Buongiorno Tutti

I can not believe I have less than two weeks left in Rome. It seriously feels like yesterday that I was sitting at SFO texting my friend Maggie questioning my choice to study abroad. We were both at SFO boarding different planes to Europe. Our texting conversation was:
Hallie: "I checked one bag and I brought a carry on and my backpack! I'm so nervous!!!!!!! Wanna come to Rome instead of Paris?"
Maggie: "I am too!! What are we doing??"
Hallie: "I have no idea! Ah"
Maggie: "No, its okay. We are strong, independent world-savvy women and we are LIVING IS THAT SUCH A BAD THING?! NO. It is very much a good thing"

I have looked back on that conversation a few times and laughed at myself for being so nervous. Yes, I am 6238 miles away from home but this is not impossible! I am eating the best food in the world, learning the most beautiful language, rubbing shoulders with some of the most interesting people. I never want to leave. Well maybe in five months, I'll be singing a different tune.

Well my classes in Rome have come to an end. I only have finals left!! Wish me luck!

After three finals I will be packing up my entire Roman life and going on vacation! Here's my plan:
Dec 16-20 Lisbon, Portugal!
Dec 20-26 Dublin, Ireland
Dec 26-Jan 1st London with my Dad!
Jan 1-6 Back to Ireland!
Jan 6- 9 Back to Rome! Then moving everything to Florence for the next chapter in my study abroad!

Here are a few things I have done since my last post:

I went to Siena! Check out how beautiful the Siena Cathedral is! The inside is so incredible too.

I can definitely see myself moving to Siena. The city is absolutely gorgeous. Down every street there is something different to look at. The neighborhoods are incredible and I want to go to the Palio in my future.

Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. Baroque Altar

I also went to Assisi last weekend. This city was really different from Rome because it was a.) TINY. So small and thats an obvious difference. but b.) Assisi felt a lot more religious than Rome ever has. I am living in the center of Christiandom and regularly walk through the Vatican (#nbd, I know) but because its so small, there aren't a lot of tourists so really the only people who were there pilgrims. It was really interesting. But people were so friendly. And almost all the churches had baroque architecture and medieval painting or mosaic. And because of the earthquake in 1997, some of the places underground have been completely remodeled in a very contemporary way. It's very interesting.

Marlisa and I infront of the creepiest
makings of a Nativity scene. Ever. 

I also really loved Assisi because of how - in the words of Anthony Bourdain - crunchy it is. Everything was about peace and "Pace e Bene" was everywhere. So Santa Cruz. Loved it.

Can we also talk about how gorgeous this sunset is. The weather was cloudy and sunlight peaked through the clouds giving those amazing godly rays of light.






I also went to a small town called Fumone to see how Olive Oil was made. It was so cool and the food was incredible. Five course lunch.... no problem. Sign me up!









Ci Vediamo, tutti. I am off to eat dinner in my neighborhood. goodness, I'm never going home!
xoxoxoxo

Vacationing!

Hellooooooo!!!!

Just returned from a wonderful vacation! We had a week off so I decided to go to Madrid to visit my friend Kyle from UCSC and to Paris to visit my friend Maggie who I've known since we were five. I have already been to both of these cities so I feel like I got the super touristy things out of the way and being with a "local" made it so much more fun finding the hip spots around town.

So here was my Itinerary:
Saturday to Wednesday evening - Madrid
Wednesday night to Sunday - Paris.
Perfect four days and four days.

When I arrived in Madrid I was greeted with a sign that said "Pork Cheek" made by the very talented Kyle Thomson. That night we got dinner and walked around Madrid. The city is gorgeous. It reminds me a lot San Francisco. My friends from Rome arrived later that night too.

stuffed fried potatoes

My time in Madrid consisted of museums, walking, eating pastries, cañas, walking, eating tapas, more pastries and more walking. All Saints Day was Tuesday while I was there and it is a Spanish tradition to eat bunuelos (kind of like cream puffs, but deep fried) and huesos di santo (just some more sugar). So we did as the Madrilenos did and ate. We went out to tapas a few nights and on time we ordered fried green tomatoes. I think this could be the best thing I have ever eaten. They were absolutely perfect. They had a bunch of fresh cheddar cheese on top and arugula salad. It was beautiful. I forgot to snap a picture before it was almost all the way devoured. But I did take a picture of stuffed fried potatoes. These were incredible too.

