It was simply a nice day today. Started the day by visiting the oldest bar in town for a cappuccino, reviewed flashcards while standing at the bar savoring the drink (sorry, Starbucks, you are weak and flavorless next to Italian coffee). Visited a couple of historic sites in the town center and ambled off to class, meeting up with a new-to-me tiny grocery store where I bought lunch (hazelnut yogurt) on the way.
Class was good, I love what we're learning, I don't love it that I'm having issues with pronunciation. I hear the words perfectly in my head, but they come out differently. Seriously, I blame Spanish. Words and pronunciations are still bubbling up from high school Spanish so it weakens my confidence a little when I just say what comes to mind. Getting all of this settled in my head will come soon enough with all of the immersion so I'm not concerned.
The day was cloudless (this time nothing weird happened with the weather), leading to a lovely ride in the evening and a perfect sunset. The bike ride was nearly required since I really need that time to think through the Italian grammar and allow the vocab from class to settle into my brain. The intensity of class is too much to come home and not have a quality break.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Tiramisu and Vocabulario...
Today was a full day of studying, going to class, coming home (exhausted at the end of class as usual because of the intense thinking), not having any way to play since the rain came back yet again (and it was a perfect morning), so I escaped to a really neat dungeon creperia in a nearby Etruscan cave (tons of them around here) and had their homemade tiramisu (nice and strong). I huddled over the books looking up words and making flashcards. 3 hours flew by. Vocab is addictive. Hard to stop looking up words when there, staring me in the face, is yet another that I don't know and probably should.
Alright, since today didn't allow for much in the way of fab pictures, let me resurrect a few pics of the Etruscan caves. I'll be learning more about the history of these soon, but be fascinated in the meantime (wikipedia probably tells as much as I'll get out of going to the museums here, anyhow).
Someone has set up her art in one room of this massive cave. I saw this as I was descending the monstrously large scale mobili (escalators) that take pedestrians from the top of the city downward to lower parts of the city. It's a pretty awesome scene down there in the bowels of the city. For as ancient and medieval as they are, it doesn't give me that watch-your-back sort of feel.
This one is really cool because it feels like it's outside at night in the streets--yet, look up--it's just one huge room.
Totally changing the subject, but I realized that I didn't post pics from Thurs night when I went out with my classmates. They played good music and were packed at this bar at 9:30 (very, very early for establishments...they're typically totally empty at that time). Not only was it full inside, look at the scene on the street just outside:
Off to play with flashcards! By the way, aside from learning past-tense today (really nice to know, I could use more tenses), we learned colors. This is like being a kindergartner all over again and I'm eating up every minute (literally and figuratively). :)
Alright, since today didn't allow for much in the way of fab pictures, let me resurrect a few pics of the Etruscan caves. I'll be learning more about the history of these soon, but be fascinated in the meantime (wikipedia probably tells as much as I'll get out of going to the museums here, anyhow).
Below is a clip that, when the song came on, I literally felt like I was time-warped back to Theta Tau (my college fraternity). It is so weird the power that music has to pull up memories that have to be dusted off a bit. (I'm not suggesting this is a great song, btw, but pretty great for those back in Eta Gamma years ago!)
 |
| From 2010-04-15 |
Off to play with flashcards! By the way, aside from learning past-tense today (really nice to know, I could use more tenses), we learned colors. This is like being a kindergartner all over again and I'm eating up every minute (literally and figuratively). :)
On the road with Italians
Unfortunately, today has come to an end. After a perfect day, it's hard to imagine ever having another such day. First, here's the data to establish the facts. Read on to get the insider info on experiencing a true Italian bike ride!
Map:
Elevation data (look at how the ride ends!) The really big hump is riding to Montefalco (home of a great winery) out of Bevagna:
Getting to al Bar
Turns out the sunny, cloudless sky at my place in Perugia didn't last long. Why? This place is so high, it was above the clouds. The descent was fairly humid-cold, and there was no way to see much of anything in the thick fog (nebbia). I made a major beginner error: I started riding before the GPS could pick up the satellites so I got started on the wrong road (in my disorientation with the fog) and it took a few wrong turns before making it to where I thought I was supposed to go. Considering how much Italian I know right now, I couldn't just call Daniele for directions. Long story short, we met up and he rode me over to where the group ride was going to begin.
The Ride
For starters, I didn't know what this ride would be all about. Remember, I don't speak enough Italian to know the right words surrounding riding bikes. It's a big group of mostly older/more settled guys who have a good level of endurance (no crazy racer types except for Daniele and maybe one or two others). How far were we going to go? For some reason, I assumed it would be the standard 3 hour, 50-60 mile route. I'd had a decent breakfast, but not nearly enough food on me for the 75 mile fast-paced ride (though it had lulls in places, there were also times of severe intensity...the rollers are absolutely brutal, also).
Immediately, it was obvious the guys were cool with having me with them. They were all very friendly and we exchanged a few words: "Ciao" and "Come va?" Daniele was awesome to make sure I was doing okay and that everything was "va bene" (going well). As the ride progressed, the conversations were longer and a bit more involved. They were all really sweet and seemed particularly protective of me. Sometimes on the hills, they'd push me up (even if I wasn't sweating it), they were just offering a friendly gesture. Considering they were all in full leg warmers and jackets, they kept wanting to know if I was too cold (freddo). Honestly, it wasn't that cold out there, but the very thin wind-breaker I had with me was perfetto and worn most of the time. It took a couple of hours for the fog to burn off and a toasty warm sun was behind it.
