With a little help from my friends

I promise, you guys, posts about my trips to Dublin and Sicily are coming soon. I promise. Really. It might be helpful that I'm on Spring/Easter break right now so... maybe? Maybe you can expect me to get up to date in these next few days. Or, well, tomorrow. If I feel like it. Because after that, Sunday's Easter so I might be busy and then my cousin Sarah is coming to visit me here Monday - Friday. Anyway, I know I'm behind and I'll get on it ASAP probably.

In the mean time, I have a favor to ask you.

I was super excited a while back to find out that a poem I wrote about Venice entitled "Venezia" had been accepted for publication in the National High School Poetry Quarterly. I knew this involved some scholarship possibilities, but I was mostly just excited to be published.

Turns out, my poem was selected by the editors as one of five nominees for "Best of Issue." I'm totally excited and honored by this. And here's where you come in: the Best of Issue winner is selected from the five nominees by an online vote. It would mean the world to me if you'd consider voting for me. You can read the five nominated poems at http://www.justpoetry.org/internet_voting and then if you think mine's the best, you can vote for it by sending an email to votejustpoetry@comcast.net   with the poem's title (Venezia) in the subject line. Only one vote per email address is allowed. 

I would appreciate your votes so so so so much. I found out last week that I have been accepted to NYU, which is crazy amazing and ridiculously exciting. If I go there, though, (or really any of the schools I'm looking at) I'm definitely going to need some help from scholarships. So, thanks for assisting me in that.

I owe you some really excellent blog updates complete with breath-taking photos and descriptions of places and things and feelings and whatnot. It's coming. I'm on it. And for now:

(because it seems like an appropriate song for favor-asking)

A City of Masks and Exciting Plans

So, I know I have been doing a seriously pitiful job of keeping up this blog lately, and I do apologize but I'm not going to waste time going on and on about how sorry I am, because there isn't any point.

Lots of interesting things are going on. Monday and Tuesday I had no school because of Carnevale and on Monday I went to Venice with my friends Asena from Turkey and Ursi from Australia. Madalena from Portugal was going to come too, but her host family wouldn't let her.

Venice was absolutely incredible. I decided that it's my new favorite city in the world. I guess I just love the mysterious, magical-ness of it and the fact that it's not like anywhere else. What other city has canals instead of streets? I'm pretty sure I'll be going back to Venice more while I'm here. Going is really very easy. The train takes just under two hours, which isn't bad at all. 

So, in short, here's what my day in Venice consisted of:

• Dancing with a very old, very Italian man on the train
• Eating a delicious lunch at the Trattoria alla Madonna, a restaurant once featured on Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods
• Buying a pretty, sparkly mask
• Having tea at the beautiful, frescoed Caffe Florian
• Exploring Piazza San Marco
• Taking lots of pictures

(Piazza San Marco)

(Caffe Florian)

(Masks with Ursi)

(Gondolas with Asena)

Venice even inspired me to write a poem which you can read by clicking here. I don't usually rhyme when I write poetry and I don't usually share much of the poetry I write, so it's a bit different, but there it is all the same.

If you want to read more about it, go have a look at the articles I wrote for the Herald. I had so much to say, I decided to split the trip into two articles. As of now, only the first one is out. You can read it by clicking here. And I'll give you a link to the second when it comes out, which will probably be this Thursday.

I've decided I'm kind of too lazy to routinely copy and paste each article into a blog post. I apologize. I think I'm probably trying to keep up too much at once right now between this blog and my tumblr and my twitter and all the articles. (I'm having too much fun making words into links to the things they're talking about.) It isn't that it's too much to do, it's just that after almost 6 months I still haven't figured out where to post what. And often I'm too busy actually doing all the wonderful things to keep up with telling about them. Oh well, though. It's not such a big deal. The people who are crazy to hear all about everything (specifically, my family) keep up with everything I post everywhere anyway.

Okay, so in some SUPER EXCITING NEWS I am leaving for a trip to Ireland the day after tomorrow. With my class. I've known this trip was happening for quite a while, but for the longest time it looked like I wasn't going to be able to go, because my Permesso di Soggiorno (or residence permit) hadn't arrived yet, and without it I wouldn't be able to come back into Italy on my visa if I left. The whole policy is quite confusing to me, but it turned out not to matter because I got notification last week that my Permesso di Soggiorno would be available to pick up at the Questura on February 24th. That was yesterday, just three days before the scheduled departure. I am super super super lucky. 

