Middle School Crazies, Florence Beauty, and Tuscan Sun

Ciao a tutti!!! This post may end up being much longer than I expected it to be... A lot has happened since last Monday.

The Villa where I teach

Tuesday, we started our day by going to San Lorenzo in Lucina which is a Roman Catholic parish, titular church, and minor basilica in central Rome. After eating lunch (and of course, the teachers got coffee and desert), we went to the Capucin Crypt which is a small space comprising of several tiny chapels located beneath the church of Santa Maria della concezione dei Cappuccini. In the chapels are bones, REAL BONES, that create artwork. These are the bones of monks that lived in Rome a long, long time ago. They were all men, EXCEPT, the heart of a beautiful woman is kept there safely in a case. She was a very big supporter of the chapels and they have high respect for her.

Wedneasday, we went to the Priscilla Catacombs. This underground place

The Catacombs

was used for Christian burials from the late 2nd century through the 4th century. It was so neat to go SOO FARRRR underground and see the tombs. There were tombs for the wealthy and poor. There were also very old scripture

My Favorite Place: Villa Ada

written on the wall. I would go into the details of all this, but I am sure you are not all history geeks like me. :) I was so proud at how awesome the middle schoolers did on these trips. It was getting really tough trying to listen to the tour guides, but they did a wonderful job. After the catacombs, we went to a bar, so the students could get a treat and teachers... guess....... COFFEE! After that we went to the most beautiful park I have been to in Italy. In Italy, there are tons of parks (pretty much like Central Park in New York), and in these parks there are shops, ponds, parks, places to run, etc. I absolutely love them. This one was called Villa Ada. We got there to eat lunch and just enjoy the sun. Kylee got a tanline on her foot that day because we sat in the sun, watched puppies chase each other, played some volleyball, and watched the AWESOME 8th graders play soccer!

Thursday, we went to Academia La Ventura! This was the BOMB DOT COM! It was a ropes course/ziplining. We got all the students there and then got right to it. Everyone did the smaller course, and then some did the higher one. I did both (duh, because I am so risky, adventurous, and stuff). The higher one was actually really hard, for the students and me. At one point, I had to pretty much tight rope while holding a small board for balance... yep, almost peed my pants. When I got to the other side, the zipline rocked though. After that, the students did some really cool team building activities and I was so proud of their hard work and cooperation. When we got home Thursday night, we packed for our weekend trip because we planned to leave Friday straight from school.

Friday, the students worked on their presentations (a review of what they learned on their trips--some students went to trips outside of Rome), had a BBQ, and then presented. It was a easy day and we were able to enjoy the weather outside. Finally, it was time for our weekend extravaganza to begin. Kylee and I planned to go to Florence for the weekend and Anna went to Germany.

From school, we took the bus straight to the train station so we could leave for Florence (Firenze in Italian) at 5... long story short, Kylee and I got to spend a lot of lovely time at the train station BECAUUUUSE there are two platform twos. HA... so we missed out 5PM train because we were at the wrong platform. The great thing was we were able to take the one at 8. So we ate at the train station (holy expensive), got a much needed beverage, and hung out. FINALLY, we got on the train to Firenze. The train was 3 and 1/2 hours long. Kylee and I stayed up talking, learning lots about each other, and playing the chocolate game (when you buy a bunch of random chocolate, try it, and watch each other's faces to see if it's good-- excuses to eat chocolate I guess). It was great. Then, a few hours into the ride, a weird man got on the train. When I say weird, I mean... on drugs. He was tweaking out, making weird noises, dancing...yes, you get the point. It was kind of freaky and we were trying really hard not to laugh. Luckily, a man that worked on the train, came and sat in our area to keep track of this crazy man. One stop after he got off, we did. We got off the train and went on our way to find our hostel (Plus Florence). After getting a little lost, we quickly found it. They were amazing there and the hostel rocked. It was clean, had a great bar/restaurant, sauna, pool... you get the point. We checked in and went up to our hostel because it was late and we had to be up early on Saturday. Once we got up there, there were 5 other people in the room: one from Dublin, one from New Hampshire, one from Canada, and two from Connecticut. Everyone was beyond nice, but most of them had to leave the next day. We stayed up talking to them for awhile (they had been out drinking, so it was a pretty intense and truthful conversation HA). Finally, the room quieted down and we fell asleep.

