Alex Abroad in Italy

In America

2008-12-10T17:50:00.000-08:00

And so, the journey has ended.

The dream has been realized.

I had thought, upon re-entry into the USA, I'd be feeling some culture shock having been away from everything American for the past three months, but that really hasn't happened. I've been back for over a month now and I'm okay. Maybe it's because I've been working and have been surrounded by Christmas that I haven't had a chance to reflect on everything that's happened over the past three months.

I've woken up a few days in the morning with Ascoli on my mind. One day I woke up with a vision of me walking through Piazza del Popolo. Weird, huh?

It's been only a month, but it seems like a lot longer since I've been in Italy. I guess that's part of the re-entry process. My adopted home for three months is calling back to me in a way.

Italy: I'll be back, someday. Studying abroad has given me a great energy and thirst for knowledge, life and traveling. It's given me my dreams. It was everything I wanted it to be.

I'd love to write some sweeping expression of my time in Italy. I wish I could do that, capture my whole experiance in a grand paragraph of inspiration describing Italian excellence, but it wouldn't be accurate. No matter what I write about Italy my words wouldn't be true.

The country is so filled with expression and vibrancy that no words can capture it. Not even a writer far more experienced than I could do justice.

And, although I cannot wrap this blog up in such a way, I can provide some advice for my readers. It's short, but it's the one thing that I've learned over and over again during my time in Italy: Travel.

Yeah, I know travel is expensive and the economy isn't doing great right now. But, it will look up and there will be an oppurtunity. And when it comes take it! You'll be so glad you did. I sure am.

Ciao,

Alex

PS. Thanks to my teachers Dana and Susi who wrote reccomendation letters for me, Joanne Conrad in the guidance department at UNH Manchester for helping me with the application process, to Silvia, Cristian, Diana, Jessica, Adam and Christina for making the UNH-in-Italy classes so enjoyable. Thanks to the kids at San Agostino's who made my Monday and Tuesday mornings loud, but so much fun. Thank you to my family, especially to my mom and dad.

Thank you to everyone at my work and thanks to my boss who gave me my job back when I returned!

Lastly, thanks to the people and the city of Ascoli Piceno. I love them so much and cannot wait until we meet again.

The Last Full Week: Review, Thanksgiving, Offida and Grottammare

2008-11-27T02:26:00.000-08:00

A View of the Historical Center of Grottammare

For Thanksgiving, most of us students went over the girls’ apartment. Erica, Darin, and Samantha made turkey, green beans, potatoes, salad, bruschetta and antipasto. I made sauce and brought it over for the second course.

We made the best out of what we could find in Italy. The turkey was turkey breast, not a whole bird. In Italy, they don’t sell whole birds in the marketplace. You have to special order turkeys from the meat.

However, they do regularly sell turkey breasts prepackaged in the meat case. Darin told me he basted the turkey with chicken broth. It was really moist and served as a pretty good substitute for a real bird.

For dessert, the girls bought panatone. Panatone is an Italian. It resembles the same consistency of fruitcake. Panatone is not my favorite. I brought a large Toblerone bar to share.

Of course, I wish I could have spent Thanksgiving with my family. It was great to talk to my aunts, my grandmas, my mom and dad, my brother and sister and my cousin Marissa. I really miss them, and on Thanksgiving it was a little bit hard for all of us to be away from our families. We will all be home for Christmas, though, and that’ll be great!

On Friday, Ben, Samantha and I went to Offida for the day. It was a 45 minute bus ride from the Giogli Hotel near one of the movie theatres in Ascoli. It was cold out and it poured for most of the day.

Upon getting to Offida and entering the historical center through a portal in the medieval wall, we found that Offida didn’t have much to offer. We got there around 1:00, and in Italy that means everything is closed. Everything.

There were several bars that were open, though. During our time in Offida, with nothing else to do, we visited three of them. In the first one, Sam and I got coffee and Ben got a sandwich. The second and third one, we all got glasses of wine.

To be honest with you, this was a really fun experience. The last bar we went to was decorated for Christmas and it was a very nice Italian café in Offida. I bought funghetti, which are little anise cookies that are shaped like mushrooms. They taste identical to the cookies my grandmother makes, except hers are dipped in confectioners sugar and have jimmies on them.

Even if we had come in the morning or stayed until the late afternoon, we probably wouldn’t have missed much. Offida is very small and when we were walking around we didn’t even see a lot of shops.

And visiting cafes isn’t so bad. And the views of Offida were beautiful. So, I am glad that I went.

When I walked back home from the bus stop I went through Piazza Arringo. There was a big wooden layout on the piazza. There were wood beams and people working on making what looks like a stage. I found out later that they are building an ice-skating rink for Christmas. That must be the wildest thing to have an ice-skating rink right in the piazza. Unfortunately, I’ll probably miss the finished product, but it did seem really cool.

Saturday, Samantha and I went to Grottammare, the seacoast town next to San Benedetto del Tronto. It was about a 45 minute train ride from Ascoli to Grottammare and we had to change trains in SBT.

We walked around the town for a bit and then walked to the historical center on top of a hill. The historical center was a small maze of streets with old brick houses running slanted on steep hills. It was beautiful.

Grottammare is very much an extension of San Benedetto. The two cities are a three minute train ride away from each other and they look identical.

Unfortunately, in winter, a lot of the shops are closed as both Grottammare and San Benedetto are summer resort towns. Still, we found some stuff to see and do. We had piazza bianca at a pizzeria in the center of town. The pizza is a piece of bread lightly brushed with garlic and olive oil and topped with some rosemary. It was very good.

Sunday, I packed some of my luggage, studied and cleaned the apartment. Tonight, more studying for Silvia's Italian test tomorrow and then more packing.

Today, I had my final for Christina's art class and the speaking portion of my Italian test. I think they went well.

In between Italian and Art, I had my last lesson with the 5th grade students at St. Agostino's. Over the past few weeks, I've been dictating sentences for them to write. After, we go over it together and fix any mistakes. Along the way, I taught them some grammar and colloquialisms that are used in the Northeast. I'm really going to miss those kids. The experience hasn't changed my career aspects to that of a elementary school teacher, but now I know that if that's where I end up, it wouldn't be so bad. Tomorrow will be my last day with the 3rd graders.

Then, I'll be leaving on the 2:30 bus to Rome. I'm going to stay about two miles away from the airport at a hotel and will fly out Wednesday morning at 10:00. I have a 2 hour stopover in Amsterdam, and will get into Boston around 5. Including the stopover, my total travel time clocks in at around 13 hours!

My time here is almost done. Reflections of my time will come in a little while, once I've gotten back and have settled back into home. After that I'll be blogging from a different website: www.writingcontemporary.blogspot.com Stay tuned!

Alex

The Premiere of Ascoli Ottobre

2008-11-26T06:54:00.000-08:00

I finally did it! Here's the video I made for my Italian cinema class earlier this semester. I hope you enjoy it!

The Beach in San Benedetto and the Heights of San Marino

2008-11-23T11:08:00.000-08:00

My classes are slowing down and we’re preparing for our final exams next week. I’ve started sorting through things I won’t be bringing home with me and I’ve been very surprised to learn that I have accumulated many things over the past three months. School papers and train and museum tickets make up a small pile in one of my drawers. I have to sort through all this stuff and decide what to bring home and what to leave here in Ascoli. That, along with studying, will fill up most of my last weekend in Italy.

Friday, Phil and I walked about an hour from our house to Oasi, the mall in Ascoli Piceno. We’d both never been there and it was something different to do for the day. The mall was very modern inside and I felt as if I walked through a door to an American mall. Going to the mall was an escape from Italy. It really felt that way, like suddenly I was in the Mall of New Hampshire walking around. This mall, however, has a huge grocery store in it that sells food, clothes, home goods and other things; the Italian Super Walmart, I guess.

On Friday, I had actually planned to visit San Marino for the day, but woke up too late to be able to make an early train. I was also tired and didn’t feel like traveling for the day. So, I postponed my trip to San Marino until Saturday.

Friday night, six of us took an afternoon train from Ascoli Piceno to San Benedetto. San Benedetto is a resort town along the eastern coast of Italy that the Italians frequent during the summer months. It’s about a forty-five minute train ride and a fifteen minute walk from the train station to the center of town.

We planned to walk around the town and sit on the beach for a while. We went to EuroSpin, a grocery store near the train station, and bought a couple bottles of wine, cookies and chips.

When we got there, we walked about fifteen minutes to the beach. We sat for a couple hours listening to music, drinking wine and eating. We went in the water up to our ankles. It was very cold, but certainly not as cold as if I had gone in the water in Hampton Beach in November. It was a very relaxing night. Sam brought a blanket from her apartment and we all talked for a while. We reminisced about our time here and we all couldn’t believe how fast the time has gone by and that our time in Ascoli is nearly over.

After the beach, we walked around the shops of SBT, and made our way back to the train station, the ankles our jeans wet from the water.

