Anna in Italia

2010-06-09T05:41:00.002-06:00

What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character? -Henry James

I don't think I'll ever understand how time flew by so quickly. I feel like I have so many memories, but that I never really lived them. Not to say that I didn't dance, only that the song was so short. I remember laying in my bed at Martina's house and thinking, "this is what I'm going to see when I open my eyes every night for 9 months. This is my life now." And it's almost over. Cazzo, it's almost over. 2 measly weeks will go by just as fast as these last two. Which, by the way, have been some of the best of my entire life.
First, the Sardegna trip. Aside from the bad fact that Marina either changed her mind or that we had a horrible misunderstanding, I had to pay after all.Of course this started a huge fight with my parents seeing as my mother flat out refused to help me and didn't understand anyone elses point of view, as per usual. But, like I said, aside from that, the trip was fabulous. We went to beaches (chia, piscinas, arbitax...etc) that are among the most beautiful in the world. One in particular had a special type of rice like sand that is only found in 20 beaches in the entire world. We had 5 Americans (me, patrick, jennifer, casey, ross), 5 Australians (abbey, jordan, sarah, holly, ella), 2 Chileans (pedro e daniela), A German(henriette), A Chinese(runci), A Japanese(shunsuke), and A Norwegian(caroline). A couple times we also hung out with the German girl here in Terralba, Antonia and the 2 Finnish girls Tiina and Isabella. Most days we woke up early to be at the meeting spot by the stairs by 8:30am, and were gone to various places until 7pm or so. Then, I would go out at eat with Caroline and whoever else didn't have to go home and then we would all meet up again at a bar from 9 to Midnight. A few memories from that week:

- we went and stayed overnight the last couple days at arbitax and jordan got a 2 euro coin stuck on his finger, they eventually got it off with a metal cutter.
- patrick told us of the story when he killed his host cat
- going in the boat all day in arbitax from beach to beach
-swimming in the medeiterranean
-tons of pictures
- hiking up the rocks, and one time cutting my left shin
- runci showing us her chinese writing
and more.

Then, the fith of June came. On the fourth we left at night and arrived around 11pm to out host families. It was only me, Caroline, Casey, Abbey, and Sarah who went. My host family was awesome, 2 cool host parents and 2 host brothers. One of my host brothers, Nicolò, is my age and going to Canada on exchange next year. The other, Gianluca, is about to turn 20 this month and went to Kansas a couple years ago. He took me out Saturday night with his friends and we talked a lot about everything. He had another friend that went to New Jersey, and another that learned English by going to Hong Kong for 2 years (though he didn't learn cantanese...??) It was an interesting night, for sure. I really enjoyed having host brothers for once instead of host sisters, and this family lived really close to the center of Rome. Gianluca taught me 2 words in Roman, Shalla, which is like chillax, and truzzo, which is like white trash. Very useful words. Saturday day was amazing, I went early (I had to get up at 5ish) to take my SAT and it was SO WEIRD hearing so many clear American accents. I met a Korean girl whose dad is with the embassey so they had lived in the domenican republic (she speaks spanish), manhatten (english), and now she goes to the american school in Rome (italian). What an amazing life, right?! Then after the test (4 boring hours) I walked outside, down the steps, and walking towards me were Martina, Giorgio, and Alessia. It was so weird to see them but so much fun and everything was perfect. We got to meet Caroline on the Spanish Steps and we went to the Hard Rock Cafè Roma, all together. Later when they all went home I walked around Rome for an hour or two alone just taking it in (almost getting lost once, and getting follwed another time only escaping by hiding in the Nike store). Then I met Caroline again for a bit and we decided that the next day we would go out together. So the next day, Sunday, I went on an autobus tour of Rome with Caroline's host family. It was fun, we saw the Colisseum. Then Caroline came to my house and had dinner with us and met my family, she drew "you rock my sox" on my arm and I drew a lovely map of Italy on Gianluca's. It was fun. The next day we rose bright and early to catch our plane, which we almost missed anyways only to find out that we wouldnt have been late because the plane had to switch its tires and we had to wait longer. When we finally got to Caglieri we had already missed our train so we had to wait until noon to leave for Terralba, so me and Caroline just walked around and chilled.
All in all, it was an amazing 2 weeks. I only have one more day of school, then it's all over. I can seriously not believe that it will all be over.
I do not want to leave.

Oh, and also I am going to Caserta for my last week.(YESS!) The morning of the 17th I'm going to Naples, I'll get there by 9am, and I'll stay with my old school friend Laura until I leave on the 22nd. So thankful.

Sardegna!

2010-05-24T12:22:00.003-06:00

When you’re drowning, you don’t say ‘I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,’ you just scream. -John Lennon

I've been here for about 2 months now, and so much has happened.

At first I thought my host family would be good, though I remember thinking from the first night that the mother was very uptight. It only got worse, for the first month here I was yelled at, called names, treated without respect, and basically hated. Even my area rep told me that she knew before that this mother had problems (I got along with everyone in the family except her, especially the daughter, Claudia, my age). They had already gotten kicked out of AFS and every host kid they've ever had has complained about them. At the end, it was too much and after a fun weekend in another family for 3 days in Caglieri, I realized that it was not normal and told Marina (my rep) that switching needed to happen, she agreed. Of course, a lot happened between then too. There is one other ASSE exchange student in my town, Caroline. She's Norwegian and we hang out almost every day. It was a huge help not being alone here. I had a really hard month, half because my host family had rules like "only go out between 5-7, 8 on Satruday, no crossing your arms, no hanging out with exchange students, no closing the bedroom door even at night, only talk to your parents for exactly 20 minutes between 10 and midnight on Sundays, if you miss them wait another week, etc.) Plus, I missed (and still do) miss Caserta more than I have ever missed the US. For a while I actually had nightmares because of it, I hated it here and tried my hardest to get BEC to allow me to go back. I ended up having to learn a hard life lesson, sometimes you can't fix mistakes, you just have to accept the consequences. After I accepted it, it got better. I made a lot of friends at school where I have 2 classes so lots of oppertunity. I got to get used to living in a small town again. I became close to Caroline. I finally switched families 3 weeks ago and now I have the perfect family and the old one seems like a bad dream. Daniela, 18, Clauda, 23, and Ornella and Giorgio are the parents. They laugh, and mind their own busiess. I have freedom, but I feel like such a part of this family. Daniela is cuddly and I joke with everyone, so much easier now that I can finally talk. I think it could have been this way with my second family, but I had to grow up a bit. The last bad family I had actually taught me a lot about how to appreciate a good family and being able to finally speak Italian really helps the communication. The one good thing about my old family was that for 3 days for easter I got to go to Paris! It was fabulous, gorgeous, and everything else I thought it would be. I officially want to learn French, and badly. On Wednesday the other students arrive for the Sardegna trip, which I get to go on for free because I have an amazing area rep and she knows I can't pay. I get to see Jennifer again, and Patrick which makes me so happy! Then June 5th, I go to do my SAT in Rome so Marina organized it so we're all going for a day and Alessia, Martina, Jennifer, Francesca, and Giorgio are coming to meet me for the day. Then, very hopefully, BEC is going to allow me to go back to Caserta for my last week. Crossing my fingers! Basically, I cannot, repeat, CANNOT, believe that I have only one month left. Sad is not the correct word, devastated almost covers it. I am not ready, and I refuse to think about it. So there, that's all I'll say about it. I feel like seeing such a different part of Italy has really opened up my mind and I've seen so many differences between Naples and here. Accent, especially. Anyways, thats really all. Ciao 4 Now xoxo

Eeehhh, wrong.

