italy 2008 -2009

don't let it become a memory

2009-09-15T09:57:00.004+02:00

I can't let my time in Italy fade to become only a memory.

CSULB classes have started. I'm returning to the same places I used to know 2 years ago. I feel different walking around campus. Everything looks like I remember, but I'm seeing them with changed perceptions. I'm realizing how much I've changed.

Sometimes, I even feel stronger.

final days

2009-07-13T01:42:00.003+02:00

After a year, I finally saw my mom again when Eri, Megu, Sei and I got back from our trips to Spain and France. It was a nice reunion, and on the same day we met with Uncle Larry, Auntie Anita, and Jon. We had dinner at Pizzaiuolo, and gelato at Vivoli. We also climbed up to the top of the Duomo for some beautiful views of Florence. It was an interesting climb!

After a couple days in Florence, Mom, Eri, Megu, Sei and I hopped on a train headed to Rome to meet my dad. As soon as he got to the hotel, we were off to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. It was still awesome and interesting the 3rd time - there's always something to learn. Later on we went to the Trevi Fountain. My favorite spot in Rome so far! After gelato at San Crispino we went to the Spanish Steps.
The next day we went to the Vatican and its Museum. It was a free day so the line was long and the museum was packed, but hey, I'm not complaining...It was my 2nd time seeing the Sistine Chapel but it's still a crazy sight, as is Michelangelo's Pieta. We left the mini country of the Vatican to go see the Pantheon, where I only just discovered is the buriel place of Raphael.
Our last day, we did something I've never done in Rome before; we went to see the Boca della Verita! Remember the famous scene from Roman Holiday with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn? We walked around the Campo di Fiori area and the surrounding shops. Then it was time to head back to Florence.
The next couple days was spent packing...it was really difficult to move everything out but I was lucky; I had my wonderful family to help me take stuff in extra suitcases. It was really sad moving out of my apartment, but I'm also grateful because it prepared me for leaving Florence itself.
The fam and I also went to Cortona where we saw that they were filming a movie, something connected with the Cannes Film Festival. We saw Juliet Binoche acting! Cortona was as cute and beautiful as I remember, and it actually rained for about 10 minutes! Later we went to a Oltrarno typical Florentine family style restaurant called "Sabatino" with Uncle Larry, Auntie Anita, and Jon, and said our goodbyes.
The night that Dad, Eri, Megu and Sei left, we had dinner at Pizzaiuolo again, and then at about 4 AM they began their 27 hour journey back to California.
My last two days in Florence with Mom were very relaxing. On Saturday (4th of July) we walked around and did some last minute shopping...on Sunday we went to an early mass at the Duomo and then took a trip around Florence in the red doubledecker "City Sightseeing Bus." It went all the way up to Piazzale Michelangelo and Fiesole. It was really interesting to see the city I've lived in and walked in for 10 months from the perspective of a double decker bus.
It was a good last day.
more to come...

~photo album~

barcelona, madrid, paris

2009-07-10T18:04:00.007+02:00

I'm back in California now, but I'll start where I left off...

On the 14th of June Eri, Megu, and Sei showed up in front of my apartment. It was a short reunion because the same day we headed off to Pisa to catch a flight to Barcelona. Unfortunately Eri had the wrong plane ticket so she ended up having to stay in Pisa for one day longer.

BARCELONA
In Barcelona Megu, Sei and I spent the first day exploring the Market La Boqueria. We had some paella and some delicious fruit juices. We shopped around La Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter, went to the Barcelona beach, and finally met Eri when she got off the bus.fruit juice!

the beach.

The next day we accomplished a lot. We had another round of juice and paella at La Boqueria, and saw Casa Batllo, a house built by Gaudi, who is an architecture genius. The house felt like it had an ocean or water theme, and the roof was an homage to the story of St. George and the Dragon. Another Gaudi masterpiece we visited was La Sagrada Familia, a cathedral. Construction begain in 1902 and now after 107 years they estimate that it will be done in 2026! It was really intricate, with doors carved all over with words or scripture, and Cubist/Futurist looking sculpture. I want to visit it again when it's done!Casa Batllo

La Sagrada Familia

stained glass inside

Another delicious thing we had in Barcelona was the chorizo! They gave us huge sausages of chorizo sandwich style, only for 1.70€!

MADRID
Stop number two was Madrid; on our first day we had tapas, and saw the crowded streets and bars of the nighttime Madrid. We also visited the Prado Museum, where I saw some El Greco, Georges de la Tour, Las Meninas by Velazques, The 2nd and 3rd of May and Saturn by Goya. The Museo de Reina Sofia was really cool - they had more modern art, and featured an artist named Juan Munoz, who you should look up! We also saw the Guernica by Picasso! On the final day we went to the Royal Palace. It was huge, and although it was "no photos" I took some anyway (check my shutterfly!)

the Prado Museum

the Reina Sofia Museum

"Guernica"

PARIS
Our final stop was Paris. We went to Notre Dame by the Seine river; the stained glass windows were gorgeous. Afterwards we went to the Pompidou Center, which is a huge center of galleries, theaters, a library, and research center. We went to see their Calder, Kandinsky, and elles show, which was an exhibit featuring only women artists. If you have seen the film Amelie, you might know the town of Montmarte, where we visited the Sacre Couer church. Also in Montmarte there is the famous Moulin Rouge, with the red windmill, and the Moulin de Gallets, where people like Toulouse Loutrec, Renoir, and Van Gogh hung out. Because it doesn't get dark until about 9pm, we took advantage of the extra daylight to see the St. Madeleine church (for Eri) and the Place de Concorde where Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette were executed. As an artist, I knew I had to spend an entire day at the Louvre. We met up with Nancy and Elsa from CSU Firenze and staying at the museum from opening to closing and saw Victory/Nike of Samothrace, Mona Lisa, Venus of Milo, The Women of Algiers, La Grande Odalisque, and The Raft of the Medusa, to name a few. Afterwards I went to the Arc de Triumph, for a panarama of Paris. Our final dinner in Paris, Eri, Megu, Sei, Nancy, Elsa and I went to a cafe called CHEZ ANDRE where Eri and I had escargot for the first time. It actually wasn't that bad! And the fried goat milk cheese with pear sauce and rucola was one of the highlights... The next and last day we spent at the famous cemetary in Paris known for such residents as Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, and Chopin. It was a very peaceful way to end our trip.

the Arc de Triumph

the Nike of Samothrace

the Eiffel Tower

Notre Dame

the Pompidou Center

"The Fountain" by Duchamp

escargot...

It was a really fun trip, I loved all the art!

photo albums:

Barcelona
Madrid
Paris

art nerd.

2009-06-13T10:02:00.006+02:00

So the year that I'm in Italy, the Venice 53rd Biennale is happening. Dozens of countries have a representative artist who gets to exhibit in a building dedicated to the country. My favorite was the Russian artist Pavel Pepperstein. The whole thing was so inspiring! It was spread out across a garden and a pavilian, plus there were three other spaces and a few smaller venues around Venice.

outside the Biennale

The only thing was, it was TOO big. There was no way you could do it all in a day! And Nancy, John and I really, really wanted to go to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. The only thing to do was to see it the next day when it opened at 10. We decided to spend the night in Venice without booking a hostel, so we would end up sleeping outside the train station. It was all very last minute, and a very interesting experience to keep.

outside the train station

We went into the Galleria dell'Accademia di Venezia to use their bathroom to wash up (since we get in for free...) then waited outside the gate of the Guggenheim. It was worth the night out in the cold! Every important thing we learned in 20th century Italian art was there. Boccioni, Balla, DeChirico, Marini...also Picasso, Pollack, Mondrian, Giacometti, Magritte...etc. It was amazing...

Art Nerds.

Another thing I tried for the first time was this Venetian pasta, which is spaghetti with squid in its own ink. I know it sounds strange but it was delicious!

Yup.
Eri, Megu and Sei come tomorrow for our European adventures to Spain and France. I'm definitely not ready. I should still do some more studying for Anatomy and pack some suitcases. There seems to be so much to do, but at least I know I won't be able to do all of it.
People are leaving from Florence...there is a bittersweet atmosphere, and a need to cherish every second we have left.

The day our friend Heather left, we went up to Piazzale Michelangelo to watch the sun rise.

Also, there was a complication/misunderstanding with our landlady so we have no internet at our house. I'm currently sitting in the stairwell by the door of our school because there is a connection here. So I don't know if I will be updating that much!

Ciao for now, I'll see some of you very soon!

sicilia.

2009-06-04T21:08:00.009+02:00

Sicily is like a separate country from Italy!

I left for the island on Saturday night to arrive in PALERMO the next afternoon. The train ride was long, but I talked to some Sicilians who were returning to their "terra." They said that Sicily has been conquered by 20 different groups, like the Romans, Normans, and Arabs, so the culture is very mixed - even the language is its own dialect.
Palermo is dirtier and shadier than Napoli, but just as fascinating! Some parts remind me of LA though.
I went to Sicily with Nancy, and the first thing we did was walk to a bar recommended by our hostel owner for ARANCINI and CANNOLI, and GRANITA by the Palermo harbor.

