~~ ThAnK YoU MisS....soOn tO Be MRs....ThEreSa ~~

So I haven't had many cravings since I have been here...and now it has been a little over a month now...

The one major thing that I have craved has been a KOPPS ooey gooey cheesburger...plain of course...with a perfectly fried to a golden brown bag of salty french fries...oh and who could forget my fav...some death by chocolate custard to top off the meal...no calories there...

That was the only meal I was craving until I had a chat with Miss Theresa the other day.
She reminded me of the farmers market in Madison...then came the cravings chat....

Now the list is no longer just a meal from Kopps but has now became a long list...

Hot spicy cheese bread
Fresh cheese curds...any kind...cheddar would be good...as long as they squeak and
Sugary potato donuts
Fresh spicy beef jerky...although they do have a form of jerky here...all from the farmers market
Doritos
Haribo gummy bears
PEANUT BUTTER
CHEERIOS!
Ranch dressing
MILK---for every meal and super cold...not just in cereal
Chocolate zucchini cake from grandma...even though I am still in denial that there is no zucchini in it...and we eat both of those items almost daily...the chocolate...possibly more than once...
Mr.G's
Jimmy Johns and Quiznos--although the sandwiches...paninis here are quite good...sans any veggies or mayo...just cheese and meat

I am sure my list could go on and on but I must stop before I starve myself before dinner...


Lots of love to everyone!

BACI E ABRACCI!!!!!

~~ So TodAY I gOT HiT wItH a HuB caP ??? ~~

This past week has been really good for me. I had some exciting things happen and am feeling a lot more comfortable with my surroundings. I feel like I can almost call this place my home. Things are getting easier, like talking to people and not being afraid...trying to speak Italian eventhough I sound horrible at it...showering when I want to...cooking my own food and eating snacks during the day :)...going to the grocery store and buying junky american food...mmmmm pringles!...going to the park with Ale and attempting to talk to all the nonnas and nonnos with their grandkids...hanging out with Stefania and her friends...being at the studio and not being afraid to do what I want...having freedoms that I didn't have before...and so on...

Tuesday at the studio I had my first critique you could call it with everyone. The garden that I am designing was put on the table and I started to explain everything, in English, but I began being interrupted with interjections from Giulio, Michelangelo, and Pamela...I probably looked like a deer in headlights...if you walked in it would have sounded like they were ripping my ideas apart...but they really weren't. They actually liked the concept I came up with but with a few tweaks here and there. It was great constructive criticism.

It has been a great project to work on to start with because it encompasses a lot of the problems that occur with design here vs design at home...
~adjusting to working in a new place...the studio, here in rome, how relaxed it is...if you want to take a break you can
~going from our system to the metric system
~scale of things- the area of this garden would be the size of a patio with a little grass, but I have to have a grill area, sitting area, pool, flower beds, and potted plants...etc...a lot of things in a little space...it's all relative
~I have never designed a backyard before...minus our deck :)
~the design process...we speak with a client and find out their needs and wants and then design...here...usually you are given a project space and you come up with a design idea...
~and i think the biggest difference is thinking as a designer vs. an architect...we think differently in my opinion

All in all, so far it has been a great experience.

Wednesday I took Ale to school all by myself in the morning. It was fun. He loves riding in the stroller and it was really great weather in the morning. From there I had to go to the job site, the spa, and met Stefania because Giulio, who also teaches at the University, had grading there...it was there "graduation." They all get graded on their final project by a panel of people...I went to the studio after that and worked with Michelangelo...and then we went to McDONALD'S for lunch. It wasn't that bad, but mickey d's is mickey d's anywhere. I had a crispy chicken bacon and onion sandwich, fries, and a soda all for only 7 euros...a bit pricey I think.

That night, the fam and I went out for one of their friends birthdays, Alberto. It was fun, but then I met up with friends and we had a great night...we walked all over the city, had gelato, and then got stuck because we couldn't get home on the metro...didn't find the right bus, so ended up having to take a taxi...whoops!

