Yesterday, I went for a little (read, 3 hour) walk with a local from Bologna. She was showing me around and telling me about the best places in Bologna (including the best gelato!). At one point we poked our head into a church and she told me the history of this little church. This "little" church, btw, is bigger than almost any parish church I ever been into, with about a dozen side alters, paintings from the Renaissance, and lots and lots of gold covered objects. But compared to the other churches in Bologna, this is small. 500 years ago, the Pope stopped construction of what is now the main church in Bologna because it was going to be bigger than the Vatican! And all these churches are like museums- with so many Medieval and Renaissance paintings, statues, and objects.
Another fun-fact. Did you know that Bologna could have been like Venice. Over 2,00 years ago, Bologna was a marshy land. (I now know how to say marshy in Italian... I'm sure I'll be using that one a lot!). When the Romans took over the city, they turned the marshy waters into canals. However as more people moved into the city, they started to build on top of the canals. Now there is only one place where you can see any water in Bologna. :(
And now for some more Bologna street-smarts. Everyday, I go to a bar. (Everyone is now wondering, does her mother read this?) Don't worry, in Italy a bar is a caffè. The strange thing about these caffè's is not the name, but the way most of them work. You help yourself to a pastry, and then you pay after you are done eating. I just don't understand how everyone is so honest and pays; it would be so so easy to take the pastry without being noticed or take the pastry and walk out without paying! And it's not like Italians have the strictest honor code in the whole world because probably only 25% of the people actually pay for their bus ride.
Before I understood the concept of paying after you eat, I went to go eat at a little sandwich shop. I finished my sandwich and sat at my table wondering when they were going to give me the bill. Finally I asked the lady, "Quando pago?" which means "when do I pay?". The lady laughed at me and said in English, "You say quanTo pago (how much) not quando pago" and then gave me the bill. As I was leaving I heard laughing and telling the story to the other Italian workers. But I really did mean quanDo pago. Oh well.
mercoledì 28 agosto 2013
lunedì 26 agosto 2013
August 26
And another post... I'm getting good at this. 2 things come to mind for todays post.
1. I hate pigeons, Chuck, I hate them! The problem is, they don't seem to hate me. Pigeons are probably the most disgusting animal on this planet. I'd rather lick a pig than get close to a pigeon. But Bologna is full of them and they are so used to humans that they don't move out of your way. This is very vexing. But what's worse is that I can't really show my fear of pigeons. You are supposed to walk around the city like you own the place so that you don't look like a tourist who wants to be pick-pocketed-- and waiting for the pigeons to pass is not the way you do that. BLEH! Rats with wings!
2. Let's play a little word game. In America, what would you call a narrow street, with graffiti, that's a little dark because of the tall buildings surrounding it, that's pretty dirty, and has creepy guys who whistle at girls. I think the word for that is alley and it's one of those things girls who are walking by themselves try to avoid. But what do you call this in Italy? A VIA, just like every other via. And apparently it's cool for everyone to walk down. That is with a few precautions such as only carry a little money in your wallet because the chances of it getting stolen are a little high. So do you trust your American instinct, or do you do as the Italians do. The answer to this is not clear, because very often, the American instinct is wrong. The best example of this is walking down the street. In American, it's nice to look at the person walking and smile at them and maybe say hi if you are feeling especially nice. In Italy, making eye contact with someone is too much and could be sending the wrong message. Good to know, good to know. *Disclaimer: I'm exaggerating for an effect. But still...*
1. I hate pigeons, Chuck, I hate them! The problem is, they don't seem to hate me. Pigeons are probably the most disgusting animal on this planet. I'd rather lick a pig than get close to a pigeon. But Bologna is full of them and they are so used to humans that they don't move out of your way. This is very vexing. But what's worse is that I can't really show my fear of pigeons. You are supposed to walk around the city like you own the place so that you don't look like a tourist who wants to be pick-pocketed-- and waiting for the pigeons to pass is not the way you do that. BLEH! Rats with wings!
