The happiest Thanksgiving ever.

Thanksgiving.

In Italian, il giorno de ringratziamento. A day for giving thanks. A day to eat. A day to remember how blessed you are.

Boy am I blessed. I think I am going to drop the sarcastic sassy-ness for this blog. I want you all to know how blessed I am. Thanksgiving this year was truly the best Thanksgiving I've ever had. I want to tell you all about it. Hopefully it will give you some of the same joy it gave me.

While I have loved being Italy for more reasons than I can name, I have missed my family more than I ever thought was possible. As many of you know, I have an aunt who is at home with breast cancer. I also have a hockey-playing uncle who had a serious spinal injury recently. For someone who is as close to their family as I am, it is incredibly hard to be here while all that is happening at home. And I thought that Thanksgiving would be the worst day of the trip when it came to being homesick. It's a day when you're supposed to be at home, with family, being lazy, eating, and watching football. Well, I thought was going to be one for five with that list. I was going to eat. That was about it. I wasn't going to be at home, I wasn't going to be with family, I had class from 9-3 so I couldn't be lazy, and football (the American kind at least) doesn't exist here.

But when it was all said and done, my Italian Thanksgiving surprised me by putting me at three and a half for five, two and half things more than I thought I would have. I'm so excited to tell you about all of this happiness!

So, it started when our absolutely outstanding and amazing program director, Jodie, decided that we should have a Thanksgiving dinner. One thing led to another and before we knew it, we were all inviting our host families to a Thanksgiving celebration. We were also planning to make pies for dessert. Jodie hired someone to make the turkey and all the food but the students were responsible for the pies. So pies we made (except for Leslie and I because I was down and out with an upper respiratory infection (yuck!) and Jodie thought it would be best if the very ill and probably contagious girl didn't make food for everyone to eat...probably a good choice). So anyways, after the decision that we would have a Thanksgiving celebration was made,  I felt a little better about not being home. Emphasis on "a little."

When the day rolled around, I was unexplainably super duper really extra excited. I was just stoked on the whole dinner thing and excited to meet everyone's host family. I must have subconsciously known that it was going to be the best day ever.

I will start my description of the night by saying that dinner was unbelievably delicious. For an Italian chef who doesn't make turkeys very often, this guy did a fantastic job. It was moist and flavorful and HUGE. Before they carved it they brought it out and set it on a table in the middle of the room, and it almost took up the whole room. Okay, not really, but it was ridiculously big. And we had mashed potatoes (one of my favorite foods ever), peas and carrots, cranberry sauce, and CORN ON THE COB! It was so so so yummy. And the people in my program are pretty good pastry chefs if their pies are any kind of indicator. But better than the food was the company. I sat with Leslie (my roommate) and Anna (my host mom (!) who is in the picture with me and Leslie) and Amy and Madeline (very good friends) and Carmen (Amy and Madeline's host mom). We talked and laughed and had great conversations in Italian. It was amazing to meet all the host families and have everyone together in one room. At one point during the night, it struck me how similar this would have been to my Thanksgiving at home. Tons of people (almost all of the 39,827,128 members of the Tocco family were together), good food, Italian culture, loud people, laughter, all the things Thanksgiving should be. Everyone looked super classy and beautiful. It was the perfect dinner.

After dinner I came home and was hoping to be able to skype with my mom and all my family. I can't say that I wasn't a lot disappointed when I found out that wireless internet wasn't an option and Uncle Vito's webcam didn't work. I almost cried. So I called on the phone instead and my mom started passing the phone around to all the different members of my family. When I got to Emma, she told me that they got the internet to work and I could call on skype. So I did, and I have never been more excited to see my family than I was in that moment. It's true that when something is taken away you appreciate it much more. I talked to almost every single person in my family and it was so wonderful. Then my papa talked to my host mom in Italian. Vair vair cool, if you ask me. Then I talked to everyone some more. It was amazing beyond words. I am so truly blessed by my family. Every person in my family is a beautiful soul and I love them all dearly.

