Neve (nev-A) – Snow

            ….todays word is snow, because, well I think it was snowing all over the world today….we heard it was snowing in Idaho, and Ohio, and even South Carolina….literally I think the whole world was snow….and boy did it DUMP here!!

            …so what did I do after class and during this crazy snow…got cozy and did my best to try to be productive J…..and needless to say, I wasn’t entirely good at that…but I did get a little homework done (a lot more to do tomorrow)…a nap in…and caught up one NCIS….i mean what else was I supposed to do with a crazy snowy day J….   

            ….this evening was simply a perfect night for dinner with friends and it was so perfect….I think I may have finally found my group here….so we all got together to eat, and drink and simply enjoy this amazing opportunity we have here….the food was fantastic, even though it was just a bunch of Americans trying to make Italian…but natalie made gnocci and pesto and chicken and mushrooms and other things all thrown in and it was delicious (Thanks Nat!)….and what was I doing while my friend made me dinner….eating cheese and drinking wine…..(as you can tell, I had a very strenuous day, turn into an even more intense evening….boy am I exhausted!)….and we actually all splurged and got the actually good (not just cheap) wine that is from this region too, which is always fun to do….it was a wonderful night….lots of laughter too J I absolutely loved it….it feels so nice to find good friends here in the group…especially when you have those days when you just feel so far from home….

            ….today was also wonderful because of all the great faces that I got to see via Skype….and Ill be honest, I would like to meet the creator of Skype/FaceTime and buy them a wonderful dinner because I am in love with them….the amount of conversations that I have been able to have with those back home because of these contraptions have been wonderful and an enourmous blessing….(honestly I think I have skyped my parents alone, and talked with them more here in the first two weeks than in any two week period ever at boise state)….today I was able to skype Shebie and it was amazing….sometimes when you are missing home all you truly need is to talk to your best friend, and suddenly you don’t feel quite so far away….that is an amazing thing….

            …tomorrow is a day of homework and studying and then in the evening, when Simone gets off of work, we are off to Bardoneccia (the mountains)…..I am totally excited…even though I have only really skied for a couple seasons and even then haven’t gone skiing in probably at least 6 years, I cant wait to go on Saturday….skiing in the Alps, now that in itself is a cool thing….Sunday I am hoping to explore the town of Bardoneccia itself….this ski hill is the main hill from the Olympics, and the town was really only built up recently for the games themselves….it should be really cool….also my host family (which is who I am going with) has a cabin up there I believe and live near or around their other friends, some of whom I have already met, so that will be really cool as well! J

            …well it’s a chilly, and late night here in Torino, so off to sleep I go….this weekend is my first true weekend away and I cant wait….I may not have wifi tomorrow night and may have to just post one big post Sunday night….but there will definently be a lot of pictures! ….buona notte tutti!! J

Polenta (Po – lent – a) – Type of Food (Cornmeal porridge in mashed potatoe consistency)

(Sorry no pictures today, I forgot my phone at home...)

            …today was my long day of classes….started at 9 and had language until 11, and then culture class until 2..so a lot of hours today but not bad at all because I am loving what I am learning…..language is cool because I like getting better at speaking, but culture is just interesting in its entirety…the professor is great because somehow, you learn without actually him just lecturing or “teaching” in the normal sense of the word….i don’t know, it is hard to explain but I am loving it….spending 2.5 hours in that class is not hard at all J….

            …after class I had a free afternoon, so I spent it napping, catching up on How I Met Your Mother, a little homework, and looking up/booking fun stuff J…since, MOM AND DAD WILL BE HERE IN 2 WEEKS!!...I was working on some things for them and actually found them a flat to rent for the week they are here and it is located in a really cool part of town too which is super exciting….i think itll be cool for them to really feel like Italians living in their own place J….I totally cannot wait for them to get here….I miss you guys so much…this blog may seem like I am living this amazing, dream like adventure (and trust me I am) but Italia doesn’t deter missing home, my people, and those I love…it is definently tough being away, but as I am told by all everyday and I know, it will all be totally worth it in the end….but regardless, I am definently missing you guys …..sending my love home through the blog every night J….but mum and daddy come in two weeks and I couldn’t be more excited, I think I am the first of the group to have visitors which is kinda cool too….cant wait to show them everything in this new city, I now call home J;…..

            ….tonight I got to go to dinner with Eliana at her dad and stepmom’s house J….gah, this is absolutely one of the VERY BEST parts of living with a host family (and I think the other kids are wishing for it honestly)….dinners with my new Italian family….Elie’s sister, Valentina was there as well and that is always fun….Ricardo and his wife live in a gorgeous apartment, right on the River Po! (the longest river in Italy that runs right through Torino)….his wife works in antiques so the house’s contents is truly amazing….mom you would love it….im totally bummed I didn’t bring my phone to take pictures L…..but I will when I go back for sure!...

