Home!

     I have been home for 3 weeks now and it is a really weird feeling.  When I first got home it was really exciting and felt like I had never left.  These feelings subsided very quickly.  Within a matter of days I already missed Europe and all my friends!  I thought that I would have some long reflective post about being home and my semester abroad but I really can't put my experience into words.  As cliche as it sounds it was truly life changing.  One of the hardest parts about being home is not being with all my CIMBA friends.  It is hard to share such a crazy experience with people and not have them around once you are home.  No one else can relate to that one time at the sports bar or that one time in Prague.  I'm working very hard to go visit everyone though!
     School starts on Monday and I have forgotten what real life is like.  It is certainly going to be an adjustment.  I don't really even feel like a CU student anymore...more like a CIMBA student.  I miss it so much and I feel so lucky to have been a part of it.

Last Days of Europe

     After finals ended, CIMBA arranged for a bus to take us to Venice.  There were about 50 of us on the bus and almost everyone was staying at the same hotel in Venice because our flights weren't until the next day. We had one last night to all be together and it was really sad.  I was kind of surprised but everyone got so emotional and it was so hard to say goodbye to everyone!

Me and Quincy in Venice

Barcelona

     The next day most people left early in the morning to go home but my friend Quincy and I were traveling after and our flight wasn't until later that night.  We were a little nervous though because the air traffic control strikes were going on in Spain and that is where we were headed.  The days before all flights in and out of Spain had been cancelled.  We went to an internet cafe though and were relieved to find our flight was still scheduled.  We went into the island of Venice for the afternoon.  It was nice to get one last trip there.  Once we got back to Venice Mestre, we got on the bus to go to the Treviso airport.  We went to go check our bags and mine was fine but then it was Quincy's turn and the lady informed her that her ticket was for the flight the day before.  We couldn't believe this had happened.  We ran to the ticket desk with a million people in it and panic set in.  I think I was more nervous than Quincy.  The line was not moving at all and we only had like an hour or so to make it through the line.  I went up to the desk and told them our flight was leaving soon and they pulled Quincy up to the front and told people to let her go.  A bunch of people STILL cut in front of her which was really frustrating.  FINALLY she got to the front and played it off that her flight was cancelled the day before and they gave her a new ticket without question.  We were so relieved and it was just in time.  We ran through security and to the gate only to find our flight delayed.  We were just so glad we made it because I don't know what we would have done otherwise.  

    Anyway, we landed in Girona Barcelona really late at night and had to take a really long bus into actual Barcelona.  By the time we got to our hostel it was almost 3 AM.  The next day we got some tapas and started sightseeing.  There was so much to see because we only had one day there.  We basically did a Gaudi tour of the city.  We saw all the important buildings, the church, the park, Las Ramblas, even some entertaining metro rides complete with old men singing karaoke, everything in just a matter of hours.  We got some delicious paella and sangria and called it a night.

Churros!

     The next day, Tuesday, we had to wake up early and head back to the airport to go to Madrid.  We arrived in Madrid in the late afternoon.  We were pretty exhausted so we just walked around for awhile and got some more paella and sangria at this really cool place.  On Wednesday we took a tour which was okay.  Usually we take the free student tours but there weren't enough people so we did a paid one.  It was interesting but very different than the free ones.  The free ones are geared towards people our age and are a little more appealing.  We also got some churros and chocolate which were really good.  We walked around some more and took it kind of easy.  

     The next morning we were both hit by an awful illness.  We had to wake up early again and lug all of our stuff on the metro to the airport.  It was so crowded and people were not happy with our bags.  We got yelled at multiple times and it was really frustrating.  We were so hot and I felt like I was going to faint.  By the time we got to the airport I was even sicker but we luckily made it to Dublin.

Jameson Factory

Candy stand at the London Christmas Market

     When we got to Dublin though all we could do was sleep because we were so sick.  After a long nap we went to a pub to get dinner and then just went back to the hostel.  It was rough.  The next day, Friday, we took the free tour which was interesting but would have been much better if we didn't feel like dying.  That is about all we got accomplished that day.  On Saturday we were FINALLY feeling better so we went to the Jameson factory which was really interesting.  We got to see the process and then try typical Jameson drinks.  We also got to compare the taste of Jameson, American whiskey and scotch which was really cool.  We went souvenir shopping and walked around in temple bar area.  We got some good dinner at this pub.  It was nice to be able to eat again!  I really liked Dublin and look forward to going back when I feel much better.  

Abbey Road

     On Sunday our journey was almost over.  We flew to London and got to see some of the things we had missed before.  We saw the London Eye and went to the Christmas market which was really fun!  Then we went to Abbey Road.  It was cool because the anniversary of John Lennon's death had just passed and there were some flowers and stuff still out.  We didn't have much time and were exhausted so we headed back out to Heathrow where we were staying and got all ready to go home!

The Beginning of the End

Ahh...so tonight is my last night in Paderno!  It is so bittersweet.  I am going to miss this place so much and the friends I have made even more.  It is going to be so hard to say goodbye to them!  All my bags are packed (one is even on its way home) and all my finals are done.  Tonight we said goodbye to the people at the pizzeria and the sports bar.  It is weird to say goodbye to people you will probably never see again.  Normally when you say goodbye to people you assume you might see them again someday but I don't really think I will be coming back to Paderno ever and if I do it will be a long long time from now.  Part of me wants to stay here forever but part of me wants to get back to America so badly.  As weird as it sounds I feel like I have this crazy relationship with America.  When I first got here I hated how we have this attitude that America is the center of the world.  Then there were times when I felt proud to be American or thought "thank goodness I am American."  Then there were more times when I hated it and now I love it again.  It was nice to get an different perspective of it too throughout this semester.  Being removed really makes you realize a lot!  It is the right time to be going home but I am glad I still have 9 days of travel!  Most of us are staying in Venice tomorrow night and then my friend Quincy and I are going to Barcelona, Madrid, Dublin and London and then I come home on the 13th.  The other night we were talking about the things we missed about America and what we would miss about Italy so I thought I'd post those lists here.

