I'm Going to China?? No Way!

Last night Manola had a Christmas Party for us here at the Pensione. She is so great to us and we all love her! It’s the closest thing to a parent or anything like that we get. (Mom and Dad you are going to love it when you meet her! Since you are coming a day earlier, I think you should be able to eat lunch in the Pensione on Thursday the 17^th)

All the rooms here got a Christmas present for Manola, but since most of the rooms are triples and quads, Sayuri and I teamed up with the other boys double (it’s also an attic) to get a gift. Meaning, I did the shopping and the boys just signed the card and gave me money. Sayuri was frantically trying to get ready to home yesterday and barely had time to breathe so I was alone in the gift getting.

I went to Vestri’s and bought €10 worth of chocolate. Vestri’s is an amazing chocolate shop! They have the best gelato, and you can get the gelato with hot chocolate over it, which is good and bad. Good because it is freaking delicious, but bad because the gelato melts and the texture of gelato is one its many fine qualities.

After I bought the chocolates I went to a wine store (I think it’s called Zanobini and they also do a wine appertivo) to buy a €10 bottle. I really didn’t have any idea what to get, so I picked one that was missing a lot from the shelf and assumed it was good. When Manola opened it she turned to Brady (one of the guys in on our present) and was like “Someone must have told you! How did you know? This is like heaven in a bottle!” So I guess I picked a good one! I hope I can find that same bottle again at the store, because now I want some for myself!

The boys’ quad downstairs got Manola a Santa suit AND we got her to put it on! We also took our Pensione picture, but one of the guys was late, so he’s not in my picture. We are losing seven people at semester and only getting five new people.

My room mate left at 5:40 this morning, I got up with her and helped get her suitcases and stuff downstairs to her taxi. Then she left. I started crying, of course and have been crying on and off ever since. She was just a great room mate. She made me laugh so much! We are also both heavy sleepers and we both kind of snore, so it worked out perfectly for us! (I hope my new room mate is a heavy sleeper!) Sayuri left me a card and I opened it a cried. Later after I took a shower I went to do my hair and I saw that she left me her hairspray and I cried.

Ionly have today and tomorrow to get all ready for China! I haven’t even done laundry or though about what to bring. I live such a different lifestyle over here. Because we travel so much, there isn’t a lot of anticipation and build up for trips, it’s just something we do. If I was in the U.S. about to go to China for 10 days I would be flipping out completely! Instead, it just seems natural to go on a trip. I think next semester I will be traveling less often, but going further away on trips.

But here’s the plan for China:

Dec. 22: (aka my 21^st birthday!) leave from school at noon for the airport, layover in Frankfurt

Dec. 23: Arrive in Beijing at 9:25am (so I guess my birthday doesn’t really exist

Afternoon: orientation of the city, Temple of Heaven

Dec 24: Full day tour, Tian An Men Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace. Christmas Eve Mass, Beijing duck for dinner.

Dec 25: Visit with University students, including volleyball match. Free afternoon.

Dec 26: All day at the Great Wall and Holy Road including a Ming Tomb. In the evening we are going to a discotheque.

Dec 27: Fly to Shanghai. Visit Nanjing Road, The Bund

Dec 28: Meet with University students, play basketball. Free afternoon, discotheque in the evening

Dec 29: More of Shanghai, Yu Garderns, Jade Buddha Monastery, Old City, in the evening we have an Acrobatic Show

Dec 30: Free time in the morning, visit tallest building in Asia, fly to Honk Kong

Dec 31: tour of Hong Kong Island, Aberdeen fishing village, Victory Peak

Jan 1: free day! (ANGELA AND NAOMI WHAT SHOULD I DO???)

Jan 2: go back to Italy, again with a layover in Frankfurt

So that’s my birthday, Christmas, and New Years. This will be the first year Dad doesn’t wake me up on my birthday, no Honey baked Ham, no family gift exchange, no Christmas tree, no Christmas lights, none of that. It makes me really homesick to think about. But this semester has gone by do fast and I know next semester will be even faster and Mom and Dad will be here before I know it and then I’ll be back home.

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I miss you all so much! You guys should get skype on your computers so we can call for free! Ok? (I got my Mom to use it, you can do it too!!)

My Pensione (minus one, and that's Manola and her Mom Bruna in the front.)
Manola dressed up like Santa posing with Sayuri and I.

Anyone have an idea?

Hi everyone!