We also walked around to see some sights, like the Palermo CATHEDRAL and THEATER.
Other places we went to were the CATACOMBE dei CAPPUCINI. It was really eerie - there were thousands of bodies lined up on the walls - some still had hair and skin! But it was interesting to see so much death presented in front of me, and to think about the fleeting nature of life, and how we should really cherish the time we have.
There was also the MARKETS; we stopped by VUCCIRIA with lots of clothes, seafood, and antiques, where we had a mixed plate of seafood and grilled and fried eggplants.
We also made it to CEFALU', a cute town by the beach. It was a little cloudy that day so not many people were at the beach but we hung out there anyway, with BRIOCHE FILLED WITH GELATO, MARZIPAN, and CANNOLI. We tried climbing up the ROCCA, where there is a Temple and Castle but it was closed off. We got a nice view of Cefalu' anyway! Later we had pizza at a restaurant by the shore.

The next day was an Italian holiday, but the museums were open! We went to the GALERIA di ARTE MODERNA di Palermo, which was really beautiful. They had a collection of Sicilian art from Neo-Classicism and Romanticism to the "Novecento." We stopped afterwards for Macedonia and Frullati (fruit dishes) and then a final cannolo and a cassata before heading back to the hostel.
After an exciting but nerve-racking episode in which we were locked out of the hostel (unable to pick up our backpacks) and barely made it to the train on time, we were on our way home.

And on the train ride home, I got my purse STOLEN!
...but I got everything back.
It was about 5 AM and the 3 of us in our compartment were all sleeping. I half woke up, to see a man leaving our compartment. I thought it was weird, and then I thought, "WAIT A SECOND!" I looked down to see that my purse was gone. I ran down the hallway, (still half asleep) and at the end saw 3 dudes just standing around. When we told them that someone had taken my purse, one of them seemed to remember something. He looked in the bathroom for a bit then came out with my purse. Luckily I had no money on me, and he didn't even take my camera or Ipod.
It was weird because the entire trip Nancy and I kept talking about how lucky we were to be in Sicily, and to experience living and studying in a place so different; being able to grow in such a different way than we would have if we had stayed at home. We knew we had to always be thankful for life, after seeing the Catacombs, we knew how lucky we were to have caught our train on time, we knew we were lucky to be able to study abroad...and the whole episode of getting my purse stolen and then getting everything back just emphasized all those things...somehow. I don't know if it makes sense. Maybe I'm just thinking this way because I only have 32 days left.

SHUTTERFLY ALBUM di SICILIA

Other things that have been happening:
I took the EXAMS for my Painting and Etching classes. For painting I got a 30 and Etching a 28! I'm relieved now that those are out of the way but I still have Anatomy left!
There was also a SCAVENGER HUNT last week. It was fun to run around Florence looking for things and realizing that I knew where most of them were.

Yesterday was our final Art Advising. Everyone has done such amazing work this year! I'm going to miss Marsha but I'm looking forward to seeing her in LA in August!

so...tired...

2009-05-29T03:00:00.008+02:00

Everything seems to be happening all at once. Finals, exams, art projects, deadlines, people leaving Florence, people going back to California, having to run around getting travel plans done, traveling, sending stuff home, packing, getting used to the idea that I have 38 days left...

Our farewell banquet was last Thursday.

The roommates of Via Farini 15.

The studioartkids.

A couple weekends ago Sam and I visited the Pecci Contemporary Museum in Prato with works by Loris Cecchini, Lorenzo Bonechi, and Luciano Ori.
The final weekend before finals, studying was unavoidable, but at least we were able to sit in the beautiful Rose Garden to do it.
For Marsha's birthday, we went to a Chinese restaurant. This one had fortune cookies! Or: biscottini portafortuna.And finally, today was the official last day of finals. (I still have 2 finals left for the Accademia though). Some people are leaving tomorrow morning. I can't believe it. We had a slideshow/yearbook signing today. (You read correctly: yearbooks!)

On Saturday I leave for Sicilia. I'm staying in Palermo. And hopefully visit Cefalu', the city where they filmed Cinema Paradiso! (Which I finally saw this year).

...RIP UNCLE JOE...
♥

mostra nostra.

2009-05-16T19:49:00.007+02:00

The opening of our final art show was on Thursday. It was at the CSU center, along with students from the Accademia. A lot of people came, and it was actually fun!

The Cal State students + Marsha and Domenic +The Cal State students + Accademia students + Marsha=I had three paintings in the show:(once again, I took photos from other people's facebook albums!)

the art is in the streets

2009-05-14T13:04:00.004+02:00

This past Saturday was the outdoor Lorenzo de Medici "The Art is In the Streets" art show. Students from different schools in Florence had artwork put up on Via Faenza, in the streets and in stores, restaurants, and bars. There was a ceremony, and Ron's "Parkour" piece won in the sculpture category:
Afterwards, there was a "Cena sotto le stelle" (dinner under the stars) where a bunch of tables were set up in the street and we all had dinner!(Thanks to Sam and Jackie, I took the photos from their facebooks)
Tonight is our opening for our show, "Mostra Nostra" at the CSU center, which has artwork from the Accademia and us.

may!

2009-05-04T17:28:00.010+02:00

It's now May...and since the weather is better I feel better too!
April 25 was Italian Liberation Day. A bunch of us went to the Boboli Gardens for a picnic, and later I saw a performance in the Pitti Palace of a celebration of Liberation Day.
That night, we went to see the Florence Fiorentina vs. Rome Juventus soccer game. There were thousands of people chanting and yelling - we were sitting at the ground level right next to the field! Fiorentina won 4-1, so there were no riots and the paramedics didn't have to do anything.
We also had a beach day this past Saturday, for our friend Jasmine's birthday! Viareggio is a little beach town in Tuscany - it's really cute like a Californian beach town. There was plenty of sun, even though the water was a bit cold - strangely there were no waves.On Sunday I went to a Bernini Portrait Show at the Bargello. I'm trying to take advantage of my Accademia libretto, which is a student ID/grade book. It gets us into any Italian state museum for free!Mother's Day is coming up! Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone!

Greece for Spring Break

2009-04-18T17:22:00.009+02:00

Greece was one of my top 3 places I wanted to visit during my year in Italy... We left for the 5 hour bus ride to Ancona, then took a 14 hour ferry to the port Igoumenitsa in Greece, then a second 1 hour ferry to the island of Corfu, where we stayed at the famous hostel, the Pink Palace. It was more like a camp, with dining hall, jacuzzi, volleyball court, and of course, the BEACH! I got sunburt but I'm happy I got to enjoy the sun again! The first night there was a toga party after the fantastic dinner (Greek salad is my favorite now!) with ouzo and Greek dancers.We also took a day to go ATV riding. I drove for the first time in 8 months! It was exhilarating because it was windy that day, and we were driving up the cliffs and hills of the island. We got to see the small towns and the bigger city area, and drove up into the olive groves.There was a storm the night we were supposed to leave Corfu, which meant that all the ferries were cancelled! But we got the morning ferry from Corfu to Athens the next day. Athens reminded me a lot of Napoli or L.A. - a little grungy, but lots of personality! We had a delicious dinner with Greek salad, fried feta with fried tomatoes, meatballs, calamari, tzatziki, veal souvlaki, and fruit for dessert. Apparently hookah is a very popular Greek pastime, so we went to relax at a bar after our giant dinner. Shopping in Athens was really fun too! There was a flea market area in Athens - Greece is in general cheaper than Italy, Florence especially. We also got to visit the Acropolis - it was so surreal to see the Parthenon, Karyatids, and Erectheon!

It was weird because I've never traveled to a country where I can't at least read the language; I went to Germany, Romania, Japan, etc, but at least I can read the signs. In Greece, I found that I was frustrated because the alphabet looks so similar to English but I couldn't read it! Also, it turns out that in the Greek Orthodox Church, Easter isn't until the 17th and not the 12th like for us!

The trip back to Italy was long - we had to take a 20 hour ferry to Ancona, and then a 5 hour bus ride back to Florence. But I love traveling, and Greece was worth it! Hopefully I will visit again, to see more of the different islands. I want to learn more of the Greek culture and people by seeing what the individual islands are like.

Now I'm back in Florence, and excited to get started on my projects again. There's nothing like a trip to Greece to revitalize your creative drive!

check my photo album!

Passover

2009-04-10T01:31:00.007+02:00

Tonight we had a Passover feast! Gaby, Sam, and Marsha were our Elders and the rest of us (Sara, John, Federico and I) were the Children. It was really fun to have the traditional reading and food before the main course! I am really full right now.

Bread Bakers

Empty matzo ball soup bowls
(Gaby cut my hair, do you like it?)

Elijah's plate. Shank included courtesy of Sam.

The Elders!

I also know that a lot of you have heard about the earthquake in central Italy. In Florence it was only a small shake around 3:30AM (I was sleeping) but in the Abruzzo region there have been 227 casualties, and severe damage. Please keep them in your prayers!

Also, I am headed off to Greece in a few hours. I'll have lots of pictures of a sunny beach, I hope!

HAPPY PASSOVER
and
BUONA PASQUA!
(happy Easter)

Milano...Visitors from Vermont...Visitor from Spezia!