When we got back to Ascoli, we went for Chinese food at the restaurant near our school. Surprisingly, I was not disappointed. On that particular night, they were having a buffet, and although it was small spread, it consisted of descent food. Still not as good as the American version, but an effort was made.

Saturday, I had planned to get on the 6:08 am train to San Marino, but I woke up around 9. I had set my phone to wake me up at 5, but when it rang, I was too tired to get up and went back to sleep.

When I got up, I decided that I had to go somewhere on Saturday. The Eurail pass I had bought before I came here had one day of travel left on it and it was going to expire on the 24th of November, during the school week. So, I got dressed, flipped through a few Italian travel books and headed towards the train station.

I got on a train that was going to Turin and would pass Fano and Rimini. In one of the travel books I read before heading out, I read that Fano has a nice historical center and from Rimini I could take the bus to San Marino if I still wanted to go there. I would decide on my way there.

I found the train, hopped on, put on my Ipod and tried to make up my mind about Fano or San Marino.

When we got to Fano, I had decided to go to San Marino. I had been planning on it, and it wasn’t too much further on the train. About 45 minutes later, I arrived in Rimini, found where the bus station was, asked a guy where I could buy the ticket for the Rimini to San Marino bus and when the next one would come. He told me the bus would leave at 2:30, and that I could buy a ticket on the bus.

Since I got to Rimini at about 1:20 and the next bus to San Marino would leave at 2:30, I had an hour to walk around the town. Of what I saw of Rimini, I wasn’t too impressed. It was an average town, but they did have Christmas decorations hanging from the buildings, so it looked really nice. All the stores where closed for midday break though, so I just walked around, drank an espresso at a café and headed back to the bus stop.

I bought a ticket to San Marino from a woman who arrived at the bus station and was selling them from her pocketbook. I had to ask myself if it was legit for a minute, but everyone else was buying their tickets from her, so I did too.

The bus took about 20 minutes to get to the Republic of San Marino and then another 25 minutes to wind up a mountain to the capital of the small country, San Marino. I got to the city around 3:20.

Once I got off, I checked the sign at the bus stop to find out when I could get on the bus back to Rimini: either at 5 or at 7. I planned to take the five o’clock; it would give me an hour and a half to explore. As it turns out, that was the perfect amount of time to go for as there wasn’t too much to see.

Most of San Marino is covered with little shops and cafes. To get to them, I had to walk up steep hills and side streets. I just kept going up, far up the mountain to other little shops and cafes and to the views of the castles in the distance.
Remember when I told you about my fear of heights when I climbed the tower in Bologna? Well, that same fear came rushing back to me when I was in San Marino.

The capital is on a very big mountain that overlooks many other big mountains. Those other mountains in the distance serve to remind a person how far up they are. Also, it was windy and cold.

At many points during my trip I thought I would fall off one of the ledges. In general though, I try my hardest not to go near ledges whenever they are present. Most of the pictures I took of the surrounding mountains were taken from about five to ten feet away from any ledges.

This doesn’t apply, however, to the castle I went in while in San Marino. It wasn’t so much a castle as it was a watchtower that you could walk around. The watchtower was situated on the highest point of the mountain. It wasn’t a good idea for me. My body was shaking the whole time I was there, and I had to hold the bridge of my glasses to my face or I would have lost them due to the cold wind blowing in my face.

Anyone who is afraid of heights shouldn’t go to San Marino. I shouldn’t have gone to San Marino. The more times that I face my fear of heights really only makes me more afraid of them. I thought it would do the opposite and the fear would dwindle. I was wrong.

Still, San Marino was beautiful. It was a nice daytrip and it’s good to get away from Ascoli for a day. Ascoli is beautiful, but to appreciate the quaintness of it, it’s necessary to leave for a little while.

I got on the bus back to Rimini at five. I went to the train station and had to wait 45 minutes for a train to bring me back to SBT. I took that train, listened to some music and fell asleep. I arrived in SBT about three hours later and a bus to Ascoli was waiting right outside the station and would leave in ten minutes. I ran to the automated machine, put in the 2.50 euro for a ticket, and headed back to Ascoli Piceno.

Today, with nothing to do on Sunday, I walked back to the mall with Sam. Everything is closed on Sundays except for the mall. I just found out the other day that the mall is opened on Sundays and also doesn’t close for midday break. Oh, well, better late than never.

Sam and I walked the 45 minutes there in the cold, walked around the mall, stopped at a couple places for coffee and pizza and then headed back. I think I’m done with my Ascoli mall experiences. It was good to escape the “Italianess” that I’ve been surrounded by for three months and have a taste of America.

The cold has settled over Ascoli these past few days and just when I thought the hat and gloves I brought with me from home would go unused during my stay in Italy. Certainly, the weather is not as cold as it must be back in New Hampshire, but it’s cold enough to be wearing hats, gloves and heavy coats. It’s a good warm up for me to get used to the cold back home.

Alex

A Skeletal Update

2008-11-19T10:21:00.000-08:00

The bodies that I mentioned in a previous post are the bodies of monks.

They found five different skeletons: four men and one woman. They think the woman's body was buried before the monks. In the middle ages, people liked to be buried near the grounds of monasteries and piazza that the site is near was part of a former monastery.

The Classrooms of UNH-in-Italy

2008-11-19T05:46:00.001-08:00

The UNH-in-Italy telecom button.

So I’ve been here nearly three months and have yet to showcase the UNH-in-Italy classrooms. There’s not much to see, but it’s been my workplace in Italy for the past couple of months, so it is worth noting and documenting this part of my experience.

This is the door outside of where UNH-in-Italy is located. To the left is Bistro, a café that is frequented often by us UNH-in-Italy students.

This is the courtyard of the building the school is in.

This is the door of the UNH-in-Italy program. Behind this door are the classrooms. The stairs on the left of the door is where we students sit and get internet access when the school is closed.

I spend every weekday from 8-8:30 sitting on these steps getting internet from the wireless network before the school opens.

This is an entrance room where Diana, the assistant to Christian, the director, has her desk. The entrance room leads to the other classrooms.

This is the computer room located off to the right of the entrance, where we students spend most of our time. Christian and Julia, the resident director, both have their offices in the rooms behind the doors in the computer room.

From the computer room, you can head through a door on the right that leads to the copy and supply room and the faculty bathroom. Going through the portal door on the right, you can take a left to get to the bathroom, or a right to get to the two classrooms. The first classroom has an oval table where I have my art class with Christina on Mondays from 12-4 with an hour lunch break from 2:30-4:30.

If you head straight down the hallway, you get to the larger of the two classrooms where I have language class from Monday to Thursday 9-11 with Silvia and, when Adam and Jessica were here, I had cinema class on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11-2.

And so, the grand tour is over.

Skeletons, Urbino, Rain and Dinner

2008-11-17T12:18:00.000-08:00

First things first: There are skeletons in Ascoli.

The locals have been doing construction on the streets ever since we arrived in Ascoli and last week, on the street next to the Piazza where the fruit and vegetable market is held, they happened to stumble across the bones of three skeletons of who I assume were previous Ascoli residents.

I have no idea who the people were; all I know is that the Ascolians have been walking on their remains for hundreds of years.

I went to take a few pictures of the archeologists digging up the bones, making graphs of the area and taking pictures. Just another day in Ascoli.

Once again, classes rolled steadily by. Nothing new about my classes to report except that they’re almost done, which provides equal measure of happiness and sadness.

On Wednesday Manlio, a guy that lives in Ascoli and works at a travel agency near the school, came in the UNH office and spoke with Diana, the program assistant. He had heard that there were American students studying in the building and was looking for someone to speak English with as he plans to go to Australia in a few months.

Ben, Phil and I were in the computer room when he came in. Manlio asked if any of us were busy the next day around lunchtime to go and have lunch and talk in Italian and English. Phil did most of the talking and told Manlio that he and Ben were busy with classes during lunchtime the next day, but that I would be free. I agreed and we made plans to meet at Bistro, a café on the first floor of our school, for lunch.

Thursday at 1, after Italian class, Manlio and I met and had sandwiches at the café and talked for a couple hours in English and Italian (Okay mostly in English and about 15 minutes in Italian) about politics, American school systems, Italian school systems, girls, our jobs, the world financial crisis, Obama and McCain, Berlusconi, our families, and what countries we’ve been to and want to go to, and also what we want to do in the future.

It was great to talk to an Italian about his life in Ascoli. Once again I must say that Italians are not much different from us. They have the same worries, fears, successes and failures; it’s just in a different language!

At the end of our lunch, Manlio invited me and my friends to his friend’s house for dinner on Saturday night. I agreed, and started rallying the troops.

Although everybody initially said they would come, 7 of us total minus Ben who was in Finland for the weekend, only 3 of us went. The other four were sketched out by Manlio’s invitation. They didn’t understand why he was inviting us all over for dinner. I did my best to explain that Italians were very hospitable and generous, that this offering was a cultural extension that they would otherwise never experience; they wouldn’t budge. Their loss.

