Well, boy did I get lucky!! After being close to Venice and Verona for a week, we got shipped off to the heart of Tuscany! I am talking about right in the center of my favorite place in the world. It is so relaxing here and the scerery in amazing. I never want to leave!! Well, I miss many things about America, but I would love to have a villa to come back to whenever I wanted! I can totally see how Frances Mayes, who wrote Under the Tuscan Sun, bought a villa and decided to move here. I would love to follow in her footsteps!!
On Sunday, all of the tutors and me decided to take a trip into Florence. Since it is always awkward with your host family on the first day, it was a good way to get out of there, and head to a wonderful destination. Having already been to Florence, I showed them around, and it was great to know where I was going! I love going back to places where I have already been....especially Florence!! There were more tourists in Florence than there was last February, but we still had a wonderful time!! It was nice to see the city in the sun and we were glad it wasn't raining for one of our many excursions!!
My brother happened to be arriving in Florence on the same day, so I met him and his friend Trey at the train station. It seemed that they had been out late in Rome, so I helped them to their hostel. It was interesting to see a hostel for the first time, but it made me less hesitant to stay in one. I walked them though the streets of Florence, as we took many pictures and made sure to get some of Eric and I for mom and dad!! After a short lunch, we all met up and decided to take the short hike up to Piazza Michaelangelo to see the incredible and famous view of Florence. Staring in awe, we plopped down to rest and enjoyed the atmosphere. The duomo is amazing, as it is so enormous. The hills in the background look fake and just like a postcard. Florence is definitely a place to see!!
Monday came, and camp started. It was exciting to meet the kids and see who was going to be in my class. This week, my class is at a lower level than last week, so I am teaching them the basics. It is very difficult at times when they completely do not understand a word that I am saying, but in a way it is kind of good. We are trying our hardest to wear them out and get them excited with mini-olympics and other competitions. It seems to be working, yet we are only on day2!!
When I got home from camp, I decided to take a run through the town. Well, more like a stroll or brisk walk.... I kept thinking about how lucky I am to be in Italy. I still have to pinch myself when I walk around and there are thousands of grape vineyards in the scenery. This has been an amazing experience and I have fallen in love with Italy all over again!
The internet here is hard to find. We get to get on the internet at camp for a while at lunch, so who knows when the next update will occur. Hope all is well and keep following me as I travel through this gorgeous country!!
Ciao!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Internet Connection at Last!!
Well, A LOT has gone on since my last blog post!! My mom and I finished up our wonderful trip in Monte Carlo, Monaco and BEAUTIFUL Cinque Terre Italy!! Probably two of the most beautiful places in the world! Monaco was so clean and you can tell that a lot of money is put into the small country. The views were incerdible and the Mediterranean is definitely an amazing place to visit! After a few days in Monaco, we left our stuff there for the night, and ventured three hours by train to Cinque Terre. There are no words that can describe the beautiful atmosphere! Everyone should have to take a trip to Cinque Terre in their lifetime! When I post pictures, you will know what I am talking about!
Sunday arrived and I had to take the train to San Remo for my orientation. To be honest, I was a little nervous, and I was sad to leave my mom alone in Monaco, but I was ultimately excited about my future adventure that was about to begin!
On the train, I met a girl from Canada. I think that it was a blessing in disguise! We immediately hit it off and ended up hanging out the whole week. The orientation went well! It was exhausting, but I learned so many important things!! Not only things that I would use in the Summer Camps, but useful things that I will definitely bring back to the states. It was also amazing to meet all of the other tutors from around the world. England, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, and Scotland to name a few. We had a wonderful time together and I learned so many interesting things about the other cultures! Did you know, that in England and Ireland, it is a tradition to receive a Chocolate Chest on Christmas morning? A box full of chocolate, sign me up! I think that I am going to have to copy that tradition in the United States!
After our week long orientation and anticipation as to where I was going to go next, the news arrived! I was headed to Padova, Italy. Finding out a few seconds later that it was only 30 minutes to Venice and an hour to Verona! I could not be happier! The group of other tutors that I was sent with were awesome! The next step was to get on the train and meet our host families and camp director.
