i want peace [entries|friends|calendar] charlene elena [ userinfo | livejournal userinfo ] [ calendar | livejournal calendar ]

For your reading pleasure... [13 Jan 2005|02:36pm] [ mood | okay ] [ music | System of a down - Atwa ] ...I backdated my livejournal with my journal entries from when I was in Italy. If you wanna read my current journal you're going to have to make a livejournal account. I only share with people that are sharing with me. Trust is kind of a huge deal for me. Comments: swishy tail.

Roma [11 Aug 2004|01:17pm] I think I have about a half hour to write my post about Rome, and honestly... not going to be enough. I wasn't really sure if I was going to like rome because everyone told us about the pick-pocketing and all the crime that goes on... so I was a little weary... but nothing happened to us, we never had any kind of close encounter (that we were aware of) and I loved it so much... maybe even more than Venice. There were 5 of us that went together and we left on Friday (as usual) by bus and got to Rome at about 6pm. We ended up staying in a 2 star hotel (super sketch if you ask me, but it was cheap... and let's be honest with ourselves here). We didn't really do much on Friday except go out to dinner at this place where the people were super nice. I'm getting kind of tired of people being asses to us here, so it was nice to have nice Italians for a change. Anyway, I had my first REAL Italian calzone and it was really good... as usual. I dont think Ive actually had bad food here, maybe just strong cheese, but not bad food. Anyway, we walked aroudn the city a bit and got our gelato... cause you can't go to a new city in Italy and not get gelato... that's the way the world works. THen I was tired and so 2 of us went back and the other 3 went out and tried to party it up, but they found nothing and came back after an hour or so. Then we got up SUPER early on Saturday and made our way on the metro over to the Vatican city, where the pope lives. The vatican museum opened up at 9am and we were there at 9:05 and had to stand in a line that went half way AROUND the vatican... oh lord... and did I mention we cut in front of a friend that had already been standing in line!! Dear lord. So we went in with the knowlege that there was a lot of art, and all I wanted to see was the Sistine Chapel. I didn't want a repeat of the Uffici. So we did our best to find the Sistine chapel amaze the billions of rooms and pieces of art... and then we found it. It was so awesome standing under the depiction of God giving the spark of life to Adam... and was like man, this is the real thing. I must say, the chapel was a bit smaller than I thought it was, but it was so great. Then we tried to find the rooms Rafael painted and ended up passing them the first time when we were getting to the chapel so we had to circle the entire thing again. But we found it and I saw the wall with the painting of all the nobility on the steps (I don't know the name of it), but it's the one where he painted himself on the side. Anyway... we exited the chapel after that and went to St. Peter's square... I'll have to show you the pictures, because it's so beautiful. Then we went in the San Pietro Basilica... y'know... the church of the world. A lot of excess going on there, but... beautiful. Then we climbed the freaking duomo... did I mention I've come to the conclusion that I've claustrophobic? I sort of had a panic attack at the top of the duomo, I read later in the Fedor's book that you shouldn't climb it if you are claustrophobic... it really wasn't worth it to me... but I did it. Anyway, you can see for miles upon miles at the top of that thing. And then... we went to the trevi fountain, the Pantheon (which I did an oral presentation on yesterday in class), and the spanish steps. We had dinner at this wonderful place next to the spanish steps and the waiter told us about Campo di Fiori where everyone goes to hang out (the roommates went, but I've been in this little mood where I don't want to go out and deal with drunk dancing people I don't know). So I went back to the hotel with one of the girls and we planned out our day for sunday and checked out the times of different monuments. So on Sunday... dun dun dun... we saw the Colessium. My favorite. It was so unbelievable (I'm running out of adjectives for these places), PLUS, we got in for free cause we have these handy little cards with our photos that say we're students of the europen union (which we are not). They had this little exibit upstairs about the pantheon and different statues... most of it was time-lapse photography of the colessium and the shadow it makes throughout the day. From there we went to the Roman Forum and saw TONS of ruins. It was so much fun to climb through it all... I mean, you're just turned loose on the stuff, you can walk through it for days. Then we went and checked out Vittoria Emanuele II's crib in Piazza Venezia where they have their own version of the tomb of the unknown soldier, complete with a guard bearing arms in front of it and an eternal flame too. And then it was 2 o'clock and time to catch our bus to go home. So we hit all the major points of interest in about a day and a half... there was a bit of rushing involved, but it was my only chance to see that stuff. I also bought 40 post cards for 2 euro, that way, in case the 3 million pictures I took this weekend don't turn out, I have reinforcements!! BTW, I have this little roll of film line on my desk that becomes longer and longer each weekend and I can't wait to develop it when I get back. So excited. And I have a flight home on August 30th!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks mom! Comments: swishy tail.

