Everything's been closed due to Pentecost (for the last 2 days) so we've just been walking...A LOT.
Yesterday, Rachael and I visited the largest synagogue in Europe, and the Hebrew Museum, before trekking down the main shopping street. We ended at the park, where a large "Millenium Monument" sprawls out in the front entrance. We wanted to find the gorgeous outdoor baths, but instead ran right into a Native American fair...it seemed. There were people in headdresses, singing and playing the drums, and there were vendors galore with lots of good food. It was so random! There were even moon bounces/bouncy castles. haha. We lay down in the grass by the lake, where I fell asleep for a bit, while Rachael read. We finally ended up taking the metro back, only to meet up with our new friends for dinner--
Two cool cats named Barbara and Alistair. They arrived yesterday-- one a girl from Miami who worked on Cadiz in Spain for 2 months, and is now traveling around....and the other a British guy from just outside London, who majored in Physics, and is now traveling around. We bonded in our exhausted states at 4pm or so, after Rachael and my's day of trekking...and then went to a good Hungarian restaurant, before walking around the city some. It was pretty chill. Alistair is so proper and gentlemanly-- he wouldn't even let Barbara pour the wine at dinner. Barbara is lively and outgoing, and has funny stories of her experiences working at the hostel in Spain. It's a random group, but they're all great. I love it.
Today we walked to the other side of the river, hiking up the hill to see the "Citadella"-- a gorgeous monument. It was quite the trek. Then we got lunch. And before we knew it, it was 4:30. We wanted to get to the baths, but it's getting so late...we might not make it!
Tomorrow we're set to explore the labyrinth and then the "House of Terror" (a museum that was used during World War Two to house a group of Jews..pretty intense), before flying to Brussels!! Whew. Time is FLYING.
I'm wiped now...it's so hot. I love the iced tea here. So delish. Also, I figured out a way to strap my nalgene to my camera bag, so I can carry it constantly. Awesomeness. The little things in life...ahh. :)
Soon I'll be home! I miss home a lot...but I am having fun, too. Always a conflict!
OK well tata for now, friends. I'll probably next write from Brussels!!
Ciao belle.
Anna.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Putting the Pest back in Buda...
That's right! I am currently on the "Pest" side of the Danube, sitting at a lovely guesthouse on the top floor of a pretty old building in the city of BUDAPEST. Wow!
After a long day of travel, getting up at 420...how appropriate for AMSTERDAM, hahahaha...and then arriving into Budapest around 1pm...Rachael and I checked in to our hostel around 1530 or so. This hostel is a lovely, spacious apartment with several bedrooms, a large living room and a friendly hostess. There is breakfast included and laundry (for a fee), along with a kitchen that we can use to cook....AND FREE INTERNET. YES. This would explain the consecutive posts. I am so thrilled to have internet. This could be bad, though, cause I don't want to get too attached to internet and not do anything else anymore....gotta be here in Budapest! Well, I can at least check my email (and facebook of course) which is nice...and still get plentyyy of sightseeing done in the day.
We walked around a bit, happened upon a boat tour that was about to leave...and sat on the tour for a good hour. Once I got bored, I began talking to the girl sitting next to me, who turned out to be a friendly New Yorker on vacation. She was great, and even lived in San Fran, so we had a lot to talk about. I mistakenly thought she and her friend were in college, but it turns out that they had graduated YEARS ago. Oh well.
After the boat tour, Rachael and I headed to dinner at a pretty Mediterranean restaurant. The food was good. The service sucked. The waiter was really unfriendly, and took forever to bring us our food...as he stopped and chatted with all the other dinner guests. It was really obnoxious. Oh well. The baklava was yummy, though. After getting bug bitten ferociously (I THOUGHT MY BUG BITTEN EXPERIENCES WERE OVER!! As Rachael put it, they must've sensed that I had been decontaminated recently and decided to attack...hahaa), we headed back here...
which brings me to now. Just sitting and relaxing in the hostel!! Just met the friendly Canadian guy who took over for the lovely girl from earlier. A great place!
OK time for bed...exhausted. Night, friends!!
xoxox
"Freddie K"
After a long day of travel, getting up at 420...how appropriate for AMSTERDAM, hahahaha...and then arriving into Budapest around 1pm...Rachael and I checked in to our hostel around 1530 or so. This hostel is a lovely, spacious apartment with several bedrooms, a large living room and a friendly hostess. There is breakfast included and laundry (for a fee), along with a kitchen that we can use to cook....AND FREE INTERNET. YES. This would explain the consecutive posts. I am so thrilled to have internet. This could be bad, though, cause I don't want to get too attached to internet and not do anything else anymore....gotta be here in Budapest! Well, I can at least check my email (and facebook of course) which is nice...and still get plentyyy of sightseeing done in the day.
