Entry 10: November 30, 2011

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving Day. I was thrilled to experience it in Italy because I knew that it would be a very different experience from past Thanksgivings in America, and I was right. When Thursday began, it didn’t feel at all like a holiday since we had class all day. As I was sitting in class, I was daydreaming about previous Thanksgivings where my whole family spent a lazy day enjoying food, family, and football. Little did I know that the meal that would take place that night would be an unforgettable memory that I’m sure that I will look back on fondly for years to come. As classes finished for the day and it was time to get dressed up and head to the Servi for dinner, the anticipation began to build. I didn’t know what to expect and began to get even more excited for the new experience I was about to have. When we walked into the dining room, we were awed to see many beautiful tables set and amazing decorations all over the room. In the middle there were two glorious turkeys that smelled absolutely divine.

By the time that we arrived, some of the guests were beginning to show up too. It was great to see all of the teachers that we have worked with for the service learning project and the families that we have eaten dinner with all come together to celebrate our American holiday. As the night wore on, I began to firmly believe that even though I wasn’t surrounded with my biological family, I was spending time with my adopted Sansepolcran family, which made the night incredibly special for me. When it was time to sit down and get ready to eat, Allison and I sat with our family for one last dinner. It was a very sentimental meal for us knowing that it was the last time that we would share each other’s company over food. I really enjoyed sharing a tradition that’s important to my American family with my Italian family. Over the course of the feast, we explained to them how Thanksgiving is celebrated in the United States. It was a great moment for me because I felt like I was finally able to have a full conversation, granted it was a very slow conversation but a conversation nonetheless, with the members of my family. It was really neat for me to see how much I’ve grown in my knowledge of the Italian language over the course of the semester. Both my family and I realized this and really enjoyed being able to communicate without the help of their daughter Daniella translating for us.

Allison and I with our Italian family.

After dinner, we traced our hands on sheets of paper and made turkeys out of them to hang on the Thanksgiving tree (a Styrofoam turkey). Once they were decorated, everyone wrote what they were thankful for in the middle. I felt like I didn’t have enough space to list everything! As I was sitting there thinking about what to write, it really began to hit me how appreciative I am for this semester and the opportunity I’ve had to experience Italian culture, in addition to how much I didn’t want to leave this place that I have fallen in love with. I know that when I leave on Sunday, I’m going to greatly miss the picturesque town of Sansepolcro, my professors, the family that I had dinner with, the teachers that I worked with, and most importantly the girls that have become my sisters over the past three months. Everyone that I have encountered throughout my time here has opened their hearts and homes to me and has been so incredibly welcoming. It’s hard for me to fathom leaving this town and these people, not knowing when I will come back.

Going home, I know that I am a changed person in so many ways, and I feel like it’s going to be hard to go home to people who don’t fully understand everything that I’ve been through and how hard it is to leave. I’m excited for the Christmas season and seeing friends and family, but saying goodbye is going to be incomprehensibly hard. I think the hardest part for me is knowing that I will never have this experience again and I have no idea when the next time that I will come back to visit Italy and Europe. I am so thankful for every single second I have had in this amazing place and I know that I will cherish the memories that I made and the person that this semester has helped me to become. These next few days of exams, packing, cleaning, and eventually making the journey back home will be very bittersweet, but as they say “All good things must come to an end.” At least I can go home knowing that I have made some amazing friends who have gone through the same things as me and fully understand this unbelievable experience.

Entry 9: November 16, 2011

Even though we didn’t have a travel break this past weekend, a group of girls and I decided to spend some time in Barcelona, Spain. Hillary, and Katy C, and I had all booked our flights back in early October, so as the week drew to a close and we were getting ready to leave Italy, it was hard to believe that this trip was finally here! At the last moment, Katy K decided to come with us, and our excitement began to build even further. Thursday night, we traveled to Rome, spent a few hours in a hostel near the train station, and got up at the ungodly hour of 3:45am to begin our journey to Spain. The trip to Spain was very smooth with no problems. When we landed and were taxiing up to the airport, I could hardly believe that we were actually in Spain. It didn’t fully hit me until I saw Barcelona spelled out on the airport terminal and the flight attendants began speaking to us in Spanish that we were in another country.

After we gathered our belongings and found our way out of the airport, we headed towards our hostel via a shuttle bus. The ride wasn’t long and a lot of joy was brought to all of the Meredith girls on the bus when we passed a Starbucks very close to our bus stop. Of course once we got off the bus, we backtracked to have our first taste of American coffee since we left two and a half months ago. After savoring the little taste of home, we went along our way and found our hostel. Once we got situated, we ventured out into the amazing city of Barcelona. The vibe of the city was very different from the Italian cities that I have visited this semester. There were very old buildings that we passed just like Italy, but the city had a refreshing mix of modern buildings which gave it a more playful feeling. The weather in Barcelona was surprisingly warm and we didn’t even need jackets. I took three years of Spanish in high school and two semesters in college, so even though my Spanish is now all muddled with Italian, I thoroughly enjoyed being able to communicate with and understand people in speaking in a different language.

