So here is my current thought on cameras. I am almost completely against them. I so often think about why I am taking pictures or why people take pictures in general and I can't help but think that we take pictures for other people more often than not. I mean, I enjoy going back and looking at pictures every once in a while and printing them to have in frames. But when we post pictures online or put them in frames it kind of seems like we just want to have them for the enjoyment of other people so we can show them what we have done. This semester this has come to mind so many times traveling with different people. I have caught myself several times so busy taking pictures that I am not experiencing moments. Towards the end of the semester the number of pictures I have taken has drastically decreased mostly because I am more into mental images and experiencing them than making sure I have a picture to show someone that I did something. Some of my friends probably have gotten annoyed by my anti-picture takingness lately, but I think it makes things more special. I mean, I want a picture of me in front of something really special but I do not need my face in front of every monument or a picture of every meal I ate. My roommate and I actually don't allow cameras at dinners anymore because it just takes away from the experience. I think the whole point of studying abroad has been to immerse myself in the Italian culture and to date I have never seen an Italian pull out a camera and snap a shot of their pizza.
I know this is a little wordy, but I thought I might explain my thoughts on this as well as procrastinate studying for my 2 exams tomorrow. My pictures have come to be very meaningful now, though. I will probably write again in like 2 hours when I get tired of studying again :)
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
I reserve the right to be sappy for about 30 seconds.
So this time in two weeks I will be with my parents in Venice. It is hard to believe that such an amazing semester is coming to an end. I always thought about studying abroad and talked about it all through high school, but this is a totally unreal feeling. I still feel weird every morning when I wake up and realize I live in Italy. It is kind of bittersweet, leaving. I am just about ready to be back home, but I also love this place so much and I don't want to leave. My ultimate dream would be if I could move my friends and family to Perugia, totally practical right?
Unfortunately, end of the semester means piled on work. I officially have no more classes. Scary, I am really about halfway done with college. But I do have a 20 minute presentation, a 2000 word research paper, and 4 exams to go. Not to mention packing. I think that packing may be my biggest challenge I face in the next 2 weeks.
So now, I will stop being sappy mostly because I don't want to think about leaving this beautiful place and my amazing friends behind.
So about some of my recent adventures:
Last weekend, I went on a trip to Orvieto and Bagnoregio. Wow. That is the only thing I have to say about this trip. The stop in Orvieto was very brief, we really only stopped there because we had time and the cathedral was absolutely beautiful. The church facade reminded me a little bit of the cathedral in Siena. I also found this cute little kids store (I am the ultimate sucker for childrens things being a teacher and an aunt) where I fell in love with the classroom supply things in Italian and finally found my present for Lilly K after a 3 month search. It is this precious little Beauty and the Beast hand sewn doll that is bell and then it flips over and is the beast. That is probably a terrible description, but it is precious and I met the lady who's father makes the dolls who thought it was precious I was buying it for my niece and showed me pictures of her father and her nephew. I think being an aunt must be a pride thing, because I am sure all of my friends have seen at least 10 pictures of Will and Lilly K.
We left for Bagnoregio, which by far is the most beautiful place I have been in Italy and quite possibly the world. I have a thing for small towns, I think they have the most character. This is the city where St. Bonaventure is from and the main city part is only accessible by foot bridge. It is called the dying city because literally for years pieces of it are falling off the sides of the cliff. After a comical lunch with a very rude waitress, we walked around the city and just admired the beauty. I definitely would recommend going to anyone. And when we were walking back up to our bus, we got to the top of a cliff where we saw the city from above and it was even more spectacular looking.
I am sure there is more, but I am trying to study believe it or not so that way I can play next week while everyone else is studying! Will post pictures from Orvieto and Bagnoregio!
Unfortunately, end of the semester means piled on work. I officially have no more classes. Scary, I am really about halfway done with college. But I do have a 20 minute presentation, a 2000 word research paper, and 4 exams to go. Not to mention packing. I think that packing may be my biggest challenge I face in the next 2 weeks.
So now, I will stop being sappy mostly because I don't want to think about leaving this beautiful place and my amazing friends behind.
