Catch up

Ok so I really stink at this whole, let's write something everyday. It might be because I'm lazy, or I feel the material isn't interesting, or the fact that the only place I get internet in my apartment is my bathroom. I will never bitch about slow internet again...maybe.

So last week, I got to celebrate my 21st birthday. (Ti auguri a te!) It was a great great birthday. We (Brittany, Andrew, Chelsea, and myself) woke up early on Saturday, got on the train, and spent the day in Florence. I love Florence. It's so beautiful, and the shopping is great. I bought myself a scarf, and two pairs of much needed sunglasses. The goal was to look for shoes. FAIL. I did find a pair that I fell in love with, however my test walk resembled a penguin waddle. So they were a no go. It's fine before I leave I will have a pair of black Italian patent leather stilettos with a round but slightly pointed toe <--this might be another reason why I cannot easily find shoes. We returned home and ate delicious lemon biscuit cookies that Halie baked. I'm slightly addicted to them. Then a bunch of us got ready and celebrated at Aurora and the favorite Mr. Blooms. Good times.

Here's something I'm really excited about. Next Thursday is my last Italian class! You might think, "But Kaitlyn, why are you excited? Shouldn't you want to learn Italian forever?" But I say, "Nay. I've been learning Italian since the age of fourteen. This is my extent, and my Mondays and Thursdays will be completely free to do other fun things like travel and take day trips to the English bookstore in Florence." Plus I feel really awkward asking Italian students why Rome is "a bitch among pigs." Yes, we had to do that in class.

So today we went to Siena for our art class. Freaking cool, and really pretty. We stopped by St. Catherine's of Siena, where we saw her thumb and her head. Being the Catholic nerd that I am, this was really exciting.

a. People back then were tiny. She had the head the size of an infant. (ok maybe a small child)

b. I could not believe I was standing in a church where crazy miracles happened. Ok Catholic nerd moment done.

Then we went to the museum by the Duomo and saw the Maesta, and other works of art. The Maesta by Duccio is crazy (look it up). So many stories in one altar piece. It really pissed me off that they decided to replace it with an ugly tabernacle.

Then we got to go to the top of the wall that was meant to be part of the church, but wasn't completely built because of the plague. I can't remember the name of it "ugly something" but yeah. Here are a few things I'm thankful for

a. I am not fat

b. I am the size of a small child

Otherwise the climb to the top would have been impossible. The climb was worth it. The view was the best view I have gotten of Tuscany. (pictures will be loaded soon on here). But that wind was flying. It made me reminisce of Oklahoma just a bit. We also got to look around the duomo, and eat a really awesome lunch. Props to Sam being the first American to eat Tripe at that restaurant. Siena is gorgeous, and is full of history, so if ever in Tuscany make a stop.

Just so you know

If you're in Italy and you see a little punk running away with a non man purse in his hand, this is what you say, "Ladro! Non rubi la borsa!" "Thief, do not steal the purse." Unfortunately last night I was not aware of how to say this. My friend and I were at the park, just walking around, when we saw a man running with a woman's purse in his hand. At first I thought he was carrying it for someone but I saw no girl in site.

Note to family: I do not approach sketch people or people who look harmful. He looked like a little punk who didn't know what he was doing. You do not haul ass in the other direction with a purse, you blend with the crowd...duh. (ps I've been watching too many usa marathons back home)

So being concerned with this at the time, I start running after him saying, "Stop! That is not your purse!!" The kid turns around, looks confused, ( I am speaking English) and continues to run. I start running after him saying, "You should not steal, it's not right!" He stops and meets up with a friend and they're talking. I show up, give them a look of dissapproval and say, "La borsa...not yours." and then walk away. They continue to look really confused, try to speak in English and then give up. What was I going to do with the purse? I didn't know who it belonged to, and I didn't want to make a whole ordeal about it by going to the police. But now they know I do not approve of stealing, and maybe in the future they will be smarter than that. Punks.

Recap on Venice

What can I say about Venice? Whoever says they hate Venice because of the smell should be slapped across the face. Venice is one of my favorite places in the world. It's so unique and has such a great sense of history.

Friday: 15 of us took the Eurostar from Florence to Venice. The weather the whole weekend was clear skies. Considering Arezzo is usually cloudy and rainy, this was a nice change. The minute we stepped out of the train station there was a ton of music and people all around buying masks, getting their faces painted, children running around in princess costumes, the whole shebang. It was Halloween all over again minus the whole ghost witch thing...sorta.

Then there's the hostel experience. I have never stayed in a hostel before, so this was definitely an experience. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't a five star hotel either. I really had no idea what to expect. The hostel dude had the most interesting beard I have ever seen, and was super laid back about everything. We met a bunch of people from all around the US, Canada, France, and Brazil.

We decided to venture out and buy masks. I spent 32 Euro on mine but it's so worth it. It's basically my favorite and will be wall decor in my future house in Norman. Partying in Venice is ridiculous. They are all street parties. You just find a random piazza and there is sure to be music, dancing, and a lot of Americans. I felt there were more Americans and other nationalities than Italians. I couldn't even describe how fun it was. It was definitely a highlight in life. A few of us decided to venture (get lost) to San Marco. The piazza was beautiful. It was completely empty but everything was lit up. I can't really believe how old some things are. My freaking apartment is 300 years older than the birth of our nation!

Saturday: Woke up, had the experience of getting in line and waiting for a shower, and then got ready to venture the town again. That day, we went to Murano to experience the art of glass making. Those people have skills! It's crazy what they can do with glass, without screwing up. I thought he was going to make a giraffe and I was super excited, but he made a horse instead. Oh well, it was still pretty sweet. We got back to Venice and I did the touristy gondola ride. It was worth the money. We took the ride during the sunset and it was the most beautiful thing ever. It was probably one of the prettiest sunsets I have ever seen.

Ok let me start this Saturday night recap by saying: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PIAZZA DELLA SAN MARGHERITA. We walked a total of three hours around the whole island and could not find it for the life of us. This is officially a game for American students that Italians love to play. A few of us gave up and went back and everyone else at the hostel just got back from San Margherita. The frustration from us was priceless.

Sunday: Woke up and went to San Marco and did the whole museum shebang. The balcony from San Marco has the best view of the Piazza and the water. Feel free to look at facebook. A few of us wandered away and thought we were in the direction of the hostel. We ended up in a residential setting with an hour to get to the train station. An hour turned into thirty minutes and we had no idea where we were, and I had all the tickets for everyone. I don't know how many times I said "Dove la stazione di treno?" and "Permesso!!" <---"Excuse me, but kind of ruder than scusi." We finally found the hostel, ran upstairs, got our stuff and the hostel dude looked at us and said, "You guys aren't going to make it." I was like "watch me" and hauled ass out the door. I definitely hauled from the hostel to the station with twenty minutes to spare, and that walk is usually 30 minutes. I pushed small children, knocked a drink out of someone's hand, and saw a side of me I've never seen before. But we made it with ten minutes to spare, thank the lord. Venice was so crazy and so fun and I was so excited that I was there for Carnevale.

Disclaimer

I have never done a blog before, but figured I should because I'm studying abroad, and what's the best way to inform others of my trip than writing a blog? Enjoy, hope it doesn't disappoint.