Teleferico

On my last day in Madrid, Kyle and I ventured to the top of a park and took the Teleferico across the City. It's basically a small enclosed chairlift that has great views of everything. We then walked around the park we ended up in which was so pretty with the trees changing color.


Then it was off to Paris. My original plan was to get to Orly kind of late but still take the metro into the city and meet up with Maggie. But of course my flight got delayed. Annoyed knowing that I would have to fork over forty euros to get into the city on a cab, I boarded the plane in a huff. When the man scanned my ticket, he looked at me and said, "Oh I'm sorry miss, but we've had to move your seat." my first thought was, Really? I was already in the back of the plane, how much further could I get? He said to me, We've had to move you up to business class, do you mind waiting just one second so I can print your new ticket... I'm really sorry.
The flight was perfect. One and a half hours of luxury. I got dinner, I had a bunch of leg room, and I got FOUR moist towelettes. I know, super fancy.

Bonjour

I got to Maggie's homestay where I stayed my first night. An adorable Parisian home that she loves. The family seems so cute and so sweet. Early the next morning we woke up because she had a sight visit at the d'Orsey. Perfect start to Paris. One of my favorite museums. Maggie then had another class so she sent me on my merry way to walk around the center of Paris. Everything was great. Paris is magical. I wish I spoke french, its such a pretty language. Someone told me that learning French after learning Italian is easier....hmmmm, a thought....
Well then I checked into my funky hotel at the bottom of Montparnasse. I think if I crossed the street, I would be out of Paris. It was comfortable and very close to the metro.

Ceiling at the Hunting and Nature Museum

For the rest of my break I did more walking and more eating. I went to the Hunting and Nature Museum which was awesome. A contemporary artist adds their own harmony with these old traditional pieces. Turns very hipster but would be a great place to take kids. Lots of hands on things. I ate a falafel! I randomly ran into Kyle in Paris! I went Pompidou! Should have spent more time in there, its huge, but I was exhausted. Next time :)

I also went to a concert in Paris! I went and saw James Blake, Laura Marling, the cults and some other bands I missed. It was so much fun going to a concert in a different country. The venue was beautiful. A lot like the fox theater in Oakland. James Blake is a lot more dubstep than I expected from the few songs I had heard, but he played a fine line between dubstep and folk rock perfectly. You should check him out. Same with Laura Marling. She is just adorable.

Crepes and Cider

I ate crepes, macaroons, panini, cookies, and an american breakfast. A perfect week of culinary
delights.


Oh my way back to Rome, I decided to check my bag, but of course they lost it. It got stuck in Madrid (my layover) so its still there. But I get compensated 100 euros for my missing things. Hopefully it will be back here tomorrow!

This was the perfect vacation in the middle of what already seems like a vacation.






Well, more on my last few weeks in Rome are coming. Going to Siena this weekend! xoxo

I'm feeling at home

I'm already starting week four in my ten week quarter. I'm two months into my study abroad and I feel at home. I've got my routine down but still everyday I am discovering something new. My new favorite thing to do is stop by the farmers market at Piazza Cosimato in Trastevere on my walk home from Italian. Everyday I have a break from 10am - 2pm so I usually take a walk through the Eternal City and make my way home for lunch. Usually I'll watch some TV on my computer and then make my way back to school for my afternoon classes. Even in the morning I have a routine. I leave my apartment by 8:15 and get on a over crowded tram and then stop by my favorite caffe, Gió, for a morning cappuccino. We really are creatures of habit.

Even my classes are incredible. I have the same professor for Baroque and Renaissance art history, back to back. Usually I would be pulling my hair out after being in class for almost six hours with the same professor, but I'm not. He is one of the smartest and most interesting teachers I have ever had. He is so passionate about his subjects and lectures completely without notes or a powerpoint. When we're in the classroom, he only has slides, and when we're on sight, he only has the art in front of us. There's my little love rant for Paolo.

