Thursday, February 25, 2010
Cars in Milano..
In case you didn't know in Italy, especially Milano, almost everyone who drives a car drives a compact one... I don't think that people really want an especially nice car because of the chance that it'll get so beat up. The other day when someone was pulling out of their parking spot I saw them continually tap the bumpers in front and behind them attempting to pull cleaning out the spot...Everyone here parallel parks, something I cannot do, and they also park on the sidewalks in the grass everywhere! I have also noticed that Mercedes, BMW, Fiat, Audio are all common car brands here. Also, in the time that I have been here I have only seen 2 mini vans...and for all I know they could be the same one. It is just interesting to observe the immense traffic in Italy. Also, I saw the fire trucks go by yesterday and they were all Mercedes brand ha! I think that is funny because Mercedes at home is such an expensive car and here public firefighters drive them!Sunday, February 21, 2010
Rai TV
This week has been classes, cold weather, and rain... I wish I would have known before I left how much it rains in Milano. I hear this raining thing is a common occurence here (not cool). This week was fun because I got a chance to participate as a studio audience member at RAI TV. RAI tv is the Italian state owned Public service broadcaster controlled by the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI is the biggest television company in Italy. I got a phone call from one of the members of ESEG asking me if I'd like to go down and watch this TV broadcast. I joined a group of people for a tram ride and then we were at RAI studios. It was neat because one of the men in charge of the show let us sit in the front row immediately behind the 7 speakers. The shows topic was on immigration and Italy's stance on racism. I really didn't understand much of the show since the people were speaking in rapid Italian but Maria, who was sitting next me, continually translated and the show sounded very very interesting. I am really glad that I got the chance to go...I don't really know a lot about Italian policies on Immigration but it all sounds like a really interesting situation in Italy. Many of speakers had different views ranging from there is no racism in Italy too Italians are blind and cannot see the racism in front of me... The group of people I went to show with were from America, France, and Australia and after the show they all had various comments to make on the subject.I am very glad that I got to experience something completely unique in Milano that I'll be able to share with other people!
Ciao for now!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Nutella...
I have had several interesting experiences with Nutella. I am surprised that I lived 21 years without knowing the wonders of Nutella. For everyone who doesn't know what nutella is then I shall tell you. Nutella is a thick chocolate. Nutella spread, in its earliest form, was created in the 1940s by Pietro Ferrero, a pastry maker and founder of the Perrero company. At the time, there was very little chocolate because cocoa was in short supply due to World War II rationing. So Mr. Gerrero Used hazelnuts, which are plentiful in the Northwest region of Italy, to extend the chocolate supply. Tonight we, Jordain, Alyssa, and I, decided to see how nutella would taste on different food items in the kitchen.
Grapes: If you like grapes a lot and you like chocolate a lot this option is for you
Bananas and apples: This combo is friendly alternative to peanut butter...it is quite tasty and like pringles you cannot eat just one
Gelato: This is absolutely delicious and completely satisfies the most difficult sweet tooth...luckily in my apartment we have several different types of Gelato so we were able to experiment with a plethora of different flavors
Popcorn: The flavor reminds me of the chocolate covered popcorn around Christmas time that people give as gifts because they don't know what else to give...but like the Christmas popcorn this combination was delicious. Jordain's hands were covered with chocolate so that she looked like she had been playing in the mud, quite entertaining.
Crackers: This is my favorite. I think the cracker combo is the best tasting because it is not too sweet and with a cracker it takes you longer to eat, so you can enjoy the taste longer.
I hope you've enjoyed this information and expect more experimental Nutella projects to coming in the near future...
Trams...
The tram situation is here is complete madness. Today Alyssa and I were running to get to the tram because we were already a few minutes late and we definitely wanted to catch this tram instead of waiting for another 15 minutes...I made it to the tram and Alyssa was crossing the street behind me...I started to bang on the tram door and the door did open up. I was waiting for Alyssa to finish crossing the street and she was stepping on to the curb so we could both jump on when the signal changed for the tram to go ahead the doors snapped in our face and the tram driver drove off....I was so upset ha that is not the way I wish to start my morning. I was very upset that the tram driver could not be a little nicer for me. I am convinced that the tram drivers are crazy. First, Alyssa's bag gets stuck in the tram doors and the Italians were yelling at the driver for us because those doors were not budging. I could not get the door open and was just laughing. And our friend Nick's backpack got stuck in the tram doors and when the tram started moving he had to run with the tram, those doors could take off your fingers.
