Ciao!
I believe I left off on the bus to Urbino. Well, before that, someone gave be some wrong information about the bus, so it was a good thing I was early because I was waiting at the wrond part of the station. But, I got it figured and got on the bus. It travelled through the countryside from Roma, about 4 and 1/2 hours North East to Urbino. The bus was mostly empty. When I got out, I was right in the center of town, but I did not know it yet. The station is beside a beautiful building, one that looked like a castle.
Again, I will have pictures soon. It looks like we will get the internet on my computer on Saturday. Of course, this also means I do not have Skype yet, but soon enough!
Allora, I sat there for sometime, hoping that Alessandra was not just a fictional person that was using me in some sort of scam. But, alas, she came. It was really only half an hour, but in a town where no one speaks English and you are alone, it seems like a very long time. We took an elevator up to the central piazza, and looked around at some of the places. I really wanted to get to the flat, because my bags were starting to be quite the bother, especially when I sat remembering the four flights of stairs at the hostel. Ugh.
Anyways, we went for gelato, she tells me this is the children's favourite place. Alessandra speaks very good english, and she is MULTO helpful in helping me learn Italian. We came home on l'autobus, and we talked about how much Italian I knew, which, trust me, is not enough. I could not have studied enough. We came up to the flat, which is nice. She is between moves and wants to do many renovations. She takes on much more work that she has time for and still thinks she does not do enough. She is a very good mother. Leonardo then came home from school. He is 8, and he is very rambuctious. Not in a bouncing off the walls kind of way, but in the way that he often picks on his sisters, tells jokes, and has a lot to say. I quite like him, and he seems to have a grand fascination with Canada. His eyes are always smiling.
Benedetta and Sarah come home from their scuola a bit later. Benedetta, who is 5, makes me laugh, like they all do, but she will make goofy faces and do silly things and, I assume, say silly things, but I cannot make them all out yet.
Sarah, who will be 3 in November, is quite curious. She is often quite the spacecadet, but she loves to boss people. Not boss, but simply ask you to do something, because she either can't or won't. Like drawing her a flower. She loves to ask you to draw flowers.
They all have very strong personalities for their ages. They have large beautiful eyes and bella curly hair.
Over the last two days we have gone to the park, watched Kung Fu Panda in Italiano and played with trainsets. The mornings are hit or miss, depending on how they slept. If they slept well, it is a great morning, though. The afternoons are the same. Sometimes Sarah gets a nap, but if she doesn't she is either very cranky or she falls asleep at the dinner table. The other two find it very humourous. I carried her all the way from the park, about 20 minutes, in my arms because she started to fall asleep as she walked.
Benedetta is also quite the monkey. Alessandra told me of one time when she climbed a very ancient statue and got her head stuck in the angels arm. They had to cut her out. I could not stop laughing when she told me. Could you imagine?
"My child is stuck in the relic. This ancient symbol of honour, justice and beauty. The very earthly mold of history and all that is sacred. Do you have a chainsaw?"
Hilarious.
Anyways, I must go. I have many more stories already. I went into the town yesterday, the flat is about a 10 minute walk outside of the city walls, and it was very excited. But, you must be patient.
Ciao!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Roma continued
Alessandra and the two oldest are painting a dresser on one of the porches. I am taking some time to finish my blog. Then we will eat supper. Si, then. It is 7. How awesome is that? This way, I will not be hungry when I go to bed. Why doesn't the hwole world do this? I don't know.
Either way, where did I leave off? I believe it was at the Pantheon. We went in to see Raphael's tomb, which was very awesome. There is a book there, that someone was signing, and the German boy told me it was for the redeclaration of a very ancient monarchy, and tourists sign it all the time, not knowing what it is. It's behind a velvet rope and everything. Hilarious.
Anyways, we moved on afterwards to a place that had the original sculptures that are on the Monmumento a Vittorio Emmanuelle II, since they are too old to have up there.