So about some of my recent adventures:
Last weekend, I went on a trip to Orvieto and Bagnoregio. Wow. That is the only thing I have to say about this trip. The stop in Orvieto was very brief, we really only stopped there because we had time and the cathedral was absolutely beautiful. The church facade reminded me a little bit of the cathedral in Siena. I also found this cute little kids store (I am the ultimate sucker for childrens things being a teacher and an aunt) where I fell in love with the classroom supply things in Italian and finally found my present for Lilly K after a 3 month search. It is this precious little Beauty and the Beast hand sewn doll that is bell and then it flips over and is the beast. That is probably a terrible description, but it is precious and I met the lady who's father makes the dolls who thought it was precious I was buying it for my niece and showed me pictures of her father and her nephew. I think being an aunt must be a pride thing, because I am sure all of my friends have seen at least 10 pictures of Will and Lilly K.
We left for Bagnoregio, which by far is the most beautiful place I have been in Italy and quite possibly the world. I have a thing for small towns, I think they have the most character. This is the city where St. Bonaventure is from and the main city part is only accessible by foot bridge. It is called the dying city because literally for years pieces of it are falling off the sides of the cliff. After a comical lunch with a very rude waitress, we walked around the city and just admired the beauty. I definitely would recommend going to anyone. And when we were walking back up to our bus, we got to the top of a cliff where we saw the city from above and it was even more spectacular looking.
I am sure there is more, but I am trying to study believe it or not so that way I can play next week while everyone else is studying! Will post pictures from Orvieto and Bagnoregio!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Pigeons, Pigeons Everywhere.
So once again, I have failed to properly keep up with this. No surprise. The last couple of weeks have flown by and I have a feeling that the next will do the same. I am down to less than a month here and although the idea of America is comforting, the idea of leaving is terrifying.
Weekend before last (March 25-27) I made a trip to Seville, Spain to go see one of my friends from PC. It was my first trip really traveling alone, and it made me very confident in myself. I woke up at about 6 am on Friday after making the foolish decision to go to sleep at 4 am. Please never do this! There is nothing fun about trying to force yourself to stay awake on three trains alone. After gathering my stuff and going down to the train station I successfully made it to Bologna after 2 train changes. Another confidence booster, because that was only the second time I have had to make train changes. I safely made the shuttle to the Bologna airport and got all checked in just in time to go through my first Ryan Air flight. For those unfamiliar with RyainAir, it is probably Europe's largest discount airline. Basically its point a to point b transportation with no extras or frills. I actually found it to be slightly less cattle hearding-like than easyjet, but that could have been because I was at a smaller airport. I got to Spain after catching up on some sleep on the flight. Patrick met me at the airport and we were off to see Sevilla! Seville was so beautiful and we were blessed with some amazing weather. I had only previously been to Barcelona in Spain, so to be in a totally different part of the country was so nice. I got to meet some of his friends (like me, he is friends with many people from all over the world, not just the country he lives in) and we grabbed some tapas and went to a party for Erasmus students at one of the discotecas in town. It was interesting seeing the nightlife in such a larger city than Perugia, definitely a little more upscale. The next day we did a little bit of touristy Seville. We went and saw the worlds largest gothic cathedral (AMAZING!), the bull arena, the Plaza de Espana, and some other key sights. We also took a break from reality and went and laid in the park and got a go-cart type bike thing and just soaked up some sun. It was nice to be able to see things as well as relax. We also went to a beautiful art museum in an old monastery building. And for our last outing, Patrick and I went to this place thats like an indoor picnic area/bar that has Flamenco dancers and music at night. The show was so neat and the dancing was definitely impressive. Patrick and I said our goodbyes and I managed to get all the way back to Perugia the next day from my hostel.
The trip to Spain definitely made me very aware of my surroundings because I was forced to do so much listening and very little talking besides the occasional question or two asked of me on the train. It also made me very aware that my Italian language skills are killing my Spanish skills. Patrick definitely ordered everything for me the entire trip. I can still conjugate and form sentences, but those little question words and simple things you need for conversation all seem to come out in Italian now.