According to the program they game me at school, I'll be in Dublin, Belfast, Howth and Dalkey, seeing Trinity College, the Guinness Storehouse, the Troubles Front, James Joyce Center and other things. I am quite excited. And they speak English in Ireland! Not just English, but English with an Irish accent dialect! It will be such a relief to hear my native language again for a while! And I won't be forgetting Italian or anything because I'll be there with my class and speaking Italian with them! So perfect.

Anyway, I'm particularly excited about this trip to Ireland because I've been thinking about how many incredibly talented people are from there. Like Glen Hansard who was in my favorite movie Once, not to mention in the incredible music groups The Swell Season and The Frames. Then there's Lisa Hannigan, and Damien Rice. Then all the writers! Oscar Wilde! JAMES JOYCE! (I've been reading his story collection Dubliners and it is excellent. Makes me want to read Uylsses, and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. And maybe even Finnegan's Wake sometime when I'm feeling brave. He writes sentences like "Moments of their secret life together burst like stars upon his memory" and "But my body was a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires" and "The space of sky above us was the colour of ever-changing violet and towards it the lamps of the street lifted their feeble lanterns." Ahhhh.)

You can definitely expect a post about Ireland when I get back. Until then!!

On Music in Italy

So, as you probably know, I write a weekly article for The Herald my local newspaper back home.


Usually, I put different things on my blog from what I write in the articles. I'm thinking, though, that with how rarely I have a chance to update this blog, maybe I could use the same material for both. Like, after The Herald publishes an article I could post it here, too? That way this blog wouldn't be so dead all the time and people who don't read the paper can still see my articles! I'm trying it this week, since I particularly liked what I wrote for this one. If you have a strong opinion as to whether I should keep the articles separate from the blog or not, let me know in comments. And don't worry, I'd still be doing regular blog posts from time to time that are more "personal" than what I put in the paper.

Another thing I'm thinking about doing is Italian translations for my posts. It would have what I write in English at the top and below my translation into Italian. This way, my Italian friends could read more easily if they wanted to, and I'd get some good practice.

The paper called this week's article "American music rules Italy's Airwaves, says Rock Hill teen." It's about my take on the music that's popular here.


Here goes!


I’ve noticed that Italy’s popular music -- what they play on the radio stations and in the discos -- is mostly American music.


Most of their hits are songs that were on the American charts anywhere from a year to a couple of months ago. Sometimes a song will be popular in both countries at the same time, but the US always falls in love with the song first, then Italy follows suit.


I’ve asked some friends for Italian music suggestions. I thought listening to some might help improve my Italian. 


The song “In Italia,” by rapper Fabri Fibra, always seemed to come up in the conversation. While not my style, it’s undeniably catchy. Most people I asked, however, told me, with a tone in which I could detect only the faintest disappointment, “There isn’t really much good Italian music being made today.”


After that, they’d perk up a bit. “It’s alright, we prefer American music in English.”


Of the songs that get super big here, I’d estimate seven of every 10 are songs in English. To give you an idea, the ones I hear the most right now include “Paradise” by Coldplay, “We Found Love” by Rihanna, “On the Floor” by Jennifer Lopez, “Give Me Everything” by Pitbull, and “Titanium “by David Guetta and Sia.


 Then, about two in 10 are in languages other than Italian or English. There’s the bilingual Spanish and Portuguese song by Puerto Rican singer-rapper Don Omar and French artist of Portuguese origin Lucenzo called “Danza Kuduro” and Brazilian Michel Teló’s Portuguese “Ai Se Eu Te Pego.” Only about one in every 10 “big” songs in Italy is in Italian. The only one I can think of that’s really big at the moment is Tiziano Ferro’s “La differenza tra me e te.”


The reason for the lack of Italian music in Italy is unclear. Here’s one theory I’ve come up with: Italy’s population was 60,483,521 in 2010, according to World Bank, World Development Indicators, and the USA’s is vastly greater at 307,006,550 in 2009, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Maybe it’s only natural that more famous music would come from the US since we simply have a larger population, a larger pool for talent, so a greater likelihood. That theory is even more plausible when considering also the added populations of other major English-speaking countries. The population of Australia is 22,374,370. The United Kingdom has a population of 61,612,300. There are 4,294,350 people in New Zealand. Not to mention that English is considered the “official language” of more than 50 countries in addition to these. So of course a large part of the world’s music is in English, while much less is in Italian.


