The infamous mid-year....
Yes ladies and gentlemen, we find ourselves upon the ever-so-exciting time of mid-year....the time where all of the most isolated americans in Europe (and other various places)get together and be....un-isolated? haha
Mid-year is probably the place where people see very foggily through their STINT goggles that they have been fabricating over the past couple months and start to get interested in random guys or girls from other STINT teams just because you are sick of the guys or girls on your team or because of your isolated-ness, you see something you like and it gets magnified and develops into a week-long romance......but then you have the adorably sweet story of Mike and Sara (agh I really don't know how she spells her name...wait I am not even sure what she looks like!) from last year's Salerno and Liverpool STINT teams, respectively, who are getting married in June because of a joke that started last year in the magical place that is Narja, Spain. *pause to recover from that humongous possibly run-on sentence that just ended*
So as funny as we all are, Salerno has been joking about who we can set up this year at mid-year (don't deny it LP, ya'll have done it too). So we have 2 options at the moment...
First option:
Nathan, our fearless leader has been nominated by our Salerno team to find a woman.....we can't really give him too many limitations because he is a pretty particular fella, but we have charged him with the mission of finding his future wife at mid-year....so watch out ladies, he's gonna have his a-game on....
2nd option (and the more amusing one):
Well, since Salerno and LP are one for one with the mid-year "romance" and marriage to follow, we gotta keep up the tradition......and when Steph, Ryan, and I were talking at the Richmond when we were up there, we came up with a plan......since the future couple can't be coming back next year cuz that is when they are supposed to be getting married, they have to be 2nd years....(as pointed out by Ryan).....so for that comment, we (or maybe I....not really sure if Steph was in d'accord) decided that it would have to be Ryan Hawkins and Katy Myers.......get ready to lay down your a-game Ryan!
And so folks, keep your eyes out for happennings at mid-year......becasue we have to fulfill the 4 goals of Crusade, Build, Win, Send, and Get Married....
HA
wow that was fun.....
Public privacy?
One of the great things that Italy can give STINTers like us is "public privacy".....you may be asking yourself "self, she is sounding like a crazy person! what might this mean??".....well, I'm gonna help you understand the joys of "public privacy" in Italy....
When you are in a place such as Salerno, where about 3.5% of the population (its true, I have done studies!) speaks english.......you can be so private in public places! Sometimes its better to be surrounded by 100 italians than it is to be in a room with 10 english speakers trying to have a conversation.....its like a special freedom you have, because on that 3.5% chance that a person around you can understand you, there is NO WAY they can FULLY understand what you're up to.....
Case in point: (or point in case, to those select few that choose to express it like so)
Our 30-45 minute bus ride to and from the university has been an awesome time to get our convo flowin.....no matter if we have our faces in an italian's armpit or have 2 seats to yourself, you have all this time to do nothing but talk......
In my experience, when I have nothing else to do except talk, that is when it all comes out.....I mean, besides turning anti-social and putting my ipod in my ears and jammin out to the latest songs from Mr. A-Z (shout out to whoever can understand that), there's nothing else to do! Maybe because I know the other person can't leave, they're stuck there to listen to anything I have to say and vice versa......some interesting things come out in those situations! If you wanna get me talking, get me on a bus and ask away.....
Oh for the sake of fashion......
So you know, coming overseas into a whole new culture, you should expect some changes......but really, fashion never crossed my mind to be THAT high on the list....but here I go on a rant....
Well, for one, the LP team has a TON of problems to deal with in the so-called "scouse" fashion.....when we were up there, we partook in the "dress up like a scouser" activity that was a part of their fun-filled and action-packed team night.....that style they got up there pains my EYES to have it come across my line of vision....
But Italy here is a different story....
For one thing, as was observed at our in country mid-year, all Italians have like 4 outfits and they just rotate them all around......on top of that the non-existence of the antiperspirant/deodorant combo in the country of italy, just doesn't fly with me.
Secondly, as in ANY europeean country (and coincidentally in ANY nightclub area anywhere in the world), girls go to great lengths to freeze themselves to death in 40 * F weather in skirts that are 2 inches long!!!
