Mi Sono Perso

WARNING: LONG POSTING COMING

So, I know it has been decades since my last posting. I apologize, as I am now soaking in Europe to its MAX before I return home and blogging has literally been the last thing on my mind. It is crazy to think that I have been here four months now, and will be returning home in a few weeks. Before I get into how I have been feeling lately- let me time warp a little and recap you on Spring Break (which was a few weeks ago). Again, I apologize deeply for my lack of keeping up with my blog. Let’s do this day by day, shall we?

First off, I was incredibly lucky to have Rachael come and visit me and spend the week traveling Europe together. We called it our little European Runaway. We had such an amazing adventure, and having her here was just the icing on the cake. But as always, with a great adventure comes a lot of craziness- we will call these hiccups. 

Day 1: As Rach and I are prepping our plans for our 10-day long adventure, the first hiccup arises. Her flight in Arizona was delayed due to some plane complications. Apparently there was a broken part, and it would only be a few minutes to fix it. Then, it couldn’t be fixed, so they were going to BORROW the part from another plane. When Rachael was telling me this, I thought she was joking and I thought, “WHAT IS THIS PEP BOYS?” Anyway, the part finally got fixed and they took off. Rachael had a flight from Sacramento to Arizona, to North Carolina, to Germany to Florence (I know, CRAZY). Well, because her AZ flight was delayed she missed the NC flight and there were no other flights going out that day. So, she had to stay overnight in NC in a hotel where apparently a prostitute knocked on her door in the middle of the night. She was a good sport and managed well to get here a day later than expected. Positivity was still high with excitement to see each other.

Day 2: Rach arrives in Florence. It was a feeling that I can’t even describe, but am going to attempt to. For a while before she came, I was feeling pretty homesick. I love Florence, but for some reason, just really wanted to be home. When she came out of her gate, and I was there to pick her up, I felt as though no one else was in the airport. I was as excited as a little school girl, and I rushed towards her. It was a piece of home coming to my temporary home, and the uniting of these two worlds was an amazing feeling. Not to mention the fact that I missed my girlfriend like crazy after not seeing her for 2 and a half months. Anyway, I picked Rach up, took her to my apartment, dropped off her stuff, and then began touring Florence. Time was NOT to be wasted. We had already lost a day so we had to shove things in. I took her to the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, Santa Trinita Gelato (one of my favorite gelato places), Gusta Panino (nice little Panino stand across the river), Pitti Palace, Piazza Della Republicca, Piazza Signoria, and everywhere in between. When we got to the Ponte Vecchio, I surprised her with an old Italian tradition. It is said that every year couples come to Florence for vacation. The tradition is getting a lock and key and writing both of your names on the lock. There is a small portion of the bridge where you can put your lock. By doing this, you guarantee that your love will last forever and cannot be broken. The man is supposed to put the lock on the chain and the woman is supposed to throw the key into the river. So, I surprised her and now our “lock of love” is on the Ponte Vecchio.

Overall, our first day together was great.

Day 3: This was our planned date to depart for our first destination, Rome. We woke up super early to catch our train to Rome. We get to the station, find our train, get in, settle down, relax and then all of a sudden a voice came on the intercom in Italian. Suddenly, all the Italians on the train got angry and got off the train. I had no idea what was going on (my Italian is decent, but not that great). I asked the woman next to us and she said, “It’s a strike.” The regional train system decided to go on strike for the day to battle unfair working conditions. GREAT! We had to get off the train and go purchase a new ticket for the trains that did NOT go on strike. A whopping 56 euro later, we were on our way to Rome.Hiccup number 2. (Oh wait.. there’s more)

When we finally got there, it was pouring rain and there was a big Marathon happening in the city. We checked into our hostel and it was a nice little area. Overall nice experience. Anyway, we head out to start our day in Rome. We were on our way to see the Colosseum and the rain comes down even harder. So Rach and I buy these umbrellas and we are just walking and mine broke within 5 minutes of having it. I couldn’t even believe it! It just turned inside out left me soaked.

We got a good laugh about it and went on with our day. We get to the Colosseum, and what do we see? This HUGE gated area surrounding the front of the colosseum for the marathon. There was no easy way to get in. We had to walk all the way around the marathon in order to get to the front entrance. Obviously, it is something I couldn’t let Rach come to Rome and not see (since I had already seen it with my program, I knew how awesome it really was). So we ventured around the gate to find the nearest entrance. We walked and walked and walked and walked until we found a small opening in the gate where people were rushing through like cattle. We decided to join the herd. We got into the track and ran through when there was a gap of people. The men working the event were not very happy that everyone was doing that, but we decided to be rebels. But even in the midst of all the craziness, I had to get a funny shot of me “running” in the 10K.

