no longer in italy

I've been sitting trying to write my statement of intent for Teach for America for a few days now and I find myself with complete and total writer's block. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm not passionate about the subject, I actually think that I'm too passionate. I care too much. I can't figure out how to put in word some of the things that are most important to me. I can talk about this application and what I want to do and what I think is important for days but actually writing it all down so someone else can see it from my perspective just feels impossible. I was talking on facebook chat to a friend and I tried to tell her my main ideas and beliefs and she said she you know what you want to say... and I do I just don't want it to sound cliche. How many other applicants were inspired as children and want to pass that on? Probably all of them.

Really I guess I'm just complaining because I want this so bad. Everyone tells me, Oh I hear its really hard and blah blah blah. I'm looking for hard. I'm looking for a challenge. What is the point of something if you don't have to work for it? I've found that nothing worthwhile in my life has come easily. As much as people may not believe it I do work for hard for everything I do. I watch the way children are treated and schools are run and I just want to be that one person who takes the extra minute to listen to them. If puppy love is still love to the puppy then kid's problems are still catastrophic for them at that point in their life. Yes, we and they will all have to face bigger things but for that moment the fact that they are upset is probably the most upset they have ever been. What a better way for me to spend my time? What am I really going to do with a music degree? Why not be that person who lives for the kids in their classroom. If the education system needs improvement it needs to start with its educators. Teachers are the ones that have the power to inspire their students. Why not take the naive fresh college graduates and throw them in a classroom where they can use all their hopes and dreams for making a difference in this world on changing the life of one child. If after a year of teaching I found one kid who had been changed, who had some more confidence in their own abilities then the long hours, the spending money out of my own pocket for the classroom and the constant frustration that no one else sees what I see would be worth it. In the end if the future of this world depends on our children why not invest everything we have in them. Every child deserves a chance to have all the tools they could possibly need to make it in the world.

busy busy busy

So, I haven't posted in over a month. It's surprising I have actually been quite busy over the past few weeks. I have successfully had my camera lost by my roommate, lost/had my wallet stolen, gone to Rome, gone to Venice with no money in my pocket and gone to Italian High School, been to Southern France and more.

These last few weeks have been a test of patience and shown how money really changes people. I have had to rely on everyone around me to help me get through with no money and surprisingly enough I have actually survived. Katie comes tomorrow from the States bringing me lovely food and a credit card. Its taught me alot about budgeting, so yes, I have learned from my mistakes.

Rome and Venice were beautiful and totally worth the tons of money that I had to spend to get there. I got to see a friend from home while staying in Rome, actually I got to see two, one from school and one from home. Mackenzie, from DePauw, and I went to see Maggie, from home, sing at Mass. It was really interesting because the priest did the mass in both english and italian because there were so many foreigners there. I fell in love with Venice....well until I realized it was far too expensive for my current budget. However, it was really nice to just sit and look at everything.

I will hopefully write more later.

Update

Aunty M reminded me that I hadn't posted to this in awhile. She said she hoped it because I was busy, but its been quite a few things really. First of all our internet, all though it is better, is still a little spotty. Secondly, my roommate's grandfather died on Thursday night and she found out Friday evening in a not so nice way. She was on facebook chat and her cousin told her. Her parents have worked out how to skype her into the memorial service but it has still been difficult for her. On top of that she got sick with a bad cold, which I then got the next day. We are both slowly getting over it. We did have our first experience with the Farmacia across the street trying to get medicine, which we did finally succeed at.

Saturday Marissa, an apartment mate, and her friend Michi and I took the very long train to Pisa. We all really wanted to go and all though it seemed kind of ridiculous to everyone else we decided we wanted to do it in a day trip. It didn't make sense to 1 pay for a hotel or 2 take a day away from whenever we went to Florence. The trip was fabulous. It was a wonderful sunny day, around 55. We got to climb all the way to the top of the tower and then participate in the craziness which was a ton of tourists out on the lawn taking the same stupid pictures.

We had some slight complications getting home, only because the city seemed to shut down because there was a futbol game. We managed to grab a taxi and make it to the train station in plenty of time.

It snowed/ white rained Sunday and Monday. Now it's just cold.

I bought a color sheet grabber thing so I could do more colors at once and instead turned all my whites blue because of my jeans. I guess its a good thing we also have bleach in the house. Caroline and I aren't going to lessons today because of the cold and have been instructed to see a doctor tomorrow if we don't feel better. Caroline says she thinks she is pulling out of it so hopefully that means I only have one day left of this.

Verona

Three of my roommates and I went to Verona yesterday for the day. It was the best decision we could have made! Even though it was supposed to be cold and rain all day we decided we should go anyway. The tickets were only 15 euro roundtrip so there was no real way of wasting money.

After a two hour train ride we arrived in Verona. Amazingly enough it was not raining all though still a little cloudy. We bought the Verona Pass for 10 euro which allowed us to go see 10 touristy spots and have free reign of the bus system throughout the day. It was such a good deal since Juliet's house alone was 6 euro. We pretty easily found our way to the center of the old city and began looking around at all the different stands and such. It was amazing to feel like I was back in Europe. There were tiny streets and old buildings. Verona is such a contrast to Milan which just feels big and gray right now. The sun was shining in Verona. It was fabulous. Then we hear this odd noise and here comes a marching band coming towards the piazza we were in, but it wasn't a normal marching band, they were all dressed up in ridiculous costumes. We watched for awhile and then continued our way through the city.