**Napoli, Capri, Sorrento, & Pompei Continued** [03 Aug 2004|01:00pm] So we spent another hour in Capri after the little boat ride and then we met up and boarded the ferry and went to Sorrento. The whole time I was thinking, man this Sorrento place sounds so familiar and then I figured it out, Sorrento Valley Rd. Oh baby, San Diego how I miss thee. But anyways, the only reason we stopped was to shop... clothes shopping. I hate to shop and there was nothing for me to do there. I was freaking bored. Plus... I was traveling with like 5 other girls in my group and they're all like, oh, let's just look in this store (we were on our way for dinner) and then 45 minutes later they came out. I was sitting in the front of the store that whole time. Grr... That's not why I came here. But anyway. Then our bus met us in Sorrento and we drove back to Napoli. This time half of the group came back down at eleven pm to go to the disco and this time our bus took us instead of walking all around Napoli at dark. Too bad our bus driver got lost, but that's okay. So we were on the bus for awhile before we got to the club. The club was also pretty lame, but we danced anyway. It was outside and not a lot of people were there, but the music was really good (sometimes you really just want to hear some American Hip-Hop or just something you know the words to and can sing along with). We were supposed to meet in front of the club at 3:30am (to go home), however some people got an invite to go to a private party... so guess what we did. We left that club and went to another, but all of the people were over 30 and the music wasn't anything great to dance to. A little while later we were home and it was 5am. We woke up only a couple hours after going to sleep and got on a bus to go to Pompei. Now the volcano that erupted and covered the city had erupted in 79ad. There was one girl on the bus that said she had been studying that stuff forever and told us that ash is the second best preservative next to ice. Now, when we were driving to Pompei (like 45 mintues from Napoli) I was expecting a city with parts of it preserved in ash/lava... I didn't really know what to expect. The entire city had been covered, and the whole city is a monument. Once you get your ticket (which we got for free) we were turned loose on the city and you just climb through the place. They had casts of bodies so you could see what the people of 79ad looked like. We also were able to go through their theatre and palestra grande which I'm translating as big gym, even though it was just like a big outside park, but I thought that one was the most beautiful. Anyway, we didn't have time to go through it all, and it was blistering outside. Everyone had fat sweat stains and I think people in Stati Uniti could smell me. We all gathered to have lunch at this restaurant, and because of the erasmus guys we got this deal of a pizza or spaghetti or penne pasta and a drink for 6 euro, and I thought you could only order margherita, so that's what I did. When they were bringing out the food, I accidentally got someone else's pizza that they had special ordered. But because there were so many of us, the waitress didn't remember who it was... it was just a big misunderstanding, but I didn't want to eat it until everyone got their pizza and was happy because I didn't want to be eating someone else's pizza. I guess she thought I wasn't going to eat it because I was waiting and just took it away from me and brought me a new one, but it was a big deal and she gave me attitude because I couldn't explain to her what was going on. That's the bummer part about not knowing the language well. Anyway, I wsa the last one there cause I was still eating... Then we got on the bus and went to Corseto which is the Emperor's Palace. Y'know those pictures you see of big estates with maze bushes and huge gardens...? I was in that. It was my first Palace experience. Again we got in for free because of our erasmus card and we were able to tour one floor of one wing of the palace. It was a pretty quick run through but we got to see their beds and bathrooms, dance floors, meeting rooms, and the like. THere was one big room we walked into and the entire thing was painted with gold leafing. I guess the whole palace is supposed to be famous for it. It was spectacular. Anyway, we all wanted to see the garden so we paid a euro for a bus ride to take us to the other end of the garden... from one end to the other is 2 miles!! And yes it had maze bushes (which the whole time reminded me of Alice in Wonderland for whatever reason) and a giganic overflowing fountain that spanned almost the entire 2 miles and went up a hill. At the top of the hill where the bus dropped us off there was waterfall and a pond where they had a couple statues in the water. It was really beautiful. I really wish I could have been alive back in the day when the houses next to the palace didn't exist and everyone was wandering around in their big poofy dresses and stuff like that. I think it would have been an awesome sight to see. Of course, I would have been a maid or something like that... but whatever. And then we went home. There was another bad experience with mineral water at the pit stop, butthat's mostly it. Comments: swishy tail.

Napoli, Capri, Sorrento, Pompei, and Corseto... Phew! [02 Aug 2004|01:44pm] There are a bunch of students in Siena studying, some at the Siena study center... I think there's another University, and then there's our EAP program. Let's just say there are a lot of students, and so there is this student group called Erasmus which a bunch of us joined and they plan trips and parties for us. It was 8 euro, so I was like "what the heck?" They planned this last trip for us, it was 100 euro (120 dollars) for 2 nights of hotel and all the transportation we need for the trip. Around 50 us us went on this trip on a charter bus to the south of Italy. So we left at 3pm on Friday and got back this morning (yes monday) very very early. Charlene is tired. So yah. When they say that the south of Italy is way different from the north, they are not joking. When they say a city is "dirty" they don't necessarily mean lots of poor people or economically depressed (which is what I was expecting for Napoli). No... rather they mean there are huge piles of trash in the middle of the street that are taller than you are... and when I mean piles, I do intend the plural version. I would not suggest going down to the south with a small group and I'm super glad we went in a big group especially with the 2 Erasmus guys because they knew their way around and where and where not to go. Madonna mia. So we got to Napoli at around 9 pm, we stayed in a 3 star hotel on the northern part of the city. It was really cool because as we're driving into the city, the first thing I notice is this volcano looking mountain. And I'm going through this dialogue in my head... "it is a volcano, no it's not... well, there are lots of volcanos in the south... it doesn't look very green at the top, maybe it's erupted recently..." Turns out to be the volcano that covered Pompei... but that's later. Anyway, we get there and shower and all of us meet downstairs at 11 to go to dinner and a discoteca. Napoli is supposed to be famous for its pizza, and I don't know if it's because we were so hungry by the time we actually ate (we walked forever) or what, but the pizza was really good. We got margherita con buffala which = marherita (standard red sauce and cheese pizza) + cheese from buffalo milk. Don't ask me how you get close enough to milk a buffalo, but there it is... and it was awesome. I don't like strong tasting cheese, but this was great. (As a tangent, I'm not sure if I've mentioned the fact that the lovely cheese I've been enjoying for the past 3 weeks is cheese from sheep's milk... sheep = pecora... it's grrrreat! If I did mention it, I just can't get over it.) However... here in Italy you have to worry about what kind of water you get, cuase these weird people like frizzy water which tastes EXACTLY like soda water without the soda. At home, we throw that crap away, but here they serve it in bottles. So you have to say NATURALE. So we're at dinner and the only water they have in minerale, but it's naturale, so we're like... okay. Man o man o man. When you're expecting natural water and you get this other non-frizzante water, but nasty all the same, it's a big let down. I think the minerale water must be a southern Italy thing, cause in Siena you have the option of getting Naturale... but anyways... mineral water (even though it says naturale) is a big no no. So after dinner we walked through Napoli trying to find a discoteca (we were following the Erasmus guys), but we never found one. As a side note they have gay districts here too as well as transvestite hookers... I think we were in the more sketch part of Napoli. So the next morning we got up way earlier than we should have and went to the island of Capri. Oh my. So BEAUTIFUL. The first thing we did was get off the ferry and reserve a tour of the island by boat. So a half hour later we were on this boat with about 20 other people. We boat on over the the Blue Grotto which is a cave on the water, but the opening to the cave is like 3 feet tall and that's really scary when you are on a row boat and there's waves from the big boat (you have to jump from the big boat to the small row boat in the middle of the sea and then in reverse when you go back). But when you're inside the cave... the sunlight comes through from reflections in the water and lights up the cave with this brilliant blue light. If you're wearing your swimsuit you can jump in the water, but we wern't prepared for that part and still had our jeans on over our swim suits. However... jelly fish exist and some people got stung by little ones, but others thought it was worth it. Anyways, we went back out of the cave and went all the way around the island and saw the green grotto and red one too, but didn't go in (they're those colors because of the shallow water for the green, and the red coral for the red grotto). It was breathtaking how beautiful it was. I also decided that I have to live by the water, being in all these cities by the water or in the water makes me feel really happy and comfortable, so it's helpful to figure that out. Anyway, in the south of italy and especially Capri is where they make lemoncello which is this great creamy liquer... so yeah... bought some things. Okay, well... I don't have enough time to finish my post cause I was chatting with Jamie while I was writing this (so happy cause I haven't talked with ANYONE hardly cause you all are losers and aren't online at 3 in the morning... I just don't understand...). So now the place is closing and I have to go, but I'll continue later. Comments: swishy tail.

