Italy 2018

This has been the nicest week in Reggio by far! It is finally starting to warm up, and it only rained one day this week, which was a nice little surprise. We even got the chance to sit out on the terrace at our apartment that we named “Margaritaville”(the street we live on is called Via Margarita… so obviously the terrace had to be named “Margaritaville”). It was nice to finally see the sun again; hopefully it’s here to stay. On a side note, school is going great! I finished midterms this last week and am starting to work on my final papers, which is fun… kind of. I have also started volunteering in an English class at UNIMORE (my school) to help college students learn and practice their English. It is actually super fun! This week we talked about the differences between Italian schooling and American schooling. Italian schooling is very difficult; in most of their classes, the professors don’t teach anything. It is up to the student to learn, and the teacher to test them on the i...

This week was one for the books. Emily's sister Erin and her friend Megan came to visit Reggio for spring break. We got to show them around and act like tourists in our own city; we went shopping, tried new restaurants, and went out for drinks. It was a blast! Erin and Megan were so fun to hang out with. I might have to take a trip to Colorado in the near future to visit all my new friends. ;) Friday we took a program field trip to the Ferrari Factory in Maranello. I don't know anything about cars, but it was so cool. We got to explore the museum that showed the different types of Ferraris that have been made since the first car in 1947. We got to see the championship racing cars, the "family street cars", and of course this year's "Super Car". It was unreal! Each of the cars sell for more than a couple million euros (no big deal). There's also a large selection process for the "super cars". Mr. Ferrari himself selects 200 applicants to b...

Allora... this week marks the halfway point in my study abroad experience. It’s bitter sweet in the sense that I have exactly 61 days left if my program and there’s still so much I want to see and do, but I’m excited for the weeks to come, as I have some exciting adventures planned.  This week was the first week of my new class schedule without Italian and I feel like a whole new person!! I have so much free time and you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be taking more day trips and short adventures during the week.  Thursday and Friday this week were probably the nicest days we have had since moving to Italy. It was a wonderful 65 degrees with sunshine! We were so happy to have nice weather for once. Friday, my Italian hospitality class took a field trip to a family owned salumeria where they butcher, treat, and sell various types of prosciutto and salami. We got to wear these really attractive blue smocks and explore the back rooms where they treat and hang the meat. ...

I honestly can’t believe how fast this semester is going. I have been living in Italy for 2 full months now. I have visited 2 other countries, and countless cities. Oh, and my Italian has improved a little (but not much). I’m hoping I didn’t fail my elementary Italian final this last week... fingers crossed. But hey, on the bright side, I don't have to go anymore!  Also, here’s a nice little warning that this is a super long post. There’s just so much to share :). This week we had a nice 4 day weekend and went on our program overnight trip. We woke up early Thursday morning to a nice inch of snow that covered the entire region. Unfortunately Reggio is a lot like Portland when it snows, in the sense that a “snowpocalypse” happens and everyone freaks out! They aren’t prepared, don’t know how to drive in snow, and almost everything shuts down. They shutdown the freeway for goodness sake! Come to find out, this weekend was the most amount of snow the region has seen since 1995...