Having a base knowledge of the Spanish language helped in navigating around the city. We spent the afternoon touring and ended up on Montjuic in the evening just in time to watch the sunset. We had read about a Magic Fountain that’s located on top of Montjuic that has shows every evening, so we decided to check it out. When we arrived at the Magic Fountain, it was already dark, but there was no water coming out of fountain. We weren’t entirely sure what to expect, so we sat and waited on some steps with a large mass of other people. Once the show began, we were not disappointed with the elaborate display. The fountain had different colored lights that lit up the water, spouts that rotated to make the water shoot up in a circular motion, and jets that shot the water stories high into the air. The show was set to music and for at least half an hour, all of us sat there mesmerized. After we were satisfied with how much we had seen, we decided to get some authentic Spanish food for dinner which was very delicious.

Entry 7: November 1, 2011

Monday was Halloween. It was an interesting experience to celebrate the holiday in Italy. Until we started decorating the palazzo, it didn’t actually feel like Halloween. I think that was partly due to the lack of decorations or Halloween activities in Italy, where Halloween only began to be celebrated ten years ago. I started to get into the spirit of the holiday when I spent the afternoon putting up decorations and getting some of the crafts ready for the children to make. I had a great time laughing, listening to Halloween music like “Ghostbusters” and “Monster Mash,” and making the palazzo look festive with colorful streamers and cobwebs with all of the other girls. Once the palazzo was ready for the party, we rushed around getting into our costumes.

As 5:30 p.m. arrived, so did the first batch of children. They were absolutely adorable dressed up as witches, monsters and vampires! First, they decorated paper goody bags which they could put their treats in as the night wore on. As soon as a few more kids arrived, I went to man my pop-up card making station with Hillary. I was really excited to help the Italian children make the fun craft. I couldn’t wait to compare the experience to previous experiences working with preschool-aged children at a summer camp in the United States. It wasn’t until the first few kids came to our table that I realized how much of a challenge it was going to be. When you have up to eight children working on the same craft that includes cutting, gluing, and coloring, it can be an interesting time, but when a language barrier is added, it gets even more demanding. I don’t think I’ve ever used so many hand gestures in my life to try to communicate with people! Even though it was hard to give clear instructions with my limited Italian vocabulary to the kids, I got a lot of satisfaction when they would understand the directions I was giving them and when they had so much fun making their pop-up cards. Even though the night was somewhat stressful for me, it was a wonderful experience and everyone had a great time!

The Meredith girls all dressed up for Halloween.

Tuesday was All Saint’s Day and we didn’t have class. Wednesday was All Soul’s Day where the Italians visited the cemetery where their loved ones are buried and bring flowers. We had the unique experience to be able to see the cemetery and the traditions of this day. During Italy Today, we walked to the cemetery in Sansepolcro with Sara, our program director. It was very enlightening to be able to have an Italian tell us about the traditions and explain about how the cemeteries in Italy are set up. Even though our walk through the cemetery was somewhat somber, it was very fascinating. They have the pictures on the gravestones of the people who are buried there. Also, they have many family members--we saw up to six--buried together in one grave site. It was very illuminating to me to see more differences between Italian and American culture, especially in something such as cemeteries, which I wouldn’t have ever thought about had I not had this opportunity.

It was very touching to see the similarities in how people honor their loved ones by putting flowers on their graves and visiting where they were buried. This chance to be able to experience the traditional All Soul’s Day also helped put life into perspective again. It’s easy to forget how short life can be and to take each day for granted. I’ve tried really hard to not do that in Italy, but when you get into your daily routine, it’s easy to not live life to the fullest. I have also realized lately how short of a time we have left in Italy. We only have a month left until we leave to come home and I know how quickly that time will fly. It’s going to be really hard to say goodbye to this amazing place, but after my parents visiting for two weekends, I’m starting to look forward to what I have waiting for me in the U.S. My goal is to make the absolute most of my time left here and try to live every second of this beautiful life to the fullest!

Entry 6: November 1, 2011

We have had a very interesting week here in Sansepolcro. Thursday was Andie's birthday!  She loved the Pinocchio bank that we gave her to go with her penguins that we got her in Murano.  On Friday, Mr and Mrs Stuber arrived. I know Andie was so thrilled they were able to come for her birthday.  

