Barcelona and Finals

Barcelona is my new favorite city in all of Europe. What an incredible place! Imagine New York city, all the hussle and bussle, people and businesses but now imagine all of that lying on a beach. Not just any beach but a palm tree clad, white sand covered clear blue water beach. That, in only so many words, is Barcelona. The architechture was like nothing I had ever seen, it was so beyond anything we have back home. But I think that was what I like the most about it. It was all so new, so clean and so familiar. Plus it surprised me to see how much Spanish I actually knew ;).

It reminded me of home so much more then the ancient ruins that lye in Rome. It was so different and incredible, I was looking for every excuse to not leave or even just stay for one more day. If anyone has a chance to visit, please do, I have every good recommendation you could possibly need, but GO, it will be well worth it for even only one night.

Besides my epic journey to Barcelona, I am making my way to Naples (the pizza capital of the world) this week as well as the Amalfi coast which is arguably one of the most beautiful places in Italy. I can’t even tell you how excited I am for both of the trips, it should be great! Naples is also known for having incredible jewelry (I’m trying to get Italian horned amulet) this will supposedly ward off the evil eye or in other words, if someone is thinking ill of you or envious it allows their thoughts and curses to not effect you. An interesting idea.

I’m sorry that I haven’t been keeping up very much, I would love to write to all of you more but it is now coming to the end of the program and everything seems to be picking up some speed. We have two of our final projects due this coming week, both of which I have a lot more work to do on. Besides the work load, knowing that my dad is only days away from being here with me. I can’t wait for him to come so I can show him all of my favorite places and we can munch on some serious pizza Bianca. The idea of finally having some family here makes everything seem a bit easier.

Being away from my family for this long just reconfirms how important they are to me. I have always considered myself a family person, I love being with them doing nothing, surrounded my family all the time, I love it, I live for it. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to have gone to school far away now, I hate being away from my mom and not talking with my dad. I miss you guys so much!

Unfortunately, now I must go back to writing a paper about immigration and another paper about trestevere. Pray for me because the stress is definitely building! I love you and will write again after I return from Naples and Amalfi.

xoxoxo

Venezia

Venice is now my second favorite place in all of Italy. It was incredible! I am so glad that my mom convinced me to make the trek up north, in the cold and familiar rainy weather because every moment was worth it.

When you arrived in the Venice airport you have to take a 5 Euro, 20 minute bus ride to get to the edge of the island you arrived on. From there you take a 45 minute boat ride to Lido (which is where we were staying) or a 35 minute boat ride to Saint Marc (the main piazza where all of the Carnival festivities were held.) The plane trip was only 45 minutes long, so all in all it wasn't to bad of a trip. Except of course the fact that Conner and I were completely unaware of the rules for the size of carry on's. After a few sneaky moves, some running and arguing we both were able to avoid the 45 Euro fee...THANK GOD.

Our hotel was cheap and fabulous and nearly 600 degrees, cooling down was not an option. Considering how cold and wet it was outside though no one was complaining. We checked in at around 12 but couldn't go into the rooms until 2pm. Therefore we had two hours to waste in a torrential downpour. Not as hard as you would think though. We found a Chinese ran burger joint, interesting but delicious. We ate, walked around and visited Saint Marcs for some serious Masking.

I was able to find a beautiful one for my wall at home. I'm beginning to envision a "abroad" shelf I plan to create with photos from Venice, next to photos from Florence, and obviously Rome! The Mask is held up my a golden stick with red tassels swirling around it and fringing at the bottom. The face area covers the eyes and moves up in a swirling motion to about 3 1/2 inches above my head, its wild. Its covered in gold gems, glitter, red fabric and all kinds of knick knacks, not so much for wearing definitely for decoration.

When we finally made it back to the hotel we settled in, got ready, took a nice 3 hour nap, grabbed a nice authentic Venician dinner (spritz, wine, thin turkey*, bread sticks, pasta) then off we went to brave the rain. We made it SM but since Carnival didn't start till Saturday we had the night to roam. We walked about 20 minutes crossing bridges, running through alleys, and escaping into restaurants to dry off for a few minutes. We finally met up with another group of UW students and enjoyed a fun night of Spritz. In case you didn't know, spritz are the official drinks of Carnival and they taste awful! They are a mix between a gin and tonic and a grapefruit soda, add some lemon juice and your getting pretty close to what it is. Needless to say one is enough.

