little brick house on the oklahoma-texas line

((The song actually has absolutely nothing to do with anything in the post...it's just stuck in my head!))

So nothing eventful has happened in the last few days, other than the booking of a trip to Switzerland and the packing for Barcelona, but I still feel the need to update! We've been fairly inundated with work from classes, but I've still been slacking off a little in terms of spending more time planning trips than getting ahead (I have a few absolutely miserable weeks looming after the first 10 day break). Today I just had to escape the house after tutoring Mary Grace/having 6 1/2 hours of class, so despite having a ton of work, I decided to go for a walk along the Zattere, which is where the above picture comes from. Even though I get really stressed about travel plans and school stuff and things like missing Baby Jack's birthday, I know I'm so lucky to be here and I think seeing all the amazing views of Venice today along the Zattere kind of reminded me.

The only really eventful point today was when our art history professor showed up about 15 minutes late, like always, and while we've come to expect it, that alone is still kind of frustrating. BUT, today, three of us were sitting on a couch in the class room (it doubles as the "screening room") after we were specifically told at our house meeting Monday to leave the couch in there so as not to hurt the floor/doors by moving it. In comes the professor...out goes the professor. In comes the assistant house director and the house handy man, Massimo. First Roberta, the assistant director, explains that we can't have our feet up on the ottomans. Fine, no biggie. Next thing you know, the entire couch/ottoman family is quickly whisked out of the room and Allie, Trevor and I are standing awkwardly as Roberta, Massimo, and Professor Chiari stand there staring us down. Apparently it's a respect thing...they just don't allow couches in classrooms in Italy. My only complaint is that I feel like it's kind of disrespectful for her to always show up late and then hold us late...which then leaves me with less than 1/2 an hour to eat and get ready for the second half of an already jam packed day. But, I think she's a delightful and brilliant lady, so hopefully we don't have any more cultural snafus like the embarrassing one today...

It's been another busy few days...Thursday we had what are called Cafe Giovedi, which means we combine the Italian language and literature classes in the dining room upstairs and talk about a predetermined topic with Professor Bassi flitting back and forth among the tables to make sure we're speaking ONLY Italian. It was rough just because I did end up going out on Wednesday night with the group so I didn't get in bed til well after 12 and had to be up at 7.

After Cafe Giovedi, we all filled out insurance forms to take to the post office in what seems like a very sketchy "required" step in staying in Italy for 4 months (it cost us 50 euro...ouch). Then we dashed to San Marco in the rain/sleet/flurries to meet Professor Chiari, who is our art history teacher and has special access to churches and museums in Venice and takes us on visits once a week. I had a hard time enjoying the amazing basilica just because I didn't think to grab an umbrella OR hat before we made the 15 minute trek, so I was soaked and freezing (they don't do a whole lot of Basilica heating in these parts). Then Robert and I walked back home to warm up, eat, and try to rest since the city goes on siesta from about 1 to 3 and the places we needed to go were closed. We then ventured back out into the elements to buy our cell phones and turn in our aforementioned sketchy insurance forms (Venetian post offices are also suspiciously lacking in heat). I decided to stay in on Thursday because I was SO tired from the week of school/Santa Margherita adventures and also because we had to get up early for a day trip on Friday.

And get up early we did...Allie and I got up around 5:30 and got the boys up around 6 (poor Brad had slept maybe 2 hours since he went out the night before). Around 6:30 Robert, Brad, Tristan, Allie, and I left the house and ventured into the cold on our way to the train station. The ticket purchasing was uneventful, despite our rocky Italian, and then Tristan and I grabbed breakfast to eat on the train. On the train, Brad and I tried to sleep, but it wasn't very successful by the time the train guy woke us up to check out tickets and we changed trains in Ferrara. I also felt really badly because Brad gave me his ipod to listen to while he slept and it got stuck on a song and wouldn't turn off/restart/anything and I was just sure I had inherited Dad's bad luck of breaking whatever he touches, but luckily it's back in working order now. It was pretty cold in Ravenna when we got there around 10:30, but we headed off in search of the first of six churches that were part of an all inclusive ticket we bought.

