The City of Lights

Ah, gay ol' Paris.


I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about the City of Lights. I wanted to remove it altogether from the itinerary of our trip. However I approached this proud city with an open mind and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is the epicenter of the 'finer things.' Nice clothes, manners, food, art, architecture.

Paris is dainty. It is one of the most feminine city's I've ever been to, which is an odd observation because I've never really thought of a city in terms of persona and gender. Dublin would have to be a guy. Rome is a woman. Paris is a young, spoiled girl. She wants everything just so and expects nothing less than perfection, but that perfection is a treat for visitors.

We had a 6am flight out of Dublin so we arrived exhausted. We thought we were having mental issues when we could not open the door of our hotel in Paris. We got in alright, we just couldn't get out. Seriously. 3 college graduates got locked into a room. We called the front desk and the maid came. After she explained how to open it (in French, so I had no idea what she said) she tried to open it - but it would not budge. So we had a little party in our tiny hotel room with the maid while we waited for someone else to come. Turns out the door was broken, so I feel a lot better.

We stopped to get some food and I realized I really can't speak French. Like morons we resorted to pointing to things on the menu. I tried to pronounce everything correctly, but the Parisians seem to be deaf to imperfect French. I can understand bits of conversations (thanks to my Italian), but those few years of French in gradeschool did not seem to do me much good. I know how to say hello, thanks, bye, and 'I like grapefruit.'

Since we are poor kids, we rode a public bus around instead of taking a tour. Bus 69 took us to the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, the Bastille, Notre Dame, and around some interesting neighborhoods we probably would not have seen. Kate took a nap on the bus, so we decided to check out Notre Dame to keep things interesting. Notre Dame is definitely in my top five favorite churches, which is saying something since I'm living in Italy. It has a gothic beauty nothing like the Renaissance or Baroque churches in Italy. Unlike Italian churches, the cathedral has very little interior decoration besides the stained glass windows. The ascetic pleasure comes from the architecture rather than paintings or statues. It is tall, dark, and slender.

We decided a walk to the Eiffel Tower would be fun, so we strolled across the city for about an hour. We ended up in the grass in front of that massive structure, and took a nap in front of a guy practicing bartending. Eventually we climbed the tower and took in the impressive views. The sun set while we were there, and it was stunning.

On Wednesday we went to the Musee d'Orsay, a museum full of French Impressionist paintings (Monet, Degas, Renoir, Chezanne, Van Gough). I am usually not a huge fan of Impressionism, but I've really come to appreciate it from this museum. I've always thought of them as beautiful, but I did not regard them as artistically challenging. I blame this attitude on my ignorance of the subject, which the Musee d'Orsay removed. It was a new and different way of portraying an image, using a multitude of colors and layers to achieve a similar effect of blending colors before they are on the canvas, but with a much different result. Renoir is one of my favorites - he uses human emotion as well as pretty landscapes. Van Gough just makes me sad, since he was so completely miserable and poor during life and now his works are revered and priceless. After the museum we hung out in a park, watched an old man work out for a while, and walked down the Champs and to the Arc d'Triomphe. Then off to FIFA FAN FEST!!!! to watch Germany and Spain. It was my third Fifa Fan Fest during this world cup (Berlin, Rome, Paris) and I was pumped. I am so loving this. Maggie was nervous because people were going nuts. I wanted Spain to win so badly, because we would be in Madrid for the finals. They beat Germany and everyone went nuts, then we wandered around, got some crepes filled with nutella and banana's, and drank a bottle of wine. Good day.

The last full day in Paris we tackled the cultural mountain that is the Louvre. I got jacked up on coffee so I could educated myself for hours. I love this stuff. I've been wanting to go back to the Louvre for a long time, now that I am older and have had some higher education in art. The museum is so impressive. I went nuts in the Italian Masters Grand Gallery. Every painting was something noteabe. The Mona Lisa was impressive, but Maggie and Kate were underwhelmed. It's understandable; there is all this build up, then it is just a small painting dwarfed in a massive room. You hear a lot of people saying "what's the big deal? I don't get it." I really liked the Venus di Milo. It's hot.

