Uh.... Va Bene!

Today was the official start of classes. And guess what I did? I didn't go to class.
Fear not, dear readers! Your scholarly traveler has not abandoned her tiring studying habits! Lucky as this may sound, I simply didn't have any classes today.  It's true, no class on monday or friday. We're talking a four day weekend, EVERY WEEKEND. Oh excuse me, what's that at the door? Travel opportunities.

So today consisted of finding my classes in this winding city.  The roads here are totally different than my grid-like Tulsa, so this takes getting used to.  I found an American diner with my new amica, Laura Ann. Readers, do not think that your culinary epicurian has also abadoned her mission to taste all that is exotic and unfamiliar.  I just went to get information about the travel opportunities mentioned above. And a hearty breakfast. And a free mimosa.

Anyway, after that adventure, I experienced the most epic supermarket I've found since my arrival in Italia. Self-checkout! Fresh Fruit! 1.5 L Water Bottles For .15 Euro! And the BEST darn orange juice I've ever guzzled down.  SERIOUSLY. It's red orange juice, and it just changed my mind about fruit juice.
BUT downside to shopping in italy for food is that the preparation instructions are in italian. Crazy, I know. Totally caught me off guard.  So if anyone has a good way to cook lentils, please share your wisdom.  Because I really don't want to Google translate my way through a ultimately disappointing meal.

OH! In other news, we accidently stumbled across the magical chocolate place I found, and I tried some dark chocolate gelato and pistacio gelato.  SO DELICIOUS. Such a good chocolate fix for times when you just feel like nothing else matters in this life but getting chocolate.  Oh, no one else feels like that? oh. well then. sorry I shared that. this is awkward. This blog just got real personal. Uhhh... here's a picture of the gelato!

Anyway, a welcome dinner tonight for all LdM students is on the agenda for this evening.  Until then, dear readers!

Buon appetito!
Rachael

Oh you know, just ROME-ING around...

If you couldn't tell from my numerous status updates and my constant chatter, I went to Rome this past weekend. And I fell in love. With a city older than America. 

I mean seriously, we saw all the highlights- the Sistine Chapel, The Vatican, The Spanish Steps, the Catacombs, the The Colosseum, The Pantheon, the Forum, The Trevi Fountain, Gypsies, and the Trajan Column.  

Stuff I didn't expect but thorougly enjoyed? Paying .50 euro to pee in a museum.  Seeing an Italian man dressed up like a cowboy shoot a plastic pistol at me.  Seeing Italian women in cowboy boots.  Seeing a protest/religious rights group sing "Waka Waka" in Italian (a real treat, mind you).  Watching two girls on our excursion drink 6 glasses of wine at lunch and get shamelessly tipsy.  Meeting my roommate's long-lost cousin.  Our bus almost hitting a car.  Good times in Roma, y'all. 

Anyway, so the food situation was a real treat. I experienced my first gelato with a sampling of Hazlenut and something else that I couldn't pronounce or read. But it was pretty good. Maybe overpriced, but still satisfying. 

Now, the real culinary adventure came at lunch, a four course (that's right kids, FOUR. Definitely don't attempt unless your a professional) Roman Lunch.  Meal was as follows: 

Antipasti-- Roasted vegetables with a little bit of cheese.  Vegetables included onion (surprising yummmmy) , pepper, potato, squash.  Oh, and only the best bruschetta I've ever EVER tasted.  Ours is good, this is so much better. 

So this wasn't technically part of our meal, but they are fried vegetables.  SO GOOD.

Rigatoni with Pomodoro (Tomato sauce) with a smidgen of red pepper.   Putting this on my plate, they kept piling it on saying "MOLTO! MOLTO!!". Translation? MORE,MORE! SI SIGNORE!

Saltimbocca alla Romana- a veal cut in a sort of wine-sauce sage gravy type thing, and some roasted potatoes with olive oil and parsley. DIVINE. Oh, and that other meat on top? Prosciutto. Italian bacon. They use bacon like nobody's business. 

Questionable dessert here.  I asked the Waitor "Ce cos'e? " (what is this?) and I got Charlotte as my answer. Well whatever it was, Charlotte tasted like a non-coffee tiramisu. Interesting....

