Ciao Tutti,
I had a great day yesterday. I had no exams, but exams continued until 2:15 PM on Thursday. I took advantage of my free time by going to the beach with a group of my friends for one of my friend's, Tahli's, birthday. The beach is about a 30 minute train ride from Rome and the train ride is part of the public transportation system, so it only costs 1 euro to go. We met at our school at 10:30 AM and got to the beach by 12:00 (we had to take a bus to the train station). Once we got to the beach, we met up with one of the Italian students who is a member of a private club on the beach. He took all six of us into his club!
The sand was so hot that I thought my feet were on fire when I had to walk on it! I didn't fully go into the water because it was so cold, but I sat along the shore and let the tide cover my waist. The water was so blue and it was so refreshing. The beach was a perfect way to relax after a week of finals, Tahli definitely had the right idea for how to spend her birthday!
I only stayed at the beach for three hours because I needed to get back to my apartment early and weigh my bag (I borrowed a scale from one of the people that works at IES). I made it back to my apartment by 4:15 PM. After weighing my bag, I found out that it was exactly 23 kilograms which is the limit - talk about luck!
I straightened up my room a bit and threw out some things I'm not taking back to the US. Then, at 6:00 PM our "IES Farewell Dinner" began. It started off with the screening of the two movies that our film class made in front of an audience of our peers. As director, I introduced one of the films. I think the students liked our film - it is kind of funny watching people you know on screen acting as people they are not!
Then, the two people who run our program gave out four awards to the student body - Best Comprehension of the Italian Culture, Most Motivated, Most Inspiring, and Best Full Year Student. I won the "Most Inspiring" Award. I was completely surprised! The director of the program, Octavio, said that he got a call two years ago from Penn State saying that they had a student who was determined to study abroad in Italy. Octavio also mentioned that I made it clear that I was going to have the time of my life over the past four months. He commended me for my rigorous travel schedule and also said that I was not ready to go home, which was true! The award came with an Amazon.com gift card as well.
After the award ceremony, we had a dinner on the school's terrace. The buffet was absolutely amazing. I filled my plate to the brim!
Then, we all started making rounds to say bye to everyone which was kind of premature because everyone met up late last night at one of the favorite hang outs for students. I stayed out until about 12:15 AM before calling it quits. It took me a good half hour to make my rounds and say my final good bye to everyone. I have met so many people over here that I think I will stay in touch with when I get back to America. I already have a few people from other Big Ten schools coming out to Penn State football games.
It was bittersweet night last night in Rome. Pretty much all of the students had flights out of Rome early this morning - I was only one of a few students who is staying late.
Showing posts with label Dinner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dinner. Show all posts
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Croatia
Ciao Tutti,
I am on my way back from Croatia and the Dalmatian Coast. I had a great time this weekend and met a lot of cool people.
We arrived at around 7:30 AM on Friday after a ten hour bus ride from Florence. The bus was really uncomfortable and had no legroom. I only got 2 or 3 hours of sleep.
When we arrived, we immediately went to our hostel to eat breakfast. It came with two slices of cheese, two slices of meat, tomatoes, bread, and coffee. It was good, but not very filling.
After breakfast, I met up with a few people and we walked around Split. The downtown area is very small and quaint, but it has a lot of history. 1700 years ago, the Roman emperor, Diocletian, built his retirement palace in Split. The town was built around and even inside his palace. There were stores and restaurants on the ground levels of his palace. It was a very cool concept.
After about an hour, we met back up with the rest of our group to go white water rafting. I had been looking forward to going white water rafting since I booked this trip a little over a month and a half ago. I have always wanted to try it - doing it in Croatia was just icing on the cake!
We met our rafting tour leader and hopped on a bus for a 45 minute bus ride to the river. Our guide, Stephon, gave us a tour of the important things we passed like a pirate's fort. When we got there, we changed into wet suits (like scuba diving suits) and got waterproof socks, life vests, and helmets. After putting our sneakers back on, we divided into four teams. Our raft guide was the owner of the company, Stephon. Then, we got in our raft and got a crash course in white water rafting.