Point of interest: When given these unique cultural opportunities, take them!

So, on Saturday night Phil, Cameron and I went to Manlio’s friend’s house and had a meal of pasta, sausages and pork roasted on an open fire, wine and roasted chestnuts for dessert. All the food was great, except the chestnuts weren’t nearly as good as they looked. They lacked flavor and consistency. Now I can say I tried them though! At dinner were a bunch of Manlio’s friends, and we talked, half in English, half in Italian about a bunch of stuff.

It was a really great night. I’m happy that Manlio came to the office because I wouldn’t have been given this great experience otherwise.

Friday, I went to Urbino for the day with Chelsea and Samantha, two other students from the program. Urbino is a small town three hours north of Ascoli. We took the 6:08am train from Ascoli Piceno to San Benedetto, and then took a second train from SBT to Pesaro. As there is no direct line to Urbino, we had to take a bus from Pesaro to get to our final destination.

When I got off the bus from Pesaro around 10, it was pouring. The girls had umbrellas; I forgot to bring mine and had to use a five euro newspaper I bought in San Benedetto to keep me dry for 15 minutes before I found a store and bought one for 2.50 euro.

It rained all day, and the mountains that surround the town and are supposed to highlight its beauty were not visible because of the massive blanket of fog that was set over the city. Still, it was a great day.

We walked around, and went to Palazzo Ducale, once the massive home of the Duke of Urbino, and now a Renaissance art museum. We went for lunch at an osteria and I had pasta with wild boar meat for my primo piatto and lamb stew Urbino style for my secondo. We shared a bottle of wine and a plate of olives, also done in the Urbino style as they were marinated in wild fennel and garlic.

Unfortunately, after lunch we found that most of the stores and sites were closed for midday break, so we walked around and did what we could do. It was a nice daytrip to another area of the Marche region. On the way home, we bought a bottle of wine and some cookies to ease the long ride home. I suggest doing this for long train rides.

Saturday and Sunday and today, Monday, it rained. All day. Nonstop. The antique market was in town, but there weren’t nearly as many stalls on account of the rain. Hopefully it’ll clear up soon. I’d really enjoy some sun before heading back to the New Hampshire.

And, I’ll be heading back soon. This past week I changed my flight to come home December 8th to December 3rd. Don’t ask my why. The agent on the phone said the fare was the same and I’d just have to pay a penalty from the airlines. She said she had my credit card number on file and asked if I wanted to switch it right then, without hesitation I said yes. Since then, I’ve thought about a million and a half reasons why I should have stuck it out until the 8th, but one big reason it’s good that I’m coming home on the third is that I really miss my family. It’s going to be great to see them.

Alex

PS: Thursday night at Laliva, Marinella taught us how to make meatballs. Grandma Rose: you might have some competition when I get back in town!

Rome, Cooking Classes and Florence

2008-11-06T03:26:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I ventured off with the UNH Italy crew for a night stay in Rome where we were to meet Christina, my art history teacher, on Saturday for a tour of the Bourghese Gallery. We all woke up early and met at the train station in Ascoli for the 6 am bus to Rome. Most of us slept the whole way there, me included.

Once there, we briefly settled into our hotel and ventured out onto the streets of Rome. Two students went with Julia, the resident director and teacher of a criminology class, to a criminology museum that I was told after was really gruesome and interesting. The museum showcased different ancient to modern time torture devices and methods. Phil told me it was really cool.

Some other kids ventured off to the Coliseum, but I had already done that with my parents and grandmother. So, instead I wanted to go and see some of the things we missed during our stay in Rome a couple weeks prior.

I went to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, the Piazza in Rome that hold the Fountain of the Four Rivers, a supposedly beautiful fountain. I say supposedly because when I arrived, it was covered in scaffolding and I was only able to see a shoulder of one of the four statues that adorn the fountain.

Other than that, the Piazza was a bit uninspiring as it was covered with people selling their art and cafes that didn’t look too welcoming. It was a nice area, but very crowded.

After, I went to an Osteria and had two Roman specialties: Spaghetti alla’cabonara and a lamb shank. Both were delicious.

I went to the Pantheon near Piazza Navona afterwards. The Pantheon is a beautiful building of Roman antiquity, the only building from ancient times that holds is structure. From the audio guide I listened to, I learned that the Pantheon today is very similar to what it looked like to the ancient Romans. It was originally designed as a temple for all gods, but after Christianity was introduced as the official religion of the Roman Empire, it was changed to be a place of Christian worship and is now adorned with statues of the Virgin and Apostles.

Getting late, I decided to navigate the Roman bus system to get back to the hotel. With only a little bit of trouble I found the hotel.

Okay, I lied.

I actually had a lot of trouble getting back to the hotel: I must have gotten on and off a half dozen buses trying to find a bus that would bring me back to the train station. From there, I would be able to navigate my way back to the hotel.

Hopping on and off each bus I was really nervous, because I wasn’t quite paying for all the rides. You see, not all the buses have ticket machines in them. So, I was paying for 45 minutes at a time on some buses, and then when the 45 minutes ran out and I found myself on a different bus without a ticket machine. I was riding kind of illegally.

No big deal though, I didn’t get caught. I’m sure that a lot of locals do the same thing I did, there’s no one to catch you if you don’t pay.

Anyway, side note: If any of you ever go to Rome, there are two train stations, one called the Termini and the other the San Pietro Stazione. I learned that there were two the hard way. But, I finally did get back to the hotel.

Phil was back from the museum, so we went out for a very cheap dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Once again, I was not impressed by the Italian version of Chinese food. Not nearly as satisfying as the version we get in the US. I probably won’t be doing that again.

On Saturday morning we all met Christina at the Borghese Gallery. We took a tour of the Renaissance Palazzo of the Borghese family where I was able to see a lot of impressive art.

The only problem with art is, for me, after you see so much of it, it all looks the same. It was a great tour, and Christina is a great tour guide and teacher, but sometimes art is just art.

Sometimes after a while it hurts my head to have to listen to someone analyze every single work of art we see, providing historical significance, back-story, and artistic techniques used. Not really my thing. I guess that is just the consequence of being in a place that inspired so many different art styles and movements and is saturated with the stuff.

After the tour, some of a few of us took the 2:30 bus back to Ascoli, and a few others stayed an extra night in Rome. After two times visiting Rome, I didn’t feel that I needed to spend an extra day there, so I was off to Ascoli.

From there, the week flew by. School went by as normal.

On Wednesdays, I have been attending a cultural walking tour of Ascoli. A retired professor and novelist leads a few of us around the town and explains the historical significance of things around it.

The tours started two weeks ago: the first week we visited a section of an old B.C. Roman road in a building on Piazza Arringo, and another section of the road in Piazza del Popolo. Last week, we walked up a hill and saw part of an old Roman architectural device and then went to the Roman doors and theatre near my house. We also walked along the medieval road that borders one of the rivers in the city. Once again, I was struck by how much history is soaked into this small city in the Marche region; it’s such a wild feeling.

From the left: Kay, the resident director's son, Phil, Ben, Cameron, Chelsea, Sam and me

On Thursday afternoon, the group of us UNHers went to Laliva, a trattoria located off of Piazza Arringo, for cooking classes with the chef, Marinella. While we were there for a few hours, she taught us how to make two different types of sauces.

One of the sauces was made with celery, carrots, onions, olive oil and tomato sauce. Once everything was cooked and soft, she blended everything together and created a smooth sauce. It was really sweet and delicious. I have never seen anyone add celery and carrots to a pasta sauce, but I made it myself the other tonight for dinner and it was really good!

We also made a veal dish and Marinella cooked up some of her stuffed olives for us. Next class, she said she will show us how to make them. There are three more cooking classes, each Thursday at four. Afterwards, we eat what we made. It really was an awesome experience to cook with a chef in Italy and I’m looking forward to the next classes and to the Thursday night dinners!

Sunday, I got back from a weekend trip to Florence. I had been there before when I came to Italy in my senior year of high school, but since I have the opportunity to see it again, I took advantage of it and on Friday I hopped on a 6 am train to San Benedetto del Tronto. From SBT I went to Bologna and from Bologna I arrived in Florence on a third train.

The unfortunate thing about living in Ascoli is that it takes a few extra steps to get to other cities and towns in Italy. Bologna is actually located north of Florence. Since there is no line from SBT to Florence, I had to go to Bologna, which has a large train station that serves as the hub and gateway from the south to the north of Italy. So, I caught that train and arrived in Florence in the afternoon with little trouble at all. This train experience was by far the smoothest I had, and although I wouldn’t call myself a pro at navigating the system quite yet, I sure am getting there.

Once I got to my hotel, Hotel Signoria, a surprisingly cheap hotel right near the Ponte Vecchio (or Old Bridge in English), and a short walking distance from all the “must see” attractions in Florence, I dropped my bags off and headed off to explore.

