Sundays are nice because they are the one day that SIS doesn't have anything planned for us. Therefore, I can sleep in and relax. I can finish any weekend homework and go out for hot chocolate and pastries with friends. Overall, Sundays are great. This Sunday was particularly nice because a couple Italian student who are friends of SIS have started a thing where they plan different activities or trips to show us around and just have fun. This past Sunday was the first time for a get together. We went to a nice bar and had sandwiches for lunch. Then they showed us around the city and some great places for food, chocolate, and other things. We also went to Il Chiesa Santa Doeminca which is a very large and famous Catholic church in Siena. What is its claim to fame? I'm glad you asked!
A long time ago, there was a women known as Saint Catherine. She lived in Siena and wanted very much to get closer to God. She decided that starvation was the key and began eating almost nothing. They say that she was even seen floating around the city. I guess when you don't eat you become light enough to float through Siena. Anyways, she eventually died of starvation. Being a Saint, she was a very important women and also very famous. She was born in Florence, but lived most of her life in Siena so the two cities fought over who deserved her body. Some how in the process her head "fell off" and now her head is on display at the church along with her thumb and few of her belongings. Florence eventually got the rest of her body. The church is large and very beautiful with plenty of history and gorgeous paintings and ornate art. Very much worth checking out because who wouldn't want to see a centries old head and thumb along side art?
After our little excursion through the city, we went to this place called the Tea Room, where they make every kind of tea imaginable and you get your own pretty tea cup and tea pot. They also serve desserts and cakes. I don't like cake but I very much enjoyed my cake. It is such a cute little place and they have the coolest decorations.
Overall, it was a lovely day with a nice change of pace. I thinking I'm going to have to go back for more cake at the tea room!
-Cori
Monday, January 26, 2015
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Saturday of Serive Italian Style
Today, I was given the opportunity to participate in a service activity where we would go as a group and help clean up a section of the wall where they are going to put in a walking path. If you don't know, Siena being a very old city, is surround by a wall that used to protect it from invaders. Even though it is a city, there is a huge green space in the middle of it that was originally used in case the city was surround and they needed to grow their own food, but now it is just a small farm run by a family. We were given the opportunity to enter in it and it was beautiful. Not only were we close to the wall, but we also got to see other buildings not to mention I hadn't seen or touched grass for so long. One of our program leaders even showed us a special entrance in/out of the wall where they used to run water out to people who lived outside the walls, but the could also use it as an entrance. It was mostly gated up, but a few of us decided to go through it and it was so worth it. Unfortunately, I hadn't brought my camera because we were doing service and I didn't want it to get broken, but other people did so I will show you once they post those pictures.
As for the service, we had to clear the wall of bamboo and another type of reed plant. They gave a few of us knives and literally we cleared our area in like 15 minutes flat. We couldn't take down the bamboo, but there were people there who had chain saws and we would just clear it out as they were cut down. Then we could explore the land a little bit and that's where going through the gate comes in.
After that my roommate and I had lunch in the Piazza del Campo (which is the biggest and most famous plaza in Siena). You actually aren't allowed to sit down in the piazza, but most of the time the cops don't care. Then we went home and changed and explored the city a little bit. We hung out at a café for a little bit and enjoyed coffee and pastries. The pastries here are seriously wonderful pillows of sweetness. The hot chocolate here is thick, creamy, and almost pudding consistency which is wonderful. If you come to Italy, order cioccolate calda!!! We also found this really nice look out spot on the edge of the wall that looks out over Tuscan landscape on out city adventure. It is a spot I'm going to have to remember for relaxing when the weather gets warmer.
-Cori
As for the service, we had to clear the wall of bamboo and another type of reed plant. They gave a few of us knives and literally we cleared our area in like 15 minutes flat. We couldn't take down the bamboo, but there were people there who had chain saws and we would just clear it out as they were cut down. Then we could explore the land a little bit and that's where going through the gate comes in.
After that my roommate and I had lunch in the Piazza del Campo (which is the biggest and most famous plaza in Siena). You actually aren't allowed to sit down in the piazza, but most of the time the cops don't care. Then we went home and changed and explored the city a little bit. We hung out at a café for a little bit and enjoyed coffee and pastries. The pastries here are seriously wonderful pillows of sweetness. The hot chocolate here is thick, creamy, and almost pudding consistency which is wonderful. If you come to Italy, order cioccolate calda!!! We also found this really nice look out spot on the edge of the wall that looks out over Tuscan landscape on out city adventure. It is a spot I'm going to have to remember for relaxing when the weather gets warmer.
