Hi everyone! I am writing today on my last day at school. So far, the kids have been so sweet! One little boy even started crying when he found out I was never coming back. It was so touching! They made me a card, and their moms and dads bought me a book that has sketches of landmarks in Rome and I had the kids sign it. We even had a little party where they brought in mostly junk food and we watched The Lorax as most of the kids hadn't seen it.
This afternoon we will go outside where the Nomentana fair will be happening, which is basically like a Carnival. My friend Nick is on his way here and I am so excited to see one of my best friends!!! After school, Noreen and I are having a party as she is going on sabbatical for a year and I am leaving. It still has yet to hit me that I will no longer live in Rome. We have some plans for Saturday, so it's not entirely over yet!
In honor of leaving quite soon, before going to Venice, Paris, and London, and finally home, I thought I would make a list of things I will miss and won't miss about Italy! We will go with the negative first...
5. The crazy Italian driving....You basically just walk out in front of cars and hope they stop. Also, the honking and ridiculous gestures. I will look forward to driving my own car again (if I remember how) and driving on simple roads.
4. This heat. The last 2 weeks have been disgustingly hot...I'm talking to ac in the classroom or at home and it has been about 93 degrees INSIDE the classroom. The kids are miserable, I'm miserable and we are all sweating. Gross!
3. Not knowing where I am going/what I am doing. I usually feel lost and I am horrible at directions, so going places is my downfall. Good thing I was going places by myself a lot of the time....Also, in the grocery store, I will not miss not knowing what things are. I would like to know if that is a bottle of conditioner or if it's lotion, thank you.
2. The toilets. Why do Italians think it's ok to not have a toilet seat. It's kind of a necessity if you ask me. The worst one is located in my favorite bar....I will miss the bar, but definitely not the disgustingness of the bathroom.
1. Errands taking hours. You need deodorant? Be prepared for this errand to take 5 hours. People are leisurely and one errand turns into wondering around Rome for countless hours.
Things I will miss:
5. Seeing beautiful buildings all around me wherever I go. I was constantly looking around me that I have tripped a few times!
4. Italian men saying "Ciao Bella." I mean come on, what girl wouldn't want to be greeted by men saying "Hi Beautiful" every morning.
3. The food! The spaghetti, pizza, and gelato were better than expected. I will not miss them making me fat, however.
2. My students! They were such a lively group of kiddos, but they taught me just as much as I taught them. They thought the word "Minnesota" was one of the funniest things ever, they spoke to me in Italian daily and laughed when I couldn't answer, and they were all in all just a fun bunch!
1. The teachers and friends I have met. Everyone was so welcoming and loving towards me, even though I was basically a stranger. Without all the encouragement and help I got, Rome would have been a much scarier place. All of them invited me into their lives without a doubt and I will always remember them for that! I want to reunite with them at some point in my life! We have already discussed pen pals with our classes!
This has been such an amazing experience and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I have learned so much about teaching and mostly about myself over the past 3 months. I am excited to be on vacation for 10 days before going back to "reality." I know this will not be goodbye for Rome, but a see you later!
Ciao Italia!
xoxoxo Katie
Italy
Friday, June 21, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Firenze
This past weekend I took a train to Florence, or Firenze in Italiano. I was a judge at the school talent show (ha) and made me way to the train station. And of course, travelling is never worry free for me. I found out 2 min before I was going to go that the public transport wasn't working due to a strike. Cool. There goes 15 euros for a taxi! I got to Florence just fine and met Rebecca and Marissa.
We found our hotel and checked in very sweating. It is getting very hot here now- this weekend it was 90s. We asked our hotel guy where to go to eat. He reccommended a place and we went there at 9:30. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into!
We knew it was good because there were tons of people outside waiting to get in. Two boys from Canada chatted with us for a bit- they basically warned us that it was a different dining exerience!
We were seated after a few min. and everything seemed normal; it was definitely a fun atmosphere with music and the waiters were laughing and talking. We got our order in and talked.
Our food came and it was then that we noticed that the waiters seemed a little drunk- and they were doing shots with other tables around us....One of the waiters came to our table and made us wear wigs...while we ate.
When we got back to Florence, we went to the market where their speciality is leather goods. We bartered and got some good deals! We had pizza for dinner and went to bed early as we had had a long day!
On Sunday morning, we basically woke up and left on our trains. It was the last time I will be seeing Marissa and Rebecca, so that was sad! I am definitely already planning on going to Seattle to visit them sometime soon!