I'm so glad I have a story. There are the standard questions I am asked consistently: where are you from? Colorado? Ah, Colorado is very beautiful! Why are you here? Where do you live? How old are you? What do you do for a living in the US? I think I'm answering these with perfect ease at this point. I explain the family roots, family who live here now, where my family is in the US and who they are, all that. Every time I mention Bevagna, everyone perks up. It's such a little-known place to tourists, I think, and it has some sort of place in the locals hearts out here.
The ride today took us through Bevagna (not into the walled portion). It was pretty darn awesome, as we were flying past the home of my great grandfather, to be able to point and tell the guys its significance. They seemed to care.
A note about this group (and I'm guessing this is your standard cross-section of the bike rider population): they were really warm and friendly and very talkative with each other. I was drinking in the Italian conversations, the beauty of hearing this banter, very happy, sonorous banter, almost continually throughout the insanely gorgeous Umbrian countryside.
As you read this, you might be making certain assumptions as to why they were so nice to me. Here's some food for thought: when another large group of bike riders met up with our group (wearing very different team clothes), it was awesome the kinship and brotherly love shown between everyone. At one point, there must have been 4 pairs of guys with their arms on each other's shoulders, everyone happy to see each other and unafraid of touching each other. More massive amounts of Italian flying between different parties. More people saying hi to me, too. People are simply more into showing affection and touching each other, in general, here (probably common amongst most non-US cultures). It's something I've had to get used to, but I like it so much more than the cold stay-outta-my-personal-space-or-I'll-sue-you culture found in much of the US.
Early in the ride, Daniele suggested I jump on his wheel. I do as I'm instructed when I don't know the words for putting up a reasonable argument. Off we went on a break from the group. The group chased and one guy counter-attacked. At that point, I attacked and dropped him. The entire group absolutely fell apart in laughter. That was was the thing to do to be "adopted" by these guys. Daniele beamed with pride since he had brought me to this ride. (As an aside, Daniele is far stronger than I and a few of the guys climb better than me.)
I'm wondering when I should break out my secret weapon: swapping out these really heavy puncture-less tubes for standard road tubes. Next weekend and the weekend after are local Gran Fondo races that I will probably participate in...so I'd better do it soon! Or not and save it for a "special occasion" in mid-summer when I'm fitter/stronger. Here's a shot of the group.
They mentioned frequently something about eating (different conjugations of "mangiare"). I figured we'd stop fairly soon for espresso. After thinking harder about what they were saying, they had been asking me if I had eaten anything, did I have enough calories to survive this ride? Short answer is no.
We did end up stopping once with about 40km left to go for a quick cafe, water bottle fill up and a little photo op. I picked up a teeny-little "jar" of Nutella for additional calories. The cute little spoon that comes with the espresso was perfect for spooning out the Nutella. The guys wouldn't allow me to pay for anything.
This is me with one of the guys--he went far out of his way to ride me home after the group had split up. He also knows a little English, enough that I could ask him to help me say things properly in Italian and get translations for some words.
On a ride where I probably burned 3-4,000 calories, I ate about 300. That's how "bonk" is spelled. I would love to know the Italian word. In fact, they might have a few, just like Eskimos have multiple words for snow. The rollers really make the miles take longer and feel harder. So does the oxygen.
The Reward
After the long climb up to home (sooo close to falling off of the bike at that point), I immediately hit my favorite gelato place. Four scoops of gelato--each of a different nut flavor...there had to be some good protein in that! Went to a happy park that overlooks the city, ate it and reflected on everything. Then went home and made gnocchi.
See the little Nutella jar in the upper right-hand corner? Awwww how cute. Bimbo Nutella (bimbo means very young child in Italian).
All of this by only 3pm. The events of the rest of the day involved studying, taking a nap while basking in the sun on the stairs of the cathedral, going to church, having a dinner of eggs, veggies, black rice all mixed up together--no it doesn't have a name, and getting my new roommate: girl from Toronto, fluent in Italian, she's here on a 1-way ticket (Italian boyfriend) and she seems really cool to me.
One last note before I sign off: I think I am beginning to understand how immersion works. I could understand significantly more dialogue today than at this time last week. I'm using church as a good measuring stick since they pretty much always say the same thing and they tend to ennuncicate properly. All of the chit-chat on the bike forces me to listen intently to every sound and become more comfortable talking since I have no choice but to respond when they say something.
It's reasonable to call the ride today doing my homework. It's the most fun homework I've ever had.
