Hey, Everyone!
I wanted to make this post about do's and don't's in Italy and things that are much more different than in the U.S. Obviously, all of these do's don't's and notes are from my personal experiences, and probably don't apply to everyone in Italy.
Do's:
-Wear shoes at all times. In the US, we tend to remove our shoes before entering a house or room. Sometimes, not removing shoes can be a bit rude as it might dirty rugs, floors, and carpets. However, here in Italy, even in the home, while lounging, or someplace with carpets, shoes always remain on. I did a little research on this and the internet says that it is because Italians (generally) find it rude to have smelly feet exposed to others.
-Learn about different types of coffee. Coffee, mainly espresso, is such a huge part of Italian culture. Italians do not understand the concept of "American Coffee" and the fact that they are very large and sugary drinks. Everyone will drink a small shot of espresso (the youngest I've seen drink an espresso was 6 years old) after every meal. Espresso, if you have not tried it, is incredibly strong and bitter, and after every meal, I am so grateful that it is only a sip. However, coffee is not just a beverage for Italians, it follows precise rituals and time schedules. For example, cappuccino is common for breakfast, but after breakfast, it is unheard of, and an instant tourist tell. Here is a list of a few different coffees that I have tried:
Doppio: two espressos in the same coffee cup
Macchiato: an espresso served with a few drops of milk
Macchiato freddo or macchiato caldo: an espresso served with cold or warm milk
Corretto: an espresso with a few drops of liquor (normally elderberry wine)
Ristretto: a very concentrated espresso
Lungo: a more watery version of ristretto
Americano: usually an espresso diluted with hot water
Latte macchiato: rarely ordered by Italians; a milk-based beverage coloured with a few drops of coffee, it is considered a good alternative for children emulating adult caffé.
-Mind non-verbal communication. Although a stereotype, it is true that Italians speak strongly with hand signals. However, unlike the stereotype, they aren't just frantically waving their hands, every signal has a meaning. There are signals meaning: no, nothing, I'm scared, what do you want?, leave, alone, hungry, finished, and angry as well as hundreds more. Everyone knows each signal and they are often used to communicate.
-Be careful on the road. Although I have heard that crazy driving is more prevalent in the south of Italy, it still needs to be addressed. The driving here is insane, nothing like driving in the US. In the US, police have a high respectability and laws and rules of the road are generally taken very seriously. However here, signs, laws and police officers are taken with a grain of salt. I have yet to see anyone being ticketed or even very many police on the roads for that matter, and the driving shows it. People drive very fast and the lines on the road are optional. Sadly, though, I have gotten more used to it.
-Do finish everything you are given, and if you can manage without bursting, eat seconds. Italians pride themselves in their food, and saying "no" (unless medically justified), is not considered normal, it is considered offensive to the person who cooked the meal. This especially is the case for the older generation such as grandparents, as their blood sweat and tears go into their cooking (not really, relax).
Don't's
-Do not criticise Italy, Italians, or their culture. Don't worry, I have not, but I have seen the wrath of people who have... Italians can be very critical of their country, but might not accept criticism from foreigners about the political situation, religion, mafia or topics related to negative Italian stereotypes, World War II and off coloured jokes. Art, food, wine, family, movies, music, fashion, design and travelling are all good topics of conversation. Soccer can be a great alternative – unless you express heavy criticism about the soccer team supported by your Italian acquaintance.
-Don't be surprised if businesses have the weirdest hours ever. More often than not, many businesses are open in the morning, close around noon, and re-open again around 6:00 pm. Although, businesses don't have a set-in-stone schedule here. For example, as opposed to the "rain or shine" unwritten rule in the US, when the weather is bad (rain for us here in Sicily), shops don't open.
Generally, don't pay a tip at restaurants. In substitution at restaurants too tips, Italians have a "seating charge", which is literally an additional charge added on to the final cost of the food to sit, the price rises based on the amount of time you sit for.
- Don't cross your eating utensils. This one is more of a "black cat" type superstition for Italians, however, it is taken very seriously. Forks, knives, and spoons are not to be crossed on your plate in an "X" pattern EVER. Instead, they must be parallel "I I I" like so. I have no idea why, nor does anyone that I have asked, but you get used to it very quickly.
I hope you enjoyed my do's and don't's of Italy! I'll post an update soon about this month!
