Il mio primo giorno a Roma

Soooo I've really never felt this "butterflies in my stomach giddy" to this degree ever. The best part about it? It's not about a boy, it's not about not having to take stats class ever again, it's not about having gotten a phonecall or a text I'd been waiting for. Its about finally having arrived in a city that I'm instantly head over heels about, and knowing I get the next four months to explore it to my heart's content. It's about knowing that this is only the beginning, and knowing pretty much nothing else.
My first day was spent wandering the cobblestone streets of Rome, particularly around the Piazza Navona area. I arrived a day before the program started, so I stayed in a hotel that first day. Rome is HOT. serrrrrriously hot. (I'm getting a nice Roman tan, actually. Let's hear it for day trips to the Mediterranean sea, eh?). I started walking and wandered around the corner and just happened to stumble upon the Pantheon. How could you not love a place where simply by walking a few steps you come accross something as epic and historical and grand as the Pantheon?

From there I walked a little more and then came to Via Del Corso, one of the main commercial streets in that area. Commercial as in there's a disney store and a Zara, but there's still cobblestones, bite size cars, exquisitely-engineered buildings, and everything else that shouts Roma. Past Via Del Corso I found the , and then sat down for a caprese salad and fanta, where the, not gonna lie, dashingly attractive waiter gave me the clearest instructions I'd heard all day about how to find a store that could help me out with my european cell phone situation. nice, helpful, AND ridiculously handsome? Perfetto, I could get used to this ;)
I got my cell phone situation figured out at the Vodafone store, and now proudly sport a european slidephone, with a telephone number that I have yet to memorize..That evening I went to a little cafe and got talking with the several guys working there, and between all of us knowing varying levels of Italian, spanish, and English, we had a pretty great convo while rocking out to Black Eyed Peas under the Roman stars...ahhhh, la dolce vitta

Finalmente a Roma

So I'm really gonna have to get better at updating this, it's been who KNOWS how long since I last wrote here (i suppose the quickfix answer to that one would be to check the timestamp). I was even going to write about the days leading up to my departure and what a roller coaster those were (up and down and all over the place doesn't even begin to describe it), because I was experiencing that good ol' pre-travel anxiety. The kind that comes from having to wrap your head around the fact that you're going to be moving your entire life over to a different country for four months. no biggie. the constant questions of what will it be like? what kind of people am i going to meet there? will i get homesick? what will the adjustment process be like? but, as things tend to go, time didn't allow that post, and neither did the two giant suitcases that awaited intense packing. the so instead of going into that, which I may at some later point in time (or for anyone out there who wants to travel abroad and would like to know what its like to go through that stage, by all means talk to me about it and i'll gladly share), i cant help but getting to the bottom line: THIS PLACE IS PERFECT FOR ME! seriously, nothing short of perfect. the SECOND the cab-driver taking me to my hotel turned the corner and the sight of Rome was in front of me, every single drop of anxiety vanished, evaporated into the August Italian heat. Every single time we turned the corner, just when I thought the views couldn't get more majestic, I saw something even more stunning. For the first time in my life I was literally rendered speechless. It was impossible to be my normal chatty self with the cab driver (no huge loss there), because I was actually too stunned and too delighted by arriving in the most enchanting city in the world and being able to call it my home for the next four months...

PREPARATIONS

So when I'm not jumping into the La Salle pool, I'm swimming in constant deadlines and paperwork to prepare for study abroad. But everything is gradually getting checked off the list. I completed the medical authorization paperwork [good news: i'm in one piece enough to travel to Rome, ahah I was rather pleased], submitted my housing request to stay in a single bedroom in a shared apartment in the "Student Living" set of buildings, and mailed in my 9 passport-sized photos so that EAP staff in Rome can put a face to a name. [sadly, the pictures didn't turn out too hot. I just dont know if they really do justice to the name of Haley Fiorenza Baird Donovan. Too bad I couldn't just forward them a few of my facebook profile pics...Somehow the fluorescent lighting at the Longs Photo Station just didn't do wonders, aesthetically speaking. oh well, c'est la vie. Or, rather, C' e la vita? E la vita? I have to work on that.], and I EVEN HAVE MY PLANE TICKET!! yessssss. I leave SFO on August 17th, arrive in Rome disoriented, overwhelmed, exhausted, but giddy and enchanted on August 18th, and begin the program on August 19th, my 21st birthday. Something tells me it's going to be a very good birthday ;) A massive leap of improvement from my 20th birthday.
For the most part, the only thing left to do is apply for my Visa (wayyyyy excited about how that'll snazz up my passport), which i hear is QUITE the process. Let the checklists...continue!

