I have mexican hair like it's no ones business. Just when I think my bangs cant curl up anymore, they surprise me with a new type of curly nonsense. So I'm not even fighting it. I'm going to be walking around all day and night in the rain, so I might as well embrace the chaos on top of my head, and whip mah hair back and forth.
This week was midterm week, which was like the first time I've cracked a book since being in Rome. Which makes the fact that I was complaining even more ridonkulous. But in an unexpected twist to my character, I actually studied! Ya, I know, big deal. But that's just because I knew my Art History exam was going to be horrible (it was) so I couldnt just BS it, as I usually do. I think I did aight, it wasnt perfect, but I knew more than the people sitting around me, who were eating the flesh off their nails in a panic. I spanked my film and mafia midterm without even trying because I actually pay attention in that class (weiiirrrrdddd) partially because I like the material of the class, and partially because I'm scared that my teacher is in fact in the mafia and will have me bite the curb if I dont pay attention.
Yesterday was absolutely beautiful out. 70 and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. So naturally I broke out a very spring appropriate outfit. And while I was at school, I decided that between classes I was going to sit on the balcony and try and absorb as much vitamin D as I could, because I'm the color of milk and I'm not havin it.
So there I am, sitting, minding my own business, in my new Ray Bans (that Im in love with), not doing or wearing anything provocative, when all the sudden a window across the street opens up and like 7 men in business suits start giving me a round of applause and telling me to spin around. Scuza, shouldnt you be doing business type things in your business suits? Not harassing innocent tanners? Just sayin. Oh italian men, so forward, so awkward, soooo metro. haha
I spent the rest of the day trying to be outside as much as possible, but quickly remembered that I had woken up at 5am to study, and decided I wanted to take a nap before my make up class at 9.
The nap was a bad idea because it just made me want to hibernate instead of go to class, but I mean, I put my big girl pants on and proceeded to go to school.
Now I wasnt in class on friday, so I had no idea why we were having a make up class on a tuesday night, at 9, the night before the midterm. But I was rolling with it.
I get to school and my italian teachers boy friend is there to "pick us up", and by pick us up I mean walk with us to the metro and then take us to our teachers apartment.
Now, I dont really trust people or their intentions, ever. So was I a little sketched out about walking down dark allies with this bearded man that I dont know? Yes. But again, rollin with it.
It takes us like half an hour to get to my teachers place from school, which is annoying because it's getting later and I'm so tired, but whatever. Sleep is for the weak.
We finally make it to her place (because her bf wasnt a creepy bearded rapist, but actually a really nice guy) and her crib is BALLIN. Like when I grow up I hope my apartment is so well decorated. She has excellent style though, so I wasnt entirely surprised by her superb decorating skills.
But we all sit in the living room and they bring out antipasto's and beers and wine, and soda and juice (which I think was specifically for me because she knows I dont drink) and then brought out some dank pizza. Naturally, as to not be rude, I stuffed my face and indulged in some pineapple juice.
We were supposed to be studying for the midterm, but that wasnt really working because we kept getting off topic and cracking jokes (in italian, holla) so it wasnt the most effective method of preparing for an exam. Especially since we didnt get home til midnight. It was really fun, but it felt weird seeing my teacher all googley eyed with her bf, looking at all her private things (like the poster that sex "FUCK" in her bathroom, or the poster of people fucking in the bathroom hahahaha) and then having to take her seriously this morning. But she definitely got it in last night after we left because this morning she was all giddy and hyper, glowing and jumping around. I mean, get it girl with your hipster bohemian bf.
So that was yesterday, today has been fairly uneventful, minus that I got eiffel towered in the metro today by some huge creepy dudes, so that wasnt fun.
Oh, and I took my art therapy midterm. It literally took me 15 minutes. It wouldve been 10 except I had to make photocopies of my doodles for her, so that took some time. It was like three questions long, and she gave us the answers. Woman is out of her mind. But it's all good. It's both entertaining, and an easy A. She gave me a hug today. She is literally to my boobs. She's so small, yet so strange. It's almost impressive that so much crazy can fit into such a small vessel.
Tonight should be fun. It's Roma's 150th bday tomorrow so all of italy is getting buck wild. Tonight there are fireworks at the colosseum at midnight, and I'm pretty sure we're all going out to party in the streets with the locals. Im gonna by like 11 redbulls. Ya, it's going to be THAT epic. Nbd.
Tomorrow is also St. Patty's day, so I'm sure everyone is going to pretend to be Irish and get shammered. hahaha So I guess I should probably buy 22 redbulls so I can disperse then out equally throughout the days. Except I should probably save a couple for friday morning, seeing as I'm leaving for Pompei at 7am... and then...SPRING BREAKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm pumped for spring break, minus that I have to fit 8 days worth of clothes into one backpack and have it not be heavier than 22lbs (its not as easy as it sounds...). But I've pretty much accepted the fact that these 8 days will be the ugliest/ least fashionable I have ever been, and I'm just gonna rock it. Idk how...but I am... I just dont know what I am going to do about shoes. What if we go out?! I need shoes!!!!!!! I might hyperventilate while packing for this trip. Im going to need a paper bag to breathe into.
Happy Hump Day everyone!
mercoledì 16 marzo 2011
domenica 13 marzo 2011
Palermo. Aka Meh, I've had better.
Ok, so I'm willing to hurt my own ego and tell all of you all of my mistakes in relation to this trip, so that you may all learn from my experiences and hopefully do it better than I did. Because this trip was not my favorite, nor was it the most successful, but as for everything in life, there were many lessons learned, and good stories to tell the grand kids (or nieces and nephews seeing as I probably wont procreate).
Also, this is me actively avoiding studying for my midterm. I know, procrastination is a bitch.
Ahem, anyways... Lesson #1: Dont go anywhere with out your passport.