Things I miss about America:

• The English language
• The convenience of things
• Being able to go places when I want to
• Maisy
• My friends and family especially Gram
• The Rocky Mountains
• Kokoro
• Mexican food
• Grocery stores
•  Nice waiters at restaurants
• TV!!
• High speed internet!!!!!!!
• The US Dollar
• Not eating pasta
• Being able to get medicine really easily when you are sick

Things I am going to miss about Italy

• The simplicity of life
• Eating dinner slowly
• The people in Paderno
• The people at CIMBA
• Small classes
• Gelato
• Tabacchi sandwiches
• Being detached from reality
• Alberto's bus
• One thing I definitely WON'T miss though is the cafeteria!!!! I will never complain about any food again in my life!!!

Thanksgiving in London

     Our second long weekend fell over Thanksgiving.  I had Thursday and Friday off of school so I decided to go visit my friend Zoe in London.  I arrived late on Wednesday night.  On Thursday I finally got to sleep in a little bit which was a relaxing way to start my Thanksgiving.  I went and met Zoe at her school and we went to the British Museum.  We saw the Rosetta Stone and wandered through the rest of the museum for about an hour.  The nice thing about London is that most museums are free.

     After the British Museum, we went to the grocery store to pick up some supplies for Thanksgiving.  I had forgotten what a grocery store was like.  We went back to Zoe’s dorm and started cooking our Thanksgiving meal.  We struggled a little bit with the chicken because neither of us really wanted to handle the raw bird but it worked out okay in the end.  The food was so delicious thanks to Zoe’s mom’s recipes.  It was nice to have Thanksgiving with a familiar face but it did feel a little weird not being home for the holiday and made me miss my family and everything.  Luckily, because I was staying with Zoe and not at a hostel I got to skype my parents.  Thanksgiving was a nice, low-key day which made it feel a little bit more normal.

     On Friday we went and met Zoe’s other friend from school who is studying in Prague.  She was also visiting for the weekend.  We got Chipotle for lunch which was so good.  It was a perfect taste of America.  After lunch we went to one of the markets.  The market was so cool and had so many amazing jewelry stands and vintage shops.  We also got mulled wine and apple cider which really hit the spot because it was so cold. 

     After the market we got some traditional fish and chips for dinner.  It was really good but a little different than fish and chips you would find in America.  After dinner, we did the Jack the Ripper tour.  It was really interesting but it was so cold out that there were times when I couldn’t even pay attention because I could think about was how cold I was.

     The next day was our big sightseeing day.  We went to see Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.  It was cool to see all these places that you normally see in the movies.  We walked through a really pretty park to Buckingham Palace and got to see the changing of the guard.  I was surprised at what a production it was.  After the palace we stopped for some tea and then went to the national gallery.  We saw some Monet and Van Gogh which I really liked.  After the gallery we rode a double decker bus for awhile.  Then we went to see London Bridge, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.  We were planning on going inside of the Tower of London but it was really expensive so we just walked around it.  We went to the Tate Modern because it was really close by.  It was pretty interesting and I like modern art but some stuff is just so beyond my realm of knowledge.  For dinner we got some really good burgers.  Afterwards we walked over millennium bridge.  It was cool but so freezing I just wanted to get inside.  It literally felt like skiing weather and I am pretty sure I got wind burn.  Afterwards, we went to Oxford Circus to see the Christmas lights.  They were so amazing and once again kind of made me miss home and made me anxious to get home just in time for the holidays.  We got to go to Top Shop which I was so excited about since there is only one in New York.  After we were too cold to keep going we went to this adorable little cafe.  It was a candy shop in the front, bar/cafe in the back and decorated just like anthropology.  It really felt like Christmas especially with our warm apple cider drinks.  The cafe actually really reminded me of the movie you've got mail for some reason.
     The next day I had to leave for the airport pretty early.  I got some Starbucks on the way (another nice taste of America) and was on my way.  Because it takes so long to get to Paderno I got back pretty late and was super exhausted.  London was fun and a really cool city and I am so excited to go back...even if just for 12 hours.

Travel Week 2

I got behind on my blog again…oops.  Like I said before, time slips away so quickly in Italy.  And sorry this is going to be really long.  Anyway, for the second travel week my mom, her friend Susan, and my friend Zoe all came to Italy for our own “Grand Tour.”  It was so much fun and the perfect time to see my mom and other familiar faces.  I was so excited for my mom to come too because she had never been to Europe and it was a fun experience to share with her.  It would have been nice if my dad could have come too but next time.

We started our trip in Venice where we spent 2 nights.  The first night we all met up, Friday, we got some delicious dinner and walked around for a little while.  I was in desperate need of protein and vegetables so I got a nice serving off steak and veggies which made me feel so much better!  The next day we headed to St. Mark’s square.  We went into San Marco’s Basilica.  All of the marble was so beautiful and extravagant.  We went to the top of the clock tower and could see everything!  Afterwards we took a gondola ride.  It was SO cool.  Our gondolier was 100% Venetian and super friendly.  The gondola itself was so extravagant and it was totally worth the high price.  There is no way you can go to Venice and not take a gondola ride!

After the gondola, we ate and shopped some more (we did a lot of both!).  The next morning we did some more shopping and went back to St. Mark’s square where it was flooded.  It was crazy to see Venice flooded and how it affects the city.  We then headed to Rialto Bridge, the Jewish Quarter and then ended at the train station.  My favorite part about Venice was actually seeing it after learning so much about it in my classes!

We left Venice on Sunday afternoon and headed to Trento.  Trento is a small city located in the Italian Alps.  We decided to go there for one night because my mom really wanted to see the Alps while in Italy.  We ended up staying in this amazing Italian Villa.  It was gorgeous and the people there were so nice!  We really lucked out and the best part was that it was pretty inexpensive!  I am pretty sure we were the only people staying there.  They had a restaurant at the Villa where we ate and it was probably one of the best meals of my life.  I think we ordered everything on the menu.  We ate some delicious tortellini and spinach gnocchi that were to die for.  For my main course, I got a steak in truffle sauce and for dessert we got some apple cobbler and lemon cello.  The best part of the meal (besides the food) was the atmosphere.  We were in this cozy little restaurant that was decorated so nicely and we were the only people there.  We couldn’t have found a better place to stay if we tried. 

