September 2008
13 posts
I leave for Siena tomorrow, and have a 3-day orientation once I arrive where I will have no internet access. So, I’ll be out of contact for a while, but feel free to email me, send messages, etc. via the contact information at right.
“Have fun in Italy. Come back speaking Jewish and don’t crap around.”
– Uncle Gene
June 2008
31 posts
I'm still sweating...
… but I guess I’ll write a little something, since this might very well be my last chance to use a computer before I come home. We just got our housing deposits back, and I plan to go spend my 100 euro in the next couple hours buying myself a dress for the goodbye dinner tonight. In an hour we have our end-of-“semester” art show, in which the arties and archies set up...
It's hot in the computer lab...
…and I can’t make myself sit here and write right now. Also, I accidentally slept until noon today, so I have a bit of work left to do before my last day of classes (!?) tomorrow. Apologies and thanks to anyone who bothers to follow this.
Pub Crawl: Quando a Roma...
So, on Thursday we decided it would be a good idea to head to Rome for a night out. Everyone was excited to experience the Pub Crawl, which meets at the Spanish steps and then leads drunk Americans from bar to bar for a small fee of 20 euro (t-shirts included!). About 20 kids from our program ended up going, but we were split into different groups because of the huge number of people signed up. ...
Firenze: A Visit to Aunt Flo
Yesterday, we bussed down to Florence with the group. We were all a little bit exhausted, as the night before we threw an Unbirthday Party, which went somewhat late and involved a white elephant gift exchange, a semi-homemade Nutella cake, and some excellent mixed drinks. Our mood did not improve on the sweltering hot bus, or when we realized there would be no lunch break until about 3 p.m. (we...
Le domande di Robert
Robert did this art project where he asked us all these yes/no questions, and mapped the results using symbols… Needless to say, or desire to justify our responses sparked some interesting trainride debate. Enjoy:
Have you had more than one sexual partner?
Do you handle rejection well?
Has any part of your body been severely injured?
Has your relationship with family remained...
Cinqueterre: I'll take Liz's ass, on the rocks
On Friday morning, we left for Cinqueterre, a cluster of five small towns (cinque=5, terre=lands) along the coast. Before leaving for Italy, my poetry TA advised me that if I was going to travel in Italy, this was the place to go, and several guidebooks apparently say the same. It has been described as a hotspot for traveling college students, which was verified when we ran into not only about...
The Past Two Weeks: A quick update
We went to Rome, and saw the Pantheon, some pretty incredible paintings, and a museum full of very old puppets, farm equipment, pottery, etc.
We went to Tarquinia, checked out a local museum of Etruscan artifacts, swung by the beach, then went to a very cool modern sculpture garden based on the tarot deck (check it out some pictures at http://www.nikidesaintphalle.com/).
Last weekend, we took a...
Why did Lisa Bonet Eat No Basil?
Since I’ve been asked by several people:
Reason 1: It’s a palindrome.
Reason 2: She was missing out.
Venezia: Are you drunk?
The group now referred to as the Lucky Seven (Me, Courtney, Meghan, Liz, Kim, Lane, and Robert) left for Venice early Saturday morning. Liz, our group mother, packed snacks and made sure we didn’t all fall asleep at once and get gassed and robbed.
Waiting for our second train, we were sitting on a bench near the public restroom (a sort of pay-per-use little structure), and Liz watched as a...
Week One: We Think You Guys Will Like Your...
Classes began the first Tuesday. I’m taking Italian 310 with Prof. Alfie, which he describes as a workshop to hone the speaking skills we’re developing outside of the classroom. Our assignments include reading the newspaper, having long conversations with Italians, and eavesdropping on the locals. I’m also taking an illustration class focused on picture book art and design,...
The First Weekend: I Have Many Parents In New...
For the longest leg of my flight (Chicago to London), British Airways upgraded me to something called, I believe, “World Traveler Plus,” which allowed me extra legroom, a sort of leg-elevator and a tv screen that I could pull out of my armrest. When the flight attendant offered me a little bottle of wine, I asked if there was an additional cost, and he laughed at me and responded,...
Sigh. Ciao.
A sincere apology to those of you who have been patiently waiting for me to start a blog. Two and a half weeks into the program, I’ve finally set one up, motivated largely by the fact that it will allow me to further put off my Italian homework (a formal 30 minute interview with a local), which despite my slowly improving language abilities, is a pretty intimidating task.
For those of you...