Luckily, we're all alive and well and made it to class on time. We even had time to go to Cafe Via Carducci and have a cappuccino. The first time I have ever had coffee has been in Italy. I don't think I would enjoy a regular cafe (coffee), but with the cappuccino I can put two packets of sugar into each cup and enjoy a very sweet drink :). The pastries here are delicious, usually I get a chocolate one because they are the most delicious. This morning whenever Alyssa and I were having our coffee we were trying to communicate to the server that the cappuccinos were good so I kept saying molto bene (very good) and the waiter said who me or the drink? When we left the cafe he kept saying how he loved us...Alyssa and I think we'll go back sometime soon.
At lunch I went with a group of people to a little restaurant that was very crowded and a lot of fun. I really need to practice reading Italian more because I thought I was ordering a typical Italian pizza and when it arrived it looked like a spaceship on my plate made from bread. It was a round dome of bread with the inside having cheese, meat, lettuce, and tomatoes...I am sure the look on my face was priceless just because the food dish was so unexpected. It was very good, just not the typical Italian dish that I was expecting...
I got a great nap today and looked up different places to travel while I'm here! I am thinking right now Greece, Amsterdam, and a few others...if you have any suggestions comment and please let me know.
Ciao,
Mary
Monday, February 15, 2010
Venezia!
I have so many pictures: please look at them :)http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2156121&id=58215937&l=308e87f963
My adventure in Venice was great! Luckily I was with a great group of people who truly believed that having fun was just making fun of what was happening to us. I did not exactly know how I was going to get to the meeting place by 7 am...when taking public transportation would take me an hour and a half. Thankfully one of my new ESEG (The international student association that organizes a lot of the activities for students) friends, Maria, helped book a taxi that would pick us 30 minutes before we needed to be there instead of two hours, phew! I did not go to bed until late anyways...somehow whenever I have good intentions of sleeping early I end up on facebook or on this blog :) Not that I mind too much I am learning to live with sleep deprivation... Whenever I got the bus I was too excited to sleep for the few hours that it took to arrive in Venice. Jordain and I (Jordain is my cooking companion and now partner in crime) took pictures of sleeping people and entertained ourselves by singing along to the classics, The lion king, Aladdin, Mamma Mia, etc.. Quite enjoyable time.
Arriving closer to Venice the group took a ferry into the city. The buses weren't allowed into the main city area. The view was beautiful and the water pretty. Of course my mind went to the summer and water skiing, but it was a little too cold for that here. When I got off of the ferry it was to be surrounded by hundreds, literally hundreds of people, and clicking cameras. The group I was with mostly spent the day trying to get lost in the narrow streets of Venice, which was difficult because of the thousands of tourists... I do not consider myself a tourist since I am a student at Cattolica.. ;)
I ate a pizza place and learned that in the afternoon it is practically a crime to drink a cappucino. This drink is only for the morning, because of the milk in it, and it sometimes excused because of tourist's ignorance. The people at my table were from Austria, Hungary, France and they all stared at the Americans ordering cappuccino's like we were crazy literally. I am glad I have been updated on the coffee life here.
I took a lot of pictures and saw a lot of beautiful things. The costumes in Venice were intense!! They have a costume parade that decides who has the best costume in Venezia! We got to watch the parade, which was on an elevated stage, from only a short distance away. By the time the costume people were paraded by I could not see the end of the crowd behind me. It was intense. I think what I liked the most about Venice was the architecture. Venice is a completely different world than Milano. And It was great being able to experience another wonderful side of Italy. The streets were tiny and the walls of each building a different color. Every few blocks you would have to cross over a bridge to avoid the water ways...I'll admit the first thing I thought of was the movie The Italian Job...
The group of people that I tagged along with decided that the reason everyone has masks on is spying on other people...there were several times that I wondered whether the person in the costume dress in front of me was male or female...our theory gives a lot to consider...
I left Venice at 6...everyone fell asleep on the bus because it had been such a long day...long but fun. I hope to go back to Venice in a few weeks to maybe see the city in a less touristic light and not get overrun with the crowds...