Love,
Michela
giovedì 23 febbraio 2017
mercoledì 8 febbraio 2017
February 8, 2017
Hello All!
I hope everyone is doing well! This month has been much more relaxed than the past two were. On the 14th of January, I changed host families. I have met them a bunch of times before because they are still a part of the extended family. I now live a bit farther away from the city center where I was previously living, however, I have a brother now, Christian (and basically a sister because his girlfriend, Marta, is here everyday). I have been feeling my Italian vocabulary increasing more rapidly, and my English skills decreasing more rapidly. It has been really nice to always have someone my age to talk to around the house.
During this month, I have been more social, branching outside of my close Italian friend group, and going out with kids from different classes. I go to Ortigia to study with my friends or to someone's house. I really do have so many friends that I have made. However, my best friend that I have made is called Guido. He is so nice and so patient with my Italian. When I have rough days, he is always there to make me feel better. In fact, I had a fever one day when I was at the house of my first host family, and both of my parents had to work late. Guido and a few other friends had asked me if I could go out but said I couldn't because I was home alone with a fever. An hour later, Guido and three other friends of mine, Dario, Chiara, and Emi, showed up to my house to hangout with me, keep me company, and they even brought food. HOW could you not love them!?
My current host brother and I found and adopted a cat that we called, Oliver. However turned out that Oliver was more of an Olivia. She is actually really cute and I'm not even a huge cat person... but she does act a lot like a dog so that might explain it...
I have been going to Ortigia every Saturday early in the morning to go to a tutor of Italian. Her name is Lucia, and she lived in the United States until she was 10 when, with her family, she moved to Sicily. She knew no Italian, and had to teach herself. Since then, she has become completely fluent in Italian, married and Italian, and had 2 children. She has become fluent in her second language, however her native language of English is dissipating. The tutoring works as an exchange, she helps me with my Italian and I with her English.
Despite the "Sicilian cold" (50 degrees), gelato is still being eaten all the time because how could you not?
This past weekend was Guido's 19th birthday, so all of his friends threw a little party for him to celebrate.
Today, I went to Marta's house (Christian, my host brother's girlfriend) and had a spa day with her and her aunt. Her aunt, Norma, is very good at facials and nail painting, so we all had a little relaxing spa day.
I told you this month was boring! I hope everyone is well!!
Lots of Love,
Michela
This is from left to right Emi, Chiara, Dario (Guido's brother), and Guido when they came to visit when I was sick
My host brother, Christian with Olivia not Oliver
Always gelato!
This is Marta and I during a windy day at the beach
Claire, Guido, and I on Guido's birthday!
Marta at the "spa"
I hope everyone is doing well! This month has been much more relaxed than the past two were. On the 14th of January, I changed host families. I have met them a bunch of times before because they are still a part of the extended family. I now live a bit farther away from the city center where I was previously living, however, I have a brother now, Christian (and basically a sister because his girlfriend, Marta, is here everyday). I have been feeling my Italian vocabulary increasing more rapidly, and my English skills decreasing more rapidly. It has been really nice to always have someone my age to talk to around the house.
During this month, I have been more social, branching outside of my close Italian friend group, and going out with kids from different classes. I go to Ortigia to study with my friends or to someone's house. I really do have so many friends that I have made. However, my best friend that I have made is called Guido. He is so nice and so patient with my Italian. When I have rough days, he is always there to make me feel better. In fact, I had a fever one day when I was at the house of my first host family, and both of my parents had to work late. Guido and a few other friends had asked me if I could go out but said I couldn't because I was home alone with a fever. An hour later, Guido and three other friends of mine, Dario, Chiara, and Emi, showed up to my house to hangout with me, keep me company, and they even brought food. HOW could you not love them!?
My current host brother and I found and adopted a cat that we called, Oliver. However turned out that Oliver was more of an Olivia. She is actually really cute and I'm not even a huge cat person... but she does act a lot like a dog so that might explain it...
I have been going to Ortigia every Saturday early in the morning to go to a tutor of Italian. Her name is Lucia, and she lived in the United States until she was 10 when, with her family, she moved to Sicily. She knew no Italian, and had to teach herself. Since then, she has become completely fluent in Italian, married and Italian, and had 2 children. She has become fluent in her second language, however her native language of English is dissipating. The tutoring works as an exchange, she helps me with my Italian and I with her English.
Despite the "Sicilian cold" (50 degrees), gelato is still being eaten all the time because how could you not?