Seems kind of counterintuitive to travel europe without a passport right? I know. I KNOW. Dont judge me, well us, this is what went down.
This week started out with John's sister Joanna and her friend Mariana coming to visit, so that was the main reason for going to Palermo. Trying to get more bang for their buck, ya dig? But the night before we left, we decided it would just be absolutely brilliant to go out. Ehhhhh not so much.
I might have failed to mention that we had a cab coming to get us at 4:30am.... Ya. No bene.
So we get to sleep around 3....wake up at four, and when I say wake up Im using the term very very loosely.
So we get in the cab, half asleep, half alive, some still a lil drunk, and begin our adventure to palermo.
Well, half way there someone realizes that they dont have their passport. Now here's the part you're going to look back on and say "Wtf?" but please bare in mind, we were all kind of asleep, and all the way stupid.
So we turn around and get the passport. Making the cab ride a little more expensive than we had been hoping for but I mean, hey, that's fine.
Except for when we get to the Check-In counter and two more people realize they dont have their passports either. See what I mean about the wtf? hahaha
Copies of your passports dont suffice, that is only if you're traveling on a bus or on a train. And to be fair, we are always told to not have our passports on us when traveling with in the country (Palermo is in Sicily). But in this case, it just wasnt going to happen. So what do we do? We hop in a cab and head back home, 45 minutes away. We have exactly an hour to check in, or else we miss the flight.
God must have been on our side because we run outside and there is a cab right in front of us, and instead of getting in that cab I look to my right and say "lets get in that one". At first this guy is saying something to me that I cant understand at all, which hasnt happened in italy yet. But I was so tired I could barely speak in english. So we walk away and then he flags us down and we run into the cab. Now, I am not sure if it is the desperation in our eyes, or if this guy was just the man, but homeboy should have driven from NASCAR. Instead of getting there in 45 minutes, we got there in 18. And we got back to the airport, with time to spare! And then we get to the security line, and there is no one in line! It was a legit miracle. I mean minus the 150 euro we spent on cab fair. But you win some you lose some right?
So things kind of start looking up from there, at least for a little bit, until we land and realize we have no effing idea how to get to our hostel and we have zero cash left to get a cab. Oh, and there is not an ATM in sight. And normally warm, sunny, Palermo, is cold and rainy. Peachy!
Cue Lesson #2: Dont go anywhere with out planning your transportation to and from the airport.
All I kept saying to myself this whole trip was "Thank God I speak italian", because literally, no one spoke english. But the problem is, Sicily speaks a really heavy form of italian dialect. So watching me in my tired haze try and communicate with these people was probably the equivalent of watching a monkey bang a coconut. You dont really know what's going on, and it isnt pleasant to watch, but you kind of hope something good will come out of it. Or at least something funny.
Luckily, I was able to tell the cab driver, Father Time, that we needed to get to our hostel, but needed to stop at a bank first, in order to pay him.
This man was probably the worst driver of all time, probably because when he got his license, the Flinstones taught driving school, and you put your feet through the floor board to move the car. But that is neither here nor there.
We get to the Hostel and it is actually beautiful, it's more so a hotel than a hostel. Which none of us had any problems with. But the minute any of us see the bed we immediately crash. Literally, fall on to the bad and pass out. For about 4 hours.
I know we needed it, but I really loathe sleeping that much and wasting time, in the middle of the day. It feels counterproductive. Mainly because it is.
But after we all awake from our comas, we decide to walk around. We come to find out that Palermo has a lot of open markets, which was pretty cool, minus the intestines hanging from clothes lines. hahaha Legit everywhere you turned you would see some kind of bloody intestine, brain, live, skinned baby animal, fish, eye ball, hoof, snout, literally, any part of the animal you wanted, they had it. And I mean it was actually pretty vile, and made you seriously question why you werent a vegetarian. But I wasnt as mortified because Mexico is pretty similar, minus that in between all the bloody meat hangings, are pinatas. The only this that got me was the entire body of a skinned baby cow, eyes still in tact. It was horrific.
So after walking through house of a thousand corpses, we took a little detour and found....SHOES! Ya, I got two pairs of leather (again, using the term leather loosely) for 19. 90 and then got red chucks for 10 euro. Try and beat those prices, ummm because you cant. So, that cheered everyone (meaning me) up by a lot.
Oh, I forgot to mention the coolest guy ever at the open market! He was selling strawberries, and to draw you in he would clean a strawberries, and put whipped cream on it and let you try it. What a great idea! Because we obviously bought some after that. But that's not why he's the man. After giving us or strawberries (for a very reasonable price I might add) he handed us his business card. But not of the berry business, oh no, but of his singing career. He calls himself "The Voice of Sicily" and the card said to check him out on YouTube. Bahahahahaha what a boss. That made my day.
We were still exhausted, so we crashed pretty early. But because this vaca was just the greatest, at around 1am I get a phone call from my dad. And he never calls me that late. So I knew something was up. I picked up the phone half asleep, and his voice was too happy, too chipper to be casual. At first he was just asking me why I was asleep and I told him I was not trying to walk around at night where the mafia was started, and he poked fun for a minute and then was like "Well honey Im just calling because I didnt want you to see it on fb from chuckie or anything and freak out, but Grandma fell down and broke her knee and has to go to the Hospital, we're on the way there now. But everything is fine. Dont be upset or anything." But because my dad knows me so well, he knew I was already crying by the time he said "Grandma fe..." But I got to talk to her at around 3, and she sounded strong and ok, so I was able to keep my composure better.
In the morning we wake up and decide that today is going to be a better day. The sun is shining, we got some sleep, things are looking up. Welp....
Enter Lesson #3: Never get on a bus and forget to stamp your bus ticket.