After butterflies in our stomach, we arrived in Padova, anxious to meet our new families. I just have to say that my host family was absolutely incredible! They were warm and welcoming from the very beginning! My host mom is around 35 and her daughter is 10. They live in a cute little house in Albignasego with their delightful grandmother. I felt like the experience was too good to be true! They cooked me Italian meals, they took me to amazing places; Venice, Verona, Bassano del Grappa, and Cittadella just to mention a few. I cannot say kinder words about them! They have been nothing but hospitable, and I am very sad to be leaving tomorrow. She even took me to water aerobics a few times. I was extremely happy to work off a few pastas and pizzas, but try learning water aerobics in Italian when you do not really understand anything that they are saying!! It was a great experience to say the least!!
The school that I spent my first two weeks in was great! The classrooms were huge, the outdoor garden was nice, and the children were delightful....at first. I joke because this past week has been a bit stressful. At first, I had the 9 and 10 year olds. They were absolutely amazing, so enthuased to learn English, and so entertained by me and the other tutors. Do not fear, I took a lot of pictures of the cute little Italian kids in my class!! The second week however, was a little bit of a nightmare. I was stuck with the 13 year olds. Back in the states, teaching 13 year olds would not be classified under my idea of fun. So, try teaching 13 year olds, who do not speak English, who have been sent to camp with a bunch of little kids, and who ultimately do not want to be there. Well, when you add up that equation, you get....a disaster!! To be brutely honest, it was not as bad as I am making it seem, but my class the week before were angels!! It made leaving a little easier, but I am still sad to be leaving the town and my family.
The hardest thing in this whole adventure has been the food! I really do not think that I can stuff another carbohydrate into my body, but that is all that is really available. They love their pastas, pizzas, sweets, and anything else that falls under the carbohydrate area around here. Hopefully I am not gaining a million pounds like I think I am....
Anyways, I leave for my next destination tomorrow!.......wait for it.....TUSCANY!! I am beyond excited!! However, I am a little nervous to meet my new family after my wonderful experience with this one!! My amazing camp director has already written me an Italian note saying that I cannot eat Pork, Citrus, or Peanuts, so I am ready to go!!
Tuscany here I come!! And hopefully, the internet connection will be better so I can update sooner!!
Thanks for reading and stay tuned!! CIAO!!
Sunday arrived and I had to take the train to San Remo for my orientation. To be honest, I was a little nervous, and I was sad to leave my mom alone in Monaco, but I was ultimately excited about my future adventure that was about to begin!
On the train, I met a girl from Canada. I think that it was a blessing in disguise! We immediately hit it off and ended up hanging out the whole week. The orientation went well! It was exhausting, but I learned so many important things!! Not only things that I would use in the Summer Camps, but useful things that I will definitely bring back to the states. It was also amazing to meet all of the other tutors from around the world. England, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, and Scotland to name a few. We had a wonderful time together and I learned so many interesting things about the other cultures! Did you know, that in England and Ireland, it is a tradition to receive a Chocolate Chest on Christmas morning? A box full of chocolate, sign me up! I think that I am going to have to copy that tradition in the United States!
After our week long orientation and anticipation as to where I was going to go next, the news arrived! I was headed to Padova, Italy. Finding out a few seconds later that it was only 30 minutes to Venice and an hour to Verona! I could not be happier! The group of other tutors that I was sent with were awesome! The next step was to get on the train and meet our host families and camp director.
After butterflies in our stomach, we arrived in Padova, anxious to meet our new families. I just have to say that my host family was absolutely incredible! They were warm and welcoming from the very beginning! My host mom is around 35 and her daughter is 10. They live in a cute little house in Albignasego with their delightful grandmother. I felt like the experience was too good to be true! They cooked me Italian meals, they took me to amazing places; Venice, Verona, Bassano del Grappa, and Cittadella just to mention a few. I cannot say kinder words about them! They have been nothing but hospitable, and I am very sad to be leaving tomorrow. She even took me to water aerobics a few times. I was extremely happy to work off a few pastas and pizzas, but try learning water aerobics in Italian when you do not really understand anything that they are saying!! It was a great experience to say the least!!