I don’t think that fully explains, however, the scarcity of Italian language songs that get popular in Italy. This country, though struggling economically and with an abundance of problematic issues, is very patriotic. There’s no denying that Italians are almost always fiercely Italian. They are proud of their style, their openness, their food, and it seems usually that they’re proud of their language. I’ve heard Italians speak so fondly, passionately, even, of their language, their bounty of words to catch the smallest differentiations in what they’re describing. Why wouldn’t they search out songs to dance to in their own language?


My friend Sasha from Russia once told me very simply that when people want to make something sound cool and sophisticated in Russia, they give it a name or title in English. I think that’s a bit of what’s going on in Italy. I notice sometimes that the names of shops are in English, even chains originating here in Italy. Storefronts often boast advertisements in English and t-shirts have phrases in English more often than in Italian. These phrases and advertisements are usually well-stated, but from time to time make absolutely no sense. The fact that they’re in English seems to be enough.


Italians like English in their shops and in their music because they think things sound intriguing in our language. We do the same thing, just not to the same extent. We say “foie gras” in French because it sounds a whole lot better than “liver of an overfed goose.” People will pay much more money for something called “haute couture” (another French phrase) than they would if we translated it to “high sewing.” “Hors d'œuvre” beats “appetizer.” We’d rather refer to our noodles in Italian as “al dente” than call them “chewy.”

So I believe the reason the radio stations here favor music in English and sometimes other non-Italian languages is simply a variation of the old phrase “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” Things sound more magical and enchanting in a language that isn’t your own.


Whether I’m correct in my guessing of the reason or not, this is the way things are here. It works for me. When conversation is too complicated to follow, I at least have the small joy of understanding the lyrics to the song that plays in the background. When my Italian friends sing along at the top of their lungs to songs they don’t quite understand, we can chuckle together at their funny pronunciation. If they want to know what a particular line means, I can translate.


And, on a final note, my quest for Italian music in Italian did end in success. The AFS volunteer who taught Italian lessons earlier in the year compiled a list for me of 33 singers and 11 bands, who while not the “big hits” she considers notable. So far I’ve only skimmed the surface of the list, but it seems promising. I’ll let you know how it turns out.


La differenza tra me e te (Italian)

In Italia (Italian)

Danza Kuduro (Spanish & Portuguese)

Ai Se Eu Te Pego (Portuguese)

Mia Famiglia & Mia Casa

Ciao, everybody!

It's been awfully too long, I know. Here's why: I get a little behind, then more and more keeps happening, so I can't catch up. So I'm scratching every lousy attempt to sum up everything thus far. The main points and most exciting things have been covered in the articles I've written for my local newspaper back home, The Herald. I'll give you links to those. Enjoy: my first article, my second article (fashion show), and my third article (flash mob). If you haven't read those already, please do, because I believe they'll get you more or less caught up.

Okay. So.

I have a host sister named Lucrezia and a host mother named Daniela. Lucrezia is one year younger than me. She's very nice and very beautiful. We get along quite well, I think. It's awesome having a sister. Sometimes she lets me borrow her clothes, which is fun. Last night, for example, I was going to an 18th birthday part for one of my classmates and she picked out a gray ruffly dress from her closet for me to wear, as well as a pretty Prada purse. With that and my new 12 centimeter high heels, I felt wonderfully Italian! Lucrezia also invites me to go hang out with her and her friends on a pretty regular basis, which I enjoy. Even though we're both high school aged, we don't go to the same school. She goes to Calini and I go to Luzzago. So her friends are a different crowd from the friends I've made at school, and this way I get to meet way more people than I would otherwise. It's awesome. Another awesome thing about having a sister is that there's someone around to watch Italia's Next Top Model or whatever with. And she helps me with my Italian, too!

I get a ton of Italian practice from Daniela because she only speaks Italian. I think that's good for me. Lucrezia can help out if there's something important that I'm not understanding, but through attempting to communicate without any English at all, I learn a bunch. Daniela is an elegant lady. She has a shop in the center where she works, which sells pretty jewelry and antique things. She's very organized and helpful and on top of things, which helps our household to always run smoothly.

The other person who makes our house run smoothly is Clara. I'm not sure what the word for her job is, but she tidies up the house and does laundry while we're at school and Daniela's at work, and she makes us lunch when we get home. She is super sweet and I like her a lot.

