Night Lights

From my experience, I feel like cities in Europe can't be truly appreciated until they are experienced at night. The youths of Italians (and when I say youths, I mean anywhere between ages 18-30something) gather nightly in the piazzas (squares) and sit around the fountains and talk and drink and eat gelato. Someone told me, "its like there's a nightly block party in Italy!" And they are so right. Our last night in Rome, a few of us ventured out to experience the sights under the sparkle of night. Parks do not close at night and there aren't open container laws. Not because Italians like to get crunk, but because community is such a vital aspect of their culture. Around the dinner table and the fountains, Italians devote their daily lives to each other. Its definitely one of the things I appreciate most about Italian culture. One of those things that we are unfortunately lacking in America.

So, as a tribute to our last night in Rome and as a general means of kicking off our tour, a few of us ventured towards a nearby square, casually passing the Colliseum along our way. Its silently beautiful resilience gracefully replaced the dusty hot crowds we had witnessed earlier in the day. A warm yellow Italian moon shone brightly above it.

When we arrived at the square, it was fairly intimidating. According to Elizabeth Gilbert, Italians keep the same group of friends from grade school through adulthood. Walking into that square full of happy Italians speaking in Italian separated into their lifelong cliques... well, it felt like walking into a lunchroom as a transfer student in the 7th grade, I'm sure. After getting enough courage to have some discouraging chit chat with some American freshman fratboy smoking a Cuban cigar, we gave up our attempts to be Italian-square-cool, hopped in a taxi and headed toward the Trevi Fountain.

TIP: Trevi Fountain at night is a must see!

Like the Coliseum, it was a beautiful Italian image, all lit up and sparkling at night and was a peaceful comparison to the crazy crowds from earlier. This was the first time I felt truly relaxed on our journey (though I became a semi-pro by the end of the trip). It felt like magic. We had a long and beautiful conversation with an Asian Australian couple about everything from style to theology before we hopped in another cab towards our hotel and said goodbye to Rome.

Buonanotte and I hope you enjoy these slowly pieced together legs of our journey.

Buon giorno!

The school year has come to a close, research papers are completed, many of my friends have graduated, and I've started rehearsal for my summer job at Bare Bodkins Shakespeare Company. However my life is on hold for a moment, giving way to music, worship, and tasty deliciousness. The University of Sioux Falls Concert Chorale has arrived in Italy.

To prepare myself for these adventures, I've been rereading Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. And I found the following excerpt particularly relative to my travel experiences. The first line of the chapter is, "Truthfully, I'm not the best traveler in the world" (Gilbert, pg. 40). It is a shocking start for the reader who is thus far under the impression that this world renowned traveler and writer would have it all together. She admits her "faults" as a traveler - she often doesn't do any research prior to traveling, she lacks an internal compass, her stomach is not of steel, and she has a tendency to appear flustered when she is flustered.

Some of these faults I share - particularly in the research department. I try to cover this fault up with the face for adventure, but really I'm just kind of lazy/busy. Though I love adventure anyway - don't get me wrong! But it was nice to hear these "faults" from a fellow world traveler. My mistakes often happen to cost money. At least I've ever repeated one of these specific mistakes, per say (I think) - it just turns out that there's a lot of opportunity to make new mistakes. Who knew?

For example. TIP: When the prices for fish or steak on a European menu appear too good to be true, they are. If the fish says it costs six euros, it doesn't mean that you only get to pay six euros. It probably more likely means that you get to pay six euros per gram. Don't let your empty stomach and that spirit of adventure fool you. Woops.

But I don't let myself get upset about things like that anymore (at least not for more than an hour). You can't let small mishaps ruin a day, or even a week, when you're having an adventure (called LIFE). Pretty much I just pay the bill, learn the lesson, and move on. Also, TIP: When in doubt, just order the pizza. 

Anyway. My favorite part of the chapter of Eat, Pray, Love was what Gilbert said after she listed all her faults:

"Still despite all this, traveling is the great true love of my life. I have always felt...that to travel is worth any cost or sacrifice. I feel about travel the way a happy new mother feels about her impossible, colicky, restless newborn baby--I just don't care what it puts me through. Because I adore it. Because it's mine Because it looks exactly like me." (Gilbert, pg. 41)

I didn't realize until I read it that that's exactly how I feel about travel. You may have noticed that I have a small case of wanderlust. However, I take it one step further. Travel (and maybe this could still be compared to a baby - I wouldn't know) has not only taught me incredible things about myself, but also about the world. A few of the people I'm traveling with are first time pond crossers. Though we've only been here a day, its been cool to see these people confront the world in an entirely different culture than their own. I didn't even realize how much I've picked up in my travels by way of knowledge about etiquette, history, and language until I found myself answering questions, telling stories and simply enacting the things I've learned for them.

But the biggest thing I've learned is how little I truly will never ever know. Also, I've learned that tour groups are awesome (thanks, Dr. D-K!). Yay not having to plan things!

Today, we were given an introductory walking tour of Rome. We threw coins in the Trevi Fountain, saw the Egyptian Sun Dial, basked in the beauty of the Pantheon, ate the best bruschetta (pronounced: brew-skeh-tah), and generally stuffed our faces with pasta, beef, potatoes, mutton, panna cotta, and wine (OH the wine!). I tried to show off my knowledge of Italian goodness and introduce my friends to the glories of Italian hot chocolate (cioccolata calda - nectar of the GODS), but apparently its out of season. I guess it is summer in the rest of the world. Maybe South Dakota will catch up while we're gone. We had amazing and worldly dinner conversations and Dannika and I practiced our Italian (and she her Spanish) with the locals. Despite my fish failure, I'd call it an over all successful day. I am so happy to be here. I also brought my devotional book. This trip will not only refresh my spirit of adventure, but also my spirit in the Lord.