The next morning rolled on similarly. A late lunch full of pizza's and wine and then the festivities began. The city was alive with thousands of people that seemed to have arrived overnight. Costumes so intricate that you could barely see where one piece ended and the other began. Wigs, glitter, masks, pirates, pilgrims, witches, popes, gamblers, cards, queens, kings and even the oh so common "carnival crazy" which was something between a witch and a queen of glitter. The masks made you feel invisible, like you were someone else and could get away with anything. I wasn't scared to laugh out loud at the stupid plays being shown on the center stage in the piazza and have people think I was an annoying American, they had no idea who I was or where I came from. I was a stranger in my body and it was a little fun, but two days were enough.

The following day was sunny and a sad day to leave. Carnival had really just began. The sun was high, the water was at peace and the rain had finally stopped...but we were on our way home to Roma. I wasn't sad, but I wish I could have stayed a bit longer. It was a magical place and I can imagine myself returning one day.

Now I must prepare myself for Barcelona!!!! I leave tomorrow night and return two days later, I can't explain the excitement I have. Of all the places I have visited so far, I have heard the best things about Barcelona. I love you all soooo much, Dad I am counting down the days till I get to see you and don't forget to pack light...you may be taking a lot more home with you ;). See you all in my blog in a few more days with stories from Spain!

Photos....

Home Away From Home

Its interesting how being away from Rome feels like being away from home. How Florence can feel like a vacation one minute and then suddenly turn and make me feel even further from home. Coming back to Rome gave me this immediate sense of relief, almost like it was OK to kick my shoes off and lay down, like I was home in a way, even though I am still miles from home.

Florence was incredible. It was a completely different piece of Italy. It idealistic, it was the disney world of the boot country. The buildings are painted in tacky colors but tower over you like you wouldn't imagine. The prices rose and the bartering did as well. I even bought a genuine leather jacket, and before everyone freaks out, its amazing and I did VERY well for myself with the price. I found some incredible stylish, a bit punky, leather gloves in a rich yellow color and besides that I stopped. I did go a little crazy on your gift dad which was purchased in Florence as well as a gift for you Nani, your going to LOVE it. The vendors are also MUCH more pushy in Florence. If you even motion your eyes to something in their stand you have to apologize or say "Basta" to get them to stop hassling you. It was a bit exhausting.

We were also able to see all three of the famous David's. First the Bronze, gold gilded version who wore a shepards hat, next the younger version that stood over the head of Galieth wearing a skirt and tank top and lastly, most incredibly, Michaelangelo's David. All in while marble, nude standing almost 18ft tall. Magnificent. He's appears as a teenager, holding his sling over his shoulder and looking off into the distance as if he is thinking about the feat he just performed. The marble is so incredibly craved that his skin actually looks soft. His veins are protruding from his arms and his every muscle is so detailed that you can almost imagine them in motion.

Florence was truly a wonderful experience but it made me miss home a bit more then I would usually, it further then Rome did. Maybe because it wasn't my home away from home, it was like going on vacation, when your already on vacation. It was tiring.

I am so sorry I can't write more, I have so much homework tonight but I will make a distinct effort to write again this week. I'm sorry, but I love and miss you all.

The Catacombs

I’m so exhausted. The fact that my fingers are even moving along this keyboard is amazing me. I shouldn't complain though because it's the prettiest day yet. We went (by bus) about an hour away to edge of the city walls. Here, outside of the city, is where the catacombs lye. They are the underground burials of the ancient Christians. When the city was getting highly populated the room for tombs was reaching an ending point. They began to create these massive underground tunnels filled with burial sites. The one we visited today housed 40,000 bodies reaching nearly 8 miles of tunnels. It was intense.

The sadness part is that over the last 500 years people have robbed these graves only leaving the bones behind. When the city finally decided to memorialize the area many of the graves were unsealed and tore apart. After replacing much of the walking path and moving the remains to separate areas, they were able to create another place for tourism, it's sad but I am grateful because it was a once in a lifetime experience.

I was able to see the first piece of evident toward the Madonna, or the Virgin Mary. The very first drawing ever made of her lies in these tombs. I even bought a photo of it for you mom ;). I was also able to brush up on all my Christian history. We saw paintings of Jesus as a Shepard, the three boys in a fiery furnace, the wise men, Susanna the virgin, Daniel and the lion’s den etc. It was amazing to not only be in the city were Christianity was such a monumental religion but to also see some of the original pieces of its history.