This past weekend was Guido's 19th birthday, so all of his friends threw a little party for him to celebrate.
Today, I went to Marta's house (Christian, my host brother's girlfriend) and had a spa day with her and her aunt. Her aunt, Norma, is very good at facials and nail painting, so we all had a little relaxing spa day.
I told you this month was boring! I hope everyone is well!!
Lots of Love,
Michela
This is from left to right Emi, Chiara, Dario (Guido's brother), and Guido when they came to visit when I was sick
My host brother, Christian with Olivia not Oliver
Always gelato!
This is Marta and I during a windy day at the beach
Claire, Guido, and I on Guido's birthday!
Marta at the "spa"
domenica 8 gennaio 2017
January 8, 2017
Hey Everyone!
I'd like to say happy holidays and happy new year! I am aware that this post is going up a little later than the one month mark, however I wanted to wait until after the holidays so I'd have more to report on!
Hair Dye Gone Right/Wrong:This month started with a bang when two other exchange students (Claire from Michigan, USA) and Gabby (Belgium) both decided that they would dye their hair fun colors because it was something that they always wanted to try, and me, being the wonderful supportive friend I was decided to go and document it on Snapchat, but keep my natural brunette. None of us had ever really dealt with in depth hair terms in Italian, but we somehow were able to get everything sorted out. Gabby's hair turned out an amazing blue green, but poor Claire (who wanted purple) ended up with white bleached blonde with hot pink and green streaks.. oops.. on the plus side, it made for a fun story in school!
Santa Lucia: In many cities all throughout Italy, there are Patron Saints, or Saints that have significance to that city and who help protect that city. Just about everyday in some part of Italy there is a celebration for a city's Patron Saint. The Patron Saint of Siracusa is Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy). Santa Lucia was a young Christian martyr who was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution. She was born and raised in Siracusa, and later killed in Siracusa as well. A form a torture that was used on her was the removal of her eyes, this is significant because portrayed in statues of her, she is holding a dish that carries her eyes. After her death, Santa Lucia's body was taken to Venice, where it stays to this day. The citizens of Siracusa believe that the body of Santa Lucia rightfully belongs to them, therefore every year on the day of the Patron Saint (December 13) a parade is held for her. Thousands of people gather in the duomo where massive statues of her are taken from the church and carried by about 40 men through the city followed by a marching band, and many citizens walking barefoot. The citizens walk barefoot to honor her pilgrimage that she took barefoot from Siracusa to Catania (about 50 miles). The president of my Rotary club has a house that overlooks the duomo (he actually planned the event). Me and a few other exchange students we invited to his house to watch from the balcony. There were so many people standing in the duomo, it was amazing. We later went ground level to get some close up pictures of the statue as it was paraded through Ortigia.
Rome: The day after Santa Lucia, I was fortunate enough to be able to go, with my host parents and a friend, to ROME!! We would only be there for two days, however my host mother had a written itinerary so that we would be able to see all the things we wanted to before returning home. We left our house at 4:00 am and were leaving Sicily at 6:30 am. The flight was about an hour long and we were soon landing at the Rome airport. The first place we went was the Vatican (no we unfortunatly didn't see the Pope). However it was all decorated for Christmas and there were people singing Christmas carols being sung, it was very pretty! Next we had lunch (pasta alla cabonara, a Roman speciality) and walked to the Pantheon. The Pantheon was huge and amazing, outside were huge marble columns, like soooo big, and inside the ceiling rounded into a large dome. On the floor there was a golden box that marked the exact center of the room and if you looked up you would see out a hole in the ceiling that was used to star gaze. We next saw Trevi Fountain, which was amazing and beautiful and I felt like I was in a movie just being there (Lizzy McGuire to be exact because a scene was shot there). My friend Claire and I both made a wish and tossed a coin into the fountain. We ended the day by visiting an ancient palace decorated with lights for Christmas. The next day we began our day with the place I was most excited to see, the Colosseum. It was so much bigger than I thought it would be. The Colosseum had so much history, being built in Imperial Rome from 72 AD. to 80 AD, it could hold 55,000 spectators who would've watched gladiator matches, circuses, and free games. It was truely amazing to walk where people thousands of years ago walked. We next went to the Arch of Constantine which was right next to the Colosseum. The arch was built to celebrate the victory of Constatine over Emperor Maxentius. Next was the Roman Reform. The Roman Reform is one of the most impostant archaeological sites in the world. The area which had once been marshland was drained using a canal system, and by 7th century BC, it was home to many markets and a hive of social activity. Next to Piazza Venezia! Piazza Venezia is located at almost the exact center of Rome. We were able to go to the top balcony and overlook the sunset and bustling people below. The last place we went was Campo de' Fiori, which means "field of flowers". Campo de' Fiori is a cute duomo that is known for quaint shops and worry free resturants, but mainly for its beautiful year long selling of flowers. All different colors and kinds of flowers outlined the perimeter of the duomo. This ended our Roman excursian as we went to the airport almost directly from Campo de' Fiori. I am so blessed and grateful to my host parents who made this trip possible for Claire and I.