Anyway, we eventually got into the Colosseum and saw that, the Roman Forum, the Palatino and Piazza Navona.

Day 4: We woke up early to go to Vatican city. We went and saw beautiful St. Peter’s Basilica, and then ventured over to the Vatican museum- only to find that it was closed. They close one random day a month and it just so happens to be the day we are there. (Hiccup # ?- I lost count). So we STILL stayed positive and walked around the city a little. Then, we headed back to Rome and went to a really good hidden trattoria for dinner, That’s Amore. It was nice atmosphere and good food. Then, probably the highlight of Rome, we went to see La Fontana di Trevi (AKA Trevi Fountain). It is the most beautiful thing to see at night. Very romantic atmosphere and of course a lot of pictures. Here are a few of my favorites:

Day 5: We woke up early to fly out for Barcelona! Obviously we were super super super excited. We got to the airport early and played hours of Millionaire on my iPad. When we checked in, we had to check an extra bag and Rach paid 60 euro to check it! Then, when they weighed it, it was way too heavy- so we had to run to the side, rearrange, and take it back. We got on our flight and headed to Barcelona. Two hours later, we were there! We were so excited to finally make it to Barcelona. Apparently, Rachael’s bag (and the ridiculous people that are the Ryanair Staff) had something different in mind. It never made it to Spain. Rach paid the 60 euro for it to go to Germany and Ryanair would not give any refunds. WHAT A JOKE. Anyway, we stayed positive and got to our hostel. Our hostel was a little different than we expected (just a little dirty) but we managed. We then grabbed dinner and had some mojitos to cool off after a hectic night.

Rach Sitting on the Conveyor Belt Waiting for her Bag :(

Day 6: This was action- packed with a lot of things to see so we were up early and ready to start the day. We saw La Rambla market, took our first Spanish metro ride, went to the Boqueria Market (where we got this AMAZING freshly made smoothie), had paella (ridiculously delicious), a bird pooped on Rachael’s pant leg, we saw a replica of Christopher Columbus’ ship, the Barcelona Gothic Quarter, Barcelona Cathedral and ended the day with a nice feast of Spanish tapas.

Day 7: We had another adventure filled day. We saw the Barcelona Mediterranean Aquarium, La Sagrada Familia (a church designed by Gaudi), the FC Barcelona Soccer Stadium, We went back to La Rambla and then went to get dinner. We found this semi-fancy restaurant that had a great deal for 10 euro (or at least what looked like to be a great deal). We went in, ordered our food and were really surprised.

Rachael ordered the fried fish and got this…

And I ordered quail and got this…

Needless to say, it was not the BEST meal we’ve ever shared. Cheers to an effort to adventure. After dinner, we got tickets to a beautiful Spanish guitar concert. The man we watched was so talented! Unfortunately for me (and my body) I felt really sick the entire time from dinner and could NOT enjoy the show.

(Now I have definitely lost track of the hiccups)

Day 8: Our last day in Barcelona. It was kind of a bittersweet day. We started off getting breakfast and then going around town to La Rambla again, Starbucks and we went to the Contemporary Center for Culture in Barcelona. It was such an awesome museum. The exhibit was right up my alley (as a COMM major) and was about how the screen has developed over time (tv screens, phone screens, etc.) and how much it actually shapes our environment.

It was a great day until we went to grab lunch and then we had a big mishap. Rachael recently got an iphone and had only had it for about a month. Well,  when we went to lunch, it was stolen right off our table. At that point, we had had enough and took a second to be upset. Then, after phoning home, and figuring out what to do- we realized it was out of our control and that we were in Europe. We had to just keep enjoying ourselves.

For our last day together, we came back to Florence and hiked up to Piazzale Michelangelo. This top terrace oversees Florence and is the most beautiful sight at sunset.

Spring Break may have been a whirlwind of craziness, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. We learned an important lesson, that as long as we have eachother, there isn’t a circumstance bad enough to bring us down. This will be an important life lesson to remember as we continue our lives together and continue to fight through trials and tribulations. I am blessed.

I know it has been a little while since I’ve last posted, and I am so sorry. I was super sick with bronchitis, and then stuck catching up on school work. To top it all off, midterms start for me on Tuesday! This week, say an extra little prayer for me. Lord knows I will need it with these exams! This posting is officially standing as my distraction/break from studying for midterms.

Today, a classmate and I went to the Museo Stibbert in Florence for our Cultural Anthropology course. Our syllabus said that we had to take a bus out of the town center to get to the museum. The directions from our instructor were very specific, and I was immediately intimidated and worried about just making one wrong move. I also, had never used the public transportation in Florence- until today. Boy, was it confusing. I couldn’t even believe it. We knew we had to take bus 4- but where the stop for this specific bus was- was way beyond us. We walked around asking different people- and got multiple different answers. Finally, we got the right information and got on the right bus.

