Home is where I'm in love with you

Well, I made it back home. Okay, no worse for wear. Okay that's a lie. I have a minor case of pink eye. Thanks Euro tour. Let me rephrase: We shared everything on the bus.
Do you want to hear about my flights? I really don't think so. I can tell you I cried when I left my host family at security, I cried all the way to Munich. Then right in the middle of Duty Free in Frankfurt, I had a breakdown. Then I cried when I left Germany, I cried when I listened to "Let Her Go" by Passenger. I cried when I got into Denver and saw the mountains for the first time in a long while. I think I cried enough tears to take care of the drought problems in Colorado.
It is kind of weird being back at home. It feels like nothing has changed. It feels like my exchange was a dream. That I just took a super long nap, had this amazing dream and then woke up. That's how I explain my exchange now. That it was a dream. Because it was. It was a life in a year.
I can't really recap my exchange. You could go through and read the old blog posts. That's kind of a recap. It was an adventure.
So now I go back to real life. I go back to being a small valley girl who went on this amazing adventure. Or I go back and be the girl I was in Italy and not care what the others thing. That way, I don't live a lie my senior year. Sounds a lot easier than it is. I think I can handle it. I handled going to Italy for a year. I think I can handle anything now.
I will tell you something I've learned this year: I've learned that I really like writing. I like how it's like meditating. How I can use my words to express my thoughts. I cannot imagine not writing. I want to keep writing. I want to keep writing and traveling. That's my plan for the future. Become a journalist and travel. I don't care if it's to the war front or to Florence to give a report on youth hostels. Just put me on a plane with a journal and I'll be a happy camper.
I guess this is my last blog post. Maybe I'll update it sometimes but it's doubtful. Maybe I'll start another blog on senior year and how I'm doing. Except that sounds cliche. Who knows.
Right now I'll leave you guys with: I'm going on an adventure this year.

I will follow you into the dark

Last day in Italy. Where has the time gone? I made it 10 months, 1 week and a day. Who would've thought.
Yesterday, we had my going away party. It was really nice actually. My friend kept saying that it was so Italian. That being in a yard over looking vineyards and having the Italian flag hanging above us. I guess it is very Italian. But the thing is, Gorizia is Italian in its own way. There are the apartments with different colors, the cobblestones, the ice cream and high fashion stores. My friends don't realize how lucky they are to live here. How amazing it is to be surrounded by this history.
I guess what I'm trying to say is: we should always be proud of where we come from. I know, I make Vail out to be small and closed and hard to have space to breathe. Yet, I love it. I love the comfort of being surrounded by the mountains. Knowing that in half an hour, I can be out skiing or out on the trail running. Sure, sometimes I feel closed off and that there is no air still, I try to remember how lucky I am to say I live in the mountains. I'm proud to say that I'm not an apartment baby or a city girl. That I know which plants you can survive off of and what plants will kill you in a matter of hours. I'm proud to say that I know how to run away from a moose. (Zigzags everyone)
This is what my life has come to... knowing how to run from a moose.
What am I supposed to say? There are no words for this feeling. This feeling of leaving a new life, of leaving a new family and new friends. This feeling of seeing my family after 10 months of only emails and skype dates.
I woke up this morning at 2 in the morning because I'm NERVOUS! That's it! I admit it. I am damn flippin' nervous to see my family. To see the valley. To see everybody. I'm nervous that I'm not the girl everyone is looking forward to seeing. I've changed so much and I don't know who they are expecting. The girl I was before exchange or the young woman I have grown into. I'm nervous that I'll lose friends because of who I've become. Isn't that so vain of me? I'm more nervous about losing friends than I was nervous before going to school for the first time in Italy.
But then on the flip side, I'm so excited to see my family. I can't wait to give my mom a huge hug. And see my dad. To see the rocks in my life. To see my baby sister and tell her about all the guys in Europe and how they dress well and are in their own way, so much better than American guys. To be able to hug all of them and tell them thank you for letting me go off for a year.
Then I'm so sad to leave my Italian family. I keep crying because I don't know when I'll see them next. They are so precious to me. They have taken a part of my heart and I hold them close. They let me into their home and didn't ask anything of me. They let me discover who I am. I am so grateful for that.
The title is a song by Death Cab for Cutie. After this year, I will follow all of the people I love into the dark. I would make that sacrifice to let them know I care about them. To let them know that they always have someone to count on. Just like my parents did for me this year and the years past.
"Fear is the heart of love" according to the song and I agree. That's what this year was. A jump into the abyss. Where you let fear pass once you start to love your new family. When you start to love your friends. The fear passes and then it comes galloping back when it's time to leave. And you know why? Because you're taking another jump into the abyss.
I tell myself "I'm going on an adventure". I told myself that before I left for Italy. I told myself that before I left for Israel. And now I'm telling it to myself before I leave for home. Because that's what life is. One big adventure.

Snow Girl turned Beach Girl

I've been to the beach. And I learned a lot... Let me review the lesson:
Yes, Mother, I wore sunscreen.
Yes, Mother, I reapplied sunscreen.
No, Mother, I didn't reapply as much as you would've liked.
No, Mother, I didn't apply sunscreen to the belly region.
No, Mother, I am not sun kissed.
Yes, Mother, I am burned.
Yes, Mother, I did have a painful shower.
There you have it. My belly is now my own personal space heater. Other wise, my legs and shoulders look really nice. They're sun kissed tan.
These past two days I was at Grado. It's the beach near us. My host family has a house there so I had a place to sleep. Sara was there too. Since the summer concert season opened yesterday, we went to the concert. No, it wasn't that nice. I mean the music was okay but the girl who was up there, playing cheerleader, she was getting on my nerves. I had a lot of fun. It was a nice way to spend my last Sunday. Plus I was with friends. That's the way to go.
Before the concert, I was able to go swimming at the beach and lay out and tan. No I didn't burn from that. Today is when I burned. Sara and I were laying out on the boardwalk from noon to 3. Right when the sun is at its peak power. Read above comments on sunscreen.
We got fro-yo too! That was a perfect way to end our day at the beach. Plus, I was able to catch up on my writing. I felt like a kebab a bit too. I'd lay on my back for an hour then I would rotate to my belly.  It was very kebab-y
Tomorrow, I have my going away party. I keep saying it's going to be the party of the year. Who knows? Maybe it will be. Sara and I were joking around saying that we should have a bonfire and roast marshmallows. I don't think it'll happen. Unless we dig a fire pit in the front yard. Hmmm...
I just wanted to check in. I'll write Wednesday too.