2009-04-05T12:57:00.012+02:00

A few weeks ago my 20th Century Italian Art class and all the Studio Art students went to Milano to see the 100th Anniversary of Futurism Show. It was an awesome and inspiring show, and Laura, Gaby, Sam and I climbed up to the top of the Milan Duomo - it was super dangerous with lots of wind and Gothic spires waiting to impale us....just kidding! But there WERE a lot of passageways and sculptures of saints or other Catholic figures on the spires. We laid out in the sun and slept until we were woken by the sound of Metro Station playing for MTV Italia TRL. HaHA!Speed. Art. Action.
(photoalbum)

The next day Elisse and Gladys arrived all the way from Vermont! It was so weird to have someone call me "Kei" again! Their first night here, they made some naan for a CSU potluck. I haven't had naan since Amsterdam! We also went to Siena, where we ate panini in the sun-filled Piazza del Campo. The week continued to be nice so we also visited the Boboli Gardens, a place I've been to a lot of times (because I get in for free) but this time (after a picnic of bread, cheese, and wine) I was able to explore more of the gardens, and see the beautiful views of the city. Cortona, the location for the film "Under the Tuscan Sun," was a sweet little town with lots of cute shops and a delicious chocolate shop! They also went on a day-long bike ride through Tuscany to Chianti, and we had some nice dinners at Pizzaiuolo and Osteria Santo Spirito. It was nice to have visitors from home (Gaby's friend Tara also visited from California). It really reminds me that I have to savour these last 3 months. But it also gives me something to look forward to! I want to visit Elisse in Japan and travel in Asia next year, and since Gladys will be in Ferrara I'll also have a friend in Italy to visit!++Shutterfly Album of their trip++

This week I worked a lot - we have three art shows to work for; one with students from CSU and the Accademia, one including students from multiple schools (which is associated with a gallery in Greece), and the third is going to take place outside on a street in Florence. Jackie, Gaby's friend from CSULB, also came to visit from another Italian town. We had a lot of fun and it was nice to have another Long Beach person with us!

I've also been having to think about where I am going to live when I get back...where I'm going to work...what classes to take...slowly my past life in California is seeping into my life in Florence. It's like the opposite of what was happening exactly a year ago. I'm excited to go back but also really nervous. I tell everyone, "I don't want to go back, but I don't want to stay here either." I think I just want to keeping moving around the world. I know, it sounds crazy!

una notte a napoli, con i cieli e il mare

2009-03-18T15:24:00.009+01:00

When we were heading down towards Southern Italy for our final field trip, everything looked exactly like the Southern California landscape - the same hills and the same scenery. We stopped in the ruins of Hadrian's Villa near Rome. Another similarity between Socal and Southern Italy is the sunny weather. It was great because most of the sites we visited were outdoors, so we were able to go outside in nature without coats and scarves. As usual on our field trips, the first night we enjoyed a prepaid group dinner. At the Pizzeria Canta Napoli, we were served three different types of pizza: the traditional pizza margherita, pizza marinara, and pizza con prosciutto and mushrooms. For dessert there was a ricotta and rosewater torta. The pizza that night was the most delicious I've ever had! (The pizza marinara was my favorite). The crust was perfect - crisp on the outside and soft and warm on the inside!
Day Two, we went to Paestum, a site with ancient Greek temples said to be better preserved than the ones in Greece. The weather continued to be beautiful, and I tried some of the mozzarella di bufala, which is made from the milk of the water buffalo which live there. We went to the Museo Capodimonte, a huge place which has a collection spanning from 1500s Titians to 1900s and 2000s with Andy Warhol and Anselm Kiefer. (Unfortunately the modern art section was closed). BUT we got to see some Titians, Caraccis, and Caravaggio's "Flagellation of Christ." For dinner, pizza again, this time at Brandi, the pizzeria known for inventing the pizza margherita for Queen Margherita of Italy.Day Three, we walked a LOT. But it was outside and in the infamous cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii and later the Villa of Mysteries next to Pompeii. It was crazy to hear the stories of that day in 79 AD when Vesuvius erupted and completely covered these two thriving cities in ash and to walk through the ancient streets and homes and see the graffitti and plaster casts of the victims. That was the day that our bus broke down and could not take us back to the hotel. We had to take the train but it wasn't that bad because we were able to walk through the city of Naples. It reminds me a lot of a big U.S. city like LA - it is dangerous and dirtier than Florence - but it's also bigger, and the personality is interesting. The Napolitans are so much nicer too!

Our last day we went to the National Archeological Museum of Naples. It was like being hit in the head by my art history class. (In a good way). I saw the famous "Merchant and his Wife" and the Roman copy of the Doriforos (when I first learned about contrapposto.) On our long drive back to Tuscany, we stopped in a site called Cuma, founded by the Greeks in 79 AD, and where Daedaleus was said to have landed. We walked around to the temples dedicated to Apollo and Jupiter, and then to the Sybil Cave, which is the gate to hell in the Aeneid. This is where the Sybil would foresee the future. Cuma was a nice end to a fun weekend - it was high on a hill by the sea, so we had a beautiful view of the ocean.Now that we're back, it's a lot of school stuff! Luckily, Elisse and her friend Gladys are coming to visit on Saturday so they will distract me from being too studious. LOL. Also, I need to start making plans for Spring Break!!! ahemGREECEahem

+++ shutterfly ALBUM+++

masks of carnevale

2009-03-01T13:16:00.012+01:00

New month, new post!

Last weekend I made a trip up to Venice to stay a couple nights with some friends from the program to celebrate Carnival (or Carnevale in Italian.) Venice is a beautiful port city with labyrinths of winding pathways that lead you over narrow canals. It's easy to get lost. We were able to see St. Mark's square and the church, which houses the body of Mark the evangelist.

view from the inside of the church

The square was filled with masqueraders and tourists. There were plays of the Commedia Dell'Arte, and costume processions, and at one point a giant balloon floated up with an air acrobat flying from it. At night, there was even a drag contest.

everyone in their masks

The next morning we visited the Venetian island of Murano, which is famous for glass. (I got a small glass ring as a souvenir). We had a very pleasant picnic sitting on the edge of the canal, and wandered around a bit more before going back to the main island of Venice, and getting to see everyone's crazy costumes and the nightlife of Venice during Carnival.

on the ferry bus

photo album!

The new semester started this past Monday. There are only four months left. I need to start working harder!

"Amsterdam was stuck in my mind"

2009-02-17T17:42:00.008+01:00

Finals are over!
The semester is done!

The night after my final final was over, Sara, Sam, Gaby and I took a bus to Pisa, then a plane to Eindhoven, then another bus to Amsterdam. When we stepped off the bus we were tired (we hadn't slept that night, and had been traveling for about 8 or 9 hours) and it was raining, snowing, and windy.

Eager to find some food and warmth, we headed straight for the Pancake Bakery, which our roommate John had recommended from his trip to Amsterdam earlier this year. These weren't normal pancakes - mine had spinach, melted cheese, and cashews; Gaby's had apple and bacon, Sam's had ham and cheese, and Sara's was an "Indonesian" pancake with curry. If this sounds disgusting/weird, think of okonomiyaki and how delicious that is. This is the international/Dutch version!
We also visited the Anne Frank House. It was an incredibly strange feeling to know that I was walking in the same places that Anne Frank and the other people in hiding did. I would go crazy being stuck in there for two years.
For dinner, we had a Turkish/Algerian feast. There was hummus, a lamb/chicken/apricot/yam kebab with cous cous, veal ribs, Turkish delight, and baklava.

The next day, we had a bagel breakfast. I never knew I missed bagels so much! Another reason to go back to California.... Next, we headed to the Rijksmuseum (pronounced "raiks" museum), which is scheduled for intensive construction and renovation from 2005 - 2008. It's now 2009, but only a quarter of the building was open. At least we got to see some beautiful Rembrandts and Vermeers! For our Valentine's dinner we went to an "Asian Fusion" restaurant in the vicinity of the Amsterdam Chinatown, got some noodle soup and Ben & Jerry's!

Our final mission was to the Van Gogh museum. A new exhibit focusing on Van Gogh's nightscapes just opened, and it ended with "The Starry Night," which is smaller than I thought... The Van Gogh Museum was full of inspiration for me - and seeing his paintings in person is a very different experience.
For dinner, we went to an Indian restaurant. We couldn't leave Amsterdam without having some Indian food. I finally had some naan!

I was just getting used to eating Italian food every day...and this trip reminded me of the other foods out there...!! I liked Amsterdam a lot, though. It's very peaceful, and the fact that everyone seems to have flower displays in their windows and balconies makes the city that much better. My album - sorry not many photos!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's and President's Day...I am headed off to Venice for Carnevale on Friday and will update about that soon!

5 Months

2009-01-31T19:56:00.010+01:00

To everyone at home; THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the Christmas/お正月 presents! I will try to get out thank-you postcards as soon as I can...!!!
Last weekend we went on a Northern Italy field trip to Ferrara, Padova, Vincenza, Mantova, and Venice. We saw many beautiful buildings; a Palazzo Ducale which contained the Camera degli Sposi, and an amazing theater (in the photo on the right.) In Venice we went to the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia, where we got to see a lot of paintings by Tintoretto, Titian, Veronese, and Giorgione. Venetian painting is distinctly different from Florentine painting. It's darker because it's painted on dark canvas and wood. (I actually like it better). The weekend definitely helped inspire me, which is a good thing because I need to get a lot of painting and drawing done!