On Saturday, we woke up and took the Stubers through the Sansepolcro market. It was rainy a cold, but while some booths braved the weather, there was not nearly as many as are usually there. After a little shopping, we piled into the BMW the Stubers rented and headed off on our first day trip. First stop:  Lucca.

Lucca is such a beautiful city!  I think I've developed a soft spot in my heart for old, walled cities. There was another market in Lucca, so of course we had to browse!  We had a delicious lunch of ravioli and continued to walk around and take in the beauty. 

Next, we headed to Pisa. Driving up to the city, I could see the tower from a little way off. As we got closer and could see more of the square, the green grass, clear blue skies, and beautiful square made me feel like I was walking into a postcard!  We got our pictures holding up the tower, but it really takes a long time to get it just right. Hillary had to coach me on my hands for a while, I don't really know why my hands are so weird. We finally got our pictures taken and Mr Stuber, Andie, and Hillary went to climb the tower while Mrs Stuber and I shopped around for a little bit.

On Sunday, we headed to Perugia for the last day of the Chocolate Festival. We've all been talking about how much we miss the fair, but being at the festival I remembered the one thing I do not miss about the fair-crowds. We were pushed and had to shuffle along like herded cattle. With the purchase of a "choco-card", we were able to get a sample of chocolate at multiple booths. Hillary and I shared a card and I felt like I still got plenty of chocolate. Perugia was beautiful and since it was at a higher altitude like Urbino, we were able to see astonishing views pretty much everywhere we looked. After we finished eating our chocolate, it began to rain. This was perfect time to get in the car and head toward Assisi. 

We got to the lower outskirts of Assisi and went into a beautiful Basilica and toured around the outskirts of the city. Next we got in the car and drove up the mountain into the city. It was quite a different experience to drive along those narrow streets than walking which is what I am used to. We had such a wonderful time with Andie's parents, and we all sat in the car laughing at the reactions we got being a car full of tourists with cameras sticking out every window. We passed by two ladies who took one look at us and said, "Oddio!"  which has been our token phrase since we've been here. To make things better, we ended up turned around and had to find our way back around the city. We ended up driving in a big circle!  Eventually we DID make it out and finally headed back to the Palazzo.

I went to my high school on Monday. The students were putting their posters on American High School and American College together based on the information I've given them. It was really cool to see their creativity come alive while they were using my pictures and information about my experiences. These kids are so enthusiastic and so sweet!  They would be my dream students back when I used to want to be a teacher. I really have never met a group of students that pay so much attention and are so committed to their work. It makes class time so much more fun.
The fact that we have less than forty days remaining here has become a taboo subject around here. We talk about plans for the weekends and realized that there are a precious few left. I know one day I'll be back, but the thought of leaving Sansepolcro is so different than when we left Raleigh. I knew I was leaving home in Raleigh, but I also knew that I would be back in a few months. Now I am realizing that I'm leaving this new home that I love so dearly and do not know when I'll be back. I love everyone at home, but I feel like I have to take in every second in Sansepolcro because I will miss it so much. 

It is raining today and I am sitting in one of our armchairs, blogging while I see the rain falling through window. It's moments like this that are written about in books. The only thing missing is a cup of hot chocolate, which I will be drinking lots of when I get home.


signing off with a craving for some cocoa,
Katy

Chocolate Festival in Perugia

Beautiful views in Perugia

Assisi

Pisa

Entry 6: October 26, 2011

I have been so excited to have the opportunity to share Italy and Sansepolcro with my parents and they finally arrived on Friday! After many hours of delayed flights, trying to locate lost luggage, and finding their rental car, they finally made it to Sansepolcro. The timing of their visit worked out perfectly. My birthday was Thursday, so they were able to wish me a happy birthday a short twenty-four hours after I turned twenty. The semester is also almost two-thirds of the way finished, so I’m well acclimated to Sansepolcro and when they leave, it won’t be long before I see them again.

When my mom called me to tell me that they were in Sansepolcro, I was filled with an indescribable joy and excitement. I ended up convincing them to park on the side of the road and let me come to them so I wouldn’t get them lost trying to direct them to the parking lot. I felt like I was in a movie when I got closer to them. I saw my mom and she turned around and started waving like crazy. We both started running towards each other and gave each other a humongous hug. Then my dad joined in, and it was one of the best group hugs I’ve ever experienced. I loved being able to navigate them through town, pointing out spots where I shopped, painted, or have eaten. It was so special to have them in here because I know that now when I talk about Sansepolcro, they are able to envision the picturesque town that it is and can hopefully now understand why I’m going to miss it.