Lucca & the Opera [27 Jul 2004|01:00pm] So last friday we went on our excursion to the opera, we saw Madama Butterfly. And I must say, I was SUPER excited about it after learning about Puccini and his opera, but I was really disappointed. The opera was in Lucca on a lake, apparently that was the area that he actually composed that opera back in 1904. So it was outside by a lake... as my language teacher describes it, there are mosquitos the size of horses... and there were bats flying around and it was WAY humid... even more so than it usually is. It was an aweful feeling to sit there in the back, where you can't hear because it's outside and not really an amphitheater (sp?). And then the opera... the music was nice, but I think I would have been much happier just listening to it on some headphones in my room. The opera was a modern version, so the costumes were really simple and not much to look at. The stage just had a rock on it, a giant rock, but a rock. So after learning about all the elaborate costumes and stuff like that in the typical opera, it was a let down to not see any of it. Plus Madama Butterfly is way depressing and doesn't have much going on in the terms of plot or a story... just really really sad. So the singers just stood on stage and sang... it wasn't really moving. I dunno. I also like to be surprised and I don't want to know the ending, but because we don't really know the language, we got the translated version beforehand and read it, so we knew what happened. The whole night I was just like, "when is she going to die so we can go home?" I would have really prefered to see Il Barbiere di Seveglia or La Traviata. I'm just hoping it wasn't my kind of opera and that I really do like it. I think most people kind of felt the way I did about the opera that night. But... it's a cool experience, I was there. Contrada party!! On wednesday before the Opera we went to our first contrada party (as a class... but thta's because the prof knows the bruco (caterpiller) contrada)). So we had dinner and dancing and drinking. All important things for a party. I had SO much fun. They had a live band there who played American cover songs... like the Cranberries... and it was fun cause all us EAP kids knew the words. Then they played other italian music and the like. Then thursday I went back and did the same thing over again. Poi on Saturday, Nicchio started their contrada party and I went to that one. However, theirs was a little different. They had an actual dance floor with lights instead of just a big dirt area like Bruco. But when we got there they were playing salsa and latina music and I was like, "I can't dance to that." But after about 20 mintues we finally got up the balls to go down there and then as soon as we got there they started this Italian line dancing to Latin music thing. It was awesome. So we were all in lines, and the guy was giving us directions and dance moves in italian (that was kind of confusing) and then you dance!! It was the most fun I've had dancing since I've been here, and I've had some fun... Also at festa di nicchio they had this game where they take 17 wooden balls, each painted with each contrada's colors and put them in this little contraption and release them... so it's kind of like a palio... anyway, you bet on the one you think will win and you can win wine or proshiuto (sp?) and all kinds of things. But we did not win... sad... But I had tons of fun and I went again last night. I don't think I'll go tonight cause I have a test on the Palio tomorrow and I don't know anything. Need to study a bit. Or pretend to. Oh yeah... I think the roommates have cleaned up their drama and I'm feeling better about living with them. However I am counting down the days until I get my old roomies back. Okay, gelato time. Comments: swishy tail.