Gelato of course

Saturday morning, we had to be up really early to get ready and go on our Tuscany tour. When we got up and tried to get ready, we found out the power had went out... so getting ready was a blast (I'm serious). By the time we had to leave, we stopped at a bar, got a huge coffee, and went on our way. Walking in Firenze is breathtaking. Literally my favorite place I have been. Firenze is much smaller than Rome, has breathtaking views, and wonderful things to do and site to see. The walk to where our tour started was a treat in itself. Once we got there, we checked in and went on our way. Kylee and I were lucky to not have to ride in the van, but a car with one of the extremely kind tour guides and our new friend Rachael. Our tour guide's name was really long, so we called him Aman (pronounce "ayy maaaan") for short. So, off we went on our tour of Tuscany.

Monterrigioni

Italian band practice at the top of Monterrigioni

Our first stop was Monterrigioni, an old medieval castle town that is a province of Siena in Tuscany. It was bordered by old castle walls and cute little shops. When we got there we met everyone that was in the van and the other amazing tour guides. It was so much fun because everyone was pretty much our age and wanted the same type of experience. When we went into the town, we walked around, went into the wonderful shops, and hung out staring at the beautiful views.

Next, we went to Siena. Siena is a world heritage site and is the capital of the province of Siena. I LOVED THIS TOWN. Seriously, amazing. I probably cannot even explain it to you. It is like walking through a movie set, seeing amazing views, feeling the love, affection, and astonishment of everyone around you. Rachael, Kylee, and I found a BEAUTIFUL view at the top of a little hill. Then, we went to the center and walked around the Chocolate Market, trying all of the little chocolate samples. Most people spoke English, so it was nice to try to communicate

Siena, my love

Chocolate Market in the center of Siena

Italian/English with them. After walking around the city and market, we went to a very popular bar called Nannini. They have some of the best coffee and pastries. After, we went back for lunch with our group at a very authentic restaurant. They gave us a Tuscan meal full of weird meats (pretty much like Salami), bread (with some liver spread.......), and some veggies. Overall, it was fun getting to try the regional food!

Kylee and I in the Wine room

We all got back into the car, sang some karaoke, and were on our way to

View from Chianti

the Chianti region, to a beautiful farm, for a wine tour and tasting. We got to try five different wines and the olive oil. HOLY COW. You have never tasted such fresh, amazing, extra virgin olive oil in your live. The lady who owned the farm made all of the wine and olive oil (she has to be made of money). The wine was great

The Olive Oil

as well, and sipping it while staring at the beautiful Tuscan scenery... indescribable. After the tour and tasting, we were on our way to our last stop: San Ginignano.

The view in San Gimignano

San Gimignano has some of the best views in the world. This was another Tuscan town, but we drove up, and let me tell you... I will never probably see any view like it again: rolling hills, flowers, sun, amazing. This medieval hill town was one that everyone must go to. There are beautiful views, but also great gelato! We went to the famous gelateria, which apparently had the world's best gelato (I would argue, because the one by our apartment is MOLTA BUONA). Finally, it was 5 PM and we had to head back to Firenze. By this time, we had made really great friends with some people on our trip and it was so much fun to spend time with them. Rachael, decided to stay and extra night in Firenze to hang out with us (she is only 20 years old and already traveling/backpacking the world on her OWN, can you imagine!!).

Rachael, me, and Kylee loving our tour!

We got back into Firenze and went back to the hostel to freshen up. We decided to go out to

LOVING friends, wine, and hostel time

dinner at a place that one of our tour guides suggested. Kylee got pizza that had hot dogs on it, ew. After, we made our way to some pub (by made our way, I mean walk around Firenze... stop a few places... etc). Did you know Italian "clubs" do not open until around 12/1230 because they are opened until about 5/6?! Ya, we were not ready for that. So, we heard of this place in Firenze that was amazing. We searched an searched for it, and when we finally found it, at 1100, it was NOT OPENED. But, because we rock, we went inside anyways. While standing there, the manager came up and told us that it was not opened, BUT we could hang out. Turns out, we got to hang out VIP all

In VIP at Blue Velvet celebrating Spring

night, did not pay for drinks or cover (which is expensive at this place). All of the bouncers knew us and we had a great time! Spring time is also a big deal in Italia, so the party for the night was their "Spring" party... balloons everywhere. Kylee and I were extremely tired, so we
all made our way back to the hostel. On our way back we got to see a ton of beautiful views, the duomo, and the river. I also rubbed the wild boar's nose, signifying that I WILL  be back in Firenze (which yes, I will because I adore it). Finally we got back and went to sleep. The next day we spent a little time eating breakfast and walking, but made our way to the train station to head back. Once back in Roma, we took MUCH NEEDED NAPS and waited for Anna.