In italy, when you ride the bus, you dont pay when you get on, you buy a bus ticket, and then there is a little machine to stamp your ticket inside. In Rome, we dont worry about it because A) we rarely take a bus and B) we have a monthly pass so we dont have to. Well Palermo is intense, and we get on the bus, on our way to the beach, ready to have a good time, when all of the sudden the bus police ask for our tickets. Oh ya sure, you can totally have our tickets. Except they arent stamped. So he whips out a little notebook and asks for our documents. Shit. I try telling him in italian that we are tourists and didnt know the rule (not entirely true) but bro is not feelin it, and proceeds to demand 103 euro. Fuck. All I have is 15 euro, and I tell him that, so he hops off the bus, with our passports in hand. So I'm like "Shit, follow the guy with our passports!" After some serious groveling, he says we only have to pay 27 a piece. So it was still shitty, but so much better than 103. But the whole ordeal kind of killed some peoples moods, which sucked.
But we did make it to the beach! That was a plus. And it was the prettiest beach I've ever seen. Crystal clear water, surrounded by mountains, it was amazing. Still wayyyy to cold to swim, unless your name is John Schmulling. In which case you swim anyways, like a tard. Must be a Boy Scout thing.
The rest of the trip was fine from that point on really. Nothing too epic or too bad happened. It was fun, and we had an amazing dinner that night (I mean, minus Mariana, who only ate gelato) So things got better.
Most important lesson #4: Your attitude really makes the experience. Negativity will get you no where. And I know, for a fact, that positive things happen to positive people. Time and time again, on the best of trips, on the worst of trips, this has been proven to me. So always see the silver lining. And it is always easier to do so if you....
Lesson #5 DONT STAY UP LATE THE NIGHT BEFORE A FLIGHT! It's not worth it. It really isnt. I know I always rep the "Sleep is for the weak" motto, but when traveling, especially somewhere where you are 100% fluent in the language, you need your wits about you. You never know what could happen. As I've clearly illustrated here today.
I probably made this trip seem like such crap, but it really wasnt. It was just a bummer blowin money on correcting things that went wrong, but it was fun.
Now I have to try and multitask and do laundry and study for my art history midterm. I have no idea where to even start for that. That's the class where the teachers voice lulls me to sleep. Also, I dont have a library or Starbucks where I can study, so I have to try and be studious in my own home, where I can be distracted by any number of things. Like the fact that I know that no one has taken out the garbage since I left, or the fact that I know that no one cleaned up the salt that they spilled all over the counter. Just a few things like that. OCD+ADD= terrible at studying. Womp Womp.
I'll make it work. I just have to stay away from Tumblr, and Facebook, and anything that seems more entertaining than Art History....
Also, this is me actively avoiding studying for my midterm. I know, procrastination is a bitch.
Ahem, anyways... Lesson #1: Dont go anywhere with out your passport.
Seems kind of counterintuitive to travel europe without a passport right? I know. I KNOW. Dont judge me, well us, this is what went down.
This week started out with John's sister Joanna and her friend Mariana coming to visit, so that was the main reason for going to Palermo. Trying to get more bang for their buck, ya dig? But the night before we left, we decided it would just be absolutely brilliant to go out. Ehhhhh not so much.
I might have failed to mention that we had a cab coming to get us at 4:30am.... Ya. No bene.
So we get to sleep around 3....wake up at four, and when I say wake up Im using the term very very loosely.
So we get in the cab, half asleep, half alive, some still a lil drunk, and begin our adventure to palermo.
Well, half way there someone realizes that they dont have their passport. Now here's the part you're going to look back on and say "Wtf?" but please bare in mind, we were all kind of asleep, and all the way stupid.
So we turn around and get the passport. Making the cab ride a little more expensive than we had been hoping for but I mean, hey, that's fine.
Except for when we get to the Check-In counter and two more people realize they dont have their passports either. See what I mean about the wtf? hahaha
Copies of your passports dont suffice, that is only if you're traveling on a bus or on a train. And to be fair, we are always told to not have our passports on us when traveling with in the country (Palermo is in Sicily). But in this case, it just wasnt going to happen. So what do we do? We hop in a cab and head back home, 45 minutes away. We have exactly an hour to check in, or else we miss the flight.
God must have been on our side because we run outside and there is a cab right in front of us, and instead of getting in that cab I look to my right and say "lets get in that one". At first this guy is saying something to me that I cant understand at all, which hasnt happened in italy yet. But I was so tired I could barely speak in english. So we walk away and then he flags us down and we run into the cab. Now, I am not sure if it is the desperation in our eyes, or if this guy was just the man, but homeboy should have driven from NASCAR. Instead of getting there in 45 minutes, we got there in 18. And we got back to the airport, with time to spare! And then we get to the security line, and there is no one in line! It was a legit miracle. I mean minus the 150 euro we spent on cab fair. But you win some you lose some right?
So things kind of start looking up from there, at least for a little bit, until we land and realize we have no effing idea how to get to our hostel and we have zero cash left to get a cab. Oh, and there is not an ATM in sight. And normally warm, sunny, Palermo, is cold and rainy. Peachy!
Cue Lesson #2: Dont go anywhere with out planning your transportation to and from the airport.
All I kept saying to myself this whole trip was "Thank God I speak italian", because literally, no one spoke english. But the problem is, Sicily speaks a really heavy form of italian dialect. So watching me in my tired haze try and communicate with these people was probably the equivalent of watching a monkey bang a coconut. You dont really know what's going on, and it isnt pleasant to watch, but you kind of hope something good will come out of it. Or at least something funny.
Luckily, I was able to tell the cab driver, Father Time, that we needed to get to our hostel, but needed to stop at a bank first, in order to pay him.
This man was probably the worst driver of all time, probably because when he got his license, the Flinstones taught driving school, and you put your feet through the floor board to move the car. But that is neither here nor there.