            …dinner was delish, of course J…it was polenta which is a very popular, almost comfort food for Italians…it is cheap and a good meal that fills you up on a cold day….which today definently was, we got a couple inches of snow!....but anyways polenta is made of corn….i was always told it was a kind of porridge, but it was more the consistency of a slightly thicker than normal mashed potatoes…no matter it was super good…when I was about half done, Ricardo came over, took my plate and then put a few different types of cheese in it and heated it so the cheese melted and then it was EVEN BETTER!.....we also had a mix of meat in a really good red sauce, not a pasta sauce more the flavors of like a sauce from a roast….again super good J….

            …after dinner of course, the game choices for the night were a back and forth game of “how do you say?” and then what can we give Molly to try….tonight I tried two crazy new things, and some different chocolates since Torino and Piedmonte (the region) is famous for it…the first crazy thing was an after dinner “digestive” that was the strength and made the same way as limoncello, but instead of lemon rinds, it was made of herbs….very, very odd but surprisingly good….it was in a bottle tho that looked like the equivalent of Italian moonshine, so that added another element of surprise J….the other, and most crazy thing, were alcohol cubes….so weird but good….so basically it is a tiny canning jar of pure alcohol (Italian Everclear), some lemon or lime rinds, and sugar cubes….you leave it for at least a week and then you can use….they had me eat it straight and it was soo weird haha….apparently they use them for after dinner coffees…soo interesting the things I learn at dinner with the family J….I totally love it J….

            …everyday here is a new adventure and I love even the days that all I do is go to school and then come home and hang out…everything I do is new…and its so cool to remind myself that I live in Italy….somehow I think all of the USAC kids to some degree feel like we can t believe its been ONLY 2 weeks here, but at the same time cant believe that’s ALREADY been 2 weeks….its such an awesome crazy experience…

            …tomorrow is my last day of classes for the week and then in the afternoon heading to watch a bunch of USAC American kids play a pick up group of Italians, which should be a lot of fun J….and then I think, making dinner with Natalie at her place….overall life is going just swimmingly….thank you for all your kind thoughts, and prayers….truly love and miss you all J….

Pianificanzione (P-on-e-fee-can-Z-own-A) - Planning

...forgot to post with yesterdays...host mom made my favorite last night...carbonara :)...

            …today was awesome…I didn’t have classes and so I got to relax and get little things accomplished today….top of that list was sleep J…got to sleep in a bit which was really nice…today will actually be my only Tuesday off (with the exception of the times when my parents and Josh are here visiting me) because starting next week, my internship at the Kindergarten!....I will be working 9-4 every Tuesday, for about 80 hours over the semester, in a kindergarten in Turin, working with the kids to help improve their english….there is actually a lot of us from the program that are doing internships….either at kindergarten, one of the 2 bilingual elementary schools in town, or another position related to marketing, finance, or business, in the city…..its a really cool opportunity and we get school credit for it….not to mention that at the end we will go home with a certificate and letter or rec saying that we taught English in Italy and that in itself is pretty neat J…..im super excited…

            …but anyways back to today J….i slept in AND was able to workout and do some piyo this morning….(thanks for the yoga mat momma)….it sure felt good to move today….i think I have heard all the kids in the program say that they need to work out haha….and its not necessarily that we are eating more, its just what we are eating….we eat so many carbs and honestly not a lot of proteins in comparison to in the States….also the pastries and gelato every, or nearly everyday…..and the fact that in the States many of us aren’t legal to drink alcohol, and here we are, so many are taking advantage of this cultural change ;) ….and although we are walking SO much more than we ever were back home, I don’t think that is cancelling the eating equivalently….not to say we are going to change what we are eating, because well, it delicious and its Italy so that would just be dumb….but long explaination short…we all are realizing we should probably start working out J….so today I woke up and did piyo and, well, felt the last two weeks…..but probably not as much as I will be feeling them tomorrow morning J haha….

            …after my sleepy, relaxing morning (turned afternoon), I met up with a friend to plan our Easter trip….at school here we don’t exactly get a Spring Break, we get Thursday, Friday, and Monday off surrounding Easter (not to mention a few other Italian holidays off as well) so my friend and I decided we didn’t just want to spend the break in one place, so we are off on a train touring adventure….we will leave Thursday and train to Cinque Terra, spend the night there, then the next day train to Pisa, and stay Friday night there, then it is off to Florence for Saturday night (hopefully Easter vigil at the Duomo) and Sunday Night, then an early Monday morning train to Siena for the day and a late night train back home to Turin that same night….we booked all the trains and hostiles today and I am so excited….even though I have already been to the first two places, there are things I haven’t done at each place that I am excited to do….its going to be a real backpacking weekend and quite the adventure….

            …afterwards, I met up with my host mom and went with her to a play date for Giacomo and visit with her friend….it was really fun…the house, of course was just stunning….and it was actually quite fun to just sit and listen to the Italian….i can really feel myself understanding more and more….now I just need to force myself to be brave and start attempting to form sentences…to people other than just my host mom….shes the only one who ever really hears me take 5 minutes just to ask a question or form one sentence of a story….we help each other with languages and its actually a really cool set up…..

            …overall, I don’t feel like I actually did a lot today but of course it was fun anyways….its amazing everyday, simply because I have to remind myself that I am actually LIVING in Italy….im doing it J I cant even believe it somedays….truly living the dream J….