The Day in Data
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Map:
The Day as it Went Down
The ride today is a challenge to capture in words, but I'm going to try. It's too cool of an experience for you to not hear how it went down. (Read when you have time!) First, this ride happened as a result of my meeting Daniele on the road a couple of days ago. He invited me to this one. The txt msg that I got last night told me to be at a coffee shop around 8am this morning. Uh oh, no way were my shoes, arm warmers or knee warmers going to have time to dry from yesterday! Can it possibly be warm enough at that hour to consider riding? I woke up before the alarm this morning, so excited to go on a group ride (I live for group rides). A glance out my window showed blue sky, the promise of a nice day.Getting to al Bar
Turns out the sunny, cloudless sky at my place in Perugia didn't last long. Why? This place is so high, it was above the clouds. The descent was fairly humid-cold, and there was no way to see much of anything in the thick fog (nebbia). I made a major beginner error: I started riding before the GPS could pick up the satellites so I got started on the wrong road (in my disorientation with the fog) and it took a few wrong turns before making it to where I thought I was supposed to go. Considering how much Italian I know right now, I couldn't just call Daniele for directions. Long story short, we met up and he rode me over to where the group ride was going to begin.
The Ride
For starters, I didn't know what this ride would be all about. Remember, I don't speak enough Italian to know the right words surrounding riding bikes. It's a big group of mostly older/more settled guys who have a good level of endurance (no crazy racer types except for Daniele and maybe one or two others). How far were we going to go? For some reason, I assumed it would be the standard 3 hour, 50-60 mile route. I'd had a decent breakfast, but not nearly enough food on me for the 75 mile fast-paced ride (though it had lulls in places, there were also times of severe intensity...the rollers are absolutely brutal, also).
Immediately, it was obvious the guys were cool with having me with them. They were all very friendly and we exchanged a few words: "Ciao" and "Come va?" Daniele was awesome to make sure I was doing okay and that everything was "va bene" (going well). As the ride progressed, the conversations were longer and a bit more involved. They were all really sweet and seemed particularly protective of me. Sometimes on the hills, they'd push me up (even if I wasn't sweating it), they were just offering a friendly gesture. Considering they were all in full leg warmers and jackets, they kept wanting to know if I was too cold (freddo). Honestly, it wasn't that cold out there, but the very thin wind-breaker I had with me was perfetto and worn most of the time. It took a couple of hours for the fog to burn off and a toasty warm sun was behind it.
I'm so glad I have a story. There are the standard questions I am asked consistently: where are you from? Colorado? Ah, Colorado is very beautiful! Why are you here? Where do you live? How old are you? What do you do for a living in the US? I think I'm answering these with perfect ease at this point. I explain the family roots, family who live here now, where my family is in the US and who they are, all that. Every time I mention Bevagna, everyone perks up. It's such a little-known place to tourists, I think, and it has some sort of place in the locals hearts out here.
The ride today took us through Bevagna (not into the walled portion). It was pretty darn awesome, as we were flying past the home of my great grandfather, to be able to point and tell the guys its significance. They seemed to care.
A note about this group (and I'm guessing this is your standard cross-section of the bike rider population): they were really warm and friendly and very talkative with each other. I was drinking in the Italian conversations, the beauty of hearing this banter, very happy, sonorous banter, almost continually throughout the insanely gorgeous Umbrian countryside.
As you read this, you might be making certain assumptions as to why they were so nice to me. Here's some food for thought: when another large group of bike riders met up with our group (wearing very different team clothes), it was awesome the kinship and brotherly love shown between everyone. At one point, there must have been 4 pairs of guys with their arms on each other's shoulders, everyone happy to see each other and unafraid of touching each other. More massive amounts of Italian flying between different parties. More people saying hi to me, too. People are simply more into showing affection and touching each other, in general, here (probably common amongst most non-US cultures). It's something I've had to get used to, but I like it so much more than the cold stay-outta-my-personal-space-or-I'll-sue-you culture found in much of the US.
Early in the ride, Daniele suggested I jump on his wheel. I do as I'm instructed when I don't know the words for putting up a reasonable argument. Off we went on a break from the group. The group chased and one guy counter-attacked. At that point, I attacked and dropped him. The entire group absolutely fell apart in laughter. That was was the thing to do to be "adopted" by these guys. Daniele beamed with pride since he had brought me to this ride. (As an aside, Daniele is far stronger than I and a few of the guys climb better than me.)
I'm wondering when I should break out my secret weapon: swapping out these really heavy puncture-less tubes for standard road tubes. Next weekend and the weekend after are local Gran Fondo races that I will probably participate in...so I'd better do it soon! Or not and save it for a "special occasion" in mid-summer when I'm fitter/stronger. Here's a shot of the group.
We did end up stopping once with about 40km left to go for a quick cafe, water bottle fill up and a little photo op. I picked up a teeny-little "jar" of Nutella for additional calories. The cute little spoon that comes with the espresso was perfect for spooning out the Nutella. The guys wouldn't allow me to pay for anything.
On a ride where I probably burned 3-4,000 calories, I ate about 300. That's how "bonk" is spelled. I would love to know the Italian word. In fact, they might have a few, just like Eskimos have multiple words for snow. The rollers really make the miles take longer and feel harder. So does the oxygen.
The Reward
All of this by only 3pm. The events of the rest of the day involved studying, taking a nap while basking in the sun on the stairs of the cathedral, going to church, having a dinner of eggs, veggies, black rice all mixed up together--no it doesn't have a name, and getting my new roommate: girl from Toronto, fluent in Italian, she's here on a 1-way ticket (Italian boyfriend) and she seems really cool to me.