I walked through Palazzo Signoria and then walked to the Duomo. I almost convinced myself to climb up to the steps of the Duomo to see Florence from there, but after briefly recalling my fear of climbing the tower in Bologna, I decided it would be better to keep my feet on the ground this trip.

I walked on the Ponte Vecchio, one of the only bridges in Florence that was spared in World War II, apparently because Hitler thought it was too beautiful to destroy. A long time ago, the bridge used to hold a fruit, seafood and meat market in the stalls that line the bridge, but a king, not sure which one, thought that is smelled too much, so he kicked them all out and replaced them with the gold merchants that line the streets to this very day. The gold was beautiful and very expensive. No purchased were made.

On Friday night, having honed my cooking skills the night before, I signed up for a Tuscan cooking course across the Ponte Vecchio. I met a few Australian students and a few older American couples traveling through Italy on vacation. There, we made gnocchi, panecotta, crepes, and a few other dishes. It was a good experience, but I have to say that compared to Marinella’s class the night before, it wasn’t as good. Still though, I learned a lot that I will be able to take back home and that will help me show up my dad in the kitchen!

Saturday, I took a tour of the Academia and the Uffizi Gallery. After a half hour in the Academia that similar feeling about art felt in the Borghese Gallery came back again, and I started to get bored. Still though, it was a good tour. I got to see Michelangelo’s David for the second time and then went to the Uffizi for the first time and was able to see a lot of Renaissance masterpieces. Of all the paintings in the museum, Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation was by far my favorite. Although online pictures don’t do it justice, I suggest you google the picture and take a look, it really is quite a stylistically impressive and beautiful painting.

I walked around the town some more, and then headed to bed for an early return to Ascoli Piceno on Sunday. As getting to Ascoli on Sunday can be a bit of a hassle because trains don’t run to Ascoli on Sundays, I decided to give myself the day to get back.

Once again, the train system provided no hassles. I was lucky that once I got to San Benedetto, there was a bus to Ascoli leaving in 20 minutes. I hopped on and got back to my apartment around two in the afternoon. I did some homework, made dinner, studied for a test I had the next day and soon went to bed.

And now it’s Tuesday. I’m doing well and hope you all are too.

Alex

A Word About Being Halfway There

2008-10-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

So, this dream of mine is nearing complete realization. I’ve done it. I’ve planned, saved and studied and now I am here. I can't bring myself to imagine that it’s halfway over.

I’ve gotten over the transition phases of studying abroad and I am finally getting my feet settled in this soil.

I can't believe my luck: I'm in Italy; I'm living here and doing great.

Sure, I miss home and have had to struggle a few times when all I wanted to do was see my family. I think I'm okay now, especially after seeing my grandma and parents a few weeks ago. Seeing them made me realize home will always be home and it'll always be there for me. They’ll all be there, too.

What won't be is this experience. In the remaining five weeks I really need to sink my mind and soul into this place, soaking up all it has to offer.

This experience has given me a sense of how big the world is. Coming to Italy for a week when I was a senior in high school really didn’t do that. It was a vacation, more of a time to see the monuments and the beauty cities had to offer. It was an inspiring time that I wouldn't trade for anything, but different than what I'm doing now.

This has been much more a cultural experience. I'm partaking in the daily life of Italians.

It’s given me a life’s worth of stories and memories. A dream that seemed out of reach for so long.

The saying “Dreams come true” is cliché, but true. They do come true. This experience has enhanced my life in so many ways and I will remain forever thankful to everyone who has helped get me here.

Cheers to being halfway there and to dreams coming true.

Alex

Break Week: Rome, Ascoli Piceno, Venice and Bologna in Eight Days

2008-10-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

It’s been a long week and I have had a lot of fun.

Last Friday at 6 am I walked to the Ascoli Piceno bus stop and with a sore throat I boarded the bus en route to Rome. I was very tired and not feeling so well, so I quickly drifted off to sleep and woke up around 9:20 a.m. in Rome at the START bus station I had waited at when I first arrived in Italy for my study abroad.

I walked around for a few minutes trying to find a cab that would bring me to the Marco Polo hotel that my family and I would be staying for three nights. Within a few minutes I spotted a taxi stand and walked over to ask a driver for a ride. I showed him the reservation for the hotel with the address on it that I had printed out the day before. He looked at me and shook his head, pointing straight ahead. From what I could understand, he told me I was about five minutes away from the hotel and he wouldn’t drive me because we were so close. And he was right.

Quickly I found the hotel, a few steps away from the Termini train station in Rome and hopped on the elevator to the third floor. The guy at the reservation desk, an American from Philidelphia that had moved to Italy with his mother a few years back, told me my room would not be ready for a few hours and let me leave my bag in the lobby.

I ventured out on my own around the train station area in Rome. There wasn’t much to see. I had to stop a few times to load up on cough drops and water. My cold had just started a few days before and was only getting worse.

I went back to the hotel around 2:15, and was told by the guy from Philly that my room was still not ready. It would be ready around three and I could wait in the lobby or go back out. I decided to wait, and soon enough I was led into the room. It was a small quad, but fortunately very clean.

I was hoping that the hotel would offer some channels in English, but I had no luck: all Italian. So, I surfed the internet for a bit with my laptop, and then took a nap. Soon there was a knock at the door and I ran to open it to discover my mom, dad, and grandma, fresh off the plane with traveler’s tales of their own.

Over the next few days we went around Rome.

The day after they arrived, we bought tickets for a “Hop On Hop Off” bus that took us to all the really important must-see things in Rome. We spent half a day at the Vatican Museums, and the next day we toured the Roman Forum and the Coliseum. We also went to the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and went for a few good dinners during our time in Rome.

Rome is a beautiful city. It's everything you have ever heard or read about. It sinks into the bones, a blanket city of Italian iconography.

The next stop on our trip: Ascoli Piceno. We had planned to spend the full third day during the trip in Ascoli. I had planned for us to take a 9 a.m. bus from Rome to arrive in Ascoli around 12:00. We all got our stuff packed and were at the bus station to buy our tickets and hop on the bus.

The ticket agent, however, told us that there was no 9 a.m. bus to Ascoli and that the next one would leave at 2:30. Apparantly, I had read the time table wrong, and the bus would leave Ascoli at 9 to come to Rome, not Rome to Ascoli. So, we spent a half day in Rome around the Spanish steps and had overpriced coffee at a nearby café and sandwiches and gelato sitting at the Fontana della Barcaccia (Old Boat Fountain) at the bottom of the Spanish Steps.

We did make it on the 2:30 bus to Ascoli and a few hours later were eating dinner at Lalivia, a tratoria next near Piazza Arringo. The food there was delicious. I actually just found out that starting next Thursday, I'll be taking cooking classes there with my fellow UNHers. I'm very excited about this.

The next day we walked around, had coffee at Café Meletti and a round of drinks at The Murphy’s, a bar in Piazza Arringo run and owned by a Polish guy. Since Murphy is my brother-in-law and sister’s last name, we toasted to them and to our trip in Italy.

That night we went out to Cantina dell’Arte (or The Art Cellar) for another great meal.

In Ascoli, my parents and grandmother stayed at Hotel Guiderocchi. It was a beautiful hotel and the staff was very nice. Even though I was not staying there, they let me eat breakfast with my parents and my grandmother. Their room was very beautiful and I spent a while watching American television on the Skye cable they offered.

After Ascoli, we took a train to Venice for a few days. It was my second trip to Venice and the city was no less stunning this time around. Piazza San Marco has always been a favorite of mine and seeing it for the second time was amazing. A person really feels the weight and power of the Venetian empire when they stand in the square, dwarfed by the massive and imposing buildings and the unique beauty of San Marco’s Basilica.

After Venice, we hopped on a train to Bologna and soon were relaxing at a café overlooking Piazza Maggiore. Nothing has changed since I have last been to Bologna. There is stuff to see and do, but it doesn't quite compare to other Italian travel destinations that are scattered throughout the peninsula.

We walked around, saw the couple of things that are there to see, and then went for a nice dinner at an osteria near the hotel. An osteria is an inn that also has a restaurant. The food was really good and it was an excellent way to spend the last night of our Italian vacation.

The next morning at 5 a.m.I wished them good bye as they headed back home. I went back to bed for a few hours and hopped on the 9:29 train to San Benedetto and then hopped on another train to Ascoli. This time, the train ride went smoothly. Five hours of not panicking is always a good thing!

When I got back to my apartment, I unpacked and then walked around the town for a little bit and then went to bed a little earlier than normal.

Sunday, I walked around Ascoli Piceno. In Piazza Arringo and Piazza del Popolo the antique market was going on and I was lucky enough to have my camera with me. I walked around for few hours talking photos and then I bought some cheese and olives in the specialty food market held in Piazza Roma. Also, at the antique market, I bought an Italian grammar book from 1948 for 3 euro. After that, I brought my clothes to be cleaned, read a little bit, made lunch and rested.