Sunday night was fun because my friend Robyn from my swim team in h.s. was backpacking with her friend Kirsten through Europe and was in Rome this weekend. I cooked them pasta and took them to the Drunken Ship. It was good to catch up with Robyn and get to know Kirsten!
Now I only have 4 days left of school! It seems so crazy to me. I am definitely ready to be done with the teaching part. I am excited to go home and see friends and family, but I also want to stay because when I go back, I have to find a job and do grown up stuff! I am so excited for Nick to come in only 4 days! I think travelling with him will be a great vacation!
Ciao and mi manchi (i love you)!
xoxo Katie
We found our hotel and checked in very sweating. It is getting very hot here now- this weekend it was 90s. We asked our hotel guy where to go to eat. He reccommended a place and we went there at 9:30. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into!
We knew it was good because there were tons of people outside waiting to get in. Two boys from Canada chatted with us for a bit- they basically warned us that it was a different dining exerience!
We were seated after a few min. and everything seemed normal; it was definitely a fun atmosphere with music and the waiters were laughing and talking. We got our order in and talked.
Our food came and it was then that we noticed that the waiters seemed a little drunk- and they were doing shots with other tables around us....One of the waiters came to our table and made us wear wigs...while we ate.
The owner let us have Marissa's ipod on for the whole restaurant. She played the song "The Cupid Shuffle" which has a specific dance to it. Of course I wanted to do this dance, so we taught the waiters the cupid shuffle in the middle of the restaurant...with wigs on. Yep. People at other tables were taking pictures and videoing us. Cool. This is what future teachers look like! ha!
We made our way on Sat. AM to the meeting spot for a wine tour. Our tour guide was super nice and knowledgeable. Everyone else on our tour was visiting Italy and hadn't been here long. It was cool knowing about stuff and informing them! I felt like an expert, even though I am far from it. Olsa was from Sweeden and she wrote articles about wine for a wine magazine and travelled all around the world for wine tasting etc, so she knew her stuff! We went to two wineries, one big and one small. Both were great to see and were absolutely beautiful. We also ate lunch at a restaurant ownd by "the crazy butcher" He is famous for playing ACDC and also has his own tv show. We also stopped in a small town near the second winery and had some ice cream and shopping.
On Sunday morning, we basically woke up and left on our trains. It was the last time I will be seeing Marissa and Rebecca, so that was sad! I am definitely already planning on going to Seattle to visit them sometime soon!
Sunday night was fun because my friend Robyn from my swim team in h.s. was backpacking with her friend Kirsten through Europe and was in Rome this weekend. I cooked them pasta and took them to the Drunken Ship. It was good to catch up with Robyn and get to know Kirsten!
Now I only have 4 days left of school! It seems so crazy to me. I am definitely ready to be done with the teaching part. I am excited to go home and see friends and family, but I also want to stay because when I go back, I have to find a job and do grown up stuff! I am so excited for Nick to come in only 4 days! I think travelling with him will be a great vacation!
Ciao and mi manchi (i love you)!
xoxo Katie
Malta
Hello everyone! I am sorry I am a little behind on blogging, but this week I will attempt to catch up
On the 8th of June, just after undergoing a very stressful observation, I got to go to Malta! I had never heard of it before, but Marissa and Rebecca were told that it was a really cool place to go. I got to the airport fine and after waiting in line for hours and a delay, I finally was able to board the flight. Thankfully, I was able to make a friend who was from Malta who gave me suggestions of what to do and where to go, so that made the trip a little more enjoyable.
I arrived to our hotel, which was actually a bed and breakfast. The building that this former house was in was 450 years old! We talked to the employee there and went to bed after we had had a long week full of observations! The next morning, we went to the market and found little odds and ends. One of the coolest things about Malta is that one of their official languages is English! I actually was able to tell the difference between shampoo and lotion for once! :)
After the market, we went to a smaller island off of Malta called Comino. We took a bus for an hour, and then a ferry for 20 minutes o the beatiful area of the Blue Lagoon. This place was paradise! It had clear, turqoise water and it was super crowded! The only bad thing about this place was that it was so busy so instead of laying on te beach in the sand part, we had to lay on the rocks. We were able to sun bathe, take pictures, and of course, apply plenty of sunscreen! The water was freezing, but it felt really good after tanning. There were a few jellyfish, but the were small and they were easily seen since the water was so clear. Pictures!