Once we got off the bus at our stop- we still had to walk for about 5 minutes where we approached the bottom of a steep hill. There was a big yellow sign that said Museo Stibbert ————>. We had to “hike” up this mini-hill to get to the museum. Once we got to the top (out of breath, and yes OF COURSE I was sweating) we see the entrance to the museum. Right in front of the museum was a dang bus stop! We just followed the directions on our assignment sheet that said to get off one stop earlier. (I know, I know first world problems). Being the positive person I am, I just brushed it off and just marked it off as half of my daily workout (walking back to the bus would be my other half).

The museum was super interesting. There was a huge collection of artwork, armor, weaponry, and relics from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. It was so beautiful. Each room was themed with a different region of the world. I loved it. Anyway, we left the museum and decided to head back to the city center to get home. With midterms next week, we can’t afford any time away from our studies. As I’ve said before, my classes here are not easy, and midterms this week are going to be pretty killer.

As we left the museum, we walked back towards the bus stop and already saw a small crowd at the bus stop. I looked over at Aimee (my classmate) and said, “the bus must be coming soon because there’s already a crowd.” At that moment, Aimee turned around and saw the bus coming! She said, “Shoot! That’s bus number 4- RUN!” So I proceeded to get in that second half of my work out by sprinting down this street to catch the bus that was passing us on the street. I must’ve looked like a complete idiot, but I still was running full fury to this bus! The busses here literally make a stop at each bus stop and don’t stay still for more than a minute. Everyone gets on, and they go. We made it! I was stoked.

On the bus, we sat across from a girl who was giggling to herself after seeing us sprint to the bus. She started conversation. She was from Oregon, and moved to Florence to learn Italian. After telling her where we were each from, she asked us how we liked it. She was surprised to hear us say that we absolutely loved it. Her reaction threw me off a little, and I couldn’t help but ask her why she wasn’t enjoying it. She said:

“it’s not like I’m not enjoying it, it’s just really difficult navigating and meeting people. I guess lately I’ve been focusing on the challenges and not so much on the magic. You guys just reminded me to stay in the magic that exists in Florence. Thanks for that.”

This of course got me thinking. I immediately pulled out a pen and old receipt and wrote down the words, “stay in the magic.”

Too many times are we so quick to call our current circumstance a negative one when we focus on the challenges we are currently enduring (I am just as guilty of this). Instead, we really should focus on the challenges we have overcome. The journey is the blessing. We are always too quick to disregard all the blessings we have in front of our eyes, and one bad experience just completely ruins our outlook and douses flames of optimism.

So of course, for those of you that really know me know that instead of finishing this blog post and going to study- I’m going to focus on the fact that I am inspired now and possibly scratch out a poem. Until next time,

Me

For those of you that follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you know that I have been very sick for the past few days. Starting on Tuesday morning, I had a sore throat and some congestion. I was complaining then, but now how I wish I could be there again! It got progressively worse. I started feeling chest pains, heavy coughing, and lots and lots of congestion. I went to the Farmacia here to get some sort of medication. (Here in Italy, you don’t always need to go to the doctor when you are sick. The pharmacists here are doctors and can also prescribe you something based on your symptoms). Anyway, I went to the pharmacy yesterday and they gave me some cough syrup and congestion meds. Last night was the worst night. I got maybe 2 hours of sleep with constant interruptions of cough attacks and nose blowing. I knew it was more than a cough. After a little scolding from Rachael, I decided to go to the doctor today and sure enough, I have a bronchiole infection. He prescribed me some antibiotics and some cough syrup with codeine. Now trying to sleep for a while and feel better because ISA (my study abroad program) is taking us to Siena and San Gimignano tomorrow. I REALLY want to be able to go.

With that being said, I must dedicate this posting to my amazing ISA staff that never fails to make sure my experience here is nothing short of unforgettable. Our entire staff is so warm and welcoming and they have become my little study abroad family.

Lucia, our Resident Director, is always so willing to get a cappuccino with us and just sit and talk. She is always so excited to see us and you can tell she LOVES her job!

Perla, our Assistant Resident Director, is so full of energy and is kind of like the mom of the group- as she is always making sure we are feeling well, eating plenty, and having fun. She cares so much about us. One time, I accidentally called the ISA emergency line and I am pretty sure sure I nearly gave her a heart attack. She was so worried.

Ola, our Academic Coordinator is also beautifully amazing. I will admit that at first, I was intimidated by her. Her job is academics and all she kept saying during our orientations is how strict she was going to be with us. Soon after, when I needed to switch a class, she was so ready and eager to help.

