As I begin another full weekend, I wanted to share a little about what happened in the last first because it is definitely worth telling. After a wonderfully productive meeting with my professor, I took the train to back to Siena and spend the evening with my bestest pal Filippo. We made burritos thanks to the luck I had in finding a box with the shells at the grocery store on the way into the city. I had a hankering for Mexican for a while, but sometimes international ingredients are difficult to find in Italy. (But that's the best part about living in Florence, which is far more international than tiny Siena! Well, kind of, but I am sure there will be reason to discuss this later in the year.) So after dinner and episode of Treme and Modern Family, we went to bed. The best part about being with Filippo is we can spend lots of time together doing nothing special...and that we have, willingly and enjoyably. That might not sound like much of a virtue considering we are discussing friendship, but the man is a saint for what he's put up with over the last three years we have known. 

Saturday we did a lot of studying and I did a little Skyping with my super savvy grandparents during the day. In the evening, Filippo and I visited the Siena Art Institute, sister school to Siena School for Liberal Arts, where I studied Spring 2009. It was the inaugural event of the new school and was full of all kinds of wonderful art and brimming with lots of new folk and some of my old favorites! If anyone (not just traditional university students) is interested in studying art abroad at any level, this is a great place to check out because they do all kinds of really stimulating work in all kinds of medium, such as print-making, photography, creative writing, visual arts, and (my favorite!) book art. They will also host various professional international artists each month, starting in the new year, who will be making all kinds of connections with the community. For this exhibit, they collected over 4,000 postcards internationally that were on display Saturday. Here are some pictures I grabbed on my phone from the event:

Poi domenica... la vendemmia! (For those of you non-Italophones: Then Sunday… the grape harvesting!) I went to this same vineyard to work last year and it was, without a doubt, one of my very favorite days of 2010 (which you can read about here), so I was beyond thrilled to get an invitation back this year. Our Siena group was up and moving early, but when we got to San Quirico a little after 8 am the professionals were already on the third row. So we donned our gloves and got to work cutting the bunches off the vines. I always enjoy myself, but I can tell you that the company makes it great and the very short time I have to do this work makes it better. I'm not one adapted for lots of physical labor, but a little does the body some good.

But you know what makes the experience the best? Lunch! Because we were such an awesome group, we were able to finish the (relatively small) vineyard by noon. After a little bit of time chatting and playing with the cutest little one there ever was, I sat myself down to better food than you could imagine in your dreams. And if you think I'm kidding, I purposely skipped breakfast to make sure I was ready and then didn't eat dinner, breakfast, or lunch following.

We had pastasciutta (phenomenal!) for the first plate. Then there was goat (YUM!), rabbit (so, so tender!), and chicken (which looked great but I couldn't force myself to eat any more in that round). Beans and tomatoes that were ever so fresh and good. Perfect peaches from the trees in the grove where we sat. Cake and this awesome marmalade-Nutella-banana sweet thing which I've named Heaven. Plus on top of the wonderful wine that I helped to harvest last year, we had a little spumante for Gabriele's birthday, some arrancello, and un caffe'  to help digest all this goodness. And, I'll confess, after a productive morning and a great meal, this happy camper gets sleepy and quickly. I couldn't even keep my eyes open for the ride home!

So don't color me shocked when my time in San Quirico has made it on my "Best of 2011" list. If anyone is considering a trip to Italy, this farm hosts people in the cutest little house a little outside of Siena. It is in a really beautiful area off the beaten path, which is the best way to travel, and would be a great place to stay when exploring the Tuscan countryside for a steal. You can check out their information here (and see this album with some pictures of yours truly!) and have as wonderful an experience as I had! Alla prossima!

There won't always be another tomorrow.

Here we are two months into 2011 and time's moving along. I've been busy, at least in respect to my life months ago. I'm still working for the school system and picked up a small nannying job for a family I just can't get enough of. This cutie gets me out of the house just a bit earlier three days a week and brings me a whole lot of joy!

I've also been feeling a tad bit more responsible. I'm sure it helps having the pocket money and a renewed wonder about what's worth the fruits of my labor. Being a saver, that's not much, but it's more fun to look when the possibility to purchase is there.

My list of goals for 2011 is keeping me busy. I've completed a few odd crafts which I'm fairly proud about completing. My room was painted yesterday and I'm thrilled with the results. I'm beyond excited to continue working on making the room my very own space (only to move again, I'm sure).

