Hey everybody
See, I'm so exhausted I didn't even bother writing in Italian!
The big news of the day is; I kind of lied in my last post hehe..... because I've been in school for the past 2 days FML
Trust me, IT WAS NOT MY CHOICE!
In order to keep participating in cross country, even though I have been for the past 2 weeks without a SINGLE DANG PROBLEM, I have to be regularly attending school..... see the dilemma?
So in addition to already suffering in Rosetta Stone Hell, as well as trying to pack and prepare my host family gifts, now I have to sit in school for 8 hours listening to teachers talk about things that I don't even pretend to care about.
Did I also mention cross country doesn't end until 5:30?
Luckily, I don't have to do any real work in my classes since my last day is Tuesday, but still....
For example, today my day consisted of:
1st block - International business in which since it's INTERNATIONAL business my teacher has me writing an essay and making a PowerPoint juuuuust like the rest of the class (happily mine won't be graded though) In hindsight I should've seen that one coming though :P
2nd block - World Lit which is basically taught as an independent study course because my teacher is some super chill hipster dude who always looks like he just walked out of a modeling job for American Apparel. So we got a huge packet of all the work required for the course and everyone just goes at their own pace! So far I have read and filled out questions about the book "Anthem" which was actually really good! I plan on doing nothing else other than reading my Seventeen magazine that I will be bringing in tomorrow so that class is officially a waste of 80 minutes.
3rd block - Health class, nuff said. It feels like we have been learning the same things in health class since 6th grade, and today we watched a lovely video on STI's..... again, that stuff will be haunting my dreams tonight.
4th block - Chemistry. This is the last class of the day and by this point I am so done with life I am on the verge of crying. While everyone else is doing awesome experiments or going over homework or reading from their textbooks, I'm in the corner doodling on my folder or reading a book... and today since I wasn't paying attention I almost peed myself while my teacher lit methane gas inside a coffee can on fire and then just let it explode, VERY LOUDLY explode....
You have no idea how messed up my mind is right now, I am being pulled in 80000000 different directions! I feel like a normal high school junior, but then I realize a second later that I am basically just in AFS purgatory that happens to be my high school.
Never mind the fact that every third person I've talked to at school has made some sort of "shouldn't you be in Europe?!" remark to me, and then usually just walks away halfway through my explanation of why I'm in school >:(
I'm honestly not even excited about leaving anymore... high school has sucked any last drops of joy I had about leaving dry, so I advise, no I URGE you to not get within a 4 mile radius of your home school during the month before you leave... otherwise you will end up insane and exhausted, just like me :P
Oh well, only 2 more days and then I'm done with the rest of my junior year... and I can technically say I did participate in 4 years of American High School, so if that's worth anything haha....
I named this post ugh because that's been the only sound that I can actually make for the past 2 days and honestly my brain is just too tired to think of anything more creative and witty.
Hopefully the next time I blog I will be in better spirits but for now I just need to dig myself out of this crap hole im buried in.. hasn't even started and exchange has already depleted me of my energy! :P
Later dudes!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Too cool for school
Ciao ragazzi :)
So as you can probably guess, the title of this post is referring to the fact that I'm not in school!!!
While my sister, along with about 1500 other sleepy kids around the district had to catch their busses around 7 am this morning, I got to sleep in and not worry about it, because I'M GOING TO ITALY!
Since I leave next Wednesday, it doesn't make any sense for me to go in for only 5 days of junior year.. and they don't want me being a "disturbance" to the rest of the kiddos stuck in school for the next 10 months so I get to just chill out until I leave :)
Sadly, "chilling out" in my case means finishing 2 more lessons on Rosetta Stone, getting copies on copies on copies of every document you could think of, shopping for last minute supplies, packing everything, and then quadruple checking every friggin' detail.
And now all of that is going to be a million times harder after being temporarily blinded from watching Miley Cyrus's VMA performance last night..... *shudders*
Any who, although I'm getting down to the wire (9 days until go time) it really hasn't sunk in yet for me, but honestly I think I'm going to have to be hit with a giant cinder block painted like the Italian flag for that to ever happen :P
I'm sure once I'm saying goodbye to my family for the last time in 10 months that it will all really start to click, in a weird melancholy sort of way, but for now I'm just doing my thing in PA...
To be honest, the entire month of August has felt like waiting in line for that new roller coaster that looks super amazing. Of course, the line is huge and you're waiting FOREVER! At the back of the line, you're not excited at all because you have too much standing time before you get on to actually feel excited (beginning of August) but as you move through the line, slowly but surely it dawns on you that you're about to ride the coaster you've been dreaming about riding all summer long (mid-August) and then FINALLY you can see the people in front of you being loaded into their seats and you know that soon enough, you're turn is actually coming! This is what you came to do, and it's all you've been looking forward to for the last 3 hours.... you're a little scared and nervous, but also really excited because you know that it will be the ride of your life! (now)
Another thing I've really been thinking about is everything that I am going to miss here in PA. This state is all I've ever known and it truly is my home. This is where I feel safe and secure and I know that I have friends and family who love me. Don't get me wrong, I was born to be an exchange student and see the world, but as my friend Kara once said: "You can't fall in love with another country until you've learned to love your own home".
A brief version of my master "I will miss" list...