The next morning, the owner took us on a tour of the villa and then took us into town to catch our train to Florence.  We got to Florence on Monday afternoon.  We had decided to stay in an apartment and it ended up being in a great location and was really nice.  For dinner we went to a really good local restaurant and then headed to this bar near the Duomo to meet one of Susan’s friends.  The next day we did some shopping and then went to see David.  I was once again amazed my Michelangelo’s work and so was everyone else.  We went to the river and walked along the gold market on the bridge.  I bought a really pretty gold necklace.  That night we had an amazing meal.  The best part was the Italian man making the pizzas was stationed right next to us and was so nice.  He sang to us and we spoke to him in a weird combination of English, Spanish and Italian…Spitalglish?  After eating so much we needed to walk around so we went to this palace.  It was one of the only museum type places that was open late and being there at night gave it a totally different feel. 

On Wednesday we went to the Duomo.  It was good but it did rain quite a bit and you couldn’t see nearly as far as I did in September.  After the Duomo we got some amazing sandwiches at this little oil shop.  After lunch it stopped raining and was time to start conquering the leather market.  Many hours and Euros later, we came away with too many goods!  I got two purses, boots, a hat, some scarves and gifts for everyone!  I would say it was a successful shopping trip.  That night we had even more amazing food.  My mom got the best ravioli I have ever tasted.  I can’t even describe it.  We needed to do some more walking and then went to bed.  The next day, Thursday, we left Florence to go to Rome.  On the way to Rome though, we made a stop in Siena.  Siena was really pretty but kind of a difficult place to go for only a few hours.  The problem was that the train station is located so far from the center.  We continued onto Rome and when we got there we walked around and…you guessed it, ate some more.  The next day was Susan and Zoe’s last day.  We went to the Coliseum and took a tour of the Forum.  I personally thought the Forum was a lot cooler than the Coliseum.  The crazy thing about Rome is that you will be walking through the city and suddenly there will be ancient ruins.  That night we went and saw the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.  My favorite was the Trevi Fountain.  It was gorgeous and there were so many people there that it felt so lively. 
On Saturday, Susan and Zoe left really early in the morning and my mom and I went to the Vatican.  We decided to take a tour because we wanted to know what everything actually was.  We started in the museum and looked at all the paintings.  It is crazy how extravagant everything is and was fascinating to hear how Vatican City works and how they have their own postal service and everything.  It was also interesting how so much of the building materials and paintings were taken from other parts of the world like Venice.  We ended in the Sistine Chapel which was so incredible.  It is hard to believe one person was able to do all of that.  We wanted to go to St. Peter’s Basilica but the line was super long.  We talked to some guards and they told us to come back that night and there wouldn’t be a line.


We were getting kind of hungry but a terrible thing had happened.  I couldn’t even look at or think about pasta without feeling ill.  I had developed pasta overload from eating pasta twice a day for two and a half months.  The worst part was the thought of having to eat it for another month!  I begged my mom to let me find a burger so we went to an Irish pub for lunch.  I got a really good American meal and my mom got an Irish breakfast which she was excited about too.  We walked around a little while longer and then headed back to the Vatican to see St. Peter’s.  When we got there the line was much shorter so we were relieved.  It was pretty incredible and pretty cool at night.  My dad had given us some things to get blessed and it was actually pretty comical watching us try and figure it all out since neither my mom nor I are Catholic.  Afterwards we went to a Van Gogh exhibit near our hotel that was open late.  It was funny though because all the descriptions were in Italian.  It was a good way to end our night.  On Sunday my mom left for the airport and I headed back to Paderno.  It had been a really good week and I am really glad my mom got to come to Italy.

Random Stuff

There are a lot of little things that I have noticed/learned about Italy and Europe in general that I thought I would dedicate a post to.

• One thing that shocked me the most coming to Italy is that Italians are actually very rude.  I had heard that they are really nice but they are very aggressive.  For example, we were buying train tickets at the counter and as the guy was printing our tickets these Italians came up and started yelling  (like actually yelling) at us that we were taking too long and to hurry up.  Imagine standing in a grocery store line and being yelled at for being in line.  Even the French were WAY nicer than the Italians.  Luckily the people in Paderno are really nice.  It seems like most of the rude ones are in the bigger towns and cities.
• Lines don't exist in Italy.
• You pay to use the restroom everywhere you go/the bathrooms are really weird.
• McDonald's in Europe are like palaces.
• I have never been to more truck stops than I have in Italy and they are really fancy.
• Americans are annoying.
• In every other country they learn to speak another language.  It is kind of embarrassing and I feel like we should learn another language starting in Kindergarten just like everyone else does.
• Eating pasta twice a day is terrible for your hair and nails (and your waistline).
• In America people think that everyone will take dollars (think Mexico) but in Europe nobody even thinks about the dollar (obviously).
• Most Italians never go more than 30 minutes from where they are born.
• Most Italians own their own homes and keep them for an average of 50 years.
• Italian parents are financially responsible for their children for life!! (Hear that mom and dad?)
• Italians consume the most amount of bottled water per person in the world even though the water is safe to drink and tastes good in the majority of the country.
• I was kind of surprised to learn that Europeans can't tell the difference between a British accent, American accent or Australian accent.  I guess it makes sense.  I can tell the difference between a Costa Rican accent, a Mexican accent, and a Spanish accent but would never know between a Venezuelan and Argentinian accent.
• Italian grocery stores sell "American" bread and it is the whitest, most processed bread I have ever seen which is kind of funny.
• I haven't seen one fat Italian but they eat SO much...I don't get it.
• It is normal for a bus or train to be 45 minutes late.
• Wine comes from the tap like beer.
• There are palm trees next to evergreen trees in the mountains.
• When a plane lands or takes off they cheer.
• Life is much slower here which is probably why they live longer.
• It is considered rude for a waiter to bring you the check.  You have to ask for it and once you sit down at a table, that table is pretty much considered yours for the night.

Halloween in Paderno

That's all I can think of for now.  Yesterday for Halloween we all dressed up which was really fun!  I am surprised of how good everyone's costumes came out for being so last minute.  My friends Megan, Paige and I were "Furman Girls."  There are 9 girls in our program from Furman University which none of us had ever heard of before coming here.  They are very southern and proper so we thought it would be funny to be them.  They lent us all their clothes and it was really funny.

My mom, Susan and Zoe come on Friday which I am SO excited for.  I have a ton of stuff to get done before then though which is kind of stressing me out.  We are going to Venice, Trento, Florence, Siena, and Rome.  Tomorrow I get to go olive picking so that will be a fun Italian experience.