After the Louvre we went to the Rodin scultpure garden and saw "The Thinker," then napped in the Luxemburg gardens. This nappingin parks seems to be a consistent thing, and I really can't judge the bums who do it all the time. It's quite pleasant. We actually went to dinner for the first time since we've been together in Europe (since we are poor). Everything was in French, so we just picked something on the menu. I ended up with a tomato, zucchini and pepper with meatballs inside. It was actually delicious. Maggie wouldn't touch her food, which was frustrating. Trying new things is a big part of travelling and learning about a new culture. Overall Paris was fun, but it seems like you jump from site to site and besides that it is just a big city. Also it is SO expensive.

I doubt anyone read all that. Summary: Paris was fun.

Have a cup of concrete and harden up . . . Dublin

Dublin is like a breath of fresh Anglo air in the midst of Italian madness.  Although I love the language and culture of Italy, it is nice to be here speaking English and walking by Quiznos and Starbucks.  

This is definitely a cool city.  It is youthful and FULL of pubs, live music, and fun people.  I arrived on Friday, two days before Maggie and Kate come, since it was a much cheaper flight.  Yesterday I went on a free tour of Howth, where we hiked around the sea, learned old wives tales about the Irish islands, played with seals, and went to a pub.  Everyone on the tour really got along, so we ended up spending the entire day together.  After the tour (which we dragged on to include watching the world cup match), we went to the grocery store and prepared a huge dinner in the hostel.  After that we created our own pub crawl around Dublin.  

Things I really like about Dublin:

1. Guinness.  Yeah, everybody says it, but it really does taste better here.  They take at least 2 minutes to properly draw the pint, and it is delicious.  The thick foam makes it seem like a sweet dessert, but the dark full flavor of the beer feels more like a meal in a glass.  

2. Pubs.  Pubs everywhere!  They are so much more lively than our bars at home.  Last night we stopped at Whelan's, where they have a band playing upstairs.  The band was actually really good, and all the Irish were really into it.  There is a pub every 15 feet.

3. English.  Not just any English - Irish accented English.  Which is incredible and makes me melt. Even the cheesy lines don't seem so bad coming from a guy with a thick Irish accent.  

4. Parks.  The parks are so pretty! Full of flowers and greenery, they really are beautiful.  I love a good park.

5. Cafe's.  Although the coffee in Italy is much better and cheaper, here there is a coffee culture similar to the States, where you can get a coffee and chat at the cafe for a while.  In Italy people don't generally sit at a bar (cafe).

6. Bathrooms.  The bathrooms are clean and plentiful!!!

7. Irish sayings. I'm learning the slang and it is awesome.

8. The people.  All the local Irish I've met are so friendly and fun.  

Minuses for Dublin:

1. Prices.  Too expensive.  

2. Irish style.  The girls here get seriously dressed up to go out.  I mean full makeup, pounds of it, on every face.  So much makeup.  When we went to the bathroom in a fancier bar the girls were all in there actually re-powdering their faces and reapplying all the makeup. SO much makeup.  More than I own.  Hair is completely styled as well.  They also get super dressed up . . we cringed at this one girl who kept rolling her ankles in her heels.  

3. TGI Fridays.  Come on.

Always Interesting in Roma

Walking around Rome today I encountered some unusual things, as always happens in this wonderful city.

1. You know those crazy outfits on the catwalk that make you ask 'Who wears these? Where do you even buy them?" Well I found them in an outlet store on Via Tritone, near the Trevi Fountain. The world 'outlet' is kind of a stretch, since I hope no one would pay 1,300 euro for a fur and metallic vest, but whatever floats your boat. The clothes were just so weird and so expensive, I couldn't get over it. One dress looked like a black and white christmas tree skirt that you just wrap around the body.

This is probably why they were in the outlet.

