Fall Break: Buses, planes and Paris
11/9/09 6:44 PM
The thing about Italy, I realized this week, is also the thing about Europe. My travel companion, after just two days in Europe, said "We just can't expect our plans to work out." I'm glad she realized that and accepted this so quickly. This past week, my fall break, I met up with her in Rome, where we spent two days sightseeing, then caught a flight to Paris. Unfortunately, our flight to Paris didn't quite make it to Paris. Poor visibility, the Ryanair pilot told us. We landed in Lille, near Brussels, Belgium.We arrived at the airport, and still had an hour and a half ride to the center of town, a 20 minute metro ride, and a 15 minute walk to our bed and breakfast before we could explore Paris. The thing about...Flying by the seat of my pants
11/3/09 1:24 PM
Anyone who knows me even the smallest bit knows that I love making plans. I thrive on making lists and having activities scheduled for every moment. Perhaps this is because I am a borderline control freak, but this is no time for a psychoanalysis. I only bring this up to say that my time abroad has forced me to break free from my self-imposed prison of schedules and plans. When in Italy, it's simply not possible to depend on schedules. The train will be late, the bus might not stop for you, despite your flailing arms, and the flight might leave 30 minutes after you expected. Initially, I was quite frustrated by this prospect. Now, however, I have embraced a new life motto: Fly by the seat of your pants. Take, for example, the last week...Putting the "study" in study abroad
10/27/09 11:10 AM
For the first two weeks here in Perugia, I was my normal self. A good student who thought it was absurd to go out until 5 a.m. any night, much less on a weeknight. And then, the lure of the college town nightlife that never snagged me in Austin grabbed hold. The problem was, I wanted to learn Italian! What better way to practice than to spend time hanging out in the city center and dancing all night at discotecas with Italians? Not only did the inevitable language lessons appeal to me, but also it’s hard for me to resist the temptation of dancing with my friends all night. Getting home from 3 to 5 a.m. many nights meant my homework fell by the wayside, I had to drink three espressos a day to pay attention in class and by the time this past Sunday, the day before...Life in Italy
10/22/09 8:13 PM
Perugia, where I'm spending the fall semester of my senior year, is, in a word, magical. It is a small (about 160,000 residents) central Italian hilltop town known for its delicious chocolate, jazz music festival and beautiful panoramas. I live as close to the center of town as possible with three wonderful girls. Every night we cook and eat dinner together, using plenty of quality olive oil and always accompanied by plenty of cheap, delicious wine. After dinner we wander to the center of town, where there's a fountain and a large cathedral. In front of the cathedral, all the young Perugians and visitors sit on the steps drinking, smoking and chatting with their friends. Monday through Thursday I do attend class, though it seems a small detail when I think about all the...
