Italy

Like I said before, I arrived from Amsterdam on Sunday and took off for Italy on Wednesday. To many of you, it may seem like I NEVER go to school. But, I assure you, I ALWAYS go to school! We have a week and a half off for another festival, like Semana Santa, but it’s not religious by any means. This festival is a large excuse to drink and dance till all hours in the morning. So, the plans for my week were going to be CRAZY, so listen to this! I was leaving on Wednesday (at 1) to arrive in Milan. From Milan I was taking a train to Venice at night. Stayed in Venice till Friday because then we took a train to Florence. From Florence, we would leave on Sunday to arrive in Rome. Since I’ve already been to Rome I was going to skip this part and fly out to London to visit Beth. I was then to leave London on Wednesday to go to Paris to meet back up with my best guy friends that were doing this ENTIRE trip with me except the London part! HOW INSANE, right!? Well, I’m sure as you all know; the volcano eruption put a DAMPER on these plans! My flight to London and Paris were cancelled. However, this meant that I got to spend more time in Italy! So, can I really be THAT sad??? NO WAY JOSE!
Let’s start with Milan and Venice. So we get to Milan and have only a few, short hours to look around until we take a train to Venice. All I can say about Milan is they LOVE TO SHOP! However, the 8 of us headed off to Venice and arrived around 11:30 at night. After, we were lost in Venice for about 3-4 hours. We even hopped in a water taxi, asked for directions 4 times (despite the boys wanting to) but, 3-4 hours later, we FINALLY got to our hotel to find out the boys only said 5 people were staying there! Yes, it was to make sure we could save some money, but that meant that three of us had to sneak into a LOCKED hotel because it was so late at night! So when the owner opened the door, 3 of us sprinted ahead up the stairs while the others checked in (mom and dad, much easier than how we tried to do it!). At this hotel, we had free breakfast that we all ABUSED and took sandwiches for the road so we could have lunch pre-made by the time we are touring the city. Remember people, I am a POOR COLLEGE STUDENT! However, Venice was beautiful! We all took a Gondola ride (the two couples in 1 and my three best guy friends: Bart, Dougie, Travis, and I all in the other). It was picture perfect! We actually got a deal on the ride from the man because he remembered seeing us 5 times that day after we asked him how much it would cost. It was wonderful because he gave us the ENTIRE history of the city including the tour of where the movie The Italian Job took place in Venice! It was awesome! We also visited the cathedral, the palace, a view overlooking the city, museums, etc. for FREE because it was Cultural Week! So, for our entire trip we didn’t have to pay for public museums/tourist attractions because of this!

Instead, now I stayed in Rome saw EVERYTHING possible in the city, including my good friend Emily Chiapetta. Not only that, but I also had the chance to go and visit our family in Parma. Did I mention it was “Culture Week” so every public tourist museums/monuments/etc. was FREE!!!! Yes, the Coliseum, Ruins, etc. pretty much everything except the Vatican!
Thursday morning I left to meet up with Mateo and the Comparoni family in Parma. Man oh man, could my week be getting any better! Little did I know when I told Mateo that I was arriving in Parma around 1:00 that he had been waiting for me there since 12:30, just to make sure I would be okay! We immediately left the train to go and see his parents for a large lunch that Grazia made in honor of me visiting again. This was no meal, this was a feast! First we had fresh salami, sausage, parmesan cheese, and prosciutto! (first course) then we had a PHENOMINAL pasta with red sauce and picante (spicy) olive oil (DIVINE). Then we had a salad with olive oil and vinegar (my favorite) with a warm pepper dish. Then a fruit salad (all served with wine) then an AMAZING cake from Parma with little cream filled croissants and the BEST ESPRESSO that I’ve ever had! He was not kidding when he said that Grazia wanted to make me a traditional family meal to welcome me home, back to Parma. However, this was only the beginning! After we talked (me speaking in Spanish and if they couldn’t understand Mateo would translate), ate, and went through old family photo albums, Mateo and I toured the town. We parked the car and walked all over! Parma is an amazingly beautiful city! It is quaint and very family affiliated like Kenosha is for us, however has hidden beauties that make me want to come back for more!