Bassano

     For the past few weekends when we haven't been traveling, my friends and I have been going to Bassano del Grappa.  Bassano is the closest city to us and is about a 15 minute taxi ride.  It is a really cool place because it is a fun Italian city without all the tourist traps.  We are always the only Americans there.  The Veneto region (where I am) is known as being a very wealthy area and that is definitely noticeable in Bassano.  All of the people are dressed so well and there are some really nice stores.  They also have an amazing chinese restaurant.  When I first told people about it, they thought it was weird that we would spend our time and money getting chinese food.  But think about it, in America we wouldn't want to eat cheeseburgers every night so why would Italians eat Italian food every night.  The chinese restaurants here are exactly like chinese restaurants in America which is kind of funny.  Anyway, Bassano is a really fun place and I am really glad I am getting to see these Italian towns and cities that most tourists don't normally go to.

Paris

Me and Olivia in Paris

     Last weekend we had our first extended travel weekend.  Two of my friends and I decided we wanted to go to Paris.  At the time of booking our trip, the whole thing sounded like a good idea.  It wasn't until a few days before we were supposed to leave that Bin Laden sent a message threatening Paris and therefore raising travel alerts.  In addition to the terrorist threats, the French government also decided to change the retirement age and riots broke out.  One of my friend's parents didn't want her to go and everyone else was pretty skeptical about the whole thing.  Luckily my parents told me it would be fine (they know I worry too much) and I made my dad promise that if he had any weird feelings about me going, he would say something.

On top of the Eiffel Tower

     So, even with the probability of our flight being cancelled, we headed to Treviso on Friday after classes.  We had to take a bus to the airport which ended up being an adventure in itself.  We basically got on a school bus with 30 kids who had assigned seats and a supervisor onboard.  The bus ride should have only been an hour but was actually 2 hours and 45 minutes long.  Luckily we had left ourselves plenty of time and got to the airport in time.  Flying to Paris was my first Ryanair experience.  Ryanair is the budget airline of Europe.  It is kind of like Southwest where there are no assigned seats but instead of having a number, it is a mad dash to the plane.  Once the plane takes off they turn the lights on really bright and advertise to you the entire time.  It was fine but you get what you pay for (I just booked a 6 Euro flight to Barcelona).  Once we got to Paris it was another hour and half bus ride into the city.  It was pretty late so we just found our hotel and crashed.
     On Saturday we got up and it was raining.  We grabbed some croissants at this little pastry shop and headed to the Arc de Triomphe.  It was really cool to see all the landmarks that are in so many movies.  I couldn't stop thinking about Madeline and the Mary-Kate and Ashley movie Passport to Paris (haha).  It started pouring so we decided shopping would be a good activity.  We walked down Champs-Elysees and went into all the stores.  Once again, we spent a ton of time at H & M and I had to get a coat, hat, and mittens because it was freezing!  After shopping we got some lunch at a little cafe.  Afterwards we went to Notre Dame and walked around for awhile.  It was really cool to see all the gargoyles.
     On Sunday we started out at the Lourve.  The outside is gorgeous.  I couldn't believe how big it was. We saw all the important paintings and sculptures like the Mona Lisa but it got a little overwhelming.  After the Lourve we went and saw the gardens and walked around some more.  It started raining again so we decided to go back to the hotel and rest up for the night.  That night we got dinner and then went to see the Eiffel Tower at night.  It was so beautiful.  We spent a lot of time taking pictures and stuff.  We tried to take a river boat cruise but ended up being too late.
     On Monday morning we went straight to the Eiffel Tower to try to beat the lines.  It wasn't too crowded so we decided to go all the way to the top.  When you look at the Eiffel Tower from far away it doesn't look that tall but the closer you get, the more gigantic it looks.  As you go up the elevator though, it feels even higher.  It reminded me a lot of going up the Empire State Building or something.  We got out at the midway point and it was so cold and windy.  We quickly took our pictures and got in line to go to the top.  When we got to the top it was amazing.  You could see so far and we really lucked out with the weather.    We took some more pictures, walked around, and then headed back down.  Because we had a flight to catch we quickly grabbed some lunch and did some shopping.  I'm really glad we got to go to one of the famous department stores because that was neat to see.  It was so packed but so beautifully decorated that can't imagine what it would be like during Christmas!  After shopping we went back to the hotel, grabbed our bags and made our way back to the airport.  Our trip home went smoothly but we were exhausted when we got back to Paderno.
     Paris is one of my favorite cities so far.  The only problem was that it is really, really expensive!  A mini bottle of water is 5 Euro.  We luckily didn't have any problems with terrorists or riots.  In fact, we didn't see or hear of a single riot while we were there.  The only real problem we had was that not one of us knew a single word of French but we figured it out.  What I really like about Paris was that it had the excitement of a big city like New York but it also felt small in some areas and there were gardens and trees everywhere which made it feel less city-like.  I can't wait to go back to Paris again someday.

Date with a Professor, Italian vs. American Soccer Game, Formal Dinner 2

     A few weeks ago we had our first date with a professor night where we are split up into groups with professors that we don't have for a class.  My group went to an agriturismo which is a farm turned restaurant and 80% of the food comes from the farm.  We started with bread, red and white wine, and water.  They had oil and white vinegar for the bread.  I had never had white balsamic but it was really good.  We were served pumpkin gnocchi that was to die for and then really good mushroom risotto.  After, they brought out a ton of vegetables and grilled meats including steak!, sausage, and grilled polenta.  For dessert we had tiramisu with chocolate frosting and some apple pie type of thing.  The owner also brought out grappa and lemon cello.  The meal was so good and everything tasted so fresh.  It was a huge, much needed change from the cafeteria.  We have one more date with a professor nights after the second travel week.  Our professor's wife is going to make us mexican food which is really exciting because that is one of the things I miss the most!

Second Formal Dinner
Liz, Mollie, Paige, Me, and Sarah

     Last week we also had the Italian vs. American soccer game where the Italian students played the CIMBA students.  It is a pretty big deal every semester and the Americans ended up winning.  This is the first time we have won for two consecutive semesters.  It was a really fun game to watch despite my hatred for soccer.  The best part was that there were real tacos for sale!  It really helped solve my mexican craving.