So I hope that all my blog readers know I am going to be a college Senior in college!!! (Yes, scary I know.) And also that I am an Accounting major. I have been looking for internships for this Summer, but it's hard because I don't get very much Internet time here and I am in Italy until April, so I can't really do interviews. Anyone have an idea? I though about just going on the fall back (making parts packs at the factory and hanging out with my Dad). But a friend of mine pointed out to me that I am about to be a Senior in college, I need to do something with myself! Something I can put on a resume, something that will let me learn some skills related to my major. So I thought I could try out my network, which is you people, and see if someone know about an internship or a job I can do. I do have to take 6 credits of Summer school, but they are online classes, so I don't have to live in Spokane! But I might anyways.




Now, I need to go back to to studying for my Finals! I have Italian and Art History on Friday, and Economics on Monday. Plus an Operations project and a essay for Management on Monday. It's going to be a fun weekend! :)

My Family is the best EVER

Today I got a package from my Mom. She sent me lots of cool things, including peanut butter, school supplies, and a copy of National Enquirer (why...?)

But the best part was the cards everyone signed! I assume one of the little cousins drew the Birthday Cake and Christmas Tree on them. I am so happy that everyone did that for me! I really means a lot! Thank you so much! You guys are the best!!! I'm so excited for more family functions when I get home.

In boring news, Finals start at the end of this week. Not exciting. I have two on Friday and one on Monday. But in less than two weeks I will be in CHINA! It is still so weird to me that I am about to go to China! Christmas is going to be very different this year. Instead of opening presents on Christmas morning while eating muffins and drinking eggnog, I will be visiting the Great Wall of China. Student Life has school has told us that it will be a Christmas completely different from what we are used to.

Foods of the World - in one weekend

This weekend I stayed in Florence. The school had a trip to Rome, but I was just there, and I didn’t plan anything else to do, so I was here. On Friday, I slept in really late and decided to go to the gym when I got up. I was walking down the street when I ran into Katie and Kathleen. They were going to Ari’s for American Brunch. I decided to join them. Brunch was SO GOOD! I haven’t had food like that in a really long time! There are two restaurants in Florence that offer American style brunch, but I have never really had a chance to go before. I had an omelet with turkey bacon, onions, and cheddar cheese. Man, cheddar cheese is delicious! It also came with some potatoes and toast. For the toast they gave me the best jam I believe I have ever had. I think it was huckleberry. I put as much on the toast as could possibly fit. We all ordered an “American Coffee” too. The coffee comes in a big mug (which is what I think makes it American) and they give you a spoonful of homemade chocolate chips to put in it. Brunch ended up taking over two hours because we just sat there and talked for a long time. But they never brought us the check, even after two hours we had to ask for it!

Dinner was another fun time. I went to a Mexican restaurant (Tijuana’s). I had enchiladas and a peach daiquiri. The daiquiri was really good; it has chunks of fresh peach in it. After dinner we went to Finnegan’s (an Irish bar). At Finnegan’s the news was on and it was showing breaking coverage about Hilary Clinton’s campaign office in New Hampshire. I rarely hear about news from back home. We were also the only people in the bar at 11:00 on a Friday night! We didn’t stay very long though. Back at my pensione I worked on a paper for a few hours before going to bed.

Saturday morning I got up sort of early and went to a really boring museum. I went as research for a paper I am working on, so it was good in that sense. It was deserted; I was the only person there. It was a topography museum and I guess Florentines don’t like to look at maps as much as I do. Anyways, after the museum, I walked around town because I wanted to find the Christmas markets (there should be three this weekend). But I could only find the German themed one. It was really cute, but I didn’t buy anything. For lunch I for a kebab! Kebabs have become one of my most favorite foods. Then for dinner I went to Chinese food. Chinese food here is sort of bland, I think Safeway has better.

Today I haven’t really done anything. After I finish writing this little blog I am going to do some readings for school. My group for economics is meeting tonight to work on our presentations (Economics of the Olympics).

I did go shopping and I bought a dress to wear to the school Christmas party. Our Christmas party is on Tuesday. They wanted to have the party before Finals. I really can’t believe that this semester is almost over! It feels like I just got here. But in just a few weeks I will in China for Christmas!

We are leaving for China on my birthday, which is exciting but it sort of sucks for me. It’s an overnight flight, so it will be over before we get there. The school split us up into 2 groups, one flies from Florence and the other has to take a bus to Rome and fly through there. I am in the Florence group and for our flight we have a layover in Frankfurt so it will be my birthday in three countries!