Christmas: Christmas is celebrated here much differently than in the US. It is common to spend the beginging part Christmas Eve with the family, I had dinner with my mothers side, and at 12:00 am, we went to a party on my fathers side. Gifts are exchanged in the evening, and it is only common for each person to receive one or two gifts total from direct family, and maybe one from the grandparents, however it is not gifts that define this holiday, which differs greatly from a US Christmas. We stayed at the other party until 3:00 am when I was invited to a friends house to play poker and some other card games. I was a little uncomfortable to ask my parents to leave a family party to go to a friends house, so I didn't ask and decided not to go. That is until, my host parents and brother asked me to which friend's house I'd be going to that evening. I was so confused, but apparently it's normal to spend time with friends as well, so I went! I didn't get home until 6:00 am!! Christmas morning was spent by everyone sleeping in until around 2:00, then after everyone was awake, we went to another party to eat a buuuunch of food (43 very large trays of homemade pasta, fish, chicken, potatoes, desserts) and spend the day with family. We got home late again, and the next day we repeated the process as the day before, to finish the food that hadn't been eaten the day before.
New Years: The last main event of December was New Years. In the evening it is common to spend until 11:00 with family, eating a large dinner, and visiting. Then after 11:00, you meet up with friends to celebrate. I met friends in Piazza Duomo, where a large festival with a stage, live music, lights, and thousands of people dancing and having fun with a big countdown to midnight. We all stayed and danced until 12:00 when fireworks and confetti and streamers were let off to signify the new year. My friends and I ordered a pizza, french fries, and soda to go, and brought the food as well as sweatshirts, blankets, hats, and gloves down to the beach where we stayed eating and talking until 5:00 am. At that time Ortigia was still very lively with festivities, but I was so tired, so my friend and I walked home and slept all day. It really was a lot of fun!!
My Italian: My Italian is improving very very quickly now. I speak only in Italian with friends from school as well as the other exchange students and my host family. I am able to not only follow but partake in conversations between friends and adults (as long as it's in Italian, not Sicilian). My vocabulary knowledge has been rapidly increasing. I am able to hear words and remember them and their meanings. It really is such an exciting feeling!!
I hope you had an amazing December! I hope you have an amazing January, too! I hope to post more than once this month so my posts are more frequent!
Love from Italy,
Michela
Looks purple here, but I assure you it didn't finish like that. Unfortunately I didn't have the heart to take a final shot of Claire, you can use your imagination
But Gabby's turned out cool!
You can see the dish with her eyes in this one
This picture shows Mt. Etna with the rising sun
The Vatican
This is white mistletoe... like in Harry Potter 5!
I'd like to say happy holidays and happy new year! I am aware that this post is going up a little later than the one month mark, however I wanted to wait until after the holidays so I'd have more to report on!
Hair Dye Gone Right/Wrong:This month started with a bang when two other exchange students (Claire from Michigan, USA) and Gabby (Belgium) both decided that they would dye their hair fun colors because it was something that they always wanted to try, and me, being the wonderful supportive friend I was decided to go and document it on Snapchat, but keep my natural brunette. None of us had ever really dealt with in depth hair terms in Italian, but we somehow were able to get everything sorted out. Gabby's hair turned out an amazing blue green, but poor Claire (who wanted purple) ended up with white bleached blonde with hot pink and green streaks.. oops.. on the plus side, it made for a fun story in school!
