Under the Tuscan Sun

We went on our first day trip to CORTONA today! It's a rather short trip so we slept in and left on the train at 11:30 this morning. Buying train tickets is a whole new experience for us because, unlike the US, you don't just buy round-trip tickets. You can but it's not necessarily given because plenty of people go back and forth for work and whatnot. When we arrived, the train station was completely vacant. There was no one around. There were no employees "manning" the station. Nothing. We knew that once we exited, we'd have to take a bus up to Cortona because the city's on the side/top of a huge hill (part of the Apennines). A lady there at the bus stop helped us figure out how to get tickets and we were headed to CORTONA!

It's kind of a weird feeling to just show up somewhere, not knowing where to go or what you plan to do when you get there. We walked around for awhile until we found the chiesa di San Francesco. It was reconstructed in the 1600s, which is evident when you look up at the rafters. I was very sure they were going to fall on top of me.

We decided we were hungry so we set out to find some grub. If you've ever been a tourist in a foreign country, you understand the sick feeling you get in your stomach when you know you have to walk into a restaurant where all eyes will be on you. So we found this little pizzeria, took deep breaths, and walked in. Shortly after we were seated, a couple came in and it took 2.5 seconds to realize that they were American. After a couple exchanges, we found out that they're retired Californians who just "decided to pick up and move to Italy for a year." Oh, okay. Is that how it goes in California? You just feel like transplanting to a new corner of the Earth? Honestly, I'm fine with it. Even if it means I have to go by myself. Nevertheless, here was lunch!

I had passed by a scarf that I loved in the doorway to a shop and decided to go in and buy it. It turned out to be a leather shop, which is somewhere I've been wanting to visit! Either Danielle or I (probably both) said, "It smells like leather;" to which the shopowner said, "I suppose it would since you're in a leather shop." What a sassypants! We didn't know whether to be surprised by the comment or the fact that she was a Brit who spoke lovely English. She asked what we were doing in Cortona and we told her we were from Oklahoma, studying abroad in Arezzo. She then proceeded to tell us how studying abroad was how she ended up in Italy... She met her husband! It should come as no surprise to any of you that I was warned a million times before I left about this future husband that I was sure to meet. Unfortunately or fortunately (and I'm not sure which), there are noooo college aged boys who are even remotely attractive, if we see them in the first place. If they are, they might just awkwardly rubberneck us until we're out of sight. Anyway, I ended up buying a beautiful, green, expensive leather purse that I don't even remotely regret buying, mom. Then the lady gave me the scarf. Sweetheart.

On our way out, we asked her where we could find "Bramasole," the house from Under the Tuscan Sun. She smiled that knowing smile, as I'm sure she's very used to tourists asking that question. She said it was about a 20 minute walk that required you to go through parks, around tennis courts, down roads, blah. We were like, "Okay. Okay. Ain't no thang. 20 minutes. We got this." I don't know in what world that walk would ever be 20 minutes. Maybe on one of those motor scooters that everyone seems to find so hip here. 45 minutes later... We were like, "Maybe we've gone too far. Maybe we passed it. Maybe it's up around this corner." Three times we said, "If it's not around this corner, we're going back." FINALLY, we found it. She had warned us that we'd see manicured lawns, which is actually helpful since most people don't manicure lawns here. So here's the beautiful Bramasole. If it's different than you remember, though, it's because they didn't use her actual house to film -- only one like it.

 Finally, here's one of me with some beautiful Tuscan landscape.
Wish you were here!

Party in the U.S.A.