Something weird: When we went to the Hong Kong ristorante two Tuesdays ago, the waitress was talking to us for a bit, and mentioned that she had a 5 month old baby. And I realized, that baby has been alive as long as I've been here in Florence.
FIVE MONTHS has gone by fast...but there have been some "slow" times as well. However, It's been five months of rediscovery, normal discovery, and change. Already I can feel how it will be difficult for me to adjust to life back in the States. Now that I know that 5 months is not enough to fully know and understand a place, how can I ever settle in one place when there are so many places to explore?

duemillenove + adventures

2009-01-21T12:29:00.020+01:00

This was the craziest New Years I've ever experienced. First we had a potluck for the people who were still in Florence (as opposed to traveling Europe or back home in California). The photo is our apartment decorated with artwork and ribbons!

Then we went to Piazza della Signoria to see how Florentines celebrate Capo d'Anno. It insane. There were fireworks - but not organized ones. These were fireworks that normal people were shooting up into the sky - fireworks that exploded and made sounds like bombs in your ears - and fireworks that shot horizontally at you. It sounded like the city was being bombed. Once the clock struck midnight, people started throwing their empty wine and prosecco GLASS bottles. It was scary!

The next morning I hopped on a train to Rome to meet Nate there at the airport. It was weird to see him after five months. We got extremely lost on the way to our hotel, but we finally found it. The next day after lunch in Piazza Navona, we returned to the airport (after getting lost yet again) to pick up Judy.
Exploring Rome was an amazing adventure - we went to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Vatican Museums and into St. Peter's. And I saw Michelangelo's Pieta! (See photo) - and also the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and Raphael's School of Athens.

After Rome we returned to Florence - we got to go to all the markets - Sant'Ambrogio, San Cascine, and San Lorenzo - we went to the Galleria at the Accademia and the Uffizi, got gelato and good food (including Chinese for the first time in a long time for me). For a weekend we spent a night in Bologna where I found 50 euros on the ground and we blew it on an amazing dinner in a beautiful, cute restaurant that served traditional Bolognese food. We also visited Pisa and Lucca, and on our last night we went across the Arno to a small trattoria for a classic Tuscan meal. I will definitely miss them but believe it or not I've been here for five months next week. Half of my ten months in Italy has flown by and it won't be long until I see them and my family again.

I also got to see the Obama inauguration! It was amazing to see the ocean of people there, and even though I'm not in the USA for this historical election/change of power, at least I can always say, "The first time I got to vote, it was from Italy for the first black president - and I got to watch his inauguration on CNN.com!"
Go Obama!

& MI PIACE VIENNA

2008-12-29T17:10:00.005+01:00

Do the words "Von Trapp," or "Julie Andrews" pop into your head when you think of Austria? Unfortunately, we didn't see any Sound of Music sites in Vienna...but don't worry, there was still a LOT to see!
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DAY 1 in VIENNA: 24 DECEMBER

Christmas Eve! After about 13 hours on trains and some difficulty, we found our hostel, The Wombats, which was much livelier than our hostel in Berlin. We walked around for a little bit - it's much easier to get around Vienna than Berlin, due to its smaller size. We went to the Secession building, where we saw the Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt. We tried to find an open Christmas market, but I guess they must close on Christmas Eve and Christmas because there were only a few stands open - and they were closing. But we ended up in a small bar/restaurant and I had hot chocolate and some beef goulash. Peterskirche is a beautiful church in the center of the Vienna Ring which was decorated with Christmas trees and a nativity, and there we had our midnight Christmas mass. I didn't understand anything, since it was in German, but I was glad to go to a service (even if it was a mass) and pray, because I haven't been to church since August 24th...

DAY 2 in VIENNA: 25 DECEMBER

Christmas Day! And my most unconventional one ever. It was weird to do normal tourist stuff, to not be with my family, and realize that it is actually Christmas Day. At the hostel we met 2 Italians from Bari, in the south, and they told us about this house called Hundertwasserhaus, and they went with us there. It was Gaudi-like (although Nancy and Elsa, who've been to Spain, say the real Gaudi architecture is way cooler), with the wave shaped walls and ground, and use of mirror pieces and lots of color. Later we took a break with coffee and chocolate cake, and sightsaw around Mariathereisinplatz. We had our hearts set on getting standing tickets to see the Nutcracker at the Viennese State Opera, and after standing in a long line...we did! The tickets were only 4 euros and the show was beautiful! Why did I quit ballet?? The three of us wanted to have some Viennese food for our Christmas dinner, so we went to a place close to the hostel, where I had an old-style Viennese soup, bread dumpling in broth, and apricot pancake. We stayed there until we were too tired. A good end to an unconventional Christmas.

DAY 3 in VIENNA: 26 DECEMBER

Berlin has Museum Island, and Vienna has the Museums Quarter. We went to 2 of the museums there - the Museum Moderner Kunst (MOMuK) and the Leopold Museum. The first had some pretty cool video, installation, and architecture art, and the building was made of basalt lava. The Leopold had Klimt, and an exhibition for Egon Schiele for the 90th anniversary of his death at 28 in 1918. I'm now a fan of both Klimt and Schiele! And of Art Nouveau. Then we went to the Sacher Cafe, which is where the Sacher torte was invented...4.90 euros for a torte but it was worth it. Maybe the best chocolate cake I've had...

DAY 4 in VIENNA: 27 DECEMBER

Stephansdom is the main cathedral in Vienna, and we went there to take pictures early on our last day. Driven by our newfound love for the work of Klimt, we went to the Belvedere to see The Kiss. The gardens looked pretty depressing...it was all brown and the fountains were drained. BUT the museums was pretty awesome - I learned a lot more about the Secessionists and Art Nouveau, and they had a recreation of the Klimt room during an exhibition from his time. That was where I saw The Kiss, Danae, Fritza Riedler, and The Three Ages of Woman, and more. Then we went to the Hofburg Palace, which is now a museum and library. Mozart lived in Vienna - and his most expensive apartment is a museum. It was interesting to learn about him - all I know about him is what I saw in Amadeus - and cool to be in the house where he wrote "Figaro." These prodigys, like Mozart and Schiele, are really motivating me now! I need to really work more and push myself more with my art! By my age, Mozart was composing genius operas and Schiele was a year or two away from joining Klimt and the Secession!
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SEE what I'm talking about:
Midnight Christmas mass in German...
...and the Nutcracker on Christmas night!
ALSO: I will probably post links to Nancy and Elsa's photos once they put them up!

It's nice to be back in Florence - it's a little more familiar, and even though I love traveling, it's nice to have a place - a home - to go back to. And it will be fun to celebrate the New Year in Florence as well. Then on the 2nd, I'm off to Rome for a couple of days to meet my friends Nate and Judy who are actually LEAVING sunny California for the -0 Celsius temperatures here in Italy. I can't wait!

I ♥ BERLIN

2008-12-29T15:43:00.010+01:00

I will halve my winter break trip into 2 Posts, to make it a little easier for you all to read, hopefully!
So...I knew Berlin was a great place for contemporary art culture as well as a city rich in its own fascinating (and sometimes horrible) history...but I never thought I would fall in love! Like Rome, Berlin is massive compared to little Florence, and it embraces the modern and cosmopolitan.

DAY ONE in BERLIN: 20 DECEMBER

Elsa, (an art history major), Nancy (a sculpture/jewelry major), and I arrived at the main train station Hauptbahnhof after about 8 hours traveling. We found our hostel and checked into our 8-bed dorm (it looked like 4 others were already there). Then we went out exploring for a little bit, walked along the Spree River, and had dinner at a little restaurant across from the Pergammon Museum. We all had wurstels with potato salad, apple strudel, and I had sherry juice, which was interesting. After dinner we continued our explorations and happened upon one of the fabulous German Christmas Markets along Unter den Linden street! We immediately regretted our early dinner once we saw the endless stands of hot dogs, pastries, nuts, and the array of strange, foreign, edible treats labled (sometimes) with a jumble of unpronouncable words. But we all decided to at least get a hot chocolate, and promised to return the next night. We kept walking, and found ourselves at yet another Christmas market that lit up the night. This one had a huge ferris wheel and a skating rink, and was even bigger than the first one. "Let's come back to this one tomorrow," we agreed. Still tired from the long trip, we trekked back to the Heart of Gold Hostel in the cold and went to sleep.

DAY TWO in BERLIN: 21 DECEMBER

Thanks to the Let's Go: Western Europe book I borrowed from Sara, we knew that there was a so-called "Museum Island" in Berlin, so we headed there the next morning, and went to the Alte Nationalgalerie - filled with works from the mid & late 19th century and the early 20th century (Friedrich, Monet, Renoir, Rodin, and some amazing Neo-Baroque stuff!). It was so inspiring...! We spent about 4 hours there, and then tried to walk to the Hamburger Bahnhoff Museum which had a pop art/Andy Warhol exhibit, but it was all the way across by the train station, so by the time we got there, it was closing in an hour. We did get to see some sights, like the Brandenburger Tor BEFORE ... AFTER. Instead, we headed towards Alexanderplatz, where we saw the Christmas Market the night before. There, I had a bratwurst with the spiciest mustard I'd ever had - I know now why they use mustard gas. Nancy and I shared a fried flat bread with sour cream, cheese, and spices. (Look at my photos, it's like a German version of a pizza?) There was a Schaumkusse - a marshmallow-like thing with a coat of chocolate. Finally, I had a candied apple, which was just weird - all the Germans were eating them though. (I know - a lot of food, but at least we didn't have lunch...?)

