The Old with the New

I am sitting in an internet cafe staring at one of the most beautiful buildings in the entire world, the duomo in downtown Milan! Life is wonderful...

The Day that almost Wasn't

On Sunday, I took a day trip to the ancient city of Ferrara, which is a little south of Padova. Though the day did not go at all as I had planned, it was wonderful and full of surprises!

The day started off a little rocky when I waited for the bus for 40 minutes and it never came, causing me to miss the train that my friends were on. I should've known; the bus schedule means nothing on Sundays (and pretty much every day, but ESPECIALLY Sundays). It Italy, everything shuts down on Sundays, which is actually pretty spectacular (until you need to buy tissues or facewash or something). I decided that missing the first train was not going to stop me from seeing Ferrara, so I forgot the bus and started walking to the nearest tram stop. As I approached the Prato della Valle (google it, it's gorgeous!), I remembered that on the third Sunday of every month, there's a huge antique market in the Prato. Providence! The sun was shining, and I had time to kill, so I perused for a while. I could've easily spent too much money on some fantastic books I stumbled upon, but fortunately (and unfortunately) I did not have cash. But it was so lovely to just walk through the market alone and admire all of the trinkets and treasures. I love when misfortunes become blessings!

When I finally made it to the train station, I was a little uneasy about being alone because 1-Guys are pretty forward here and 2-I can't adequately tell them off (but the italian IS improving daily). I sat at a little cafe and wondered how I was going to kill time until the next train. An older couple sat at my table, and the woman started complaining about her husband to me in rapid italiano. I understood a lot but was a bit taken aback! She just kept going on and on about her husband, and then traveling, and then trains, and then she leaned in a whispered "It's amazing how many foreigners there are in this train station!" I almost died. I was flattered that she thought I was NOT a foreigner but really confused at to why she didn't wonder why I was barely saying anything. Then she asked me to write the address on a postcard for her because she said she had terrible handwriting. What a random and hilarious way to kill time!

After an awkward don't-make-eye-contact-with-the-person-across-from-you train ride, I was in Ferrara! As soon as I got off the train, I loved the city. It just had a good feel. Everyone was very friendly, and the city itself was gorgeous! I finally joined up with my friends in the historical center, which was beautiful. The duomo (pictured above) is magnificent, and the Castle d'Este sits right across the street. We wined and dined italian style (three courses, two and half hours, 6 different types of wine) and then headed to the castle. It was so incredible and SO OLD. By far, the eeriest and best part was the dungeon (yes, I said DUNGEON).

When I entered the duomo, the sight literally took my breath away. It is such a gorgeous church! And there were so many candles lit...it brought tears to my eyes and a prayer of thanks to my heart.

Lesson learned: if you're willing to let it be a good day despite unwanted circumstance, God will reveal Himself to you in really special ways!

My World is Shifting

For me, the world is simultaneously getting bigger and smaller every single day. With every cultural difference I experience and with every italian conversation I get completely lost in, the world seems so vast and unattainable. The way of life here is full of remarkable differences, and they just keep coming! But, while there are endless peculiarities to notice and experience, one of the most amazing aspects of being here has been observing all of the similarites that my two worlds share. With every similarity, the world seems to shrink a little as I realize that we're all the same in a lot of ways. Here are some of them:

-Kids burp the alphabet (and it's funny here, too)
-Sweat pants are heavenly
-Harry Potter
-When Mom is gone and Dad's left in charge, chaos ensues and the kids get to stay up late and watch the Olympics
-Frozen sweets fix everything
-Falling is funny
-Burping is inappropriate at the dinner table and illicits the Mom Stare
-Brothers and sisters fight and then play and laugh together two minutes later
-Finding a seat in the cafeteria is stressful and makes anyone feel like an out-of-place middle schooler
-Girls giggle, guys act macho
-Old married couples bicker while holding hands

Amid the many differences, these things shine through and make me smile.

Romeo, oh Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

Ok friends, I am dedicating myself to being a better blogger! Now that my routine is a little more under control, I will hopefully be a little more consistent.

I took this picture from a bridge that I cross every day to go to school. My walk to school is about 35 minutes, but when I see beautiful landmarks like this, how can I complain!

My time in Italy has been absolutely wonderful so far. I cannot believe it's only been three weeks! It feels like at least three months. Padova is such a beautiful city (as the above picture exemplifies). And I've gotten to travel a bit, too! I went to Venice for Carnevale, which was crazy, and I went to Bologna on a weekend trip. Bologna was anciently wonderful and lovely. It also gave me the best gelato I've had in Italy so far (Ti amo, nocciola!)

Yesterday, we went on a group trip to Verona. Despite the torrential downpour, it was absolutely gorgeous! The Basilica di San Zeno took my breath away. And the town centro is wonderful! We briefly stopped by La Casa di Guilietta for a photo shoot with the famed statue, but I definitely want to go back for a more extensive visit...when it's warm...and I can wear a pretty dress.

Look for pictures soon on facebook! It takes a long time for them to load, but hopefully I'll have success with it soon.

Ciao for now!

And the journey begins...

Ciao, i miei amici!

Hopefully I'll be able to keep everyone who is interested updated about my time in Italy! I don't have a lot of access to internet, but I will do my best. Enjoy!