After I hung up, I cried a little. But really, I just couldn't stop smiling. I smiled for a long time after I hung up. I actually had a hard time falling asleep because I couldn't stop thinking about how blessed I am. I have so much to be thankful for. At some point, I realized that I did have Thanksgiving with my family, or at least one of my families. The people here have become my family. And this place has become my home. It may be a second home, but it is home nonetheless. So with that realization I got to check two more things off that list. The other half came when I veged (vegged? veg'ed? how would you write that?) out after I talked to my family on skype and watched CSI online until two in the morning. Lame, I know, but I did watch something American on my computer, which is kind of like watching football on TV. I checked the football scores online too. Does that count? I know it's not the same, so I'm giving myself half a point. That puts me at three and a half on my list. Pretty good considering the fact that I am in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving at all, eh? I thought so.

So in conclusion, I would like to make this statement (which I have already made several times, but, as Gail says, there's no harm in restating your point and making it extra clear): I am incredibly blessed and have so much to be thankful for. And I have a feeling that I can't even grasp how blessed I truly am. I really have no idea. But I know that I ought to be thankful always. I love my families, Tocco and Klooster and especially my new Italy family. And I love skype. And that's all I have to say. I hope everyone else had a joyful, blessed Thanksgiving as well.

Ciao a tutti! See you all in less than two weekssss!!!!

I don't really know...

I have a joke for you:

What do you call a sleepwalking nun?

A roamin' Catholic.

ahahahahahahahahahaa so funny.

Cheers and bollucks and all that British shenanigans.

Hello again pals and pal-ettes.

I am still sick, have watched all of Willy Wonka (and decided on a new favorite quote in the movie: "If the good Lord had intended us to walk, He wouldn't have invented roller skates." Wise, wise words those are.) and am ready tell you people all about LONDON!!

I love love love love love love love London. In fact, I think that once I graduate, I will buy my villa in the Chianti region here in Italy and then I will find a fabulous flat in London, maybe somewhere in SoHo and get a job at the National Gallery. It will be the perfect life.

Anyways, let me tell you all about it so you will understand why I am so obsessed.

I got there at around 8:30 and Katie (my friend from Hope) and I immediately went to the theater and got in line for the midnight premier of HARRY POTTER and the Deathly Hallows. For those of you who don't know, I have an uncontrollable obsession with Harry Potter. I've mentioned it in my blog before, but I'm not sure if I have made clear the extent to which this obsession affects my life. It's severe. But in a good way. Moving on...HARRY POTTER was amazing and I want to see it again and again and again and again. And with all the other obsessed people in London, it was especially spectacular. I'm in love.

Then we slept. Friday was a good day. We did some shopping, explored the city and saw lots of landmarks: Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, Big Ben, etc. I took tons of pictures and I think I got some good ones. I'll put them on facebook STAT for your viewing pleasure. I ate Chinese food which was fantastic, because I have had nothing but Italian food for three solid months now. It was time for a little change. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Italian food more than most, but one of the most beautiful things in life is variety. So vary I did. Or something like that.

That night we went back to Leicester Square which was where we saw the movie (at the Odeon, which was also where they had the premier...like red carpet, stars, cameras, and all that jazz premier...no big deal...just kidding, that is a big deal. SO COOL) and ate at a restaurant called Yates's. This time, I had a big, greasy, juicy, American hamburger with french fries. It was soooo yummy. Apparently, after 9, Yates's turns into a nightclub, so we stayed there all night. We made some new friends, got some prizes, and had such a fun night. Fun fun fun fun fun. So fun. I loved it.

Saturday, we headed out in the morning and did several more things. We wandered up and down Oxford Street, ate at TGIF (and no, I do not feel bad about eating at an American restaurant...as I previously mentioned, Italian has been my only choice these last few months and I needed a taste of home...I had nachos and they were amazing), and did more touristy stuff. We went into the National Gallery which was very cool because I got to see lots of modern stuff, some contemporary stuff, and three big rooms full of Renaissance Florence stuff. It was wonderful. Katie was a little less enthusiastic than I was, but she was a good sport and followed me around while I jumped from piece to piece and told her all about everything we saw and gushed over each piece for ten minutes.



