venti giorni

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

I have never felt closer to admittance into a psych ward than I did today.

We walked ‘til our feet were blistered, took notes ‘til our wrists kinked with carpal tunnel, stood till our knees locked, baked in the sun until our skin was leather, and looked at a million identical churches until our brains were the same consistency as our pasta dinner.

Dramatic? Maybe. But remember, I’m a psych ward patient!

It must have been something in the water, because every single one of us was dragging today. Even the passionate art history students were feeling the burn. I’m almost certain 7 of every 10 things out of our mouths were complaints. We’re all so tired and exhausted and burned out and stressed. We take our final exam on Monday. We’re away from the hotel and our notes/computers from Friday ‘til Sunday while we’re in Pisa and Cinque Terre, so we have to do all of our studying before we leave. On top of all the stress and lack of sleep, today had some of the longest notes and most monotonous string of churches.

We saw the Franciscan Church of Florence. It included the Bardi Chapel, the Peruzzi Family Chapel, the Tomb of Leonardo Bruni, and the Pazzi Chapel. After that, we ventured over to the Florence Cathedral and saw many monuments to great military leaders and paintings of the Last Judgment and Dante’s Divine Comedy. Lastly, we conquered the Church of San Lorenzo, Medici Family Library, Church of St. Lawrence and its New and Old Sacristies. (Imagine how bored you were reading that list… It was almost as boring seeing it in real life!)

It took all we had to stay in the game. I felt like I was strapped into a strait-jacket, in a pitch black room with all four walls closing in, and someone tapping at a slow and steady pace on my forehead. Psych ward material, right? As I neared a public freak-out, we were finally dismissed.

With only 3 hours to kill before dinner, I came back to the hotel and spent time catching up on my journal, emailing my homies (that’s YOU –cue warm fuzzies), and studying for the final.

By the way, I have never even touched green beans in my entire life and I scarfed down every last one on my plate tonight. I hope that puts into perspective for you how desperate I am for food. All I’ve eaten for 3 weeks is carbs and cheese… I was desperate for any sort of vitamin, even if it meant plugging my nose and swallowing green beans whole! Luckily, once or twice a week, they’ll serve fruit for dessert. I’d take an apple over tiramisu any day!

Have I mentioned how excited I am to see you guys? 9 more days! EEK!

Xoxo,

Wit

diciannove giorni

Monday, May 23, 2011

Lindsay and I mapped out our new running route this morning! We ran from our hotel down to the bridge over the Fiaume Arno River and back. We pass the Cathedral of Florence, Duomo, Bell Tower, and Uffizi Gallery along the way. Nothing keeps you running like the beautiful scenery of Italy. …And the creepy Italian men who stare and make kissy faces –that certainly sends me into a sprint!

We went on a day trip to Siena. It was about a 90 minute train ride and we all had high hopes. We had heard so much about Siena so we were expecting something to knock us over once we got off the train and made our way into town. To say the least, it was nothing special. Well, of course it’s special, it’s in ITALY! …But it’s no more special than the little side streets of Rome or Florence. Our squashed expectations set the apathetic mood for the day. That, and it was a Monday!

We learned about the Piazza del Campo and Palazzo Pubblico which is basically just the city hall. We saw and studied a lot of different paintings and murals inside those buildings. Then we saw the Cathedral of Siena and the Siena Baptistry. Most of the buildings were a lot like all the ones we’ve seen before so it was a battle to stay interested. The Cathedral of Siena was incredible, though! It was unlike any of the other churches we’ve seen. The entire building, inside and out, is black and white stripes. Stripes of all widths and lengths cover ever wall, ceiling and column. It was almost like something out of Beetle Juice! Maybe that’s why I liked it so much… It was something I could recognize from my generation! Haha!