Here's the kicker....in the land of leather, and subsequently shoes, people spend an OUTRAGEOUS amount of money on their footwear....not just footwear, but the most dangerous footwear known to man! I mean, there's not really any genuinely FLAT sidewalks/streets in Salerno, but EVERYBODY has a pair of stilettos! Us, apparently "uncoordinated", Americans can barely walk down a cobblestone hill in much more complicated footwear than sneakers, and they insist on boots with a spike of death on the back! I tried to join in the masses of Italian residents and get my hands on a pair of boots, but I knew better than to go all out and break my ankle with 5-inch heels, so I got some VERY NICE brown boots with a heel on them the shape of a small block of wood.....and they serve me just fine. =) But if you don't end up breaking your ankle or careening down a cobblestone hill (as us girls have almost done quite a few times), your feet are tired anyways because you have been trapesing all over creation with all of your weight on the balls of your feet!
So yeah, girls go through that pain with the vast array of heeled footwear, but do guys go through excrutiating pain to look good in Italy? I really haven't seen anything too terrible, but then again our guys aren't fully embarking on all that is fashion for the uomini over here......
...there probably is something painful about that italian mullet, and I don't wish that fate on anybody....
Woo Hoo!
This is so not an interesting post, but its all I got....
I got mail today! Its so exciting! There is just something unbelievably fun about getting something in the mail.....Granted, I knew what it was, but when a small taste of home arrives on your doorstep, you rejoice, no?
So on the flip side, I gotta start mailing stuff back home.....specially for my best friend Katie....I didn't send her a Christmas OR Birthday present (dude, it was October 8th...I didn't know how to say "Good day sir, I would like a box to mail this unbelievably large box across that big pond to America, can you help me?" yet!) so I have been ammassing the most amazing collection of Italian goodies to deliver soon....
I cannot divulge the contents of this box because she might catch wind of it, and that would ruin all the fun.....but ask me and I will let ya know.....
But my question is, what would you send back as an array of goodies from your STINTING country?
TV shows on dvd...
are probably the best invention ever.
Today, we wrapped up the final episodes of Lost, Season 1.....apparently, we are getting a hold of Season 2 soon :) YAY
But yeah, tv shows on dvd are awesome cuz they don't have to take up as much time as watching a movie if you don't want them to.......sitcoms are usually 23 min, and hour long ones are 43....so you could have a bit of time to do nothing, you could pop a Boy Meets World in and watch one, or 5....depending on the amount of time you have.....you can have breaks in between, and customize your viewing experience!
So yeah....these past eps were VERY intense....I was pretty much bawling for a stretch there, and most of the time I was talking to the people on the show....it was so good!
anybody with me here??
Slightly obsessed?
Yes.......2 blogs in one afternoon! As well as with this......
so, last night Nate and I were eating pizza and I saw a grease stain and said,
"hey, that looks like a paw print"
and Nate said "a JAGUAR paw print"
and as soon as the word jaguar came out of his mouth, I BOLTED out of my seat and ran past katy and tim, that were coming in the door at the moment, to the computer.....to check the outcome of the Jags playoff game.......we lost to the Pats 28-3....I mean, they've beat us 2 other times in the playoffs IN Foxboro, so why should this time be any different? Ok, I'm over it.....but since I am still obsessed with the NFL, I still gotta pay attention to the goings on.....so next weekend's playoff schedule:
Redskins at Seahawks, Sat. 4:30pm
Pats at Broncos, Sat. 8pm
Steelers at Colts, Sun. 1pm
Panthers at Bears (!?!?!??!!?!), Sun. 4:30
So onto my amusement.....I am on the superbowl website and it shows photos from all 4 victorious teams in the playoffs last weekend.....I look at the first one, and this one guy looks familiar (I mean they all look familiar, cuz they're famous, but this guy is EXTRA familiar).....I keep looking at it, and I almost yelp from excitement (yep, you didn't know that one, such as I, could yelp).........its MARK BRUNELL! My BOY! *pause for backstory* backstory commences: He was the Jags' QB for 8 YEARS! 31 mil for 6 years! He was well worth it, I believe....backstory finishes*pause over* I was SOOO excited for him! He is an awesome QB and I am now rooting for the 'skins in these here playoffs....as well as the Steelers AND Colts....no clue how that's gonna work out, but I want Peyton to get to a Superbowl!
So here I am......halfway across the world, a little too obsessed for my own good....
stay tuned :)
My Top 10?
So I have been pondering what to put in this blog, and I have concluded that all who read this and AREN'T on my team haven't fully experienced Italy as I have.......so I will attempt to give ya'll a snapshot of this little boot-like country I have been calling home:
Top 10 things I like about where I live (Italy/Salerno/my apartment) being totally superficial here....