I saw the protest yesterday in Rome. I wanted to go shopping at this place where they have really cheap boots and its right behind San Giovanni di Laterano I also planned to walk down the street to go to San Clemente but its in the area exactly where the protest was happening. I realized that the art of protest is pretty universal. It looked exactly like any other protest that would happen in San Francisco or Santa Cruz. There was a drum circle, similar chants, and banners. And of course, police and news reporters everywhere. The helicopters didn't stop flying around Rome until around 10 at night. I watched the protest for a few minutes and then turned around and went home before it got violent at all. On my bus ride home, I smelled smoke near the Circus Maximus but I didn't find out until later what it was from. The anarchist protesters set cars on fire. From what I saw of the protest was that it was very peaceful but what I saw on the news was very different. Maybe I just got out in time, or maybe the media is just focusing on the few people who are making it violent.

What else? Hmmm. Madrid and Paris are coming right up. I am so excited to spend time in those cities again. Besides that not much else is new. Here's a purse picture, pretty similar to the past few purse pictures:

My purse, map, a pen from the Vatican Post Office, sunglasses, camera, Receipts up the wazzooo (you get a receipt for everything, even if you're spending a euro, so my purse is always filled with little pieces of paper), a business card from my favorite restaurant Da Vitorrio, change, hair clips, a pack of sugar from Flunch (hahah), wallet, keys, and a shopping bag.


Better start studying,
Hallie

While weeks have gone by...

...I am falling more and more in love with Rome.

The more comfortable I become in my new home, the happier I become.

In the past few weeks I have:
Started classes and I am obsessed with them. I'm taking Ancient Roman Art, Renaissance Rome, and Baroque Rome. All of Roman art history from 400 BC-1750 AD. awwww yeah. (but forget about all that Medieval stuff...they weren't making much anyway)
I've been to the Villa Borghese Gallery twice and its absolutely beautiful.
I went to the keyhole on the top of the Aventine Hill. It framed St. Peters perfectly. So beautiful.
I fainted in Piazza Del Popolo (I'm fine. dehydrated, locked knees)
I found my new favorite restaurant. It's called Da Vitorio. So good. so cheap.
I've discovered the best farmers market in Trastevere.
I bought a dress for 7 euro.
And I rearranged my room.
       I'd say a pretty productive few weeks.

The weather is finally cooling down in Rome and I'm so excited to not be sweating for literally 24 hours a day.
I applied for a homestay in Florence for the Spring. Can't wait to eat incredible food all the time.

Here are photos from the Aventine and the student protest outside my apartment.

You can see St Peters in the distance there.

Fight the power














Until next time.
Love, Hallie

Firenze!

After a few weeks of saying that I wouldn't spend my money to go to Florence since I'm already going to be living there for four months, I caved. We have a week long break after our intensive italian course ended. Everyone in my program planned these great vacations to Greece, Amalfi, Paris, Oktoberfest, etc, but I really wanted to experience Roma while I'm here.

But I felt out of the loop so I went to Florence for the weekend. As I said in my last post, I missed my first train. Ended up being just fine. Got to Florence and met my friend, Maribeth, and her friends from school. We had a picnic at the steps of Santo Spirito. That was really nice. Cross the river with gelato in hand and went to Maribeth's apartment, very close to the Uffizi. We rested and went out for dinner and drinks for one of her friends birthdays. 

We woke up the next morning and walked to the Duomo to get a cappuccino and a cornetto. I planned on meeting up with some other friends from high school, Emma and Rosie, but we ended up being lost in communication. While Rosie was in the museum, I decided to walk around the city I will be living in. Florence is beautiful. Hands down. 

Difference between Rome and Florence:

1.) ROME IS HUGE. Florence is tiny. you can walk anywhere in Florence within just a few minutes. Not an issue at all. You have to plan for travel time in Rome, It could be close to an hour or two. 