We get to the Hostel and it is actually beautiful, it's more so a hotel than a hostel. Which none of us had any problems with. But the minute any of us see the bed we immediately crash. Literally, fall on to the bad and pass out. For about 4 hours.
I know we needed it, but I really loathe sleeping that much and wasting time, in the middle of the day. It feels counterproductive. Mainly because it is.
But after we all awake from our comas, we decide to walk around. We come to find out that Palermo has a lot of open markets, which was pretty cool, minus the intestines hanging from clothes lines. hahaha Legit everywhere you turned you would see some kind of bloody intestine, brain, live, skinned baby animal, fish, eye ball, hoof, snout, literally, any part of the animal you wanted, they had it. And I mean it was actually pretty vile, and made you seriously question why you werent a vegetarian. But I wasnt as mortified because Mexico is pretty similar, minus that in between all the bloody meat hangings, are pinatas. The only this that got me was the entire body of a skinned baby cow, eyes still in tact. It was horrific.
So after walking through house of a thousand corpses, we took a little detour and found....SHOES! Ya, I got two pairs of leather (again, using the term leather loosely) for 19. 90 and then got red chucks for 10 euro. Try and beat those prices, ummm because you cant. So, that cheered everyone (meaning me) up by a lot.
Oh, I forgot to mention the coolest guy ever at the open market! He was selling strawberries, and to draw you in he would clean a strawberries, and put whipped cream on it and let you try it. What a great idea! Because we obviously bought some after that. But that's not why he's the man. After giving us or strawberries (for a very reasonable price I might add) he handed us his business card. But not of the berry business, oh no, but of his singing career. He calls himself "The Voice of Sicily" and the card said to check him out on YouTube. Bahahahahaha what a boss. That made my day.
We were still exhausted, so we crashed pretty early. But because this vaca was just the greatest, at around 1am I get a phone call from my dad. And he never calls me that late. So I knew something was up. I picked up the phone half asleep, and his voice was too happy, too chipper to be casual. At first he was just asking me why I was asleep and I told him I was not trying to walk around at night where the mafia was started, and he poked fun for a minute and then was like "Well honey Im just calling because I didnt want you to see it on fb from chuckie or anything and freak out, but Grandma fell down and broke her knee and has to go to the Hospital, we're on the way there now. But everything is fine. Dont be upset or anything." But because my dad knows me so well, he knew I was already crying by the time he said "Grandma fe..." But I got to talk to her at around 3, and she sounded strong and ok, so I was able to keep my composure better.
In the morning we wake up and decide that today is going to be a better day. The sun is shining, we got some sleep, things are looking up. Welp....
Enter Lesson #3: Never get on a bus and forget to stamp your bus ticket.
In italy, when you ride the bus, you dont pay when you get on, you buy a bus ticket, and then there is a little machine to stamp your ticket inside. In Rome, we dont worry about it because A) we rarely take a bus and B) we have a monthly pass so we dont have to. Well Palermo is intense, and we get on the bus, on our way to the beach, ready to have a good time, when all of the sudden the bus police ask for our tickets. Oh ya sure, you can totally have our tickets. Except they arent stamped. So he whips out a little notebook and asks for our documents. Shit. I try telling him in italian that we are tourists and didnt know the rule (not entirely true) but bro is not feelin it, and proceeds to demand 103 euro. Fuck. All I have is 15 euro, and I tell him that, so he hops off the bus, with our passports in hand. So I'm like "Shit, follow the guy with our passports!" After some serious groveling, he says we only have to pay 27 a piece. So it was still shitty, but so much better than 103. But the whole ordeal kind of killed some peoples moods, which sucked.
But we did make it to the beach! That was a plus. And it was the prettiest beach I've ever seen. Crystal clear water, surrounded by mountains, it was amazing. Still wayyyy to cold to swim, unless your name is John Schmulling. In which case you swim anyways, like a tard. Must be a Boy Scout thing.
The rest of the trip was fine from that point on really. Nothing too epic or too bad happened. It was fun, and we had an amazing dinner that night (I mean, minus Mariana, who only ate gelato) So things got better.
Most important lesson #4: Your attitude really makes the experience. Negativity will get you no where. And I know, for a fact, that positive things happen to positive people. Time and time again, on the best of trips, on the worst of trips, this has been proven to me. So always see the silver lining. And it is always easier to do so if you....
Lesson #5 DONT STAY UP LATE THE NIGHT BEFORE A FLIGHT! It's not worth it. It really isnt. I know I always rep the "Sleep is for the weak" motto, but when traveling, especially somewhere where you are 100% fluent in the language, you need your wits about you. You never know what could happen. As I've clearly illustrated here today.
I probably made this trip seem like such crap, but it really wasnt. It was just a bummer blowin money on correcting things that went wrong, but it was fun.
Now I have to try and multitask and do laundry and study for my art history midterm. I have no idea where to even start for that. That's the class where the teachers voice lulls me to sleep. Also, I dont have a library or Starbucks where I can study, so I have to try and be studious in my own home, where I can be distracted by any number of things. Like the fact that I know that no one has taken out the garbage since I left, or the fact that I know that no one cleaned up the salt that they spilled all over the counter. Just a few things like that. OCD+ADD= terrible at studying. Womp Womp.
I'll make it work. I just have to stay away from Tumblr, and Facebook, and anything that seems more entertaining than Art History....
lunedì 7 marzo 2011
Venice! Party party Carnivali!
Woo! What a weekend!
So this weekend consisted of Parma and Venice. And it started on Midnight on thursday night (technically friday morning). We took a night train and awaited for our train in probably the seedest train station I have ever been too. Im talking homeless people out the ass, dirty people who had homes all over the place, trash, graffiti, etc. It was just not ok. Add to it the fact that it's four girls (my whole house went) just sitting, at night, waiting for a train. It was not the most comfortable situation I've ever been in, to say the least.