So tonight is NOT a school night in Arezzo, folks. Maybe I didn't mention this but there is NOOO Friday classes this semester. Three day weekend, yeah?! Tonight was karaoke night at this place called Crispi's, which is the equivalent of a Chili's but with live entertainment. "Karaoke" was all we needed to hear. We showed up to an already-packed house so there were no tables available. It didn't matter. The second the DJ noticed we were "Americani," out came the Madonna, Beach Boys, Sinatra, Rihanna, ACDC, The Village People, you name it. My favorite, though, was when the music suddenly got really slow and we heard, "Start spreading the news! I'm leaving today. I want to be a part of it. NEW YORRRRK. NEW YORRRRRK." All 150 pairs of eyes were on us while we wailed the lyrics. Such a proud and embarrassing 5 minutes. We haven't been able to stop singing it since then, though. The karaoke soon became a dance party and we all just laughed and danced and played for like, 3 hours. Don't worry, we made little to no eye contact with strange boys and left in groups, mom. It was the most fun I've had so far! There were probably 250 people on the second floor that was only meant to hold about 100. I felt like such a goldfish -- people stared at us like we were exotic creatures. But, true to the American reputation, none of that affected our willingness to participate!

This post is short and sweet! I hope your Thursday evening was equally memorable!

Good Morning, Vietnam!

Gooood Evening, or Buonasera, America! Or should I say, "Good Afternoon," for you! The weather's supposed to be getting gross again, soon; so, we've been sent briefings on protocol for doctors visits and insurance. We're not thrilled for the brutal chill because we were planning to skip over to Cortona for the weekend. It's in our province so it's literally a 20-ish minute drive from Arezzo. It's just unfortunate that this adventure is in the Italian winter because we want to see the beautiful sunflowers famous in Tuscany. Danielle looooves the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun, so Cortona was on her list of must-sees. It's costing us less than 3€ to travel there so maybe at the end, when it's warm, we'll head back there. You can tell that everyone's starting to get restless since we feel like we've seen the whole city. Everyone's planning trips soon -- to Rome, to Venice for Carnivale, to Milan for shopping (although, which of us could even afford that city, anyway??), and other, major cities.

Our classes started this week and this week's reading seemed a little overwhelming. The first day of Italian 2 was the professor's attempt to get a feel of how well each of us remember Italian 1's curriculum. The difference being that she's teaching the course... in Italian. I'm NOT ready for that, yet!! Sometimes, if you can imagine me doing this, she'll look at me and ask me a question that merits an answer and I say, "Si!" To which, she looks at me and says, "Si?? No. No. No. Si, cosa?" It makes me feel completely incompetent. The other courses I'm taking are a Renaissance Art History course and an Illicit Trafficking course. Both of those classes collectively required 10ish hours of reading for the first days of class. I've lost sooo much sleep this week, which is only adding to the severity of my cold.

^^Here's a picture of my beautiful Arezzo Family! (I'm front and center; which is actually a new thing for me. lol)

Danielle and I's room is haunted. You're rolling your eyes at me. Stop it, because it's true. The second night, I went to sleep after Danielle so I was the only one awake. The door was closed and when it opens, it's loud and annoying. I laid down in bed and in what could have only been a hallucination, I swear I saw the door open silently, a black shadowy figure walk across the room and then back towards me, getting closer and closer to my bed. I was exaggeratedly blinking, trying to wake myself up, when I finally just threw the covers over my head and shut my eyes. I was trying to decide what to do if it was a person... Should I wake Danielle up? Should I reach for something?? The closest thing to my bed is my slippers! I guess I eventually calmed down because I woke up the next morning and, of course, told Danielle. She scoffed at me and called me ridiculous, which is probably close to the truth. Then the next night, she was having constant nightmares when she finally rolled over and looked up to find a shadow in the corner of the room hovering. What do you have to say to that, hmmm?? Last night, we were reminiscing on all this at 2am (not a good idea, right?) and this creepy motion light came on. I said, "It looks like a Paranormal Acitivity trailer." Real smoothe, Courtney. So we ended up pushing the beds together and we've mutually decided to leave them there.

You wanna know my pony dream?? My pony dream is to fly to Ireland and spend a long weekend there. I want to go to Galway or Cork or somewhere beautiful and see the prettiest greens I've ever seen. Then I wanna happen upon a pub and hear the band playing Galway Girl. It'll be the first time in my whole life that being a redhead doesn't make me stand out. It'll be the best!! It's actually quite doable. RyanAir's really cheap if you don't mind turbulent-friendly flights and no amenities. Perfect! My friend Callie on the trip has family just outside of London so a couple of us are flirting with the idea of going home with her one weekend. We'll see! There's so much I'm trying to do while I'm on this continent!

