Heart at Home

Today I had every intention to write about my weekend in Paris, which will probably still happen after I finish this post..but it somehow felt weird not to acknowledge what happened in my home state last night, so close to my own home. I woke up this morning to check my Facebook newsfeed (as I usually do when I'm avoiding getting out of bed) and found that tornados had touched down in Mayflower and Vilonia. For those of you who aren't as up-to-date on your Arkansas geography, my hometown of Conway is incredibly close to these two cities.
While I'm so thankful my town was not hit, that doesn't mean I don't know those that were affected. The amount of prayer requests and support was overwhelming to see on my newsfeed this morning. Last night I was seeing reports of bad storms across Arkansas, and after checking the radars, I determined that it would be fine and went to sleep-- obviously I don't see weather forecasting in my future anytime soon. It was an eerie feeling waking up and seeing that something so devastating came so close to home. I was relieved to know that my parents and my dog (who was probably enjoying being allowed inside) were all safe. But-- it was also frustrating knowing that I am so far away and can only send my thoughts and prayers.
In our first few days at IES, we had a few discussions about adjusting to life abroad. Among the many conversations about culture shock, we also discussed life at home. We talked about the fact that just because we're abroad, life back home doesn't stop. It keeps on moving. And I totally grasped that concept to an extent. I was prepared for those that I know to get new jobs, graduate, move, etc. Normal life changes. But it's the things that we don't plan for that I didn't know how to handle abroad (and I know that it's always the things we don't plan for that are the hardest to handle). The distance always seems to add another difficult element to any upsetting situation. So while I may physically be in Siena for a few more weeks, my heart is back home.

Il Mio Compleano!!

The thing that I was the most sad to leave behind in the States when I came abroad was not my friends. It was not my school or my pets. It was getting to celebrate my 21st birthday in the United States (note: this was tied with missing my family..because come on, I still have a heart). I knew that when I went to a place where the legal drinking age was...Oh who knows. It's Italy, apparently there are 14 year olds drinking wine over here. But I did know that while Birthdays were still important in Italy, turning 21 was no where near as exciting as it is in the United States. I was fully prepared for an uneventful birthday and I had my standards set pretty low.
Now with all of that being said, thank goodness I've made some pretty amazing friends abroad, because turning 21 was no where near as sad as I thought it was going to be. In fact, it was probably the best birthday I've ever had.
My wonderful roommates had decorated our apartment while I was asleep, so I woke up to streamers, banners, and "Il Mio Compleano!" (It's my birthday!) balloons. After skyping with my parents-- (Thanks for the birthday care package, Mom and Dad!), I went out to dinner with "the family" My apartment (Grace and Christine), Sam and Dana, and our RAs, Camilla and Giusi. After dinner we came back to our apartment, where I found all of my IES classmates waiting to surprise me and homemade miniature cupcakes that Sam, Dana, and Grace baked. Life's always good with cupcakes around, and birthdays are even better.

So again, thank you SO MUCH for all of the dear dear friends who made my birthday so incredibly special. Who knew 21 was still exciting in Italy?
Also, thanks to Freddy, my favorite bartender who let me go behind the bar and make a drink. I will probably never feel that cool ever again.

Too busy perfecting my bar-tending skills to fix my crooked birthday tiara

Counting Down the Market Days

I looked at my calendar today and realized it was April 17th. April 17th! I don't quite know how I let over half of the month of April go by without even noticing (not to mention without writing a single blog post).
I am going to be completely honest and tell everyone that I had every intention of being a really great blogger for the month of April. But, of course, life happens as it usually does and between schoolwork, travel, turning 21, and a mean case of Tonsillitis, it was well into April.

I'm also getting to the "I can't believe I have less than a month" phase in the study abroad experience, which makes everything a little bittersweet. This past Wednesday I experienced one of these bittersweet moments. Every Wednesday there's a market in Siena. For anyone who enjoys shopping, it's basically heaven on earth. But I realized that my afternoons at the market are numbered (ugh, how sad is that?) One of my favorite routines on Wednesdays is getting out of class and walking around the market for the last hour that it's open. And not to brag, but I feel as if I have a knack for finding great deals at the market. Sadly, that's not exactly the best thing. While I may love finding 5 euro sweaters and 10 euro shoes..I'm running out of room in my suitcase! I think I'm dreading packing my suitcase more than I'm dreading saying good-bye to all of my friends. I know, I know-- I've really got to work on my priorities.

