mylifeisaverage.com

Today I came across this website: mylifeisaverage.com. It's weird how sometimes the most random things can inspire you. As I read page after page of normal people relating funny or interesting stories of their life I remembered just how great life really is. Sometimes the littlest things are what make your day spectacular. That it's the combination of all the average things that make our lives interesting. So now I'm going to make an active effort to pick out all the good things in my everyday life and remember those. Today I spent a huge part of my day being upset about 2 or 3 things. Why? Why do I let some things effect me so much? Why would I let that alter the course of my whole day? In a strange way, this website changed my perspective on life. It showed me not to take life so seriously. Lately I've been so worried about 1 particular decision, that it's kinda taken over my life. I feel a lot better now. Thank you MLIA :D

The Internet Is My Quasi-Friend

I've been waiting to update my blog for when I can post some pictures... but I'm not exactly sure when that will be. Marie and I are among the lucky ones in the whole group that actually have internet at our house. And it works great, except for that for some reason it won't let us post pictures to our blog. So the only other place where we can try it is at the school. Except for that the school's internet is completely unreliable. Especially since all the other girls are on it because that's the only place they can get it for free. There's internet cafes, but who really wants to pay a euro or euro fifty to use the internet. So all you get are my lame words to read for now.
This last weekend we went to Cinqueterre. There are many words to describe, but the 1 that's screaming in my mind is GORGEOUS! Oh my word, it was beautiful! We went on this incredible hike in between all the towns (ok, so I almost just started talking in Italian, which I guess is a good thing). Anyways, the hike took us about 5 1/2 hours. That was including rest time, eating lunch, and of course, taking a million pictures. Which I will post (hopefully soon) with some more explanation of our amazing 2-ish days there.
Right now I'm putting off Italian homework that I never seem to really understand. I'm in a class that's kinda over my head and I'm trying to stay above water, but sometimes I just get so frustrated. But I'm working on it. So usually what I do is, do all I can do before I want to die and then get to school 30 minutes early and work on it with my genius friend Annie. She seriously is amazing, I love her. She saves my life daily. And she's hilarious, so that always brightens my day. I love how Heavenly Father totally places people in your life for several reasons. She is definitely one of those people. So thank you!
This last week has been really challenging. I've been super homesick. Which I didn't really think I would suffer from just because I'm in Italy. But this experience has made me realize many things, one of them being just HOW much I love my family. I always knew, but I guess after spending an entire summer of hanging out with just the fam, I'm really missing them all. A ton. But I know that I am in one of the most amazing places in the world and I shouldn't be sad. Which it's not like I'm moping around or anything, but I guess what I'm trying to say is: Mia famiglia, I miss you TONS!!! So always remember that :D I'll hopefully post something new soon. LOVE YOU!!!!

"I'm Sorry. This Is Way of Life"

Today most definitely deserves a post. It has for sure been a long day, and though I should be asleep right now, I am here. Writing on my blog. Hmm.... Well anyway! We had our first cooking class today - oh my word, I LOVE it! It was so so much fun to work with a professional Italian chef, in a big kitchen, cooking a 4 course meal. The chef's name is Redondo, though they call him "Dondo" for short. He is quite an attractive man and very talented. So that only adds to the fun of the class :D So this was our menu today, and yes we made everything from scratch:

Insalata Catarina - mixed greens with dry ricotta cheese, picorino cheese, baked bread pieces, and a vinegarette
Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli with Tomatoes - exactly what it sounds like
Veal in Lemon - breaded veal cooked in a lemon sauce served with grilled pumpkin
Biscotti - almond and pine nut biscotti with vanilla and lemon and orange zest

The first 2 hours we all got to go around the kitchen and pitch in with all the different recipes - which was nice, because if we were assigned to one recipe, we would have no idea how to do the other things. And then the 3rd hour, we got to eat everything we made. And I'm just going to go ahead and say it - it was delicious! Especially the ravioli. That was my favorite one. It was a lot of fun. If my internet wasn't a little challenged, there would be some pictures up on this post.

When we got home from school, we saw that our host dad Benny had come back from his business trip. We knew this because he went down to Southern Italy and there was TONS of fish in the kitchen (the South is pretty well known for their fish). We have already discovered that he likes to bring lots of things back home from his trip. So we had 2 huge boxes of fish that were according to him "just swimming in the sea this morning," 1 box of clams, 1 box of another clam-like thing, and 2 boxes full of mozzarella cheese. I was very displeased to find out that all the nasty shellfish, or whatever you call it that was sitting on the table was still alive. I was... ok when I thought it was dead, but then I got a little freaked out. And of course Benny loved it that I was afraid of the fish, so he was definitely making the most out of that. I got a little closer to a dead fish's eye than I ever wanted to. And he just got out the scissors and de-gutted them right there in the kitchen sink. So he looks at me with this disgusted look on my face, smiles and says to me, "I'm sorry. This is way of life." We all just laughed for a minute and he kept cutting up those fish.