Dustland Farie tales

These past two weeks were a dream. I was on my euro tour and let me tell you, they don't let you rest. I was going, going, going. I went so fast that now I have a cold. Go figure. We shared everything on that bus. I won't go into detail though.
I don't think I have enough time to tell you guys all about those amazing 15 days. So instead, I'll tell you what I liked and what I didn't like. Sound good? I thought so.
What I liked: The food, Leon, Prague, the beer in Munich.
What I didn't like: The weather(at times), Paris.
Guess I have some explaining to do. I'll start with the easy stuff first.
I adored the food. Except it was the food during lunch. The food for dinner at the hotel wasn't that good. I had a quiche to die for in Leon. I mean it was heavenly goodness. All that egg and peppers, ah, so good.
Prague was amazing. I've never seen a city like it before. The old mixed with the new but even the new isn't that new. I loved walking across the bridges and seeing the old city. Plus the shopping was amazing. It was all so cheep. One euro is equal to about 25 Czech crones, which means everything is cheep. You just have to know where to look. Plus, I was able to go to the biggest club in Europe. 5 floors of different music. It was pretty cool. Dancing with my friends was also nice. It was a good way to spend the night. If it hadn't been so hot and humid in Prague it would've been even better.
Okay, Germans are known for their beer skills and when in Rome.... I had to try the beer. I even went to the English Gardens aka the beer garden. Don't worry, I didn't go over the top. I know my limits. So the beer was good. I only had the blond beers because they are of lighter alcohol content. Still, a blond beer with a giant pretzel... Yum.
Now why didn't I like Paris? Well everyone makes Paris out to be Paris. I mean they make it sound like a huge deal. Sure it's a beautiful city but... I don't know. It rained on my Eiffel Tower day. The Louvre was crowded and it was just so touristy. Our last day in Paris I enjoyed. We went to Montmar and it was beautiful. It's the hill next to the city and it's just so quaint. Yeah, there are tourists but it's a different life style. It's relaxed. So that was my favorite part of Paris. Maybe I didn't like Paris that much because I didn't have enough time. 3 days is not enough to go everywhere. I missed the Latin Quarter and Chames D'Elyse. Maybe it's because I went to all the tourist places instead of going out and exploring the lesser known parts. Who knows? Would I go back? Without a doubt. Would I do it like I did? Probably not. I'm not the kind of person who likes to be stuck in a big group, touring the city by bus while the guide drawls on monotonically. I'd rather be out and about seeing the city.
So that's that. My Euro tour went to quickly. It seemed like a small Cinderella story. The clock has struck midnight and now I'm back in my life in Italy. Except this Cinderella story is also coming to an end. The clock will hit midnight and I'll be back home, wondering if this year was a dream. That's all I know for certain.
My life back home is not established. It's not set in stone, more it's jello. School is set in stone, so is cross country but my friends? Yeah, that's the jello part. I'll take it one day at a time.
So that's it. I'll try to write before I get back. I don't know how possible that'll be. I'm pretty busy. But I will set some time to write. Sound good?

And I thought I would have a thousand more

School finished yesterday. Euro tour is tomorrow. I leave for Milan today. How did it go so fast? It seemed like it was yesterday that I walked into class on the first day of school and almost ran out, thinking "I'm in over my head". I mean time just flew by. Which, when you have 9 hours of chemistry each week is not a bad thing. Still, it went way faster than I thought it would.
Last week, I had my last Rotary get together with the other exchange students. We went up to Dobbicco and spent the night there then went on a 43 km bike ride. That's around 25 miles on a bike. Where you butt will be hurting after the first hour. We went to Austria to a town named Lienz. Now I'm pretty sure Lienz is the sister town of Beaver Creek, where I spent the first 10 years of my skiing career. The biking was fun. I got to talk with all my friends and be in the mountains again. I see a ton of similarities between Austria and Vail. I mean Vail could be switched with an Austrian town and you would think it would fit right in. Even my house fits right in with all the Austrian houses. Then at the end of the day, we took the train back to Italy.
Last Thursday, I had my Rotary presentation. Thank the lord, my friend Maddie was there too. Without her I would've died from no talking with the people. I thanked my host club and said it through my story of my lost luggage. I also winged it because I didn't right a speech. So when it comes to winging it, use your lost baggage story. Still, it went pretty smoothly.
It's finally getting hotter in Gorizia. We have hot days and then in the afternoon it rains for an hour or two. Which makes going to practice frustrating but you get used to it. When I get back from my euro tour, I'll be able to go to the beach.
As for this year, it's gone fast. And I feel like I've taken it for granted. But I haven't and I have. I read this quote "A thousand moments that I had just taken for granted- Mostly because I had assumed there would be a thousand more." The clock ticked and ticked and I kept making memories and I didn't think about the future. I've had so many moments here in Italy that will be with me forever. And I know that I might never be able to repeat those moments. That's what takes my breath away. That even though I feel like I'm here forever, it's actually only a moment in time. And I have to be careful with time because if I'm not, it'll come and sweep me off my feet.
I have to thank my parents too. They let me go away for 9 and a half months and never questioned my sanity. Those are awesome parents. I get that they miss me and I miss them too. I miss them when I have a moment that I wish they could share with me. Plus they help me pay for stuff that I need. So Mom and Dad, I have a ton of magnates for the fridge and I have small gifts too. Thank you for this year.
So for the next two weeks, I'll be traveling around Europe. When I return, I'll be dead tired but happy. That's what counts. I'll try to keep you guys updated but I can't promise that. Maybe I can find an internet cafe in Paris so I can write.

Wake me up when November Ends

It's been raining in Gorizia for about 2 weeks now. Three weeks ago it was hot and everyone was gearing up to go to the beach. Now everyone is gearing up for the cold. They tell me that this is what November feels like, not June.
I miss the sun.
Anyways, this is kind of a catch up post. Last week I hit my 9 month mark. Wow. It seems like yesterday I that I'd just arrived. It's hard to believe that I'll be going home soon. I don't like thinking about that.
To celebrate 9 months, I went to Green Day. I know, an American in Italy going to see an American band in Italy. It doesn't make sense. It was still really fun! I sung and sung and sung. The next day my throat hurt but it was worth it. I've never had so much fun before. Okay so maybe I have but that doesn't matter. First concert off the bucket list!
Then the next day, was the Gorizia Triathlon. Did I do it? Heh, no. I volunteered instead. I had to count the laps in the pool with my friend Vicky. We all know about Vicky who is this amazing triathlete. She did well in the race too.
Plus there was an Olympian competing in the triathlon. His name is Alessandro Fabian and he came in 10th at London. I even got an autograph. On my t-shirt! I will never wash that shirt again. Okay maybe I will but only in special cases.
So that's been my life. I mean I was sick a few weeks ago and I lost 3 kilos...okay maybe 2. Still losing weight is a good thing in my situation. All the pasta tends to add up.
Then tomorrow, I'm going to the Dolomite's with the other exchange students for our last meeting. There will be tears no doubt. Sunday is the Pro Gorizia championship soccer game. I will be running back from Dobbiacco to see them play. My friends are on that team.
Next Sunday, I'll be in Milan for the start of the Euro tour. 14 days, 30 exchange students, a lot of cities and one bus. There will never be a dull moment. I will be going to: Milan, Lione, Paris, Strasbourg, Munich, Prague, a city outside of Prague, Vienna and Venice. So it should be fun. I mean Paris! Who doesn't want to go to Paris?
School ends next Saturday and I have my class party right afterwards. So next week is going to be busy, busy, busy.