One last note before I sign off: I think I am beginning to understand how immersion works. I could understand significantly more dialogue today than at this time last week. I'm using church as a good measuring stick since they pretty much always say the same thing and they tend to ennuncicate properly. All of the chit-chat on the bike forces me to listen intently to every sound and become more comfortable talking since I have no choice but to respond when they say something.
It's reasonable to call the ride today doing my homework. It's the most fun homework I've ever had.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Why dost thou do that, weather god?
There is a bathroom that needs to be scrubbed and clothes that need to be dried. Somehow (yet again), the blog gets priority. This is one of those days that promises little to begin and really impresses, leaving one stupefied by it all. What, pray tell, just happened?
I awoke at 10 this morning after having a late night yesterday (no crazy parties, just getting stuff done at home). It was a rainy morning and chilly, so I gave the day a little time to dry out and warm up before heading out on a ride. During this time, I studied vocabulary words, many dealing with weather. Word of the day: tempacchio. Translation: Bad weather. Vento (wind) and pioggia (rain) were among the set.
When I left, everything looked pretty fine to me with blue skies and a few scattered clouds here and there. I found yet another new road to take down the monster hill and into the countryside. There were a fair number of cyclists on the road. At one point, I was about to head in the direction I knew, but saw some cyclists ahead of me going on a different road. I decided that with the [amazing] invention of GPS, I might as well follow the cyclists since I wouldn't get lost.
One of the guys in the group was friendly and was cool to talk to (no, no English). He was drafting off of the others, but they didn't know each other. I wonder if it's an Italian thing. It's great that so far, everyone is very patient with my lack of vocabulary and brutal abuse of verbs. The group was going fairly slowly, so I was able to talk comfortably and snap some pictures. See for yourself--threatening sky? I think not!
I learned a whole new, very cycling-friendly route today by following these guys. Below is us going through Assisi.
Yeah, I'm a dork. This is a self-portrait in front of Assisi. Ga-ga gorgeous scenery! And, literally, moments before it started raining. One of the reasons why I've been completely avoiding riding on rainy days (aside from the fact that rain is typically not a lot of fun) is that I have been absolutely petrified about being on the wet roads because they can be very slick--like ice. Fortunately, since it's been raining so much lately, that probably took care of the problem (it has something to do with diesel fuel coming out of the road when the road gets wet).
The few drops of rain soon turned into a torrential downpour. 10k to ride home, all of it raining, me getting completely soaked. It wasn't cold out so it wasn't that miserable. By the time I got home, the rain wasn't bad (though it poured again after I got inside).
After a very pleasing hot shower and food (gnocchi), I set out to do some exploring in town. The rain had left for good at this point, making way for a lovely evening. Found a museum of Perugian pottery, on display in this iconic building (I think it might be the highest tower in town).
Here's a pic taken earlier in the evening--the tower can be seen in the distance.
Guided by the little helpful book I've mentioned before, I found a waaaay awesome macrobiotic place. It's all organic, very crunchy--just my style where it comes to cuisine. It's this kind of place that one would expect to find in Boulder but can't... you have to go to NYC to get the same experience. (As an aside, if you're in NYC, go to Angelica's Kitchen, it replicates my experience tonight).
The place was packed, and they seated me at the community table. YEA! A community table!!!!! Angelica's Kitchen is the only place I've found one before. Quick definition of a community table: The establishment has this large table that seats ~12. If you go alone or with one other person, and if you want, they put you here to save their space and no one eats alone.
Tonight, I had a full-on family Italian experience with a whole bunch of super friendly Italians who not only aren't my family, but they also don't know each other. Some of them knew a little English, but I tried as well as I could to speak Italian and understand them. This is a group of people who aren't thrilled by the quality of typical Italian cuisine. In itself, the topic deserves a fair amount of research on my part.
Dinner tonight: soup (not sure what was in it), and a large plate piled with brown rice with a green sauce (probably vegetables), steamed veggies--carrots, chard, cauliflower, raw salad, garbanzo beans and wheat pasta. 8 euro. Would have cost 1/2 that if I were a student (which I am) but I would also have to be two years younger. Grumble on that, but still very reasonable and what an experience!
With that, it's time to clean the bathroom, we're getting a 3rd roommate tomorrow sometime. Arrivederci!
I awoke at 10 this morning after having a late night yesterday (no crazy parties, just getting stuff done at home). It was a rainy morning and chilly, so I gave the day a little time to dry out and warm up before heading out on a ride. During this time, I studied vocabulary words, many dealing with weather. Word of the day: tempacchio. Translation: Bad weather. Vento (wind) and pioggia (rain) were among the set.
When I left, everything looked pretty fine to me with blue skies and a few scattered clouds here and there. I found yet another new road to take down the monster hill and into the countryside. There were a fair number of cyclists on the road. At one point, I was about to head in the direction I knew, but saw some cyclists ahead of me going on a different road. I decided that with the [amazing] invention of GPS, I might as well follow the cyclists since I wouldn't get lost.