Another thing that is interesting that Nadiva told me was that since all the buildings in Roma are so old, they are all protected, so many buildings are very small and unsafe, but they cannot tear them down to make new ones. Even the apartment buildings. She was looking for a new one.
Anyways, he told me of something happening at 5.30 at Chiest del Gesù, so I would meet him there then. It was about 1. I went to sit in the shade, since it was so hot all the time I was there, and someone asked if I spoke English, so I said yes, and then he asked if I spoke Italian and I said no. He had some papers he could not read. He is from Afghanistan and is trying to get to Canada. He has been travelling Europe for about a year. He said Italy was one of his least favourite places because the people do not seem happy. But he is living in Roma and people are nuts in Roma. I think the people here are great.
Either way, we went to the Colosseo together and sat for some time because I was quite tired from the day. He asked me if I could help him get to Canada, and I said I would see what I could do, but really, there was nothing. He asked me about 4 times and seemed to be nervous. Finally, I said, there is nothing I can do, I can be in Canada, but I cannot get you there by just being Canadian. Finally, he said, You could be married to me. Would you?
Uh.
No, I said, but maybe I can find someone else. He laughed and we walked together for a while, and he double checked that I would not marry him. We walked and saw some places that I do not know the name of because we were a little lost, until I told him my meeting at 5.30 was a date, and I should go alone.
At five thirty, I met the German boy in the Church of Jesus, where, for only ten minutes a day, they show what was once the biggest solid silver statue in the world. It was magnificent. It was Christ in robes covered in gems with a large golden headpiece. It was behind a painting that they VERY dramatically let down with a man speaking Italian about it, and beautiful choral music playing very loudly. It was quite the procession. Apparently, Caeser, I believe, had taken the statue once to have it made into coins. This is a remake, but all the jewels are the original. Also, the worlds largest Lapis Sphere sits above it, representing the world.
We left there after looking at some other art and took off for Gelato, again, the best in they city. And how did I know? There were priests there. Pretty cool.
It was delicious. We then went to the Spanish Stairs and I saw the best view of Roma! The sun was setting and people were slowing down and it was beautiful.
They were setting up for a concert down in the square. It was Tokio Hotel, and the German boy said it was the worst export since Hitler.
we started walking down to the hostel when his group called. They had just arrived in Roma and he was to go meet them. We said Ciao and I went back to the hostel to rest my very tired feet.
Some of my bunkmates were grabbing some wine so I got a bottle and sat with them. They were all very interesting and very fun. At 1, I found out my train to Urbino left at 7.30, and so I went to bed.
I got up at 5, in case something went wrong, and I ended up two hours early for my bus.
Hopefully I will have the interenet on my computer next time and I will be able to put up pictures.
Ciao for now! It is my third day in Urbino and I am feeling good and rested. I think I will go into the centre.
Either way, where did I leave off? I believe it was at the Pantheon. We went in to see Raphael's tomb, which was very awesome. There is a book there, that someone was signing, and the German boy told me it was for the redeclaration of a very ancient monarchy, and tourists sign it all the time, not knowing what it is. It's behind a velvet rope and everything. Hilarious.
Anyways, we moved on afterwards to a place that had the original sculptures that are on the Monmumento a Vittorio Emmanuelle II, since they are too old to have up there.
Another thing that is interesting that Nadiva told me was that since all the buildings in Roma are so old, they are all protected, so many buildings are very small and unsafe, but they cannot tear them down to make new ones. Even the apartment buildings. She was looking for a new one.
Anyways, he told me of something happening at 5.30 at Chiest del Gesù, so I would meet him there then. It was about 1. I went to sit in the shade, since it was so hot all the time I was there, and someone asked if I spoke English, so I said yes, and then he asked if I spoke Italian and I said no. He had some papers he could not read. He is from Afghanistan and is trying to get to Canada. He has been travelling Europe for about a year. He said Italy was one of his least favourite places because the people do not seem happy. But he is living in Roma and people are nuts in Roma. I think the people here are great.
