Another Average Day...in ITALY!

Hola! (I decided to switch the language up on you guys...)

So, we started classes two days ago...yuck! Actually, I'm really enjoying the classes I am taking (I know I'm a dork...don't be a hater). I'm taking Comparative Legislative/Electoral Systems and Strategic Intelligence, which are the two hardest classes to take here. Both of the professors, Dr. Bullock and Dr. Johnson, are two of the best teachers in the School of Public and International Affairs (where I will likely spend the next four to six years of my life, depending on where I go to grad school) at UGA, and they are extremely hard to get into on campus. They are both going to be extremely challenging; I'm in class from 8-12:45 Monday-Thursday, and I have at least 15 chapters to read each week! But I'm really enjoying them, which makes it easier to pay attention. Plus I have friends in each of my classes, so it will be nice to have someone to study with for my midterms that are NEXT WEEK.

Let's see...the past few days have been pretty chill here. We have been trying to decide what weekend trips to take, and we finally figured it all out! This weekend I am going to Salzburg, Austria, which is where The Sound of Music was filmed/where the von Trapp family actually lived, and where Mozart was born (shut up, I told you I was a dork!). 8 of us girls are going, and we're staying at a hostel. And by hostel, I mean campsite. Luckily with all of my camping experience (NOT) this will be easy for me. We're doing a Sound of Music tour, including the field where Julie Andrews sings at the beginning, the abbey where Maria lived (and hopefully going to mass there on Sunday), and seeing the mountains that the von Trapps climb over at the end of the movie! I am so excited.

Then next weekend, we are going to...drumroll please...DUBLIN, IRELAND! I am thrilled about this. I have always wanted to explore my Irish heritage, aka the land where pale is the new tan. Six of us are going, which will be a nice small group. I can't wait to visit the actual home country of "Dancing at Lughnasa"! The next weekend, we are going to Barcelona, Spain, which I've heard is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It's right on the water, and apparently there are cathedrals and palaces and plazas (oh my!) everywhere you go. It should be really fun!

Speaking of trips, the other day a bunch of us went to the train station to pick up our train tickets to get to Salzburg. While we were waiting at the bus stop for the train, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around, and some guy was touching my shoulder! Needless to say I was a little freaked out, so I pulled away. Then he came over and started touching each of our arms and grabbing our hands. We realized that he was mentally handicapped, but it was still pretty creepy! All of a sudden, all of my harassment training kicked into gear, and I just started saying "No! No! Stop. No." ("just say no" has a whole new meaning now!). The group was pretty freaked out, but he finally left. Then, we all realized that the situation was pretty funny overall, and it's been an inside joke ever since. We later regretted that our guy friends weren't there. Then again, the situation was so funny that they probably wouldn't have been able to do anything but laugh anyway! Now you know the reason for my apparently puzzling facebook status...

This afternoon/evening, we loaded up the tour buses and went to a winery about 20 minutes away from Verona. We toured the actual winery and then we were served dinner and got to sample a white wine that goes with appetizers, a red dinner wine, and a sweet dessert wine. It was so much fun, and I felt so sophisticated! Definitely a unique experience.

Fortunately, the weather has cooled down A LOT. It has been in the 90s since we got here, and it was 97 yesterday! But today, it finally cooled down to the normal May temperature of 75. I had forgotten what it was like to not be dripping with sweat 24/7.

I can't even tell you how much fun I am having. First, it's a surreal experience to even be in Italy in the first place. I can sit on my double-wide balcony, look at the river that snakes through the city, and see the snow-covered Alps in the distance. Apparently we got the best room in the place (top floor, living room and kitchen, two bedrooms, double-balcony, etc...), so everyone loves hanging out with us! Which is pretty cool. We are able to cook for ourselves, so the past few nights everyone just brings over their dinner and we all sit on the balcony, eat our pasta, drink our wine, and look at the Alps. It is so cool! I love everyone on this trip. I have made so many good friends so far. I went from casually knowing only two people on the trip to having a ton of really good friends who I'm going to jet-set all around Europe with. I am so incredibly fortunate to be able to go on this trip, and I can't wait to experience the rest of it!

Thanks for keeping up with my blog! Love and miss you guys!

Arleta