Last day in Italy

This is our last day in Italy and it's about 11:30 in the morning here. We've had our apartments inspected for anything broken or misplaced and almost all of our stuff is packed. At least mine is. But then again I started packing about week and a half ago. And our apartment was said to be the cleanest! I'm probably lame for thinking that's a good thing, but I think it is. I'm going to miss a lot of things about Italy but it's made me appreciate the States more. It's hard to get accustomed to a new culture, even if it's only slightly different.

I'm dreading the plane ride home. We have a three hour bus ride at one in the morning to the airport in Rome and then we wait until the line opens up, then about a two hour flight into Frankfurt. Then we have a three-hour layover in Frankfurt and it'll be in the dead of night. Then we have about a nine or ten hour flight from Frankfurt to Atlanta and apparently we need to tack on another hour just to get through customs. It's so intense to fly international. I think I'll be a wreck when I get home. I have a tendency to not be able to fall asleep on a bus or plane but hopefully I'll just be so exhausted I'll pass out. If not, I can catch up on some movies and read a book, which I'll probably finish. I hate to admit it, but I'm excited to have time to read. Hopefully I can finish the books I started on my computer. I think I might just be excited to be on the way home. Time here has gone from flying by to slowing down like when you're waiting for Christmas. I can barely stand it! But I'll be home soon and I can't wait. I miss everyone so much.

8 days left

I am ready to be home. I know, I'm being ridiculous, but I feel like I've been here forever! We've been here almost nine weeks and looking back I feel like we have done so much yet so little at the same time. I started packing last weekend. I may be a little early but at least I won't be throwing things into my suitcase haphazardly while trying to fly out the door to catch the bus. I'm trying to figure out how much I can carry in my book bag without breaking my back. I haven't bought much other than clothes as souvenirs, but I'm mainly worried about how heavy my textbooks are. If you go over the 50 pound weight limit, they can charge you a hundred euros. How ridiculous is that! But another bag up to fifty pounds is 40 euros. I may just be ignorant of the etiquette involved with flying, but that seems extreme.

I have so much to do. I have six paintings to finish, one of which I have yet to start and everything needs to be done by Monday. Not to mention my Art History final tomorrow, and my Historical Geography final and my journals are due Monday as well and a have a paper to write for my Painting class, on top of it all. I need to clean and do laundry and get all my ducks in a row. I didn't think it would be so stressful for us to leave here. We need to be ready to vacate our apartments Tuesday at midnight, or is that Wednesday? We have to catch the bus at 1 a.m. on Wednesday morning and take the three hour trip to the Rome airport. I feel like if I had a schedule that was organized I would feel so much better about this. I've also heard the customs is going to be a pain to get through, so I'm really looking forward to that part! It'll be well worth it to get home to Atlanta and see everyone though. I miss everyone so much!

Things that I won't take for granted...

Being here for ten weeks has taught me a lot, now that I take the time to actually think about. There's a lot of things here that I find odd and a little disconcerting but there's also some things that I really like. For instance, not having a car is amazing! I am not a fan of driving on the best of days because it involves other people being on the road. Here, it's not a problem, because my main concern is not getting mowed down by some psychotic Italian driver. You may think I'm being harsh, but it's like a battle every time you have to cross a street here. A game of chicken might be a better analogy, except for the "game" part. If you show no fear and bravely walk out into the street into oncoming traffic you'll be fine, if you wait, you'll be fine, but if you hesitate and do that silly dance of "Should I go? Oh, no, better thought, I'll wait" you'll be dead. It's terrifying, but if I learn nothing else, I've learned how to cross a street. With most of my limbs attached.

Another strange thing about being here is that the main transportation are scooters or Vespas. Yes, I know Vespa is a brand, but they are everywhere. People just zoom by on them, disregarding anyone and everyone's safety. And there's so many smart cars here. You know what I'm talking about, those super tiny cars that look like roller skates for giants. They park those cars however they can get them to fit. Seriously, I've seen someone back it in to a parallel parking spot along a road, and it fit. I don't know what they have to do to get their driver's license here, but apparently it involves some intense military drilling, complete with bombs going off and, oh yeah, nerves of steel. I've never even heard of a crash here. Thankfully I don't have to drive here. I'd wet my pants!

