Me Amo mia bici!

Sorry it has been so long...this little thing called grad school kept getting in the way....:)

Bologna is a fantastic city for biking around and I've been wanting one for awhile, but it seems like the bike goddess' were working against me.  Since I'm just here for a short time and the only type of crime here is bike crime, I decided to get a used bike.  

So a few weeks ago there was a bike auction....it was CRAZY!!!!  The city takes all the 'abandoned' (stolen) bikes in the city and then auctions them off for 20 euros- some of these are great deals, others have no brakes and literally are falling apart, alot of old and funky ones.  People ride them around and the announcer lady starts screaming numbers and whoever screams the loudest and gets the most attention wins the bike!!!!  And you would think this would be right up my alley - but no the Italians scream louder than me! And it was a sweet reminder of SF, people were in bear costumes, banana outfits, crazy hats, wigs, horse balloons, some had painted their chests, with the announcer's name saying "Rita, give me a bike (in italian of course).  There was even a joker!

I was not prepared for this, so all I had was an umbrella and screamed wildly, at one point I even climbed up on a friends' shoulders, who's 6'4 but no dice.  This went on for 2 hours and I left empty-biked-handed.

I spent the following Saturday going all around bike shops, throughout Bologna, but they were all closed or not selling bikes.  The bike shops, are open in the afternoon, I think because they steal the bikes at night, and then spend the morning "fixing them up"

So I tried one more time and found this little shop with used bikes, and even though others were in better shape and more practical, I could not resist the bright red bike, with the basket and silver light.  As I pedaled home happy with my negotiating skills in Italian and y new shiny bike, I thought there was an odor.  When I got home and saw that my hands were now shiny red and silver, I realized the pain hadn't quite dried yet - this was definitely stolen last night!!  But as soon as the paint dries, I will be very happily pedaling around :)

 

Around town!

Even with classes and trips to Ikea, I've been walking around  the city alot, checking out lots of cool architecture and wandering down quaint streets, checking out little cafes, nibbling on biscotti and just feeling really happy (and sometimes disbelief) that I am living here!  Here are some pictures from around town!

(I apologize in advance for shitty layout...  Blogger program needs some work when you upload more than 2 pics)

Above Saint Sebastian

Views from around town

A pope!

A big church near my school!

This used to be the Bourse (city stock exchange) and now its a gorgeous public library!

One of the many quaint streets

2 of the city's most famous towers and the one leans more than Pisa!

The city has a whole network of underground canals, here's where it comes above ground

The main Church St. Peter, it was suppose to be the biggest in all of Italy but then a Pope stopped it so now its only the 5th-largest and half done.

The famous Neptune Fountain

More views

The Main Square - Piazza Maggiore

Update on Life in Italy!

So its been a bit of time and I promise to be better about it...but I've started school.  It's definitely a little intense, I have 2.5 hours of Italian every morning and the 3 hours of microeconomic theory 3 times a week - it's before the actual semester starts so its a semester crammed into 5 weeks...but its good to ease back into this stuff, right?

It actually feels great to be back into the academic environment and already I have gone to 3 lectures; one on expansion of the European Union, the situation in Kosovo, and heard from the head of the Austrian Central Bank on stabilizing the Euro and policies that have taken in response to the economic crisis (which was actually really interesting) as well as a pianist who despite being egotistical and liked to about his female conquests, played a great concert!

It's also been fun to have some great political conversations with other students and I realize I know so little and have so much to read!!!

Socially, its been fantastic too!  I've definitely got to go dancing already twice, I just love the European discotheques, they just play lots of fun music and everyone dances, no DJs, no covers, just cheesy and fun music!  I've found a place to go running, Ghiardinia Marghertia (appropriately named! ) and I even got a intercambio with a real Italian going.  

My roommate Andy and I both like to cook so we have been having lots of fun, from making pizza and trying out different crusts, to taking turns making everything from veal cutlets and polenta to big pots of soup and stewed chicken!  And of course no meal is complete withou gelato.... :)  

1st Day of School!!!

This is it!!!  Its for real now!!!  I am a student again.....AHHHHH!!!!

I had my first class on Thursday, MicroEconomic Theory!  I actually already took it, but since its been 9 years (ouch! I feel old) I had to retake it.  But this is a good thing because I am easing back into school.  Its actually a semester crammed into 5 weeks (I'm also taking an Italian class) and then I will have orientation and start taking a full coarse-load at a normal semester pace.  

So how did it go?  Well I have to admit, I was very scared for that first class and there was alot running through my mind.  I felt like I couldn't take notes fast enough, I was intimidated by 22 year old peers giving textbook answers, it was hard to pay attention to someone lecturing for 3 hours on elasticity of prices, I need to buy a calculator, did the professor really mean we had to study economics everyday, what if i don't pass, readings, problem sets, an exam worth 40% of my grade???!!!!  Oh God, This is really happening!

The following morning I had to take a Calculus test, but I actually think I did ok on it and I even took a test in Italian (I don't know any Italian!) but I must have made some good guesses because I ended up in a class level 4 (out of 6!) - time to hit the books!