2010-03-21T05:23:00.002-06:00

I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.~ Robert A Heinlein

I switched host families again.

wow, I really should be posting more often, huh?

While my last post was all about guilt and apologies this one is about realizing things as they really were. I still think it was a lot my fault what happened, but it was not entirely. Now that I'm in this family, I realize a lot of what happened in my other family that I hadn't noticed before. This happened the first time I switched too.

Basically, I was not happy, and neither was my family. We never did anything, I never talked to them and vice versa, and me and Maria were in no way friends. More like cordial aquaintances. I became tired of always being alone, of not being motivated to go to school, of never being happy unless I was out with Jenn (who moved about 2 minutes from my flat), and then using the time to complain about my life instead of being fun and exciting. I really missed Caserta. I was sick of only seeing the people in school in school. I liked them, but we had no oppertunity to ever see each other outside of school and create relationships because in school you really can't, and I never saw them any other time. Maria was and is cold. She's a baby. She does not understand people, she's very antisocial and fake, and she is arrogant. Above all, it stems from the fact that she is one of those people that thinks that being misunderstood and "mature" makes her look cool. So she exaggerates herself and her life, she really thinks she understands more than she does. She loves that. She loves acting like she is the most mature, and all-knowing person you'll ever meet. The downside is that she is so small, so unexperienced, and she truly has been so pampered and so sheltered, that she is the exact opposite of what she thinks herself to be. It became to much for me. That said, all the stuff in my other post was true and added to it.

I could write all this again, but I'll just post a conversation or two I had with some of my friends.

This is what ensued after I emailed Valentina telling her I would like to switch:

o i decided to change for a lot of different reasons all combined. too many really to explain, but i emailed Milan and right away they agreed that I should switch. so they told me to talk to my family and then email them back and then they could call my family or whatever and start looking for another family
[2:25:41 AM] Annamaria Watson: so
[2:25:59 AM] Kendra Wagner: sounds reasonable
[2:27:36 AM] Annamaria Watson: the next day i was thinking all day i would tell my host sister but then i decided that it might tick my host mom off because technically, it's her hosting me. her house, i'm her responsibility, etc so i told her instead, i didnt know if she'd told anyone because everyone was acting completely normal, and i was figuring that my host sister would bring it up and if she ddnt i would talk to her about it the next day at lunch because we always eat lunch alone before everyone else gets home
[2:28:13 AM] Kendra Wagner: again very reasonable
[2:30:11 AM] Annamaria Watson: then the next day at school my host sister, who always sits next to me, moved. and i really ddnt think too much of it but she also made a really catty remark to a teacher when the teacher asked if i'd done my homework or something (i dont get why they dont ask me, but she was really rude to this teacher) and so my ONLY actual friend here, Anna, came and sat by me 'cause i was alone and she asked if we were fighting and i said "i'm not fighting with her, idk if she's angry at me bt maybe she's annoyed that i'm leaving but i'm not even sure if she knows" and Anna was just like "you need to talk, both of you, and maybe you can sort somethings out, just please talk to each other"
[2:32:41 AM] Annamaria Watson: and by the end of the day it was pretty obvious that maria was angry, though i still ddnt know why, and also she was mad at anna so i asked anna why and she said it was because maria had called her yesterday crying because she was mad at me for telling my host mom and not her so anna had told her "if you guys talk more, maybe you can fix things and she wont have to leave" because she ddnt understand that there were others reasons, but still i think reasonable statement. well maria tells her "non hai capito un cazzo" and hangs up on her and hsnt spoken to her since so then anna reasserts that i need to talk to maria after school
[2:33:22 AM] Kendra Wagner: woooow
[2:33:34 AM] Kendra Wagner: i thats crazyness. like seriously the mom needed to konw first i agree with that
[2:33:47 AM] Kendra Wagner: and really it was only like 1 day between you telling the mom.. and this..
[2:35:21 AM] Kendra Wagner: AFS : alcool, filles, sex!!! what is filles???
[2:35:43 AM] Annamaria Watson: hahaha NON lo so
[2:35:48 AM] Kendra Wagner: me either
[2:35:48 AM] Annamaria Watson: YEAH thats one of the reasons its so annoying. but so at home I ask her at lunch if she's mad at me and she get's this really evil mean girls-esuqe smile and says "I'm not angry at you" and something like "you just have to experience somethingicouldntunderstandblah" and then she says "now, dont talk to me sono MOLTO prese" and i'm like,... um,no you're not you're eating lunch WITH ME :P bt anyways i dont get angry that easily so i was just like whatever and stayed in my room for the rest of the day then TODAY is when the real crap starts;
[2:35:49 AM] Kendra Wagner: i mean
[2:37:15 AM] Kendra Wagner: (filles = Girls)
[2:40:39 AM] Annamaria Watson: so we go to school, and she moves again in front of me and anna sits by me again and anna was asking me something like "what do you think" and i was like I dont want to make her more angry by talking but anna ddnt hear the last part so she was like " a lei? a lei?" and i saw maria turn and here it so im like GREAT not she thinks im talking bs. so maria moves farther away I'm sitting there talking to anna and studying japanese because i'm taking a class for my school in america and she comes up and says "what are you talking about" really rudly like you can assume she thinks its her, and yes anna had mentioned how we should talk and such but i refused to say anything about her other than i didnt understand why shes angry, like not to sound like im an angel (because haha, im not) but i dont like to get angry or gossip so i just kept saying "non lo so" and "hai ragione" and then she just leaves. then it happens again when i was talking to another girl named Luisania and anna and Luisana just looked at her like are you serious right now? so then;
[2:41:45 AM] Kendra Wagner: wooow.. thats nutz
[2:41:53 AM] Kendra Wagner: like seriously shes acting like shes 2
[2:44:26 AM] Annamaria Watson: maria goes to the other side of the room and starts BAWLING and allllllll the class goes over and like hugs her, & most of them were still nice to me because they understood she was being a drama queen but a ton of them were giving me bad looks and so i just stay where i am cause i want nothing to do with this and Anna goes over and says something like "whats wrong" or whatever and maria starts screaming at the top of her lungs like "YOU! I CANT BELIEVE YOU CHOSE HER SIDE AFTER 4 YEARS YOU GIVE UP OUR FRIENDSHIP FOR THAT BIOTCH" and anna is angry and comes back to me and is almost crying herself so of course i feel reaaallllyy guilty so then the effing math teacher comes in and has maria come talk to her outside and everyone starts asking me all these questions but all i would say is that yes i had tried to talk to her, she wouldnt tell me why she was angry, and that i didnt want to talk about it because she would think i was gossiping. so she comes back and after school instead of going home she randomly decides to go 15mins away to the hospital where her mom works so we go there
[2:45:56 AM] Annamaria Watson: and she and her mom go in a room and talk for like 15 mins (obviously about me) and i just sit there like an hour later we eat at this hospital bar thing and i asked maria if she wanted gum because i wanted to try and she ddnt even look at me, or aknowledge that i exsisted so we just went home and i went out with friends and havent seen her all day and tomorrow i will not go to school. so, yeah. it sucks.