Sweet Treats

So, I am fully aware that I literally just blogged about some things I've been enjoying lately in Siena. But the subject matter of this post deserves a little extra attention. Why's that? It's about a chocolate festival. apparently these things actually do exist, so now all of my dreams have come true (okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little..but still, pretty exciting).

As I headed off to take my last midterm, I noticed little huts being set up in the middle of Campo.
By the time I had returned from my test about an hour later, the chocolate festival and all its glory was up and running. I spent the next few days enjoying what was taking place right in my "backyard" (or a few steps outside of my apartment) by enjoying all things chocolate. And trust me, it was glorious. I spent quite a few minutes hours accepting free samples, finding the cutest chocolate shapes, and scoping out the tastiest truffles. There might have been some chocolate covered fruit consumption thrown into the midst somewhere.

While I'm sure it wouldn't surprise anyone that I've devoted an entire post to chocolate..there actually is a little more of a point to this (okay, maybe not that much more). But being able to finish my exams and come back to enjoy a small festival reminded me of why I love Siena and its quaintness.

Chocolate galore. Can I have it all, please

Finally found the perfect truffles

The best crepe I've ever eaten in my life

Taking Advantage

For the past few weeks, I've been taking advantage of the fact that for once, I'm not traveling on the weekends. It's amazing how easy it's been settle into a place so far away from my "real" home. Every time I step off the bus after getting back from a trip, I can't help but breathe a sigh of relief because I'm finally back in Siena.

There are three things in particular that I've loved taking advantage of recently:

-IES sponsored trips and events. For anyone interested in using IES as a study abroad program (which I would definitely recommend) make sure you take advantage of the activities and trips they plan! I can't tell you how much fun it was going to Milan with the IES group..not to mention the fact that it was wonderful not having to plan the trip myself. Not only was it a great trip in general (and by that I mean, I saw the Last Supper and had the world's best gelato), but it was fun getting to know the other IES students and staff. I also loved taking advantage of the IES cooking class. While I'm always up for anything food-related, I've really been wanting to take a cooking class while I'm in Italy, so I was excited that IES put together a class for us.

-Warm weather. I'm sure I speak for many people when I say that warm weather just makes me happier. How could it not? And how could anyone not love laying out on the Piazza del Campo in the warm sun with a nice cup of gelato.

too busy eating for pictures

-And lastly, hidden gems in Siena. While, in my humble opinion, I think the city of Siena itself is a hidden gem, there are still plenty of fun places to discover in the city. And, luckily, we have some great staff to help us find said places. ;) A few weeks ago, one of our RAs, Giusi, and Chia took us to a small park in Siena. After getting sandwiches (at a place I sadly cannot remember the name of) we spent the day making flower crowns and laying in the grass enjoying some beautiful Tuscan scenery.

All you need is...a Venetian Mask

A few weeks ago (note: I used the word "weeks") I got a friendly little reminder from IES about a Valentine's Day blog. I chuckled and moved on with my life..and then my second reminder came a week later asking me to talk about what I love about Siena or how I'd be spending the holiday. I took the two emails as a hint that they were really jazzed about Valentine's Day. While IES was really excited, I was a little sad to be reminded of the fact that I'm away from both my home and my school on a day focused on the people you love(I promise, this is the only time I'll be whiney in this post). It also reminded me that I'm no longer in second grade and I can't say I spent my day decorating my Valentine's Day box, getting lots of candy, and picking out the perfect card to give to all the boys in my class (because no one wants the social suicide of actually giving a second grade boy a card asking them to be your Valentine). Ugh. Life is hard. I'm teasing, of course.

The "Italian Boyfriend" is a joke that gets made a lot in Siena. Dana even set a goal for herself to find one by the 14th of February..And although she didn't find one, I'm still not convinced I won't find her dancing around the Campo singing this song. Watch out boys...

Instead of being home or finding an Italian Boyfriend, however..I went to Venice! And I'm happy to say this trip had much happier results than our trip to Rome. Yes, that means not getting my wallet stolen. Progress.

