OU BlogAbroad

Siena and Viareggio

devon — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:00:54 +0000

La Giostra del Saracino — The Joust!

devon — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:57:26 +0000

Arezzo has a great tradition of a semi-annual joust of the Saracen, “La Giostra del Saracino.” It is held in the Piazza Grande in the center of Arezzo, and the four neighborhoods, “quartieres,” compete against each other. It has a long history in Arezzo, dating back to the 13th century in some accounts. The current form of the joust was started in 1931. The four quartieres include Porta Santo Sprito (blue and yellow, in which Andy and I live), Porto del Foro (fuschia/yellow, which my cousin Luca supports), Porta Crucifera (red/green) and Porta Sant’Andrea (green/white). There is a board that the jousters attempt to hit with the lance, with points ranging from 1 to 5. They can win additional points by breaking the lance, or lose points by falling off the horse or letting the balls in the Saracino’s hand hit their back.

The giostra is not just one afternoon, however. Ceremonies and celebrations spread throughout the month, and particularly the week before the joust. Each quartiere has a headquarters location, where parties are held each night and a community dinner at the end of the week. Nearly everyone in town wears his or her scarf that represents his quartiere. The rivalries between quartieres can be pretty intense, and arguments and fights are not uncommon.

Parties in the quartieres

At the joust event they also have trumpeters and flag-throwers (one of the best teams in the world, apparently). They practice throughout the week, and on Thursday afternoon Andy and I walked over to the Duomo and stumbled upon an event where the they were performing for the Miss Italia group.

The city is so crowded and so rowdy on joust day, but so much fun!

The joust started with the flag men and trumpeters who paraded in. There were even crossbows! There was so much energy in the Piazza Grande. Families have lived for generations in these quartieres, and they are very supportive of them. Most of the time these rivalries are peaceful, but the action culminates with joust week. Walking along the Corso, people will yell at each other or start singing taunting songs. Girls will even get into it too, chasing each other and trying to fight. So you can understand that the day of the event is pretty crazy. Down on the grounds people stand divided by quartiere, it’s a little more mixed in the stands. I enjoyed being in the stands because we had a good view over all the action, like the Sant’Andrea guy who kept trying to climb over the stands and fight a Crucifera fan.

After Crucifera won and the joust was over, all of their fans rushed to the Duomo, the main church in Arezzo, to celebrate and see the official presentation of the lancia d’oro. (Fans had already rushed up to the stands and grabbed it in the Piazza Grande, but they do the official presentation too.) I have never seen so much energy in a church. They were singing, counting from one to thirty-six (how many jousts they have won), and some people were even crying.

Lost in Lambo Land

devon — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:53:12 +0000

On Labor Day we had a day off class, so we decided to take the day and visit the Lamborghini Factory! It ended up being a fun day, but had quite the rough start. The factory is located in Sant’Agata Bolognese, a tiny town outside of Bologna, which meant two trains and one bus.

Long story short, on the bus there was no sign or announcement indicating which stop was which, we got off at the stop at 10:36, our expected arrival time, and ended up five stops away. Which also happened to be over five kilometers away.

We started walking in the direction we thought we should go, and start to realize we have a long walk ahead of us. From the bus stop information, I know that we are in the wrong town, we have to get to the next one but had no clue how far away it would be. We ended up walking on the side of a two lane highway in the countryside, with huge trucks of hay zooming past us. When I saw a sign saying that Sant’Agata Bolognese was 4 or 5 km away, I knew we were in trouble. Especially since we only had 15 more minutes to make our appointment! We found a small gas station and asked an old man for a number for a taxi. He didn’t speak any English, but I was able to muster up enough Italian (I speak some because of my last trip to Italy, but this is the first time taking any classes.) After a while of searching in the white pages, he finds a number, I call it and arrange for the taxi to come.

Five minutes later, the taxi pulls up and takes us to the Lamborghini factory. Most expensive short taxi ride I’ve been on, but we made it and were only 10 minutes late. I had called ahead and said we were going to be late, and they brought us into the factory to meet the tour once we arrived. It was crazy and awful and stressful, but we made it~

Point A is where we started at, B is where we walked to when we got the taxi, and C was our final destination.

