Since being here, I've realized that there are many things that I miss about being home. But one thing has stood out the most. I miss being able to just pick up my cellphone and call my mom like I used to do every day at college.
My mom and I had a tough relationship throughout my high school years, but once I moved to college, we became so much closer. She always has the best advice, and always worries about me constantly to the point that I get upset, but in the end, I realize it's just because she cares so much about me. Not being able to just pick up my phone and ask her about a problem that has come up, or to tell her how much I spent on groceries and what I got, or talk to her about a test. I miss those silly short chats. I do. Mom, I miss you.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Weekend in Turin
This weekend was quite uneventful, yet I had plenty to do. I only had one class on Friday, and it happened to be a field trip to the Accorsi Foundation on Via Po. It was the personal collection of a famous designer and a replication of his house. We saw some beautiful pieces of furniture, glass, and other design materials from the Rococo era and a few from the Baroque period. My design teacher helped me ask our tour guide if there were any positions open for a intern, and one might open up in about a month! I’m hoping to get an internship somewhere in one of the many historical buildings in Torino. The Tornio population has been trying to become a tourist community since the Olympics, so my hope is that I’ll be able to be hired as an English guide in a design museum.
Friday evening, I went with my friend Will, from New Jersey, to scour Via Po for the famous Italian puff jackets. They’re these shiny, puffy feather jackets that you can find on people of all ages, both male and female. We call them “guido” jackets. We price shopped for quite awhile until we found one that is normally €250 but was on sale for €35! The transit was on strike (something that happens quite often) so we were stuck downtown for a few more hours. By this time, it was late evening, so we decided to just catch an aperitivo. The place we stopped at on Via Po had delicious food and we enjoyed just sitting and relaxing after walking all day. There was still an hour to kill after finishing our meal, so we headed out in search of a gelati place. I had my favorite flavors, frutti di bosca (in season fruit, mixed berries), and limon. Once we got home, a group of us went out and adventured along Fiere Po (River Po) to learn what there was to do. There are so many discotecas along the river! Once it gets warmer, more will open up and we’ll be able to dance along the river in the evenings.
Saturday we headed up to the Superga, a church on the hill of Torino. The church has a gorgeous view. The Savoy Royal family crypt is housed within the church. That was creepy and not worth the money to visit! I got a few panoramic shots of the Alps that I’ll put at the end of this blog. It was so beautiful to see the city from above and see the streets that I travel on daily.
Sunday was a lazy day. We kind of just walked around the city in search of Italian jeans at a good price, but realized that all of the stores were closed, since Sunday really is a day of rest except for cafés and restaurants. The streets are so full of people though! Everyone window-shops and simply enjoys spending time with family members and friends walking, no matter the temperature on Sunday afternoons/evenings. I found a pair of jeans, which I’m stoked about, since I’m quite the collector of jeans. They were less than 15 USD! We tried so many sweets also. I had a doughnut-like food filled with Nutella; popcorn from a street vendor; and bicherin, which is a mixture of Nutella, coffee and whipped cream. Delicious! I went shopping at PAM for my weekly groceries, minus veggies since they go bad so quickly. Then, to finish of the day, I made something OTHER than pasta for dinner! Chicken quesadillas!
Tomorrow, I’m going to try to get up a video blog of my apartment and my walk to school.
A Bridge over the Po at night
River Po at Sunset on the Superga Hill
Mi fritella con Nutella
In front of the Superga
Via Genova, where I live. I live in the building on the right, right past the horse.
Friday evening, I went with my friend Will, from New Jersey, to scour Via Po for the famous Italian puff jackets. They’re these shiny, puffy feather jackets that you can find on people of all ages, both male and female. We call them “guido” jackets. We price shopped for quite awhile until we found one that is normally €250 but was on sale for €35! The transit was on strike (something that happens quite often) so we were stuck downtown for a few more hours. By this time, it was late evening, so we decided to just catch an aperitivo. The place we stopped at on Via Po had delicious food and we enjoyed just sitting and relaxing after walking all day. There was still an hour to kill after finishing our meal, so we headed out in search of a gelati place. I had my favorite flavors, frutti di bosca (in season fruit, mixed berries), and limon. Once we got home, a group of us went out and adventured along Fiere Po (River Po) to learn what there was to do. There are so many discotecas along the river! Once it gets warmer, more will open up and we’ll be able to dance along the river in the evenings.
