Yesterday I had my first experience in the Siena pool. I found out two things: 1) I'm actually not that out of shape, and 2) Sienese people really aren't swimmers. Oh, and 3) they like to crowd 10 people into a lane and then try to swim laps. So I guess I found out three things. Regardless, it was great to get into a pool, and my plan is to convince them all that Jake and I are on the United States National team and that Micheal Phelps is our best friend. I'll let you all know how that one turns out.
Anyway, after swimming I went to the store to pick up some things for dinner. As the man is helping me get some green beans, he asks where I am from. I tell him, Chicago, and he immediately gets excited and tells me a friend of his, who is ALSO from Chicago, is currently visiting him!
"OH MY GOD," he says (but not really, he just exclaimed something in italian with a big smile on his face). He then pauses, and asks me, "Do you sleep with your window open?" Puzzled but mostly weirded out, I reply "Yes, sometimes if the weather is right." He then shakes his head and tells me how his friend from Chicago sleeps with the window open and just, how STRANGE that is and he can't get over it. Well, I got over the conversation pretty quickly after that and stammered a quick goodbye and went to pay for my items.
Then I decided I was feeling super motivated and trodded downstairs to the gym to lift some weights. WELL, I forgot that they don't use pounds here, and that kilograms is what is written on all the weights. So, I pick up my squat bar and put 10 pounds on each side. Well, it was really freaking hard and by my 30th squat I thought I was not going to be able to get back up and that I was going to die in the terrible smelling b.o. of the gym (italians don't like to wear deodorant. Either that, or they just don't put on enough). Luckily (and unfortunately embarrassing for me) an attractive italian man comes over and says, "Wow, I am impressed. That is a lot of weight for a girl." And I reply, "Well, no, it's only 20 pounds. I am very much out of shape." Well, he starts laughing and then his face kind of turns a little panicky as he describes to me that I am not lifting 20 pounds as I had originally though, but probably closer to 35 or 40. He helps me lifts the bar over my head, I stupidly stammer out a grazie and make my leave of the gym so tired, so embarrassed, and wondering how I am going to make it up the stairs to my apartment.
Ciao!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
A little bit of culture shock...
So it's been a week since my last post, but that's OK because nothing exciting has happened. Well, actually, that's a lie, but the exciting thing that did happen happened yesterday night so I think that allows me a free pass. Anyway, last week was boring and filled with classes and the only fun thing I did was go to cooking class. We made homemade gnocchi (so easy, and so good), zucchini with ragu' inside, and homemade tiramisu'! For those of you who know me, you know I can't cook for squat, but Italian cooking is honestly so incredibly easy! It just takes a little bit of time, but I'm willing to sacrifice if I can come out looking a little more self-sufficient.
So let's see... classes (no one wants to hear about that), cooking (done!)... ah, yes, we took an excursion on Friday. We went to Assisi, where St. Francis was born and died, and looked at a lot churches. There is a reason I am not more excited. While it is always amazing to see places like the cathedral of St. Francis, or the church of St. Clare, it is not amazing to wake up at 7:30. take a 2 hour bus ride, walk up 20 million hills in 85 degree heat with not a cloud in the sky, and by the time you were allowed to eat lunch at 1:00 you got stuck with overpriced, nasty frozen pizza.
With that said and done, it was quite moving to be in some of the churches, and the art history behind many of the paintings was truly fascinating.
I was then lucky enough to be visited by two of my friends from Oberlin (SHOUT OUT KATIE AND HILARY) and we then took a quick bus to Florence the next day, where we visited the HUGE outdoor market (did a little damage to our wallets), and I think I have had some of the best gelato since being here. BUT, this is where the interesting part comes in...