Honeymooning

Welcome to my favorite spot in Arezzo! In every major city in Italy (or maybe it's every single city?), there's what's called a Duomo. A Duomo is the main cathedral in a given city. There are other smaller churches but the Duomo is visited the most. Up the gianttt hill just past the school and around the Duomo, there's a wooded park. Once you walk through the wooded park, you see this fantastic view of the whole town. I had a couple hours to myself, decided to explore the Duomo, and just happened upon this amazing view. My jaw dropped, my hand went to my heart and I knew that I'd never forget that moment. Smoke is coming up the stacks, the hills are filled with private villas and there's a fog over the whole scene. I've seen pictures like this in movies and textbooks but there's nothing like seeing it for yourself in its breathtaking color and smells. You probably don't see what I see -- the picture doesn't do it justice -- but it's so, so lovely.

Here's a picture of me with my first gelato of the trip. It was at a place called Paradiso by the Piazza Guido Monaco. I had pistachio and it was very delicious! I'm still a little shy with my Italian. I don't like to say the little Italian I know because I'm afraid they'll laugh at me. Heck, they laugh at me when I'm only walking down the street. I'm getting better, though. I'll ask the price of things and, of course, exchange a few general courtesies and things.

 We had another break today that was significant so Danielle and I went to explore some more beautiful spots in Arezzo. This time, we went past the Duomo and just meandered through some of their manicured lawns and parks. We found this lovely view and stopped for some pictures. Kirk, the President of OU in Arezzo, has lived in Italy for 15 years now. He told us a story about visiting his in-laws last year. His father-in-law said, "What are you running away from? What's so wrong with America?" He answered, "I'm not running away. Home is just where you feel like you fit." After spending the week here, I can imagine someone thinking that. It would be easy to go anywhere this beautiful, be swept away and be left wondering why you should even go back. I still feel too overwhelmed to feel that way yet, don't worry. But I'm still honeymooning, so bear with me.

Here's another shot without me :)

Tonight, we had a language exchange with some Italian students studying English for various reasons. There was a 70-year-old women, a 45+ year old man, an 8 year old, a couple of teenagers. We spent about 2 hours talking to them and helping them with their English. Mostly it just made us feel stupid because these students know 3-4 languages already. One of them said, "You know Jersey Shore?" Basically, they made it clear that our reputation is a bunch of partying, drinking, cussing, disgustingly selfish people. We talked this morning in class about the whole A. Knox business and supposedly, my professor interviewed some Italians last semester when the news broke that she had been acquitted. Most would refuse to comment but the consensence has been that everyone thinks she's guilty. It kinda makes me wonder what they think of us being here. I swear I'm not crazy, I love my roommate and I don't do drugs. I also swear that I wasn't convinced of her innocence, either. That's all.

Minorities

      Ciao a tutti! It's my second day in beautiful Tuscany and we're loving it. One thing to note: it's winter here, too. The weather is about 40ºF all dayyy long. We're bundled up in coats, gloves and hats and can't seem to shake it. Our apartment doesn't have a coffee maker of any sort so the last two mornings have been spent grabbing caramel macchiatos. By the way, maybe it's 100% sugar or it's made out of pure love but our espresso drinks, while miniature, are fantastic. They're so tiny and yet, so worth it. They use a lot of foam so you feel like it took you all of two seconds to drink it... because it did.

      Today was spent going through a boatload of paperwork. According to Italian law, within the first 7 days of taking up residence in their country, you must submit an application called a Permit of Stay. It's exactly what it sounds like. We have to give them our passport info, visa info, education legitimacy info, proof of insurance, stamped housing info, etc. We went over everything from 9:30am -- 1:30pm before going to the Post Office and sending the information off. They said it takes three months to receive your photo ID in the mail. So I'll be receiving it, oh, about the time I'm finishing up the semester. Makes sense, right?

