Ciao Benito. Oops, that's Big Ben...

Just a short week after Dad and Berb returned to the real world I got to escape from my reality.. To LONDON, England!!

Thursday November 11th was supposed to be the day of our Italian Grammar midterm. London was to serve as the 'Yay, we finished the exam.' However, it was rescheduled to the following Tuesday. Hm...
Anywho, we headed straight from the BCSP office to the airport to being the long weekend in a non-schengan state.

As a first-time RyanAir flyer.. I was a bit nervous. It is quite possibly the most inexpensive airline ever. We soon found out why.. Our evening flight started off just as any other after getting through security to our gate just before a group of about 40 people lined up behind us. After sitting at the gate for a while, a line began to form at the gate.  There are no assigned seats on RyanAir. It was a bloodbath, but somehow we got seats together. The duration of the flight was the interesting part... You know the AirMall magazines on flights.. well on RyanAir the flight attendants try to sell those things over the LOUD SPEAKER.. including smokeless cigarettes, lottery tickets and a selection of other gems..

The WE I keep referring to were the lovely Tatiana, Nicola, Ellen and myself. Maried and Mallory joined us on Friday.

We made it to Gatwick Airport, then took a bus into London for about an hour. The bus dropped us off at King's Cross! We were here EVERY DAY taking the tube from place to place.

Thursday night proved uneventful after getting HORRIBLE directions from the concierge (if you want to give him a proper title, dude if not.)

Friday marked the real start of the trip. We decided it would be a good idea to take the free hostel tour.. oh boy was it! Haha our tour guide and about 70 other people walked all over London stopping at some really neat places and got a short description of each. Saturday we decided to get an extended tour of old London. That time there were only 8 people, including the guide. The sites included...

Our tour guide in front of Parliament. This was the end of the tour, but whose counting.. 

Yes, the tea company. They have been paying rent in this building for over 300 years!

Well.. this we saw at every intersection. What a brilliant idea for those pesky tourists and other idiots that forget they drive on the opposite sides of the road in England.

Tati was a bit disappoint with Big Ben. It was impressive, but too small for her standards.

Westminster Abbey. Breathtaking.

This beloved site was visited SEVERAL times over the weekend. Yumm.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the only royal ground on which an Olympic event will take place in 2012. You guessed it.. Sand Volleyball.

We had someone take a picture of us in front of Buckingham Palace.. It's behind that pesky pole.

And the trip would not have been complete without a picture inside the telephone booth.

Caroline, Kimberly, Jessica, Tati and me.

Friday night was a bit more eventful than Thursday had been. Tati, being the world-traveler that she is knew several people living in London. Thankfully, she was able to get in contact with them. They were able to show us a real night out in London. We went to Proud Gallery in Camden Town. This photography gallery by day and dance club by night welcomed us with a line of about 75 people. For the first time in my life I can say.. we were on the list! We skipped the line and headed into the club. The dance floor was full of people singing along to songs EVERYONE knows. The DJ was Fantastic.

I was hugged by a tree.....

Saturday was another day of exploring.. after the second tour we met up with one of Ellen's friends, Stephanie. We made it to Buckingham Palace just in time for the Changing of the Guard ceremony. It was a bit underwhelming because we couldn't see anything. So naturally we went to Satrbucks. A little while later Stephanie took us to Harrod's. Can you say 'one-stop-shop'? It was AMAZING. Period. There were clothes, puppies, a sweets store, a food section.. it was incredible. We ended the night with a movie  because we were worn out. Due Date.. it was terrible. Don't waste your money.

On the way in to change the guard.. the hats were epic.

Killing time before the movie.

Sunday we decided to be super touristy and head over to Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum. In all honesty, it was a bit terrifying. I was waiting for them to wake up and jump out at me. It was a good use of a few hours while the daily rain came and went. Later, because we had originally planned to go to London for the premiere (in theaters) of Harry Potter, we HAD to stop by Platform 9-3/4. It was conveniently located at King's Cross Station.

The group.

After a long weekend we were able to make it to Stanstead Airport at about 4:30am for our flight back to Bologna. We made it back and to class! Well done girls.