The Factory

Here is a portion my husband Andy’s description of the time at the factory. He loves cars more than I do, and is better able to explain what we saw!

So after arriving a few minutes late, we are rushed through the museum (full of amazing cars explained later) to doors leading outside to the factory entrance. As we walk through the door my eyes are greeted by around 30 beautiful Lamborghini Aventadors and Gallardos parked fresh from assembly…..at that point I know how this day is going to be. To my momentary displeasure we are rushed into the factory away from the incredible grouping of Bulls. That’s when we enter the factory to see the many stages of Gallardo production. I’m like a fat kid in an all you can eat buffet specializing in sweet treats at this point, my eyes linger on every single aspect of the amazing spectacle in front of me.

First, we are shown the process that the Gallardo is assembled, the engine and various interior pieces are brought in from outside sources. The engines are from Audi (who owns Lamborghini, for those of you that are not obsessed with this brand like myself) and interior from a local upholstery shop. This is an amazing sight but I’m looking for the new bull, the incredible Aventador. As the tour guide finishes talking about the Gallardo production line we walk around a corner and there’s an Aventador resting right there….it is amazing. I’ve loved Lamborghini since I can remember, they’ve always been the insane member of the supercar group, and this new car does not disappoint. From the sharp edges at every corner to the huge center exhaust this car just screams “If you don’t respect me I will kill you”, which of course is the Lamborghini way haha. As the tour guide mentions that we can have a look of course I get up close and personal to observe this piece of art on wheels. Sadly, we are told to move on but it’s on to the Aventador assembly line, woot woot! Oh and by the way, every car is hand assembled; there are no robots in the factory. Which brings me to the awesome part of the Aventador assembly, everything is made in house from the engine to the interior; a new thing for Lamborghini.

As we are walked past the testing booth where they run the car at 200km/h (~124mph) for an hour and a half I saw a Gallardo Tricolore awaiting testing. The Tricolore is a special edition (only 150 being made) that celebrates the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy, which explains the green, red, and white strip running over the top of the car.

We got to see the President of Lamborghini show off the new Aventador in front of some Audi execs.

La Sagra in Ponte Alla Chiassa

devon — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 22:14:43 +0000

First, I must preface this by saying I have an amazing set of Italian family here around Arezzo. They are somewhat distant (one group related to my great-grandfather, and the other group we don’t even know exactly how–just know that we are indeed family). I call them my “cousins” because it’s easier than figuring out and explaining the exact details, but I also call them that because it is how they treat me. It doesn’t matter that we are a bit distantly related, they treat me as immediate relatives. And they have taken Andy into la famiglia and told him that he, too, is now a Carnesciali. They are the best hosts, and the sweetest people.

Summers and falls in Italy are full of “sagre” or festivals. Often they focus on a certain food or drink, but offer full meals of great food and a fun sense of community. My cousin Luca and his family live in Ponte Alla Chiassa, a small town about 10 minutes north of Arezzo. This weekend Ponte Alla Chiassa hosted a sagra, and Luca invited us to attend it with his family and his girlfriend Martina. One of the specialties of this sagra was a pig’s nose.
When you attend a sagra, you stand in line, order and pay for your food, and go sit down at a table with your ticket. The tables are long, bench style tables under tents. It is crowded, and the service takes a while, but that is part of the beauty of the sagra. It is about community and talking with those around you, having a great time.

Here is a picture that shows an example the table area. This was later on, so not as crowded as the peak eating time.

Andy and Luca ordered pizza with prosciutto, I ate maccheroni, Martina ate trippa, Chiara and Francesco ate antipasti and steaks… There is a large variety of food, and you can’t* (for the most part) go wrong!

Here is my maccheroni. As you can see, it is not what we think of when we hear macaroni in the US. It consists of long flat noodles topped with meat sauce. (Note: there are other forms of maccheroni in Italy too, but this is the type I have eaten at two sagre.) It is tasty with good flavor, and filling. I made Andy eat about half of mine. (And his pizza was delicious too!)

I was also told I act like a northern Italian because I eat my salad before my pasta. In Tuscany the order usually goes: antipasto, pasta, salad, meat (and then dessert if there is some. or fruit for dessert.) I got used to this during my last trip, but haven’t broken my American eating-salad-first habit yet.