DAY 3 in BERLIN: 22 DECEMBER

The three of us woke up late and wandered around the city for a bit and took photos of different buildings and sights. We found Checkpoint Charlie, where there was an American soldier standing with a flag, and there it was - the famous "You are now entering the American sector" sign. We saw one of the longest standing stretches of the Berlin Wall, and the "Topography of Terror," which was an exhibition along the Wall with explanations and history. After a bit of walking around, we also made it to the Jewish Memorial, which was very strange to walk around in. It felt like one of those garden mazes, except in concrete. Sounds would get muffled as you walked into the center, and since it was dark it was even spookier. When it got too cold, we went to the Christmas market again. I got an After Eight - hot chocolate with a shot of peppermint liqueor, and a pretzel. We met a jewelry vendor at one of the stands who took us to his shop and gave us cafes and discounts. Then we returned to the market to wander around a little more, and Elsa and I got some candied nuts (delicious!!).

DAY 3 in BERLIN: 23 DECEMBER

For once, we managed to wake up early and saw the Reichstag building, with its beautiful glass dome. We'd seen advertisements for a Jeff Koons exhibit, and Nancy and I were determined to see it. So we went to the Neue Nationalgalerie to accomplish our goal! There was Tulips, which I actually also saw at LACMA, Hanging Heart (Violet), Ballon Dog (Red), and Cracked Egg (Blue), among others. It was inspiring, and refreshing. Then our third and final museum in Berlin; the Gemaldegalerie. They had a collection of paintings from across Europe - Rembrandt, Titian, Caravaggio, Rubens, Wattaeu, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Botticelli, Velazquez - it was pretty intense! After that, we went on a quest for the Steinway Haus - Elsa's dad works with pianos, and she plays too. The pianos there were so beautiful! There was one that was made of Indian applewood, I think, which looked like a tigereye stone.
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There is no way to fully experience Berlin in 3 and a half days. I want to go back for sure, and get to know the city, language, history, and people better. Probably during a warmer season.

PHOTO TIME!
Weihnachten markets every night...
...and visits to historical sites and museums.

Buon Natale!

2008-12-18T16:40:00.014+01:00

I just got out of my last class before winter break. Although I'm excited about venturing (finally) outside of Italy, I'm kind of worried about the cold in Germany and Austria. I thought Florence was cold (even though this weekend the forecast is 60 F - why can't it be that warm when I'm here?) but in Berlin and Vienna it's snowing! I went to the very cheap San Cascine market (only open 9-2 Tuesdays) and stocked up on some layers. But I'm pretty excited to try real German and Austrian food - I can't wait for waffles or pancakes...strudels...even sausages, which I never ate too much of. And I hear the kebabs are better in Germany too - I don't know if I want to stop for those though.

Now that we have a studio art student "studio" at the CSU center (it's more like a converted closet) I've been spending more time painting! It's great and reminds me of taking studio classes back in Long Beach - a bunch of artists working into the late hours, painting, drawing, sculpting, and sleeping in there.

Florence is getting all decorated for the holidays! There are lights hanging overhead, and Christmas trees in the piazzas. I'm sad I won't be here for Christmas but I will be here for New Years!

This is me (a month or two ago) rubbing the nose of the Florence bronze boar - it's supposed to be good luck, or bring you back to Florence.

If I don't talk to you before I go away from Internet Access:
~ m e r r y ♥ c h r i s t m a s ~
I miss you and will be thinking of you all during Christmas!
CLICK HERE

Field Trip #3

2008-12-11T15:53:00.008+01:00

Have you heard of any of these places: Urbino? Assisi? Ravenna?
Have you heard of any of these people: Piero della Francesca? San Francesco? Giotto?
I've only heard of a couple, and that's only because I've taken art history. Twice. So the field trip this weekend was probably intended more for the art history students than for everyone else. As for me, (a studio art student who has never been able to get into medieval art) it was definitely difficult to get through the long explanations and descriptions of historical debates surrounding the churches and artwork.
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We left early on Friday morning, and stopped in Monterchi to see the "Madonna del Parto" - I'd never heard of this work or the guy who painted it (Piero della Francesca) but supposedly della Francesca was rediscovered by contemporary artists and this is one of his most beloved paintings. We also made a stop in San Sepulcro to see the Museo di Civico and more Piero della Francesca paintings (the Resurrection of Christ is famous), and finally made it to Urbino to stay at the Piero della Francesca Hotel. I couldn't believe they named the hotel after him. Dinner was pretty good - we went to a restaurant called Da Ciacci. They had about 9 courses. But it was fun because you just took a serving spoonful of each dish, so even though I was unbelievably full, I also got to try a lot of different things.
The next day we spent in Assisi. If the name sounds familiar, it's probably because of Saint Francis of Assisi's fame. And the San Francesco Basilica was probably the highlight of the trip, for me. There was the upper church, lower church, and the crypt below where the body of St. Francis is kept. We got a preview and intro to the church and St. Francis by a Franciscan monk from America, and I learned that St. Francis was actually a really cool guy. He was a rich kid who was later thrown out by his father. He was simply into spreading love and care, and being completely humble about it. There was also the Church of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) which we were only able to walk through briefly because we were behind schedule by like 2 hours.
On Sunday we checked out of the hotel and went to Ravenna, and these are the things we saw: the Mausoleum of Teodorico, Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, the Tomb of Dante, Arian Baptistry, the Museo Arcivescovile, San Vitale, Galla Placidia, San Francesco, and San Giovanni Evangelista. I'm sorry you had to struggle to read through all those names - just imagine having to walk around to ALL of them. I have to be honest: the churches and mosaics all kind of blend together into one LONG day. I'll let you look at the photos...I do clearly remember a crypt that was actually underwater, with goldfish swimming in it. I think that might have been at Galla Placidia. One of the highlights was getting to drink a cioccolata calda that was super thick, a characteristic of the hot chocolate in Ravenna.
Every time we got on the bus, we were all so grateful for the heat, because Assisi, Urbino, and Ravenna were way colder than Florence. Now that I'm back in Florence, I know I can't complain. Hopefully I'll be ready for the freezing weather in Austria and Germany.

FACEBOOK PHOTOS!
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In other news:
- I have MIDTERMS next week for my Italian classes. I've been too preoccupied with my Accademia classes to really think about Italian so I'll be studying this weekend!
- There is a German festival in anticipation of Christmas in Santa Croce. I've never had HOT SPICED WINE or APPLE CIDER WITH RUM before. They're delicious! And also white sausage with sauerkraut and mustard? I hope I can have the real thing in Germany.
- We have a HOLIDAY BANQUET tonight at the CSU center! Free food!

Turkey = Tacchina

2008-11-29T02:12:00.004+01:00

If you didn't know this already, Florence is a city filled with students, and American students especially. And all the American students have to celebrate Thanksgiving (as you probably knew already.) The Florentines sell turkeys specifically for us, and the butchers put little "Happy Thanksgiving" signs in their windows, which are naturally colored red, white, and blue.

So we reserved a turkey at the mercato, and Samantha picked it up on Thursday. (Luckily, it was a bird that fit - if narrowly - into our tiny oven.) Sara found some cranberry sauce at an American bakery, and we spent the whole day cooking! Marsha (our art advisor), Pietro, Laura, Nancy, Jackie, and Mark came by. Sara and John decorated our apartment with paper cut-out leaves and turkeys, and a colorful decorated sign reading "Buon Giorno de Ringraziamento!" John also made all of us Native American headdresses, and bestowed upon us our Indian names: Sara was Chipmunk Nuts. Gaby was Magic Corn Husk. Sam was Wild Belly. I was Glowing Moon, Glowing Face. And John was Great Snowcone. I know what you're thinking - and yes, we are kind of crazy...

It was an epic feast that night - corn, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans with panchetta, cream spinach, panzanella (a Tuscan bread salad), garlic mashed potatoes, sweet mashed yams, biscuits, and the turkey complete with stuffing, which Gaby prepared. For dessert, there was pear and dried cherry bread with cream cheese and cinammon butter, pumpkin pie, and afterwards, (naturally) the Thanksgiving food coma. I am still full - and we still have tons of leftovers.

Click for PHOTOS!

an eternal city...

2008-11-26T20:30:00.009+01:00

ROME DAY 1:
Two weekends ago, our school took us on a field trip south to Rome. We met at the CSU center at 6:30 AM and took a bus all the way. There were a couple stops - one in the Necropolis at Tarquina to see Etruscan graves, and into the living town of Tarquina to see the Etruscan museum there. Our second stop was the Necropolis at Cerveteri to see more Etruscan graves. By now, I am completely Etruscan-ed out. However, the Cerveteri Necropolis is beautiful - it's foresty and green, maze-like with an air of peace and tranquility. The graves take the form of small hills with corridors leading inside. Think of the Hobbit Shire from "Lord of the Rings." I wouldn't mind being buried in this city of the dead...!
At around 6:30 PM we finally made it to Roma - our hotel was called the Jolly Leonardo da Vinci, and despite it's name, it was a very lovely place to stay! (There were lots of Nihon-jins staying there, which might say something...) Our dinner took place in the dining room at the hotel, with a first course, a second course, and a dessert.

