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| Prof. Benevolo, Collin, Prof. Cammarano and Liz |
After the dinner a big group of the girls and I headed to V.I.P to celebrate Ellen's birthday. We had a booth reserved and were served drinks with sparklers - seriously V.I.P. The girls night of dancing was exactly what we needed!
That weekend I threw a mini-Thanksgiving for Valentina and a few of her friends.. They were obsessed with the stuffing - everything was gone in a flash. Now I know what it would be like to host a HUGE thanksgiving meal - stressful. I loved hosting, but spending the WHOLE day in the kitchen was a bit much. I promised pumpkin bread, but it was made a few days later when I had more time on my hands.
My secret trip back to the States went off without a hitch, kind of. Finding a taxi at 4:30am was a bit of a story - I was able to get a cab number from a drunk girl on the street, thank god. Then, the Bologna airport, just like everything else in Italy, was more laid back than I am used to, but I made it to my gate in time. The crazy long flight got me back to Bloomington Friday, Dec. 17th where Barb and Dad were waiting with a sign 'Benvenuti a casa' -Welcome Home. It was adorable.
My first request when I got off of the airplane was a good ole fashioned american hamburger.. wish granted. Before even dropping my luggage at home we headed to Medici for a DELICIOUS burger!
Not to mention the sign, Dad and Barb were AMAZING - They kept the secret from EVERYONE. I was sort of expecting someone to know, nope! Sadly, there are no pictures showing the stunned faces of my family when I showed up on their various doorsteps. Mom cried. Grandma Brown cried. Jim was stunned. Julie cursed me. The rest of the family laughed at me in the wrapped box Brian made me stand in! It was a great surprise. Just bumming around was exactly what I had pictured - getting the new nickname 'Zia' (aunt in Italian) for Savannah was exciting and getting to see Julie's baby belly :) - All worth it.
One of the things Barb was waiting for me to get home for was to make homemade pasta.. after a break from the Italian cuisine, we chose a night and went to work. From beginning to end the pasta-making night was a hit!
Shortly after the Turkey Day everyone switched gears into study mode just in time for BCSP finals. Two weeks and we would be FREE for the awaited Christmas break. Never have I ever studied as much as I did for those darn tests. I suppose I should study that much for everything, but meh. The exams went well and I was SO thankful to be on break! Just before heading back to the states, of course Tati, Alex and I HAD to make a trip to Scalinatella to celebrate with them. We found out about the numerous pictures of us on their website.. a little creepy, but flattering nonetheless. They love us...
My secret trip back to the States went off without a hitch, kind of. Finding a taxi at 4:30am was a bit of a story - I was able to get a cab number from a drunk girl on the street, thank god. Then, the Bologna airport, just like everything else in Italy, was more laid back than I am used to, but I made it to my gate in time. The crazy long flight got me back to Bloomington Friday, Dec. 17th where Barb and Dad were waiting with a sign 'Benvenuti a casa' -Welcome Home. It was adorable.
My first request when I got off of the airplane was a good ole fashioned american hamburger.. wish granted. Before even dropping my luggage at home we headed to Medici for a DELICIOUS burger!
Not to mention the sign, Dad and Barb were AMAZING - They kept the secret from EVERYONE. I was sort of expecting someone to know, nope! Sadly, there are no pictures showing the stunned faces of my family when I showed up on their various doorsteps. Mom cried. Grandma Brown cried. Jim was stunned. Julie cursed me. The rest of the family laughed at me in the wrapped box Brian made me stand in! It was a great surprise. Just bumming around was exactly what I had pictured - getting the new nickname 'Zia' (aunt in Italian) for Savannah was exciting and getting to see Julie's baby belly :) - All worth it.
One of the things Barb was waiting for me to get home for was to make homemade pasta.. after a break from the Italian cuisine, we chose a night and went to work. From beginning to end the pasta-making night was a hit!
Good idea Berb. This was the ONLY time I ate pasta in the USA. I get plenty of it in BO.
The process:
I'm pretty sure Dad and Barb are thinking of tossing in the towel on their careers to open a restaurant!... kidding.
Then there was Chicago, IU and Indianapolis... a whirlwind of 5 days led me all over.
I decided a few days ahead of time to take the train up to Chicago for a day. That is one thing Italy beats the US on, the train system! After several delays Josh picked me up at Union Station and by coincidence we were able to meet up with Steph, Marie, Katy and a few other IU friends! It was the best day walking around the windy city and eating stuffed pizza with some of my best friends!
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| Katy, Steph, me and Josh in front of the Bean at Millenium Park, Chicago |
Then next day I made my way to IU for the best few days of break. Yes, seeing my family was amazing, but at IU I really felt at home. The company wasn't bad either! Signed my lease for next year- got excited about next year, but then realized I get to come back to Italy for another semester - at that point I had mixed emotions. Now that I am back in Bologna, sitting at my desk with plans for dinner after the post - I can't imagine being anywhere else. Bring it on Bologna - round two.
