Oops, so once there was this blog I said I was going to do...

Oh the overambitious side of me often overtakes the logical part of me, much as it did with the hopes that I would have time while studying abroad to diligently blog.  Sigh.  Well, it is summer, the monotony of home has sunken in, so what better way to liven it up than to relive this last year via blogging?  What could go wrong?!?  Hopefully I won't sink into a deep and dark depression with the realization of how much I miss getting espresso from the handsome Daniele or seeing the top of the Duomo peeking out at me as I walk to school.  Here in Battle Ground we have... some really great coffee shops, and... some even better grocery stores.  See what I am dealing with? Sigh. On the bright side, even if my mom is still the only one who reads my blog, at least this last year will be documented to some extent, and the fact it is public will naturally guilt me into at least blogging a few times before I throw up my hands in acceptance of the futility of it all. Stay "posted" (haha) for more and maybe even a few stories that will be a chuckle, a cringe, or threat from my mom to never ever let me travel again because clearly no one should find themselves lost in Paris in the middle of the night carrying luggage and mysteriously forgetting the YEARS of French that had been studied... Anyway,  may illustrate my point a little more with a some visual aids (thanks google).

Florence, Italy

Battle Ground, WA USA

 

I mean really, can you blame me for not blogging?  I think not.  Shout out to all of you who even noticed I stopped blogging, there may have been just one actually, a friend of my mom's, of course, and now that I think about it, my mom didn't even notice my absence in the blogging world... sigh.  So much for my number one fan. I'll be taking applications for anyone else who would like to be lovingly over-interested in my life. 

Ciao for now! 

Finding Paradise

Amalfi Coast

The waves on these rocks make a sound that was eerily similar to the sound a rain stick makes.  We sat here for at least an hour just listening and making assumptions about the random pirate ship. 

The Amalfi Coast is nothing short of a dream land and a paradise.  It is mid-October, yet we lived it up in bikinis and summer dresses all weekend.  It all began on Thursday, when we left Florence and took a bus down to Sorrento, in southern Italy.  We arrived in the dead of night and made our way to the bungalos.  We were with a travel group called EuroAdventures, and Bri, Hannah, Ally, V, and I were all from Gallo D'Oro and the majority of the group was Gonzaga students, so that alone promised a great time.  

The bungalos!

The next day we woke up bright and early, took a ferry to Capri, and climbed to the top.  I mean, literally to the top of this island.  It was grueling!!! If you know me, you know I am a fast walker, and love getting places in the shortest time possible, but this was ridiculous.  The guide from EuroAdventure pushed us, and we made the best time he said he has ever gotten before.  We spent the rest of the afternoon around Capri.  Clare and I got lemon gelato, and it had the funkiest aftertaste.  We spent a good twenty minutes trying to figure out what they could have put in it.  Finally, we assumed that they must have left part of the rind as the made it, but if anyone has any idea why the lemon gelato in Capri has a kick to it, please let me know!  We made it back to our bungalos and that night was... how shall we put it... memorable : )  We indulged in cheap box wine (I know, hold you gasps of horrified shock, we are in Italy and should know better) and an amazing dinner and night out on the town.  I would highly recommend the English Inn to any students, as they were friendly and put up with out bathroom pow-wows and Austrian drinking games (so down down down down.......) 

The top of Capri!  Rugged much??

Me, Molly, and Clare walking to the ferry

This is real life : )

Post-swim. 

The beach where we went swimming

Capri

I LOVE all these girls!!!

The next day we went to Positano, which has stolen my heart.  The water was an unreal blue, and the weather behaved, for the most part.  I went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, which was so salty I basically just floated. On Sunday, we went to Pompeii.  The city was incredibly well-preserved and we saw the brothel, the public baths, and the remains of many houses.  The bodies were slightly morbid, but also thinking of how it must have been for them to have experienced the volcanic disaster, put a tragic theme on the day.  Clare, Molly, and I stumbled across a secret garden that was tucked away.  Pompeii is much larger than I thought, it really is a sizable city.  One interesting thing is that in Pompeii, stray dogs run free, and if you happen to fall in love with one as you are touring, you are more than welcome to adopt it!  So not kidding right now, and I mean, it would make one hell of a souvenir, right Mom?!? : )  Thankfully they were all a tad bit mangy and practicality kept us from bringing one back to Florence.  After another bus ride home, we arrived  in Florence, and the dream came to an end.  

