Divertimento Dappertutto!

Whew! I'm exhausted. I feel like I can see the minutes just roll by me and I'm running around like crazy to get school things done and to still enjoy the end of my time here. Actually, despite the fact that I have a really nice long weekend, I've decided to take it slow and to soak in the end of the semester. My time in Siena is really wrapping up and I feel pretty satisfied with everything that's happened. But to the specifics of recent activity!

The last couple of weeks have been PARTY CITY here (among getting un monta of work done)! I think primavera just brings out the best in people...even when the weather is only sporatically spring-like. Two friends turned 21 and we threw them a surprise party, American style at the school! We invited friends from Florence and even some characters that work at the school came. It was a great success. The next morning we got up presto presto for a trip into the countryside with Jeff and the creative writing class. I had so much fun, but especially since he gave me commentary on the places and people we saw that showed up in his book. I'm finishing it up now and really enjoying it, but I'm certain that that gave it extra life. Not to mention that despite the rain, the Tuscan countryside is fantastic! It's really hard to get to without una macchina, but lucky for us Jeff & Valeria (his wonderful wife) were great guides.

The past weekend was also meraviglioso! April 25th is a holiday to celebrate the independence of the country during WWII so Katie and I relished being Americans in Italy. We fought rough odds (read: Italian chaos on holiday) and ventured back to Jeff and Valeria's small apartment for the festa di carciofi. That's right people. I basically ate my weight in artichokes! Artichokes with penne pasta, artichoke soup, and best of all--i carciofi fritti! I had two servings of that one (and lots of other food). It was insane to see the tiny town overflowing with people after seeing next to no one in the streets just 6 days earlier. And in case you didn't know, Italian's version of una fila, or a line, is more like a mass of people that push themselves forward.

Later, I was also honored enough to attend a contrada party! Friends of a friend are from Siena and part of the Valdimontone (Valley of the Ram) contrada. At this time, I didn't know where the Montone's fountain was, so made my way there. It's also great to have some freedom to walk around places that are totally off limits to the public! I had a fit. But I have to admit that it was an odd sensation being there and everyone knowing you didn't belong to the group. I could understand how people who have lived in Siena for a long time thought of it as a closed community. Still, I had a lot of fun and was able to practice my Italian.

So, like I said there's a long weekend starting today. Why, you ask? It's Labor Day here in Italy! What fun, huh? Readers, rest assured I'm sempre working hard, but I'm still making sure to have a lot of fun while there's still time.

When in Rome, be a tourist.

Ciao a tutti! It's amazing how things really are getting busier all the time. While me being busy here is not even closely representative of the chaos of a normal spring semester, I'm having trouble checking off my "to-do" list. There's so much to do and to see that it's hard to ignore the constant pressure to do them before it's already time to come home. But again, this is really less of a complaint and more of an observation of my "difficult" life abroad.

I've been traveling a lot more on the weekends than I imagined I would, but I'm trying to find a balance. Last weekend I went with some friends to Rome and had a truly fantastic time. Leaving early nella mattina, we boarded the bus to Rome and arrived around noon. Getting oriented, we made a bee-line to Vatican City. It was truly breath-taking to see some of these masterpieces and to be able to tell you "what it smells like in the Sistene Chapel" (Good Will Hunting). I also really loved walking around in St. Peter's Basilica, but my favorite part of the day was when the 3 other girls and I ate some of the best gelato EVER and soaked in the sun, the people, and the experience in the Piazza del Papa'.

After checking in at the hotel, we took a nap before going to dinner. All weekend we ate wonderfully (and cheaply) thanks to Rick Steves and some other guidebooks! After dinner we went on a grand tour of the city at night. My host parents were surprised about how much I actually did see in just a day and half, which made me feel really good. :) But among this crazy tour was the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the Fountain of the Four Rivers (my favorite!). I didn't see them in the day time, but everything looked GORGEOUS at night. Surprisingly, we also had some opportunities to speak in Italian. Rome has a bit of the same feeling as New York City with a big tourist fingerprint. I heard more English than I had in a while and couldn't wait to get back to Siena and Italian.