Yet of course we are always reminded of the difference in medical help from then to modern day. For instance, I couldn't even count the number of baby tombs I saw. The infant mortality rate was extremely high in ancient times and you can even see some of the Greek notes left by their "grieving" parents. It was heartbreaking.

We also learned the Greek symbol for Jesus, its beautiful. I even bought a necklace for Alina with symbol stamped on a silver cross. I think she might actually wear it.

Earlier this week we visited the Jewish ghetto again and took a tour of the famous synogogue there. This ghetto was only 4-5 blocks long and housed nearly 5,000 Jews. It was closed in by a locked gate that opened in the mornings and was locked again at the Jewish curfew later that night. I couldn't believe the living conditions. Tiny, breakable homes, stores so small only a few people could stand in them, this was all there was.

The Synogogue itself was incredible. Two stories of seats that held nearly 9,000 people to worship. It was originally a small temple that had 5 separate alters. This was because the Jews were only allowed one temple in their entire ghetto so they broke the rules secretly and stored 5 within one building. When it was destroyed during WW2, they rebuilt it into what we see today. It’s truly an incredible sight! Mosaics along every inch of the walls, gold encrusted torahs, candles, and symbolic art at every turn.

I wish I could write you more and give you more details but we weren't allowed to take any photos and my memories are failing me as I am slowly falling asleep right now. I'm trying to write as often as I can, I'm sorry it hasn't been much though. The days here start early and end late with SO MUCH walking in between. With all of that and the amazing Bolognese we had at our class dinner tonight and my 2 mile run along the Tiber this afternoon my body is quitting on me. Tomorrow we are heading to the Constantine Arch and I WILL NOT forget my camera and will hopefully get a chance to load some more photos for you all. I love you dearly!

Lazy Weekends

This past friday we were able to make the small but LONG trek out to Ostia Antica. This is small port town that lies along the Tiber river (its means mouth of river in Latin). It's a small town that reminds me of what a retirement town would feel like, relaxed, comfortable and a view of the water (Aunt Barbara I miss naples :(! ) This was the day that I was in charge of our group visit, I was the presenter for the topic (which is also considered my final project) I was nervous but once I got on a roll, I was golden.

The topic was the ancient Roman baths of Ostia. The ones that were open for viewing were the baths of Neptune (known for their detailed black and white mosaics and for its immense size) as well as the forum baths (much are better preserved by the tiber river floods and includes a sunbathing room). I would tell you more about the baths but its a pretty long explanation, so in short I will say it was a luxurious process. The type of place that would be a common day gym, spa, library, and business center. It was incredible and something that I wish we still had today. Its sad that they aren't visited more because the lack of funds from visits results in less care for the ruins. Some had algae growing of the mosaics and others had leaves and pines from the trees covering the designs, it was really unfortunate.

You can read my paper about it at www.nataliainrome.blogspot.com. This is my class blog. Since we don't use paper here, all projects get posted to our class blogs. I don't recommend you read anything besides the paper, its a lot of fluffy, cheesy feelings type stuff for my borders class. The paper will be posted by Wednesday though.

Today though, is a lazy day.

Maybe I'm simply not used to having nothing to do, but this is a revelation I think I'm enjoying. Today I woke up at 11:00am (thank God I have finally adjusted to the time) and I did NOTHING! It was great! I performed a few quick morning tasks, including making a batch of delicious eggs and a short trip to the SMA (a grocery store kinda like QFC but about 100x smaller) and then dropped off the goods, grabbed some bread from the Forno and sat on the statue of Bruno, in the campo.

Now do not get confused, Bruno is not the gay comedian that made a terrible American movie, but rather the free thinking, speaking teacher that was burned alive with his tongue nailed to chin. Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out but I find this a very interesting part of the place that is right outside my door. Its also interesting to know that his statue is facing directly at the vatican, which in case you didn't know is the photo at the top of my blog, AND the starting ground of the catholic religion or in other words one of the most important religious sites of the world.

Eventually I made it back to my room and discovered this incredible shield called hotspots, which actually confuses your computer and allows you to go onto US webpages, so sorry mom but I am keeping up with my shows as much as I can, granted the internet is so slow I am only allowed 70 minutes of play time and it takes about 40min to load, sooooo dumb.

This is probably one of my more boring posts, but to be honest it is a bit of a relief to get to write to all of you sometimes, not necessarily to write only about the wonders of this amazing city but to feel like I'm home for a few minutes, that I am almost just having this discussion with my roommates when they all make fun of me for doing nothing. Its nice. When I'm not busy I miss you all so much more, so trust me this blog is almost more important to my own well being then to all of yours haha.