This wasn't just any weekend in Venice, though. It was the start of Carnevale..or as I like to call it, "You can wear Venetian Masks and still be considered a socially acceptable human being." I'm all in for any chance I get to wear a mask (which isn't very often). We got into Venice late Friday afternoon and spent the rest of the day walking around the city and drooling. Which was probably due to the fact that it was a beautifully sunny Valentine's Day.

    



That night we went out to dinner with some of Christine's friends from Fordham (who we also stayed with for the weekend). We found a new love for price fixed menus while in Venice. Two courses, wine, and dessert? I'm in.

The special fixed menu for Valentines Day

Saturday we spent the day going on a tour of the islands near Venice..including Murano and Burano. We toured Murano, famous for its glass, first. We watched a man hand blow and shape a vase and a small horse out of glass. Sadly I was sandwiched behind a tall man (does it make sense that the man over 6 feet placed himself in front of the girl who is 5'2? No. But I digress..) and couldn't get any pictures of the process. I did, however, get pictures on the island of Burano, known for making lace. And in my humble opinion, Burano was a tad more fun to look at anyway.

See what I mean? 

After touring the islands we headed back to Venice to participate in all of the Carnevale festivities. While I can't really explain exactly what Carnevale is...I can tell you that it's a big celebration in Venice that lasts about a month. It originally began as a festival/feast before the giving up of meat (carne). Hmmm, sound like Mardis Gras to anyone? We donned our masks and headed out to watch a night parade and then hang out with some friends. 

The IES Crew!

Sporting our Wofford colored masks

Our Weekend in Venice was by far my favorite since being in Italy. It felt so peaceful being on the water all weekend and it was incredibly exciting to get to be a part of the Carnevale celebrations. One of my favorite moments from the weekend was getting a cute Valentine's day picture of a pug (as mentioned in a previous blog post, I have a strange love of pugs) from both my sister and one of my best friends, Molly. The exact same picture. I guess I'm a little predicable when it comes to what I love. 

And to finish off...here are some pictures from the weekend that I absolutely LOVE and just couldn't help not to share them with you. 

 

Limes

Okay, so I know what you're thinking. "Limes" is probably the lamest title in the world, and I'm sure you're all assuming that I'm seriously lacking in my creative writing skills if I'm going to be writing about limes. But I promise this is going somewhere.

Today I found limes in the grocery store..one fruit that has been missing from our local Conad. Which has caused me great confusion because they have lime flavored drinks, but no limes? My brain couldn't comprehend it. We were really missing limes, for example, at our last family dinner. We decided to make tacos (Thanks a million to Dana Nobles' sweet mamma for sending us taco seasoning packets!) and nothing goes better with that than a Corona and lime. Sadly, we had to make do with lemons instead..."will you be my Corona and lemon" does not sound as cool.

I couldn't help but laugh at myself about getting excited over limes. They're limes. They're tiny. But for some reason, I was incredibly happy about this small fruit-- which in turn made me realize how many "small things" in Italy make me happy or stand out to me.

-Cracking up over poor use of the Italian language at our dinner table. Christine was really "eccitato" about our trip to Venice.

-Raincoat dogs. I really can't get over these little guys. When it rains, the people of Siena bring out an umbrella and a raincoat for their dog. My favorite so far was the adorable pug I saw sporting a lime green raincoat a few weeks ago. This is probably because I have a life-long dream of owning a pug..and I may have stalked said dog to no avail--but next time it rains, I'll be on the look-out.

-I think I just got so excited about raincoat dogs that I forgot my next point..

-Ah. Yes. Thanks to IES for the Language Exchange Program (or whatever you call it). This is a voluntary program that you can sign up for through IES...and they basically set you up with a new Italian friend that helps you improve the language. Considering the fact that I know zero Italian, I figured this might be a good idea, even though I was a little nervous. My friend's name is Paolo (cue Lizzie McGuire reference), and I'm already glad that I signed up for this program. My Italian is still shaky--I'll get out one correct word every once in a while. I feel sort of like an Italian caveman:

 "uhh, lavori (work)..uhhh...mangi (eat)?"

I'm obviously very advanced, guys.


We're reading A Room With a View in my Italian literature course, and I think there's a quote that sums up what I've been saying trying to say throughout this entire post:

“The true Italy is only to be found by patient observation”

The more I notice the smaller things going on around me, the more I really feel like I'm getting to know Siena and getting to know Italy.