[21 Jul 2004|11:15am] Okay so the guy in this internet train keeps playing good music and I don't want to leave... it's from the 70s. So I guess this is a good time to maybe talk about Siena a little more. Mia giornata tipica (that's what we had to talk about in my oral exam). So we go to class in the morning, and because we're in the beginner class and there are so many of us, we have class in an elementary school. Thank God that they thought it would be a good idea to take out the super small desks and put in normal ones for us. So it takes 20 minutes of a good fast walk to get to the elementary school. The streets are so crowded in the morning and I get nervous walking because of all the cars and the people, and when you're walking sometimes you can't tell if a scooter or if a delivery truck is coming up behind you. The cars are all really small here too... I haven't seen a real truck ever, and most of the "cars" are like 2 seater mobiles. It's a stretch calling them cars. What else... I'm not sure if I've mentioned that I've started drinking coffee. I think I finally have the way that I like it. And I'm a fan of cappuccini now. It might be hard going back to the states... oh yes... NUTELLA, I think it's alright, but it's like THE THING over here. It's chocolate with like a nutty flavor. People put it on EVERYTHING... they sell it in crepes at the gelateria (ice cream place), they sell it in tubs at the market, people put it on toast, cookies, you name it. Wow... it's crazy. Oh yeah... the heat. I have some qualms with that whole "humidity is worse than a dry heat that's hotter" theory. It's bologne. Yes, I admit when it's hot you walk outside and your whole body is wet with sweat, but in a 110° Fresno day... that's WAY worse... you walk outside and you can't breathe. It's just more uncomfortable here because you just feel sort of wet all day. But yeah, I think the desert heat is worse. Oh yeah, Italians in Siena NEVER smile when they walk down the street. It's like forbidden. I have to keep remembering that I look so funny when I walk down the streets and try to smile at people. Others just look like you've flipped someone off or done some other horrible thing, they stare at you (and I'm talking about the women) and make bad faces. I don't really like that aspect of this city. And everyone and their brother has a dog and walks it down the street. It's like a LV bag or something. And I'm not talking about a little terrior or something. People have pit bulls and rotweilers and other big dogs. It's funny. Being a dog person, I don't mind. Okay. I'm really tired this time... gotta go. Comments: swishy tail.

tests [21 Jul 2004|10:54am] So last week on Wednesday we had our first test, it was for our culture class... and I got a 95. But apparently that's supposed to be the easiest one. Our next culture test is next Wednesday and it's on the Palio. It seems like it might be a bit harder, but I decided to take the class for a letter grade anyway. On Tuesday (yesterday I think... it seems so long ago) we had our first composition test and tomorrow we get back our scores. I feel pretty good about it, except the listening part was hard because NO ONE could hear what the people were saying... so... who knows how the total score will go. And then today I had my oral exam... it was alright. I wasn't as good as the other people in my class, but I don't think that I did poorly. I didn't study as much, it's hard to study for an oral... but I'm just glad it's over. Some people are totally freaking about about grades and tests and I think this is the easiest class I've ever had (well... 3 classes). This summer is just a totally chill experience for me. As for drama right now in my apartment... ugh. First it was Michelle and Jordan about 2 weeks ago. Those girls are attached at the hips and finally Michelle got a little sick of Jordan and said something to her about her attitude. So then Jordan got a little hurt and started hanging out with my roommate, Kim. Then Kim got a man... I promise it will start to make sense... So this weekend we went to Venice and Kim's boy tagged along. But I didn't really hang out with either of them becuase Jordan was starting to get on my nerves. I didn't realize there was a problem until we got back from the trip. Now I feel like the entire apartment is starting to ostracize Kim because she was hanging out with her man, or something... I have no idea what's going on, but I don't want to be involved. Today at break everyone started in on this Kim and her man bashing episode and I had to leave. I can understand if someone's urking you and you need to vent to another person, but when 4 or 5 roommates get together and collectively start talking about other people in the house... that's too much for me. I feel like sides are being formed and I just don't want that kind of drama. I think I might be the only one who is talking to Kim at this point. And I think she's feeling it. I hope this doesn't screw up the summer. Other than that, and my own little vent session, things are good. I guess that's just what happens when 6 girls live together... unless it's my old roomies from SD... I don't think we had any problems, unless it was about me, cause I loved all my roomies. Anyway... nostalgia... I'm going to go nappy. Tonight we're going to a Bruco party... we ordered pizza and all that stuff. Good times. Comments: swishy tail.

