Ciao, Italia

So I know I rarely update my blog,  but I felt it was 100% appropriate to conclude my journey with a list of the things that I will most profusely. I just landed at O’Hare, and it is unfortunately sinking in the worst how sad I am to have left an area where I had no inhibitions, complete liberation and the best days and nights with amazing people. There are so many awesome things that I wanted to blog about, for example, my trip to London, Tuscany, Florence, etc, and although those were all such INCREDIBLE experiences,  I came to realize it was the little things that made this trip so special and authentic. (plus, I didn’t ever have the time to update about all of the things going on).  Here’s a list of the things I will miss the most about Rome:

1.     Cheap Wine/Simply Market- ok, you just cant find a 1.5 liter bottle of decent pinot grigio for 2.99 in the states. I think we legitimately drank more wine than water. And by that, I mean we literally poured out our Evian water bottles and filled them with wine.

2.     THE FOOD- Okay, im not going to lie, ive solely consumed pizza and pasta alone for the past two months, but theres nothing that compares to walking a block away from school in between classes, grabbing a square of pizza with buffalo mozzerela, fresh greens and tomato made with the best ingredients. Even just typing this puts a smile to my face. Like I said, the little things…those are what count.

3.     Roaming- no pun intended. In the states, things move so fast-pased. I walk like im on a mission to go somewhere everyday here, most people do. In Italy, the people stroll casually. I was allowed to wander and get lost, and enjoy myself exploring a city without feeling scared. Another thing so comforting about Italy- the lack of crime. I never felt unsafe or in danger….not like I do in Chicago, but there is a certain element of safety that reassures you the gentle nature of the city and people are always protecting you.

4.     MY ROOMATES!- There isn’t much more to say other than that. I couldn’t have asked for better girls to get to share an apartment with. This sounds so SO corny, but we shared so many laughs that I seriously think I developed a six pack from laughing so hard every day. One thing I wont miss is MY bedroom and our ikea furniture, my dinky little twin bed and our room that looked more like an orphanage than an actual room…but I will miss cassie, abby and amys room, where I would naturally spend the majority of my time wandering around anyway.

5.     Every single person on the trip –each person contributed something different (…..ask me more details in person) that made the trip hilarious, fun and always entertaining. By the end of our trip, it became pretty evident that we all have  a bond from this experience that will keep us friends beyond the trip itself.

6.     The Italian language- So it really frustrated me at first, but I grew to love it. The rhythm and flow of the words, when spoken organically, is so beautiful. I will also miss the beautiful Italian culture and people that came with the language as well.

In case any of you want to watch, here is our final project. It kicks Italian ass.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddmupf0DHKU&feature=youtu.be

Until my next adventure,

Ciao, Arrevederci, Buongiorno (wait no),

Bae Bae with Love.

A Cinematic 4th of July!

For our 4th of July (last wednesday), we started the day with Italian class (which we made as American as possible) and then went to Cinecitta Studios in Rome. Cinecitta is an area where movies and television sets are located, and it is truly an incredible place. When we first got there, we went through an exibit/musem that had the coolest things. They had a costume section that had the gowns worn by Liz Taylor in Cleopatra and Cameron Diaz in Gangs of New York, segments from Leonardo DiCaprio's interview about Rome/Hollywood sets, helmets from Passion of the Christ, and really cool, authentic aspects from different films. We went through the actual movie sets from where  Gangs of New York was filmed in Rome and where the HBO series 'Rome' is filmed. It was UNREAL to see how the industry can replicate historical areas out of wood and styrofoam to look identical to the actual sets! It wasnt until we physically touched the actual sets until we could understand how they were replicated. There was also a TV show being filmed while we were there....the whole tour was so cool necause it felt so genuine and exclusive. Cittecinna was just opened to the public this year, and we were the only group of people there. Here are a few pictures from the sets:

MUCH needed update!