So 4 of us from the program take the train back from Florence to Siena, which requires to take a bus from the train station to the main bus station which is inside the city walls, and saves you a cab fee. So, we get on, stamp two tickets each two times (for the four of us) and sit down. About two seconds later, a man comes by to the check the tickets. One of the guys in our program, not sure if we were able to use one ticket for two people, stamps another ticket (remember he still has a stamp on the original ticket from when he got on the bus). The man, in italian, immediately asks to see his passport. Well, our friend obviously doesn't have his passport on him, and asks the man why. He then gestures at the next stop for him to get off the bus, and we all follow. They then tell our friend that he has to pay 40 euro for not stamping his ticket on the bus (mind you none of these men speak any english). Of course, our friend tells them he is not paying 40 euro as he has a stamped ticket here. We then try explaining what happened on the bus, but the mean italian men will not listen, and tell us if our friend can't produce the 40 euro they will call the police. So, I get on the phone with one of our program coordinators, and tell the men they need to talk to her. So they talk, in fast italian, about the situation. After about 20 minutes of us arguing with the men, the men arguing with us and threatening to call the police, another bus guy comes that can speak a little english. I show him right away the two bus tickets with 4 stamps, and he then tells the other two mean men that we are more than free to go. They continue to argue, the men that speaks english tells us he is sorry and that we can leave, and we are free to go.
Now, as crazy/bad as this situation was, I am reminded once again of how different Siena is from the rest of Italy. If this would have happened in any other city (i.e. Rome, Florence, ect). We probably would have been taken to the police station, and they sure as heck wouldn't have taken a call from our program supervisor. All in all, everyone was fine and we didn't have to shell out 40 euro. But, it reminds you that you are in a country where you can't speak the language and don't know the customs, and I guess that europeans like to target the stupid americans for some pocket wine money.
Ciao!
So let's see... classes (no one wants to hear about that), cooking (done!)... ah, yes, we took an excursion on Friday. We went to Assisi, where St. Francis was born and died, and looked at a lot churches. There is a reason I am not more excited. While it is always amazing to see places like the cathedral of St. Francis, or the church of St. Clare, it is not amazing to wake up at 7:30. take a 2 hour bus ride, walk up 20 million hills in 85 degree heat with not a cloud in the sky, and by the time you were allowed to eat lunch at 1:00 you got stuck with overpriced, nasty frozen pizza.
With that said and done, it was quite moving to be in some of the churches, and the art history behind many of the paintings was truly fascinating.
I was then lucky enough to be visited by two of my friends from Oberlin (SHOUT OUT KATIE AND HILARY) and we then took a quick bus to Florence the next day, where we visited the HUGE outdoor market (did a little damage to our wallets), and I think I have had some of the best gelato since being here. BUT, this is where the interesting part comes in...
So 4 of us from the program take the train back from Florence to Siena, which requires to take a bus from the train station to the main bus station which is inside the city walls, and saves you a cab fee. So, we get on, stamp two tickets each two times (for the four of us) and sit down. About two seconds later, a man comes by to the check the tickets. One of the guys in our program, not sure if we were able to use one ticket for two people, stamps another ticket (remember he still has a stamp on the original ticket from when he got on the bus). The man, in italian, immediately asks to see his passport. Well, our friend obviously doesn't have his passport on him, and asks the man why. He then gestures at the next stop for him to get off the bus, and we all follow. They then tell our friend that he has to pay 40 euro for not stamping his ticket on the bus (mind you none of these men speak any english). Of course, our friend tells them he is not paying 40 euro as he has a stamped ticket here. We then try explaining what happened on the bus, but the mean italian men will not listen, and tell us if our friend can't produce the 40 euro they will call the police. So, I get on the phone with one of our program coordinators, and tell the men they need to talk to her. So they talk, in fast italian, about the situation. After about 20 minutes of us arguing with the men, the men arguing with us and threatening to call the police, another bus guy comes that can speak a little english. I show him right away the two bus tickets with 4 stamps, and he then tells the other two mean men that we are more than free to go. They continue to argue, the men that speaks english tells us he is sorry and that we can leave, and we are free to go.
Now, as crazy/bad as this situation was, I am reminded once again of how different Siena is from the rest of Italy. If this would have happened in any other city (i.e. Rome, Florence, ect). We probably would have been taken to the police station, and they sure as heck wouldn't have taken a call from our program supervisor. All in all, everyone was fine and we didn't have to shell out 40 euro. But, it reminds you that you are in a country where you can't speak the language and don't know the customs, and I guess that europeans like to target the stupid americans for some pocket wine money.
Ciao!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
PROST!
Continuing with my crazy weekend...
So, the tent was amazing, the beer was amazing, the atmosphere was amazing and while we were leaving Abby paid for 10 dollar nuts (needless to say, none of us cared enough to realize we were being ripped off terribly). So we get back to the hotel, check-in, and promptly passed out for a 4 hour nap. Upon waking in a terribly disoriented state, we realize it is now 8:30 and we are hungry.
