3/29/12-3/30/12 Vienna

3/29/12- 3/30/12

We started our spring break trip today!  I am going with Caroline, Claire, and Ashleigh.  When we were saying goodbye to our friends, Ashlyn and Alex in Italy, it was like saying goodbye to my parents.  They each gave us a huge hug and stood at the doorway with their arms around each other waving goodbye to us. 

We rode on an overnight train to Vienna, Austria.  Let me just say, the overnight train is AWESOME!  I felt like I was riding to the Capitol like on the Hunger Games.  I slept so well on that train.  The best part was when I woke up; I was no longer in Italy!   I was in Austria!

When we got to Vienna, it was raining!  Not a great start to the trip, but we still had a blast!  We toured schonbrunn palace today (where marie anntoinette lived, hapsburg family, and maria teressa).  Then we saw a pretty church.  We navigated the subway and train systems.  We even went to the opera!  It was so cool!  They had standing room for four Euros!  We went shopping and saw some really cool things! 

The people are so nice here!  Whenever we get lost, they are really nice and help us find our way!  We asked a guy where the opera house was, and he wasn’t from Vienna.  We tried to point us in the right direction, but he wasn’t sure.  Then we parted ways.  I am pretty sure he was in a rush because he was walking fast.  Then he found us again and said he pointed the wrong way and showed us the right way!  How nice is that???!!!  

Overall it was a wonderful day!!!  I cannot wait to see what the adventures tomorrow brings in Vienna!!

I guess I should not say ciao since I am not in Italy so…

Auf weidersehn!

3/29/12-3/30/12 Vienna

3/29/12- 3/30/12

We started our spring break trip today!  I am going with Caroline, Claire, and Ashleigh.  When we were saying goodbye to our friends, Ashlyn and Alex in Italy, it was like saying goodbye to my parents.  They each gave us a huge hug and stood at the doorway with their arms around each other waving goodbye to us. 

We rode on an overnight train to Vienna, Austria.  Let me just say, the overnight train is AWESOME!  I felt like I was riding to the Capitol like on the Hunger Games.  I slept so well on that train.  The best part was when I woke up; I was no longer in Italy!   I was in Austria!

When we got to Vienna, it was raining!  Not a great start to the trip, but we still had a blast!  We toured schonbrunn palace today (where marie anntoinette lived, hapsburg family, and maria teressa).  Then we saw a pretty church.  We navigated the subway and train systems.  We even went to the opera!  It was so cool!  They had standing room for four Euros!  We went shopping and saw some really cool things! 

The people are so nice here!  Whenever we get lost, they are really nice and help us find our way!  We asked a guy where the opera house was, and he wasn’t from Vienna.  We tried to point us in the right direction, but he wasn’t sure.  Then we parted ways.  I am pretty sure he was in a rush because he was walking fast.  Then he found us again and said he pointed the wrong way and showed us the right way!  How nice is that???!!!  

Overall it was a wonderful day!!!  I cannot wait to see what the adventures tomorrow brings in Vienna!!

I guess I should not say ciao since I am not in Italy so…

Auf weidersehn!

3/25/12 Chill day

3/25/12

Today was a very chill day!  It was the first day I have slept in since the trip started.  It was very nice.  When my friends and I were walking to the internet café, we saw a market in the square by the church.  We all bought some awesome things.  I bought a cute pair of earrings and an old timey folder with paper and envelopes in it.  At the internet café, I uploaded all my pictures to facebook!  So make sure you look at them and see the beauty in Italy. 

Today was a wonderful day to be outside!  My friends and I went to the park that overlooked the rolling hills and the beautiful valleys.  I sat on the park bench and wrote in my journal.  Then I read a book that my friend gave me, Radiate.  It was a wonderful day to have a wonderful devotional. 