WOW! It's been awhile since i've updated my 'blog'....the past few weeks have been incomparable to anything ive ever experienced. i'll try and re-cap chronologically what has been going on. this has pretty much been my class schedule the past couple weeks:

Mondays/wednesdays: Private Italian classes with one of the interns, Elena, at Italia Idea from 2-3:30. During our sessions, we basically just talk in italian, do a few readings, etc...our sessions were really laid back. Since i had already taken italian, i was given the option to have one-on-one sessions with her instead of go to italian class with the rest of the group. Our sessions ended last week, but the rest of the group still has class this week (hence why i finally have alone/down time to update my blog!)

Tuesdays: Spaces/places of Cinema in Film class with our program director, Michael. We meet at ItaliaIdea (right by the spanish steps), watch a film and then go to see the set where it was filmed and re-enact one of the scenes from the movies we watch. Two weeks ago, we watched Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, which I loved! Last week, we watched a really strange movie that I cant remember the name of because it was so weird. It was set in the Cold War period and was filmed in 'real time''.....then we went to the set in the EUR!

Thursdays: Another film class with one of the instructors at ItaliaIdea, Carolina. This class is pretty similar to the other one, we just watch films and then discuss them. Last thursday, we watched Gomorra. It was a really interesting film about the mafia in Naples, and it won several awards at the Cannes film festival.


Our weekends are always crazy, so ill make a separate post with pictures after I upload them to facebook. If anyone wants to see any of my pictures from the trip, go to my facebook and they are under the rome-related albums!


Its so hard to find the time to actually write down the amazing things we do or convey in words how incredible this experience has truly been, but im doing my best!


.....one awkward entry down, one more to go......

Cinema Island, SounDrome!

Last night was one of the most amazing nights EVER! Jeff, Katie, Trent and I went to SounDrome, a one-day electronic/house music festival at Stadio Olimpico (Olympic Stadium) and it was the CRAZIEST experience ever! it was beyond amazing. The cultural aspect of it was so cool because ive never been to a music fest in another country, and the music itself was to die for. I'm sore today, which means it was a great night and lots and lots of dancing! Tonight our program director Michael took us to a fabulous pizzeria for dinner with AMAZING pizza and wine! Afterwards, we went to an 'island' in the middle of the Tiber called Cinema Island, where they have very chic and swanky bars/tapas and an outdoor screening area where they play both American and Italian movies (but they are all in Italian...without subtitles..) Tonight we saw the movie J. Edgar, which in the states had pretty mixed reviews, and watching it in Italian was SO confusing to say the least...I am starting to really understand italian, but watching an entire movie that has a plot that is hard to grasp in english is so confusing!! Anyway, headed to bed...going back to Sperlonga in the morning for another fabulous trip to el mare!! PS GOING TO LONDON! July 13-16! cant wait! This is my last weekend in Rome, next weekend is Florence, and then London...i will update as much as i can, and definitely by Sunday so I can post pictures from this past weekend!! Ciao

Ephiphone

Today was the very first day i realized.....im in ITALY! this is crazy! like...im in italy, where george clooney vacations, where amazing wine cheese and pasta are never ending, the beaches are amazing....


my journey to the medeterranian sea today was probably my "i cant believe im in italy" moment....this is such a beautiful country. and im super sunburnt but also getting tan!! besides that, im happy as a clam here :) so, as i sit here enjoying the pasta and salad i just made alongside a glass of vino bianco, i cant help but feel so greatful for this experience. I will update and post pictures later....for now, ciao!

Romein' to Sperlonga

I have found where Heaven on earth is: Sperlonga, Italy! On Saturday we went to the beach off the western coast of Italy on the Mediterranean sea, and there aren't words, only pictures, to describe how absolutely beautiful it was. It looked similar to somewhere in Greece...there were many colorful, clean and cozy villas shacked delicately on a mini-mountain that winded down to a sandy beach and crystal blue water. I dont think I will ever be able to call another beach that beautiful again! Most of the people that were there were locals, or Italian at least. The authenticity of the beach made the experience that much more wonderful. Before we went down to the ocean, we stopped by a meat/sandwich shop and the mozzarella was soo fresh,YUM. Here are a few pictures from Sperlonga (although they dont do the city justice):

 At the top of the village/town/

(this is from the Spanish Steps, but i thought id include it in!)