After that Maria came in and talked to me for the first time, and we reached some sort of mutal understanding. That means, I was in terror of doing anything to offend her again, and she had me right where she wanted me. Guilty, and wanting out. She told me that she was angry because some girl that I don't even talk to in class said that I had said that me and Maria had had a huge fight and that that was why I was leaving. Ha. Um, no. Never said that. She was also mad because she thought I was being ungrateful. Well, If you had talked to me at all you would realize just host grateful I have been throughout this. Talk to Jen, Giuseppina, Valentina, or your own parents for goodness sakes. I was terrified of even the thought of anyone thinking that I was ungrateful for all this family had done for me. Don't assume things, please. Anyways, I had thought we were fine and she had talked to me until the day before I left. I went to Rome with my class and had the best day. I decided to be really social and fun because I wanted to leave a good impression and because thats what Maria had told me she wanted to be. Also, because really thats what I should be anyways, and who I usually am. and its ROME, who wouldnt be social and fun in Rome? So I was. I talked to so many people, was never alone, had the best day ever. I hadnt even noticed that Maria was completely ignoring me until I asked her on the bus ride home what book she had bought. She didnt answer. Tried again,her friend told her "annamaria is talking to you", no answer. My friend Anna from before became really angry, but I told her to settle down because it wasnt worth it, I was leaving tomorrow anyways. This guy I had been talking to told me "wow, I'm sad your leaving, truly, because your social and open and I wish we could have hung out more" Suddenly Maria interrupts "Shut up, thats not how she is at all, you dont know anything about her, your stupid and dont understand anything". WOW. I'm sorry but thats not okay. I usually am calm and I really really do try to understand people and I get that I messed up to, but I in no way deserved that. Regardless, I continued to have a good day, and said my goodbyes and the next day I left.

For Sardegna.

When Valentina had first told me that I was going to the island I was scared. I even told her I didn't want to go. Part of that was because Alessia was so angry at me for leaving, and I knew how much it would hurt her and how sad it would make me. This meant that I would not see her or Martina or Fran or Jenn until the end of the year, if I was lucky. No more Naples, Pompeii, or Almalfi. I didnt want to leave. But then I thought about it and realized that this is a whole new oppertunity, a whole new start and group of people. A chance to see more that Fran or Jenn will ever see, truly. Not a better experience than theirs, but a broader one for sure. So here I am, living on an island in the city of Terralba.

I like it here.

I have a host sister named Claudia who is going somewhere in the east of America next august for her own exchange. She is a doll and we get along well. We actually are friends and she calls me sister, which is something I had really missed from when I was with Martina. I have another host sister who is 25 and only lives with us on Sundays, her name is Eleanora. Then, my host parents. My host dad is hilarious and really nice. My host mom is really nice, and very high strung, but I still love her. This famly is so incredibly different from my others. This family has had like 12 exchange students before, and they have the system down. They told me to be in this family was to be one of their daughters. Thus from day one I have been lectured, bossed around, and all around treated exactly like one of their daughters. Sometimes I hate it. My host mom literally has SO many rules and it seems like no matter what I do I always do something wrong, and that is frusterating. I'm also never allowed to be alone (that's a rule) and that is really frusterating to. But the good outweighs the bad here, unlike my other homes. It's hilarious too because in Maddaloni my main prayer to God had been to please teach me some obediance because next year is going to be SO hard in high school when I feel like I'm already so past that stage in life. And then, what do i get but my own wish and I complain about it. But no, I like this family a lot. My host parents make it a goal to take me places every Sunday. They make me talk to them and ask me questions and I ask them questions. They joke with me, I'm never forgotten, and they make me feel like I'm actually living here not just visiting. I've been here a week as of yesterday night. The school is different because it's new and smells good, its only 2 months old! The people are really nice, but since they are so used to exchange students it's harder to make friends because I'm not new or exciting unlike before. Still, I think I will make friends here. There is another exchange student from Norway named Caroline, and we get alone well. We can go in giro and eat gelato and do all the things I missed about Caserta and now miss about Maddaloni. I have an actual house this time! Ha, and my own room again which is wonderful. I suppose I'll have to update when I have more to say, this has been a long enough post.

Halfway

2010-02-13T20:05:00.009-07:00

To take what there is, and use it, without waiting forever in vain for the preconceived — to dig deep into the actual and get something out of that — this doubtless is the right way to live - Henry James

After a particularly strange day here, I realized that it's been exactly 5 months since I stepped of the plane into Milan.
I really don't understand where all the time has gone... 4 1/2 months will go by so fast. I feel like it was just yesterday I was in Milan marveling at how storybook it all felt. I remember seeing all the buildings so close together, the awe inspiring Cathedral of Milan, the way it felt to realize English was the foreign language here, and that I was the foreigner. The first time I had pizza, then the first time I had Neapolitan pizza. How scared we all were on the train to meet our host families, and the first night with them.
All of that is over now, and I'm closer to going home than I am to having arrived.

My host dad complimented me on my Italian today, he said I'm getting better! And everyone else mentioned too that I was better than before, so that's nice.

This last month, unfortunately, has been pretty much wasted. I wish I could say other wise, but it's true. Home pressures combined with the stresses of changing host families, schools, cities, and really losing (or just never seeing) a lot of the people I had come to consider friends. School overwhelmed me. The people were and are incredible to me, particularly a couple students that go out of their way to make sure that I have friends, I love them so much. My host family is nothing short of amazing. But I was feeling the stress, at first I was fine, I was making it work, but then I made a mistake that really messed with my head. I just gave up trying. I didn't go to school more than 3 times a week, I barely ever spoke, most of my time was spent sleeping. Around the 10th or so of February I realized that I can't be like that anymore, and planned on changing. I wasn't really depressed or anything, I was just out of energy. After an email from Giuseppina, though, saying my host family was worried about me I really changed. I decided that I wasn't going to let myself ruin my exchange, opened my eyes, and now I think things are back to normal. I apologized to Maria, who was really understanding. The school has arranged it so that I now am included in classes, which is great. I've started talking more, and I'm happy. I'm just disappointed that I wasted probably 3 weeks. Oh well, at least I learned from it.