ROME DAY 2:
I was spoiled during my last international trip - it was to Japan, and I had luxurious breakfasts of rice with misoshiru, onsen tamago, fresh fruit and 10 different types of juice. At the Hotel Jolly Leonardo da Vinci they also had a fantastic spread of mushrooms, sausages, juices, fruit, caffe, and an array of pastries. (Probably to live up to the standards of those Nihon-jin kankou-ers).
Our first sightsee-spot was the Roman Forum - the Palatine Hill, Capitaline Hill, Curia senate building, Commiteum, Triumphal Arch, Temple to Saturn and Hestia, the Basilica of Constantine...there were so many ruins, built during so many different reigns, and built at varying heights, that I couldn't take in all of that history in the 2 or 3 hours we were there.
On the bus on the way to Rome, we saw the Russel Crowe film "Gladiator." And the next day, there I was, standing in the Colosseum, where gladiators fought in ancient times. It was magnificent, awesome...and hard to imagine how it would have looked in 75 AD, with awnings pulled out, hearing the roar of thousands of Romans cheering on the fighters battling to the death.
The Parthenon and the Pantheon...the names are so similar and I always mix them up. But now that I've seen the Pantheon, it will hopefully be easier! On the outside, the Pantheon is a little dark and unimpressive...but once you walk inside, it's just as beautiful as any of the churches with colored marble and gold facades. It has a strange floor - it's concaved - and there is a circular opening in the roof - but rain never gets in. I didn't really understand it.
Later, we went to the Chiesa Luigi dei Francese, where I saw my first Caravaggio painting in person. The Calling of St. Matthew! Then to Piazza Navona, where we (sort of) saw Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers (it was under restoration - so our view was a bit obstructed). The church in the piazza - Chiesa Agnese in Agone, was in an unsual oval shape.
For dinner, some of us went to a restaurant where we had appetizer of fried olives stuffed with pork, and the Roman specialty pasta carbonara and for dessert, I had a ricotta torta (in the photo, the one on the very right.)
The Fontana dei Trevi was right down the street from where we had dinner...it was my favorite sight. It was more beautiful than any of the reproductions or photos I've seen of it - and we did the whole throw-a-coin-over-your-shoulder thing (I used a U.S. quarter, if you want to know), and then sat around sketching.
We found the Piazza Spagnolo and the Spanish Steps - the first thing I thought about was Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in "Roman Holiday." A couple of us climbed to the very top and enjoyed a moment with a view of the Roman skyline - but then it started raining so we found the nearest subway and (using our Roma Pass) rode back to the hotel.
By then it was about midnight, which meant we had been out walking and being tourists for about 14-15 hours. BUT...the night was not yet over. I joined a group that was going to Vatican City - and I'm glad I did...even though I was ready to knock out in the warm room back at the hotel...even though my feet were aching like I'd just spent a whole day running around and standing in lines at Disneyland. The Vatican was deserted, except for a few people and cars passing through. St. Peter's Basilica was glowing, the fountains on either side of it looked like misting sculptures.
If you ever have the fortune to be in Rome - if you have the opportunity, see it late at night. This is when it really lives up to its name: "The Eternal City." Everything looks and feels so ethereal - there is a turquoise glow emanating from everywhere, dreamlike.

ROME DAY 3:
Our final day in Rome, we got up at 6:45AM - in time for breakfasts, checkouts, and a bus ride to the Borghese Museum by 9:00AM. Caravaggio is my favorite painter from art history, and Bernini my favorite sculptor (thanks to The Ecstacy of St. Teresa). The Borghese Museum has some of their most famous works. David & Goliath, St. Jerome...Apollo & Daphne, the Rape of Persephone...I was able to sketch from Caravaggio's paintings while Dominic (our resident director) talked. I was filled with inspiration - I wanted to make all my lights dark and all my darks really dark...!!
Next, we headed to Via Veneto, a street lined with designer stores and posh ristorante and bar/cafes. Dominic and one of the other staff members, Refuggio, told us they were taking us to a "surprise" and led us to a small, discreet church called Chiesa Immacolata Consezione and their Capella dei Cappucini. Refuggio hurriedly told us that he had gotten us 10 minutes to go inside, but we would talk about these 10 minutes for the rest of our lives. I know I was pretty excited - and this was what was inside: there was a long corridor, with enclaves on our left. In these spaces were graves. Not that strange. But on the walls were bones. Hundreds of hip bones or jaw bones arranged in decorative designs. Rib bones and leg bones made patterns around us. The tiny disks from the spines were used to make small chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. And surrounding the graves were the mummified bodies of deceased monks, either reclining or standing up in praying positions or holding crosses. I could see their fingernails. It was creepy, for sure, and to top it off there was spooky, solemn organ music playing from speakers somewhere. a photo...
I mentioned before that I was Etruscan-ed out - by the first day. The next stop in our tour was Palazzo delle Esposizione, where there was an Etruscan exhibition. I can only see so many Etruscan esophagi and artifacts, and in Florence and Rome I am constantly served up history, Renaissance, works from antiquity, etc. Luckily there was a Bill Viola show at the Palazzo delle Esposizione, which was perfect - a lot of people cut short the Etruscan show and headed for the video art. I saw his "Crossing," "The Greeting," "Observance," and "Departing Angel," to name a few. It really inspired me to learn more about video art, and perhaps even try it.
Afterwards, it was about time for an early dinner, so a few of us entered the first open restaurant that we found open, where I had a truffle arancini, and my first Italian lasagna. It was a very leisurely dinner, and by 7:00 we were back on the bus, and by 1!:45 that night I was back at home in Florence.

I want to spend a year in Rome too - 3 days is not enough for such a big, diverse, modern, yet historically epic city.
my facebook albums of Rome:
uno
due

The Coast and then...school!

2008-11-07T15:58:00.006+01:00

The view from the Atrani beach:

Day One:
This last Tuesday, Sara, Sam, John, Gaby, and two of our friends Heather and Stefany took the 6:45AM train from Santa Maria Novella...our destination: the Amalfi Coast, and Ischia for Sara's 21st birthday. We switched trains in both Naples and Salerno, then took a bus to the coast. All the films and photos that I've seen capture the coast beautifully...there are the tiny buildings seemingly stacked up on each other, rising from the cliffs. It was wonderful to catch the scent of the sea again, hear the waves, and see palm trees. It was a little drizzly and overcast, but the place is still gorgeous. Because it is the off-season, our hostel was pretty much empty - there may have been two or three other occupied rooms, but we barely saw anyone. But we got to pick rooms in the front! Our first dinner was at a restaurant called "Le Due Palme." We all got an eggplant dish and mussels (the best ones I've ever had) for primi piatti, and then pizza for the main course. (We continued to eat a lot of pizza during our stay in Southern Italy ... I don't know if I can bring myself to eat the pizza in Florence afterwards!) The southern Italians also have a different way of speaking - they slur their words, and pay less attention to grammar rules. The first time I heard it on the train, I couldn't understand what they were saying.

Day Two:
Our hostel's free breakfast was so sweet! The cappucini have small smiley faces in them (see my facebook album for a photo). The second day we began our hike to Ravello. I have never known a place like this existed! Everything was green, moist, and almost tropical. There were moments when I was reminded of Hawaii or even the mountains of Japan, but instead of temples I saw the stacked Italian homes and churches. We passed by the private olive and lemon groves, and strange abandoned homes. There was a ceramics studio on the road up to Ravello where the lady, Giona, makes all her own ceramics (which the coast is famous for) and sells them. We finally made it to Ravello after maybe three hours. It is a cute town, although the items are a little overpriced (they take advantage of the tourists). We went into a church that housed the centuries-old (at least 400 years old) blood of Ravello's patron martyr.
That night for dinner we walked from Atrani to Amalfi along the cliffside, which is high above the rocky ocean below. In Amalfi we tried a restaurant called Tari, where I had a homemade pasta dish with squid, clams, and mussels. After dinner we walked out onto the pier and watched the waves and lightning, and getting sprayed by the Mediterrenean. We decided to head back to Atrani...and this is when we almost died! It was raining a little when we started back, but then the rain started going sideways. I closed my umbrella because it would have just snapped. When we got to the cliffside, the wind started picking up and I was forced to run because of the wind. I fell down, skinning my knee a little and ripping my jeans. I was huddled there with Stefany, Gaby, Sara, and Sam (I think) a few feet in front of me. There were motorcycles falling around us, and I remember being crouched on the ground there, thinking "I'm just going to stay here until it stops!" Luckily, Heather and John came back, dragged us through the wind and rain away from the edge of the cliff, where the wind was lighter. Exhausted and soaked through, we dragged our feet back to Atrani where we hung our clothes out on the clothesline, and took hot showers. For a while I was too much in shock to sleep!

Day Three:
We went to Amalfi to explore the town and see the Cathedral of Amalfi, which is beautiful. There was the Cloister of Paradise, filled with palm trees, and housed the remains of Amalfi's saints. Then the Basilica of the Crucifix, which holds some of Amalfi's treasures, such as jeweled crosses, crowns, and relics. The Cathedral of Amalfi also has the remains of the disciple Andrew in the Crypt of St. Andrew. Finally, there was the Cathedral, and there was a Eucharist in progress when I entered, so I got to see the priest speaking and hear the organs. We also visited the Museo delle Carte - the first paper mill in Europe, in use since the 1100s. After Amalfi we took a bus up to Positano. It is amazing taking the bus along the coast - it's so beautiful but it's also very scary - the street is so narrow so the driver has to honk a few times before turning any corners. Positano was a beautiful town, probably a destination more for people with money than for students. But the beach there was beautiful, and the water was warm, so we waded in. Because everything was so expensive, we went back to Atrani for dinner at a pizza kitchen right on the beach. I had a seafood pizza!