The school that I spent my first two weeks in was great! The classrooms were huge, the outdoor garden was nice, and the children were delightful....at first. I joke because this past week has been a bit stressful. At first, I had the 9 and 10 year olds. They were absolutely amazing, so enthuased to learn English, and so entertained by me and the other tutors. Do not fear, I took a lot of pictures of the cute little Italian kids in my class!! The second week however, was a little bit of a nightmare. I was stuck with the 13 year olds. Back in the states, teaching 13 year olds would not be classified under my idea of fun. So, try teaching 13 year olds, who do not speak English, who have been sent to camp with a bunch of little kids, and who ultimately do not want to be there. Well, when you add up that equation, you get....a disaster!! To be brutely honest, it was not as bad as I am making it seem, but my class the week before were angels!! It made leaving a little easier, but I am still sad to be leaving the town and my family.
The hardest thing in this whole adventure has been the food! I really do not think that I can stuff another carbohydrate into my body, but that is all that is really available. They love their pastas, pizzas, sweets, and anything else that falls under the carbohydrate area around here. Hopefully I am not gaining a million pounds like I think I am....
Anyways, I leave for my next destination tomorrow!.......wait for it.....TUSCANY!! I am beyond excited!! However, I am a little nervous to meet my new family after my wonderful experience with this one!! My amazing camp director has already written me an Italian note saying that I cannot eat Pork, Citrus, or Peanuts, so I am ready to go!!
Tuscany here I come!! And hopefully, the internet connection will be better so I can update sooner!!
Thanks for reading and stay tuned!! CIAO!!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Paris....coming to an end....
It may be a little surprising, but we have not taken the opportunity to shop in this fashionable city. Though, we have realized that we have many of the same things at home. However, it was fun to see different boutiques, even though they may be out of our price range. We walked around the Marais area, window shopped, bought a famous Parisian stripped shirt, and enjoyed a stress-free day.
Noticing that there were many tea shops in the area, we decided to stop in for some afternoon tea at Mariage Freres. Since we did not do this in London, it seemed like a perfect thing to do to check it off of our list. It so happened that we were seated next to some English women, who directed us in the right direction out of the 600+ teas to choose from. I ended up have some delicious tea called, Marco Polo, and bought some for myself to bring home. We topped off the afternoon tea with some English scones and some marvelous jams. It was perfect.
Later that night, we met up with one of my brother's friends from college. She is studying abroad in Paris, so she invited us to a night on the town with her and her friends. We started out at a cute little fondue restraunt and had meat and cheese fondue. Then, they invited us to go to their favorite bar called, The Moose. It is a Canadian bar with a bartender from Texas. They feel very comfortable here since everyone speaks their language, so they continue to come back night after night. It was fun to get out of our apartment and see some of the nightlife.
We stayed out late that night and decided that the next day was going to be lazy and relaxing. We started the day at the laundry mat to do a quick wash of some dirty clothes. We planned to spend the rest of the day walking around the city, but the rain ruined our plans. However, we did have a little fun in the famous cookware shop, E. Dehilerin. It was so overwhelming, so many things to see! I ended up buying a little copper sauce pot. Julia Child once said that a copper pot from Paris is the best thing to have in the kitchen, so I thought, why not, I have to have one! I also bought some steak knives with the E. Dehilerin logo on them. It was worth the money, and I can't wait to have them in my kitchen at home, wherever that shall be when I return to reality.
On our way back, we decided to buy some fresh food from the markets. On the menu; seared scallops with a basalmic shallot reduction, fresh peas, mushrooms, and shallots, sauteed in butter, salt, and pepper, and some fresh strawberries and cantelope. We bought some other things for our lunch tomorrow on our 6 hour train ride to Nice.