As many of you know, I am not Catholic.  I grew up in the Methodist church.  I went to a Catholic mass!  It was very interesting, especially since it is in Italian.  I did not know what to do.  I followed what my Catholic friends did.  When you leave the pew, you are supposed to kneel and do the cross thing.  I did not know you were supposed to do that, and when I walked out of the pew without doing it a lady gave me a death glare.  Oh well.  During the service, I did not know what they were saying obviously.  I just prayed the whole time.  It was a wonderful time with God.  I almost liked that I did not know what the priest was saying because I really had to listen to what God was trying to say to me.  The church does not have a choir.  It was like old school Gregorian chants, where the priest sings everything and the church sings a long to old school hymns.  It was so beautiful!  It was a great experience! 

Ciao

3/24/12 Orvieto

3/24/12

We went to Orvieto.  It is such a gorgeous city!  It has tourist attractions, but it is not as hectic as Florence or Rome.  It was nice to visit a place without vendors trying to sell you things.  There is well as deep as the tower of Pisa.  The Pope hid in the well to save himself from danger.  There is also an underground city.  We went to eat at Charlie’s, which has the best white wine and pizza.  I also went to the best gelato place ever!  We visited the Duomo.  It was gorgeous!  Then my friends, Delaney and Abby, and I walked around and looked at the stores.  We kind of got lost, but that is ok.  It was awesome to see the city without going through all the tourists’ spots.  We walked around and talked about life.  When we finally found our way, we went to the castle.  The castle was beautiful!  You could walk around the top of the castle.  The view was indescribable.  I just wanted to sit there for the rest of the day.  The day was so amazing.  If I had to live in Italy, I would live in Orvieto!  Love it!  When we got back, we went to dinner.  Afterwards, we went out to have drinks.

I love the group I am with.  They are funny, sweet, caring, and loving.  I could not imagine going on this trip with different people.  The professors are also wonderful.  Dr. Wiese is like a grandma to me.  She is so sweet and caring like a grandmother should be.  Dr. Hammer is hilarious!  Just sit around her for a minute and your abs will hurt from laughing so hard!  Sunni (Miss Sunnenburg) is a little bit older than us.  She is taking classes and doing research to receive her doctorate.  She is a wonderful friend!  She gos out and has drinks with us and likes to hang out with us.  This is a wonderful trip!

Ciao!

3/23/12 Florence... Again!

3/23

Out of all the days in Italy, this by far has been the best day I have had!  A small group of my friends and I went to Florence today.  We have already been to Florence, but it is just an hour away and a wonderful place to go. 

On the train going there, we sat in a car that did not have any lights.  We had to go through a lot of tunnels.  It was so scary because you could not see anything, it was pitch black!  Our friend Stephen scared us so many times in the tunnels!  He thought it was funny, but not us girls.

When we got there, we went to this market to eat lunch.  This market is so cute.  It has fresh fruit, delicious pastries, and meat hanging everywhere. Our lunch was very good.

When we were done with lunch, we went to the Duomo.  We went inside the cathedral, which was so beautiful.  Near the alter, there was a couple, around their forties, hugging.  This is not your average hug; they were embracing, holding each other tightly.  They were just standing there with their eyes closed enjoying the inside of the Duomo.  My friend Delaney said that this is a scene that will make you cry.  True love lasts a long time.  With every moment, you should embrace it. 

After the Duomo, we went to a castle.  I forgot the name of it.  Outside of the castle, there is a place where people sit, read, lay down, and hang out with friends.  My friends and I went and sat/ laid there for about an hour.  It was relaxing… just so perfect.  The scenery is glorious.  Florence is a gorgeous city.  I would not trade this day for the world.  I love this place!

I am currently watching a movie with some of my friends!  Everyone is awesome and this trip is going great!  If you every have a chance to go to Italy, take it!  You will have the time of your life!!

Ciao!

3/22/12 Party in Italy!