All in all, London was amazing.

I'm late, I'm late - for a very important update!

I apologize to those of you who have been hanging by a thread to read my updates. I have been pretty busy living in this extremely fast-paced country.... NOT. I have been busy though.

Thinking back to the last update.. the next big event was FLORENCE. Alex, Tatiana and I got the chance to go to Florence on Monday October 25th to see STING. Yes, Sting.. like from The Police. Well, long story short - Alex's dad has been touring with Sting for the past several months. They completed the US tour then moved on to Europe.

Yep, that's Sting.

:)

That being said.. we were able to get the 'IN' at the concert. We had neat backstage passes and were able to sit in a booth at the show on the first level. The concert was held in a beautiful opera house, Teatro Verdi, where the sound of the orchestra and Sting filled the room. Yep, I said it... Sting was accompanied by a full orchestra (and a man with a cardboard tube). The London Orchestra.

Here you can see the amazing seats AND the backstage pass.

Oh - I forgot to mention that we were able to USE the backstage passes. Just a few minutes before the show we got to walk on stage and back into the dressing room area. We met a few members of the Orchestra as we were waiting/hanging around.. Then Alex's dad led us up a flight of stairs and around a corner and BAM! there was Sting.. steaming himself. He was literally holding a steamer up to himself.. my thought.. hmm it's Sting. I'm surprised he doesn't have someone to do things like that for him. Later we found out he was warming up his vocal chords because he had been having some difficulty a few days before. This made more sense also when Alex's dad mentioned that he had performed 80 shows in the past 3 months... do the math.

View from backstage... awesome.

Then it was back to Bologna early Tuesday morning.. we all made it to class :)

A few days before the trip I:
A. Found out that I had been chosen for an internship at the Taste of Italy.... Yay! It is an internship in Bologna working with a woman who started a cooking school. I'll fill in more when I know exactly what I will be doing.

B. Decided to GO TO LONDON on Thursday November 11th with Tatiana, Ellen, Mallory,Maried and Niccola. (Yes, this Thursday.. we made plans in advance.)

Oh and another thing.. in the past month.. well the past week. Dad and Berb (Barb) came to visit me in Bologna.

Papa and me in front of...... ummm 

Worn out!

On the terrace of San Marco in Venice :)

Barb thought it was hilarious that the dog behind me had a matching red coat.

It was SOOO much fun having them here! We took a few trips. One to Venice the first weekend and a day trip to Florence the second weekend. They had a few of their own little excursions planned including a few cooking classes (ironically with the woman I will be working for), a tour of several factories (parmesan cheese, winery, basalmic and prosciutto) and of course meandering around Bologna trying to get their bearings.

It was SO great to see them! We had some pretty fantastic laughs and talked about everything... literally.
I would tell everyone all about it, but that may either bore them or make them incredibly jealous about how cool my family is. (love you)]

All in all... still having a great time in Bologna. Loving life.

Please leave complaints, comments or questions in the section below :)

When in Rome...

A week later.. I have had time to ponder the excellent trip to Rome and time back in Bologna to appreciate where 'home'.

About two weeks ago Alex and I decided when we finished our exams we would take a few days to travel to Rome, stay a few nights and explore the city. We booked our train tickets a few days in advance with the autumn special.. aka only 19 Euro for the train to Rome. Great deal! My roommate was impressed on our deal-seeking ways.

Of course the couple days leading up to the trip we were talking about what we wanted to do while in Rome... Subsequently, our friend Matt jumped on the band wagon to accompany us. Then of course we couldn't imagine traveling without Tati so we convinced her the night before at around 11:30pm to go to the train station to buy the tickets! So off we went, the fantastic four on the 5:15am train to Rome.

Yes, 19 Euro was a great price, but we got what we paid for. We ended up sitting in the cafe car... not in chairs, but on the rails next to a few tables in the front of the car (Not to mention we were on a German train.) It was an experience - but we got there.

Anyway, we got to our hotel where there were a few hiccups, but we got them worked out in no time.. then off into Rome we went.

