Week 7!

Well, this week was a little more low-key, compared to last week...but, I have some exciting news! Next weekend (Friday-Saturday-Sunday), I am going to Bratislava and Vienna with one of my intern-friends, Khush. We wanted to go some place random and looked at all of the low-cost airlines, which happen to be not so low-cost after "service fees"+"credit card fees"+"just because fees", for potential weekend trips. We found that Rome isn't a major hub for RyanAir, but Milan is...and RyanAir flies to Bratislava, which happens to be about 30 miles from Vienna. So, Friday (August 1st), we are flying at 6:30am to Milan, going into the city for a few hours, and taking our 4pm flight to Bratislava. We are staying the night in Bratislava and leaving late-morning for Vienna, where we will stay until Sunday evening. It should be a really interesting trip, because these are two cities (especially Bratislava) I wouldn't normally go. Anyway, work is picking up, and my supervisor, who was on home leave in Kenya for the past month will be back next week, so I am looking forward to having him back in the office. Oh, I took the train home from work Thursday/Friday this week and I witnessed something I didn't think Italians normally did...preach publicly. In America, it's standard practice to see individuals that feel inclined to force their religious views on others (i.e. the Oval on any spring day). Haha, well, this lady got up in the middle of the train, which was already packed with "9-5ers" and started yelling about God's salvation and that we were all an abomination of some sort. The moral of the story, I thought she was pretty innovative, because normally when these people "preach" in public, you can walk away...but on the train, we are locked in! Haha, and I am starting to understand more and more Italian (I could understand bits and parts of her yelling, so I found that exciting)...Last night, my Aunt and Uncle had Gabriella, Nicole, and Julian over for dinner. Gabriella is one of my Aunt and Uncle's closest friends, Nicole, her daughter, and Julian, Gabriella's grandson. We had a grand ole' time and it was a nice start to the weekend. Well, that's about all for now. I hope everyone has a good weekend! Ciao

P.S. The last picture is cantalope in my Aunt and Uncle's garden! (Grandma+Mom, I thought you would appreciate it!)

Week 6: Jess & Mrs. Freesen Leave! :(

Well, I just dropped off Jess & Mrs. Freesen at the airport. The week went by too fast, but we all really had a good time. I worked Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday...and took off Thursday/Friday to spend extra time with Jess/Mrs. Freesen. It was really refreshing seeing Jess (6 weeks is a long time not seeing her!), relaxing, and showing them the non-touristy areas of Rome/Lazio. Thursday, Jess, Mrs. Freesen, Chris, Franco, Buddy, and I went to Canale Monterano for a picnic, which is a medievel town in the middle of a nature preserve about an hour north of Rome (see pictures). On our way, we saw Castello di Bracciano, which is where Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were married (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracciano) (see picture). Anyway, we hiked up a mountain to get the the ruins which are in a remote part of the nature reserve. It is a beautiful ruin, with aqueducts, towers, and a well preserved church...it was pretty neat to be the only people in the ruin. It was a very important city up until the 18th century, when it was abadoned during the French sack of Rome (Bernini even designed the fountains and the church). We had a great picnic, walk, and the scenery was amazing! Yesterday, Jess, Mrs. Freesen, and I went to St. Peter's for the "Scavi Necropolis Tour", which is a tour of the necropolis underneath the Vatican (not the tombs of the popes-further down!). It was a really neat experience! We got to walk past the Swiss Guards (who saluted me, of course) and see all of the tourists look at us in amazement as we walked into Vatican City (yes, that sounds pretty conceded). The Necropolis was actually the original Roman street with Pagan/Christian mausoleums and the orginal church that Constantine built in the fourth century-still visable (the Vatican Church, prior to St. Peter's Basilica). The mausoleums were extremely well preserved AND we even saw the tomb/bones of St. Peter (which is under the high alter). After our tour, we headed to Piramide, a more residential area, south of Circus Maximus for a quick lunch, and then went to the Protestant Cemetery. The Protestant Cemetery is very interesting-Keats, Shelly, Humboldt, and many other famous Italians/Non-Italians are buried there. It is in the middle of the busling city, attached to the Pyramid of Cestius (Egyptian Pyramid built in 12 b.c.). Last night, Mrs. Freesen/Jess took all of us out to dinner to Agostino's ("Well, how nice!" as Mom would say), which is a local-Morlupo favorite restaurant. It is situated in the old city piazza and there even happened to be a communist party event (like a BBQ, flea market, and concert combined), so we sat outside and watched/listened to the party. It was a really great week...it was nice to get out of the regular routine of work and spend time with Jess. Chris leaves in a little over a week, which will be another "adventure", to say the least. Franco and I get to "rough it" for three weeks while Chris is in Toledo. I just hope it doesn't turn to the "Lord of the Flies"...and Buddy as "Piggy" (I think you have to read the book to appreciate my lame joke). My internship is still going really well, I don't have too much of an update on that end, but I am enjoying it! Take care, I'll write again soon! Ciao!