I'm going to be so happy when I get home and can go to sleep in a bed bigger than a twin bed. Stretching out while sleeping, how I've missed you! And having the choice between Italian food and anything else. At all. Like a sandwich that doesn't involve marinara and mozzarella. The food here is delicious, but I need diversity! I'm from the land of diversity! I need choices! I may sound like an arrogant American, but as of right now, I'm okay with that. And in the restaurants here, there is no tipping, there's something called "coperto" which is the cover charge. Or a blanket, depending on where you are, I guess. Either way, that's how you pay for the glassware, the silverware, the plates and the service. It's nice, but I like to dictate what I leave for a tip. If the service is good, you can leave five to ten percent extra, but you have to hand it to them.

This trip has really helped me to understand myself better as well as other people and other cultures. There's so much poverty here, especially around the main tourist sites. It's interesting to see how beautiful it is, but at the same time how truly dirty and awful it can be. There's a lot of theft and pickpockets. I've seen a man missing both legs and an arm sitting outside of the Vatican begging for change. I've seen a young man with his small brother playing instruments to try and get money. The expressions on their faces were terrible, completely devoid of life or happiness. It seemed like they were literally living from minute to minute, their only concern being how to get their next meal. I've also seen multiple people using skateboards as makeshift wheelchairs. Their legs don't work and they wear shoes on their hands to protect them from the dirty streets, pushing themselves around. There's also women walking around begging while holding their babies with fake arms, while the real one is rummaging around in your purse or pockets. In the States, our poverty doesn't seem to have reached that level of desperation, either that or I haven't seen enough of it. It really makes you think about how lucky we are as Americans, even if we are egotistical as a whole and disenchanted with our government most of the time. We still have the freedom and the right to be. It's incredible how proud I have become to be born in the States and how lucky I am to take this trip. It really has made me seen the best parts and the worst parts of our culture.

Pompeii, Sorrento, Vico Equense, Mt. Vesuvius and the Amalfi Coast all in one weekend!

We had a busy, busy weekend! We stayed in Vico Equense in Southern Italy which is really close to both Sorrento and Pompeii. We took a trip to Pompeii and climbed Mt. Vesuvius all in one day! It was amazing. We saw the people trapped in the ash from the explosion of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. We walked through the city and saw the ruins and the gardens and the murals. It was intense. There's even tiled floor in there that's nicer than most of the places we stayed in. That might be exaggerating, but you get the point.

Mt. Vesuvius was incredible. It wasn't really what I expected, but then again I expected to be able to see lava or something, which seems kind of ridiculous. But then again, when have I been around a volcano? On the short hike up there we saw a road of cobblestone-like material that was broken up and roped off. I can only hope that it is really old and not something silly. We could see all over the southern coast of Italy and into Naples. Absolutely incredible views. The bus ride up and down was probably more terrifying than knowing that we were on a volcano. The bus driver actually accelerated downhill. What is that? I saw a grown man almost start to cry. But of course, being terrified of Italian driving is now nothing new. I swear they must go to stunt driving school. They must all have nerves of steel! Anyway, I digress, again.

Saturday we spend the day in the Amalfi Coast. The water teal and you could see through it. The only bad part was the pebble beaches. My feet still hurt from walking over it barefoot! I don't understand how people can even go to those beaches without shoes on. They must have cloven hooves for feet. Regardless, after we passed out on the beach for a while, we caught the bus back and had dinner in Sorrento and shopped. I got a new pair of boots and three new long sleeve shirts, which I'm in desperate need of because the weather here is extremely chilly and I was ill-prepared. Such a great weekend and so beautiful!

Painting Class

I have never taken an art class before in my life before the painting class I'm taking here in Montepulciano. With that said, I'm pretty damn proud of how my painting is coming along. We'll have three paintings to finish before the end of this semester and the pictures I've posted is the one that we've been working on in class. The after picture is called a "grisaille" and is basically the underpainting. In all reality, I just wanted to pat myself on the back via my blog!

Just so you know, the one on top is the before, the one on the bottom is the after.

Pienza

We took a day trip to a small town near Montepulciano called Pienza. It had reconstructive work done to it in the 1500's, I think. Don't quote me. Pope Pius II, a famous Sienese, was the leading force behind the face lift. It was a really interesting city. It's very small, just like Montepulciano, but it's far less hilly, which was a major plus. You think after walking uphill both ways to school everyday would make me feel like I'm in better shape, but no, I don't.