Thursday I stayed home with Alessandro because he had a fever/cold. He was doing pretty well all day and Fabiana came home around 3 so it wasn't too bad. I had to send some mail and ventured down to the post office. Their I had to wait in a long line...you take tickets for everything here like at the deli counter. I had P107 and they were only on like 89 when i got there...who knew I would be there for an hour. When I finally got up to the window I gave him my mail and he weighed it, looked confused...weighed it again and walked away without saying anything??? He finally came back like 5 minutes later with stamps, handed them to me and took my money...I put the stamps on and hopefully put them in to the right mailbox...I guess we will see. I stopped at the grocery store and bought some pringles and Coca-Cola Light :) and then proceeded to eat almost 3/4 of the can befor dinner. I was hoping for a huge grilled steak and potatoes...turns out I got the steak...but with ass per grass instead. It was still delicious even if it was cooked in a pan.

But today was an interesting day I have to say...

I had the day off, but I woke up the earliest that I ever have (6am)...minus the times that I got woken up by Alessandro in the middle of the night, which has happened a lot lately since the poor little guy has had a cold and a fever the past couple of days....but anyways....I had to go to the doctor. I got everything settled with what I had to say lastnight and Fabi showed me where it was on Wednesday night when we were near there. )It had the feel of an old school...like the basement of 38th street school. It was kinda sketchy). I had to leave by 7 because they give out numbers...and only 15 of them for the "free visits." When I got there I tried to explain in my best Englian...that I needed to get a mole removed. So he told me to sit down and he would be right with me...so I did...I didn't have a number, didn't give him my name and there were loads of people coming in...and there I sat until he told me to come over by him at 9. He finally got my name and stuff and put me on the list...and waited some more.

At around 10 I got in to see the dermatologists. They were both really comforting and spoke a little English so that helped too. I had no idea what to expect because I've never had anything done like this before...I was freaking out a little. She told me she was putting the anesthetic in and that was painful...it was a huge needle, and then she didn't wait for it to work...she just started to burn...or what felt like burning...off the mole...it did not feel good one bit...the last part she did was the only part that I couldn't feel...so much for the anesthetic..and then she said, "here have a souvenir"...ummm no thanks!

From there I had to go to a farmacia to get the cream she prescribed. I had to find one first...I wandered around because I had time to burn before I met a friend for coffee...I was trying to find the cafe that I am going to meet a friend for dinner tonight, but ended up finding a pharmacy instead...didn't find the restaurant though...

I met my friend for coffee around 11:30 and then meandered my way from where I was to the Pantheon to meet Fabiana and her coworker for lunch. So I was just walking down the street looking at my map...with no luck of finding where I was...when a hub cap...yes a HUB CAP...came rolling at me at warp speed. I didn't have much time to avoid it and it hit me. I laughed but it kind of hurt a little and I had no idea where it came from.

I went into a church along my walk because it was there and I was the only one in there. There was an underground crypt and a guy who looked like Sluggworth from Willy Wonka asked me if I wanted to go down there. I kindly replied with a no thank you, and saw myself out. Creepy!

I finally found the Pantheon and Fabi, we had lunch at this really nice cafe. It was delicious. During lunch we talked about a few exhibitions that were over near that area so I had something to do after. I attempted to find them but failed on all accounts. I walked all the way from the Pantheon to the Colleseum with out finding any of the three places I was trying to. Oh well! There is always tomorrow.

Tonight I am going out for dinner/drinks with Lala, one of Giulio's friends. It should be fun. And then I get to meet Fabiana's mom too! They should be arriving any minute now.
10 4 signing out!

Ciao a tutti!

~~ aLL oN mY oWn ~~

So this week has been kind of exciting. I picked up the fam at the train station on Monday night and I was glad they were back. I actually missed them quite a bit while they were gone, and Ale was excited to see me which made me happy. We stopped for Italian Chinese food on they way home and got some TSING TAO!!!! (Chinese Beer which definitely reminded me of Chiner). Anyway...the food was delicious with an Italian twist. The dumplings were more tastier then in China and had some pretty sweet sauce to dip them in.