We made it back from Siena just in time to go to dinner. We got filled up on spaghetti and pork and as we were waddling back to our hotel with our full stomachs, we ran into none other than Snookie and Pauly D. AGAIN! Hahaha, is this really my life? We run into them all over the place! They were working at a Pizzeria and their job was promoting the restaurant and getting people to eat there. So… did we go in and dinner for a second time? YOU BETCHA!!! We had to sign more papers before they’d allow us in the doors, but if we were going to get on that show, this was our best bet! I’m such a cheap skate and have only bought food twice since I’ve been here, and I didn’t even hesitate to drop 3 Euros on a pizza so we could sit inside while the cameras were rolling! We had quite a few conversations with Pauly D and the cameras were on us the entire time! We even had the microphone hanging down over our table to catch the conversation. Even if they don’t use it, we’re bound to show up in the background of some shot. Looks like we’re going to be DVR-ing every episode of Jersey Shore and hopefully buying the season on DVD if our guest appearance makes the cut!

Hahaha, we seriously ate TWO dinners last night. And it was only moments before we stepped foot into that pizzeria that we were complaining about how full we were! Goes to show how dedicated we are to the spotlight!

Afterwards, we came home and crashed. Now I know why Snookie always has a sour look on her face… it is hard work being a reality TV star! We were exhausted!

Love ya’ll!

Wit

diciotto giorno

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Today is the calmest and most relaxing day us gals and Italy have seen since we got together. It wasn’t what we had planned and it actually began with a lot of disappointment… But, now that I’m sitting in my hotel room in the middle of the afternoon with my second report all finished and writing you an email, I couldn’t be happier about how it all turned out.

After waking up to two wonderful skype’s with Dad and Gage, we ate breakfast (GRANOLA AND YOGURT! I was in heaven!) and headed out to catch a train and go to the beach. We ended up making 3 different attempts to make it to the beach and never made it.

We got to the train station at 10:02 only to find out that the train we needed to catch was leaving at 10:07. By the time we got through the line to buy our tickets, there was no way we would be able to catch the train, so we decided to bag it. With hopes that another train might come along, we stuck around for a little bit and were delighted to see that the train was delayed 35 minutes. So, with all time we killed, we had 12 minutes to make it through the line and onto the train. We started purchasing our tickets and they ended up being 15 Euros which was more than we were expecting and a lot more than I was willing to spend. Luckily 2 other girls felt the same way, so 3 of us opted out of the trip and the other 5 bought their tickets and ran off to catch the train. Erin, Hilary, and I took our time coming home and stopped and laid out at a park in the middle of town for a while. When we got home, we saw that the other 5 girls beat us back. Turns out, they ran all the way to the train and made it right before the doors closed. As they sat down, it was announced that the train had been cancelled and they needed to get off the train. They tried to get their money back on their tickets but had no luck. They were out 15 Euros (which is like 20-25 US dollars) and had nothing to show for it. After 3 failed attempts, they walked home with their tails between their legs. I felt so bad for them, but at the same time, I couldn’t put into words how grateful I was that I decided not to buy a ticket. I couldn’t even fathom spending that money to go to the beach, I would’ve laid down and cried in the middle of the train station if I spent all that money only to have the train cancelled and no hope of a refund!

SO, we’ve spent the entire day at the hotel and I couldn’t be more grateful! We’re all exhausted after a long week. Next week is jam-packed with 2 different day trips and a weekend getaway to Cinque Terre, so we wanted to rest up before the big week ahead and also try to be as productive as we can before our days get hectic again! We laid around the hotel talking for a little while and then I was able to get my entire report finished and am now writing to ya’ll! I’m going to try and get some research done for our final exam we have to take next week and then go running and work out a little before dinner.

Although the train-station seemed to be a fail this morning, we didn’t leave empty handed. I have found that the Italian train-stations are one of the greatest places to people watch. Even better, it’s filled with couples who haven’t seen each other in who knows how long running with open arms towards one another. It is one of the sweetest and most romantic things I have ever seen. For some reason, the PDA that I would find repulsive in the states is absolutely adorable here in Italy. I guess since it’s a part of the rich culture here, it’s much more bearable. In fact, I almost look forward to seeing it. At home, I’d probably pretend to throw up or mutter under my breath to ‘get a room’, but here I’m practically begging them to keep going at it! Believe me, it’s beautiful!