I'm still trying to get in on volunteering with the school system, but made a ton of friends working with a local theatre in Winston Salem. I've always loved everything about the theatre and got lucky enough to team up with Theatre Alliance on their production of Eating Raoul. This show was pretty crazy (ask Abbey or Lauren- they were troopers for coming to see it!), but the group I worked with was phenomenal. And I learned a ton! I was a dresser which is nothing except on a show with 96 costume changes and no intermission. Boy, was it work, but still a ton of fun. And now I know how to tie a bow tie!

I've also been practicing the fine art of letter writing and am trying to make a more concerted effort to sit down and write with regularity. Writing's consumed much of my psyche, but sitting down to complete it seems to be my biggest hurdle, especially when there's another tomorrow when I can do these things. I did apply to just one graduate program. I did it in a conscious, yet last minute manner--how about that for contradiction of terms?--and would be thrilled to be accepted there, but like everything else there's something of a waiting game.

Last night it occurred to me that it's been about a month since I heard about the Fulbright stuff and submitted my application to graduate school. Who knows how much time is left until I know the results of either path. I don't spend much time thinking about it because there's nothing I can change, but from time to time, I wish time away. I hate feeling like I'm missing out on something, even if they're struggles.

Yet I'm starting to realize what a mistake that is. Being out in the community and getting to know new people, I've been challenged to take advantage of my situation. It's certainly something I've been working on for a few months now, but a new friend with his own fantastic life admitted how jealous he was of my situation. He had the chance to take a year off before heading on in higher education and wished he had been more "industrious" with his time. There are plenty of books I want to read, shows I want to see, goals I want to achieve. There's no need to rush any of my precious freedom along. I'm sure I'll be nostalgic for these months...eventually. :)

“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.” - G. K. Chesterson

I've never thought of my hometown as a very exciting place, but I've got to work with what's at hand right now so I've been looking for the adventure wherever I can find it. And rather than use words, I'll rely on the pictures I've taken to share the stories. First up is visiting Mom's second grade class complete with Cranberry Centers and a Thanksgiving feast with the kindergardeners.

Describing cranberries like a scientist.

My partner for Cranberry Centers and I at the taste testing.
What's your favorite cranberry treat: juice, bread, or sauce?

Cranberries: sink or swim?

The feast! Turkey sandwiches, popcorn, grapes (from the cornucopia), and milk (...from the cows?).
You know, just like the pilgrims.

Uh, yum!

I'm pretty sure that my daughter will be JUST like this little girl. She's gonna be an astronaut. 

Then was catching up with one of my best and oldest friends Shane who was in town for the weekend. We went bowling and Christmas shopping...which gave us the excuse to "Kinect." I had such a great time, but that should never be much of a surprise when you're rolling with this guy.

He's as silly as the day I met him. Just geriatric now. 

He's a master in the lanes, but he can't beat his mom on the Wii.

Look at that form! And with the slight curve at the end, that's what a spare looks like, people.

If I had an extra $149 lying around, I would have bought this in a second. So fun! 

And to close on the recent adventures, Mom and I had some great bonding time decorating our gingerbread house. It took 2 HOURS to do that tiny thing, but balancing our different visions and compulsions equaled a pretty awesome house.

And doesn't it look yummy enough to eat?!?

So maybe these are a different breed of marvels and mishaps than those you would find galvanting around Italy but I'm certainly enjoying myself. I guess that just goes to show you: "Adventure is out there!"

When the South comes to town

Of course, my mind is oriented toward coming home. There's only a week left here to enjoy Italian life and finish up business, then I'm back to the States. But to my surprise, I got a strange preview of live back home this past weekend.

Friday night, I went to a local bar gig to watch some of my friends play in their band called The Last to Knows. (Yes, they're completely aware that the name is grammatically incorrect.) The Last to Knows are a pop-punk country/folk band of six Italians from the district of Siena. The lead Mattia writes the songs and sings...always in English. Have any of them been to the South? That seems to be an irrelevant point, but I'll have you know that they have the heart. Three of the guys also performed live on the radio Sunday--after which we had the most awesome dinner of specialty meat, cheese, and olives which we washed down with some tasty IPAs. Oh, the joys of simple life.

I must admit that I was left wondering during the concert Friday night and then on Sunday as Mattia spoke to the disk jockey, what did Italians understand when they hear their music? Now, don't get me wrong, Mattia's English is great. Sure, lyrics are sometimes hard to decipher, but that's the case with any singer. (I just found out the lyrics to this jem are "Just stay close at hand" and not "Just because I asked." Rocked my world.) Although I still think Mattia should get a tutor with a drawl.... But then there's the question of what do they think of the sound? Italians are pretty used to getting inundated with music from the Anglophones, but this is no Lady Gaga or Katy Perry. I guess all that matters is that there was a packed bar Friday and, I assume, some radio listeners out there on Sunday.