...Ganz snuggling in for the night, look he matches my frogs :)....

Eccitazione (e-chee-ta-Z-own-A) – Excitement

           …today I didn’t really do much physically but it turned into a fantastic day that built up a ton of excitement, that is for sure…

            ..the day started with my first Italian test, which I am hoping went well….i feel good about it, so im taking that as a good sign J….afterwards, it was home I went to work on getting trips together in order to start booking and setting the adventures in stone :D …..and that is SO exciting!! today I organized what train tickets need to be booked for our Easter vacation trip to Cinque Terra, Pisa, Florence, and Siena…and we are off to the station to book those and will book hostels tomorrow J….

            …but today, I booked airline tickets to LONDON for the last weekend in February! I am so freakin excited J we are heading there on Thursday night after classes….spending Friday doing all sorts of fun touristy things, and then, since it will be Olivia’s (the girl going with me) birthday and she loves Wicked almost as much as I do, we bought tickets (nosebleed of course) to see it on the WEST END!! Checking that right off the ol’ bucket list J….the West End is the English equivalent to Broadway J….my favorite show, I will now get to see twice in about a 5 month span…I am so thankful for these amazing opportunities J….then on Saturday I am going on a family adventure…

            …my Grandpa Wall (mom’s dad, he passed away when I was a little girl) was born and raised in Birmingham, England, until he came to the States in his early twenties, I think….anyways, one of my aunts has his English passport, which of course has the address of his childhood home….so there is the adventure, go find Grandpa’s house J….i actually cant wait to walk up to the door and simply tell the homeowners, “hello, you don’t know me, but my Grandpa grew up here...”….ahh this is certain to be an awesome experience J…

            …then we will spend the rest of the weekend doing all sorts of good touristy attractions in London and I. Cant. Wait….its going to be such a great weekend….also because one of my friends from Boise State is studying there with USAC this semester and is letting me stay with him! I am so excited to see him J….traveling truly is about your friends….love it…

            ….the other awesome and exciting news from today is that my boyfriend from BSU found a great priced ticket for spring break, and booked it today!! Hes never been to Europe and will be in Italia in 2 months…I never imagined that anyone would be coming to visit while I was here because, well, its not exactly cheap…let alone my parents! And Josh! J….perfect timing too….mom and dad will be here after a month in Italy….the perfect timing to give me something to look forward to from home that isn’t too far, but not too far from when I will actually go back home….and now, Josh here the last week in March over his spring break and right in the middle of my semester….it will be the perfect doses of home, and once Josh leaves, there will be just enough time left, and adventures booked that enjoying it all will be the only focus left J…I honestly cannot believe the blessings of this trip and everything with it…but the blessings I received today alone were more than I deserved….

            …tomorrow we book a couple more trips…this is the most grand adventure…so much so that even when I am missing the people from home, or my head is killing me and brain is fried from thinking so much and translating, I have to remind myself that I am living in Italy….a gift and experience that few will have...…and most times that reminder also ends with the question, Is this real life? J man I am one extremely happy girl....

            …hope all of your days were emozionante (exciting)….a domani, buona notte gli amici! (until tomorrow, goodnight friends!)

Calcio (Cal – ch- O) – Soccer

          …today was a relatively simple day but it was seriously one of the best days….today a big group of us USAC students went to the Torino FC vs. Atalanta, Serie A soccer game….and for a girl who was raised on soccer, holding onto her daddy’s shoulders as he held her leg “flat as a board and swing all the way back and straight through the ball” before she could really run, it was amazing….i was raised on soccer the way that most kids in the states are on football….every weekend of the different leagues seasons, there was a game on…or I was up on Saturday or Sunday on the sidelines watching a game….it was fantastic, but in the US its just not big…most of my friends in school didn’t even understand the sport, and I understood offsides by the time I was 11…I love soccer, and let me tell you, so does this continent….

            …so last night I was watching the news with English subtitles (just to work on my Italian) and all of a sudden the sports highlight reel came on, and it was ONLY soccer….in the US we are lucky if a soccer moment makes the Top 10 plays on SportsCenter at night, but here it is all they care about….man that is such a nice feeling…

           …so since I have always watched the sport, I know what a stadium of a Serie A team sounds like….the hooligans (crazed soccer fans) chanting and singing…giant flags waving, the works….but I never expected it to be SO amazing….           

            ….so today most all of the USAC kids took the day to sleep in, but early afternoon we all met at one of the apartments to head to the stadium together…oh wait let me just clarify what stadium this was….the Turin OLYMPIC Stadium…ya know, where the opening ceremonies were held…(that alone made me just about die)…..so we all took off to the stadium…and as soon as we were a block or two away, you could hear it….the chanting and singing of the hooligans….it was the kind of sound, that to an American soccer fan, gave me chills J….i was pumped and not even to the stadium yet…so as we got closer, we all bought some new scarves or jerseys and headed into the stadium to find our seats…that we never sat in….and I don’t say that to mean that we just stood the whole time (although we did)….but basically everyone in our area stands, and pushes basically as close to the pitch as possible…..in the stairwells, asiles, railings, EVERYWHERE!....so, when in Rome….we went from our seats on the 3^rd deck to the 1^st deck and pushed up to about the 4^th row or so….and oh my dear goodness it was awesome!!....it was thunderous! And absolutely everything that I had imagined, and better!...