The following day, I started to pick up Ale from school all on my own. From the studio, I have to walk to the metro, then walk to school to get him and then walk home. Tuesday I left the studio at 3:45 and by the time we got home it was about 5:30. We need to figure out a more efficient way to get this done. Thursday it was really nice out so the kids were playing outside and Ale was playing in one of those playskool houses, he got so excited when he saw me that he almost knocked down the door trying to get out. It made me happy that he responded to my arrival like that. On Thursday we got an extra special show when I witnessed my first Roma accident. No it wasn't rush hour, or on a busy street, or even lots of cars around. It was on a small side street: Vespa vs. Car....lets just say the car won by a mile...the distance the vespa was away from the car when it was all said and done. Everyone seemed to be ok.

Thursday night I had my first taste of a "chill" night going to a bar and listening to reggae music. Chill meant dancing the night away in a crowded room with lots of sweaty people until 3:30am. Getting up for work the next day at 7:45 wasn't easy.

I had a few more firsts this week too. Friday, I bought my first pair of shoes. That was an experience in itself. First of all trying to find my size in any shoe was difficult, but then to like them was another. I saw some boots that I liked that were only 30 Euros...sweet right...sweet until I tried to zip them and the zipper got stuck. Here I am this big footed American hopping on one foot in the middle of the aisle trying to get this zipper unstuck. I gave up and had to ask for help. They actually had to get a scissors and snip the leather to get the zipper to go down. Only me. I did end up buying a pair of shoes but needless to say not those boots.

My next trip on my agenda was going to get money. I went all the way their and realized that I didn't have my pin, and going out to get money was really my sole purpose for this venture. The shoes were just a bonus. So I had to trek all the way home to get it, and then out again. Typical me. :)

Friday night I met some American girls from the University of Miami who are studying architecture here. They were in Giulio's class that he was teaching. They were very nice and I hope to hang out with them again soon. They will only be here until the end of the summer though.

Last night I met another girl named Heather. She's a friend of a friend of mine from the states. We went for coffee in the afternoon and then she invited me to go out with her and her roommates later. I had a blast. Everyone was very nice to me too! We went to a club called Coyote. It is in an area name Testaccio, which is a hill that was made from broken terra cotta. They have built in bars and clubs in to the base of the hill. It's a pretty neat area. The drinks are super expensive though. $8 Euros!!! We stayed out pretty late again, so today I have been a waste of space.

Giulio and I were supposed to go to the Stadium for Sunday soccer, but it was pouring rain so we didn't end up going. Bummer!!! I am sure that we will have a chance to go again. Instead, I tried to stay awake while we watched the game on TV. We did take a little side trip to a golf course today. It was nothing like in the states. It was all flat but it was still really nice with an old roman wall as a boundary line. Pretty cool. Che Figo!

Well I am starving yet again. And listening to the Chicken Dance over and over again in Italian. As I did this morning at 9:30am...That song is not how I wanted to wake up this morning. Once is more than enough.

Ciao!

~~ An EaSy, BreEzY EaStEr daY iN iTaLy ~~

Yesterday I woke up late. BUMMER! I wanted to get up early and get on with my sightseeing. Instead, I took my time getting ready to go, and then headed off to the Botanical Gardens. I didn't have much of a hard time finding it which left me enough time for me to enjoy my day there. I got a map and guide, which was actually in English woohoooo, and went on my way. I followed the walking tour that was on the guide which was really helpful It was quiet, breezy, and sunny. I think I should have waited to visit here for a couple more weeks since a lot of the flowers weren't in bloom yet, so everything was just a blanket of green, which was still beautiful. There were two ponds. One, with two ducks diving under the water for food and the other pond down the hill a ways had two momma ducks and 18 little ducklings. It reminded me of springtime in Madison.

After the pond, I was in spot 16 of 20 which is the suucculents greenhouse. I peaked in the windows and wished I could have went in but the sheet said that they closed at 1 and it was already 4, but when I came around to the door it was open so I went in. I was way in the back when a lady yelled "Senora" and then something else in Italian. I figured it meant I wasn't supposed to be in there. It turns out that they were still open when I got there. I was bummed because I really wanted to see in the Orchid greenhouse the most. I missed it by like 10 minutes. Oh well...guess I shouldn't have stopped for a cracker break and feed the ducks...