We walked around a bit, happened upon a boat tour that was about to leave...and sat on the tour for a good hour. Once I got bored, I began talking to the girl sitting next to me, who turned out to be a friendly New Yorker on vacation. She was great, and even lived in San Fran, so we had a lot to talk about. I mistakenly thought she and her friend were in college, but it turns out that they had graduated YEARS ago. Oh well.
After the boat tour, Rachael and I headed to dinner at a pretty Mediterranean restaurant. The food was good. The service sucked. The waiter was really unfriendly, and took forever to bring us our food...as he stopped and chatted with all the other dinner guests. It was really obnoxious. Oh well. The baklava was yummy, though. After getting bug bitten ferociously (I THOUGHT MY BUG BITTEN EXPERIENCES WERE OVER!! As Rachael put it, they must've sensed that I had been decontaminated recently and decided to attack...hahaa), we headed back here...
which brings me to now. Just sitting and relaxing in the hostel!! Just met the friendly Canadian guy who took over for the lovely girl from earlier. A great place!
OK time for bed...exhausted. Night, friends!!
xoxox
"Freddie K"
Friday, May 25, 2007
Amsterdam! In All its glory!
Amsterdam is fabulous, and I'm actually sad to leave tomorrow morning. The weather has been gorgeous-- hot, sunny, blue skies. Yesterday, my friend Rachael (who I am traveling with for the week or so), and I met up with two other girls from the program, Heather and Rachel (Rachel goes to Haverford and we're friends there, too), and we covered quite a bit of ground. We visited the house where Anne Frank lived when she hid here during World War Two. Very intense, but beautiful all the same. Incredibly how intact everything is. Whew. We then headed to a park and hung out for a bit, before going to see Van Gogh's work at the Van Gogh Museum. After that, we saw the Heineken brewery, where Heineken beer originated. It is now a fun museum with lots of interactive activities. Coolness. After a nice nap, we met up for dinner, before walking through the Red Light District. That was quite the experience. I had heard stories of the women who stand in the windows, but it was quite different seeing them in person, standing in their minimal clothing and smiling at passersby. Wow. It's also funny cause there are "coffee shops" everywhere, that have horrible coffee...but lots of marijuana options. It's so funny to me mostly because Amsterdam is such a quaint town, with a canal and bikers, and then there's the Red-light District with all these sex shops, sex shows, and prostitutes...and then people can be seen just randomly smoking weed, whether in these coffeeshops, or even just in the park, openly! ha.
Oh yes, about the biking. People bike everywhere here, so that's quite the sight....in fact, there are more bikers than residents! whoah! I took a bike tour today, which was fun. We had a quick historical tour of the city, before heading to the country side to see a windmill (occupied now by a family, in order to preserve it), and a Dutch clog and cheese farm. There were cows! I pet one! Ha. After the tour, I sat in the sun and people-watched, while I listened to some music. I really like time on my own, so it was nice, cause Rachael went back to the hostel and I got to just chill. I mean, I love hanging out with other people, but sometimes it's just nice to be on my own. I really realize that now, after being abroad. I found it funny, too, cause there were all these naked children running around, and swimming in this shallow pool in the center of the park. I wanted to take their pictures, but I thought that would be creepy. ha. I just wanted to capture the innocent fun of their playtime in the pool. I felt so happy just watching them splash around in such a carefree way and wanted to capture that...maybe to share that with others, or merely to remind myself of that calm moment, sitting in the park...or just cause pure innocent fun is so rare these days. I find, in general, that I really like to capture moments on film. and I suppose it's for a lot of the reasons I listed above. But that's definitely one of my favorite pasttimes...taking photos of moments...candids, people taking pictures of things-- beyond just the traditional smiling photos. Oh, and also, I love taking pictures of weird mannequins, cute old couples, and just things that are different and unlike anything I've ever seen before.