1.) The food. Of course, anyone from anywhere will tell you that their native food from _________ is the best in the world, and I am certainly no exception. PA Dutch food is totally THE BOMB and I will miss it dearly. Sticky buns, chicken pot pie, shoo fly pie, my stomach will never forget you </3 In addition, I'm also going to miss a lot of American food in general. Hershey's candy, hot dogs, hamburgers, French fries, you're always in my heart too </3
2.) The scenery. On Saturday as I was running a 4 mile loop that I have run many times before, I happened to look up. At that moment I was running down a hill in between an open field and corn stalks that were about 8 feet high. I could see the expanse of the Reamstown/Denver valley in front of me, and the sun was streaking through the corn like something out of a movie. The coolest thing was, there were about 20 black birds flying right over my head just chirping away. It doesn't sound like much, but I really had a moment, and that's all it took for me to get all teary thinking about leaving my beautiful home for a year.
3.) Junior year. The saddest thing about leaving for me is the fact that I will be giving up my junior year of high school. From homecoming to sir valentine, prom to those amazing Friday night football games, I will deeply miss it all! Junior year is supposed to be your year to really find yourself - think about who you are and what you want your future to look like. I chose to use my exchange as a tool to help me do that, but still, junior year is an American right of passage that I just won't ever have. That being said, I wish all of my amazing friends and fellow juniors the very best of luck in everything that you choose to do this school year, keep on making the class of 2015 proud guys <3
5.) Running. As most of you know, I am a running freak! I live and breathe for it, and although I am going to do my very best to run in Italy, it's not the same as running around through Cocalico, where I know exactly how far and where I am going. In addition, I am missing my wonderful cross country team's season... but I will be thinking about you guys every second and I hope you kick major LL League bootay this year. ONE MORE!
4.) Family and friends. Naturally, this is the biggest thing exchange students tend to miss, and I completely feel the same way. I've had the same group of friends since at least 6th grade, some even since 1st! I love you all so much, and I wouldn't be the girl that I am today without you! Maegan, Alicia, Emily, you three are my sisters from another mister - we have seen each other at our worsts and certainly at our bests. To you three and to all of my other amazing friends, over the years, you have picked me up when I've fallen down, held my chin up high when I didn't have the strength to on my own, and supported me in whatever I chose to do. I will always keep you in my heart and thoughts, and know that every time you miss me, I miss you a little more. I know 10 months is a long time, but being apart will just make spending senior year together that much more fun!! <3
My family is just that - family. Like it or not, I'm stuck with them for the rest of my life, and honestly I don't think I would ever want to be stuck with another group of people :) To my parents and grandparents, thank you for loving me unconditionally, allowing me to go on such an amazing journey when other kids parents would have a heart attack at the mere thought of it, and always believing in me and my dreams. I can't wait to share my journey with you all when I get back and for you to see the lady I've become over the past 10 months <3 To my sister Alison, we may fight over the stupidest little things, and we may get annoyed with each other too easily, but know that I am so proud of the lady you've become. Have an amazing year in 8th grade, and keep being the intelligent, classy, gorgeous girl that you are! Never settle for anything less than you deserve, and keep chasing your dreams!
To my dogs, Maxwell and Gabby... I WUBB YEW MY WIDDLE CUTIES AND I WILL MISS YEW SO MUCH BABIEZ PWEEZE DONT FORGET ME!
I needed to have a sappy goodbye post, and I figured this was as good a time as any! Sorry for the walls of text and lack of pictures, but I'm thinking I will have TONS over the coming months, so thanks for reading anyways :)
Ciao ciao :)
So as you can probably guess, the title of this post is referring to the fact that I'm not in school!!!
While my sister, along with about 1500 other sleepy kids around the district had to catch their busses around 7 am this morning, I got to sleep in and not worry about it, because I'M GOING TO ITALY!
Since I leave next Wednesday, it doesn't make any sense for me to go in for only 5 days of junior year.. and they don't want me being a "disturbance" to the rest of the kiddos stuck in school for the next 10 months so I get to just chill out until I leave :)
Sadly, "chilling out" in my case means finishing 2 more lessons on Rosetta Stone, getting copies on copies on copies of every document you could think of, shopping for last minute supplies, packing everything, and then quadruple checking every friggin' detail.
And now all of that is going to be a million times harder after being temporarily blinded from watching Miley Cyrus's VMA performance last night..... *shudders*
Any who, although I'm getting down to the wire (9 days until go time) it really hasn't sunk in yet for me, but honestly I think I'm going to have to be hit with a giant cinder block painted like the Italian flag for that to ever happen :P
I'm sure once I'm saying goodbye to my family for the last time in 10 months that it will all really start to click, in a weird melancholy sort of way, but for now I'm just doing my thing in PA...
To be honest, the entire month of August has felt like waiting in line for that new roller coaster that looks super amazing. Of course, the line is huge and you're waiting FOREVER! At the back of the line, you're not excited at all because you have too much standing time before you get on to actually feel excited (beginning of August) but as you move through the line, slowly but surely it dawns on you that you're about to ride the coaster you've been dreaming about riding all summer long (mid-August) and then FINALLY you can see the people in front of you being loaded into their seats and you know that soon enough, you're turn is actually coming! This is what you came to do, and it's all you've been looking forward to for the last 3 hours.... you're a little scared and nervous, but also really excited because you know that it will be the ride of your life! (now)
Another thing I've really been thinking about is everything that I am going to miss here in PA. This state is all I've ever known and it truly is my home. This is where I feel safe and secure and I know that I have friends and family who love me. Don't get me wrong, I was born to be an exchange student and see the world, but as my friend Kara once said: "You can't fall in love with another country until you've learned to love your own home".
A brief version of my master "I will miss" list...