Day Four:
Sara's 21st birthday! We took the bus to Naples (a very dirty and crowded city...kind of like L.A. except maybe a little dirtier) and then a ferry to the island of Ischia, in the Bay of Naples. When we met the hostel owner, he offered us an apartment (instead of a room) which was basically a beach house with two terraces - one of which was over the water. When the hostel owner found out that it was Sara's birthday, he offered to open up his family's restaurant for us. It was really nice to have the restaurant to ourselves (along with a Canadian and Australian who came from the hostel) and I had a whipped egg and parmesan in chicken broth soup and tomato, mussels, & pecorino on giant tube sized-pasta. It was really nice - they brought out small chocolate cakes with a candle and we all sang "felice cumpleanno" for Sara.
(I had my first soft persimmon in Ischia - it was like jelly and delicious! I never knew I liked persimmons before this.)

Day Five:
We were originally going to leave on this day, but after seeing the beach house we couldn't help but stay another night, so we wouldn't feel rushed. We had heard about a thermal beach, so we went to the grocery store, picked up some things for sandwiches and lunch, and took a bus and short hike down to the Sargento beach. There wasn't any sand - just rocks, but we could climb on top of them and sit in the sun. (It was actually pretty sunny there and I got a little bit burnt!) The hot springs water came out of a small ledge under the shallow water. The cooler water from the waves perfectly balanced out the boiling water from the thermals. There was a man who was sitting there the whole time, and he was selling these jars of a mud skin treatment. We bought some for 2 Euros each and painted ourselves with it. After letting it dry, we rinsed off in the hot springs - and my skin did feel much softer!
...It was definitely very strange coming back to Florence, and finding myself thinking, "I'm glad to be home."

Check out my Facebook albums of the trip:
Uno . Due . Tre

This week was also my first full week of class at the Accademia. My painting class is very confusing - apparently it's hard for even the Italian students to understand the teacher, Professore Bisi. Hopefully it will get easier to communicate! I am also taking Anatomy, which consists of two 1 hour lectures and 2 hours of life drawing during the week. The teacher, Gennari, speaks a little English so it's a bit easier. My last class at the Accademia is Etching (Tecniche delle Incisione) with Viggiano, who has been teaching for about 40 years, I think, and was the head of the Accademia for several years as well. He doesn't speak English, but is able to communicate to us and is very helpful! It's exciting to finally go to an Italian school and meet people from Italy and from around the world.

Protests, chocolate, calcio, and international dinners

2008-10-27T00:06:00.004+01:00

There hasn't been much new news since the last time I updated...we had our finals for PLP this past week and studio art students have our orientation and first day of instruction tomorrow (Monday the 27th) at the Accademia. Then on Tuesday our apartment and our friend Stefany will be spending the rest of the week in the Amalfi Coast and Sara's birthday (October 31st) on Ischia.
We've had a couple interesting dinners here at the Castella di Nutella as well...
Ramen sent from the Ota family on Willis Lane:

And fajitas made with tortillas and black beans from Sara's parents:

I also went to my first soccer (calcio) game - Fiorentina vs. Regina. It wasn't as crazy or violent because they aren't crazy rivals, but it was fun nonetheless! We also found Vestri, a cioccolateria, where we ordered affogato - hot chocolate with a scoop of gelato. And there have been recent student protests against the school tuition raises and teacher firings, so on Tuesday we saw marches in the street and demonstrations in the piazzas. Italian students are so proactive - and who knows? The Accademia might be occupied tomorrow when we go for our orientation...!?

Siena

2008-10-12T12:04:00.003+02:00

Last weekend Sam, John, and a few friends from the CSU program went on a day trip to Siena. It was a gorgeous day - and we started off the day at a small restaurant that served "poor man's food." I had ribollita and pork in wine sauce. Then we went to the piazza (where in the summer, they hold a huge, insance horse riding race) and had some gelato. Siena has three musuems, and we visited each of them - the Museo Civico, the Santa Maria Della Scala, and the contemporary exhibit (the current featured artist was an American named Gordon Matta Clark). Some of us also went into the Cathedral there, which is one of the most expansive and beautiful churches I've seen so far.

The next day, we went to Santa Croce where they were having a so called "international fair" - but the featured countries were only Germany, Austria, France, etc. There was one booth that we thought was American, because it had Indian-made purses and a life-size wooden figure of a Native American with the headdress and traditional clothing.

Visit my facebook album of the trip! (It was getting too hard to upload photos on both facebook and blogspot...)

This weekend has been pretty laid-back so far! Sam and John went with some others to Cinque Terre but Sara, Gaby and I are trying to save money for the Amalfi coast and Capri for PLP break and Sara's birthday on the 31st...and Gaby has been on a cooking streak this weekend! Caramel baked pear with raisins, and a mozzarella bake with all our leftovers (like zucchini, beets, cous cous, tomatoes...) were highlights---

Small thing -- this is the supermarket we like to go to: (hopefully we can start going to the San Ambrosio market, when we get used to its hours)

Accademia Exam Week!

2008-10-03T13:42:00.006+02:00

This week, Monday, through Thursday, for 6 HOURS each day, I took the entrance exam for the Accademia. The first day was still life, second was figure, and the third and fourth days they gave us a theme and we also had to do a blow up of the design. I chose a project where I had to design a mural for a hotel lobby/reading/drinking room with red chairs and vending machines. It was very long, and very tiring.

There were plenty of international students in the testing rooms, but all the directions were given in Italian. Luckily we met with Marsha each day after the exam, so she was able to tell us what was going on.

Here are links to photos of the stuff I made during those 24 hours of testing:
DAY ONE: My still life (tempera, 50x70 cm)
DAY TWO: Figure Drawings:
- 20 minute pencil sketch
- 4 or 5 hour charcoal drawing
- 15 minute ink sketch
DAYS THREE AND FOUR: Mural project:
- design
- blow up #1
- blow up #2

Everyone else in the program had great work as well! I'm so happy to be done and the results will be out by this week or next week.

Corri la Vita weekend

2008-09-28T20:29:00.006+02:00

Thanks everyone! I don't feel sick exactly...just like I might get sick at any second and a little uneasy about that...

This Friday as the residents of Castella di Nutella (we named our apartment this) thought over what to make for dinner, we realized that we did not want any more pasta or Italian food, at least for that night. So we went over to the "Asian" market (it's more like a tiny shop with Asian, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern ingredients) and got some curry. We already had some risotto so we just cooked that and it was the most satisfying meal I've had in a long time! I definitely missed the taste of rice (even if it wasn't actual gohan).

On Saturday we went to listen to a free Gregorian chant concert at Santa Croce. It was in a beautiful room where we were surrounded by frescoes, and a Last Supper in front of us. The experience of Gregorian chants was definitely a soothing experience perfect before taking an entrance exam!
The inside courtyard of Santa Croce and the "stage" where they sang.

This weekend was also the Corri La Vita race. Corri La Vita means "run for life" and it's similar to the Susan G. Komen breast cancer walks in the U.S. We walked 6 kilometers up into the hills across the Arno river and through the Piazzale Michelangiolo.
It seemed like everyone in Florence was there

Then after an improptu potluck we headed over to the Accademia (where we'll be taking the first of our exams tomorrow) to see the Giovanni Fattori show. Giovanni Fattori was both a student and teacher at the Accademia in the second half of the 19th century and his works are almost a precursor to Impressionist art.

p.s. Paul Newman died?????

Inferma???

2008-09-25T13:03:00.003+02:00

I think I'm getting sick.
I was expecting it because everyone else is sick too. Maybe I'll be making trips to the farmacia soon...!

Accademia exams are coming up. We have to go to the Accademia Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM. We're going to be drawing/painting a still life the first day, a figure the second, and there's a project and from imagination on Wednesday and Thursday...and in about 2 to 3 weeks we'll know if we passed. I can't wait!!

Now...I'm gonna go back home and SLEEP.

ciao!

Una gira alle Pisa & Lucca

2008-09-21T16:28:00.005+02:00

On Saturday morning we took a train from Santa Maria Novella train station to Pisa. When you leave the train station and head in the direction of the church and the famous leaning tower, there is a large avenue filled with clothing/shoe/makeup/department stores, and then you see the tower peeking out through the buildings. There were plenty of tourists, so we did the whole tourist thing and took funny pictures. The leaning tower of Pisa actually leans more than I thought, and it's shorter too. I never knew that there were other buildings (shops, etc) so close by. After our photo shoot, we sat in the shade of the tower and ate sandwiches and gelato.