So we walk to a Lebanese place by our hotel, and hot damn did we have a good meal. It was so fresh and delicious and the best part was that IT WAS NOT PASTA OR A PANINI I AM SO SICK OF PASTA AND PANINI's.
Ahem. Anyway, our friend Tom also caught up with us, and with a little detective work by Jake we found out they had hookah (although what Lebanese place wouldn't?). After a little of that, we were all filled with food and tired, and went back to the room to sleep, but not before we found out that Chicago didn't get the Olympics. I mean, seriously, what is up with that? Doesn't Rio have the World Cup in like 2014?
Well, the next morning Tom awakes early to get to the beer tents, but we slept in and ended up wandering around the city center and eating at the Rathskeller. By the time we got to Oktoberfest they weren't even letting anyone into the tents, so we went to the original Haufbrohaus in the city center. And man, it was like Oktoberfest all over again. So we had some more beer and some really really really good sausage. At this point, we also became concerned for Tom's well being because it had been about 12 hours since we last saw him.
We then had some starbucks (they do not have them in Italy!!!!!!!) and took the U-bahn (I love the efficiency of German... everything. I guess something good came from WWII) back to our hotel. It is now 8:00 and still no Tom. We decide to go get drinks at a bar down the street, and after a half hour Jake decides he doesn't feel goo and goes back. Well, ten minutes later he returns with the lost boy! Tom quickly fills us in, and it turns our he had quite the out of mind experience on the U-bahn (you know, came directly from drinking since 9:30 and rode the wrong train for a while). Regardless, he was back to us in one piece and we celebrated with, yes, some more beer.
Sadly, the fun eneded as Jake and I had a 8 AM flight this morning. But, the day ended well as I am typing this to you all from the Irish bar in Siena where I enjoyed my evening with a Cider, free appetizers and some NFL football. I will now be doing this every Sunday.
Well, I am quite tired and Jake wants gelato (SO GOOD), but I promise to record any other exciting adventures I may have.
Ciao!
So, the tent was amazing, the beer was amazing, the atmosphere was amazing and while we were leaving Abby paid for 10 dollar nuts (needless to say, none of us cared enough to realize we were being ripped off terribly). So we get back to the hotel, check-in, and promptly passed out for a 4 hour nap. Upon waking in a terribly disoriented state, we realize it is now 8:30 and we are hungry.
So we walk to a Lebanese place by our hotel, and hot damn did we have a good meal. It was so fresh and delicious and the best part was that IT WAS NOT PASTA OR A PANINI I AM SO SICK OF PASTA AND PANINI's.
Ahem. Anyway, our friend Tom also caught up with us, and with a little detective work by Jake we found out they had hookah (although what Lebanese place wouldn't?). After a little of that, we were all filled with food and tired, and went back to the room to sleep, but not before we found out that Chicago didn't get the Olympics. I mean, seriously, what is up with that? Doesn't Rio have the World Cup in like 2014?
Well, the next morning Tom awakes early to get to the beer tents, but we slept in and ended up wandering around the city center and eating at the Rathskeller. By the time we got to Oktoberfest they weren't even letting anyone into the tents, so we went to the original Haufbrohaus in the city center. And man, it was like Oktoberfest all over again. So we had some more beer and some really really really good sausage. At this point, we also became concerned for Tom's well being because it had been about 12 hours since we last saw him.
We then had some starbucks (they do not have them in Italy!!!!!!!) and took the U-bahn (I love the efficiency of German... everything. I guess something good came from WWII) back to our hotel. It is now 8:00 and still no Tom. We decide to go get drinks at a bar down the street, and after a half hour Jake decides he doesn't feel goo and goes back. Well, ten minutes later he returns with the lost boy! Tom quickly fills us in, and it turns our he had quite the out of mind experience on the U-bahn (you know, came directly from drinking since 9:30 and rode the wrong train for a while). Regardless, he was back to us in one piece and we celebrated with, yes, some more beer.
Sadly, the fun eneded as Jake and I had a 8 AM flight this morning. But, the day ended well as I am typing this to you all from the Irish bar in Siena where I enjoyed my evening with a Cider, free appetizers and some NFL football. I will now be doing this every Sunday.
Well, I am quite tired and Jake wants gelato (SO GOOD), but I promise to record any other exciting adventures I may have.
