will play out in the end is a mystery! But I'll be sure to keep you updated!