For the past two weeks, I have been living out of my suitcase.  We finally moved in to a more permanent place, Santa Chiara.  This is Texas A&M University property for study abroad students.  The rooms are like dorm rooms that were created from an old monastery.  It felt so wonderful to finally take all my clothes out of my suitcase and put them into drawers and onto hangers.  I feel like this is my new temporary home.

I feel like a celebrity in Italy!  When I went to the Trevi Fountain, these guys from Turkey wanted to take a picture with us because we were Americans.  During lunch after teaching, high school boys came up to us and introduced themselves.  They did not speak very good English, but it was wonderful that they were trying.  Their English teacher at their high school passed by, and they asked him to translate.  We had a nice conversation with the teacher.  He told us about some hotspots that we should go to while in Italy.  He told us about his experience teaching English at a high school.  He also encouraged the boys to try to speak English to us because it is great practice.  The boys and the professor had a little conversation.  The teacher said that he is embarrassed to ask this, but the boys wanted a picture with us.  We agreed.  Then the boys asked what Facebook was in English!  We were like Facebook!  Then they asked if they could be our friends on Facebook.  We lied and said we did not have one.

That night we had our first night out in Italy.  It was so much fun!!  There is a bar that has American night on Thursday nights.  Our entire group went and we had a BLAST!  The Italians enjoyed us as well.  Either that or they were making fun of us the whole time!  They listen to old hip hop music.  We made it better it up and played new hip hop music.  They have never heard of the wobble and when we did it, we were getting some funny looks.  I would tell you more about that night, but what happens in Italy, stays in Italy!

Ciao!

3/21/12 The Play

The Italian students are so precious!  They have genuine spirit unlike American students.  They are very outspoken and use many had gestures for their point to be made.  Whenever my teacher friends and I walk into a room, the students are very excited.  All the girls loved my jewelry and my clothes.   My friend Kelsey and I observed a music class today.  The students were so excited that we were going to watch their class.  They even wanted me to play the drums with the professor and his guitar.  I wasn’t very good, but the students loved it anyways.  I cannot express how precious they are.  I wish I could take a picture of them, but I am not allowed to. 

Today we did play auditions.  My friend Becca and I taught the chorus 1 dance.  The kids did so awesome!  They learned the words and the dance in just doing it a couple of times.  Then all the Aggie teachers watched while they did it all by themselves!!!  Then when we had a little free time, we taught them the Bernie!!! It was so much fun! The kids loved doing the Bernie!

At our hotel when we were waiting for dinner, we were practicing our dances for the play and the people who own the hotel put on music!  They put on rave music and they started dancing!  It was hilarious!  We had a rave in the hotel lobby with the people who own the place!  What a great experience!  They only spoke Italian but we understood each other and had fun!

I am so ready to become a teacher.  This experience reassures me that teaching is my passion.  It also shows me that I should not be an ESL (English as a second language) teacher!  It is very hard to communicate without knowing the same language.  I praise ESL teachers for their gift of teaching ESL students!  Maybe I will learn Italian and come to live in Italy to teach English!  I love this experience and I would not change it for the world!  I miss everyone so much!  I wish all of you were here with me.  I finally put all my Rome pictures on facebook, so be sure to look at them because Rome is AWESOME!  Florence, La Pievuccia, and Castiglion Fiorentino pictures are to come!

Ciao!

