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

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

Shopping, Making Pasta, and Spanish Steps

Hello family and friends! Again, I know it has been a few days, but to be honest, it is getting to the point where I don't have much exciting to tell you, so I might just be writing about once a week!

This week was very stressful because I was getting observed two days. It went ok, but my observer has a lot to say and I have some things to work on before he comes again in about 4 weeks. On Wednesday, we did get the day off for May Day, so I had a nice picnic in the park close to where I am staying. So many people were there! May Day is like their labor day, so many people were off of work. When Friday finally came, we went for drinks after school in the park. Then, we met up with the same people that I had met a few weekends ago at the concert for drinks and aperitivo. It's pretty cool because you buy a drink, and then they have all of these snacks out like pizza, pasta, bread, veggies, etc and it is 10 euros. You can go back and get food as many times as you want also! We went to one other place, but Jude (a teacher at my school) and I headed back home around 10 (much earlier than my usual outing ;) )

On Saturday, I went shopping with Jo and Jude. We went to H&M, where I bought a tanktop. We walked around Piazza Popolo, and it was so hot out. I know you all are hating me because you have snow, but I was sweating! We popped in and out of shops and had lunch on a street down from the piazza where I had lasagna. It was delicious! We continued on and we went into Zara, which is very popular in Europe. It is originally a Spanish company, but has expanded to all of Europe. I bought items here, but they are presents so I can't tell! We then went by the Spanish steps. Just for this week to celebrate Rome's birthday, they were decorated in a bunch of flowers. Here are some pictures of myself and my cooperating teacher, Jo!

The steps weren't as long as I had thought, but I am glad I got to see them!

We went to a different shopping street, Ottaviano, where we stopped quick to look at an apartment that Jo was interested in, and then stopped for, what else? Gelato of course! I had banana and it was delicious and refreshing. Our last stop was at a shoe store, Danielle. It proved fatal for my wallet, but it was great for my shopping :) I got a pair of sandals that will be better to walk around in, and a pair of leather boots :) I love them, but now I cannot shop anymore in Rome haha

After a recovered from shopping, Noreen taught me how to make pasta! I wrote everything down, so the lucky few of you will get a lesson from me as well! Hopefully I will be able to replicate the ingredients in the U.S. Here are some pictures!

Our finished product! We made spinach and cheese ravioli! It was very delicious and I think I did well for my first pasta making experience.

Today, I plan on getting some work done, going to the grocery store and possibly watching a movie as it is raining this morning.

I do want to mention some sad news that I received yesterday. My roommate, Elly, went to the hospital on Friday with symptoms of extreme thirst and overtiredness. Once there, she was diagnosed with type one diabetes. She had to miss her senior art show that she had been working towards for many weeks. I am so proud of her and I know she will be able to overcome this. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers! She's the best friend any girl could ask for! Love and miss you, El Bel!

Ciao!

xoxo Katie



American friends :)

Hi everyone! I am sorry I have written in awhile, but to be honest, I didn't have much to write about until this weekend. I spent my second week at school teaching all math classes, which they call "maths", (it really bugs me!!!) and getting to know my students. I finally felt like I was getting to know them! The math planning was pretty easy because they have a boxed curriculum, which means all of the lessons are already written for me. Thursday we didn't have school, which was a great break! It was a bank holiday. I spent Thursday sleeping in, watching movies, and doing a little homework. (wished I would've done more!)

The fun really began on Friday! About a week ago, I looked on my program's website to see if any other girls were student teaching in Italy. There were two girls that were, so I emailed them and asked them if they were planning on traveling and such! They emailed back and said that they would be in Rome this weekend. Thankfully, my host mom agreed for them to stay here. It also worked out because all the teachers I know went to Brussels this weekend. The girls arrived and we got to know each other quickly! We talked about all the weird words they use, how we don't know Italian, and things we missed from home. They both go to school in Washington. It just so happened that it was Marissa, one of the girl' birthday, on Friday. I asked Jo were we should go for dinner and drinks! She is so helpful :) We got ready and hopped on our 62 bus towards Piazza Novona. Surprisingly, we found the restaurant and didn't have to ask for directions! haha (anyone who knows me knows that I am directionally challenged) The dinner was delicious! I had fettacine gorganzola. We also ordered bruschetta (in Italian the ch makes a k sound so we have been saying it wrong back in America!) and some wine of course! Oh, and we obviously split the tiramisu. It was a great dinner! Unfortunately, unlike the restaurant, we couldn't find the bar called "The Druken Ship" without asking for directions. It was pretty hilarious asking people because of the name of this place. Jo recommended it to me and said, "You should go here if you want to hang out with Americans." We found it and I instantly felt a little more at home when I saw the boys in the back playing beer pong! We obviously joined in, anyone who also knows me knows that I am pretty good at beer pong! I won 4 straight games :) Everyone was so friendly and we talked to so many people! Also, everyone was cheering for me in beer pong because I was the only girl! We stayed here most of the night and made our way home!