      This whole atmosphere should be turned into a reality show called Body by Italia. Confused? Everything's uphill. The road to school, the road to the store, the road to any scenic location, the road up to my apartment. There's even three flights of stairs to get to my front door and then, once inside, another flight of stairs to our living quarters. Basically, the last two days we've woken up sore in places we didn't even know we could be sore in. I told Danielle that if I haven't lost at least two pant sizes, I'll be concerned.

      You know what else is quite funny? Everything is designer. All the shops along the Corso (the main street in Arezzo) by our school are completely out of any price range that any student could manage. Maybe that was OU's idea? It's definitely working if the goal is to prevent people from over-spending. I'm not just talking about upper-end stores. I'm talking, more specifically, about the 9.889€, ugly Rolex I saw in a shop window. Even their dogs are different. There are no "muts." Just purebreds. All their animals look so posh, even the dirty ones. I thought to myself, "Huhh. So that's what a real insert breed here looks like." I did find out after perusing the Corso and seeing about 20 different purebred dogs that I want an Airdale Terrier. They're the most precious ever. But the owners of these beautiful animals just let their dogs take dumps in the street. I suppose with no yard around, they really don't have a choice but it's an odd thing to witness: a hundred people going about their day and this dog is just taking his mid-afternoon poo on the lovely cobblestone. Then the owner bends over with a plastic bag, scoops it up, and throws it in the nearest trash receptical.

       The last thing I should fill you in on is that it is awful-rotten being the minority. I could have my sunglasses on, be looking down, and not attempting to drawn attention to myself, and you'd think I was dancing down the street. I tried smiling -- just to mix it up -- and I'll never do that again. We thought maybe it's because Danielle and I are redheaded and our roommates are blonde sisters. So it might look like two sets of twins are all hanging out? Regardless, it makes me feel like a goldfish... or like I'm wearing my underwear outside my pants or something. Tonight, we decided to go get some gelato after dinner. We were walking down one of the main streets when, right as we're passing an outdoor table, a mixed-gender group of teenagers started singing: "If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends..." I was so shocked by the fact that they were singing the SpiceGirls at me that my jaw literally dropped and I picked up my pace. It's rare for me to blush but honestly... Sometimes the hormonal high schoolers or those creepy men in dark doorways will rubberneck until we're completely gone but usually, everyone just mutters, "Americano..." as we walk by. (I bet the part about creepy men in dark doorways makes you feel good, huh, mom?)

We got an abbreviated tour of the city -- it's a lot bigger than we imagined! I plan to do more exploring of it this weekend when we have some free time. They're keeping us pretty busy this week!

My camera doesn't even do the view from our balcony justice. You can see the mountains in the distance and all the surrounding roofs. We only wish our view was 3-5 feet higher because some of the close roofs block our long-distance view.

This is the courtyard under our balcony. We all thought it was super weird because this tree has no foliage but has whole peaches growing on it.

This is the door leading into Corso Italia, 40 -- the facility OU owns.  This is school for me for the next few months! It looks like any old door but it's huuuuge inside. There are two classrooms, a computer room, offices, student and faculty spaces, and three restrooms. Because this used to be an apartment, the restrooms all have bidets, toilets and bathtubs. The ceilings are really ornamented -- frescos trimmed with a guilded molding. Everything's gaudy.

We decided to cook tonight instead of eating out. It was definitely interesting since we were missing some key utensils...

Our finished product! Yuuuuuum!

Lastly, here's a view of my new favorite spot by our house. I passed by this on the way to the school the last two days and it's exactly what I picture Italy being like:

Via Pescioni, 54

We're home! We're home! What an exhausting journey it's been!