We left there and did what was probably my second favorite thing in London (Harry Potter was obviously my favorite): St. James Park. Buckingham Palace was very lame when we got there, but getting there was the best. We walked through St. James Park and saw all the birds they keep there. For those of you who don't know, they keep all kind of different birds there. Most noticeably, huge ducks and pelicans. I took some of the sweetest pictures of my life of both of them. They were very brave and friendly and didn't shy away when I put my camera right up to them. It was so cool. The ducks all but literally struck poses for me, and the pelicans were pretty much the same way. In fact, Katie and I saw two pelicans in the lake doing what looked like a mating dance. I wanted to take pictures, so we headed over to that side of the lake. All of the sudden, we came around a corner and there was a pelican, right in the middle of the sidewalk. He seemed friendly enough, so I handed Katie my camera, told her to take some pictures, and went over and petted him. He nibbled on my jacket for a minute like he was going to to eat it, but then he was fine and he let me pet him. (See picture at right.) He started to walk away and I took my camera back and crouched down in front of him and took some amazing pictures. I am so stoked on them. And there you have it.

After that it was a little more picture taking, a little more shopping, and then it was time for Katie to go. She hopped on her train and I headed back to the hostel to burn an hour and a half until my train to the airport left. I finished my book (Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan...a very good book that you should all read) and then it was time to go.

The view on the plane as we were taking off was breathtaking. London truly is a beautiful city. I loved the people, the places, everything about it. Actually, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that it was my best weekend in Europe ever. So there.

And now, I am done. I have nothing else to say and I am sick and I need to sleep so I am leaving you. I hope you have once again enjoyed my antics and will come again for more crazy rambling. Have a nice night.

Love to you all. Cheers mate!

P.S. I am perfectly aware that I sound like a maniac in my blog about being captured by the circus. It was (partially) intended to be that way. And no, I was not actually captured by the circus. If you really believed that then you are a loon of the first water. I was merely trying to avoid the wrath of you all. I knew you'd be angry at my absence. You're a tough crowd. You've practically pushed me to the point of madness...let's hope it doesn't go any further. Sheesh.

Rome, in all it's glory. Or something like that.

Hello party people.

Rome was fantastic. It was overwhelming. I debated not spending several hours describing it all to you on here, but then, out of the goodness of my heart, and because I just love you all so very much, I decided I would write about it for you. So, as promised, here is a blog about Rome. Don't read it now if you don't have 34985 years to sit and read. I will try to keep it short, but it will probably take me that long to write about everything we did.

Here is a quick overview of the weekend:

Think of everything you can that exists in Rome (monuments, churches, tourist sites, museums, etc.). Okay, now add about 68 other smaller churches that you've never heard of and a couple palaces and villas. Add that all together. That's what we did. All of it. In four days. My feet hurt so bad they feel like they're bruised. Every time I take a step, it feels like I'm pushing on a big painful bruise. Wonderful times, really.

But actually, I LOVE ROME. I wouldn't go so far as to say I love it more than Venice, but I love love loved it. We saw some of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life. The first thing we did (which I think remains my favorite) was go to the catacombs. We stopped at some that lie just outside the city walls on our way into Rome on Thursday. We were taken down into them by a guide who was very informational and helpful. In the catacombs we were in, there were more than five miles of tunnel. It was unbelievable. We saw some tombs that are still unopened, we saw some ancient frescos that are more than 1700 years old, and we saw what art historians have agreed is the first ever painted image of the Madonna and Child. For someone who has spent the last two and a half months looking at images of the Madonna and Child, that's incredible. It was an unreal experience. And it was very spiritual for me to be in the burial place of so many people who believed centuries ago what I believe today. I loved it. Lots and lots and lots.

After the catacombs, we checked into the hotel and had about an hour to prepare for the rest of the day. The rest of the day = the Vatican. If there was ever a place that can completely overwhelm you, it's the Vatican. We walked through the Vatican Museums, saw some of the old papal apartments and saw lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of art. Like, more than it was possible for me to process. However, I made sure to process all the highlights of the day, which were:
1. The Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo is truly the most talented man of his time, and maybe the rest of time.
2. Lots of works by Raphael. We saw School of Athens and all his other frescos in the room, which were all incredible. I loved that room. I really enjoy Raphael's work. He is one of my favorite artists.
3. The ancient statuary. It truly baffles me how these things survive for thousands and thousands of years.