Ciao, bella!

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!

Our Odyssey and The Iliad

“No man or woman born, 

coward or brave, 

can shun his destiny.” 

― Homer, The Iliad

We've been here a little over three weeks. I can hardly believe it! It continues to baffle me that I am actually in Greece of all places. It's a beautiful country with an exciting history, a charming culture, and delicious food. I'm in an olive, tomato, and wine lover's heaven. However, I've never been away from South Dakota this long before. This week, I found myself hit with a small bout of homesickness. Perhaps this is what culture shock feels like. The following is a passage is from a message I sent Bobby, when I was feeling particularly melodramatically helpless:

"I miss having a home in the states and I miss my sweatshirt and I miss taco bell. I miss watching tv with you and being able to read directions on the back of packages. I miss my bed and my clothes and my car and my books. I miss being able to see plays in english. I miss the theater department and not being judged for eating a burger with my hands."  

I assure you, I am still incredibly grateful to be here, but since this is a major part of the study abroad process, I thought it important to share. But on to the adventures of last Saturday. I'm starting to actually have homework and projects now, so forgive me for the prolonged post.

Our Odyssey and The Iliad

Saturday was an adventurous day, 
An Odyssey, one girl might say!
We made some plans to hit the town,
The Athens Mall and a theater round.

The day began in quite a fuss

Amanda, Jess, Anna, Debbi

We couldn't seem to find the bus! 
But thankfully the Lord did see
And sent some helpers straight to me.

The first, a graduate of our school,
Sent us to the right bus - super cool!
The second, come from Cuban dance class,
Walked us from the train - how very badass!

Once in the mall, we were very shocked,
Been weeks since we so comfortably walked.
Felt like home with burgers in hand,
(Of knives and forks, Europeans are a fan).

JOY

Shopped a lot and spent a little too much,
Greeks are such a fashionable bunch!
Amanda gave us a ride back,
Of skills, this Brazilian does not lack.

Then back on the Metro, we felt so great,
We knew we'd make it to the Iliad by eight.
One stop here, a transfer there,
Public transportation can take you anywhere!

Getting to Kallithea. 

Giggling and chatting, we had such fun,
We could make friends with anyone!
But alas, very soon, the train got tense,
A man upset with his bike? It made no sense.


But all was fine, we got off at our stop,
Just in time - that man got hot!
The doors were closed, but we had a hunch
That we totally saw someone take a punch!

...That's the only time I have ever been 
Uneasy about my safety in Athens.

Alas! We were lost! And no one could care
How much we don't want to pay taxi cab fare. 
Nothing looks like it did on Google maps,
And in Greece we don't have any data or apps.

In Kallithea, but we were so lost,
We had to give in to that taxi cab cost.
We tried to fit five of us in one small car,
He kicked two of us out - we were not getting far.

We arrived at the theater! But all was in Greek.
And looking around, we caught not a peek
Of Ancient Greek set up. We followed in line
And finally we entered the warehouse on time.

Expectation...

Reality!

Yes, I said warehouse, but it was fantastic!
And trust me, I'm not being the least bit sarcastic.
But after three hours, my friends were so done
And in English told me they were suckers of fun.

So back in the streets of Kallithea we went
To a cab to a metro and home we were sent
We stopped for a gyro at the restaurant called "MILF" *
(I know. But chill out and mind away from such filth.)

It was the best Chicken Souvlaki we have yet had.
But the fact that our big day was ending was sad.
Two girls got seconds, then we bid our goodbyes.
Our Odyssey was epic and nobody died. 

Jess, Amanda, Anna, Carissa: sucking fun.

The End. 

(tumultuous applause)










In Other News: Anna and I have still been incapable of locating some ground beef. However, we are super satisfied by the excellent fresh produce selection at the weekly farmer's market and we don't think we'll ever be able to go back to American Greek yogurt. Classes have really started to kick off for me! My favorite is Voice and Speech, though I love all the others as well. Graduation date is officially being pushed to December 2014. 

We have also booked flights to England and Italy in November. We are seeing Matilda and Billy Elliot in London and then we plan on checking out Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon and the famous Royal Shakespeare Company, possibly Stonehenge, and Canterbury (I just finished reading the tales in English class!). We also hope to hook up with my dear cousin Hillary who's been attending graduate school in England because she's ridiculously cool. In Italy, we will land in Milan and head over to Cinque Terre and then we are not sure where else. As far as flights go, here is a TIP: Easyjet.com is an excellent source for booking cheap flights in Europe! However, do it early early early early. Hence, why we are going in November. 

However, to those of you who have already traveled through Greece, England, and Italy, please post your advice for things and places Anna and I need to see! We are still lost and learning about this whole adventuring thing - we are currently facing the challenge of coordinating things like activities and hostels. I'm also slowly learning what it is like to be poor. Sending many gratitude prayers toward my parents and their support of this journey! 

Thanks so much for taking the time to read about our adventures!

Σας αγαπάμε! (Sas agapáme: We love you!)
*MILF: Meat I Live For. Yeah, I know it's not much better....