Let me start off by saying that I.hate.flying. People think it's okay to take off their shoes, you spend 8 hours encountering about 100 other odors, you understand. It's just too much for me. When we got on our flight from Dallas to London, I immediately knew that it was going to be a rough day for me. I sat next to Danielle, who was on the aisle, and was flanked on my other side by a 300+ lb man who was also winged by someone else. So we're packed in a row like sardines and it is stifling hot, which is also a major no-go for Courtney. I did, however, get caught up on some movies that have come out that I missed. 1) What's Your Number? 2) Horrible Bosses 3) Moneyball. Only one of those (Moneyball) would I ever reccomend.

Danielle got to sleep for 3/8 of the plane ride. I, however, was squashed and could not sleep. By the time we got off that flight, our limbs were stiff and our stomachs were cramped up. We were so hungry but we didn't know what would happen if we ate. After we ate, we boarded the flight to Rome. This girl got to catch up on some much-needed sleep. Finally. I woke up as we were landing. You're thinking, "Good for you, Courtney, you're finally there." No. No, no, no. OU staff was waiting with a charter bus to take us on the 3-4 hour ride to Arezzo. Everyone was exhausted but we stayed awake long enough to chat with our roommates for awhile. We awkwardly slept against the windows and tried laying down over multiple seats. We were woken by one of sponsors saying we were almost to Arezzo. Imagine my surprise when I look out the window and saw the mile of cars in Norman. Audi, Fiat, Porsche, Subaru, and . . . JEEP!! I was like, we HAVE to pull over. How great would it be to drive a Wrangler in Italy?? :)

FINALLY, we pulled in, unloaded, took cabs to our respective apartments, and raided them. First of all, OU doesn't have student housing. They rent from landlords all over the city. So everyone's in different living conditions. Ours is adorable and quaint and I'm so, so pleased.

^^You're looking at the last of 3 sets of stairs we climb to get to our apartment. These are actually within our apartment -- the other two are exterior. The steps are steeper than the ones at my parents so I keep making shallow steps, which can become annoying when you're carrying 50 lb suitcases.

^^ This is Danielle and I's room. We decided to share even though we're paying for separate spaces. We're just storing extra clothes and suitcases and stuff in there. Our room's really homey and has two desks.

^^ This is our living room. It has a new leather couch that you can't see. They said the previous tenants got a little rowdy and so it had to be replaced. Nice flat screen, eh? The problem? Everything's in Italian.

We also have a balcony with an AMAZING view of the city and beyond. Our other two roommates are an extra set of stairs up in the loft. We all went out looking for dinner tonight and lost 3548513384 calories in uphill climbs. Cara, I think I can say I'll definitely be fitting into that bridesmaids dress when I get home. We found a pizzaria that we will definitely be returning to.

Ciao!

Just a Spoonful of Sugar

You know that scene from Mary Poppins when Jane and Michael are just meeting Mary? She comes into the nursery and their room is a pit but after teaching them to snap their fingers, everything just floats into its place. By the end, the kids think cleaning their room is the funnest thing ever.

Every day I have to remind myself that Mary Poppins isn't reality. Reality for me's a little more like this:

Why, oh, why do I continue to do this to myself? In case you can't really tell from the picture, that mess is the clothes that are piling up on my floor. They'll soon be in a suitcase but for now, I'm trying to decide what clothes are necessary and which are just Courtney's irrational justifications. "But if I happen to run into the cast of Jersey Shore, I'm going to wish I'd brought something to wear 'out on the town." The hypotheticals are endless.

As a whole, though, I just keep putting it off "until tomorrow." Guess what. Tomorrow is too late, now. But I can at least say that I was proactive, got my teeth cleaned, am getting a hair cut tomorrow and am finishing my last minute shopping then, too. Today I went to Wellston to spend some time with my grandparents before I leave. I took Rachel with me so I'd get some quality time with her, too. We spent the morning catching up on a lot of time I've missed (I was the only one to miss Aldridge family Christmas...). They took us to a cute Mom-n-Pops place for burgers -- they were delicious! The whole place looked very "down home" and I looked to Rachel and said, "This is what you want, isn't it, Cowgirl??" She said, "Stop calling me that, weirdo." Normal. We are the most different pair in the world -- she makes me look like a total city girl (because I am one). But honestly, she's been one of the oldest and most consistent friends I've had. Catching up's just like old times. You need those friends in your life, you know?