Jess & Mrs. Freesen Arrive!

This week couldn't come fast enough! Jess and Mrs. Freesen arrived yesterday, after a smooth flight from Detroit-Amsterdam, Amsterdam-Rome (first class, by the way-I was just nudged by Jess...her Dad is a Northwest pilot, so they can fly stand-by for free and were upgraded!). Anyway, this week was another good week over here in ole' Roma. Monday, the public transportation department decided to strike (convienently in the morning and at night, they had to take a siesta in the afternoon, of course) http://www.lifeinitaly.com/news/news-detailed.asp?newsid=10210, so it took about 2 hours each way commuting. My internship has gotten a lot more intense (a good intense) and I am more involved in working with my colleagues. So, things are going well on that end…Oh, back to Jess. Well, they got in yesterday at about 10:30am and C+F picked them up at a nearby train station. They were able to take a nap and relax before I got back from work. Today, we went to “Calcuta”, which is a medieval village/fortress about 30 minutes away (see pictures). It is absolutely beautiful, unique, and untouched (I went there last summer with Rian/Matt too!). It is well over 2000 years old and has a very rich history. Tomorrow, Jess, Mrs. Freesen, and I are going into the city to wander around for a few hours. I am taking off Thursday/Friday to relax a bit with Jess/Mrs. Freesen… I also have a tour planned for us-The Vatican Necropolis. Most tourists don’t know about it, nor do they book ahead of time in order to see it (they only let something like 100 people down a day). Anyway, it is the underground tombs of the Vatican, not to be confused with the Pope’s Tombs (which are a major tourist attraction at St. Peter's). The tour actually goes right under the high alter of St. Peter’s, where he is believed to have been buried! Then, we’ll go to Campo de’Fiori (an open air market) and pick food for a picnic in the Protestant Cemetery! I am definitely looking forward to seeing something new and unique in Rome, compared to the typical attractions. Well, I have to go siesta…Take care and I’ll write soon!

Festa Dell'Indipendenza

Week 4: I cannot believe I have been here for a month already! The time has definitely flown by and each day/week is something different/new (in a good way). Well, I have to first to say Happy (belated) Fourth of July! We did our own celebrating here in Rome, with hamburgers on the grill in honor of the holiday...and Heinz ketchup (of course). This week was a really nice because my work picked up and I have more long-term tasks that I have to complete over the course of the summer (without getting too much into it). I am also getting more of a "social network" too, with all of the interns (more on that in a second). Aside from that, something I have been excited about is Kurt Vonnegut (feel free to make fun of me, haha). Yes, I am excited about reading a new author. I was always a bit skeptical to read Vonnegut, associating him (for some reason) with Joesph Heller (Catch-22) which, for those who have read it, is a very difficult book to get through (the way he wrote it with multiple names for single people and the writing syle). Anyway, I finished "Slaughterhouse 5" and "Cat's Cradle" and I loved them! Vonnegut is quite funny and brilliant. Anyway, this weekend was really nice. On Saturday I was able to relax until the afternoon, when I went to Wendy's (friend/mother of one of Chris's ex-students at Marymount) to help her cater an event. She is a terrific chef and happened to be cooking for a retirement party for a "big wig" at FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). So, I helped her prepare/serve her 6+ pastas, turkey, chicken, salmon (stuffed with mussels and other miscellanous seafood), and desert (8 or so cheesecakes/mousse) for about 50 people. It was a really neat experience and I thought it would be something "interesting" (or different) to do (not to mention earn a couple extra $$ or €€). After the event, Giulia (Wendy's daughter/Chris's ex-student) and I went into the city to meet a couple of my intern-friends for a drink. It was nice "hanging out" (as we college students say) with the interns outside of work...(it was nice to be able to go "out"). This upcoming week will hopefully go pretty quickly, because Jess and her Mom are coming to visit on Friday (7/11 or "11/7" as we say here in Europe). They are flying stand-by (Jess's father is a Northwest pilot)... so we will keep our fingers crossed on the flights! It will be really really good to see Jess (and Mrs. Freesen, of course)-four weeks of being apart is a long time! I plan on taking off a few days the following week (they are here for about 8 days) so we can go into the city and I have a few things "up my sleeve" (i.e. "things" that not may tourists do/see---see next post, what a nail-biter!). That's all for now! Take care...

Settimana Tre!