Firenze, I will be back

Sunday was very relaxing and we took some time preparing for the week. Monday came fast and we were ready to take on the week! School was great and I finally got to start teaching my lovely, charismatic, 8th graders. So much fun teaching them and trying to not be so excited (like I was with my third graders). Sometimes, I get really pumped up, and they look at me like "Ms. Bergstrom, you are CRAZY." I just smile and tell them DUHHH :). Monday night we hung out, ran, relaxed, and went to the bar (coffee shop--don't forget).

Tuesday, was Anna's 22nd birthday!!! WOOT WOOT! After school, we walked home, I ran (got locked out), and then we went for apertivo. Apertivo is a very Italian thing, and it is pretty much like Happy Hour. They do this

Anna's birthday: walking home

because Italians eat dinner really late. So, they go to a restaurant or bar and pay a flat rate (usually about 10 Euro) for a drink and all they can eat buffet. YUM. I love it. For Anna's birthday we went to this wonderful place called Rosso. It is a cute, amazing place that has a wonderful apertivo and great, Italian workers :). After apertivo, we got gelato at our favorite place and made our way home.

Now, it is Wednesday and rainy here, but I have just been teaching away! I have had so much fun working with my cooperating teacher, Jess. She is seriously a rockstar and helps me so much on how to

I am LOVING Italia 

approach teaching 8th graders (especially, when they are taller than me!!). The students are beyond nice and I love listening to them talk (because their accents rock!). It is a really good experience for me and a way that I can learn to work with ELL students. We seriously have 8th graders that can speak more than 5 languages... I WISH. After school today, it was pouring rain. Our mile walk home was a blast....... but, hey, this weekend will be sunny and hot. Oh how the weather of Rome is so unpredictable.

Ciao Ciao for now!!! Thanks for reading about my middle school craziness, Firenze beauty, and Tuscan sun... I know how jealous you must be. :)

Words of advice: Don't take for granted your big coffee cups or coffee mugs, when in Italy, you do not get either (but, you can get pocket coffee!! AKA chocolate with a shot of espresso).

XO

Italians, Gelato, and Beaches

**Not all my pictures would go onto my blog, so you are missing out on some good ones sadly**

CIAO CIAO CIAO (Italians love their CIAOS)! This week has been a crazy blur! Tuesday, our second day at AOSR, I was able to meet the rest of my students. They were totally different than Monday’s students, it was interesting. I love trying to learn all their fun, beautiful names and faces. Since this was my first red day, we had period 1, 2, and 3. Period 1 and 2 were both English (and before lunch). These were eighth graders, and totally acted like it (too cool for school of course). In English, we were finishing up The Outsiders (best book ever) and the kids absolutely love it. Most of them actually read it too!! When I introduced myself to these kiddos, they were definitely more vocal and had more questions fJ. They are a good change of pace for me during the week and they were VERY interested in me and what I was doing. Someday I will have to share their ideas for helpful hints with you and I bet you could tell who the younger ones were. After third period, we had the rest of the day to plan. Yes, this is crazy. After school, we took the bus home, went for a beautiful run, and relaxed.

or me about myself, Iowa, and actually one asked me an interview question… “Why do you want to be a teacher and what do you teach like…?” UHHH OKAY!! I was definitely prepared with my super awesome interviewing skills…….. (hint of sarcasm). I then passed my little notebook around for them to put helpful hints in for me and there were a ton of great ones (like super awesome places to shop and where the best gelato is—and of course I want to shop and eat gelato). Finally period 2 was over and we got to go to lunch (PS there is a famous student in one of my periods but I can’t say their name… just ponder that and how wealthy these students are!). Lunch was wonderful… again… and we ate outside, on the beautiful terrace, staring over at the beautiful view (including tons of sheep) and smelling the spring air. Heaven on Earth? Yes. After we ate, it was time for third period. These students are actually sixth and seventh graders for study skills. They are MUCH less mature… but a lot of fun

Wednesday came along and the weekend crept closer. I barely saw the students because of meetings this day. During our third period, we ended early for students to meet in their trip groups (because next week we would be going on Middle School trips). That was how we ended this day. I was beginning to feel a lot more comfortable, with the students and teachers. We took the bus home this day and I think I passed out… I must have been exhausted to sleep on the bus… in ROME traffic (CRAZY). When I got home, Anna and I ran to the Coliseum and around where we lived. It was a beautiful day in Rome and was good to just chat with Anna about Rome and life. It is so hard to take in all the things that surround us here… literally everywhere we go there is something amazing and important. Sometimes it is hard to even realize how wonderful it is… and to realize that we are actually here and really seeing it. Raise your hand if you have ran around the coliseum for fun… yeah, my thoughts exactly. LIFE IS GOOD. J