1.) The food. Of course, anyone from anywhere will tell you that their native food from _________ is the best in the world, and I am certainly no exception. PA Dutch food is totally THE BOMB and I will miss it dearly. Sticky buns, chicken pot pie, shoo fly pie, my stomach will never forget you </3 In addition, I'm also going to miss a lot of American food in general. Hershey's candy, hot dogs, hamburgers, French fries, you're always in my heart too </3
2.) The scenery. On Saturday as I was running a 4 mile loop that I have run many times before, I happened to look up. At that moment I was running down a hill in between an open field and corn stalks that were about 8 feet high. I could see the expanse of the Reamstown/Denver valley in front of me, and the sun was streaking through the corn like something out of a movie. The coolest thing was, there were about 20 black birds flying right over my head just chirping away. It doesn't sound like much, but I really had a moment, and that's all it took for me to get all teary thinking about leaving my beautiful home for a year.
3.) Junior year. The saddest thing about leaving for me is the fact that I will be giving up my junior year of high school. From homecoming to sir valentine, prom to those amazing Friday night football games, I will deeply miss it all! Junior year is supposed to be your year to really find yourself - think about who you are and what you want your future to look like. I chose to use my exchange as a tool to help me do that, but still, junior year is an American right of passage that I just won't ever have. That being said, I wish all of my amazing friends and fellow juniors the very best of luck in everything that you choose to do this school year, keep on making the class of 2015 proud guys <3
5.) Running. As most of you know, I am a running freak! I live and breathe for it, and although I am going to do my very best to run in Italy, it's not the same as running around through Cocalico, where I know exactly how far and where I am going. In addition, I am missing my wonderful cross country team's season... but I will be thinking about you guys every second and I hope you kick major LL League bootay this year. ONE MORE!
4.) Family and friends. Naturally, this is the biggest thing exchange students tend to miss, and I completely feel the same way. I've had the same group of friends since at least 6th grade, some even since 1st! I love you all so much, and I wouldn't be the girl that I am today without you! Maegan, Alicia, Emily, you three are my sisters from another mister - we have seen each other at our worsts and certainly at our bests. To you three and to all of my other amazing friends, over the years, you have picked me up when I've fallen down, held my chin up high when I didn't have the strength to on my own, and supported me in whatever I chose to do. I will always keep you in my heart and thoughts, and know that every time you miss me, I miss you a little more. I know 10 months is a long time, but being apart will just make spending senior year together that much more fun!! <3
My family is just that - family. Like it or not, I'm stuck with them for the rest of my life, and honestly I don't think I would ever want to be stuck with another group of people :) To my parents and grandparents, thank you for loving me unconditionally, allowing me to go on such an amazing journey when other kids parents would have a heart attack at the mere thought of it, and always believing in me and my dreams. I can't wait to share my journey with you all when I get back and for you to see the lady I've become over the past 10 months <3 To my sister Alison, we may fight over the stupidest little things, and we may get annoyed with each other too easily, but know that I am so proud of the lady you've become. Have an amazing year in 8th grade, and keep being the intelligent, classy, gorgeous girl that you are! Never settle for anything less than you deserve, and keep chasing your dreams!
To my dogs, Maxwell and Gabby... I WUBB YEW MY WIDDLE CUTIES AND I WILL MISS YEW SO MUCH BABIEZ PWEEZE DONT FORGET ME!
I needed to have a sappy goodbye post, and I figured this was as good a time as any! Sorry for the walls of text and lack of pictures, but I'm thinking I will have TONS over the coming months, so thanks for reading anyways :)
Ciao ciao :)
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Shaping up to ship out!
Ciao everyone :)
So this post is somewhat overdue, and although I really am trying to stay updated with this blog as much as possible, man it's getting tougher and tougher :P For instance, I got to experience the pleasure of waking up at 5am this morning to go run 3 miles with my XC team...
NO NORMAL HUMAN BEING SHOULD EVER HAVE TO WAKE UP THAT EARLY.
Now that I am back and only a little catatonic, I decided to get this post done and out of the way awhile, so I won't have it weighing on the back of my mind *sigh* consciences bro :(
Any who, Saturday morning I was up bright and early to catch the train into Manhattan for my college visit :) Although I only live 3 hours away from NYC and I have family in Brooklyn, this was only the 3rd time in my life that I've been in the city! Sadly, it wasn't a long visit; we just walked from Penn Station to NYU for the tour and back - but it was still amazing!!
Although I still technically have 2 more years of high school, I will be missing junior year, so when I come back to be a senior, I really need to focus on college! All of my friends are getting to take their time, relax, maybe sip a latte as they ponder their future..... nooooope, no sir not me!
I'm that crazy girl who decided to give up the most important year of high school to go get dropped into a completely foreign culture and not understand the language >_<
okay, so maybe I'm being a bit of an overdramatic white girl, because It's really not that bad! The scholarship I won is absolutely amazing and I knew as I was applying that I would be sacrificing a lot. There is never really a good time in high school to become an exchange student - there will always be things that you're gonna miss while you're away. BUT, if you think about how much you're going to gain while you're abroad, there's no question that it's the right decision. I get that it takes a special type of teen to want to be an exchange student, but as long as I have this blog, I will not stop urging all of the readers to at least consider it! You NEVER know what types of doors it will open for you :)
2 weeks from today, at about 4pm... I, along with all of the kids headed to Italy, France, Belgium, and Spain from the USA will begin to embark on the journey that will change our lives! Oh yea, our flight to Zurich isn't just the AFS Italy kids, but also all other AFS USA kids headed to any of the countries mentioned above...... I just want to apologize to any innocent passengers ahead of time who will be on that flight, because you're about to be sharing a plane with over 100 excited teenagers....
I still have to pack and finish Rosetta Stone *stabs pencil into eye* but other than that, I am pretty much set! I finally have all of my documents in order #PRAISEJEEZUS and I have even had another meeting with my guidance counselor to clarify my credit transfer and all that fun junk! So all in all, things are falling into place, and I'm shaping up to ship out! Next week is the first week of school for Cocalico kids, and while all my friends are swapping war stories over the awesome iced cookies in our cafeteria... I will be sitting at home, most likely screaming preschool level Italian into a crappy headset.... oh the glamorous life of an exchange student ;P This blog is at 1100 page views and I haven't even had it for 2 months, so thanks again to everyone who reads it, it really means so much!