  J that was such a cool memory….i freakin love this city, and this country, and, well, soccer J

          ….the whole experience was magical and  I cant wait to go back!....we stood next to an Italian man who noticed we were Americans and helped us learn the cheers to sing along….and then when the team scored, he started hugging us and kissing our heads (to be honest tho, there was so much hugging and kissing going on, it was like someone had just had a child or something)….he was soo funny and so sweet…

            …Torino FC won too…which made the day even better J….1-0 from a PK :….after the game we all just headed home to study….(honestly we did too, this isn’t just to make my mom and dad happy; we all have Italian tests in our classes in the morning)…but boy was that a great day…seriously one of my most favorite things that I have gotten to see and do in the last two weeks…..I cannot wait to go to another game!! J

Gita de un giorno (Gee-ta / day / un / jo-no) – Day Trips

          …today was the first of, what I hope to be, many day trips J….my best friend here, Natalie form Tulsa, OK, and one of her roommates went with me…we took the train about 30 minutes west to a smaller mountain town called Avigliana (a-vee-g-lee-on-a)…and oh my goodness, it was so freaking cool…

            …the trip didn’t even start until about 1 or so because we took the time to sleep in a bit today…and then the other girls ended up waking up sick, and even didn’t think they wanted to go today….but I brought them over some meds, honey, and lemons…and after the meds kicked in and some tea for their throats, they decided they would be able to rally and go after all…we went and got on the 1:15 train and a half hour later we were there…..

       

 …after my first train ride (which was pretty freaking awesome) we were in the cutest little town, right up against the alps…

and as we started to walk around and explore, we looked up on one of the hills and saw the ruins of a castle…so naturally that was where we wanted to go…we just kept walking up, higher and higher, winding our way through tiny cobblestone streets,…

it was truly breathtaking…. and the views of the town just got better and better….finally we actually got to the trail and about 15 more minutes later we were there….literally it was one of the coolest things that I have ever seen….the views were spectacular of the city and the alps around us…
...there was a wall of the castle that was still really tall on the city side of the structure that had stairs leading up to it..there were a couple places to sit and just take in the views….ahh I wish I could describe all of this so much better but honestly its like trying to photograph the alps…there is just no way to even kind of do it justice!....so ill just post a few of the pictures just to give you an idea….

           

…after we walked back down from the ruins, we were off to find the lake (which apparently is what makes the city an actual tourist attraction)  it was back down the mountain for this….and boy was the whole town out walking did it seem! We even saw two people riding horses around the streets….after about 20-30 minutes we made it all the way down to the lake and just sat around for a bit, enjoying the ducks and the view….we then took a little time to walk around, even saw what I think was a heron for you mum!....then it was back up the mountain to hopefully find our way back towards the train station and to find some food!....

            ….when we got our way back up from the lake to the road, it was still about at least a half hour walk back to the part of town that held the train station….all the ways looking for a restaurant, and I am not sure if it was because the town is so small in comparison to others around it, or because it was a Saturday…but no matter, we could NOT find a restaurant open anywhere! So our tired feet, and hunger taking over we stopped in a kebab shop for Rebecca’s first kebab and well it was a little scary (not so much scary but we did walk in and the lights were off) but it was all we could find and surprisingly delicious!....

            ….after dinner we found a gorgeous chocolateria! Literally one of the most beautiful shops I have seen this whole time!...even the way they wrapped our plates of chocolates was beautiful!....we were still so full so we grabbed some desserts and took them home J….we caught a beautiful train ride in the dusk back to turin….then a metro ride to my house…the girls came over here for a couple movies and our delish treats! (seriously I wish I had taken a pic of them because they were so pretty, but needless to say they didn’t last long)….we made some dinner here together….it was a fantastic end to a truly amazing day….

            ….I loved everything about today….my first train ride, great travelers off to a wonderful town in the Italian countryside, a castle, gorgeous views, good food, and amazing friends….it was a great day J….tomorrow is a day to sleep in! and then to the FC Torino soccer game in the afternoon J….I am totally excited to go watch my new “team” and really my first truly Italian soccer game….and a pretty amazing part of that is they play in the Olympic stadium, which is pretty awesome too J…..