Thursday, we were running a little late in the morning, and I am pretty sure we made our bus driver a little angry… he is very APT… but hey, we are girls and sometimes lose track of time? Anyways, we got to school safely and on time as always. We went to the bar, got cappuccino, and went on our way. Did I mention that this week we were able to get FREE blood orange juice from our on campus machine?! It is because the season is ending in Sicily, so we are trying to get rid of them. This is the most AMAZING juice I have ever tasted in my life. The machine squeezes the juice straight from the orange… and it is RED. YUM and so good for you. During school, we ended The Outsiders and had our last activity. We cut out important quotes for the students to talk about with a partner… and then another… and then one more. Then, we had an entire class discussion and pretty much analyzed them (stuff you all probably don’t care hearing about, I know… but hey, it’s fun and what I do!! J). The kids did a GREAT job with this because they loved The Outsiders. One of our favorites (and one of the most famous quotes form the book)… “Things are rough all over.” SO TRUE, RIGHT?! Everyone has good and bad days, but in the end, life is beautiful, we learn from what we do, and we make the best of what we have, because it will all be okay (wise words of Ms. Bergstrom).  In study skills we did a fun activity with an organization we recently had a presentation about (KIVA). This organization is one that lets you donate money (in increments of 25) to a person who needs it based on what you believe in… and they pay YOU back. It is a really neat organization. If you are into donating and things like that, check it out, because you can help people that you believe need helped (ex: I believe everyone deserves a chance at an education, so if someone was trying to raise money for college I could donate to them). Anyways, school ended and we had a faculty meeting (that we student teachers had nooooo idea about, so that was fun). It was actually a presentation by a famous educational writer named Dr. Michael Thompson (much wiser than the Mike Thompson we all know J). He was a great speaker and had lots of great advice for working with parents at school. Then, we took the late bus home and got back pretty late. We all hung out and went to bed at a decent time (I think, honestly can’t remember if we did anything).

FRIDAY, FINALLY. Did I mention, Kieran, one of our coordinators, told us there is a different bus we can take now that doesn’t leave until SEVEN THIRTY!!! This was amazing (extra half hour to SLEEEEP). Other positives of this new bus ride: beautiful Italian man drives it, huge charter bus, not bumpy, and we get to school and home earlier! Ya, we got it GOOOODDD. Oh, did I mention the drive to school on this new ride is just….. CRAZY, WONDERFUL, SPECTATULAR, BREATHTAKING… SO ROME. I love it. We pass by every beautiful site in Rome and drive along the Tiber River. Someone pinch me because this is not real life. So anyways, we get to school earlier and get to hang out and drink our cappuccino… more slowly…. Although, I do miss ONE thing about America.. sipping on my coffee!! Here… it is literally a shot, and that is how they take it, every day!!! Sad, I know (I sip on my little shot glass). Oh ya, I meant to explain what cappuccino is. It is NOT flavored, yucky, sugary stuff like in the states. It is pretty much espresso with a small amount of foam milk. School flew by (we did the same things as the day before), and we were able to plan our weekend trip and such.

After school, we came home and got ready to go to dinner at Eataly!! If you do not know what Eataly is, it is a chain restaurant that we actually have in the states, but it began here. It is right by our apartment and it huge. Literally four floors, each one dedicated to something. There were restaurants dedicated to meat, seafood, fried food, street food, cheese, bread, pizza and pasta, gelato, and pastries. Plus, I am sure I am forgetting something. You can also shop at this place, like essentials and produce. Pretty sweet. We ate at the pizza and pasta place, but were much smarter about ordering this time. So, in Italy, you pretty much all HAVE to order your own pizza… like it’s offensive or something not to, but we recently began just ordering two and they seem okay with it. We got margherita and four cheese. Of course we got vino too (WINE). We got the house wine, so pretty Italian and delicious… and high in alcohol content, oops. After we ate, and drank, slow like Italians, we wondered the rest of the store, may have gotten gelato, and then made our way out. As we walked, we saw some trees with oranges on them, so obviously we picked some (they were just so bright and delicious looking). I tried jumping, but my hops were sadly not that good. Instead I used my super women strength and gave Anna a lift to get some (we still have not tried them). After this, we made our way to a random jazz club… couple minutes later made our way right back out. It was fun while it lasted. Then we walked down to Testaccio, the bar scene by our apartment. This area was so much more “live” after ten. People were everywhere trying to go to the bars. We chose not to go in because we had to be up early on Saturday for our trip.