The next morning, we got up and drove to Lucca and Pisa. It was amazing to travel again with my parents, this time as an adult. I got to show them my navigating skills by directing us to all of the important sights in Lucca. I had heard that Lucca was pretty, but everyone’s descriptions didn’t do it justice. The buildings were old and gorgeous and there were even really tall towers! Having heard about how all of the towers in Sansepolcro were lowered when the Medici took over, it was exciting to see a tower that was left its original height. Walking through the town, I felt as if I had stepped back in time. It seemed as if it hadn’t changed much since the time that it was built. Even though we didn’t spend much time in Lucca, we were able to see some of the main sights. The Chiesa di San Michele was spectacular. Walking through the cathedral brought back memories of touring through other parts of Europe with my family and seeing so many other cathedrals. We walked through the rest of Lucca, stopping to admire and taking plenty of pictures of the other sights.

The afternoon was spent in Pisa. It was another incredible experience. It was great to be able to see something spectacular that I had seen in so many books and share the experience with my family and best friends. We thought that we wouldn’t be able to climb to the top of the tower, so we were very excited when my dad found out that we could buy tickets to climb it. Hillary, my dad, and I all lined up, getting excited because the sun was starting to set. I don’t know how we have such great luck, but we managed to watch the sun set over the city of Pisa from the Leaning Tower. It was a nerve-racking experience being at the top where you can clearly feel the lean of the tower, especially for someone like me who’s afraid of heights. Even though I was nervous, it was well worth it. I loved being able to create more phenomenal memories in Italy and be able to include my parents in them.

My parents and I in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Sunday morning, we drove to Perugia for the final day of the Eurochocolate Festival. It was neat to be able to see Perugia and get free samples of chocolate! It was definitely more crowded than I thought it would be, but that enabled me to have more time to talk with my parents. After everyone had had their fair share of chocolate, we decided to drive through Assisi on our way back to Sansepolcro. When we first drove into town, we saw the Basilica di Santa Maria Degli Angeli and ended up parking and going inside. It was another remarkable church. It was fun to be able to talk to my dad about how hard it is to fathom how someone would spend that much time and energy to create something so spectacular just to go to church services in. It’s also crazy to think how detailed it is and how someone, centuries ago, came up with the idea of putting a certain sculpture or detail into the church. After we finished touring it, we got back in the car and tried to drive up as close to the Rocca Maggiore, a fortress that dominates the top of the hill, as possible. We ended up behind Assisi and were able to get some good pictures of the Rocca Maggiore.

Basilica di Santa Maria Degli Angeli

We had an adventure trying to get back around Assisi! At one point, we took a left turn that ended up leading us into the top of the city. We weren’t sure how to turn around and get out, so we kept following the road. The street was very narrow and had people walking down it. If there weren’t cars parked on the side, we would have been convinced that it was a pedestrian street. Needless to say, it was a very unique and interesting experience filled with laughter. I’m not sure many people have experienced such an ancient town as Assisi by driving through it at dusk. It was amazing to have my parents in Italy with me for the weekend, and I know that it will be a weekend I will always remember.

Entry 5: October 19, 2011

This last weekend was spent touring Venice and Verona. Venice took my breath away with its beauty. I’ve always loved the ocean and being on the water, so being in Venice was a dream come true. I could spend weeks just wandering around the canals taking pictures. Verona was also gorgeous and I wish that we had more than a few hours to spend touring.

Getting to Venice was an interesting learning experience. We had written down all of our train times and different options to get to Venice at a decent time on Friday morning. 4:30 came way too early Friday morning, but we got out of bed and rushed around trying to get ready to catch the 5:30am bus to Arezzo. We made it to the bus fine and got to Arezzo with no problems. Once we got to Arezzo, we went to buy our train tickets for the 7:00am train only to find out that all of the trains were sold out until after 9am! We were at a loss of what to do.

After talking over our options, we went to the ticket attendant and got tickets for the 9:30am train to Venice for 50 Euros! It was a learning experience, because we had always been told that it’s a lot easier to buy your tickets at the train station rather than try to redeem your electronic receipt to get your tickets. We had never thought that a train would be sold out, especially at 6:30 on a Friday morning! Fortunately, we learned our lesson and will plan accordingly next time. Once we got to Venice, we bought Rolling Venice passes and made our way to the hostel. After getting off the waterbus, we experienced the confusing nature that is the streets of Venice. We had a little bit of trouble finding the hostel, but after asking a couple of different people for directions, we made it. It was a very beautiful and interesting place to stay. It used to be a palace and Casanova stayed there at one point. The ceilings were elaborately decorated, so it was a little ironic to be staying in iron bunk beds under a ceiling fit for a palace.