Today we had our first Italian class! The program director and I talked beforehand because I already took a year of Italian and have covered all of the things that are being taught in the course, so afterwards we decided that I'm just going to meet with one of the interns at Italia Idea (our school) during our class time and have one-on-one dialogue thats a little bit more advanced...which should be an amazing opportunity! My italian is a little rusty, but i hope it will slowly start coming back to me...Tomorrow we have our first Italian cinema course and are watching Bicycle Thieves and then going to the location in Rome where it was filmed. Yesterday was my roommates' birthday so we went out to Campo Di Fiore for drinks and dinner, and then to Trevi fountain. Cant complain at all! its SO SO SO SO SO hot here, and we are always outside, so i have gotten some interesting tan lines, but if thats the worst thing that can happen then that is totally fine with me! Tonight we are going out to watch Italy in the Eurocup, but I will try and update my blog tomorrow or Thursday!

Bailey

Ciao, Chicago....Buongiorno, Roma!

Buongiorno! Mi chiamo Bailey, and this is my blog documenting my adventures studying abroad in Italy! I usually get so bored journaling, but this way I can share with family, friends, and whoever else is curious a censored version of what I'm up to and the fabulous stories I have to tell! It's about 7pm here in Rome, so i'll try to squeeze in as much as i can before I get tired of typing. After a long, long flight from O'Hare to Brussels, a five hour layover, then two hour flight from Brussels to Rome, I arrived at my apartment Wednesday night around six pm. The apartment is WONDERFUL! It is in Trestevere, which is located west (i think) of the Tiber river and is such a cozy, authentic and beautiful area filled with warm energy and amazing wine/food. Most of us (there are 20) are in the building i'm staying in, while four of the guys are in an apartment just around the corner. I'm in a six-person apartment (three girls in a 2 bed/2 bath), and I thought that it would be tiny and crowded but its actually really nice, clean, modern and inviting. I havent slept on a twin bed since i lived in the dorms freshman year, but its becoming cozy. The floors are a gorgeous marble and we each have our own closet (thank god!) and each bedroom has a balcony. I was a little anxious upon my arrival because i didnt know what to expect, but it has been such an easy transition! The only thing that threw me off the first two days was being jetlagged...which is normal. I was one of the last ones to arrive here, and the strange hours of my flights make sense as to why i felt a little spacey the next day. Yesterday (thursday) we did SO much...we walked through the entire city! The first couple days here are more of like an 'orientation' to the city, so we are kind of cramming in alot of the 'sightseeing' or visiting the big landmarks (trevi fountain, colosseum, pantheon) so that we can get a bearing. Its hard to take everything in because its so beautiful and amazing, but this way we can have a grounded idea of how the city winds as we journey on our own. One of my favorite areas so far has been the Spanish Steps. It was overcrowded with tourists when we went, but the school where i'm studying (Italia Idea) is a block away so im going to make multiple points to go on my own and have some 'me' time while absorbing the beautiful view. This city is so large but at the same time, so peaceful. It's such a happy place to be....no violence, no crime, and its not AS touristy as it has been made out to be. Obviously, the center of Rome by the landmarks is filled with people taking pictures and many tourists but the beauty of Rome lies within the side streets, beautifully-made apartments/shops and the colors. Every street is colorful...EVERY single house is exactly like the crazy, unbelieveable ones you see on pinterest that are multi-colored and so beautiful that it doesnt even seen to be real (i keep telling my friends here that everywhere we go looks like Pinterest!). The food is amazing, incredible, PHENOMENAL! The ingredients are so fresh! We are going to the beach tomorrow for the day and I will try and post more pictures/write more sometime on Sunday or Monday! Ciao! -Bae Bae