2. I'm on a quest to discover all these fantastic, unassuming Churches. When I walked by Piazza Silvestro, I noticed a church set back in a quiet little courtyard. Intrigued, I walked in and was surprised when I heard english music spilling out of the church. Obviously I had to check it out, so I went in and decided to attend mass. It was the end of the homily so perfect timing! I sat down and participated in the first english mass I've been to in a month and a half. After I got over the surprise of a random english mass in this tiny church, I realized I was in a group of Hawaiians. I got SO excited when they started to play the ukulele and sing songs I knew, except with an Hawaiian twist and a really bad soprano. Also, the choir director was randomly Scottish.

Love it. Maybe he moved to Hawaii.

3. I'm staying in a hostel behind Termini, which is kind of creepy. The fun occurrence of the day is that I just walked by a guy stuffing a blunt in the middle of the street. Although he was nice enough to offer me some, I politely declined. This kind of convinced me not to come home late tonight.

shit

Alright, fine, I admit it. This is a little scary.

So it has been almost 2 years since I studied abroad in Rome. A lot has happened since then, and a lot happened during that semester that I obviously didn't put in this blog. My semester was so fantastical that after I graduated from college about 2 months ago, I decided to actually make my 'home in Roma.' I will live in Europe, namely Rome, until Christmas. I'm picking up the blog again to keep people posted about what is going on in my crazy life, and also to entertain Jimmy. Here you go, now you have some material to make fun of me with.

Until this point there has been a plan. I arrived and worked for my university's study abroad program. This 'work' consisted of living in a cushy one person apartment near the Vatican, giving tours, and hanging out with male Italian students at school. Well, it was actually a great deal more work than that, but it is easy to generalize.

My family was just here for two weeks, and we just parted ways at the airport.

Until Christmas. Shit.

My sister pointed out that I am jobless, homeless, and alone. Thanks Vic. The time with my family reminded me what it is like to have the people you love around, to eat regular meals, and to just have it easy. We stayed in Rome for half the trip, and I got to actually go to restaurants in my city. It was so exciting.

The rest of the time was in Positano, where we lounged at the beach, meandered around cute boutiques, and took in the impressive sea view from the hotel. Yeah, hotel. Not hostel! I should not have gotten used to that way of life, because it made that goodbye at the airport that much harder.

The realization hit me that I will not be home or see anyone I love (except for a few visiting friends) for 6 months. I started thinking that I am an absolute idiot. I've pondered the key to happiness, and I think it revolves around relationships. The better your interpersonal relationships, the happier you are. Well, I am an idiot because I am in ITALY and everyone I have relationships with is in AMERICA. It was so weird that my family was leaving me in Italy. They went home and just left me alone in a foreign country. Six months seemed like 6 years, and I could not believe I will not see anyone until Christmas. It would be so easy to just hop on the plane and go to comfortable, easy home.

In the midst of my freak-out I noticed a billboard of the Trevi fountain. Right next to it was one of the Colosseum. Ah. There it is. That is why I am staying here. I love this city and this country so much. The history and culture is fascinating and there is always something to discover. Numerous friends who have visited have told me that I just fit here, and they've never seen me this happy. As I took the train from the airport into Rome, my panic began to subside. I rode by Mussolini's EUR and the ancient city walls and thought - this is home. At least for now, this is home.

This is an adventure of a lifetime and I just need to suck it up. Yeah it is going to be hard and uncertain at times, but I am tough and will figure it out. I can handle staying in this nasty shoebox room hostel with no blinds for a couple days.

Truth is, I'm really excited. Scared as shit, but excited.

The most pressing issue is finding an apartment . . .

Do's and Don'ts of Italy

There are many cultural do's and don'ts I've observed in Italy.

DO
get dressed up, all the time
drink espresso instead of eating breakfast
look angry all the time when walking down the street
stand really close to everyone, everywhere
ride a vespa in stiletto's
(girls) hold hands with your friends. I don't get it.
pay for whatever food you want before you go to the counter to get it
use 5 people to do a 1 person job
show a lot of PDA
attend protests

DO NOT
eat or drink while walking
acknowledge anything a man says to you on the street. Even if he is right next to you, yelling in your ear, just act like he doesn't exist and he'll go away soon
drink cappucino except in the morning. Huge faux pas
run. ever. even if that car looks like it's going to hit you, just walk
get drunk
slowly sip an espresso. Drink it in a few quick sips
sweat
show cleavage. No one has boobs
use a washing machine/dryer

That's all for now, I have to go do homework : ( I'll add more if I think about them.

crossing the street

Crossing the street is an art form.