We live in what I guess you'd call a townhouse, although I don't think that's exactly the name. It is connected to other homes, but it has its own front door, yard, garage and everything. I like it a lot. There a three stories. On the bottom is the garage, the laundry room, Lucrezia's bedroom and Lucrezia's bathroom. The middle has the living room and the kitchen. The top has my room and bathroom and Daniela's room and bathroom, as well as an extra bathroom and a little sitting room. My room is cute. There are lots of shelves on the walls. Some hold Lucrezia's old books, all in Italian, of course, some of which I read in English when I was younger. I might try to tackle one in Italian when I get to that level. (Right now I could probably only handle the simplest of simple baby/children's books.) Other shelves were cleared out for me and now contain my laptop, books, jewelry, nicknacks and some clothes. The rest of my clothes are kept in an armoire in the hall. Besides the shelves, my room has my bed, a desk, a lamp, a row of hooks for hanging purses, and a bulletin board with my AFS event schedule, some pictures of my friends and family back home, and a few little notes from my mom, dad and brother that tucked into the packages of clothes they sent.

There's another member of the family that also lives in our group of connected houses: the grandmother, or Nonna. She pops in and out often, and she makes us lunch on Clara's day off and sometimes comes for dinner and brings something she's cooked. Like Daniela, she speaks only Italian, but it is harder to understand her, because she talks fast and in complicated sentences. She's really cool, though, and it's nice to know there's someone else nearby that I can ask for help if, for whatever reason, Daniela and Lucrezia aren't home.

And there's more family too! Lucrezia has an older sister named Chiara who's grown up and has two kids. There's Luca, who just turned 14 and goes to my school, and there's Alessandro who's 3. They live about 5 minutes away by car. Alessandro is probably the most adorable guy ever. He's got the curliest light brown hair and the cutest giggle. I played with him a lot the other night when we went over to celebrate Luca's birthday, and it was super fun and a bit exhausting. He likes to be pulled around by his ankles on the floor and tickled, and he has a TON of energy.

I really like this whole family a lot and I am super lucky to have been placed with them. I can't imagine it could be any more perfect than it is. Now, I must go to sleep! I'll try to start updating this more regularly, even if that means just doing quick posts instead of trying to cram every single little thing in. Ciao ciao!!

Life at Luzzago

Last Sunday evening, when my host family picked me up, we left the train station very quickly. In the car, as we drove away from Verona, I soon noticed the different driving practices here in Italy. We flew over speed bumps without slowing down a bit and swung around corners, smooth and fast. The lanes painted on the roads seemed to be taken not as rules, but as suggestions and we flew left or right around any car that dared go even slightly slow in front of us. It felt disconcertingly similar to a roller coaster.

We went to my new home first to drop off my suitcases and so that I could change clothes. Once I'd freshened up, we went out for my first Italian pizza. I got the "Primavera" which had fresh tomato and basil. It was GOOD. Lucrezia (my host sister) got cheese pizza with french fries ON IT, which I've never seen or heard of before. I don't remember what sorts of pizza Giovanni (Lucrezia's boyfriend) and Daniela (my host mother) got, but I do remember that I had some smashing gelato for dessert.

On my first night in my new home I slept very well because I was awfully tired. Lucrezia had to start school Monday morning, but I wasn't starting until Tuesday, so I got to sleep gloriously late. During the day, I went with Daniela to get all the paperwork ready and sent off for my residence permit. I was very jittery and excited for the beginning of classes.

My school, Liceo Scientifico Luzzago, is really great. I've been placed in the fifth and final year of high school here, which is surprising because  I didn't think they ever placed ASF exchange students in this grade. It is supposed to be the most difficult and also they're all intensely studying for the big exit-exams at the end of this year. I'm not concerned much, though. If it is still terribly hard when I learn the language better, I can probably ask to move down in some subjects. The only problem with that would be leaving these classmates. The people in my class are all really nice. They know enough English to help me when I don't understand what's going on, and they help me practice my Italian as well. There are several that I think will become very good friends.