Martina ordered trippa. In Florence, it references the cow’s stomach, often pressed into a sandwich. But in this case trippa is cow intestines. It was a peasant’s meal in the past, while the noblemen got to eat the actual meat/muscle off the cow. Andy and I both ate a bite of trippa. It tasted good, but the texture was a bit chewy for my taste. I am glad I tried it though!

Luca’s parents, Babbo Carlo and Mamma Ambra, bought us four desserts to share and sample. They were all delicious! Clockwise from the top was blackberry, jelled fruit with some cream, chocolate and apple. Andy and I were asked our favorite, but it was an impossible decision. The pastries were all so good!

In addition to food, the sagra also hosted music and little carnival games. We played this and Martina won a little cow toy.

A lot of Italians are intrigued by cowboys, the Wild West, Indians, etc. I already knew this, but it was revealed even more when I saw them dancing after dinner. You know how Americans take classes and learn how to do foreign dances such as the tango and salsa? Well, they were dancing intricate square and line dances to country-ish music and songs from the movie “The Last of the Mohicans.” (Note: when we were at a restaurant/bar last Thursday night we also danced to Cotton Eyed Joe and Oh Susanna, so it doesn’t seem to be a completely rare occurrence.) It’s so funny and cool.

We went over to Chiara and Francesco’s house and hung out with some of their friends, Luca and Martina. We got to drink homemade limoncello produced by Chiara’s parents. It was delicious! We had a wonderful time and are so grateful to call these people our friends and family.

Andy, Devon, Luca, Martina

Francesco, Chiara, Devon, Andy

One month down

katie — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:11:16 +0000

One month down! I am probably more proud of myself than I should be for surviving my first month here without getting hit by a car or walking into an open manhole, but oh well. I have settled in and adjusted to life here more or less, but there are still a few things I am getting used to, such as…

1. Always needing exact change. Well this is not something I need to get used to, so much as something I am resisting. I honestly try to give the cashier as close to exact change as possible, but sometimes I can’t. This usually isn’t a huge problem, unless I go the café at my university. So, despite the fact I rely on the trolleybus to get around, I have yet to purchase a bus pass, meaning most of my change goes to the trolleybus (and any remaining change goes the banana vending machine. That’s right, a banana vending machine, that I frequent quite often). As a result, buy the time I make my way to the front of the line to purchase my usual yogurt and piroshok, I am left without small change. Every time I hand the cashier a hundred ruble bill for a 70 rube purchase, she looks at me as if I just killed her puppy.

2. Mayonnaise on salad. It just ain’t right.

3. Mullets. Russia has produced incredible literature, architecture, music and theater. Not even the land of Pushkin is immune to this trend.

4. Mosquitos and wind. I probably should have expected both considering St. Petersburg is located on a march. While I love Oklahoma, I wasn’t expecting the umbrella-breaking wind to follow me to Russia.

5. Getting weird looks when speaking English in public. I am well aware of the Ugly American stereotype of loud, obnoxious, slovenly Americans, but I didn’t expect to get glares or odd looks when I said a few words to a friend in English.

On the other hand, there are hings I have definitely gotten used to:

1. Drinking tea all the time. I get the English own the trademark on being incessant tea drinkers, but I think the Russians could give them a run for their money.

2. Always carrying an umbrella. Always.

Now that the one month marker has come, I feel like I’m finally making the transition from tourist to resident. I feel comfortable here, and can use the transportation and navigate the city without feeling out of place. Everything has happened in the past weeks is just a scattered mess in my head I’m going to explain it all through a hail of bullet points:

* Crime and Punishment walking tour

Whenever anyone asks why I am studying Russian, I usually mention the Cold War and Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. It is unlikely that I would have read the Brothers K if it wasn’t for a high school reading assignment. Furthermore, the only reason I chose that book was because a classmate of mine (who’s taste in books I trusted) chose to read it (had I known the book was over a thousand pages at that time I might have gone with a different book). After reading the Brothers K, I wanted to read Crime and Punishment. Easier said then done. I bought the book my senior year of high school, started in my freshman year and when I came to Russia was about half way through it. The only explanation I have for my snail-like pace is a preference for non-fiction books which often distracted me from Dostoevsky’s wordy masterpiece. Upon coming to Russia, however, I figured I should probably finish Crime and Punishment, considering the book takes place in St. Petersburg. The walking tour I went on included Raskolnikov’s (the main character) apartment, the scene of the murder.