View of gondolas from St. Mark’s Square.

Over the course of the weekend, we were able to tour through St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, and the island of Murano. It was another incredible weekend of seeing legendary sights, but I think the thing that I’m going to remember most about the weekend was the people that we met and the lessons I learned from them. Our hostel, A Venice Museum, was like no place I’ve ever stayed before. There was a lounge where people hung out and got to know each other. The hostel owner took us out for drinks so we could find a good place to have a fun night, and Saturday night, we even got a three-course meal of only 5 Euros! We met people from so many different places who were traveling for months at a time just to see and enjoy Europe. It really opened my eyes to a whole different sort of life.

This study abroad experience has shown me how independent I can be, and it has proved to me that, even though it would be hard, I could happily live in another country for any amount of time. Up to this point in the semester, I’ve toyed with the idea of possibly trying to study abroad again in Denmark before my senior year of college and have even thought about the very far-fetched idea of going to graduate school in Australia. It wasn’t until I talked to these people, saw their lives, and heard about their experiences that I realized that these dreams could actually come true and be my reality a few years from now. As I was getting to know people from Canada, Australia, Chile, and London, I realized that nothing in life is permanent. I’ve always had my life plan where I would go to college, maybe graduate school, get a job, get married, have kids, pretty much follow the “set” American life. After this weekend, I’ve realized how wide open the future is. I may not make it abroad to live again, but I’m ok with that. For once, I’m not scared of the future and it not working out according to plan; I’m no longer stressing about what sort of interior design I want to go into. I think that I’ve finally realized that you just have to see where life takes you, take each experience for all it’s worth, and then go from there. I’m so excited for the future and can’t wait to see where life takes me! Even though the lessons I learned this past weekend in Venice and Verona weren’t about the history of what I saw or other important facts, I feel I learned a very vital lesson.

Entry 4: October 11, 2011

Yesterday marked the beginning of an incredible and very unique opportunity that I have been given while in Italy. It was my first morning of service learning, where every student is assigned a school and is able to go and work in English classrooms with Italian students. I was very nervous trying to prepare for my first visit. I had been gone visiting my brother in Rome all weekend, so I had to complete all of my lesson plans when I got back Sunday night. Luckily, I was able to find some good resources in the papers that Sara, our program director, had left on her desk. Even though I thought that the lesson plans were going to be adequate, I had no way of knowing for sure that they would work until I got into class.
Monday morning was a rush of trying to get ready and get to where I was meeting the teachers who would drive me to the school. I was early, but time seemed to go very slowly as I stood there wondering if I happened to write down the wrong place and what would happen if they didn’t show up. Fortunately, my teachers showed up on time and the drive to the school was uneventful. All of the ladies who carpooled in the car were very nice and after introducing themselves, they talked amongst themselves for the most part. It was nice because I didn’t feel the pressure of trying to make conversation in Italian with the fast-talking locals first thing in the morning. When we got to school, I was told that I would be in a second level class, which is the equivalent to the second grade in the United States. I hadn’t met the second grade teacher before and hadn’t been told to prepare anything, so I walked in hoping that I could just help and wing the rest of it.

It was very interesting and was a great learning experience to work in an Italian classroom. I learned that children with mental disabilities aren’t put into separate classes, which can make the class dynamic very difficult. Also, a large number of students are immigrants, so English is at least their third language, so it can be really hard for them to learn it. I was very surprised that children kept meandering in after the bell; they didn’t even seem to be fazed that they were late. I was also a little shocked over how little control the teacher had over the class. The only way they tried to regain control was to yell at the children or count very loudly. It was a big difference compared to schools in the US where if children don’t listen or misbehave, privileges are taken away, and teachers frequently use methods such as turning off the lights or saying certain words to get the children’s attention. It was also amazing to me how much English the second graders already knew. They knew about as much English as I know Italian. It made me want to work harder at learning the Italian language, so I would be better equipped to communicate with them in their native language.

After helping the children count and sing happy birthday to a classmate, I moved to the fifth level. It was a stark contrast to the second graders. All of the children were very well-behaved and the teacher had full control over the class. There was a little confusion over the activity that I had brought in regards to the directions, but once that was figured out, the children easily completed the activity, making me realize that it was far below their level. It was a good experience because it helped me better gauge where they are in their English so I can prepare more suitable lesson plans in the future.

Once the second hour was over, I moved to the third level. This class was very wild too. The activities that I had prepared were better suited for their level, and the teacher told me later that she really liked one of my activities where I had used colored star stickers to help reinforce colors and numbers. At one point, she had to deal with some paperwork and talk to another teacher, so I was in charge of the class by myself for a short period of time. It was a lot harder than it would have been for me in an American classroom. I didn’t have enough vocabulary to ask the children to stop or sit down in their seats, so at times I almost felt helpless. The teacher didn’t seem to mind, though, and told me after the fact that I had done a good job and interacted with the children really well, which made me feel a lot better.