It is sad that Paris has come to an end. It has definitely been an interesting experience. I am not sure if I actually fell in love with this city, but I had a great time! I am excited to get to Nice and Cinque Terre, and to hopefully get out of the rain! We are more than likely not going to have the internet while we are there, so this may be my last post for a while. I am not sure what my internet situation will be like when I am in Italy, so it may be hard to keep in touch.
I am looking forward to teaching this summer, but I must admit that I am slightly nervous of the unknowns. However, I have overcome all of the unknowns of the foreign cities that I have been in, and am more confident in myself. I am blessed to have experienced all of this, and am excited to see what the future holds! Hopefully I will write soon, so keep checking back!!
Noticing that there were many tea shops in the area, we decided to stop in for some afternoon tea at Mariage Freres. Since we did not do this in London, it seemed like a perfect thing to do to check it off of our list. It so happened that we were seated next to some English women, who directed us in the right direction out of the 600+ teas to choose from. I ended up have some delicious tea called, Marco Polo, and bought some for myself to bring home. We topped off the afternoon tea with some English scones and some marvelous jams. It was perfect.
Later that night, we met up with one of my brother's friends from college. She is studying abroad in Paris, so she invited us to a night on the town with her and her friends. We started out at a cute little fondue restraunt and had meat and cheese fondue. Then, they invited us to go to their favorite bar called, The Moose. It is a Canadian bar with a bartender from Texas. They feel very comfortable here since everyone speaks their language, so they continue to come back night after night. It was fun to get out of our apartment and see some of the nightlife.
We stayed out late that night and decided that the next day was going to be lazy and relaxing. We started the day at the laundry mat to do a quick wash of some dirty clothes. We planned to spend the rest of the day walking around the city, but the rain ruined our plans. However, we did have a little fun in the famous cookware shop, E. Dehilerin. It was so overwhelming, so many things to see! I ended up buying a little copper sauce pot. Julia Child once said that a copper pot from Paris is the best thing to have in the kitchen, so I thought, why not, I have to have one! I also bought some steak knives with the E. Dehilerin logo on them. It was worth the money, and I can't wait to have them in my kitchen at home, wherever that shall be when I return to reality.
On our way back, we decided to buy some fresh food from the markets. On the menu; seared scallops with a basalmic shallot reduction, fresh peas, mushrooms, and shallots, sauteed in butter, salt, and pepper, and some fresh strawberries and cantelope. We bought some other things for our lunch tomorrow on our 6 hour train ride to Nice.
It is sad that Paris has come to an end. It has definitely been an interesting experience. I am not sure if I actually fell in love with this city, but I had a great time! I am excited to get to Nice and Cinque Terre, and to hopefully get out of the rain! We are more than likely not going to have the internet while we are there, so this may be my last post for a while. I am not sure what my internet situation will be like when I am in Italy, so it may be hard to keep in touch.
I am looking forward to teaching this summer, but I must admit that I am slightly nervous of the unknowns. However, I have overcome all of the unknowns of the foreign cities that I have been in, and am more confident in myself. I am blessed to have experienced all of this, and am excited to see what the future holds! Hopefully I will write soon, so keep checking back!!
Versailles
After an exhausting full day in another country, we planned to make another trip outside of Paris. The city of Versailles is only about 30 minutes away, so we decided to get up early and head out to see the famous city of Marie Antoinette. When we got there, the line to get into the Palace was outrageously long, so we skipped that and decided to head straight to Marie Antoinette's cottage and gardens. Of course it was raining, so it was nice to get out of the cold, wet atmosphere. I am glad that I saw the Marie Antoinette movie before going there because it brought her cottage to life. Her cottage is situated on acres and acres of beautiful land, equipped with an awesome farm, and flowers everywhere. We spent quite a few hours walking around her land, and decided to head back to Paris, in the rain.