Saturday we headed up to the Superga, a church on the hill of Torino. The church has a gorgeous view. The Savoy Royal family crypt is housed within the church. That was creepy and not worth the money to visit! I got a few panoramic shots of the Alps that I’ll put at the end of this blog. It was so beautiful to see the city from above and see the streets that I travel on daily.
Sunday was a lazy day. We kind of just walked around the city in search of Italian jeans at a good price, but realized that all of the stores were closed, since Sunday really is a day of rest except for cafés and restaurants. The streets are so full of people though! Everyone window-shops and simply enjoys spending time with family members and friends walking, no matter the temperature on Sunday afternoons/evenings. I found a pair of jeans, which I’m stoked about, since I’m quite the collector of jeans. They were less than 15 USD! We tried so many sweets also. I had a doughnut-like food filled with Nutella; popcorn from a street vendor; and bicherin, which is a mixture of Nutella, coffee and whipped cream. Delicious! I went shopping at PAM for my weekly groceries, minus veggies since they go bad so quickly. Then, to finish of the day, I made something OTHER than pasta for dinner! Chicken quesadillas!
Tomorrow, I’m going to try to get up a video blog of my apartment and my walk to school.
A Bridge over the Po at night
River Po at Sunset on the Superga Hill
Mi fritella con Nutella
In front of the Superga
Via Genova, where I live. I live in the building on the right, right past the horse.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Most Recent Adventures: Venice, Verona, Cooking Class and Barcelona
Wow! Talk about a couple of hectic and crazy weekends! I’ve been so wound up in traveling that I haven’t had a chance to write anything down, even in my journal. So, instead, I’m going to try to force my eyelids open a bit longer and write as much as I can about what’s been going on before I pass out from exhaustion.
Last weekend, our study abroad program had scheduled and arranged a trip for the group to Venice and Verona. I caused all sorts of mischief on the canals of Venice. Just kidding ☺ It was carnivale there, so everyone is dressed up in decorative costumes and some of the most beautiful and original masks. I bought a purple one with feathers on it.. Behind each mask, there’s a story and a character. None of us had had a chance to look up the meanings beforehand, so we were at a loss of which to choose and finally decided on just choosing which ones appealed to us the most. The whole aura is difficult to describe. They stay out late and dance in the palazzas and generally have a good time. Super Bowl Sunday was that weekend, so we flocked towards a pub that would have international games on. The one our director leaded us to was WAY too crowded, so my group of friends and I headed on our own way to discover another place to sit. (The game BEGAN around 11PM or something our time). We ended up finding the Hard Rock Café Venice! The best part about the night was probably having nachos for the first time in months! My girlfriends from Mexico and I headed to two islands off the coast of Venice the next day. Murano, which is famous for it’s glass, and Burano, which is famous for the lace making. Each of the islands had an unique atmosphere. We watched a man blow a glass horse and a vase on the first island, and then gazed in wonder at the bright colored houses on Burano. I had my first ever fish with bones in it on Burano, and the girls had a blast watching me struggle to not get a bone in ever bite (it was sole). On the way home from Venice, we stopped at the city of Verona, famous for the balcony of Romeo and Juliet. When entering the courtyard of Juliet’s house, you can see tons and tons of love letters on the wall, written in hopes that Juliet will seal the love between lovers. It’s heartwarming to see all that love in one place. It’s tradition to rub the breast of the statue of Juliet outside her house.
As for school, I had my first-ever cooking class last week. Overall, it was a great experience, until I lost my phone in her living room that is. We learned what Italians use for ingredients (always fresh, never preserved), different kinds of cheeses used for cooking, and how to use the funky coffee maker that I discovered in my kitchen (a money- and lifesaver. We began with an antipasti dish of ricotta cheese and a special type of Prosciutto that had a lemon and pepper sauce drizzled over it. Then, for the second course, pasta, we made gnocchi from scratch. Gnocchi is essentially a peasant’s dish of potato pasta. Two sauces were made to go along with the gnocchi, a cheese sauce and a basic tomato sauce. Then for the third course, we had meat and a veggie, chicken alla Milanese and fennel. A few weeks ago, I accidentally bought fennel thinking it was an onion, so I was excited I could finally put the one in my fridge to good use! Lastly, we finished off the class with a chocolate and coffee pudding, two of the most common Piedmont region products.