After presenting my lesson and helping the regular English lesson in the third grade class, I helped take the third graders to a mushroom festival. It was really neat to see them sit, fascinated by all of the different types of mushrooms a man was talking about. It was also cool to hear them ask a lot of questions at the end. It made me excited that they were so interested in learning, especially about something like mushrooms. Once we got all of the children back to their classroom, it was their lunchtime, and my time to go home. I felt a little bit relieved to be done with the morning, but very proud that I had worked and successfully helped in three different Italian classrooms. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the semester brings with the service learning and what other discoveries I make.

Travel Journal 3 - October 5, 2011

This past weekend was spent in the fabulous city of Rome with my roommates and my roommate’s mother and grandmother. By the end of the weekend, I felt like I had seen all of the major sights that Rome has to offer. We toured the Coliseum, the Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum Friday morning. Friday night we went on a walking tour where we saw the church where Michelangelo used to be buried, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and the Piazza Navona. After a relaxing dinner, we walked up the Spanish Steps. Saturday morning, we toured the Vatican Museum, admired the Sistine Chapel, and walked through St. Peter’s Basilica. I think I’d have to say that Saturday night was my favorite experience from my entire weekend in Rome.

Hillary and I decided that since we had seen most of the sights on our list, we would cross one more off by seeing the Castel Sant’ Angelo. We didn’t know much about it other than that it was a castle in the middle of Rome. When we finally reached the back of the castle, we saw that it used to have a moat. It was fun trying to imagine what the castle looked like in the time when the moat was full of water and most likely had some sort of animals in it like piranhas or alligators to deter intruders. We got there around 6pm and had a blast exploring the old castle. There is a museum in the castle, so we got to admire more exquisite artwork and frescos. As we were wandering around, we saw signs that pointed to a terrace. We decided to try to find it and climbed up many different staircases that led to a door. As we opened the door, I’m sure I stopped dead in my tracks because the view that greeted us with was so incredible. I didn’t realize how far above the city we had climbed until I walked out onto the terrace. To one side, the sun was setting behind a beautiful building and to the other side we could see across the Tiber River for what seemed like forever. Hillary and I were in our own world and spent a really long time on the terrace taking pictures.

Hillary and I hadn’t looked at a map to see where we were in relation to other sights in the city, so at first we didn’t realize that the spectacular building that the sun was setting directly behind was St. Peter’s Basilica. It was so peaceful and amazing to have another experience like the one we had at the Piazzale Michelangelo where we got to watch the sun set over famous sights and watch the lights of the city turn on around us. I think the best part is that we had no idea that we were going to have such a wonderful experience when we came to the castle. It was really neat to be able to tour a castle that started out as a mausoleum for the Roman Emperor’s family, then was turned into a castle and fortress by the popes, and eventually became the museum that it is today. In our Italy Today class, we have been learning about how the Nazis had control of Rome during World War II and it was interesting to try to imagine what the castle would have been like during a more easily imaginable part of history.

View of the sun setting behind St. Peter’s Basilica from Castel Sant’ Angelo

The trip to Rome was a wonderful growing experience for me. It was the first time that we had traveled without the entire group and it was really interesting for me to see how different people approach travel. I grew up traveling with my family, so the way that we travel is normal to me, so it was really refreshing to see traveling from another perspective. It was also really nice for me to exhibit my independence and feel like an adult. I successfully navigated through Rome using my city maps many times over the course of the weekend, which was a major accomplishment, because before coming to Italy, I felt that I was horrible at reading maps. I also took responsibility for helping plan and making sure that we saw everything that we wanted. Over the course of the weekend, I realized that I had become a little more fearless in regards to asking people for directions, making sure that I knew the details for the plans, and knowing where we were going and what we were doing. In past family trips, I was just along for the ride, so it was nice to know that I can successfully plan a trip and have it be such a memorable weekend. After the weekend in Rome, I can’t wait to see what other revelations come from traveling for the rest of the semester.