     Last week we also had our second formal dinner.  It was at hotel nearby and it was fun but not as good as the first one.  Still, it is always good to get out of the cafeteria.  

Travel Week 1

Me, Paige, and Quincy at Oktoberfest with our waiter Sven.

     The program I am doing has a lot of travel time built into the semester.  We have most weekends free, two full weeks and two extended weekends.  For the first travel week my friends and I decided to take another bus trip through Alberto.  The plan for the trip was to go to Munich, Prague, Vienna, and Budapest.  The bus left Paderno Friday at midnight for Germany.  We got to Munich at about 6 AM and spent the day at Oktoberfest.  It was much different than I expected.  I didn't realize it was basically a huge festival and that people got so into it.  We ended up having to wait in a line for 4 hours to get into one of the tents.  It was pretty miserable as we were packed like sardines and yelled at by scary German police.  Once we got in it was really fun and everyone was SO happy.  Every 10 minutes people would stand on the tables and start singing.  After a few hours in the tent we were pretty tired and decided to go back to the hotel and nap before going out again at night.  We all ended up sleeping for 14 hours instead.  We really needed it and it was probably the best sleep any of us had gotten in a while but it was kind of embarrassing to tell people why we didn't make it out that night.  Who would have thought that we would have gotten 14 hours of sleep at Oktoberfest?

Tom Cruise in Prague.  Photo by Michael Dodd

     The next morning we headed towards the train station to catch the bus to Prague.  It was about a 5 hour ride.  When we got there it was a struggle to find our hostel but luckily one of the guys on our trip knew where he was going and got all of us there.  It was really convenient because half of the group was staying at one hostel and the other half was staying across the street at another one so it was fun to all be together.  Our hostel was super nice, probably nicer than a lot of hotels I have stayed at.  Also, Tom Cruise was filming Mission Impossible 4 like 2 blocks away.  That night we grabbed some dinner and then went out to celebrate the 21st birthday of someone in our group.

Me and Paige in front of the Spanish Synagogue

     The next day we did a walking tour of Prague.  We saw the Old Town Square where the astronomical clock is.  We also saw the opera house and a bunch of other cool buildings.  Prague is a really cool city and just walking around is fun.  There are a lot of cute little cobblestone streets with neat shops.  I didn't know that crystal was so big in Prague.  We learned a lot on the tour.  Afterwards we got some food and went shopping.  I am literally addicted to H & M.  Only my friends who live in places without it understand.  I don't know what I am going to do without it when I go home... I might have to make a trip to Arizona or something.  After walking around for a little longer we went back to the hostel to get ready and rest a little.  After dinner we went out and it was a really fun night.

Megan, Me, Paige, Liz and Michael in front of the castle in Prague

     The next morning we toured the Jewish Quarter which I really like.  We saw the Spanish synagogue and where golem is.  I also really liked all the stuff they had about Kafka and the little Jewish market.  It was really interesting that all the Jewish buildings were built lower than the rest because during the war they built other buildings higher due to flooding but didn't care about the Jewish ones.  After exploring that area of Prague for a while we crossed to Charles Bridge and headed to the castle.  The bridge was really cool and we all touched the statue and made wishes.  When you touch it, it means you will come back to Prague some day.  The castle was pretty cool too.  It is the biggest in the world and is more like a fort than a castle.  There are amazing views of Prague from the top of the castle.  That night we just hung out at the restaurant/bar of our hostel and it ended up being pretty fun.  The next day, Wednesday, was our last day in Prague.  We slept in a little bit and spent the day souvenir shopping.  We got some real Czech food which was really good.  The day was a lot more relaxed because we had already seen everything and weren't rushing to make it everywhere.

Really funny picture of us sleeping in the common room of our hostel.

In Budapest

     We were supposed to arrive in Budapest at around 8 or 9 but ended up getting there at 6.  At this point we were all exhausted and in terrible moods and didn't even want to be in Budapest.  We took a cab to the hostel because we couldn't even think about walking in the freezing cold.  We got there and they didn't have a room ready for us but they told us to just crash in the common area which is what we did until 11 when our room was ready.  It was actually really funny because people started waking up and staring at us.  Our actual room ended up being in a different building a few blocks away.  After getting settled in we got some really good Hungarian food for lunch.  Afterwards we walked around for a few hours but ended up being pretty unproductive.  That night we went out and ended up at this really weird bar where there was an open mic thing going on.  One of my friends performed and was really really good.  The whole place loved her and some of the guys even got a little emotional after she sang.

The castle in Budapest

     On Saturday we decided we needed to be more productive so we woke up early and went on a tour.  The tour was really interesting and they talked a lot about communism.  When communism fell all of the communist statues were removed and new ones were put up.  The tour guide told us that there is still a lot of corruption and problems in their government but there is still hopes for the future.  We saw a lot on both the Buda and Pest sides of the city and went up to where the castle is.  The castle was actually the inspiration for Walt Disney.  Also, a lot of the buildings have bullet holes and stuff in them so that the people remember how bad it was with communism but how much better their future is going to be.  It was really cool to be in a place with such recent political problems.  It was hard to believe that all of this went on in my lifetime.  Overall Budapest was a really amazing city and I am so glad I got to go.  When I decided to study abroad in Italy I never thought I would end up in Budapest.
     This first travel week was so much fun and I learned so much about both the cities we were in and travel in general.  When you travel with such a large group of people you really have to learn to compromise and be patient.  We all come from different parts of America where we have different lifestyle patterns and traveling makes you change those patterns and learn to be flexible.

1st Formal Dinner

     Throughout the semester we have 3 formal dinners where the whole program including the professors go out for a nice dinner.  We had our first one right before the first travel week at the Hotel Fior in Castelfranco.  We were all so excited to escape the cafeteria for a night.  When we first got there we had appetizers in an outdoor tent.  There were lemon cello spritzers, delicious fried vegetables and cheese and other really good food.  After awhile we were taken into the dining room.  For our first course we were served mushroom risotto and ravioli with white wine.  For the second course we had some Italian game bird that was like chicken, potatoes, zucchini and red wine.  In between the second course and dessert there was Phi Beta Delta initiation for the honors fraternity that I joined.  For dessert we had this really good fruit tart with a sweet white wine that literally tasted like welches white grape juice.  It was such a delicious meal and is good to be able to enjoy a nice Italian meal without having to break the bank.