Today, for instance, on one of our many times walking in and out of the train-station throughout our emotional roller-coaster we witnessed the most beautiful display of affection my eyes have ever seen! We walked past a couple that was hugging and holding onto each other SO tight while both of them had tears streaming down their faces. They finally said their goodbyes and started walking in opposite directions; him heading toward the train and her leaving the station. They would walk a couple steps and then turn around and wave to each other and blow kisses. Eventually, he stopped walking entirely and just stood facing her, watching her walk away with tears rolling down his cheeks. She would turn around and stand on her tippy-toes so she could see him over all the people and smile and wave. She ran across the street and got lost in the crowd, when all of a sudden we see him walking out of the train-station looking for her. We all just stopped dead in our tracks and were captivated in the scene. I even screamed, “Ruuuuuuuun! Run!” I wanted so bad for him to run after her, but instead he calmly walked down the opposite side of the street looking for her. After what seemed like decades, she looked over and her entire face lit up as they made eye contact. He blew her a million kisses and continued to wave to her until she was no longer in sight. It was the sweetest and most adorable thing I’ve ever witnessed. Carly and I looked at each other and we both had tears streaming down our cheeks. How sad and pathetic are we?!? I’m thinking we’re all having some minor testosterone withdrawals because we get so emotional over PDA!

We had a delicious dinner and then walked to the river and watched the sun set from the bridge. It was perfect!

It’s so bloody hot here, the humidity is insane, and the AC in our room is broken… So I just sweated out of every pore in my body as I worked out a little bit and I am ready to pass out and get some rest for our insane week coming up!

Goodnight everyone! Have a wonderful day!

Always,

Wit

Ps, I went to the bathroom in a hole in the ground. SERIOUS. There were two little platforms for your feet to stand on and then a small hole in the ground for you to aim your business in. I could’ve sworn I wasn’t coming to a 3^rd world country! Hahaha!

giorno diciasette

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Listen up, ya’ll!

It’s been another great day in the life of Witney Elizabeth Wilson! Sometimes I wonder if I’m living on the Truman Show because my life is way too great to be real!

Thanks to the long-awaited weekend, we were able to sleep in and catch up on all the Z’s we’ve missed out on. We rolled out of bed without the help of an alarm and grabbed some breakfast before heading out for the day.

We took a bus to a town on the hill called Fiesole today. Holy cow, it was absolutely beautiful. It’s the next town over from our hotel and has an incredible panoramic view of Florence. Again, like I’ve said a million times about all the things I’ve enjoyed the most, it looked exactly how I imagined Italy to be! It covers a huge green hilltop will cream and orange colored villas with orange roofs tucked back in the trees. It’s so lush and green and every last detail melted my heart; the shutters on the windows, the flowers on the window sill, the ivy growing on the 3-story stucco houses, the view of the entire Florentine valley… It was a dream.

We spent a couple hours just walking around, exploring, and taking pictures. Oh, and sweating our brains out… It was 85 degrees and waaaay too humid. I can’t remember the last time I felt heat like that! But, judging by the weather I’m hearing about where you are, I am so grateful to be wet with sweat instead of wet with rain! Suckas! It was so great to relax and spend the day going at our own pace. We weren’t in a hurry to go anywhere or accomplish anything and we took our time with everything. We even stumbled across a park overlooking the entire valley and laid on the shade beneath a tree. It’s always those simple moments that make me the happiest and remind me how blessed my life is!