On Saturday, we went to the Vatican. It was so busy! We decided to join an English tour because then we were able to skip lines. Our tour guide was quite the character to say the least! We got in and it was so different than what I expected. Once you get in, you basically go through it in one big line. You cannot move most of the time because there are so many people! There were signs for the Sistine Chapel and I thought we were getting close....it was like a marathon to finally see this thing! I am glad I did it, but our feet were very, very sore. I am also glad that we went Saturday because it was raining and this was a good activity for that! We all wore a headset so we could hear our tour guide and he never stopped talking....he would sing in Italian, talk to other people, etc. He even led us around the line and people were complaining and he didn't even bat an eyelash. It was quite the experience. The Sistine Chapel was much smaller than I had imagined and everyone is packed in like sardines. It total, it took us 4 hours to get through.....

We rewarded ourselves with some gelato after this! I had coffee and hazelnut, both were delicious! We headed back home and put up our feet. We also decided to just make some pasta at home! It was a great idea. We got ready and went to our same bar again Saturday night! Not as much beer pong, but we still met so many cool people.

Today, we went to the Trevi Fountain and walked around all the shops. I really want to buy some shoes here, but I couldn't find any yet! I will keep searching....luckily, I have 8 more weeks here! Rebecca, Marissa, and I also plannd out our side trips during some weekends! I will be joining them to Luca/Pisa, Sicily/Palermo, Malta, and Tuscany/Sienna. I am so glad that we all get along and that I will be able to travel with some amazing friends! :)

This was one of the best weekends of my whole life and I am so sad to see it end! I really do not want to go teach tomorrow...I feel like I need a recooperation day! Luckily, we do not have school on Wednesday this week! I love you all and miss you!

Ciao!
xoxo Katie

The Trevi Fountain

After my late night on Saturday, I was feeling a little tired! However, Noreen suggested we go see the Trevi Fountain and how can you resist?! We hopped on a bus and were there in no time! There are so many ways to get around places here and there is always one way that is better depending on where you are going. By the Trevi Fountain there are tons of shops...some are touristy, but most are clothing stores or stores that would be in a mall. They only have shopping malls outside of the city accourding to Noreen, my expert! It was so surprising to me because the Trevi Fountain is very hidden. It wasn't like the Colosseum where it's like, "Hello, there it is right in front of me!" It's also very disproportionate to the surroundings. It is very large, and it is in such a small space. Of course, there were tons of people there taking photographs and tossing in their coins! I asked Noreen why the Trevi Fountain is so famous...there are loads of other fountains around Rome. Apparently it is a combo of things, but mostly because it has been in many movies and because of the coin situation. The thing with the coin is that if you throw in a coin backwards, you are coming back to Rome in the future. They have guards around the fountain with whistles to catch people who try to take money out of it! I made my American mark by throwing in a quarter! Here's a picture! :)

Here are some other photos I took whilst at the fountain....

Noreen and I! (my host mother)

After the fountain, we walked along to see all the shops! We stopped in Noreen's favorite chocolate shop and treated ourselves to one chocolate! I had coffee, and it was seriously delicious! They make all of their own chocolate on site. We continued strolling and met up with Noreen's friend Rosie. Rosie has lived in Rome for 40 years and such a sweet lady! She took us to a shoe stop, but in order to get there, we needed to travel by tram. This was my first tram experience and after this occurance, I hope it is my last! There was a man in a wheel chair that got on, but he was scruffy and looked homeless. Rosie said he was probably not disabled at all, but just used it for sympathy so people would give him money. He was yelling and talking to himself in Italian. Rosie said he was very drunk. He wheeled his chair over to a woman sitting by the door and he was apparently yelling at her saying she was blocking the doorway. She was yelling back, and remember, this was all in Italian! All of a sudden, the man slaps the woman across the face! It was a packed tram and everyone was a little shaken up, including me! A dad who was taller, told the guy off and stood in front of the women so he couldn't hit her again. Luckily, we got off at the next stop! Like I said, I hope I don't have to use a tram again any time soon! We made it to the shoe shop and also went through a little outside shopping area where people set up tables outside and sold stuff they made! We also grabbed a drink, because that's what everyone does around 7 pm! We made it home and had some dinner, and I quickly went to bed because I was so tired!