While we were in Pienza we had a chance to take a really cheap guided tour of the Piccolomini Palace. It was really interesting and we had some really great views of the surrounding landscape from the Hanging Gardens and from the balcony. In the palace there was even a tiny room that's main purpose was for trysts. Very scandalous, especially since it was in the library. There was one room that looked like a great hall and was filled with weapons from different centuries, from evil looking stuff from the ancient days to WWII items. According to the guide, this is the room where they entertained Nazis, bribing them and such. There were crests of the Piccolomini family everywhere, in the church, in the piazza, on the buildings and the paintings, everywhere. I've never seen someone other than I tyrant brand something that much with their own symbol of power. I think he wanted everyone to know who this city belonged to. As if the name didn't give it away. Pienza is a combination of Pius (the pope) and Siena, which is where he is from. Subtlety, that's what his specialty was. The museum was also taking down Da Vinci exhibit that highlighted all of his machinery. I wish I could have seen that, I'm a little upset that we missed it.

Overall, it was a really informative and interesting trip and it's only about 30 minutes away by bus. I think I'm going to have to go back if I get time.

Venezia and Padova

This past weekend we went to Venezia, or Venice. We stayed about thirty minutes by train outside of the city (because it was cheaper) in this super nice hotel. It's the biggest one we've stayed in so far and is about the size of an american hotel but it typically has twin beds. I have yet to see a double bed here. I don't think they exist except in America. I digress, though.

Venezia was amazing. I've never seen anything like it. It was supposed to rain but the weather was actually quite beautiful. There are no roads but there are canals everywhere. The Grand Canal is the big one that cuts through the middle of the city in a backward S shape but there are several smaller canals that trail off the Grand Canal. Since the only traffic is either by foot or boats, the sidewalks and streets are very small. Why do you need cars when you can either walk the whole island and take a boat? And since there aren't any cars, the main public transportation system are the vaporetto, which are kind of like really big houseboats. There were people reading the newspaper on these things too, like they saw Venezia everyday and just couldn't bothered to be impressed by it. I was astounded! How can you not continue to be awe-struck by that city constantly? I guess if you live there you get over it, but come on!

We went to San Marco's and tried our hardest to find the way in, but I'm pretty sure you just need to strap on some plastic boots and wade through the foot of water flooding the piazza. No kidding, this place had water in the shops while they were closed for siesta. And not like a couple of inches of water, more like a foot. They were selling these plastic boots for ten euros that went up to your knee so you could wade through the water. Since I'm cheap and I didn't want to catch some kind of nastiness from the water, I didn't jump in like most of the people. Call me crazy. It was really neat though.

We took a bus tour of Padova on Friday and learned a whole slew of information. We were also able to go inside the Church of St. Anthony during Friday night mass. I'll just say, most beautiful chuch I've ever seen. They had his tomb there and so many relics. They even had his teeth and tongue on display! Ugh! And as strange as this sounds, the relics and all that were really well organized so that everything flowed together really well. It wasn't super dark like some churches are either. Very nicely lit and overall tastefully done. I know it sounds strange to say that, but it just flowed easily and led the crowd where they needed to go. We also saw the "Grassless Meadow" which is the largest piazza in all of Europe. It's a tiny island surrounded by a moat. A MOAT. Surrounding the island are also seventy-eight statues and four bridges leading into the "island."

Overall, this trip was very interesting and educational. It just goes to show the adaptation abilities of mankind. Pretty impressive when you think about it.

Cinque Terre and My Birthday Weekend

This past weekend we went to Cinque Terre for a free weekend. It's five fishing villages on the coast of Northern Italy and it is absolutely beautiful. Even in the rain it was gorgeous. We left Montepulciano on Thursday afternoon and didn't get there until about ten or so at night, so it was a fairly long trip by bus and train. We stayed in a cute hotel in Forte dei Marmi, about thirty minutes from Cinque Terre. Friday we took the train to the first village and bought two day passes. The view from the train was incredible. You could see blue sea and the quaint shops built on the edge of cliffs. I've never seen such blue water before in my life. And this was on a crappy weather day, it wasn't even sunny! Friday the boats weren't running because of the bad weather but we still managed to walk the first path, which was paved, known as the Via Dell'Amore, or the Road of Love. It was really amazing, there were locks around the railing all over the place. What you're supposed to do is write the couple's names on the lock, lock it around the railing and throw the key into the Mediterranean Sea, and this ensures that your love will last forever.