Some of the six were ones we had seen various slides of in Professor Chiari's class, and some were not, but they were all amazing...the mosaics were just unbelievable. We walked around in search of lunch, but happened to hit a lot of places before they opened for lunch, and by the time we settled on an Italian buffet, we were absolutely ravenous (so the buffet was a welcome sight). After lunch we found the remainder of the churches (in one of which my cell phone rang...it rings like a fog horn/boat horn...mortifying), then got back to the train station only to realize we had 3 more hours before our train arrived. So we shopped. A lot. And got gelato and kabobs. But mostly we shopped...I bought 4 dresses (all of which were on sale and all of which I had been looking for...in a manner of speaking) and a hat (since the wind here is SO cold) and the boys made some purchases, too, which was hilarious to observe. We finally got back on the train around 6:30, read a little, slept a little, Robert and I even shared a set of ipod headphones and shagged to "Hey Baby" while the train was stopped for a long time on the tracks (the little old Italian lady looked at us like we were insane...I thought about telling her we weren't insane, just Southern). We rolled into Venice around 10 and ventured back into the cold...

While trucking it through the Rialto area to get home as fast as possible (we were tired and in need of hot showers) we got stopped by a group of girls Mal and I now call "the little Georgia girls" (a group of girls who were visiting Venice from Florence and who go to UGA). They were trying to find some random bar, but when they mentioned they were staying near the Peggy Gugenheim museum, we suggested they go to Campo Santa Margherita since it's so much closer and student friendly. Instead of getting our hot showers and rest, we decided to stay out and help the girls out, and also ran into a bunch of other American students in the area, which incited our possessiveness of Venice (we've been here just long enough that we don't feel like obvious American tourists, but others are, of course!), so we came home to our warm beds at a decent hour.

Saturday Allie and I actually slept in, which rarely happens, and after starting some laundry, we went to Bar da Gino with Mal, anticipating a quick trip like always. We stayed for 3 hours...I ate breakfast AND lunch there! We got to observe a steady stream of regular customers and their adorable kids/dogs (both of which are more prevalent than I expected), American tourists (with their dead giveaway Northface jackets), and European tourists (with their dead giveaway tight jeans/funky hair). We then made another Billa trip, where I loaded up on healthy food since I felt a little guilty about my cake at lunch-gelato for snack- giant box of cookies for dinner line up on Friday. We promptly decided to eat out that night, and I kind of blew off the healthy thing in favor of some great pasta and tiramisu. I mean you're only abroad once, right? At dinner, we decided that we attract Americans like a magnet, because there was a MASSIVE group of Americans there and they approached us for tips on where to go out since they're part of a program based in Florence and are visiting Venice as a group (of 180). One guy happened to know a sorority sister of mine, which was a really cool coincidence. Nevertheless, we kind of kept to ourselves and tried to be as un-American as possible (in the loud, obnoxious sense).

Today was much less eventful than Saturday, even, if that's possible. Robert and I decided to try mass at Salute (the massive, beautiful church about five minutes from here). It was a very amazing place to go to mass, but again, not so much on the heat...I kind of felt like I was in a refrigerator and not a church. It was also hard to understand the Italian because they spoke it so rapidly, and even being Catholic, I had a hard time following what was going on in mass just because they do things a little different (procedurally speaking, anyways) than we do at Wake. But, it still was nice to go to Catholic mass in such a cool church...how often will I have that chance again? Afterwords, I talked to mom and finally booked my ticket to the Canary Islands for my 10 day break coming up in about 2 1/2 weeks...I'm excited that she's coming, too, especially since it's essentially on her birthday and I'm not sure I've ever missed a birthday til this year. I've also been trying to figure out where I'm going for the remaining 4 days of my 10 day break since mom has to go back to work and Tristan wants to do Spain. A few of us are also plotting a trip to Switzerland for the second weekend in February and I'm booked for Barcelona for this coming weekend, so things are definitely getting crazy in terms of jaunting around Europe (so little time to study...).

