Day 18
It's crazy to think that I am on week three of four of this Urbino adventure. Deadlines and sleeping in class are approaching fast.
We watched another foreign film called, "Cinema Paradiso." That movie was one of the best I have seen, and one of the saddest. I highly recommend it. In fact, I would like to watch it again (and that's saying something because usually I only like to watch a movie once then any more times it just gets old).
Another GREAT movie we saw last week was "La Grande Bellezza." That opening scene and then the rooftop dance party blew my mind. It was the majestic bengal tiger of films. This one I will also be watching again so I can analyze it and try to comprehend everything that happened.
Afterwords, Alli, Victoria, and I took the town. We met this wonderful student, Alessandra, who we talked to pretty much the entire night. What I thought was so interesting was that she said I had an American face and the blond American hair. We got onto the subject of stereotypes and she said that American women are stereotyped for being easy (that's why they get so many cat calls), while male Americans are stereotyped for being dumb (and that is pretty accurate).
Cigarets are also huge in Italy. For the past weeks, I've gotten use to the smell here because you can't simply avoid it. I decided to try one last night, though I didn't understand the "buzz" that people get from it, but I did enjoy the taste.
That's it from Urbino tonight!
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Day 17
Day 17
Mondays. Still the bane of my existence. We practiced numbers today bright and early in Italian. It was rough for me. Hopefully when the test comes around for Italian, it will be easy because it's taking me a while to pick up the language.
I also freaked out a little to my teachers about my article today. I know what information I want, I just can't get/find the contacts to do it. They calmed me down though and have have some more ledes so I'm hoping for the best. I have to hope for the best too because my deadlines starts Friday. Derp.
Then after dinner, some people and I had a yoga shesh. It was the best. But really, it was so relaxing. I'm not usually a yoga kid, but I really enjoyed powering down my muscles because I have gotten so tense here. When I get back to the states I need to get a full body massage asap.
At midnight here was the US vs Ghana soccer game. For the last few games, the University of Urbino has shown them in the student center. I guess Italians don't like Americans as much as I thought because they didn't show that soccer game. But it worked out because I hung out a little with Natasha, Abby, and Abby's boy toy friend Marco and we watched a little of the game on the computer.
On a random note this buzzfeed pretty much sums up my life right now:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/samstryker/the-23-worst-parts-of-studying-abroad-in-europe-9ibk
Mondays. Still the bane of my existence. We practiced numbers today bright and early in Italian. It was rough for me. Hopefully when the test comes around for Italian, it will be easy because it's taking me a while to pick up the language.
I also freaked out a little to my teachers about my article today. I know what information I want, I just can't get/find the contacts to do it. They calmed me down though and have have some more ledes so I'm hoping for the best. I have to hope for the best too because my deadlines starts Friday. Derp.
Then after dinner, some people and I had a yoga shesh. It was the best. But really, it was so relaxing. I'm not usually a yoga kid, but I really enjoyed powering down my muscles because I have gotten so tense here. When I get back to the states I need to get a full body massage asap.
At midnight here was the US vs Ghana soccer game. For the last few games, the University of Urbino has shown them in the student center. I guess Italians don't like Americans as much as I thought because they didn't show that soccer game. But it worked out because I hung out a little with Natasha, Abby, and Abby's boy toy friend Marco and we watched a little of the game on the computer.
On a random note this buzzfeed pretty much sums up my life right now:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/samstryker/the-23-worst-parts-of-studying-abroad-in-europe-9ibk
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Day 16
Day 16
It's Sunday and all the pizza shops are closed for lunch in town. Which is a bummer because Hailey and I walked all the way there. But we got kabobs and gelato instead. And both were amazinngggggg. If you live in America, there is a McDonalds and a Starbucks on every street corner-in Italy it is a Kabob restaurant and Gelato. I think that if these Kabob places made it to America, it would be a hit in no time. And yo gurl will be hitting it up at least once a day.
Since I slept in again today, time escaped me. After lunch I headed to my room and worked on my story finding research and writing an outline. Then took a nap and then it was dinner! Funny how the days speed up when you don't have a lot going on.
Remember the other day when I went to the winery? Here is a short YouTube video of the trip that one of the teachers, Steve, put together. I'm barely in it, but it gave a good summary of the events that transpired: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J0ccp6vO4s&feature=youtu.be Enjoy!
It's Sunday and all the pizza shops are closed for lunch in town. Which is a bummer because Hailey and I walked all the way there. But we got kabobs and gelato instead. And both were amazinngggggg. If you live in America, there is a McDonalds and a Starbucks on every street corner-in Italy it is a Kabob restaurant and Gelato. I think that if these Kabob places made it to America, it would be a hit in no time. And yo gurl will be hitting it up at least once a day.
Since I slept in again today, time escaped me. After lunch I headed to my room and worked on my story finding research and writing an outline. Then took a nap and then it was dinner! Funny how the days speed up when you don't have a lot going on.
Remember the other day when I went to the winery? Here is a short YouTube video of the trip that one of the teachers, Steve, put together. I'm barely in it, but it gave a good summary of the events that transpired: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J0ccp6vO4s&feature=youtu.be Enjoy!