We have nothing to fear but fear itself

The thing is with fear, you don't really know you have it until your faced with a big, scary situation. Before coming to Italy, I was never really scared. Not one bit. My dad used to say it was because the idea of being away for a year hadn't really sunk in yet. The idea, that reality, had sunk in but I wasn't scared. I had no fear. This was something I wanted and I wasn't going to let fear stop me.
Now, with 50 some odd days left, I have that feeling of fear. That feeling where when you think about it, it takes your breath away and your belly gets all knotted up. I'm afraid for what senior year is going to bring. I'm afraid that my friends won't care about what I did this year and who I met and who I've become. I'm afraid no one will get my feeling of being thrown back into a closed room after a year of freedom.
You're probably thinking, why are you scared? You just spent the year alone, without your parents and without your mother language. Going back home should be a walk in the park. Let me tell you something; it's not. I have a new life here and I don't want to give it up. I have new friends and a new family and I don't want to lose them. I feel like I'm a cancer patent with only so many days left to live and I have to be okay with knowing that. I'M NOT OKAY KNOWING THAT!
I graduate in a year and I already have senioritis. I want to skip senior year, go right to college and start my life. I want to start traveling and writing. I want to know how big but yet how small this world is. I want to wake up in a town, where nobody knows my name and go from there. Most of all, I want to get away from that closed room and into the open air.
We all have different perceptions of home. Home is where you feel loved and cared for. Sometimes it's not even a fixed place. When I went to the Winds and was living out of a tent and a backpack, I felt at home. I was surrounded by a thing I loved. Now here in Italy, I'm at home. I've found a home at the track with my teammates and coaches. I've found a home at school with my friends and my crazy Italian teacher. (She's my favorite) I've found a home among the grape vines and fruit trees of San Floriano. I've found a home at a house filled with amazing people I'm proud to call my family.
In all of these places, I feel like I don't have to prove myself. I feel like even though I'm judged at times, it doesn't matter in the long run. I have found myself. For a few years, I thought I'd lost myself, my path in life. I was never really lost. The path was just long with a lot of obstacles. My path led me here, to Italy. It led me to knowing what I want to do in life.
That paragraph just made me cry.
There are no quotes for this feeling of fear. There is no consoling. There is no one in the world who knows what this feeling feels like. Maybe there is someone but who knows the feeling but it's not the same feeling. There is only one thing to do: You have to take a deep breath and jump. You have to jump into that pit of unknown things and hope that everything is going to be alright. I've learned that 99.9% of the time, you're going to be alright. It might hurt a little bit, it might be a little dark so bring extra band-aids and batteries for your flashlight.
I'm going to make it through my senior year. Sure, I might be a little whinny and a little too happy to graduate but I'll make it through. Then I get to come back to Italy. I get to show my family my new family. I get to show them the town and the people that made me who I am today. I'll get to see my friends and be out in the open air. I'll be able to give my sister a taste of the freedom that I'm drinking today.
Maybe fear is a good thing. Maybe it'll help me take the risks I need to take.

When in Rome...

Be a tourist.

I went to Rome last week! It was amazing. I'm telling you three days wasn't enough. Honestly! I need at least a week there to enjoy everything and get my fill of all the history. 

I was in Rome from the Sunday the 28 until the first of May. I went with the Braidas because well I switched host families again. Now I'm back home with the Braidas. Sure, I miss riding the bike to practice but it feels better to be back at home. I'm comfy here. Plus the cherries are almost ripe and Marco says we can start eating them in like a week! Yum!

Okay, back to Rome. I switched host families Saturday and Sunday morning we woke up early but not too early. We had breakfast (Without Nicola because he wasn't able to come) and were on the road for 9ish. Gorizia to Rome is not a short road trip. It was about 10 hours including stops. We also got lost for an hour looking for methanol. Go figure that if we'd taken the right turn in the round about we would have found it within 5 minutes. But whatever.

We got to Rome around 5:30-6. We found where we were staying. We were in an apartment that a college student was renting out. It was really nice. Two bedrooms, bathroom and a kitchen inside one of the bedrooms. Small but perfect for the four of us. 

We got situated then went out for a walk to the Colosseum. On our way there we passed San Giovanni in Laterano or Saint John's Church. It used to be where the Pope lived until the 1300s when the Pope moved to France. Now it's just a church. A massive church that would eat you if it could. It's too big for just one man and all the staff. On the top are all the statues of the important Bible people. It makes you feel pretty insignificant. Trust me. Then to the side in the square is an Egyptian Obelisk. It was taken by Constantine for a guy named Severus. I learned that by reading the Latin inscription. I never knew I could read Latin before.

We kept on walking and within 15 minutes we got to the Colosseum. I was starting to learn that all the ancient buildings have a way of making you feel super small in the world. The Colosseum made me feel that way too. I can only imagine being a prisoner of war in ancient Rome and being taken to your death at the Colosseum. You see this blaring white marble gilded ring and hear the people cheering. Two words: you're screwed. Since it was almost 8, the Colosseum was closed for the night. But the people were just getting started. There were vendors, tourists, college students, kids my age all hanging out around the area. I hear so many languages and saw so many different types of people. All within the space of 20 minutes. 

The Arc of Constantine was our next stop. Since it was right next to the Colosseum, it wasn't that far of a walk. In the dark you couldn't really see all the pictures that well but it was still impressive. Apparently back in the day, if an emperor won a war, they built an arc for him commemorating his win. So there was definitely a reason to win the war. You got an arc to ride under when you came back. People, let's remember that this arc is also made out of marble.

Dinner was next. We went to this pizza place outside of the Colosseum on a small road. Since it was run by people from Naples I couldn't understand a thing. Back to square one. People from Naples are known for speaking super fast with this super heavy accent. The pizza was good and the tiramisù even better.

We headed back to the apartment and went to bed. A 10 hour road trip and walking around really takes it out of you.

Monday morning, we woke up and had breakfast. It wasn't even 9 yet and it felt as if it was 70 out. I wore a tank top and shorts. I was feeling super summery. Then we got the subway. I haven't rode the subway in years. Not since I went to DC and I thought I looked normal. Then Claudia pulls me over and asks if this was my first time on the subway. I shook my head and she said "Oh, it seems like it. You keep looking stunned." Oops. There goes my facade of awesomeness. 

We got off at the Spanish steps but instead of going directly to the steps we went up a level. We went to the look out over Rome. You could see everything. Even the Vatican. Behind us was a church given to Rome as a gift from France in the 1700s. Plus another obelisk. Then we headed to the Villa Borghese which is this giant garden with a Villa in the middle. There were busts of important Italians and a water clock at the start. We kept walking inwards and it was amazing. And very big. I found a small pond with a temple dedicated to Poseidon the Greek god of water. His Roman counterpart is Neptune. Except the writing above the temple was in Greek not Latin. We got to the Villa and it was giant. It was built by the Borghese family and now it's an art museum. I can't do it justice by describing it. You might as well look it up on Google. It was amazing to see.

We caught the bus and arrived at another church. We'd gotten off a stop early because we were going to go to the Spanish steps. So we ended walking to the steps. Which was fine because we went looking for shoes. Except we couldn't find anything. As we got closer to the steps the crowd got larger and larger. When we got to the steps there were so many people. All trying to escape the heat and get a picture at the famous Spanish steps. I got my picture and got to be amazed by the view. You have the steps, the obelisk and then the church. All on top of each other. It was really nice. There were also all these flowers decorating the steps. It helped make it colorful.