After the Botanical Gardens, I was getting tired and hungry so I headed home. It took me a little over an hour from where I was on the river to home. I did stop at the Supermercati Garbatella when I got off the subway for some potato chips and San Pelligrino (I had a craving). A big bag was only $.49 Euros.

Around 6:15 I had to go back where I was earlier to meet some friends for a few cocktails. I met them in Trastevere at the Piazza Della Malva. I had 2 glasses of an Italian version of cheap champagne which was pretty good. We snacked on FREE finger sandwiches (mozzarella and tomato, salami and cheese, artichoke and some sauce) and in the shell peanuts...that's normal here in Italy for what we might call happy hour from about 7-8:30. How cool is that. At around 10 I left Trastevere for my long walk home. It was a beautiful, clear night about 60 degrees and there were hardly any people around. I was the only person on both sides of the subway sitting and waiting at the station.

When I got home I fed the cats, talked to mom on skype, and went to bed. I was exhausted.

Link to Pictures of my sightseeing on Good Friday!

http://picasaweb.google.com/karudy/ItalySightseeing41009?authkey=Gv1sRgCLuPxo3Bqr7hTQ&feat=directlink

Link to pictures of the Botanical Gardens:

http://picasaweb.google.com/karudy/ItalySightseeing41109?authkey=Gv1sRgCMCO_5io-qrUNg



~~~~~ HaPpY EaStEr!!! ~~~~~
I woke up this morning...thinking I had time to relax, but for got I was going to Giulio's parents house for Easter Breakfast. I quickly got ready when I got a phone call saying Giorgio was going to be here in ten minutes...whoops!

On the way there Giorgio told me that he was the one who designed their building that their flat is in. It was pretty neat from the outside but the inside was even better. The lines of the outside echoed the lines of the inside. Their fireplace wall mirrored the library wall with angular bookcases and an angular mantle. Their furniture was clean lines with a contemporary feel. Everything was accented with pieces that looked like things they got on vacations around the world.

For Breakfast, it was me, Giorgio and his wife, his newphew and his mom. The table was setup nicely with lots of breads and meats. We had espresso, tea, wine, and water to drink. They drink water with their meals like we drink milk, so I miss the milk part of my meal a lot. Oh we had harboiled eggs too. And for dessert, we had a typical Italian cake/bread shaped like a dove with almonds and some white stuff on top and a large, football sized chocolate egg, with a suprise inside. I got to keep the suprise. It was a silver keychain and a chocolate. :)


They don't spend all day with their families on holidays like we do so I was back home around 11:30. Giulio's cousin brought me home since he lives in the same condo area that we do. Now I am just uploading pictures, doing laundry, and cleaning a little. I am thinking about a nap soon. I am tired. Ciao!

~~ A FaBuLoUs dAy of GeTtiNg LoSt & fOuNd fOr FrEE CaPpeD oFF wItH a FaNta aNd tHe BrEwErS pLaY-By-pLaY ~~

I love the fact that Italians eat chocolate things for breakfast. This morning I woke up to Stefania making espresso ( I stayed at her flat lastnight). And we had espresso and what tasted to me like a warm ooey gooey bun with chocolate chips for breakfast. It was delicious.

We rode on her scooter to the studio. She is a lot more of a cautious driver then Giulio. With him I feel like we are threading the needle between cars to get to the front of the line at the stoplight. At one point I looked over and I was face to face with a bus tire. It's crazy. Thank gosh I have a helmet...just in case. Anyway... on the way to the studio I saw a cool outdoor gym. I am going to have to try and find that again.

At the studio I planned out my day of sightseeing. Things didn't go as planned. Some of the places I wanted to go to weren't open today so I only had a few places to choose from. That wasn't a problem because I didn't even get to all the ones on the list that were open. It took me a little more time to find things then I thought it was going to...I guess I should have taken the Italian boy up on his offer. Sidenote: After I got off the subway an Italian boy was sitting on his motorcycle looking over Circo Massimo...where they had the chariot races...and he meandered along until I stopped to take a picture. He took this opportunity to stop me and ask me what time it was (who doesn't have a cell phone or a watch these days...really). Then he went on and on about how he was an archeologist major and that he would show me around if I wanted...although he told me he had to go back to class in 30 minutes. I chose to forge ahead on my own.

My first stop was Santa Maria Basillica in Trastevere. (It is said to be the first Christian place of worship in Rome) I thought it would be easy to find because it was near the studio, but the Trastevere area is crazy because there are so many roads and none of them are straight. There are small ones that aren't even on the maps and big ones that helped me find my way. It was a lot of guessing because with all the roads it was hard to determine what direction I was going. I went the wrong direction a few times but the end result was worth it. The church was beautiful. There was so much to look at that it was almost overwhelming. I wanted to see every little detail but I knew that wasn't possible. There were frescos, statues, paved walkways, candles lit all over, flowers, and the list goes on. There were a lot of people in there praying and lighting candles. I took a few pictures but felt rude doing so while people were praying so I moved on