After we sunbathed for a while, we went on a speedboat that took us to 5 different caves. The caves were cool, but we all thought the boat ride was the best part! The driver went super fast and it was great just being out on the water.
We arrived back to our hotel late, and we finally were excited that we would be eating on Italian time, but then found out that restaurants in Malta close at 10! We quick were able to run out and grab a pizza thankfully! It was an uneventful night, although Rebecca and Marissa spent the night with ice cream and frozen meat on their legs because they got super sunburned!
Sunday morning we ate breakfast and went shopping aroundthe square. I had an earlier flight, so I went to the buses and headed to the airport. This flight was finally not delayed and I was hom at a reasonable time!
I think that Malta was the perfect spot to relax after a stressful week! I recommend going to this small Med. island in your lifetime!
More to come soon, ciao ciao!
xoxo Katie
On the 8th of June, just after undergoing a very stressful observation, I got to go to Malta! I had never heard of it before, but Marissa and Rebecca were told that it was a really cool place to go. I got to the airport fine and after waiting in line for hours and a delay, I finally was able to board the flight. Thankfully, I was able to make a friend who was from Malta who gave me suggestions of what to do and where to go, so that made the trip a little more enjoyable.
I arrived to our hotel, which was actually a bed and breakfast. The building that this former house was in was 450 years old! We talked to the employee there and went to bed after we had had a long week full of observations! The next morning, we went to the market and found little odds and ends. One of the coolest things about Malta is that one of their official languages is English! I actually was able to tell the difference between shampoo and lotion for once! :)
After the market, we went to a smaller island off of Malta called Comino. We took a bus for an hour, and then a ferry for 20 minutes o the beatiful area of the Blue Lagoon. This place was paradise! It had clear, turqoise water and it was super crowded! The only bad thing about this place was that it was so busy so instead of laying on te beach in the sand part, we had to lay on the rocks. We were able to sun bathe, take pictures, and of course, apply plenty of sunscreen! The water was freezing, but it felt really good after tanning. There were a few jellyfish, but the were small and they were easily seen since the water was so clear. Pictures!
We arrived back to our hotel late, and we finally were excited that we would be eating on Italian time, but then found out that restaurants in Malta close at 10! We quick were able to run out and grab a pizza thankfully! It was an uneventful night, although Rebecca and Marissa spent the night with ice cream and frozen meat on their legs because they got super sunburned!
Sunday morning we ate breakfast and went shopping aroundthe square. I had an earlier flight, so I went to the buses and headed to the airport. This flight was finally not delayed and I was hom at a reasonable time!
I think that Malta was the perfect spot to relax after a stressful week! I recommend going to this small Med. island in your lifetime!
More to come soon, ciao ciao!
xoxo Katie
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Sicily
Hi friends and family! I feel like I am constantly apologizing about not writing....time just gets away from me! Last weekendI went to Palermo, Sicily. I am glad I went to see it...it was beautiful scenary, but not my favorite place so far!
On Friday after school I went with Noreen to the airport. She was headed off to Ireland to visit family, so it worked out that we both could travel together. I am sick of it taking forever and a day to get anywhere you want to go....I miss my car! :( I also wish that someone would invent time travel or teleportation. When I finally got the airport, after walking, metro, and train, I grabbed a snack and waited at my gate. An announcement came on in Italian and I was waiting for them to say it in English...yep, never happened. I turned to the people around me "Parla inglese?" No. Finally found a woman to tell me what was going on. "The flight has been delayed 23 hours." My reaction, "23 HOURS?!" Yep, I am not going to Sicily. After talking more, I found out she definitely meant 23 MINUTES. haha When I arrived in Palermo, my wonderful friends Rebecca and Marissa were there waiting for me! We made it to our hotel and crashed.
The next morning, we ate a delicious breakfast and checked out the top floor outdoor pool. It was a great view!
We set out for the town and of course went shopping! My best deal was getting two pairs of shoes for only 15 euros. I had to explain to my dad that I had to get two because one pair was 10 euros, and for two it was 15! I know he still probably didn't understand! We went to a market, which is where you can get knock off items and other local things. I got some gifts for people! We ate pizza for luch and for dessert what else but cannolis! It was huge and delicous. We headed back to our hotel to get ready before dinner.