Arrivederci ragazzi :)
So this post is somewhat overdue, and although I really am trying to stay updated with this blog as much as possible, man it's getting tougher and tougher :P For instance, I got to experience the pleasure of waking up at 5am this morning to go run 3 miles with my XC team...
NO NORMAL HUMAN BEING SHOULD EVER HAVE TO WAKE UP THAT EARLY.
Now that I am back and only a little catatonic, I decided to get this post done and out of the way awhile, so I won't have it weighing on the back of my mind *sigh* consciences bro :(
Any who, Saturday morning I was up bright and early to catch the train into Manhattan for my college visit :) Although I only live 3 hours away from NYC and I have family in Brooklyn, this was only the 3rd time in my life that I've been in the city! Sadly, it wasn't a long visit; we just walked from Penn Station to NYU for the tour and back - but it was still amazing!!
The view coming out of Penn Station... right behind me is Madison Square Garden! Which is sadly just a giant officey looking building... not a real garden....
The unofficial quad of NYU - Washington Square Garden!! <3 So beautiful and quaint!
Found this tote bag in the NYU bookstore and thought it was seriously the funniest thing ever, it's "Mighty Michelle - First Lady of Fabulous" on a swing, like wut?
Although I still technically have 2 more years of high school, I will be missing junior year, so when I come back to be a senior, I really need to focus on college! All of my friends are getting to take their time, relax, maybe sip a latte as they ponder their future..... nooooope, no sir not me!
I'm that crazy girl who decided to give up the most important year of high school to go get dropped into a completely foreign culture and not understand the language >_<
okay, so maybe I'm being a bit of an overdramatic white girl, because It's really not that bad! The scholarship I won is absolutely amazing and I knew as I was applying that I would be sacrificing a lot. There is never really a good time in high school to become an exchange student - there will always be things that you're gonna miss while you're away. BUT, if you think about how much you're going to gain while you're abroad, there's no question that it's the right decision. I get that it takes a special type of teen to want to be an exchange student, but as long as I have this blog, I will not stop urging all of the readers to at least consider it! You NEVER know what types of doors it will open for you :)
2 weeks from today, at about 4pm... I, along with all of the kids headed to Italy, France, Belgium, and Spain from the USA will begin to embark on the journey that will change our lives! Oh yea, our flight to Zurich isn't just the AFS Italy kids, but also all other AFS USA kids headed to any of the countries mentioned above...... I just want to apologize to any innocent passengers ahead of time who will be on that flight, because you're about to be sharing a plane with over 100 excited teenagers....
I still have to pack and finish Rosetta Stone *stabs pencil into eye* but other than that, I am pretty much set! I finally have all of my documents in order #PRAISEJEEZUS and I have even had another meeting with my guidance counselor to clarify my credit transfer and all that fun junk! So all in all, things are falling into place, and I'm shaping up to ship out! Next week is the first week of school for Cocalico kids, and while all my friends are swapping war stories over the awesome iced cookies in our cafeteria... I will be sitting at home, most likely screaming preschool level Italian into a crappy headset.... oh the glamorous life of an exchange student ;P This blog is at 1100 page views and I haven't even had it for 2 months, so thanks again to everyone who reads it, it really means so much!
Arrivederci ragazzi :)
Friday, August 16, 2013
Cogitate
Ciao ragazzi :) I hope that everyone is clinging onto every last ounce of summer 2013 that they have left, just like all of my friends and I are doing!
That's actually kind of the reason that I haven't been blogging a lot recently *drumroll please* I've actually been pretty busy!!
Compared to last month, where I had some days that I literally had to keep myself from blogging twice in one day because I was THAT bored, this month is quite a turn around :P
So as mentioned, I had my going away party on the 10th, and although not a lot of people showed up due to work, vacation, etc. the people who did come made it an absolutely amazing time :) My cousin Emily came over Friday and we basically spent a day and a half cooking for it!
Coming from the girl who considers microwaved ramen noodles a delicacy, this is BIG.
I don't really have a lot to say about my party, other than it was so touching and I strongly urge anyone who is going away on a long trip (whether it be exchange or vacation) to have some sort of farewell get together with the people you love! I got to see friends that I haven't seen since the last day of school, and I finally had an excuse to practice dressing fancy, because pretty much everyone in Italy is permanently at model status 24/7.
Although believe it or not I do have friends, the main event that has kept me busy this past week has been CXC!!
For anyone who isn't a sporty person, or just despises acronyms, CXC stands for Cocalico Cross Country. Cocalico being my high school and cross country as in the sport of running for fun.
........I can bet money on it that 97% of you just dry heaved at the thought of running for fun :P
Well, my little couch potatoes, let me just explain something to you about CXC
1.) It is a co-ed sport, meaning guys and girls both participate, which basically eliminates drama.
2.) We have undeniably the best coaches/ most fun program of any school in the league
That brings me to the title of this post - COGITATE. That is my XC coach / former geometry teacher's favorite word, and it basically means to stop and really think about something on a deeper level. Not only is it fun to say, it really relates to being an exchange student. AFS has made me cogitate about myself, Italy, my future, and what it really means to be a worldly person!
3.) I have met most of my current best friends through CXC.
Don't get me wrong, it is WORK, and it takes a lot of dedication, but it is also the most rewarding sport I think you could ever do.