After I headed to Santa Maria. I found myself going in all different directions. I even ran into another church that wasn't even on my list. While getting myself lost I stopped to buy some postcards at a little shop because I was getting frustrated. There were some coasties there looking at postcards too and they made me mad because they were pushy and rude. UGH! I paid and walked out of the shop into an open area that led to 4 streets including the one I came down. Now I am sure at this point I looked like a true lost tourist. My camera was hanging from my neck, I had my book open to the page with the map, and I kept looking up to figure out what the street names were. The Tevere River should always be on my right but that doesn't help when you can't see it. I took a guess on the road and went for it. It was actually the right one. WOW! I got halfway up the windy road and stopped to get a drink of water out of the faucet. It was very cold and refreshing. I asked some people if they new if I could access San Pietro in Montorio and the Tempietto by going up another road and not continuing on the winding one (Garibaldi). They didn't know but I took my chances. Turns out I went past what I was looking for but found a pretty sweet fountain and an amazing view of the city down below. I went back down Garibaldi and found the Tempietto and the people that told me they didn't know if the road went through or not. Looks like I made the better decision, they were still climbing. :) It wasn't as big as I expected it to be (the picture in the book looks a lot bigger. The Tempietto is in the courtyard of San Pietro in Monotorio. I got to go inside the church but, again, people were praying and it was small so I didn't take any pictures inside.

My next desitnation was supposed to be the botanical gardens, but after spending all afternoon trying to find my first two destinations I chose to do that tomorrow instead. I headed back down the winding road only to get to the bottom and not really know where to go from there. At this point I thought I should start to head home because the sky was getting grey and I didn't bring my umbrella. It was also getting late and I really wouldn't have time to go to many other places before they closed. I put away my map and decided to wander the streets until I found my way out and SURPRISE!!!!!!!!! I actually found the botanical gardens. Now all I have to do is remember where they are tomorrow....haha! I was walking the tiny cobblestone streets taking pictures along the way a group of guys pulled up in their black mercedes and said "we can pose for a picture if you want" in their italian english. I laughed and kept on walking.

I eventually found my way out when I saw the Tevere River. I decided to head in that direction since I had to get on the metro that way, and if I made good enough time I could still get into the Castel Sant'Angelo because it closed at 8:00 with the last people getting in at 7:00 so I had 45min to get there. I would have to put St. Peter's on my agenda for tomorrow too because I wouldn't have enough time to go there. I stopped along the way taking picture after picture. And asked a Asian kid to take my picture with St. Peter's in the background.

I got to the Castel in plenty of time and had to pay full price while the two people in front of my got in for 1/2. What's that nonsense. They were out of towners too! Anyway I really enjoyed my time there. I ran around for the first 1/2 hour like a chicken with my head cut off so I made sure I saw everything, but then I slowed down and took my time. It had a lot of different levels but my favorite was the top where I could see the whole city from up there and great views of St. Peter's. The sun was just starting to set so the pictures were great. I kept running into the same Asian kid and his girlfriend throught the Castel. Another couple stopped to ask me how to get to the top of Castel, and since I ran up there before I gave them my best EnglIan directions on how to get there. I found out they did when I ran into them again when I went back up there. I took pictures of them and them of me. I think the guy felt bad for me because I was by myself. It would have been nice to have someone to walk around with, but I had fun being a tourist anyway.

It was getting to be closing time so I excited, but I walked around the whole outer Castel to make sure I saw everything. It was weird because the whole 3/4 of the circle around the Castel was calm and quiet. I was the only one besides the lady playing fetch with her dog, but once you got to the corner facing St. Peter's the masses of people suddenly appeared. I decided to head towards St. Peter's because I had to catch the metro on the same road that the Piazza St. Peter was on. When I got there the Pope was just finishing up whatever service he just had, so all the people were leaving. You could actually hear something from a top the Castel. I decided to hang around until some of the people left. I wanted to take some pictures and wait for the mad metro rush to calm down. Turns out the other couple that I met at the Castel had the same idea too, so again we swapped turns taking pictures for each other.

I think I will go back to St. Peter's tomorrow, but I was cooked for tonight. My feet hurt and I was getting hungry and I am sure the kitties wanted their tuna dinner too! On the way home I had to switch metro lines and they didn't stop at the Colosseo stop. Turns out that ther was a candle light service at the Colesium tonight. I almost went back but was too tired so I watched it on TV instead. The pope was there and everything. I wasn't sure if it was a vigil for the earthquake victims or an actual service. Although it was in Italian, I could tell that they were saying the Lord's Prayer and giving the Benediction, but I still wasn't sure. I will have to ask Giulio. I made some dinner and watched some American TV...House, Sex and the City, and even Law and Order: SVU in English!!!