Whew! Now for this weekend, and I’ll finally be all caught up. My friends headed to Barcelona on Thursday night, and I was planning to follow them after my class on Friday afternoon on the train. Well, long story short, Eurorail ripped me off. I ended up booking a flight Thursday night and since I didn’t have a phone, texted my friends from my roommates phone. Mom, I know you’re going to freak out over the next part, but at least you know I’m home all in one piece, although very very sleep deprived. Keep in mind that my flight from Bergamo Airport in Milan was at 9 PM. Here’s how it went:
• 4:40-Train from Turin to Milan: 2.5 hours. I planned for 1.5 because that’s what it normally takes, but my luck had it that someone had a medical injury on the train, so we were very delayed.
• 7PM- Arrive in Milan, buy a train ticket for Bergamo, with 5 minutes to catch it. Followed a Moroccan girl around and ran the station twice, ended up not finding the platform and missing it. So, I try an airport bus instead, and take a shot to my wallet. 12 euro+4.50 euro for the train ticket I never go to use.
• 7:45- It takes an hour to get to Bergamo. I’m on the bus, there’s traffic.
• Over the course of this I’ve taken about 2 stress assist vitamins and had about 7 mini heat attacks. Still by myself. No phone.
• 8:50- Sprint into the airport and find out that my flight has been delayed an hour. Good thing I’d been praying the ENITRE way on the bus. After going through security, I try to call my friends and let them know that I made it to the Milan airport. Ended up taking about 20 mins. To figure out how to work the phone.
• My ETA in Barcelona is now around 11:30 PM. I’m too nervous, and don’t want to spend money on dinner, so I get on the plane quite hungry. On the plane, I meet a nice guy who works for the airline that I was on and he spoke English, another godsend, and offered to show me where the bus station to get to downtown Barcelona was.
• Midnight: Manage to take another hit in my wallet for another 12 euro. But I’m on the bus.
• 1:30 AM- pulled into the bus station. Take another 30 mins trying to call my friends and since it’s an international call (Spain to and Italian phone), I end up spending 5 euros for a minute of talk with a vague explanation of where to meet.
• Find the metro somehow, ask another guy in English how to get to Diagonal, he lets me in the Metro for free!
• Get to Diagonal and meet my friend at one of the four exits. Of course, I got out at the wrong one. By this time, it’s about two. I go to the house we’re staying out and drop of my stuff and find out that this is when Barcelona nightlife actually begins. So, I was off again. We got home at 6 AM and then slept.
Mom, I know you’re probably freaking out at this point and possibly very mad about my traveling by myself, but I’m still in one piece! I promise!
The Barcelona life is completely different than that of Italians! I guess they eat dinner around 9 PM and then begin their nights. They then don’t come home until the metro opens up at 5:30 AM! We spent a few nights like this, completely exhausted and barely managing to sight see during the day once we got up. We visited Gaudi’s house! I was so excited. We also went to the top of the highest hill/ mountain in Barcelona with the most gorgeous view! We hiked for so long and I was in heels, such a bad idea. Lastly, we also saw a church that has been under construction for 150 years and won’t be finished until I turn 60! We went up the lift there and got another wonderful view of the city. So, since the nightlife starts so late, we ended up deciding to just stay awake the entire night, as we felt we’d overstayed our welcome at our friend’s house. I had to leave on the bus for the airport by the latest of 4 AM. We ended up stopping at this place and playing pool, since it was open until 3 AM. Then, as a group, we headed to the airport, even though my friends’ flight wasn’t until 10 something; they wanted to go with me to the airport. My knee has been bothering me all weekend, to the point that I could hardly walk at some points. So I’m about to go and lay down for a well-deserved nap. I left my friends curled up in the airport fast asleep and made it all the way back here on my own definitely only semi-conscious, but I’m safe and sound. Love you mom! ☺
Last weekend, our study abroad program had scheduled and arranged a trip for the group to Venice and Verona. I caused all sorts of mischief on the canals of Venice. Just kidding ☺ It was carnivale there, so everyone is dressed up in decorative costumes and some of the most beautiful and original masks. I bought a purple one with feathers on it.. Behind each mask, there’s a story and a character. None of us had had a chance to look up the meanings beforehand, so we were at a loss of which to choose and finally decided on just choosing which ones appealed to us the most. The whole aura is difficult to describe. They stay out late and dance in the palazzas and generally have a good time. Super Bowl Sunday was that weekend, so we flocked towards a pub that would have international games on. The one our director leaded us to was WAY too crowded, so my group of friends and I headed on our own way to discover another place to sit. (The game BEGAN around 11PM or something our time). We ended up finding the Hard Rock Café Venice! The best part about the night was probably having nachos for the first time in months! My girlfriends from Mexico and I headed to two islands off the coast of Venice the next day. Murano, which is famous for it’s glass, and Burano, which is famous for the lace making. Each of the islands had an unique atmosphere. We watched a man blow a glass horse and a vase on the first island, and then gazed in wonder at the bright colored houses on Burano. I had my first ever fish with bones in it on Burano, and the girls had a blast watching me struggle to not get a bone in ever bite (it was sole). On the way home from Venice, we stopped at the city of Verona, famous for the balcony of Romeo and Juliet. When entering the courtyard of Juliet’s house, you can see tons and tons of love letters on the wall, written in hopes that Juliet will seal the love between lovers. It’s heartwarming to see all that love in one place. It’s tradition to rub the breast of the statue of Juliet outside her house.