As far as the lessons, at this point I don't know enough Italian to understand more than a few words here and there in most classes. In English, I feel like an expert. We've been watching Dead Poets Society. In Spanish class I can understand some, though Italian and Spanish sound so much alike that it becomes hard to tell when the teacher switches from one to the other. Juggling Spanish AND Italian AND English in my head all at once is very hard. I can hardly handle two languages, let alone three! In math, I feel like I'm supposed to understand more than I do. I think I've covered most of the material before, in math classes at home, but with all the vocabulary and problems in Italian, I still get confused. In the classes like Latin and Italian and History and Physics and such where I can't understand much of anything at all, most of the teachers let me study Italian. I have dictionaries and phrase books and some books intended for teaching Italian children English that seem to be working very well the other way, too. I'm really glad I don't need credits or to be graded for any of this, because while I know the Italian will get ready with time and work, for now I'm struggling.

The school building and the way things work here are quite different from at home. I am in the same room with the same 20 or so students for all my classes, all day. Here, it is the teachers that move from place to place instead. When I was explaining this difference to some of my new friends, they were very impressed. They thought I must feel very grown up to move around my school like a college student. Another difference I've noticed is the way the classroom looks. Unlike at home, the walls here are not covered with inspirational posters or maps or students' work. The walls display only a smart board and a chalk board. There is a crucifix on the upper part of the wall up front and an emergency evacuation plan above the door. In the back, there's a line of hooks for hanging coats. Other than that, the walls are completely bare. The upper halves are painted white and the lower halves pale green. There are no tissues for the students. If you have a cold, you bring your own. There is also no pencil sharpener. Both the classrooms and the hallways are far more clean and tidy than those at my high school back home.

The schedule here is way different. Unfortunately, I must go to school on Saturdays, but it all balances out because the days are much shorter. Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays I get out at 2. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I'm finished by 1, and on Saturdays I only have to go until 12.

The entry hall is probably the most impressive part of Luzzago. When you walk in, the first thing you see is a GIANT white, green and red Italian flag above the staircase. Going up the stairs every morning, I am always amazed by what I see at the top. There are three marble statues. Two of women and one of a lion, and the ceiling is painted with majestic murals. It is like something out of a museum- so beautiful! It is one of the many things in this new life that consistently makes me pause and say to myself, "Wow. I can't believe this is real. I can't believe I'm in Italy. I am so, so, so lucky!"

 Another thing that always causes this reaction for me is the view from my school's windows. My classroom is only on the second floor so I can just see the sky and the typical red-orange roof of the building across the street, but two stories up, on the 4th and top floor, the view goes on forever out over Brescia. There are roofs and streets and vine-covered walls and courtyards and church steeples and, farther away, the high mountains towering above. Even a castle is visible. On drizzly days like today, the tops of the mountains are covered with clouds. The beauty is breathtaking.

(this doesn't nearly do it justice)

From the website of my school, I could only really gather that there would be stained glass windows in the gym (true) and that I would be taught by monks (only in religion class as it turns out. The main difference in the teachers here is that they're, on average, much younger than at home. I'd say the average age of my teachers is 35. The oldest is 45, at most.). I felt pretty sure that I would like my school, but I had no idea that I would love it as much as I do.

So, now the school aspect is covered up to date. In my next blog entry, I plan to tell you more about my host family and my house and my blossoming social calendar outside of school. It'll be soon. Possibly tomorrow, but I want to finish my first article for the Herald beforehand so it might be a couple of days. Either way, be on the lookout! Ciao!

Hello, Italia

I arrived safely in Italy over a week ago, and now I'm finally getting around to updating this blog. So much has happened, I'm not sure that I can get around to talking about all of it. I suppose I've got to start somewhere, so I'll go from the beginning.

After all those months and months of preparation, I finally got to Italy last Friday. I was exhausted because I hadn't been able to sleep on the plane. I couldn't seem to get comfortable, despite the fact that the plane was quite nice. It had screens in the backs of the seats that played a vast variety of movies and music and also provided the plane's elevation above sea level and speed at all times, which I found interesting.

From the airport, the rest of the America-to-Italy AFS-ers and I took a bus to the orientation site. Orientation took place at a sprawling, maze-like hotel on a high hill overlooking Rome. In this place, different rooms were always sprouting up where I least expected them, like underground beneath the patio. All around were jungle-like gardens. Orientation was absolutely awesome. There were students from many, many countries who, just like me, had just gotten to Italy for the ten month exchange program. I loved hearing all the interesting dialects floating through the air. Luckily for me, we were all speaking English. I was worried that it would be in Italian, but all of us were new to Italian and it turns out that English is the most universal. Almost everyone there spoke or at least understood it, which I found impressive.

