The Two Ladies in Verona

Let's rewind a minute. March, 2013. Anna and I are sitting down to lunch in Old Chicago. We order bruschetta and pizza - half Hawaiian, half Margarita. It was this monumental meal that brought me here. When I walked into the restaurant, I never thought I'd be spending the next semester of school in Athens, Greece. In fact, I had never even heard of this school. While in Old Chicago, as we were discussing this opportunity, we mused about how we could take a weekend in Italy, order more pizza there, and muse about how awesome studying abroad is. 

Boom. Done. 

Emailing Juliet!
Wonder if she'll reply...

Verona, Italy. The setting of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and parts of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Local legend has it that Romeo and Juliet were real people. If so, I recited Juliet's monologue off of her real balcony, read the graffiti in her actual tomb, and ate at the restaurant that was supposedly once Romeo's house (which was merely a couple blocks away from Juliet's.... yeah, right). Rest assured, Anna and I also wrote our letters to Juliet and left them on the wall under her balcony, took a picture rubbing her right breast for good luck, and even wrote her an email while touring her house (who knew she was so high tech?!). The email read something like this:

Dear Juliet,

Do it girl. Deny thy father. That Romeo Efron is a HUNK.

Love, Anna and Debbi

PS: You do know he was in love with Rosalie, right? Can anyone say, rebound?!

Other than where we were going to sleep and how we were going to get there, Anna and I really didn't have any plans for our stay in Verona. Originally, we were going to spend the weekend exploring Cinque Terre on the coast, but the more we travel, the more we are discovering how difficult it is when you are on your own (and Cinque Terre appears to be a very difficult place to get to). When we first begun our study abroad experience, I temporarily objected to the various tours I've been on. "There wasn't time to immerse oneself within the  culture," I thought to myself. "And most people didn't even care about the monuments and sights we were touring. Isn't it much better to explore on your own?" I assure you, those idiot thoughts were brief. Though there is definitely a LOT of merit in going places on your own and a lot more opportunity to experience culture that way, I'm right back to being incredibly grateful for the knowledgeable and gracious people who have introduced me to every culture, country, and historical place I have experienced, and all at my leisure of not having to plan anything. 

So yeah. ANYWAY. We went to Verona and stayed there the whole time because it was simple and relaxing. However, fun fact, the simplicity of traveling to Verona and its marketable association with Shakespeare's tragic duo makes this city a very popular spot for couples. However, Northern Italy is not popular for speaking English. So, unfortunately, the closest thing to a friend that we made was a really adorable puppy inside a gelato place. However, we did see practically every site and museum there is to see in Verona. And drank Italian hot chocolate like it was nobody's business.

TIP: Italian hot chocolate is, in fact, the true nectar of the Gods. Screw Italian pizza and pasta and whatever else they supposedly have to offer. It all pales in comparison. If I could have spent the weekend drinking only hot chocolate and eating gelato, I would have. And I never would have discovered its glory if I hadn't Googled "Things to Do in Italy." 

The extent to which dinner customs vary from place to place kind of blows my mind a little. Before coming to Italy, I was expecting the culture to be relatively similar to the Greek culture. I mean, I've been pretty classically trained on the Italian culture from my time working at Olive Garden (ha), but it is all still Mediterranean, right? But what I actually discovered was that I had no idea what was going on. When we landed in Italy, we took a bus to the train station, the train to Verona, and a cab to our b&b (La Buchetta - highly recommend!). By the time we got there, it was 8 pm, dark and we were starving (apparently, right on time for Italian dinner!). Claudio, the owner, gave us directions to a nearby pizzeria which seemed simple enough... but resulted in Anna and I wandering around the sleepy residential area of Verona for maybe an hour before we found it. We ordered a pizza to split and a glass of the best wine I've even had in my life. We sat back, relaxed and were grateful to be here. But, when we got the pizza, I had a mini panic attack. How do Italians eat pizza?! It came to us cut in half, on two separate plates and wasn't sliced. And neither of us were sitting at an angle where we could see other people eating their pizza. My vision of relaxing and musing over Italian pizza fell apart. I wanted to eat it right - respectfully. From what I've heard, mealtime in Italy is a sacred event. 

However, looking back, I'm reminded of the wise words of my wonderful friend and advisor, Kim: "Pride'll kill ya. You aren't nearly as important as you think you are." I'm sure my pizza would have tasted way better if I had had those words in mind. Also, they appear to eat pizza with knife and fork. 

The rest of our time in Verona was much more pleasant, though we still didn't necessarily have a clear idea of what we were doing. The next morning, when Anna and I got on the bus with no idea how to purchase tickets (tickets for public transportation are similar to Greece - do it yourself and occasionally get checked), we had an adorable encounter with an old Italian man who didn't speak any English. Like I said, Northern Italy is notorious for not having a lot of English available - on signs, in museums, and in the people. So, when I asked this man for help to work the ticket machine, and he responded in Italian, I expected to perhaps just wait for the next person to come along. But no. Instead, he continued to speak to me in Italian, took my money, asked other people on the bus to help exchange our money for the correct change and showed us how to work the machine. While I continued to stand there smiling with my palms up, eyebrows raised and saying "uhhhh." It was a hilarious and incredible experience in cross-cultural communication. 

Once we got the bus system down, all of Verona was at our finger tips. We wandered into every art museum, explored the castles, recited in the arenas and theaters, lit candles in gorgeous churches, and hiked in the hills. TIP: In Verona, on the first Sunday of every month, tickets to get into most museums are only 1€. If you don't happen to visit on that day, get a Verona pass - one pass/price for all the major museums and sights. ;)

One month left of our study abroad experience. Though I'm getting ready to be home, see my loved ones, get back in the theater, and have access to the rest of my closet.... I'm scared and sad to be leaving Greece soon. Who knows when or if I'll get to come back here and see my friends and experience this culture again? In preparation for our upcoming departure, I will be spending my time eating as much Greek yogurt and souvlaki with my new friends as physically possible. If only that pesky homework wasn't getting in the way...