One of the guys in the group was friendly and was cool to talk to (no, no English). He was drafting off of the others, but they didn't know each other. I wonder if it's an Italian thing. It's great that so far, everyone is very patient with my lack of vocabulary and brutal abuse of verbs. The group was going fairly slowly, so I was able to talk comfortably and snap some pictures. See for yourself--threatening sky? I think not!
I learned a whole new, very cycling-friendly route today by following these guys. Below is us going through Assisi.
The few drops of rain soon turned into a torrential downpour. 10k to ride home, all of it raining, me getting completely soaked. It wasn't cold out so it wasn't that miserable. By the time I got home, the rain wasn't bad (though it poured again after I got inside).
After a very pleasing hot shower and food (gnocchi), I set out to do some exploring in town. The rain had left for good at this point, making way for a lovely evening. Found a museum of Perugian pottery, on display in this iconic building (I think it might be the highest tower in town).
Here's a pic taken earlier in the evening--the tower can be seen in the distance.
Guided by the little helpful book I've mentioned before, I found a waaaay awesome macrobiotic place. It's all organic, very crunchy--just my style where it comes to cuisine. It's this kind of place that one would expect to find in Boulder but can't... you have to go to NYC to get the same experience. (As an aside, if you're in NYC, go to Angelica's Kitchen, it replicates my experience tonight).
The place was packed, and they seated me at the community table. YEA! A community table!!!!! Angelica's Kitchen is the only place I've found one before. Quick definition of a community table: The establishment has this large table that seats ~12. If you go alone or with one other person, and if you want, they put you here to save their space and no one eats alone.
Tonight, I had a full-on family Italian experience with a whole bunch of super friendly Italians who not only aren't my family, but they also don't know each other. Some of them knew a little English, but I tried as well as I could to speak Italian and understand them. This is a group of people who aren't thrilled by the quality of typical Italian cuisine. In itself, the topic deserves a fair amount of research on my part.
Dinner tonight: soup (not sure what was in it), and a large plate piled with brown rice with a green sauce (probably vegetables), steamed veggies--carrots, chard, cauliflower, raw salad, garbanzo beans and wheat pasta. 8 euro. Would have cost 1/2 that if I were a student (which I am) but I would also have to be two years younger. Grumble on that, but still very reasonable and what an experience!
With that, it's time to clean the bathroom, we're getting a 3rd roommate tomorrow sometime. Arrivederci!
If April showers bring May flowers, let's see some HUGE stinkin' flowers here soon!
The spring rains here have been okay with me up until today. I felt that I could properly plan rides around them and enjoy the downtime when the rain came. I was really looking forward to an epic ride today, and my dream was snatched away from me as I was walking out the door with bike in hand...my roommate came in and told me that it was chilly and raining. (This is after I'd just checked weather.com that said it was sunny and in the 60s.)
(Note the above picture was not photographed on Italian soil.)
Plan B. Change clothes, promptly head to neighborhood bar and drown sorrows in cappuccino. I spent the rest of the day writing down vocab words and I even graduated to making flashcards. I can't tell you how excited I am to learn the vocabulary and actually memorize things again. Engineering school took away my ability to memorize (thanks to cheat sheets) so it is, truly, thrilling (though difficult) to get back into this sort of learning.
As an aside, this was Google's image today. Is that just for Italians or the whole world?
I got many wonderful emails from so many of you concerning this movie, I really appreciate each of them. But for the movie to get more hits, YouTube needs to see your feedback. I created this out of my desire to thank Ciclismo Classico and the friends I met on tour for the most amazing trip I've ever been on and to illustrate how and why I fell in love with Italy--so much so that I totally changed everything in my life to be here now.
Ciclismo is currently running a video contest--the winner will get a free trip this summer (terms and conditions apply). You can be assured that if I win, you will get tons more stories and awesome images from other great places to ride in Italy! So let your feedback be heard now--the deadline is April 30, but please don't wait because this needs all of the hits it can get right now (as the ratings generate future hits).
Grazie mille from the bottom of my widdle Italian heart!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
How long should a 1 L bottle of olive oil last?
I want to know what the FDA would have to say about olive oil consumption. The other day, I made a Freudian slip and described my olive oil consumption as "drinking" it. Let's just say that I don't drink, uh, I mean consume, it quite as fast as water, but it's only a tad more expensive than water, so it might as well be enjoyed. On most everything, for most meals. Tutti.
You've been patiently awaiting some sort of pictures. Here's tonight's dinner. Tortellini and pesto from the grocery store (another something that's dirt-cheap here). Also imagine steamed spinach as the 2nd course. 3rd course will probably be wine and bar food--am going out tonight. Thursday just seems like the best night to go out and my classmates aren't off traveling for the weekend. So many kids in this town go out every night. I'm just too old to party that much and survive. (Actually, I've always been "too old" to party on school nights.)
Would have loved to get good pictures from today's ride, but it turns out that after I went through Assisi and found an interesting new road to follow, a couple of lycra-clad guys (Daniele and Louie) on bikes rode up behind me so I followed their wheels until I got back home. Riding with them meant doing some sprints and keeping a very high pace at times--they didn't speak English so it was a test to see where I fall strength-wise. It also meant a mid-ride stop for a drink--red wine for Daniele, not sure what Louie had and I got orange juice. I've never seen anyone drink wine during a ride and I sure have never seen anyone down it as quickly as Daniele did!