We had a blast. We rafted 30 kilometers down the river over the course of two and a half hours, went swimming, found fresh mint plants, submerged ourselves under a waterfall and drank it's fresh water, and they went cliff diving! We rafted up to a level three rapid (out of six levels). Our raft guide was great and told us all about Croatia. It is truly an experience I will remember for the rest of my life!
We got back to our hostel at around 6:00 PM and checked into our rooms. It was a very nice hostel and reminded me a lot of the hostel I stayed in in Paris - each bed had a privacy curtain on it.
After I changed, I met up with a few people for dinner. We went to an Italian restaurant (as if I don't eat enough Italian already) and I had tortellini in a cream sauce. It was really good!
The next morning, Bus2Alps arranged for a day on a boat to the island of Brac with lunch on the boat. We met at 10:15 AM and were on the boat by 10:30 AM. The boat had two floors, so we all climbed the ladder to the top floor to enjoy the ride - it was a cold trip! We got into Brac at noon and waked around until 1:30 PM. We went souvenir shopping, saw the beach, and went to a cemetery that had a mausoleum that looked like an ice cream cone. Then, we went back to the boat to eat our lunch. I had chicken, but we also had a fish option, too. After lunch, we went back onto the island to explore a bit more. At 3:00 PM, we left Brac and went back to Split.
We arrived in Split at around 4:00 PM. After changing at my hostel, I met up with two of the guys I met in Rome studying in Alicante and we walked around Split for a bit more. We found a really cheap sweets shop and I had a cup of Chocolate Mousse for the equivalent of $1.80 US!
At 7:15 PM, Bus2Alps arranged for a free bus to the island of Trogir which is known for good food. We stumbled upon a restaurant that had a four course meal for the equivalent of $14 US. We had a beef broth soup, salad, marinated beef with gnocchi, and a crepe with jam. It was so good!
Then, we went back to our hostel, packed, showered, and fell asleep. I woke up this morning at 7:45 AM to eat breakfast and catch out 8:45 AM bus back to Florence. We will have about a one to two hour layover in Florence and get back to Rome at around 11:30 PM.
This week is going to be awesome. Tomorrow night, I'm going to see one of Rome's two soccer teams play to keep their playoff fate under their control. Tuesday night, a few people from my Italian class, film class, and two Italian teachers are going to see a new movie by an Italian filmmaker, Nanni Moretti, and eat dinner afterwards. It should be fun!
Ciao,
Mike
I am on my way back from Croatia and the Dalmatian Coast. I had a great time this weekend and met a lot of cool people.
We arrived at around 7:30 AM on Friday after a ten hour bus ride from Florence. The bus was really uncomfortable and had no legroom. I only got 2 or 3 hours of sleep.
When we arrived, we immediately went to our hostel to eat breakfast. It came with two slices of cheese, two slices of meat, tomatoes, bread, and coffee. It was good, but not very filling.
After breakfast, I met up with a few people and we walked around Split. The downtown area is very small and quaint, but it has a lot of history. 1700 years ago, the Roman emperor, Diocletian, built his retirement palace in Split. The town was built around and even inside his palace. There were stores and restaurants on the ground levels of his palace. It was a very cool concept.
 |
| One of the gates to his palace |
 |
| I met Jesus Christ! He even let me take a picture with him during the Last Supper. |
 |
| The oldest bell tower in Europe |
After about an hour, we met back up with the rest of our group to go white water rafting. I had been looking forward to going white water rafting since I booked this trip a little over a month and a half ago. I have always wanted to try it - doing it in Croatia was just icing on the cake!
We met our rafting tour leader and hopped on a bus for a 45 minute bus ride to the river. Our guide, Stephon, gave us a tour of the important things we passed like a pirate's fort. When we got there, we changed into wet suits (like scuba diving suits) and got waterproof socks, life vests, and helmets. After putting our sneakers back on, we divided into four teams. Our raft guide was the owner of the company, Stephon. Then, we got in our raft and got a crash course in white water rafting.
We had a blast. We rafted 30 kilometers down the river over the course of two and a half hours, went swimming, found fresh mint plants, submerged ourselves under a waterfall and drank it's fresh water, and they went cliff diving! We rafted up to a level three rapid (out of six levels). Our raft guide was great and told us all about Croatia. It is truly an experience I will remember for the rest of my life!