Saturday, we woke up, and bought a train ticket to Bracciano—a volcanic lake town. The sand on the beach was black and beautiful, and the lake surrounded three little towns, Bracciano being the main one. So, we took the hour train ride here and got off to explore. Holy cow, the views in this town were beautiful. It was a much needed break from the city life. Calm, but still lots of people. There was actually a huge bike race going on (TV stations filming all over). The first view we got to was breathtaking; mountains, lake, Italian homes, etc. I can’t even explain it. The town in general was a hill town, so everything was very high and lots of climbing. We then got to the castle, which was built in the 15^th century and is where, guess who… TOM CRUISE got married. We did not do the tour, but saw some of the inside and boy was it awesome. I literally thought of peasants, kings, queens, and the whole nine yards. We then walked around the town, coming upon many shops and views. After stopping for a cheap slice of pizza we decided to make our way down to the wonderful beach. It was a long way down, but totally worth it. There were quite a few young people sitting along the docks, drinking, eating, dancing, and speaking in beautiful languages to each other, smiles on their faces, laughter filling the air. It was neat to watch. We also watched a little dog try to fight two swans. Of course the dog thought he was tougher than he was; he jumped and ran away every time. After taking in the sound of the water on the beach, people laughing, sun beating down, and the beautiful view, we decided to make our way down the beach collecting sea glass and old tiles with amazing designs on them. While collecting them, I head people speaking more English, so of course I introduce myself (I’m good at that). These were two boys studying in Rome and they live right across the lake from us (in the area where most study abroad students live). They were much smarter than us though… they brought bread and wine to the beach. Luckily, they had some to share J. We hung out with them for a while, while they crazily jumped in the FREEZING water, and talked about their CALI  lifestyle. It is always a good time getting to know more people and where they come from. We then all went back up to the town, walked around, got gelato, and made our way to get on the train back to Rome. We all rode the train back to Rome together… writing, reading, and listening to music. It was a solid day. Night came, and so did our beds.

Sunday was a rainy day in Rome. I slept until about nine, but Kylee and Anna slept until NOON. If you know me at all, you know I cannot do that. I just quietly tip toed around so they could get their beauty sleep they deserved! We had a rainy day in, although we did TRY to go to the market and bar (don’t forget, bar is coffee shop). Come to find out, most things are closed in Rome on Sundays… news to us. BUT, one thing was opened… STREET FOOD and since we could not get groceries, we got DONERS! I was beyond excited because this was my FAVORITE food in Germany… don’t know if the girls liked it as much as I did though, worth a shot! Then we came back and hung out for the rest of the day. It was definitely a movie kind of day…. But we don’t understand Italian, so that was not happening. We read, worked on papers, and job kinds of things (grown up stuff that I do not want to think about yet… even though I do ALL the time)! Kylee and I went to bed early, preparing for our big week of… MIDDLE SCHOOL TRIPS.

So, finally, today is Monday. It was another RAINYYY day in Roma. Kylee and I prepared to be outside, in the rain, at Adventure Park all day with the students on their trip. We got soaked going to the bus stop, but hey who cares, because WE’RE IN ITALY. We got to school and immediately found out… surprise, no Adventure Park! We switched Monday and Thursday’s trips around so we could be inside today and outside when it is nice. Today, we took a group of about twenty students to San Clemente Basilica in downtown Rome. This was one of the coolest churches I have ever been in (next to Notre Dame), but sadly we could not take pictures. The first floor was the church that was rebuilt by the Irish Monks in the 1800s. The second floor was part of the 4^th century and nothing was redone. It was a sanctuary that they worshipped in. There was also an area that was like a “community” room. Then, we went down to the bottom floow (SO FAR BELOW GROUND). This part was from the 1^st century and had not been touched either. There were many theories about this floor, but it was most definitely for pagans. Theory one: where the pagans lived, worshipped, learned, and sacrifices. There was literally a room where they sacrificed animals and people in… I got the chills. Then, there was the school room for boys. Don’t think education though… think about where they learned how to be pagans (you can look up what a pagan is, it’s creepy). The second theory: the floor was where pagans lived, but also a secret bank. Architects think it was part of a bank because there are holes in the walls that had brass bars in them. After this tour, we made our way to a pizza shop where we had reservations. The students were very respectful and did a wonderful job! J I was proud. This took up our entire day and we made our way back to school. At school, the students had about an hour to reflect in their journals about their day (because they will be presenting on Friday what they learned). After school, we came home, got groceries for the week, and have been hanging out ever since. Kylee and I are ready for the rest of our adventures this week with the middle schoolers! Tomorrow, we will be going to San Lorenzo.