After Mateo was done touring me around this city, Mateo told me that his grandparents were begging him to see me. To my surprise they actually remembered me! Albina, as witty as ever, walked up to me yelled, “BELLA!” and smacked me in the butt. While we found Ottorino searching for his lost keys, he kept calling me Lorenzo (just as all Spaniards do) until he realized my name was Laurena (mom and dad, you could have picked and easier name to translate!) However, much like Grandma Jo, they too, did not understand why I didn’t live with them! They kept saying, “Mateo used to live with us! It was beautiful! And why don’t you learn Italian!” To their disbelief, I also didn’t have a boyfriend. After Albina found out this, she immediately knew who I could meet and smacked me on the butt, yet again. She said my face and butt are too nice to not have a boyfriend. Hahaha. Mind you, Mateo is translating all of this to me! Hahaha. However, to my surprise I actually could pick up on a lot of what they were saying. Thank goodness for my knowledge of Spanish after this semester! We left shortly after, even though it was supposed to be a “5 minute stop,” we sadly left the two most appreciative family members I could have ever met! I believe, for them, I represent Josephine, tradition, and a HUGE symbol of us keeping our “Italian and American families” together, which I could not agree with more! I couldn’t help but be deeply saddened by saying good-bye to them. They are truly some of the most wonderful people that I am blessed enough to meet. They are so appreciative and so happy to see family stay in touch that they loved so much, like Josephine.
After we left Albina and Ottorino’s house, we returned to Mateo’s house to meet his daughter, Latitzia who will be 4 in June and his wife, Sabrina. Sabrina had prepared a phenomenal meal of prosciutto pizza and a fruit salad for desert while Latitzia was too shy to talk to me, she was intrigued how I would try to play with her and make her feel comfortable. Even though she couldn’t understand why I didn’t speak Italian, she began to feel comfortable around me and would hold my hand/sit on my lap. After that she was awfully tired and went to bed. Mateo and I ran to the train station to buy my ticket for the next day, then return to sleep at his parent’s house (Ito and Grazia’s). They were just as happy to see me as I was to see them again. We began to talk about the day and family at home, but Mateo had to leave shortly after that. From then on they told me “only speak in Spanish.” To my astonishment, I could speak with them almost perfectly! Once we all slowed down our conversations, I could completely understand them and they could completely understand me, it was wonderful! They continuously told me “my house is your house. Please! Feel comfortable to do whatever you like!” If I would ever ask for anything they’d yell at me and say “take it! It’s yours! Don’t ask!” They are AMAZING people! It is so wonderful to think that we have family like that and I hope they would think the same as us! We continuously discussed me coming back to visit and them visiting us in Kenosha. I can honestly say, the more we discussed it, the more I am striving to work harder to make money so I can make this happen. I realize the importance of keeping family ties, especially with such a traditional side of our family like the ones in Parma, it’s a beautiful thing! I will forever be grateful for them opening their house to me and clearing their schedules for my arrival. As I told them, “I cannot describe how grateful I am and how happy I am to see them again.” I will forever remember that visit and long to go back.
In the morning, Grazia prepared breakfast as I showered and amazingly enough, not only did she have toast and espresso waiting for me (just how I liked it) she had cream filled croissants, coffee cake, muffins ( 2 different kinds), jam, yogurt, 3 types of juices, etc. Ridiculous! For one person!? It was an extremely peaceful breakfast and tasted phenomenal as well! Shortly after, we took a few pictures, and she drove me to the train. But, she didn’t drive me to the Parma train station, rather the Fornovo station because they didn’t want me to have to transfer trains! As many times as I told them I could, they said, “why!? You don’t need to be confused and find a new train, we take you!” The ENTIRE time I was with them they spoiled me! Truly amazing people, I tell you… However, it was a truly sad good-bye. I already miss them and I have only been on a train for 10 minutes or so! Grazia and I had a wonderful talk for the hour it took to get to the station and onto the train (total). She is an amazing person and we made the promise: the next time we see each other, I will know Italian and she will know English; which means I better learn quick, because I am hoping to return soon!