The Italian volunteers at the orientation said that the food we had there was not near as good as what we'd get when we got to our host families, because the hotel kitchens had to prepare food for so many people and suffered a bit of quality for quantity. At the time, I had some trouble believing that. I thought the pasta with creamy tomato sauce and mushrooms, and the flavorful sauteed vegetables, the sticks of sausage, and the potato-casserole-quiche-ish thing we had were all great. It turns out, though that they were right. The food I'm having now is far more delicious. I find myself doing my happy-food-dance ALL THE TIME.

One of the most incredible experiences at orientation was the sunset. As it began to get dark Saturday night, some friends and I saw a glimmer of pink and orange sky back behind the trees to the West. We took a few pictures from the patio, then went in search of a higher vantage point. We went up a staircase and found that it opened to the roof. From there we could see the brilliant sunset much better, as well as the vibrant lights of Rome down below. Overhead, the stars were just beginning to shine. It was truly magical.

With that memory, as well as that of the touching End-of-Orientation Ceremony Saturday night, I took a train to Verona with the other AFS-ers going to Brescia. There are something like ten others and they are all super nice, which is good because I'll be spending a lot of time with them this year. I had butterflies in my stomach for the whole train ride because I was finally about to actually meet my new family, which was exciting and intimidating and terrifying and awesome all at the same time. When at last we pulled into the Verona station, I could see my host sister and her boyfriend on a bench waiting. I almost died from the craziness of it. People I'd only ever seen pictures of were actually there, real people. I dragged my suitcase off the train, and from that point on, I was thrust into my astonishing new life, complete with astonishing surprises, beauty, and challenges around every corner.

I'll leave you there for tonight, since I'm quite tired, even though I've still left you a week behind. Something is better than nothing, though. As my first week in Brescia, I will tell you all about it as soon as I can. For now just know that my new life is very, very wonderful.

Musings of Italy Via New York City

It just occurred to me: Why didn't I go to Little Italy when I was in New York City?? That would've been perfect since I'm going to REAL Italy in less than three months. LESS THAN THREE MONTHS! Someone pinch me, please. It is just too amazing to be real. But it is! I leave from New York City on September 8th and I'll stop briefly in Zurich, Switzerland on the way before arriving in Rome. After that there's a three-day orientation in Rome before I go to my host family in Brescia!

I am so looking forward to it! I absolutely love traveling and airports. I love the sound of rolling suitcases and the interesting people-watching and the feeling you get in your head and belly the moment the plane lifts off the ground. I even love the smell of airports and airplanes, not because it smells good, necessarily, but because of the wonderful associations it has in my mind.

One thing I did discover on my trip to New York, though, was that traveling is slightly less relaxing without parents to depend on. In the past, I've always been able to let them take care of getting me where I need to go when I need to go there, coordinating everything. This time I had to do that all by myself, which wasn't quite as easy. A big part of that may have been the fact that I was flying space-available (I fly for free since my parents used to work for US Air) which is a great deal more complicated than normal flying. There's all the hassle of making sure you're on the standby list and waiting for everyone else to board and keeping your fingers crossed that there'll be a seat for you. But I won't have to deal with any of that on the way to Italy. It'll probably be super fun and exciting because I'll be traveling with a bunch of other AFS-ers.

Alright, so New York City. Wonderful, obviously. The last (and only other) time I went there was spring break of last year. That time I did more of the tourist-y things like the Empire State Building and riding the Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty and visiting Times Square and all those sorts of things. This time I did more of the shopping-eating-exploring sort of thing. Which was totally fun. I was lucky to get to spend my weekend there with my old neighbors Jenna and Michaela Scott, staying at Jenna's apartment. They were super sweet and hospitable.