Very Blessed

Today was my second day of teaching.  My professors told us that we had to meet at noon because the Italian teachers had a luncheon for us.  When we met, we walked into what looked like a chapel and saw students with guitars, a piano, and a sound board.  The students were in the choir.  The students were so excited to see us when we walked in.  They kept smiling, and jumping up and down when we walked in.  The students began talking in English from a script that the English teacher wrote.  The students then began to sing "We are the World".  There was not a dry eye in the room.  Tears were even forming in the choir's eyes.  The student's voices were phenomenal.  Everyone said they had chills.  I was bawling by the end of the song.  When they were done, all the Aggies jumped out of their seats in a round of applause that lasted for about five minutes.  Then the students sang their own rendition of the Italian Anthem.  It was beautiful as well.  Then they sang "We are the World" again which was just as astounding as the first time.  The choir director talked to us for a little bit.  Then the Principal talked to us.  They said that they are excited to have us here and making the students excited about learning English.  They also said that we do wonderful things in the school by doing the play Wizard of Oz, which builds confidence in the students when they speak English.   The principal wanted us to sing our national anthem.  With our lovely voices, we sang the "Star Spangled Banner".  Then we sang the "Aggie War Hymn".  The students were very excited about the "Aggie War Hymn"!  They saw when we swayed and did it too!! Then teachers made delicious food for us! Today was amazing and I am so blessed to be in this program with these students!! Nothing could ever top what happened today.  This has been my favorite part of my trip thus far.

Ciao!!

Teaching

Castiglion Fiorentino is a very small town with a lush view.  As I always say, there are no words to describe what I am seeing.  Pictures do not even give Italy Justice.  Yesterday, Sunday, we went on a tour around Castiglion.  The view from the church next to the school has rolling hills that are very green with cute little Italian houses on them.  It is so gorgeous.  After the tour we went and had the best pizza ever!  The restaurant’s name is Roggies.  After, we went to get gelato.  I am obsessed with gelato!!  Yesterday was a pretty uneventful day which was nice because of all the craziness the past week.  My friends and I went to wash clothes and walk around the town.  Then some girls and I went running.  If I could run in Tuscany, I would run all the time.  The run was so relaxing and much needed.  Castiglion is very hilly and very steep.  We ran up a hill after ten minutes of running and I almost died!  It was good though.

Today was my first day of class.  The Italian students were wonderful and excited to see us.  I taught two classes today.  The classes ran smoothly for the first day.  After the school day, we advertised the play that we are going to do with the students, The Wizard of Oz.  We showed the movie with a huge turnout.  Auditions are on Wednesday, and all the students are excited for it.  After the movie, we tutored eighth graders.  For two hours I talked to a student who barely spoke English.  This was a great learning experience!  I feel when I am done with this program, I will be a pro at teaching! 

Ciao 

Florence

We left La Pievuccia today.  We came to Castiglion Fiorentino, where we are going to teach.  We start teaching on Monday!!  I am so excited!  Tomorrow (Sunday), we are going to go on a tour of Castiglion to get used to the city.

Today, we went to Florence, which was by far my favorite place I have been.  It is known mainly for its architecture and art.  It is the city that started the Renaissance.  The new gothic churches were starting to form.  I had no idea where our tour guide was leading us.  I turned the corner, my mouth dropped open, and I said WOW!  The Duomo was a sight to see.  The gorgeous artistry and architecture blew my mind.  I have never seen something more magnificent.  We saw all the Medici family attractions.  We did not tour in the museums because our tour guide usually does not work on weekends and she made an exception for us, but she had to be somewhere at 2. 

After we toured around, we went to lunch.  It was the best meal I had ever had in my life!  I know I keep saying this, but coming back and eating in the United States will stink.  After lunch, we were off to do whatever we want to do.  A couple of my friends and I went to a famous shopping square and walked around.  I got my dad something that I know he will love!  I cannot tell you what it is until I give it to him because he reads this.  I bought two scarfs, key chains, and post cards.  Why we were shopping, I was called Shakira a couple of times, my friends and I were called the Spice Girls, and got hit on.  My favorite pick up line was “oh mam you dropped something”.  I turned around to see what it was and he said “you dropped my heart”.  Oh Italian men!  There was a beautiful spot on a river where my group and I took a picture together.  Then people started coming over and taking a picture of us too with their cameras.  It was weird!  My friends said they thought we were on the Bachelor because there are 23 girls and one guy in our group!  That would be so awesome if they thought they we were on the Bachelor.   It was wonderful to be out and about roaming around a beautiful city!