I guess it's time for homework since I've spent the entire afternoon planning trips and searching for internships...

venice in the sun

Pictures:
1. View out my window to the left.
2. Campo Santa Margherita (where we go out at night)
3. Sunset
4. View out my window also to the left (just alittle more close up)

"it feels like it's been years since it's been here"

(name that song....)

...."Here Comes the Sun," in honor of the fact that the sun made an appearance today for the first time in about 1 1/2 weeks (it was sunny the first full day I was here). I took more pictures of the house and areas around the house now that it's sunny and it's absolutely amazing how different Venice looks when it's illuminated versus when it's cloaked in the omnipresent fog of January. According to Mallory's Venetian friend Mateo, the fog should lift sometime in February. Meanwhile, we've had some rumors of snow in the next day or two, which is exciting since I missed the snow back home!

The past few day have been ridiculously full, so I've been too lazy to post. But, Monday was our first full Monday of classes and it felt about as long as I expected it to feel. I ventured out on my own for the first time, but it was only to the meat shop right around the corner, so I guess it's not too much to be proud of! Nevertheless, I successfully ordered and paid for lunch meat and milk in Italian without Mallory's help...made me feel a little more independent. Later in the day, Mallory, Trevor, Keron, Allie, and I made yet another trip to the Billa for more sustenance and we were all kind of tired and loopy, so it was definitely a memorable experience. Keron has since threatened to dredge the canal and put whatever sludge he finds in my bed after I made fun of him for using one of the old lady-esque rolling carts we have at the house for toting groceries (and when we saw a 2 year old Italian kid struggling to help his dad carry a similar cart up the stairs, I compared Keron and the kid...he wasn't so amused). After we got back, it was time for my debate group to get down to business in preparation for today's debate regarding whether Italy has effectively reduced corruption in the past 20 years.

Tuesday was less busy class wise but was spent mostly comprising our arguments for the debate since it was at 9am today. I also poked around Santa Margherita first with Trevor for some pizza, then with Brendan and Brad for them to get pizza and for me to find some gelato. I also booked my flight to Paris for March to meet up wtih Sarah and Will, which is definitely something to look forward to!

Today I thought I was going to go insane, I had to sit still for so long...I tutored Mary Grace from 8:00 to 8:45, then had class from 9 to 3:15 with only a short break for coffee at 10 and lunch at 12:15. But the debate went really well and then I got to walk around the city with Allie, Robert, and Mallory for a while and take pictures since it was so sunny. I tried to get a cell phone since there was a relatively affordable one at the cell phone store, but you apparently have to have your passport to prove you're who you claim to be (and apparently my driver's license, intl student ID card, wake ID, and debit card with my picture on it were not sufficient proof...). So, I'll just go back tomorrow after we visit St. Mark's with the art class. We then ordered pizza for our house pizza party and Mallory, Jess and I went to go pick it up. Over dinner, we had a hilarious discussion about horrific prom stories and everyone is gearing up to go out tonight, but since I have to tutor at 8 again tomorrow morning, I'm thinking I'll probably get stuck staying in...

domenica

Sundays usually aren't very eventful at Wake for me, so yesterday was definitely a new experience. I tried to go to a local prayer service in English with the Beets family, Robert, and Mallory, but the service was actually in Padova (Mr. Beets misread the info on the bulletin). So, the bulletin indicated that there was an English service at a church near Rialto, which is a bit of a hike, but the service wasn't set to start for another hour. We hiked over, found what we thought was the proper place, then went to get some coffee. When we went back and sat in the church, we realized there were nuns and a bulletin in Italian (not to mention the Italian we could decipher made it appear Catholic). Mallory asked the priest what the story was and he let us know that we needed to go across the square to a different church for the service in English. The service ended up being almost 100% in Italian and it was evangelical Lutheran.....I'm 100% Catholic, so not only was it not exactly up my ally in general, but it was in Italian so I couldn't even understand what was going on! It wasn't completely awful, but I think I"ll definitely find a Catholic church nearby where I can at least listen to the Italian and know what's going on based on having gone to mass in English my whole life.