Entry 2: September 21, 2011

I had an amazing time in Florence this past weekend! It was a trip full of sight-seeing, learning experiences, and lots of fun. On our way to Florence, we learned how to read a bus schedule, how to validate our bus and train tickets, and where to find the information for when and where the trains leave. Our journey was pretty uneventful on the way to Florence. After we made it safely to the train station and regrouped, we began our long trek to our hotel. Even though it was around a forty-five minute walk, it was incredible. We caught glimpses of the Duomo between buildings when we first started walking, and that’s when it really hit me that I was in Florence. I could hardly believe that I was finally experiencing the city that I’ve learned so much about in class and my tour books. As we continued our walk, we turned into the San Lorenzo market. It seemed to go on forever, and it almost caused me to have sensory overload. I wish that I had at least four more eyes to be able to take in all of the sights. The vendors were calling out to us, trying to get us to stop and look at their goods, and telling us that they had a special price just for us. I was really glad that Dr. Bailey told us that we weren’t going to stop and look at the market; otherwise, I wouldn’t have made it to the hotel for another couple of hours.

When we finally emerged from the market, we continued walking toward our hotel. The sights we saw on the way were astounding. I would round a corner and suddenly I was shocked by the sight of the Duomo or Piazza Signoria. That was something that I loved about Florence. If you weren’t prepared for what was coming next, your breath would be taken away by the gorgeous sights. I know that it happened to me many times. We walked past the Cappelle Medicee (the Medici Chapel), the Florence Chapel with the Duomo, the Piazza Signoria that contained the Palazzo Vecchio, the Piazza della Repubblica (the Republic Square), the Pitti Palace, and over the Ponte Vecchio, all on our walk to the hotel. It was hard to not stop and spend ten minutes taking pictures of everything we walked past. After checking into the hotel, we spent the afternoon and evening at the market and spending time in the courtyard at our hotel talking.

Saturday morning we had the opportunity to tour the Pitti Palace. I was amazed at how ornate the Pitti Palace was. We entered the courtyard, where we were greeted with incredible details on every surface we saw. Even the overhang of the roof had carving on it! Before we started touring the galleries, we had a small history lesson from Dr. Bailey. It was fascinating to learn about how the palace had changed hands from the Medici family, to Austrian their relatives, to Napoleon, and finally to the House of Savoy. When we began touring the galleries, it really hit me how privileged the people who owned the palace were. They had works of art from so many very famous artists. In other galleries, a work of art from Rafael would be the centerpiece of the collection, but in the Pitti Palace, it was just one of the many pieces. It was awesome to see such incredible works of art all in one place.

After touring the Pitti Palace, we meandered through the Boboli Gardens, walked through the Piazza Signoria, toured around the Florence Cathedral and Duomo, and sat and relaxed in front of the Santa Croce. All of those were phenomenal to see, but I think the highlight of the day was watching the sun set over the Piazzale Michelangelo. We brought some dinner with us and settled in on the steps to enjoy the view of Florence. I’m not even sure that I can put into the words the view and emotions that I felt that night. It was spectacular to watch the sky change from bright pinks and reds to violets and navy blues. As the stars started to appear, it was as if they were reflected in the city skylines as the lights turned on all over Florence. It was a night that I will remember for as long as I live.

View of the Palazzo Vecchio and the Florence Cathedral from the Piazzale Michelangelo

Sunday morning, we managed to tour part of the Uffizi Gallery. It was another astounding experience. We looked at works of art that were older than our country and stood where thousands of people have stood before us admiring masterpieces by famous artists. It was a surreal feeling. Everywhere in Florence has such a rich history and was so interesting to learn about. It made me want to investigate the histories of all of the great sights that we’ve seen so I can appreciate them more fully. I know that just being able to see them helped me to learn so much.

In the afternoon, we had another learning experience and adventure. There was a train strike, so we were quickly acclimated to what to do in that sort of crisis situation. I learned not to validate my train ticket until the train gets to the station, how to see the different stops each train makes, and to keep calm when travel plans go awry. That was a lesson learned throughout the whole weekend. We didn’t manage to get to climb the Duomo because it was closed on Sundays, which helped us learn to always check the times of all of the major sights before we get to the city. This trip has helped me prepare for future travel breaks by showing me that planning is vital, but flexibility is also an important aspect of any trip. I hope that I can visit Florence again in the future!

Entry 1: September 13, 2011

It’s hard to believe that I’ve only been Italy for two weeks. So much has happened that it feels like we’ve been here for much longer. I knew as soon as I stepped inside the walls of Sansepolcro that it was going to be a wonderful semester. The buildings are all absolutely gorgeous and make the town feel as if you have stepped back into a different century. The first week felt almost like a dream. I’d go to sleep and wake up to the chatter of Italians on the street below. Whenever I would glance out the window, I would have to pinch myself to remember that yes, I was actually in Italy.
Last week was the first full week of classes. It was nice to develop a more stable routine. However, on Tuesday our classes were rearranged because we had a very unique opportunity. Instead of having English, we got dressed up and walked to the town hall to meet the mayor of Sansepolcro. It was very sweet of her to take time out of her busy schedule to formally welcome us to the city. We sat in the chamber where the town officials meet to pass legislation to wait for her. It gave the meeting a more official feeling. When it was time, the mayor came in and Sara, our Italian Assistant Program Director, translated for her. The mayor talked about how she and the town of Sansepolcro were all very happy to have us here. They hope that the connection that Sansepolcro and Meredith have formed will continue to grow. Her speech was heart-warming and almost made me tear up. It was very nice to feel so welcomed after experiencing the differences between our cultures.