For dinner, we went to a restaurant that was recommended by our hotel. It was good,but not great. I had ravioli. And of course wine. We then ventured to a bar that we researched on the internet. Of course, we couldn't find it. We are not the best at directions, and I am the worst helper! Marissa can at least read a map! We walked in the streets of Palermo and got stared at by EVERYONE. Not even an exaggeration. We stuck out like sore thumbs. Every single groups eyes were one us, and many commented, hooted, hollared, or whistled. It was super awkward! I don't know what I would have done if I was alone! We were soon talked to by a group of guys and taken to a different bar. What has been so fun about Italy is meeting so many people that are different than me and hearing their own stories! Their lives are far more exciting than mine I feel!
On Sundy, after again a delicious breakfast, we went and layed by our fabulous pool. Unfortunately, I had an early flight, so I had to leave the outdoors to fly back. I made the treck home and crashed.
This week has been super busy! On Tuesday night, Noreen, Bardan, and I went out for a pizza to get through the week. Today and tomorrow I am getting observed for a second time. It is much more intense than at home. My observer stays for two days and watches me throughout the entire morning. I am used to getting observed for one lesson and then they leave. It has been a lot of pressure. He said I have improved a ton, which was reassuring, and I think it went well. Now, I just have to get through tomorrow's two lesson and I only have one full real week left after Malta this weekend! Beach, I am coming for you!
p.s. more pictures
Ciao and miss you all!
xoxo Katie
On Friday after school I went with Noreen to the airport. She was headed off to Ireland to visit family, so it worked out that we both could travel together. I am sick of it taking forever and a day to get anywhere you want to go....I miss my car! :( I also wish that someone would invent time travel or teleportation. When I finally got the airport, after walking, metro, and train, I grabbed a snack and waited at my gate. An announcement came on in Italian and I was waiting for them to say it in English...yep, never happened. I turned to the people around me "Parla inglese?" No. Finally found a woman to tell me what was going on. "The flight has been delayed 23 hours." My reaction, "23 HOURS?!" Yep, I am not going to Sicily. After talking more, I found out she definitely meant 23 MINUTES. haha When I arrived in Palermo, my wonderful friends Rebecca and Marissa were there waiting for me! We made it to our hotel and crashed.
The next morning, we ate a delicious breakfast and checked out the top floor outdoor pool. It was a great view!
For dinner, we went to a restaurant that was recommended by our hotel. It was good,but not great. I had ravioli. And of course wine. We then ventured to a bar that we researched on the internet. Of course, we couldn't find it. We are not the best at directions, and I am the worst helper! Marissa can at least read a map! We walked in the streets of Palermo and got stared at by EVERYONE. Not even an exaggeration. We stuck out like sore thumbs. Every single groups eyes were one us, and many commented, hooted, hollared, or whistled. It was super awkward! I don't know what I would have done if I was alone! We were soon talked to by a group of guys and taken to a different bar. What has been so fun about Italy is meeting so many people that are different than me and hearing their own stories! Their lives are far more exciting than mine I feel!
On Sundy, after again a delicious breakfast, we went and layed by our fabulous pool. Unfortunately, I had an early flight, so I had to leave the outdoors to fly back. I made the treck home and crashed.
This week has been super busy! On Tuesday night, Noreen, Bardan, and I went out for a pizza to get through the week. Today and tomorrow I am getting observed for a second time. It is much more intense than at home. My observer stays for two days and watches me throughout the entire morning. I am used to getting observed for one lesson and then they leave. It has been a lot of pressure. He said I have improved a ton, which was reassuring, and I think it went well. Now, I just have to get through tomorrow's two lesson and I only have one full real week left after Malta this weekend! Beach, I am coming for you!
p.s. more pictures
My childhood friends visiting from the previous week! My cheesecake turned out even in Italy. :)
Ciao and miss you all!
xoxo Katie
Monday, May 27, 2013
Easy going weekend
Hi everyone! I am glad everyoe is still enjoying reading my blog! I feel so blessed to have such amazing family and friends!
On Friday, I first of all recovered from teaching all week long! It was a good week, but I was definitely exhausted; especially because I had guests as well. After relaxing, Noreen, her son Bardan, and her two guests from France and I all went down to the Colosseum. I got a few good pictures!
We then went on to dinner. We ate at a local pizzeria and it was very noisy! We had some good pizza and of course, wine. We walked around the area of Cavour a little bit and stopped in two pubs. We didn't get home until 2 am....this is the trouble with Rome....everything takes forever!
On Saturday, I went with Jo to La Storta, the other school site, where they were having a fair. There were booths set up to buy stuff, food, and games for the kids. We saw a few of our students and a few collegues as well! I bought a ring from a woman who makes her own jewelry! I am glad I will have a keep sake from Rome that I can always remember and have.