Later in the day, Jessica, Julie, Tristan, Allie, Mallory, and I met Mallory's friend Mateo in St. Mark's square so we could catch a big ferry boat to the mainland and go to his intramural volleyball game. We were early for the ferry, so we were lured into a temporary carnival type area where everyone bought funnel cakes and crepes. I really wanted a crepe, but was last in line, but Mateo kept insisting that we had time. So, I ordered one and as the lady was making it, Mateo yelled to us from the dock to hurry. Sure enough, Tristan, Mal, and I ran full speed but still got there to see the rest of the group watching the ferry leave. I felt absolutely awful for causing us to miss the ferry (and maybe the game) all for a stupid crepe. But, we got on the next one, which left 1/2 an hour later, and still met Mateo's friend Frank pretty much on time on the mainland. We got to the rec center with plenty of time for the teams to warm up, then they played 4 games...Mateo and Frank's team pretty much dominated the other team, so that was exciting, and it was nice to see something so "normal" after being completely surrounded by tourism for a solid week. Then Mateo and Frank drove us to a pizzaria, where we ate the best pizza (I got Diavola...which is pepperoni, but means devil, and it really was spicy). Mateo and Frank paid, which was really, really nice of them (maybe they did it to make up for their terrifying driving?!). Then, after a precarious ride and car dance party on the way back to the ferry, we got on the boat and came home to get some sleep before our first Monday of classes.

It was pretty hard to get up and get ready in time to tutor Mary Grace, the Beets' daughter, in Latin. I have forgotten so much Latin and I feel like she'll be teaching me more than the other way around, so I hope the Beets don't hate me by the end of the semester! Then came our first real Italian 153 class, which is intense since he doesn't let us speak ANY English, but he was relatively laid back and was teaching us the words for different types of beer, different types of priests/preachers/etc, so it was at least interesting and somewhat useful. I hit the meat/cheese shop during my free hour to get more turkey for lunch and some milk. I really need to go to the grocery, but we don't finish class until 4ish today and then I have a group meeting, so, turkey will have to tide me over. It's supposed to start raining soon and keep raining for approx. 5 days, Allie told me, so I'm not sure if I'll find the energy to even leave Casa Artom if we have acqua alta!

a little homesick

So today I got a little homesick, which I think is because I have so much free time to think about all the fun stuff I'm missing at home with my friends/family. I know it makes me sound like a brat to be in this beautiful house in an amazing city and then say that all I want is to eat some goldfish and be able to find a public bathroom, but I'm just having some trouble adjusting and I'm sure it'll come in time. It's also hard because small groups of people knew each other pretty well beforehand so they've all been making travel plans and do a lot together while I hardly knew anyone, so it's taking me a while to get to know people (but again, that'll come in time, I'm sure).

Yesterday Allie, Jessica Mirabella, Jon, and I took the vaporetto out to Murano, which is an island right off Venice known for its hand crafted glass. It was absolutely freezing and we didn't get to see a demonstration, but it was still a pretty island...less busy and a little more quaint than Venice itself. We even dropped into the local grocery store to see if they had brown sugar for a sauce the boys wanted to make for dinner that night...and it ended up being a multi-level grocery, which was really exciting as you can imagine if you know me/how much I love the grocery. Between wandering and the grocery, I saw this one guy 3 separate times and he reminded me SO much of a guy back at Wake that I almost called him by name each time (he was American, so that definitely was part of the correlation). It was definitely fun to explore the island, but by the time we took the boat there and back, I was so motion sick (not during, but after the boat rides, mind you) so I took dramamine to try and get my act together, and then I fell asleep for hours and hours since I was so exhausted from walking in the cold and feeling so sick.