I love you and am always thinking about you!

Food, My Favorite Pastime

This might be long or it might be short, it all depends on how hungry I get from writing it. Considering its night time here though, you might be in luck.

I wanted to start by saying, all the rumors are true. Italians eat better, cook better and simply have better food and ingredients. So after years and years of begging my mom to avoid putting tomato pieces in a sauce or noodle combo, everything has changed. I have found myself begging for more tomatoes to add to bruchetta! I snack on small pieces I cut up daily. Thanks to the wonderful market outside my front door I have an ample amount at my beck and call. Now some of you may have liked tomatoes before unlike me, but the tomatoes here taste COMPLETELY different. They don't taste like a red sauce or ketchup, they taste almost as sweet as strawberries and as juicy as a handful of grapes. These are the kind of vegetables that you only hear about and never experience, well guess what? I AM experiencing them and I love them!

So beyond tomatoes (sorry I wrote so much, I'm excited about my new appetite) I have found myself craving very unique things here that I never did at home. For instance, I have a new love of vegetables, I even go so far as to order sandwiches that have no meat and ONLY contain veggies. I recently went to our local sandwich shop and asked, "Vorrei e zuccini, eggplant, pomodro fresca, formaggio al panino" (or "I would like zucchini, eggplant, fresh tomato, cheese and grilled). It was amazing! They all individually taste so incredible, when they are together its simply a melody in my mouth ;).

The bread I think we all know about. Fluffy and thick and about a million different versions. but unlike our processed bread at home you must by it daily at the 'forno' or its hard by the morning. not that I even complain about fresh bread, who would? Another item that goes bad fast here, eggs! US eggs are farmed to have thicker shells to with stand time and smells, the eggs here are so fresh (and cheap, 6 for a euro) that you must cook them that day or hard boil them to last. If left in the fridge all the scents of your other food gets absorbed into the egg because the shell is so thin...facts for daysss people.

Cheese. I will try to keep this short, but its hard. I immediately think of my dad, obviously and his, like mine, incredible love of mozzarella. BUT has anyone tried mozzarella di bufala???? OMG it's almost like a whole new level of cheese. It deserves its our category its so incredible. Its milky, to the point that it you touch it by hand it literally melts on the plate and leaves a milk substance behind. It have such a severe flavor that they serve it as an appetizer here! All you need is a little olive oil and a fork, no salt, no nothing, it has a whole world of flavor behind its first bite. I will attach a photo when I can but it simply looks like a ball of mozzarella, but DO NOT let it fool you, its better! So while it does come from the milk of a buffalo (a little gross) you can easily look past it.

Pizza is also a whole other ball-game. It come by the slice here (taglio di pizza) but the slices are square and they come so big that they cut it in half and fold it like a sandwich and thats how you eat it, its fun! It comes flat, so flat sometimes I think I can see the paper beneath through it. It comes extra cheesy, no option there and with an assortment of meats to choose from. A thick ham, a crispy prosciutto (which has the most flavor I have ever experienced) or quattro formaggio (four cheese), rosaro (just red sauce), margarita, veggie...the list goes on and on!!! The pastas are the same! They come in every flavor, style and shape its unbelievable. So far my favorite is rigatoni al carbonara (thick tube noodles with a cheese sauce that has eggs, bacon and basil). I am telling you all right now, I wish with everything inside of me that I could send you all meals right now just so we could share in the join together.

So while I have mostly good to say, there are always bad things as well. The Diet Coke or Coke Light as they call it, is terrible. It tastes like an over sweetened soda that has a cola after taste, definitely not a recommendation! Did I mention yet that you have to pay for water? WATER! nothing is free here, thats the hardest part. Service isn't free, sitting isn't free and refills are absolutely not available. Wine is cheaper then water (ironically) not that I'm complaining, but yes I'm complaining a little bit.

I miss you all still, every moment. Comment or write me if you can so I don't feel like a loser writing this haha. Love you and thinking of you!

First Round of Photos

I Can only post a few at a time...but here as some...i also plan to revisit on a sunny day with a better outfit ;)

As Much As I Can Write Right Now

Yay, I am finally starting a personal blog for my incredible family and friends to read...if anyone really cares. I thought it might be a good idea to inform everyone of my incredible journey thus far here in the eternal city, Roma. I wish I had started this from my first day but unfortunately because of the way that our classes are scheduled I was one of the lucky 3 to have my FINAL presentation due the second week of class.