After we got back into town from Fiesole, we took a stroll through the market and were killing time before dinner. Just when I thought our day couldn’t get any better, we were served PIZZA for dinner! We literally gave the restaurant an applause and some hoots and hollers when they brought out our food, because in the entire time we’ve been here, the only Italian food they’ve served us has been pasta. For EVERY MEAL! All we’ve been craving is a bomb pizza or a Panini… And all we get for every meal is a plate of pasta with red sauce and then some meat and French fries. It’s kind of ironic how we come to Italy, but they serve us American food. So, we were all ecstatic to eat pizza for dinner! A break from pasta and finally some authentic Italian food!

We were all on a high from each devouring our entire pizzas (Yes, we all got an entire pizza to ourselves and yes, we ate every last bite! ) as we walked back to our hotel and it seemed as though life really couldn’t get much better.

BUT IT DID!

We were rambling on and on and paying little to no attention to anything going on outside of our conversation when all of a sudden I looked up and saw lights and cameras. I froze right then and there and said, “Shut up! This is unreal! Get out your cameras!!!” Somehow, by the grace of God, we managed to run into the Jersey Shore crew AGAIN! They turned the corner and started walking right towards us! We gawked as they walked past us and then we played it cool as we followed close behind.

I walked hot on their heels right behind them for a few minutes making sure the cameras were capturing us in the background. We finally mustered up enough speed and enough courage to get up to the side of them. I couldn’t resist but to try my luck at sparking a conversation with the fellas. Snookie and the other ladies were nowhere around, so I figured now was my chance to talk to them without getting a black eye. In my most cool and collected voice, I said the wittiest thing I could think of…

“Hey.”

(Hahahaaaa. I’m engaged, I have no game!)

To my surprise, they were super friendly and started talking right back.

Imagine, the cameras are rolling and I am walking down the street with 3 of the main guys in MTV’s most famous reality TV show shootin’ the breeze!

(Some of you may need to educate yourselves on Jersey Shore to fully understand and appreciate this conversation I had with them. Others of you, may want to remain oblivious.)

So the guys responded with friendly hello’s and I took that as my initiation into the crew and just let my charm loose.

Pauly D and Mike “The Situation” both asked where we were from.

We replied: “Utah.”

Pauly D: “What are you doing in Italy?”

Me: “GTL! It’s a Saturday!”

Pauly D: Laughs and asks, “Do you know what GTL stands for?”

Me and Amy, in unison: “Gym. Tan. Laundry! Duhhh.”

Pauly D: Laughs again and says, “That’s right! We made that sh*t up!”

Amy asks if we can take a picture with them.

The Situation: “No, they won’t let us right now, but we can smile at ya!”

Pauly D: “How old are you girls?”

Me: “Old enough.”

The Situation: “Sooo…. DTF?”

Me: Blushing and laughing hysterically, I shrugged my shoulders as we went our separate ways.

OH. MY. GOSH.

We walked down an entire street carrying on a conversation with them as the cameras were rolling. Afterwards, we made an embarrassing display of jumping and screaming in the middle of the Piazza when a man came running up to me with a clipboard and asked if I’d sign a release form in case they used that footage in an episode!! I think I just about fainted!!! I filled out a form, signed a few lines, and took a mug-shot. Oh, and somewhere in there I may or may not have stopped breathing. And possibly wetted my skirt. My head was spinning and my heart was pounding. Every tween and teenaged girl’s dream is to be on MTV and I just signed a release form to allow them to air the footage I was in!!! Really? REALLY?? Is this real life? There is no way that that just happened to me! I’M GOING TO BE ON AN EPISODE OF JERSEY SHORE!!! Somebody pinch me!

Mom, Dad: I’ve always set out to make you guys proud and I’m sure you had different things in mind for how that would come to pass… but I am radiating with pride as I tell you that your baby girl is going to be an MTV Reality TV Star! Put that on your bumper sticker!

We sprinted (leaps, skips, and jumps were also included) all the way back to the hotel to tell everyone!