Sigh... I want to go back already!

Pure Chaos

Teaching English in Florence very well may be the best experience that I have had since being here.  This was my second week teaching it with Maestra Angela Rumo, who is a saint in teacher like form.  I am in love with these children, but they are the craziest kids I have ever met.  I was put in the 4th grade classroom at Scoula Di Firenze.  The classroom dynamic is something I have never experienced, probably because I think there are laws against it in the U.S. lol  

Imagine giving a room of 8 and 9 year olds a whole Easter basket full of candy and then letting them loose.  At first I assumed that maybe they put me in the A.D.D. classroom, but after conferring with other GU students that were also volunteering in classrooms, the lack of discipline and crazy experience seemed uniform.  These kids don't listen, jump in and out of their seats, yell, throw things, and generally act as if the could care less what they were told to do.  At the end of it all, they kids don't seem as if they are really acting badly, they just seem to know what they can get away with, and love to push that line every single moment.  By no means is this a negative post, I rather enjoyed myself both times, it just was such a leap from what I was used to. 

At one point last week, this little guy was trying to put a golf ball sized ball of aluminum foil up his nose.  Thankfully, he wasn't successful, but then proceeded to start throwing it around the classroom.  Naturally, a small battle ensued over the tin foil ball and before I even realized what was happening, there was a small riot and the teacher started yelling, "BASTA!" The kids all stopped what they were doing and made their way back to their seats.  These small yet all consuming interruptions seemed to occur about every five minutes.

This little tiny girl who sits in the from is adorable, her name is Julia.  She speaks surprisingly good english, and whenever I ask kids a question that they don't know, Julia is "that kid" who loudly whispers the answer and helps them out.  She is precious.

I am working on memorizing all the other kids' names, but it is so much harder than I ever thought it would be.  My respect for teachers has sky-rocketed these last few weeks! 

All in all, I can't wait to see what the next few months bring : )

Corri La Vita 12k

 This last Sunday, Florence held the Corri La Vita, a 12k that raises money for cancer research.  It was a great day for a run, and idea of running every mile seemed a little easier knowing it was for a good cause.  As you can see above in our pre-race pic, us girls were all just so excited at the idea of running a 12k, especially because we had heard rumors of the awful hills that this route had.  I mean, we have been eating all this pasta for some reason, right?! It was bound to help us power up those hills : ) 

The square where the race started.  It is weird to yell, "Meet me by the statue of the naked man!" when giving directions.  Weird, but somehow so great

That was our "competition".  Pshh. Whatever : )

We arrived at the race and were met by a hoard or Italians, as well as a fair spattering of American students and other confused looking foreigners.  What was interesting was the ratio or men to women, which by my estimation must have at least been 4:1.  Running seems to be a few steps (ha ha) behind in Europe, especially in competitive running for women.

The race began and wound through the city, ending up at Piazzale Michelangelo, which I swear is the highest point in the whole city, maybe even the whole country.  Okay, that is slightly dramatic, I know, but I'm telling you, those hills were steep and unending!

See the Duomo?  That is where we started and this pic was taken about where we ran to.  It's so high I really think the race should be marketed as half-race and half-mountain climb.

Regardless, we all finished with good times and smiles on our faces.  After the race, our athletic director Larry took us to the restaurant, called The Diner, that offered amazingly delicious American food.  I'm talking omeletes, pancakes, and even...(dramatic pause)... "American Coffee"!!!  I am sure you must think it is ridiculous, I mean, we are in the food capital of the universe and I am getting excited about drip coffee... but, let me tell ya, after being here for a few weeks in was the perfect meal.

Our post-race Gonzaga group

A New Side of Florence: Working at the Soup Kitchen

Today I went to a soup kitchen that was located just a few minutes away from Gonzaga's campus.  The coordinator had warned me that the people may come across a tad bit harsh and that they don't speak English, but I figured I could handle it, I have 6 siblings so I have pretty thick skin : )  My three days of Italian had definitely given me a false confidence that I could handle the language issue.  Note to self: just because you know how to order a cappuccino does not mean you can understand the damn language.

I arrived there and was thrown in to a mix of other volunteers, mostly the sweet grandmother type.  I want one of them to adopt me.  Or all of them could adopt me, I certainly wouldn't complain.

