Culture Explosion!

Thursday and Friday were filled with cultural shenanigans. We learned how to play bocce on Thursday, and Friday we took a day trip to Ravenna, Pomposa, and Comacchio.

First- A quick rewind

Last week there was a parade for the Palio – an annual horse race/cultural festival/celebration – and it was extraordinary! I went with my host-mom and she explained all about the different sections of the city that compete against each other and pointed out all of the different elements of the parade. All of the participants dress up in medieval clothes and basically put on the parade as it was in the past. It was night, so I apologize if the pictures are not of the highest quality.

Ferrara's Prince

Drum line

Devil

My section of the town: San Giorgio

Spinning flags was important

Now-Bocce!

We learned a little bit about the history of the game, the different types of throws, and how big of a sport it actually is (there’s an international bocce federation and world championships). It was a lot more intense than I thought it would be. They basically have bocce courts where multiple games happen in one place. It’s kind of like an Italian version of a country club where old men go to play bocce and cards. (Keep in mind that they also have junior and women divisions)

Not only did we learn how to properly throw a boccia (pronounced bo-cha), which is a single ball, but we had a little competition. There were three different tasks: getting the bocca in a tire, hitting another bocca, and having your bocca stop in the middle of a mat. I am very proud to say that I got 4^th place and a medal to prove it, so watch out, I’m now a bocce pro.

And finally- the day trip!

This day trip was organized by the program, so there was little aimless wandering, and lots of picture taking. We went to Ravenna (which I really liked) where we saw the Basilica di Sant’Apollinare in Classe, the Basilica di San Vitale, and Dante’s tomb. The basilicas were amazing. They had tons of mosaic from the Byzantine Empire, and needless to say, I took way too many pictures for my own good, so I’ll have to limit what I post. Dante’s tomb was interesting to see, and it brought up many memories of AP English.

Basilica di Sant’Apollinare in Classe

Basilica di San Vitale

Dante's Tomb

After all that, we went to an old abbey in Pomposa. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside, but it was interesting to see the different styles that had influenced the church’s design.

Italian pride was everywhere

They took different columns from different places

Then we took a little breather in Comacchio (aka “Little Venice”). I thought it was kind of like what the Netherlands would look like if it was in the Mediterranean. It was a cute little town; a nice place to stop for gelato!

Ouf- okay, that was a lot, but it’s hard to spread it all out when I don’t have internet at home and I can’t just randomly decide to write a post. But that catches you up on the happenings in Italia!

La Mia Famiglia

I can’t believe that I’ve already been here for ten days! I’m sure you’re all dying to hear about my host family. Well, this is your lucky day. I live with an older couple who have three daughters and five grandchildren, so I don’t have any host-siblings. They’re both very sweet and seem excited to have me here. My host-mom, Chiara, is pretty much your typical Italian mom/grandmother. She’s a great cook and cleans the house every day. She even sets out breakfast stuff for me every morning. Gianluca, my host-dad, is very energetic. Apparently (if I understood correctly), he’s run for mayor of Ferrara a couple of times, but has unfortunately come in second every time. They also have a dog, Maggi, who is, unfortunately, blind, but still very cute.

They’ve hosted multiple students before, and they have a whole set-up for them. I have my own room (and bathroom!) basically in their “attic.” That makes it a bit interesting and painful for me. I wouldn’t be able to tell you how many times I’ve hit my head on the slanted ceiling. The shower is particularly difficult for me to use (see picture).

Overall, the house and my host-parents are great.

My room!

...and the other half of it

Awkwardly short shower

Bologna Day Trip

On our first free day since we’ve been in Italy, six other students and I took a train to Bologna for the day. It was an adventure to say the least. We didn’t really know what to see or where to go, but we had a few maps and a guide book, so we were set. We ended up walking to the main piazza and getting lunch there. After that, we just walked around the downtown area and made our way up to see the university (which is the oldest in the country). It was a short trip, but it was fun to be in a bigger city after walking around Ferrara for a few days.

On the train

A bit of KLM promotion

so cute!