Due to all the adrenaline, there was noooo way I was getting to sleep at a decent hour. SO, what do you do on a study abroad when you can’t sleep? HIT THE TOWN! Us gals and Isaac got all dressed up and went out dancing at a disco club they have here in town. It was a BLAST! Prior to coming out here, I said there was no way I would’ve stepped foot outside the hotel at night, let alone in a club. But, since being here and after feeling so safe, I realized we would be just fine and we’ve been studious long enough to earn us a night out on the town!

We were basically the only girls there and none of the Italian men even danced. They just sat on the couches and bobbed their shoulders. I felt safe and comfortable and never felt violated. I probably felt safer there than at some of the dances I’ve been at in Utah! Our group just danced with each other the whole time and it was so great to release all that pent up energy from the last 3 weeks! Isaac (our gay friend) and I made a pact that any time a guy got remotely close to me he’d move in and dance with me. He was my stand-in boyfriend and body-guard for the night! Haha! It was hilarious! And it certainly kept the Italian Stallions at bay!

We made it back to our hotel room and crashed around 2am. Don’t mind the time, I arrived safe and sound, and that’s all that matters! I crashed into my bed in my clothes and make-up which explains the late arrival of this email!

All in all, it was a spectacular day! Definitely one of my favorites of the entire trip! I mean, what’s not to love… Panoramic view of the Florentine Valley, a nap in the park, pizza for dinner, signing a contract with MTV, and going disco-clubbing in Italy! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: MY LIFE IS A DREAM!!!

Now we’re just getting ready to take a train out to the beach! It means a lot to this little beach bum to be able to say she’s been to beaches in the Mediterranean and The Riviera!

I’ll write you guys again later tonight!

Love you all sooo much!

Ciao!

Wit

sedici giorno

Friday, May 20, 2011

GET THIS!

Last night our study-abroad-fam was walking to dinner and we pulled over on this little side street to have a chat about our plans for the next day. We were on the most random street in Florence minding our own business when all of a sudden some guy came frantically running up to those of us with our cameras out and yelled, “Put your cameras away! No flash photography, please!!!” We were all so confused. We’re used to getting yelled at for using cameras in the museums, but it made no sense why we were getting in trouble for using them in public. Then, it became clear…

Cameras were rolling and it was obvious that something was being filmed. My mind flashed back to months before we even left for Italy and I found out that the cast of Jersey Shore was going to be in Florence filming the next season. I remember telling Amy and Kiahna and we joked around about finding them and being on the show. My legs turned to jello and adrenaline began pulsing through my veins as I snapped back to reality… At an arm’s distance away, I saw the 3 main stars on MTV’s Reality TV show: Vinny, Pauly D, and Snookie. They were walking RIGHT in front of us and the cameras were rolling. OH MY GOOOOOOSH! We all froze for a split second (Seriously, is this real life??) and then Amy and I looked at each other with the exact same thought running through our heads as we grabbed each other’s hands and started running after them!

We pushed through the crowds and made our way through to the cast. I literally could have kissed each and every one of them! That’s how close I was! All the Italians were gathering around and were all asking what they were filming; the police just kept saying, “It’s an American TV show, don’t worry about it.” And we yelled… “We’re AMERICAN!!!” We knew exactly what they were filming! I don’t even like Jersey Shore and I was nothing short of freaking out. I constantly made fun of Snookie during the previous seasons and here I was practically kissing the ground she walks on! I guess seeing any celebrity in real life turns the tables a little bit… For a moment there, I almost thought I was her biggest fan! I even had myself fooled!

They were walking down a small street of a bunch of little shops and a group of us girls had made it into the doorway of a store right in their path. It was the perfect spot for my newfound paparazzi talent. Vinny and Pauly D walked right past us and we made some magical eye contact. Apparently we were standing in the doorway of the store they wanted to go into, so right after I snapped a close-up of Snookie, she turned to us girls and said (in her trashy Jersey accent), “Back up, b*tches!”

It. Was. AWESOME!

How many people can say that THE “Snookie” called them a biotch and told them to back up!? Okay, she has an attitude, so probably a lot… But, still… She had a magical way of making us all feel special. I’d be her biotch any day!