Florence

On top of the Duoma

     For our second free weekend about 30 of us CIMBA students hopped on another one of Alberto's buses and headed to Florence.  We left Paderno at 4:30 AM and got to Prato at about 9 AM.  We took a 10 minute train to Florence and walked to our hostel.  Florence is a beautiful Italian city with cobblestone streets and tuscan rooftops.  Our hostel ended up being really nice.
     After putting our stuff in our rooms we headed towards the Duoma.  We stopped at a cafe on the way and had the most amazing croissant sandwich.  The best part was that is was only 90 Euro cents.  After breakfast my friends and I continued on our way to the Duoma.
     When we got to the Duoma we first went inside the cathedral.  It was really pretty and looking up at the dome was amazing.  It is crazy to think about how it was built so long ago.  The painting "Heaven vs. Hell" was also really cool to see.  After seeing the inside of the dome we decided to go to the top.  The staircase to the top was long, steep, winding, and narrow.  By the time we got to the top we were exhausted.  First we stopped at the inside part of the dome.  It was neat to see the dome and painting up close.  After walking around we went outside.  The outside part of the Duoma was amazing.  From the top you could see all of Florence.  It was definitely worth the hike to the top.  I could have stayed up there all day.

By the river with Evelyn, Mollie and Grace.

     After the Duoma and some gelato we headed over to see David. I don’t really know much about art history so one of my friends had to explain everything to me but David was simply amazing. I was in awe looking up at how detailed he was. From the expression on his face to veins on his arms he actually is a masterpiece. I am still shocked that someone could ever carve that by hand. When I go back to Florence with my mom in a few weeks I definitely want to go see David again.
     Later that night we had a real Tuscan dinner, which was absolutely incredible. It is so nice to eat outside of the school cafeteria when we are away. After dinner we made our way to our first European discotech. It was an interesting experience to say the least.
     The next day we did quite a bit of shopping and spent many hours at the leather market. I guess we are truly devoted shoppers. All the leather smelled so good and I couldn’t believe how inexpensive it all was. I only got a few things but will definitely be buying more when I go back. When our shopping was complete we headed back to the bus to come back to Paderno. Florence is a really cool city and I am looking forward to seeing more or Italy and Europe in general.

Cinque Terre

Part of the group before dinner.  Grace, Mollie, Olivia, Kelsey and Paige

     For our first free weekend most of CIMBA, about 65 of us, decided to take advantage of the warm weather and head to Cinque Terre.  We had Alberto, the gate guy on campus, arrange a bus for us. It was an amazing trip and I couldn’t stop thinking how I was living in this puzzle. The trip started with an EARLY 4 AM bus ride. We arrived in La Spezia around 9:30 and took the train to Riomaggiore, which is the first of 5 villages in Cinque Terre. We checked into our hostel, which ended up being an apartment right near the water.    
     After a quick breakfast we walked to the next town, which had more amazing views. We then took the train to Monterossa, the last town, for some quality beach time, which was fun and refreshing. After some much needed gelato we headed back to the hostel to get ready for dinner. Dinner was pretty fun and the food was good but I have never felt so American in my life.  It was a little embarrassing. It made me realize how much I want to try and adapt to the Italian culture rather than stick out like a sore thumb and be labeled a “stupid American.”

From the hiking trail.

     The next day 5 other girls and I decided to conquer the hardest hike from Monterossa to Vernazza with all of our stuff. It was pretty brutal with our bags with us but the views were totally worth it. I also thought it was pretty neat to see the grapevines and little streams on the hillside.   We even got to eat some fresh grapes off the vine from one of the farmers.  They were literally the best grapes I have ever had.  After we finally completed the hike we desperately found water and chugged it. Then we went down to the beach and swam for a little bit to cool off. Being in the beautiful water with the mountains and town in front of us was truly amazing. After we got out we found the most AMAZING pizza. I got pesto and I literally can’t stop thinking about it. It just melted in my mouth. Overall it was a great first travel weekend and I am so glad I got to see Cinque Terre.
     Once we got back to Paderno I realized how happy I am that I have met so many amazing people and have a place that after only two weeks, I can already call home. Paderno is the perfect place to be during the week to recover from the big cities or exhausting outdoor towns. I really can’t believe how lucky I am.

Classes

     Classes here at CIMBA are going well but are a lot different than at CU.  At home most of my classes are huge and if I am lucky I get a class of 30.  Here in Italy, all of my classes are super small.  My smallest class is 12 students.  It is really nice to be able to get to know the professors and other students well.  The discussions are much better in a smaller class too.
     This semester I am taking 3 classes or 12 credits.  I figured that I didn't want to spend my short time abroad stressed about school so I am taking a lighter load.  I am taking Elementary Italian which I have everyday for a little over an hour.  I am surprisingly pretty good at Italian but I think my spanish background has helped a lot.  Sometimes I get confused between the two languages and end up speaking spatalian.  The Italians say we all have spanish accents when we speak.  The professor is Italian but she went to UC Santa Barbara and taught at the University of Georgia before moving back to Italy.
     I am also taking Travel Writing which is a fun class to take abroad because it is actually relevant.  I can't imagine taking this class at home where I am not traveling.  There are 7 people in this class so we get to have a lot of good discussions.  The professor is from the UK but has lived in Italy for awhile.  He is really nice and does a lot of travel writing and pieces on Venice.
     My third class is intercultural communication.  It is a really interesting class and we have crazy discussions but there is a LOT of work.  The professor is from Purdue and knows a lot of professors from CU so that is kind of neat.
     I am really enjoying all of my classes.  They are all really interesting and relevant to my life right now.  I also really love the small class sizes.  It is a completely different experience from CU and I am glad I have the opportunity to get a taste of a small school.

Life in Paderno del Grappa

View from my window.