It's rides like this that I have been hoping for the past few months and it was a real motivation to train (for this and grand fondo races). My strength is no where near where I'd like it to be, but I would have died if I had tried to keep up a racer's training schedule on top of moving here. Va bene. All is well, though, I'm strong enough to hang and attempt conversation in Italian (trust me, it's work at this point, pretty exhausting to try to catch what they're saying and think of an appropriate response--frustrating because I want to say so much but so little comes out). We exchanged enough information to know a fair amount about each other. We will ride Saturday. Woohoo!
With that, it's time to start the process of getting ready for the evening. If I were like most people here, I wouldn't even consider going out until 11:00 or later. Just too old...
Would have loved to get good pictures from today's ride, but it turns out that after I went through Assisi and found an interesting new road to follow, a couple of lycra-clad guys (Daniele and Louie) on bikes rode up behind me so I followed their wheels until I got back home. Riding with them meant doing some sprints and keeping a very high pace at times--they didn't speak English so it was a test to see where I fall strength-wise. It also meant a mid-ride stop for a drink--red wine for Daniele, not sure what Louie had and I got orange juice. I've never seen anyone drink wine during a ride and I sure have never seen anyone down it as quickly as Daniele did!
It's rides like this that I have been hoping for the past few months and it was a real motivation to train (for this and grand fondo races). My strength is no where near where I'd like it to be, but I would have died if I had tried to keep up a racer's training schedule on top of moving here. Va bene. All is well, though, I'm strong enough to hang and attempt conversation in Italian (trust me, it's work at this point, pretty exhausting to try to catch what they're saying and think of an appropriate response--frustrating because I want to say so much but so little comes out). We exchanged enough information to know a fair amount about each other. We will ride Saturday. Woohoo!
With that, it's time to start the process of getting ready for the evening. If I were like most people here, I wouldn't even consider going out until 11:00 or later. Just too old...
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Slammed
I think I enjoyed (trying) to speak Italian a little bit more when I didn't realize all of the different ways to screw everything up. Now that I'm becoming more aware of this, some serious studying time is in order, but that won't fix my newly-discovered fear of speaking it all wrong. Tomorrow is language lab, that should help. I'm really looking forward to the Italian roommates for the extra dialogue...and at least I can ask them if I'm mispronouncing words.
Right now, my roommate is having a dinner party, but I decided to skip it and just eat steamed spinach and tortellini earlier tonight. Smoke clogs my brain...and I need to study. Not many Americans in town (I rarely run into one), but there's a NJ guy in the kitchen. He's lived here for two years. He works at a bar and said he picked up the language just by doing that. I cannot fathom how anyone can do it without going to class, there are so many nuances.
The little guide book should have something to say about running here considering what they said about cycling. I ran earlier today (great way to see more cool streets and I found some pretty parks and good food shopping), but with the cars parking on sidewalks and sidewalks jumping from one side of the road to the next (and every road going either straight up or down), I'll take riding here any day over being on foot. Still, good workout since it was a bit chilly and my laundry hadn't dried yet from yesterday.
Right now, my roommate is having a dinner party, but I decided to skip it and just eat steamed spinach and tortellini earlier tonight. Smoke clogs my brain...and I need to study. Not many Americans in town (I rarely run into one), but there's a NJ guy in the kitchen. He's lived here for two years. He works at a bar and said he picked up the language just by doing that. I cannot fathom how anyone can do it without going to class, there are so many nuances.
The little guide book should have something to say about running here considering what they said about cycling. I ran earlier today (great way to see more cool streets and I found some pretty parks and good food shopping), but with the cars parking on sidewalks and sidewalks jumping from one side of the road to the next (and every road going either straight up or down), I'll take riding here any day over being on foot. Still, good workout since it was a bit chilly and my laundry hadn't dried yet from yesterday.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Time Flying? A Secret to Slowing it Down...
As we get older, time goes by faster and faster. My idea on why this is: once life begins to repeat itself, everything that is repetitious of a previous day or activity ends up being stored in memory as a single item. Thus, as one grows older, more and more activities turn out to be the same and time is, literally, compressed in memory--creating that time-is-flying feeling.
Simple fix to this pesky problem: uproot your life, move to somewhere else and get another profession. Easy, eh? :) Honestly, I don't see why not (if you don't have school-age kids). Packing up one's life is challenging (especially in a credit- and contract- based society like ours), admittedly, and I've been fortunate to have family helping me (to this day) wrap up a few loose ends. But once I got here, everything that I thought would be really hard has turned out to simply fall into place.
Back to the point about slowing down time: I've been gone from the US for 1 month and 4ish days. It truly feels like four months have passed. It's hard for me to imagine that I've only been in 5 total days of Italian school and haven't been in Italy for that long at all.
Every day is new, brings new people, new experiences. Every time I venture out of the house, I discover a new street that leads to an incredible vista, a useful establishment (tourist office gave me a book of bike rides today!), yummy pastry shop, chill bar or another public water fountain (no need to ever buy water here). Every single day.