On Saturday the weather cleared up for the first half of the day, so we were able to take a boat ride over from the last village, Monterosso, to the fourth village, Vernazza. It was really neat to see the villages from a different view. We had lunch and gelato and later that day we hiked the path from Vernazza back to Monterosso. Apparently this was the most difficult path and the most time consuming. It took us about two and a half hours to make it to Monterossa. Since it had rained the day before, it was still pretty muddy but what really made it worse is that it started raining again about the first hour we were hiking. This used to be the main way people would get from village to village if they couldn't sail between them, but that was years ago. The path is actually pretty scary, because for a good majority of it there is no railing and the path is about a foot wide, if not less. So I spent my 23rd birthday on the side of mountain climbing over, down and around slippery rocks and muddy paths. It was a pretty exciting birthday, but I'm not sure I have the nerves of steel to do it again. It ended up taking a lot out of me, so I was very glad to sit down afterwards and concentrate on not moving. I slept like a baby that night! Sunday I was ready to come back to Montepulciano, even though I really wanted to see Pisa. Hopefully on one of our free weekends I can take a day trip up to Milan and Pisa and walk around for a bit.

When in Roma...

This is a picture of the Trevi Fountain at night. We went to Rome this weekend and saw probably more than most people get to see in a week, and we were only there for 3 days. The most interesting thing we saw was the San Callisto Catacombs. They were intense. There were four levels but we only went down to the second, which was apparently fourteen meters down. There are sixteen popes buried there along with a boatload of martyrs and other christians because at the time, there was no land to be had for a cemetery, especially a Christian cemetery, so everyone who was Christian wanted to be buried in the Catacombs. We learned that there are over 500,000 thousand people buried there. Half a million, that's a whole bunch of bodies. Thankfully we didn't see anything too creepy while we were down there, but we did see a mummified boy and a mummified woman, as well as tombs that had been opened up. It was really interesting and super informative. The Catacombs are actually located a little outside of Rome, so we decided the most effective way to get there was to take a bus tour where we could get off at whatever attraction we wished and get back on whenever we were finished. It was pretty cheap and very educational because they tell you all about each place as you pass it or stop at it. We even got to see the Appian Way, which I was pretty excited about.

We saw so much that it is kind of difficult to remember everything. We took a class trip to the Pantheon, which I think is now a church and it's also where Raphael is buried. I took a picture with a "gladiator" and then we walked to the Trevi Fountain and saw a massive amount of people gathered around. I took a bunch of pictures and threw a penny in to assure that I would find my way back to Rome. Such a good scheme, I think. What better way to keep the tourist revenue alive? We had dinner in the area and by the time we finished we had the chance to see what the Trevi looks like at night. As you can see above it's gorgeous! We did some more walking around before heading back to the hotel and stumbled upon the Spanish Steps. I don't know what the meaning is of these but I'm not sure it's that important.

Friday we went to the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica. I didn't know this before, but St. Peter's is the second largest church in the world. There was so much to see in the museum that it took us a solid five hours to go through, and that was fast. We saw the School of Athens, which was amazing and then we finally found the Sistine Chapel. It was incredible and packed. So many things to look at that my neck finally just started hurting too much to look straight up and back. After that we went into St. Peter's Basilica. Absolutely amazing. It was beautiful and HUGE. I took a really neat picture of a dove mosaic behind the altar. I also met a real live Swiss Guard!

The next day, Saturday, we took another class trip to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. The Colosseum was ridiculously big and it was so cool to see where such epic events took place, like Commodus flooding it for a real naval battle. There was still marble in some places and you could see where the emperor would sit during the performances. They also had gladiator costumes and information on display. I didn't realize how much effort went in to each performance. The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill are really close so we walked over there. Right behind Palatine Hill is what I think is Emmanuel's Palace. It was all so ridiculously cool. After that we took the bus tour and ended up crashing hard. I'm on a search for boots so I think I'm going to have to go back to Rome to find them. Hopefully I can see more stuff once I go back.

Firenze!

We went to Florence, or Firenze, as it is known locally, for the weekend. Very interesting experience. We had an option to stay overnight and come back before Monday morning or we could ride the bus back to Montepulciano at the end of the trip. Surprisingly enough, about half the class decided to go back on the bus. I was pretty shocked, I thought everyone would be aching to get out and cause mayhem in a bigger town. I guess most of us are watching the pursestrings though. It was strange to discover that Firenze is not the cleanest city. There is actually graffiti everywhere you look. Some of it is pretty artistic, but most of it is trash and makes everything look awful.