When we got back from Florence, which is an hour away from Castiglion, we ate dinner.  I was still soo full from lunch, I could barely eat any of my food!  After dinner, a couple of my friends went to a bar/ café/ pizzeria to get a beer for St. Patrick ’s Day.  It was such a pleasant night!  The people that are with me on the trip are so awesome!  They make my trip here even better!  The trip has been wonderful, but I am definitely ready to be in a routine now and not living out of my suitcase! 

Ciao!

Rome/ La pievuccia

Roma was truly amazing! I was in Rome for a day and a half, not including arriving at the airport.  The half day was… I cannot describe it with words.  We went to tour the Colosseum.  I got to see where the gladiators and prisoners were fighting the beasts.   It was such a sight!  After that, we went to the Forum.  The Forum is ancient downtown Rome.  I walked on the same steps that Julius Caesar walked on.  I saw where Mark Antony stood in the town to give speeches.  It was awesome!  It was also very beautiful.  The most magnificent spot that I went to tour was Paul’s jail cell.  This is where he wrote parts of the Bible.  The atmosphere was very solemn and gave me chills.  It was great to see the place where someone stood up for their beliefs and persevered to create such a masterpiece, the Bible.   

After we left Rome, we took a bus ride to La Pievuccia which is in Tuscany.  La Pievuccia is on the outskirts of Castiglion Fiorentino where I am going to teach.  La Pievuccia is incredible!  When I was looking across the landscape, I just wanted to cry it was so beautiful.  My friend said that it was like she died and went to heaven because this is what heaven is going to look like.  There is a castle right on top of the hill where a countess lives.  How many people can say they live right next to a countess?  The buildings are just as you would imagine a Tuscan house would look like.  La Pievuccia is also right next to Cortona, where the film under the Tuscan Sun was filmed.  We are going to tour Cortona sometime during this trip.  The food is amazing here!  I cannot go back to America because every meal will be a disappointment.  La Pievuccia is a vineyard that has been passed down from generations to generations.  It is gorgeous.  This visit to La Pievuccia is when we have our workshops.  We decided who was teaching what lesson plan and when.  We also presented our lesson plans to the head English teacher at the school we are going to teach at.  I have not had wifi in La Pievuccia, which is why I have not been blogging recently.  You will get this a couple of days after I have written it.  When we come back to La Pievuccia in May, we will be able to explore more and the vineyard will have bloomed. 

As I write this blog, I am sitting under the Tuscan sun gazing out on the beautiful horizon.  How crazy is that??  I cannot believe that I am actually here!!  Tomorrow, Saturday, I am going on a day trip to Florence with my group.  We are going to tour around in the morning, and then do whatever we want in the afternoon.  I hear that there is an awesome market to buy things from.  To all my friends and family, I love you and miss you dearly.  I wish you all were hereto experience and go on these wonderful journeys with me! 

Ciao! 

Rome

Wow Italy is amazing!!! We did Rome in one day!!! We walked a million miles and saw everything that there is to see! We saw the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, and so much more! I cannot believe that I am in Rome and seeing all this amazing stuff!!  We saw a shopping mall that was built hundreds of years ago! The history is so rich in Rome! The scenery is amazing!!  It is so beautiful with the ally ways and ruins of ancient Rome!  My favorite thing was all the churches that we went into.  Talk about gorgeous!!  In St. Peter's Chapel we saw dead popes in glass cases for everyone to see! So I can officially say that I saw a pope up close in person! We went to the Trevi Fountain to make a wish and throw a coin in! It was so amazing! I do not have the words to describe how amazing Rome is! Anyone who lives here is very lucky to take in the beauty.

The food is magical!  I will never have the same satisfaction eating Italian food in Texas than I do in Rome.  I love the gelato.  It is very deliciouso!