Wow, 3 weeks! The time has definitely gone by quite quickly and each day/week has been a new "adventure" of sorts. Well, this week I started taking the metro (due to the unfortunate separation with my Fiat Bravo-see previous post). For those of you that know the train system in Rome, my story may be a little more clear, but for those who aren't too familiar, I will do my best to explain! Anyways, Monday morning I got up at 5:30 so I could take the train from Castelnuovo at 6:22am. After taking the train into the city, I arrived at Piazza del Popolo/Flaminio (North Rome) and had to transfer to the metro. I took the Metro for about 8 stops to Ponte Lungo, where I had to get out of the metro, and walk to the Tuscolana Train station (so it went train, metro, train...just to keep everyone on the same page). When I got to the ticket office, I said to the lady "via Muratella per favore". She said "No... San Giovanni (referring to a metro station about 5km away)... I replied with a "No" and walked away. I was a bit confused and actually shocked that the lady didn't acknowledge my request (it wasn't because of my poor Italian, by the way). So, being the "rebel" I am, I went to the gate and boarded the train (I looked it up beforehand, so that is what I was confused about-there was indeed a train to Muratella). When this whole train fiasco was completed, I arrived at Muratella station at 8:10am, boarded a WFP shuttle and got to the office at 8:15am (nearly 2 hours!). I continued to use public transport until Wednesday when I found a co-worker at WFP who lives close by to carpool with...Evidently, she is one of my Aunt's student's mother! She is a really interesting English lady, with a great deal of knowledge about UN, and has been assigned all over Africa. So, my transportation problem is solved! The reason why the public transport took so long is because I am living northeast of the city and WFP is conviently southwest of the city (just so you know)..but of course, I enjoy living with C+F, so I have no complaints! Work is going really well, I continue to learn more each day and meet some really interesting people (and it only my third week!). This weekend, Chris is having some of her graduating seniors/teachers over for a potluck, which should be nice....and well, I plan to relax! Oh, another funny story... "Only in Italy" (the title....of the mini-story). So today when Cordelia (the lady I carpool with) dropped me off at my car (at Sacrofano train station-about 10km away from C+F's house), I noticed that I was convenietly blocked in! A truck decided to park perpendicular to my car (and there is a grocery store next door-so I didn't know whether the owner is on a train or shopping). I really didn't know what to do and well, I didn't want to run into the grocery store and start yelling in broken Italian. I started honking my horn and an obviously-lost American family looked on. Luckily enough after about 10 minutes, when I was on the phone with my Aunt a group of painters came out and moved the car. Oh well! I'll write back soon. Take care!

Forza Italia!

This week flew by! I guess it was nice to get over the whole ordeal of taking finals, moving out, flying to Rome, working and jet lag phase. Plus, I was able start my real work, rather than getting oriented with my internship (which was pretty much all of last week). I have started to meet most of the interns too. They are all very interesting and from different parts of the world (America, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, etc.). Anyways, this weekend has been really relaxing! Friday night, Chris, Franco, and I went to a local restaurant in Morlupo (their town) for a pizza, to celebrate Chris finishing the school year (teaching). I also found out that their town (Morlupo) is 2400 years old! Saturday morning, I had to return my rental car... :( It was sad to see the "Bravo" go...we had a good run. Monday, I start taking the train into work, so we will see how that goes! This weekend has been full of "putzing" and getting ready for next week. I have been helping in the garden to trim bushes and picking weeds--I guess I have to earn my keep :) The weather is finally starting to be what I expected (in regards to an Italian summer)--it is 28 (x 1.8 + 32= 82.4 fahrenheit) degrees in the shade! Oh, and the best for last.... Italy plays Spain tonight in the Euro 2008 cup. It should be a good match and "football" is addicting! Well, thats about all I have for now. Take care!

P.S. Today, when I was going on errands with Chris, and taking her car for a test drive, I was trying to find a parking spot at one of the local supermarkets (diPerdi). Anyways, I saw a Ferrari coming in the opposite direction and we both want the same spot...so being the forceful driver (safe, but forceful) I took the parking spot (but it wasn't a "jerk" move, by the way). I thought it was pretty funny, because well, the owner had to park his car across the street. Bad story?

A Little "R & R"

This weekend was just what I needed! After working/traveling nearly 60 hours this past week, I needed some time to rest, enjoy myself (in such a neat city), and catch up. Anyways, Saturday morning I was able to run (but the hills, compared to Toledo/Columbus are not fun), help out in the garden trimming kiwi & other miscellanous bushes, and read! The weather has been perfect here...around 24 degrees celsius (75 fahrenheit), sunny, with an occasional afternoon shower. Today, I was able to go into the city for a few hours, just kind of wandering around, taking in the atmsophere and seeing my favorite Roman sites (Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain).... I had lunch in the Piazza di Spagna, visited the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and tried to get lost the rest of the afternoon. I was able to get my "AS Roma" soccer t-shirt from a local vender too! Not to get "philsophical", but walking around brought back so many memories.... Throwing the coins into Trevi Fountain as a child (with B.E.S.T. , of course), seeing the gate where dogs were jumping around-taking a video (Rian, Matt), and seeing the really neat painter/Mozzeralla Bar (Jess, Bren, Taylor)(see pictures). So, I really enjoyed my first "full" weekend here... back to work tomorrow morning! Take care and love to family and friends!