We took a walk down Via dei Condotti also known as the high fashion street. Prada, Gucci, ect... You get the picture. As I walking down the street, I couldn't help but think it must be nice to be live in that part of the tax bracket. Carla saw a purse for 1500€! Yeah, no thanks. I saw a watch with a price tag so large you could buy two cars instead.

Next up was the Trevi Fountain. Another small square packed with people. But it was worth it! I threw my coins in and made a wish. I was looking forward to having a Lizzy Mcguire (Do you guys remember that show?) moment but I didn't. It doesn't matter. They say that when you throw your coins in the fountain will try to repay you. Well a few days ago, I was looking in my school bag and found money. The Trevi Fountain wins again!

We got panini for lunch and found a place to eat. No it wasn't at a table but instead in this square surrounded by apartments. It was more of a court yard and the cool thing was that on the wall where all these mural of high English fashion from the 1800s. The words on the wall said "Dedicated to English Fashion". It was such a cool little treasure.

After lunch, we walked to the Pantheon. Have I mentioned how much I walked while in Rome? A lot. The Pantheon used to be a temple but then it was converted to a church. In the middle of the ceiling is a large open hole letting sun light in. It's called an Oculus. When the Pantheon used to be a temple, they kept candles burning all the time. This made it so that when it rained, the inside wouldn't get wet. The rain would evaporate before it had the chance to hit the floor. Today, it rains inside the church. The Pantheon is also famous for it's four tombs; The first king and queen of Italy, his son, and Raphael. I saw all four and Raphael's tomb is the simplest. Just a marble coffin with writing. The outside of the Pantheon also used to be covered with marble. Forgot to mention that small fact.

In the Pantheon's square is another obelisk sitting above a fountain. The water in the fountain was so nice. It was cool and dunking my hands in helped combat the heat of the day. 

Of course, since we were missing the most important drink of the day we went to Piazza Navona for coffee. Piazza Navona used to be the site of a stadium back in the day. Now it's the site of the fountain of Four Rivers and the Brazilian Embassy. It was really nice being able to sit and relax for a half hour. My feet need that.

Another bus and we arrived at the Vatican city. Pop quiz! What did I say I was wearing? A dress? A skirt? Modest clothing for church?

If you answered any of the above, you need to read a little closer. I was wearing shorts and a tank top. While on the bus, I started to freak out in my head. They're not going to let me into the city! Holy crap! What am I going to do? Well, I got into the city okay. There weren't any gates or anything. 

St. Peter's Square is huge. I'm going to refrain "massive church that could eat you". Except now that church has all these saints to help. It's just so much for one old man and the staff and cardinals. I mean wow. It was huge! 

Back to the current problem. How in the world am I going to get into the church? I got past security just fine and my confidence was building. Then came another gate with two body guards. Maybe I can just sneek- NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN SHORTS? THE LORD HATES KNEES! Note to self; next time pack pants.

Here's how I solved the problem: Using Claudia and Carla's cardigans we made a make shift skirt. I couldn't take normal strides and I had to penguin up steps but we made it work. I got to go into the church!

St. Peter's Basilica is giant inside. I mean it's never ending. The celling has all these frescos and writing on it. I mean, there are no words to describe it. Apparently God didn't want me taking photos either because my camera died right as I walked in. I was able to go into the Catacombs and see the Pope dear Dante hated. Plus they had three Popes in glass cases, perfectly preserved. I'm still confused if they were wax or real. I think they were real. Plus it was a little creepy because it looked like they were sleeping. No, I wasn't able to go into the Sistine Chapel. We'd gotten there too late. Oh well. There's always next year. I couldn't light a candle for Grandmother because it's not the kind of church where you can light a candle for your loved ones. 

We came back out and I was able to take my make shift skirt off. Then we walked down Via Sacrum to Castelo Sant'Angelo. It's Hadrian's giant tomb. On the top is this giant arc angel or what seems like an arc angel. I could be wrong. Then the bridge leading up to the tomb has all these statues of angels. I couldn't go in because, well, it was closed. It was already 5. We took a walk through the street stalls and then we crossed the bridge. We headed to Campo De' Fiori.

Campo De'Fiori is the only piazza in Rome not to have a church. That's because right in the middle is a giant statue of a hooded Giordano Bruno. He was a man of the church educated in science but became a rebel. Mind you, this is 1580. In 1600, he was burned alive in Campo De'Fiori. I like Giordano Bruno. He died for what he believed in. That's the life.

In Campo De'Fiori, we were looking for someone who knew directions to this restaurant in the Jewish ghetto. We ended up having this really nice conversation with this old man who used to be a taxi driver. He gave us directions but also another restaurant to go to. He said that we would eat well there. 

So we went to the Jewish ghetto for dinner. We thought we'd gone to the right restaurant but the next day it turned out we went to the restaurant before the really good restaurant. I was so tired and I wanted to eat but they forgot about our table. But I got to eat anyways. After an hour and a half of waiting.

We took a bus to San. Giovanni in Laterano and walked back to the apartment. Claudia told me the next day, I looked like a zombie during dinner. I felt like it. I wanted food and was tired of walking.

Tuesday morning, we woke up early and caught the subway to the Circo Massimo. It was in the middle of traffic and they were doing restoration work. A lot of the people were using it as a jogging track. Well as long as they get use out of it today that's fine with me. Then we found a small church behind of another arc. Except this is the arc dedicated to Janus. It has four columns unlike the normal two column arc. We passed the temple of Hercules and the mouth of truth. The mouth of truth is this face with a hole in the mouth where you put your hand. They say if you have a lying soul then the mouth will bite you. It was in this church that I got to light a candle for my Grandmother. MISSION COMPLETE! There was also a secrete alter under the church that we got to see. Hadrian built it to celebrate two Roman gods.
We continued on our walk and came to the Capitoline hill. This hill over looks Rome and in the middle is a giant statue of Marcus Aurelius on a horse. This piazza is known as Piazza dei Conservatori. There's also a fountain with the Roman goddess of Justice sitting in the middle. Since the government takes no breaks, there was a very important meeting going on in the building overshadowing the fountain. Along with the meeting came a protest. I had no idea what they were protesting about but Claudia said it was because one of Berliconi's men had been elected. Eep!
On the left back corner of the Capitoline hill, is the Palatine hill with the Roman forum sitting below. We walk down the hill, past the Roman forum and to the Colosseum. I don't know how much time we spent at the Colosseum. It was amazing to walk around inside and see everything. Or the remainder of everything. I wish I could've seen it in its hay-day. There's only a small section of seats left but you get the idea. Then where the arena is, there are the seats of the senators with their names still carved in the marble. They say that the poorest of the people, had to go all the way to the top to watch the games.
After the Colosseum, we went and got lunch. We had Napolitano and it was so good. I had fried pizza, which is like a calazzone but better, and a broccoli roll. We ate a lot. By the end, I felt like I needed to walk 30 miles just to feel better. We had coffee in this old time tea room with all these pictures of old Hollywood stars. Except this bar was out of the way and tucked into a wall. I loved it. I even got to read the paper in English. And there were comics!
Then we headed to the Palatine. That was amazing. I loved seeing all the old ruins of the old palaces. That's Rome for me. Seeing all the old stuff. Did you know that Augustus and his wives had different houses? I feel like when they fought, Livia could tell Augustus, "Go to your house!" instead of saying go sleep on the couch. Also in the Palatine, were these gardens looking over the forum. There were oranges way up high in the trees and I saw more than one person trying to pick an orange.
We weren't able to go to the Forum. I wanted to but it was around 6 and we still wanted to go the the island in the Tiber. So we went to the island. It's a very small island. There's only a bridge and a small maternal hospital. That's it. But it was still nice to walk along the Tiber.
Then we went shopping! I needed a pair of sandals to go with my new sundress and Carla needed a few pairs of shoes. We found a store and Claudia bought me a pair of leather sandals. BEST HOST MOM IN THE WORLD! Then we went back to Campo De'Fiori and went into this small shop. I bought a tank top with "Once upon a time" written on it under the apple tree from Snow White and this little monster. My new lucky charm is named Bruno after Giordano Bruno. It fits him quite well.
After we went and had dinner. We went to this small place famous for it's fried cod. Yeah, it was good. I had fried zucchini and cod. I was a very happy camper.
Then we took the subway home and went to bed.
Wednesday morning, we woke up, packed and since it was the first of May, none of the shops were open. May 1st is a holiday here in Italy for the work community. So we drove back to Gorizia. Another 9 hours in the car. But we made it home, had dinner, and I went to bed.
So all in all, my Roman vacation was amazing. I can't wait to go back! I need at least a week there to see everything!
May is pretty busy for me. I just went to Bozano for a triathlon and then the 26th is the Gorizia triathlon. Yeah, I'll be volunteering but I don't mind.