These past two weekends we have also been given once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Both weekends we were extended the honor to join the locals in a Renaissance processional during the Balestra festival. It was an eye-opening experience. The first weekend, I was all jittery and excited when we got into our dresses. I didn’t know what to expect! Everyone who participated had richly colored traditional Renaissance attire. It was neat to see traditional performances such as fire twirling, dancing, and flag waving. Even the men who were drummers and trumpet players had on Renaissance attire: brightly colored tights, matching long shirts, and hats. Everything that happened during the festival seemed to be historically accurate. It was really interesting to me to see how they have preserved a part of their history and honor it each year. It remains part of their culture.

This past weekend we were invited to process again on the night of the flag performances. It was a surreal experience all over again, but this time I knew a little more of what to expect, so I enjoyed it a little bit more. As we walked through the main street of Sansepolcro, it hit me again what an honor it was to be asked to participate. They had asked us, Americans and foreigners to their culture, to participate in something that they value so highly, instead of some of the locals. It amazed me the sheer amount of people who lined up just to see the processional, even though the actual event wasn’t for another two hours. I enjoyed contrasting the Italian culture to the culture I grew up in. In the US, we don’t have such a rich, historical culture. I know that in Raleigh, most teenagers would not be caught dead at any sort of reenactment, but here the young people who were participating were proud to do it. There were even toddlers who were part of the flag show! It was neat to see how proud everyone was of their history and how they have incorporated it into their contemporary culture and everyday life.

When it came time for the flag performance, I was amazed! When the flag men, called the Sbandieratori, began to perform, it reminded me of the half time show of a football game. There were drummers and people playing trumpets, all in costume, to accompany the flags. I couldn’t believe my eyes when they performed. It was incredible to watch their flag maneuvering. They were able to throw it in the air so that another person could catch it. There were men who were even able to juggle their flags! They were able to simultaneously wave a flag in one hand and move another flag so it was under their leg with their other hand. I was flabbergasted at their skills. It was astonishing to see how they performed with the flags that were distinguished by different coats of arms. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

On Sunday, the Balestra concluded with the crossbow competition. It began with a processional, which was really enjoyable to watch, having experienced it for myself. After all of the people from both Gubbio and Sansepolcro had entered the piazza, the competition began. It was like nothing I had ever seen. All of the participants stood at one end of the piazza and shot at the same small target at the other end. There were at least fifty to a hundred arrows in the target by the end. It was a great experience to be able to watch them use the crossbow to bring a different sort of pride to their town than they used to when they used them in battle. After everyone had shot, the target was taken away so the winners could be determined. When they announced the winners, a man from Sansepolcro won third place and the crowd went crazy. They then announced that another man from Sansepolcro won second place and the crowd got even louder. You could almost feel the anticipation of the announcement of the first place winner. When they announced that Sansepolcro had swept it, and had won first, second, and third, the cheers were deafening. I almost felt like I was at the Olympics! All of the participants crowded around the winner and lifted him up on their shoulders and took him up to the platform where they were giving out the awards. When he received the target with his arrow in it, he had a look of pure elation on his face. I felt that I could imagine what was going through his head and how he was feeling. I was so proud. I almost felt like I was a Sansepolcran with how proud I was at the end of the event. I hadn’t expected to feel that way. After the crowd dispersed, there was a final processional around the town, with the winner proudly marching, displaying his trophy of the target with his winning arrow in it.

However, the day ended on a somber note after all the celebration, when we stopped and thought about the date. Yesterday was the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. It didn’t really hit me until we were on our way back from the cross bow competition and saw that Fabrizzio had put up an American flag in his doorway to remembrance of the victims of 9/11. The action really touched me, that someone from another country would remember and honor those lost in the attacks and their families. It made me a little sad that I wasn’t able to take part in any remembrance of the terrorist attacks with my fellow Americans. I know that back home they were having news specials to honor everyone, but we had not been able to hear or see anything during the past week. I felt disconnected from my home country. However, remembering that day ten years ago made me realize again how fortunate and blessed that I am. It was nice to be able to think about it and, at least in spirit and thoughts, support those back home.