     Before I get into travel stuff I thought I would post a little on the town I am living in.  My school is located in Paderno del Grappa which is a very tiny town about 35 miles northwest of Venice.  You can see the entire town in about 5 minutes and most Italians don't even know where it is.  If you look on a map it is at the base of Mt. Grappa and is pretty close to Bassano del Grappa which is a little more lively/probably on a map.  Paderno sits at the base of the "pre-alps" and reminds me a lot of Colorado.  The mountains are a little greener but they have rocks that kind of resemble the flatirons.  It makes me feel really at home but also makes me realize how lucky I am to live in Colorado.  I forget that not everyone gets to wake up to the mountains every day.  At home I have the perfect view of Mt. Evans and at school I have the flatirons.
     In Paderno there is our campus which we share with an Italian boarding school called Instituto Filipin.  On campus there are three dorm buildings.  One of them is only used in the summer, one is where the Americans live and the CIMBA office is and the last in where the Italians board and all classes are held.  There is a library/computer lab at the back of campus and a church.  There are also a bunch of soccer fields and a gym.  There is an on-campus sports bar which is one of the two places for us to go out.

     Outside the campus gate there are two Tabacchis which are basically like little convenience stores and one of them has the best paninis.  Past the tabacchis there is a small hotel and a bank.  Down the road there is a pastry shop which is absolutely delicious.  A little further down there are some houses and the pizzeria which is the other place we like to go.  They have amazing pizzas that I can actually have (no red sauce!).
     We eat all of our meals in the cafeteria on campus.  The cafeteria is interesting... we literally eat pasta twice a day.  Even Italians only eat pasta 3-4 times a week.  The cafeteria ladies are also very strict.  You can only have meat or cheese and only 2 of 3 vegetables.  It gets confusing and don't ever ask for no cheese or they will be insulted.  The hate some people and love others.  Luckily the scary one likes me.  They are really into serving mystery meat.  They always say it is pork or turkey but nobody ever really knows and most people don't touch it unless they are sure.  The salads are weird too.  You either get a bowl of lettuce which is normal or a giant bowl of shredded carrots.  They only have oil and vinegar to dress the salads which I love but some people have major problems with it.  For dessert there is pudding or yogurt and the occasional piece of fruit.  Breakfast is fairly normal.  They serve breakfast pastries and recently added hard-boiled eggs.  For drinks they have a giant thing of espresso which we all thought was regular coffee for the first week...oops.  They also have hot chocolate and warm, whole milk which is kind of disgusting.  They also have pear and orange juice.  Unfortunately, breakfast is only served from 7-7:30 so I don't make it there often.

My room.

     Living in a small town has actually been kind of fun.  Some people don't like it but it is a good experience.  Up until now I thought Boulder was a small town and it isn't even close.  It is also nice to have a place to come back to that feels like home after a busy week or weekend of traveling.  Paderno is a good place to relax and recover.  I can't imagine living somewhere like Florence or Rome.  They are great cities but I would never get anything done school-wise and would probably sleep even less than I already do.

CAP and LIFE

   The first two weeks at CIMBA are orientation weeks where we have different seminars and stuff.  Starting the first full day here we had two days of classes.  After the second day of classes I started LIFE.  I might have told some of you about LIFE but I probably didn't describe it very well so I am going to try my best to do it now.  Where to begin...?  Well LIFE is described as leadership boot camp and is an optional program here at CIMBA.  You have to do it if you want to participate in LEAP which is a semester-long goal-setting type of program.  I decided to do both of these because I heard they were a good way to get to know people and were good for your resume.  In the hours leading up to LIFE everyone was talking about what they had heard about it which made everyone pretty nervous.  Everyone was saying that they make you cry and stuff.
     LIFE finally began and the first 3 hours consisted of sitting in a classroom talking about neuroscience and social experiments.  At that point we all kind of thought it was going to be 2 and a half days of classroom lecture...boy, were we wrong.  At the end of the 3 hours we were dismissed to go to dinner but told to arrive 10 minutes early.  At 6:50 we all sat down in the cafeteria waiting for something to happen and in walked 5 scary looking Italians dressed in all black.  They had the most serious faces.  The 5 of them sat down at a table, stood up and left.  Everyone started laughing because we had no idea what was going on.  About 5 minutes later they came back and yelled "You may eat now."  We got our food and when we got back to the dining room they were pretty much finished already and left.  One of the scary Italians stayed behind and told us to be outside a certain room at 8 and then singled out one student to be there 10 minutes earlier.  This is when our laughter stopped and we all became terrified.  From then on I was convinced this was some social experiment and even contemplated emailing my social psych professor back home.
   We got to the room at 8 where we were given assigned seats in a "horseshoe" formation and name tags with Mr. or Ms. and our last names.  One of the rules was that we had to call each other by last name only... also we weren't allowed to make any life-changing decisions for 2 weeks after LIFE.  As we found our seats they yelled at us that it was "okay to move quickly" which has now become a common saying among the other CIMBA students.  After we sat down we were given 1 minute to prepare a 3 minute speech on open-mindedness.  When they announced this I literally froze.  I hate public speaking and only 1 minute of preparation???? YIKES!  I would have loved to see the look on our faces.  We all gave our speeches and according to the LIFE trainers all failed to meet the criteria of speaking with power, conviction, enthusiasm, passion, projection and stand in our power stance.  When we failed, the LIFE trainers (who by the way "projected" aka yelled the entire 2 and a half days) told us we had chosen to fail ourselves.
     We did a bunch of other speeches that night but it is all a blur.  At the very end they lit candles and played calming music.  We had a reflective circle and wrote in journals.  We were then dismissed and told to be back at 6:55 the next morning.  We didn't get back to our rooms until 1 and only got 5 hours of sleep which was awful.  I was sick (surprise, surprise) and we were all jet lagged.
     The next day our first activity was to pretend we had won $100,000,000 and you literally wouldn't pass unless you went completely nuts and everyone had to cheer.  Apparently we woke up all the non-LIFERS who must have been so confused about what was going on.  I knew there was no way I could do this twice and you had to keep going until you passed.  I just let go and went for it and thankfully passed.  I was so relieved.  Later that afternoon we did some more speeches, stared into each other's eyes and worked on getting into the flow.  We also did a visualization exercise but most of us were so tired we fell asleep...oops.
     Later that night was probably the most intense part of LIFE.  We learned how to focus our chi.  Then we were given wooden boards and had to write what our barrier to leadership was.  We also had to write 3 things that would happen once we break that barrier.  We had to sign a waiver saying we wouldn't sue anyone if we got hurt which was a little scary.  Then we had to prepare to break our boards/barriers.  We sat awhile until the first person decided to go and succeeded.  Everyone eventually succeeded even if it took more than a few tries...aka me haha.  I pretty much had a broken hand afterwards which was pretty embarrassing.  For the next activity we had to close our eyes and receive hugs and then switch.  This was obviously a very uncomfortable activity for me since I don't deal with hugging well.  The rest of the night was kind of about emotions and stuff.
   The next day which was thankfully the final day of LIFE was when we had our 2 "final exams."  For the first exam we had to give a 5 minute speech about how we would make a difference.  We literally had to "project" at the top of our lungs and run around.  We also had to cheer each other on or else the person going would fail.  It literally felt like a football game.  The energy in the room was crazy and when someone wasn't cheering or didn't have energy it really made a difference.  It was really exhausting and we all almost passed out.  When it was my turn I knew there was no way I could go twice so I just went for it.  The content of this speech wasn't really important.  You honestly couldn't even hear what anyone was saying.  The point was to get into the flow and speak with power, passion, conviction, enthusiasm, etc. Thankfully I passed and afterwards we were dismissed and told to change into business casual clothes.
     We came back from lunch dressed up and ready for our final exam.  It was the projection test where we had to memorize this poem and project it across the room while everyone was cheering.  We all passed and were FINALLY done with LIFE.  We had graduation which we all joked and said it was more satisfying than high school graduation.  Overall I'm glad I did LIFE even though it sucked during it.  I really did get close to my LIFE group which made the start of the semester a little easier.  That night the whole program went out and celebrated finally being done and reunited with each other which was really fun.