Back to the point: if you want to listen to some of The Last to Knows' recent recordings you can download their newest songs, listen to some older ones, or just watch my poor quality video clip (cut short since the file was so big). Also, I only have a point and shoot and Friday night's concert was at not an ideal location for picture taking, but here are a few anyway.

Not everyone likes to be center stage.

Hardest to photograph. The most fun to watch.

 

Saturday, I bribed Gabriele into driving me to Sansepolcro with promises of lots of good food and company. Upon arrival, we were picked up by Sara, had a wonderful lunch prepared by Patrizio, and were entertained by Leonardo, Ginevra, and Veronica. Beyond the fun that children bring to life and the great warmth I feel when I'm at their home, one of the best things about seeing this wonderful family again was being able to actually "speak." I met them at the end of my first trip to Italy and Patrizio just couldn't believe I was following his point about bike racing in detail. Like I said before, it's the simple things, people. :)

Aren't we the cutest?

I was also able to visit Palazzo Alberti and visit with Dr. Betty Webb, John Rose, and the ragazze from Meredith College. We just happened to arrive on the day in which Palazzo Alberti was celebrating a year in Sansepolcro. As a result there was an open house birthday party complete with cake and prosecco. It was wonderful to see how Meredith has started to become a real part of the community. You could hear both English and Italian floating around the room, along with the most important language, MereCollian (or Meredith-ese? I don't know. I just made it up.).

This one was an exclusive tongue known only by a few of us. For instance, Dr. Webb introduced me to some of the students as 2010's Senior Tall Tale and although I didn't know most of them, I was instantly recognized as being a part of Cornhuskin'. Of course it was a mystery to the other guests because...all toooooogether now: You just have to experience it! But it was nice to find others out in the real world who made "good ol' Meredith, Meredith ol' MC" their home, too.

Coming back soon!

Friends Makin' Mems.

...memories, that is. This weekend I had so much fun with friends these past days that I just couldn't wait to share with you some of the things I did! First, I received a wonderful visit from my friend Abi. We studied together here in Siena during the Spring 2009 semester, and since lately I've especially been missing my Siena School friends who made this lovely place even more special, it was a special treat to have her here. She's living in Florence for now and was able to come for a day trip a few weeks back, but this time Abi came on Thursday and stayed for a few days. Slumber party, anyone? We talked and talked and drank LOTS of tea and talked some more. It was really perfect for the both of us.

Friday evening, after some awesome stone soup alla Abi, we went out on the town and shared a Bella Vista. Although I'm not much of a cocktail drinker, this drink is great! The ginger they put in it gives a nice spicy taste that definitely reminds me of being in Siena with friends. We were joined by Deanne, the most awesome Canadian I know, and had some fun girl talk. Can you really ever get enough of that? The three of us joined some friends to celebrate Gabriele's birthday. I usually don't talk about going out because it's mostly the same scene no matter where you are, but I mention it this time for two reasons:

1. Realizing that I can have a conversation in Italian really never gets old to me. I struggled (and continue to fight) with this language. It means a lot that, despite some hiccups, I can get my point across. It was also nice to hear Abi, who is a language genius, recognize how the language is more fluid for me after a year and a half. It's difficult to see my own growth so moments like these are especially sweet.
2. Italians celebrate birthdays differently. I didn't know this when my birthday rolled around, but on your birthday, you pay. Team North America (Abi, Deanne, and I) tried to explain how it works in our cultures, but Team Italy wasn't having any of it. Not that I was complaining. The free drinks were nice. :)

On  Saturday afternoon, Abi and I made a visit to Florence. Shamefully, I had not made a trip up there until then, but maybe that contributed in making the trip so wonderful. We spent the afternoon with the group of friends I made on my first trip to Italy in July 2008 and had a fantastic time, as per usual. I finally made it up to Piazza Michelangelo which offers the best view of the city.  Then we walked around and caught up with each other, played some billiards to pass the time, and I got a ride on my friend Armando's moped. Don't worry, Mom, I made him promise to drive safely. It was SO FUN!!! Abi and I made the trip back to Siena and went to bed early because yesterday we had planned a big day.

We woke up extra early, dressed ourselves in the sloppiest clothes we had, and met Gabriele who drove us out into the country a hour to go grape harvesting! Since there was no one on the road, we were a little ahead of schedule, and so he took us to a nearby town with a Roman bath that people still use. Next day trip, maybe?