Tomorrow, it is earth day at school and we are having an alternate schedule! We are playing games, making crafts out of recyclable material, and making smoothies. Should be a fun day! We also don't have school Thursday because it's a public holiday. Who doesn't love a 4 day week? :) I miss everyone, but I am having a fun time! Love you all!

Ciao!

xoxo Katie

The Courteeners

It is the weekend! I started off the weekend with a great time! First, after school, some teachers get together and have drinks in the park across from the school. It was great to sit in the sun and talk to them not about school stuff! Then, Claire, a teacher at the school, told Jo and I about a band that was playing that night. We agreed to go, but the venue was closer to to Jo and Claire's places than from where I am staying. I grabbed my stuff from Noreens, and Jo and I were off! We went to Jo's apartment (very cute) and got ready for the evening. We met Claire, and her boyfriend Marco, for dinner at a pizza place! It was tasty- I liked this place better than the first place I went for pizza. With pretty much every meal, they have wine, so that is fun! We then took a taxi (the metro and other public transportation was on strike. They do this for a day randomly and never accomplish anything!) to the venue. Tickets were only 10 euros and The Courteeners were really great to listen to. They are from Manchester, so a lot of the other teachers I was with really knew the band and their songs. I got to meet more teachers from the La Storta site- it seems that this group goes out almost every weekend! It was fu, but I do have to say that a night out in Rome is much more expensive than a night out in Eau Claire, WI :) After the band played, there was an area outside with bars and there were so many more people there than when we went in! We met some other people just who were sitting next to us. A common first question people ask each other is "Where are you from?" or "What country are you from?" After chatting awhile, we went back into the venue and they had a DJ, so we got to dance! There are many American songs they play here (I've heard them in shops and on radios). We took a taxi back to Jo's and I discovered that it was 4 in the morning! ha! I have not stayed out that long, I don't think ever. This morning, we woke up, and we were planning on going to the beach, but it was cloudy and it is supposed to rain later today. I took the train and metro home and I am about to eat some lunch! I would say it was a great first night out in Rome! I am looking forward to more :)

Ciao!

xoxo Katie

The past few days!

Hello everyone :) I have been busy my first week! I have been going to school and observing all classrooms...it'sgood, but I am now ready to be with my students and start getting to know them better!

On Wednesday after school, Jo and I went to TIM, which is a phone company in Italy. My problem was that I couldn't get in touch with the teachers from my schoo except through email. The solution was to buy an Italian SIM card which I did thanks to Jo! She also gave me a new phone to use since the SIM card didn't fit in my phone. After we did that, we went and had drinks. In Italy, they eat around 8:30/9 pm, but they often go have drinks and/or tea. When you have a drink between around 6-8, they add 2 euros onto it, and you get little snackies. I grabbed  a sandwhich that looked good, but then realized it had tuna in it. I think it is a good idea though, because I do get hungry!

Today, I went to the main school site calle La Storta. Here they have an elementary school, as well as a "senior school", so they have 3 year olds up to high school. It was much, much bigger than Nomentana, and it was in the country, so they had a lot of room. I went with Year 4 kids- 3rd grade- for a field trip. It was really cute because the students didn't know about it, and it was set up like a WWII evacuation. The kids are learning about WWII at the moment. When they got to school, their classroom was marked "dangeous" and they had to be evacuated. They got on the bus, and didn't know where they were being taken! I was going to just ride on the bus with them, but they did not put the order in on time, so they got 2 vans, but Claire the year 4 teacher and I didn't fit! I was able to catch the metro and train to get there, and I didn't get lost which I am proud of :) The day was really fun doing WWII activities, but we were in a sports dome, and it was so stuffy and hot in there! I was sweating...also I felt as though I was starting all over again meeting everyone and feeling helpless! haha Overall though, I am glad I went so I could see the other school.

After school, Noreen and I went out for my first pizza. I am sorry to say that I was a bit dissappointed! The crust here is very thin, and there is not a lot of cheese.....so much different than the American pizza I know and love!

This weekend Jo, Noreen, Claire, her boyfriend Marco, others, and I are planning on going to the beach. There are many beaches, and it usually takes about one hour to get to one. I am also excited for the weekend after that because I will be spending it with two American girls. They are both from Boston and are teaching in Bologna. I got in touch with them through EAST, the program I am doing. Hopefully it will be a good time!

That's about all for now! Miss you all- or mi manchi in Italian....I have been trying to learn little phrases!

Ciao!

xoxo Katie