So this is my attempt at figuring out how to upload pictures...this is one of my favorites that I've taken so far. It is what I get to look at every morning when I walk to school :)

Sono Malata :(

Well, I woke up with a terrible cold yesterday. Luckily we only had our Italian class (granted that was still 5 hours of class), but I was at least able to come home at 2pm and sleep for most of the afternoon. When Monica got home I told her I was feeling sick, "Sono un poco malata," at which point she immediately started bustling around, grabbing thermometers, various medications, and of course made me a nice mug of hot milk and honey. I'm so lucky to be living with such an amazing Italian mother. And like a nervous mother hen, she then told me that I will be staying home from school today to rest. So, here I am, at home in bed feeling sickly. And of course today of all days would be one of the prettiest we've had so far in Siena. Oh well, hopefully this weather will last for awhile. Also, even though I was so not going to argue with Monica for telling me to stay home (going against an Italian mother's wishes is just not something you do here) I was bummed because I was supposed to go to a Tuscan cooking lesson this afternoon. Fortunately though, when I emailed Gianca (one of the program leaders in charge of our school/activity schedules) he said that I can go to the cooking lesson on Wednesday when I'm feeling better. So yay! :) Now I just have the day to myself to sleep and get better.

The First Full Week

Today is the start of our completely free weekend, which finishes our first full, incredibly busy/exhausting/wonderful week of school in Siena. We're still in a sort of orientation though, which is part of the reason why we've been so busy. Everyday we have 5 hours straight of Italian class. We've been learning an incredible amount in such a short time - the past tense, direct objects/articles, and lots and lots of new vocab. Luckily homework is never too stressful, nor is there ever that much of it. Monica (my host mom) even told me two nights ago that my Italian has already improved greatly and that I'm getting very good at speaking. This was one of the best things I could hear. After spending 5 hours in a classroom studying and speaking a different language (which I'm essentially brand new to) coming home and having to speak more Italian is soooooo taxing. But apparently I'm getting better! So this is great. Everyday after our Italian class, we have some sort of orientation presentation. Monday was a bit of a shorter day for me because we all had to go to the post office to sign some forms, but only half went on Monday, I went Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon we learned about the different community service options there are for us to partake in throughout the semester. This is not required of us, but it is greatly encouraged since it gives us an opportunity to meet people and most importantly, practice our language skills. Some of the options that I'm most interested in are helping teach English to either elementary or high school students for a few hours each week, volunteering at an elderly home, or.....rescuing stray cats! Seeing how I am missing my own kitties immensely, this just sounds amazing. They told us that essentially all we do is go play with kittens. And the best part is that this is not a set-in-stone deal, we can do multiple service options and switch it up from week to week if we want. Wednesday there were presentations of the different courses offered by SIS (Siena Italian Studies - the name of the program where I'm studying). Unfortunately, Lewis & Clark students are kind of our own entity. We do not take the SIS classes, but take a Cultural Anthropology and Art History class all together. However, if we would like, and schedules permitting, we can audit one of the SIS courses. The one that I really, really want to audit is the studio art class. We study different artistic styles and then spend the semester painting, drawing, etc. At the end we compile our pieces into an art show. Also, the teacher is still a college student here in Siena and seems very nice. She said that most of the time she brings wine and snacks to class to enjoy while we work. Hopefully, this works with my schedule because I very much want to take it! Wednesday we took our "Reflective Writing" class. Pretty much they gave all of us a journal which we are to write in and then talk about what we wrote once a week in a group. Thursday us Lewis & Clarkians had the presentation of our two courses. I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THE ANTHROPOLOGY ONE. Because, we are going to study/read both Aldous Huxley and Ernest Hemingway in context with Sienese history. Both of the authors are some of my favorites, both spent time in Siena, and wrote about their experiences in, and impressions of, the city. My literature major senses are tingling and I can't wait to get to apply my area of expertise to my time here in Siena! Friday was a rather easy day. We had our first Italian test. I think I did pretty well, some parts were difficult but overall I feel okay about it. Afterwards we got to visit our first museum! We visited the Civico Museum located in the city center: Piazza del Campo. It was the building were the Sienese government was established back in the 13th century. There are still magistrate benches and other pieces still in tact. All was incredibly to see. Then in the afternoon we got to go to one of the many hot springs in Tuscany. It was such a relaxing experience and a good chance to sit back and talk with people. Friday night was another opportunity to experience the "nightlife of Siena." A large group of us went to the English Pub (one of our favorites),  then a bar nicknamed "The Shots Bar" (it's essentially just as it sounds, they serve shots. 3 for 5 euro, so a pretty great deal), followed by one of the discotecas (nightclubs). A full week, but ready for the weekend and the beginning of week two! Hopefully as things die down I'll be able to start posting updates more regularly. Ciao!

First 24 Hours

Ciao a tutti!

I have been in Siena now for just over 24 hours and I'm loving every minute of it. We arrived yesterday in Rome after an 11 hour flight from San Francisco (we had a very brief layover in Frankfurt, Germany). We then had to take a 3 hour bus ride up north to Siena. Once in Siena we were called one by one off of the bus and immediately greeted by our host families who rather rapidly whisked us away to their houses. My host family is absolutely wonderful and I don't think I could ask for a better living situation while I'm here. My host family consists of a mom and her two sons: Monica, Lucio who is 18, and Davide who is 16. I was very excited when I found out I have host brothers. I get my own bedroom which is fairly spacious, I have my own desk and a very large closet/dresser. It is extremely comfortable. All of the family members speak English which has also made this transition quite an easy one. In all honesty, I think I have the most anglocized family out of all the potential hosts. My host mom and I get along great already, as well as myself and Lucio. Davide is also very nice but very allusive and spends most of his time upstairs in his room. Lucio and I have a lot in common and he was very excited to find out that I know martial arts because he recently started studying Krav Maga, an Israeli mix of self-defense and street fighting. He wants me to help him with his kicks which I'm super excited to do and am so happy that we have something to bond over/have fun doing together.
Today, being our first full day in Siena was mostly an orientation day. We took a tour around the city center (historical Siena, where our school is located. I actually live about 5 minutes outside the city walls), took an Italian language placement test, and learned much pertinent information to our living here for the next four months. Right now I am extremely excited and in a kind of euphoric state. Honestly, I don't think it has even fully sank in yet that I'm living in Italy. Everything is so beautiful, all I want to do is take pictures! Tomorrow is another day of orientation including our first Italian class, then tomorrow night I get to go out and experience Siena's nightlife!

Let the Preparation Commence!

All right folks, I just set up my first blog! Now this is mostly for my benefit, memories and all that jazz, but it will also be a great way for all of you to keep updated on my adventures and endeavors. I leave for Portland in two days and then fly out early, early the next morning! The preparation has been pretty stressful but luckily with the support of my wonderful family members and having my best friend (Nina!) by my side I think I will be totally ready to start this new chapter of my life! Vado in Italia!