I was in awestruck immediately. The architecture and the city in general was beautiful! Thank goodness.. we had our personal tour guide, Miss Alex Gray. She had an internship in Rome this past summer which made it much easier to get around the city.

We saw pretty much everything there is to see in Rome... oh wait.. no we didn't. We saw a good number of them, but my suggestion to everyone is to give yourself severalllll days in Rome. You can 'see' everything in a couple days. However, to really appreciate the history and art it is extremely necessary to give yourself some time to digest it.

Aww Matt looks a little uncomfortable. I was just thanking him for getting us
safely to Rome and to the Trevi fountain.                                                  

Matt, Me and Tati in front of the Trevi Fountain

Tati, Me and Alex.. we are facing the Colosseum. 

Alex, Me, Matt and John in front of the Walk of Death. Each Angel along the bridge had a different part of the crucifixion. The bridge led to the fortress, castle, former home of the Pope.. Castel Sant'Angelo.

This was my absolute favorite piece of art in the Vatican Museum.. well it was the center of the ceiling in the first Raphael room. It is hard to see, but there is a shattered statue in the center of the floor - above it is Jesus on the cross. I eavesdropped on an italian tour.. it is the representation of christianity overcoming paganism. 

Yet another breathtaking ceiling. 

Prime example: The Vatican Museum... hands down one of the neatest places I have ever been. There were so many AMAZING sculptures, paintings, ceilings, rooms, etc... but by the time we got to the Sistine Chapel, my brain could not comprehend what it was seeing. Looks like I'll need to go back.

On to this week..
Monday October 4th was San Petronio.. Patron saint of Bologna. This translated to a completely free day. Everything was closed and people were out enjoying the day.

Tuesday October 5th was supposed to be my first day of classes, BUT I'm in Italy. There was a demonstration on the first day. Oh bummer. Tuesday night a group of us met up with the Irishmen that we had met... Ronan, Philip and Colum to send them back to Ireland. It was a great night with a big group at the Irish Pub.

Ronan, Marr, Colum, Me, Philip and Alex. Good night.

The rest of the week was a blur... The weekend was basically the same. Perfect. It was a relaxing weekend. A lot of time was spent in the Garden reading and time at home. It was very needed as I have been trying to kick a cold for quite a while.

Ahh! Saturday October 9th I got a call from Alex saying there was a biking event going on in Piazza Maggiore and Via Indipendenza.. I raced over just in time to see the start of the race. There were about 100 riders gearing up to begin the race down Indipendenza!

Today in Piazza Maggiore a few goof-balls of men put on a hilarious show for the LARGE gathering of people around. It was so funny. Juggling, fire, etc.

Now I am just hanging out in my apartment sipping a cup of tea while my roommate is busy typing away on her computer.  Lovely afternoon/evening. Class tomorrow!

Just a last minute add. This is Giovanni.. also known as my FAVORITE Italian man thus far. I have requested that he adopt me. Im not sure about the legal issues.. but I will figure it out, or I'll just marry his son.. Eduardo.

PS - Happy 10/10/10.

Once a Jane, Always a Jane

Just a short blog today.

I decided in order to meet some more people and keep the pasta pounds off, I'd try out the Italian version of ULTIMATE FRISBEE. Yes, it exists. 

I got in touch with the coach, then the captain, Alba. Sadly, I had to walk to the first practice... which generally would not be a big deal. However, it was a little terrifying walking 45 minutes outside of the city center to somewhere I had a vague idea.. (I got a ride home - thank god)

It was AWESOME. I am definitely paying for my lack of exercise today, as my body is crying to take a hot bath to relax some muscles that have no been used in MONTHS. It was WELL worth the pain though. 

The girls were are very nice and all italian. Just one more way to be immersed. The drills and the scrimmaging were similar to the US - but some of the terms were confusing. I was able to jump right in though! Oh, oh, oh - not to mention the really cool bags and gear the girls were rocking.. hopefully I'll get in on that. 

So- to all my Janes (for those of you who don't know - that is the name of the Ultimate Frisbee team I play for at IU) - keep up the good work.. we may need to schedule an international tourney...? Great.