Venice [20 Jul 2004|09:25am] So on Friday of last week we busted ass to get out of class and over to Piazza Gramsci to get on the 12:10 bus (we get out of class at 12:00). We made it... but there was a small amount of running with our bags involved. Anyway-- NEVER TAKING THE BUS TO FLORENCE AGAIN!!!!! I got so freaking car sick on that bus... not worth it. Siena and the countryside is pretty hilly and pretty wind-y and that equals really rough bus ride. So we got to Florence and took a super speedy train to Venice. We stayed on the island of Lido, so we took a water bus to the island. It was like 5 o'clock traffic on those things and it was pretty crowded and stuffy and sweaty. So while we were sitting down in the front some German girls made fun of Michelle because she was quite animated in describing a Gucci purse she had just seen... so there was a little bit of tension as the girls talked crap about us in German and we talked crap about them in English... well... not me... but, "us." Y'know... So after getting on the land-bus going the wrong way and taking a short tour of Lido, we got to our hotel... and no one was there. It was really creepy. There were 7 of us from the program (and we met up with 2 more girls that know one of my roommates) and we all started exploring the vacant hotel looking for someone. It was like a scene straight out of a scary movie... the 7 20-something girls split up to find someone, and one by one, are killed off... dun dun dun. But apparnetly the desk guy had just gotten in an accident and right next to the hotel (don't ask me why he wasn't at the desk) and had to talk to the other person... so we finally got to our rooms, got changed (by that time it had been 7 hours since we left Siena) and we out for food. We just ate on the island and then we went to Saint Marc's Square. It's weird, because as big as Venice is, as night, it's totally dead. There were all of 5 people in the HUGE square at 11:30 at night... I don't understand. But it was really nice and peaceful. There were a few outside restarants with their own mini-orchestras playing, and people dancing. It was really romantic.... to bad there were no boys... *sniffle* So we just sat at some empty chairs, took a couple pictures, then went back to Lido. The next day we got up early, had breakfast at the hotel (it was sooo good) and then went to Venice. We met up with the other two girls who are both from Jordan and super beautiful. They are both studying in England and I thought they were brittish for a few hours because they speak English with a brittish accent... but then after a while they busted out the Arabic and I finally figured it out. We took the water bus to the Rialto bridge and checked out the area... it just has a bunch of booths and shops. After losing some people for a good 30 mintues, a couple of us split off and went into the Doge's Palace (apparently he was the Duke at one time for Venice). His palace was hooked up! He had dungeons for prisoners, and in there they preserved the scratchings and drawings from real prisoners. We saw the armery (man o man o man!) and then the man's art collection. Whoa... I would have liked to live there. Then we re-grouped and took a gondola ride!! That was so much fun!! It was 16 bucks a person... we hope that's a deal... I have no idea what you're supposed to pay for a gondola ride. We supposedly saw the house of Casanova and Marco Polo... sure... but it was fun. We got to go into the inner parts of Venice and see up close the houses and how the canals work. The gondola is a little shaky and I asked the gondolier (I'm making up words at this point) if he's ever fallen in... and he said only if he's had a glass of wine. After that we boarded another water-bus and went out to Murano where we saw them do a live demonstration of glass blowing. The guy made a vase and a horse. It was incredible. I decided to buy some things... We were too tired at that point to eat in Venice so we went back to Lido and had dinner at a random pizzeria. It was pretty good, but the service was crappy. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose as an American. That night we sort of lost. Later that night (apperently ever 3rd Saturday) there were fireworks that you can see from anywhere in Venice. I was kind of bored with them and I really wanted to go dancing... but alas... there is no dancing in Venice. I did get some gelato. Then we went to a beach party... super lame... just high school students and techno music. But we did have fun (all 5 of us) sitting and watching voyeristically watching two people almostnotreallysure having sex on the beach. Then we went home.... I got attacked by some bug on my ankle. The next morning we split up because we had differnt train tickets back. I wanted to stay in Venice as long as possible. I love it there so much, so peaceful... we went back into the city and visited 2 art museums (I saw a couple Kandinskies and now I might have to look into that more... and we saw those German girls again... that was funny) and the Basilica. Then we rode first class back home (they didn't have any other tickets). I feel super lucky to be taking these trips, and everytime I get annoyed with someone (I did a lot on this trip, it's sort of rough traveling with 9 people) I just remember that I'm in venice half a world away, riding a train or water bus or whatever... and I can't but help to smile. I love it, but I do wish I could talk more with the people. Anyway, I'm just sorry I'm not able to write more post cards... so if you're waiting for yours... it'll come... don't worry. Comments: swishy tail.

[12 Jul 2004|12:06pm] Oh yea.. it's raining here. I had to bust out my jackets. It's actually cold... argh. Comments: swishy tail.

