italy live!

thought i would give this a try... one time!

Rollercoaster. Sun. Cheesy.

This week has been literally all over the place. I know the whole "life is a rollercoaster" analogy is highly overused but it's probably because it's generally true. The week went by quickly, which I actually think is indicative of my feeling more adapted and a little less homesick overall- especially in comparison to my first week here which was full of really great things and really hard things and probably the longest week of my life. But here I am! Loving the people I've met and little by little overcoming obstacles!

Bologna is absolutely beautiful today. It is incredible how big of a difference the sun makes! I feel like I am just now appreciating the sun for its heat- I was always aware and grateful for the light it brings but not so aware of the heat it generates... until I was transplanted into a comparatively freezing place and made strikingly aware of my surroundings. So, if you haven't noticed yet, the sun not only gives us light but also heat. I'm aware that I kind of sound like a 5-year-old, of course the sun generates heat or we wouldn't even be able to live here, but maybe, just maybe, I'm not the only one who hasn't ever fully appreciated the fact that the sun gives us heat. So now we can appreciate that together! Now that I think about it, the way that the Son of God loves us relates a lot to the way the sun works. Yes, Jesus provides light- so necessary in the midst of the darkness we live in, in our sin and selfishness and brokenness. He sheds light on what is true and good. But he also provides warmth. He responds to our physical needs and emotional needs, and is also the King of being warm- in the sense that we use it to describe people so positively. And I believe that the Lord knows that I love sunlight, He's allowed me to really appreciate it more fully now, so I'm going to go ahead and take the sun today- with its light and its warmth- as a gift.

This was our second week of the Intensive Language Program, only one week left! And then our classes at the University of Bologna start, excited and a little nervous about that. During class we went to another museum and also got to see the first building of the university- a couple of us went back to study in the library there after and it was so sweet. The tables are long and wooden, the ceiling completely covered in carvings and paintings and basically feel smarter just by sitting there. It is very cool to get to be a part of such a rich tradition! This week I also got to spend time with an Italian student  named Anna who goes to the church I go to. She is so great and so welcoming, I had so much fun talking with her and having her help me with my italian! She taught me this phrase, "Quando il gato non c'è, i topi ballano", which means "When the cat is away, the mice dance!". So fun. I taught her the early bird catches the worm, except I had to try to describe and act out the worm because who knows how to say worm in italian? Explaining to a couple of Italians what the word "cheesy" means in reference to a movie or a story was also pretty hilarious. I didn't realize there were so many things that I say that are regional. And a lot of times when I don't know the word I'm try to use, I just guess how you would say it- this technique has varied results... sometimes I end up saying a word that exists but that is not the word I want it to be- by far the most confusing, and often the funniest, mistake to make- or I'm just inventing a word or, and too rarely, I actually guess right. Note: Do not take yourself too seriously when living in a foreign country and learning to speak their language. And be courageous. These are things I remind myself daily! That and gelato is always a good idea.

Grateful again for hope, joy and love so freely offered to me by the Lord. And know that I love and I miss all of you so much! If you just read this you should send me a message with an update on your life, I'm kind of dying to know how it's going!

Andiamo a Ravenna!

We took a day trip to the nearby city of Ravenna today! It's an hour and a half ride on the train- so worth it. Ravenna is known for its museums, especially featuring mosaic artwork, and is significantly famous because it is the site of Dante's tomb! It was quite the adventure...

Waiting for the train early in the morning... Kelly (left), also from Berkeley,
and Chiara (right), our instructor for the language course and amazing tour guide!

On the train... surprisingly looks kind of futuristic- almost Zenon
Girl of  the 21st century status,  Harry Potter trains yet to come

Our first stop off the train in Ravena!
Love, love, love that Italians appreciate their coffee...

No idea what this building is... we just walked by it, no big deal!

Right outside the entrance of MAR- Museo d'Arte della Città Ravenna
I was hoping it was a giraffe, but I'm thinking a horse with long legs is a better bet

Ahh this guy was nice. Most of the pieces in this museum are
mosaics and they were literally incredible. Millions of pieces
of glass, vivid colors and so much detail- I'm a fan!

Everything in museums are artsy... even the gate to go outside

cheese!

Also a favorite, I'm going to have a mosaic in my house some
day- even if that means I make it myself!

