saint. Saint Francis. I'm way behind in the knowledge of those who went before me, but I'm feeling a certain closeness to him. Monday I went to Assisi. It was incredible. Saint Francis spent his life wandering through the district of Umbria, where I am at this moment. I can see Assisi from any window.
While walking against the wall leading to his church, we found a teeny tiny baby bird who had nested inside a small stone hole overlooking the building. It was so apropriate.
Today we went to a museum that is in our piazza. Thousands of portrayals of Christ. Each one made me weaker and stronger.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
inamorato.
so... i was awesome today.
there is this music store near the restaurant where we eat lunch every day. i went there today and found ''swordfishtrombone'' which i have been pretty anxious to own. i mean, i found lots of really random albums, including the sufjan stevens christmas album (34€), which i found strange for some reason.
what else does this store have?
a cute-faced store clerk.
it's hard enough to talk to boys in english. my italian was so bad that he just started speaking english right off the bat.
a little fact that i learned from my new amico: apparently tom waits has lots of friends in perugia.
but yeah, i'm now on the guest list for some bar party tonight where aforementioned cute-face is spinning... but i will more than likely not be able to go because i have to be at the train station at 8 tomorrow morning.
so, here's what i need:
i need a list of albums that you want that you can't find in the states.
keep in mind that this city is host to italy's largest jazz festival... so they'll have a really wide variety of jazz music... jason!
impress me.
there is this music store near the restaurant where we eat lunch every day. i went there today and found ''swordfishtrombone'' which i have been pretty anxious to own. i mean, i found lots of really random albums, including the sufjan stevens christmas album (34€), which i found strange for some reason.
what else does this store have?
a cute-faced store clerk.
it's hard enough to talk to boys in english. my italian was so bad that he just started speaking english right off the bat.
a little fact that i learned from my new amico: apparently tom waits has lots of friends in perugia.
but yeah, i'm now on the guest list for some bar party tonight where aforementioned cute-face is spinning... but i will more than likely not be able to go because i have to be at the train station at 8 tomorrow morning.
so, here's what i need:
i need a list of albums that you want that you can't find in the states.
keep in mind that this city is host to italy's largest jazz festival... so they'll have a really wide variety of jazz music... jason!
impress me.
Friday, May 25, 2007
headless horseman
So... not going to lie... I've been getting a little sad over here from time to time. I've been afraid of not having anyone to come home to.
Then, know when you finally realize that something is a reality? That happened, too. And now I know that I don't really have anyone to come home. At least in the way that all the other girls on the trip do. I'm the only one who doesn't have to buy calling cards.
Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying myself thoroughly. I kind of don't ever want to come home.
But that doesn't mean that I haven't layed in my bed at night listening to Tom Waits and The Microphones.
Specifically ''Long Way Home'' off of Orphans/Bawlers
And ''Headless Horseman'' off of The Glow Pt. 2
And by the way... if you haven't listened to The Glow Pt. 2... you really should. I just learned that Pitchfork rated it the #1 album of 2001.
Then, know when you finally realize that something is a reality? That happened, too. And now I know that I don't really have anyone to come home. At least in the way that all the other girls on the trip do. I'm the only one who doesn't have to buy calling cards.
Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying myself thoroughly. I kind of don't ever want to come home.
But that doesn't mean that I haven't layed in my bed at night listening to Tom Waits and The Microphones.
Specifically ''Long Way Home'' off of Orphans/Bawlers
And ''Headless Horseman'' off of The Glow Pt. 2
And by the way... if you haven't listened to The Glow Pt. 2... you really should. I just learned that Pitchfork rated it the #1 album of 2001.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
madonna.
i just walked about 2 miles upupuphill from the train station... which wouldn't have been so bad if i hadn't gone into the lake, gotten burned a little, cut both feet open on rocks going into the lake, bled all over the gravel road coming out, worn the worst sandals in the world...
i mean, i survived. i don't know if my face has ever been more red in my entire life. when we got to my friends' apartment i plundged into the sink. head in the bowl. it was like a music video. i am so dirty.
i mean, i'd do it again... i like beating myself up like that.
this weekend some friends and i are going to florence, specifically to see the sites for dante.
i. am. so. tired.
and now i have a direct flickr address.
www.flickr.com/photos/katiewhitecoat
hey samantha... we should talk over the phone about our plans.
how do we do this.
p.s. that was a question, but the shift key on this computer is broken.
i mean, i survived. i don't know if my face has ever been more red in my entire life. when we got to my friends' apartment i plundged into the sink. head in the bowl. it was like a music video. i am so dirty.
i mean, i'd do it again... i like beating myself up like that.
this weekend some friends and i are going to florence, specifically to see the sites for dante.
i. am. so. tired.
and now i have a direct flickr address.
www.flickr.com/photos/katiewhitecoat
hey samantha... we should talk over the phone about our plans.
how do we do this.
p.s. that was a question, but the shift key on this computer is broken.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
La Festa di Ceri
Ok. Now I can say that everything I've ever done is small potatoes.