* Pavlosk and Pieterhof

To be honest, I am not one for palaces, I like walking inside them, but my interest in them is minimal at best. Yes, they are pretty, and historical but I can’t get excited about super old silverware and landscaping.

Pavlosk: Imperial Palace, was a gift from Empress Catherine to her son, Paul I and his wife Maria Feodorovna in celebration of the birth of their son, Alexander (say what you will about aristocrats, but they are not stingy when it comes to gift giving).

Peterhof: I actually really enjoyed Peterhof which is really famous for their fountains. Known as the Russian version of Versailles. Peterhof has a lot of incredibly ornate fountains, some are even interactive that will spray you unexpectedly (thus another reason why you should always have an umbrella).

Ciao Arezzo!

devon — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 18:59:27 +0000

On Monday, August 22nd, around 11:00 am, we departed Rome. Or at least we were supposed to. We had gotten to Termini (Rome’s main train station) early, all ready to hop on the train and head to Arezzo, but the binaro (the train line) number never came up on the board. We stood there, assuming they would put it up soon (and forgetting there was a departures board that listed which binaro it usually comes in. Not always right, but would have helped us.) Well, 10:58 passed and the train went off the board, as in it had departed, and we were left standing in the station. Some stress, a few tears due to the stress (or was that just sweat? It was so stinkin’ hot it was hard to tell), and a phone call later and we decided to take the next train two hours later to Arezzo. Our tickets were general ones for that route, so we didn’t need to do anything to switch them.

I should have known the ride was going to be an interesting one when we had to walk out to Termini’s new terminal, 1 East. Far, far away. Dragging our heavy suitcases the whole way. Before departure, a man came on board with a bucket of cold water, juice and beer. We already had a bottle of Gatorade and a bottle of water, and thought there was no need to buy more. We would regret this decision immensely.

Our train lacked air conditioning, and I was surely sweating off all the gelato pounds I had gained in my few days in Rome. Halfway through our journey, with about an hour and a half left until Arezzo, we were making sure to ration our water. We had brought some bread and prosciutto onto the train to make sandwiches for lunch, but knew we could not eat because the saltiness of the prosciutto would only make us more thirsty. I decided that if we made it through this train ride without fainting, we definitely deserved a spot on the television show “I Shouldn’t Be Alive.” There was a reason this trip only cost us 12 euro each. I was sweating, exhausted, and not entirely sure I would make it.

But, alas, we did. We got into Arezzo, walked over to the main part of the station, and met up with Lucio, OUA’s local student coordinator . He recognized us because I had “Oklahoma colored luggage.” These bags have been in my family for years, and even since attending OU I have never made the connection that they were crimson-colored. I was glad they were Crimson though so that he recognized us! We grabbed our stuff, walked over to our apartment and starting moving in. Even after 5 long flights of stairs with heavy luggage, and no air conditioning in our apartment either, I was ecstatic to be off that train.

Tuscany in general is beautiful, but I love Arezzo. I was so happy to be back, and so so glad that this time my husband could join me. Thankfully, he loves it too! I am blessed to have relatives here that love to show us around the area and take us to sagra (festivals, more on that later!). We are living close to Piazza Guido Monaco, which is a nice location because it is inside the city walls and close to the train station, only about a 10 minute walk from the OUA classrooms and not too far from anything. Arezzo is a nice city, but small and walkable. It makes it really easy to manage without a bike or car.

The beautiful Tuscan countryside, viewed from Il Prato

Il Prato, the park in Arezzo

Golden Sky

We were glad that gelato is one of the main food groups in Italy. The three best gelateria around Arezzo are Cremì which is located on the Corso, Il Gelato on Via Madonna del Prato and Gran Caramel which is about a 20 minute walk out of the city from our apartment, but so so worth it!