The funny thing about Italians is that when the weather is bad, they hibernate. I mean, the weather here compared to Idaho is extremely mild (it probably gets up to 40 d F even on the coldest days). The problem is that it rains a lot. Though, it did snow for 10 minutes a couple days ago, the first time in 23 years! (it quickly turned to rain). So, until spring Italians basically do nothing. At the beginning of exchange I was always going out with people and doing things, now I only do things saturdays so life is a bit boring.

Other than that, not a lot has happened. Today and yesterday Maria has had a fever so we've stayed home. But I went out today to Caserta to see Alessia & Martina for the first time in 2 months! Most of my time was spent talking to Alessia, she and me had something important that needed discussing. My host parents apparently made up, and everyone seems so much happier than they were when I left. I'm still glad I left, though. I mean, occasionally I would have a pang of something like homesickness when I saw the cat Mao or our bright red, too small elevator, or the bathroom and martina's bedroom. the little glass candies on the living room coffee table. I miss the people and Caserta a lot. But I needed to change.

More than anything, this halfway point has made me realize how much I've changed. I've had so many firsts here. So many experiences, so many mistakes and I've learned so many things. I feel older, and yes, wiser. I feel like I've found my personality, which I never got to find before because I'd always been depressed as long as I could remember. I like who I am, in fact, I love who I am. I just know myself a lot better. I know I'm capable, and responsible, and independent. I just feel like more of a complete person all around.

I suppose that's it for my half year post. It's really been great, even through all the hard times. I'm absolutely crushed that it's gone by so fast, and I only hope that time will go slower these next 4 1/2 months, though it's a bottomless wish.

Oh, and Happy Valentines Day <3

Life is Beautiful

2010-01-23T16:55:00.005-07:00

I am not interested in money. I just want to be wonderful.
-Marilyn Monroe

I am so happy with this family. Today they told me I was the third child and it made me smile :). I love that we talk, that they get me diet coke just because I don't like regular, and that they pay attention to me and include me in conversations. I love them so so much. Of course, now I have no friends. Haha. The devil sucks, does he not? I'm moved away from everyone I had become close to the first four months, and I won't lie, it is hard seeing their pictures and comments on facebook knowing that they probably don't even miss me. At first I had Lucy and Pedro, two Aussie exchangers that only stayed for 2 months, but they left yesterday after I had only known them a week. My hope is that for one, more Aussie exchangers come (which I think will happen soon), and two, that I make better friends with the people in Maria's class. I really love the class, they are all super nice people. The problem is, I never see them outside of school. In school (omg, the most boring thing I have ever experienced) they are busy doing work and I am busy being bored so we can't get to know each other well. After school all they do (including Maria) is study literally all day, then complain about not studying enough. It's really quite terrible. So gone are the days of going out with friends and getting gelato and making plans and here are the days of loneliness. Also, today because it's Saturday I went out with Maria and a few of her friends. I was so bored! All they talk about is school school school. The conversations they had other than that did not include me. Things like "who can name the most Italian philosophers" and "finish this Neapolitan song lyric". Yeah, thanks, but they is so excluding. So my only real hopes are that next time more of her friends come and I click with someone, or more Australians come so I can make my own friends. I've been incredibly lonely the past few days. I'm going to try and make that a good thing, more time with God, more time studying, more self reflection, more time with host family. But now in the adjustion it's just hard. So if you read this, pray for me. Other than that I think I'm doing pretty well. I think I am finally starting to get over culture shock which is what I realize I've been having this past month of december and half of January. I didn't realize when I was going through it but now I'm starting to see. Eating a ton, sleeping a ton, being antisocial, feeling homesick, etc. I was really just going through something normal. But finally it's going away. I'm getting more confident with my Italian- I really think I feel a breakthrough coming in a week or two! Also, I just realize everyday, even when I'm sad, how much I love this country. So absolutely much. I love seeing Vesuvius from my window, cobblestones, the food, Neapolitan traditions, and just the all around culture. I've also realized just how gorgeous Italian really is, I love hearing it whether I understand it or not. It's fabulous. I love how loud everyone is when it's not necessary. I love how people don't even try to hid their feelings- good or bad. I love how passionate people are about things great and small. I love how much they care about pleasure, family, and la bella figura. I love their sense of tradition, and the perspective here that doesn't seem to exist in America- that life is beautiful and should be enjoyed. I was always taught that life is useful. A path to heaven, a responsibility, something you have to go through, make as much money as you can then die, work hard- harder!, don't even be lazy, after you reach 5 years old you're done with naps!, push yourself to be skinnier, more intelligent, wiser, better, better, better. Explode! Here, none of that really exists and it's soooooo nice. People just enjoy life. They like conversation, food, and napping. They value fashion, family, and vacations. I'm not saying I want to have an all Italian perspective because I've seen the downside too (selfishness, laziness, ignorance) but I think I can find a balance between the two worlds, and I'm so thankful to God for enlightening me on this.

New Beginnings

2010-01-05T19:59:00.002-07:00

The only difference between our secrets is whether we allow them to develop into tales of heroism or fear -PostSecret