As for school, I had my first-ever cooking class last week. Overall, it was a great experience, until I lost my phone in her living room that is. We learned what Italians use for ingredients (always fresh, never preserved), different kinds of cheeses used for cooking, and how to use the funky coffee maker that I discovered in my kitchen (a money- and lifesaver. We began with an antipasti dish of ricotta cheese and a special type of Prosciutto that had a lemon and pepper sauce drizzled over it. Then, for the second course, pasta, we made gnocchi from scratch. Gnocchi is essentially a peasant’s dish of potato pasta. Two sauces were made to go along with the gnocchi, a cheese sauce and a basic tomato sauce. Then for the third course, we had meat and a veggie, chicken alla Milanese and fennel. A few weeks ago, I accidentally bought fennel thinking it was an onion, so I was excited I could finally put the one in my fridge to good use! Lastly, we finished off the class with a chocolate and coffee pudding, two of the most common Piedmont region products.
Whew! Now for this weekend, and I’ll finally be all caught up. My friends headed to Barcelona on Thursday night, and I was planning to follow them after my class on Friday afternoon on the train. Well, long story short, Eurorail ripped me off. I ended up booking a flight Thursday night and since I didn’t have a phone, texted my friends from my roommates phone. Mom, I know you’re going to freak out over the next part, but at least you know I’m home all in one piece, although very very sleep deprived. Keep in mind that my flight from Bergamo Airport in Milan was at 9 PM. Here’s how it went:
• 4:40-Train from Turin to Milan: 2.5 hours. I planned for 1.5 because that’s what it normally takes, but my luck had it that someone had a medical injury on the train, so we were very delayed.
• 7PM- Arrive in Milan, buy a train ticket for Bergamo, with 5 minutes to catch it. Followed a Moroccan girl around and ran the station twice, ended up not finding the platform and missing it. So, I try an airport bus instead, and take a shot to my wallet. 12 euro+4.50 euro for the train ticket I never go to use.
• 7:45- It takes an hour to get to Bergamo. I’m on the bus, there’s traffic.
• Over the course of this I’ve taken about 2 stress assist vitamins and had about 7 mini heat attacks. Still by myself. No phone.
• 8:50- Sprint into the airport and find out that my flight has been delayed an hour. Good thing I’d been praying the ENITRE way on the bus. After going through security, I try to call my friends and let them know that I made it to the Milan airport. Ended up taking about 20 mins. To figure out how to work the phone.
• My ETA in Barcelona is now around 11:30 PM. I’m too nervous, and don’t want to spend money on dinner, so I get on the plane quite hungry. On the plane, I meet a nice guy who works for the airline that I was on and he spoke English, another godsend, and offered to show me where the bus station to get to downtown Barcelona was.
• Midnight: Manage to take another hit in my wallet for another 12 euro. But I’m on the bus.
• 1:30 AM- pulled into the bus station. Take another 30 mins trying to call my friends and since it’s an international call (Spain to and Italian phone), I end up spending 5 euros for a minute of talk with a vague explanation of where to meet.
• Find the metro somehow, ask another guy in English how to get to Diagonal, he lets me in the Metro for free!