Liz, Sarah and I at the market in Crespano

   The next day we went to the "mall" nearby to get essentials.  There was a giant Walmart-like store where we got school supplies and stuff.  We also had our first Italian gelato which was delicious but I must say no different than the gelato in Cherry Creek North.  The mall is in Castelfranco which is not at all touristy so no one spoke English.  It was our first real Italian experience which was kind of fun.
     On Sunday we went to the market in Crespano which is about a 20 minute walk.  They literally have everything you want/need including real food.  We loaded up on fruit and got some chicken kebabs which were delicious.  I really hope I will have another opportunity to go the Sunday market this semester.
     The next day we had the DaVinci Challenge which is the low ropes course.  I have done a ton of ropes courses in my life but this was definitely the most intense.  We had to do tons of lifting people and one of the activities was that we had to get our team over a 20 foot wall.  I never thought it would be possible but we did it in 2 and half minutes.  It reminded me a lot of cheerleading because we basically stunted people over the wall.  It was actually pretty fun but all of us girls had huge bruises from being thrown over the wall.

The wall.  Photo by Michael Dodd

     The rest of the week we had some more classes and did our KT decision making classes while another group did LIFE.  It was really boring but we got through it pretty quickly and finished just in time for our first weekend away which I will post about soon.  Sorry this is such a long post but LIFE is too complicated to just briefly mention.  I will try to keep things shorter next time.

Getting there...is half the fun?

     After packing and re-packing over and over again I was finally ready to go to Italy.  My last few weeks at home were really busy but also kind of boring because everyone had already left for school.  I was really anxious to get to Italy.  I think the fact that I would be spending 4 months in Europe finally hit me after I said goodbye to my family and went through security.  It was a really weird feeling to know I wouldn't be back for so long since I have never been out of Colorado for more than two weeks and away from home for more than maybe a month.  

     My first flight to Chicago was decent.  I had a whole row to myself which was really nice but there was a lot of turbulence and the guy across from me was really sick (which yes, eventually got me sick).  We landed early which ended up being really helpful.  When I got off the plane I was looking for my flight information but couldn't find it anywhere because the boards only had United flights which was really annoying.  I finally asked someone and I had to actually leave the airport, get on the train and go through security AGAIN.  The line was huge and I was starting to get nervous.  Once I got through I actually had to run to the gate and was literally the last person there.  When they scanned my ticket they said something was wrong and I ended up having to go to the counter which put me in a panic.  I was convinced they already lost my luggage or gave up my seat.  Luckily it was neither and they got me on the plane.  I was pretty flustered at that point but the second I heard all the British accents I felt so happy. For a second I even questioned my decision to study in Italy rather than London.  The flight to London went really well except for the fact that the entertainment system was broken.  When we landed I met one of the girls from my program, Quincy.  We had the same flight to Venice so it was nice to not be alone for the last flight.  

     Heathrow is a really weird airport but we finally got on the plane to Venice which was really quick especially compared to an 8 hour flight.  When we to the baggage claim in Venice there was a HUGE group of students who Quincy and I discovered were other CIMBA students.  We all got our bags and of course one of mine was lost.  They told me it would get to me the next day but it didn't actually get here until a week later and two pairs of shoes and an alarm clock were missing.  How that happens, I have no idea.  Anyway, our huge group left the airport to get on the bus and the whole thing was actually really funny...20 students trying to figure out Italian transportation.  We missed the first bus but got really aggressive to take the second one.  We got to the train station in Venice to catch the train to Bassano and literally had no idea what we were doing at the train station.  One really nice lady helped us but she didn't speak any English and went to find someone to translate.  She kept checking in on us and making sure we were going the right way which was super nice of her.  We all had to carry our bags up and down stairs (the one good thing about only having one bag) which looked absolutely ridiculous.  We got on the train and all passed out.  

     When we got to Bassano there was a CIMBA bus waiting to take us to campus in Paderno.  It was about a 20 minute bus ride and all we could talk about is how we wanted to eat, brush our teeth and then sleep.  Little did we know they put us right to work with orientation and stuff right when we got there and classes the next day.  It was such a relief to finally get to Paderno after 24 hours of travel.  It is such a beautiful campus/town.  It reminds me a lot of Colorado.  That's all for now, I will post pictures in a later post.

Procrastination at its Finest...

Hello everyone and welcome to my travel blog.  Now I realize it is already October 17 and I left home on September 5 but time seems to slip away here.  I have been meaning to start my travel blog since I got here but I have been so busy and I am a huge procrastinator.  I have been keeping a journal though so everything is already documented, I just have to post it.  I plan to post entries about everything that happens here to keep everyone from home updated on my life.  For those who don't know, I am currently studying abroad in Italy (Paderno del Grappa, 35 miles northwest of Venice) for the Fall semester.  I am going to post everything that has happened thus far right away and I promise to post regularly.  Anyway, I just wanted to apologize for my procrastination in this first post and hopefully this will keep you up to speed on my life since keeping in touch is really hard.