Well this is going to be long... the entire month of December. Well, basically it sucked. Something I failed to mention earlier was that the first week I got here Martina let me know that she had read some iffy messages and she thought that her dad might be cheating on her mom. Knowing her as the slight drama queen she is, I opted for the "you must be overreacting, benefit of the doubt option". Wrong. It was true, and my host family started fighting way more than usual. My host mom wouldn't eat with us, my host dad would turn up MTV all the way in our small apartment to annoy and let the rest of us know how angry he was (real mature, right?) Martina became even more depressed than usual (that's REALLY depressed) and it was just an all around bad situation. I told Martina after a particularly explosive night (where she literally screamed at me in the middle of Caserta over a hair straightener) that, especially since I'm already dealing with a divorce back in the US, I really couldn't handle this. She was really really sorry already for being mad at me, and told me that she agreed I should switch after the holidays. It was really, really bad. In hindsight, the divorce was a blessing to me (horribly), because it gave me a tangible excuse to get out of what I had been denying the entire time I've been in Italy.. that my host family was not a good one. They seriously ALWAYS screamed at each other, cussed each other out, absolutely no respect and no visible love at all. we never did anything together ever unless there was a specific reason, and it would always be horrible if we did because they would fight the entire time. during the 2 week break from school just to get away I would purposefully stay up until 5am just so that I would sleep until 4pm and get away from everything. Over Christmas we went to my host moms relatives house in Naples (host dad didn't come, Martina cried) but overall it was pretty good. they gave my gifts which was really really sweet, and I gave them gifts. Mostly we just slept like we usually did. New Years my friend Alessia had a party and that was a lot of fun. We didn't get to sleep until 6am :) I moved host families on January 3rd. I was actually very depressed when I moved because I realized how much I had gotten used to and loved Martina and (well, sounds stupid but) the house. I moved to Maddaloni (a suburb of Caserta, where my previous school was, about 5-10 minutes away) which is more ghetto, and I had never met my new host family before. I didn't know the next time I would get to see Caserta, a city I truly truly love and think is absolutely gorgeous. I still miss so so much Francesca, and going around the city with her and Alessia and Chiara and Martina. Eating gelato at our favorite places, knowing our way around, hot hall, the big supermarket, the random performers in the street, the hundreds of shops and lights. Maddaloni is small, doesn't really have a main street like that and (while it does have the ruines of a medieval castle) certainly does not have La Reggia! But when I changed I soon found out how necessary it was. My new host family is the complete opposite of my previous one. I have a host sister , 18 in April, Maria. A host brother 14, Clemente. My host mom is a nurse named Anna. My host dad an engineer, Lorenzo. The first thing I noticed about them is how much they laugh. They sincerely enjoy each others company. They all sit in the tv room together almost all day, even if they dont talk they just like to be around each other. They include my in conversations, ask my opinion on things, and Maria told me that they are very very close. Sooo strange for me, because I have never, ever been in a family even remotely like that before. Families for me have always been like Martina's. I think that's why I never really noticed how bad it was when I was there... I was used to it already. And sometimes I don't know how to act around these people. I mean, lately I have grown infinitely more close with God and I have been a lot happier and more relaxed than ever before, but I still don't really know how to act in a family like this. I think it will be a good thing to learn. Also, I have my own room! Clemente moved in with Maria because they insisted that I have my own room because they know how difficult it is to be on exchange and sometimes you just need your own place (seriously, how great are they??) That's another thing, Maria went on a 3 month exchange to Australia where various situations arose and she ended up switching hosts 4 times. So she really gets this. However, the family speaks almost NO English at all, unlike the Catalano house where I ALWAYS spoke English. I have spoken more in the past 2 days then I have in the past 3 months. It's so great! The new house is actually gorgeous, no elevator forces me to exercise when your 4 or 5 floors up. But it is soo nice. Big rooms, probably bigger than my house in America but way different as its a flat. Ironically, one of the things I was going to miss most about my other home was my view from my window. I have the same view! God gave me a house and bedroom facing the exact same way but this time, I can see Vesuvius very clearly (it's sooo close!) :) Maria really loves her class at school (a scientifico school) she took me to a birthday party of one of the girls tonight so I got to meet them all. They were so sweet. Sometimes Maria even left me alone (Martina would never let me leave her) so I was forced to speak and dance with peopled and get to know them. They were amazed that I hadn't been to Rome and said that they would take me soon, for sure before I left because they wouldn't let me leave without seeing it! It was really cool. Also, Maria's best friend is on exchange in Austria so I think in April we are going to visit her! So I feel very, very blessed. New Year, new beginnings. <3

Do you speak English?

2009-11-21T16:31:00.003-07:00

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not- Anonymous

Today was a really good day. In the morning, we got up early to go to Naples for some sort of Military event (I still have no idea what it was about). My host brother, Matteo, went to a Military boarding school last year, but was unable to go this year after a skiing accident. Though, they still consider him alumni so he was part of the event, I think my family would have gone anyway, they are very into Military like stuff which is cool I guess, since my American family at home isn't really at all. Anyways, we went to Naples that morning, the main square in Naples was half barred off for the even and there were 4 or 5 hundred people in the crowd. We watched for 2 or so hours (it was quite boring actually), and afterward my host family decided to get pizza. However, for those of you that don't know, Naples is the 3rd most populated city in Italy and it is almost impossible to find parking, also, my family took forever to decide where to eat. But what was really cool was walking and driving around because I got to see a lot of everyday Naples, not just downtown touristy parts. My host mom is Neapolitan and she pointed at her old school and different places, my host dad several times would say "che bella, la mia Napoli" (in English, you would say something like "how beautiful my Naples is" though that's not literally what it means). We ended up in a back street pizzeria, amazing, and after my host mom showed me these odd apartments called "bassi" (short), which are apartments that are on the bottom of the apartment complex, and sometimes even go underground. The people don't have balconies so they hang their clothes up across the street! When I got home, a little while later I went out with Francesca again and we went "in giro di Caserta" again, like always. This time a lot of Christmas lights were up and lit, there was also a parade and a small carnival for one area for children where they were playing Christmas carols and songs like YMCA. We ate gelato and cornetta con nutella (croissants with nutella). I finally bought Martina a birthday present, a ring and a pen from the Hello Kitty store, EVERYONE is obsessed with Hello Kitty here, and a notebook with "sorella" (sister) quotes in it. The funniest thing that happened was about 45 minutes before we were going home, because Francesca was eating with us that night (Italians usually don't eat dinner until 8 or 9 at night). We went to what we call The American Bar, because they sell American-ish food, and two boys asked us to sit with them. I'm not talking about anything romantic, haha, it was just nice to meet new people, even if they only want to be your friend because you speak English. Some serious laughter ensued after they told us we looked bigger (they meant older) and made fun of us for the balloons we were carrying around (we had bought them just a few minutes before for our host sisters, mine was shaped like Hello Kitty). After wards, we went home and Martina had bought and made us hot dogs! They were pretty amazing. It was a very beautiful day, indeed.

che sarà, sarà..