We went to the Uffizi museum and had a guided tour through the whole gallery. Well, maybe not the whole museum; we looked at selected pieces, but it was pretty amazing. We saw Cimabue, Giotta, Fillipo Lippi, Michaelangelo, Raphael, and a lot of others. The most exciting part of the exhibit was the fact that I was able to see Artemisia Gentileschi's work. She's my favorite artist from this time and I never thought I would be able to see it in person. Most exciting part of the trip! We had a lot of fun and had a very relaxing night. We ate dinner at a cute little ristorante and walked around some and took pictures off the Ponte Vecchio. We had gelato for dessert and met some strange street performers. I passed out probably by 10:30 and woke up around 9. In the morning, we went through the market and haggled some but I didn't buy anything. I think we're going back in October and maybe I'll buy something then. We'll see what my money looks like and if I can find something I absolutely need to have. Once we got back to Montepulciano I was exhausted. I had a very relaxing Sunday and got some reading done for classes. Now it's time for the new week!

First Day of Classes

We are having our first day of classes today. It's insane, none of these buildings have air conditioning so they leave windows open and you get this incredible view while your having class. I finally got my key situation resolved. This town is so trusting they have spare keys inside a small door in the foyer of the apartments. I'm not sure how I feel about that but my key problem is fixed!

My roommate and I went down to the Conad (the big supermarket) to grab some stuff like dish soap and toilet paper. There's a mini-market really close to our apartment but it's a little more expensive. I was going to get pasta to make for lunch but decided not to since dinner will be such a huge process. I have to start taking pictures of my dinner because it is so amazing. Last night for dessert we had what I think was chocolate mousse with whipped creme and a pastry straw type thing. I don't know how I'm going to eat like that every night. Thankfully I spend every day walking all up and down the city. It's like hiking Kennesaw Mountain all day. I don't know how I can gain weight when I don't spend much money on food and I'm walking everywhere.

Back to dinner though. We start off with bread and then usually get pasta; last night we had linguine with pesto. Then we have a meat, the first night was beef with a garnish of arugula and last night we had pork and sausage. Then we have the potatoes. The potatoes are amazing. The first night we had potatoes that were roasted with rosemary. So good! Everyone was talking about them for the next two days. Last night we had whipped potatoes which were again, amazing. Then we have a type of vegetable. Last night was green beans and the first night was spinach. And then dessert. Every night. I'm full after my pasta, how am I supposed to eat the rest of it?

I can't complain about not having enough food at dinner though. It's definitely amazing. It looks like it might rain today so I might hide out in my room and avoid it. I don't want to be walking on cobblestones when it starts to pour.

Two Days In...

I’ve only been here two days but I’m already homesick. We didn’t get off to a bang like I was hoping. We’ve mostly spent this weekend getting ready for the barrel race and getting our apartments in order. We were given a set of keys with two keys to a set, one to the outside door and one to the actual apartment. Well, as Murphy’s Law would have it, the key to the actual apartment doesn’t work, so I’m waiting until Monday to get it fixed. But tonight I was separated from my roommate for a solid two hours. We looked everywhere for her. I swear I have been up and down and all over Montepulciano no less than eight times today. It wasn’t that bad, we ended up people watching for about thirty or forty-five minutes and I had some delicious gelato.

It’s absolutely beautiful here. I’m ready to start classes though and putting to use my new Italian. I hope I’m going to be pretty fluent by the time I get back home. That would be impressive. Tonight there are parties everywhere because of the Wine Barrel Race Sunday. I can here the music even now, at almost one in the morning. The apartments here lack air-conditioning so I’ve taken to leaving the windows open at night because it’s so cool. I end up hearing everything but it’s really interesting. It’s so funny to hear some songs in Italian and some in English. Like Lady Gaga or the fact that they played “Video Killed the Radio Star.” Awesome.

I miss everyone but I’ll talk to you all soon. If you don’t have Skype, get it. My username is Sarahlea87. It’s free and I can see your beautiful faces!

Love you and miss you all.

Day of Departure

I'm so nervous I could barely eat breakfast. I can only imagine that if I manage to eat lunch, it will only be about the size of a quarter. When I get nervous like this I can't eat and I can't hide my nervousness. It's terrible, people must think I have an eating disorder or psychosis. I'm not very comfortable on a plane but hopefully I'll nod off at some point. It's a long flight and I'm bringing a book, it shouldn't be too bad. Maybe I should bring two books? This is why I hate reading so fast sometimes, you just burn through the books too fast, then you have nothing to read. Did I mention that when I get nervous, I also ramble on? Just in case you couldn't tell.