Spring Cleaning

As I write, I'm sitting in my new room while the 70 degree weather kills me slowly. In the past 3 weeks, I've changed host families, gone through hard times far from home and burned to a crisp. You guys all know about #2 so I'll enlighten you on #1 and #3.
Right before Easter, I switched host families. It's just for a month or two and then I'll be going back to the Braida's. I'm staying with the Germini's now. I have two host brothers, one older than me and the other the same age as me. I also have a host sister who's a year younger than me. I live right outside of the city so now since it's warm, I get to bike to practice everyday. It's not that bad. I actually like it. There's a lot of freedom with a bike and I feel so European. Plus, it's the type of bike I want for university so I'm doing a test run right now. I will be buying the same kind of bike most likely.
I like my new host family. Yes, I miss the Braida's a ton and yes, I get first host family sick. Here, I think I like the guys more than my host sister. The guys are really nice and we get along just well. My host sister is nice too but I like the guys more.
Did I say the highlight for this family is being able to bike into town?
Then last weekend, I went to Parma for a duoathlon as the team cheerleader. Parma was so nice. We left Saturday afternoon and drove 4 hours to Parma. We had rented an apartment room and went out to dinner. Then we went and walked around the center of the city. Since it was 10 at night and all the university students were out and about, Parma really didn't impress me. I bet it's wonderful during the day and the nightlife is great but still. I wished we would've been able to walk around during the day. Sunday, we set out to the University of Parma science campus. Since the duoathlon was running and biking, we had to set up all the bikes. Along with being the cheerleader, I was helping out set up bikes. It wasn't that bad. I thought it was fun. For all my CO readers, it was 80 and sunny. How's the snow?
I went for a run with my coach and Vicky while she did her warm up. Then the races started. It was 2000 km of running, then 6000 km of biking and finally a 1000 km run. I think if I ever did a duoathlon or triathlon, I would be laying dead on the sidewalk 3 minutes after the race started. I give these kids massive props for being able to do this.
Because the sun was out and my skin was white, I decided to wear a tank top and shorts. Well, I kind of forgot the most important ingredient; sunscreen. Oops. My shoulders are burned but now they're tan because I've been putting so much cream on them. Sorry Mom. I learned my lesson.
I also got to eat Parmigiano Reggiano cheese there. Note to everyone: Just because it's called Parmigiano Reggiano doesn't mean it's made in Parma. It's made in Reggiano, a city near by. Parma is famous for its prosciutto.
All in all, Parma was amazing. The weather was amazing. I've never seen 80 degree weather in April. I've never gotten burned in April. I'm not coming home I've decided.
Then this weekend I'm going to Vicenza for an Israel peace conference get together and then next weekend I'll be in Rome. I'm going to ROME!!!! Yey!! I will take a ton of pictures for your enjoyment on Facebook. It's going to be sunny too! Shorts, skirts, lots of skin showing. I love spring in Italy.

L'amore e le stelle

A lot of things happen on exchange. I mean a lot. On the exchange front and also the home front. Exchange students miss things back home; graduations, birthdays, Prom, and then the hardest hit thing, death.
Last year before jetting off for a year filled with laughter and smiles, I would read on the facebook group of exchange students, "My cat just died" "My grandmother/father/great aunt just died."And I was naive enough to think, that won't happen to me. I have two very healthy strong grandmothers who I love very much and will probably be at my wedding. So I shrugged those comments off.
WARNING NEXT PART IS VERY EMOTIONAL. MOM, IF YOU READ THIS AND CRY I'M SORRY.
A few months ago, I got an email from my mom. It was short and quick to the point. It read, "Your grandmother is very sick. She might get better, she might not." I, being the good granddaughter I am, quickly started to worry but a few weeks after that email I stopped. I figured my grandmother had gotten better. I'd seen her over skype and she looked strong and ready to fight.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago. Same email except "This time she is really sick. The docs gave her months to live. You might see her when you get back, you might not." My mom gave me time become at peace with this idea. I am not the person who shows her feeling right away. I'm the type of person who writes down what she's feeling like and then stuffs it in the box. That's what I did. I cried and I told my Italian mom about it. She understood and made sure I was okay.
Fast forward to last week. New email. "Grandmother's extremely sick. She has a few weeks." Within the week, I was writing my mom and dad, and as I read their responses I would cry. The last letter my dad wrote made me cry for a good 5 minutes. That's my dad. Quick to make me cry. Mom, remember, Dad's a keeper in this kind of situation.
Fast forward to last night. No email but skype. I get to see my Grandmother. About the strongest woman I have ever known. She was laying down, eye's half closed and when I said hi, she said the name she's been calling me since birth, "Hey, Annie girl." Like that I broke. There were no tears and I struggled to get the words out. I told her I loved her so much and when I blew her a kiss, I blew a thousand times more because well in my own words... that kiss has to be a strong little motherf**ker to cross hundreds of thousands of miles and land on my Grandmother's cheek.
Fast forward to tonight. I avoided going on facebook and my email since I'd gotten home. I'd seen a thing on facebook this morning and I wanted to believe it was an April fool's joke. That's how I take bad news. Denial is not just a river in Egypt. I get on skype with my great aunt and the news is spilled. That's when I cracked. The tears spilled and I learned a heart can break into a thousand different tiny slivers. We talked and talked and talked. I talked to my mom over the phone via skype. There may be no physical hugging right now but I can feel all the love from all 8 children, 28 grandchildren and greatgrandchildren going for my Grandmother.
My Grandmother is a true southern gem. She raised 8 children all by herself with the help of a giant Irish family. She is the strongest person I know. And I see her in my mom. I remember asking my mom what kind of grandma she wanted to be and her responding, like Grandmother. Mom you are Grandmother. Just a younger version. Actually all my aunts are Grandmother. I am so lucky to have that. I am so lucky to say that my children will have 6 Grandmothers because of who my aunts are.
Grandmother, everyone is saying how they love you to the moon and back. I'm going to say that but also through the old Native American legends you gave me and my sister. I see you whenever I see bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrushes. I love you when I see those flowers.
We all know this year, I've studied Dante. Well, Dante knew I was going to need this quote to express my love for Grandmother.

