As the title suggests, I've been all over the place these days. I feel like I have hardly been home in Cagliari for a month. I've visited tons of places and met all sorts of wonderful people. It has definitely been the most exciting part of my year!
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| Verona |
- March 23-30: Exchange Week in Padova
The AFS program in Italy gives us a chance to visit another place in Italy and stay with another family for a week. I chose to go to Padova, a city in northern Italy, and I was not disappointed! Padova was beautiful, clean, and had the kindest people. My favorite part is that everyone rides bikes. I spend one day in Verona and absolutely loved it. It was so beautiful probably one of my favorite memories in Italy. I also spent a day in Venice. It was great to finally see this place that everyone dreams of visiting. Everything you see is interesting and different than anywhere you've ever been before. Yes I had a gondola ride but it lasted about 30 seconds since they just took us across to the other side of the canal. Not sure if that was worth my 2 euros... I had an adorable family of a mom, dad, brother, and sister. And a cat that claimed possession of my bed as soon as I left the house. I didn't get to spend lots of time with them but when I could it was always really fun. The best part of my week was getting to know all the kids. I made some awesome friends that I will never forget. We still talk all the time and I don't plan on that stopping. I noticed lots of differences between the North and South of Italy- clothes, accents, schools, etc. There were lots of things I preferred in the North, but the gelato doesn't compare.
For a weekend all of us in the Cagliari chapter went to a small town a few hours from Cagliari. We saw a type of festival typical of Sardinia. And this town grows lots of oranges so they are a pretty big deal there. Seriously, oranges
everywhere. If you looked into a window display of a shoe store, there would be more oranges than shoes. As teenagers we weren't all that interested in this stuff but we still had lots of fun just being all together.
- April 7-12: Cagliari Exchange Week
As we all went to other cities for a week, we also hosted our own week here. Most days, unfortunately weren't scheduled with lots of fun-filled activities. Most of what we did included a goat farm and excruciatingly boring museum tours. But what got us through was having fun just by having a great group of kids. Another exchange week, more people I'll love and remember forever. On Friday we finally enjoyed ourselves because they gave up on the last activity and we just went to the beach. I got involuntarily pulled into the water but dried off by tackling people for the soccer ball. We finished off the week at a pizza restaurant. The best part was that there was a dance floor and a dj that played Latin music while 2 women would do simply ballroom dancing steps for people to follow. And I swear for every song there was a huge group of old people that new all the of the steps. Some of us tried to join and usually found ourselves being taught by one of the old people. It was a great night that went on for hours because they had to make about 80 pizzas for all of us.
- April 13-19: Surprise!
It's Sunday afternoon. My host mom is at work and host sister at volleyball, so I'm home alone. I'm minding my own business watching Breaking Bad, and someone buzzes the apartment. Naturally I figure it's someone coming home so I don't think anything of it as I as who it is (in Italian of course). When I hear a man say "hello" I become very confused because English isn't common where I live. Then he says my name and I start to panic. Who is this guy that knows my name, where I live, and speaks English?! Then I hear a woman speaking. I recognize this voice, but it can't be real, this is a joke. But I run out on the balcony, look down, and there they are- my parents and little sister! I yelled to them and they yelled back and ran upstairs. But even seeing them right in front of me wasn't enough to convince me that they were really there. I was positive I was dreaming or something. See, just a short time before, we had skyped and I asked if they were coming to visit and they said they couldn't. I did used to wonder about what if they came as a surprise, but I never once believed it would even be possible. Yet they pulled it off! We were in Cagliari for a few days and I showed them where I like to eat, shop, hang out, my school, the beach, and they met lots of my friends. On Wednesday we flew to Pisa and spent a few hours at the leaning tower, then took a train to Firenze. We were there a few days, seeing beautiful views and popular sites, doing a fair amount of shopping, and eating delicious food. Also one of the best parts of my year. On Saturday I went back to Cagliari alone. For 2 or 3 days I was a bit sad and missed them like crazy but things went back to normal really fast. Also the season of Big Bang Theory they brought me helped a lot.
And that has been my crazy life lately! I can't believe I'm here for less than 2 more months. Time really has flown by. The idea of going home is so strange now and I don't even want to think about the nightmare packing will be.
That's all for now lovies. xx
Valentines Day was spent with my gorgeous Italian boyfriend. Hahaha yeah right. I ate nutella crepes and went to bed early. But that's nice too. The weather is amazing. Most of the time it's the perfect balance of warm and cool, with lots of sun and nice breezes. It makes me feel like I'm on vacation. And now it is acceptable to be like this because it's March. But a week ago I was like what. Yes it still rain more than any place I've ever been but I can deal with it. Another awesome thing is in January I got another Christmas package, and this one was even better. It had all the Harry Potter movies, Friends season 1, Christmas cookies, chips and salsa, Amazon and Itunes giftcards, and lots more. I was so surprised, I couldn't believe it! Basically I have the best family ever. Then in a Valentines Day package I got the Lord of the Rings movies. And let me tell you, nothing cures homesickness like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. 
It is really weird to be here with such a difference weather. In Minnesota it is -20 with lots of snow. In December this is what I'm used to. Lots of cold, snow, and ice. But here in Cagliari it's the opposite. Really, it feels like spring to me. It isn't normal to be able to get hot in December! Today walking in to school the grass was being mowed. This is a summer thing in Minnesota and seemed so wrong. The weirdest thing is that this year is colder than usual for here. I can't even imagine a normal winter when it's even warmer. I used to wish for snow because I miss it but now I have no expectations. I will absolutely die of heat in summer if I'm warm now in December.
So I've done some pretty cool things lately. I fed peacocks in the park. We had a birthday party at our Italian lesson. I've eaten pancakes. Christmas is finally starting to arrive! I've gotten packages from my family and a letters from my dad and grandma (Hint: nothing makes me happier than letters!). I took a chemistry test in Italian and actually sort of knew what I was doing. I got asked for directions and even though I couldn't help, I was happy to look like someone who belongs here. I've started watching American Horror Story with Mariana. On Thanksgiving I skyped my family for the first time. I went saw a movie in the cinema and understood.
In about a month I've read 5 books. I've always loved to read but here it is something more. When everyday you are trying to speak and understand and speak another language it's like you're a little kid again when you use your brain. Reading lets me take in lots of information easily and works my brain more intellectually. When I have a book I don't stop reading it, which means it doesn't really last too long. So I'd like to give a shout out to my English teacher for lending me books! And thanks to Amazon for kindles. Right now I'm reading Wuthering Heights. I've also been writing a lot and I'm sort of rediscovering my love for it. I'm writing letters, journal entries, blog posts (sometimes), and essays for English. Being surrounded by Italian and trying to learn it sometimes makes it difficult to find the right words in English but it's a great feeling to exercise my brain and get out my thoughts.
So like I said, life is crazy here and I never have time for anything. Finally I've gotten some letters written after a month and a half. Wow a month and a half! The way time moves here is so strange. It either seems to drag on or fly by. Anyways, I'm loving life here. It gets easier everyday. I know certain parts of the city really well now so I can find my way around alone. My Italian is improving so much. I can understand a lot and I know enough to order food and have simple conversations. It is difficult but I love languages and love when I can practice my Italian. I have been eating so much gelato too. Last week I had it everyday! I always go to my favorite place with my AFS friends. We are literally almost on a first name basis with them. I've started to jazz twice a week at a gym. It's soo much fun, helps me learn more Italian, and works off all that gelato.