just another day in Italy....

Yeah right!  It was a postcard perfect kind of day. I still can't believe I am in Italy.  Yesterday was pretty laid back, which was helpful.  I still can't get this sleep thing figured out.  Around lunch time yesterday, I was exhausted and ready to sleep.  But when it was actually time to sleep....I couldn't!  I think I finally dozed off around 2 am only to wake up at 6 am.  Today is going to be a tourist day for us, so hopefully I will be able to stay awake.

The first thing we did yesterday was tour our villa.  AMAZING!  They showed us areas of the house that ranges from 150 to possibly 400 years old.  This house has a wine cellar, olive press room (neither of which are working today), a chapel, multiple garages, and multiple bedrooms.  

We had two sessions yesterday afternoon.  One was about wellness within ourselves and our clients and the second was about alternative therapies.  They were both interesting and I learned a little more about myself and the counseling process.    Later in the evening, probably when I would typically be planning dinner (5:30ish), we went on a walk.  It is crazy to me to see how many people have vineyards.  They are everywhere! The land is simply breathtaking and to be honest, pictures do not do it justice!  Dinner was minestrone soup and bruschetta (which is pronounced bru-ske-ta).  The food here is wonderful!  I understand why people think about food when they hear the word Italy.  After dinner, we had a brief Italian lesson.  It was a little difficult to squeeze by southern accent into some of the Italian word, but overall it isn't a difficult language.  The best part is that in Italian you pronounce every vowel!  So with my name the E would be spoken.  Although Claire translates to something different in Italian.  I am going to ask our host, Dr Krieg, what it is and will post later.

Today we are off to Pisa and Lucca!

my first morning

Well the internet works sometimes and other times not, so I am going to write a short bit before this morning's session. Last night we had a fabulous dinner of pesto lasagna, fresh salad (all grown here at the villa), and carrot cake.  I don't think I am going to go hungry while I am here!  I slept well and don't think jet lag is going to be too much of an issue, although I may steal a nap in the afternoon.  This morning we are going to get a crash course on Italy and take a tour of the grounds.  We stay here (villa) all day and have sessions this afternoon.  My favorite thing about where we are staying are the wild poppies that grow every where!  I plan to take a picture today and will hopefully post more tonight!

some pictures

Here we are in the airport!!!

A view from my room!

We have arrived!

We made it safe and sound this afternoon to Italy.  The plane ride was uneventful and despite my apprehension, it really didn't seem very long.  But don't be confused because it was over 9 hours!  The food was good (for an airplane) and kept coming during the entire flight.  We had snack, dinner, snack, and breakfast.  Delta makes sure no one goes hungry!  I also enjoyed the freedom of picking which movies I wanted to watch.  I watched Slumdog Millionaire (so good) and Inkheart (surprisingly ok).  I had an issue with the passenger in front of me who didn't understand the rule "seat backs up and tray tables in the locked position".  Oh what joy, to have your personal space decreased the entire time....but he wasn't an American so I decided it would be my first of many adventures with people from other cultures.

Once we landed and made it through customs, the real adventures began.  I definitely struggled with using the pay phone and required three tries before I finally made the call.  My first purchase was a diet coke that cost 2.60 euros...you do the math, but that is one expensive drink!  We loaded the bus and took a four hour trip to Reggello.  During the trip we stopped for lunch, I had the best panino.  Such a yummy lunch!  The panino (singular for panini...I am learning so much) plus a bottle water was only 5 euros.  This may not be a deal, but after my diet coke it seemed like a great way to spend money.  

We have been settling in for the last couple of hours and are about to sit down for the first meal!  

Packing

I leave for the airport in less than 12 hours and there is still so much to do!  As I pack, I have found a few items missing, which means another run to the store.  But as a whole, packing is going well.  In fact, I was getting nervous as my bag was filling up that it might weigh too much.  But I am only at 40 pounds!!  That is great news because none of my toiletries are packed yet. Half the fun of travel is seeing how much you can cram into one suitcase!  Here are some pictures of my progress...   ok, these pictures are backwards in the order I intended, but I am too tired to fix...

I just thought these looked perfect for traveling!  

I can "brush" my teeth when I wake up on the flight.

This is the important stuff :0)

Suitcase full of clothes...so much more to add!

Here are a few pictures to begin my blog.  I tried to include them in the last post but something didn't work.  

Getting Ready....

This week we had a mandatory orientation with UAB Study Away.  We learned about various subjects that we will deal with while on our trip.   It was interesting to hear from a panel of students who had traveled abroad the previous summer.  Hopefully this information will help me get better prepared since my trip is only two weeks away!!!

Our recommended reading about the culture of Italy. 

Brie and I at UAB Study Away orientation