Un regalo

Well, it's finally happened. People, after allllllll this time I've spent here I finally got pooped on by un pigione. I say it's about time since there are SO many of them. Around here, apparently it's really good luck, even though it's really gross. My mom told me I should play the lottery, but I don't know about that....

But the best part is how it happened! I was out with some friends and we were hanging out in the street outside a bar, just chatting. It's the way here. There aren't many cars in the center of Siena and drinking in public isn't against the law here, so on nice nights EVERYONE is outside. My friends and I were chatting and laughing when I felt something drop on my head. I stroked my head I didn't feel anything. I figured that since I didn't feel anything I really didn't need to think twice about it. It had been raining all day and had just recently cleared up for the night. Probably just a rain droplet, right?


Hours later I go into the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. Sure, I had had some Birra Moretti, but not THAT much. And there it was--a glob of pigeon poop. But it wasn't so bad. My hair was up so my friends didn't catch it. Unfortunately I don't have a picture to share other than the picture of a Roman pigeon, but rest assured I laughed quite a bit. Hope you too enjoyed a chuckle or two at my expense!

One month left until I fly home. There's so much left to do and I'm really feeling EXTRA pressure to take advantage of the time I have left. I don't know what that means for the rest of the time here or what's to come for the next month, but I plan on finishing strong!

Buona Pasqua!

Or I guess I should say Happy Easter! I hope everything is going well at home because things are going pretty swimmingly here. Not all fun and games, though. I'm sure you've heard about the terremoto in the region of Abruzzo (in southern Italy). It's been quite a disaster and really hard to watch on the news. The television has been inundated with coverage of the earthquake and the effects on the victims and I can't help but be reminded of watching the news of Katrina. Sometimes it's just too much to watch continuously so I let myself tune out when I need to. Thankfully things are moving along, but to imagine all those deaths, especially of those students who were my peers, is heartbreaking.

My internship is going well also. I feel like with all this extra time where I'm forced to hear and speak Italian, things are improving much quicker now. The other day, there was a party for Easter and a small group came to perform for the patrons of Campansi. I was able to meet them during the intermission and we talked a bit. The most interesting part of this story was that they had no qualms about calling me up to the stage in front of tutti to play an American song. What song you may ask? None other than, "Strangers in the Night" and unfortunately I couldn't help them out with all of the words--or fortunately, depending on your punta di vista.

But on to Easter break! I went with my friend Katie to Venezia and had a fantastic time. We stayed outside of Venice at a campsite which worked out pretty well and took the traghetto into the city and back again at night. The first day we got there without any real direction and by a stroke of luck, made our way into Gallerie dell'Accademia with no line and saw some FANTASTIC pieces of art. We spent hours there! After lunch, we also took a stroll through the Ca'd'Oro, or House of Gold--another museum. We met a man that works there who told us he left his heart and soul in America, despite his Florentine name. It made me wonder what it will be like when I'm no longer in Siena because I'm scared I've done the same here.

Comunque, we walked around a bit more in the Venetian labryrinth and found our way to the old Jewish ghetto. I loved the ghetto so much we visited it again...on Easter! A bit interesting, I know, but this section was almost untouched by the masses of tourists and yet had so much character! But after our first visit there, we literally stumbled on St. Mark's Square just before it was time to go home. Since we were under a time-crunch we planned to return for Easter mass.

The next day we started and finished in St. Mark's Square. First, we were in line for Doge Palace. From what I can gather the Doge had a similar function that the Queen of England now has. Doge's Palace served as the doge's living quarters and the seat of the state. There are also dungeons were the acclaimed Giacomo Casanova was held. I found the elaborate rooms to be quite much and couldn't imagine getting much done. In the Grand Council Chamber the first 72 doges are painted around the top border except one. He tried to overthrow the state and, in addition to being sentenced to death, was removed from all memory of the state. In place of his bust, there is a black cloth. That was pretty neat!

After lunch, the second visit to the ghetto and the museum there, Katie and I took some time along the Grand Canal. We met some interesting characters. My favorite moment was when one accused me of having a Tuscan accent! You better believe that I swelled with pride. We ended the day with some music for "the public good" in St. Mark's Square and a great Easter mass in the Basilica. Talk about thrilling! The detail was unbelievable and the music, as Katie said, really pulled you into the experience. Another good visit in a different part of Italy, but as usual, there's nothing like "home, sweet home."

Vacanza, Part 2

Allora. The second part of my trip was nice. I was by myself which had a tendency to be a bit lonely, but in the end I really enjoyed it. It's nice to know that I'm independent enough to travel on my own and that I have enough knowledge of the language to communicate. So first was Assisi. After a decent bus ride, I hopped off the pullman and I walked around pretty aimlessly and talked to some people. Needless to say, there was a lot of church visiting while in Assisi.

First, St. Francis. It's got upper and lower churches with gorgeous frescoes. My favorite was the lower church which was older than the other. While I'm not a huge fan of crypts, I managed to work up the nerve to enter them in Assisi. I read that St. Francis chose the spot of his basilica as his burial site because originally it was the Collo d'Inferno (Hill of Hell) or the place criminals were killed. Since some of his followers were devoted to the idea of building the church it's now known as the Collo di Paradiso. Knowing what I do about his teachings, I'm not so sure St. Francis would've been happy, but as one of the most popular destinations for pilgrims, I think maybe things might balance out. I was also a huge fan of St. Clara's Basilica, anchoring the other side of Assisi. Saw some others and even went to vespers mass at St. Rufinus. That night I ate some pizza, took a great walk, and was able to see Perugia down the hill. I stayed in a hostel and I think I was the ONLY person in the whole place. Nice, safe place with some peace and quiet--not for 15 euro!

The next morning I took another stroll to the train station for the trip into Perugia. I have to admit that I was a bit surprised at the city at first! I had heard that it'd be a bit like Siena, but that's not quite accurate. There were so many cars and the drivers didn't have much patience for pedestrians. This was a bit of a put-off at first, but when I FINALLY made it to the center (it took a while for various reasons) I really enjoyed myself. I bought a panino and ate it on the steps of the Basilica di San Lorenzo, which I also visited. Lucky for me, I was able to catch up with Alissa, another student from Meredith. She gave me a tour of the city and I met all of her friends. One of them performed a great magic show and after that we had a fun night hanging out with them like the Italian students by the Fontana Maggiore. The next morning Alissa was on her way to Venice, so I was out and about early. I decided to sit and write in my journal in a park that looks out onto the gorgeous Umbrian hills and by chance I met a man from NBC. He asked me to "model" for a news story on the Amanda Knox case so my hands were on the Today Show! That was pretty exciting.

In fine, it was also nice to be able to move at whatever speed I wished and there was some good thinking time, but I quite like travelling with someone else with whom I can share my experience. But for now, I'm back "home" and loving it!