Sure, you can wait for the little walking man to light up green and allow you to go. But what do you do when confronted with cars whizzing by in monstrous traffic, the need to cross the street, and no pedestrian light? The italians simply dive right in.

So what if there's a truck headed straight at you? Just walk into the street. Italian drivers have an uncanny ability to gauge how long it will take you to cross the street. For the love of God do not get scared and stop. Then you'll get it. Keep walking, and they fly on behind you. They also don't seem to like threshhold breaking. No one stops until they absolutely have to (meaning 3 feet from your leg). The trick is to just go. Don't look at them, don't make eye contact. Just go. Seriously.

This morning I went for a run around the Vatican. Yeah, it's kind of cool that I ran the circumference of an entire country this morning. But I digress. Even at 8:30 in the morning, there are crowds of tourists. I came to an intersection a few blocks from the Vatican where the cars where passing non-stop. I noticed a group of tourists (German?). They stood at the crosswalk looking extremely confused and a tad disgruntled. Feeling quite proud of myself, I simply ran straight into traffic as the tourists gawked. The cars stopped, and I made it to the other side unscathed, without breaking my stride. Now I am no pro at this. It scares the crap out of me most of the time. However, I want to absorb as much of this culture as I can, so I'll run into traffic if it makes me seem more like a local.

However, my bubble burst today when I went to the open air market near il mio apartamento, ordered my bread in Italian, and the girl behind the counter said "Two euro's. Do you want a bag?"

finally

Well, I'm here! I arrived early tuesday morning hauled all my luggage (1 suitcase, 1 duffle, 1 backpack) to a large "T" representing temple university. Although it was about 3 am U.S. time, I wasn't too tired since I passed out for almost the entire flight. They put five of us in a van to the "residence" on Medaglie D'oro, 73. The ride was completely surreal.
I found my arpartment and put my stuff in the tiny bedroom that I would soon share with two other girls. They weren't there yet, so I made a friend, showered, and set out for two of the most beautiful things in the world; the Vatican and gelato.
Immediately walking down the street from il mio apartamento I could see the dome peeking out between the yellow and orange buildings. We stopped at "Old Bridge," a gelateria that rivals Giolitti's (and it's within 7 min. of my apartment). My first Italian language exchange . . . I was nervous, I seemed to forget half of what I've learned in Italian over the past two years . . . Then I spoke, the man understood, and I got my gelato. All in italian. A small victory, but a victory nonetheless. I ordered fragola, limone, e nutella. Benissima.
Gelato in hand, we crossed the street to the vatican and sat in the shade of Bernini's columns. It all looked fake. I could NOT believe that I was there!! I still cannot believe I am here : )
We wanderd the square, finished our gelato, and started to feel the jet lag. One look at the long line into the basilica, roasting in the sun, and we decided to go back.

As silly as is sounds, it's so weird that everyone is speaking italian all the time. I have been preparing for this adventure for months . . . almost a year. Yet, I am embarassed to say, I feel a little culture shock. It's different to think, "Wow, I am going to be here for months, a part of this culture. Not simply observing it for a few weeks and then going home."

I finally met my roommates, Merideth and Allison, when I got back. They're nice, and we should get along fine. Although I miss my roomies at home! After a pizza party at the temple campus (which is a gorgeous walk crossing the tiber), I played tourleader and walked around with my new peeps. Dad would be proud of my navigation skills : ) We saw the Piazza di Popolo, the Spanish Steps, Via Condotti, and back to the Vatican. Walking back to the Vatican, crossing the Tiber at dusk is one of the most incredible images of my life. It glitters. Seriously. Does not even look like it can be real.