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...