So we get on the train and we are in little sectioned off rooms and Erika and I get the cart with the two old people in it. The old man was lovely, but his wifey, was a douche. There were six seats total, and homegirl was under the impression that she had the right to all of them! But I was like ummm no, and spread myself out as well. Her husband gave me this look like "Im sorry I married a dbag" and I gave him an apologetic head nod. Erika and I ended up twisting our bodies so that we looked like poorly constructed Jenga. And it wasnt the most comfortable sleep I've ever gotten, but it was sleep none the less. Five and a half hours later, we arrive in Parma. Well...Parma is ummmm small. First of all, we get off the train, and there is fog everywhere, it's raining, and there is nothing anywhere. And our ticket for Venice isnt for another 12 hours. So we all kind of look at each other like "ummm bump this, lets leave asap". So, in all italian, I managed to get us the earliest train to venice for free! Get at me.
But while we were in Parma, we made the best of our time. We had researched things ahead of time, so that we would know what to look for. Some how, with out a map, we managed to find the center of Parma, with all of its churches and sites to see, which were only like four.
We also went to Cioccolate Infinito. If you ever find yourself in Parma, go there! It was the most incredible chocolate I have ever tasted. Just so amazing, I recommend it to anyone. I also was chatting it up with the store owner (again, in italian) and just trying to make friends where ever we went. I basically just wanted to speak italian to anyone who would listen. Im trying so hard to get faster and more fluent so that when I get back I can start taking french or Portuguese. It would just also be helpful to get perfectly fluent before I leave the country ha
But we killed all the time we had to kill and two trains later, we were in mestre, a town in the main land close to venice. We stayed at one of the nicest Hiltons (thank you Mr. Johnson) and rested for a second, then grabbed the bus to Venice.
Parma was literally BLOWN out of the water by Venice. Venice is the prettiest place I've ever seen. You cant take a bad picture of Venice. It is exactly what you think it's going to be. There are 400 bridges in the teeny tiny city of Venice. No cars. And so many boats. It's beautiful. And we got there as the sun was setting, so it was at it's height of perfection. Also, the crappy weather in Parma didnt follow us to Venice, there wasnt a cloud in the sky.
So we went for Carnivale. Which is basically like a cooler version of Mardi Gras. We started out just by walking around and getting a feeling for the city, and just fell completely in love. We got dinner by the water, sat outside and watched all of the crazy ornate costumes walk by.
After dinner, we put on our masks, and blended in with the crowd.
Masks get rid of you inhibitions, let me tell you. People just do the strangest things. Including myself, there was a mini rave in the middle of the street and I just hopped right in and started dancing like a fool. Usually I dont dance like a white person and jump around, I just kind of keep to myself if I dont think I can properly dance. But the mask made me a fool! I just jumped around and got buck wild to whatever music came on. New, old, techno, disco, whatever, I just wanted to have as much fun as everyone around me (I had to work a little harder just because everyone around me was shitfaced) but I think towards the end we were all on the same level, because I was so exhausted I was getting delusional.
But around 11, we all started to fade, our eyes were getting a little too heavy, and even a street dance party couldnt keep us going. So we headed back to our lovely hotel and proceeded to crash, hardcore.
Flash forward to 10am when we head back to the island, and I am shocked. The day time is 100 times more bumpin than the night time. Literally you are touching someone at all times because there are so many people crammed into this little city. Everyone is decked out in something, whether it's a mask, or face paint, or both, or a full blown head-to-toe costume, everyone is doing something. Naturally, because I'm five, I got my face painted (we all did, I wasnt the only dork) and I loved it! I love getting my face painted though, because I'm really not that cool of a person, and I like any reason to be covered in glitter. Strangely enough though, this german tourist took about 100 pictures of me while I got my face painted. No lie. And every time I smiled he would lose his shit and take 100 more. And then some random broad just started filming me. And I was so confused...I had no idea why they were enjoying watching me so much ahaha whatever makes you happy I guess.
It took forever to get through the city because its made up of little allies everywhere, and hundreds on people squeezing through just doesnt work out as well as you would want it too. So dont go to Venice during carnivale if you're afraid of crowds or any kind of claustrophobic, it's not going to work out for you, sorry. But it is totally worth it. Maybe you should just get over that fear.
It's almost hard to write down everything we did because a lot of the excitement consisted of walking around eating my body weight in candy, throwing confetti on strangers, and looking at all the decked out people. Because that is literally all we did. And it was awesome in every way.
We also went on a gondola ride! My gondola guy wore a stripped shit and little hat and everything. Stefano was his name actually. He wasnt a very jolly fellow, until I asked him to take a picture with me, and then he cheered right up hahaha
The night time was kind of a pain in the ass though because all of our things were at the hotel on the main land, while the train we were taking home (again a night train) was on the island. So we had to go get our things and then come back and walk around with our huge lumpy backpacks, that were both heavy and not space-efficient, which made walking around a crowded city less appealing. So we spent our last two hours sitting at a cafe, people watching all of the absurdly drunk people getting off the trains. It was actually extremely entertaining. Until I saw a man dressed in a KKK outfit, and I wanted to junk punch him. No one should find that kind of ignorance funny or amusing. I couldnt believe it, I couldnt believe anyone would ever have the balls to do that. In that moment I wished I had to ability to teleport people. I would've dropped that piece of shit in Springfield's Six Corners, see how funny everyone there found it. It was just a healthy reminder that people really are very ignorant still. Kind of a buzz kill.
But aside from that asshole, the whole trip was absolutely perfect. Seriously, drama free, fun-filled, and awesome. All of us got a lot closer as roommates, which was really nice. And it was cool to have a girls weekend and gush over shoes and jewelry together. I did most of the gushing, but that is irrelevant.