Ok this one was really my favorite

Then we started to get a little delirious...

...and hungry- a mosaic panino!

Me - lucky unicorn - Mika

Then we walked to the next museum...

And on the way I realized that Italy has really great doors everywhere! Tell me I'm wrong.

 

In the tomb of Galla Placidia- Roman empress, incredibly powerful woman

the ceiling 

all in mosaics

Another room in the museum... I had the chills walking in here

ok so maybe a little exaggerated, but really- it was so beautiful!

even the floor

and the ceiling!

taking a break... amazed, but also tired and hungry..

So we went to eat... it was delicious! And really cool inside

first pasta- I forgot to take a picture but it was perfect-
then piadini, which are really traditional- kind of like sandwich
things you make with that delicious cheese (in the white bowl),
a variety of meets and warm biscuit-like things

ending with espresso of course

inside the restaurant

And then we went to see Dante's tomb- Ravenna's pride and joy! He died there of malaria because it's really humid there and so they got to keep his bones, which are highly coveted by Florence since Dante was Florentine. They actually tried to come steal his bones at one point but the a few of the priests in Ravenna had taken them out of the tomb and hidden them so they couldn't! Yeah, it's a big deal. We entered the little room and recited the beginning of the Divine Comedy as a tribute to him. Kind of funny, but also really, really cool!

then to the church where they had his funeral...

It has water down in the bottom initially because it sunk below
sea level, then they just thought it was sweet and kept the water
and stuck some fish in there, we threw coins in!

And after we got gelato, of course

ahh I want it right now. right now. 

and walked around/did some shopping

I got a hat at this tiny little shop, it was freezing!

saw a carousel 

the end!

Il gelato e i scooter

Ok the gelato I ate today might be THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER TASTED. ever. Sound like I'm exaggerating? You come here, taste it, and then tell me I'm exaggerating. I tried to take a picture but my camera died. Don't worry though, I'll be going there again.

I talked to a man about scooters for 20 minutes yesterday- it was one of the most encouraging conversations I've had all week. He was just this old Italian guy who manned the desk at the studentato (dorm for the university- most students don't live in the dorms though, they're only for students with scholarships), which I met when I went to visit Diana there. I had to give him my passport to go up so he saw my name, then he asked me where I was from and freaked out when I said California. He proceeded to tell me that one of his lifelong dreams has been to ride one of his Ducati scooters up and down the coast of California. We talked about how difficult it is to do this, and I tried to come up with solutions for him. By boat it takes 40 days for the scooter to arrive and he can't survive without it for 40 days.. even though he has 2 scooters (one of them has no lights and is simply for cruising around during the daytime, not super functional for mandatory routes in the center everyday for work). By plane it is way too expensive. Renting a scooter in California once he gets there is not an option, even if it is a Ducati, because there is something special about it being his Ducati- of course. However, there is a huge festival/Ducati promotion for a couple weeks in the summer where people come from all over to get them and then they are delivered in bulk, by air, to different countries. A solution! But alas, he doesn't think he would be able to get his Ducati on the same plane with the others for the cheaper price... I ended by telling him it was one of my dad's dreams to own a real Italian scooter. Which he was not at all surprised by. But this launched him into a whole comparison about how Ducati scooters are like the Ferraris of cars so incredibly expensive and it has to be your passion, like it is for him, if you are going to put up the money for it. Loved this man. Might never see him again but he gave me a priceless gift: hope. A full, successful conversation in Italian, maybe this isn't going to be impossible after all...

Just kidding!

I found this later today when I went to the grocery store for the first time! It's a little more expensive than I should probably pay for cereal here... but this time I decided it was ok.

The grocery store was an event. I did a lot of watching and then doing! Which has basically been my tactic in most things here. For example, in grocery stores in Italy you have to put on a glove before picking up the produce and then you take it to a machine and weigh it and get a sticker printed and then take it to the counter to pay for it. The first time I tried to buy an apple I picked it up with my hand, didn't weigh it or get a sticker and tried to pay for it at the meat counter- I was a little uninformed. Luckily the woman working at the meat counter was sympathetic and guided me through the process! At fruit and vegetable stands- which is where many Italians get there produce- you don't even touch anything at all. You walk in and someone working there walks around the store with you and picks up what you tell them to, apparently they don't like you touching their fruit unless it's going home with you. Don't even think about touching it. A little paranoid maybe, but it is fresh and delicious!