After the Vatican, it was time for din. Din wasn't that great...kind of a disappointing first meal in Rome. The bar we found afterwards, however, was great. It was a good night. I had some yummy wine and some yummy cider, and then went home pretty early and SLEPT. I needed sleep.

However, eight o'clock came very early the next morning and it was time for our next excursion: the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. All of these were so so so so cool. Obviously the Colosseum is amazing, but it was made even more amazing by the fact that we were able to get special permission to go down into the foundations which just opened a few weeks ago (for the first time ever, I believe). That means we got to hang out where the gladiators and animals hung out before the show. Kind of like the backstage area. It was so cool. Then, also as part of our special tour, we got to go up onto the very top layer or floor or whatever it's called. Again, so cool. Above is a group picture of everyone in the program, teachers and all. Aren't we cute? We were at the highest point of the Colosseum and had the most beautiful view of the city. I made sure to take lots of pictures and then I just stared at the beauty of Rome for a while.

After the Colosseum, we headed out and towards Palatine Hill. Once we got to the top of Palatine Hill, we were literally standing in almost the exact same spot that Romulus founded Rome on. We saw the ruins of very, very old ancient circus stadiums, palaces, houses, and even the first huts of Rome. It was pretty unreal to be standing in the spot where civilization was begun. And again, I am still shocked and amazed at the fact that these buildings have survived for hundreds upon hundreds of years. They must have employed some quality masons back in the day.

Okay, I started this blog two weeks ago the day after I got back from Rome. (I would like to point out that I at least made an effort to be timely and efficient.) Then life happened. I got back from Rome, and wrote a paper the next day. Tuesday my friend Katie Anderson got here from Dublin and that put me on entertaining duty for the next five days until she left Friday night. Wednesday, the day after Katie got here, I had a big midterm for Gail. So the week after I got back from Rome was clearly busy and chaotic and so I was obviously unable to write. Then last week I had another paper to write and sleep to catch up on. All very good reasons to not write a blog in my opinion.

So here is the condensed version of the rest of my time in Rome:
After Palatine Hill, we went to the Roman forum and it was amazing. Then we had some free time. I decided to go to the Trevi Fountain and do some coin tossing and whatnot with some friends. First we went to lunch and then we made our way over there. The piazza was incredibly small. In the movies they make it look like there is some huge piazza with lots of people. There are certainly lots of people, but the piazza is far from huge. Anyways, after the Trevi, we went on a walking tour and saw the Pantheon, Santa Maria Maggiore, and the Four Rivers Fountain by Bernini in Piazza Narvona. I love Bernini's work so that was probably my favorite part of the day. It was truly a beautiful work of art. The next day brought Villa Farnese, Castel Sant'Angelo (which provided breathtakingly beautiful views of the city), lunch at the best salad place on the planet, and Villa Borghese. Two notes on our last day: first, besides the catacombs, the Villa Borghese was my favorite part of the trip. It housed several of Bernini's most amazing sculptures (his David, The Rape of Persephone, Apollo and Daphne, etc.) and seeing them was incredible. Second, this salad place was life-changing. They had the best and most unique salads I've ever heard of. I've included a picture of me and my salad. It had corn, carrots, olives, peppers, avocados, and feta cheese. It was superb. Really. I think I've found my calling in life: to open a salad restaurant like this place. I am officially obsessed. And that is Rome in a nutshell.

Now, I think instead of telling you about my trip to London in this blog, I will start a new one. Don't worry, I promise to finish it on the same day that I start it--today. I have nothing else to do today. I am home in bed, sick. I have a sinus infection and frankly I am pretty miserable. In fact, you lot should appreciate my writing at all. I am using what little energy I have to entertain you, you lucky minxes. Anyways, I will say farewell for now. I am going to take a little break before I write my London blog and finish watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which happens to be my favorite movie of all time, in case you were wondering.