I'm becoming addicted to traveling. I have no idea what I'm going to do when I get home and cant go anywhere I want all the time. Im probably going to go a little stir crazy.... I mean, I did that before I left, so it's probably going to be heightened now.
This week will be pretty busy as well just because John's sister and her friend are here and we're both kind of playing tour guide, trying to show them everything we can before we leave for Palermo.
Time is now speeding up, which is weird. I'm trying to not let myself get too too attached to my life here, because I'm always consciously aware of how temporary it is. And I'm logical to the point of ridiculousness, so I dont want to be sad when I get home. Because that's my real life you know? I want to bring all of this happiness with me. I want to love my real life with as much enthusiasm as I love my fake life. Because I've never been so happy or stress free in my entire life. And I cant lose that. I feel so alive, so healthy, so full of passion for everything. And I want it forever. And I know that if I try hard enough, I can make my world at home this happy too. Sounds weird and naively optimistic, but I know Im right. Im becoming who I've always wanted to be, and coming into my own. And I think thats 90% of the happiness.
So this weekend consisted of Parma and Venice. And it started on Midnight on thursday night (technically friday morning). We took a night train and awaited for our train in probably the seedest train station I have ever been too. Im talking homeless people out the ass, dirty people who had homes all over the place, trash, graffiti, etc. It was just not ok. Add to it the fact that it's four girls (my whole house went) just sitting, at night, waiting for a train. It was not the most comfortable situation I've ever been in, to say the least.
So we get on the train and we are in little sectioned off rooms and Erika and I get the cart with the two old people in it. The old man was lovely, but his wifey, was a douche. There were six seats total, and homegirl was under the impression that she had the right to all of them! But I was like ummm no, and spread myself out as well. Her husband gave me this look like "Im sorry I married a dbag" and I gave him an apologetic head nod. Erika and I ended up twisting our bodies so that we looked like poorly constructed Jenga. And it wasnt the most comfortable sleep I've ever gotten, but it was sleep none the less. Five and a half hours later, we arrive in Parma. Well...Parma is ummmm small. First of all, we get off the train, and there is fog everywhere, it's raining, and there is nothing anywhere. And our ticket for Venice isnt for another 12 hours. So we all kind of look at each other like "ummm bump this, lets leave asap". So, in all italian, I managed to get us the earliest train to venice for free! Get at me.
But while we were in Parma, we made the best of our time. We had researched things ahead of time, so that we would know what to look for. Some how, with out a map, we managed to find the center of Parma, with all of its churches and sites to see, which were only like four.
We also went to Cioccolate Infinito. If you ever find yourself in Parma, go there! It was the most incredible chocolate I have ever tasted. Just so amazing, I recommend it to anyone. I also was chatting it up with the store owner (again, in italian) and just trying to make friends where ever we went. I basically just wanted to speak italian to anyone who would listen. Im trying so hard to get faster and more fluent so that when I get back I can start taking french or Portuguese. It would just also be helpful to get perfectly fluent before I leave the country ha
But we killed all the time we had to kill and two trains later, we were in mestre, a town in the main land close to venice. We stayed at one of the nicest Hiltons (thank you Mr. Johnson) and rested for a second, then grabbed the bus to Venice.
Parma was literally BLOWN out of the water by Venice. Venice is the prettiest place I've ever seen. You cant take a bad picture of Venice. It is exactly what you think it's going to be. There are 400 bridges in the teeny tiny city of Venice. No cars. And so many boats. It's beautiful. And we got there as the sun was setting, so it was at it's height of perfection. Also, the crappy weather in Parma didnt follow us to Venice, there wasnt a cloud in the sky.
So we went for Carnivale. Which is basically like a cooler version of Mardi Gras. We started out just by walking around and getting a feeling for the city, and just fell completely in love. We got dinner by the water, sat outside and watched all of the crazy ornate costumes walk by.
After dinner, we put on our masks, and blended in with the crowd.
Masks get rid of you inhibitions, let me tell you. People just do the strangest things. Including myself, there was a mini rave in the middle of the street and I just hopped right in and started dancing like a fool. Usually I dont dance like a white person and jump around, I just kind of keep to myself if I dont think I can properly dance. But the mask made me a fool! I just jumped around and got buck wild to whatever music came on. New, old, techno, disco, whatever, I just wanted to have as much fun as everyone around me (I had to work a little harder just because everyone around me was shitfaced) but I think towards the end we were all on the same level, because I was so exhausted I was getting delusional.
But around 11, we all started to fade, our eyes were getting a little too heavy, and even a street dance party couldnt keep us going. So we headed back to our lovely hotel and proceeded to crash, hardcore.
Flash forward to 10am when we head back to the island, and I am shocked. The day time is 100 times more bumpin than the night time. Literally you are touching someone at all times because there are so many people crammed into this little city. Everyone is decked out in something, whether it's a mask, or face paint, or both, or a full blown head-to-toe costume, everyone is doing something. Naturally, because I'm five, I got my face painted (we all did, I wasnt the only dork) and I loved it! I love getting my face painted though, because I'm really not that cool of a person, and I like any reason to be covered in glitter. Strangely enough though, this german tourist took about 100 pictures of me while I got my face painted. No lie. And every time I smiled he would lose his shit and take 100 more. And then some random broad just started filming me. And I was so confused...I had no idea why they were enjoying watching me so much ahaha whatever makes you happy I guess.
It took forever to get through the city because its made up of little allies everywhere, and hundreds on people squeezing through just doesnt work out as well as you would want it too. So dont go to Venice during carnivale if you're afraid of crowds or any kind of claustrophobic, it's not going to work out for you, sorry. But it is totally worth it. Maybe you should just get over that fear.
It's almost hard to write down everything we did because a lot of the excitement consisted of walking around eating my body weight in candy, throwing confetti on strangers, and looking at all the decked out people. Because that is literally all we did. And it was awesome in every way.