It's kind of nice having the house to myself for a few days. I haven't even really been here that much. Tomorrow I am going to try to find the Botanical Gardens again and go to St. Peter's and the Sistine Chapel. Myabe go to the Colesium and look around too!

I will get some pictures up soon!!!

Ciao!

~~ ThE wEeK WiTh ALesSanDrO ~~

So Monday was my first day all alone with Ale. I was a little nervous going into the week although he is a very easy kid to get along with. When his parents left we went to the window and waved but as soon as he saw them he started crying...I was really nervous at this point because I couldn't do anything to calm him down. Even giving him his sucker didn't help, but he eventually stopped and only a few times ran to the door and cried for a few minutes. He was pretty easy because they left at 9:30. We went to the park across the street around 10:30, Giulio's parents surprised me at the park so they stayed with Ale and I went home to make lunch. After they got home and Ale napped, his Nono and Nona came back to pick us up and we went to the studio. We got gelato around the corner (for like the 4th day straight...whoops). There's the little guy in his new outfit!!!!

Tuesday was a little better with the same routine. Ale is starting to understand me when I talk to him in English. He understands sit, stay, come, wait...kinda like training a puppy. It's kinda funny. I talk to him, in my best Italian that I can, and then repeat what I say in English hoping that he can understand. Every day he gets better. He has "Sit" down for sure.

Wednesday was fun because in the morning we went to the job site of the spa that the studio is designing. I took Ale to the park across the street and we played on the slide. He wouldn't go down by himself at first. I was getting dizzy going up and down about the first 100 times before he would go by himself. I barely fit on the slide so I was glad he decided he would go alone. After that he chased the dogs in the park. He LOVES them. Dogs and birds are his favorite. He tries to make the noises and its pretty funny. His fishy face is the best though. We got coffee and a coronetto and then we went home and I made lunch and put Ale down for a nap. We went to the park when he got up and then Fabiana got there and told me that we were going to an exhibition of a wood sculptor. I was excited.

We went to the studio and then had to drive through the city center to get to the exhibition. The traffic was crazy. We drank free wine and looked at some pretty sweet things. www.giusepperivadossi.net Afterwards the traffic was so bad and we had to drop Giulio off at the studio to get the scooter. He then stopped and got pizza for us!!!! YUMMMM!!! I was excited. He got home right after us because the scooters get through traffic a lot faster then the cars, because they are nuts. He came in with three boxes. WE EACH GOT OUR OWN PIZZA!!!! IT WAS AMAZING!!! Mine was a specialty. Half had cheese and mushrooms, a quarter had prosciutto, and the other quarter had olives and artichoke (Fabiana ate my olives). Giulio also rough home some Fried green olives stuffed with some kind of meat...he told me not to ask what it was so I am guessing it is like our hotdogs...just eat it and don't ask what they are made of.

And that brings me to today...Ale and I went with Giulio to run some errands this morning. While he was in these crazy fascist era buidlings Ale and I went around in the huge park. There was a sculpture with cows on it and we stood there for about 15 minutes "mooing" at it. The park workers probably thought I was crazy. It was funny though. After that we stopped for "breakfast." It was 11:00. LOL! Ale and I spent the rest of the day together after his nap. He had a snack when he woke up so I gave him cereal. He LOVES it. It's only been the third time but he loves his "Special K," Italian style.

Fabiana got home while he was eating his second snack of the afternoon, and started packing for their trip. We could figure out how to set up the port-a-crib. Why are those things always so difficult to figure out. They make you feel so dumb.... Giulio got home and they got all packed up to go. He made sure I was ok to stay alone and showed me the ropes for the weekend. I am in charge of feeding the FAT cats...and I mean that in the nicest way possible.
--->Kika Chotto is the biggest one.
--->
He also showed me how to turn off the gas so I don't blow up the place. It was kind of sad when they left. I will be fine though. Giulio is going to quiz me on Monday night when they get back and ask me all of the touristy things that he expects me to go and do. Sunday morning his parents are picking me up for a Roman Easter breakfast. That is their big meal here, since they are supposed to fast from Good Friday until early Sunday morning. I am excited that I will be able to celebrate with people I know. It is going to be hard for me since it's my first holiday without my family. They are here with me in spirit though.

Anyways....I have to pack up my bag to head across town for the night. I am going to have dinner with Stefania tonight and then go out. Only 2:30min til dinner and it's currently 7 here. UGH!!!! Tomorrow will be a day to be a typical tourist for me. Watch out you Italians :)