Since I've uploaded my blog last, a lot more has happened in preparations. I went to my pre-departure orientation; that was really fun. Pre-Departure orientation was an info session for program participants with our program advisor and two girls who participated in the program last year. Between hearing about their experiences and hearing what we can expect to be a part of ours, it was fabulous. They answered all our questions, and it was very informative. All in all, it got me even more incredibly pumped. And it was great to meet the other people who also in the same program as me.

Just last week the Education Abroad Center hosted a study-abroad social event/info night/meet-and-greet at Woodstock's Pizza in Downtown Davis. It's really great how the EAC coordinates things like this; there were past participants, future participants, and students who are studying at Davis from somewhere abroad. [Shawna and I made friends with several International Students from places like Chile and New Zealand] Good times for sure!

In addition to making sure I'm addressing the tasks and such that EAP expects from me, I've been also enjoying a little research of my own, such as looking up music that's big in Italy. Some things I came across on one of those classic YouTube adventures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNs_zj2_IzI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOZWTHxhqxg

what more could an international-music-lovin girl ask for? ;)

My next step, among many, is to start reading travelbooks/guidebooks on Rome....

Yes I AM still alive, I just haven't updated this in far too long...

Wowww it's been WAY too long since I've updated this, a little more than two months to be exact. [It's been so long that I forgot my blogspot account password upon signing in ahaha...when Shawna heard that: "CASE IN POINT!!!"]
On a brighter note, that must mean that I'm getting used to Italian time ;)
I've heard bus drivers leave when they feel like leaving, people get to scheduled meetings when they feel like getting there, etc etc...I was about to say that this particular way of going about things will probably be Main Adjustment #1, [punctuality's my thing. Which isn't to say I'm always on time, I just always get frustrated with myself when I'm running behind schedule, or when people are taking their sweet, and i mean saccharine-drenched-sweet, time.] but who am I kidding, there are going to probably be a thousand different adjustments clamoring for my attention, way too many to rank...
I'm getting SO excited for this trip; I can't stop thinking about it, I can't stop talking about it, (sounds like a bad infatuation, typed out like that hahaha...). And the way this quarter, and this year, is FLYING by, study abroad is practically around the corner at this rate. It still definitelty doesn't feel real. It definitely hasn't 100% set in that within a few months, I'll be downing cappuchinos, visiting famous historical buildings, trying out my Italian language skills, and humming "That's Amore". It probably won't hit me until I'm packing, or on the plane, or some moment like that. I'll go "Oh my goodness [they havent taught us the more, um, alternative expressions of surprise in Italian 2 ;)], VIAGGERO IN ITALIA!! and that'll be it. Go time. August through December. Needless to say, in addition to my intense excitement, I'm also pretty nervous/anxious. Not "cold feet" status, heck no. Just a little jittery. I've never been gone, on my own, for this amount of time before. So I have no idea what to expect. I suppose there's only one way to find out, and I'm certainly on track to do that!! I'm up for the challenge...

The Countdown Begins

A rough estimate of, oh, I dont know, a BILLION things cross my mind when I think about the fact that I will be spending Fall Semester in Rome.

Needless to say, excitement is the first. (and no I'm not going to go through all billion...I have a plane to catch in August) I have wanted to travel to Italy my entire life, and finally I have this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in front of me. I'll have the chance to get in touch with my Italian heritage, hopefully meet some relatives and kick it with la mia famiglia in Italy.
There's the language part. All those months of practicing Italian out loud in our apartments' living room, overexaggerating an Italian accent for dramatic effect, and I'm sure all the while sounding like a halfway-lunatic, will finally pay off.
Not to mention: mouthwateringly delicious food, sinfully good cappucchinos, breathtaking scenery, the changing of seasons in Italy, snazzy new music finds, and the overall enchanting culture of Italy. (plus those dashingly charming men I've been warned about over and over again...no worries folks, I may wear my heart on my sleeve, but I've got quite the head on my shoulders, too ;) )

I have to admit, I'm also somewhat nervous to be embarking on an adventure this big. It makes me start thinking about how much I'm going to miss everything, and more everyONE here. (you all better become SKYPE experts, pronto...grazie in advance!!) I've traveled great distances before: Washington DC in below freezing temperatures for President Obama's inauguration


Fiji Islands where I kayaked in waters that I later discovered had been the site of a shark attack



even West Africa where I rode on donkey carts and slept on a straw mat and helped build the foundation of a schoolhouse.