Anyways, since I just love it sooooooo much, I have chosen to do preseason up until the day before I leave for New York with my team, so that includes waking up at 7am for the next week to go run/sprint 3-8 miles a day. Call me crazy, but it's probably the most fun I've had all summer :) Nothing replaces the bond you have with your teammates!
Finally, I drew this for my host sister, Federica, because she is such a sweetie and I didn't want to write a super long letter in English to her :P
Tomorrow is my NYU tour and then back to Cocalico for the last week of summer vacation :O
Ciao ciao :)
That's actually kind of the reason that I haven't been blogging a lot recently *drumroll please* I've actually been pretty busy!!
Compared to last month, where I had some days that I literally had to keep myself from blogging twice in one day because I was THAT bored, this month is quite a turn around :P
So as mentioned, I had my going away party on the 10th, and although not a lot of people showed up due to work, vacation, etc. the people who did come made it an absolutely amazing time :) My cousin Emily came over Friday and we basically spent a day and a half cooking for it!
Coming from the girl who considers microwaved ramen noodles a delicacy, this is BIG.
I don't really have a lot to say about my party, other than it was so touching and I strongly urge anyone who is going away on a long trip (whether it be exchange or vacation) to have some sort of farewell get together with the people you love! I got to see friends that I haven't seen since the last day of school, and I finally had an excuse to practice dressing fancy, because pretty much everyone in Italy is permanently at model status 24/7.
Some going away presents, my friends are simply just the best <3
My party cake that I got to design :) Also it tasted pretty delish too ;)
For anyone who isn't a sporty person, or just despises acronyms, CXC stands for Cocalico Cross Country. Cocalico being my high school and cross country as in the sport of running for fun.
........I can bet money on it that 97% of you just dry heaved at the thought of running for fun :P
Well, my little couch potatoes, let me just explain something to you about CXC
1.) It is a co-ed sport, meaning guys and girls both participate, which basically eliminates drama.
2.) We have undeniably the best coaches/ most fun program of any school in the league
That brings me to the title of this post - COGITATE. That is my XC coach / former geometry teacher's favorite word, and it basically means to stop and really think about something on a deeper level. Not only is it fun to say, it really relates to being an exchange student. AFS has made me cogitate about myself, Italy, my future, and what it really means to be a worldly person!
3.) I have met most of my current best friends through CXC.
Don't get me wrong, it is WORK, and it takes a lot of dedication, but it is also the most rewarding sport I think you could ever do.
Anyways, since I just love it sooooooo much, I have chosen to do preseason up until the day before I leave for New York with my team, so that includes waking up at 7am for the next week to go run/sprint 3-8 miles a day. Call me crazy, but it's probably the most fun I've had all summer :) Nothing replaces the bond you have with your teammates!
Taken this morning before we went to go run the trails and stream of a local boy scout camp. My lovely XC ladies and I took it upon ourselves to dress as the rainbow ;) I was blue!
Pretty much what we all looked like after LSD day (long slow distance, not the drug)
Besides cross country in the mornings, I'd say the place I have been to the most in the past week is definitely the Courtyard Café. It's a local coffee shop in my school district that I may or may not want to get married in, I just love it that much! They make chai tea lattes that are so good, next time I go there I might just ask if they can hook me up to an IV drip and just serve it directly into my bloodstream. Going through latte withdrawal once I leave in 18 days will undoubtedly be the hardest thing I've ever had to in my life :( </3
Behold the blended chai tea latte, or as I like to call it - nectar of the Gods
On to AFS related things, finally! Remember how I told you that AFS can make the world feel so small you could fit it in your backpack? Well, the other morning I was chatting with my fellow Italy AFSer, Ko, who happens to live in Tokyo and is my JBF (Japanese best friend) and he sent me a pic of a Japanese talk show that he was watching! The guests that day were none other than our favorite band, Imagine Dragons!! It just goes to show how being an exchange student will bring people into your lives who you never even fathomed existed before, and bond you together!
Imagine Dragons in Japan!!!!!
Yesterday I received my official AFS luggage tags :) Although just thinking about packing for 10 months in only a 44lb bag and 17lb carryon gives me a panic attack, it's pretty surreal to actually see the luggage tags sitting on my desk.... holy crap, I'm really going to Italy for 10 months, aren't I?
A friendly reminder from AFS that being a girl and owning lots of clothing and makeup and shoes sucks.
Finally, I drew this for my host sister, Federica, because she is such a sweetie and I didn't want to write a super long letter in English to her :P
Ciao ciao :)
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
The 10th circle
Ciao a tutti :)
Well, if any of you are 14th century literature buffs (and aren't we all hehe) you'll understand that I am referring to the circles of Hell, as described in Dante's epic poem, The Inferno. In actuality there are only 9 circles of Hell, and each circle is filled with worse sinners and punishment than the next one, ultimately making the 9th circle the worst.
Weeeeeell I'd just like to throw out there that applying for and obtaining an Italian student visa is probably the closest you can get to a 10th circle of Hell.
Y'all remember that massive mound of paperwork and documentation that I posted in my back from vacation post? Well, that wasn't even the half of it.
Let's start at 7:45 this morning, when I woke up, shall we? Thinking that I had spent over a month preparing for this visa application, I wanted to make a good impression on the consulate official, so I chose to wear wedges and a nice blouse, complete with skirt. BAD FREAKING IDEA.
8:30 am and we hit the road for Philly, which is where the consulate is located and only about an hour and 10ish minute drive from my house, plus or minus depending on traffic. I personally hate long car rides, and so by the time we pulled into the parking garage at Independence mall, I felt like screaming "hallelujah !!" because I was finally out of that car!