Weekend at Florence: [12 Jul 2004|12:04pm] So last friday we went to Florence until Sunday night. I went with four girls from another apartment (Kim, Shyla, Stefanie and Melissa). Two of the girls made the reservations at a "hostel" in Florence. We left right after class, we took the train of course (it's super cheap and oh so beautiful to watch the country side by train). We got there after about 2 hours... the train station is huge!!!! Siena has 4 platforms.... Florence has about 20! It was like a real train station and not just a train stop. I was so amazed. Anyways, I didn't know where we were going, so I just sort of followed everyone... oh my... it took us close to 2 hours to get to the hostel. Not because we got lost, but because it's across the Arno and up a freaking mountain! It was a mountain with steps on the side (and btw, all the "stairs" are slanted... super hard to walk on, I don't understand it)... a billion steps... mind you we had luggage... ah! When we got there... to "Camping Michalangelo" we realized it was not a hostel, but tents. Yes... we slept in tents... but hey, it kinda sounds cool... "I went camping in florence." Just too bad we werent prepared for it, but they had cots and sheets for us, so it wasn't that bad... just super super super cold at night. So yeah... we got there at 6pm. As soon as we checked in we all had to go to the restroom so we went to the bathroom, open the stall door and gaze down upon a hole in the ground. We're all like, "What are we supposed to do with that?" It took us a while, but we found a few very smelly stalls with actual toilettes. Hurray. So anyway, we changed, went to the restaraunt across the street (an ACTUAL restaraunt... otherwise... I dunno) and I had some awesome Lasagna ank Kim and I shared a bottle of wine. Then we walked back down to the city, and walked around for a bit. We got some gilato and these girls we found were passing out fliers for a club... ladies night... so we went and stayed there until 2. We had a lot of fun dancing, they played pretty good music. Then we decided we'd get a cab because we were way too tired to climb the mountain. It took us about half an hour to get a cab because non of them would stop and I was nominated to call the taxi cab company and order a cab... in italian... bad idea. So we got one and life was good. The next morning on Saturday we got up early (took our showers in our very weird bathrooms), had breakfast at the campsite, and headed down to the city. We walked around using our Rick Steve's city guide and went to the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) where back in the day they used to sell gold and silver (yes, on the bridge, and it's not that big) but now they sell fine gold and silver jewelry. Very cool. Oh yeah, the Arno river is very beautiful, and very green and smelly... but breath-taking (all bodies of water usually are). Then we walked into a few piazzas where they have fake Davids and other statues. We had made reservations the previous day to go to the Uffici (I'm not sure if that's the exact spelling) and saw A LOT of very fine Italian art. However... it all was from the same era and most of it was Madonna and child or the crusifiction of Jesus, plus other religious scenes from the bible which I didn't have an interest in because I didn't understand it... plus, for me, when I see the same image over and over and over agin with the same colors and the same gold leafing, it kind of gets old. Anyway, I like the romantic era the most, but I did really like the Birth of Venus, and I got a postcard reminding me of it. Kim and I made this game about the statues we saw inside (there was a lot of standing time) where we would ask eachother to come up with a name for the character, what they were thinking, doing, what time of day it was and any other random detail that comes to mind. It was very entertaining... and you definitely pay close attention to the details of each statue. We had some great stories. So we spent 2 hours there and then had the best Italian meal (sorry DiCiccos) I've ever had this restaraunt right next to the gallery. I had spaghettie and turkey with mushroom sauce.... oh Madonna mia! Bennissimo! And our waiter guy was so nice... he was that flirty kind of Italian person you picture... it was a fine line between entertainment and harrassment... sometimes he'd get right in your face... I dunno, it was just a different culture, but we all really liked it. Anyways... from there we went to an Italian market and I got a purse (finally) and we went to a few stores to look at their stuff. We ended up getting granita (it looks like jamba juice, but tastes really really sweet and is made from real fruit... it's pretty dang good). At that point we were all really tired so we decided to go back to the mountain at about 430. So we're walking up the mountain.... There's 5 of us in the group and we're walking single file, I was in the back and talking to my mom on my phone (she just called randomly). We're on the second main part of the steps and an older man passes us running up the steps (who does that? go him!) I just hear the girls in front of me talking about something and laughing and then we're running up the steps too. I couldn't figure out what was wrong, so I hung up with my mom. Finally the girls stop and Melissa told me that the man who was running up the steps ran past her, then turned around ran down two steps (and she's starting to think he's pretty odd) and then he steps into the bushes, drops his pants and pulls out his you know what. She's like, ohmygod that's the worst spot you could pick to go to the bathroom, but I guess he really had to go. She saw "everyting." At that point she turns around to tell shyla the story, but at that moment he steps out onto the trail in front of her, still with his pants down, and he's masturbating. Then he steps back into the bushes. Melissa is still the only one who has seen this so far, but this is where we started running. After she finishes her story we start to finish the rest of the climb and now shyla's leading and SHE turns around and says, "Oh my, you guys, you can still see him!" So of course we all look down and see this 45ish year old man with his pants down and his shirt rolled up to his armpits so that his big belly is protruding and he's masturbating on the trail. Dear lord. It was so shocking... we just ran back and that was a main bonding experience for us. Everyone was pretty tired so they all slept except for Kim and I who again shared a bottle of wine. Kim and Shyla wanted to go out again that night, but the other three of us were beat and my feet were so dry and cracked that they were bleeding and it hurt to walk. So I stayed, but I met up with these 15 people from South Africa and I stayed and hung out with them for the rest of the night. I had the most fun with them!! They told me the proper way to pronounce Charlize Theron's name (it's way different from how we say it in the states) and they taught me a little Africans... I can say "This is cool." I got their emails and stuff, and they said that anytime I'm in S. Africa I can stay with them, and I offered them my place as well in Cali. At the end of the night they said that I had really changed their view of Americans... and dude... that was like the best compliment I've gotten. It felt really good. All of them were in high school (most were seniors) and every year they get to go on a trip to a different country... or a few and they camp out and travel by bus. Man... that's the life. I've wanted to go to south africa before this, but now after talking with them, I'm really excited about the idea. The next morning we sort of took our time getting up. I had my first cappuccino. I don't like coffee, and I really don't see what the big deal is, but I thought that I should try it because Italy's supposed to be the best place. It was good... but there's that whole espresso part that makes me cringe. Anywhoo... we went down to the city, this time with all our baggage and saw Michaelangelo's David.... the guy is huge. We didn't even come up to the podium that he stood on... he must 25 feet tall + the height of the podium. The other girls wanted to buy a leather jacket they saw the day before and I got a couple gifts. Then we wandered around, I got my PACE flag (it means peace in italian) and we jumped on a train to come home. Then I passed out on my bed. The entire time I was in Florence I just couldn't believe where I was actually standing. The streets look a lot like Siena's... cobble stone, tall buildings on narrow streets, but you can see the scenery from the city, which you can't really see in Siena. I was just on a high the whole time I was there. Very happy. Oh yea, we didn't go inside Florence's Duomo because we didnt have enough money and didn't have the time, but we definitely walked around it 10 or 12 times just being in the city and observed from the outside... which is probably the best view. (Which reminds me, I have yet to go inside Siena's Duomo as well). Okay, this post is long enough. We're going to Venice next weekend. Comments: swishy tail.