I want to thank my mom, dad and grandma for coming to see me. I hope you all had a wonderful time here, I know I did and I am so happy that you came.

Alex

A German Opera on an Italian Sunday

2008-10-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

So, I have to be honest: Opera is not for me; German operas, at least.

On Sunday, a group of us UNH in Italy students and a few of our professors took an hour and a half ride to Jesi, Italy to see a performance of The Magic Flute, an opera composed by Mozart.

The music and dialouge of the play are all in German. There were Italian subtitles on a screen on top of the stage curtain. I do no speak German and my understanding of the Italian language is limited. It was hard to understand and had it not been for some background information Diana handed out on Thursday, I would have been completely in the dark.

We all sat in a few boxes on the second floor of the theatre. The seats were not comfortable. My neck hurt for three hours while I cranned to see what was happening on the right side of the stage.

Enough of my complaining, though. There were a lot of good things about the opera and I am glad I went. It was a cultural oppurtunity that is not presented back home and is very much a part of Italian culture. I feel like I have been part of a true and honest Italian experiance. Or, a German experiance, which is still pretty neat.

As for any future ventures into a theatre to watch an opera: Well, I'll face that bridge when the time comes.

It wasn't so bad.

As for the rest of the week, once again it flew by. Mostly, I studied for my Italian midterm and tied up the loose ends on my movie for my cinema class.

Today, I took the Italian test and am feeling okay about the result.

This afternoon, Jessica and Adam hosted a screening of the movies we made in our cinema class. Everyone from the school and a few of the actors from the movies showed up. It was fun to see our finished products on a big screen in one of the classrooms. Afterwards, we all wished Adam and Jessica goodbye as they return back to NYC this weekend. It was a lot of fun working with them. They added a great aspect to this experiance and I am happy that I took their class.

My parents and my grandma fly into Rome tomorrow afternoon. I'm taking the 6 a.m. bus from Ascoli Piceno to Rome and will meet them at the hotel. In a couple weeks, I'll write about that adventure and will try and figure out how to upload my movie here.

Best,

Alex

My Weekend in Bologna and Italian Elementary Schools

2008-10-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

Weeks Four and Five

Stage of Culture Shock: Settled in.

The start of week four rolled on normally with no big stories or happenings to report. At the beginning of week four, though, I went to CTS, a travel agency in Piazza Roma, and booked a hotel for a weekend away in Bologna. I decided that although my fellow UNHers are great travel partners, I’d do this one alone. I’ve always been an independent person and the opportunity to travel gives me a great feeling of freedom and maturity. Plus, I’ve read and brought one to many travel books with me on my trip (Did I mention the $50 surcharge I paid for my overweight bag filled with books?) and they all suggested to go out and do some traveling alone. A person becomes more approachable when they travel and they get to make the rules and reservations for their whole trip. In the spirit of independence I booked a room at Hotel Ramada Encore, about a 15 minute ride by bus to the historical center of the city. The next day I went to the train station and reserved a seat on the train ride from San Benedetto del Tronto (SBT) to Bologna.

On Thursday after school I went home and packed a few outfits and toiletries and headed with my extremely heavy backpack to the train station. I got on the train from Ascoli Piceno to San Benedetto del Tronto and enjoyed the scenic views of the Adriatic Sea to the left of my passenger car. It was a nice 45 minute trip to the stop over. Restful, relaxing and not at all stressful.

Unfortunately, that ended very fast. When I got to San Benedetto, it took me 10 minutes to realize that I needed to change platforms and go under the subway to get to my train. Simple enough, I went under the “Subway” and got to my platform. The “Subway” is a short underground tunnel to the other platforms on the other side of the tracks. I boarded my train fro SBT to Bologona. That went along fine. I found a seat, sat down and got ready to enjoy a five hour trip to my weekend getaway. The train kept making stops at other stations, which I did not realize happened. I had figured trains were like planes, with nonstop routes. I realize now that stopping is the norm. About a minute before the train stopped it announce the city we were at. I was not suppose to arrive in Bologna until about 8:30pm, so I put my headphones on and played poker on my Ipod.

Suddenly though, someone came over the speakers and said something about the train. Realizing this was a longer message and wasn’t automated like the other ones had been when we’d stop at a destination, I took my headphones off and listened for a bit. Then I realized that I don’t speak Italian and that I didn’t understand any of it. I figured it was just another message about a stop or destination and put my headphones back on. The two people in my cabin got off the train.

A few minutes later, the train started to go backwards the direction we had come it. I looked around, now thinking that we were probably just changing tracks. No big deal, routine train navigation, right?

Then the lights in the cabin went out. The train pulled into a hub off the tracks and stopped. I sat and waited. I looked out the windows and realized, the train had stopped and was not going to Bologna any longer.

Panicking, I stood up and ran through the train with my bag still at my seat, looking for signs of other people. The train was empty. I reached the conductor’s cabin, and the door was open. There was no conductor inside. I ran back to my seat, grabbed my stuff and went to the door to go out onto the platform. It was locked. I tried to pull it open. No luck. I went through another cabin to the door. That one was locked to. I threw my stuff down, my heart pounding. I asked myself why on earth did I think I would be able to navigate the Italian train system alone? How foolish could I be? I tried the door again. Still locked. Then I saw a red lever above the door. It could only be one thing: and emergency door opener.

I grabbed my stuff, pulled the lever, the door opened, and I hopped onto a platform that was about 40 feet from where the other platforms were. I ran to them, not even knowing if an alarm was sounding.

Good news: I was able to quickly find another train that was going to Bologna. I went under the subway, found the platform, and twenty minutes later I was again on my way to Bologna, my heart now settling down after having pounded furiously for a good ten minutes.

Now: Peace and a comfortable spot in my first class seat. Oh, yes. I choose to travel first class. I bought a Eurail ticket, which allows me to travel for six days within two months. It wasn’t too much more expensive to upgrade my seat. Unfortunately, besides a little more room in the seats, first class and second class are pretty much the same. Plus, a lot of Italian trains don’t offer first class seats. Minor inconvenience.

There I was on my third train, riding along comfortably to my weekend away from Ascoli. I calculated that the train glitch only cost me about a half hour from the original time I would have arrived in Bologna.

About two hours go by and I am getting very excited to reach my destination. A few more stops and I’d be in Bologna, a city I’d flown into during my trip to Italy when I was a senior, but had never seen.

This train that I was now on does not announce destinations like the one before had. I think it might have been because it was dark and people may have been sleeping. So, the train stops at a station about two hours into the ride. I happen to look outside and see a ceramic sign on the station building that says “Bologna Municipal" and a few other words in Italian. I jump out of my seat and quickly throw my Ipod, my book and my journal in my bag. I throw it on my back. Instead of looking at the blue sign outside that states the station the train is stopped at, I ask a passenger coming on if this is Bologna, just to make sure. The man, who I assume now does not speak any Italian, said “Si” in an accent I couldn’t place. I let him pass me as he found his seat, and then I ran out of the cabin and out the door onto the platform.

I put my stuff down for a moment. Good thing I had looked up or I would have been on my way to Milan, the train’s final destination. I put my stuff on my back and regrouped as the train sped away from the station. So there I was in Bologna, ready to start my adventure.

I walked out of the station. There was a row of cabs. There were lights in the far, far distance. It didn’t look like a big city to me. I turned around and looked at the building. I forget what town it had written on the top of it, but I’ll tell you one thing: I wasn’t in Bologna.

I was furious. How could that guy tell me I was in Bologna when I wasn’t. I was mad and angry. Then I took a few breaths and collected myself. I realized it wasn’t his fault. International miscommunication. Is this the train that was going to Bologna, he thought I asked .“Si,” he said and then I exited.

Next to the train schedule, I looked at a map of the Emilia-Romagna region in one of my books to see where I had wound up. I was about an hour east of Bologna. I found another train and asked a woman on the platform in my best Italian if it was the one going to Bologna and she said yes. I believed her.

Luckily, she was right and I got to my destination. I took a 10 euro cab to my hotel, not wanting to try my hand at the bus schedule just yet. That could wait until tomorrow. I got to my hotel. Thankfully, I was able to rest my Italian for a day as the receptionist, and as I quickly found out, everyone in Bologna speaks English.

I retired to my room, took a shower, unpacked and fell asleep. It was about 11:00, three hours from my planned arrival time. Add this experience to my international mishap list. There’s more to come, just wait…

The next day, I took the number 25 bus from the stop outside the hotel and rode to the historical center. The bus was easy enough to navigate and besides some traffic on a few of my rides, the bus was easy and cheap, costing only 1 euro every ride.