We got back to our hostel at around 6:00 PM and checked into our rooms. It was a very nice hostel and reminded me a lot of the hostel I stayed in in Paris - each bed had a privacy curtain on it.
After I changed, I met up with a few people for dinner. We went to an Italian restaurant (as if I don't eat enough Italian already) and I had tortellini in a cream sauce. It was really good!
The next morning, Bus2Alps arranged for a day on a boat to the island of Brac with lunch on the boat. We met at 10:15 AM and were on the boat by 10:30 AM. The boat had two floors, so we all climbed the ladder to the top floor to enjoy the ride - it was a cold trip! We got into Brac at noon and waked around until 1:30 PM. We went souvenir shopping, saw the beach, and went to a cemetery that had a mausoleum that looked like an ice cream cone. Then, we went back to the boat to eat our lunch. I had chicken, but we also had a fish option, too. After lunch, we went back onto the island to explore a bit more. At 3:00 PM, we left Brac and went back to Split.
We arrived in Split at around 4:00 PM. After changing at my hostel, I met up with two of the guys I met in Rome studying in Alicante and we walked around Split for a bit more. We found a really cheap sweets shop and I had a cup of Chocolate Mousse for the equivalent of $1.80 US!
At 7:15 PM, Bus2Alps arranged for a free bus to the island of Trogir which is known for good food. We stumbled upon a restaurant that had a four course meal for the equivalent of $14 US. We had a beef broth soup, salad, marinated beef with gnocchi, and a crepe with jam. It was so good!
Then, we went back to our hostel, packed, showered, and fell asleep. I woke up this morning at 7:45 AM to eat breakfast and catch out 8:45 AM bus back to Florence. We will have about a one to two hour layover in Florence and get back to Rome at around 11:30 PM.
This week is going to be awesome. Tomorrow night, I'm going to see one of Rome's two soccer teams play to keep their playoff fate under their control. Tuesday night, a few people from my Italian class, film class, and two Italian teachers are going to see a new movie by an Italian filmmaker, Nanni Moretti, and eat dinner afterwards. It should be fun!
Ciao,
Mike
Thursday, April 14, 2011
This Week
Ciao Tutti,
This week was pretty uneventful, but fun. Monday was a long day. I had three classes and got an exam back. I did well and now I am just waiting on one more exam grade. Monday night, my school sponsored a food workshop by an organic food organization, SLOW food. We learned about different types of cheese and salami - how they are made, where they are made, and got to taste it all. It was only €10 and well worth it. Another plus was that the presentation was in Italian, so I was able to continue to improve my Italian by listening to a different type of lecture!
On Tuesday, we had a field study for my architecture class to see churches on a three block stretch populous with churches. We saw six churches within an hour and a half - that's what I call efficiency. We even went down a spiral staircase in one of them and saw the crypt. It was really creepy.
Tuesday afternoon, I had my film class. The scene I am shooting was moved up to next Tuesday, so we spent the majority of the class rehearsing and staging my scene. It was fun, but a lot of work. I can't wait to try my hands at directing on Tuesday!
Tuesday night, I met up with a few friends to eat at an amazing restaurant in Monteverde called "La Gatta Magiona.". It was really good. The pizza was pretty good. We each got a huge pie and shared a litre of wine for €9. Not too bad.
Wednesday was my last "real" day of class. I had three classes - two of which were not even lectures. In my Memory and Conflict class, we had a guest speaker, Alessandro Portelli, come in. He single handedly revolutionized the field of oral history. This pertained to our class because our project is to write and produce an oral documentary on the gypsies of Rome. Alessandro Portelli told us some stories about his field work and gave us advice that he felt could help us as we complete our project.
In our Italian class on Wednesday, we watched a movie called "Le Fate Ignorante.". It was a very strange and corny movie about a wife who's husband is fatally hit by a car. When she is going through his things, she finds out he was married to a man at the same time he was married to her. It was your typical Hollywood movie with your typical Hollywood ending.