Saturday night involved me skyping for three hours with my parents as wel two girly Romantic Comedies. The whole gang was out of the house at an African dinner, which I decided not to attend, and I was kind of glad because I needed some chill out/ alone time! Our apt. was packed the last week because there was 5-7 people staying in it at once.
On Sunday, I worked on a few applications back home. I am getting very nervous about finding a job, but I just keep at it! I found out from my parents this week that I also graduated summa cum laude, which was definitely a surprise! Later in the day, Jo, Noreen and I went to The Great Gatsby. We all liked it and I was glad to see a movie in a movie theatre.
As you can tell, it was a laid back weekend, but much needed. The next three weekends, I will be traveling and the fourth weekend, Nick comes and we go on our vacation across Europe!
Love you all and miss you!
Ciao!
xoxo Katie
On Friday, I first of all recovered from teaching all week long! It was a good week, but I was definitely exhausted; especially because I had guests as well. After relaxing, Noreen, her son Bardan, and her two guests from France and I all went down to the Colosseum. I got a few good pictures!
We then went on to dinner. We ate at a local pizzeria and it was very noisy! We had some good pizza and of course, wine. We walked around the area of Cavour a little bit and stopped in two pubs. We didn't get home until 2 am....this is the trouble with Rome....everything takes forever!
On Saturday, I went with Jo to La Storta, the other school site, where they were having a fair. There were booths set up to buy stuff, food, and games for the kids. We saw a few of our students and a few collegues as well! I bought a ring from a woman who makes her own jewelry! I am glad I will have a keep sake from Rome that I can always remember and have.
Saturday night involved me skyping for three hours with my parents as wel two girly Romantic Comedies. The whole gang was out of the house at an African dinner, which I decided not to attend, and I was kind of glad because I needed some chill out/ alone time! Our apt. was packed the last week because there was 5-7 people staying in it at once.
On Sunday, I worked on a few applications back home. I am getting very nervous about finding a job, but I just keep at it! I found out from my parents this week that I also graduated summa cum laude, which was definitely a surprise! Later in the day, Jo, Noreen and I went to The Great Gatsby. We all liked it and I was glad to see a movie in a movie theatre.
As you can tell, it was a laid back weekend, but much needed. The next three weekends, I will be traveling and the fourth weekend, Nick comes and we go on our vacation across Europe!
Love you all and miss you!
Ciao!
xoxo Katie
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Weekend in Monte Argentario
Hi family and friends! I am writing this very late in the week, but I have been very, very busy! Definitely the busiest week by far.
We will jump back to last Friday...Right after school, a lot of teachers (8 of us total) left to go to Tuscana! We glamped (which is glamorous camping), basically cabining, only at the beach not a lake! It was about a two hour drive, and it had been a long time since I had been in a real car. We arrived and instantly went to the liquor store for some wine! :) Teachers need wine too! We were celebrating my ct, Jo's birthday, along with her friend Claire, also a teacher at my school. We mainly hung out Friday night and went to dinner right on the beach. It was a seafood restaurant with fresh everything, however, as most of you know, I am not a seafood person. Luckily, they had some spaghetti We went back to our cabins and talked for a bit, but the mosquitoes got the best of us!
Here are some pictures:
We "had a lie in" as the British people say, or slept in for us Americans, and went to have breakfast. We walked along the beach and made a plan for the day. Some of us went to the pool, while others went into town to get food for the BBQ that we planned on having later that night. I went into town, because I wanted to see everything I could. After spending way to much money, and buying a ton of meat, and other food, we returned to the pool. We had lunch pool side and then I mustered enough courage to get into the unheated pool. It was cold at first, but I am a swimmer, so I took it well! Right after jumping in however, it started to rain. We went back to our cabins, and after showering, we talked and the men went off to grill the meat. I took some pictures on the beach and put into memory that I was graduating today. If I would have been home, I would have been walking across that stage. I was a little sad, and if there was just one day I could go back home, it would have been that one. I have had so much fun in college and I am really going to miss living in EC with my fabulous friends and roommates. I know I will always be able to visit, but I truly will miss all of my friends and experiences at UWEC. Back to Italy....we ate our BBQ it was delicious, but since it took about 2 hours to cook the food, we ate in the dark. I think there was a bunch of food that would have been delicious, but I didn't see it, so I didn't eat it. ha!