~~~ThE MorNing AftEr tHE QuAkE~~~

So last night around 3am there was something that shook me awake. It was an earthquake east of Rome on the other coast in L'Aquila. It registered with a 6.3 on the richter scale. Pretty crazy way to start the day. I fell back asleep right away and didn't feel it again when it shook the second time. Today is there first day that I have Alessandro all on my own. This morning he was a little upset after we waved to his parents out the window, but after a little Go Diego Go, in Italian of course, and me making fishy faces at him he was fine. We went to the park across the street and played until lunch time. He's napping now and at 4 we are going to go to the studio...I spoke to soon...Ciao for now.....

Ale's Nono and nona came and picked us up and we went to the studio, and then walked to get some gelato...I think I could eat it for every meal. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMY!!! Although, I do love a good custard. Fabiana met us at the office and then I had my first bus ride in Rome. It took forever to wait for it, but it was ok. We stopped at the supermarket on the way home and I love going there. There are like 3 aisles for pasta, 3 for crackers, and two aisles of fresh cheese, meat, and bread. It's heaven...I want to try everything. There hasn't been much that I don't like here.

This past weekend was beautiful. The weather was perfect. The sun was hot and the wind was cool. A perfect 70 degrees. I spent my saturday walking around a little, bought a jacket at the store all on my own...how exciting. I went and got a phone sim card Saturday too, and some more gelato...Giulio has taken me all around town to the best gelato places. He has a favorite place for almost every flavor so I always get what he advises.

Friday night Giulio and I went out for a bit in the city center to a few different places. The first place we stopped at was a gelato place outside a church, where I had a chocolate truffle gelato...AMAZING....then we went to another place and met up with his friend Marco, and had a few beers and walked around the square to the French Embassy. I am glad that he is so willing to show me around. It's great. Everything is great.

Sunday Giulio, Ale and I went to see a puppet show in a park on a hill overlooking rome. It was amazing to see...and to think that I live down there now. It still feels kind of like a dream to me. After the park we stopped over at one of Giulio's friends houses and played with her dog for awhile. Made me miss the reg monster. The friend, Lalla, is also going to let me come stay with her this coming weekend because Giulio and the Family are going to be going to Naples for Easter. She has some American friends that she is going to introduce me too and we are all going to hang around over the weekend. It will be a new adventure and I am looking forward to it.