Another main food group here is caffé, or espresso. The little, mini, really strong coffee. Sometimes I drink it three times a day.. Italians generally have some caffé with breakfast, sometimes in the afternoon, and then after dinner as a digestive. (Other digestives include grappa, amaro and limoncello.) They actually really do help make you feel better after eating a huge pasta meal!

When I was in Arezzo in summer 2010, I made friends with some of the local Aretines, and they have been just as welcoming to the new OU students this semester! They are a fun group to hang out with and practice our Italian, while teaching them American slang like “y’all.” Plus over the past few years, OU students have converted them to being Sooner fans!

Boomer Sooner with Iacopo!

First Month of France

genevieve — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:30:17 +0000

My multi-cultural experiences have gotten off to a great start! I am living with 3 chinese girls in a very small apartment right in the middle of downtown Bordeaux. Everyone has been very kind and hospitable to me, taking time to show me how to get around the city, what I need to get settled in, and how to get my classes arranged at the university. I am studying at Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux III. There are four major universities here, each one focusing on a different field (medicine, art/humanities, science) and Bordeaux 3 seems to be the most liberal. Classes for me started just yesterday and it’s been a whirlwind trying to find all the right classes that replace ones I would normally take at OU.
I’ve found that the best way to achieve confidence is forcing yourself to ask questions. When I first arrived, I was very intimidated. I’ve studied French for many years, but it’s completely different to come to a country where it is spoken. Everyone speaks much faster than you think they will. I’ve heard from a Parisien that speaking quickly is something specific to this city, and the southern region of France, but I think he might’ve been a little biased. My confidence in French went out the window as soon as I tried to communicate with people here. But there’s hope!! You have to be very stubborn because everyone wants to practice his English, especially when he sees you’re nervous, but if you stay calm and continue to practice, you will improve. Even after only a few weeks of being here, I find myself improving and my speech is becoming faster and more fluid. So take heart, all you who are learning a new language.
I think I was most surprised by the fact that there is not nearly as much culture shock as I was told to expect. Of course, there are always going to be subtle differences, but this city is very much like other cities I’ve visited in the States! The transportation system is excellent here. They have trams and buses and of course the TGV train that will all take you wherever your heart desires. And it’s fast! I have noticed, on a side note, that people have very little patience here, so the transportation HAS to be fast.
I find it a little humorous that by many accounts, Bordeaux is a very typical little French town. It has the narrow, cobblestone streets, the cafes, the beautiful architecture but it is also very westernized, with malls and Carrefour (the European Walmart) and similar styles of dress.
For me, it is easy to fit in. Everyone here, primarily the younger generation, is from another country: China, Japan, Germany, Belgium, Morocco, Algeria, England, Poland to name a few.
I will write again soon as my classes progress, but in the meantime, here are a few key differences I have noticed between the French and Americans:
1) Apparently, one NEVER drinks coffee in the evening. One may drink tea, but coffee is reserved solely for the mornings and early afternoons. As a Portlander, I could not accept this concept and continue to drink coffee all day long.
2) Smaller portions of extremely rich foods and pastries are the way to go in France. Unlike gigantic meals of french fries and hamburgers. Many people drink coke here but the bottles are approximately half the size of those in America.
3) It is extremely fashionable to wear a cardigan or sweater loosely tied around your shoulders, for men and women alike.
4) Never ask how someone is doing or how his day is if he is a professional (aka a cashier, bank teller, service assistant of any type). It is considered too personal.
5) Space is valued here like gold. Personal space does not exist on public transportation. Everyone mashes into the bus or tram feeling the way I picture sardines must feel. Also, everything is very small and well-used. No one wastes here. Every inch of an apartment or building is cleaned and items/furniture are neatly stacked and vertically inclined, rather than spread out horizontally (if you’ve been to Texas, you know exactly what I mean). Also, drivers know how to use space well even to park, squeezing into the smallest space possible on the narrow streets. I still don’t know how they do it.
6) Cars are not considered dangerous on the road. I say this because people walk out in front of a speedily approaching bus or vehicle without a moment’s thought. And the drivers also pull out in front of traffic, inches from colliding with another driver. I can’t imagine driving here, even though they drive on the same side of the road that we do.
Pictures coming soon!