Palio & Pisa [05 Jul 2004|02:38pm] Whoa... so this weekend was pretty big. First, there was the Palio on Friday. We started off at about one o'clock walking around the Campo, there were already people out there trying to get their spots on the rail so they could see the race. One of the girls in the program was meeting up with one of her friends in another program somewhere in Italy. So we finally found them chilling by the rail. I was looking at her friend's friend and I was like, hey... I know her. She was one of the HAs from Muir, Becca. I walked over to her and talked with her but she didn't know who I was. She's doing a theatre summer course through UCLA. We decided we weren't ready to stand on the rail yet (our shell isn't racing, so we don't really care about this palio) so we went back to the apartment to put on sunscreen and stuff like that. Then we grabbed some Gilato and went back to the Campo... where we stayed for like 5 hours. At 5 o'clock they started the parade. All the contradas came out... one by one... with their horses (if they were racing), with their flags and flag throwing acrobatics, their draft horses, their men dressed in tights and heavy cloaks, their drummer boys and a whole bunch of other stuff. Then the carriage-thingie came around with the banner that the successful contrada has and everyone threw their scarf at it for good luck. The cart was pulled by three oxen... I've never seen oxen... they're unbelievable huge! 3 hours later... the race finally begins. The 10 horses came out and people started crying, shaking, praying, collapsing onthe ground, cheering-- you name it. Then they took off... and you can't see a freaking thing... then 90 seconds later it's over... and you don't know who won... and then the red and white flags go up... wait, who's that?... oh okay, those people over there... ah... the Giraffe. The Giraffe contrada won. Okay. And then you leave before the fights break out. Later we saw on TV what actually happened. On the last turn there were 2 horses/jockies that were neck and neck, the first time we saw the footage we thought the two jockies pushed eachother off, but now we've come to the conclusion that at the last turn (incidentally where the padding onthe wall is) the 2 jockies bail off their horses because they know that the lighter load will make the horses run faster. So for the last little stretch, it was two horses with no jockies, and the winning horse didn't have a rider. Dramatic. My legs were so tired at that point, but then we went back to the apartment, got dressed and went out to party for the Palio!! We went out dancing and I had this guy following me for an hours asking to dance, but he wasn't nice about it, and so one of my friends who knows a bit of Italian taught me a new phrase. We'll leave it at that. (I only have 10 more minutes, so I need to move this post along...) So I woke up Saturday super tired... did a hand wash of nearly all of my clothes (it's like the dark ages or something) and planned out our day to go to Pisa on Sunday. So I flew into Pisa and had to get to Siena from there, so I was familiar with the train system for that part... but of course, people didn't have faith in me. Anyways, we got to Pisa walked across the city (15 minute walk) to the leaning tower where also there is another Duomo and a Cathedral all in the same piazza. There were 6 of us total, and three of the girls decided they didn't want to pay the 15 euro to climb to the top of the tower. I was like, c'mon... I know I'm probably never coming back to Pisa in my lifetime, we came all this way, andyou're just going to take a picture of it? So the other two girls and I paid our Euro and then waited 2 hours for our assigned time (hey, it's on demand). THen we decided to go have lunch. We all wanted pizza in Pisa so we found this pizzeria and asked for a table for 6. There wasn't any room outside so they asked if inside was fine and we agreed. Then we followed the waitress inside where there were no people and it was super stuffy. But we didn't sit down. We continued to follow her out of the room, back behind the restrooms (as we're walking we're all like, "are we eating in the kitchen?) and then finally reach the backroom where it's all gross, looks like a mess hall and people are eating and sitting super close to one another. What? THen one woman who's waiting in line for the restroom says "that's where they put all the Americans"..... and we're all like I don't think so. So we bailed and went next door where they sat all 6 of us outside and actually gave us service! (I also figured out why I don't really like their pizza, they use real tomatos! There's even like seeds and stuff in the pizza... too bad I don't like tomatos... I might really enjoy it). And then it was time for the tower. We had to check our bags and then we went into the tower. There's an outer wall and an inner wall and the stairs are between the two walls. It's really funny because as you walk up the stairs they're really hard and steep and then it seems like you're walking flat as you're goin up the stairs and this happens all the way up. THe stairs are made from marble and have been worn down after all these years from so many feet, so in the center of each step there's a little basin... a smooth, slippery basin. When we got to the 7th floor they let us out around the outside, and then we climbed another floor and were let out to climb to the top on the outside cirmference of the tower... which leans and is scary... we were pretty high off the ground... but the view... we took tons of pics at the top (when I get back I'll show you how narrow the top was where we were standing). Then we came back down and the other girls were ready to leave. They were getting super annoying because they were complaining and I just couldn't even try to explain to them what we all had just experienced. We were standing on the top of the leaning tower of Pisa!!! Okay... class!!! Comments: swishy tail.

[02 Jul 2004|07:02am] So last wednesday we went to see the trials for the Palio. They bring all of the horses out and get them used to the track. I thought there'd be only a few people... but apparently the entire city of Siena comes out for that too. I hadn't turned around in a couple minutes, but when I did, the ENTIRE middle region was full of people... it looked like it WAS the Palio and not the mock race. I was amazed. I have to leave to go stand out in the middle in a couple hours, we have to be there by 3 for a 7 o'clock race... it's packed... let's just say that. Personally, I hate horse races. I'm sort of morally opposed to them because of all the crap that goes on behind the scenes... and this Palio is no different. We were watching footage of previous Palios on the television, and it's scary. Jockies falling off and being trampled, horses legs getting caught on the railing and flipping over into the crowd. It's gruesome. Plus our culture teacher told us that if you really like horses you're going to hate watching the Palio... so I'm not totally enthused about the idea, but I am excited about the parties afterward. I just hope I don't have to see anything I don't want to. And plus last night I had a dream about my pony... I don't remember what it is at the moment, but I remember waking up in the middle of the night and wanting to call my mom to see if PJ was alright. Anyways, they also say that the best sport at the Palio is boxing. I mean, people are crazy at these things. For the past week they've been parading their horse up and down the streets, each contrada with a fat crowd of people behind their horse, singing, chanting, drumming... all of it. And after the trial I saw on wednesday there were 2 fights that were right next to us. And those people don't care if women or children are around, they'll just go at it. It's life or death. So after we got out of there, we were all quiet, it's pretty shocking to see how far these people go. They're more passionate about the Palio than I've seen any football fan ever go. Insane. Tomorrow we're going to go back to Pisa so we can see the leaning tower and all the other cool stuff. When I was there at the hotel after getting off of the plane, I was so scared to go out by myself that I didn't want to go do anything, plus I was super tired. So now's my second chance. Plus it's only a 3 dollar train ticket. No prob. I always find myself hanging out with other San Diego people. Everyone really does fit their college. SD people are mostly laid back. I like that. My roommate is really intense, she's from LA. Sometimes I don't understand it. I really like 2 of my roommates, Jordan & Michelle, they're from Irvine, but they're super cool and funny. They've known eachother for 3 years or something. My other 2 roommates are from Riverside... still deciding. There are 2 sisters that live upstairs from us, and they're wonderful! They're Armenian and hilarious. Hmm... what else?... Oh, I found someone that wants to go backpacking with me at the end of the summer. She has no plans, and she was going to go by herself, but I think we're going to work something out so we can go together. So I'm super excited about that and hope it works out... I'm not sure if Jamie is still coming... no one emails me. Sad sad Charlene. ... Life here is so much slower... I NEVER have time to read when I'm in the states, and now I'm reading 2 books at one time. Life is chill. However, that thing about Italian men realling liking American women is false. They hate us. Everyone hates us. There's the stereotype that American girls are easy, so if an Italian man is talking to you, that's why. But the first night we all went out together, we were sitting there and someone threw pistacchio shells at us. No one hardly ever talks to us, except these 2 creepy italian guys we talked to the other night (see above rule). So mostly the EAP kids just stick together, unless you know italian and pretend you're from somewhere else. We all stick out like sore thumbs. But whatev, maybe things will get better after the Palio and all of the tourists leave. Alrighty. Gonna write some emails and go kick it around. Ciao Comments: swishy tail.

