a weekend in Italy

Im writing tired but vowed I would get it all out tonight because by tomorrow night I may have another amazing story about a beautiful day in this beautiful place. Tonight i have spent too many hours in front of this laptop doing work and it brings sadness to my heart but the thought of all ahead and the weekend i had makes me very happy! :)

This weekend we stayed around Sansepolcro and even though its a small town there is lots to discover... for me and Nicole we chose the community pool on a hot saturday. So you have a community pool in ITALY on a hot saturday. yes, there was skippy bathing suits and young italian men in speedos and there i was sitting in my chair (which we discovered was not a free amenity) in my one peice trying to just read my Italian Fascism book and not get distracted. The old man that yelled at Nicole was the reason we learned the hard way that you just cant grab a chair, you must go get one for 2 euro...nicole was able to figure out he said something along the lines of "what are you doing you didnt pay for that" before he snatched his chair back and put it in the same useless spot we found it where it sat lonely...
Getting back from the pool was the first of many attempts i have had to go run with nicole. failed that day of course but we prepared for the night and after seeing all my family on skype (cats included) we headed out for the night with some new friends. little did we know that after pre dinner drink and chat and long wait for amazing pizza that we would be going to the disco techa. the price was steep but i enjoyed it once we got in. i finally got to dance again, and i must say... a club that plays even grease lightning AND cotton eye joe with a mix of american songs is a good place to be on a saturday to me. that brought with it quite a long bedtime... and of course some very sweaty hair and cigarette scented clothes from all the people at the disco techa. i learned why they said "bring febrezze" that night.
sunday i rolled out of bed in enough time to get lunch with the whole group at the restaurant right behind the palazzo. AMAZING. of course... nothing less here in italy. i had pasta with goose meat. like ground beef to me but o so good and then the meat came... there was the roast beef but then there was this other meat that i told myself MAY have been rabbit but was like im in italy and i am eating it. well i had a slice of little bunny foo foo at lunch. tasty though :)
the rest of the day consisted of the most beautiful bike ride yet on the most beautiful day in Sansepolcro yet... wow im such a lucky girl. even got to see lots of the city and places around sunday. going to bed here now. finally finished english among the midst of many skype and facebook chatting which held me back probably hours... but i just must walk with john rose in the morning. ciao till the next adventure <3

first night out

Last night was our first night out. It began walking to the gelateria with some of the girls from the palazzo and when we arrived there we said hello to our friends Sarah and Mirro who are sweet and have begun to give us italian lessons when we stop by to say Ciao (the one word I HAVE mastered). When we got there we decided that instead we would head down to KCafe where me and Nicole read the first chapter of our Italy Facism book earlier in the day. We all order our first drink from the hilarious waiter Luigi and after watching the cute bartender make them sat down to enjoy everyone's company in this beautiful Tuscan city. Since it was a Friday there was a passagato going on where the whole entire city walks around and hangs out in the city walls. We walked around and laughed of course too loud to be in Italy and got glared at by the Italian women while the men did hair flips and the "comb through" as we walked by. Another true reminder that we aren't in North Carolina anymore. We walked out of the walls to see if we could discover what was going on at the night club whose sign we haven't been able to understand. As soon as Nicole opens her mouth to speak to the young Italian man about the sign all this friends turn around and begin to ask each other in Italian "do you speak English." It was quite an evening! We finished off the evening with a glass of wine and a few rounds of a game called Things, which I learned I am not good at. One of the statements was something that happens once in a blue moon and all but one of 7 of us put something about a boy. Oh lordy! Haha.
Italy is treating me so beautiful that I tend to forget how real this all is sometimes. Today I slept in until 10 and when I opened the windows of my bedroom in the 16th century Palazzo I call home I knew that all was well! Off to the market for now. There is a horse race tonight. Love to all <3

my first bike.

Well my first bike in ITALY! I got my bike today for 40 euro and then these shoes that i said were my August present to self that are just like birkenstocks for only 23 euro. We went to eat out for the first time tonight and i was hungry after riding my new bike and shopping. We went to the pizzeria down below us and we all 10 ate for 57 euro! I decided to write down everything I spend money on and with my mother and sister i am writing down all i eat so between the two i hope to feel more guilty and spend and eat less. Boy, am i lucky to be here! I get tired more quickly here. I cant wait to learn more and more italian. Looks like Dr.Webb will have us reading a lot for her class. Im just excited to learn it all though... Soak it all in
I havent soaked it all in yet... Being here on the other side of the sea in this beautiful place. I met some people today too. No italian men yet, just the ones that yelled at us while we rode our bikes. This was a women named Lucy at the bike shop whose husband ran it and then a women that worked in the store where I bought some postcards and her name was Mikayla (spelling could be so wrong!)
All in all the nasty morning I had changed into an awesome day. Tomorrow is friday so we only have italian and i decided to skip the evening walk, even though after that pizza i shouldnt have! I just need some sleep though. Im thinking the weekend is going to be a long but good one! :)
Ciao for now. <3

not in kansas anymore...

So classes started this morning and i could barely make it through the first class before feeling hot and sick. I think its the mix of heat, my sleep is still off and i left sick that has me feeling like this. it still hasnt hit me that i am here in Italy. Its amazing and i am beginning to get used to things each day. I was glad to start Italian so that i can talk with the townspeople. hopefully by next week ill be feeling like my normal self again but right now my body is still wondering what the heck is going on!
Grace, love and peace to all! <3

finally here

what a trip... It felt like just hours ago i was at RDU. We got to Dulles and had to wait 3 hours to get on our plane to Rome. Once we were on the plane the always fun "technical difficulties" allowed us to sit on the plane for two more hours. We finally got to Rome two hours late, which was about 5am at home. We took a train into the city of Rome and then after 2 hours of sitting in the Rome train station (and dozing off IN THE STATION) we got on a train to Arezzo. Those two hours allowed for a very nice nap! After getting to Arezzo we got on a bus to Sansepolcro and FINALLY got to Sansepolcro around 6pm Italy time. Needless to say we were all sleep deprived and after our first 3 course meal and a quick gelato run I passed out :)
Today is orientation. More to come really soon... Still cant believe im here!

packed!

I got packed today, with lots of help too! I was so happy my sister was home to help so that everything could be organized. The only worry is that one of my bags may be over 50 lbs. I am really leaving for Italy in just two days now! I think the excitement is starting to build A LOT but so is the reality of it all too. Cant wait :)

pre-departure

The packing has yet to begun but piles have been made. Everything must find it spot tomorrow so that I can be comforted by it all fitting. Problem is... I don't think its all fitting. Not everything i want at least! Lots has been going on in the midst of preparing for my trip but I can't even describe the sense of excitement i have for this amazing adventure i am about to begin!
More to come when its not 3am or when I get there :)