In other news, I'll be on my way to London for the weekend in the next couple hours. It'll be nice to have a couple days in a place where everything is in English. :) We'll be spending time seeing shows and exploring the city with my lovely cousin Hillary. I can hardly wait! We also just booked plane tickets to see Istanbul, Turkey over Thanksgiving break. Stay tuned and thank you for reading!

The Hot Bods of Greek Gods

Yia sas! I've been here for almost six weeks. And we've only just made it to the Parthenon. TIP: Though the night life in Athens is typically very late, check the hours for tourist sites and grocery stores. They aren't open as late as you'd think! Markets tend to close at 9 pm and the tourist sites vary. A simple tip that I'm still somehow figuring out. However, one of the plus sides of Athens is that there's always an ancient ruin somewhere to be admired from afar.

Some of the adventures and events of this past week:

October 3rd. Our roommate Steph got hit by a car while she was out running in preparation for the Marathon. (You know, like the MARATHON Marathon - whoa.) This affirms the craziness of traffic conditions here. Narrow roads, little traffic enforcement, and most sidewalks are often blocked from pedestrians by planted trees, parked cars and dumpsters. There is even a group here in Athens trying to fight for pedestrian rights. Pedestrian rights.... something I've always taken advantage of, I guess! Send out your prayers and positive thoughts to this super sweet trooper!

October 4th. Cheered on the Deree women's soccer team. Our cheers were so inspiring that our friend Carissa actually knocked one of the opponents out!

October 5th. Anna, Jess and I checked out the National Archeological Museum here in Athens (€3 with student ID). It was beeeeauuutiful. The museum is near the area in Athens known as Exarchia and next door to Athens Polytechnic (aka the National Technical University of Athens). Exarchia is a popular area for college students, anarchists and demonstrations with many cool shops, restaurants and clubs. When we arrived in the area, there was a peaceful demonstration beginning across the street from the metro - its the first one I have seen during my stay in Athens. The area is very eclectic in appearance and is covered entirely in very artistic graffiti (while most of Athens is covered in very boring, gross, sad, and inartistic graffiti). At night time, in Exarchia Square, it is apparently common to see many people doing drugs out in the open. Needless to say, it is a unique community and made the sparkling beautiful building and grounds of the museum very easy to find.

The exhibits were crazy cool. Pieces were from the Archaic and Classical Periods, Bronze Age, Byzantine Empire, Egypt, and even a shipwreck (though don't quote me on the details here). However, many of the statues and monuments were taken from people's gravestones. They were of course very cool and artistic all the same, but it was still weird... I dunno how I would feel if I knew someone took the monument marking my grave to display in a museum somewhere. However, we did also see a few mummies and skeletons, so I guess all's fair in love, war, and historical preservation! Side note, all the statues of Greek gods had totally hot bods. Here's a couple (non-naked statue) pictures from our adventure:

Check out the detail on his arms - you can see his VEINS.

Anna and Jess. And Mr. Dead Guy.

Zeus' arm. And a statue of an arm. 

Later that night, some of my Greek friends from class took Carissa and I out for a night on the town; specifically, in the Gazi District. This area is also a very cool collegiate area with many cool looking clubs, bars, coffee shops and stores. We relaxed and talked for a while and then they took us dancing (to prove that Greeks DO dance)! TIP: If you plan on going to a club on the weekend in Athens, arrive relatively "early" - maybe around 11 pm, before the place packs up and the lines start. After about 2 am, you can't really go into any other places because of the lines. The club played everything from Britney Spears to the Rocky theme to Gangsta's Paradise. The dancing here is more subdued then back in the States though. As in, you don't really see people grinding - which is definitely cool by me. :) We called it an early night at 3 am - after the metro had closed at 2 am - and our friends continued to prove Greek hospitality by giving us a ride all the way back to our dorm. However, TIP: Do not ask a Greek boy what hair product he uses for his stylish and gravity-defiant hairstyles. According to them, they do not use product. But then again, that does go along with Anna's theory that all Greeks have beautiful hair.

October 11th. We finally made it out to the Acropolis (which is the name of a mountain, not a monument)! (€6 with USF student ID.) Atop this mountain sits the Parthenon and a couple other temples for the worship of Athena, the Goddess of War and protector of Athens. We were in total awe of these monuments. Can you imagine building such structures? And climbing a mountain every day to do it? 

The Parthenon

Odeon of Herodes Atticus - Just like we studied in Theater History!
Photo credit to Anna Thvedt

My favorite - The Theater of Dionysus

Afterward, we explored the Acropolis Museum (free with Greek student ID)- a beautiful building dedicated to the archeological discoveries of the Acropolis. I feel so incredibly blessed to be surrounded by so much history! When I get home, I am definitely going to take better advantage of the museums in Sioux Falls. However, something I have found most interesting historically is Greece's more modern history. I feel like I am not alone when I say that, really, the only modern European history I've studied in America involves WWII. I'm not proud to say that I was even pretty ignorant of the Greek Revolution before my Modern Greek History class. You see, contrary to popular belief, modern Greece isn't the "Classical Greece" of theater and philosophy and science that one might expect before coming here. Some Greek historians actually go so far to describe their Classical inheritance as a burden. Much has happened and changed in this country since Aristotle's time - the religion, the boundaries, the language, the government, and the people. Which makes Greece's culture all the more rich, dynamic and fascinating to be a part of this semester!