Bologna was nice. I walked around the city center and up one of the Tori (Towers) of Bologna, the tower next to the one that is leaning. Climbing the tower was a memorable experience. I am deathly afraid of heights and I decided that climbing up a Medieval building with creaking wooden stairs would be a good idea. It’ll be cultural, Alex. This is a tourist site, Alex. Go ahead, climb! Climb I did. I spent three euros and was shaking the whole way up. It must have taken about 30 minutes to climb, and with each creak I thought I was done for and that I would be found under a pile of Medieval stone rubble. I got up there though. I couldn’t go to the edge, because my knees were shaking too much, but I stood and saw the city from the wall in the center of the top of the building. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my camera the first day so I have no pictures or proof that I went to the top. But, climb it I did. Never again, though. The next day I brought my camera and took a picture of the tower I climbed. I climbed the taller one that's not leaning to its side.

I walked throughout the city and had coffee in Piazza Maggiore. Below are some pictures of the Piazza. Yes, the church is ugly. In short, the history of the church is as follows: The church was not commissioned by the Pope, the people wanted to build it. They funded the church until they ran out of money and had to stop half way up. So, it’s remained unfinished for many centuries. It’s not finished inside, either, but it is in use and is really beautiful and meaningful to the people of Bologna.

Above is a picture of Triton's fountain, to the left of the piazza.

The first day, I stopped at a tratorria and had a big lunch of wine, salad, ragu, and filet steak. Tratorrias are small restaurants that are owned and run by families and feature family recipes. They are usually the best bet for a full Italian meal at a good price and they also offer a fixed menu at a really great price. This meal was about 10 euro for three courses and about two glasses of wine.

Bologna boasts that they have the best food in all of Italy, and let me tell you they are certainly a contender for the title. The meal was delicious.

The third night in Italy, I went to a restaurant near my hotel. I had to be up early the next morning, and didn’t want to venture on the city busses at night, so I walked around the area next to the hotel and found a small restaurant. The food was amazing. I had tortellini in broth and some kind of pork dish. I also had bread with anchovy butter and a few other complimentary small dishes the restaurant served up. It was one of the most delicious meals I’ve had in my life. Unfortunately, it was also one of the most expensive. Except for the hotel, I didn’t really spend much money on my trip, so I consider it an okay expense.

A picture of the pork dish.

Another note about food in Bologna: In my hotel, they served a semi-American breakfast! Since Bologna is an international city known for their business conventions, they need to offer more international fare. I was able to have eggs, bacon, a fresh bowl of fruit and America coffee for three days!

For my souvenir of Bologna, I bought Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Italiano. Hopefully, someday I’ll be able to read the book in Italian.

On Sunday, I went back home. The trains again:

I got from Bologna to San Benedetto del Tronto just fine. Once I got there, I had to find a train that would bring me back to Ascoli. I found one on the printed chart by the tracks that would leave in about 15 minutes, but when I looked at the TV screen I saw that it wasn’t on there. I guessed that meant it was cancelled. There was on the screen, however, a train scheduled to leave for Ascoli in about an hour. I went to platform four, where it was taking off, and found a seat on the bench and waited.

An hour went by and still no train. I look around. Other people were still on the platform and I assumed the train was late. I waited about 10 more minutes and looked back at the screen on the other side of the tracks. I could barely make the names on the screen out, but I could see that the train for Ascoli was suddenly gone. I knew that I couldn’t have missed it. I was at the right platform the screen told me to be at.

I crossed under the subway again and stood in line to talk to one of the ticket agents. From what I understood of what the lady said, there is no train to Ascoli on Sundays. I asked if there was a bus. She said, “Si” and then I asked to buy a ticket. She said she didn’t sell them. I asked where I could buy one, she didn’t know. She asked the person working at the next window.

Let me shorten this long story: Trains don’t run from San Benedetto to Ascoli on Sundays. The lady told me I could buy a ticket at the “baby shop.” I had no idea where the baby shop was so I walked out of the station to the bus stop and asked a woman there. She was not sure either and told me all the shops were closed on Sundays. She was also not aware of any baby shops in the area and told me the train to Ascoli leaves from the bus stop on the other side of the street. I went to the other bus stop and asked a guy there. He helped me find the bus I needed to take on the chart and asked me if I had the ticket yet. I said no, and he escorted me to the newspaper shop by the train tracks, where they sell tickets. I bought one. The lady at the ticket window must have translated wrong, because she definitely told me to buy a ticket at the baby shop. I waited on the steps of the train station for an hour for the bus to get there. I hopped on and got back to Ascoli. Add one to the cultural mistake pile, Alex.

By far the highlight of my trip was my train ride experiences. I made it there and back in one piece, and because of that I am very proud of myself.

On Monday and Tuesday of this past week I started my internship helping Italian teachers with their English classes. I help at St. Augostino’s, a few blocks away from where I live. On Monday I help with the fifth grade and on Tuesday with the third for an hour of the day.

I forget the name of the teacher of the fifth grade students, but Raphaela is the woman I help with her third graders. On Monday, the kids were really excited to see and talk to me. During our introduction she said that she teaches science, math and English. Then she laughed, saying that she does not speak it well. I understood her fine, though. The teacher said that I could correct her English when she talks to the students and she would help me with my Italian. The kids took turns asking me questions. Some asked me what sports I liked, if I watched calcio (I explained the difference between American football and the football they were used to). One student asked me if I liked fish and chips. I replied yes, but told him that I believed that was a dish typical of English cuisine, not American. The time with the fifth graders on Monday went by very quickly. The teacher yelled at the rather rambunctious students a few times. I think they were just excited and because of that grew a bit wild. The teacher kept telling me, “This is not my class. First year. This is not my class.” From what she said I gathered that this was the first class she taught at the fifth grade level.

On Tuesday, in Raphaela’s class, I helped the third graders with their reading books. These kids, although two years younger than the kids I helped the day before, were much better behaved. This could be because Raphaela seems like a no-nonsense type of woman. Even still, the kids were great and I really enjoyed helping them. We went over two pages in their English books. One page was a comic strip and the other a picture of a town with a word bank of things in the town like a bakery, police station and a café. The book is produced by a British publisher, so I had to tweak some of the words in the book. On the page that had items of the town on it, there was a double-decker bus and I explained to the kids and Raphaela that those are more typical of a British city, not American. Also, I told them that although we have cafés in America, we usually call them coffee shops and I told them that in American coffee shops they usually only sell donuts, not like in their cafés where sandwiches, meals and pastries are all sold. I did say that this is starting to change, though.

I had a really great time with both of the classes this week. It is so awesome to get to work with the kids and the teachers. The school system is not much different than what I remember my elementary school experience being like. However, they had one really great feature to their schools: They lock all the doors. They have a buzzer outside and I needed to talk to the main office to be let in. Once that’s done, I had to walk upstairs to another locked door where a lady dressed in a teal uniform resembling a nurse’s surgical outfit and who I presume is the hall monitor, let me in and escorted me to my classroom. There was another hall-monitor on the other side of the corridor, dressed in the same teal outfit. I thought this was a really unique safety precaution.

Also something I found kind of unusual: Midway through my hour with Raphaela, her cell phone rang and she picked it up and walked out of the room to talk. Kind of unusual.

After Monday’s class with the third graders, I headed back to school to Christina’s Art and Architecture class. That day, she led us all on a tour of Ascoli’s medieval churches. That was really interesting and I am very glad she was with us to explain the historical significance of the artwork on the walls and the churches themselves.

These past two weeks, I have been working with Adam on and off trying to get my movie edited and finished. I had a two-hour editing session with him today where we locked in all the visual shots of the actors and scenes. A couple more hours of working with the audio and my movie, Ascoli Ottobre, will be finished! The class, which is six weeks long, finishes up next week and we are going to have a “film festival” of the class’s three movies that Jessica will host. I really have enjoyed these past few weeks doing something that I never thought I would be interested in. Although I still think I’m most interested in the writing aspect of movie-making, at least I know that the whole process is fun and certainly entertaining.

The week rolled on pretty steadily after that. This Sunday I’m going to the opera to see The Magic Flute. I’m excited to go because it gives me the opportunity to experience another part of Italian culture. Well, I’ve been writing for a while and I need to get some work for Art and Architecture started.

Ciao!

Italian Police Stations, Antique Markets, the Best Cookies in the World and Film making in Italy

2008-09-22T02:12:00.001-07:00

Week Three in Ascoli Piceno Stage of culture shock: Missing home but staying positive.

In Ascoli everything is closed on Sunday mornings and afternoons. Last Sunday, I walked through the streets and felt as though I had them to my own. I walked past houses where you could hear forks and knives on plates and families chattering through the wooden shutters. Although one can witness something like this during the midday break on the weekdays, on Sundays it is as if everybody devotes the beginning of their days to church, family and sitting down for a great meal. At night, after the streets have been left desolate for hours, bars, stores and restaurants open to the people of Ascoli and the city all of a sudden fills with life again.

I walked around Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Arringo to be welcomed by swarms of people gossiping and walking around with their families and friends. This happens ever night of the week, but on Sunday the piazzas are the most crowded.