-Cori
My First Weeks in Italy
To start of my first week in Siena, we had an orientation where they tested our language ability, talked to us about the city, showed us the important places, and gave us a short run down of how the net few weeks would be. The first part of the program is intensive language classes for the first three weeks. I normally have Italian class about 5 hours a day with home work at night and tests on Friday. Although Italian class is really long, our teacher Fiora gives us plenty of breaks and she is super nice and very helpful. She answers all of our questions and has a great sense of humor. I feel like I am learning so much so quickly and I can already communicate a little better. It has been hard reverting back to the "toddler" stage of not being able to communicate with the people around me, but I'm excited that I can see the improvements.
Our teacher also has had us to projects where we have to answer questions on a worksheet that are written in Italian where we have to write in Italian and occasionally ask locals for help. There are super awkward because not only are people staring at us because we are running around the city writing things on paper, but then we also don't speak Italian well and it gets even worse. One time we had to go to this store and describe it and what it sells and such and who I think was the manager came up to us and as like "What are you guys doing?" and one of my classmates had to explain to him that we were doing a school assignment and he was okay after that.
This past Friday was a great day. To start off we had our first Italian exam which I was super scared about, but I'm pretty sure I did really well. Then, my class and the high level class went to a beautiful museum called Santa Maria della Scala which used to be a hospital since the early times of the city. The art work that is there is amazing and there is one room where the artist painted the history of the place on the walls. Plus it has a section about the history of the Cantradas which was awesome to see. It is definitely something you should check out of you come to Siena. I learned so much from that museum. Then as away to relax after a rough two weeks of hard work in our Italian classes and adjusting to a new way of life, we went to the Terme which is a thermal bath where they pump water from a natural hot springs into a pool and it was wonderful. The water was so warm and it was nice to just sit and enjoy the company of others. The water also made my skin so smooth from all the natural minerals dissolved in the water. The only down side is that the sulfur smell is very strong.
The fourth day of our trip we went on a little hike around the city and they showed us some of the different buildings and architecture. One important thing to know about Siena is that they are very much into Il Palio or horse racing. They race on July 2nd and August 16th every year since like 1200 AD and it is a huge deal. There are 17 neighborhoods or Contradas and each one has an animal that represents a neighborhood. Each neighborhood also has a museum where they display their trophies which are amazing works of art done from all different artists from all over the world. Each neighborhood also has a fountain that is supplies from underground pockets of water that the city has been using since early in their history and these fountains still run today without any help from machinery. We also saw churches and were shown the importance of the names of streets. The city has tried to keep the look of how it did back during the reissuance and so the street names are usually named after what kind of stores or services were on that street.
I also started the (long) process of getting my permission to stay ID. I went at my scheduled time to the post office and dropped off my documents and signed some papers and now I have to wait for my appointment at the police office where I begin to finalize all the paper work. So. Much. Paperwork...
In my free time, I have explored the city with friends and eaten a lot of wonderful food. I don't think I will ever be able to eat any food in the US again because the quality and taste of the food here is so good. Plus, a bottle of good wine is like 5 euros and a great bottle of wine is like 9 euros. I have gone out a few times with friends. We mostly just go to bars or sit in the Piazza del Campo and hang out. I haven't met a lot of Italians yet but there is still plenty of time for that. Everyone here is really nice and they are pretty understanding that our language skills aren't very established yet. There isn't a whole lot to do here, but there is so much to look at. Every street is just so beautiful and picturesque. I love just being able to walk around the city and finding new architecture to look at. Everything is so ornate and there are so many crests all over the city. I have also found plenty of laces to look out over the Tuscan landscape and just stand in awe of its beauty. The only struggle of living in the city is the hills. I come from Northeast Ohio, which as my Pittsburgh friend complains about, we have rather flat land which is great for farming and such, but it does not prepare you for walking up and down the hills. Even after two weeks I am still struggling with this. I'm hoping my body will adjust soon and be able to walk around the city without huffing and puffing. As of right now, the struggle is real!!!