Even though the big switch feels a little daunting at times, I am really excited for these new challenges and it feels good to be in an academic setting again.  I promise not to write too much about boring school stuff but I will keep you updated on living in Italy, the food, trips, and interesting anecdotes.

Oh and lucky for me, our first reading was on the economics of the Food Stamp Program....watch out class, I have some ideas!!

Settling In!

Hey Everyone!!!

I'm Settled!!  So I apologize for not posting in the last week, but it was full of moving things like buying a cell phone (you get 4000 texts here and the plan is only 10 euros a month!!!), unpacking, stocking up on food, applying for a residence permit (a zillion Italian  forms - difficult!), purchasing Italian health insurance, figuring out the Italian washing machine (an actual very, very hard task), trying to find/buy all those little things I forgot to bring, starting classes, meeting new students, taking my first math test, and at every utterly confusing point compensating by eating gelato!!!!  Yesterday I ate gelato 3 times.  This may be a dangerous coping mechanism.

This translated into a Lemon Gelato

Gelato aside, I feel very excited and fortunate to be here, so far everyone is really nice and I'm meeting some pretty interesting students from around the world!  

My apartment is great, it's in the university district so super busy and lots of life, but has a quiet balcony and tons of sunlight.  I'm living with a British student Andy as well as another American (who we are convinced is a spy - but thats a different story!)  I tried to live with Italians but it was a little difficult to rent an apt when one does not speak the language and needed to sign a 9 month lease.  So I will look for an intercambio but I am committed to learning Italian!  

The view from my bedroom window:                 My Apartment: Via Irnerio 22 (my room is the    3rd from the left and 2nd from the top)

The Anxious Apt Hunt!

Looking for an apartment in a foreign city when you don't speak the language has got to be the most stressful thing ever (and maybe the dumbest)!!!

I'm not sure if I'm developing an anxiety disorder as I age but I definitely was kicking myself for not looking for an apt online before I arrived, or learning Italian and having a cell phone that worked, or giving myself more than 3 days before school started to find a place to live, checking my bank balance, or maybe bringing a friend (i.e. my Dad) to help me make a HUGE, expensive decision when one is jet-lagged, hungry, confused and knows nothing and no one.    

Despite these shortcomings, I started the apt hunt.  After a hot day of climbing up lots of steps and looking at more than 20 apartments, I realized it was after 7pm and I didn't like anything.  I wanted a bed bigger than a twin, in the center of town, with lots of light, quiet, and maybe 1 other roommate.  However now that I am not working I had to scale down my price range and after seeing lots of dark, moldy flats, outside the city walls and with 6 roommates (not ready to be a start of Real World in Bologna), I realized I needed to make some compromises.  I couldn't swing the sunny, quiet, 1 bedroom, sterile bathroom I shared with nobody in the center of town like I had in SF...I was a student again.  

Eventually I stumbled upon a British student who was living in a 3 bedroom.  It was near the center of town, a 10 min walk to school, close to the train station, sunny, but a 4 story walk-up, super noisy, 2 roommates, 1 bathroom and I'd have to share it with at least 1 boy...ugh! But it had alot of old Italian charm, a balcony, was sparsely furnished and I could sign a 9 month lease...so after a sleepless night and frantic emails to my Dad and Jessa, I signed it!

After moving my stuff in (i.e. dragging my suitcase over cobblestones from the hotel and up steps) and sharing an espresso with my new roommate, I felt my anxiety start to disappear.  It was a little more that I was hoping to spend but my new felt peace of mind suddenly seemed worth it.

Don't worry I will post pictures soon!

Back to the Backpack (ok a suitcase this time)

So after spending a fantastic summer in San Francisco, where I got to see lots of friends and family, cook, relax, do lots of fun things, go on some favorite runs and even get in some studying for grad school...I packed up my bags and headed to Bologna, Italy for the first year of grad school.

Normally, I'm not an anxious person, but the week leading up to my departure included alot of stomachaches and alot of tears, at one point I even called my mother explaining my symptoms thinking I was sick, until she explained to me that it was simply nerves...who knew?  

On the plane I decided to read some information from the school, which only left me more anxious (and nauseous) as I realized how little I had done to prepare for this trip!  Why hadn't I researched this more?  Why did I not have an Italian phrasebook?  What's the point of reading a book that gives websites to go look at, when you don't have internet access and its too late? Did I even have health insurance?  Where was I going to live?  There were only 2 pages on Bologna in my guidebook!!! 

After 11 hours in aisle 46 (this section of coach couldn't even fit my short legs!) I landed in Frankfurt to switch planes and looking at my passport I realized it was almost 9 years to the day that I flew to Germany to spend a semester of undergrad and I thought if I could do it at 19, I can definitely do this at 28.  

Besides more wisdom (hopefully), I did have:

-some breadcrumbs in my backpack leaving a trail back to SF (old school GPS), 

-a St. Christopher in my wallet to keep me safe, 

-stones from my friend Judy including Hematite: to help keep inner peace, Citrine: to stimulate the intellect and mental activity, Jade: to reduce fear &banish negative thoughts,

-lots of postive vibes from friends and family, 

-oh and both a Visa AND a MasterCard!

As I got to Bologna I found that I was smiling and calm... :)