[28 Jun 2004|11:23am] If for some reason you want to call me: dial 011-39-347-078-2584 I have an address here so you can mail me letters... maybe... it's cheaper, but I dont have it with me, so I'll post it later. That's it. Comments: swishy tail.

[28 Jun 2004|11:20am] Today was my first day of classes and I had both my language class and my culture class. Standard stuff in the language class, "hi, my name is charlene" whatever. For my culture class we'll be learning about Opera (so I'm super happy I didn't take it with Jess a year ago, cuase I'd probably be bored) and we get to attend an actual italian opera at the end of the month. On Saturday we walked around Siena s'more and saw the Duomo (gothic cathedral), but we didn't go inside cause I didn't have my camera, we'll go back again... and then we went to the park and saw a bunch of random stuff. On Sunday we went to the beach, Castiglione (I believe) with a huge castle on a cliff that you can see from the water. We took tons of pictures! I only have a regular camera, so I'll try to borrow my friends copy of pictures from her camera so I can post them. Anyways, the most exciting thing is that I went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea!! Umm... one word... salty. Hella burns when it goes up your nose and down your throat. So yeah, we spent all of sunday there. I'm going to go find some post cards and see if I can buy some stamps and send them out! Ciao This Friday is the Palio!! Comments: swishy tail.

[26 Jun 2004|08:47am] I forgot, Il Palio is this next friday (no school) and our contrada (neighborhood) is the Shell (il nico I think). We totally thought we were on the street that was the unicorn, but no... we're the fierce... shell... go us. Can't wait for the horse race!!! Comments: swishy tail.

[26 Jun 2004|08:45am] Whoa... so at orientation a few names were called of people who needed to sign additional papers and stuff like that (there are 127 of us in the program, all from UC) and they called this one name: nicholas giovanetti... and I was like... wait... I know that name... who is that? Then I totally realized it was Nick from Central east and I like freaked out. I NEVER see people from my high school. I told all of my roommates about it, and then finally last night I saw him out by the Irish pub and I got to talk to him. He was like, yeah I thought you looked familiar, and we got to talk about how no one from Central ever goes to anywhere besides like Davis. But yeah, that was cool. Let's see... what else. So we've been hanging out at the Campo at night-- it's such a busy place, it doesn't shut down until the wee hours of the morning.... like 5 and 6 am... there are a billion people there EVERYNIGHT and it's such a chill environment. Love it. And then that's how we figured out the whole siesta thing, everyone NEEDS a nap after going out that late evernight. So that's cool. Tomorrow (sunday) we're going to go to the beach and hang out there all day. I'm hoping to come home with a Mediterranean tan. Ciao Comments: swishy tail.

[25 Jun 2004|06:00am] I just found out that in our culture class we'll be taking, we get to learn about wine history.... and tasting!!! We get to take trips to wineries and the like. ;) Comments: swishy tail.

[24 Jun 2004|03:39pm] I made it!!! Everything went fine and I didn't get lost!! Woo-hoo. The morning of my first flight I was so nervous... I flew out from LAX and into Houston (George Bush airport... wtf?) and from there to London Gatwick and from there to Pisa. From there I took a bus into the city of Pisa and got a hotel. Apparently the leaning tower is no longer leaning... they fixed it? I didn't actually see it because I was so nervous to go out by myself... and I was super tired. I was awake for over 24 hours because of my flights and time change. Blah. Then the next morning I took a train from Pisa to Empoli and switched to a train to go into Siena-- where I live. The countryside of Italy is so gorgeous!! THere's a bunch of random castle looking buildings-- everything's made of stone or brick here. Let's see... I have 6 people in my apartment, all girls this time. Everyone's pretty cool so far. My apartment is huge and so beautiful-- the steps are from the medieval era. It's by the city limits (the city is surrounded by a giant brick wall). Everything here is old, yet there's still a McDonalds and an escalator to the market. We have to lug all our groceries around-- no cars! But I kinda like it. Oh yeah, the "streets" here are like alleyways... and I was thinking to myself, do cars actually drive down these paths?-- and then I almost got hit by a car! The paths are so narrow, only one car can fit with one person on either side... it's so weird. But it's cool. I got a cell phone so that I can call my family. Apparently my message service is in italian... so g'luck with that mom and dad. (And if you're reading this, don't leave me voice messages cause it costs me to check them, and I still haven't figured out how to do that!) Let's see... what else... oh, right now I'm sitting in an internet cafe and listening to alanis morrissette... so whatev. OH yeah, we were watching euro mtv this morning and half of the videos are in english and the other half italian, but they're all popish and cheesy. And no editing! If you're in the states and want to know the time here, just take your current time and subtract 3 hours from it and then flip the AM or PM. So when it's 5pm here it's 8am in the states. One last thing... what is up with AIP still emailing me and telling me I have to complete form!! I can't do anything!! AHHHHH Go AWAYYYY!!! Okay, miss you all. Ciao Charlene Comments: swishy tail.

[10 Jun 2004|02:22am] This is my blog for while I'm in Europe. Then you can keep in touch with me! And it's free!!!! Miss you guys. Email me your address so I can send you mail. charsflower2266@hotmail.com Comments: swishy tail.

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