Every 15th of May in the city of Gubbio, thousands and thousands of people come to celebrate life, fertility, the Patron Saints, and community. It's this connection to pagan life and the church. Kind of like how Christmas is based on the winter solstace.
We went.
I want to describe every part of it. I took pictures of everything I saw. But really, I just can't. It's not enough.
I don't know how to express the amount of joy that we all felt when the 3 men mounted their posts to build the ceri. How hysterical it was to see them running around the city carrying 800lb monuments. The people dancing, cheering, and singing. The poor musicians who ran through the city wearing white, blowing horns for hours and hours on end.
When the statue of Saint Ubaldo (the Patron Saint of Gubbio) was carried through the streets, thousands of people crowded through, praying and grabbing at his robes. I have a really terrible video of it.
Water everywhere for verility and baptism.
Everyone wears white pants, a red sash around their waste, a blue, yellow, or black shirt (depending on the class of their ancestors), and red bandana around their neck.
I just... I really didn't know what to expect. I've never seen unity like that.
On a less serious note, La Festa di Ceri is kind of a ''coming of age'' tradition for young men. So... it was like... hottie parade.
And also, I'm kind of turning things around as far as class goes. How? I don't really know. One day at lunch I had 2.5 glasses of wine, and started to speak Italian very easily. My professor couldn't believe it. And since then I've improved a little bit every day.
I'm just very excited.
Every 15th of May in the city of Gubbio, thousands and thousands of people come to celebrate life, fertility, the Patron Saints, and community. It's this connection to pagan life and the church. Kind of like how Christmas is based on the winter solstace.
We went.
I want to describe every part of it. I took pictures of everything I saw. But really, I just can't. It's not enough.
I don't know how to express the amount of joy that we all felt when the 3 men mounted their posts to build the ceri. How hysterical it was to see them running around the city carrying 800lb monuments. The people dancing, cheering, and singing. The poor musicians who ran through the city wearing white, blowing horns for hours and hours on end.
When the statue of Saint Ubaldo (the Patron Saint of Gubbio) was carried through the streets, thousands of people crowded through, praying and grabbing at his robes. I have a really terrible video of it.
Water everywhere for verility and baptism.
Everyone wears white pants, a red sash around their waste, a blue, yellow, or black shirt (depending on the class of their ancestors), and red bandana around their neck.
I just... I really didn't know what to expect. I've never seen unity like that.
On a less serious note, La Festa di Ceri is kind of a ''coming of age'' tradition for young men. So... it was like... hottie parade.
And also, I'm kind of turning things around as far as class goes. How? I don't really know. One day at lunch I had 2.5 glasses of wine, and started to speak Italian very easily. My professor couldn't believe it. And since then I've improved a little bit every day.
I'm just very excited.
Monday, May 14, 2007
gettin grow'd up.
So. I'm in Perugia, Italy.
I had a bit of a hard time at first, but I'm kind of falling in love with it.
It really started getting better on Saturday, when two other students, Nikki and Shalomie, and myself decided that we wanted to get out of the city for the night. We wanted to go to Bologna to see Bloc Party. But it was a 2 hour train ride, followed by a €30 ticket, and no where to stay the night. So then we decided to try Firenze. So we packed small bags and bussed to the train station, only to miss the last train of the day by a matter of seconds.
So we sat there thinking, and finally came to the decision to take a bus to Lago Trasimeno. An hour and €3 later we were in Castilione del Lago. The cutest little town in the Italian countryside. Literally a town centered around a castle on a lake.
We had a nice dinner, drank some nice wine, and stayed in a clean room for €25 each. The next day we walked and walked. We tested wine in a local shop, and then walked more. Then we took a feiry to an island in the middle of the lake and walked around it.
We hiked all the way up a dirt road just to see this tiny church built in century XII. It felt like a tiny pilgrimage.
Then we walked forever and ever to get to a train station.
I'm leaving so many things out... it was epic.
By bus, by boat by train, by plane, by foot... I got somewhere.
I had a bit of a hard time at first, but I'm kind of falling in love with it.
It really started getting better on Saturday, when two other students, Nikki and Shalomie, and myself decided that we wanted to get out of the city for the night. We wanted to go to Bologna to see Bloc Party. But it was a 2 hour train ride, followed by a €30 ticket, and no where to stay the night. So then we decided to try Firenze. So we packed small bags and bussed to the train station, only to miss the last train of the day by a matter of seconds.
So we sat there thinking, and finally came to the decision to take a bus to Lago Trasimeno. An hour and €3 later we were in Castilione del Lago. The cutest little town in the Italian countryside. Literally a town centered around a castle on a lake.
We had a nice dinner, drank some nice wine, and stayed in a clean room for €25 each. The next day we walked and walked. We tested wine in a local shop, and then walked more. Then we took a feiry to an island in the middle of the lake and walked around it.
We hiked all the way up a dirt road just to see this tiny church built in century XII. It felt like a tiny pilgrimage.
Then we walked forever and ever to get to a train station.
I'm leaving so many things out... it was epic.
By bus, by boat by train, by plane, by foot... I got somewhere.
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