Side note: As fate would have it, me and two other AFS Italy girls from my chapter, Kara and Brystal, all had our Visa appointments this morning, so we all hung out in the consulate lobby and then Kara and I got lunch and then got rained on afterwards (more on that in a sec)
10:10 am and we are attaching our visitor stickers in the consulate lobby, which looks like something out of the Royal Genovian palace in The Princess Diaries, and all is good! Kara already had had her appointment at 9:40 so my family adopted her for the day and she is just hanging with me for moral support and entertainment at this point. We have a little over an hour to kill before my appointment, so we screw around in the cheesy gift shop conveniently attached to the consulate. We ended up buying lollipops and a postcard, go figure :P
12:00 and the 10:50 appointment guy hadn't even gone yet!! I have no idea how it is even possible for it to be that backed up, but the same husband and his wife who is dressed in hippy flower pajama bottoms and fire truck red crocs (this is why I say I overdressed) has been chatting the consulate lady's ear off for a solid 45 minutes. Kara and I are dyingggggg, my parents are about one anecdote away from crying, and Brystal was trying to add last-minute corrections to her application, so she actually benefitted from the long wait!
12:45 FINALLY THNK U JEEZUS I GET CALLED UP FOR MY TURN <3 ....... Wouldn't you know that my entire appointment consisted of her leafing through my papers, stamping a bunch of crap, and then having my parents sign a few times here and there. The entire thing took maybe 5 minutes max and all for my visa, which is really just a TINY STAMP on my passport.
0_o ........ EGTREDJLIJOIUKJVHGJBJHAHHAGKJD *frustration*
1:00 pm and I am sitting down in an adorable little café in Philly eating a margarita pizza that may or may not have been a personal pan because I was super emotional at that point and needed comfort. And then after lunch we were all so tired we just decided to call it a day. As we were walking back to the car, of course it would start pouring, and we were too flustered to remember an umbrella.
So, 3 hours and decent soaking later, we finally left the city of brotherly love, or as I like to now affectionately call it, the city of poorly organized governmental institutions ;P
The moral of the story is: If you ever need to apply for an Italian visa, for the love of sassafras take the earliest time slot you can get!!
My going away party is on Saturday and I am beyond excited to see a lot of friends and family that I haven't seen since June :)
Ciao ciao :)
Before I actually get into this post, I had one of the boys from Speedwell who took pictures of us at Sunday's picnic send me some, and in the front row from left to right are 4 of the Italy Speedwell girls, as follows: In the coral dress - Brystal, to the right in black is Lauren, then Kara in white, and finally me in the red skirt!
Weeeeeell I'd just like to throw out there that applying for and obtaining an Italian student visa is probably the closest you can get to a 10th circle of Hell.
The entrance to Hell. Behold, the very beautiful Italian consulate building that apparently also houses the Chilean consulate too... talk about a random country pairing...
Let's start at 7:45 this morning, when I woke up, shall we? Thinking that I had spent over a month preparing for this visa application, I wanted to make a good impression on the consulate official, so I chose to wear wedges and a nice blouse, complete with skirt. BAD FREAKING IDEA.
8:30 am and we hit the road for Philly, which is where the consulate is located and only about an hour and 10ish minute drive from my house, plus or minus depending on traffic. I personally hate long car rides, and so by the time we pulled into the parking garage at Independence mall, I felt like screaming "hallelujah !!" because I was finally out of that car!
Independence hall which is literally right in front of the consulate building - This is where the declaration of Independence was signed for any non-Americans
Side note: As fate would have it, me and two other AFS Italy girls from my chapter, Kara and Brystal, all had our Visa appointments this morning, so we all hung out in the consulate lobby and then Kara and I got lunch and then got rained on afterwards (more on that in a sec)
10:10 am and we are attaching our visitor stickers in the consulate lobby, which looks like something out of the Royal Genovian palace in The Princess Diaries, and all is good! Kara already had had her appointment at 9:40 so my family adopted her for the day and she is just hanging with me for moral support and entertainment at this point. We have a little over an hour to kill before my appointment, so we screw around in the cheesy gift shop conveniently attached to the consulate. We ended up buying lollipops and a postcard, go figure :P
The princess-esque lobby complete with statue of Benjamin Franklin
Being colonial settlers in the gift shop >:)
11:00 am and we head back up to the consulate visa appointment room, which is basically a closet-sized miniature DMV, with maybe 8 or so plastic chairs crammed into the corner and one ticket booth where the Visa lady sat behind. Also, this room didn't have AC, so between all of the tired, sweaty people, it was a toasty 95 degrees. easy. In order to avoid heat stroke, I chose to wait out in the marble-covered hallway, which was much cooler and less crowded. Little did I know I'd be sitting in that hallway for almost 2 hours >_<12:00 and the 10:50 appointment guy hadn't even gone yet!! I have no idea how it is even possible for it to be that backed up, but the same husband and his wife who is dressed in hippy flower pajama bottoms and fire truck red crocs (this is why I say I overdressed) has been chatting the consulate lady's ear off for a solid 45 minutes. Kara and I are dyingggggg, my parents are about one anecdote away from crying, and Brystal was trying to add last-minute corrections to her application, so she actually benefitted from the long wait!
12:45 FINALLY THNK U JEEZUS I GET CALLED UP FOR MY TURN <3 ....... Wouldn't you know that my entire appointment consisted of her leafing through my papers, stamping a bunch of crap, and then having my parents sign a few times here and there. The entire thing took maybe 5 minutes max and all for my visa, which is really just a TINY STAMP on my passport.
0_o ........ EGTREDJLIJOIUKJVHGJBJHAHHAGKJD *frustration*
1:00 pm and I am sitting down in an adorable little café in Philly eating a margarita pizza that may or may not have been a personal pan because I was super emotional at that point and needed comfort. And then after lunch we were all so tired we just decided to call it a day. As we were walking back to the car, of course it would start pouring, and we were too flustered to remember an umbrella.
