Crazy side of Hostels, and oh, Public Toilets, too!

The Crazy Side of Hostels and Public Toilets!

The only sure thing about staying in a hostel is the budget price! I have had a complete metamorphasis in my attitude about staying in one. Initially, I was apprehensive, especially about staying in a coed dorm room; but, now I enjoy it all - from great conversations to interesting people to go-with-the-flow attitudes! The first hostel I stayed at in Slovenia was nice and clean and had two incredibly helpful managers. I did walk in on a 20-something Dutch couple in a slightly compromising situation and I took showers at 6am to avoid meeting anyone in the community showers!  Other hostels I have stayed in have been very minimalist...and no evidence of bedbugs or dirty linens or any of the horror stories you sometimes hear about in the States.

My last two hostel stays have been in Florence at the Eurostudent Home, just off Piazza Republica. The facilities are a little run down, but Mike Tyson ! and staff more than make up for that.  The $13 euro a night can't be beat either.

When my friend and I checked in, they were hesitant to let me stay - I was over the 35 year old age limit (common in most hostels). But my three 21 yr-old friends vouched for me and I promised not not have any issues with ages, partyers, showers, or surprises! And we had a blast! We saw a great band at BePops and stayed up late with some fun Canadians! Hi to Mike, Carson, Brook, Chris and Mike Tyson! Thanks for the fun, crazy antics.  And to my new Chinese friends, thanks for enlightening me and teaching me about Chinese culture. 

As for public toilets all over Europe...almost all bathrooms cost .40 to 1.00 euro just to enter.  It is hard to get used to toilets with no seats, the lack of toilet paper, co-ed, bathrooms, etc.  But roughin it, just gives you more of an appreciation for all the great things we have in the U.S..  Yes, we definetely are spoiled!

Buying a train ticket at an older machine

 

A nicer, cleaner bathroom - About 1.50 USD

Canadian friends, Mike T, MK and Veronika

My Chinese friends - Xu Xin and Sheng Jiankun



Funny, funny story - too hard to explain!

Pompeii

It is difficult to express the emotions I felt when visiting the city of Pompeii. just south of Naples.  Here was a history lesson from my youth, one that had fascinated me as a teenager, and had never lost its luster for me as an adult.  I continually pinched myself as I strolled through the fascinating ruins, cityscape, amphitheater, dwellings and structures.  There is some evidence of recent crumbling, but the site is in remarkably good condition.  Many of the artifacts are in the Archeological Museum in Naples, which I also visited.  But to see the plaster bodies with vivid facial expressions, colors, mosaics, columns, statues, inscriptions, frescoes and baths from the typical middle class Roman city gave me shivers of amazement.  Mt. Vesuvius can be seen from every point within the city and one can sense the power and terror that must have exploded that day in 79A.D.  Twenty thousand residents lived in Pompeii, a city that had existed since 600 B.C.

large amounts of artifacts and a plaster body cast

Baths of the Forum

House of the Faun

Pompeii had a 100 mile long aqua delivery system

colors are still amazing

corridor down to the Amphitheater

authentic display of winery and city  layout

Just look at that face!

The Forum - typical Roman cityscape

Forum

stone bed in brothel

Pompeii's streets were were cleaned daily with gushing water -
these are stepping stones

Marina/original gate entrance

Spur of the Moment Adventure in Siena

I have been trying to get to Siena since October...a friend and I had a great spur- of- the moment adventure and we had tons of fun in Siena and Florence.  Just when you think you have seen every gorgeous basilica and cathedral...the Duomo and Baptistry took my breath away.  Built in 1215, the Duomo is ornate, but strikingly beautiful.  Even the floor is covered in frescoes and marble inlaid designs!  Many are covered except in the month of October, but it is still amazing to see the stories told through every artistic form within the church.  The Piccolomini Library displays a vivid, colorful selection of frescoes with huge, rare, oversized manuscripts under glass.

In the Church of San Domenico, the head of St. Catherine is preserved and the Museo dell'Opera a Panorama has an extensive and interesting collection of art, artifacts and statues.  The original 20 foot wide, rose shaped, stained glass window from the Duomo is on display and it, too, is brilliant in color and 3D dimension.

I look forward to returning to Siena one day...maybe in July or August when they hold the world famous horse race, the Palio di Siena!  That must be amazing to  watch as the horses race through the quaint, cobblestone shopping district in a display that has been going on since medieval times.

MK in front of the Duomo in Siena

Duomo interior - the marble is striking!

The Piccolomini Library - Breathtaking!

The ceiling in the library

Tuscany view

Inlaid marble floors

 

Random Thoughts - Filling in the Blanks

I would love to address some random thoughts about studying abroad in Italy!

* I initially chose Viterbo, Italy for the language immersion program. I was interested in many other countries, but I liked that the USAC program had a beginnning and intermediate level language program, a good fit for courses that would help my degree requirements, and that Viterbo was a small medieval walled city.

* I have definetly underestimated my ability to keep up with my intensive language course and 3 other upper level courses, and travel, and write my blog. My blog is part of my outreach project for a Benjamin A Gilman Scholarship I received from the U.S. State Department. It is harder to stay focused when there is extra stimuli, language and concept differences, a major change in your studying environment, and frankly, a huge difference in daily structure due to pausa pranza and the slower pace of life here.

* The 54 students in the USAC program are from all over the United States. Most did not know each other before they came to Italy. A few are here only for fun, but most have pretty strong goals. It is amazing to see and experience the life-long bonds that have formed while living here. I have truly made several life-long friends. Age is not much of a factor here. I have been included in many activities and gatherings and did not have much difficulty transitioning. Italians are really the only ones who have been surprised about my age and tend to, at first, not believe I am really a student.

* We have 4 USAC staff personnel who offer a fantastic support system to all of us. The program runs very smoothly and the curriculum and teachers are outstanding. Study abroad is not a cake walk! Everyone transitions to a foreign country differently and the staff offers help and advice to all the students. USAC has arranged all our housing, several group field trips, group phone discounts, visa assistance, etc.

* Technology here is different and can be stressful. My laptop has not been functioning for 10 days. There is no Best Buy or Geek Squad and so there is a frusterating delay in getting things fixed. You buy internet minutes per month. There is a wide disparity in internet cafes and free WiFi throughout Europe. There is only one store inside our small walled town where I can access a computer and I pay about a euro per hour. And my US flash drive doesn't work. Yikes!

* Fashion. Well! Shoes and boots are gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! 5 inch stilletos...no problem! Tights, lingerie and ladies clothing stores abound.

* Travel by train is affordable and easy and can get you vitually anywhere you want. European trains run on a pretty consistent system. The language barrier can pose some problems and there is a pretty steep learning curve. You have alot of down/wait time. I do not have Friday classes which allows me longer weekends to travel.

* Safety - I have had only 2 situations where I felt uncomfortable traveling solo. Crime rates are lower than the U.S.  There is a strange stereotype image of American females in Europe, so you do have to be smart (not necessarily cautious) when in a social setting.

* Italy is more diverse than I expected. There is an incredible amount of things to see and do. I will continue to blog about some of them even after I return to the States.  And I WILL be returning to Italy.

*They love American music in Europe.

* What I miss: my kids, fall weather and firepits, clothes dryers, normal showers, drugstores, red meat.

*I have loved every second here. I am tempted to stay, but I need complete my degree back home! I am already considering plans to come back to Europe to work, teach English or do independent research through another scolarship program. La Dolce Vita!