Perspectivo

Don't you love words that are almost the same in other languages? "Perspectivo" came up during an art history class that I sat in on the other day. Well, now that I've had dinner and I'm in my sweatpants, I have a little better perspective than when I posted earlier. The silver lining to my day: I learned a lot about the Italian train system; also learned a lot about public pay phones (and how few there are); and the journey landed me in Siena, which is a beautiful city. I haven't seen much yet, but I look forward to exploring a bit tomorrow. I arrived too late today to meet with the second program I had an appointment with, so we are meeting tomorrow at 10am (luckily they were flexible). Afterwards, though, I'll have a couple of hours before I catch a train to Florence.

I felt plucky enough after checking into my hotel to request a new room. The cigarette smell is really bothering me - I think that after being sick for so long I'm more sensitive to it. Anyway, that request was denied, but at least I asked. Then I went and ate dinner alone at a real restaurant. I don't like eating alone, but I was hungry and it's hard to pass up an Italian meal, no matter the circumstances. I had gnocchi in a creamy pesto sauce. Trying to keep it light, you know. Dinner was a stark contrast to last night, when I felt like I was out with friends. Tonight I was The Lonely Traveler. Another good perspective to have from time to time, lest we take friends for granted.

I took the picture below in Perugia. I thought it was interesting, because evidently the idea of cleaning up after your dog is somewhat new to Italians (I know the French aren't very interested in the notion, either). I like that this little baggie station has step-by-step instructions on what to do.

He sent a puppy

Perhaps days like this are inevitable when one is traveling. They seem to be for me. Best Day Yet was quickly followed up by Worst Day Yet.

This morning it was cold and raining. I had breakfast at the hotel then took a taxi to the bus station with plenty of time to make the 11am bus to Siena. Taking the bus was Lindsey’s idea (one of the Umbra staff members). When she heard I planned to go by train, which is a 3-hour trip involving 2 changes, she went online and found a bus that goes directly in only an hour-and-a-half. Lindsey wrote down for me exactly what to tell the cab driver to get to the right place, the name of the bus company (Sena), and the time of departure. She told me I would buy my ticket on the bus.

I arrived at 10:40am. It wasn’t clear where the bus would leave from, so I asked someone who looked official. He pointed to the left side of the waiting area and said (I’m guessing anyway – it was in Italian) – “Probably from here. Maybe from over there, but probably here.” Not feeling extremely confident, I waited nervously in the cold, looking around for some clue that I was in the right spot. 11:00am passed, and though there were many buses that came and went, I hadn’t seen one called Sena. There was a girl with a suitcase who was also waiting, so I asked her if the bus to Siena was coming. She said yes, but it was late. I was momentarily reassured, but it was a full 40 minutes before it finally arrived, and the whole time I was standing in the cold, feeling nervous about whether I would make it and whether someone would try to steal my bag. Enormously relieved to see the right bus, I put my bag in the lower compartment and climbed aboard, grateful to be leaving. Then I realized the driver was taking tickets. Everyone around me had a ticket, and I did not. When he got to me, I showed him my money and asked if I could buy one. No, he shook his head, clearly annoyed, and pointed across the street, saying something in Italian. I could make out “ticket office” because it’s close to the same word in Spanish. I asked if I had time and he said “2 minutes.”

By now my adrenaline was pumping. I ran across the street to the train station, which was my best guess of where I would buy a ticket. I tried the automatic machine but it was only for train tickets. I stood in line at the ticket window while the people ahead of me took their sweet time, chatting and laughing and moving at an excruciating pace. When my turn came, the person at the window told me I couldn’t buy a bus ticket there; I needed to go outside – something about “taxi.” So I ran outside and found a little booth next to where the taxis line up and wait. The woman behind the window was on the phone, signaling me to wait. She at last finished her conversation, I bought my ticket, ran back to the waiting area, and the bus was gone.

I did not cry. I just didn’t know what to do. I thought about calling Lindsey and staying in Perugia for another day, but realized that, regardless of how I got there, it was crucial that I get to Siena in the hopes of getting my bag. I went back to the train station and bought a train ticket to Siena. There is no direct route so it involved two changes. The next train left in 25 minutes.

My next thought was that I needed to call Amanda, the IES Director in Siena, to tell her that I was late and find out if she could help me with the bag. I walked up and down the train station but couldn’t find a phone. I started to panic. The reality that my bag was gone – and everything in it, including prescriptions, clothes, make-up, everything – was sinking in, and I felt helpless and I hated the bus driver for his meanness.

And then I saw a puppy. A little, fluffy, black-and-white fur ball sniffing the ground. I knelt down and he immediately came to me and started wagging his tiny tail and pawing at my knee. He chewed at my hand and licked at my face and by the time his owner came to retrieve him, I felt like I had been healed. I was calmer and knew that it would be ok, I would see my bag again, and I could figure this out.