My host family is really great. They have been very helpful and they cook delicious food. It is nice to sit down for dinner around the table with my family and roommate and we just talk. My roommate, Melissa, and I get along really well and we clicked since the first day we met. I can say that we are pretty different people, but we work really well together and hangout often. We have taken to this one show that comes on after dinner that is similar to Deal or No Deal except with boxes and a lot more suspense. The show host also talks a lot and is very animated and it is very helpful with learning Italian. My host parents even watch it with us even though dinner is over. Overall, coming home is enjoyable and relaxing.
So far my experience has been really rewarding and exciting. My group is great and we all mesh very well together. I am really enjoying the city, the food, the people, and the language. Stay tuned for future posts of my adventure in Italy and thanks for reading!
-Cori
La Chiesa Santa Domenica
The giant annoyingly long hill I have to climb up every day after school. :(
I found a quatrefoil.
Panorama of Siena and the Tuscan countyside.
The Tuscan countryside.
Siena with a beautiful cloud over top of it.
A panorama of The Duomo
The front of the Duomo
My roommate Melissa and I at the Duomo.
Our teacher also has had us to projects where we have to answer questions on a worksheet that are written in Italian where we have to write in Italian and occasionally ask locals for help. There are super awkward because not only are people staring at us because we are running around the city writing things on paper, but then we also don't speak Italian well and it gets even worse. One time we had to go to this store and describe it and what it sells and such and who I think was the manager came up to us and as like "What are you guys doing?" and one of my classmates had to explain to him that we were doing a school assignment and he was okay after that.
This past Friday was a great day. To start off we had our first Italian exam which I was super scared about, but I'm pretty sure I did really well. Then, my class and the high level class went to a beautiful museum called Santa Maria della Scala which used to be a hospital since the early times of the city. The art work that is there is amazing and there is one room where the artist painted the history of the place on the walls. Plus it has a section about the history of the Cantradas which was awesome to see. It is definitely something you should check out of you come to Siena. I learned so much from that museum. Then as away to relax after a rough two weeks of hard work in our Italian classes and adjusting to a new way of life, we went to the Terme which is a thermal bath where they pump water from a natural hot springs into a pool and it was wonderful. The water was so warm and it was nice to just sit and enjoy the company of others. The water also made my skin so smooth from all the natural minerals dissolved in the water. The only down side is that the sulfur smell is very strong.
The fourth day of our trip we went on a little hike around the city and they showed us some of the different buildings and architecture. One important thing to know about Siena is that they are very much into Il Palio or horse racing. They race on July 2nd and August 16th every year since like 1200 AD and it is a huge deal. There are 17 neighborhoods or Contradas and each one has an animal that represents a neighborhood. Each neighborhood also has a museum where they display their trophies which are amazing works of art done from all different artists from all over the world. Each neighborhood also has a fountain that is supplies from underground pockets of water that the city has been using since early in their history and these fountains still run today without any help from machinery. We also saw churches and were shown the importance of the names of streets. The city has tried to keep the look of how it did back during the reissuance and so the street names are usually named after what kind of stores or services were on that street.
I also started the (long) process of getting my permission to stay ID. I went at my scheduled time to the post office and dropped off my documents and signed some papers and now I have to wait for my appointment at the police office where I begin to finalize all the paper work. So. Much. Paperwork...
In my free time, I have explored the city with friends and eaten a lot of wonderful food. I don't think I will ever be able to eat any food in the US again because the quality and taste of the food here is so good. Plus, a bottle of good wine is like 5 euros and a great bottle of wine is like 9 euros. I have gone out a few times with friends. We mostly just go to bars or sit in the Piazza del Campo and hang out. I haven't met a lot of Italians yet but there is still plenty of time for that. Everyone here is really nice and they are pretty understanding that our language skills aren't very established yet. There isn't a whole lot to do here, but there is so much to look at. Every street is just so beautiful and picturesque. I love just being able to walk around the city and finding new architecture to look at. Everything is so ornate and there are so many crests all over the city. I have also found plenty of laces to look out over the Tuscan landscape and just stand in awe of its beauty. The only struggle of living in the city is the hills. I come from Northeast Ohio, which as my Pittsburgh friend complains about, we have rather flat land which is great for farming and such, but it does not prepare you for walking up and down the hills. Even after two weeks I am still struggling with this. I'm hoping my body will adjust soon and be able to walk around the city without huffing and puffing. As of right now, the struggle is real!!!