 

When we finally got to the small vineyard of Gabriele's family friend Raddichio (or "Radish"--I couldn't figure out where the nickname came from), we jumped into the work cutting the bunches of grapes off the vines. Not very complicated work, but it was a great experience and a wonderful day to pass outside of the city and in good company. 

Lunch time, as usual, was the best part though. Waiting for things to be finished, we toured a bit of the farm and played some with Raddichio's grandchildren and the hugest pack of dogs I've seen in real-life. Raddichio's wife and her crew made a feast for us with their homegrown products which we ate under the olive trees. I had to take a slow pace just to keep going, but everything was delicious beyond words. I wish I could share with you the good food and the warm feeling from being in moments like this one. It's certainly an experience to have. Post-meal, we went back to work which went by so quickly and even got some free wine as payment.

Where all the magic happens.

Real free range chickens.
We ate here under the trees...but there were no birds to be found.

If anyone's interested in renting this cute house it's available. :)

On the trip back, I took some pictures of the view I thought you'd like to see and dragged our tired and sorry selves back home. My sore scissor-cutting hand gives a big wave to all of you until next time!

City of a Million Moonlit Places

A proper post is long overdue. Although I don't feel like I have much to tell. My everyday is quite routine. I have school in the morning at the Siena School, where I studied during the Spring 2009 semester. It's an intensive language course for one more week. Then the afternoons change depending on the day. Mostly I work on my Fulbright application and trying to make connections. Sometimes I go to Campansi to visit my favorite elderly. Others are spent spontaneously with friends.

But I did want to go in more detail on one recent happening: another trip to Rome! Since I enjoyed the last show so much, Gabriele brought me along to the Globe Theatre in Rome once again. He has some company with whom he can discuss the show and I have a trip to Rome. Win-win, as far as I see it.

First we planned to meet up with Yoanna, my stunning French friend. She lives in Piazza di Spagna for now. On our way there, we stopped to watch a group of serious street preformers . I couldn't believe how these guys could move their bodies! We proceeded along, walking down Via Condotti with windows full of Gucci, Prada, and the like, forces you to stop and stare in awe. We waited on the Spanish Steps, chatting and doing some serious people watching, while we waited for Yoanna to come out. I read in a guidebook that centuries ago, the "beautiful people" would go, hoping to be chosen as a model by some artist. While there's not much modeling going on for paintings, there were enough characters to satisfy this psych nerd.

We finally caught up with Yoanna and together the three of us stumbled upon a restaurant nearby. It was delicious and offered an interesting form of entertainment when some woman decided to park her car on this tiny street. Cars piled up behind but there was nothing that could be done. We didn't see her for most of our meal...but did see the police who were stuck behind her write her a fine. We never hear her excuse herself other than explaining that she "ran" into the store to by some bread and eggs. Yikes.

After dinner, we ran over to Villa Borgese to the theatre. We were running late, but it worked out well because unlike the last time, the show was sold out! Luckily we had purchased our tickets beforehand. We saw La Bisbetica Domata, or The Taming of the Shrew, which is my favorite Shakespeare comedy. It was stunning! (Here are some pictures of the theatre, the last show, and this one, for those who are interested.) They updated the beginning to present day and the director created a gymnasium setting for much of the story. I really enjoyed myself despite that which was lost in translation, since they were all speaking Italian. Like last time, some actors were easier to follow than others and I'm sure it helped that I had read the play before, but maybe some of it is also from getting better. All bets are off when it comes to that.

After the show we went for a walk around Rome in some places I had never seen before. Unfortunately we couldn't get to all of them due to bad directions from locals and our incorrect map reading. Maybe next time?

Super Update

So the first sentiment I feel is the need to apologize, but, dear readers, I can only apologize for because I can't properly excuse myself. I've been taking advantage of life here in every way possible. So to catch you up I'm going to throw a lot of images at you with a general update lacking the banal details you would've skimmed anyway. Anyway, you'll get picture (pun intended). And to ease the process, I put a handful in a video for you to watch. You'll find it at the end of the post.

To begin, a week and a half ago was the Palio. It's probably the most important thing that happens in Siena (twice a year). I've already been to the one in July, but it was on my Bucket List to see the August Palio. There are some pictures of the events that my wonderful friend Yoanna and I took leading up to the actual day, followed by the day of the race (where you find a very happy Sam), and the contrada parading through the street. There's the part where they pick the horses. Then the event when the horses are paired with each contrada by lottery. I was there an hour early because the rain storm brought a big delay. There are several pictures of the trials (or prove), one from the mass for the jockeys featuring the very famous winning jockey, and finally the big race.