We also went on a gondola ride! My gondola guy wore a stripped shit and little hat and everything. Stefano was his name actually. He wasnt a very jolly fellow, until I asked him to take a picture with me, and then he cheered right up hahaha
The night time was kind of a pain in the ass though because all of our things were at the hotel on the main land, while the train we were taking home (again a night train) was on the island. So we had to go get our things and then come back and walk around with our huge lumpy backpacks, that were both heavy and not space-efficient, which made walking around a crowded city less appealing. So we spent our last two hours sitting at a cafe, people watching all of the absurdly drunk people getting off the trains. It was actually extremely entertaining. Until I saw a man dressed in a KKK outfit, and I wanted to junk punch him. No one should find that kind of ignorance funny or amusing. I couldnt believe it, I couldnt believe anyone would ever have the balls to do that. In that moment I wished I had to ability to teleport people. I would've dropped that piece of shit in Springfield's Six Corners, see how funny everyone there found it. It was just a healthy reminder that people really are very ignorant still. Kind of a buzz kill.
But aside from that asshole, the whole trip was absolutely perfect. Seriously, drama free, fun-filled, and awesome. All of us got a lot closer as roommates, which was really nice. And it was cool to have a girls weekend and gush over shoes and jewelry together. I did most of the gushing, but that is irrelevant.
I'm becoming addicted to traveling. I have no idea what I'm going to do when I get home and cant go anywhere I want all the time. Im probably going to go a little stir crazy.... I mean, I did that before I left, so it's probably going to be heightened now.
This week will be pretty busy as well just because John's sister and her friend are here and we're both kind of playing tour guide, trying to show them everything we can before we leave for Palermo.
Time is now speeding up, which is weird. I'm trying to not let myself get too too attached to my life here, because I'm always consciously aware of how temporary it is. And I'm logical to the point of ridiculousness, so I dont want to be sad when I get home. Because that's my real life you know? I want to bring all of this happiness with me. I want to love my real life with as much enthusiasm as I love my fake life. Because I've never been so happy or stress free in my entire life. And I cant lose that. I feel so alive, so healthy, so full of passion for everything. And I want it forever. And I know that if I try hard enough, I can make my world at home this happy too. Sounds weird and naively optimistic, but I know Im right. Im becoming who I've always wanted to be, and coming into my own. And I think thats 90% of the happiness.
mercoledì 2 marzo 2011
The bubonic plague
So I am becoming notoriously terrible at the blogging. My irregularity it just terrible. My bad. But in my defensive, I almost died. Ok total exaggeration. But this is the story, ahem:
So last Thursday, me, Krista, Tyler, Dani, and John, went to this little town that is full of ruins called Ostia Anteca. Now in my mind we were going to go there, hang out see some things, and peace. But! To my surprise, YOU CAN ACTUALLY CLIMB ALL OVER THE RUINS! Like no joke, it is like a giant play ground. You can jump off on things and crawl into holes and climb all over and on top of things, all while seeing some sights! I mean, are you SUPPOSED to climb on them? Probably no....But is there anyone there to regulate/ stop you? Nope, so we all got buck wild. It was literally, so much fun! The boys were trying to do hardcore parkour, which was funny to watch. And Krista and I got really close because we found out that we have really similar personalities. So it was a huge success.
Later that same day we all decided that we wanted to go to the Hard Rock Cafe, Roma. So all of us went, plus Giuliano, Alex, and Sam. Which seemed like a good idea at the time. And at the time, it was sooooo amazing. I had the biggest, juiciest burger ever. And I had been wanting that for so long, so I was so happy. But the happiness was so momentary...
Later that night, as I was getting ready to pack for florence, which I was leaving for at 8am with API, I started to feel less than great. Pretty soon I started to feel so sick and nauseous that I could barely stand up. I felt dizzy and weak, and I said screw it to packing, and went straight to bed. At around 1am, shit got real, and I proceeded to violently vomit until 5:45am. It was just awesome.
Needless to say packing didnt go well. As a matter of fact, I only brought the shoes I wore there (sneakers...Im ashamed) and NO ACCESSORIES! YA! That's how sick I was. I looked horrible. I wore no make up on the bus, had a sallow, pale face, and looked dead. I slept the whole way there, and even when I thought that maybe I would be ok to walk around and see things, I wasnt. I ended up sleeping the entire first day of florence. I was just buried under a huge layer of blankets, being miserable. And it was extra crappy because I felt like I was missing out on so much (which I hate) and I was all by myself (which I hate more). But I wanted to be alone, I didnt want to drag anyone down in my bubonic plague death ridden hotel room.
Im really lucky though. Dani and John magically nursed me back to health. Dani gave me her blankets (though our room was freezing) and John managed to find me magic medicine that brought me back to life, and bought me crackers (all I could keep down) and a Sprite. To be honest, I wasnt really alive, but I can vaguely remember them coming in and out of the room to check up on me and take care of me. And each time John found it necessary to call me a different type of mexican food haha it varied between "little burrito" "taco salad" and "little taco". I was comatose, so I didnt complain. But I wouldnt complain anyways, I was being taken care of, and it was out of the kindness of there own hearts. I love them. And Im so grateful for that because the next day I was an entirely new person!
Florence was really nice. But really small. I liked it, but I honestly didnt get to see as much because I missed a whole day and only had another day to catch up. BUT! I went shopppppiiimnnnnnggggg! Yeaaah Boy, I did work at the leather market. Florence is famous for its leather market, and I indulged. New coat, new travel bag, jewelery, scarf, holla holla. No shoes though! Be proud of me! Because I sure am.
I also got to see The David. And it is the most immense thing you will ever see. Like you dont understand its grandeur in a picture. He is just so big and perfect and you see something different every time you see him at a different angle. I suggest seeing it. It will change your life. Seriously, it's one of the most impressive, beautiful things you will ever see.