Santa Lucia: In many cities all throughout Italy, there are Patron Saints, or Saints that have significance to that city and who help protect that city. Just about everyday in some part of Italy there is a celebration for a city's Patron Saint. The Patron Saint of Siracusa is Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy). Santa Lucia was a young Christian martyr who was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution. She was born and raised in Siracusa, and later killed in Siracusa as well. A form a torture that was used on her was the removal of her eyes, this is significant because portrayed in statues of her, she is holding a dish that carries her eyes. After her death, Santa Lucia's body was taken to Venice, where it stays to this day. The citizens of Siracusa believe that the body of Santa Lucia rightfully belongs to them, therefore every year on the day of the Patron Saint (December 13) a parade is held for her. Thousands of people gather in the duomo where massive statues of her are taken from the church and carried by about 40 men through the city followed by a marching band, and many citizens walking barefoot. The citizens walk barefoot to honor her pilgrimage that she took barefoot from Siracusa to Catania (about 50 miles). The president of my Rotary club has a house that overlooks the duomo (he actually planned the event). Me and a few other exchange students we invited to his house to watch from the balcony. There were so many people standing in the duomo, it was amazing. We later went ground level to get some close up pictures of the statue as it was paraded through Ortigia.
Rome: The day after Santa Lucia, I was fortunate enough to be able to go, with my host parents and a friend, to ROME!! We would only be there for two days, however my host mother had a written itinerary so that we would be able to see all the things we wanted to before returning home. We left our house at 4:00 am and were leaving Sicily at 6:30 am. The flight was about an hour long and we were soon landing at the Rome airport. The first place we went was the Vatican (no we unfortunatly didn't see the Pope). However it was all decorated for Christmas and there were people singing Christmas carols being sung, it was very pretty! Next we had lunch (pasta alla cabonara, a Roman speciality) and walked to the Pantheon. The Pantheon was huge and amazing, outside were huge marble columns, like soooo big, and inside the ceiling rounded into a large dome. On the floor there was a golden box that marked the exact center of the room and if you looked up you would see out a hole in the ceiling that was used to star gaze. We next saw Trevi Fountain, which was amazing and beautiful and I felt like I was in a movie just being there (Lizzy McGuire to be exact because a scene was shot there). My friend Claire and I both made a wish and tossed a coin into the fountain. We ended the day by visiting an ancient palace decorated with lights for Christmas. The next day we began our day with the place I was most excited to see, the Colosseum. It was so much bigger than I thought it would be. The Colosseum had so much history, being built in Imperial Rome from 72 AD. to 80 AD, it could hold 55,000 spectators who would've watched gladiator matches, circuses, and free games. It was truely amazing to walk where people thousands of years ago walked. We next went to the Arch of Constantine which was right next to the Colosseum. The arch was built to celebrate the victory of Constatine over Emperor Maxentius. Next was the Roman Reform. The Roman Reform is one of the most impostant archaeological sites in the world. The area which had once been marshland was drained using a canal system, and by 7th century BC, it was home to many markets and a hive of social activity. Next to Piazza Venezia! Piazza Venezia is located at almost the exact center of Rome. We were able to go to the top balcony and overlook the sunset and bustling people below. The last place we went was Campo de' Fiori, which means "field of flowers". Campo de' Fiori is a cute duomo that is known for quaint shops and worry free resturants, but mainly for its beautiful year long selling of flowers. All different colors and kinds of flowers outlined the perimeter of the duomo. This ended our Roman excursian as we went to the airport almost directly from Campo de' Fiori. I am so blessed and grateful to my host parents who made this trip possible for Claire and I.
Christmas: Christmas is celebrated here much differently than in the US. It is common to spend the beginging part Christmas Eve with the family, I had dinner with my mothers side, and at 12:00 am, we went to a party on my fathers side. Gifts are exchanged in the evening, and it is only common for each person to receive one or two gifts total from direct family, and maybe one from the grandparents, however it is not gifts that define this holiday, which differs greatly from a US Christmas. We stayed at the other party until 3:00 am when I was invited to a friends house to play poker and some other card games. I was a little uncomfortable to ask my parents to leave a family party to go to a friends house, so I didn't ask and decided not to go. That is until, my host parents and brother asked me to which friend's house I'd be going to that evening. I was so confused, but apparently it's normal to spend time with friends as well, so I went! I didn't get home until 6:00 am!! Christmas morning was spent by everyone sleeping in until around 2:00, then after everyone was awake, we went to another party to eat a buuuunch of food (43 very large trays of homemade pasta, fish, chicken, potatoes, desserts) and spend the day with family. We got home late again, and the next day we repeated the process as the day before, to finish the food that hadn't been eaten the day before.