Keep in mind: The cameras were rolling! There’s a pretty good chance that we might end up on an episode of this seasons Jersey Shore! Looking back, I wish we would’ve done something to draw a little more attention, like fist pump or chant “GTL” (Refer to YouTube or Google, if needed), so we would’ve had a better chance of turning the heads of the camera man. Either way, you better believe I’ll be a faithful follower of this wretched series now! I have officially been baptized in the religion of Jersey Shore! I am a believer! GTL!

It’s hard to say whether this memorable event made anything else pale in comparison OR if it gave me that umph and passion I needed to recharge my worn-out batteries. Regardless, it is by far my favorite thing that has happened in Italy. Is that horrible of me to say? Here I am, with the Colosseum and Sistine Chapel under my belt and nothing has made me quite as emotional as witnessing the filming of the Florence season of Jersey Shore!

Phew… Do I really feel compelled to tell you anything about the last 24 hours other than that?? No, not really. Believe me, nothing compares!

BUT, I’ll prove I’m being studious on my study abroad by telling you about all the scholastic things we did today.

We were up before the sun to catch a train to Ravenna. Ravenna is a little city about 2.5 hours away and I was expecting BIG things for me to be awake so early. We stepped off the train and it looked like a ghost town. The only thing missing were tumbleweeds and saloon doors rattling in the whistling breeze. This place was desolate! After a few minutes, I realized it’s probably a lot like Springville… but after being caught up in the hustle and bustle of Rome and Florence the peace and quiet is more like an awkward silence.

We had the entire day to spend in Ravenna so we were able to take a slower pace and relax a little bit. We learned about a few different churches and some baptisteries. The first church we visited today was called the San Vitale Church and it is one of the most beautiful churches I’ve seen since we’ve been here… And that’s saying A LOT because we’ve seen a butt-load of churches! Every last inch was covered in mosaics of colored stone and gold foil. I could’ve gawked at it much longer if my neck wasn’t so kinked from staring at all the art and decoration above eye-level.

It amazes me how much time and money these people put into their churches. Especially when you compare them to our LDS churches at home. Ours are so simple and modest and allow the focus to be on the lessons and the spirit. I have no idea how I’d find time to listen when I was so busy drooling over every last ornate detail of the chapel!

(Am I allowed to end this on a spiritual note after rambling on and on about the trashiest TV show in America? Haha!)

We were given a two hour break to explore the town and grab some lunch. I bought lunch today for only my second time this entire trip! Mom, you’d be so proud of how frugal I’m being with my money! You’d think I spent half my childhood watching you coupon-clip or something! J I took out 160 Euros at the ATM when we first got here and I still have 110 left! I think I may take home the title of cheapest study abroad student ever! (I’ll be expecting a Chug in the fridge for that!) A majority of the people here have already spent over 2-300 Euros and I’m just barely pushing 50! I really limited myself the first 2 weeks so I would be able to take advantage of all the fun (expensive) opportunities later in the trip… like a weekend getaway to Cinque Terre (Google that, I’m serious! It’s beautiful!), and riding the gondolas in Venice. I think I’m driving everyone nuts with how anal I am about spending money. It’s getting to the point where I have to remind myself I’m in Italy living a once in a lifetime opportunity and sometimes it’s okay to spend money if it means memories. I need to find that happy medium between regretting spending too much (I’m far from that side of the spectrum) and regretting missing out on too much from letting myself spend enough.

ANYWAYS…

It’s been the longest day of my entire life. We were out and about for over 14 hours! I am so ready for bed… Mostly because that means when I wake up I get to eat CEREAL! I love this hotel for that reason and that reason alone. It’s not even good cereal… I’d throw a fit if it were in our pantry at home. But I’m desperate here and will take what I can get!

Guess what?

I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Guess what else?

I’ll see you in 2 WEEKS from TODAY! Yeeeeeah buddy!

Love from the Mediterranean,

Wit