As we walked we kept seeing random people dressed up in costumes, some Pharoahs, some Jokers. It seemed like a little bit of everything. Then when we got near the Arena we saw little kids dressed up as well. It seemed like Halloween all over again! We had no real idea what was going on until I picked up a flyer that sad there was a German music festival going on the day. Well we continued on our way to the old castle museum and as we got to the entrance they were in the process of closing traffic because there was a parade about to start. It turns out that the random Saturday that we chose to go to Verona was EuroCarnival. Needless to say it was so much fun, besides freezing to death. We were exhausting afterwards and came home on an earlier train. Pictures are on facebook if you would like to see more of the craziness.

It rains in milan...

ALOT!!!! It has been raining for the past few days and it makes me feel like I'm back in Greencastle, but not in a good way. Because we are in the city my roommates and I find ourselves constantly splashed by the oncoming traffic. I'm starting to romanticize being able to drive to a grocery store so you can fill up the back of your car and drive home instead of walk home with huge backpacks and bags.

That is all my complaining at the moment, minus the fact that I have to miss Obama's inauguration because I have a voice lesson. Oh well, I will either watch it later on youtube or catch the tail end of it at the bar with the rest of the IES group after my lesson. On the good news front I bought a pair of Italian leather boots yesterday. I'm not quite as in love with them as my roommate seems to be with hers but then again I tend to buy more practical than other people.

Our RA/roommate has returned home and seems to be a little better now. She says she wants to cook us all dinner on Thursday so hopefully that will make relations in the house a little easier since we are currently operating in two different worlds it seems.

I have my first voice lesson this afternoon so I'm going to go compete against the electric guitar player who seems to be in the next apartment. It shall be interesting.

Early mornings in Italy

I find it funny that I feel like I woke up too early this morning when I got up at 10:30 am. I am currently the only one awake in the apartment and it's noon. Oh well, either we're all still jetlagged or no one is getting enough sleep during the week, which could be the case because they all stay up so they can talk to people from the states when they get home from work...which turns out to be around 1 am here.

We had a very long day of shopping yesterday. We learned very quickly that everyone goes shopping on Saturday afternoons and to never try that one again. I am still in search of the boots I want to invest in. Big feet seem to really be a problem here. Today we have plans to make eggs and bacon, very american i know but it's difficult to cook for yourself sometimes, and then go to the park and do homework. Caroline and I have found a great route to run/walk. It takes us straight from our house to the Giardini Pubblici. Its a little snowy/muddy now but in the spring it's going to be beautiful.

This weekend we have ventured so far as to order taxis by ourselves and even figure out how and where to go out on a Friday night. Overall I feel like it has been a very successful weekend. More to come on how my Italian classes go, should be interesting. We are hoping to go see Swan Lake at La Scala soon. Right now our goal is going to La Scala or some performance at least twice a month. We'll see how it goes. I have a feeling that combined with our many hopes of traveling is going to make life rather busy soon.

I'm thinking about buying either Twilight or Harry Potter in Italian to get some better vocabulary flowing. It seemed to help when I was in Spain and seeing as we don't have a tv I need something to do for a break in the evenings.

I'm off to continue waiting for the girls to wake up.

Finally I feel connected to the world...

After a very exhausting trip I am finally in Italy. Who knew planes had to be de-iced? And that it could take over an hour if your de-icer is an idiot. Needless to say I was late leaving Chicago, missed my connecting flight in Heathrow, but British Airways was kind enough to have the next flight already booked for me by the time we landed. We waited quite awhile at the airport for all the other students to get in. Then an hour to stressa (I think).

The hotel we stayed in was beautiful, all though I couldn't fully appreciate it because I was ridiculously jetlagged. No sleep on the plane tends to do that to you. From the windows you could see snow topped mountains AND palm trees....an interesting combination. I opted out of the boat trip the next day, knowing that it would be too cold to be really enjoyable, and instead ventured out with Caroline, my roommate, and had my first Italian pizza and found the Bancomat (ATM).

The rest of the days at the hotel were filled with stupid orientation stuff. We finally got to our apartments yesterday and I was so excited to finally be able to contact everyone...when we discovered our internet didn't work. Oh well. (It's working now.) My roommates are great. There are 6 total, one italian who is kind of our RA but is younger than all of us, Sofia. The others are Claire from NYC, Samantha who goes to school in Boston, Marissa who goes to school in Minnesota and then Caroline my direct roommate from DePauw.

We adventured out yesterday to get food and sheets and such and had quite a successful trip. We then all made dinner together and watched Bend it Like Beckham and did our nails. A very girly night.

Today we toured MIlan in the rain, along with the Universita Cattolica. We took the metro for the first time and didn't even get lost. Walking up from the Duomo stop we expected, or at least I did, to walk down the street and see it, but no, you walk up the metro steps and there it is. It's huge.

I met my voice teacher today who seems very good. I"m tired of writing now. The girls and I skipped the evening activity and are off to go get a pizza and watch a movie....much easier than trekking across town for not so great food and people we only kind of like...I"m sure we'll get better eventually.