Wednesday night, Zach, my apartment-mate, and I went out to dinner with one of our friends, Tahli, who had friends in from New Castle, England. We went to a restaurant called "Da Tonino" which is 5 minutes from our apartment. It was really good and really cheap. I had Pasta all'Arrabiata and tried rabbit for the first time in my life. It is actually true what they say - it tastes just like chicken.
On Thursday, I only had my Italian class, but we cooked instead. Some students in our class cooked gnocchi from scratch while others cooked polpette. My group cooked tiramisu. I was responsible for whipping the egg whites into cream. It was a lot of work, but all the food turned out great and we enjoyed eating the fruits of our labor.
Thursday night, we met up with Tahli and her friends again for another cheap dinner at my favorite restaurant in Rome, Monte Carlo Pizzeria. I had a pizza pie and a potato croquette. It was phenomenal.
I'm on my way to the Amalfi Coast now. It's another trip sponsored by my trip where we'll go to Pompeii, Sorrento, Ravello, Amalfi, Positano, and Naples. It should be fun!
Ciao,
Michael
This week was pretty uneventful, but fun. Monday was a long day. I had three classes and got an exam back. I did well and now I am just waiting on one more exam grade. Monday night, my school sponsored a food workshop by an organic food organization, SLOW food. We learned about different types of cheese and salami - how they are made, where they are made, and got to taste it all. It was only €10 and well worth it. Another plus was that the presentation was in Italian, so I was able to continue to improve my Italian by listening to a different type of lecture!
 | |
| The Buffet at the Workshop |
On Tuesday, we had a field study for my architecture class to see churches on a three block stretch populous with churches. We saw six churches within an hour and a half - that's what I call efficiency. We even went down a spiral staircase in one of them and saw the crypt. It was really creepy.
Tuesday afternoon, I had my film class. The scene I am shooting was moved up to next Tuesday, so we spent the majority of the class rehearsing and staging my scene. It was fun, but a lot of work. I can't wait to try my hands at directing on Tuesday!
Tuesday night, I met up with a few friends to eat at an amazing restaurant in Monteverde called "La Gatta Magiona.". It was really good. The pizza was pretty good. We each got a huge pie and shared a litre of wine for €9. Not too bad.
 |
| Pizza |
Wednesday was my last "real" day of class. I had three classes - two of which were not even lectures. In my Memory and Conflict class, we had a guest speaker, Alessandro Portelli, come in. He single handedly revolutionized the field of oral history. This pertained to our class because our project is to write and produce an oral documentary on the gypsies of Rome. Alessandro Portelli told us some stories about his field work and gave us advice that he felt could help us as we complete our project.
In our Italian class on Wednesday, we watched a movie called "Le Fate Ignorante.". It was a very strange and corny movie about a wife who's husband is fatally hit by a car. When she is going through his things, she finds out he was married to a man at the same time he was married to her. It was your typical Hollywood movie with your typical Hollywood ending.
Wednesday night, Zach, my apartment-mate, and I went out to dinner with one of our friends, Tahli, who had friends in from New Castle, England. We went to a restaurant called "Da Tonino" which is 5 minutes from our apartment. It was really good and really cheap. I had Pasta all'Arrabiata and tried rabbit for the first time in my life. It is actually true what they say - it tastes just like chicken.
 |
| Rabbit |
On Thursday, I only had my Italian class, but we cooked instead. Some students in our class cooked gnocchi from scratch while others cooked polpette. My group cooked tiramisu. I was responsible for whipping the egg whites into cream. It was a lot of work, but all the food turned out great and we enjoyed eating the fruits of our labor.
 |
| The egg whites - my baby |
 |
| Tirimisu |
 |
| Polpette |
 |
| Gnocchi |
 |
| It was fun! |
Thursday night, we met up with Tahli and her friends again for another cheap dinner at my favorite restaurant in Rome, Monte Carlo Pizzeria. I had a pizza pie and a potato croquette. It was phenomenal.
I'm on my way to the Amalfi Coast now. It's another trip sponsored by my trip where we'll go to Pompeii, Sorrento, Ravello, Amalfi, Positano, and Naples. It should be fun!