            ….As always, thank you for reading my blog, I love being able to keep you all up with my experiences living here in Italy….I really am missing the people at home and my gang at Boise, but totally thankful for Skype and iMessage for keeping me connected….I love you guys so so much J thank you for all of the support in this awfully big adventure!....until tomorrow, buona notte amici! (goodnight friends)

Visitate (viz-i – tar – A) – to visit

            …well today was a busy exciting day of not doing very much…and for the most part everything I did revolved around our trips for the semester…

            …after class the major point of the day was our meeting with the police for the first step toward out Permits of Stay…basically we paid the police some money to file our paperwork, showed our visas and then wait for our day to be finger printed…but it is pretty amazing that soon I get to be a resident of this city…like seriously, I may not be becoming a citizen but I will be getting a card that says I am a resident of a foreign country and that is pretty amazing J its so cool to think that I live in Italia…that this gets to be my home and will forever be a place I lived…and one day I will be telling my kids to be a part of that 1% of college students that study abroad, because their mommy did…that’s a pretty amazing thing to think about…

            …today was also a day that most of the USAC students spent trying to book trips abroad for the rest of the semester….we are all trying mostly to book the out of country trips in order to get train and plane tickets, and hostels for the cheapest possible…for me that means booking tickets to Paris in March with a girlfriend this weekend, and then this week I will be booking London in February, Rome the week after Easter, and then a trip backpacking through Cinque Terra, Pisa, Florence, and Siena, over Easter weekend….its so funny when we sit back to look at the amount of weekends we actually have and then try to book them, you realize how short the semester really is…a lot of the USAC kids are off to Dublin for St. Patricks Day, one of my friends, Rebecca is even getting to celebrate her 21^st birthday, in Dublin, on St. Patty’s day! Now that is a memory she will never forget!....i have chosen to see other things and spend travel funds in other ways for things that are higher on the bucket list J…

            …its so cool to look at tickets and realize that soon I will get to be there and see the sights, like when we were looking at Paris….its amazing to think that on that weekend, I will get to see the Effell Tower, Mona Lisa, Notre Dame and more! Things most only read about in books….ahh this trip is such a blessing,….and even though it is at times, stressful or I get homesick, or missing people from home or feeling like it is so hard to find my group here…I have those people who are still at home, that talk me down off the ledge, so to speak…always there to remind me of why I am here, and that’s why they are my people, and my loves….and that’s why I can be confident in why I am here….and that’s why I can always remember how much I love it here J

            …one more funny story for tonight…so tonight I left the house at about 7:30pm to meet up with my friends Kristen and Devin to go do apertivo tonight…if I haven’t explained that before on the blog, apertivo is done here in Turin (and around Italy, but more regularly in Turin) every night from about 7-9pm, and since the Italians don’t eat dinner until about 9 any ways….but anyways at Apertivo, you buy a drink (alcoholic or not) and then you are allowed to partake in any of the antipasti (appetizers) that they have set out…its really fun J….

            …but anyways, I left my apartment tonight to head out and meet them at their house, so I headed to the metro…now this morning the transportation had been on strike (which apparently happens really often around here) so everything was shut down, until about 3 and then it was miraculously all over….very odd I know….so I didn’t think anything of it…so I get to the metro and walk downstairs, buzz my pass and start heading down the escalator, which is stopped…now that’s kind of normal because some times the elscalators are moving but other times they aren’t…but I got the the landing before the platform and it seemed darker than usual…suddenly it dawned on me that NO ONE ELSE WAS THERE…. So freaked out I ran upstairs and saw a metro officer looking at me confused and told me I had to leave….at 7:30 on a Friday night!!...but I went to leave and the gates were closed….I had to take an elevator just to get out….so add that to my list of awkwards Italian situations….ahh the memories right?

            …well tomorrow it is off on our first day trip….tomorrow around noon we are taking a 30 minute train ride to a small town on a lake, west of here, called Avigliana, it is supposed to be very pretty J….there may not have been pictures of my adventures for today, but there will definently be some from tomorrow!....Buona Notte, e parli a domani!! (Goodnight and talk to you tomorrow!) 

Verbi e Bancomati (Ver – be/ a/ bonk-o-mat) – Verbs and ATMs

            Today got 2 words, mostly because this is all my day consisted of….well that and class and a nap but mostly verbs and bancomats….

            ..i woke up this morning, made my cappuccino and was off to school….and what started off class? Verbs…let me just tell you, this language has about 57 thousand verbs, not to mention that all of those break into 4 different groups of how to change them and then the new ending still depends on the subject of the sentence….so to conjugate a verb for the sentence, you take the infinitive verb, look at the last three letters to see if it is –are, -ere, or –ire (which then breaks down into 2 more subgroups if they are regular or not)….then look at the subject of the sentence, either: me, you, he, she, it, they, we, you(as in a group)….and each of those have a different ending for the new verb……literally that is all I have been trying to learn all day long….notecards, on notecards, on notecards….its a bit ridiculous….i mean English is super hard and I am very glad that it is my first language but seriously, -ed or –ing….end of story, there is occasionally something else but for the most part, that’s it…..

            …so the 6 or something hours that I spent working on those was the verbi part of the day….il bancomat is something else entirely….so yesterday I went shopping not planning on buying anything, but I ended up finding my coat and tried to use my debit card to pay but there wasn’t enough American dollars to cover the Euros….so when I got home I transferred some money to be able to pull out money today at the ATM…but when I did, it wouldn’t let me…and since I knew the money was there, I thought maybe I had a limit of what I could take out so I redid it and tried something lower….still a no, so I tried just a very small amount……and still nothing…..now I was more afraid that the machine was going to eat my card, so I decided it was probably the machine, and therefore I left to go to the other about a block away…..did it, nothing so I tried again for a smaller amount and was told my card “wasn’t approved for international withdrawls”….well come to find out, it was all my fault…..the nice bank people were watching out for this crazy person with my card that was trying to withdraw a huge amount of money in only 7 minutes haha….silly me…..