New Years: The last main event of December was New Years. In the evening it is common to spend until 11:00 with family, eating a large dinner, and visiting. Then after 11:00, you meet up with friends to celebrate. I met friends in Piazza Duomo, where a large festival with a stage, live music, lights, and thousands of people dancing and having fun with a big countdown to midnight. We all stayed and danced until 12:00 when fireworks and confetti and streamers were let off to signify the new year. My friends and I ordered a pizza, french fries, and soda to go, and brought the food as well as sweatshirts, blankets, hats, and gloves down to the beach where we stayed eating and talking until 5:00 am. At that time Ortigia was still very lively with festivities, but I was so tired, so my friend and I walked home and slept all day. It really was a lot of fun!!
My Italian: My Italian is improving very very quickly now. I speak only in Italian with friends from school as well as the other exchange students and my host family. I am able to not only follow but partake in conversations between friends and adults (as long as it's in Italian, not Sicilian). My vocabulary knowledge has been rapidly increasing. I am able to hear words and remember them and their meanings. It really is such an exciting feeling!!
I hope you had an amazing December! I hope you have an amazing January, too! I hope to post more than once this month so my posts are more frequent!
Love from Italy,
Michela
Looks purple here, but I assure you it didn't finish like that. Unfortunately I didn't have the heart to take a final shot of Claire, you can use your imagination
But Gabby's turned out cool!
You can see the dish with her eyes in this one
This picture shows Mt. Etna with the rising sun
The Vatican
This is white mistletoe... like in Harry Potter 5!
lunedì 28 novembre 2016
November 28, 2016
Hello Everyone!
I have been in the beautiful city of Siracusa, Sicily for almost 3 months now. It is crazy how fast the time is going. I am really starting to settle in and find my niche and routine in my everyday life. I go out with friends with school, go to the movies, hangout with my family, and everything else a normal teen would do.
In the past month, I have been so blessed to have so many more amazing opportunities that have enabled me to see more of this beautiful country!
At the beginning of this month, my host brother, Davide, who is studying at University in Milan came home to surprise my host mom. It was my first time meeting him, and he was so nice! It was a nice change to have another kid in the house! Davide, myself, and my host brother from my third family, Christian (Davide's cousin) went out for the evening to shop and get gelato. They reminded me of my brothers from back in New York, and we had so much fun together.
Later on in the month, my current host parents had to go on a business trip for the weekend, and so I wasn't home alone for 4 days, I went to Christian's house! Christian's girlfriend Marta, has a cousin who plays semi-professional volleyball on the mainland, and she had a competition that weekend. So, me, Christian, Christian's parents, Marta, Marta's parents, and Marta's aunt and uncle all piled into a huge bus/car and drove to the competition (we took the ferryboat)! It was amazing to watch and Marta's cousin was soooo good!!
I was then lucky enough to visit Davide in Milan with my host mom! We took the plane (about 2 hours) to the Milan airport, and the second I got off of the plane, the temperature that winter SHOULD be hit me! It was actually cold opposed to the 70 degree F that Siracusa has right now. From the airport we took a bus to Davide's apartment that he rents with his friend. It was a surprisingly large apartment only a 10 minute walk from the spectacular Milan Duomo. The Milan Duomo has a Gothic style structure, making everything look both scary and delicate at the same time. When you stand in front of the massive church it feels like you're in a snow globe, it was amazing... However, in front of the church, there are hundreds of gross pigeons that climb onto your hands and shoulders. A man came up to me and put corn in my hand and immediately birds were flying all up on my hands and shoulders and my host mom tried to get a picture, but they didn't turn out too well (see below) and I refused to do it again. We walking along streets with huge designer clothes and shoes (Prada, Versace, Gucci, etc...), and even got a tour of a huge castle in which the old ruler of Milan used to live. On my last evening there, we got tickets to view the original "Last Supper" painting. It was stunning, and significantly larger than I thought it would be!
When I returned, I had a pretty mellow few weeks until Thanksgiving. I was very nervous because Thanksgiving was my first big holiday away from my family. However, Rotary worldwide celebrates the holiday! So, every exchange student in Sicily came to Siracusa to celebrate! We all went to a huge dinner with about 80 people there, including a journalist! The students from the US got to cut the two massive turkeys while everyone else watched. Then we feasted on turkey, gravy, blackberry sauce, mashed potatoes, corn bread, bread, and so much more. All of the US students had to say a tradition we hold at home on Thanksgiving as well as something we are grateful for. Being all together with my new "family" on the holiday made it so much more bearable, (even when I had an allergic reaction to something in the wine...)