Either way, we went to the Colosseo together and sat for some time because I was quite tired from the day. He asked me if I could help him get to Canada, and I said I would see what I could do, but really, there was nothing. He asked me about 4 times and seemed to be nervous. Finally, I said, there is nothing I can do, I can be in Canada, but I cannot get you there by just being Canadian. Finally, he said, You could be married to me. Would you?
Uh.
No, I said, but maybe I can find someone else. He laughed and we walked together for a while, and he double checked that I would not marry him. We walked and saw some places that I do not know the name of because we were a little lost, until I told him my meeting at 5.30 was a date, and I should go alone.
At five thirty, I met the German boy in the Church of Jesus, where, for only ten minutes a day, they show what was once the biggest solid silver statue in the world. It was magnificent. It was Christ in robes covered in gems with a large golden headpiece. It was behind a painting that they VERY dramatically let down with a man speaking Italian about it, and beautiful choral music playing very loudly. It was quite the procession. Apparently, Caeser, I believe, had taken the statue once to have it made into coins. This is a remake, but all the jewels are the original. Also, the worlds largest Lapis Sphere sits above it, representing the world.
We left there after looking at some other art and took off for Gelato, again, the best in they city. And how did I know? There were priests there. Pretty cool.
It was delicious. We then went to the Spanish Stairs and I saw the best view of Roma! The sun was setting and people were slowing down and it was beautiful.
They were setting up for a concert down in the square. It was Tokio Hotel, and the German boy said it was the worst export since Hitler.
we started walking down to the hostel when his group called. They had just arrived in Roma and he was to go meet them. We said Ciao and I went back to the hostel to rest my very tired feet.
Some of my bunkmates were grabbing some wine so I got a bottle and sat with them. They were all very interesting and very fun. At 1, I found out my train to Urbino left at 7.30, and so I went to bed.
I got up at 5, in case something went wrong, and I ended up two hours early for my bus.
Hopefully I will have the interenet on my computer next time and I will be able to put up pictures.
Ciao for now! It is my third day in Urbino and I am feeling good and rested. I think I will go into the centre.
Roma, take 2
I arrived in Urbino by bus yesterday at noon. But before that, I had one day left in Rome.
I got up a little late and had some grapes and bread I had bought the day before. Also the day before, I spoke with some of my bunkmates, it was a four person room in the hostel, and they told me a good way to get to some of the best places. They had each been here many times before. Nevida, from Serbia, and a young man from Germany.
I walked the wrong way, which was ok, and ended up at my last stop first. It was the Fountana di Trevi. I threw a coin in and sat in a puddle. It was beautiful and there were many people. I took pictures of everything, but I will have to wait to put them up when my computer is working. Right now it will not pick up the wireless. I don't know why, but I will find out.
Either way, I moved on to the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II. I was working my way to the Collosseo, and I ran into the German boy from my hostel. He is a tour guide by trade and he had been to Rome only a dozen times or so. That's all.
He took me to have the best pasta in town, in his opinion. It was more expensive that the places near my hostel. He tells me that if a place is good, there will be priests there sometimes, since they don't get out much and food is their only pleasure, so they only eat the best. They weren't any there. But, it was amazing. My first Italian pasta. I nearly cried.
We then went into the center and saw le Campo dè Flori. It was bustling and it smelled amazing. There were nuns there too, which was a neat sight. He said it was rare to see them, but since there are so few nuns these days, they must go out at shop for themselves. We then got frozen espresso with creme. My first Italian caffè! It was delicious, but I couldn't finish it account of how big it was and the creme was so rich. He told me it was good for a diet. He was very funny.
We ate the espresso at the steps of the Pantheon, where I watche pigeons, or rats with wings, as he called them. I liked them. I thought they were cute. In the pantheon I saw Raphael's tomb and some --
I have to intervene for a present moment update, the youngest girl, Sarah, is standing in my room looking at everything with great awe. I will tell you about them soon. I also, must go play now. Must. I will update again tomorrow or tonight.