Rome-ing Around

devon — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:29:11 +0000

Andy and I arrived to Rome three days early for a little honeymoon before heading to Arezzo to begin classes.

I was disappointed with our taxi ride to Rome. I had told Andy about last year when there was a traffic jam on the highway, and everyone was just ignoring lanes, fitting through whatever small spaces they could find. I saw some of the worst Rome driving. (See what I mean with this video.) Unfortunately, it was a pretty smooth ride. We made it to the hotel around 11. Amazingly, our room was already ready at that time, and they had upgraded us from the annex of the hotel to a room with a view of the Pantheon!

View from our room at Hotel Abruzzi

It was perfect! W were right there in the middle of everything. It was about a 5 minute walk to Piazza Navona, a little more to Campo Di Fiori, 15-20 to Colosseum, etc. Lovely, except for the fact that it was deathly hot. I think I was sweating more in Rome than I had been in Oklahoma. The nice thing with Rome is that they have public water fountains all over! You buy a bottle of water once, and just keep refilling it whenever you need. Saved us so much money to be able to drink out of those.

Our first stop after dropping our bags off and cooling down for a bit was Tazza D’Oro for coffee granita! It is so delicious. Shaved ice and coffee with some whipped cream (this one had too much but I scraped it off haha). Perfect way to cool down a little.

Granita from Tazza d'Oro

Pizza lunch at Mercato in Campo di Fiori

We walked around and explored all day, and went to Piazza Navona that night to eat some tartufa, a delicious dessert from Tre Scalini.

Tartufa from Tre Scalini

Piazza Navona at night

In Rome, you feel like a true gladiator. Your life is a constant battle. A battle against foreign vendors trying to sell you random toys, knock-off purses, roses, singing cat dolls, toy rabbits, bubble guns, laser pointers and more. Most spoke English to me, but a few chose Spanish thinking I was a Spaniard. Interesting. I would say, “No grazie” or “No thank you,” but if they were pushy, I would start saying random things in Russian because I knew that was a language they would not speak, and they would leave me alone. At one point, a guy near the Colosseum started following me trying to push roses in my hands so I had to loudly say “Lasciami sta!” or “Leave me alone!” That did the trick.

Rome has its vendor problems, but the monuments and scenery outshine anything else. The big government building Il Vittoriano, the Colosseum, Trajan’s Column, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, La Fontana di Trevi… the list goes on and on! The eternal city has some pretty amazing history.

Trajan's Column

Il Vittoriano

Il Colosseo

In Rome there is an ancient ruins kitty park. That is not the official name, but sounds good enough to me. Basically, in the middle of Rome there is an area of a bunch of old ruins, and 50-100 (in my estimate, but probably even more hiding) cats live there. The city pays for them to be vaccinated, etc, and they are available for adoption. There was one that looked just like our kitty back home in St. Louis. We miss him a lot, it was fun to see his Roman twin.

The Roman kitties

What a life, lounging around on ancient ruins!

At night we did a tour of the Colosseum. Incredible! It is so beautiful at night. We also got to go down to the bottom level of the Colosseum and explore around a bit. We didn’t get to walk out in the middle, but it was amazing to think we were standing where lots of animals and gladiators used to stand, to consider the history of the ground upon which we were walking.

Underground tour of the Colosseum

On Sunday, we woke up and explored some more. We walked out to the Villa Borghese and visited the Galleria Borghese (full of paintings and sculptures, particularly some of my favorite Bernini scuptures). Rome is a fun city and we will definitely be back during the semester!

An Introduction

devon — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:58:41 +0000

Hi! I am Devon, a junior in International Studies at OU, I work for Sooner yearbook on the photography staff, a huge OU sports fan and a waitress at a restaurant in Norman. Typical college student… but I am also the “M” word. Married. Crazy, right? I got married this past summer to my best friend, Andy Kysor. We are both from the St. Louis area, met at a concert my senior year of high school, started dating a few days later, got engaged and then married! We made it through one year of long distance when I was at OU my freshman year, until he transferred to OU and is now also a Sooner! In summer 2010, I visited Italy with OU’s Honors in Italy summer program. I loved it, had an amazing time, and really wanted to get back. Good thing Andy likes to travel too, so he was interested in going, and we made it work so that we both are studying in Arezzo, Italy this fall!