I could begin I suppose, at my wild plane ride over here which includes an 8 hour lay over in none other then Amsterdam, as well an extremely interesting Nigerian man who thought it would be funny to ask me to "save seat please" as he left for food, but really he stood a couple feet away and watched to see if I actually would...for two hours! BUUUT considering that is about the highlight of my weary travels I prefer to simply skip ahead and tell you all the good stuff!

Once I arrived in Rome and finished crying after getting lost in the enormous airport, I found my friendly driver, Emanuel, and I was on my way. I arrive at the Pantheon, which in case you haven't seen it, looks like a movie set. It was dark when I arrived around 7:30pm and the monument was lit up with small spotlights coming from below. It was in picturesque with cobblestone streets and even ironically enough a man, or two, playing the guitar on the overlooking fountain that stands in the center. Directly to the right, my incredibly placed hotel room. After my long awaited shower in my personal bathroom (oh yeah!) I just about passed out at 9:00pm. Needless to say, my jet lag would last for at least another 3 days.

The next free day I had before the program began consisted of meeting up with Mick and enjoying the city I was so fortunate to be in. I walked toward the Campo di fiori which is where I would be living soon and where the city truly thrived. A live market was in action and it was wonderful to simply walk and here a language that was so musical. I would even sit on any on the plentiful fountains and just listen.

Eventually the program did begin and we moved into our apartments at "Il mio dirizzo e campo di fiori 46, interno 8," yes I did just write my entire address in Italian which I am learning in my thrifty Italiano class. After Mick moved my bags up the winding staircase 5 floors, no elevator (I betttttter loose weight) I was there. I unpacked in the back hallway room with the largest closet of course and lucked out getting Carisa Tuffey as my roommate. She's amazing and amide the girls that I haven't quite gotten to know as well, she is the greatest release for me, plus she LOVES wicked, so we sing defying gravity every night. The apartment has a terrance, the only one with a terrance and is massive. It has a living room, connected to a kitchen with a laundry room (but the laundry room has no roof, weird) and then two double rooms, a single and a four person room. Its perfect, a bit old and rustic with cheap imitation paintings of famous Italian art. The terrance over looks the Campo. Of course if I haven't mentioned yet the Campo has the largest open market in Italy, people come from everywhere to go and its only open Mon-Sat 6-2pm. Yikes!

Classes, have been a bit hard but for the most part very gratifying. I have been able to visit the "Jewish Ghetto" which isn't anything like it sounds. Its a very historical area with Jewish fountains, kosher restaurants and an incredibly beautiful synagogue in which the Pope is visiting this coming Sunday for PR reasons. I have, as mentioned, seen the Pantheon and more recently saw the Roman Forum (the most central part of the city in ancient Rome, as well at the founding ground of the city). Next to it the incredibly MASSIVE Colosseum.

The Colosseum, gets its own paragraph. The theme for our courses here is Contradiction, and the Colosseum has one of the most obvious contradictions I think. Walking in at first gives you this rush of excitement knowing that your standing where millions before you have stood for hundreds of years, the amount of history blows my mind. But then this cold draft hits you (granted it was raining and cold when we visited) and you realize what else this building stands for. Most of the remains left in Rome were kept for religious purposes, but not the Colosseum, it was pure human entertainment. But not what we view now but the most raw entertainment, the human nature that we try desperately to forget is within us, the part that hurts others, that inflicts pain. The monument, which so completely is a symbol of Rome was where deaths, torture and martyrs lye. Its a frightening thought.

Later today we are visiting the Augustus Palace of Peace and tomorrow traveling to the Roman coast of Ostia to looks at the Forum Baths and Baths of Neptune (my project eeehhh).

I would love to talk about food but to be honest it takes its own blog post, it will be long and it will detailed and I recommend not reading it when hungry, bring some snacks for it.

I love you all so much!! To those I haven't seen in a long time, I'm still thinking about you every second. Mom and Dad I miss you like you wouldn't believe but I'm trying my best to not think about you too much because it always makes me homesick and we all know that that leads to crying :). I miss you all and I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed telling you. I will try to post as often as I can, but internet is very flaky and class occupies a majority of my day, but when I have a moment, I will tell all. Things should be better after my project...LOVE YOU!!