So, ciao for now. I will post again later this afternoon. Have a glorious few hours folks.

xo Sarahhhh

P.S. I had champagne gelato in Rome. It was crazy. I think it got me a little tipsy. Who knew gelato could get you drunk? Welcome to Italy, friends :)

This is all true.

Hello to all the world!

If you who are my faithful followers were concerned that I have not posted in three and half weeks, you should have come to rescue me. I was captured by a traveling circus, made to live in the stalls with the dirty horses and dangerous lions, forced to clean up after the elephants, and isolated by myself in an animal stall where I had to sleep alone in the cold and was miserable all day and all night. But alas! I have escaped and returned to tell you about my travels with the circus all over Italy. So fear not, I am warm and in good company these days, though still recovering from the emotional stress that my experience caused me. I will return to normal one day (maybe), but for now, just listen to me, please, as I tell my tale.

(Before I begin, I will just quickly let you know that the week after I last wrote, before the circus took me, was pretty uneventful. I went to class, wrote an essay, learned some Italian, drank some wine, and ate some delicious food. Nothing out of the norm or worth mentioning.)

It all started during what was supposed to be my fall break. I was supposed to go to Lucca on Tuesday and Milan on Thursday for two days with my good friend Valerie, but the thieves of the circus stole me away on Sunday night. Somehow, however, I still ended up in both Lucca and Milan at the same times Valerie was there. I was able to sneak away from the ever-watchful eye of the evil ring master long enough to explore both places with Val.

Lucca was unbelievably beautiful and quaint. It had a town wall that went all the way around the perimeter that had a sidewalk with trees on either side along the top of it. We explored the city for a while (always making sure to stay far away from where the circus was set up), had a little photo shoot/photography tutorial in some beautiful public garden (see photo #1), and I got my haircut on a whim! Don't worry, it's nothing drastic. Just getting my bangs back and adding some long subtle layers. It was certainly interesting (and a little nerve-wracking) to try to explain to the hairdresser what I wanted in Italian. Good thing I had the basically fluent Valerie there to help me. My hero! :) After my haircut, we headed up the top of the wall and walked around for a while (photo #2). It was the perfect fall day: there was a slight breeze and a beautiful, clear blue sky, the leaves were changing, and people were out for walks with their children and their dogs. We saw lots of cute couples and lots of old men playing cards and enjoying the beautiful day. In the evening, I had to head back to the circus before they realized that I was gone and started a manhunt for me. So I departed from Val and headed back to my cold, dirty, lonely stall. But I was warmed and encourage by the memory of the beautiful day that I had.

Wednesday went slow in my stall, but I did bond with some of the lions, so that was good. Thursday was the day I was supposed to go to Milan with Valerie and I was very sad to not be going. However, during our early morning meeting, the ring master announced that we would be taking an unexpected detour to Milan! Hooray! I immediately started planning my escape. Fortunately, I was able to get away due to some help from the Chinese acrobats and the monkeys.

I met up with Valerie at the train station and we started our exploration of Milan. I have to say, after Lucca, Milan was kind of a letdown. I felt like I was in Chicago or Boston or something. It just wasn't what I was expecting or hoping for. But Val and I had a great day. We walked to a park and sat and had a good, long, deep talk. We talked about our dogs, our families, life in the circus, you know, the usual. Then we headed to what was supposed to be a fabulous aquarium. We stopped for lunch on the way (red wine and pizza...yumm-o!) and then made our way across the street to the aquarium. Talk about a letdown. It was one floor, one room. I don't even want to talk about it because it was so depressing. Just don't ever go to the Milan aquarium. It sucks.  Anyways, as we were leaving the aquarium and exploring some more, we stumbled upon a beautiful old castle. We went inside and hung out in the courtyard in the glorious fall sunshine. (It was so nice to not be stuck in the tents with the elephants and horses all day.) As we were leaving the castle however, the fun stopped when we found a flyer for the circus and I realized what time it was. I needed to get back before anyone realized that I was gone. I hurried back and  luckily no one had really noticed. To my great surprise, Valerie showed up at the circus that night. Since everyone is so busy during the show, the ring master in particular, I was able to sit in the audience and watch the show with Val. It was quite enjoyable, actually. The non enjoyable part was going back to sleep with the animal performers after the show. But again, I was kept warm by the promise of another fabulous day with Valerie the next day.