Oh yes, about the biking. People bike everywhere here, so that's quite the sight....in fact, there are more bikers than residents! whoah! I took a bike tour today, which was fun. We had a quick historical tour of the city, before heading to the country side to see a windmill (occupied now by a family, in order to preserve it), and a Dutch clog and cheese farm. There were cows! I pet one! Ha. After the tour, I sat in the sun and people-watched, while I listened to some music. I really like time on my own, so it was nice, cause Rachael went back to the hostel and I got to just chill. I mean, I love hanging out with other people, but sometimes it's just nice to be on my own. I really realize that now, after being abroad. I found it funny, too, cause there were all these naked children running around, and swimming in this shallow pool in the center of the park. I wanted to take their pictures, but I thought that would be creepy. ha. I just wanted to capture the innocent fun of their playtime in the pool. I felt so happy just watching them splash around in such a carefree way and wanted to capture that...maybe to share that with others, or merely to remind myself of that calm moment, sitting in the park...or just cause pure innocent fun is so rare these days. I find, in general, that I really like to capture moments on film. and I suppose it's for a lot of the reasons I listed above. But that's definitely one of my favorite pasttimes...taking photos of moments...candids, people taking pictures of things-- beyond just the traditional smiling photos. Oh, and also, I love taking pictures of weird mannequins, cute old couples, and just things that are different and unlike anything I've ever seen before.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
BUGS BUGS GO AWAY!
The Bug Fiasco:
Months ago, I began to find random bug bites on myself when I would wake up each morning. At first I paid no attention to them, but over time, when they kept appearing, and when I went on my spring break trip and they disappeared...I realized I must have bugs in my bed. AH! GROSS! I thought maybe it was just an allergic reaction...but then I got back from spring break, and the very first night I was home, I was itching like crazy. YUCK. I spent the night on the couch for a few nights, then spoke to IES about the problem. Finally, they came to give me a new mattress and new sheets etc to hopefully fix the problem...but then, they mixed up the rooms...and they brought Katie and Brittany new mattresses, and they left mine. AH! Eventually, they fixed the problem, and brought me a new mattress...but then left my contaminated mattress in the hallway. Great. A few days later, Elisa, my roommate, found actual bugs crawling in her bed. Ewww. We left for the weekend, and came back to find that Elisa's whole bed had been taken away. She left a note saying they would bring her a new bed soon...and she would be back once they brought her a new bed. However, that very night, I received more bug bites in my bed...and had the same thing happen the next night. The second night, I actually even saw a bug in my bed. AHH. Also, this time, when I went to sleep on the beloved couch, the couch made me feel all itchy, too...so I had to sleep on the smaller couch, that I hardly even fit on. Fun. Brittany commented afterwards that she had seen bugs in the first couch, the night after Elisa had slept on the couch (when she found bugs in her bed). The colony must have grown. Ah! I contacted IES and the very next day, they found us a new apartment. We had one more night in the contaminated apartment, before we moved into our new apartment! This was quite speedy service, eh??
It was all quite crazy, as we weren't allowed to take any clothing, papers, books, or basically anything except electronics and extreme valuables with us when we left...as they wanted to de-contaminate everything. We were instructed that we would have 260 euro (about 350 dollars) to go shopping for new clothes and toiletries for the week, and that we would be excused from class. So, last Thursday, I was basically told to go shopping instead of go to class. Katie, Brittany, and I first went to UPIM (the Italian version of Target) and bought a bunch of things, before we met Marco to go to the new apartment.
This new apartment is located about 10 min walk from school, as opposed to 15-20 min. like our old apartment. We took a nifty little elevator up to the ninth floor of this apartment building that is in a cluster of a bunch of other apartments...all gated into this nice courtyard area...right next to the super market. YES. We arrived on the 9th floor. Our apartment is the only apartment up there. woo hoo!! We walked inside, and it's a bright, spacious, beautiful apartment. There are wonderful hard wood floors everywhere, and windows look out over Rome in every room. We walked out on the gorgeous terrace, that has an amazing view over all of Rome. There is a kitchen decked out with all new appliances, that leads into a dining area with a pretty wooden table, which melds into an area with a desk, that goes right into the living area, with a tv. It's amaaazing! Walking straight through that whole area, there is a cute area in the back with 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. One bedroom is small, with 2 single beds, and has doors leading out onto the terrace. The other bedroom is larger, and has a huge double bed, with no doors out onto the terrace, but huge windows looking out over the courtyard. My lovely roommates gave me the bigger room, since I have had so many problems with the bugs. (even though they were inconvenienced by all of this, too, and some of them started getting bites, too.) They are so sweet! Also, since there isn't enough room for her, Elisa is living with her boyfriend Giuseppe, for the rest of the semester. Crazy. So we basically have a penthouse apartment in Rome just for ourselves, with a beautiful view...and no neighbors right nearby. Ah, party anyone?? Oh yeah, and there's another bathroom when you first enter...so yeah, that's right...2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, baby. We can actually pee at the same time now. WOO WOO. AND WE GET HOT WATER for more than 10 min. hahaha. The other apartment had a lot of pretty Italian charm, but this apartment is just so convenient and lovely. I LOVE IT!