Best. Pizza. In. PA.
After getting caught in a monsoon-like downpour and utterly exhausted, gotta get that ugly selfie in ;P
Our last act of tacky tourism, pinky swear! We just couldn't resist snapping a pic with that Rocky statue :D
The moral of the story is: If you ever need to apply for an Italian visa, for the love of sassafras take the earliest time slot you can get!!
My going away party is on Saturday and I am beyond excited to see a lot of friends and family that I haven't seen since June :)
Ciao ciao :)
Sunday, August 4, 2013
It's time to use your wings!
Ciao ciao ragazzi :)
Even though it's been a whopping 8 whole days since my last blog post, I'm actually sitting here struggling to type this because I feel like I haven't blogged in a century! The past 8 days were crazy insane busy (in a good way) and it was just one of those situations where I couldn't find a good place to take a break from all of the excitement in my life to sit down and blog, but finally I have some spare time so here's the latest update straight from the frontiers of Lancaster :)
Sunday afternoon my friends Hanna, Maegan and myself decided to be spontaneous and go rock climbing! If you've never gone rock climbing before or have ever considered doing it, GOFORITGOFORITGOFORIT. Seriously, that wasn't my first time climbing, but honestly it is one of the most physically demanding and exhilarating experiences you can ever have! The walls we climbed were maybe in the 25-30 foot height range, and our unspoken rule was that you didn't really climb the wall unless you slapped the ceiling with your hand. I think in total we climbed 5 walls and as a bonus we all got a crash course in belaying (the belayer = the person on the ground who is pulling/supporting the rope that is attached to the climber's harness, i.e. MOLTO IMPORTANTE) Thankfully we are all overflowing with so much poise and athleticism we managed to avoid any broken bones, bruises, or super wedgies.
Still on our "spontaneous exercise adventure time" roll, we decided to spend Monday at Camp Kirchenwald, an amazing summer camp in the beautiful woods of the Mount Gretna area like 35 minutes from my house! Even though only campers can technically stay there without having it be considered trespassing, Hanna's older brother just so happens to be a director there so we got to spend the evening hiking around, canoeing, and trying (but failing at) the low ropes course! The place we chose to hike to is a local spot and makes up most of the camp legends that have been captivating tween imaginations for decades! It's basically like 20-30 MASSIVE boulders (think Devil's Den for any Gettysburg fans) That are all mashed together to form this complex system of little caves and tunnels and crevices! Not only are the rocks themselves amazing, but the local urban legend to accompany them isn't too shabby either. As I'm told, back around the turn of the 19th century, the 3 Buzzard brothers decided to steal all of the gold from this horrible coal mine owner, Mr. Coalman (I know), who was so consumed with his money that he didn't care about the safety of his mineshafts. One day, a mineshaft actually collapsed and trapped all of the workers inside, and one of those workers was the Buzzard brothers father. So, in order to avenge their father's death, they stole Coalman's gold and ran away to the rocks, knowing that they were full of underground caves and tunnels to hide out in. Soon, Coalman tracked them to the rocks and a massive shootout ensued, killing the 2 oldest brothers and a lot of Coalman's henchmen (you can actually see what look to be bullet holes in the rocks and trees, it's pretty wild) Before the youngest brother escaped, he made sure to hide the gold in the rocks where no one could ever get it. Apparently he moved away and never came back for the gold, so to this day, no one has been able to locate it (one of the boulders sounds hollow if you knock on it, and the popular theory is that the gold is somehow in that boulder) And so little campers are always running around at Buzzard Rock, trying to see if they can find the lost gold :P Believe that or not, the story definitely does give a creepy, ominous vibe to the place, which makes it all the more fun the hike around!
After camp we got ice cream at the Jigger Shop, which is super old timey and adorable, and makes some kick a$$ sundaes!
The next few days consisted of Visa prep work, shopping for Italy and host family gifts, and getting things for my going away party! :)
Flash forward to yesterday, which was my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary, and I got to spend the day with my mom's side of the family, including my awesome cousin Emily! We had dinner at a fancy restaurant and then went back to my grandparent's house to go through their old wedding album and watch a 3 minute video of their actual wedding day. Maybe this is just the history buff in me talking, but seeing and touching pictures and an invitation from an event that happened 50 years ago was pretty surreal. I really enjoyed getting to learn more about where I come from, because like or not the past plays a big part in shaping who we are.
Finally, we arrive to today, which is a pretty special day for a number of reasons. One, in exactly one month I leave PA for Italy. Two, it was the Speedwell picnic! Unfortunately, I was so busy stuffing my face with pasta salad and meeting so many amazing AFSers, I didn't snap any pics :( But, I can tell you that it was one of the best events I've been to all summer! I spent the majority of my time with my fellow Italy girls, because now that we all have host families and towns we literally didn't shut up for 3 hours straight. In addition, I got to talk to some other amazing kids who are going to some pretty cool places too, like Germany and France! Hands down the coolest moment of the picnic was meeting Kendall, my application advisor who I spent many hours with over the phone and apparently just moved from OR to the PA chapter of AFS!! The sweetest moment of the day was hearing Mrs. Messner speak, who, along with her husband, funds the Speedwell Scholarship program. I imagined you'd have to be a pretty kind person in order to give away 100s of thousands of dollars worth of scholarships a year to random teenagers, but I can honestly say after meeting them in person that they surpass kindness. I don't know what adjective is higher up than kind (saintly maybe?) but whatever it is, the Messners rank in that category. So, from the bottom of my heart I will always and forever be so grateful to them!