L'amor che move il sole e l'altre stelle

In English: Love moves the sun and the other stars.

That's what will be tattooed on my shoulder blade in remembrance of my Grandmother. So I can always keep her love with me.

Grandmother, I love you. I love you until time stops. Ti voglio tanto, anzi troppo bene.

7 months!

It's that time of the month again! No not that time when Lupin is howling at the moon. Today is 7 months! I decided that I would write some stuff to commemorate this day. (No way I spelled that right without spell check)
I think one of my favorite memories was when I came into Italy. My bag was lost and I didn't know anyone. Then up comes my new mom and I knew then that everything was going to be okay. I think I knew that my exchange was going to be awesome despite a lost bag. And it has been. My exchange has been so much more than awesome. There are no words to describe my exchange and what I've learned. There is no way I'm going back to Colorado after this year. Well I have to go back but once I walk across the podium and get my high school diploma, I think I won't come back. I'm ready to travel and see the world. How I'll do this? I'll figure it out along the way.
Anyways, let's get some photos up to do a blast to the past.

7 months ago

7 months ago

Day after I got in

October and my hair is a bit longer

Christmas

February and my hair is way longer

Last week in Jerusalem

Israel

Well, I should be doing math or studying Inferno but since you, my faithful readers, are more important to me than circumference or Dante I will write about Israel.
I know I haven't written in a while. I'm sorry about that. It's just that traveling can take it out of a girl. As I write this, I'm currently blowing my nose. Yes I caught the travel bug's mean older brother, the travel cold bug. We really need to start working on a cure for the common cold. Youth of the world, take heed! This is your mission when you grow up.
Okay, anyways...
Last Wednesday my other-trip-of-a-lifetime started. I caught the train after running around Gorizia with Claudia trying to get my permesso di soggiorno. I should've gotten it months ago but the immigration offices never called. Oops. As the train pulled up to the station, my eyes filled with tears as I hugged my new mom goodbye. The reason I believe is because she was going to America a few days after I left and I wouldn't see her until April. Plus, I was a little scared. The Annie scared?! Yes, l'Annie was scared! Because of a small country and the not knowing of what it would bring for her. Did this happen when I left for Italy? Yeah but it was at the airport and I was leaving my family. You try not crying.
I caught the train and then met up with my friend. We took the train to a small town where we would be hosted by one of the guys going to Israel with us. That night the new pope was elected too. I can now say I was in Italy when the pope was elected. If only I could have been at the Vatican.
The next morning we were up at 3 am to drive to Venice. We were meeting everyone else at the airport at 5:30 and our flight for Vienna left at 7:25. We checked in and it was all good. We left and it was raining. We fly into Vienna and it's snowing. Wait it gets even weirder! When we landed in Tel Aviv, it was sunny! Rain, snow, sun. Three different weather conditions in one day.
We headed off to Ben Shemen youth village where the conference would be held and has a relatively quiet night. I met one of my roommates, Myraslava from Ukraine. We spent the night talking and then at 4 am we met our 3rd roommate Derin from Turkey.
Friday was the first day of the conference. In the morning after breakfast we were split into our groups. My group was the youngest group and also the biggest. We were 22 in all. In the morning we did a toast game where we filled small cups with what ever drink we wanted and then we had to explain what our drink represented for leadership. I chose water because a leader should be clear in their actions and levelheaded.
After lunch we headed to a place outside of Tel Aviv for our opening ceremonies. There we found out that there were 21 nations and 140 participants in the conference. Just a few. The Rotary president of the whole world was also there. He's this very sweet Japanese man. I also got a photo with him. Rotary misson complete!
Then we went and had a lecture at Ben Shemen. Our speaker was Gal Lusky, who does all these rescue missions. She's better than the UN. She actually breaks the law sometimes if the people are in danger. She was so inspiring. I've never seen someone with so much courage and selflessness. I want to be her! Later I met my last roommate, Polina from Israel. Originally I though she was from Russia because her last name ended with -ski. No, her parents are.
Saturday we had class in the morning and the afternoon. We mostly played games and talked about the outcomes of each game. Each game was centered on breaking down stereotypes and teaching us that we're all the same regardless of age, gender, religion and such.
 Saturday night though was our big night. We all went to Google Tel-Aviv and had a hackathon.

Hackathon

(N) When a group of people get together to make a difference in the world though the use of social networks and the internet.

We all split into different groups based on the ideas of everyone. My group was made up of 5 girls and no guys. Heh, some technical issues there. Still our idea was to make information on countries easier to access for future exchange students and/or young travelers. We came up with this because before we came to Israel we tried looking up information on Israel. All we could come up with though was land, climate, how much rainfall, ect... So we decided that we should make a website for people who want to know about the culture and people of another country. It was a lot of fun. We spent more than 16 hours on our project. Needless to say, I didn't sleep at all and I drank over 5 cups of coffee. During our hackathon we had a wireless headset party. That was amazing. You would take off the headhphones and everyone would be singing to the music! That was a nice break.

From 9:30pm to 11:30am Sunday morning, we slaved over our website. In the end we got it to platform form and we're going to create it soon. We presented our idea to everyone else and almost all the Google employees too. Then we went back to Ben Shemen and crashed.

Monday, we got to go to Jerusalem. Our first stop was the Mormon University. It's a branch of BYU in the states. We watched a video and then listen to an organ concert that overlooked the city. After that we did the big tour of the old city. We started at the city wall and then moved in. We did the same walk Jesus did on the day he died. We ended our tour at the western wall or the wailing wall. My AP text book last year had a picture of the wall on the cover. The only thing they didn't say was that it was gender separated. The males get about 75% of the wall while us females get about 20% of the wall. The other 5% is where the fence is. That ticked me off. I'm not a fan of being squished against people while the males get all the space in the world. I think we should change that. I put my wish in the wall and for the second time in 5 days, I cried. There are no words to describe that wall. It's just so powerful and there's so much magic in it. Or should I say hope?

Later, we drove to Tel Aviv for dinner and two hours of free time. I went to a chocolate bar with Polina and Derin. That was some good chocolate.

The next day was our last full day in Israel. So we went up north to Halfa and took tours of three different places. We went to a holocaust museum, a Christian Kibbutz and then to the Baha'i gardens. The holocaust museum was the saddest thing ever! I've never been to a holocaust museum before so it was the first time. I only got to see a part of the exhibit but I got the point. Seeing all the old propaganda films saying that Jews were rats really got me. It made me sick. Then we saw a movie on three genocides in the last century. Pretty much they were trying to scare us into making peace. I think it worked.

Then we went to the kibbutz. It's right next to the boarder and they have these two towers constructed in the hills to shoot down any missiles. Yeah I felt protected. Since the kibbutz was after lunch we were all a little tired. Plus I think everyone just wanted to steal wifi. Anyways we did the tour of the kibbutz. Yes it was a little boring but also cool. We learned that they bring people from all over the world together. It's always nice to hear about peace going on.