Instead of me standing next to a UWEC sign in my grad robes, I have this as a graduation picture instead:
The next morning, we gathered our stuff and then stayed for about an hour on the beach. I was home by 3:30 just enough time to skype with some family and friends and prepare for my crazy week.
Monday was spent preparing everything for the week. Jo went on a school trip to Pompeii for 4 days, so that meant I got to take the class by myself! This is a great experience because in the US, I would not be able to do this because I am technically not certified yet, even though I graduated. I am definitely much more relaxed and feel I can have more fun with the kids. Because the school is private, they don't like hiring subs, so I have taken on this challenge! I have been very grateful and it has been such a great opportunity to plan all the lessons.
On Monday night, my two friends Em and Maddie came to Rome! I have known Maddie since I was 8 and we went to the same elementary, middle, and high school. It was great to see her, seeing as I hadn't since high school. Em and I have been very close friends for a long time! I took them to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. We then went to dinner at a great restaurant. It was a great time, until the end when I had my most embarrassing moment.....ready?
So, a lot of times at restaurants, they will just add a chair onto the end of the table so that they can fit three people onto a two person table. They did this for me, and it was fine until I reached for my purse to pay. I suddenly was falling out of my chair, in which our waiter grabbed me and held me up. I thought that the chair had broken, but what really happened was that I had been placed right under a sewage grate and my chair leg fell into one of the holes. It was really their fault and told the waiter not to put anyone else here! It was so funny though and not only were Em and Maddie laughing, but basically the entire restaurant. I think it looked like I had a little too much wine! hahaha
After the embarrassment I took them to The Drunken Ship. Fun was had hear, as it always is. We actually ran into another girl that we went to high school with, which is so strange since we are halfway around the world. Emily also discovered that she went to the same college as her and hadn't seen her at all in 4 years.
On Tuesday, I invited Maddie and Em over for dinner at my place. Noreen also had guests, so we had a large dinner party complete with bread, pasta, and watermelon for dessert.
I will get to see Em and Maddie once more before they go back home. Their cruise returns next Wed. so they will have one more night in Roma and with me! It has been great to see them and to have a little comfort of home for a few days. :)
I am looking forward to this weekend, but don't have a whole lot of plans, which is nice for a change! I have been travelling a lot on the weekends, but this weekend will just stick around Rome. Not a bad place to be :)
I hope to update you all a little quicker next week; Sorry but time got away from me!
I miss and love you all! :)
Ciao!
xoxo Katie
We will jump back to last Friday...Right after school, a lot of teachers (8 of us total) left to go to Tuscana! We glamped (which is glamorous camping), basically cabining, only at the beach not a lake! It was about a two hour drive, and it had been a long time since I had been in a real car. We arrived and instantly went to the liquor store for some wine! :) Teachers need wine too! We were celebrating my ct, Jo's birthday, along with her friend Claire, also a teacher at my school. We mainly hung out Friday night and went to dinner right on the beach. It was a seafood restaurant with fresh everything, however, as most of you know, I am not a seafood person. Luckily, they had some spaghetti We went back to our cabins and talked for a bit, but the mosquitoes got the best of us!
Here are some pictures:
We "had a lie in" as the British people say, or slept in for us Americans, and went to have breakfast. We walked along the beach and made a plan for the day. Some of us went to the pool, while others went into town to get food for the BBQ that we planned on having later that night. I went into town, because I wanted to see everything I could. After spending way to much money, and buying a ton of meat, and other food, we returned to the pool. We had lunch pool side and then I mustered enough courage to get into the unheated pool. It was cold at first, but I am a swimmer, so I took it well! Right after jumping in however, it started to rain. We went back to our cabins, and after showering, we talked and the men went off to grill the meat. I took some pictures on the beach and put into memory that I was graduating today. If I would have been home, I would have been walking across that stage. I was a little sad, and if there was just one day I could go back home, it would have been that one. I have had so much fun in college and I am really going to miss living in EC with my fabulous friends and roommates. I know I will always be able to visit, but I truly will miss all of my friends and experiences at UWEC. Back to Italy....we ate our BBQ it was delicious, but since it took about 2 hours to cook the food, we ate in the dark. I think there was a bunch of food that would have been delicious, but I didn't see it, so I didn't eat it. ha!
Instead of me standing next to a UWEC sign in my grad robes, I have this as a graduation picture instead:
The next morning, we gathered our stuff and then stayed for about an hour on the beach. I was home by 3:30 just enough time to skype with some family and friends and prepare for my crazy week.
