While wandering the streets of Venice a few weeks ago, Kailee the Australian and I talked about some of the things we missed from back home. We laughed about vegemite and how the water really does go down the drain in the opposite direction, when Kailee said she missed meat.
It's true, in northern Italy, meat isn't one of the staples. Its pasta, pasta, pasta! Well actually, with my second host family, we have pasta for the first course, and usually meat as a second. But it's not real meat, it's paper-thin slices of beef, fried in olive oil, or sausage, or sometimes little pieces of roast beef. I've had chicken probably 3 times since I've been here.
"I just want a big, juicy steak, ya know? Like, a thick piece of meat!" mused Kailee, and strangely, even though I'm not a red-meat kind of girl, I found myself agreeing with her. The conversation was forgotten.. until tonight.
I ate a piece of Fiorentina in Florence, but didn't pay much attention to it. I was in a restaurant at the time, and was enjoying what I had ordered too much to really pay attention to the food my host father was offering me.
My host brother came up to my room, to ask me what I wanted for dinner. My options were pasta, raw fish (sashimi) or Fiorentina. Not being in the mood for pasta or raw tuna, I replied "Fiorentina, grazie" without giving it much thought.
Half an hour later, I was called down to dinner. I munched on salad and bread as my host brother wolfed down his pasta and sashimi, wondering when the second course would be ready. Finally, Annie brought in the Fiorentina.
Which was half a cow.
No, not really, but it was the biggest T-bone steak I have ever laid eyes on. Huge, juicy, cooked to pink perfection.. and mamma mia, the tantalizing aroma! It was amazing. Perfect. I have become a steak-loving American. That's all I have to say about that.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
l'alaska
Finally, I presented my powerpoint of Alaska.
Well, I tried to present, but the prof had a lot of input and questions, so things didn't go exactly as I had planned them to.
I was happy though, after explaining that I lived on Kodiak island for my dad's job, the prof asked me to describe what Dad did.
I didn't know the word "rescue" in Italian, so I said "He used to fly helicopters to go and save people in boats that sink." Yes, I know the word sink in Italian! Thanks to watching Titanic.
After saying this, the prof exclaimed "Oh! Your father is a hero, then!" I certainly think so.
The bell rang, and as the class was leaving the room we were in, the prof asked me to make another presentation, this one about my father's life...
I told her we could just watch The Guardian.
Well, I tried to present, but the prof had a lot of input and questions, so things didn't go exactly as I had planned them to.
I was happy though, after explaining that I lived on Kodiak island for my dad's job, the prof asked me to describe what Dad did.
I didn't know the word "rescue" in Italian, so I said "He used to fly helicopters to go and save people in boats that sink." Yes, I know the word sink in Italian! Thanks to watching Titanic.
After saying this, the prof exclaimed "Oh! Your father is a hero, then!" I certainly think so.
The bell rang, and as the class was leaving the room we were in, the prof asked me to make another presentation, this one about my father's life...
I told her we could just watch The Guardian.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
My encounters with Seafood
This is what we had for lunch today:
creepy little shrimp- my host father ate them head and all!
squid with artichokes
giant prawn
DEAD, SOULLESS EYE STARING AT ME!
creepy little shrimp- my host father ate them head and all!
squid with artichokes
giant prawn
DEAD, SOULLESS EYE STARING AT ME!It was all yummy, though. I avoided the creepy little shrimp, but the squid was good, and the prawn wasn't too bad.. Although I must say it's a little unnerving to eat something that's looking at you.
Italian Gospel Choirs?
Some girls from school and I had discussed having dinner at my house Saturday night, but nobody could get a ride.
I was afraid all tentative plans would fall through completely, and I would spent yet another Saturday night at home. Miraculously, everything turned out almost perfectly, although none of the plans we had made actually ended up happening.
Here's what I did Saturday night:
First, I went to Mass. After mass, I ran home (literally) so that I wouldn't be late for my dinner appointment with Mari. My host parents and I left 2 minutes before I was supposed to be at the restaurant, and halfway there, Marco realized he had forgotten the bottle of wine at home. (They were going to a friend's for dinner.) I ended up being 15 minutes late anyways, but it was no big deal.