I am missing you all more and more every day, but I am enjoying this enriching opportunity so much. Professionally and personally, I am growing day by day. Amore a tutti!! XOXOXO. 

Living as Romans

The Seventh Hill

Our ISU Friends

Wednesday was a very long day. We spent a lot of time traveling as day turned to night, night turned to day, and day turned to night (again). I flew from Waterloo to Chicago, Chicago to London, and London to Rome. All in all, it was about 18 hours of traveing (and not sleeping). The flights went pretty well though (considering all the free food and drinks of course). The wait in London was 5 hourse though, so of course I just watched for famous people (BECAUSE WHY NOT?!). At last we took off and finally arrived to Roma, Italia! At the airport, a man picked us up and had a cute little sign with our names on it. Thank goodness for him, we were in and out of there very quickly. He pretty much already knew where we were going, so he took us to our humble abode! :) 

Anna, me, Kylee

Our small, little apartment is so beautiful and Italian! Soon, I will try to post pictures of it. Right ourside our apartment is a castle and the pyramide! Inside, there is a small kitchen, dining room, big bathroom, hallway, and two decent sized bedrooms (with huge closet space which we all know I need)! Anna has her own room and Kylee and I are sharing one (because there is more closet space), but it doesn't bug me. Once we arrived, we were STARVING! Another girl we know that student taught here in Roma, told us a pizza place that was good and right by our apartment. We decided to go and try it. We all got a TON of pizza and free wifi for 5 Euro. The two slices I got were pretty much cheese and what I thought was hawiian... it was not. Instead of pineapple, it was POTATOES. You may think "BARF," but it actually was not too bad. Apparently it is a thing here (just trying to be Roman and all). We had to be back by eight because our landlord sent a lady to pick up a few things, so we went back to the apartment, met her, unpacked, and got settled. We had to be up the next day pretty early so we could get a ride to AOSR (American Overseas School of Rome), where we are teaching. 

The Pantheon

Bright and early we woke up (literally crack of dawn--easy for me, not so much for the girls). We got ready to go to Termini, the metro station where we would be picked. Remember, this is our first experience trying to get somewhere on our own. We used a map and decided to walk because it was only about two miles. We left about an hour early so we could try to catch the bus to AOSR. About a mile down the road, we ran into the most BEAUTIFUL sight... THE COLLESEUM. It was empyt (no tourists), the sun was rising, and we finally felt like we were in ROMA! It was literally jaw dropping beautiful. As a child you always dream about seeing things like this and never think that you will ever ACTUALLY stand right in front of it. I loved every second. We also saw the forum (which is equally as cool, but we have not went into it yet). So, we continued our journey to Termini and oofta was it rough! The scenery was beautiful, the streets got busy, it smelled like flowers... life was good. Until we were about five minutes late and missed the bus (which I don't think we would have found in the first place, there were thousands). So, we ended up having to take a taxi, but it was totally worth it. 

Spanish Steps

Gelatteria e Caffe

We arrived at AOSR at about 9PM. It was teacher in-service day so there were no students. To imagine this school, think ISU campus for children! It is literally beautiful. All of the elementary classrooms have outdoor entrances, the middleschool rooms are mostly inside, and highschool are pretty spread out (this school is K-12). I will be teaching 8th grade English in the middle school. After we toured the school and saw all of its beautiful features, we hung our with the elementary staff first for their team bulding activity. I cannot express how amazingly welcoming these teachers were. I seriously felt like a celebrity. We were introduced and they treated us like saints. It was so much fun to work on activities with them and share our teaching stories from Iowa (they really respect our philosophies and missions in the states--especially IA). After team building with the EL ED teachers, Kylee and I were able to go meet our teachers during their meeting. Jessica Adams, my cooperating teacher, is a rockstar. She is so sweet, has been in Italy for many years, now has a family here, and can speak both languages! We explored together, got to know each other, and talked about what my time here would look like. It is seriously crazy how fast it is going to go by. Get this...