I also took a cooking class! And I made tiramissu! And Crepes! AND I FLIPPED THE CREPE IN THE PAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so proud of myself you dont even understand. I even made whipped creme and chopped onions (my first time for both). I am basically going to come back a culinary genius. Nbd. Meaning it's the biggest deal! Seeing as when I came here I could barely boil water. Get. At. Me.
Oh, and I went to a vineyard and got a tour of the cellar and then got a wine tasting, but seeing as I dont drink, I wasnt really interested. And it was fricked snowing. Snowing! What is that?! I was not impressed. But I got a lot of cheese at the wine tasting so I was content. And the guys got all my wine, so they were content hahaha.
I love the guys, I really do. They're so funny. I spend more time at there place then my own, I just like to listen to the absurd things they say.
But ya, that was Florence. It probably would have been more epic if I wasnt dying a slow painful death, puking my life away. But it was still a win over all.
I'm going to Venice tomorrow for Carnivale, which is super exciting, I have a mask and everything, so Im ready to party. Bouts to get buck wild. And Krista's dad sprung for all of us to get a hotel room, which is BALLIN. Im excited.
But now I have to hop off the computer, because this isnt mine. But I'm going to write more often, now that I've survived my near death experience. Hallelujah.
So last Thursday, me, Krista, Tyler, Dani, and John, went to this little town that is full of ruins called Ostia Anteca. Now in my mind we were going to go there, hang out see some things, and peace. But! To my surprise, YOU CAN ACTUALLY CLIMB ALL OVER THE RUINS! Like no joke, it is like a giant play ground. You can jump off on things and crawl into holes and climb all over and on top of things, all while seeing some sights! I mean, are you SUPPOSED to climb on them? Probably no....But is there anyone there to regulate/ stop you? Nope, so we all got buck wild. It was literally, so much fun! The boys were trying to do hardcore parkour, which was funny to watch. And Krista and I got really close because we found out that we have really similar personalities. So it was a huge success.
Later that same day we all decided that we wanted to go to the Hard Rock Cafe, Roma. So all of us went, plus Giuliano, Alex, and Sam. Which seemed like a good idea at the time. And at the time, it was sooooo amazing. I had the biggest, juiciest burger ever. And I had been wanting that for so long, so I was so happy. But the happiness was so momentary...
Later that night, as I was getting ready to pack for florence, which I was leaving for at 8am with API, I started to feel less than great. Pretty soon I started to feel so sick and nauseous that I could barely stand up. I felt dizzy and weak, and I said screw it to packing, and went straight to bed. At around 1am, shit got real, and I proceeded to violently vomit until 5:45am. It was just awesome.
Needless to say packing didnt go well. As a matter of fact, I only brought the shoes I wore there (sneakers...Im ashamed) and NO ACCESSORIES! YA! That's how sick I was. I looked horrible. I wore no make up on the bus, had a sallow, pale face, and looked dead. I slept the whole way there, and even when I thought that maybe I would be ok to walk around and see things, I wasnt. I ended up sleeping the entire first day of florence. I was just buried under a huge layer of blankets, being miserable. And it was extra crappy because I felt like I was missing out on so much (which I hate) and I was all by myself (which I hate more). But I wanted to be alone, I didnt want to drag anyone down in my bubonic plague death ridden hotel room.
Im really lucky though. Dani and John magically nursed me back to health. Dani gave me her blankets (though our room was freezing) and John managed to find me magic medicine that brought me back to life, and bought me crackers (all I could keep down) and a Sprite. To be honest, I wasnt really alive, but I can vaguely remember them coming in and out of the room to check up on me and take care of me. And each time John found it necessary to call me a different type of mexican food haha it varied between "little burrito" "taco salad" and "little taco". I was comatose, so I didnt complain. But I wouldnt complain anyways, I was being taken care of, and it was out of the kindness of there own hearts. I love them. And Im so grateful for that because the next day I was an entirely new person!
Florence was really nice. But really small. I liked it, but I honestly didnt get to see as much because I missed a whole day and only had another day to catch up. BUT! I went shopppppiiimnnnnnggggg! Yeaaah Boy, I did work at the leather market. Florence is famous for its leather market, and I indulged. New coat, new travel bag, jewelery, scarf, holla holla. No shoes though! Be proud of me! Because I sure am.
I also got to see The David. And it is the most immense thing you will ever see. Like you dont understand its grandeur in a picture. He is just so big and perfect and you see something different every time you see him at a different angle. I suggest seeing it. It will change your life. Seriously, it's one of the most impressive, beautiful things you will ever see.
I also took a cooking class! And I made tiramissu! And Crepes! AND I FLIPPED THE CREPE IN THE PAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so proud of myself you dont even understand. I even made whipped creme and chopped onions (my first time for both). I am basically going to come back a culinary genius. Nbd. Meaning it's the biggest deal! Seeing as when I came here I could barely boil water. Get. At. Me.
Oh, and I went to a vineyard and got a tour of the cellar and then got a wine tasting, but seeing as I dont drink, I wasnt really interested. And it was fricked snowing. Snowing! What is that?! I was not impressed. But I got a lot of cheese at the wine tasting so I was content. And the guys got all my wine, so they were content hahaha.
I love the guys, I really do. They're so funny. I spend more time at there place then my own, I just like to listen to the absurd things they say.
But ya, that was Florence. It probably would have been more epic if I wasnt dying a slow painful death, puking my life away. But it was still a win over all.
I'm going to Venice tomorrow for Carnivale, which is super exciting, I have a mask and everything, so Im ready to party. Bouts to get buck wild. And Krista's dad sprung for all of us to get a hotel room, which is BALLIN. Im excited.
But now I have to hop off the computer, because this isnt mine. But I'm going to write more often, now that I've survived my near death experience. Hallelujah.
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