My host family is really great. They have been very helpful and they cook delicious food. It is nice to sit down for dinner around the table with my family and roommate and we just talk. My roommate, Melissa, and I get along really well and we clicked since the first day we met. I can say that we are pretty different people, but we work really well together and hangout often. We have taken to this one show that comes on after dinner that is similar to Deal or No Deal except with boxes and a lot more suspense. The show host also talks a lot and is very animated and it is very helpful with learning Italian. My host parents even watch it with us even though dinner is over. Overall, coming home is enjoyable and relaxing.
So far my experience has been really rewarding and exciting. My group is great and we all mesh very well together. I am really enjoying the city, the food, the people, and the language. Stay tuned for future posts of my adventure in Italy and thanks for reading!
-Cori
My roommate Melissa and I at the Duomo.Wednesday, January 14, 2015
My First Day
So I arrived safely in Italy after a long and stressful flight over. To start off my trip, Ohio decided it wanted to rain down ice during the drive to the airport. Unfortunately, this caused my first flight to be delayed and made me late for my connection to New York. So I had to run from the Terminal to New York and get my tickets for my international flight. Thank goodness that flight was also delayed enough that u had plenty of time to make it. Then I was all prepared for the flight to be cold, but it was so hot and they had blankets on the plane. So I carried that extra weight for nothing.
When I arrived in Italy, everything went smoothly from there. It was another 2 hours from the airport to which I enjoyed the beautiful countryside. When we arrived in Siena, we got our host families and went home with them. I have a host dad, mom, and two brothers that are both older. I also have a roommate from my program. We get along really well, which is really great. My family lives right in the center of the city and so I can walk everywhere.
I have to say the Siena is the most beautiful city I have ever seen. It is literally like all the pictures of Italy you see. The only down side is walking up the hills and my school happens to be at the bottom of this huge which I have to walk up.
Italian is going really well. My Portuguese background has really helped with understanding, but speaking and writing could use some work. I start Italian classes tomorrow as well as finish up our there day orientation.
I have met so many people today. Everyone from our program was at the school today and there is a total of 50 of us in the program which is a lot of people when you put us all together. So far the people seem really great and I have made a lot of friends. I'm excited for the adventures to come.
- Cori
This a really beautiful church that I see as I walk to school.
This is the enormous hill that I have to walk up when classes are over. It is so steep and I'm so exhausted by the time I walk up it. Thank goodness I don't live that far from school.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Welcome to my Blog
Hello everyone,
My name is Cori and I will be studying abroad in Italy for a semester. I will be studying Italian as well as taking a few other classes and doing some service work. I will be living with a host family who I don't know yet and be traveling around Italy and Europe. This is not my first experience abroad. I lived in Brazil for 11 months before college, but I'm more than ready to experience a new culture. I am a middle childhood education student at Baldwin Wallace University. I like eating peanut butter, playing with my bunny, and hanging out with my friends and sorority sisters of Phi Mu. In this blog, I shall detail my adventures of studying abroad in Italy and showing you the awesomeness of studying abroad. There will be good times and bad, but I'm ready for it all. If you have any questions feel free to leave them below and I will answer them as soon as I can and comment as much as you like!
Thanks and have a wonderful day!
-Cori
My name is Cori and I will be studying abroad in Italy for a semester. I will be studying Italian as well as taking a few other classes and doing some service work. I will be living with a host family who I don't know yet and be traveling around Italy and Europe. This is not my first experience abroad. I lived in Brazil for 11 months before college, but I'm more than ready to experience a new culture. I am a middle childhood education student at Baldwin Wallace University. I like eating peanut butter, playing with my bunny, and hanging out with my friends and sorority sisters of Phi Mu. In this blog, I shall detail my adventures of studying abroad in Italy and showing you the awesomeness of studying abroad. There will be good times and bad, but I'm ready for it all. If you have any questions feel free to leave them below and I will answer them as soon as I can and comment as much as you like!
Thanks and have a wonderful day!
-Cori
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)