Today's big adventure and success was finding a bath towel. Sad but true, I've been using a travel towel since I left hostel living. There is nothing like drying off with a terry-cloth towel and today I finally purchased one. Finding that store was sheer happiness. Next time you dry off after a shower, appreciate that towel that you've taken for granted your whole life.
The other successful adventure (but not as exciting as the towel) is that I found a new place to live! It's full of Italian students (3 or 4 others), saves me about 100 euro every month (utilities are included in the price, major stress reliever), should have better internet (this connection stinks--usually not good enough for a Skype call) and is significantly closer to school. My view is about the same (stone wall) and room is 1/2 the size of this one, but I'm a believer in small, uncomfortable bedrooms (less comfortable=more time spent out in a public place!) Bedroom = camera da letto (I learned this today in school). I've committed for 2 months so I can decide at that point whether to continue taking Italian classes or travel around a bit more in Europe. It's anyone's guess as to what I'll end up doing.
On a totally different topic, I got some questions pertaining to the last blog entry...my philosophy on dating. It's actually quite simple: I date with the intention of getting married and having a family (family may or may not include having kids--there's nothing certain about having them, even if they're really wanted). Dating is time to get to know the other person (and vice versa) and determining if this is a proper fit for a future family. Just that simple. I like the idea of how people dated back in the 50s. Go to the movies, ice cream, etc, with a variety of people until one person really stands out. Date that person solely for a few months, if all signs are good, get engaged, get married. Done. Simple.
Central Perugia is a town of one-night stands. Most young people are only temporarily here and so many are from around the world--chances are incredibly small that two people who meet here are going in the same direction (or will want to be in the same place) in the future. Italy, in general, has a reputation for being similar, but I don't know how true that is. Stereotypes can be so very wrong. From what I'm hearing others say about the United States, it's pretty shocking some of the ideas people have about it. Most of the foreigners I've met haven't been to the U.S. ever, but they assume a lot that isn't based on reality. (Nor is everything based on what they are fed from Hollywood or even the media.) In a few months, I'm sure this is a topic that will be blog-worthy. The last comment I heard that made me laugh is a girl who assumed I am an expert in gelato since Americans eat an extraordinary amount of ice creams (it's plural in some other languages).
Simple fix to this pesky problem: uproot your life, move to somewhere else and get another profession. Easy, eh? :) Honestly, I don't see why not (if you don't have school-age kids). Packing up one's life is challenging (especially in a credit- and contract- based society like ours), admittedly, and I've been fortunate to have family helping me (to this day) wrap up a few loose ends. But once I got here, everything that I thought would be really hard has turned out to simply fall into place.
Back to the point about slowing down time: I've been gone from the US for 1 month and 4ish days. It truly feels like four months have passed. It's hard for me to imagine that I've only been in 5 total days of Italian school and haven't been in Italy for that long at all.
Every day is new, brings new people, new experiences. Every time I venture out of the house, I discover a new street that leads to an incredible vista, a useful establishment (tourist office gave me a book of bike rides today!), yummy pastry shop, chill bar or another public water fountain (no need to ever buy water here). Every single day.
Today's big adventure and success was finding a bath towel. Sad but true, I've been using a travel towel since I left hostel living. There is nothing like drying off with a terry-cloth towel and today I finally purchased one. Finding that store was sheer happiness. Next time you dry off after a shower, appreciate that towel that you've taken for granted your whole life.
The other successful adventure (but not as exciting as the towel) is that I found a new place to live! It's full of Italian students (3 or 4 others), saves me about 100 euro every month (utilities are included in the price, major stress reliever), should have better internet (this connection stinks--usually not good enough for a Skype call) and is significantly closer to school. My view is about the same (stone wall) and room is 1/2 the size of this one, but I'm a believer in small, uncomfortable bedrooms (less comfortable=more time spent out in a public place!) Bedroom = camera da letto (I learned this today in school). I've committed for 2 months so I can decide at that point whether to continue taking Italian classes or travel around a bit more in Europe. It's anyone's guess as to what I'll end up doing.
On a totally different topic, I got some questions pertaining to the last blog entry...my philosophy on dating. It's actually quite simple: I date with the intention of getting married and having a family (family may or may not include having kids--there's nothing certain about having them, even if they're really wanted). Dating is time to get to know the other person (and vice versa) and determining if this is a proper fit for a future family. Just that simple. I like the idea of how people dated back in the 50s. Go to the movies, ice cream, etc, with a variety of people until one person really stands out. Date that person solely for a few months, if all signs are good, get engaged, get married. Done. Simple.
Central Perugia is a town of one-night stands. Most young people are only temporarily here and so many are from around the world--chances are incredibly small that two people who meet here are going in the same direction (or will want to be in the same place) in the future. Italy, in general, has a reputation for being similar, but I don't know how true that is. Stereotypes can be so very wrong. From what I'm hearing others say about the United States, it's pretty shocking some of the ideas people have about it. Most of the foreigners I've met haven't been to the U.S. ever, but they assume a lot that isn't based on reality. (Nor is everything based on what they are fed from Hollywood or even the media.) In a few months, I'm sure this is a topic that will be blog-worthy. The last comment I heard that made me laugh is a girl who assumed I am an expert in gelato since Americans eat an extraordinary amount of ice creams (it's plural in some other languages).