Single Digits & Resolutions

Ohhhh boy. Let the stressing begin! We're almost in single digits, people, and it's gettin' real! 11 days until take off. In case my last post left you hopeful that I'd come to my senses and start preparing, go ahead and worry -- I am no closer to being prepared to take off than before. Am I starting to get that nervous, panicky feeling because of my unpreparedness? Only slightly. The real panic will begin the morning I'm getting in the car to leave and realize I forgot a toothbrush (happens every time). For now, I'm just peachy and carefree and blissfully naive!

Along with the New Years celebrations came a host of resolutions that I've been collecting on the shelves of my mind behind more pressing matters. BUT, they've been dusted off and are freshly awaiting my implementation. I suppose it's left you curious? Well, playing coy apparently doesn't suit me so here goes:

1) You could package this a million different ways but I suppose it's to be a gentler person. I usually accuse myself of being slightly (or sometimes heavily) irrational, not giving the grace necessary in functioning relationships and selfishly being wounded every time someone does me wrong. The reality being, I let people down, too, and as I expect grace, I suppose I should be better at giving it.

2) Stop caring about everyone's life. Before you freak out, I don't mean it in the way it sounds. I'm one to make light of life -- meaning, I'm easy to talk to about problems and uncomfortable subjects because I can make almost anything funny. I'm also modest. (Ha). So when people come to me sharing their lives, I do my best to be supportive. Consequently, I have a vast bank of secrets and stories that sometimes feel like the weight of the world. I feel like there are few trustworthy people and the temptation to gossip is one of my most alluring sins. Therefore, I've resolved to stop welcoming everyone's baggage to keep me from having dirt on everyone. While this kind of spider-webbed, plainly, I plan to gossip less and it'd help if I'd have less to gossip about. Moving on...

3) Find fun when I don't have time. I know I've said in this blog before that I don't like college. But if history has proven correctly, most of everyone doesn't like their jobs after college, either. That's a lot of hatred I have to look forward to. The problem is that I really don't stop and have fun. I'm working or schooling. What a waste, right? So, while I still have youth and innocence going for me, I need to take advantage of it!!

4) I was reading my bible the other day at church and read this:
"Who will give me wings,' I ask, 'Wings like a dove?' Get me out of here on dove wings; I want some peace and quiet. I want a walk in the country, I want a cabin in the woods. I'm desparate for a change from rage and stormy weather . . . I call to God; God will help me. At dusk, dawn and noon I sigh deep signs -- he hears, he rescues. My life is well and whole, secure in the middle of danger." If there was ever a time when I needed to be refreshed, it's now. I'm confused of my future -- where to go, who to love, what I'll do in 2 years when I hopefully graduate. For completely selfish reasons, I'm looking forward to escaping everything and just figuring me out; because I still haven't seemed to be able to do that yet.

5) Teach someone something. One of the greatest God-given gifts has got to be the ability to teach others based on your own experience. If my past can help someone else avoid my mistakes, I'm happy to do it. Plus, I think service is meant to help the server as well. I think it feeds the soul and brings peace to your mind. What could be more worth it?

6) Chase opportunities! I'm the most indirect and nervous person when it comes to confrontation. This may come as a surprise to you but I'm actually super awkward about calling people for jobs and chasing new experiences. Heck, all those times that I need to call a store to find if they have something I need? Chloe does it . . . I know, I know, I'm turning a light shade of pink just typing this out. Embarassing, I know.

While there are a million things I'd love to improve about myself, I also have a specifically 2012 Bucketlist:

1) Fly a kite. Maybe a red one.

2) Shoot a gun. I'll need serious supervision on this one.

3) Try three new restaurants of different ethnical origins.

4) Plan something extravagant for next New Years. I've only seen the ball drop once ever.

5) Go fishing. I think I've only gone twice. Ever.

6) Make 10 new friends.