The second day in Milan was a little rough. We did see the National Science and Technology Museum which was great. There were lots of Leonardo's sketches which had been realized with little models. They also had examples of tons of old phones, radios, music players, globes, maps, telescopes, TVs, anything you can think of. It was phenomenal. There was also a photography exhibit of a man who did work for Time, Newsweek, and many other prestigious publications. All of his photos were breathtaking. They were innovative and striking and the subjects were so provocative. I'm so glad I saw that. After the Science and Technology Museum, things kind of went downhill. We got lost a lot, things that were supposed to exist seemed to have disappeared, we both got irritated...it wasn't great. So I headed back to the circus early, a little disappointed, but glad that I got to spend so much time with Valerie. All in all, it was a fabulous two days.

The next two weeks were pretty uneventful. I mean, as uneventful as life in the circus can be. There's always drama in the circus. If you want a good illustration of the drama, politics, and danger involved in a circus, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a good reference. It will help you to understand what my life was like during the last three weeks.

It happened on a Friday night. After two boring, but awful weeks, I ran away for good.  I spent while planning my final escape. It was dangerous. I was very scared. But I did it. I owe my life to an elephant named Eileen and a clown named Roger. I am eternally grateful to them.

I made it home by Saturday morning, just in time to head to Padua for a night with my host momma, Anna, and my nonna (grandma). We stayed at Nonna's house, which is about a half an hour outside of Padua, for the night. She had a huge, beautiful garden in her backyard. There were tomatoes and peppers and lettuce and olives and oranges and lemons and kiwis and grapes and raddishes and everything you could imagine. It was wonderful. It was so good to be out in the open, free air after all that time cooped up in my stall in the circus. The little town we were in reminded me a lot of Charlevoix. It was very small and everyone seemed to know each other. It was out in the country and there was lots of green and it had the cutest little downtown area. I was obsessed. Anna has already promised me that we can go back for another weekend before I leave.

I got home from Padua Sunday evening, glad to be back in my own bed rather than on a bed of hay. Class on Monday was the same as always, except everyone was glad to see that I had arrived home safely and they were all eager to hear my tales. Yesterday was midterm day. I only had one, and it went very well (I think/hope).

Forgive me if this post is not up to par. My terrible circus adventures left me exhausted and I am still in need of time to recover. Time to recover, however, is not in my near future. I have a crazy three weeks ahead of me. Tomorrow at seven o'clock in the morning, I leave for Rome. I will be there for four days with my program. We will see catacombs, the Vatican, San Clemente, the Colosseum, the ancient Roman baths, everything there is to see in Rome. And all in four days. How lovely. I get home to Florence Sunday night, and then Tuesday, my wonderful friend from Hope, Katie Anderson, is coming to stay in Florence until the following Sunday. It is going to be a glorious week. I will be very glad to see a familiar face. After she leaves, I will have another week of classes, and then...(drumroll, please)...I AM GOING TO LONDON FOR THE HARRY POTTER PREMIERE!!!!!!!! (This is the part where you all turn green with envy.) It is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I absolutely cannot wait. I will be in London for three days (which is cool enough in itself) and the night I get there, I will see HARRY POTTER at midnight (the Jupiter-sized cherry on top of the best sundae ever)!!! So for all of you who remember one of my first blogs back in August when I was worried about missing the movie altogether, you can now celebrate with me the strange way life has of working things out. Basically, my life is the most fabulous life ever. I am so lucky :)

So, I am going to sleep now, because, as I previously mentioned, I am leaving for Rome at 7 AM tomorrow, which means a 5:45 wake-up call. That's going to hurt. But, I promise a blog sometime next week describing all that happened in Rome (or at least most of what happened in Rome), provided that no more circuses kidnap me. Or packs of wolves. Or cute Italian boys on mopeds. Or anything else. Who knew Italy was such a dangerous place? :)

 Until then, I will do as the Romans do :)

Ciao miei amori. Buon serata.