Orvieto

Ciao tutti! Almost October, Halloween! Well, sort of. Anyway, I've had a lovely couple of days. Yesterday Kelsey and I went to Orvieto, a little hill town in central Italy. It was very small and not much was going on, but it was so nice to get away from the busy city for a while. We took the train, which was kind of fun except for the fact that we missed the 9 am departure we'd wanted to make and had to leave at 11 instead. It was okay though, because we just wandered around the area (I haven't really been to that part of the city much). Orvieto was absolutely lovely. It was sweet and picturesque like Assisi, but slightly more lived in. It's like a happy medium between Perugia and Assisi. I still prefer Rome though! Then this morning I went to the catacombs for a second try (first time I wore shorts and wasn't allowed in. Darn Catholic city) with my host family and some of their extended family. It was really cool and creepy, and though I couldn't take any pictures it was an excellent experience. One of those things you don't really need pictures to remember.

Oh, and I started my internship! The organization is called Ricerca e Cooperazione (Research and Cooperation) and it's a non-profit seeking to improve conditions for the impoverished in third world countries (as far as I can tell thus far). Pretty much I'll be doing a lot of translating of their website and project proposals/reports into English for reports and such. I'm really, really excited to be involved. This is really along the lines of what I think I want to do someday, something that I think I can look back at when I'm old and be happy because I did something worthwhile, not just a corporate job or lawyer (even though I know you can do a lot with that as well!). For example, their last project was to help improve living conditions for street children and street mothers in Ghana through improved education, job opportunities, etc. I just feel really lucky to have the opportunity to be involved in such an organization, and I can't wait to find out what I'll learn from it.
This is the famous duomo in Orvieto. Apparently Orvieto was the location of the miracle in which the host actually bled on the cloth below it, symbolizing it's transformation back into the body of Christ. Kelsey and I saw the actual cloth on display in the chapel near the altar. The duomo is absolutely stunning, and none of my pictures could possibly do it justice. Assume that with everything... but I try!

Orvieto, being a hill town, has the same amazing views and windy roads that Assisi and Perugia have. Pretty!

That view is amazing... I love this picture.

Mundane updates...

Hello!! I hope everyone's having a lovely week wherever you are. Today was pretty good, while a bit long (every day is long, lol). I finally got my charger in the mail! My labtop is hooked up and charging as I type. Now I won't have to keep bugging Kelsey for hers (not that she cared). I had a really nice class this morning at the forum (my third field study there, lol. But I can handle it). It was great; we went all over the Palatine, which is the place where the emperors had their palaces. There are structures on that hill that date back to 800 BC. Pretty cool, huh? I'm impressed. Oh, and I get to do my internship! In case I haven't mentioned it this far, it's with an organization called Ricerca e Cooperazione (Research and Cooperation). I think (think, mind you) that it concerns impoverished peoples in third world countries. My supervisor just got back from a trip to Africa, and he's leaving for Lebanon in October. He was pretty excited to hear about the class I took last semester on modern Africa and my paper on women's lives in Darfur. But anyway, it starts Friday, and I'll be dropping my second art history class. I'm really excited, because it'll give me an opportunity to meet some more people outside of IES and keep myself busy outside of class. Well, gotta go do my Italian homework! Until next time!

Crazy bus ticket checkers

I finally have some pictures from Assisi and Perugia! Today was crazy and long. First, I spent the whole morning in the Roman forum, having two consecutive lectures on the architecture (two different classes, two hours each). It was absolutely amazing. I love the forum! Next Tuesday I'm going back to visit the Palatine hill, where the emperors had their palaces. Then I had Italian class, but got stuck waiting a half hour for the bus. I finally got on, but it happened to be the most crowded bus in history. I swear. Then ticket inspectors got on and started shoving everyone to check their tickets. I mean, I know it must be nice to check crowded buses because there are just so many potential victims, but it's just not safe! I almost sat on/accidentally smothered a poor old man! Luckily, a German guy helped me stay on my feet and not on the old man's midsection and I finally made it home. I feel like the forum is coming out of my ears. I'm too tired (daily trend, it seems...) to go out, which had been my intention. So off to bed! I hope everyone's doing well!

Top picture: Kelsey (roommate) and me outside the Basilica of St. Clair, Umbrian countryside in the background
Middle: Assisi (é bellissima) from near the Church of St. Francis
Bottom: Assisi at dusk, from near the top of the hill (the rest on facebook)

Appia Antica

So, this is the Via Appia! We took the bus for a suspiciously long time and ended up on some major road on the outskirts of the city, with nothing particularly antique in sight. Then we walked across the street and saw this in the distance! Though my host father says apparently a better section (the very beginning of the road) is only a 200 meter walk from here... Go figure. Lol.

This is the same thing, except I accidentally used flash and then decided to play with it. I thought it was cool.

Pictures!!

So this doesn't really have anything to do with Rome, but I saw this two summers ago some where in St. Clair county and thought I'd share, since I need to figure out how to post pictures. Enjoy!

La notte bianca

I'm just hanging out at the house right now, relaxing after a crazy night. Last night was 'la notte bianca' or 'white night,' an annual festival where everything is open all night and there are concerts and parties all over the city. This year apparently wasn't that good, since the city didn't plan as many activities, but I still had fun! I think Kelsey and I got back to the apartment at about 6 am. Classes start tomorrow, so time to get down to work! I had intensive Italian all week (not as bad as it sounds) and now I'm finally starting my regular schedule. I'm currently taking two history courses, art history, economics and Italian, though I might drop economics if I get the internship I'm interested in. Oh, and I finally took some pictures in Rome (well, like one) last night when we stopped on the outskirts of the city to see the ancient Via Appia (the famous Roman road that used to lead all the way to southern Italy), and I'll try to figure out how to get that posted. Not much else to report, except that my friend Sara and I bought tickets to go to Ireland in October! I'm so excited! I hope everybody is doing well!

Lindsey xxx

Assisi & Perugia

So it's the end of the first week, and I finally have some free time! Since I got here I've been going and going, with meetings and orientation for my program every day, all day. Yesterday morning we left for a short, overnight trip to Assisi and Perugia. Assisi is absolutely stunning. There's very little there and hardly a reason to visit except for the fact that it's the hometown of St. Francis and St. Clare (for those of you who are familiar with the saints), so it's very small and spiritual. Everything is pink and white limestone, and it's very clean, pretty much the opposite of Rome, lol. I'll hopefully have pictures posted here or on facebook pretty soon. It was a really nice day with beautiful scenery, and then this morning we left for Perugia. Perugia is very quaint and historical as well, with architecture dating back to the Etruscans (pre-Roman era). It's lovely, the ways they've found to integrate the old buildings and monuments into modern times. For example, one of the old aqueducts is now a really cool walkway above the city. Right now I'm just laying around back at the apartment, and I think my host family is away. I don't know what I'll end up doing tonight, but tomorrow I might try to walk to the catacombs. I'm loving the city right now! The trip was great, but I was so glad to get back, even though I was only gone for a day. Ciao!!