To answer a few of the questions I always get: 1) No, I never planned on getting married at a young age. Wasn’t even interested! But when I found Andy, I knew. 2) No, I didn’t get married because I was pregnant. 3) Why yes, I am going to stay in school, finish a degree and find a career! It seems laughable, but so many people thought that since I was getting married I would let my hopes and ambitions fall away.

Anyways, now that you know a little bit about me, I will talk about OU in Arezzo! When I came to OU, I knew that I would definitely be studying abroad at least once during my time here. I had originally considered Honors in Oxford, but once I heard that OU had a program in Arezzo, Italy, I knew I had to go. This is because my ancestors are from Arezzo, and I still have family there! My last name is so rare, even in Italy, that anyone who has it is related to me. When I came last summer, my relatives were so warm and open, I knew I had to make it back to Arezzo in the next five years. I didn’t think it would be possible to study again here, but when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped on it! Now Andy gets to meet my family (spoiler: he loves them too!) and get to know the Italian culture I cherish.

Fall 2011 was the perfect semester to choose because it suited my class needs perfectly! I am able to complete my honors requirements taking my Colloquium class and writing my Honors Research here with Dr. Julia Ehrhardt, and Dr. Suzette Grillot, the Associate Dean of my college, College of International Studies! Not to mention Professor Kirk Duclaux’s Art History class is phenomenal. We are having a great time in Arezzo and I will post more soon!

Andy and I on our rooftop terrace at our apartment

Bella Toscana — a gorgeous view from the park at the top of the city, Il Prato

хочешь чай?

katie — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:30:21 +0000

I am still trying to figure out how to write a blog. My favorite form of travel writing is when people write short anecdotes and somehow string them all together, rather than a simple rundown of my daily activities. So, please forgive the sporadic manner that this blog is written in as I am still learning how to write how it.
Classes are going well, my professors are very good, and nice as well. My professor for CMU (a class where we learn how to read the news and all the specific terminology associated with it) is, while friendly, very intimidating and everytime she asks me to say something I turn into a stammering mess to the point where saying my name is an arduous task. My home stay is still going well, I am still trying to figure out the balance to being social and friendly while, still giving my host family their space. My host mom is always quick to offer me tea, cookies, and toast with jam while asking me how my day went.

This past weekend was relaxing and felt like a very idyllic European weekend. When the sun comes out and rain takes a momentary break, it seems that all of Petersburg comes out. This past Sunday, I, along with the rest of Petersburg took advantage of the good weather and finally went to explore the cultural sites of the city. The Church of Spilled Blood is indescribably beautiful on the inside, while I snapped a few photos none do justice to the Church’s interior justice. The Russian Museum is equally impressive. Like an art museum, multiple trips are necessary in order to appreciate and see everything in the museum and while after an two hours of wandering a lot of paintings start to blend together an artist that stood out was Pavel Filonov (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Filonov). Other paintings by various artists that struck me were those depicting the Blockade of Leningrad (now St. Petesrburg). During WWII The German army surrounded Leningrad from 1941-1944—this siege resulted in the death of over 1,500,000 Russians. It is strange and surreal to see paintings depicting areas and streets that I see everyday as scenes of horror and destruction, and even more unsettling to know that this occurred only seventy years ago.

Despite living in the city, I manage to run into people I know. After sitting through six hours of classes, I decided to walk around my neighborhood and take advantage of the sunshine. Out of luck, I ended up running into one of my classmates and we went to a thrift store where she volunteers. As with most Russian people I have met, the people who work there are friendly, and happy to have an extra hand sorting out donations. After sorting through a few piles of clothes they offered my friend and I tea, as is in typical in almost every social situation in Russia (Would you like tea, or “хочешь чаю” is a question I am asked daily, and almost always answer with да and an enthusiastic nod). While I spent most of time simply listening to the conversation, it was nice to be able to learn more about the language and culture somewhere other than the classroom or a museum. While I am living in Russia, all of my classes are with other American students, putting the responsibility on the student to go out and get involved. For me this takes a substantial amount of prodding, but I am hoping to get involved with a few NGO groups here, and volunteer at the thrift store.