Mari and I had chosen to go to the "Fabbrica della Pizza" or "Pizza Factory" for dinner. Feeling adventurous, I forwent (is that a word?) the usual pizza margherita for a prosciutto-mozzerella-grana padano calzone.
This, my friend, is a calzone. It was practically the length of my arm! The crust was light, but it was stuffed with prosciutto, and boy, was I hungry!
After we both polished off our meals, we walked to the theater to see a gospel concert. There, we met Fede, another girl from school. We ran into the English teacher as well.
The choir itself wasn't too bad, but I've had Lara Brittain as a choir director, so I know top-quality when I see it! They sang one song in Italian, the rest were in English. Aside from gospel, they also sang "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Somebody to Love" I took a video of Bohemian Rhapsody, but blogger won't let me upload it for some reason. Both renditions were entertaining, but nobody can ever come close to the real Freddie Mercury! The choir director was tall and skinny, and it was worth the 12 euros just to see him jumping around the stage like a madman. I enjoyed the concert, but it really made me miss Concert Choir at Forest Park.
The concert ended at about 11:15, and Mari and Fede and I hung out in the theatre to chat. When the theater's lights started to turn off, we walked to Fede's house and chatted some more, until my host parents came to pick me up.
I went to bed happy, having thoroughly enjoyed an evening out on the town with two of my classmates.. two of my friends, rather.
I was afraid all tentative plans would fall through completely, and I would spent yet another Saturday night at home. Miraculously, everything turned out almost perfectly, although none of the plans we had made actually ended up happening.
Here's what I did Saturday night:
First, I went to Mass. After mass, I ran home (literally) so that I wouldn't be late for my dinner appointment with Mari. My host parents and I left 2 minutes before I was supposed to be at the restaurant, and halfway there, Marco realized he had forgotten the bottle of wine at home. (They were going to a friend's for dinner.) I ended up being 15 minutes late anyways, but it was no big deal.
Mari and I had chosen to go to the "Fabbrica della Pizza" or "Pizza Factory" for dinner. Feeling adventurous, I forwent (is that a word?) the usual pizza margherita for a prosciutto-mozzerella-grana padano calzone.
This, my friend, is a calzone. It was practically the length of my arm! The crust was light, but it was stuffed with prosciutto, and boy, was I hungry!After we both polished off our meals, we walked to the theater to see a gospel concert. There, we met Fede, another girl from school. We ran into the English teacher as well.
The choir itself wasn't too bad, but I've had Lara Brittain as a choir director, so I know top-quality when I see it! They sang one song in Italian, the rest were in English. Aside from gospel, they also sang "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Somebody to Love" I took a video of Bohemian Rhapsody, but blogger won't let me upload it for some reason. Both renditions were entertaining, but nobody can ever come close to the real Freddie Mercury! The choir director was tall and skinny, and it was worth the 12 euros just to see him jumping around the stage like a madman. I enjoyed the concert, but it really made me miss Concert Choir at Forest Park.
The concert ended at about 11:15, and Mari and Fede and I hung out in the theatre to chat. When the theater's lights started to turn off, we walked to Fede's house and chatted some more, until my host parents came to pick me up.
I went to bed happy, having thoroughly enjoyed an evening out on the town with two of my classmates.. two of my friends, rather.
Last Monday
This is Quadro Svedese, something we did in gym class. I know I look klutzy and ungraceful, but.. I am klutzy and ungraceful! What can I say, I take after my mother.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Whew!
It seems like it's been forever since I've posted! Strangely, I haven't been able to find the time. Here are some of the highlights of my week:
Monday- I decided to rebell against fashion. I wore black, navy blue, dark brown, and grey all in the same outfit. Take that, fashion police! Also, I did the quadro svedese, "Sweedish Square" in gym. I have a video of me doing it, which I will post as soon as I find time.
Tuesday- I wen't to Beatrice's school, like usual. Instead of having an Enlgish lesson, they had an extra music class. I listened to a bunch of 9-year-0lds play the recorder for an hour, but then we played 7Up. They picked me every time, which was flattering.