2009-11-19T15:52:00.009-07:00

You may have the universe if I may have Italy.
-Giuseppe Verdi

At two months and one week, it definitely feels more like I'm living here. This really isn't a vacation anymore. I'm starting to form some sort of independence again, and it's such a relief to actually be able to understand most things! Since I last wrote, I've accomplished quite a few things. I actually have friends now.. at least a few. And I can go out with them even without Martina so that's really good. On November 12th I went to the ancient city of Pompeii and the gorgeous Almalfi Coast where I visited Almalfi and Postiano. It was amazing, I've always always wanted to go to Pompeii since I was a little girl and it was not a let down, an entire ancient city preserved like people lived there only yesterday. Almalfi is just gorgeous, sharp cliffs dropping down to the sea, and houses hanging off them at such odd angles that you're sure they're doomed. The roads are so narrow, and the turns so sharp you're sure you'll drive right of a cliff! Another place we went to 2 or 3 weeks before this trip was Capri, one of the three islands that are off the coast of Naples. It was quite honestly the most beautiful place I have ever seen. It's full of curious stone stairwells and plants and colors and shops like Gucci and Prada You can climb down the cliff to the sea and there are places in the rocks to stand on walk around, the whole thing is quite breathtaking. Also, I found out a couple days ago that next Wednesday we get to go to The Vatican to go to to the Popes mass, and maybe to Rome. I am so excited! I hadn't thought I would get to see the Vatican while I was here, at least for quite some time, though I guess it is only a few hours away by train. Also, in December my host family is taking me to Bologna and I also get to go to the south of France for 4 days and New Years! It will be amazing. So, needless to say, I feel very lucky when it comes to getting to see Italy. I am planning to make Thanksgiving dinner for my family, and I'm really looking forward to it. Vittoria and Martina are going to help me so that I can share some of my culture with them! I think it will be so much fun, I'll post again after wards for sure. This Wednesday, I saw New Moon in Italian! Though I really don't like the books, the movies are okay and this was was pretty good I thought. They filmed part of it in Italy so everyone was excited. We are going again on Sunday haha. I was more excited that I found myself understanding the movie without having to translate everything consciously, which was incredible. Also, I've had my Italian complimented enough this week that I really feel on track which is an amazing feeling. Some nights here are just unforgettable, like yesterday. Almost as soon as I got home from school I went to meet my exchange friend Francesca and we went shopping around Caserta for Thanksgiving ingredients. A little later in a store we found Haagen-Daaz ice cream (gelato is amazing, but I've missed American ice cream too) so we bought some and *literally RAN to La Reggia with it. It was amazing, we just sat on the ground in front of this huge, gorgeous palace with ice cream :) And then we ran back. After Francesca went home, I went out with my Italian friend (!!) Alessia, and we went around Caserta and just talked (in Italian!) and had fun. It was great. Also, I found out that day that I had a new baby nephew, Caleb Lee Pounds :) I cannot wait for Christmas here, it is going to be so fun! The city is all ready for it strung with lights and a huge tree in the city center. Oh, and another thing, I've learned a very old Italian saying "che sarà, sarà" it means "what will be, will be".. deep, huh? Very useful, also. But anyway, until then, I think I've said it all :)

tutto è bello!

2009-11-07T16:20:00.006-07:00

Live on, survive, for the earth gives forth wonders. It may swallow your heart, but the wonders keep on coming. You stand before them bareheaded, shriven. What is expected of you is attention.- non lo so

Well, according to my countdown widget, I have officially been in Italy for 1 month 3 weeks and 5 days, and yes, I still love it here. A lot of things have changed since I first got here, but mostly for the better. For one, I speak Italian a lot better than I used to. Last week I went through a "I'm so stupid I'll never learn" phase, but this week completely made up for it. My host family and people at my school are now complimenting me on my Italian, and I found a couple of days ago that I actually understand most classes! It's really incredible, I just woke up one day and BAM! I understood. haha.. of course I'm nowhere near fluent and I still can't have much of a conversation, but thats beside the point ;).
I've become really close to most of the other exchangers at school, it's great to have people to relate to that know exactly what you're going through, because exchange really can be difficult. I've never had so many akward, embarressing, and confusing moments in my life. But it's compltely worth it. I feel like I'm learning so much about...everything. The world, people, life, and myself too.
One of my favorite things about where I live is that from one window I can see a Palace more beautiful than Versailles, and from the other I can see the ruins of a medival castle. Also, as of today, the 7th of November, it was 68 degrees F... IN NOVEMBER. It's already snowed in Idaho! haha, and anyone who knows me knows how much i despise the cold. So I'm definatley okay with Italy's scheduale.
Today was the best day I think I've had so far in Italy. I woke up and went to school, and something scary happened, all of my friends were missing. My host sister and all of her friends didnt go, none of the other exchangers went, and I was in my class with no book to read and no iPod. I was convinced that it was going to be awful, but some of my classmates really stepped up and I'm so grateful to them. I never lacked a friend, everyone included me and someone was always talking to me. I love my classmates so much for that. The maths teacher that I thought hated the exchangers even gave me half her Twix! I got to leave school early and go home. There, my host mom trusted me to go out alone at buy bread at the market down the street! Now, to a normal person this might seem completely normal and silly to get excited over, but to an exchange student this is epic. I don't think I had ever been out alone before since I left America. But I found my way, got the right bread, spoke Italian to the cashier, and loved every normal minute of it. Then, since everyone was gone except my host mom to various places, I went outside on our big balconey (the one that overlooks the hills, the city, and the palace) and read some of Bleak House by my favorite author ever, Charles Dickens. It was beautiful. Then I took a shower, and at 6 went out with some of my Italian friends Chiara and her boyfriend Lorenzo, Antonia and her boyfriend Alberico, Alessia,and Erica. But mostly it was just my and my exchange friend Francesca walking around the city for 5 hours! We had so much fun. Among other things we ate gelato, a donut, nutella cruessants, and this appatizer tray that we did NOT mean to order, but alas, when you are a foreigner your orders happen to get messed up often. It was really good anyways though :). We walked around staring (quite literally) at the gorgeous Italian boys, saw edible mailboxes and flashing underwear, stalked some people, met the mafia...again..., sang english songs very loudly, came up with a very cool handshake, and met FRIENDS! This was probably the best part because thats NOT easy to do when you don't speak italian well and you're just randomly walking around a city. granted, these people spoke english really well, but they asked us if we wanted to hang out sometime and said that they go to the school that is literally inside of the school we go to! We have been waiting for our own friends forever, a little more independance, a chance to meet new people. Definatly exciting. And to top it all off tomorrow I get to go to La Reggia with the same wonderful people, and then in the evening we are going to Salerno for a 18th birthday party of a friend of my host dad's daughter. I've never been to La Reggia or Salerno yet so this should be so much fun! Anyways, this is a really long post. I just wanted to update since it's been awhile. I love all you guys! <3

Io sono qui! Random things about Italy..