I'm doing checks over my packing and cleaning what I can of my house so El Gordito (or Enrique) can mess it up again. Say "see you later" Enrique!

3 days away and counting...

I am so nervous. We had the cookout at my mom's house yesterday and there was such a good turnout. I was so impressed that people cared enough to come say bye. I think the food helped too, but what do I know? I'm still not packed but I'm working on it. Just like I'm working on so many last minute things, like laundry and cleaning and homework, all that good stuff that we all love to do. I've notified my bank that I'm going out of the country three times so if they cut me off I just don't know what I'll do. I borrowed luggage from my grandma, and I bought a power adapter. Too bad my hair dryer kicked the bucket. I just can't bring myself to buy one three days before I leave. My hair doesn't look that awful when it air dries, I hope? Lauren has been such a great help on telling me what I'll need and what I can leave behind. I don't need to be the most stylish person there, I just hope that I don't need to do too much laundry.

I've had so many people tell me that I'm so lucky. And after having to think way harder on it than I should, I finally realized that they are completely right. I have a wonderful family, great friends, a good job that is insisting on my return to them as well as an amazing boyfriend and each and every one of them is in full support of this trip. I'm so amazed that I have actually made this trip happen and can not say thank you enough to everyone who has made what feels like the impossible attainable. This is the part where I get all sorts of mushy and say I am grateful to everyone for their support and well wishes. Thank you so much for being so good to me and making me believe I can do this. I'll try to write again before I leave, hopefully I'll have time! Keep me in your thoughts and prayers!

Almost five weeks away...

Tomorrow will be five weeks until my date of departure. I think my stomach just fell through the floor. August 26 is coming closer and closer much faster than I thought. I've been so focused on work and hanging out with Tony and my friends and family that I'm losing track of time. It'll hit me as reality probably after I've been in Italy a week. I know I'm going to miss everyone terribly but I imagine that I'll be so busy that time will fly. Ten weeks will seemingly turn in to ten days. It helps that I can't forget when I leave because everyone keeps asking "When are you leaving again?" I'm going to tattoo it on my forehead! But seriously, it's good to know people are excited to get rid of me, ha!

Allie and Lauren are thinking about coming to see me while I'm over there. Allie might have convinced Beth to come see me too, but apparently they want to come during Thanksgiving. The funniest part about all of this, as Lauren so kindly pointed out last night, is that I'm not going to be there for Thanksgiving. I leave November 3. Who are they going to visit? Either way, I'm excited for Allie getting her passport.

I still need luggage, which is kind of ridiculous. How do you even pack for two and a half months? But on the plus side Lauren and I figured out how to skype! Pretty exciting stuff. I can't believe we have the capability of video chatting for free. I'm missing school too. I want to feel like I'm being productive and getting back in the grind of school is one of the best ways to do it! It helps that I really enjoy it too. I know, what a nerd!

Nearly $6,000 later...

Yesterday was the due date for the first payment for Italy. There's supposed to be two payments of $2,865, one on June 15th and again on July 1st. I decided to go ahead and pay the entire $5,730 in one lump sum so I don't have to worry about it. I almost fainted when I saw it go out of my bank account. I still don't feel like I'm actually going anywhere. It seems so far away and somewhat silly to plan on something two months away. Keep in mind, this doesn't even include the tuition or my personal spending money or the money I want to have saved up for when I come back.

We had our first orientation not too long ago. We went over where we were going, the dates, and answered any questions we had. I think we could choose roommates if we knew who we wanted to room with, but I don't know anyone yet. They also recommended we get an Italian phrase book, which I bought about a week or two ago. It's the Lonely Planet version, very cute and tiny. Also, they told us that we shouldn't worry about bringing our computers but strongly recommended that we take a working cell phone. I guess it makes sense, but I still want to be able to communicate with my family and friends. Which reminds me, how am I supposed to do this Skype thing? I feel like a technological dinosaur sometimes, really.

Apparently Montepulciano is the highest hilltop town in Italy. This should be read as "I'm going to die from walking." Ouch.

Work, Work, Sleep: The Grown-Up Version of Duck, Duck, Goose?