Ciao,
Michael
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Short Week
Ciao Tutti,
I have finally caught up with this blog and posting all my pictures in the below posts (as promised). I have also put all my pictures up from my Spring Break trip - you can find them on the right sidebar.
I got back to Rome on Monday night around 9:00 PM. I flew into the main airport in Rome - Fiumicino. Normally a taxi ride from the airport to the city center costs 40 Euro, but there is a train that takes you to the main train station in Rome for 14 Euro. Given that I had a suitcase with me and the train was not an option, I explored a different method of transportation. I found a shuttle bus that drops you off right at your apartment or hotel for only 18 Euros. It worked great. I arrived and waited for about 20 minutes, then the bus driver came and got my suitcase and put it in the van. I was the second person he dropped off and was at my apartment by 10:15 PM. Not too shabby.
When I arrived, my ISC, Silvio, was entertaining a few guests for a dinner party. There is no better way to start speaking Italian again after a week of speaking bits and pieces of other languages than to start talking to a group of Italians over dinner! Baptism by fire - and it worked. By the end of the meal, I was back in Italian mode. The meal consisted of very good pasta and something I have never tried before - liver. If I was back in the States I never would have tried it, but I am a bit more open minded while I am abroad and see everything as an experience. It honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It tasted like meat, but kind of crumbled once you put it in your mouth. It is not something I would ever make for myself or order at a restaurant, but is something I would eat if it was placed in front of me at an event or a business meeting.
On Tuesday, we had a field study for my architecture class at Saint Peter's Cathedral. Unfortunately, my iPad alarm did not adjust itself from London time and I was 20 minutes late to class. Fortunately, I was able to go through the line for people with disabilities and missed absolutely nothing! The field study was great in that it was an excuse to go into Saint Peter's Basilica again, but I did not learn a lot. I already knew most of what my teacher said from my audio tour of the Basilica I downloaded from Rick Steve's website. I'm still not complaining - who can say they went to class in Saint Peter's Basilica. That is something special that only a student studying in Rome can say!
Tuesday afternoon, I had my first three hour long class for film (it used to meet for two hours on Tuesday and one hour on Thursday, but now we meet three hours on Tuesday). It was pretty productive. We got our midterm grades back - I got a 95. I think I'm on pace for an A in that class. Our class is remaking two scenes from the movies we saw. I am directing one of the scenes and am filming the "behind the scenes" of the other. The scene I am directing is from "Caterina va in Citta" or "Caterina and the Big City" which was directed by Paolo Virzi. I had an hour of the class to describe my vision for the scene to the rest of the class, cast the scene, and do a few dry runs. I think it is going to come out very well.
Tuesday night, I fell asleep very early as all my traveling finally caught up to me.
Wednesday morning, we had a field study for my Italy and the European Union class at the Italian Crisis Unit. We basically got a tour of the department responsible for extracting Italian nationals from other countries when disaster strikes. It was pretty cool as their office reminded me of what we see in spy movies.
Wednesday afternoon, I had my Memory and Conflict class. We started off with getting our midterm grades back - I one-upped my film grade and got a 96. I was very happy with this. We then discussed the readings that were assigned to us over Spring Break. They were about the "Roma People" or people who migrated from India to Europe about 1000 years ago and are living a nomadic life. They are more well known as gypsies. For the second half of the semester, our class is going to make an oral documentary about their story. It should be an interesting project.
Wednesday night, I again fell asleep very early as I was still exhausted.
Thursday, I did not have class until 4:30 PM. I woke up at 10:45 AM and went to the store to recharge my iPad's 3G data package. Afterwards, I went and worked on the scene I am directing for my film class. I needed to edit my script and start working on a list of shots I need for the scene when we shoot in three weeks. It is starting to come along. Next week, I will sit down with my cinematographer and assistant director and get them on the same page. It is a lot of work, but is really fun and I am learning a lot more about film. I also think this experience will make me appreciate film better.
Thursday night, we went out to dinner with a few people from our program. They had a nostalgia for American food, so we went to an Irish pub for hamburgers and french fries. They were pretty good.
Tomorrow, I am going to Venice for the weekend with my program. They put together quite a good itinerary, so it should be a great trip. I'll post soon!