Day 15
Day 15
Today has been....I wouldn't say good, but I wouldn't say bad either. It's been rushed and just not my cup of tea. I slept in which was good for my health and well being, but it restricted my time. I headed to the market to scope out a soccer jersey. I didn't find one, but there were a bunch of really cool other stuff. I ended up getting a bushel of apricots and cherry tomatoes. I hadn't eaten food that day so I starting noming hard on the tomatoes. The kid who I bought them from (literally he was a kid, probably about 16) gypped me out of some change. It was only 20 cents and I shook it off, but you really have to be careful and count your money.
Today I was walking around with Alli and Hailey. We headed down to the center of town and found a store that sold University of Urbino apparel and soccer jerseys. Perfect. I just got the soccer jersey (for tonight, Italy is playing in the World Cup) and I will have to stop by before I leave to pick up a University shirt.
By the time we arrived back at the dorms, I only had a half an hour to get ready before my interview. I tried getting food, but the line ended up being too long, so I had to scrap breakfast/lunch. Instead I ate three of the apricots I bought today. My tongue felt a little weird after and I saw some red bumps on my chest, so naturally I was a little worried I was getting hives right before my interview. Good thing I was too rushed to look into it.
I met up with my lovely interpreter Silvia. That's where things get....not to be my cup of tea. For my article I'm writing, I thought that this man did art restoration for the palace. This wasn't going to be my main focus, but I wanted to look into it. But things start to plummet in terms of information I can actually use. While I was preparing the video camera, he changes his mind about the camera being on him. Then while he is talking, he starts moving around and I have to go hand held with the camera because I'm secretly filming him. Then he refuses to answer questions about the palace. I was there for over an hour asking him questions that has close to nothing to do about my topic. And trying to leave was a pain because he just kept talking.
Sure, the information was interesting and I would have enjoyed the experience if I was not writing an article about a different topic. This lede in terms of a journalism perspective was a complete dud. I'm going to go in on Monday and try not to freak out to my mentors.
Now I'm off to eat Chinese food (that goodness) and I am happier than a kid in a candy shop. The idea of something that's not pasta is stimulating to my taste buds.
Today has been....I wouldn't say good, but I wouldn't say bad either. It's been rushed and just not my cup of tea. I slept in which was good for my health and well being, but it restricted my time. I headed to the market to scope out a soccer jersey. I didn't find one, but there were a bunch of really cool other stuff. I ended up getting a bushel of apricots and cherry tomatoes. I hadn't eaten food that day so I starting noming hard on the tomatoes. The kid who I bought them from (literally he was a kid, probably about 16) gypped me out of some change. It was only 20 cents and I shook it off, but you really have to be careful and count your money.
Today I was walking around with Alli and Hailey. We headed down to the center of town and found a store that sold University of Urbino apparel and soccer jerseys. Perfect. I just got the soccer jersey (for tonight, Italy is playing in the World Cup) and I will have to stop by before I leave to pick up a University shirt.
By the time we arrived back at the dorms, I only had a half an hour to get ready before my interview. I tried getting food, but the line ended up being too long, so I had to scrap breakfast/lunch. Instead I ate three of the apricots I bought today. My tongue felt a little weird after and I saw some red bumps on my chest, so naturally I was a little worried I was getting hives right before my interview. Good thing I was too rushed to look into it.
I met up with my lovely interpreter Silvia. That's where things get....not to be my cup of tea. For my article I'm writing, I thought that this man did art restoration for the palace. This wasn't going to be my main focus, but I wanted to look into it. But things start to plummet in terms of information I can actually use. While I was preparing the video camera, he changes his mind about the camera being on him. Then while he is talking, he starts moving around and I have to go hand held with the camera because I'm secretly filming him. Then he refuses to answer questions about the palace. I was there for over an hour asking him questions that has close to nothing to do about my topic. And trying to leave was a pain because he just kept talking.
Sure, the information was interesting and I would have enjoyed the experience if I was not writing an article about a different topic. This lede in terms of a journalism perspective was a complete dud. I'm going to go in on Monday and try not to freak out to my mentors.
Now I'm off to eat Chinese food (that goodness) and I am happier than a kid in a candy shop. The idea of something that's not pasta is stimulating to my taste buds.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Day 14
Day 14
Woke up bright and
early to take a bus to Fratterosa. The class saw terrecotte pottery making
and went on a wine tasting/tour. The terrecotte was amazing to watch. The man
just had a slab of clay on the pottery wheel and in less than 3 minutes, it was
a full sized pot. His nimble fingers glided over the clay and shaped it into a
work of art.
After that we headed to a vineyard and wine tasting. It was
really nice of the professors to put on this event for us. I had a good time,
except that the wine was making me super sleepy. We also had lunch last, so I
was dying of starvation.
The wine was very delicious and after, the students put our
feet into the pool in the backyard to cool off.
When we got back from the day trip, Urbino had finally cooled off to the beautiful weather I know it for.