Later we went to the Baha'i gardens. The Baha'i gardens are a holy site for the Baha'i religion. It's where all the documents are and the tomb of the profit. So yeah, big deal. I liked how it was all neo-Roman style

After that we went to Polina's school for our closing ceremonies. We had dinner there and then went into the auditorium for the ceremony. After the ceremonies we watched a musical on Muslim/Jewish relationships through teens. Think Romeo and Juliet but not really.

My last night in Ben Shemen was spent talking with the girls. We learned more about each other and when it came to parting time the next day it was hard to say goodbye.

So now you all know about my Israeli adventure. It was so much fun and I can't believe I got the opportunity to go! I want to go back!



Cortina and Six Months

A foot of powder+me=Cortina!
This past weekend I went skiing in Cortina. The mecca of all skiing places in Italy and maybe all of Europe. I mean the Alps have nothing on Cortina. At least I think so. I've never been to the Alps before so this is all biased.
We left Saturday morning and took the 3 hour trip to Cortina. Once there we went into the town and took a walk around. I'm not kidding: It was like being back in Vail. The mountains surrounded us, the stores extremely expensive and the smell of snow in the air. I loved it! I've never felt so at home in my life.* I also bought this really cute Volcom jacket for 45€ when it was originally 90€. Go me! It is a lovely jacket. Now how will I get it back to Colorado? Damn...
Then right as we were getting ready to go back to the car, it started to snow. It never stopped! A winter girl's dream.
I woke up Sunday morning and outside it was snowing. It had snowed about a good 6 inches. Maybe more. The bottom of our car was snowed in. Hehe! A sign from Ullr (Nordic god of snow) that we had come to the right place for skiing. Once we got the car unburied we went up to Cortina. Marco and I bought our ski passes and went up to this one place.
Cortina isn't just one mountain. It's about 4 different mountains that aren't connected because of the ever so present cliff faces. We went up to the mountain on back side. Marco's goggles were fogged so I ended up skiing by myself.
There was snow up to my hips and up to my chest in some points. It was beautiful. I had to cut a rope to get into the good stuff but everyone else was doing it and it was a controlled area. Yes, it was a little stupid of me but you have to understand my situation. There was only one run open with not a lot of snow and the light was so flat on that run it was more dangerous than the closed run. It's not like I was going out of bounds like I saw some people doing. (They had proper equipment!) Anyways I was safe.
After skiing it took us an hour to get down from the mountain. It was like Vail pass on a bad day. We didn't have snow tires or chains so we took it slow. I got to have ice cream in the Ice Cream capital of Italy too. Not a bad weekend.
Then yesterday, I hit my 6 month mark. Below are my feelings on home.
*Home is a strange word for me too. I mean in Vail, I have an actual home with a loving family and some of the greatest friends. Not to mention the skiing is the bomb. (ie: Fresh tracks on Red Square at 8:45 in the morning after a night of snow) Yet before exchange I never really felt at home. I felt odd and out of place. Like that missing jigsaw puzzle piece that's under the sofa. Now with 6 months come and gone, I feel at home. I feel like I've found the right place in the world. And in 4 months I have to leave it all behind. It hurts to think about that date. (Even though that date hasn't been settled yet.) Still, I'm no longer that missing jigsaw puzzle piece. I fit in here. In some weird way, I fit in. I've built a life here. 6 months ago, I was given the opportunity to start over. I was given a blank slate with the words "Don't screw up" and I threw my shoulders back, held my head high and took that opportunity. 6 months later I'm no longer that awkward, quiet, sad girl. I am Italian! I have embraced my new culture and life and I wouldn't trade it in for anything. They say, If you love something let it go. But how am I supposed to let my new family and my new life go in July? You tell me.
I am not the person I was a year ago or 6 months ago. I will never be that person again. Instead I'm this new girl. So how will that effect everyone when I come back to Vail? I hope it makes them see me in a new light. A better light. I hope they see how happy I am and if they don't, it's their loss.
In 4 months there will be tears. There will be an ocean of tears when that plane comes in to take me to my future. But until then, I'll keep living this new life with these new friends and this new family. I won't think about the future because it will only cause me pain.
I bet you guys can already see that I've changed.
Anyways... 6 down, 4 to go. Let's hope it's a good 4 and that I can live on sleep deprivation.

I'm Back!

Whoa! What is this wonderful thing? Oh yes, it's coming back to me. I almost forgot about Blogger. Ciao everyone. Sorry for not writing. I've just been super busy. Carnvale, Venice, going on vacation, going to Ljubljana, Dante. Yep, been really busy here in my new home of Gorizia.
So with that said, I can promise you that I won't be covering all of that in this blog post. I think I'll write about vacation because even though it took place over 3 days, it's the easiest to write about at the moment. Venice is a whole can of fun that I cannot write about right now. It's going to take planing on my part.
Since it was Carnvale, all the schools in Italy closed for 3 days and we had a mini mid-winter break. With my family, I went to Slovenia to Zreck/Rogla. Rogla is a small ski mountain and at the base you have Zreck which is famous for its pools. So in the mornings we would ski and in the afternoon swim.
We left Sunday morning. I had a headache (but that doesn't matter) and we had a two hour road trip. What do you do for two hours? Well it's like going to Denver. You turn your I-pod on and read or look out the window. Or you turn your I-pod on and 10 seconds later it dies so you're stuck listening to nothing while reading. (Guilty!)
Once we got to Zreck, Marco and Nic went up to ski while I stayed at the base with Carla and Claudia. Why did you not go skiing?! Good question. Remember that headache about 6 lines up? It was so bad, that I couldn't even think about skiing. So instead, I went swimming in the hopes it would help my headache go away. It did.
The way the pools are layed out is the following: a unisex changing room, a unisex shower room (no curtens or doors like at the Avon rec center), a big pool, a big pool out side that has a small inside pool link, a tiny baby pool, two hot tubs, a hydromasage, and another big pool except really warm and happy. Plus there was a sauna. But the sauna is another story for another time and I'm not sure if it should be posted on the Internet.
So we swam all the way until 7 pm. May I say it was like a 4 hour swimming period. I mean, I did sleep a little bit on the beach chairs. Then we had dinner. Best part of the night! Rogla was hosing the World Cup paralympics ski race and Australia was sitting behind us. I got to ask them what time the race started. Okay, so it wasn't a huge conversation, but it was still cool.
Our room or should I say tiny cottage, was like 30 meters away from the hotel so it wasn't that far of a walk. We stayed in Villa Flora. All the villas had flower names. Villa Iris, Villa Flora, Villa Fauna, get it.
The next day, Monday, I went skiing with the boys. It was cold, (I say cold because I was going with how my hands felt. They were dying of cold. So it was cold) and grey. There was fresh snow and I got to watch some of the ski race. So that was fun. Then afterwards, we went swimming and I had my first experience with a Slovenian sauna. Again, another story for another time.
Tuesday, we didn't go skiing. We were supposed to be going home but it had dumped about a foot. Now's the part where I kick myself for not going skiing. The powder would've been epic! Still, we went swimming and I jumped in a freezing pool. (Oh the WIL memories.) Then we headed back home.
Wednesday, was preparing for the ski race I had on Thursday plus studying Dante. Ski race Thursday. I placed 2 and now I'm going to the big provincial race tomorrow. It means, I'm going to go get my butt whipped by people who have proper equipment. At least I get to go skiing!
Okay, that's it. I had a ton of fun in Slovenia and the next trip for me is ISRAEL! Yeah, I know a lot of you guys don't know that I'm going to Israel, but I am. So I'll be there for a week next month and I will take a ton of pictures and enjoy wearing shorts.