Today I was going to go back island hopping with Jessica and Allie, but I was too worried about potentially losing my breakfast in the Grand Canal, so I walked around the Rialto and San Marco areas with Robert and Mal. It was nice to just wander around and talk, and since we all needed to do work, we came back, had lunch and dispersed to get things done. I read a little, sort of fell asleep, then just bummed around the house for a while. Again...not too good with this free time concept. Some people are cooking, some are going out to dinner, and I think I'm eating cereal...and then I'll probably go out with the group, at least for a little while, since I didn't the other night. But, I think I'm going to mass at St. Mark's tomorrow (maybe) so I'll probably be getting up fairly early. I have a feeling mass in Italian is going to be an interesting experience.

Also, we booked a trip to Barcelona, which is exciting. I think it's going to be Allie, Jess Mirabella, Tristan, Robert, Jon, and maybe Julie and Trevor. The only minor concern is that we fly out of the less convenient airport in Venice and into an airport that's actually a 1+ hour bus ride from Barcelona proper. Also, we're staying in a dorm style hostel, which is much more affordable and practical, but I've always been more willing to pay a little extra for convenience and lower sketch factors, so depending on how this goes, I might be flying solo here on out! But, I'll certainly give this a shot...

free time?

So it's our first full free day since classes started Wednesday, and some of the guys went to a vineyard in Verona, but most of us stuck around to explore Venice since we'll start traveling on the weekends soon. I think my roommate, Allie, and I are going to go out to Lido and/or Murano today and I have to go back to the grocery because I keep forgetting things, plus I really feel guilty not contributing in any productive way to the dinners the boys have been cooking. I tried to do some work this morning, but I still can't concentrate, so what can you do? Mom told me specifically on the phone yesterday not to worry too much about grades, so I'm taking that advice.

Yesterday afternoon Allie, Trevor, Tristan, Robert and I went on a 2 1/2 hour jaunt around Venice to try to complete a scavanger hunt our Italian professor assigned us. We got lost-ish, pretty cold, and only found 2 (maybe 3) of the places. But, it was good to explore a little bit and to have to find our way back from pretty far away...I think I could probably do it again if I was alone and lost. I love Venice, but I just wish it'd warm up a little, because it's hard to enjoy it when it's really foggy and in the low 40s all the time.

Last night, the majority of the group went to Campo Santa Margherita, which is where the student population of Venice hangs out (as Tristan, Brendan and I discovered when we went there on a marathon--and fruitless--gelato search Thursday night). We met some fellow Americans, who are here studying art through BU, which was nice. Again, it was so, so cold, and most of us ended up hanging out outside, so I think I would've enjoyed it more had I not been concerned about losing the use of my feet! The house is now full of roses, since some of the guys kept buying dozens of roses (then handing them out) from a street vendor who happened to be walking around the Campo. Always an adventure...

We're starting to plan our weekend trips, which is more stressful than I thought it'd be, just becuase airfares are expensive if you don't plan well in advance, but it's hard to coordinate where a large-ish group of people want to travel each weekend for the next 4 months, so we might get stuck paying higher fares or not going all the places we want to go. I think we're going to Barcelona the first weekend in February and I'm meeting Will and Sarah in Paris March 8-11, but those are my only solid plans so far. Some people have talked about using next weekend as a time for 3 separate day trips to nearby places in Italy (via train) since we've been having so much trouble finding reasonable plane tickets (Venice is great, but not exactly the hub of travel in Italy).