            ….thank goodness however for my town….good ol’ st. maries coming through for me again on this trip (Blog personal shout out to Tracy Fraser at American West! Thank you so so much, you are a complete life saver!)J good to know that how is always watching out for you…..

….you know youre from a small town when you post something on FaceBook about it and by the time you have gotten a hold of your parents to take care of it for you and they call, one of the tellers has already seen your post and started taking care of it….god I love that town….thank you again St. Maries for having my back, even from 4500 miles away

            ….other than those two situations, the day was rather uneventful, even got a good nap in today! J so obviously it was a good day….probably another slow day tomorrow….hopefully booking trains and hostels tomorrow for London Easter weekend, and Rome the weekend after J and hopefully looking into Ireland for St. Patty’s day/…..lets see how far we can stretch this recently unfrozen bank account! J a domani, buona notte tutti! (until tomorrow, goodnight everyone)

Ganz helping me learn my verbs today in class :)

Classi (claw-see) – Classes

            …today was a long day at school and as I sit down to write tonight I also realise that it wasnt very eventful, so sorry about that :)….it was only five and a half hours at school in total but that can seem like forever when it is only broken into 2 classes….i had my normal 3 hours of Italian in the morning….and then right after I had a 2 ½ hour Italian Culture class…..and that class is going to be super cool….when you walk out of class, not believing you had been sitting there for 2 ½ hours because the teacher is so engaging and the material is fun…its gonna be a good semester…today all we did was talk about what we have been noticing as different in Italy as opposed to America….funny things like their inability to park according to any sort of common sense…or not forming lines….or the biggest difference, the small size of their personal bubble!....its so cool….our professor was born in Italy, but then lived in England for 10 years, and then the US for another 20, and is now back in Italy….he is a very interesting person to talk with the changes about because he really gets it! J im really excited for that class…

            …after the school day at about 3…I went out to go shopping with a few girlfriends…back to Vie Roma with the planning of just going and looking….of course we started with gelato (after all I hadn’t had ANY yet today!) and then headed on our way….i did end up making a purchase (believe it or not haha)….finally found my coat, and the most wonderful big, black, knit, infinity scarf! I was in love at first sight….and I do believe I am going to have to put a tracker to make sure it doesn’t somehow get on a flight back to the states in February with a certain black scarf lover J….

            …really that is all we did today…I got home about 5:30pm, and did a little homework, worked on a project, and hung out….Valentina (Eliana’s sister) came over for dinner today, which was so much fun J it is so nice to feel completely a part of the family….and ps Italians really do kiss on either cheek when they meet and  part! And it maybe my new favorite Italian thing!!! Today Ricardo (Eliana’s dad, Paula’s husband) was over watching Giacomo on his last day at home (supposedly he is going back to school tomorrow, Eliana said haha, we will see how well that goes)…anyways, after school I wanted to come drop off my backpack before we went shopping and my friends wanted to come see my apartment so I brought like 5 or 6 over, and Ricardo doesn’t speak a word of English, so I knew it would be interesting….longer story short, we spoke a little broken Italian and then when we left, he kept telling the girls he was Nonno & Babbo Natale (Italian Santa Claus) and then did the two kisses with each of the girls….I think I heard about it the entire afternoon J….i got so lucky with this family J

            …actually heading to bed at a good – ish time tonight and I am so excited!....but first I just wanted to say thank you to all who are reading this blog…its really just an online journal for me, so I never really thought about that many people keeping up with it….but you are! And it is truly amazing….this trip is an enourmous blessing and I cannot believe that I am living this dream….thank you for coming along with me as I learn to live la dolce vita J….until we meet again, buona notte!

*Sorry no pictures for today…laid back day so I didn’t really take any haha 

Esplorare (S-plo-ra-rey) – Exploring

            …today was a day that started out as being not busy at all and it wasn’t (which was actually really nice)….but I definently made it a full day J…started nice and early (please note the sarcasm) with Italian class…skipped my morning cappuccino and that was mistake number one! Keeping my eyes open was becoming unbearable…so I made a point to grab that during our 10 minute break (it’s a 3 hour 15 min class) and it worked its fantastic Italian magic J….after class I was off with a couple errands to run but not much else plan….that is aside from a nap that I am now wishing I had made a thing today :/ haha

            …after class I came back to the flat to grab some lunch and super lucky for me, Paula was here and made me pasta….man I love that lady, absolutely adorable J….i left here and headed to the mall (which is about a 5 or so minute walk, behind the old FIAT factory – fun fact about that, on top of that building there is a track where they would test the cars, and it is also the place from the first scene of The Italian Job!) I was on a mission to get a great puffy winter coat like literally everyone here has….not so much to fit in, mostly to have one for going up to Bardonecia with my host family next weekend (ps that’s the ski hill from the Olympics)….i found on that I will use as a last resort but I am mostly hoping I can find one at the market sometime next week…