Monday was spent preparing everything for the week. Jo went on a school trip to Pompeii for 4 days, so that meant I got to take the class by myself! This is a great experience because in the US, I would not be able to do this because I am technically not certified yet, even though I graduated. I am definitely much more relaxed and feel I can have more fun with the kids. Because the school is private, they don't like hiring subs, so I have taken on this challenge! I have been very grateful and it has been such a great opportunity to plan all the lessons.
On Monday night, my two friends Em and Maddie came to Rome! I have known Maddie since I was 8 and we went to the same elementary, middle, and high school. It was great to see her, seeing as I hadn't since high school. Em and I have been very close friends for a long time! I took them to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. We then went to dinner at a great restaurant. It was a great time, until the end when I had my most embarrassing moment.....ready?
So, a lot of times at restaurants, they will just add a chair onto the end of the table so that they can fit three people onto a two person table. They did this for me, and it was fine until I reached for my purse to pay. I suddenly was falling out of my chair, in which our waiter grabbed me and held me up. I thought that the chair had broken, but what really happened was that I had been placed right under a sewage grate and my chair leg fell into one of the holes. It was really their fault and told the waiter not to put anyone else here! It was so funny though and not only were Em and Maddie laughing, but basically the entire restaurant. I think it looked like I had a little too much wine! hahaha
After the embarrassment I took them to The Drunken Ship. Fun was had hear, as it always is. We actually ran into another girl that we went to high school with, which is so strange since we are halfway around the world. Emily also discovered that she went to the same college as her and hadn't seen her at all in 4 years.
On Tuesday, I invited Maddie and Em over for dinner at my place. Noreen also had guests, so we had a large dinner party complete with bread, pasta, and watermelon for dessert.
I will get to see Em and Maddie once more before they go back home. Their cruise returns next Wed. so they will have one more night in Roma and with me! It has been great to see them and to have a little comfort of home for a few days. :)
I am looking forward to this weekend, but don't have a whole lot of plans, which is nice for a change! I have been travelling a lot on the weekends, but this weekend will just stick around Rome. Not a bad place to be :)
I hope to update you all a little quicker next week; Sorry but time got away from me!
I miss and love you all! :)
Ciao!
xoxo Katie
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Buona Terra, Bologna, Lucca and Pisa (AKA super busy!)
Ciao family and friends! I have had a great and fun last few days, but I have been so busy! This is the first time I have been able to stop and just breathe!
Some of you may or may not know that last week I was able to accompany second grade students on a school trip! It was called Buona Terra, or good earth in English, which translates to a farm! It was for three days and two nights. The students were very excited because it was most of the students' first trip away from home by themselves. I was surprised that these young students did so well- we didn't have a single student get homesick or cry! The farm was beautiful; it was up in the mountains about a three hour drive away from Rome. There were ladies who ran the farm and did all sorts of activities with the students. It was quite a shock though when I realized they only spoke Italian....I literally relied on 8 year olds to translate for 3 days. Haha! Luckily, none of them told me false info ;) I did learn a lot of new words in Italain this way- including cheese,. farmaggio and they say "allora" all the time! It is kind of like saying um, like, or now to begin a sentence or to string words together. I go to make cheese and milk a goat! The best part though was the scenary and getting to know other kids that are not in my class! I had favorites by the end :)
We got back to Rome from the farm on Friday at 3:20. I had a train to catch at 4:05. Luckily, I made the train and I was on my way to Bologna! I went to visit Marissa and Rebecca, two American student teachers that I might a few weeks ago! They live in the same apartment and it was really nice! We discovered that that weekend, there was a festival of some sort going on and it involved having 350 lamborghinnis in the center square, or piazza! haha So many pretty cars in one pretty setting of Italy! We went to dinner at a local pizza place and it was the best pizza I had in Italy! The crust was more fluffy like I like, not as thin and crunchy.
The next morning, we woke up and caught a train to Lucca! We missed the first train, because we are a little incompotent at checking the board of departures, but in any case, got on the next one :) We arrived in Lucca around lunch time and it was about a 2 hour train ride from Bologna. We spent our day shopping and walking around the city! It was very fun and I made a few purchases, but not as many as I did last weekend thank the lord. We had a nice dinner on Saturday night and went to bed.