After Parma I took a train to Pisa to meet up with my two best guy friends: Bart and Dougie who took a trip to Napoli and Pompeii while I met with the family. Thank goodness I didn’t go with them! Not only did I have a BLAST meeting up with the Comparoni’s in Parma, but Dougie and Bart said that Napoli was TERRIFYING! While they were walking, a little think you must know about them is that they LOVE to take pictures. They both have really nice cameras that they carry everywhere they go. Anywho, two different groups of people told them, as they were walking, “Attencione!” while pointing to their cameras until an older woman walked up to them and told them to put it away. It was then, in which they knew Napoli was not the greatest place to be. As for Pompeii, they said it was phenomenal and beautiful. While they were terrified in Napoli, I was eating pounds of pasta with family, perfect trade. However, we I met up with them in Pisa. I arrived in Pisa around 11:30 and knew I would need to wait for the boys until their arrival around 3. I went and checked into our hostel that Bart had booked. As I walked up to the entrance I could not help but think, are we staying in a camper? I know that Bart booked the CHEAPEST place, but this was like a camp ground! There were campers parked there and everything! Didn’t bother me though, saving money is saving money. To my astonishment it really wasn’t that bad. I walked up to the door, didn’t mind it until I opened it and there were three single beds pushed together and a few cabinets, but not much more than that. Decided, that’s okay, until I realized how badly I needed to go to the bathroom, since I held it since the train. Kicked open the bathroom door urgently and nearly almost sat down on a MUTANT SNAIL that has left its mark all across our toilet seat! Screamed, may have woken up anyone that was taking a siesta; however I survived and left the room immediately to go and tour around Pisa in the pouring rain. To my surprise there were actually quite a large group of people still walking around Pisa. Although it is a very small city, if it wouldn’t have been raining, it would have been quite beautiful. Walked around, took some pictures in the rain, went to a café for lunch and to get out of the rain for a little, then returned home awaiting for the boys’ arrival. When the got there, it was still raining so we just walked around our area, got dinner supplies from the supermarket and made ourselves a great spaghetti dinner with grilled cheese and don’t forget the wine! Hahaha. A true “man meal” as they called it. From then on, we just cracked open a bottle of wine, sat in our covered patio and played card games all night long. It was this trip that I fell in love with these boys and realized they’d be two of my best friends for life. Who else would play childish “go fish” and “old maid” with me instead of going out?
The next morning, we woke up early, checked out, and went to visit every site that Pisa had to offer. Although we didn’t walk up the leaning tower, we took tons of photos and paid to see inside of the cathedral instead, which was BEAUTIFUL. It started to rain so we decided to head towards the airport to beat the bad weather. An hour later, we arrived at the airport and had to wait there for almost 2-3 hours before I flight took off. Dougie is the “timely one” who turned to me and said, “God Laur, doesn’t it feel great to arrive early?” While Bart is more like me, “should we get their 45 minutes early, or what are you thinking?” 5 hours later, we arrived in Sevilla and let me tell you, home has never felt better! It was 80 out, Feria was going on so everywhere you looked you saw women dressed up in elaborate Flamenco dresses. To our surprise, we hopped on the wrong bus and wouldn’t get home for an additional 2 hours. Just our luck. It seemed as if our entire trip was a huge joke on time, us being lost, or some occasional mishap that made us detour 45 minutes out of the way.
Now onto Feria…. Feria is a festival in Spain that is extremely famous, much like Semana Santa, but it is more of a party/festival that is week long. This festival consists of over 1,000 tents, drinking, and dancing all day/night, which is where my Flamenco comes in! Although I was not there for much of it, I arrived Saturday (mid-day) so that I could see the festivities for two nights in a row. It was a blast! Not only was it filled with all of the private and/or public tents, there was an entire area of rides like a carnival/fair. It was so fun! It was as if I was a little kid again! A few of my friends and I decided to go on a few different rides to pass the time while the rest of the park was closing, since we wanted to wait for the fireworks at 12:00pm. Let me tell you, these rides would be illegal in the U.S! On one of the rides we were on a huge Viking ship, standing in a cage and you’d go so high that you fit would literally lift off the ground! As for the other one, we were strapped in and you literally were sky rocketed in a circle going 60mph EASILY! While doing somersaults in the air! PHENOMENAL. However, Feria ended and I can honestly say, I am not ready to go back to school! I don’t know if it was the two solid weeks I had off (again) or if it’s just the realization that I only have 2 weeks of school left and then I must go back to reality. It’s truly heartbreaking! In 2 weeks it’s back to reality and I couldn’t be any more saddened by this situation.
Although I miss you all, it’s going to be too hard to say good-bye to my life abroad. See you all soon.

Laur

Quote of the week: “Siempre se perderá Sevilla.” “I will forever miss Sevilla.”