Right now I’m on the third train – the one that finally goes to Siena – and I still don’t know if I’ll see my bag again. But I’m still struck by how that puppy communicated to me the presence of God. It was as if God knew exactly what I needed for comfort and strength in that moment to keep me from falling apart. I think He does know me, and I think He does care that much about the details of my life that He would send a puppy at the moment I needed it the most.

It’s been a cold, anxious, uncomfortable day. But thank God I’m not alone.

P.S. I wrote this on the train, but now I'm at the hotel in Siena. It stinks like cigarette smoke but I made it, and I have my bag.

La Dolce Vita

Tonight, I had what may spoil pasta & prego for me. Spaghetti alla Norma. It’s spaghetti with marinara sauce, eggplant, and ricotta cheese. But ricotta like I’ve never had it before – shaved. Delicious. As Michelle so aptly put it, these people have food figured out.

I learned that bread made in the Umbra region is terrible because they don’t use salt. Why not? Because in the 1500’s there was a tax levied on salt, and to protest, the people quit using it. To this day, they won’t. I don’t think we know what a memory is in the U.S.

Such a wonderful night. Aperitivos first, then a long dinner, then a digestivo, and then a glass of wine just to make the evening last a little longer. Thank you, Umbra Institute! This has been the best day yet.

Fog

Yep, I like this town. Unfortunately, the fog was really thick today, so I didn't get to see any of the breathtaking views that it is famous for. I'm hoping that tomorrow I'll get to see a little on my way out of town, but the forecast is calling for rain. There's a reason there are high and low tourist seasons.

I'm back at my hotel now, and in about half an hour I'm going to dinner with some of the Umbra staff. There are two American girls who studied abroad here and liked it so much they decided to stay, and one Italian guy who is planning to move to the U.S. I had coffee with a DU student and got her take on the program. It's interesting to see the two sides. On the one hand, students are inspiring because you realize that their experience is what the whole thing is about. On the other hand, I forget sometimes how brutal they can be. Just critical in general, and I guess I tend to feel defensive of the program because I understand how difficult things can be to administer (and the program bought me lunch). It was a good reminder to take everything with a grain of salt, anyway.

I bought some chocolate today from what is supposedly the best chocolatier in Perugia. Who knows, maybe you'll be lucky enough to get some? :) Whoever comments the most often on my blog is a sure winner.

Small towns are better

I've only been in Perugia for an hour, but already I love it here. The cab driver charged me less than he needed to, rounding down instead of up on the total, and there was a small greeting party when I arrived at the hotel, just wanting to make sure that I made it safely. They also left a little gift bag in the room for me. Chocolates are Perugia's thing, and how nice of them to start me off with a whole bag of them!

Leaving Rome got a little hairy. I hopped on a bus (well, it was actually more of an awkward run with my suitcase, barely squeezing in at the door) and took it to the main train station. I had heard rumors about crowded buses and roving hands, and let me just say it's all true. Ick. Dirty old men. But I made it to the train station for only 1 Euro (you're welcome, DU), and caught a 6pm train to Perugia that arrived at 9pm.

Tomorrow is a full day, but I'm looking forward to it. No travel and no school to find. They are going to meet me in the hotel lobby in the morning, bless their hearts. I already don't want to leave.

Food

Feeling reinvigorated after a wonderful, long-lasting lunch and a laid-back visit to the Accademia Italiana. They have me scheduled to sit it on another class this afternoon, but the director just suggested I go shopping instead. I like these people. :)

Just wanted to post a picture from St. Peter's of the sign demonstrating what type of dress is allowed or not allowed inside the church. Apparently the law is the same throughout Italy, but St. Peter's is one of the few places to enforce it. All of the program providers I've met with so far shake their heads over the way girls dress during the summer. "What part of 'don't show your shoulders' do you not understand?" The reply: "But I'm not catholic!"

St Peter's Basilica

I am exhausted, but before I crawl into bed and collapse, I wanted to post a couple of pictures from today. I managed to find the IES Rome office. It should have taken about 30 minutes to walk there and I allowed for an hour, and it worked out perfectly. They promptly put me in a cab and took me right back to the neighborhood where my hotel is to look at one of the student apartments. Good meetings, nice people, and afterwards I was able to see one sight in Rome - St Peter's Basilica, in Vatican City. Pictures don't do it justice.

The walk home is where things fell apart. I didn't get lost (at first), but the map didn't show that the road I was following isn't walkable for an important section, and then I was stuck backtracking because of the medieval walls that block everything off, and the upshot is my feet are incredibly sore and my spirits a bit dampened. I'm sure in the morning I'll feel differently. I don't want to complain (mostly because I know I won't get any sympathy), but it is a bit frustrating to be so close to all of these amazing things and yet unable to go see or enjoy them. I guess close is better than nothing at all, though, and maybe one day I'll get to come back and see the Sistine Chapel and the Colosseum. And have a glass of wine.

I'm taking a cab to my appointment tomorrow. That's my end-of-day resolution. One more school in Rome, and then I leave for Perugia. Ciao!