So that's that.
In other news:
Everyone makes out everywhere here. Ah. Get a roooom. I mean, I'm all for people wanting to express their affection..but do ya have to put it on display full force when I'm sitting here on the computer? haha. We share a building with an Italian university, and there was a couple earlier making out wonderfully in the hallway a few minutes ago.
OK I'm gonna go. Ciao ciao!
Months ago, I began to find random bug bites on myself when I would wake up each morning. At first I paid no attention to them, but over time, when they kept appearing, and when I went on my spring break trip and they disappeared...I realized I must have bugs in my bed. AH! GROSS! I thought maybe it was just an allergic reaction...but then I got back from spring break, and the very first night I was home, I was itching like crazy. YUCK. I spent the night on the couch for a few nights, then spoke to IES about the problem. Finally, they came to give me a new mattress and new sheets etc to hopefully fix the problem...but then, they mixed up the rooms...and they brought Katie and Brittany new mattresses, and they left mine. AH! Eventually, they fixed the problem, and brought me a new mattress...but then left my contaminated mattress in the hallway. Great. A few days later, Elisa, my roommate, found actual bugs crawling in her bed. Ewww. We left for the weekend, and came back to find that Elisa's whole bed had been taken away. She left a note saying they would bring her a new bed soon...and she would be back once they brought her a new bed. However, that very night, I received more bug bites in my bed...and had the same thing happen the next night. The second night, I actually even saw a bug in my bed. AHH. Also, this time, when I went to sleep on the beloved couch, the couch made me feel all itchy, too...so I had to sleep on the smaller couch, that I hardly even fit on. Fun. Brittany commented afterwards that she had seen bugs in the first couch, the night after Elisa had slept on the couch (when she found bugs in her bed). The colony must have grown. Ah! I contacted IES and the very next day, they found us a new apartment. We had one more night in the contaminated apartment, before we moved into our new apartment! This was quite speedy service, eh??
It was all quite crazy, as we weren't allowed to take any clothing, papers, books, or basically anything except electronics and extreme valuables with us when we left...as they wanted to de-contaminate everything. We were instructed that we would have 260 euro (about 350 dollars) to go shopping for new clothes and toiletries for the week, and that we would be excused from class. So, last Thursday, I was basically told to go shopping instead of go to class. Katie, Brittany, and I first went to UPIM (the Italian version of Target) and bought a bunch of things, before we met Marco to go to the new apartment.
This new apartment is located about 10 min walk from school, as opposed to 15-20 min. like our old apartment. We took a nifty little elevator up to the ninth floor of this apartment building that is in a cluster of a bunch of other apartments...all gated into this nice courtyard area...right next to the super market. YES. We arrived on the 9th floor. Our apartment is the only apartment up there. woo hoo!! We walked inside, and it's a bright, spacious, beautiful apartment. There are wonderful hard wood floors everywhere, and windows look out over Rome in every room. We walked out on the gorgeous terrace, that has an amazing view over all of Rome. There is a kitchen decked out with all new appliances, that leads into a dining area with a pretty wooden table, which melds into an area with a desk, that goes right into the living area, with a tv. It's amaaazing! Walking straight through that whole area, there is a cute area in the back with 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. One bedroom is small, with 2 single beds, and has doors leading out onto the terrace. The other bedroom is larger, and has a huge double bed, with no doors out onto the terrace, but huge windows looking out over the courtyard. My lovely roommates gave me the bigger room, since I have had so many problems with the bugs. (even though they were inconvenienced by all of this, too, and some of them started getting bites, too.) They are so sweet! Also, since there isn't enough room for her, Elisa is living with her boyfriend Giuseppe, for the rest of the semester. Crazy. So we basically have a penthouse apartment in Rome just for ourselves, with a beautiful view...and no neighbors right nearby. Ah, party anyone?? Oh yeah, and there's another bathroom when you first enter...so yeah, that's right...2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, baby. We can actually pee at the same time now. WOO WOO. AND WE GET HOT WATER for more than 10 min. hahaha. The other apartment had a lot of pretty Italian charm, but this apartment is just so convenient and lovely. I LOVE IT!