So there are the roman adventures! I'm writing another blog about today so as to not confuse the dear readers!  Part two comes soon! 

Buon Appetito! 

Rachael 

  

Exploring My City.. and jet lag recovery.

Planning to wake up at 8:00 and then really waking up at 11:30 would definitely classify as a fail.  But that's the reality that I was faced with today.  Anyway, today was amazing simply because of the amazing food I discovered (and that's a major part of this blog, right? The food! Mangia Mangia Mangia! NOM NOM NOM).  My two roomies and I simply set out and explore the city, only to discover a wonderful friendly cafe on our street, a delicious chocolate store, and a wonderful little shop with to-go food (but not like our to-go food!).  To make myself look a little less like a pig, I'd like to add that I walked up the Duomo today, and took amazing pictures, and did P90x.  So I earned my three tiny pieces of chocolate, thank you very much.

Ok, so now pictures of my finds!!

My dinner, consisting of delicious garlic chicken, and some salad with a salad dressing I'm still unsure of what it is.. but it tastes good, so yeah?

panino caprese... a slice of mozzarella, a leaf of lettuce, and a slice of tomato. Simple, Small, and So Good.

Chocolate! I tried one piece of the chili chocolate, one piece of balsamic vinegar, and one piece of hazelnut.  Hazelnut won, but all three are in good standing with me.  This place is right by some of my classes, so get used to pictures of this place. Just kidding! But seriously... 

Oh, and I totally ordered completely in italian at the chocolate place! SO even though I got off to a late start today, I found my way around Florence a lot, got one of my books, turned in some stuff, got some needed items at H+M, and went inside and on top of the Duomo.  Success at its finest! Now, this weekend in Rome will be crazy, and I have to get up at 5 tomorrow to catch my 6 o'clock train. Rome post to come... stay classy!

Buon Appetito! 

Rachael 

Florence! (Finally)

So, first time i've had internet since I left my small house in Oklahoma.  The trip here was complex, and of course full of tense and cheek-clenching moments. Let's begin, shall we?

Well of course, there is the dreaded and infamous drop-off at the daunting tulsa airport.  We ALL know who cried big time, but seriously, who can blame them? It was sad. I'm away, for a really long time, so its understandable. And no one followed me to the gate!! Good job Mom! Now is when the fun part begins.  I've compounded this party of a trip into segments with catchy titles. Clever, no?

Trippin' to Chicago: destination O'Fear airport

So this plane is smaller than expected, first sort of downside. And there is the fact that ya know I have to get assistance to put my baggage in the overhead compartment, so that's demeaning. And then, there are the children. Not just any children. The Children.   Oldest is a girl, around 4 at the oldest, and her "endearing" younger brother cannot be past 3.  I like kids, everyone knows that, but these children were vicious. THey would not sit down, not obey their mom, and would scream. AND moved around so much as to actually move the cabin. Ma'm, that turbulance you're experiencing? That's YOUR CHILDREN. And even more so, I hear momma (whose voice sounds like a combination of Kloe Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, and Miley Cyrus) say something about Frankfurt and an hour and a half until the next flight. I"m going to frankfurt, and my flight leaves in about an hour and a half. Doomed, i think. But God is good. 

Atlantic voyage: I've seen this already

So I find the gate to my international flight (EEKK!!) easily, and after desperately searching for an einstein bagels (couldn't find it, sad day) I settled on a mediocre-yet-overpriced ceaser salad.  I'm waiting to board, I board, and totally can't even reach the overhead bin. Ma'm do you need help with that? Yes, but I don't want your help if it also comes with a side of pity and a glass of mild amusement. Flight is late, like almost an hour late starting off.  Awesome. And I can't sleep, and i watch movies continuously. I watch the Social network 1 1/2 ish times, scott pilgrim (in french and english- bonus points!), and some weird british movie about Keira Knightly dying an atoning death and a boy with no soul drawing wombats. I still haven't figured out what it all means.  Arrive at Frankfurt at 6:30 local time. Next time plane leaves, 8:10. 