I threw on an apron, a rare sight indeed, and they looked at me with slight trepidation, and understandably so, due to the fact I was dressed ridiculously (just a skirt and tank top, really should have thought that through, whoops) and clearly I didn't speak Italian.  I apologetically tried to explain "Sono americanna" and that was met with a nod of understanding and little chattering that was undecipherable to my ears.

The meal started and homeless people began to file in.  They were all very polite, and we served them pasta, salad, bread, and fruit.  So yes, the homeless in Italy also get a four course meal, and the regulations in the quality of food guaranteed that the meal would be quality.  

It was overwhelming trying to figure out what the workers wanted me to do, what the homeless people were asking for, and generally what the hell was going on.  I mean, it took me a good twenty minutes to figure out how to pronounce the word green beans, not an easy feat by any means.  The first shift of people had me asking myself, "What the hell did I get myself into?".  I was rushing around and get frustrated at the lack of communication and felt like an idiot for not understanding anything. 

Then all the sudden, everything was okay.  Things started to make a little more sense and I got into the swing of things.  The homeless were all polite and appreciative and not by any means the stereotypical homeless person.  These were all people and all souls and they all had their own stories.  They all had families.  They are sisters, mothers, sons, and fathers.  A few of them actually spoke English and were chatty.

My shift came to an end and I left tired-out (sono stanca) but happy.  This will be a weekly commitment so stay posted for more : )

This experience made me curious about homelessness in Europe.  While traveling, I have come across a fair share of beggars and such, but that seems only natural in areas that bring in tourism.  All in all, I feel as if I haven't seen much homelessness at all, and which I contributed to the socialistic themes found in most European countries as well as a slight lack of tolerance.  After doing a little bit of research I found that there was much more to it than I had thought...

An article in Time, "Down and Out" brought our many issues I was unaware of.  "The safety net is failing some of the most vulnerable sections of European society," says Freek Spinnewijn, FEANTSA's director. "A lot of people are falling through — people with mental-health problems, drug and alcohol problems, and people who have suffered physical and sexual abuse." This makes sense to me, in that I feel this is an over-arching theme found in many societies. 

More specifically, I was interested in the homeless population in Italy.  The article states, "In Italy, only rough sleepers qualify — there are around 17,000 of them, according to the official count."  So, that doesn't take into account all the people who are by all means without a home, or who can't afford to eat, such as the people that I met and saw today.  That number is shockingly low, and I can't imagine that it is realistic at all.

So what causes homelessness in Italy?  The article goes on to say, "Many are homeless because they are discriminated against, in jobs and housing — or simply can't afford Europe's high cost of living."  hmm, makes sense as well.  This also seems to be the cause of homelessness in the United States.  But if people are being taxed 35-58%, as they are in Italy, why can't a society provide for these people?  Therefore, does it come back to the mental health issues?  Is the homeless population here made up more of the mentally ill, those who are unable to function in society?  The article went on to quote Spinnewijn when he says that single women with children make up the majority of homeless families in Europe. "One of the main reasons for the increasing number of homeless families is divorce," says Spinnewijn. "There has been a rise in the number of divorces, and often divorced women with children find it very difficult to have an economically sustainable life."  Once again, shouldn't the state be helping out these women and families?

Unlike my own experience the article states that volunteers routinely encounter hostility, even violence, particularly from rough sleepers. "Those who've been on the streets for years get very uncomfortable when they are suddenly in a confined space, surrounded by lots of people," says Susan Fallis, project manager at a West London hostel, one of several run by the charity Broadway. "They are suspicious and angry, and get put off by even the simplest things."  It would seem the natural response for those who suffer with mental health problems, and simply seems to cement that fact.

Lastly the article brought up the point that social researchers know that "It's not a matter of giving someone several hundred euros a month and expecting them to find a place to live and make a life," says Martin Hirsch, president of Emmaüs France, a voluntary organization that runs shelters and provides housing across the country. "Money isn't enough for people with problems — physical, psychological — who can't take care of themselves."