Other than that, I've just been really lazy, poking around the city whenever anyone happens to be venturing out (I'm still a little scared of going myself) and it's nice (but wholly unfamiliar) to have so much free time!

first day of class, italian style

Today was our first day of class and it was so incredibly loooooong. We had class from 9am to 3:15 and then house meetings until 5ish. I don't sit still for that long very well, so it was rough, especially since the classes are mostly very discussion oriented and you have to really be on top of things to keep up in that type of class (unless you don't care about participation grades, that is). But, hopefully I'll be less overwhelmed and start to hit my stride soon, because next week I present to the class and have a debate, and the following week my group in the commerce class has a RWPS presentation in about 2 weeks. Even though I'm usually pretty high strung and uptight about school, I haven't started taking it super seriously yet, and I'm not sure if it's because we've had so much time to just mosey around the city or if it's because my classroom is about 5 feet from the Grand Canal.

After class, some of us went back to Billa, the local-ish grocery store to get more food and I ended up making myself look American and dumb by not pre-weighing my fruit. Sounds petty, but I held the WHOLE line up...and had some very angry Italians staring me down. Luckily one of the guys from the house was there as a buffer, or I seriously think I might've been attacked. And all over some fruit. I promptly walked outside and enjoyed one of my previously unweighed bananas. Then the boys cooked dinner for me again, this time fish and pasta and salad, and while I usually am kind of scared of anything fish-like, it was absolutely amazing...didn't taste like fish at all...I really am liking the Italian food and the buying it fresh every few days approach (having someone to cook for me doesn't hurt either).

Last night a housemate and I went to get gelato and I've decided I really hope house gelato trips become a nightly thing...it's even better than I remember from when I came in high school! We're going back to the wine bars tonight since class doesn't start until 11 tomorrow and we only have 1 class, so hopefully a gelato stop is in order (and hopefully this time we don't get as lost)!

I still haven't really talked to hardly anyone back home, especially not my parents on the phone, which is weird, since we usually catch up pretty regularly, but the time difference and the unpredictable house schedule makes it hard to talk to people who are a continent away!

foggy day in venice

Today we didn't have any obligations until a meeting at the train station at 3, so the group went out last night to hang out and get to know each other better at a few local wine bars. We left here around 10:30 I think but got a little lost, then the first place was closed, so we eventually made our way to a second place aroun 11. The group got along really well with the owner/bartender, which was nice, because sometimes a group of 20 or so Americans can be really "obnoxious" by Italian standards. Some people had wine, but the hit of the night was grappa, which is a very, very strong liquor that apparently burns your insides in a very real way. So, the bartender showed the group the "Italian" way to take a shot, which involves drinking it all at once by using only your mouth to pick up the glass and drink it...quite the cultural experience. Some of the group members bravely tried it and the bartender even made Brendan the guest bartender for a while, which was hilarious. It was really laid back and a nice way to get to know people better before classes start tomorrow!

Despite my late night bedtime, I still woke up at 9 and so I ended up just getting up so I could eat some breakfast and go to the fruit and veggie vendor with Mal and Allie. We also stopped in for coffee, which is a custom I like a lot, especially since it's quick but still very social...so much more efficient than in America! We also hit the meat and cheese store so I could get some tacchino (turkey) for lunches. We even ran into a fellow American in the shop who had Mal help him order some lunch meat, too. It's really strange to see Americans in this part of Venice because it's not very touristy, so it was a nice surprise.

Later I went with part of the group to find the train station, which is a bit of walk (pretty much on the opposite side of the island), but we still made it there early and had some time to walk around and ventured into a mask shop, which was really fascinating. Then Roberta, the assitant house director, brough us back to the house but gave a mini tour on the way. Back at the house we met our Italian language/literature professor and the art history professor, which was nice but slightly awkward for those of us who don't have excellent Italian skills.

Pretty much the whole group has started to bond not just on account of wine bar visits, but also cooking together and exploring the city, as well as worrying about the classes. We're all a little worried about how much work is expected, not because we're afraid of applying ourselves, but just because there is so much to do and see here and we feel like the classes are so demanding that they'll interfere with the type of learning that is supposed to happen outside the classroom. Tomorrow is the first day, so we'll see exactly where the bar is set, but we're all nervous to see just how much our GPAs are going to suffer!