Ciao!
I got up a little late and had some grapes and bread I had bought the day before. Also the day before, I spoke with some of my bunkmates, it was a four person room in the hostel, and they told me a good way to get to some of the best places. They had each been here many times before. Nevida, from Serbia, and a young man from Germany.
I walked the wrong way, which was ok, and ended up at my last stop first. It was the Fountana di Trevi. I threw a coin in and sat in a puddle. It was beautiful and there were many people. I took pictures of everything, but I will have to wait to put them up when my computer is working. Right now it will not pick up the wireless. I don't know why, but I will find out.
Either way, I moved on to the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II. I was working my way to the Collosseo, and I ran into the German boy from my hostel. He is a tour guide by trade and he had been to Rome only a dozen times or so. That's all.
He took me to have the best pasta in town, in his opinion. It was more expensive that the places near my hostel. He tells me that if a place is good, there will be priests there sometimes, since they don't get out much and food is their only pleasure, so they only eat the best. They weren't any there. But, it was amazing. My first Italian pasta. I nearly cried.
We then went into the center and saw le Campo dè Flori. It was bustling and it smelled amazing. There were nuns there too, which was a neat sight. He said it was rare to see them, but since there are so few nuns these days, they must go out at shop for themselves. We then got frozen espresso with creme. My first Italian caffè! It was delicious, but I couldn't finish it account of how big it was and the creme was so rich. He told me it was good for a diet. He was very funny.
We ate the espresso at the steps of the Pantheon, where I watche pigeons, or rats with wings, as he called them. I liked them. I thought they were cute. In the pantheon I saw Raphael's tomb and some --
I have to intervene for a present moment update, the youngest girl, Sarah, is standing in my room looking at everything with great awe. I will tell you about them soon. I also, must go play now. Must. I will update again tomorrow or tonight.
Ciao!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Bella Roma!
I have arrived in Rome!
It is beautiful. Also, very busy and people drive like manics. But I like it.
My wonderful Uncle Denis drove me to the airport and then I was in Toronto all of a sudden. After only 2 hours there, I was not in Rome all of a sudden. I was on the plane however. It was a very long trip. But, when we were about to land, it was 6:30 in the morning here. The sunset was so stunning. I've never seen it like that before. It was a rainbow starting from the glowing red sun over the mountains all the way to the almost black blue sky on the other side of the sky.
I got my hostel via shuttle bus, and locked my things up there, but I cannot go back until 2:30 to check in. So far I have just been walking around, but I am going to look for a SIM card this afternoon and some food. Also, I am going to find out where and how I can take out more money.
I am here tonight and tomorrow, and then I am going to Urbino where I will meet my family! I am excited to have a home base and people to recognize everday again.
I already miss everyone a lot and things seem kind of lonely when you are travelling alone, but I know it will only get better.
Ciao for now!
It is beautiful. Also, very busy and people drive like manics. But I like it.
My wonderful Uncle Denis drove me to the airport and then I was in Toronto all of a sudden. After only 2 hours there, I was not in Rome all of a sudden. I was on the plane however. It was a very long trip. But, when we were about to land, it was 6:30 in the morning here. The sunset was so stunning. I've never seen it like that before. It was a rainbow starting from the glowing red sun over the mountains all the way to the almost black blue sky on the other side of the sky.
I got my hostel via shuttle bus, and locked my things up there, but I cannot go back until 2:30 to check in. So far I have just been walking around, but I am going to look for a SIM card this afternoon and some food. Also, I am going to find out where and how I can take out more money.
I am here tonight and tomorrow, and then I am going to Urbino where I will meet my family! I am excited to have a home base and people to recognize everday again.
I already miss everyone a lot and things seem kind of lonely when you are travelling alone, but I know it will only get better.
Ciao for now!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The final countdown
If every post I write gets a different song stuck in your head, I will be happy.