2009-10-07T13:42:00.004-06:00

Val più la pratica della grammatica
Experiance is more important that theory.~ Italian proverb

Well, I'm here! I've been here for about 3 weeks and its so different from the US. My host family is really nice. My host sister and I go out "in giro di Caserta", which literally means we turn around Caserta. Basically, its just walking around the city for hours with 10-15 Italians. It's a really good opportunity to meet people and learn the language. They don't just speak Italian here, they also speak a dialect Neapolitano, which Italians like to call it's own language, but that's a bit of an exaggeration. However, it is pretty different from normal Italian and it can be really hard sometimes to differentiate, which is bad because if you speak it to teachers or other adults, it can be very rude. Anyways, I live in a flat on the top floor of an apartment complex. Were actually on the top floor and our view is really pretty :) There is a palace in Caserta, it's considered to be more beautiful than Versailles, built for the Bourbon kings of Naples when Naples was it's own country. We can see it from one of our balcony's :). I love it here so much, they care so much more about family than people do in the US. Everyone stops working in the middle of the day, almost no shops or cafes stay open, and people go home for 2 or 3 hours to rest and eat with their family.
I've found that here people care a lot more about life in general. Money really isnt an issue and it best spent of chocolate and pasta. The schools are simple, but the kids acutally learn in them and are taught how to have respect for their teachers and to care about what they are learning. My host mom is superwomen, she does all our laundry, cooks 3 meals a day (usually things like squid and swordfish and amazing pasta at least once daily) and makes our beds, hangs up our clothes, cleans up after dinner, cleans the house, and takes us to and from school. Kids here so to be really spoiled, and really unappreciative of their parents but I think it's because they just expect things to be done for them. Martina told me the first day I was here that she doesn't even know how to use the washing machine! It's hard for them to understand the independence in America. It's hard to understand it just being in Italy. Why do we work so hard for money again? Why do we work most of the day? Why do most of our meals come in boxes for the microwave? Idk... things that used to make sense in the US just seem ridiculous here.
A lovely thing I've noticed about the language is that "bella" is used for anything good. If something is good, it's automatically beautiful. I think this is a cool way of looking at life. If you are a good person, you are "una bella persona", a beautiful person also. I like that. It makes sense. Another odd thing is that Italians will write "ricordo di ___" with their name EVERYWHERE.. on peoples arms or in their diary's (every Italian has a diary for school, as opposed to an agenda or a planner. In English this literally translates into "In memory of" or "In remembrance of"... a little bit morbid, hm? On the downside, we do go to school 6 days a week. I really only take 4 classes at school English, Italian, Arabic, and German. At the end of the year, these are the only classes that I'll be graded on. My favorite (besides Italian) is Arabic.. I really do think it's beautiful. I've decided that's going to be my third language. There are 6 of us exchangers at my school, 3 Americans and 3 Australians. I really had never realized before how many differences there are between those to countries! It is kind of amazing. I know this post is pretty scattered and not really making sense, so excuse me. But it is surprisingly hard to speak English after speaking and hearing so many languages in one day! It messes with your mind and I find that the better I get at Italian the worse I get at English! Anyways... that's my update from 3 weeks in. Love you all!

2009-09-04T21:17:00.003-06:00

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money. ~Susan Heller

I have exactly one week until I take off. I have sooooo much to do! It's a little ridiculous. The good news is that I am officially done with my two online classes, and did well on the finals. That's a huge relief because now I can just concentrate on Italy. I have soo much packing to do. I have done a lot of laundry, and my room is a literal disaster, but I have yet to pack a single thing. Also, tomorrow until Monday I am going camping with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew so that takes away a lot of time. (at least it's time well spent). I also feel bad because there are a lot of people I don't have time to see before I leave. It's weird to know that this time next week I'll be on a plane to Italy. Me and my mom have countless things to buy and organize...I can't even think straight there is so much to do! Anyways, I'm definitely excited. I've been counting down since 114 days and now it's ust 7! Next time I post I'll probably be in Italy!

Newness

2009-08-15T23:28:00.003-06:00

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
-Barack Obama

So, I've been traveling so much lately (Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, New York) that I havent really been able to check a computer so it was a complete surprise when I checked my inbox and found my orientation information :D
Yes, that means I have an actual structured scheduale now! I dont have to say, "Uhhh...well...I acctually don't know." when people ask what I am going to do when I get to Italy. My scheduale looks like this::

3 Day Orientation in Milan::

Sept 14//

1:30pm: Welcome students at Milan Airport

2:15pm: private bus to Hostel "La Cordata"

3:30pm: Settle in

4:30pm: Walk in Milan city centre

7:30pm: Dinner

Sept 15//

8:30am: Breakfast

9:30am: Workshop "BEC presentation, student presentations, first impressions, various comments on first approach to Italy, expectations, how to behave to succeed as an exchange student, rules"

10:45am: Coffee Break

11:00am: Workshop "area rep., host family, school, friends and free time"

1:00pm: Lunch

Afternoon: Sightseeing tour of Milan (at students charge)

7:30pm: Dinner
Walk in "Navigli" area, nice and picturesque area of Milan

Sept 16//

8:30am: Breakfast

9:30am: Workshop "Permission of stay, practical things"

10:45am: Coffee Break

11:00am: Workshop "doctor, hospital, insurance, reimburse form, mid-year and end of year questionnaire"

questions and commments

12:30pm: Lunch

2:00pm: Visit the Duomo Cathedral- free time

7:30pm: Dinner
Walk in "Brera" area, characterisitc for the fortune tellers and nice places
full of young people

Sept 17//

8:00am: Breakfast

8:30am: Taxi to railway station or airport where students will go to final destination

--end--

I'm so excited! :)

2009-08-01T23:09:00.003-06:00

No statement about God is simply, literally true. God is far more than can be measured, described, defined in ordinary language, or pinned down to any particular happening.
- David Jenkins

Soo, I just got back from Church Camp which was incredible, and so life changing.
But the day I got back I also had a huge packet from ASSE which included my carry-on bag, name tag that I will wear in the airport, and two identification cards. Its so real now, only 41 days until Italy! Its scary and exciting at the same time. We applied for my visa, so now all we really can do is wait. Its a countdown now!

Thriller?

2009-07-08T22:47:00.005-06:00

"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with."
- Michael Jackson

Sooo.. these last couple months have been pretty epic, in both good and bad ways. First of, I'm STILL in school... I finished Algebra B and Geometry A but decided (the logical part of me) to take Geometry B so that I'm not stuck in night school senior year. So that sucks, but there is only 9 days left so I think I'll pull through it.
Another thing, is that MJ died. Seriously, the saddest thing that I have ever been through. It sounds pathetic and stuff, but i cried every day for a week.. and yesterday watching the memorial. Today I downloaded like 3 of his music videos and all his songs... but I still cant watch the news without tearing up. Kay.. I cant talk about this anymore. ha.

Something exchange-related. I opened the mail box today and what do you know? 5 letters/packages for ME. yay! Two were from ASSE, the big packet was about my insurance which is really good to have I suppose. I was also FINALLY emailed that my visa stuff is on its way, which is a huge relief because I was getting worried.

So now, I officially have 2 months (and 5 or so days) left in the USA. Until I MOVE OUT. Thats insane. I'm only 16, and I never have to come back! :)

Thats all I really have to say.. oh.. well and that I'm finally 16 ;)

To Write Love On Her Arms

2009-05-14T18:36:00.002-06:00

I'm writing about this tottaly un-exchange related topic because of this thing an org. called Zemanta is doing. It is giving $3000 away to the organization that gets the most blogs...so I think I'm going to write about my fav organization, To Write Love On Her Arms.