Ok so holy cow, do they love their cheese! Well, it's more like they love the mozzarella cheese from the south. They refuse to buy it here, so that's why it must all be eaten at dinner. There is no option. You must eat an entire ball of mozzarella cheese, because "it will not be here for very much longer." Marie and I tried to share one and they just ended cutting another one in half and giving them to us. There's no telling Italians no. It's not a word they understand in this situation. They also don't understand the word "full." After Marie and I shoveled this food into our mouths and we were about ready to explode, they bring out the dolce. I'm talking huge pastries. There were 7 of them and they cut 3 of them in half and give them to Marie and I. We told them that we weren't hungry for dessert. But again - no is not an answer. So then we said we would share. But that wasn't an option either. So with quivering lips once more, I open my mouth and stick this sugary substance in my mouth. And what do I think I taste? Oh yeah, I'm 98% sure that it's soaked in alcohol. So I try the other one, and yup. I think that one's got it too, and oh, yup! That one too! So here Marie and I are sitting in front of a plate full of alcoholic pastries that they INSIST we eat. I tried giving it back about 17 times, but didn't so much work out. So I'm thinking, ok... maybe this isn't alcohol and it's just some taste I've never had before. So I take another bite of one of them and I literally gag. I really almost threw up at the dinner table. Because not only was I STUFFED, but it was nasty alcohol! I took one more bite of another one and almost gagged again. It's so hard because if you don't eat what they give you, it is very offensive to them. So I'm trying to figure out how not to eat this and not to offend them. But those 2 things don't go together. But I thought that throwing up at the dinner table was a little bit more offensive than giving back dessert. So I just put the plate in front of Benny, and for the next minute and a half, he's waving the pastry in front of my face telling me to eat it. I just covered my mouth with my hand and politely declined. They gave me a look, but oh well. I was literally sick.

So the plans of hanging out with some of our friends from the program kind of died. We ended up just playing Wii with the family and having a great time with them. Which I would have rather done anyways. So feeling sick ended up working out really well for Marie and I! Always an adventure, and I love it :D

3 P's and a G: Pasta, Pizza, Paninis, and Gelato

Yup. That is pretty much what we live off of here. In Siena, that's pretty much all you can get - well, if you don't want to pay more than 10,00 Euro. So we opt for the 2,00 Euro piece of pizza :D We're trying to work on a system where we bring lunch without having to store anything in the fridge of our host parents. We just don't want to impose on their lives more than we already are. But we'll figure it out. But I'm not going to lie, I love grabbing a slice and sitting in the Campo and playing "Tourist or Not?" It's just fun to pick out all the tourists with their lanyards, translators, and video cameras. And yes, we know that we are visitors as well, but yeah. We think it's different. I just love the Italian culture. Where you just have a huge piazza and everybody goes there to eat and laugh and just enjoy each others company. Though I am getting used to the idea of having siesta time, we survive.
So our host family is absolutely amazing. They consist of: Benny (dad), Anna (mom), Alberto ('lil bro #1), and Giuseppe ('lil bro #2). They are all very sweet and always willing to help us with our horrible, broken up Italian. We really are trying so so hard, and I'm pretty sure we're getting better. But it does not sound good. Our family had a couple girls from BYU living with them last year and they LOVED those girls. They have a picture of them hanging in their office and one of the girls even called while we were at dinner the other night. So we kinda have a lot to live up to. Especially since they didn't speak ANY Italian before they came and then apparently were speaking like Italians when they left. So we feel a little pressured, but we're trying.
Holy cow, so we were at dinner a few nights ago with our host mom and she was saying how there was a latin dance party near our apartment the next night and asked us if we wanted to go. So we said sure, because why not? So we leave with Anna and we're thinking it's going to be this fun, hip party. But instead we show up and it's a dance floor flooded with senior citizens. All 3 of us start laughing. And then not 5 minutes after we got there, this tiny, drunk old man approaches me and starts going off in Italian. I finally got him to slow down and found out we was asking me to dance with him. So I said ok and he took me out there. I thought, ok, cute 80-year-old Italian man - sure. What's the harm? Well the only problem is he was exactly chest height on me and he kept trying to pull me closer! It was SO awkward. Of course I look over at Marie and Anna and they're DYING laughing. So I just laugh my way through this dance just hoping it will end. And with my limited, LIMITED Italian, I try to make small talk. And when I say small talk, I really mean that I just asked him what his name was. Anything else he said, I didn't really understand. It was very mumbled, and I guess he just didn't understand that I didn't speak much Italian. Even when I'm saying "non capito, non capito" over and over again. Well after the dance, Bruno (yes, that was his name) gets the death grip on my hand and tells me that I have to stay for another dance. I kept trying and trying to get away, but like I said - death grip. So the music starts and he just starts dancing again. And of course, again, Marie and Anna are laughing at me. Oh, but it doesn't end at the end of this dance. He makes me stay yet ANOTHER dance. He kept trying to wait for a slow song. But you better believe that I did NOT want to slow dance with this guy. And I most definitely did not want a fourth dance with him. Three was for sure enough. Too much, but oh well. Finally after the dance I basically had to run away. I found Anna and Marie (still dying laughing) and we left the senior citizen shindig. It was fun though because it was a fun bonding moment with Anna. She is seriously adorable, I love her.
Well I think that's enough writing without any pictures. I'm sorry I don't have more right now. The internet at the house doesn't let me upload pictures, so I have to do it at school. And the internet there is extremely bipolar. You're all lucky you got any pictures. But school is good, and hopefully my Italian will improve. Otherwise, I will just die. But also, from now on, my posts should be much more regular. But I hope you're all doing well. LOVE YOU!