This last weekend was much needed. After very little sleep, I needed some chill time and that is exactly what I got. After we discovered the discount grocery store (not sure why we never made it there earlier this semester!) thats about a 15 minute walk, we had everything we needed for a picnic. On Friday we went to this grassy area outside of a church and got some sun and just people watched in the park for a bit. It was nice to just have people drawing, playing soccer, and cute dogs all around us. I got more sun I think than anyone else, but luckily my red turns into tan really quickly. Saturday was filled with more sun and exploring which was still very nice. Sunday, as always, is reserved for sleep and work. This Sunday, though, we did go to the little biological market that comes the first Sunday of every month.
You can definitely tell that the semester is coming towards an end. Big projects are due, everyone is stressed, and time is flying faster than ever. The amount of work I have just in the next week baffles me. Oh well, its life and its all good. Although this weather is so irresistible and the sunshine is constantly calling me to take a break from schoolwork!
Weekend before last (March 25-27) I made a trip to Seville, Spain to go see one of my friends from PC. It was my first trip really traveling alone, and it made me very confident in myself. I woke up at about 6 am on Friday after making the foolish decision to go to sleep at 4 am. Please never do this! There is nothing fun about trying to force yourself to stay awake on three trains alone. After gathering my stuff and going down to the train station I successfully made it to Bologna after 2 train changes. Another confidence booster, because that was only the second time I have had to make train changes. I safely made the shuttle to the Bologna airport and got all checked in just in time to go through my first Ryan Air flight. For those unfamiliar with RyainAir, it is probably Europe's largest discount airline. Basically its point a to point b transportation with no extras or frills. I actually found it to be slightly less cattle hearding-like than easyjet, but that could have been because I was at a smaller airport. I got to Spain after catching up on some sleep on the flight. Patrick met me at the airport and we were off to see Sevilla! Seville was so beautiful and we were blessed with some amazing weather. I had only previously been to Barcelona in Spain, so to be in a totally different part of the country was so nice. I got to meet some of his friends (like me, he is friends with many people from all over the world, not just the country he lives in) and we grabbed some tapas and went to a party for Erasmus students at one of the discotecas in town. It was interesting seeing the nightlife in such a larger city than Perugia, definitely a little more upscale. The next day we did a little bit of touristy Seville. We went and saw the worlds largest gothic cathedral (AMAZING!), the bull arena, the Plaza de Espana, and some other key sights. We also took a break from reality and went and laid in the park and got a go-cart type bike thing and just soaked up some sun. It was nice to be able to see things as well as relax. We also went to a beautiful art museum in an old monastery building. And for our last outing, Patrick and I went to this place thats like an indoor picnic area/bar that has Flamenco dancers and music at night. The show was so neat and the dancing was definitely impressive. Patrick and I said our goodbyes and I managed to get all the way back to Perugia the next day from my hostel.
The trip to Spain definitely made me very aware of my surroundings because I was forced to do so much listening and very little talking besides the occasional question or two asked of me on the train. It also made me very aware that my Italian language skills are killing my Spanish skills. Patrick definitely ordered everything for me the entire trip. I can still conjugate and form sentences, but those little question words and simple things you need for conversation all seem to come out in Italian now.
This last weekend was much needed. After very little sleep, I needed some chill time and that is exactly what I got. After we discovered the discount grocery store (not sure why we never made it there earlier this semester!) thats about a 15 minute walk, we had everything we needed for a picnic. On Friday we went to this grassy area outside of a church and got some sun and just people watched in the park for a bit. It was nice to just have people drawing, playing soccer, and cute dogs all around us. I got more sun I think than anyone else, but luckily my red turns into tan really quickly. Saturday was filled with more sun and exploring which was still very nice. Sunday, as always, is reserved for sleep and work. This Sunday, though, we did go to the little biological market that comes the first Sunday of every month.
You can definitely tell that the semester is coming towards an end. Big projects are due, everyone is stressed, and time is flying faster than ever. The amount of work I have just in the next week baffles me. Oh well, its life and its all good. Although this weather is so irresistible and the sunshine is constantly calling me to take a break from schoolwork!
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