Sabrina, our Activities Coordinator, is always smiling. She oversees all our excursions and is the one who encouraged me to sign up for the opera. She is always laughing at different things and she just has this warm sense of welcoming to her.

Alessia, our Housing Coordinator, is such a ridiculously hard worker. She is so quick to answer any of our questions pertaining to our apartment, and she is so quick to respond if we have any issue at all. She works so hard to make sure our living situation is up to par.

Last, but certainly not least, Claudio is our Student Services Coordinator. With his role, he is the one I have interacted with the most. Let me start by saying that Claudio never stops smiling. He is so sincere in his conversations and cares so much about all of the students. He walked me to the doctor today and helped me fill out all the appropriate paperwork when I was struggling. He is also my unofficial Italian tutor. Every time I come into the office, he asks me how Italian is going. I always ask something that I am struggling with. He is just so helpful.

For example, on the second day that I was here in Italy- I wanted to buy some gum. I had no idea how to say it. I asked Claudio, and this was the conversation that occurred:

Me: “Ciao Claudio, I have a question”
Claudio: “Ciao, Matthew (may-tee-you, this is how they all say my name- I love it!) dimmi”
Me: “How do you say gum in Italian”
Claudio: “Gum, gum… Hmmm. Ah ah, gum! Like to chew?”
Me: “Yes! Exactly!”
Claudio: “Ok, it’s a little difficult. The word is go-mma. Like go, and then ma!”
Me: “Gomma, ok perfect. Thank you.”
Claudio: “do you understand? You spell it like this- G-O-Double M-A. Understand?”
Me: “Yes, thank you so much” kind of laughing a little at this poin
Claudio: “Here, I’ll write it down for you. Give me your hand.”
Me: “Haha, no no. It’s ok. I think I got it.”
Claudio: “Are you sure?”
Me: Still laughing, “yes, I got it. Thank you!”
Claudio: “Let me know if there are any problems.”

This staff is a blessing really. They have made the transition here so much more smoother and they are 6 of the most approachable people I have ever met. They are so eager to help and they LOVE what they do. I love the passion they convey.

They actually kind of inspire me. I hope that in my career one day, I can be as passionate and approachable for students as they are. It has also made me realize that passion is an international theme in education. You NEED to have passion to work in this field. You won’t survive otherwise. I am truly so glad that I decided to study through ISA- they are really great at choosing a staff.

Anyway, I’m slowly dozing off from all these meds- so I need to sleep! If you have a chance, say a little prayer for me- I need a miracle so that I can travel tomorrow.

Today, I went to an authentic Italian opera with my program. It was an experience to say nonetheless. Before our meeting time, Whitney and I went around town a little to find a nice shirt to wear for the opera. Of course, with my scatter brain, I packed nice slacks and shoes- but no dress shirts. So we looked for about an hour and really cut it short with time. I could not find a thing. WHAT DOES A BIG GUY IN ITALY HAVE TO DO TO FIND SOME NICE CLOTHES?? Nothing fit- and I mean nothing. I understand Italians are thinner- but come on! After sprouting about 12 new gray hairs, I decided to call it quits and just find something in my closet that I would make work. I got home, took a QUICK shower and ended up wearing my gray slacks, and blue polo (tucked in). I knew it wasn’t dressy enough, but at that point, I didn’t care anymore, I just wanted to get there on time.

So I am rushing out of my apartment and speed-walking to the train station (our meeting point). On my way there, I was walking outside the indoor market past a bunch of street vendors. I happen to glance to my left and saw a guy selling a bunch of dress shirts. He had a sign that said 20 Euro. I stopped for a second to find a gray Polo brand dress shirt. I managed to have enough time to haggle him down to 15 and he steamed it (very quickly) for me and I ran. I got to the station, and quickly changed shirts outside. I felt so much more comfortable with this new nicer shirt.

Anyway, we got to the opera and I enjoyed the show overall. I fell asleep in the first act, but what I did appreciate and enjoy was the dramatic theatricality that was happening on stage. Everything was so over-the-top and I loved how into their character the actors got. I didn’t understand a lot of what was going on, but during intermissions, our program coordinators would explain briefly. I had a lot of fun.

After the opera, we went to enjoy a nice Italian Aperitivo. If you have no idea what an Aperitivo is look back at some of my previous posts where I called it the best invention ever. Anyway, after a great dinner with great friends, I came back to my apartment, changed into PJs and cleaned up. Now I am here- talking to (or I guess at) all of you. Had a great day overall. Thanks to everyone who reads this and follows my adventures. If there is something you would like to see more of, or just see in general- let me know! My goal is to have you all (especially my family) live out this experience vicariously through me. Love you all!

-me