Everyone have an EXCELLLLLENT day. :)

One month down, lifetime to go

Well maybe not a lifetime, but the way this experience has been going - I see no reason to keep it up.

One correction from my last post; Fighissimo (my roommate corrected my spelling - Thanks Valentina)

On to the meat of Bologna -- also known as the bolognese.

After the Ravenna trip it seemed like it would be pretty difficult to top some of the beautiful history we saw. HOWEVER, Italy is full of surprises. Giancarlo Benevolo, my culture professor, taught two classes after Ravenna - One on Bologna and the other about Urbino.

The in-class lecture was then followed by a visit to Urbino. The early, early bus ride was a bit difficult considering a group of nine girls went out together the night before for dinner. Of course, being the large group of lovely ladies that we are - we met a big group of Napolitani men. (That's a story in itsself)

The two hour bus trip led us from the urban landscape of Bologna to the rolling hills of Italy. Upon our arrival we knew we weren't in Kansas anymore. With streets resembling San Francisco I was pleased with my shoe choice that day.

First stop - the Palace/ Castle of Federico III of Montefeltro. Yes, there is a difference between a palace and a Castle.. We were tested on it. Anywho, the it was breathtaking. The intricate architecture and obviously egotistical man for whom it was built was amazing. The piazzas and court in the center drew attention to the importance of geometry and blah blah blah other things relevant to the time period.

Bottom line.. well worth the trip. Afterward we were taken to a quaint little restaurant tucked into the basement of a building. As usual, we took over the place with our booming english mixed with some italian.

Overall, great trip. More details upon request.

On to class.. I AM DONE. Yesterday (Monday the 27th) I complete the 2 final exams - One culture, the other grammar.

I now have no official plans until the 5th of October when my Italian Literature class begins. The others - History of Italy and Advanced Grammar begin on the 12th and 18th of October. Wow.

I believe the plan is to head off to Rome for the weekend. Not 100% sure what the plan is.

Tonight a BIG group of about 20 of us are getting together at our friend Ellens house for a HUGE dinner. I will be contributing an appetizer of bruschetta. I have yet to make it - but have been practicing with some recipes.

I hope all is well. Let me know, maybe with comments, if anyone is actually reading my blog.

I forgot to mention that I got the chance to learn to how to make, from scratch, genuine italian pastas. 

I became good friends with the woman at La Traviata. She was using a knife twice my age. That says it all. Also, she would not tell me her name - She referred to herself as the mother/grandmother of everyone. She has lived in Bologna for her entire life and has been making pasta in her family's restaurants since she can remember.

Sitting on a fountain in a Piazza in Urbino - Just before the traditional Italian dance show began.

Me, Clara (Lei e' FIGHISSIMO . Also, my grammar professor) and Natasa. We were the favorites.. Well, John too, but it was much easier to talk about boys with just the girls. 

La mia parola preferito - FIGISSIMO

Figissimo - AWESOME. (one in the same)

To those of you waiting by your computers each day for an update of this blog, I apologize. Italy is a little too exciting to sit and update. And... most of you reading this blog I have talked to somewhat recently enough to have filled in some of the stories.

Anywho - Italy is STILL amazing. I am loving it STILL.

Some recent events:
Excursion to Ravenna.. aka

• Saw some of the most beautiful mosaics I have ever encountered. Mausoleums, churches and baptismal building.. breathtaking. 
• The entire BCSP group led by Andrea Ricci, Clara (my teacher) and Giancarlo Benevolo (how awesome is that name. Really Mom and Dad... Julia.. Not even Giulia. PSHH.) 
• A delicious 4 course meal with 24 people.. DELICIOUS. Not to mention the amazing conversation with Clara. We discussed good looking men. Yes - with my professor. Some of the men included George Clooney, Hugh Grant, Giancarlo and Andrea. 