2.) Things are very very close together in Florence. Rome is full of big streets for big traffic to travel down. The streets in florence are made for foot traffic, which I like a lot.

3.) It seemed like I only heard american study abroad students in Florence. Very high concentration of American girls in the areas I was in. Maybe I'm just not looking for it in Rome.

These cities are so different. I feel like once I get to Florence all I'm going to do is comparing it to Rome, trying to figure out which one I like more. I'm just enjoying Rome for now :)

When I arrived home Sunday night, there was a huge thunderstorm that kept me awake from 3am-5am. I skyped with an old co-worker which was so much fun but made my Monday very very lazy. 

Nothing else new here in Rome! Hanging out and being in awe day after day. Hopefully I'll wake up in time to see the Papal Audience tomorrow morning!

here are some photos from Florence:

 The Arno and the Ponte Vecchio

Baked goods at a Farmers market at Santo Spirito

 Fake David

Duomo and Clouds

Blogging on the go!

After a long pause in the bloggosphear, I'm back!

One reason I have been so delayed was because my computer broke! Che peccato! The hard drive died and I had to use my limited Italian vocabulary and the apple tech guys limited English vocab to reach the consensus that I needed to buy a new hard drive for €170. I hate money. But yes my computer is now working. The only bad part is that I basically lost everything. Bummer because I lost my first three weeks of Italian pictures.
It still doesn't ruin the fact that I'm in Rome. Still obsessed.

Actually right now I'm on the train to Firenze! Blogging-on-the-go!a few things could go wrong this trip. There is a train strike that starts tonight and lasts until tomorrow night and I already bought my train ticket home for 6 tomorrow afternoon so hopefully something will work out! I'm going to visit some friends and check out the lay of the land for when I get there. I already missed my first train this morning. I silenced my alarm at 5am. Whoops. Got to termini and was told to get on another train to Orte (?) and transfer to a train going to Florence.

I have the rest of the week alone in Rome so if any of you have suggestions of things I can do that are cheap and exciting, pleaseee let me know!! Classes start a week from Monday. I'm taking ancient roman art, age of baroque, and renaissance art. Oh and Italian. Lots of art history. I couldn't be more excited!!

Also, I bought my tickets to Madrid and Paris for the 1st week in November. I love those cities!

That's all for now. More on Florence later!!


Ciao Bella!

Things I have learned in Italy

Yesterday I took a day trip to Naples. Excited to eat pizza and experience a new Italian city, we booked our tickets home for late in the afternoon, around 6:30 pm. We left Rome at 8:15 am and purchased the cheapest Trenialia ticket, €10.50 each way. Being our first time going to Termini Stazione, we arrived at 6:30 am, thinking it would take us longer. At that point it was raining in Rome. Alright, deep breath, we're fine, just have to hang out at the train station for three hours. Don't get mugged, don't get mugged! I got a cappuccino and got on the train.

I slept most of the two hours we were on the train. Got to Stazione Centrale in Napoli at around 10:30 am and instantly went looking for L'Antiche Da Michele, the pizza place featured in Eat Pray Love. #obvi.

Took us sometime to find it but arrived before the lunchtime rush. We were seated instantly and the six of us ordered our own pizzas. It was the best pizza I have ever had. ever. Perfect in every way. Here's a picture:

Gorgeous, right?
the dough was light but chewy and the sauce was so simple. Perfect.

 Once we all finished our pizza (or tried, i definitely couldn't finish it all) we were all in complete food comas. All we wanted to do was lay down at rub our bellies into a nice long nap. But we couldn't. We were in Naples for another six hours. We walked down the main street from the train station and looked at sunglasses and shoes and then decided to find the National Archeological museum.