Jesus light for Jesus

picture of the building covering the construction

interesting street name

bikes at the train station

Ferrara- La città della bicicletta

Translation: Ferrara- The city of bikes

Speaking in American or even Italian standards, that certainly is true, but my Dutch half disagrees with that. Until bicycles have undisputed right-of-way and I see a parking garages dedicated to the two-wheeled wonders, Ferrara will never come close to the Dutch.

Don’t get me wrong. Ferrara is actually a really nice place to be. It’s not at all like I thought it would be. I imagined more of an Italian village, but in reality it’s pretty big. There are piazzas (town squares) everywhere, and plenty of gelaterie. The city even has a cathedral and a castle! Yes, I live a 20 minute bike ride from a castle. I think that’s pretty cool.

Like most smaller Italian cities, basically everything closes between 1 and 4 pm, and reopen until about 7. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get used to that. There are coble-stone streets and beautiful old buildings, so it’s definitely a pretty city, and quite different than the cement buildings in most American cities.

I have to admit, I’m still getting used to the Italian fashion. Seeing guys with their hair gelled straight up and wearing skinny jeans is always shocking. And there are scarves everywhere! If I see someone who’s not wearing one, it’s definitely an exception to the rule. 

Here are some pictures of the city!

My first Italian coffee. I'm easing my way up to the straight shot of espresso

Cathedral at night

The "Mille Miglia" is a "race" for cars throughout Italy, and it stops in Ferrara every year.

There are also Ferraris.

Cathedral during the day

Inside

Our castle (sadly, part of one of the towers was destroyed in the earthquake)

Random epic-looking statue

Terremoto!

There was an earthquake here this morning! WHAT?!?! It was a 5.9 on the Richter Scale, but the center was about 25 km from where I actually am. All is well, so no worries there. There is some damage to the really old, historical parts of town, but what else can you expect.


Tomorrow, I promise to post happier/more interesting things.

Internet Issues

My host family doesn't have internet, but that's understandable considering they're an older couple who already have 5 grandchildren. I do have internet access where I have class, but the room isn't always open, and it's a good 15 minute bike ride from my house. So I don't know how often I'll be able to update this and fill you guys in on everything that has happened. We shall see...

Benvenuti A Italia!

My first post from Italy!! I apologize for the lack of posts, but the access to internet has been scarce, so I'll try to catch you all up on the past 3 days.

I left Grand Rapids on Sunday, flew to Chicago, then Madrid, then Bologna. From there a couple of us from the program were driven to the hotel in Ferrara. The trip was rather uneventful overall. I hardly slept on my way to Madrid (still a terrible airport), but then crashed on the flight to Bologna. 

When we got to the hotel, we all took a nap and had a few hours to relax before we had a short meeting and dinner at a pizzeria. We ate relatively early by Italian standards (7:30), but we were all exhausted and I was asleep by 10 that night.

Yesterday, we had a full day of orientation. There was a lot of info and brouchres. There was also a "city game" that we had to do, which was basically a scavenger hunt around the city so we'd get to know it a little better. After all that walking, we had a huge, classically Italian dinner. Four courses and a full stomach. It was a struggle to finish it all...

I have yet to move in with my host-family (that's happening in a few hours) or find out any information about them. I also haven't really taken any pictures (shocker, I know), mainly because I've been too preoccupied with not getting lost. Oh, well, I know they'll come. We're off to go finish getting phones for everyone!

"Today's The Day..."

"...the sun is shining! The tank is clean! Today's the ...*GASP* THE TANK IS CLEAN!!" -Finding Nemo (clip below)

That kind of sums up my feelings right now. I'm excited, but at the same time shocked that it's actually today. My stuff is packed and now I just have to get there. I have three flights in the next 16ish hours. Grand Rapids to Chicago to Madrid to Bologna. So let the adventure begin!

I Guess I Decided To Do A Blog

Hey people! 
As some of you know, my sister has made blogs for her study abroad experiences, and she told me I should too. I asked some of my friends if I should (and if they would read it), and they all said yes. So here it is: a blog that will be all about my adventures in Italy and my struggles not to confuse Spanish and Italian while speaking.
I don't leave for a few more days, but I figured I'd get this up and running before I'm overwhelmed with travel and inter-cultural shenanigans.
I have no idea how often I'll be posting, but you can be sure that there will be lots of pictures when I do. So keep checking to see if there's any thing new every once in a while! Ciao!