Sunday morning we split up for a few hours and my friend Julissa and I went back to the Vatican to see the Pope. The crowd was insane! He said a prayer, talked a little about "La Festa Delle Donne" (which I'll explain later), and made some shout-outs in German, French, English, Spanish, and Italian. Then we went to meet up with the other travellers at the Colosseum. After a 10 minute wait for a ticket (incredible!), we got our tickets per gratis. That's right--FOR FREE! La Festa Delle Donne, or the Day of the Women, was created after the Women's Rights Movement. While I question if it's any less commercial than Valentine's Day, it was certainly an unexpected and very welcomed surprise. But getting back to my sight seeing, I loved the Colosseum and the Roman Forum! Standing there in the remnants of everyday life from centuries ago definitely sits among my favorite moments of the trip.

Tomorrow, the women of the school are going on a retreat of sorts to another agriturismo but this time in Maremma, the beach region of Tuscany. We'll be visiting a park and going on a wine tasting and I've heard rumors that the food is out of this world! You'll get another update later. But for more pictures of Rome, check out "Le Fotografie" under links.

Buona giornata!

Today I went to the hospital...

but not until after church. I'm fine, I'm fine. Don't worry. Let me just get along with the story and we'll get to the hospital visit in time.

So I woke up a bit confused about where I was. It hasn't settled yet that I'm here and on top of that, my already skewed concept of time has worsened. So much has happened over the last few days that the days feel more like weeks. Today is the end of day #4! Non lo credo! Anyway, when I was finally oriented and ready for the day, my host mother and I left for a walk. She showed me how to get to school first. It's so close I can hardly believe it. I didn't time it, but I'll get back to you, maybe tomorrow when I start my first day of classes (EEEK!).

Then we went to San Domenico and attended mass. It was almost a surreal experience of jumping back into time, pre-Vatican II. For those of you that don't know Church history, Vatican II, among other things, brought vernacular tongue into the church. Previously, everything was in Latin. Although I've been to church enough to know what to expect and have quite a bit to attribute to Mrs. McDonald's Ecclesiology class in high school, I couldn't participate in prayers because I only know them in English! One of my missions for the semester is to learn them in Italian. But still what an interesting experience!

After church, Tina took me to La Piazza Del Campo. My loyal readers, I will admit to having misty eyes when they met Piazza Del Campo. This place is truly stunning and holds so much history. It is literally and figuratively the heart of the city. My words are far too limited to express my veneration for this place. It is with my highest suggestion that I tell you to see it for yourself.

The walk home was quick and easy. After lunch, a nap, and dinner (no wonder I feel like all I do is eat and relax), Tina asked me if I'd like to go with her to visit a friend. Where? At the hospital. (Told you it was coming.) Of course I said yes since I'd never been there before. I told her that and she reminded me that it was a good thing. I guess I should be a bit more aware about my eagerness to experience everything. Ennio joined us and off we went.

Like everything in Siena, it's not very far. It's quite similar to those in America I've been to, complete with a gift shop and a sketchy cafeteria, which probably still has better food than America, although I did notice some differences. Maybe I was off tonight or really know nothing about medicine, but the organization seemed a bit strange. Everything was color coded and yet somehow neurology was down the hall from dermatology. Hmmm. But also, the hospital was without private rooms. Not much of a surprise with Italy being on a socialist health care system, but occasionally it slips my mind.

Tina's friend was in great health and on her way out of the hospital soon. She had some other visitors and it was interesting to watch them all interact. It was hard to keep up with their rapid conversation but I'm pretty sure the Palio came up at some point. Maybe I'm biased to want to hear it, but the Sianese really like their Palio. But now I've gotta catch some zzz's because tomorrow I start classes. Buona notte!