 We walked back to the train station and looked for the metro. found it but there was actually no way to buy tickets. just open escalators down to the metro. we hopped on and hopped off without any problem. Went to the museum and they wouldn't let us use the student discount because we're not students from the EU. Walked around the museum, hungover from pizza, for two hours. We still had four hours to kill. We found that there's not a lot to do in Naples except eat pizza and buy crappy shoes. The city is very very dirty too, trash everywhere and people are everywhere! Definitely made me realize my San Francisco bubble. We hung out in the train station McDonalds for another hour or two and finally could go and sit on the train. This was the same McDonalds I went to when I was eight when my brother got his camera stolen and he missed America. I think I got an ice cream cone. The train ride home was really gorgeous at sunset but took almost four hours because it took long breaks at every station. It was a very long day.

Here is just a short list of things I have learned in Italy thus far
- There are no toilet seats in public bathrooms. be prepared to squat.
- Rarely is there toilet paper. bring tissues or TP in your bag.
- Bring a lot of water, or be prepared to spend a few euros on water bottles.
- Sometimes you even have to pay to use the bathroom. what?
- Hand sanitizer. 'nuff said.
- Do not buy a return ticket for late in the afternoon/evening. Most tickets allow you to take a train four hours past the time listed on your ticket.
- Police officers do not speak English and are rarely helpful.

That's all for now. I should start studying for my midterm on Wednesday. Almost halfway done with my Intensive Italian! Wish me luck! or better, wish me bocca di luppo (in the mouth of the wolf, as they say in Italian)

te amo, Hallie

La Bella Vita

Ciao Tutti!!!

Rome doesn't cease to amaze me. I love the streets, the buildings, the history, the art, the food, the wine, the trees, the drinking fountains - almost everything.

I went out to dinner with Andy Steves, Rick Steves son, who is starting a weekend study abroad trip company. Small group of us went on a walk through the different piazzas then ended up at a great Italian restaurant near the Pantheon. The funny part was that on one of our first days in Rome, some of the girls I live with went to the Pantheon and we were following Rick Steves guide book and ended up at this restaurant. it wasn't until I was standing outside of it when I realized why Andy brought us there. It was great though.


Naples tomorrow for the day. going to eat some pizza and then coming right back. Any other suggestions?

My backpack for the past few days:

My backpack, my keys, my little vodafone, old bus tickets, sunglasses, my water bottle, information about Naples and my train ticket, map of Rome, Italian-English Dictionary, wallet, chapstick, pens, euro coins, my Italian textbook, and a sweater to cover my shoulders for the occasional church visit.

...and those are my toes




Still can't believe I've been in Rome for just little over a week, seems like a decade already! There is so much to do! Haven't even discovered half of Rome.


'till next time, Hallie

Do as the Romans do!

Do as the Romans do, which really just means eat and drink. and sweat. It's a little cooler here today but now its just really humid and its suppose to rain.

I've got myself a cell phone too! email me if you want my phone number, it's free for you to call me and a low rate for me to call anyone else who has the same type of phone.

Nothing too new today. I had my Italian placement exam this morning which didn't go too great, but that's alright. I'm okay with starting from the bottom and working my way back up. The rest of today is going to be pretty lazy. We're going to make some dinner and then go on a night walk from Piazza Navona to the Spanish steps.

I'm going on a Baroque tour tomorrow and going into the Vatican! Its going to be great.

Here's a picture of my room:

I'm the middle bed and we have TWO balconies. It's super nice. The entire apartment is furnished by Ikea. Feeling right at home!

My lunch today.

And last but not least, the contents of my purse: Euro coins, wallet, camera, pens, keys, notebook, receipts, and a shopping bag















That's all for now! Write a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
Love, H

I made it!!!

Got up some unknown amount of hours ago in San Francisco, got on the plane to Toronto, sassed at passport control, bought a neck pillow, waited for four hours in the very SWANKY airport, and then got on the eight hour flight to ROME. The flight was long and I slept a little. I watched a movie (or six) and drooled on my neck pillow (very true).

Got my bags and waited for a seven person taxi for just little ol' me. I got nervous when I was trying to tell the taxi driver that I could wait for a smaller cabie so I just blurted out in English "It's just me!" and he was like, "thats okay... get in" :)
But I did give the address for my apartment correctly in Italian. Patted myself on the back for that.