The Frankfurt FAIL

So newsflash, I can't read german. And in this airport, signs in english are scarce.  I'm asking around for how to get to my gate, and everyone tells me to just go around the corner, there are signs, you can't miss it?! I want to yell. My international phone doesn't work, I can't get wifi on my phone, and I try to dial internationally and it won't work. Total helplessness. So I just go, and I take the train thing to my terminal. BUT I have to go through another around of security, but not customs. And of course, my bags get stopped for a few minutes.  I'm so angry at the German nation at this point I don't buy anything in the airport (despite my hunger- I refused dinner on my flight because it sounded NASTY. But they gave me yogurt in the morning. This whole frankfurt business though had made my sweat big time, so I was starving). So I get to my gate, get on a bus (that's right, a bus) and ride it to my airplane. On said bus, I pick up an Asian man's dropped boarding pass and give it back to him, and he stares at me the rest of teh ride. Firenze, please be kind to this weary traveling soul. 

Florence Here I .... Oh wait.

Ten minutes till I land in Florence, my new home. Loudspeaker announcement in German. I wait for the English translation, only to discover that it's too foggy to land in Florence. And we have to land somewhere else. Like Bologna. Where is Bologna you might ask? I still don't know. All I know is I get off at the Bologna airport,  where a bus will take me to Florence (sigh of relief!).  To my surprise, I go straight through security and out into Italy.  No passport stamp, no customs. Maybe they'll do it in Florence? No. Straight into a cab I go. I also might add here that my life was on the line many a time in this cab. As well as the bus. Never driving here, people here are nuts behind the wheel. 

Ultimate Firenze 

So now I'm Florence. And this city is everything everyone says it is.  Its beautiful, its so easy to get around, and there is food everywhere! I haven't had anything too adventurous yet, just some basic pizza (but realllllll good stuff!) and a delicious croissant this morning.  Oh, and a pear that was sooo gooood.  Pictures to come, and Rome adventures to come as well! 

Buon Appetito  

Rachael

Twas The Night Before...

So that trip, the one that's going to change my life, begins tomorrow.

Tomorrow.


Tomorrow.

Of all the emotions I feel right now, unfortunately fatigue overcomes and overpowers. I've already cried twice tonight, and I'd rather not stay up on this blog writing and crying again about how much I'll miss everyone, but how excited I am, but also how nervous I've become.  That sounds like wasted energy when phrased like that publicly on here, so I'm going to refrain.  Plus, I ramble like nobody's business when I'm tired, so if I wrote something substantial it probably wouldn't make any sense.

so anywho, be sure to check back here tomorrow with traveling updates... until goodnight.

Buon appettito!
Rachael

Prepare For Battle!

It's crunch time- less than a week before departure.  The goodbyes have been made (well, except one, AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE), and mentally I have to bring myself to the reality that I'm leaving this country to live in another.

As ready as I might be, I am not in any sense prepared for my trip.  My packing progress? Nonexistent. Seriously. I haven't packed anything. Heck, I haven't even bought all the the clothes I will probably need. Florence is sort of a fashion-forward locale, and if you've ever seen me wear anything that is mine, you know I will encounter problems.  Don't worry, those details will be shared on here for your amusement.

I need travelers checks. I need a new purse (one with lots of zippers to keep out those thieving thieves!).  I need some skirts and possibly dresses.  I need to learn some helpful Italian phrases, because all I'm getting out of rosetta stone are words like sandwich and dog. Not exactly "helpful".

Oh, I also need a good camera.  The one I have takes majorly awesome food shots, which in my opinion is the most important feature of the camera. But I have no idea what a good  camera is, and I don't want to take some crappy machine over to Italy to try and capture memories on it. Help please? Per favore?

All of this to accomplish in less than a week! Actually, realistically less than that. Between Reed's Super Sweet 16 coming up on Saturday, comforting my mother on the daily (yes mom, I AM coming back), and assuring my father I will inflict pain on every Italian man who even thinks about touching me, it's safe to say this week will be trying. Eyes on the prize! Updates to come!

Buon Appetito!
Rachael