Finally, the president of the entire American AFS branch was in attendance and gave an awesome speech! It turns out that he is actually from Argentina, and got involved with AFS back when he was a teenager and was an AFS exchange student in MI from Argentina, and then never stopped giving back :) In his speech, he told us that we all have wings, and not the wings on the airplanes that will carry us to our new home countries, but our metaphorical "spiritual" wings, if you will. I don't remember word for word what he said, so I'm just paraphrasing here, but it went something like this:
Everybody has a pair of these spiritual wings, and you children are so fortunate to have the urge to want to spread yours! Use your wings to take you to your new country, and to help you embrace the people and culture in its entirety!
Like I said, my loose recollection, but the overall message was that we are choosing to become more worldly by becoming exchange students, and our lives will be that much better if we continue to view everything with an open-minded, worldly perspective :)
As long as the documents I need show up before Wednesday, I have my appointment at the Italian consulate this week, so fingers crossed that actually happens and I can just get all of this paperwork DONE.
Grazie, e ciao amici :)
Even though it's been a whopping 8 whole days since my last blog post, I'm actually sitting here struggling to type this because I feel like I haven't blogged in a century! The past 8 days were crazy insane busy (in a good way) and it was just one of those situations where I couldn't find a good place to take a break from all of the excitement in my life to sit down and blog, but finally I have some spare time so here's the latest update straight from the frontiers of Lancaster :)
Sunday afternoon my friends Hanna, Maegan and myself decided to be spontaneous and go rock climbing! If you've never gone rock climbing before or have ever considered doing it, GOFORITGOFORITGOFORIT. Seriously, that wasn't my first time climbing, but honestly it is one of the most physically demanding and exhilarating experiences you can ever have! The walls we climbed were maybe in the 25-30 foot height range, and our unspoken rule was that you didn't really climb the wall unless you slapped the ceiling with your hand. I think in total we climbed 5 walls and as a bonus we all got a crash course in belaying (the belayer = the person on the ground who is pulling/supporting the rope that is attached to the climber's harness, i.e. MOLTO IMPORTANTE) Thankfully we are all overflowing with so much poise and athleticism we managed to avoid any broken bones, bruises, or super wedgies.
Me on the repel down and striking a cool pose, a la Christ the Redeemer
Top to bottom: Hanna, Maegan, me
Still on our "spontaneous exercise adventure time" roll, we decided to spend Monday at Camp Kirchenwald, an amazing summer camp in the beautiful woods of the Mount Gretna area like 35 minutes from my house! Even though only campers can technically stay there without having it be considered trespassing, Hanna's older brother just so happens to be a director there so we got to spend the evening hiking around, canoeing, and trying (but failing at) the low ropes course! The place we chose to hike to is a local spot and makes up most of the camp legends that have been captivating tween imaginations for decades! It's basically like 20-30 MASSIVE boulders (think Devil's Den for any Gettysburg fans) That are all mashed together to form this complex system of little caves and tunnels and crevices! Not only are the rocks themselves amazing, but the local urban legend to accompany them isn't too shabby either. As I'm told, back around the turn of the 19th century, the 3 Buzzard brothers decided to steal all of the gold from this horrible coal mine owner, Mr. Coalman (I know), who was so consumed with his money that he didn't care about the safety of his mineshafts. One day, a mineshaft actually collapsed and trapped all of the workers inside, and one of those workers was the Buzzard brothers father. So, in order to avenge their father's death, they stole Coalman's gold and ran away to the rocks, knowing that they were full of underground caves and tunnels to hide out in. Soon, Coalman tracked them to the rocks and a massive shootout ensued, killing the 2 oldest brothers and a lot of Coalman's henchmen (you can actually see what look to be bullet holes in the rocks and trees, it's pretty wild) Before the youngest brother escaped, he made sure to hide the gold in the rocks where no one could ever get it. Apparently he moved away and never came back for the gold, so to this day, no one has been able to locate it (one of the boulders sounds hollow if you knock on it, and the popular theory is that the gold is somehow in that boulder) And so little campers are always running around at Buzzard Rock, trying to see if they can find the lost gold :P Believe that or not, the story definitely does give a creepy, ominous vibe to the place, which makes it all the more fun the hike around!
After camp we got ice cream at the Jigger Shop, which is super old timey and adorable, and makes some kick a$$ sundaes!
The "Death by Chocolate" sundae at the Jigger Shop
Flash forward to yesterday, which was my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary, and I got to spend the day with my mom's side of the family, including my awesome cousin Emily! We had dinner at a fancy restaurant and then went back to my grandparent's house to go through their old wedding album and watch a 3 minute video of their actual wedding day. Maybe this is just the history buff in me talking, but seeing and touching pictures and an invitation from an event that happened 50 years ago was pretty surreal. I really enjoyed getting to learn more about where I come from, because like or not the past plays a big part in shaping who we are.
My grandparents' insanely gorgeous wedding photo, circa 1963
Stole this pic off of Facebook, but one of the AFS Germany girls made these AMAZING cupcakes! The actual cake was even dyed green and blue like a globe.... YOU ROCK ALI!
Everybody has a pair of these spiritual wings, and you children are so fortunate to have the urge to want to spread yours! Use your wings to take you to your new country, and to help you embrace the people and culture in its entirety!
Like I said, my loose recollection, but the overall message was that we are choosing to become more worldly by becoming exchange students, and our lives will be that much better if we continue to view everything with an open-minded, worldly perspective :)
As long as the documents I need show up before Wednesday, I have my appointment at the Italian consulate this week, so fingers crossed that actually happens and I can just get all of this paperwork DONE.
Grazie, e ciao amici :)
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