When we arrived back in Paris, we stumbled upon Les Deux Maggots and Cafe de Flour, two famous restraunts, and both places that Julia Child and Ina Garten frequented. We sat down at Les Deux Maggots and had some Champagne. After sparking a conversation with a guy sitting next to us, we ordered some French cheeses and some more Champagne. The guy sitting at the table next to us happened to be working in Paris for the last three months as a lawyer, and was leaving to go back to LA on Wednesday. He was fluent in French, and it was nice to have someone order for us in French, without the waiter looking at us wierd. Our new friend offered to take us to a part of Paris that is hard to spot unless you live in Paris and speak the language. Knowing that he was harmless, we took him up on his offer and were excited to see another part of the city.
He took us to a quaint little area with tons of cafes, lots of french people, and new scenery. The food was great! I had onion soup, salmon with a butter sauce and rice, and creme brulee for dessert. After we left, we decided to go to another cafe and have a glass of wine. It ended up being the place where Hemingway lived. We met an older English man that was there for the French Open. He decided to have some drinks with us before we headed back home. It was great to meet new people and actually have a conversation in English. It is hard to communicate to the outside world when you don't speak the language, so it was nice to have others to converse with in the same language.
Tomorrow we are planning on settling down and just walking around the city. We have been going going going since we have been here, and we need to relax ourselves. It is definitely tiresome traveling to new places. But, we are having an awesome time doing it!
When we arrived back in Paris, we stumbled upon Les Deux Maggots and Cafe de Flour, two famous restraunts, and both places that Julia Child and Ina Garten frequented. We sat down at Les Deux Maggots and had some Champagne. After sparking a conversation with a guy sitting next to us, we ordered some French cheeses and some more Champagne. The guy sitting at the table next to us happened to be working in Paris for the last three months as a lawyer, and was leaving to go back to LA on Wednesday. He was fluent in French, and it was nice to have someone order for us in French, without the waiter looking at us wierd. Our new friend offered to take us to a part of Paris that is hard to spot unless you live in Paris and speak the language. Knowing that he was harmless, we took him up on his offer and were excited to see another part of the city.
He took us to a quaint little area with tons of cafes, lots of french people, and new scenery. The food was great! I had onion soup, salmon with a butter sauce and rice, and creme brulee for dessert. After we left, we decided to go to another cafe and have a glass of wine. It ended up being the place where Hemingway lived. We met an older English man that was there for the French Open. He decided to have some drinks with us before we headed back home. It was great to meet new people and actually have a conversation in English. It is hard to communicate to the outside world when you don't speak the language, so it was nice to have others to converse with in the same language.
Tomorrow we are planning on settling down and just walking around the city. We have been going going going since we have been here, and we need to relax ourselves. It is definitely tiresome traveling to new places. But, we are having an awesome time doing it!
Belgium
Yummy, gooey deliciousness....Not to mention beautiful unique scenery....these are just a few words that describe the incredible cities in Belgium. After last minute planning, we decided to take the train to Brugges, Belgium. Not only were we tired from our wonderful day of cooking, we randomly decided to take this trip, so we had not prepared. These two factors did not seem to matter though, as everything we experienced was new, exciting, and wonderful.
While riding in the first class section of the train, we met a woman from Canada. She was 45 years old and spending 5 weeks 'backpacking' through Europe, hostels and all! Never having been to Europe, she decided to take 5 weeks of vacation and travel to places that she may never see. Sounds great to me, and it was nice to meet a new friend along the way who likes to travel as much as we do! We invited her to tag along with us and she was greatful to have some company.
Anyways, with new friend in tow, we arrived in one of the few preserved cities in the world. We were fortunate enough to get there when the sun was shining. One thing I have noticed about Northern Europe is that there is always a chance of rain. So, that being said, we were fortunate for the beautiful weather.... at first. After getting out of the train station, we were amazed to see the beautiful town in front of us. We signed up to take a canal cruise through the city so that we could see an overview before we began to wonder. It was very educational, informative, and we saw some neat houses and bridges. Every corner that we turned, there was an opportunity to take a photo, and we sure took a lot of photos!