Relaxation Was Key

So we arrived in Minori with a chance to relax and enjoy being in Italy. It was SO nice. The town is just little and I'm pretty sure everybody who lived there is old. I love how everybody stays out late. We went for walks around the town every night and there was always something going on. There were always kids running around or riding bikes or playing "calcio" (soccer). It was so fun to see the whole town come alive. And across from our hotel there was always old people dancing in this little bar-like thing. It was so cute.

Ok, so one morning there was a little market and so we went and checked it out. There was just really cheap clothes and fresh veggies and fruit. But it was fun because the whole street was just lined with vans open full of all their stuff trying to make a buck.

One day we went took a 10 minute boat ride to Amalfi and took a tour of the cathedral there. It was really beautiful, but the best part was when most of our group left, but we decided to stay a little bit longer and we ended up in the middle of a wedding. We're sitting in the pews and then in walk some bridesmaids getting all set up for the guests to come in. So they open these huge doors to the church and all these people walk in. This man told us that we can stay, but that we had to sit in the back. So we just sat and watched the whole thing. It was cool because he was from England, so almost all of the ceremony was in English. She was from there though, so that's why they had it there. But yeah, it was a cool experience though. Definitely made me appreciate temple weddings though. I love my church :D

Here's just a lame picture of my sandals on the beach in Amalfi. Those 15 dollar sandals were one of the best purchases! They've taken me everywhere! I wore them every day in Greece and almost every day the first week of my trip. It was so dang hot in Rome! It was pretty hot in Minori and Amalfi, but nothing compared to Rome. It was miserable at some moments. But yes, I love these sandals.

And then here's just a picture of Marie and I eating yet another panini on the beach. This one was pretty good. Not the best I've had, but I liked it. She let me borrow some sunglasses because I forgot mine and the sun was kinda killing me. She's a sweetie :D I just love her.

Oh Look! There's Another Building Destroyed By Molten Lava!

So we went to Herculaneum and Pompeii. I hadn't been to Herculaneum before so that was interesting. Apparently is was the spot for all the Richie Rich's of Italy. It was a lot smaller than Pompeii, but we don't really know how big it is because a part of the ancient city is still under the city that they built on top of it. It would be kinda weird to live there and to know that there was a destroyed city underneath you. Also, I just would not want to live there because Vesuvius is still an active volcano. So... that just doesn't seem safe. Because you know, Herculaneum was completely wiped out before. I'm sure it's fine, but still. I wouldn't like it very much. Anyway, here is Allison, Marie, and I taking a picture together. Again :D

This is Allison and I inside the Men's Bath! Ooh!! Mainly us being lame :D Lame fact is that the men's baths were bigger and more ornate than the women's baths. Which I know men ruled the world back in 79 B.C. but I just thought women would like the decoration a little bit more. Whatever.

Here's Marie and I. Mainly I just like this picture of us 2. I think we both look cute. And I just love her. So.

Here's a picture of Marie with a shirt that survived the eruption of Vesuvius. Kind of a miracle it's still in such great shape. Kept the color pretty well :D

I saw this on one of the gates. Obviously not from modern days because they spoke Latin back then, but I just really liked it.