I've finished my reading for tomorrow (not that I remember anything) so some of us are going to get gelato and then I'm going to try to go to bed early since class starts at 9. I should probably work ahead or something, but I'm still in denial about classes starting...

il supermercato (and other adventures)

So today Allie and I found ourselves awake at 9, even though she had gone out last night and I hadn't set my alarm for a minute earlier than 9:45. But, it worked out because I ended up getting ready really quickly to go to a cafe with Jessica, Tristan, and Robert so I could eat "un brioche" (which is an 80 cent pastry that most Italians eat for breakfast, if they eat breakfast at all, with their espresso or cappucino).

At 11 we met with Laura (the house director in Venice) and her assistant, Roberta, and split into two groups to go on a walking tour of some spots in Venice. It was pretty chilly still, but a beautiful day as the sun was shining for the first time since I got here. We stopped for more coffee at a cafe and some of us got pizza (and then chastized for eating it at the tables meant for the cafe!). It's been hard not having food at the house just because I eat a little at a time but subsequently eat really often, and I've been depending on meals at cafe's and restaurants with the group since I don't know my way around very well yet.

So, today Mallory took us to the grocery (again, thank goodness for her and her patience, because I've been stuck to her like glue since I'm afraid of getting lost and still don't know my way). It was quite a hike, so I tried to get a lot of snacky type food and enough to last me a good while. Per Mal's advice, I didn't get any fruit, veggies, or meat since there are vendors near our house for that sort of thing, but now I wish I had, just because I don't know where the vendors are or when I'll get a chance to go (maybe tomorrow...our first meeting isn't until 3). But luckily my roommate Allie and a few guys in the house are good cooks, so I've offered to pay them or do their laundry or really anything in exchange for meals, since I just don't know how to (or have the patience to learn how to) cook. It was hard, though, because I had NO clue what to buy since all the packaging was in Italian and my Italian is a little sketchy. But, I ended up with some honey nut cheerios, slightly sketchy milk, ritz crackers, butter cookies, strange snack type crackers with ads (in English) for the movie "Cars" on them, and some basic pasta and sauce. Oh, and some yogurt that is of hopefully a berry-type flavor...it appears to be the Italian version of Dannon, so that's good. I was just glad to have Kristin's backpack to put my food in, since they charge for plastic bags and I bought a lot!

As much as I enjoyed the walking tour and finally buying some food and going on a wine shop adventure with Brad and Brendan, a)it's still hard to believe I'm here for 4 months, b)it's a little scary and overwhelming still to think I'm on my own for 4 long months, and c)after talking to the group, I really hope I get to travel a lot to the places I'm interested in, because we all have such undefined and different opinions and budgets. I'm sure it will definitely work itself out, but I'm just a worrier, so I have to get my daily dose of worrying in!

I still am completely in love with and fascinated by the house...it's amazing to open my window and hear vaporetto, gondole, and all kinds of other boats go by...the sounds of waves and the water make me think of how much Mom likes being able to hear the water (although I'm not sure this is exactly what she has in mind). It's dinner time now, and then I think we're going to go to wine bars later tonight, so who knows what sort of adventures that will bring...

Success!