Week 1: Observe and get to know the 8th graders

Week 2: Middle School Rome Trips (HECK YES, Kylee and I both get to tag along and do everything... FO FREE)

Week 3: Begin phasing into teaching, but it is only a four day week because of conferences!

Week 4: THREE DAY WEEK and then...

Week 5: SPRING BREAK 

Week 6: Full Time Teaching

Week 7: Full Time (four day week)

Week 8: Phase out of teaching! 

Then it is already time to go home!! Holy cow (okay, let's not talk about that part yet). 

Trestevre

Piazza Navona

So, after Jess and I talked about what my time would look like she showed us how breakfast and lunch would look. Every day, when we arrive, we HAVE to go to the bar (BAR=coffeeshop, not alcohol, sorry friends). It's like a social thing here. You can then choose to get breakfast or not. You also have to eat lunch at the school every day. Lunch is set up in a typical Italian way... you get a first course (soup, pasta, pizza), a second course (meat or protein of some sort), vegetable or salad, and fruit or desert! It is a ton of food (I actually found out today you do not HAVE to take everything...thank goodness). Then you can eat outside and look at the breathtaking view (mountains, city, grassland, AHHH) or sit inside. The weather here is beautiful, so pretty much all the teachers sit outside. After we ate, we planned for the Rome trip, had a final meeting (where once again we were introduced and welcomed), and then went home. This time, we were able to take the bus! 

Spanish Steps

After the hourish bus ride back, we got back and walked around our part of town. We had heard some great things from the teachers about it. Apparently it has great restaraunts and nightlife in an area called Testaccio. This area is so neat because it is all built into a fallen hill with glass, jars, and other things. We then walked around (forever), explored some other areas, and finally stopped to have dinner. The dinner place was pretty fun. We were able to have an Italian dinner... aka pasta. I had some peppery stuff. They do not add anything to their foods here (at least what we have expereinced) so it is all freash and great! No sugar is added or any other seasonings. After that, we went to a cocktail bar (pretty much, they call it cocktail or winebar if they serve alcohol), just so we could try some wine! It was pretty good. We got back to our apartment pretty early and began to research what we wanted to do on the upcoming weekends (we still have not decided... lots of indecisive girls here:)). Then finally, we crashed. 

Saturday was a big day for us. We planned to wake up bright and early to go to the supermarket... but, that did not exactly happen! We woke up at about ten and then went. The supermarket was actually pretty east to figure out. We were able to get fresh fruit, Italian bread, and lots of other great things (like balsamic, yummmm). We then came home, put it away, and got ready for our first journey and believe me when I say JOURNEY (we walked about 9 miles+ which is a ton considering we walked 11+ on Friday!). We began by getting lost, walking through a beautiful neighborhood, and finally stumbling upon the seventh hill of Rome at Santa Sabina! This was a beautiful view. We first walked through a garden full of mandarin trees which lead straight to the view. You could see for miles. After that, we checked out the church and then we were on our way. Our next stop was the Pantheon, but we ran into SOOOO much along the way. Tons of Piazzas (like a big open plaza, with open buildings surrounding them, and they usually include fountains), fountains, statues, churches, ruins, etc. It was crazy. One famous Piazza we stopped at was Piazza Navona. There are three huge fountains there and a huge church, that of course I cannot remember the name of. Finally, we got to the Pantheon, but of course had to stop for gelato once we arrived. This was the first gelato we had. I had caffe (coffee flavored). It is so cheap and delicious... Anna loves it so much, she thinks she needs it every day :). The Pantheon is seriously HUGE! It was hard to even get a good photo of it because you cannot stand far enough back. We tried and tried again, continuing to walk around and listen to the peaceful and unclear conversations of Italians falling in love (and I am not kidding, everyone is in love here, kissing and hugging on each corner). We continued on our way to Trestevre... a popular place for nightlife and restaraunts. We first went to the piazza to see the Santa Maria Fountain. This is where we stumbled upon some pretty awesome people. I overheard people speaking English, so of course, me being so kind, I asked them where they were from. Guess what? They said IOWA. Even better, they go to IOWA STATE. It was so great to have a conversation with people in English. We were all so shocked that we met them on DAY 2 of Italia. One was a professor, one was a grad student, and two were undergrads. They helped tell us great spots for food and drinks (after listening to them play beautiful music at dusk, on the fountain, underneath the moonlight). If there is one thing about Italy that is crazy, they are LATE! I do not mean not on time, I mean they eat late and stay our LATE. Restaraunts do not even open until 8 at the earliest. So, we went and tried some wine and finally ended up at a great restaraunt, De Agosto. We had to wait in line and when they finally opened, we could not get in! It was full and we got cut off... we definitely need to be more agressive here. So we happily went to a new restaurant that was just as magnificent (literally can get an entire pizza for 2euro). After this, we made our way to Campo De 'Fiori, where our friends told us a great winebar would be. We arrived at the piazza and it was POPPIN. People were everywhere and finally we found the place they were talking about. It was a great experience seeing what life after ten pm is like here. Right before we left, we ran into our new American friends again. They were surprised we found the place. Then, we were all so exhausted and made our way home. 