It's been a hot minute since a posted anything. All I've been doing lately seems to be an infuriating cycle of work, school, studying, and sleep with no time for anything else. Finals have come and passed and so did I, thankfully. There was only one grade that I wasn't happy about, but they were pretty close to perfection for not only being a full-time student, but also a full-time employee for a job that has demanded much more of my time and sanity than I thought I was capable of giving. The bar I work at has had a difficult time of not only keeping its employees, but also of hiring quality ones. We've all been overtaxed and in each other's faces for too long. But on the upside, I've been given the promotion of bartender! I have four bar shifts, which seem to be mostly permanent. My new schedule puts me on the floor only one night a week. I'm very excited to be down to five shifts again, seeing as I was working seven or eight shifts even when I was in school. Maybe you can understand my frustration towards the end of the semester and my inability to post anything new.

As for the news regarding my semester abroad, I have finally been e-mailed about an orientation meeting. I have my first one on Thursday, May 20. My second one is on July 30, which is a Friday. I can't believe I'll be gone in a little over three months. I received the e-mail and had to control my breathing. It's not completely real yet, but it's getting there. I still have a boatload of money I need to save before I go. I'm aiming for about $15,000, which may seem unrealistic. The HOPE Scholarship should pay for a good majority of the tuition cost, which won't be any more than usual even though I'll be in a foreign country.

I've also been given tips left and right for going abroad. I can't remember them all so I need to start telling people to write them down. I have so much I need to do that I'm having a hard time keeping it straight mentally. I still need to find luggage. A friend from work said I could borrow her hot pink luggage. The girly part of me is super excited about matching hot pink luggage. Awful, I know.

I also received a reminder of the classes I'm taking this fall. In addition to some Historical Geography class and the required Italian Language and Art classes, I'm taking Painting. Um, did I really sign up for that? Granted, I'm so down for an art class, I just don't think I'll make it past finger painting. Maybe I'll get an A for good attempts, because that will be the only way I'll pass!

I just got my passport!

My passport just arrived in the mail! This means I'm one step closer, right?

I had lunch with a friend of mine the other day and he told me that I should be getting at least $750 from the school as a result of the Global Learning Initiative or whatchamacallit. This is very technical stuff here, guys. Either way, looking at my budget, it looks like I'll need to amass about $5,000 before August 26th. I think I can make it happen, it just seems like a whole mess of money. And that's not taking into account the random stuff that I'll need to buy. For example, I don't even have any luggage. Or power adaptors to make things not die. And Lauren recommended that I take my cell phone. And I have to actually pay for this trip and tuition. I already turned in my FAFSA, so hopefully HOPE will take care of the majority of the tuition (no pun intended!)

If anyone has any ideas on how to start getting some money together, other than working myself to death, feel free to throw them at me!

I'm not a very patient person...

I still haven't heard anything about the trip. But then again, it is six months away. I guess I'm just getting antsy and tired of the constant stress of school right now. I'll be very excited to hear anything though, so be prepared the moment I do!

I'm still waiting on my passport to come in the mail. I know I have a couple more weeks to wait, but I'm not very good at being patient!

P.S. Just to let everyone know, the painting above was done by Artemisia Gentileschi. She was one of the few female Baroque Italian painters. Her subjects were usually based around the Bible or what her commissioners wished her to paint. She was a very interesting lady!

My Passport and Other Things

This last week was my school's spring break, therefore I worked almost the entire time because I'm too broke to go anywhere fun. Even though I just stayed home, I was able to do a few things I don't normally do. For example, I went to my very first hockey game. It was awesome! Thrashers whooped the New York Islanders 6 - 3 with FOUR goals scored in the first period alone. I was pretty impressed, then I found out the Islanders just aren't that good of a team. What do I know, I've never really even watched hockey. Great game either way.

I also saw Alice in Wonderland in 3D IMAX. Not as great as Avatar, but I don't know what can really beat that movie right now. The movie, Alice in Wonderland, was pretty interesting because it wasn't exactly like the cartoon I grew up with, thanks to Tim Burton. Johnny Depp's character, the Mad Hatter, was hysterical as usual. I do somewhat find myself comparing his characters and seeing themes among them. For example, Captain Jack Sparrow was similar to the Mad Hatter in the movements, kind of like a drunk theater major. It can be a bit much at times, but the overall effect is pretty good, which is probably the reason he replicates it. Anne Hathaway was the White Queen in this movie, which was totally unexpected. I really liked her though, very funny. I might have been the only one laughing at certain parts but I thoroughly enjoyed it. A+ in my book!