The following days, with the other exchange students, we were able to show them our beautiful city. We went to the Greek Theater, as well as a gladiator fighting arena, walked through Ortigia, and shopped. While we were walking through Ortigia, I spotted the Portuguese National Handball Team!! So natural I enlisted the help of my Portuguese speaking buddy, Pedro, we took a picture with them!!! Do I follow handball? No. Did I fan girl anyways? Naturally.
I feel so blessed and thankful for this experience that I am having, and I can't wait to see what else it has in store!!
Love, Michela
The gladiator arena
I have been in the beautiful city of Siracusa, Sicily for almost 3 months now. It is crazy how fast the time is going. I am really starting to settle in and find my niche and routine in my everyday life. I go out with friends with school, go to the movies, hangout with my family, and everything else a normal teen would do.
In the past month, I have been so blessed to have so many more amazing opportunities that have enabled me to see more of this beautiful country!
At the beginning of this month, my host brother, Davide, who is studying at University in Milan came home to surprise my host mom. It was my first time meeting him, and he was so nice! It was a nice change to have another kid in the house! Davide, myself, and my host brother from my third family, Christian (Davide's cousin) went out for the evening to shop and get gelato. They reminded me of my brothers from back in New York, and we had so much fun together.
Later on in the month, my current host parents had to go on a business trip for the weekend, and so I wasn't home alone for 4 days, I went to Christian's house! Christian's girlfriend Marta, has a cousin who plays semi-professional volleyball on the mainland, and she had a competition that weekend. So, me, Christian, Christian's parents, Marta, Marta's parents, and Marta's aunt and uncle all piled into a huge bus/car and drove to the competition (we took the ferryboat)! It was amazing to watch and Marta's cousin was soooo good!!
I was then lucky enough to visit Davide in Milan with my host mom! We took the plane (about 2 hours) to the Milan airport, and the second I got off of the plane, the temperature that winter SHOULD be hit me! It was actually cold opposed to the 70 degree F that Siracusa has right now. From the airport we took a bus to Davide's apartment that he rents with his friend. It was a surprisingly large apartment only a 10 minute walk from the spectacular Milan Duomo. The Milan Duomo has a Gothic style structure, making everything look both scary and delicate at the same time. When you stand in front of the massive church it feels like you're in a snow globe, it was amazing... However, in front of the church, there are hundreds of gross pigeons that climb onto your hands and shoulders. A man came up to me and put corn in my hand and immediately birds were flying all up on my hands and shoulders and my host mom tried to get a picture, but they didn't turn out too well (see below) and I refused to do it again. We walking along streets with huge designer clothes and shoes (Prada, Versace, Gucci, etc...), and even got a tour of a huge castle in which the old ruler of Milan used to live. On my last evening there, we got tickets to view the original "Last Supper" painting. It was stunning, and significantly larger than I thought it would be!
When I returned, I had a pretty mellow few weeks until Thanksgiving. I was very nervous because Thanksgiving was my first big holiday away from my family. However, Rotary worldwide celebrates the holiday! So, every exchange student in Sicily came to Siracusa to celebrate! We all went to a huge dinner with about 80 people there, including a journalist! The students from the US got to cut the two massive turkeys while everyone else watched. Then we feasted on turkey, gravy, blackberry sauce, mashed potatoes, corn bread, bread, and so much more. All of the US students had to say a tradition we hold at home on Thanksgiving as well as something we are grateful for. Being all together with my new "family" on the holiday made it so much more bearable, (even when I had an allergic reaction to something in the wine...)
The following days, with the other exchange students, we were able to show them our beautiful city. We went to the Greek Theater, as well as a gladiator fighting arena, walked through Ortigia, and shopped. While we were walking through Ortigia, I spotted the Portuguese National Handball Team!! So natural I enlisted the help of my Portuguese speaking buddy, Pedro, we took a picture with them!!! Do I follow handball? No. Did I fan girl anyways? Naturally.
I feel so blessed and thankful for this experience that I am having, and I can't wait to see what else it has in store!!
Love, Michela
The gladiator arena
Iscriviti a:
Post (Atom)