The Trevi Fountain

Italian Croissants

Whew!! This is getting long, but I need to catch up of course. Sunday morning came fast for me. I woke up and went for a beautiful run around our city. Breathing the wonderful Roma air is so refreshing. I got back and got ready because the girls were now up and it was time for more walking (well after we took the metro to the colleseum). This was our first metro ride in Rome and guess what!!! Three teenage girls tried to pick pocket us. I was more sad than angry. They did not take anything from us, but they surrounded us, pushed us, tried to grab things, and then jumped off the train. I wanted to scream at them and tell them to go read a book or something. It was a good expereince to know what to watch for though (we did NOT get anything taken, because we are very careful with out things). We were planning to meet Kylee and Anna's friend Katrina in Center City. Katrina and her friend's from Dublin met us at the colleseum. They wanted us to join them in seeing the Vatican, Spanish Steps, and the Trevi Fountain. We walked all around, saw these beautiful things, got some delicious gelato, and had a great time watching the emotions of Rome. The Spanish Steps is in a much more "higher income" area of the city. Lots of expensive shopping and eating. The Trevi was our last stop, but it is STILL under construction so there was no water and we did not need to throw in any quarters this time ;). We wanted to get home at a decent time because Monday meant the first day of TEACHING!! :) :)

Outside our humble abode

So folks, I am finally on the day I am actually on here: Monday! You guys are actually only six hours behind me now because you had daylight savings and we do not until the end of March. The weather was beautiful today and we were all so excited to begin our normal routine. Our regular bus stop is actually right ourside our apartment and around the corner at the metro. Our super kind bus driver picked us up and off we were. The ride was long, but so beautiful. Literally, the drive is a treat itself. Our bus is like a charter bus, but we ride with a few kids too. When we got there we were welcomed once again and then went to the bar. In the mornings, you are allowed to drink cappuccino (so we did). We conversated and then made our ways to our rooms. The schedule here is crazy interesting for us middle schoolers. We go by Red and Blue days (every other day we change). On Blue days I have one study skills class (8th) and one English class (8th), which are each 90 minutes! The rest is for planning... TEACHER FRIENDS... can you imagine having that much planning time in the states?!?! It is awesome!!!! Especially because the kids go from 9 to 3:20. On our Red days we have English (period 1), English (period 2), and study skills 7 (period 3). The rest of our time is lunch and planning. Today, I got to meet the students I will have on blue days. I had them write some things in a notebook that may help me or any advice they wanted to give me. It is pretty funny and cute. They all had great things to share. Another great thing here is the diversity. These students all speak at LEAST two languages and are from all over. They are so proud of it too. When talking about Iowa, they pretty much knew two things... corn, of course... and my favorite--ARLINGTON, because the Bachelor, HA (PS TELL ME ABOUT THE SEASON FINALE IOWANS)! They were so surprised to hear I lived near a city and had a life other than farming. For lunch I had vegetable soup, salad, a delicious orange, and a bite of some Italian egg thing. The food is mouth watering (no judging on the carbs I eat while I am here!). After school, we took the bus home (another hour and a half), but we got to leave right at 3:20 when school was over. Italians drive like crazy people and I seriously got sick on the bus!!! Let's just say, the fresh air when I got off was much needed. When we got home Anna and I went for a run (preparing for the Roma Fun Run) and then went to the supermarket to get some more fruit. We all sat down for dinner and hung out tonight. Which leads me to this.... WHEW. So sorry for the crazy long post. I will try to update it more as I go. 

The Vatican

P.S. I am working on my Italian. It is so easy to understand because it is very close to Spanish (actually, if I speak Spanish, they understand me). I love the language and the people. I cannot wait to have more experiences!!! Ciao a tutti!!!! XOXOXO. If you want to talk to me, message me or email me!! Anything you would like. Also, the pictures are not in any order!!

Buonanotte Bellas!!