Greetings from Italy

Hello everyone!

I am happy to say I made it safe and sound to Carpi.

Saying goodbye to everyone was very hard.

 My flight to New York took about 2 hours. On this flight my friend Emily was with me; she is the girl that I will be traveling with after the program. I think having her there definitely calmed my nerves a lot after being dropped off at the airport. I sat next to a very interesting man on this flight. He is a 53 year old man named Martin from St. Louis. He was on his way to Russia to meet a man he has been chatting with online for the past 5 years but has never met him in person. He paints icons (think iconoclasm art work) so he was also going to Russia to look at icons. Martin has traveled extensively throughout Europe so we had a nice chat about my trip. When we flew over New York City I had a perfect view. Martin pointed out the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and the financial district where the twin towers used to be. I fell in love with New York and would love to take a trip there sometime. 

The sunrise was beautiful.

From LaGuardia airport Emily and I had to take a shuttle to JFK airport. Once we got there we had a 4 hour layover. Her and I checked our luggage, went through security; I set off the alarm when we went through security because I had stuffed my headphones in my bra (it was very cramped on the plane and I didn't want to have to search my bag for them mid-flight) .Then found food, we were starving! Emily and I then had to split up because she was flying to Zurich then taking a train to Modena. I flew straight to Milan. When I began boarding the plane to Milan I was overcome with emotion. I was scared, excited, and completely exhausted.My flight to Milan was 8 hours and 20 minutes long. We sat on the runway for about 45 minutes waiting in a line of planes ready to take off. At night I could see every star in the sky. It was one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen. On this flight I sat to a very nice man named Guido. He is a 26 year old from Naples but is currently working in Milan. He was returning from a 3 week trip in Chicago and NYC. This trip was part of training for work; I can’t remember the name of the company.   I slept for about 3 hours then was awake for the rest of the time. Guido could not sleep either so he and I stayed up all night talking. We talked about Italy, sports, his travels in the US, along with many other things. I was nervous about getting lost in the airport because I had no idea where I was supposed to meet the rest of the group. Guido told me he would accompany me until I found them. He was able to go right through customs then waited about 20 minutes on the other side for me to get through. He then took me to baggage claim and we both picked up our bags. As we were going to the area where people wait I found the group right away. I thanked him for all his help then he went on his way home. I was so grateful for all of his help. 

C(h)are Bear!

 The group took a 3 hour bus ride from Milan to Carpi. The drive was beautiful. We could see the Alps in the distance! We stopped in at a little market for a bathroom break where I had my first awkward experience. I went inside with two other girls and we could not figure out how to exit. We entered through a turn style and you could not exit that way. We tried but realized it went one way so we just stood there for a moment then walked around a bunch until we found somewhere we could leave. 

When we arrived in Carpi all the families were there waiting excitedly. Each family had a sign with a student’s name on it. They families all ran up to the bus once we stopped. Laura and Gabri ran up and have me a big hug. We gathered my luggage and then we were off. 

This is inside the bus station where our families picked us up. My favorite movie title is Chop Kick Panda (instead of Kung Fu Panda)

 The Forgheiri’s live right near the center of Carpi in a building that has about 3 homes. They have a beautiful terrace that we spend a lot of time on. I was starving by the time we got home so Laura cooked pesto pasta with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. We also had bread, cherries, carrots, and chick peas with olive oil. I tried parmesan cheese with balsamic vinegar but I did not like it very much because I had cheese. 

Delicious lunch Laura made.

Mocha and "chocolate salami" (not meat) after lunch

They bought me a phone that I can call within Italy with and gave me a key ring with the 2 remotes and 4 keys I need for the house. 

One remote is to turn the house alarm on/off.

Fragola (strawberry) gelato

 Next, I gave them their gifts and unpacked my suitcase.Gabri was THRILLED to have marshmallows. He has seen them on his cartoons but has never had one. He snuck one in his pocket today and sat on it; he smashed it in his pocket. I took an hour nap then they took me to see the city. We rode our bikes there so I could learn the rules of riding a bike in Italy. In the square there are several small shops and restaurants. This is where I got my first gelato. It was delicious. In the town square I saw the cathedral and the castle! It is pretty neat to be so close to a real castle. We also went to the oldest church in Carpi. It was built in 1100 A.D. and is where Laura and Alessandro got married. 

Cathedral in center of Carpi

oldest church in Carpi

Nothing like eating gelato and looking at a castle

Pizza and beer

 Later in the evening we had two families over. One of the woman works at the university as an assistant professor in engineering. She could speak English pretty well. The rest of the adults and children could not speak many words. For dinner we had pizza and beer. It is good to know that is a great combination even in Italy. They call cheese pizza, magherita pizza (tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese). Rather than pour a large glass to drink Italians use smaller glasses where they pour small amounts of liquid into. The coke, beer, and water all sit in the center of the table and you poor small amounts into your cup as you drink it.  We also had gelato again. After dinner we sat around and talked for several hours. At this time we had a champagne toast to celebrate my arrival. Later, all the adults were talking in Italian and could not stop laughing. They then tried to translate for me. I learned that you should always ways wear sexy underwear when you’re married.This is much funnier in broken English and when someone is using a translation tool to explain.

The terrace

I finally went to bed around 11:30 pm and woke up at noon the next day. Laura had closed the blinds (which let zero light in) as I was sleeping so I had no idea that it was daytime. The good thing about not sleeping for 3 days like I did because of finals and preparing for the trip is that my jet lag is not bad at all. I do not recommend others doing this though. Today we went to visit Laura’s mother and father. Her mother prepared tortellini, potatoes, and roast beef served with cabernet. It was hard for me to eat the tortellini because I hate cheese so much. I got a little gaggy but i ate it with a smile on my face (plus the wine helped).For desert we had gelato and coffee.   

 

Her parents have a beautiful house filled with artwork that is over 100 years old. Also, her father has collected treasures from traveling all around the world. 

sailing trophies

old pistol her father collected

After lunch we went to the club (gym) where we met 5 other families. I got quit the workout because we played soccer for about 3 hours. I was able to keep up even though I have not played in almost 10 years. After the club two of the families came back to the house to have pizza again. The pizza place delivers beer here! I made s’mores for everyone after dinner.

Laura and Alessandro can speak English pretty well but we still have a difficult time communicating sometimes. Gabri doesn’t speak any English but we still play sports together and have fun. I am doing my best to learn new words everyday too. Grazie (thank you), Ciao (hello) and capito(understood) have become my best friends. Next week Laura and I plan on going to a zumba class and aqua gym (I'll let you look that one up)together. 

Finally, everyone says that I look "very americano" because of how blonde my hair is and ask if all the other girls look like me (blond hair). Maybe I will look less American without my straight hair and an afro. My hair straightener blew today. I guess third time really is the charm because it worked just fine the first two times I used it.

That is all I can think of for now so I am going to get ready for bed. We have to wake up at 7 am to get ready for school.

Buona notte!