DUCATI FACTORY AND MUSEUM.. aka

• BEST DAY OF MY LIFFFFFE. The factory was the coolest thing ever. We were led by an awkward Italian man through the factory as he explained each part of the bike and how they come together. Also, about 100-220 Ducati motorcycles are made each day. This seems like a small number, but it is only because each bike is pre-sold. Ah. One to me.. right. Christmas? Yes.
• Not only were there BEAUTIFUL Ducatis everywhere, but it must have been a prerequisite to be an extremely good looking italian man to obtain employment.. other than the tour guide - he had a connection.

Ducati Museum

More exciting things happened since the last blog.. meh..

Ohh by the way here are some photos of my place.. Kinda hard to tell - but Im on the second level of the buliding.

Via del Guasto 3 

My desk area.. little dirty.. ooops.

My bed. Thanks Ikea.

My closet. The dresser is to the right..

I just finished up some homework. Tomorrow is a presentation in class about Immigration/Emigration. This weekend we are headed to the Medieval Museum in Bologna to check out some of the things we went over earlier this week. I am STOKED. 

Other news: I Love Italy. Period. Yes, there are moments when I want to be home, (i.e. -when I crave an authentic hamburger) but for the most part.. I may never come back to the United States. Sorry to break it  to you over Blog.. Love you. 

Haha sto scherzando (Im joking) - but really. I am so happy that I decided to dive in. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me.

Yummmmy.

Gorgonzola BLISSSS

First of all, Happy Birthday Diane Meek!

On to the Italy shenanigans..

I left off on Saturday afternoon. Tati, Alex and I left the park to relax more at the HOTEL HOLIDAY- which has been our humble abode for this and last week.

We decided because it was a Saturday night we would go out for dinner then return to the hotel get ready to have a night on the town! That did not go quite as well as we planned. It was better.

We went to a quaint little restaurant (I don't remember the name).. The food was absolutely fantastic. We ordered a liter of the house red wine, ate some of the hardest bread you have ever thrown at a wall, and enjoyed the buzz of Italian all around. While enjoying the bricks also known as bread Tati had the brilliant idea to ask for some oil and balsamic vinegar to moisten it. The waiter brought it to us immediately with a salt shaker (the food here is good -salt and pepper are never on the table). Alex began shaking the salt shaker and placed it back in the spot near the oil. A moment later one of the managers of the restaurant came by to demonstrate how to properly twist the top of the salt shaker to have it come out.
It may have been the highlight of the dinner. I ordered the gorgonzola gnocchi.. it was probably the best meal I have ever had. I cannot even explain the taste - pure bliss.

Ahh, but I lied about the best part of the dinner being the salt shaker. After we had devoured our food - we ate slowly over the course of about 45 minutes - we were tying with the idea to have some dessert.
Of course we decided ABSOLUTELY. Our waiter brought the menu, but it meant nothing to us. Yes, we know some Italian and the typical Italian desserts, but nope, no common desserts. The salt shaker man and one of the other managers saw our struggle and came to the rescue. Tati was escorted across the restaurant to the dessert table - Alex and I were waved over not a second later.

We returned to the table with the older manager (friendly, adorable old man) to order. Alex and Tati ordered, but I was still undecided - the man chose for me - and BOY did he choose PERFECTLY! It was a chocolate cake a la mode. Sounds pretty typical, no - again PURE BLISS.

We were then sent limoncello by the older man. (shout out to Berb and Dad - I still think it's gross).

Anywho, after the 4 hour dinner and dubbing this place our absolute favorite and OUR spot we meandered back to the hotel. Of course we took a series of pictures on the way home. They are fan-freaking-tastic. We decided instead of going out to hang out together at the hotel.. it was a GREAT night :)

Sunday - MORE house shopping. That evening we went to dinner again at a place called Seracena. It was delicious. The end. No story.

Monday- Classssses starrrrted. From now til the end of September I have class each day 10AM -12:30PM.  We were split into 2 groups, sadly I am not in the class with Tati and Alex. Boo. Mines okay though. Monday after class I saw a few places.

Monday night a group of 6 of us went to dinner. It was a BLAST. Osteria dell'Orsa. Yumm.

Around 7:30 I saw an apartment that I LOVED. The girl, Valentina, made me feel very comfortable and her friend and neighbor came over for a few minutes to hang out.