I have learned new Italian words that I have learned while being here.  Bella means beautiful.  The Italian men that we pass by yell bella and blow kisses at us.  I have learned what chapel means in Italian, Capella.  Thank you in Italian is grazie.  Your welcome is prego.  And I am sorry is mi dispiace.  These are the few major words that I have learned.  I recognize a lot because it is similar to Spanish.

I am so excited for the more adventures to come!  I will put pictures on facebook soon of all the adventures that I had today.  Make sure to check them out!  My wifi is not working very well in the hotel, so it is hard to put pictures on facebook.  Tomorrow I leave for la pevuccia (I think I spelled that wrong).  We will be doing workshops for our teaching the next couple of days.  Nothing too exciting will be happening.   I recommend that everyone should Rome at least once in their lifetime.  Molto Bella!!

Ciao

Last Post In the US!!

I WILL NOT HAVE MY PHONE FOR 2 MONTHS! If you try to call or text my cell you will not get a reply till May 7th! That being said, facebook me, comment on my blog, or skype me if you want to get a hold of me!

After that important info... Who ever knew packing would be such a pain! I thought I would have plenty of room left in my suitcase... so not what happened.  With the help of the packing master, my mom, hopefully everything will fit.  When I first opened my suitcase, my puppy Goober climbed in and was ready to go! Too bad he cannot come with me :(

This is probably the last time I will blog in the US!  I head out for Houston tomorrow, then catch my plane on Sunday!  I hope I can sleep the twelve hours on the plane.  Such a long flight.  The next time I will blog will be from Rome! We do not have much time to get used to the time change.  We get off the plane and start touring.

The people who are going on the trip with me are wonderful!! There are 24 students and 2 professors.  We will be teaching English to the Italian students in Castiglion Fiorentino which is in Tuscany.  I am so excited to have this experience and create new memories with the wonderful people going with me!

Ciao

Dear Friends

Yay!! Done with all my school work for this semester!!! Now I am ready to be a Junior!! It was a crazy ride finishing all of my school work in 8 weeks.  I would list all of the stuff I had to do, but I do not have time for that.  I would like to take this time to say thank you to all my friends for having a blast with me during my sophomore year! I would also like to say thank you for putting up with me! Y'all are awesome!!

Julie Burns is freaking awesome!! She made me laugh till I cried because she was having a panic attack.  She was scared that she only has 20 good years left of her life! Trust me Julie, we will still be raising hell when we are 80! Oh good times!!

I would also like to take this time to thank my crazy roommates: Joanna, Camille, Alyssa!! I loved living with them this year!! They are truly amazing people that I aspire to be like!  They are always out saving the world and doing good for the community! They are wonderful people that I am lucky to be friends with!  I am going to miss living with them next year!! I know we will still be wonderful friends!! Love y'all

I am all packed up and ready to head to Arlington to get ready for my adventure to Italy!! I cannot believe it is here!! I feel like I was just saying a year ago that I cannot believe I am going to Italy!!  Oh how time flies! Well College Station peeps, I will see you in May!!

Ciao

Almost There!!!

Only 6 days until I board the plane to Italy! I cannot believe it! I finished all my letter essays, and just have a test and a presentation left.  It feels good to have the semester out of the way in the beginning of March! This will give me time to focus on traveling and teaching!

I have never taught middle school students, and to tell you the truth it kind of scares me! I remember my middle school days... talk about AWKWARD! Not to mention they really do not speak English and I do not really speak Italian.  My dad has taught me the basic cuss words in Italian so I will know if they are saying those words to me.  Anyways, I have to get back to studying for the last week of class!

Ciao

10 Days!

Hello everyone!!!  I thought I would never start blogging!  I figured this would be a great way for my friends and family to know what I am doing while I am in Italy!  Since there is a 9 hours difference, and I will be teaching and traveling most of my time, there will be limited amounts of time for me to talk to everyone!!

I am so excited to leave, but I will miss everyone! This is my last weekend in College Station! Then next weekend it is on to Houston to catch my plane to Italy!!

Ciao!