For dinner we had a frozen pizza...and it still tasted great. I also had a piece of a typical Italian Easter cake/bread for dessert which was good too, and we actually watched "High Fidelity" in English. How great is that. LOL!

Anyways...this week should be interesting and I actually already miss not being at the studio, and it's only been a day. Its now 8 and I am currently starving and still have to wait about 1.5, maybe 2 hours before dinner. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I am still not used to eating so late. Strangely I haven't really craved any food from home yet. I am sure I will want some potato chips sometime soon, maybe some ranhc and cheese doritos, but no cravings for anything as of yet other than a Kopps cheesburger with french fries and some ketchup on the side(no ketchup here really)...which is currently making my mouth water just thinking about it.

It's OnLy BeeN a WeEk anD i Am AlrEady BaD at THis

So far I am having a great time. Everyday there is something new to see and learn. Ale is becoming more accustomed to having me around and I have been dropping him off and picking him up at school. We run around the house and he laughs. It's comforting to know that he is ok with having me here. Today he laughed so hard when I was just doing lunges around the house and would cry when I stopped...who knew it could bring so much joy to someone...my quads are killing me though.

I had a bunch of firsts these past few days...

On Saturday I woke up around 10. We hung around the house all day and just relaxed. I didn't mind because we had been on the go since I got here. That night I took my first metro ride. It was my first and I was all alone. It was a little scary but I had directions to Stefania's house, although I did have to get off one line and onto the other, but I made it and she was there to pick me up when I came out of the underground. That night we went to a bar for drinks and dinner where I had my first glass of Italian wine and Risotto for dinner. I had no idea what I was getting because the group of people I was with ordered for me. Then we went to a dance club until all hours of the morning (and we lost another hour here during the night) and then got pizza...of course typical wisconsin for me :)

Sunday: Fabiana, Ale, and I went to the outdoor market. We got fresh meat for dinner and lots and lots of fruit. Everything here tastes so much better then in the States. From the cheese, to the meat, to the fruit and even the yogurt. The one thing that is really different for me is the fact they don't drink milk that often. That is really hard for me since I average a gallon a week by myself alone. I did buy some at the supermarket but it doesn't taste the same... :( Dinner that night was delicious. We had steak with mushrooms and spinach, peas with onions and ham (yes mom I actually ate them and they were delicious...not like our peas at home), and dessert nutella and bananas...and more chocolate. YUMMMM!!!!

This week at the studio we have finished the model of the wall for the spa that the studio has been working on. It was a lot of gluing and cutting of small pieces. It was fun though and it made the days go by quick, along with all the breaks for coffee and lunch. Today I started working on a logo for the studio. We are trying to keep the same elements from Giulio's personal logo and incorporate those in a way to make the one for the studio. It was a little frustrtating for me one, because I haven't really every used adobe Illustrator and two, because all the commands are in Italian. I worked from the pictures as best as I could and that got me through the day. Tomorrow I have a meeting to go to with Michelangelo in the morning. It will be my first day away from the studio, but I am excited. I got my metro pass today so I will be able to get around a lot easier. I am comfortable now with riding the subway although everyone does tend to stare at the tall, blonde american. I do kind of stick out. I described one of Ale's teacher as the one with the dark hair...DUH Kim!!!!

Speaking of his teachers...I encountered my first problem with communicating today. His teacher was trying to ask me for my last name and I kept thinking she wanted my number. So i did have to go out and get Giulio to come in and translate. The language barrier is the only real thing holding me down right now. Giulio and I went to the bank to set up an account for me on Monday and I had no idea what the lady was talking about besides passport and papers...oh and ciao of course. Iam so greatful that everyone has been so patient with me and they don't get frustrated with me only speaking English. Stefania (my coworker at the studio) and I talked today about having a verb, word, and phrase of the day! I thought it might help me learn a little quicker...it's worth a try anyway.

Bedtime for me...and dinner time for you all. :) Buona notte!!! Ciao