I am doing last minute photocopying and things today. Then, a relaxing evening of bowling with some important people and then I sleep.
I take off from Edmonton at 8 tomorrow morning, then I arrive in Toronto and leave there around 5 their time, then I arrive in Rome at 07:00. I have a hostel booked near the station that I am staying at for two nights. I will then take a train to Urbino on the 26th where I will meet my family and settle into my home for the next nine months. I am very excited and nervous and anxious and things. Look for pictures in the next week!
Ciao, Canada. See you in your glorious Summer.
I am doing last minute photocopying and things today. Then, a relaxing evening of bowling with some important people and then I sleep.
I take off from Edmonton at 8 tomorrow morning, then I arrive in Toronto and leave there around 5 their time, then I arrive in Rome at 07:00. I have a hostel booked near the station that I am staying at for two nights. I will then take a train to Urbino on the 26th where I will meet my family and settle into my home for the next nine months. I am very excited and nervous and anxious and things. Look for pictures in the next week!
Ciao, Canada. See you in your glorious Summer.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
We have the parts, but do we have the whole?
My Visa came in! This means that all the pieces have come together. Finally.
For those of you that don't know, I am moving to a town called Urbino (you can check out the 'Things to check out' section of my blog). I am going to be an Au Pair, which is a kind of live-in babysitter. I say that instead of nanny because I don't do a lot of housework and I'm more there just so the kids have someone to watch them and play with them, not teach them. But they will learn the ways of Canada if I have anything to do with it.
There are three children: Leonardo, 8.
Benedetta: 5.
Sarah: 2.5.
I am working for a woman named Alessandra who works at the University of Urbino teaching medieval languages. She is writing a book about something or another, so I think we'll be getting along great.
Her husband works out of town quite often and I'll be meeting him only on holidays and some long weekends.
Today marks one week before I leave. Actually, less, since I have to be at the airport at 6. In the morning.
Well, I am off to pack.
Ciao
For those of you that don't know, I am moving to a town called Urbino (you can check out the 'Things to check out' section of my blog). I am going to be an Au Pair, which is a kind of live-in babysitter. I say that instead of nanny because I don't do a lot of housework and I'm more there just so the kids have someone to watch them and play with them, not teach them. But they will learn the ways of Canada if I have anything to do with it.
There are three children: Leonardo, 8.
Benedetta: 5.
Sarah: 2.5.
I am working for a woman named Alessandra who works at the University of Urbino teaching medieval languages. She is writing a book about something or another, so I think we'll be getting along great.
Her husband works out of town quite often and I'll be meeting him only on holidays and some long weekends.
Today marks one week before I leave. Actually, less, since I have to be at the airport at 6. In the morning.
Well, I am off to pack.
Ciao
Monday, September 14, 2009
Home on the Range
I am currently visiting my parents for the week. It was the best drive with the sun settling down over the trees, the farmers harvesting their fields, and the top down on my bra's convertable. It'll be a nice way to remember it and something to look forward to.
I am still waiting on news about my Visa, but I hope to get in touch with the consulate today. They are either understaffed or overworked. I'm thinking both.
Wish me luck!
I am still waiting on news about my Visa, but I hope to get in touch with the consulate today. They are either understaffed or overworked. I'm thinking both.
Wish me luck!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Ciao and Welcome
Welcome to my Italian Blog!
I am going to be posting pictures, messages and information on here, to keep you up to date. I am doing this because I know how much you want to see my smiling face and how much you want to know where I am all the time.
Right now, I am in Edmonton. My flight leaves September 23rd, and hopefully my Working Holiday Visa is here to accompany me.
Ciao
I am going to be posting pictures, messages and information on here, to keep you up to date. I am doing this because I know how much you want to see my smiling face and how much you want to know where I am all the time.
Right now, I am in Edmonton. My flight leaves September 23rd, and hopefully my Working Holiday Visa is here to accompany me.
Ciao
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