And here's our director, Aaron and his adorable family. His wife is Marianne, his son is Christoper, his older daughter is Claire, and their 7 month old baby is Anna. Marianne is such a trooper. We call her wonder-mom because she's doing this with a brand new baby. Fortunately Anna is beautiful and quite the angel. She hardly cries (well at least that we hear) and she sleeps a lot. And they always tell us what a good baby she is. So we believe them :D But we love their family. And it's really nice to have a little family here because makes us feel closer to our families - if that makes any sense. But they're really great :D

After that, we headed to the Amalfi coast - Minori was the destination.

The Spanish Steps Are My Friend

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. I have internet at my host family's house (so so lucky) but for some reason it won't let me upload any pictures to the site. I don't know what the deal is. But whatever.
Well here is my roommate, Marie and I eating our first gelato of the trip. First of MANY. She got me hooked on the coconut gelato. I'm not a huge coconut fan, but for some reason, it's so dang good that I get it almost every time. So, the Italians have this unwritten rule that you're allowed one gelato a day. But no more than that. And it almost seems like no less. But don't worry, I haven't followed that rule. As much as I would love to, I feel like it would not be good for my mid-section :D I just think it's so funny because it's not like people in the U.S. eat ice cream every day. If somebody did that, it would be bad news bears for the scale. But since everybody walks everywhere, it's pretty much no big deal. But yeah, gelato is amazing. And Marie and I do love our gelato :D

Here is the view from the our hotel room. It was absolutely beautiful. All day long. And then one night we went up on the roof. That was really cool because then we could see all around us. Our hotel was a little *ba-wow-wow* (ghetto) but it was nice enough. The view made up for it. The only thing that was REALLY annoying was that on top of the 12 bug bites I got in Mykonos, I got 5 more at the hotel. 2 of which blistered!! I didn't even know bug bites could blister. They were so nasty! And even when I popped the blister, it kept coming back. Ok, I realize that sounds really gross and maybe you don't want to read it. But it's what happened. So I wrote it :D But Laura Elaine Carter and Courtney Ruth Jones, I kept thinking of you because I kept saying "You wanna see my blistah?!" in a really sweet accent :D I miss you guys tons and tons. But anyways, now my bug bites just look like I have sqamous cell carcinoma. So yeah. It's really a great sight.

The next picture is of 2 of my favorite people here. Granted I love absolutely everyone here, I just love these 2 girls. The girl on the left is my friend Allison and the girl on the right is my roommate, Marie. We have so so much fun together and we laugh a lot. It's fun because I think we have similar senses of humor and I kind of love it.

Here is a group of us "gladiator-ing" at the Colosseum. From left to right: Me (obviously), Julia, Allison, Natalia, and Brooke. Love all these girls. Julia is from Chicago, Allison is from LA, Natalia is from Provo, and Brooke is from Carlsbad. It's fun talking to Brooke because we know a lot of the same spots in San Diego because I lived near Carlsbad this summer. I love how I love everyone here. We all get along really well and just have a good time whenever we're together.

I took this picture for 3 reasons. 1. It's just really cute because we were in Rome 2. Because it looked really cool on this wall and mainly 3. Jesse, David, and I had a funny moment dealing with this phrase in the car the other week and I thought of them. I love you both :D

So I'm so used to having my phone telling me the time. So I didn't bring a watch. But the problem is... I don't have a phone right now. So Marie and I kept asking people, "Umm... what time is it?" And I don't know if it was getting annoying to people or not, but mainly I was just getting annoyed with asking. So we set out on a mission. Operation: Find A Cheap Watch. Every thing here is so dang expensive and I was not really willing to pay a lot of money on something to just tell me the time. So I set a limit of 20 Euro. Which doesn't sound like a lot, except keep in mind that the Euro is 1.5 the U.S. dollar. So It's more like 30 Dollars. So even that is stretching it. (P.S. You have to kinda forget about the exchange rate here. Otherwise you will just want to cry every time you buy a piece of pizza). Well we were wandering on some street vendors and what should we come upon, but some watches!! And guess for how much! 3 EURO!!! Yup, 3. So I bought 2 just in case one of them decides act like it's worth 3 Euro and die on me a week later. So this is the picture of Marie and I with our brand new watches. P.S. the watches are still working. We kinda consider that a miracle. So if it brakes, we won't be overly disappointed.

Ok, so here I am in front of the coolest church of life. It was amazing!!! It is a church where the designs on the walls and ceilings are human bones. Ok, it sounds really morbid and weird, but it was incredibly amazing. And you know me, I'm a nerd. So I loved it. It's kinda hard to describe how it looks and I wasn't allowed to take pictures. But for example. The ceiling decoration was a design with collar bones and mandibles and the walls had lines made of humerus-es and fibulas. It really was so cool, I wish you all could have seen it. But yes, I know I'm weird.

Well that was my trip to Rome and next we headed to the Amalfi coast.