So that's that.
In other news:
Everyone makes out everywhere here. Ah. Get a roooom. I mean, I'm all for people wanting to express their affection..but do ya have to put it on display full force when I'm sitting here on the computer? haha. We share a building with an Italian university, and there was a couple earlier making out wonderfully in the hallway a few minutes ago.
OK I'm gonna go. Ciao ciao!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
running through the park
Women in spandex pants...
Couples making out in the forest.
*N Sync and Hanson blasting through my head phones. (I take them out of my ears and check to see how loud my music is, so I know whether or not I'm disturbing all the cute. old couples strolling...who all stare at me as I run by in my shorts and bun on top of my head...and red ipod case in hand. Is it strange that I'm in shorts, or that I have a red case, or that have a bun on my head? Or maybe it's the "Colorado College" emblem on my shorts... Whatever it is, even the little kids seem to know that I don't fit in as an Italian, as one kid's wide eyes take me in, as I jog by... and he even gets distracted from his game of futbol with the other kids in the play ground area... Hm.)
Regardless, I jog in zig zag formations, and sometimes just make a loop around the park.
So many people own dogs in Italy, but they all seem very possessive of their dogs. Each dog owner reels in his dog as I pass, and even dogs passing each other do not stay to snif each other, but are each reeled away by their owners. For such a friendly country, this behavior with dogs is strange. I mean, shops close for 2 hours a day here, people are seen chatting all up and down the streets-- being social is SO important. Why is it so weird to want to share your dog with strangers? Allow the strangers to pet your dog, show it off, maybe? When I went to the beach with Abby over spring break, we met Zara, an adorable pup...and her owner walked her right up to us. Maybe that's cause we were in the North? But why?! I don't get it. Hm. Interesting to observe cultural norms, and see how they change depending on the part of the country.
A friend sent me a cool quote, which I think represents my life, in general...and which I really relate to.
Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past
Stop planning the future
Stop figuring out precisely how we feel
Stop deciding exactly what we want
And just see what happens...
It's good for me to realize that I need to stop reflecting and over analyzing everything. GO WITH THE FLOW. That's the way to live. Just see what happens. I know everything works out in its own way.
Also, if you're reading this, go listen to "Grace Kelly" by Mika. I love it. LISTEN. Now. Go.
OK i'm out. time to write a papier. FUN FUN FUN. (first real paper of the semester!! haha.)
Ciao belli,
Anna
ps: I'll send out a mass email soon.
Couples making out in the forest.
*N Sync and Hanson blasting through my head phones. (I take them out of my ears and check to see how loud my music is, so I know whether or not I'm disturbing all the cute. old couples strolling...who all stare at me as I run by in my shorts and bun on top of my head...and red ipod case in hand. Is it strange that I'm in shorts, or that I have a red case, or that have a bun on my head? Or maybe it's the "Colorado College" emblem on my shorts... Whatever it is, even the little kids seem to know that I don't fit in as an Italian, as one kid's wide eyes take me in, as I jog by... and he even gets distracted from his game of futbol with the other kids in the play ground area... Hm.)
Regardless, I jog in zig zag formations, and sometimes just make a loop around the park.
So many people own dogs in Italy, but they all seem very possessive of their dogs. Each dog owner reels in his dog as I pass, and even dogs passing each other do not stay to snif each other, but are each reeled away by their owners. For such a friendly country, this behavior with dogs is strange. I mean, shops close for 2 hours a day here, people are seen chatting all up and down the streets-- being social is SO important. Why is it so weird to want to share your dog with strangers? Allow the strangers to pet your dog, show it off, maybe? When I went to the beach with Abby over spring break, we met Zara, an adorable pup...and her owner walked her right up to us. Maybe that's cause we were in the North? But why?! I don't get it. Hm. Interesting to observe cultural norms, and see how they change depending on the part of the country.
A friend sent me a cool quote, which I think represents my life, in general...and which I really relate to.
Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past
Stop planning the future
Stop figuring out precisely how we feel
Stop deciding exactly what we want
And just see what happens...
It's good for me to realize that I need to stop reflecting and over analyzing everything. GO WITH THE FLOW. That's the way to live. Just see what happens. I know everything works out in its own way.
Also, if you're reading this, go listen to "Grace Kelly" by Mika. I love it. LISTEN. Now. Go.
OK i'm out. time to write a papier. FUN FUN FUN. (first real paper of the semester!! haha.)
Ciao belli,
Anna
ps: I'll send out a mass email soon.
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