Un altro giorno

The past few days have been so full of pretty much every single emotion. Who knew you could feel so many different things in such a short time? Fear, excitement, anxiety, gratitude, helplessness, hope and joy, joy, joy in God's faithfulness to me directly and through people.

We started our intensive language class on Monday, which consists of:

• 15 students from various UC's- 6 are actually from Berkeley! Though I only knew one before we got here
• an advisor named Peggy- One of the most enthusiastic people I have ever seen, ever. She's awesome. 
• another advisor named Maiju- from the U.S. she went to UC Santa Cruz and is dedicated to our safety in Bologna! She's so sweet and helpful... and will talk to us in English if we are lost
• an instructor named Chiara- Young and fun, she started working for EAP 2 years ago and is in charge of teaching us all about the city of Bologna in and outside the classroom
• 10 to 1 every day during the week at the Study Center and museums throughout the city

It has been good to begin to develop some kind of a routine, but even then its still early. It's more like a glimpse of a routine, or a glimpse of a glimpse of of some kind of order that becomes a little clearer everyday.  I feel pretty exhausted by night time, which I think is a combination of having to concentrate so hard to understand the Italian everyone speaks so quickly, being emotionally all over the place and walking so much. I have done so much walking all over the center, even though I still only recognize a few streets at this point. Every building and street is so unique but then has this ability to look so similar at the same time... which means a lot of my walking is done from getting slightly lost and taking the least direct route to my destination! But I'm learning! Today I got on the right bus in the right direction twice! That's right. One of the harder things about the last two days has been trying to walk through the decision about where I should live. I love Andy and Linda and their place, it is so beautiful and comfortable and warm. But it means that I have to take a bus into the center everyday and back at night. Many of the other students in my program are looking for apartments in the center right now, we all went apartment hunting together which is an adventure in itself. I can see the value of living with Italian students in the center where I have school everyday, but I also have been so blessed by being where I am. So the decision remains. I'm trying to "dare tempo al tempo"- which one of Diana's friends Manuel told me, literally meaning "give time to time"- makes sense right? It takes time to adjust and time to make decisions so I'm trying to take each day at a time and wait on the Lord for guidance! Manuel and I talked for about 20 minutes last night about faith in Italian- which was 1) so cool to hear about God moving in another country from a guy close to my age and to share in our love for Him and 2) not easy because I've never talked about faith in Italian before, there are so many words to learn! In every context so many words to learn! I was so encouraged by that conversation though, and that God continues to remind me I'm not alone in this.

Loving Italian coffee and pizza but actually missing Special K!

Venga e vede

From my first full day in Bologna...

From the balcony at the Brucatos in the morning

My first Italian cappuccino! Buonissimo!

with Linda and Diana- they are wonderful!

Yes, also in Bologna... on a wall of the school

We ran into Mika and Adriana (both from Berkeley) on the first day
in the center! The halls on both sides are part of our school buildings

A major street in the center- The center, called Centro in Italian is simply the center of the city.  It is walled in, a development left over from a long time ago when the walls were for protection, and is pretty much circular. I currently live about a 15 minute bus ride from Centro.

These pictures are from today- Sunday. We had our orientation for UC EAP in the morning at the Study Center and then after a 3 hour lunch break- Italians always take their time eating because food is so important they say!- they took us sight seeing to a couple of places.

This is a building in the Piazza Maggiore- in the center of the center! I took the picture from the scaffolding around La Chiesa di San Patrimonio- which is the holy saint/protector of Bologna. The church is only partly finished so thats why we were able to climb 15 floors of stairs of the scaffolding outside the building to look out over the center. The next few pictures are also from the top of the scaffolding of the church!

Uno spettacolo- a show- going on in the Piazza seen from above! He wasn't doing a whole lot
at this point... but eventually he started riding a unicycle and catching flaming torches- not bad!

A series of stone sculptures that were on display on the scaffolding-
the first two show the birth of Jesus and the wise men coming to see Him

then there is the scene where they brought Jesus to the temple and
when King Herod decreed that the baby boys  must be killed

And the last is of Mary, Joseph and Jesus fleeing to Egypt- these were so cool close up!

Un bellissimo giorno!