We decided to head over to a tiny town a 15 minute train ride away, called Lucca. It has a massive old wall surrounding it, and inside there are many more of those clothing/department style stores. The streets were filled with Italians enjoying the Saturday, and apparently, there was a festival for Puccini (who lived in Lucca) so there was an antique fair. We stopped by a gelateria that was celebrating its 80th anniversary, and I got 5 scoops, and my room mate got a nutella crepe. Speaking of nutella - we also found a dough nut stand that had nutella covered dough nuts! (They were hot and delicious - and not as oily and gross as some dough nuts in the US). We had fun getting lost looking for Puccini's house and ended up doing a lot of window shopping. (Pretty soon, I need to get a warm coat and some shoes that can handle the cold and rain...) My roommates and I had our first sit-down dinner at a Luccan restaurant called "Dal Francese" where I ordered the Tortelli Lucchese (Luccan tortellini).

Photos from Pisa: In the last one we're attacking it!

Now Lucca:

Chianti, Fiesole

2008-09-18T18:00:00.038+02:00

During this past weekend we went to Greve, Chianti, because of a wine tasting festival. It was very cold and drizzly - but besides the wine I had a cappuccino at an Italian ristorante for the first time!

This past week we took a day trip to Fiesole after class for Stefany's birthday. It was overcast but the view of Florence was still gorgeous! We went into a couple churches and manuevered the hilly streets.

This weekend we plan on taking the bus to Pisa for either one day, or perhaps spending the night there? Hopefully it will warm up for the weekend!

Classes are going well - the Accademia exams are coming up in a couple weeks and I am very nervous! Although ... I think I'm more nervous about the length of the exam (24 hours over a span of 4 days) rather than what I'm going to be tested on. Marsha the art advisor is really helpful so I'm confident that I'll be able to make good enough drawings and paintings.

I also feel like I'm getting to know the city a tiny bit better - there are still MANY moments when I look like a complete fool in front of Italian people - trying to work the bancomat, navigating the supermercati, and the times when I attempt to try out my limited Italian. But I've gotten used to it - and that's good because I'm going to be going through it for another 10 months!

Volterra & San Gimignano field trip

2008-09-18T18:00:00.021+02:00

We are basically settled in our apartment now...except for internet! They finally brought the third bed and mattress for Sara (she was sleeping on a futon bed) and we got to rearrange all our rooms. There is a free bus to IKEA which we made a trip to two weeks ago. It's just like the IKEAs in California - but instead of Swedish and English, it's Swedish and Italian. And they have cool little gelato dispenser machines:

On Friday 12 September, we went on a CSU group field trip to Volterra and San Gimignano. Both are beautiful medieval towns - in Volterra we went to the Pinoteco museum (where they have the Deposition by Fiorentino - I wish we could have stayed longer!) and the Etruscan museum.

A view from Volterra
San Gimignano was beautiful! It's famous for it's many towers (I think it's 13, and there used to be more). We went into the Basilica, which was covered on the inside with frescoes from the New Testament on one side and scenes from Christ's life on the other side. Then we climbed up to one of the small towers, had some gelato from an award winning gelateria, and browsed the shops.

Then we went to Machiavelli's house
Machiavelli's wine cellar...
We had a 5 course dinner at the restaurant there:

Crostini with liver pate, cheese and chicken(?) bruschetta, cheese and walnut, green olives, black olives.

The wine

Creamy spinach soup with dumplings(?)

They had a salad before this, which was the 3rd course...4th course meat and potatoes - it was ok

Biscotti and vin santo for dessert.

...a long, fun day!

2 week point!

2008-09-10T22:25:00.006+02:00

So it's been two weeks into my year in Italy - and finally I have some actual internet access - no more having to frantically write emails and check facebook within 30 minutes I bought from the hotel or internet cafe!

A year in Italy never really sounded like a long time until I was actually accepted into the study abroad program. But I'm looking for a life-changing experience, and I think it will take a year to truly discover one fully. I already feel like I'm changing! Even on the plane, all the fear, terror, uncertainty, sadness, excitement, and emotions I'd never felt before were already changing me. I can't imagine all the things I'll have gone through by the end of next June.

My first impression of Florence was that it reminded me a lot of Bucharest, Romania. This was just the outskirts, but it has the same eastern European look. Now that I have been around the centro, I can see the Florence of travel shows and tourism photos - hopefully I'll get to know the countryside a little more too.

The past two weeks have been so jam packed that it's all kind of a blur...here is my best summary:
My second day in Italy, we had orientation at the CSU center. We had so much to take in - but I'm trying to take it slowly (like the Italians do) and receive the help of fellow students (while trying to give as much as I can in return). Later in the day I got a bank account with the Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, which was created for students studying abroad. We also began our strenuous search for an apartment. We saw so many apartments that they all seemed to blend together...and racked up a good 18 miles of walking. We got the keys to our apartment on the first Monday we were there - and have now settled in (although we still don't have internet or a fifth bed).
Food: Mostly we eat take out food, which consists of panini, pizze, falafel, gelati, etc, which you find at bars and cafes. Gaby, Sara, and Sam are all great cooks so when we eat at home, it's simple but delicious pasta. And nutella. Oh...nutella. I can see why Italians are addicted and have pastries with nutella, nutella gelato, and nutella calzones.
School: I am taking an Italian language class Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 12:00. We can walk to school in about 7 minutes. My teacher is quite a comedian. The way he acts - he reminds me a little of Roberto Benigni. There is also an Italian culture and history class once a week for five weeks, which is great because it's essential to know the story of such a history-oriented city if you're going to live in it for a year. Finally, there is art advising Wednesdays and Fridays. Marsha is very demanding - and she's pretty cool! She's had 30+ years in Italy and knows exactly what the Accademia is looking for in our exam results. She's even going to take us to buy some Birkenstock sandals that all the Fiorentine women are wearing.
Homesickness and Culture Shock: I have to admit that 75% of what I write in my journal has nothing to do with day to day sights or adventures but developments in my homesickness. I miss being able to do things that were basic and easy in California but are hard for me here: shopping for groceries, asking for directions, and navigating through the traffic and strangely-named streets. But I miss my family and friends the most! Sometimes I feel a little stuck because my family and friends were never more than a half hour drive away - now I am stuck in another continent, unable to see the faces I've seen ever since I was born. The first week we stayed in a hotel, and I was still in the mindset that I was going to go home in a couple weeks. Now that I have an apartment, I am just trying to get accustomed to the fact that I am going to be here for a year - a foreign person studying in this place...living and learning here. Sometimes I wonder; "what was I thinking by coming here??" But I know it's all part of culture shock and becoming acclimatized. It's strange because at orientation and in all the handbooks, they told us that these things would happen - but it's another thing to experience it! And I know that I'll be able to get through it - many others have before me. In fact, I can already sense how I will miss Florence and being a study abroad student, despite the homesickness.

On a brighter note: On Friday we have our first field trip! We are going on an hour long bus ride outside of Florence to the Volterra and San Gimignano areas. So - expect a lot of photos!

the duomo

2008-09-10T16:29:00.007+02:00

September 9 was the one day of the year when they open up the rooftop area of the Duomo to the public for free...so we were on it! It was amazing to see the entire city of Florence around us on such a beautiful day.

I got a new phone too!

our first dinner

2008-09-10T16:22:00.005+02:00

The first dinner we had in our new apartment was a antipasti of caprese, made by Sam and a main course of pasta made by Gaby.

photo time

2008-09-10T15:32:00.016+02:00

I have been in Italy for 14 days so of course I have lots of photos - and these are some of them:

The second day (29 August) we went to a Democratic Party Convention (I had my first Italian gelato! They had drinks, huge meat rotating on ovens, a dance floor...)

They had a floor for vespas that were on display.

Two of my roomates (Gaby and Sam) and I shared a falafel (30 August)

This is (from the left) Gaby , Sam, and Sara, 3 of my roommates.

Me...haha

From the front: Sam, John, Gaby, and Sara and the Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River in the background!

yum...gelati

Sitting on the steps of the Duomo...

me again...

I'm not really eating so much!!! (I just take pictures when I am) But they have caprese panini that are bigger than my face...

settling in...

2008-09-07T18:23:00.004+02:00

First of all, thanks for all the encouragement and comments from people! I miss all of you!

I have been getting settled in to life in Italy. We had a hotel for a week but now I have moved into an apartment with 4 other students. Samantha and Sara share a room with me, and Gaby and John are in another room.

We have been walking so much! The day we went apartment hunting we calculated with Gaby's pedometer and it was 18 miles! We have been eating lots of delicious Italian bar food (foccacia, panini) and fast food (pizze, falafel, kebab places) and of course gelato.

More updates to come!

one week

2008-08-20T12:44:00.005+02:00

Everything I know about Italian culture comes from what I've read in books or seen in movies --- so I don't really know anything about the subject when it comes down to it. Needless to say, I experience a slight sensation of terror whenever I think about the culture shock I'm about to go through. On the other hand, the chance to discover a new culture excites me. I want to be completely immersed in a foreign place - with the people, learning new ideas, eating the food, and experiencing the lifestyle. I'll meet new people, learn, and become more independent, which is why I decided to spend a year studying abroad in the first place.

I have to keep reminding myself of this because...

right now I am freaking out!!!

But I know it will be okay ... there's a reason for all this!

Thanks to everyone who's been helping me out -- my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, the other people going through the same thing I am, and my friends. I don't know if anyone will read this blog but it will hopefully be a place where I can keep thoughts, pictures, and videos at the least.

Toby sleeping while I'm trying to pack. I'm gonna miss him!