Tuesday - I decided to RUN. The early morning run down to Gardini Margherita was FANTASTIC. Then class. Nothing to report.

Later in the day a group of 6 of us took a shuttle out to IKEA to get some stuff for our apartments. I didn't have one, but thought I may as well go. While we were waiting for the shuttle I received a text from an apartment for the spot. I said yes.

Went to IKEA... got some great stuff.
As we were leaving to catch the bus I got a text from the girl I met last night. She offered me the spot. I was SUPER torn.

After freaking out for a while I built the courage to tell the first place the an offer I could not refuse came up. So basically, I HAVE AN APARTMENT! I won't be homeless OR paying for a hotel.

Now Alex, Tati and I are in the hotel enjoying some relaxing with Under the Tuscan Sun ready to PLAY.  (I will definitely miss not having the two of them around all the time)

Still loving Italy, Julia

Ciao Tutti!!

Ah! In Italy. The journey was an interesting experience, but I made it!
Some deets of the trip and the week following:
Flights in the US were uneventful.

   On the flight from St. Louis to Frankfurt I was politely asked by a man (who barely spoke English) to switch so he could sit next to his girlfriend for the 8 hour flight. Of course I said yes.. However, that meant that I sat in the aisle seat. (I was originally in a window seat where I could have leaned and slept for the entire flight) I moved next to a German couple that did not speak a lick English. Sidenote: Props to US Airways - I had the choice of about 10 movies, 5 TV shows and music to start and stop as I wanted. It was perfect. When I got tired I'd pause my movie for a while. Well done.

   THHHEN... Frankfurt. My flight got in in plenty of time to get to my next gate for Bologna. However, not knowing more than 5 words in German I went to the wrong terminal and THROUGH security. For some reason I set off the alarm and was then taken to the side, then frisked. The woman was German.
She had no filter whatsoever and not the best English. Cool. After frisking me;

"Are you an athlete?" said the woman.
"Yes," I said. 
"What do you do?"
"I run and play a few sports."
"I can tell. You have very strong legs. Like man."
I was speechless....

   That's not all - Another woman pulled me aside to inspect my laptop. Whatever it wasn't a big deal other than the fact that I was in the WRONG terminal! I was given directions to the correct terminal and hurried along because I 'didn't have much time'. I walked as fast as I could and got through security no problem. Of course it was 100% unnecessary of me to hurry. I had 2 hours until my flight departed.

A HUGE gathering of people near a hotel on one of the main
roads caught our attention. It was the INTER soccer team
leaving the hotel to go to the BOLOGNA- INTER soccer game.
The first of the season.

Getting a taxi was easy and the female driver was very helpful (I spoke only in Italian. Yay!)

I got to the hotel - got to my room and just took it all in for a few minutes. Then walked around a HUGE market of clothes and random things nearby.

Being by myself was not much fun ... so being myself i walked by a room in my hall and heard a girl speaking English. Hoping she was in my program I slipped a note under her door. It was a success! Maried came to my room and invited me to walk around with a few other girls from our program.

Monday - Nothing too exciting. Met everyone in the program. Hung out - I've had some AMAZING meals and AMAZING gelato.

Tuesday- Friday... a BLURRRR. We had a few meetings and stuff for the program, but apartment hunting has taken over. The first call was definitely the most difficult to make, but after the first the calls just kept happening! I saw 20 apartments in 3 days. Some GREAT - others HORRIBLE. At this point I just want a place to live that I feel comfortable!

Saturday - Totally free day. Well other than the viewing of an apartment this morning. I realllly liked it! Cross you fingers. Then I went to the Giardini Margherita with Alex (from LA) and Tati (from Brazil). Before making the 30min hike to the park we bought some fruit and fresh mozzarella at a quaint market nearby. It was perfect. The break from the apartment search was definitely needed for all.

BAD DAY for this bird :(

Delicious picnic in the park! 

One of the neat buildings in the center of
Piazza Maggiore.

Hope everything is great back in the US for EVERYONE! Love, Julia