Day 13
Day 13
It's hard to write a post in your blog every. single. day. I want to remember the time I've spent in this beautiful city, but I'm seriously over come by a disease called laziness and too busy. It's going to be quite hard to overcome in these last two weeks.
These few days have just blurred into one hot mess. But seriously. It's still hot and that's all that is on your mind. Today we didn't have check in at 9 which meant sleep in. I actually tried to get up at 8:30 this morning to grab breakfast but I just couldn't pull myself out of bed. The amount of sleep I have gotten here is next to none and I need all the shut eye I can get.
But as usual, when you start the day later, everything goes by so quickly. The first thing that was mandatory was Italian at 2pm. Man, I hate it. With a passion. Sure I love the language and think it's beautiful, and I also want to fit into the culture, but I just have the hardest time getting it into my head and learning it. I pretty much stared at my teacher today and moved my lips to make it sound like I was trying, but all and all language is not my cup of tea.
Today we had to turn in our first video assignment. I was partners with Hailey and ours kicked some major butt. We definitely had one of the better videos, if not the best, in the class. Of course we weren't going up against the video kids, but the majority of people had the same video experience so I'm very proud of the final result. We still have our main project, but I'm glad to know that Hailey and I are on the way to greatness.
After the students presented their assignments, the teachers presented a little video that they made. Go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuSlu6b1cQ This video was one of the cutest things I have ever seen! They were so encouraging and just really want us to have a blast filming and editing. My minor role in this short YouTube video is not my shining moment, so heads up. Steve, one of the video teachers, has these camera sunglasses. So when I went over to him and started talking, I didn't even realize that he was filming. I'll be on my toes next time.
The previous day, I had happened to chance upon the group of video teachers and they were doing the same assignment as the students were, so we could compare our work. The had me go into the gelato caffe and eat gelato. And they paid for it, so I was like hollllaaaa. Then I took a selfie with one of my favoirite professors', Berry. They really made my day.
It's hard to write a post in your blog every. single. day. I want to remember the time I've spent in this beautiful city, but I'm seriously over come by a disease called laziness and too busy. It's going to be quite hard to overcome in these last two weeks.
These few days have just blurred into one hot mess. But seriously. It's still hot and that's all that is on your mind. Today we didn't have check in at 9 which meant sleep in. I actually tried to get up at 8:30 this morning to grab breakfast but I just couldn't pull myself out of bed. The amount of sleep I have gotten here is next to none and I need all the shut eye I can get.
But as usual, when you start the day later, everything goes by so quickly. The first thing that was mandatory was Italian at 2pm. Man, I hate it. With a passion. Sure I love the language and think it's beautiful, and I also want to fit into the culture, but I just have the hardest time getting it into my head and learning it. I pretty much stared at my teacher today and moved my lips to make it sound like I was trying, but all and all language is not my cup of tea.
Today we had to turn in our first video assignment. I was partners with Hailey and ours kicked some major butt. We definitely had one of the better videos, if not the best, in the class. Of course we weren't going up against the video kids, but the majority of people had the same video experience so I'm very proud of the final result. We still have our main project, but I'm glad to know that Hailey and I are on the way to greatness.
After the students presented their assignments, the teachers presented a little video that they made. Go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuSlu6b1cQ This video was one of the cutest things I have ever seen! They were so encouraging and just really want us to have a blast filming and editing. My minor role in this short YouTube video is not my shining moment, so heads up. Steve, one of the video teachers, has these camera sunglasses. So when I went over to him and started talking, I didn't even realize that he was filming. I'll be on my toes next time.
The previous day, I had happened to chance upon the group of video teachers and they were doing the same assignment as the students were, so we could compare our work. The had me go into the gelato caffe and eat gelato. And they paid for it, so I was like hollllaaaa. Then I took a selfie with one of my favoirite professors', Berry. They really made my day.
World Cup also started today. I went down to the piazza to hang
out with some friends and watch the game on tv’s that were placed outside by
the tables. It was really chill. The only downside was that I wasn’t in a good
mood. I headed back early, gelato in hand, because my boy toy decided to
cancel our skype date. So now I’m being passive aggressive and writing about
how annoying he is so that he get’s the message of how frustrating it is to
date someone who will rather study than talk to his girlfriend for 10 minutes.
That’s fine by me, I’ll just get an Italian man.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Day 12
Day 12
It's still way to hot.
But I have managed to cool down. Though there is no way this is going to last for very long. I think I am going to have to rethink my gelato once a day limit and eat it once an hour to attempt to cool myself down.
I had my first interview today with a art history professor at the University of Urbino. She was very nice and friendly, though she didn't answer the questions I asked her. She also contradicted herself. Insanity of old age perhaps..? But overall she was helpful. I was able to get another source and gain some new knowledge about the palace.
It's still way to hot.
But I have managed to cool down. Though there is no way this is going to last for very long. I think I am going to have to rethink my gelato once a day limit and eat it once an hour to attempt to cool myself down.
I had my first interview today with a art history professor at the University of Urbino. She was very nice and friendly, though she didn't answer the questions I asked her. She also contradicted herself. Insanity of old age perhaps..? But overall she was helpful. I was able to get another source and gain some new knowledge about the palace.
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