I am including a tutorial below on what I learned while in Venice:
(The fluent Italian speakers find it hilarious to teach things to the non fluent speakers that really shouldn't be repeated)
1. Venice is very glamorous: The word glamorous was repeated throughout the day so much so that when I went to be I dreamed of the word...
2. Let's go there...Where?...There! : I don't know how this statement came about, whether it was making fun of someone, Americans haha, or whether it was just the simple fact that all day long we said we were going there and on the return boat ride from Venice we said, We went there!
3. Pirla: This is a nasty Italian word that means bad things :) It was used in our group all day...do please remember that if you use it...stress the rrrrr sound
4. Limonare: the Italian word meaning to make out...The guys in our group reported 2 instances where they used this word and 1.) A man turned around and said oh yeah 2.) A man turned around and said do you want to?. This word should be used cautiously and with friends so as to not attract unwanted attention...Lesson learned!
5. I am not always to best story teller: The early morning and long bus drive gave way to stories...somehow in my story telling one of my avid listeners came away with the impression my father was death and that when a goat is run over it makes no difference what noise it makes...I am still confused and blame this situation on the fact that this listener is Hungarian...no fault of my own you see....but because of this mishap all day deaf goat?? was asked as a question between our group...the response was oooh so glamorous...
6. I learned from several reliable sources that it is a common belief that Austrian lovers are quite passionate and very glamorous. This was not learned from experience...I know you were wondering, but my an Austrian...so it has to be true.
7. And finally when one does embark on a trip to Venice make sure to get sleep :) Cause there is too much to see in such a short time...
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Bittersweet family dinners...
I am so lucky that my Uncle Mike was in town this past week...skiing up in the alps...and I got to meet him for dinner in Malpensa. Malpensa is the airport that I flew into and by train is approximately 40 minutes to get to (the same commute that I take to my school) so the time flies. Uncle Mike picked me up at the airport which is where my train arrived at and we headed to Villa Malpensa. Villa Malpensa is a beautiful hotel that was once, I think, a manor house to a very wealthy family. The Villa was located about 1.5 minutes away from the airport, almost within walking distance. Whenever we walked into the entrance I immediately noticed the architecture which is great, the whole entrance and sitting area was decorated in light pastels that spoke of a different era then my own. I think that eating at the Villa has been once of the best meals even though I didn't really know how to order anything. Being a student in Italy has taught me that for lunch you get a sandwich, for dinner you either cook or go to an apertivo, which is light snack food done between 7 and 9 (usually) and then dinner between9 and 1030 (I am not really used to the different scheduling but it has been fun). But eating at the Villa I had a real dinner not just apertivo or home cooked pasta, which means there are many different courses to order and that the menu is HUGE! I got the chance to order with Uncle Mike a real Italian meal, not an apertivo at a bar, so it was a lot of fun.
Leaving to go back to my flat was a little bittersweet. Even though I do not see my much loved Southern family often I experienced a bang of homesickness along with the thought of being in the States. (this feeling did not last long, thankfully ;)) I think the fact that I saw someone I knew and care about was emotional but it was a great dinner and I am so thankful that I got the opportunity to spend time with someone I care about....
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Why Everyone is Named Francesco...
Lately I have found that 50-75% of the males I meet in Italy are names Francesco...why you may ask? Well luckily one of my Francesco friends informed me that the Patron Saint of Italy is Saint Francis of Assisi...aka... Francesco di Pietro di Bernardone. He was a Catholic Deacon and the founder of the Orders of Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans. He is known as the patron saint of animals, the environment and it is customary for Catholic Churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of 4 October. Francis called for simplicity of life, poverty, and humility before God. He worked to care for the poor, and one of his first actions after his conversion was to care for lepers. Thousands were drawn to his sincerity, piety, and joy. In all his actions, Francis sought to follow fully and literally the way of life demonstrated by Christ in the Gospels. His respect and appreciation for creation was so profound because it always led him to the Creator. For Francis, the Eucharist became the deepest source of support for his desire for cosmic peace and reconciliation. Just two years before he died, St. Francis said: "I beseech all of you, by whatever charity I can, that you show reverence and all honor to the most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, because (in Him) all things, whether on earth or in heaven have been pacified and reconciled with Almighty God". (Information taken from online) :)So Now I know why every male here has the Francis...Francesco...I'm surprised more women do not have the name Catherine after Italy's other patron saint, but maybe I just need to meet more people :)
Ciao!