After our 30 minute cruise, we headed towards a cute little cafe in one of the town squares. A mussel special was on the menu, and I was ready to dive in. I had to complete my Belgium experience with the known famous foods; mussels, beer, chocolate, and waffles. Every bite was delicious, and every calorie was worth it. My meal of mussels, french fries and mayo, and beer was over and we headed to... of course... a chocolate shop. We tested a few shops before we choose the right one to buy some gifts for people back at home. If I could have brought home chocolate for everyone, believe me, I would have, it is wonderful. Not too sweet, but not bitter, just right.
We spent the afternoon wandering around the ancient midevil city. Taking pictures of beautiful churches, bridges, houses, and chocolate shops. It was obvious that it was going to eventually rain, so we went into a few churches to take a break from the cold, rainy day. We stumbled upon the statue of "Madonna and Child" by Michaelangelo in one of the beautiful churches. I bought a postcard and sent it to myself, something I have done in each city that I have been to. When I get home at the end of the summer, I will be presented with postcards from all over the world!
We decided at the last minute to make a quick stop in Brussels before heading back to Paris. Literally, we were only there an hour, but we were only there for two reasons. First, to see the famous Grand Palace Square, and second and most importantly, to have a Belgium Waffle. Oh the waffle, now I wish that I could bring back one of these for everyone! On the outside, it was crunchy, but on the inside, it was gooey and delicious. I had chocolate and strawberries on mine, and ate every bite. We quickly took some pictures of the square, and our waffles, and headed back to the train station to continue on to Paris. We are thinking that we are going to Versailles tomorrow, so now we must go research about that!
While riding in the first class section of the train, we met a woman from Canada. She was 45 years old and spending 5 weeks 'backpacking' through Europe, hostels and all! Never having been to Europe, she decided to take 5 weeks of vacation and travel to places that she may never see. Sounds great to me, and it was nice to meet a new friend along the way who likes to travel as much as we do! We invited her to tag along with us and she was greatful to have some company.
Anyways, with new friend in tow, we arrived in one of the few preserved cities in the world. We were fortunate enough to get there when the sun was shining. One thing I have noticed about Northern Europe is that there is always a chance of rain. So, that being said, we were fortunate for the beautiful weather.... at first. After getting out of the train station, we were amazed to see the beautiful town in front of us. We signed up to take a canal cruise through the city so that we could see an overview before we began to wonder. It was very educational, informative, and we saw some neat houses and bridges. Every corner that we turned, there was an opportunity to take a photo, and we sure took a lot of photos!
After our 30 minute cruise, we headed towards a cute little cafe in one of the town squares. A mussel special was on the menu, and I was ready to dive in. I had to complete my Belgium experience with the known famous foods; mussels, beer, chocolate, and waffles. Every bite was delicious, and every calorie was worth it. My meal of mussels, french fries and mayo, and beer was over and we headed to... of course... a chocolate shop. We tested a few shops before we choose the right one to buy some gifts for people back at home. If I could have brought home chocolate for everyone, believe me, I would have, it is wonderful. Not too sweet, but not bitter, just right.
We spent the afternoon wandering around the ancient midevil city. Taking pictures of beautiful churches, bridges, houses, and chocolate shops. It was obvious that it was going to eventually rain, so we went into a few churches to take a break from the cold, rainy day. We stumbled upon the statue of "Madonna and Child" by Michaelangelo in one of the beautiful churches. I bought a postcard and sent it to myself, something I have done in each city that I have been to. When I get home at the end of the summer, I will be presented with postcards from all over the world!
We decided at the last minute to make a quick stop in Brussels before heading back to Paris. Literally, we were only there an hour, but we were only there for two reasons. First, to see the famous Grand Palace Square, and second and most importantly, to have a Belgium Waffle. Oh the waffle, now I wish that I could bring back one of these for everyone! On the outside, it was crunchy, but on the inside, it was gooey and delicious. I had chocolate and strawberries on mine, and ate every bite. We quickly took some pictures of the square, and our waffles, and headed back to the train station to continue on to Paris. We are thinking that we are going to Versailles tomorrow, so now we must go research about that!
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