Hello Mother, Hello Father, I am Smoking...
Make that "I am second-hand smoking." No, I don't like the smoke, but after years of staying far away from it, a few nights of smoke-filled rooms is worth it for the social aspect. It's also just one more way I'm learning to tear down my comfort zone, to get rid of that attitude of everything must be just the way I want it.
We often think we can control everything in our lives; I think Americans have that "God" mentality more than most people... Why do we put up a big fence around our home? Well, to control our space and keep it the way we made it to be (we forget that we aren't the ones who made anything or own anything...it's all on loan to us while we're alive the way I see it). I know that I need to completely remove these qualities in myself if I ever hope to be the person I need to be--for whatever purpose I am meant to have.
My roommate had a dinner party tonight so she cooked spaghetti with a very yummy sauce of olives, celery, tomato sauce, guests brought great wine and gelato. It was a fun group and good time--and particularly nice to have people here after the past week and a half when I was the only person here (my roommate had to go home for a week since someone in her family died).
This was pretty amusing, so I have to share. One of her guy friends came and within 10 minutes of meeting me asked me out on a date. He didn't want to accept no as an answer. So I shared with him my philosophy on dating. He responded, "Well then we can just be friends." Nice. I wish I could have been this straight-forward in my younger years, it would have saved a lot of wasted time. Really, as interesting as it might be to check out the dating scene, this is not the town for it. (The cool little guide book I blogged about earlier today had a whole section about dating...it helped me appreciate what the scene is all about.)
In other news, it's true what people say, full immersion language classes are exhausting. After class this afternoon, my head hurt--literally, from being stretched in every which direction. This was day #4 of class, and I can already tell my level of comprehension is way up from this time last week and I'm thinking/reading a bit faster (I still have an incredibly long way to go). Vocab is sort of floating in, it's not hard for me to remember words after learning them once or twice since it's in context and I am stressed to learn. It's a super fun pasttime to look up words and check out idioms--even though these scare me a lot since it's just so much to learn.
We often think we can control everything in our lives; I think Americans have that "God" mentality more than most people... Why do we put up a big fence around our home? Well, to control our space and keep it the way we made it to be (we forget that we aren't the ones who made anything or own anything...it's all on loan to us while we're alive the way I see it). I know that I need to completely remove these qualities in myself if I ever hope to be the person I need to be--for whatever purpose I am meant to have.
My roommate had a dinner party tonight so she cooked spaghetti with a very yummy sauce of olives, celery, tomato sauce, guests brought great wine and gelato. It was a fun group and good time--and particularly nice to have people here after the past week and a half when I was the only person here (my roommate had to go home for a week since someone in her family died).
This was pretty amusing, so I have to share. One of her guy friends came and within 10 minutes of meeting me asked me out on a date. He didn't want to accept no as an answer. So I shared with him my philosophy on dating. He responded, "Well then we can just be friends." Nice. I wish I could have been this straight-forward in my younger years, it would have saved a lot of wasted time. Really, as interesting as it might be to check out the dating scene, this is not the town for it. (The cool little guide book I blogged about earlier today had a whole section about dating...it helped me appreciate what the scene is all about.)
In other news, it's true what people say, full immersion language classes are exhausting. After class this afternoon, my head hurt--literally, from being stretched in every which direction. This was day #4 of class, and I can already tell my level of comprehension is way up from this time last week and I'm thinking/reading a bit faster (I still have an incredibly long way to go). Vocab is sort of floating in, it's not hard for me to remember words after learning them once or twice since it's in context and I am stressed to learn. It's a super fun pasttime to look up words and check out idioms--even though these scare me a lot since it's just so much to learn.
Monday, April 12, 2010
"An Awful City for Cyclists"
"Perugia is, simply put, an awful city for cyclists. No cycle paths, narrow roads, endless hills, cobblestone streets, lanes that end in steps and rain blowing sideways quickly put an end to most two-wheeled ambitions."This statement comes directly from a cool little guide book that I just picked up. I understand where they're coming from--I only start and end rides here. The riding in the central part here is not great, but the location simply cannot be beat. The insane uphill at the end of the ride leaves me quaking in my cleats before starting the ascent. My eyes always burn of sweat in them by the time I get home.
The guide book is free and written by an American and Australian who tell of the great places to eat, shop, etc. Thank goodness a fellow classmate told me about this guide! I'll be a good tour guide to the city in no time. Hint, hint.
It's cool to start getting the locals recommendations on things. First recommendation from one cousin was to go to the chocolate shop and get a jar of their version of Nutella. Yes, it's better than Nutella and the ingredients are much better. While I'm on the subject, I'd been craving almond and peanut butter (staples of my American diet). Yes, I did find peanut butter, but it's expensive and has fully hydrogenated oil. So I won't eat it for any reason. Bananas are expensive, too, I haven't eaten a single one since I've been here. Surprisingly, I haven't missed them (I used to eat one or two daily back home). Add Clif Bars to the list--an addiction back home, I haven't seen or consumed one in over a month.
On that note, a pizzeria is another recommendation. That just might be dinner. Can you tell we just learned all about food in class?
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