Wednesday- I went on a quest for peanut butter, because I'm running out. Marta, the colf at the Cuccirelli house, told me of a store that sells peanut butter. I found the store, a little Islamic supermarket, and worked up the guts to go in. I was met by a rather unpleasant odor, coming from bags of dried fish laying about the store. I asked the woman at the register if they had peanut butter, but she didn't speak Italian very well, and she told me to look around. Hesitantly, I looked around the store. The prices of items were written with permanant marker on the items themselves. Seeing no peanut butter, I thanked the woman, and left. I stoped at the bancomat to get some more cash, put money on my cellphone, and continued my quest for peanut butter.
There's another international supermarket near the station, and since I really wanted peanut butter, I decided it would be worth it to walk all the way there. This supermarket, from the outside, looked clean and organized. I entered, again met by a rather unpleasant odor. There was only one aisle, and I walked down it, doubtful that I'd find anything. But then I saw it, written in English: Peanut butter! It was by a brand I've never heard of before, but it looked like peanut butter, and it was only 2 euro! The man at the register gave me a quizzical look, then smiled, and rang up the peanut butter. Everything he said sounded like it had three exclamation points at the end. "Will that be all?!!!" "Would you like a bag?!!!" "That'll be two euro!!!" And so on. I left, feeling triumphant, and proceeded to the gym
Thursday- we had a fire alarm at school. Not a fire drill, a fire alarm. The bell for break started to ring, and we all started to get our snacks out of our backpacks. The bell, however, did not stop ringing. I thought it must be jammed, and continued peeling my orange. After about thirty seconds, somone came in and told us it was a fire drill. One of the boys in the class said "Why did they do it during intervallo? I'm staying inside!" We all agreed with him, but of course put down our snacks, grabbed our coats, and walked outside. I spotted the tecnici (computer geek guys who work at the school) running to their tecnico room. It made me chuckle to see them running, becuase one is a short, round man, while the other is tall, thin, and looks straight from the '70s. Then I wondered why on earth they were running. We got outside, and I saw the tecnici running out of the parking lot wearing bright orange vests, holding the Italian version of a traffic director. This made me laugh out loud: imagine, tecnici doubling as crossing guards! We stayed outside for a good 15 minutes, and someone mentioned it wasn't a drill. I saw no smoke pouring from the building, though, so I wasn't worried. It turned out to be a false alarm, so we all filed back into the classrooms, grumy about losing our break.
Friday- Nonna and I broke the law. We raked up some leaves and dead grass from her yard, then set fire to them. Burning leaves is illegal in Lombardia, but we did it anyway! We live on the edge, man!
Chicca picked me up from nonna's, and we went to the French version of Home Depot. I've never been to a Home Depot in Italy before, but the smell of wood and paint made me get a little misty.. not because of the fumes, but because it made me think of my Daddy.
Today, Saturday- The math teacher was interrogating today, so we did nothing. The next teacher, whom I have for 2 hours, was absent, so we had a subsitute! I asked to go to the library, and now here I am, keeping you updated. Tonight, I may go to a gospel choir concert (snort! Gospel in Italy? I don't think so!) with some friends if I can find a ride to Gallarate. We'll see how that goes!
P.S. Check out Bia's post on the differences between Italians and the rest of Europe! It's SO TRUE! Click here to watch the video
Monday- I decided to rebell against fashion. I wore black, navy blue, dark brown, and grey all in the same outfit. Take that, fashion police! Also, I did the quadro svedese, "Sweedish Square" in gym. I have a video of me doing it, which I will post as soon as I find time.
Tuesday- I wen't to Beatrice's school, like usual. Instead of having an Enlgish lesson, they had an extra music class. I listened to a bunch of 9-year-0lds play the recorder for an hour, but then we played 7Up. They picked me every time, which was flattering.
Wednesday- I went on a quest for peanut butter, because I'm running out. Marta, the colf at the Cuccirelli house, told me of a store that sells peanut butter. I found the store, a little Islamic supermarket, and worked up the guts to go in. I was met by a rather unpleasant odor, coming from bags of dried fish laying about the store. I asked the woman at the register if they had peanut butter, but she didn't speak Italian very well, and she told me to look around. Hesitantly, I looked around the store. The prices of items were written with permanant marker on the items themselves. Seeing no peanut butter, I thanked the woman, and left. I stoped at the bancomat to get some more cash, put money on my cellphone, and continued my quest for peanut butter.
