My Other Self

( Budapest )

( London and Paris )

( Torino & Milano )

( Food, Verona and Milan part I )

I WENT TO THE OLYMPICS!!!! I still can't believe it. Crazy, amazing, insane. I will do a full update when I have time later. Just doing an email check at a cafe right now. Just had to get that out there.

So the plan for my next travel break is: Verona, Milan, Torino (where the olympics are), London and then Paris.

I'M GOING TO THE OLYMPICS!!!!!!!!!!!! Just bought tickets to watch the Russians play Lativa in ice hockey. hehe yay!

( Venice )

( week 3 )

So changes of ideas for the weekend. I am now going to go to Venice instead. Everyone pretty much is going to Florence so it will be over crowded and harder to do things plus a lot of them will want to go out in big groups which makes getting things done impossible. So four of us are going to go to Venice and do our own thing.

Will be good because so far most of the kids here are the typical lets got out and drink all the time types and the few I am going with to Venice are not that type. I don't like drinking much so I haven't gotten to know many of the kids as well as some since I actually go to bed at a decent hour and god forbid act responsibly. Did all the staying up late and not sleeping stuff in my first two years of college and now I'm done with it. Just part of growing up. Wish more people here were that way. I really wish I wasn't in such a minority in that aspect because them I would probably make a lot more friends. So far most of these people are just like acquaintances. Oh well that's how it's always been...getting along with people older than me.

Okay enough ranting for now. Need to do some homework.

Currently my class schedule is as follows:
10:40-2:20 MWF
8-11:50 TR

Not too bad at all. Get to sleep in three days a week which is nice. So yeah if you want to call me don't call during these times and also remember I am seven hours ahead and that I like my sleep very much.

( week 2 )

I have a yahoo photo site now. so I will be emailing out the album. If you did not recieve the one I have sent out than leave me your email here or email me if you have it and I will add you to the list.

( The weekend )

Okay time for a real update.

Learning my way around and picking up bits of Italian already. Somehow my body doesn't mind only a few hours of sleep a night for now. Been only getting about five currently after my first night. Just can't fall asleep. Probably my body still trying to be on home time. Oh well it'll get over eventually and demand sleep again.

Every night so far we've been going out to the cafè's and hanging out after work. They are nice places that serve alcohol. I guess it's really a bar but nothing like ours so I don't think of it that way. Best thing is there is no smoking inside any places.

Tomorrow and Sunday we are doing scavenger hunts in two or three of the cities we will frequent to help us learn our way around. Did one here the other day. Helps a lot. Then all the other students arrive on monday afternoon and the peace and quiet will be gone.

Last night in we went to Bassano and at one point had a guy take a picture of us. Ended up going to bar and hanging out. Funny part is he works for deloitte and touche (forget the spelling) anyway giant accounting firm back home. We had a lot of fun. A few of the guys got grandè beers which is the equivalent of about three beers. Came in huge mugs. Suppose they are steins. I had my first italian wine too. Was a dry white wine. Not bad for a cheap basic wine.

Today Laura (another RA who was here last semester too) and I decorated bulletin boards. Ended up exploring parts of the dorms we hadn't seen yet. One has a beautiful view from the top floor that unfortunately we are not using. There is also a secret hallway of sorts on her floor. When the door is closed it looks like a normal room door, but for some reason it was open today and it was a hallway with several rooms. We assume it is where some of the brothers live. Don't remember if I have mentioned that this is a catholic boarding school for high schoolers and then us. There are monks that take care of it and live somewhere on it.

Tonight we are going out to dinner with the professors. They are in orientation right now so I'm wasting time playing on the comp. I know that once everyone else arrives I probably won't have as much easy access to the comps.

Have a fun little group here. Are 2 RI's (resident intern (my job)) 2 SRI's (senior RI) 1 computer tech guy and one random office worker guy. The six of us are the core group that I have been refering to when I say we. There are some program coordinators and then Anna the office manager and Italian.

Well have a call to make so off I go
oh yeah and it is cheaper for you guys all to call me because it doesn't cost me anything.
cell phone number: 011 39 347 543 0504
Will be posting my schedule when I get it so don't call then obviously. And it is seven hours ahead here.

'allo been keeping busy getting ready for student arrival and learning how things work around here. I love that it takes five minutes to get from one end of campus to another. Okay mind went blank. Just yeah campus and surrounding area is beautiful. Mountains are maybe 3-400 yards away.

Got a nice long sleep...12 hours so doing much better now. Not doing much really today just some office get ready for the students stuff. k gotta go do more stuff update later

Well I'm here. Survived it somehow....and with no sleep yet either...which puts me at being awake for more than 24 hours. Flights went great, no delays, no missed connections, luggage arrived in one piece. Made the bus, train, taxi trip to campus without to much difficulty. Helped that I met up with two guys also coming this way at the Venice airport. Was nice to have some company from my own school along. Going to eat dinner soon and then probably crash hard for the night. It's a seven hour difference so whatever my post times are subtract 7 hours from it and that's Kansas time. K well I'm getting farily brain dead so going to sign off for now.

Ciao

One piece of happiness before I leave. I am now an engaged woman.... k that's all.

Well finally got all of my medication that I need so I can leave. And now it's almost Friday. Week flies by when your spending a lot of time dealing with stupid insurance people. For a while wasn't entirely sure I was going to get them which would have put an interesting hitch in my plans because i've been told we can't ship them so I really couldn't leave without them. Yeah lets say I'm more than thrilled that I finally got them. Have a feeling that this weekend will fly by because it's pretty full of stuff to do and time always flies by when i'm busy.