On Sunday, we rented bikes! Lucca is known for bike riding and they have so many bike renting shops. We went to the one by the train station because they held our luggage for us! Lucca is one of the only cities in Italy that is still surrounded by a the fort wall. On the wall there is a nice path for people to jog, ride bikes, walk or roller blade. It goes around the whole city! We spent two hours riding our bikes with baskets and we stopped in town for a sandwhich and had a nice picnic!
We caught a train to Pisa and arrived in town about 3. Pisa was a lot more touristy than Lucca, so it was a different change of pace. Street vendors were selling everything and anything and begged you to buy it! I bargained for a purse that was super cute! We took the typical pictures :)
We ended our visit with some gelato of course, and I took the train back to Rome; it was only about 2 hours.
Overall it was a great few days! I still cannot believe that this is my life. I was thinking about it when we were riding bikes- Is this real that I am riding a bike around a small town in Italy right now? I wonder if it will ever sink in!
Yesterday at school, a teacher was gone and they don't call subs here because its a private school and it costs them money, so Jo needed to cover for a teacher next door. It was great because this has been the first time ever that I have had a class all to myself for the entire day! I can tell today, just a day later that they see me as more of a teacher than an assistant! Hopefully this week will go fast! I cannot wait to go glamping this coming weekend for Jo and Claire's birthdays! ( glamping is glamorous camping AKA in huts on the beach :) )
Love and miss you all!
Ciao for now.
xoxo Katie
Some of you may or may not know that last week I was able to accompany second grade students on a school trip! It was called Buona Terra, or good earth in English, which translates to a farm! It was for three days and two nights. The students were very excited because it was most of the students' first trip away from home by themselves. I was surprised that these young students did so well- we didn't have a single student get homesick or cry! The farm was beautiful; it was up in the mountains about a three hour drive away from Rome. There were ladies who ran the farm and did all sorts of activities with the students. It was quite a shock though when I realized they only spoke Italian....I literally relied on 8 year olds to translate for 3 days. Haha! Luckily, none of them told me false info ;) I did learn a lot of new words in Italain this way- including cheese,. farmaggio and they say "allora" all the time! It is kind of like saying um, like, or now to begin a sentence or to string words together. I go to make cheese and milk a goat! The best part though was the scenary and getting to know other kids that are not in my class! I had favorites by the end :)
We got back to Rome from the farm on Friday at 3:20. I had a train to catch at 4:05. Luckily, I made the train and I was on my way to Bologna! I went to visit Marissa and Rebecca, two American student teachers that I might a few weeks ago! They live in the same apartment and it was really nice! We discovered that that weekend, there was a festival of some sort going on and it involved having 350 lamborghinnis in the center square, or piazza! haha So many pretty cars in one pretty setting of Italy! We went to dinner at a local pizza place and it was the best pizza I had in Italy! The crust was more fluffy like I like, not as thin and crunchy.
The next morning, we woke up and caught a train to Lucca! We missed the first train, because we are a little incompotent at checking the board of departures, but in any case, got on the next one :) We arrived in Lucca around lunch time and it was about a 2 hour train ride from Bologna. We spent our day shopping and walking around the city! It was very fun and I made a few purchases, but not as many as I did last weekend thank the lord. We had a nice dinner on Saturday night and went to bed.
On Sunday, we rented bikes! Lucca is known for bike riding and they have so many bike renting shops. We went to the one by the train station because they held our luggage for us! Lucca is one of the only cities in Italy that is still surrounded by a the fort wall. On the wall there is a nice path for people to jog, ride bikes, walk or roller blade. It goes around the whole city! We spent two hours riding our bikes with baskets and we stopped in town for a sandwhich and had a nice picnic!
We caught a train to Pisa and arrived in town about 3. Pisa was a lot more touristy than Lucca, so it was a different change of pace. Street vendors were selling everything and anything and begged you to buy it! I bargained for a purse that was super cute! We took the typical pictures :)
Overall it was a great few days! I still cannot believe that this is my life. I was thinking about it when we were riding bikes- Is this real that I am riding a bike around a small town in Italy right now? I wonder if it will ever sink in!
Yesterday at school, a teacher was gone and they don't call subs here because its a private school and it costs them money, so Jo needed to cover for a teacher next door. It was great because this has been the first time ever that I have had a class all to myself for the entire day! I can tell today, just a day later that they see me as more of a teacher than an assistant! Hopefully this week will go fast! I cannot wait to go glamping this coming weekend for Jo and Claire's birthdays! ( glamping is glamorous camping AKA in huts on the beach :) )
Love and miss you all!
Ciao for now.
xoxo Katie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)