There's another international supermarket near the station, and since I really wanted peanut butter, I decided it would be worth it to walk all the way there. This supermarket, from the outside, looked clean and organized. I entered, again met by a rather unpleasant odor. There was only one aisle, and I walked down it, doubtful that I'd find anything. But then I saw it, written in English: Peanut butter! It was by a brand I've never heard of before, but it looked like peanut butter, and it was only 2 euro! The man at the register gave me a quizzical look, then smiled, and rang up the peanut butter. Everything he said sounded like it had three exclamation points at the end. "Will that be all?!!!" "Would you like a bag?!!!" "That'll be two euro!!!" And so on. I left, feeling triumphant, and proceeded to the gym
Thursday- we had a fire alarm at school. Not a fire drill, a fire alarm. The bell for break started to ring, and we all started to get our snacks out of our backpacks. The bell, however, did not stop ringing. I thought it must be jammed, and continued peeling my orange. After about thirty seconds, somone came in and told us it was a fire drill. One of the boys in the class said "Why did they do it during intervallo? I'm staying inside!" We all agreed with him, but of course put down our snacks, grabbed our coats, and walked outside. I spotted the tecnici (computer geek guys who work at the school) running to their tecnico room. It made me chuckle to see them running, becuase one is a short, round man, while the other is tall, thin, and looks straight from the '70s. Then I wondered why on earth they were running. We got outside, and I saw the tecnici running out of the parking lot wearing bright orange vests, holding the Italian version of a traffic director. This made me laugh out loud: imagine, tecnici doubling as crossing guards! We stayed outside for a good 15 minutes, and someone mentioned it wasn't a drill. I saw no smoke pouring from the building, though, so I wasn't worried. It turned out to be a false alarm, so we all filed back into the classrooms, grumy about losing our break.
Friday- Nonna and I broke the law. We raked up some leaves and dead grass from her yard, then set fire to them. Burning leaves is illegal in Lombardia, but we did it anyway! We live on the edge, man!
Chicca picked me up from nonna's, and we went to the French version of Home Depot. I've never been to a Home Depot in Italy before, but the smell of wood and paint made me get a little misty.. not because of the fumes, but because it made me think of my Daddy.
Today, Saturday- The math teacher was interrogating today, so we did nothing. The next teacher, whom I have for 2 hours, was absent, so we had a subsitute! I asked to go to the library, and now here I am, keeping you updated. Tonight, I may go to a gospel choir concert (snort! Gospel in Italy? I don't think so!) with some friends if I can find a ride to Gallarate. We'll see how that goes!
P.S. Check out Bia's post on the differences between Italians and the rest of Europe! It's SO TRUE! Click here to watch the video
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Ecco!
Attenzione: My time in Venice was spent wandering around aimlessly, without an Italian adult to explain to me the importance of monuments. Usually when I go sightseeing, I'm with my host father, or with someone from Rotary who explains interesting tidbits about everything. In Venice, I just took pictures of what I thought looked pretty.
This might be the grand canal. I'm not sure.
Somebody said this is the bridge of dreams or hopes or something..
Gondola!
Um, I think this is a hospital?
This is a church, I know that much!
The church in the main square in Venice. The piazza was packed!
Piazza-wide conga line!
On the island of Murano
This is the width of an average street in Venice
Somebody told me this was important. So I took a picture.
Cam!
Taylor doing his "Jack I'm flying!" impression
View of Venice's cemetery- taken from the boat
Man with molten glass. He made a cup out of that.
Kristen is happy because..
we got chips and salsa, along with our
BURRITOS!
This might be the grand canal. I'm not sure.
Somebody said this is the bridge of dreams or hopes or something..
Gondola!
Um, I think this is a hospital?
This is a church, I know that much!
The church in the main square in Venice. The piazza was packed!
Piazza-wide conga line!
On the island of Murano
This is the width of an average street in Venice
Somebody told me this was important. So I took a picture. 
Cam! 
Taylor doing his "Jack I'm flying!" impression
View of Venice's cemetery- taken from the boat 
Man with molten glass. He made a cup out of that. 
Kristen is happy because..
we got chips and salsa, along with our
BURRITOS!
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