Sick

Well it's noon here, 4 am CO time. You might be asking "Annie, why are you posting when you should be in school?" Great question. I'm sick. :P
The last time I got sick and had to stay home from school was in the 7th grade when I got the flu. At least I think so. See, that's how long it's been since I've stayed home from school.
It all started Saturday night. I'd gone out with a friend and we met up with more friends and had a great time. I mean it was a great way to celebrate 5 MONTHS! in Italy. I came home with a headache and I thought nothing of it. Then Sunday morning I woke up with the same headache and ignored it as I went to my second host brother's soccer game. They won, 4-0. Plus I got to see my classmate who's the goalie on their team. He's really good and I asked him if he wanted to come back to Colorado with me to play with the Huskies. Haha. I had lunch with my second host family because it was also my host brother's 17th birthday. By the end of lunch, my head was dying and I just felt like crap. So I went home and slept for a good 2 hours. I didn't really eat and it was decided that I would be staying home from school. I also had a fever.
I'd like to call it the fever of D'Annuzio. All my friends have had it, Nicola had it last week and honestly it's just going through all the high schools in Gorizia. So let's call it the fever of the teens of Gorizia.
Today, I feel better. I'm still not eating a lot and my head still feels like exploding when I listen to anything that is not silence. Okay, so maybe it's not 100% but we're getting there.
Sunday, I have a cross country race (hoping I'm still not sick) and then Friday night, I've been invited to dinner with my tutor. (Again, hoping I'm still not sick.)
This has been a public service message from a sick exchange student. Ciao!

Ode to Pandoro

Okay fellow readers, stick with me here as I write my ode to Pandoro. We just finished off the last of it last week and I feel like I have to write this.

Ode to Pandoro

Oh, how sweet!
Pandoro, you make
my heart sing,
my jaw drop
and
overall make me happy!

Your sugary,
buttery,
gold,
happiness!
Your namesake
"Gold Bread"
does not betray you!

I relish our time
together.
But hey!
I think I just
gained a kilo!
Oh the humanity!

Pandoro,
te amo!
I love you!
Come with me
to America.
I need you!


So there's my ode. Yeah, so it's not that great unlike Pandoro which is! Now onto Carnivale themed treats!

Birthday!

I'm back in school (how many days until Carnivale?) and yesterday I celebrated my 17th birthday Italian style. It was a pretty nice day. I got plenty of air kisses/hugs/auguri. I enjoyed it. We had my second host family over for dinner, where my "host" mom made 5 different pizzas and a tirimusu made out of pandoro. I got to talk and laugh and by the end of dinner my jaw hurt. Then I had to go skype my mom in Colorado. So by midnight, my jaw and I were talked out. 

During practice, I brought a tart to share with everybody. They sung me "Happy Birthday" in English and ching- chinged me with our coke glasses. It was really nice.

I have to say that in 17 years I've grown so much. Actually in these past 4 months, I've grown so much. I'm no longer the person I was last year when I turned 16. Last year for my birthday, I was studying for finals trying to accept the fact I was going to Italy. Now I'm here and the time is flying by. I'm 17, acting way more maturer than a normal 17 year old should be acting and enjoying my life. I have to say thanks to all you guys who believed that I could do it. I mean really, thanks a lot. I've had 17 years to learn and prepare for life and well, I'm ready for what this next year holds for me. Sure I'm not ready to apply for college but I'm ready to go travel and see what the world has to offer. Anyways, thanks.

Now go read my other blog post. :)

New Years and Skiing

Please excuse me, as of right now, I'm trying to find a good playlist to listen to. It's kinda hard. Okay, I think I have one. It started off with the music from Up. Now it's on Harry Potter music. I shall keep you updated on each song played that I like.
So New Years was good. We went to Lazna in Slovenia. It's a small place in the mountains and where we were staying is actually a very small hotel which really means hostel. We were in 34 and we only had 26 beds. But it's okay, I got a bed! I mean I would've been fine sleeping on the floor because I've slept in worse spots. (ie: a pointy rock in my back) Anyways, it was the people of the triathlon society and their families plus the family's families. I got to hang out with my friend Vicky, which you guys have read about her before and I met a new girl from Trieste. She does hurtles for the Trieste track club.
At the start it was just me, my (host) family and my friend's family. It got dark quick and Vicky's mom all took us out to go stargazing. There's one thing I miss about Colorado. All the stars, and this was like being back home again. Then we went back inside and got ready for the biggest dinner of my life.
For starters we had our choice of a broth soup or a mushroom soup. I got both being the good exchange student I am. Then our first plate was a red pepper and carrot lasagna with gnocchi. Then the next plate was tortellini with meat. Then the main was two types of meat with spinach, carrots, sour kraut and potatoes. To finish it off we had a strudel with nuts and apples in it. I kinda died between the first meat course and the other meat course. It was so much food! By the time we'd finished eating it was 11:45.
I got to ring in the New Year with style though. We all went out into the cold night and had Slovenian champagne and got to watch fireworks. We also sang.
I didn't go to bed until 2:30 in the morning. We were all singing and just having fun.
(I've changed my playlist. The first one wasn't doing it for me. Now I'm on one called Why am I so Lazy? Question of my life!)
The next morning, we woke up, had breakfast and went for a hike. We went up to the neighboring mountain. About a 3rd of the way up to the summit, we hit snow. I forgot to mention that even though Lazna is in the middle of the woods, there was no snow. So our hike soon turned into a snow hike. It was so much fun. I got to summit the mountain which stands at 1299m. Not 1300m but 1299m. I summited it with my "host" parents, one of my "host" dad's friends and the 10 year old daughter of another triathlon guy. This 10 year old is bad ass. I mean she blew me away. She took charge of the mountain and just mountain girl-ed it up there. At the summit, I got to write in the journal our group's names. Since I was the first American to summit I got a little obnoxious. 'MERICA!
Skiing. Well it sure was eye opening. My dad had to remind me that I'm spoiled when it comes to snow and skiing. Yeah, I am. Still skiing was fun. We went to Piancavallo for a few days. Piancavallo is in the north, next to the biggest US army base in Italy. I heard American English. It made me so happy! We got there around 11 and I was on the hill within a half hour. I used my "host" mom's boots and my host sister's (who's in America) skis and poles. Okay so the snow wasn't great. It was mashed potato snow in the spring but you can't have it all. I got to meet another girl from Gorizia who I roomed with and I got to meet all of Nicola's friends. They snowboarded. Enough said. Piancavallo used to be the sight of the women's world cup Super-G. I got to ski on that run and even see the start house turned into a restaurant. I really enjoyed it.
Okay, I'm going to cut this post short. The next one I'll be writing will be about my birthday yesterday. So stay tuned. I mean that post should be up by the time you read this one.