            …so as I finished making my rounds of the mall I saw a door leading out to a sky bridge and decided to go check it out….as soon as I walked outside the views were absolutely breathtaking! Today was sunny CLEAR, and warm …the best day we have seen yet! And from that sky bridge I had panoramic views of the Alps and they literally looked like pictures…I couldn’t even believe they were real!...i tried to take pictures but they wont do it any sort of justice….so then I continued over the small sky bridge and realized that I was on the Olympic foot bridge!!! ….it runs under the Olympic arch…..basically, the bottom floor of what is the Lingotto Mall was the broadcast center of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, and the other side of the footbridge, under the arch is the pathway that leads to the Olympic village J such an awesome discovery!! I knew that I was close to it, I could kinda tell from our bus tour of the city but I had no idea I was minutes walk away!!

            …after checking that out I headed back towards my neighborhood, away from the mall to the post office to mail off some letters to friends back home (and boy is it hard and expensive to mail things back to the states! Lol)…and I had all but two addresses so I could mail the rest but then they were out of the 2euro stamps that I needed for the other two and the nearest Tabbaci was closed (basically a convenience store that is on like every corner) so I had to go exploring again to find another…

            …after a little walk I did, with a man who spoke no English so that was fun, he was very nice tho J…and then well I just kept walking for another 1.5/2 hours J explored all around my neighborhood and the next one over…found a great church….finally started to head back towards home and the school and as I was passing the Olympic ice skating rink and park (which is pretty much next door to my school, and within sight of my balcony), I saw the United Nations symbol across the street…so I got a bit closer and realized that across the street behind my school is the UN training center…and after researching when I got home, that’s not just the training center for Italy…that’s THE ONLY training center…sheesh it was so freakin cool J…

            …on my way home I stopped at the school to fax a request for Vatican tickets for the canonization and see some friends to work on planning trips abroad (I love it!!) and then it was home for a few hours….

            …tonight we went to dinner at a place called Pasta e Basta….i kid you not, that literally means, Pasta and Stop, no one understands lol….but you know why all of us went on a Tuesday night?? Because its karaoke night with the Italians!...there ended up being about 20 or 25 of us USAC kids, even including a few of the other international students that aren’t from the US J…..we had dinner and waited while the other people finished watching the Juventus vs Roma game (Roma won 1-0 L) and by that time, we had all ate, drank, and gotten our Limoncello and things were even more fun….there were two men that had been there to watch the game but stayed to watch all the Americans…but they ended up singing and dancing along with the rest of us…one even serenaded us with a little Stevie Wonder J haha….the owner of the restaurant also sang us a few songs as well…it really was just one of the most fun experiences so far, without a doubt! And the food was awesome too! J….i think itll stick as our Tuesday event J..

            …this is turning out to be one of the craziest experiences….i find I have to remind myself daily that I am in Italy…and truly a resident here….its so awesomely weird….like here my worries aren’t work or the future, they are mostly where are we going this weekend and are our flights booked…I am truly so freakin blessed I cant even believe it…to live certainly is an awfully big adventure….

*and just a public shout out here on the blog, (and because the time just changed here in Italy)….HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH!!! I completely adore you and miss you everyday…I hate that I’m not there today for you, but I hope you have an amazing day!! 

Le scarpe (scar-pay) – Shoes

            Today was officially the first day of school….so how better to celebrate that when you are me? Go shoe shopping!! Haha well that isn’t how the day started but that is how it ended more or less…it was a wonderful day J

            It started bright and early as it seems everyday this week will…we have our intensive Italian class that is required of all international students for the first 6 weeks of school…so 3 hours a day, everyday this week,  and then 2 hours a day, 3 times a week for the rest J…its actually really fun to go to this class because although it sucks to go to a class that long, I really love learning the language…and it is so nice to have already a good hold on a lot of vocabulary…I really love it J….so I got up this morning and headed out of here at 8:35am….walked downstairs and out of the building, crossed the street to the coffee bar for a cappuccino, then continued down the small path to the school, arriving at 8:49….ahh I certainly love my location for school….class was great, learned how to make words plural, the words used to ask questions, nationalities, how to say the alphabet and the different spellings with c, g, and s and their respective, different sounds….

            After class, my friend Natalie and I were off for the day…stopped at my flat to drop off some stuff and say hello to Giacomo and Paula and then off to Eataly…Eataly is this magical place about 5 minutes from my house…its like the Italian Whole Foods! There are sooo many delicious foods there and places to eat from their restaurants…salami & cheese, fish, meat, veggies, beer & wine, and desserts!...we didn’t eat there today but we will soon! Instead we found mozzarella and tomatoes, and some prosciutto and took them back to her apartment and made capresi for lunch (aka my most fav lunch ever J only thing better would have been cantaloupe too!)…after lunch we went out to the city center to shop…

       …we first hit my favorite gelato shop Grom!  and then we visited all my European favs, Zara, United Colors of Benneton and of course, H&M J….and then of course a few fantastic shoe stores…one of which was calling our names all the way from Piazza Dante, about halfway between the city center and my flat…close to Nat’s apartment….it was like we were meant to be there to celebrate our first day of school …the WHOLE store was every pair 20 Euro!!! (that’s like $26)…and well after about 72 pairs later, its needless to say we both walked out with a pair of shoes we “needed”….naturally J it is me after all I think it is fitting that my first souvenir purchase in Italy be some shoes J…

     …the rest of my evening was spent doing a little homework for Italian…skyping mom and dad for about an hour which was absolutely fantastic! Somehow I talk to my parents more when I am in Italy, 4500 miles, 15 hours of flying and 9 time zones away, than when I am 400 miles, 8 hours of driving, and 1 time zone away in Boise….haha oh well, I have much better stories to tell them everyday here anyways J….

