Halloweeeeeeennnnn

The happiest of halloweens to you my dearest Jennie,

So apparently they celebrate halloween in Italy, but they also celebrate All saints day on the 1st and a day about spirits returning to earth on the 2nd. They’re pretty into all this stuff. They make bone shaped cookies, but don’t really dress up. But we found out that we can dress up if we go to Rainbow Magicland (yes its a real place)  which is a theme park not too far away. I actually want to go it looks like fun and its 20 Euro if we go after 5!

Today I had a quiz and in the spirit of the holiday my professor passed out candy, you know to help us get into the quiz-taking mood. Just so happens that the candy looked like square condoms, no biggie (pun intended). I studied for this quiz for most of this week, I’m currently behind in the million readings I have to do for my other courses, but it turns out that she printed the key instead of the real quiz. Then she realized this and printed out the right version, but shredded it instead of shredding the key. She realized it when she went to hand them out to us.  Soooo we’re taking it on Tuesday, and I also have a quiz for her other class on Thursday. I love this. And thats how I feel about that.

I also recently got an email from the school. I think it just might be the guy who jerked off with the motorcycle helmet… in broad daylight. Oh there is a silver lining to it all. As I sit on my bed cramming like the boring grandma that I am, Bailey and her friend Mary Grace decide that its a better idea to get into character before studying for medieval history. TOGAS! Wrong time period? It doesn’t matter. They were definitely acting out whatever Bailey read from her textbook, in a british accent might I add.

Aside from all of the craziness with school, I’ve come to a few conclusions. First off, I am now Jenneya N. Bennett Master of Crepes. I looked up the recipe and have been making them perfectly ever since. So if you keep wining and dining me and saying all the right things, I might finally let you ‘get some’ *creepy laugh. I can make giant crepes as well as baby crepes. Can we please talk about how great the nutella banana combo is? Its enough to make you cry hazelnut tears. Second, I am going to cut my hair once or twice when I get back and when it starts to grow out I am doing this and no one can stop me. Third, if I do get a tattoo I’m going to get this. Its a W. African symbol for harmony. I dont want it to be all big and bulky, I want it to look like a sketch and I want it to have some funky spirally stuff in the center of the circle to symbolize awareness of inner and outer consciousness. I’m still working it out lol. Last, My grandma is the coolest. Tis all,

Toodaloo for now.

 

Back in Providence

My dearest Jenneya,

I would first like to preface this by commending you on your brilliant blog title/idea. I’m 94.75% sure that some hot-shot Hollywood movie producer is going to discover this blog and turn it into the #1 feel good comedy of the year. Please note that I will require 60% of your earnings for the use of my name.

Anyway, I’m really happy you didn’t get kidnapped, but that’s mostly because I can totally see your mom channeling the guy from “Taken” and hunting down your potential kidnappers. We wouldn’t want your brothers and sister growing up with their mom in prison. Also, don’t let your roommate get murdered.

Italy looks beautiful. It’s weird seeing the pictures you post. It seems too foreign and too far away, so it’s strange to think of you, a tiny little piece of my life, there. Before we do the whole “officially adults” thing you’ll have to show me what it’s like over there in person. Maybe take me to get some real eye-talian food? The First Star kids and mentors got gift cards to Gepetto’s on Federal Hill this weekend. I’ll save mine for when you get back and you can brag about how much better the food in Rome was. We have to go eat at soooooo many places when you get back. For now, here’s a picture of me eating a calzone.

I’m sorry you went alone, by the way. I would have loved to experience this with you, but things are good for me here. I’m busier then I’ve ever been and this whole grad school thing is looking realer than ever. I think it worked out for the best, to be honest. There might be something big for me next semester, and it wouldn’t have happened otherwise. We’ll talk about that when it’s official though! Muahaha. I’m starting the grad school process soon. It’s super stressful with work and my internship and classes, but I’m so sure that this is what I want to do with my life, so I’m working hard. We’ve all been working hard this semester. Especially Danny, as you can see . They all miss you! I swear a day doesn’t pass without someone asking me how you’re doing. We’re on separate continents and everyone still thinks we know each other’s every move.

There’s really nothing special going on here. I hope you’re enjoying all of the history and culture (and all of the apparent movie sets?! Please tell me you dramatically recreated the Twilight scene) . Don’t miss Providence too much. We’ve lived our entire lives in this city and I promise it’s the same it always has been, except that it’s without you for the next few months.

Toodaloo to you too!

Weird things you find in Italy

My dearest Jennie,

I didn’t realize how different basic things that we take for granted back home would be in Italy.

#1: Washing Machines with convenient placements

It is very small and inconveniently placed under the sink. When its washing and you happen to touch the metal hinges on the side, it shocks the crap out of you, which is never fun. We’re not talking about the little static electric shock, this is a real deal shock. Oh and also there is no dryer because apparently they don’t do that here, but its also illegal to hang your clothes outside. That’s pretty fair.