On Sunday night, a group of us went to a Chinese restaurant down the street from the UNH classrooms. Chinese food in Italy is very different than Chinese food back home. I was hoping there would be chicken fingers and General Chow’s chicken on the menu, but unfortunately I found none of what I had anticipated. I’m not sure if what was on the menu was authentic Chinese food or the Italian version of Chinese food, but it did not taste that great to me. I ordered dumplings and a chicken dish. The dumplings were not good and the chicken was spicy and made me cough. I thought it should have come in a quesadilla. Chinese food in Italy, for me, was not a good idea. It was a break from the heavy pasta and pizza overload I’ve been experiencing these past few weeks, so the change was welcome. Everybody else seemed to like what they got and made plans to come back. Italian Chinese food, for me, was a one time experience.

The school week went by normally. The weather has been getting increasingly colder this past week. It is a relief from the scorching humidity we were welcomed by when we first arrived.

On Thursday after Italian class, my cinema class and Federica, an actress who plays the lead role in my film and is the girlfriend of one of Cristian’s buddies, filmed the alleyway scene of my movie. Federica was a great choice for the role of Carina and totally embodied the character that I wrote. It is an amazing thing to see something that I wrote and created be brought to life. I am so happy that I was able to take this course and discover something that I never knew I would be interested in.

After the wrap of the first day, I headed back to school for a round of email writing and kept up with the news at home.

Then, I took a leisurely stroll around town. Phil and I walked across another bridge and I got to see a side of the town I had never seen. I discovered a few other grocery stores, found out where the train and bus stations in town are, and saw the Ascoli soccer stadium.

On Friday the group of us UNH in Italy students woke up early in the morning and ventured across one of the bridges in town to go to the police station in Ascoli where we had an appointment to meet with the police regarding our stay in Italy.

Before moving on, a little back story is necessary: When we first arrived in Ascoli, it was necessary for us students to receive permission from the Italian government to stay in Italy for three months. The third day of our stay we all went to post office and received a packet of information that Cristian and Diana, his assistant, helped us fill out. We then had to go to a Tabacchi (a shop that sells stamps, candy, tobacco, phone cards and lottery tickets) and purchase a Marco di Bollo, which is a stamp that cost 14.62 Euro and issued when someone sends any official document to the Italian government. We then had to copy every page of our passport, even the blank ones. Then we all went back to the post office and completed the registration by placing all the documents in an envelope, paying the fee to stay in the country and putting the stamp on the envelope to be sent off for processing. We were officially allowed to stay in Italy for three months…or so we thought.

Earlier this week, Cristian told us that we needed to have our fingerprints documented and our pictures taken for government records. On Friday, we would have to go to the police station for about two hours while we were fingerprinted and the documentation was tied up. When we arrived at the station, there were about 15 other foreigners from around the world huddled at the door. We assumed they were here for the same reason. We all dropped our passports and the receipts we received for the Permesso di Soggiorno in a small box and waited to be called.

After a half hour of waiting in a small, smelly room we all started getting restless. People came after us and dropped their documentation in the same small box and were called and situated before us. The room grew crowded and the situation more frustrating.

Finally, after about an hour and a half of waiting, the first of us were called. In succession we were each told that we needed to complete the process of buying another stamp and copying our passport again and were each handed a new set of documents to fill out. We tried to tell the officer that this is not what we were told we would be doing today, but we were not understood. Frustrated, we called Cristian, and he made his way to the police station to help us out. Once he arrived and was waiting in the room to figure things out, we were called in succession into a different room to get our fingerprints taken.

Long story short: The lady who was calling us in the line never looked at our receipt from the post office that stated we had already filled out the paperwork. We were only supposed to be there to get fingerprinted. She overlooked this and freaked us all out with our lack of understanding and frustration.

After the ordeal, Darin and I, the last ones to get fingerprinted, walked out after about three hours of waiting. We both went to our own apartments after a trip to EuroSpin, a discount grocery store near the bridge and bought some groceries for the weekend.

I guess this experience was a true, honest Italian experience. Waiting for nothing. The bright side of it all was that it was interesting to see the people who were waiting with us. There were people from all over the world in that room: People from the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and then us Americans. I came to realize that Italy is not solely an American or western attraction. Italy attracts everyone from everywhere. I guess I didn’t have to be in an Italian police station to understand this.

Later that day, after a salami and mozzarella sandwich, I headed to the second day of shooting for my movie Ascoli Ottobre. It was raining, which made for a wet day of filming, but the shots came out better because there was no glare from the sun. Federica delivered a stellar performance once again as did Phil, Erica and Samantha, who played the waitress in the scene we shot today. Much thanks to everybody from the class who helped me out. Again, I’m hoping to be able to insert the video here on the website in about a month, so look forward to that! It was great to see how films are made. These last couple of days I have come to appreciate the time and effort of the many people involved in the production of films and television. Over the next two weeks, I’ll be able to try all the different aspects of film making as we will be filming the two other movies as well as the post production side of my own movie, which includes adding audio effects, editing and putting the whole thing together. In this point of the project, though, I feel the writing aspect of the film is my favorite.

Point of Interest: I have found the best cookies in the world. They are located at Pasticceria Marini, across the bridge that is next to the Tigre, a grocery store in town, on our side of the city. I have been there three times now, walking a short distance to the pasticceria and ordering usually a dozen at a time. They are very small cookies that have a kind of pie crust flavor and are decorated at each end with a generous spread of nutella, a sort of chocolate frosting. I would walk to Turin for these cookies. They are my favorite and because of this I have taken a picture of them and the place to get them: I’ll be asking for the recipe before I leave.

I just got back from my Saturday around town. Every third weekend of the month, Ascoli hosts an antique market in Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Arringo. Large white gazebos are set up on both squares and merchants fill them with their stuff. Along with this market is the usual clothing and food market that spreads itself out on the streets that lead to both Piazzas. Walking around the antique market was a great experience. There were antique door knockers, furniture, lamps, pictures, jewelry, old books, clothing and home décor. It would be great to buy some of the stuff, but shipping it home would cost an outrageous amount of money and frustration. Besides, pictures will suffice.

By far the most interesting thing I saw there was the Nazi war uniforms and different items decorated with the swastika. For some reason, seeing the symbol on television and in movies and reading about World War II in history books does not make real that devastating time as much as seeing the clothing, weapons, and helmets that were actually there. It was fascinating to see, but scary to think of what it represented.

And now a side note on Italian culture: Italian drivers are crazy. Out of their minds. Insane. Even in the small town of Ascoli Piceno, where there is no need to be racing to get to anywhere, danger for the pedestrian exists on the streets. Vespas and cars don’t stop for a person on two legs. Even when someone is in the middle of a crosswalk, cars do not hesitate to speed past as long as they are a few inches from the person. If the person should be in front of them walking, they will stop about an inch from the pedestrian, pushing on their breaks as if it was a courtesy gesture and not a safety concern. The Italian pedestrian takes the drivers in stride, commanding the space they are walking on, unwilling to let drivers pass them. For me though, never having any sense of grace or direction, the road can be a bit scary. Thankfully, I have yet to be hit or see somebody get hit by a vehicle here. I think drivers are so trained and used to quick stops that they have trained themselves to not hit people. They don’t, however, give a second glance at pigeons. On my daily walks, I usually see a pigeon on the stone road with its head squashed or body flattened. I guess that’s Italian road kill.

Lastly, my parents and my grandmother are coming to visit me in 18 days!!! I am so excited to share my experience with them. We are going to venture around Italy and visit Rome, Bologna, Venice and then spend a couple days here in Ascoli. Right now I’m in the process of trying to figure out the train systems here in Italy so I can try and be a confident traveler when figuring out the schedules and train lines. I know that we’re going to have a great time!

I hope that everyone back home is doing well. ~Alex

An Introduction to Ascoli Piceno

2008-09-09T05:34:00.000-07:00

At the insistence of my family I've finally decided to set fingers to keys and write my long-promised travelogue. I've been so overwhelmed that somehow the words did not come so easy. I've realized, though, that it's important to share and to let everyone know what I've found here in Ascoli. Most importantly, it's important to recognize how lucky I am:

Weeks One and Two
Stage of Culture Shock: Amazed at the brilliance of it all.

I arrived in Italy late into the night on Sunday, August 31. From Rome a group of us UNH travelers took a three hour bus ride to Ascoli Piceno where we will be living for the next three months.
I have been in Ascoli for a week now and am enjoying it very much. It's very hard to not sound as if I'm writing a fairytale when describing Ascoli. I really wish the beautiful pictures I took did it justice. The city is enchanting with charming and beautiful people, extraordinary scenery and delicious food. I am happy that I decided to study in Ascoli, a small medieval town surrounded by hills and fully alive with the real, organic Italian life. The city does not come prepackaged with English speaking salespeople and menus. Not at all. Ascoli is a city that caters to the Italians of the region. Sure, a traveler can find people in the town eager to try out their English and help him, but it's so much better to try and get by in their native tongue.