2. Let's play a little word game. In America, what would you call a narrow street, with graffiti, that's a little dark because of the tall buildings surrounding it, that's pretty dirty, and has creepy guys who whistle at girls. I think the word for that is alley and it's one of those things girls who are walking by themselves try to avoid. But what do you call this in Italy? A VIA, just like every other via. And apparently it's cool for everyone to walk down. That is with a few precautions such as only carry a little money in your wallet because the chances of it getting stolen are a little high. So do you trust your American instinct, or do you do as the Italians do. The answer to this is not clear, because very often, the American instinct is wrong. The best example of this is walking down the street. In American, it's nice to look at the person walking and smile at them and maybe say hi if you are feeling especially nice. In Italy, making eye contact with someone is too much and could be sending the wrong message. Good to know, good to know. *Disclaimer: I'm exaggerating for an effect. But still...*
domenica 25 agosto 2013
August 25-
I wasn't exactly planning on writing everyday, but I got a request from my roommate-- shout out to Carolina!! And something interesting did happen today. First, I went to my first Italian mass! I also had my first Italian confession which was a little odd considering I speak very little Italian and the priest spoke no English. I was trying to tell him that I had 8 siblings but he thought I meant 8 kids. I said, "No, I'm only 21. He said, "How many kids do you have?" Yeah, I had to start over on that one. ;) Then I walked around Bologna for hours and hours. It was beautiful, but my feet are killing me! Then I went home to my apartment. 6 other girls will be coming to the apartment in a week, but right now it's just me, alone. :( For those of you who know me well, I don't do alone. But tonight, I didn't have to. Someone rang my doorbell which I thought was a little odd because I don't really know anyone here. It was a nice girl from Holland who lives a floor below me and is part of the same group as the girls I will be living with. Within 2 minutes of her conversation, she ended up kind of inviting herself and her 2 siblings and her 2 friends over for dinner at my apartment. It was so much fun! There was English, Italian, and Dutch being spoken over dinner! They had a little food and I had a little food, and between all of us, we had a great dinner!
sabato 24 agosto 2013
August 24
I have a story to tell everyone. Today, I was the translator between an Italian speaker and an English speaker. That's the end of the story. But still, pretty sweet!
Also, I walked home today. Google maps told me it would take 45 min. I walk pretty fast, so I thought I could do it in 30 min. Well, apparently, I don't walk fast.... and I get lost. But don't worry, I made it home in 2 HOURS!!
And now, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you that the older the city, the stupider the layout of the city is. And Bologna is very very old. There is no order to the streets here. One street will randomly turn into another street. They all go in different directions and all of them are really narrow. I can be looking at a map and at the (poorly labeled) street signs and still wonder how I ended up on the road I thought was one street north. I can't even say one block north because there really is no such thing as a block in this city. A block is like a square of land surrounded by streets. But what do you call a triangle or pentagon or other polygon-ish thing surrounded by via's, churches and piazza's? The locals don't even know the city perfectly. I asked 3 different people for directions for a street and they all told me that they had never heard of it. But, as hard as it is to get around in this city, it is all beautiful!
Also, I walked home today. Google maps told me it would take 45 min. I walk pretty fast, so I thought I could do it in 30 min. Well, apparently, I don't walk fast.... and I get lost. But don't worry, I made it home in 2 HOURS!!
And now, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you that the older the city, the stupider the layout of the city is. And Bologna is very very old. There is no order to the streets here. One street will randomly turn into another street. They all go in different directions and all of them are really narrow. I can be looking at a map and at the (poorly labeled) street signs and still wonder how I ended up on the road I thought was one street north. I can't even say one block north because there really is no such thing as a block in this city. A block is like a square of land surrounded by streets. But what do you call a triangle or pentagon or other polygon-ish thing surrounded by via's, churches and piazza's? The locals don't even know the city perfectly. I asked 3 different people for directions for a street and they all told me that they had never heard of it. But, as hard as it is to get around in this city, it is all beautiful!
venerdì 23 agosto 2013
The first few days
Ciao tutti!
I'm going to try to keep a blog while I'm here in Bologna so I don't keep writing the same thing in many emails. Just a quick update and some funny stories of what has happened in the last 3 days.