I couldn't agree more.  There seems to be a marginalized part of society that is so much easier to ignore because I think people have taught themselves to look away, to grumble at their presence, and to brush them off.  That "dirty old man"  is dirty because he has no place to shower where he feels safe, he is old because of the life he was forced to live, and he is in the position he is in because he has no one to be his advocate or the help him get the medical help to work through his mental issues.  Thank God that there are people in this world who take care of people they know who can't handle the world on their own when they fall in the same family, but what about all the people who don't have that family support? Where do they go?  I understand that when the mental hospitals were used in the United States they were corrupt and the people were treated inhumanly.  There were many issues on all levels of management and care, and I don't mean to imply that as being a situation, but I do feel it should be reviewed.

But these people need a place, not only in our hearts, but in society.  So I challenge you (and mom, if you really are the only person who reads this blog, this mean you lol) to step out of your comfort zone and serve some meals at a soup kitchen or simple just say hello when you pass a homeless person on the street.  Realize that these people aren't homeless due to laziness, it is due to bad circumstances or mental illness.  Show the love of Christ.

F-I-R-E-N-Z-E is finally home to me!

A bus, a plane, another long bus ride and our final bit of traveling finally came to a close.  I had fallen asleep on the last leg of the traveling, and was awoken as we pulled up to school and met our pensione owners.  If you can only imagine being woke up and in the next 3 minutes finding yourself dragging luggage (again, I realize this whole luggage thing was completely self-imposed, but still, it sucked) and suddenly ending up in the place that will be home.  It was the most disorienting experience, and did I mention it was 12:30 am?!? Ahhhhh!  Well I settled in but was up bright and early for my first day of school.

My Italian teacher very well may be the very cutest woman in the history of ever.  She said, "Some days when you're tired, we wont do much.  When you not tired, we do more.  That's why I don't have a schedule."  Man, I love Italy : )  I am working so hard to learn Italian, but I have to admit I know a total of 5 phrases.  They all have to do with food or cute babies.  Awesome.

A low key weekend in Florence was just what I needed after all that traveling and opening tour.  We walked miles and miles all through Florence.   One night, after Gusta Pizza, we were walking to gelatto when lightening lit up the sky and there was a HUGE downpour!  We all crammed under a doorway and waited for it to pass before we made a break for home.  Experiencing a lightening storm in Italy is one of those things that you have to experience before you die.  Absolutely amazing.

Later that weekend, when we were out on another walk, we came across a crowd of people that were crowded (lol) around a curve in the rode.  Suddenly a bunch of police cars raced by, followed by support vehicles for bike riders. The crowd kept cheering and then all the riders rode speeding by!  It was crazy and amazing and the whole crowd was going nuts!  More cheering was followed by more riders.  The last rider rode by (poor guy) and the crowd dispersed.  Isaac, I thought of you!

The pensione I am living in, Gallo D'Oro, is about 5 minutes away from the Duomo.  The owners are the sweetest people and the food is good, probably a little too good    : )  We are also situated by Caffe Cavour, which is run by 3 generations of Florence natives.  The coffee is delicious and cheap and happens to be right on the path to school.  Imagine that, lol


Till next time, CIAO!

Sending A Letter for Etter? The way to do it Better : )

I have been getting some questions in regards to mail here and sending stuff soooo...

The Italians are funny in that not only do you have to pay to send the package, I also have to pay to receive it.  So a few things to know:

1. When declaring what is in the package, mark it as "used goods" or "used books" and say its worth is 2 or 5 USD.  But please don't send any real used books, I mean, really, c'mon : ) lol

2. Don't send any food, gum, lotions, vitamins, candy, ect.  It will get caught up in customs for eternity.  And trust me, I am not starving by an leap of the imagination.  At my rate, I should probably be sending food home.  I won't even try to deny the fact I ate a whole pizza last night.  Appropriate for professional football players, not so much for college girls. Also, there is a rumor of the "Florence 40"... as in the forty pounds you gain while studying here. eeek! 

3. Sending letters is cheaper for you and free for me to receive them!  So it is a little old school and I am assuming a few of my friends aren't even sure how to go about that crazy thing called writing a letter, I hear ya, but when in Rome... (cough cough Florence)... embrace the pen and paper lol

4. They school gets all the mail and distributes it there, so rest assured it will arrive and actually get to me when sending letters or packages.

My address:

Havilah Etter
Gonzaga-in-Florence
Via Giorgio La Pira 11/13
50121 Florence, Italy

The Duomo, my new home, hahaha JK! but I live a little to the left of it, down about 5ish blocks.