The food of Ascoli is amazing. The regional specialty is large olives stuffed with minced meat, breaded and fried. These olives are amazing. Also good from this city is everything else they have served me. In the past two weeks I've had veal, pork, lasagna, pizza, gelato, fish, shrimp, panini, cafe, cappucino, biscotti, and more pizza and even more gelato. It was all delicious. It's everything its hyped up to be and more. I can't really say anything more than that without feeling and urge in my stomach to go to the Piazza and eat a few of every single item of food I've just mentioned.

The people here are really amazing. Everybody has a nice word to say to me, whether it be a "Ciao" a "Buon giorno" or my favorite "Buonasera" (Good evening). Everybody is so peaceful, so welcoming and inviting. Although I am no expert, I assume that Ascolians are very happy that mass tourism has passed them by. It makes them more real, true to who they are, and proud of their city. Not having tourism here makes me feel like I am living amongst the Italians and not touring the city with a bus group. Rome, Florence, Venice and all the other Italian tourist destinations are certainly beautiful, but they pale in comparison to the unrestrained streets and people of Ascoli Piceno.

In all this romantic wordage, it's hard to think of any possible unattractive qualities of Ascoli Piceno. Unfortunately there is one always present downside of Ascoli and from what I saw this weekend, most likely Italy in general: Cigarettes. I see cigarettes in the hands of people walking down the street and in the piazza, cigarettes being held by people too young to be holding cigarettes, cigarettes in the hands of bus drivers, and cigarettes in restaurants and in bars being smoked by patrons, servers, bartenders and cooks. I see cigarettes being held by everyone all over the city. As a 21st Century American student, this seems to be just a little unhealthy for the overall population. Don't they know that smoking causes any number of diseases? Do they read the label on the front of the pack? (Yes, they have warnings in Italy, too) Perhaps it's just a cultural nuance that serves to cause foreigners frustration. Whatever it is, I suppose if smoking is the worst thing an Italian city has to dish out, it's not so bad.

I'm living in a small, but nice apartment with Phil, a student from the Durham campus. Our apartment is located on Corso di Sotto. It's a bit of a walk to the school and to the other apartments that house our UNH friends, but walking through the city is always enjoyable, so I don't mind.

My Italian classes began last week and already the work is starting to pile on. Just to let everyone know: homework and work in Italy is exactly the same as homework and work in America. For me, the Italian class will be the most challenging. I'm taking a year's worth of Italian, year two, in one semester, so the work is a bit hefty. Not being too confident in my Italian language skills, I'm a bit nervous. I am hoping that the immense amount of practice I'll get in Ascoli will help with the nerves.

A class that I'm particularly excited about is my Italian cinema class. I'm excited because it's taught by two people working in the field and because it's only six weeks. (Just kidding about the last part) Anyway, the cinema class is being taught by Jessica Hecht and her husband Adam Bernstein. Jessica played, among many other roles, the reoccurring character Susan Bunch on Friends, and she was in Sideways and most recently Dan in Real Life. Her husband, Adam, is a director. Among his most noted work, Adam directed the pilot episode of Scrubs, the music video for Baby's Got Back, and his self-proclaimed claim to fame, the music video for the B52's Love Shack.
In Adam and Jessica's class we are creating our own three to five minute movies to be set in Ascoli Piceno. The three girls in my class have joined to create an "American makeover into an Italian fashionista" type-movie, and another guy in my class has decided to write a political thriller set right after World War II. I have decided to go a little darker with my work. I will be directing a femme fatale murder movie. I won't give you any clues as to what happens in the movie, but I'm going to try and insert the script I wrote and the movie itself into this blog once it's finished.

I also have an Italian Art History course taught by Christina, a woman who commutes from Rome once a week to teach our class on Mondays. Christina is an archeologist who works at a site when she is not teaching. She was also our tour guide when we visited Pompei.

In a few weeks, once Italians go back to school, I will begin my Italian practicum course. From the information I have received thus far, I will be helping an Italian elementary school teacher teach her students English for four hours a week. I'm very excited about this course and will keep everyone updated about this and all my other courses as the weeks progress.

This past weekend the group ventured off to southern Italy. Over the long weekend we visited Pompei, Sorrento, Amalfi, Capri and Naples.

A five hour bus ride from Ascoli led us to be welcomed by humid weather and many tourists to the ruined city of Pompei. Starting off with a panino and Fanta soda in hand, my fellow UNH in Italy travelers and I braved the uneven streets and the infamous southern Italy sun to witness one of the most devastating natural disasters in history. Pompeii was everything I thought it was going to be: ruins of an old city shadowed by its devastator. Everyone has seen the pictures and heard the story. I have included some pictures to view on my photo website, but I'll let the story of the place be told by people who can tell it better than I, or at least Wikipedia.com where one can access a general overview of the city's history!

After an overnight stay and an evening out to dinner in Sorrento, we boarded the bus early in the morning and drove along the Amalfi coast. After seeing the stunning coastline and biting our nails as we drove along hairpin turns, we stopped at Amalfi for a few hours. I swam, ate pizza and walked around the resort town. It was crowded, but the scenery was beautiful.

The next day we rode a ferry from Sorrento to Capri for the day. Again, we stayed on the beach swimming in the salty Mediterranean water. After swimming a group of us made it up a long, long, long hill to where the restaurants and shops were. We stopped for lunch, did some window shopping, and then went back on the bus.
Capri was a great day trip and I am glad I was able to see this popular island of Italy. The next day we were off to Naples and then back home to Ascoli.

If anyone should ever tell you that Naples is beautiful, or that it's a must-see destination of the grand Italian tour, tell them that they are lying. Naples is ugly. The people are bushy, the air is hot and smells of exhaust, and the city is dirty. Trash lines the street and pickpockets and scam artists line the street. Should you go there, hold your valuables close to your body. Better yet, leave your valuables at home. Even better than that, go somewhere else. Stay an extra few days in Capri or Amalfi. Yes, Naples is that bad. However, I'm probably not the best expert on the city as I stayed (huddled, really) within a few city blocks. Yes, I was that afraid. Certainly, I was not in Ascoli anymore. So, if anyone should ever tell you to visit Naples, tell them that you have advice in good faith not to go there. Instead, spend a few days in the other nearby romantic towns of southern Italy.

After Naples, I returned to Ascoli and on Tuesday, it was back to classes and back to living like the Ascoliano.

Yesterday, I ventured over one of the bridges to the other part of Ascoli. Over the bridge the buildings were mostly residential. They had a newer feel to them too, as if the part of Ascoli I live in and the part over the bridge were two separate cities. Other then a wonderful bakery I found, there was not much there to explore. On my way home though, about two minutes from my apartment, I happened to glance to the side of the road and saw a ruined Roman theatre. In my amazement, I rushed over to the railing of the theatre and took a few pictures. I have yet to thoroughly research the theatre, but using my best Italian I found out from a girl who works in a pizzeria next to the theatre that it is currently closed to the public. There were a few signs near the theatre in the closed off area that I could not read. I want to go in the theatre and look around, though, so I'm going to talk to Christian, the program director, and see if he can get me in to do just that. It's the wildest thing to have a ruined Roman theatre two minutes from where I live.
My next blog is tentatively (emphasis on that, please) scheduled to post on September 22. Until then, everyone can reach me at alexryanscarelli at gmail dot com. I would love to hear how everyone is doing, so keep in touch.

A word about living in Ascoli:
Over the next few months I'm going to try hard to resist the temptation to describe people and places as better or worse than in the U.S. It's important to make the distinction that life Ascoli and life in the states is different. But, really, there's not right or wrong way of doing things. Frustrations on my end are going to exist. This is certain. However, I need to remember, as every traveler does, that my way of doing things is not necessarily the best way. For example, this morning I was woken up at 3am by street sweepers. Street sweepers whose loud truck machines make noises that bounce off the walls and echo throughout the streets. Better still are the vespas that swarm loudly and without caution through the streets at all times of the day and usually are my alarm clock in the morning. Yes, both street sweepers and vespas seem to be my enemy here, but that's okay. This is Italy, not Chester, NH. It's different. It's not better or worse. It just is. Things are going to be different in all of Italy, in every shop I visit or with every person I encounter. It's good that I'm getting the footing now rather then two months from now. Things are going to be foreign to me. Take-out food and drive-through coffee will not be available. Walking will be my source of transport. It can be inconvenient, but it's what I signed up for, no excuses. I wanted Italy and here it is in all it's grandeur and confusion. Even though I tarnished the reputation of Naples, all I've said above goes for that city, too. It's not my favorite, but it's part of the fabric of this nation. I need to learn to appreciate, or at least try to understand, the things that are not my favorite.

What I just described above does not, of course, apply to cigarette smoke. That's just bad. And as I'm being bitten alive by mosquitoes right now due to the lack of screens in Italian buildings, I will describe mosquitoes as worse here than back at home. They need screens here. Badly. I think I've done more of itching the bug bites on my arms, neck and shoulders than I have done typing in the last hour.

Until next time, Ciao!