I arrived at 9am on August 22. I sleep very well on airplanes, but on this trip I only slept for 3 hours because the rest of the night was just a time change. So the first day, I slept a lot! I already have an apartment with 5 other Italian girls. It's just outside the city walls and a 45min walk to my classes. Needless to say, I've learned how to use the bus ;)
The first day, I tried to buy some food at the grocery store. The first problem was finding it. It was only 2 blocks away from my apartment, but for some reason it took me a good 20 minutes to get there and I had to ask directions from 3 people. When I got there, I just bought a few things so that I could survive the next few days. I gave the lady at the check-out stand some oranges. Well, apparently you are supposed to weigh the fruit yourself and print out the price sticker. I saw other people doing that, but I just thought Italians were paranoid about the weight of their fruit. So when I got to the check-out, the lady asked me where the sticker was. I didn't understand what she was saying so some nice lady in line behind me (who was probably sick of waiting) ran to go do it for me! Then, I took a few minutes to form one italian sentence, "Can I use my american credit card". I thought the answer would be yes or no, which I understand in Italian. ;) But instead, she came back with another question. Oops, non parlo italiano. Unfortunately, no one in line spoke english. But we figured it out in the end. :)
Today I bought my first gelato. Well actually more like my first 2 gelati. The first one I bought tumbled off as soon as I started eating it. I've been under a lot of stress these past few days, and I have to admit, that gelato tumble almost made me cry. But a few hours later one of my friends took me to get gelato and so everything was ok.
And how is my italian? Well, it's all they speak around here. I don't know why that came as such a surprise to me. ;) (I know, too many smilely faces). But I can mostly understand when someone is speaking directly to me and very slowly. In a normal conversation, I can usually only grasp the topic. My italian is better in the afternoons, but first thing in the morning and late at night, it's pretty hard. Everyone has to pray that I pick it up quickly because it is very hard for me not to talk ;)
OK, more stories to come!
Ciao!
I'm going to try to keep a blog while I'm here in Bologna so I don't keep writing the same thing in many emails. Just a quick update and some funny stories of what has happened in the last 3 days.
I arrived at 9am on August 22. I sleep very well on airplanes, but on this trip I only slept for 3 hours because the rest of the night was just a time change. So the first day, I slept a lot! I already have an apartment with 5 other Italian girls. It's just outside the city walls and a 45min walk to my classes. Needless to say, I've learned how to use the bus ;)
The first day, I tried to buy some food at the grocery store. The first problem was finding it. It was only 2 blocks away from my apartment, but for some reason it took me a good 20 minutes to get there and I had to ask directions from 3 people. When I got there, I just bought a few things so that I could survive the next few days. I gave the lady at the check-out stand some oranges. Well, apparently you are supposed to weigh the fruit yourself and print out the price sticker. I saw other people doing that, but I just thought Italians were paranoid about the weight of their fruit. So when I got to the check-out, the lady asked me where the sticker was. I didn't understand what she was saying so some nice lady in line behind me (who was probably sick of waiting) ran to go do it for me! Then, I took a few minutes to form one italian sentence, "Can I use my american credit card". I thought the answer would be yes or no, which I understand in Italian. ;) But instead, she came back with another question. Oops, non parlo italiano. Unfortunately, no one in line spoke english. But we figured it out in the end. :)
Today I bought my first gelato. Well actually more like my first 2 gelati. The first one I bought tumbled off as soon as I started eating it. I've been under a lot of stress these past few days, and I have to admit, that gelato tumble almost made me cry. But a few hours later one of my friends took me to get gelato and so everything was ok.
And how is my italian? Well, it's all they speak around here. I don't know why that came as such a surprise to me. ;) (I know, too many smilely faces). But I can mostly understand when someone is speaking directly to me and very slowly. In a normal conversation, I can usually only grasp the topic. My italian is better in the afternoons, but first thing in the morning and late at night, it's pretty hard. Everyone has to pray that I pick it up quickly because it is very hard for me not to talk ;)
OK, more stories to come!
Ciao!
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