• Get to Diagonal and meet my friend at one of the four exits. Of course, I got out at the wrong one. By this time, it’s about two. I go to the house we’re staying out and drop of my stuff and find out that this is when Barcelona nightlife actually begins. So, I was off again. We got home at 6 AM and then slept.
Mom, I know you’re probably freaking out at this point and possibly very mad about my traveling by myself, but I’m still in one piece! I promise!
The Barcelona life is completely different than that of Italians! I guess they eat dinner around 9 PM and then begin their nights. They then don’t come home until the metro opens up at 5:30 AM! We spent a few nights like this, completely exhausted and barely managing to sight see during the day once we got up. We visited Gaudi’s house! I was so excited. We also went to the top of the highest hill/ mountain in Barcelona with the most gorgeous view! We hiked for so long and I was in heels, such a bad idea. Lastly, we also saw a church that has been under construction for 150 years and won’t be finished until I turn 60! We went up the lift there and got another wonderful view of the city. So, since the nightlife starts so late, we ended up deciding to just stay awake the entire night, as we felt we’d overstayed our welcome at our friend’s house. I had to leave on the bus for the airport by the latest of 4 AM. We ended up stopping at this place and playing pool, since it was open until 3 AM. Then, as a group, we headed to the airport, even though my friends’ flight wasn’t until 10 something; they wanted to go with me to the airport. My knee has been bothering me all weekend, to the point that I could hardly walk at some points. So I’m about to go and lay down for a well-deserved nap. I left my friends curled up in the airport fast asleep and made it all the way back here on my own definitely only semi-conscious, but I’m safe and sound. Love you mom! ☺
Friday, February 5, 2010
20 Things to Know About Italy
I already wrote a blog today, but as I was journaling, I made a list that I wanted to share. Hope you enjoy!
1. It’s truly not as civilized as I first expected in the way of internet and communications.
2. Be prepared to cook. A lot. Nothing is really simply microwaveable, and food doesn’t stay good for very long.
3. Expect to lose weight. Portions are smaller, enjoyed longer, and lacking a ridiculous amount of preservatives.
4. Don’t expect to shower standing.
5. Drinking coffee will become normal, even if you’re not a coffee drinker. It’s amazing, addictive, and cheaper than water. You’ll become a coffee snob.
6. The above is the same with wine.
7. Eat tons of cheese. Even if you don’t know what exactly it is. Sometimes the scariest looking ones are the best.
8. Prosciutto. Enough said.
9. Pasta is not like Olive Garden. Pizza is nothing like Pizza Hut. There isn’t alfredo. You get a whole pizza, thin crust for 7.50 USD with fresh, real ingredients.
10. Enjoy the culture involved in apertivo. Sit, sip, and snack.
11. If in Torino, or visiting Torino, spin on the balls of the bronze bull outside of Café Torino, in Palazzo for fertility. Torino is named after the Italian world for bull and it’s the city’s “protector.”
12. Hot water isn’t an always.
13. Be prepared for snow.
14. Yes, they really are fashionable.
15. Scarves. Lots of them. And match them with your shoes.
16. Be prepared to get lost. And to call a taxi early in the morning.
17. Public transportation: easy, accessible, normally reliable, provides some interesting entertainment.
18. Quiet hours between 10 PM-8 AM. You can get arrested.
19. Learn to love walking. You’ll be doing it a lot.
20. Bar means café in American terms. Pub=bar in American terms. The millions of Bar signs will leave an intimidating first impression.
1. It’s truly not as civilized as I first expected in the way of internet and communications.
2. Be prepared to cook. A lot. Nothing is really simply microwaveable, and food doesn’t stay good for very long.
3. Expect to lose weight. Portions are smaller, enjoyed longer, and lacking a ridiculous amount of preservatives.
4. Don’t expect to shower standing.
5. Drinking coffee will become normal, even if you’re not a coffee drinker. It’s amazing, addictive, and cheaper than water. You’ll become a coffee snob.
6. The above is the same with wine.
7. Eat tons of cheese. Even if you don’t know what exactly it is. Sometimes the scariest looking ones are the best.
8. Prosciutto. Enough said.
9. Pasta is not like Olive Garden. Pizza is nothing like Pizza Hut. There isn’t alfredo. You get a whole pizza, thin crust for 7.50 USD with fresh, real ingredients.