We ate so much good food while I was there. I'm about to talk about it in detail, because I'm crazy about food. If it bores you, go ahead and skip over this paragraph. I don't mind... The first night we met their dad (who's one of MY dad's best friends) at a Mexican restaurant. It was super delicious. Their salsa was the perfect balance of spicy-ness and cool limey-ness. We also had guacamole which I've always avoided because my dad hates it so I assumed it was gross, but it was awesome. For my main course I ordered Chiles Rellenos (that's a chile stuffed with melted cheese and covered with an egg batter) and it was really good. The Saturday morning that I was there, we went to the Waverly Diner and I had Eggs Benedict which was yummy and a cafe latte. For lunch Jenna and I went to The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English, where I ate Risotto "Tater Tots" and a Fig & Prosciutto flatbread pizza which also had a rosemary crust, fig jam, and gorgonzola. The figs were so plump and sweet and had the most incredible contrast with the prosciutto and gorgonzola. It was so good. My mouth is watering a little just thinking about it. That night we stopped by Cafe Angelique right down the street from the apartment for dessert. I had a Frozen Mint Lemonade. It was very refreshing and very minty. Unlike most "mint" things, it didn't taste like mint flavoring so much as actual mint sprigs. It reminded my of the mint leaves I used to pluck from my grandmother's garden when I was younger. So, yes. Lots of incredible food.

You can expect that I'll be telling you a ton about the food while I'm in Italy. Food is one of my biggest passions. To be totally honest, the food is a big part of why I chose Italy as my exchange destination. I've considered becoming a food critic one day and this blog will give me an opportunity for some practice in that area. The only problem is that I love just about everything I eat so it is a bit hard for me to be actually "critical." It'll probably be more like bubbly gushing about the deliciousness of everything!

So, I also did some shopping in New York. Whenever I shop now I alway try to think in the back of my head "what will be useful in Italy?" I don't know much about the styles there in comparison to here. Is it the same? I don't really know. All I really have to go by is what I see in the pictures on my host sister's facebook page and the school website. Lots of scarves, I think. It gets cold in the wintertime. The stuff I got in New York is more summery (specifically the most adorable pair of Free People shorts and a flowy white dress, a pretty embroidered tank top and a grey tshirt dress from H&M ) but I think I'll get good use out of it. I'll worry about packing when it gets a little closer to time.

The other biggest thing I did in New York was visiting the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met. It was phenomenal! I could go on and on and on about it, but I won't since I can't rationally connect it to Italy without a big stretch (that's the hard thing about this blog - deciding what is and isn't relevant). But if you're going to New York any time soon I highly recommend that exhibit.

I suppose that's it for now. I'll be back with more about my Italy preparations soon. In the mean time, I want to know who's reading this. Click "follow" over to the right, and if you have anything to say (like maybe what is and isn't cool to wear in Italy if you know, or even just "hi") leave me a comment! Later!

I should be studying for exams right now.

All I have to do is survive four days of exams and I am finished with high school. American high school, that is. And if I'm being really technical, I only have three whole days, because Wednesday and Thursday are half-days, so they combine to make one.

After that, summer. And after summer, ITALY. As an exchange student. For my entire senior year. Oh, gosh. Every so often the incredible-ness takes me by surprise. I am going to live in Italy. It is so amazing it hardly seems real.

I ought to be studying for exams right now. I don't feel so bad that I'm not though, because making this blog is something I've meant to do for an awfully long time. I'm just getting started and I already feel like I'm behind! Studying can wait. For a while, at least.

The title of this blog, "I Jump Over the Sea," comes from an Avett Brothers song called "A Slight Figure of Speech." The whole line comes after some bizarre, but wonderful banjo-rapping (I can't explain, but it is super cool.) and goes like this: "A jet plane and a big idea; I jump over the sea." Which is appropriate. OH! Can I put videos on this thing?

Okay, hopefully that worked!

So as far as preparations for Italy go, I have a host family, which is super exciting. I've talked to my host sister some on facebook. She's 16, a year younger than me, and seems really nice. She has told me all about the area where I'm going to live and particularly about the fun weekends in Italy. DISCOS. My mother has emailed some back and forth with my host mother, too.

The place where I'm going to be living is Botticino Sera right outside of Brescia, in Northern Italy. Brescia is one hour from Milan, forty minutes from Verona, and close to Venice, too. In other words, PERFECT.

Just yesterday, AFS updated my school information, and of course I rushed right to google to gather every piece of information that I could, so now I know a bit about my Italian school. It is in Brescia, and looks like it might be private, which is sort of unusual, because usually AFS exchange students are placed in public schools. Anyway, I am in love with the place just from looking at the website. The facilities are super nice and absolutely beautiful. Here is the website, if you're curious. Please notice the stained-glass windows in the gymnasium as well as the fact that the institute is run by Franciscan monks. Once again, I can't believe this is real!

Okay, I seriously need to go study now. Hopefully I'll manage to keep this updated. Until then, ciao!