10) warm-ish weather
9) awesome students we hang out with
8) our vonage phone
7) the fact that we can walk to whatever we need usually, and even take a commonly travelled bus or train!
6) napolitano pizza!
5) the fact that I get to make a fool out of myself while learning a different language
4) the history that is surrounding me (be it close with paestum and pompeii, or even things a little farther away like Normandy and Auschwitz)
3) that I can keep in slight contact with america by watching american media (tv shows and movies) even when they're in Italian!
2) gelato
*drumroll please*
1) The awesome view out the windows of my apartment of the mediterranean sea! (complete with sailboats!)
Top 10 things I DON'T LIKE about where I live...
10) I don't have my own (functioning) computer
9) I can't keep track of (ALL of) my tv shows and new movies coming out
8) Mail takes forever to get here
7) We have to take a bus 45 min to campus every day sometimes with our faces in Italians' armpits
6) That campus is a good 15*F colder than Salerno
5) Our apartment has tile EVERYWHERE....I want some wall to wall carpeting!
4) The hill I have to trek up every day
3) Dog poop I have to dodge in the street
2) I am missing out on my friends' lives back home
*drumroll please*
1) WE DON'T HAVE HEAT IN OUR APARTMENT!
stay tuned :)
This is pitiful....
Especially because this isn't even interesting and I feel the need to put it up here....We got back on friday night and I hung out at the guys' place and watched some Lost.....and at about 1am, I decided that going back to an empty house up that monstrous hill wasn't very desirable.....so I stayed in their extra bed......
Saturday, I woke up at 2:15, had a conference or 2 with God, talked to Tim some, did some blogging, and then watched Lost and ate dinner.....and at 1 am, that hike looked nowhere near desirable......
This morning, well.....afternoon, since I woke up at 12:30, the girls came over to go to lunch about 5 min after I woke up......needless to say, I'm NOT going out looking like I just woke up.....so, all of them left, and I am sitting here all by my lonesome....blogging.....pondering when I should take my shower.....
BUT
The biggest reason I think I didn't go home yesterday or out with them today.......*drumroll please* is I think my mind doesn't want to go back to it.....I mean, I had a break of 3 weeks! If I go back to the apartment, that means that I go back to working on relationships, stressing about work, sharing a room with 3 other people, and appearing to be somebody that I'm not (I'm definitely working on that one).......and here I go again making it seem like its such a bad situation, but its really not......my mind is playing tricks on me.....
I think my mind just wants to watch Lost... :D
Oh you guys didn't know what you were getting into when you enticed me to sign up for this thing ;)
So I might be slacking in the blogging ALREADY......
But.....I do have some random comments!
These are some observations about my past couple weeks:
1)I like lines.....I experienced many of them this trip, and I realized how much I like them and how non-stressful they are! On our way back from LP yesterday we stopped to "hang out" in Rome (I'll get to that later) and we went to eat at Burger King cuz everything else was closed for Epiphany/Mini Christmas (where the Christmas Witch comes) and it took us an HOUR to buy food cuz of the non-existence of a line....not fun....
2)It is so cool to live in Italy! I mean, who just goes and "hangs out" in ROME for a couple hours?!?! We went to check out Sant Eustachios for some of the awesomest coffee in the world, but the line was about 50 people long! So all we REALLY did was walk from Termini to the Pantheon/Sant Eustachios and back to the guys' place and then left on a Eurostar.....
3)All of STINT in Western Europe might be addicted to watching LOST...I will get back to you with final stats after mid-year, but yeah....I am convinced.....we came home yesterday and watched 2 episodes :)
4)Being on STINT automatically makes you friends......I mean seriously......this trip, I stayed with 2 different teams that I didn't really know until December, but they were awesome and let me stay with them, now I can't wait to see them at Mid-Year!
5)When I have nothing to do and I feel slightly sick, let me sleep and I will waste the day.....on tuesday in LP I slept till 1:15.......today, I slept till 2:30!
and my final comment.....as I ponder how I am going to drag my suitcase up that massive Salerno hill.....
6)I am way lazy and even though I have been getting tired of living out of a suitcase........I don't feel like lugging that thing home!
*signing off*
Well, here's my first post....
And I mean, my first post for this random comment blog......my other one is
www.livejournal.com/users/kathscof ........that recaps vital information for my everyday life......but in line with the LP team's randomosity I will be bestowing upon the masses my random comments and musings from my world.....
stay tuned :)