Ciao,
Michael
I have finally caught up with this blog and posting all my pictures in the below posts (as promised). I have also put all my pictures up from my Spring Break trip - you can find them on the right sidebar.
I got back to Rome on Monday night around 9:00 PM. I flew into the main airport in Rome - Fiumicino. Normally a taxi ride from the airport to the city center costs 40 Euro, but there is a train that takes you to the main train station in Rome for 14 Euro. Given that I had a suitcase with me and the train was not an option, I explored a different method of transportation. I found a shuttle bus that drops you off right at your apartment or hotel for only 18 Euros. It worked great. I arrived and waited for about 20 minutes, then the bus driver came and got my suitcase and put it in the van. I was the second person he dropped off and was at my apartment by 10:15 PM. Not too shabby.
When I arrived, my ISC, Silvio, was entertaining a few guests for a dinner party. There is no better way to start speaking Italian again after a week of speaking bits and pieces of other languages than to start talking to a group of Italians over dinner! Baptism by fire - and it worked. By the end of the meal, I was back in Italian mode. The meal consisted of very good pasta and something I have never tried before - liver. If I was back in the States I never would have tried it, but I am a bit more open minded while I am abroad and see everything as an experience. It honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It tasted like meat, but kind of crumbled once you put it in your mouth. It is not something I would ever make for myself or order at a restaurant, but is something I would eat if it was placed in front of me at an event or a business meeting.
On Tuesday, we had a field study for my architecture class at Saint Peter's Cathedral. Unfortunately, my iPad alarm did not adjust itself from London time and I was 20 minutes late to class. Fortunately, I was able to go through the line for people with disabilities and missed absolutely nothing! The field study was great in that it was an excuse to go into Saint Peter's Basilica again, but I did not learn a lot. I already knew most of what my teacher said from my audio tour of the Basilica I downloaded from Rick Steve's website. I'm still not complaining - who can say they went to class in Saint Peter's Basilica. That is something special that only a student studying in Rome can say!
Tuesday afternoon, I had my first three hour long class for film (it used to meet for two hours on Tuesday and one hour on Thursday, but now we meet three hours on Tuesday). It was pretty productive. We got our midterm grades back - I got a 95. I think I'm on pace for an A in that class. Our class is remaking two scenes from the movies we saw. I am directing one of the scenes and am filming the "behind the scenes" of the other. The scene I am directing is from "Caterina va in Citta" or "Caterina and the Big City" which was directed by Paolo Virzi. I had an hour of the class to describe my vision for the scene to the rest of the class, cast the scene, and do a few dry runs. I think it is going to come out very well.
Tuesday night, I fell asleep very early as all my traveling finally caught up to me.
Wednesday morning, we had a field study for my Italy and the European Union class at the Italian Crisis Unit. We basically got a tour of the department responsible for extracting Italian nationals from other countries when disaster strikes. It was pretty cool as their office reminded me of what we see in spy movies.
Wednesday afternoon, I had my Memory and Conflict class. We started off with getting our midterm grades back - I one-upped my film grade and got a 96. I was very happy with this. We then discussed the readings that were assigned to us over Spring Break. They were about the "Roma People" or people who migrated from India to Europe about 1000 years ago and are living a nomadic life. They are more well known as gypsies. For the second half of the semester, our class is going to make an oral documentary about their story. It should be an interesting project.
Wednesday night, I again fell asleep very early as I was still exhausted.
Thursday, I did not have class until 4:30 PM. I woke up at 10:45 AM and went to the store to recharge my iPad's 3G data package. Afterwards, I went and worked on the scene I am directing for my film class. I needed to edit my script and start working on a list of shots I need for the scene when we shoot in three weeks. It is starting to come along. Next week, I will sit down with my cinematographer and assistant director and get them on the same page. It is a lot of work, but is really fun and I am learning a lot more about film. I also think this experience will make me appreciate film better.
Thursday night, we went out to dinner with a few people from our program. They had a nostalgia for American food, so we went to an Irish pub for hamburgers and french fries. They were pretty good.
Tomorrow, I am going to Venice for the weekend with my program. They put together quite a good itinerary, so it should be a great trip. I'll post soon!
Ciao,
Michael
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