Now, moving on to the stuff dealing with my trip to Italy. I went to the post office to get my passport! I should be getting it in the mail anywhere from 3 - 20 weeks. Okay, I might be exaggerating. It's probably more like 3 - 6 weeks, but the post office kind of works at it's own pace. My Grandma Betty went with me and and nicest lady helped us. So if anyone needs a passport, I recommend you go to the Lawrence St. Post Office in Marietta. I'll keep everyone informed as to when I actually get it. I still can't actually believe this is happening.

Two posts in one day, I'm a madwoman!

Hi, my name is Sarah and I post too much.

Regardless of my addiction, I just wanted to see if I can get some feedback. I was thinking about adding a "Make a Donation" button to this blog, but I don't know if I can get enough followers for it to even matter. Also, I feel kind of strange asking for money. If anyone can think of good way to generate some cash please shout it out (er...e-mail me at sarahlea101@gmail.com.) I was thinking maybe I could set up some kind of fundraiser at my work as it gets closer to August but I would need to set up a proposal and present it to the partners. I already have an idea for the name: "Adopt a Broke College Kid and Send Her Far, Far Away." It's going to be big, I promise!

So, short of selling everything you own (har har,) how else can I get some money coming in?

Questions, comments, snide remarks are always welcome!

And now, for an Italian Proverb that I found somewhere online:

"Silence was never written down"

Pictures

Here's the deal, I really wanted to try and get a slideshow going for pictures I've found of Montepulciano. Then I figured out that I don't really know how to do that. So, in lieu of a slideshow that I can't make happen as of right now, I'm just going to post a bunch of pictures. Up above are some of my favorites, hope you enjoy!

Waiting Game

I think as of right now we're just playing a waiting game. I'm still really excited but at the same time I don't really believe it. I wonder when it will hit me that I'm going to be living in a different country without my usual friends, family, or even a car. It's kind of terrifying but at the same time really exciting.

Well, as for my to-do list, I have a couple things working. When I was looking up things I needed for my passport, I noticed that the Post Office website has some really interesting tips for studying abroad and visiting abroad. I think I'm going to read over those. I would never have thought to check with my health insurance to see if they have any offices where I'm going. So everyone can follow along with me, here's the link:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html

It should take you right to their page about international travel. Very interesting stuff.

Last Saturday, I talked to my manager about the trip. I talked to her before and she said "Pfft, five weeks isn't a big deal. We can hold your job for that long." But that would have been for the summer, and this is in the fall and twice as long. So I had to ask again just to make sure. And she said the same thing! "No big deal, we don't want to lose you, you're such a good employee." Well, the employers I've worked for in the past just didn't praise me. So I'm really happy about her comment. Made me feel like a hundred bucks!

Also, I have all of my stuff for my passport. I have my money set aside, my birth certificate, my social security card and my driver's license. And as Lauren pointed out, I made sure that they were able to take photos on site so I don't have to bring my own. All I have to do now is just make sure that I'm looking smokin' hot!

By the way, 9 days 'til I get my passport! I've never had one and I have never thought that I would need one!

From the beginning...

Just to catch us up, Lauren went to London for her study abroad last summer and I was sooo jealous! Due to her inspiration, I am now trying to go to Montepulciano, Italy in the fall for a ten week study abroad. In case you don't know, Montepulciano is a small, rural town inside Tuscany. From pictures I've seen and what I've heard, it's absolutely beautiful and charming.

Let's move on to the big news. Friday afternoon I submitted my application to study abroad. I paid my money and I have received a receipt, now I'm just waiting to see if someone will contact me. Apparently they are only taking twenty-five students. In the summer I'm told that they take up to forty-five. It sounds pretty intense! I also signed up for my classes. One is a geography class and another one is a painting class. The ones I'm most excited about are the required ones, Italian Art and Italian Language. You mean I get to take two classes in two of my favorite things? I just don't know if this fall can get any better!

There is still a bunch of stuff I need to do in preparation for my trip. Like get luggage. I know, how do I not have luggage? I don't know when I would have ever needed it. I've been on a plane three times in my entire life and I've never even been out of the country. Which brings me to another thing that's kind of a requirement: a passport. I know, I know, it's kind of a big deal. Don't worry though, I made my appointment for March 5th at 11 a.m. It's starting to feel a lot like Christmas! I don't know when the shock will wear off and it will become real, but keep your fingers crossed for me!