I cant really share what TWLOHA is about completely because it is kind of a long story, so for that, I provide a link (http://www.twloha.com/page.php?id=6)
but basically, it is an organization, with God as a part of it, though it is not a "christian organization" per say, that provides help and support for people going through addiction, depression, and self-harming activities.

After looking at the link above it would be wonderful if you would donate to this great cause (maybe just buy a cute shirt) here is the link for donating: https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=e_W5xArpLT4fKOlqPeuOsnrv0bVplsfaXp9sp5xGXmGW10zOAKpbzXAWgnC&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f998ca054efbdf2c29878a435fe324eec0031f109add79ef7

thanks for reading!

This blog post is part of Zemanta's "http://www.zemanta.com/bloggingforacause/">Blogging For a Cause" campaign to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes that bloggers care about.

Fun Facts

2009-04-13T20:45:00.023-06:00

So a lot of my exchange friends have been doing this nifty little thing on all their blogs. They talk about their host country and host city and give cool little tidbits. Well...I don't want to be left out. And I have nothing better to do. SO...

ITALIA

Capital: Rome

Population: 59,905,225
Largest Cities:

1.Rome [2,705,603]

2.Milan [1,303,437]

3. Naples [975,139]

As Big As: Arizona (roughly)

Government: parliamentary republic

87.8% of Italians are Roman Catholic.

CAMPANIA (MY REGION)

Italy is divided into 20 different regions, the three largest being:

1. Lombardy (capital: Milan)

2. Campania (capital: Naples)

3. Lazio (capital: Rome)

Regional Population: 5.8 million

Includes Flegrean Islands and Capri

Campania is divided into 5 provinces (organized by population):

Naples

Salerno

Caserta (where I will be)
Avellino

Benevento

Cool Facts:
Second most populous region

pizza and spaghetti was created in Naples!

Mt. Vesuvius is found in this region

Pompeii is in this region

the Amalfi Coast is in this region

CASERTA (my province and city)

as a province...

Capital: Caserta

Population: 879,342

Fact: This Province is mentioned in the television show The Sopranos, as the place of origin from the show's character Dr. Jennifer Melfi

as a city...

population: 79,488

located at the foot of the Campanian Subapennine mountain range.

about 30-45 minutes from Naples (and the beach!)

about 2 hours from Rome

Attractions:

-Caserta's main attraction is its Royal Palace (listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site). The palace was created in the 18th century by the Italian architect Luigi Vanvitelli as a Versailles-like residence ("Reggia") for the Bourbon kings of Naples and Sicily. It is one of the most visited monuments in the country. Inside are more than 1200 rooms, decorated in various styles. It has been the set for several famous movies such as Star Wars and Mission Impossible III. The park is 2 miles (3.2 km) long and contains many waterfalls, lakes and gardens, as well as a very famous English garden.
-Palazzo Vecchio ("Old Palace"), a construction of the 14th century renovated by Luigi Vanvitelli as provisional residence for the royal court.
-The Cathedral (18th century).
-The Aqueduct of Vanvitelli (18th century).

Is this exciting enough for an entry?...

2009-04-13T20:36:00.003-06:00

Sooo... a couple days ago I got a letter from ASSE.
It wasn't very exciting, but it gives me something to focus on and ramble about so that this thing isn't completely dead.
It was not country-specific. It just said that from now until I leave I will be getting letters for preparation (probably bi-monthly). This one talked about how food was going to be different, language barrier, and something else not worth remembering.
It did have one helpful thing though! Conversion chart. For like, shoe sizes, temperatures, clothes sizes, weights and measures, distance...etc.
The next one is supposed to be country specific I think. Can't wait!
4.5 months!

Before the Beginning

2009-03-14T23:33:00.006-06:00

I thought that I should probably mention how I actually came to be going to Italy in the first place :P

First of all, I can't remember a time when I didn't want to go to Italy. For as long as I can remember I have had this book on Italy, its really small and short; its intention is for children. It basically has stuff in it like the Italian flag, a map of Italy, about Italian lives, and a lot of phrases. I remember sitting in my room and devouring that book, every piece of information I memorized. I also had this encyclopedia type book and one chapter of it talked about Pompeii and showed one of the frozen bodies; I was completely and morbidly fascinated with that chapter. Also, my family is Italian, so I have Italy in my blood I guess :)

so those are the reasons I chose ITALY, but how I chose ASSE is another story...

I asked my parents in like 6th or 7th grade if I could be an exchange student, knowing it would never really happen until I was 16 or so. So it was a far off dream. But I would still search organizations and read rules and became totally obsessed with going. When I knew I was finally eligible, I really asked my parents. I don't really know how, it's kind of a blur, but I convinced them, made a ton of phone calls, spent hours researching on the Internet and I finally narrowed it down to two organizations AFS and ASSE. Then it was money, AFS cost like $3,000 more. So ASSE it was...

Then came lots and lots of forms, an essay, a collage, all the drama involving mini photos, meetings, and waiting. and then more waiting. and then more waiting, then I got my host family :D which I talk about in my other post...

the money was another issue. I know I'm blessed, because I have a lot of people willing to help me reach my dreams. My birth-dad Jim gave me $2500 which was great of him and really helped, my parents split the rest besides the thousand dollars I was (and am :/) responsible to make. Now I had no idea how this would be possible, I'm only 15 and with the economy as it is there is really no way for me to get a job until the golf course becomes more busy. So my youth pastor Dawn gave me the idea (aka forced me) to sing for the Valentines Banquet at church. Not a real big deal, and I honestly had low expectations especially with the economy and such. But I was defiantly surprised at how generous my church is when I made $532 in just a couple hours. I'm so grateful for my church :)

So now, I have to figure out a way to make the other half and pay my dad back, which I'll do as soon as I can get that job...

the end... so far.

The Very Beginning

2009-03-13T02:20:00.005-06:00

Its so weird that it's really happening. It happened really fast, first the idea, picking a country, working out the money, filling out the forms, going to meetings, organizing school stuff, and then waiting for my letter. All of that is done and all I have left to do is get my passport/visa and in September I will be getting on my plane to Caserta, Italia!

It was only a few weeks ago that I found out who my host family would be. In fact, I screamed and jumped around for an hour when I got the letter. They are the Catalano's. They live in Caserta, Italy which is about half an hour from Naples I think which is definitely exciting!
I will have a host mother named Vittoria, a host father named Mario, a host sister that I will share a room with (who is also the same age as me) named Martina, and a host brother who doesn't live with us except on weekends named Matteo!

As soon as I found out about them, in fact the day before, Martina added me on Facebook. We have been messaging for a couple weeks now and its weird how much its helped my Italian just by writing her messages! We usually talk in English, though, because she speaks it pretty well, though sometimes its hard to understand. I'm still sure I am much worse at Italian then she is at English. I have been studying Italian with RosettaStone (really great) for about nine months I think and it has really helped me :)

I will update when anything new is discovered, I have to wait until September, ugh!