There are also pictures of my trip to Pienza and Montepulciano with my school friends. I had a great time and got to see some small towns in the province of Siena, which run at a different pace then the city I call home...for now. It included a wine tasting of the famous Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (which you'll see in the barrels which are kept in a chapel-like area below the ground) and a play that Montepulcianese put on once a year. The people of the town have been getting together for several hundred years to celebrate the life of a different person each year. This spectacolo was about the life of Saint Francis from his youth to his death. The coolest thing is that this community theater was written and performed (with an original book and score) all by the inhabitants of Montepulciano. I was pretty impressed how many people got involved and how they filled the stage with men, women, and children of all ages.

Most recently I also went to "The Globe Theater" of Rome with my friend Gabriele. Our trip was improvised, but I had the greatest time. The theater is a smaller version of The Globe in London and in this Roman reproduction they only  produce the works of Shakespeare...in Italian. We saw Much Ado About Nothing, which I had never read before and didn't even know about the plot before hand. The language was difficult for me to keep up with all the details of the story, but the troupe was talented enough that I stayed interested the entire time. (I'm sure my experience was not very unlike those simple peasants looking for entertainment in the real Globe centuries ago.) I was blown away by the ingenuity of their work from set to music to delivery. And of course there's a story to accompany this adventure. At the end, the protagonists came from the stage to dance with audience members. The quite good-looking Benedick chose a woman who refused to dance and, in typical Sam-style, I ran up to him from the back of the crowd without even thinking of the consequences, grabbed his hand, and started dancing. Gabriele told me that the entire theater was amused and he was impressed enough to bring me on a walk through Villa Borgese to overlook Piazza del Popolo which you'll also find in the video of pictures.

Finally, Sunday I took a trip with Anya to the beach at Viareggio. Scottie and Filippo were there too, but we were at different free beaches on the same strip. We didn't meet up until we got to the train station, but I snagged some pics of my friends on the trip back. I'm finishing up the super hard class now, and have another adventure to recount...related to the kitchen. Hint: Think French yummies. :)

Gioca Jouer!

I'm waiting until the end of the week to tell you my impressions from the first week of school, but in the meantime I have a treat for you. About a week ago, Filippo introduced me to "Gioca Jouer" by Claudio Cecchetto and I was immediately hooked. I have since discovered that Anya and Elizabeth both love it very much...when we started performing part of it nel Campo one night. But finally today in class, while listening to (an impossibly incomprehensible) song that's also popular from the national Sanremo Music Fesitval, "Gioca Jouer" was mentioned in the lyrics. I thought I was pretty special having been the only student to know what it was. Win for me! My final note: if you're interested in learning the language, here's a good place to start. :)

This weekend was a great one. My good friend Anya (shout out!) got here to Siena and Elizabeth came back from her adventure to Bosnia and Croatia with a good helping of stories. It was so wonderful to be reunited with these two lovely ladies again, and not just because they also are alumnae of women's colleges (Mount Holyoke and Bryn Mawr, respectively). We spent a lot of time together when I studied here for the semester and we fell back easily into our natural rhythm of jokes, laughter, advice, and hugs.

Elizabeth and Anya. Che belle!

Saturday night, Filippo and I went to see I bastardi senza gloria (also known as, Inglorious Basterds). I had already seen this movie and was really interested to see if I could follow the dialogue. Since it's the summertime, movies are being shown outside at night with a big (albeit, old) projection system. Still, it's a wonderful setting off near the edge of the city where it's quiet and you can spot the stars. I was a bit proud of myself for sticking with the movie, but definitely preferred it in English. If you haven't seen the movie, a chunk of the characterization and an interesting amount of the jokes are based on voices and language. With dubbing and translation, things don't fall out exactly the same, but it was still a good experience.

After the movie we met the gurrrrls nella Piazza del Campo. We each got a beer and just sat talking and people watching. While we were hanging out, a few of the students from the jazz conservatory here started an impromptu performance. So cool, right?

 We enjoyed it so much that we decided to see the jazz concert sponsored by the city. We listened to the professionals who did some really interesting pieces. Then found a picnic table to enjoy some more cheap wine and the Sienese skyline while exchanging funny stories while the students played.

Today was my first day at the University for Foreigners which was just an entrance exam to see which class I would fit in the best. I was nervous about both the test and not knowing anyone, but things are looking pretty good. The written part was in the morning. I returned for the oral exam and after waiting two hours for my oral exam ("Welcome to Italy!"), I placed into the C1 level, which is going to be mostly conversation. This class will certainly be a stretch on my abilities (and probably emotions), that is what I came here to look for, right? First day's tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed!