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.