But I've never traveled on my own this far, for this extended amount of time.
I am pretty attached to my beautiful little lifestyle in Davis: the Coho, the quad, midnight snacks and chitchat seshs at our kitchen table where we compare boy preferences to bread (Shawna and her wonderbread, Robyn and her cornbread, Me and my whole wheat, Rebecca and her multigrain), riding our bikes here and there, making runs to Coldstone Creamery to get us through our procrastination-ridden Sundays, jamming out to "Just Dance" "Whatever you Like" and "HotNCold" on our fabulous CashewCouch, various parties we frolick to and from, Communications and Soc Classes, exchanging recaps of the weekend at the Silo, even UNITRANS.


At The Bistro, Downtown Davis, on Rebecca's 19th Birthday

Recent weekend in February

Future Homemakers?
~~

Being that far away from my family won't be easy either. I take for granted how easy it is to hit the 80 and be back in San Francisco and see my parents and little sister (rephrase: younger sister...she's about to be 17 ooooohmyyygoshhh...and she's WAY taller than me) and spend some quality time with them.




me and the sis <3

~~~

But it is these kinds of opportunities, the ones that require taking a deep breath, a leap of faith, and an armful of over-stuffed luggage, that are essential explore. Shawna and Rebecca will be studying abroad at the same time as me; Shawna in Ankara, Turkey and Rebecca in Mexico City (be sure to check out the links to their blogs on the side of my page!!) The unfamiliar positions we may find ourselves in, the pangs of homesickness we may have to endure, or the language barriers that may be an obstacle at first will make our experience that much more fulfilling, worthwhile, and exhilirating. It is those experiences, the challenging along with the phenomenal, that will enhance our lives and understanding of the world outside the U.S.
We are going to come back with some RIDICULOUSLY good stories, so you all better get ready!! The craziest, slightly daunting, but nonetheless BEST part about it all is that although we may be able to anticipate what our experiences will be like, we really have no idea. I cannot wait to share with all of you, months from now, what it does indeed turn out to be!!

The Program

The program I'll be doing at the UC Center in Rome is called Rome through the Ages. It's a combination of intensive Italian language courses and courses taught in English such as: The Sociology of Rome, Urban History of Rome, Science and Religion and Italy, Culture and Identity in Modern Italy, Postwar Italian Cinema, and Gender Wars in Early Modern Italy. I'm a double major: Communication and Sociology, with an emphasis in Comparative Studies and World Development. (And if I can somehow find a way to add more hours into the standard 24-hr one, and balance everything else I do, I may even sneak in a Minor in Global and International Studies...still working on that though). While abroad, I'll be taking classes for my Sociology major. I'll either be living in dorm-type apartments or privately-owned apartments, about 20-30 minutes from the University by public transportation (or the very-possible 3.2 hours if I get lost..but hey, if you're going to get lost somewhere, might as well be in Rome)
The program starts on my 21st BIRTHDAYYY!! and ends in mid-december...bringing me back in time to enjoy winter and spring quarter back at UC Davis with some of my favorite people in the world :)

Benvenuto!!

Ciao ragazzi! So I recently heard back from the Education Abroad Center, and my application to study abroad has been recommended by the UC Davis Campus. This means if everything continues to go according to plan, I'll be spending Fall Semester 2009 at the UC Center in Rome!! This blog (setup for me by the lovely and talented Ms. Shawna Alpdemir) will be one of the ways I can give you glimpses into my life there, and keep you posted about what I'm up to, since I wont exaclty be a hop-skip-and-a-jump away from you all. I can't wait to share this exciting experience with you all, so once I'm there, you better stay tuned OFTEN for breathtaking photos, catchy Italian tunes I discover, and, of course, frequent descriptions of what's happening.

And until my departure, I'll be sure to let y'all know how the preparations are coming...