Jon, Caroline, Jessica, Meredith, and myself made it to the house around 10:30 this morning after our flight leaving JFK was delayed on the tarmac by an hour, Caroline nearly missed the flight at JFK because they're just mean at that airport, and then her bag was lost someplace between her house and Venice. The flight was shorter than expected despite the delay, so it was nice to arrive in Venice at 8:45 instead of 9:15 am, especially since wrangling with our bags took a while. It was obnoxious on the flight, though, because one flight attendant was really mean about having to help with my carry on and later chastised me for trying to use the bathroom since the pilot apparently had to go back in the cockpit. He also refused to give me my dinner til nearly 2 hours into the flight, so I didn't get much sleep, although the man next to me got enough for the both of us as he took an ambien pill around 5:45 when we boarded, and subsequently passed out before we even took off (because of the delay). But, it really wasn't that bad, and I got lucky to be on safe, quick flights and even luckier to find all my luggage in Venice. And, Jon was so, so helpful...he offered to carry my one super heavy red bag/carry on, led us to the water taxi, negotiated a price, and then even paid for my pizza this afternoon when I only had a 20 euro note!

The house is amazing...it's HUGE. It seriously just keeps going and going. It's adorable, too. I really think it will feel like home for a semester (without parents/neighbors/etc, of course). I have yet to venture into the shower, which looks a little daunting, but after so long in the air and in airports, I'm going to have to bite the bullet, especially since my group plans to go out tonight (I've got to figure out how to keep up!). And I unpacked successfully after the pizza break earlier...my stuff fits relatively well...the drawers are definitely stuffed and my sweaters are pretty high up in the closet, and Allie and I have yet to figure out where to put our stuicases, but all in all, it's working out quite well. And my view is amazing. Our one little window looks out on the Grand Canal and you can see water taxis, the public transportation boats, police boats, ambulance boats, etc...and hear the bells ringing at nearby churches, see boat races...there's so much to take in!

The only hard part is not being able to do all these great things with my family and close friends. My housemates seem awesome and I'm sure we'll all get close and have a great time, but it's hard right now because we're all just getting to know each other while some people know each other really well...it'll be just kind of strange for a while I think.

I'll stop rambling and take a shower...I feel like once we go out tonight and start the orientation to Venice at 11am tomorrow, I'm going to feel like there's not enough time in the world!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

So today is the day I leave for Venice, but it's sort of anticlimactic just because I got to the Charlotte airport around 8 this morning, but since I have to fly through Atlanta and JFK before I get to Venice, I don't actually leave the country until dinner time. Talk about too much time to think! When I was wrestling with my huge carry on, my stupid quart sized plastic baggy of permitted carry on liquids, my coat, my laptop, my passport, etc, I realized that I am going to be completely on my own not just when I get to Venice and also have two overweight, massive suitcases to wrangle with, but also all the carry on stuff and just for the next four months in general. Time to grow up!

It's going to be hard to leave, especially after saying goodbye to everyone at day 1 of rush, not getting to say goodbye to some poeple, and then having a really nice going away dinner party at the Bowlings' house! They had a really cute cake made that said "Arrivederci" and they also gave me a beautiful bracelet to put charms on as I travel. I feel really badly that I'm going to miss baby Jack's birthday for the first time ever while I'll be gone. But, I know there'll be plenty more! I tried to take advantage of everything I could at home from tv to phone to being able to take a really long shower...I'm sure I won't be doing much of that sharing a house with 20 other people!

Anyways, flight 1 of 3 is about to board, and since I have way too much free time throughout the day, I'm sure this is just the first of many incoherent, slightly panicked ramblings of the day!

counting down the days

i leave in about eight days to live here for four months (i think my room is the third window from the left hand side of the house)! i'll be living with 19 other students, the professor, his wife, and their 2 young kids for the semester....it all sounds a little mtv "real world" ish, if you've ever seen the show.

i thought this would be a good way to keep everyone updated without clogging up your inboxes since you all know how long winded i can be. but, by all means, still feel free to email/IM me or send me snail mail! the address at the house is:

Casa Artom
Dorsoduro 699
Venezia 30123

(make sure it's "air mail" or they say it can take up to 3 months to arrive)

so for the next 7 days, i'll be watching as much american tv as possible, using the phone as much as possible, hanging out with my family til they're sick of me...anything and everything that i won't get to do in italy. oh, and trying to figure out how to get my life across the ocean in 2 suitcases (advice is welcome).