…I finished the night writing a few letters…it is so weird being this far away from life back home…as I spend my days going to class, exploring and trying to find where, and who I fit in with over here with all these new people…my most favorite people are just getting back to our old routines…as much as I am loving my life here and I am not homesick yet, I know that for sure…I find myself at times wishing I could be with them…not in any one place in particular, just with them….thats my college family and my happiness and it feels weird to simply be writing letters and setting up skype times….excited just to hear the voice or see a smiling face and wishing for just a hug, a laugh, and a kiss…these next four months are definently going to have their own dosage of tough times, and strain on relationships and tests but I know it will all be perfecto in the end….there is a reason for it all I know, its just the time trying to figure that out and trusting in the timing of one bigger than us….and doing what we know we would attempt to do if we knew that we wouldn’t fail….i miss you all so much more than you know, and even though I write these stories everyday of adventure, doing things and living a life I thought that I would only ever dream of, know that a piece of my heart is there with you, and longs for the rest of me to join it….I love you all…so so much….and miss you more than I can say….. 

Ricreare (Re-cree-R-A) – Relax

            Today was all about relaxing and man was I good at that….slept in just a little bit and then woke up showered actually did my hair today and then went to church with my host mom…that was interesting…thankfully Catholic masses are the same all over the world so I knew the prayers just not in the right language, but the readings and homily and I do believe all that I understood was John the Baptist….so may not have gotten a ton out of the mass but it sure was really cool….the church was gorgeous even though there wasn’t much that was extra or certainly special about it, it was old and stunning….it happened to be the church that also has the school where little Giacomo goes to school…and it is also the only church in Turin apparently where the kids actually attend church with their parents (well go to church with them but then go with the teachers)…..according to Eliana, children do not go to church in Italy until they are old enough to know to be quiet and respectful….interesting….but overall it was an awesome time…cant wait to try a different one next weekend…

            …although today was a lot of just hanging out and relaxing we did go out for lunch today…at the tennis club that is a 2 minute walk from the flat….it was delicious…however Simone is the classical Italian…I think he always orders me or makes me eat enough for a small army…every time I say no he piles my plate higher….ate a delicious antipasto of dough fried in olive oil (a new fav), mozzarella and prosciutto…I think I am in love….then Braccole…yum yum yum…then for dessert a “biscut” (essentially its like a hard cookie) with whipcream, chocolate, and a mascarpone cheese sauce….and finally a classic finish of espresso except this time with a little bit of some liquor with anise (I didn’t remember that that is black licorice…not the best thing ive ever had, but it is Simone’s favorite)….sooo much food...but that is why I love this place sooo much! I was full forever!!

            .,.thankfully the rest of the afternoon was spent skyping people from home….mom and dad in Alaska, and Josh, now in Boise….it was very much needed and was glad for the extra love and encouragement…needed to see some extremely missed faces…thank goodness for skype and facetime J hopefully will get to see my gang’s faces soon…miss you people….

            …finally the day ended with some the of coolest news, I got to watch the Seahawks game even all the way over here in Turin….i may not be the most dire hard of fans, but I am still a northwestern girl and if I am able to watch American Football, let alone my own team, in Italy??? You best bet ill be on that couch watching it….even if it does start at 12:30am and I have class at 9 in the morning…ill at least make it a half (actually what I am multitasking and doing now….COME ON SEATTLE!!!) I do believe that my daddy, Shmo, and Dustin will be quite proud of my efforts….also fun conclusion I came to while watching this….if the satellite gets Fox Sports for some reason, and that is an American station, that means I will get at least one American sports channel and ergo (yes dad used that just for you) I might be able to see some the of big name Americans in the Olympics!!! J which start in 18 days by the way (also I can actually see the skating rink used for short track and figure skating in the 2006 Torino Olympics from my house J) so woo hoo for sports today….

            Today was a great day….class tomorrow morning, we are in for a full week of Italian language classes for 3 hours a day…yipes J totally excited tho! That’s for sure!...then we are off to Vie Roma, a major shopping street in downtown for some shopping….i definently need a coat for Turin…not that it is really too cold (not any worse than st. maries, actually if it wasn’t pouring rain probably better) but if we are going to the Alps to go skiing in a couple weeks I need something better than my Columbia shell and a sweatshirt J….so shopping tomorrow! Woo hoo…but for tonight Let’s Go Hawks!!

(sorry no pictures today guys, it wasn’t really much to photograph)