10. Enjoy the culture involved in apertivo. Sit, sip, and snack.
11. If in Torino, or visiting Torino, spin on the balls of the bronze bull outside of Café Torino, in Palazzo for fertility. Torino is named after the Italian world for bull and it’s the city’s “protector.”
12. Hot water isn’t an always.
13. Be prepared for snow.
14. Yes, they really are fashionable.
15. Scarves. Lots of them. And match them with your shoes.
16. Be prepared to get lost. And to call a taxi early in the morning.
17. Public transportation: easy, accessible, normally reliable, provides some interesting entertainment.
18. Quiet hours between 10 PM-8 AM. You can get arrested.
19. Learn to love walking. You’ll be doing it a lot.
20. Bar means café in American terms. Pub=bar in American terms. The millions of Bar signs will leave an intimidating first impression.
Registering With the Police
I apologize for not writing for such a long time, but as I finally get into the swing of things, I'm realizing that I'm finally out of the "honeymoon" phase. Things are finally starting to get on my nerves, I'm tired of showering sitting down, of our hot water heating not working half the time, of how I've been acting.
Yesterday we went to the police to finalize our registration of permit of stay. We left our apartment at 8 AM and met the rest of the USAC group at Porta Nuova in the midtown area. By 9, we were at the station. The first step was copying our passport and waiting in line. I didn't get to the next step until about 12 PM. Once we entered into the antechamber, we had to give them all of the paperwork and have our fingerprints scanned in a laser thing. They had to do my pointer fingers about 3 times each because it wouldn't register for some reason. Then, we were led into a sitting area that was elevated in the same room, but caged up. Once we entered the antechamber, there were no bathrooms and no places to get food, not even a vending machine. The only thing I'd eaten since the morning was a single chocolate brioche (croissant). By 4 I was finally called up. I'd probably had to go to the bathroom for about 4 hours by now. I was led into another room where my fingerprints were scanned again, this time including my palms. I was then measured for my height and they checked my eye color. After all this was done, there was nobody left to travel back with, so I was on my own getting home. I missed my entire Italian class in which we were reviewing for a test that I just took this morning. I got back just in time to have 15 minutes to go to the bathroom and pillage my kitchen for some type of food to take while walking to class. This is not an easy task when many things must be prepared and not much of the food can be thrown into a microwave (not that we have one anyways).
I made it through my next class, and went home to study for my test last night. By the time my head hit the pillow, I was out.
This weekend, I'm headed to Venice and Verona. I'm really excited to see the canals and possibly ride in a gondola. There's a carnival going on there right now, so the atmosphere will be intense.
Please pray for me as I go through this period of homesickness and struggles with the culture I am in. Numerous times this week, I've just wished to go home.
Yesterday we went to the police to finalize our registration of permit of stay. We left our apartment at 8 AM and met the rest of the USAC group at Porta Nuova in the midtown area. By 9, we were at the station. The first step was copying our passport and waiting in line. I didn't get to the next step until about 12 PM. Once we entered into the antechamber, we had to give them all of the paperwork and have our fingerprints scanned in a laser thing. They had to do my pointer fingers about 3 times each because it wouldn't register for some reason. Then, we were led into a sitting area that was elevated in the same room, but caged up. Once we entered the antechamber, there were no bathrooms and no places to get food, not even a vending machine. The only thing I'd eaten since the morning was a single chocolate brioche (croissant). By 4 I was finally called up. I'd probably had to go to the bathroom for about 4 hours by now. I was led into another room where my fingerprints were scanned again, this time including my palms. I was then measured for my height and they checked my eye color. After all this was done, there was nobody left to travel back with, so I was on my own getting home. I missed my entire Italian class in which we were reviewing for a test that I just took this morning. I got back just in time to have 15 minutes to go to the bathroom and pillage my kitchen for some type of food to take while walking to class. This is not an easy task when many things must be prepared and not much of the food can be thrown into a microwave (not that we have one anyways).
I made it through my next class, and went home to study for my test last night. By the time my head hit the pillow, I was out.
This weekend, I'm headed to Venice and Verona. I'm really excited to see the canals and possibly ride in a gondola. There's a carnival going on there right now, so the atmosphere will be intense.
Please pray for me as I go through this period of homesickness and struggles with the culture I am in. Numerous times this week, I've just wished to go home.
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