   

#2: Normal showers

There’s nothing like bathtubs with built-in seats/stepping stools (its much steeper than it looks in the picture) and creepy showers that have no walls.

#3: Church bells that ring on the hour

This church is on the corner of my street, and like all the other churches in Italy, it rings the bells at 45 or 50 minutes after the hour

#4: Buying condoms in a store

Having condom dispensers seems much more practical and might even encourage more people to practice safe sex lol. I guess its convenient because they have then built into buildings on main streets. This one is next door to restaurant/bar haha. The US should take some notes

#5: Floating monks

This poor guy looks so miserable, but its common to see this around the tourist areas in Rome.

#6: Street lights on poles

you only see street lights on poles on main streets or the high way here. Most street lights are like this and hover over the center of the street. Totes cool to look at

#7: Large, safe vehicles

Even the trucks are tiny here!

#8: Appetizing food display

There’s nothing like a feathery rooster with its head wrapped around its body, frozen baby squid, and a severed pigs head to make you want to sit down and have a nice hearty meal!

#9: Parking for your dogs

These are outside of most buildings because practically everyone has dogs here

Tis all for now, But trust me I’ll be updating you on some more strange things.

Toodaloo!

My dearest Jennie,

In one week I’ll have officially been here for two months. This is my first post but don’t judge me because it only means that I’ve been out chea living (aka staying in my apartment doing homework and going on api sponsored trips lol). Anyway, I’m pretty sure I told you about my first few days here but I’ll give you a short briefing to refresh your memory.

-Day #1: When I landed in Rome, I went on a 30 minute journey to find the baggage claim. I wasn’t the only one who was confused so clearly they need to improve the system or provide maps of some sort. After finding the baggage claim and getting my luggage I started walking towards to the next section where api was supposed to be waiting for us, but since my flight was delayed there was no one there. I saw some people holding up a sign for my university and I asked them if they knew where the api reps were and they said they were coming back in 45 minutes, so I went to the meeting point and I waited. They didn’t show up. I walked outside, wheeling my heavy luggage with both hands, and tried to find a taxi. A man walked up to me, looking real official-like wearing a suit and holding a clipboard, asked me “You wanneh the taxi?” I said yes and he called some guy who came and grabbed my bags. I did not want to get robbed so I ran after him. He tried to put my bags in this black van and I told him to take them out because it wasn’t a taxi. He said it was the same thing but cheaper. API warned us to only take taxis and I didn’t feel like being raped and killed so I grabbed my things and walked away, he was pretty angry. So I go back to the taxi place and another person asks me if I want a taxi and I said yes and he walks me over to a black Mercedes van and puts my stuff in the trunk tells me to get in the van and says he’ll be back later. So now I’m sitting in the van having a panic attack because I cant open the door. So I call my dad, because clearly this van is a death trap, and I’d like someone to know if I die. He He talked me through getting out of the van (I had to jump into the front seat to unlock the doors then go to the trunk and take my 1000 pound bags out), then I went back to the taxi stand, oh and at this point its pouring raining. I soon found out that you have to get in line to get a taxi, you can just catch one like in normal places. I got into the taxi and 5 minutes later it starts breaking down and so he brings me to another taxi. This is all clearly a conspiracy and they’re going to take my things and throw me in a ditch. So I spend the next thirty minutes to the hotel marking landmarks in my head in case I had to escape. Turns out it was legit and I got to the hotel found my room and crashed. Moral of the story: TAXIS ARE THE WORST! API took us out to dinner that night and I had my first real Italian meal. But I was so hungry that I only took a picture of the antipasto.

 (This was Gahhhmazing in case you were wondering, aside from the weird bacon-looking meat on the left. That was gross and chewy. You would fall in love with the tomatoes here, they’re so fresh they make you want to roll around in them.)

That night I hung out with Sheryle, who goes to school in Georgia, and Nikki, who is a tour guide at URI. We went and bought wine, but I was too tired to want to be drunk. Meanwhile Sheryle drinks her whole bottle of champagne WHILE skyping with her mom (she was so composed that her mom didn’t know she was drinking, I would have been laid out on the floor).

Day #2: Moving into my apartment and walking around touring my neighborhood like a zombie. Realizing that everyone in the program came with someone else. Realizing how crazy it was for me to go t a foreign country without knowing anyone.

Sooo yeah that was just about how the first few days went until I got to know more people and the jet-lag went away. We went on tours of the hood aka Trastevere and the school and that was about it for the first week. We also went on a trip to some boring town that was actually really beautiful.

 See all the grass and stuff in the back, real cute (this is Nikki btw)

We stepped on foot of the scene in twilight where Edward wants to run out and reveal his glittery skin to the public for Bella.

It was cool. The whole town is on a hill, so that was exhausting, but I did get to go into a wine cellar with wine barrels big enough to live in. /oh and Under the Tuscan Sun was also filmed here. Nothing major really happened after that… Until my birthday that is!