Ciao!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
OKTOBERFEST! and other things, but I think we all know what matters most
So, first things first-OKTOBERFEST! Pictures and videos really don't do it justice, it's truly one of those things you have to experience for yourself. BUT, continuing where I left off...
My cooking class was unreal. As most of you know, I wasn't allowed to touch the stove at home without parental supervision after I set off the smoke alarm while boiling water when I was 13. So, the fact that I made biscotti, and pasta from scratch (yes, scratch) was more than a huge accomplishment. My parents still don't believe me. Anyway, along with those delicious dishes, we also made eggplant parm, which was AMAZING! I don't even like eggplant, but now I have the urge to try and make this recipe the first chance I get.
So blah blah blah, boring things happened and I had school and none of that's really exciting so I'll get to the good stuff. And by good stuff, I mean lots and lots of beer.
The Oktoberfest experience began at 5 last Thursday when Jake and I made our way to Pisa for an overnight stay since we had a 5 AM flight to catch. Long story short, our hotel bed was two twin's pushed together and I swear the mattress was made out of uneven lumps of potato's. Whatever, we slept, and woke up at 5 to trek to the airport. Long story short, we BARELY made our flight (our taxi driver insisted on picking up more people to take to the airport, putting us 20 minutes out of our way and would not listen to my angry english slurs (probably didn't understand them, either).
So we get on the flight, get to the airport, and take this damn bus to Munich (hour and a half, I was so sick of traveling, and I really had a taste for a big fat burrito. Besides the point, but its not like they have chipoltle here).
Finally, we arrive at our hotel and see my friend abby! We couldn't check in right away, so we (of course) went straight to Oktoberfest.
Man, oh man, I can't even tell you. We went to the Houfbrauhaus tent (the same as the famous restaurant) and ended up seeing some of abby's friends who let us sit at their table. We immediately got some Steins and celebrated the German's and their beer. We made several friends at our table, including more americans, and man from australia, and my new best friend John from Austria, who was dressed in traditional liederhosen and excitedly expressed his love for Las Vegas while showing his calling cards (complete with pictures of naked women) to anyone who would listen.
My internet is running out so I have to stop here, but the good news is I figured out how to put up pictures and THEY WILL BE HERE BY THE END OF THE NIGHT!
TSCHUSS (I am in Germany, afterall)
My cooking class was unreal. As most of you know, I wasn't allowed to touch the stove at home without parental supervision after I set off the smoke alarm while boiling water when I was 13. So, the fact that I made biscotti, and pasta from scratch (yes, scratch) was more than a huge accomplishment. My parents still don't believe me. Anyway, along with those delicious dishes, we also made eggplant parm, which was AMAZING! I don't even like eggplant, but now I have the urge to try and make this recipe the first chance I get.
So blah blah blah, boring things happened and I had school and none of that's really exciting so I'll get to the good stuff. And by good stuff, I mean lots and lots of beer.
The Oktoberfest experience began at 5 last Thursday when Jake and I made our way to Pisa for an overnight stay since we had a 5 AM flight to catch. Long story short, our hotel bed was two twin's pushed together and I swear the mattress was made out of uneven lumps of potato's. Whatever, we slept, and woke up at 5 to trek to the airport. Long story short, we BARELY made our flight (our taxi driver insisted on picking up more people to take to the airport, putting us 20 minutes out of our way and would not listen to my angry english slurs (probably didn't understand them, either).
So we get on the flight, get to the airport, and take this damn bus to Munich (hour and a half, I was so sick of traveling, and I really had a taste for a big fat burrito. Besides the point, but its not like they have chipoltle here).
Finally, we arrive at our hotel and see my friend abby! We couldn't check in right away, so we (of course) went straight to Oktoberfest.
Man, oh man, I can't even tell you. We went to the Houfbrauhaus tent (the same as the famous restaurant) and ended up seeing some of abby's friends who let us sit at their table. We immediately got some Steins and celebrated the German's and their beer. We made several friends at our table, including more americans, and man from australia, and my new best friend John from Austria, who was dressed in traditional liederhosen and excitedly expressed his love for Las Vegas while showing his calling cards (complete with pictures of naked women) to anyone who would listen.
My internet is running out so I have to stop here, but the good news is I figured out how to put up pictures and THEY WILL BE HERE BY THE END OF THE NIGHT!
TSCHUSS (I am in Germany, afterall)
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