Got to the apartment. Oh did I mention its HOT? its like 98 degrees today. No air conditioning. My apartment is on the 7th floor of a seven floor building. Eight girls all together. My roommates seen nice and two of them are from UCSC! The apartment is HUGE. Super funky. There's a balcony off every room! photos of the apartment tomorrow.

here are some photos from the past 24 hours

Thanks mom for snapping this photo at 6am. AND I'M OFF!

This is my face and glasses position as I sit next to three Dutch 6 year olds for four hours.

Coming into Rome!

Check out this cute piazza we stumbled upon when we were in a desperate search for gelato tonight!

dinner. fresh gnocchi and a banana.

















I should get some sleep.

love love and love, HBY

And I'm off!

In less than 10 hours, I'll be on my way to Italy.
Here is what a year of stuff looks like:

Nerves have been coursing through my veins all day. Some heartfelt goodbyes and packing behind me, I think I can say now that I am ready for this adventure.

Wish me luck! I'll miss each and everyone of you on this adventure and wish you were all by my side, but I am going to take a giant leap here and say, Arrivederci!

Some of the most simple advice I've received in my preparations has been, "You can't grow unless you're uncomfortable."

So here I am, growing.

bacio, H

I've started packing!

And I've made a video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOB1Wg9X96Y
Keep in mind, that is only a fraction of the amount of stuff I'm bringing. 

(and here's a link to Avril's music video because I know you are all upset when the song ended: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NPBIwQyPWE&ob=av2n dude you wanna crash the maawll?)

I've also made two packing lists, cleaned out my backpack, decided I'm only bringing four pairs of shoes, and said goodbye to some people and IT STILL DOESN'T FEEL REAL. And when am I leaving? yup, in 9 days.

I'm bringing one huge suitcase, one small carry on, and my backpack. That's it. For a year in a different country. My entire life (wardrobe) in three bags. I'm totally overreacting. hashtag story of my life.

That's all for now. Making ice cream this weekend and getting ready for the last few days at the best summer job ever.

x, H


PS while writing this blog entry, I realized my shoe count just went up to 6. I'm horrible. Okay, compromise at 5.

Exactly a month

Well here I am. Sitting in the San Francisco fog, a month away from sitting in the Roman heat.

It doesn't feel real yet. I've typed out four different ways of explaining how I feel about leaving and what it feels like to move half way around the world, but I've deleted all of them. I've heard it all. I'm nervous, but incredibly excited. More excited than I have ever been in my entire life.

Since it doesn't feel real yet, I haven't really accepted the fact that I need to organize my life and start thinking about how my life is about to change. I'm about to more frustrated than I've ever been but I'm ready for that challenge!

I keep doing things I don't really need to do because I'm leaving. I'm looking up dates for concerts, getting my iPhone updated (I'm not using it in Italy), and spending money when I should be saving for my Italian Proseco. Oh well. Only young once...?

Another picture of things in my purse.
The NYTimes Weekend Arts section that I stuffed in my bag on the way to work this morning, some change, an old earring, my friends business card, sunglasses, deodorant, a pen, headphones, and my wallet. Will I carry the similar stuff in Italy?

Outtie!

I'm going to Italy!

I'm going to answer all your boiling questions in one full swoop:
1. Where will you be? I'm going to be in Rome for my first semester, and Florence for my second.
2. When do you leave? August 23rd at 8am.
3. Where will you be staying? I'm staying in a residence apartment in Rome in the Trastevere neighborhood. I'm not sure where I'll be staying in Florence yet.
4. What will you be studying? Art history mostly, and Italian. I'm trying to minor in the language.
5. Do you know anyone who's going on the same program? Nope. I've met the people going to Rome  from UCSC, but besides that I'm starting completely from scratch. But a few friends from high school will be scattered about Europe.
6. Do you know any Italian? Un po'. I've taken one quarter of accelerated Italian this year, so I have a very basic understanding of Italiano.


Glad we're now all on the same page.

Along with clothes for work later tonight, this is whats in my purse today. We'll see how this changes in the next couple of months.

I have my passport, my visa, my flight arrangements and now, I have my blog.
Next step: Packing.