Culture Week

Since 1998, Rome has hosted something called "Culture Week", or as the Italians call it, "Settimana Della Culture." Oh, the fabulous festivities that are about to occur in the city I've been calling home for the past seven months! Allow me to elaborate. Culture week begins on Saturday, April 14th and ends on Sunday, April 22nd. For one whole week, every single monument and museum offers free admission. This includes the National Museum of Rome, the Vatican museum, the Colosseum, Castle St. Angelo, and so on and so on. Although I don't exactly feel like I'm lacking any culture at the moment, I refuse to miss out

on the opportunity to soak up more Italian exposure that I would normally have to pay over 10 Euros for. I've already been to the main targets in Rome, but I'm going to revisit them and sprinkle in some new museums along the way. The only way that this could possibly get more exciting is if all the gelato shops were free all week as well. I know its an unrealistic idea, but a genius one, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, the weather in Rome right now is less than perky. It scheduled to rain for the next three days, which I feel like I should be upset about. Of course I would rather be spending my afternoons reading on the rooftop, jogging in the park, and walking around the city with friends while snapping pictures and stopping for pizza. In reality, it isn't really so bad (unless it doesn't stop by the time Culture Week starts). Instead of being outdoors, I'm going to spend a couple days writing in this blog, reading up on information and deadlines for the University of King's to prepare myself for the fall, and read the last two copies of Cosmopolitan magazine that I saved from when my parents brought them to me in March.
But not to fear... My older sister, Nicole, will be bringing more magazines upon her arrival in Rome. Which is coming up really, really soon. It hasn't hit me yet how soon she's going to be here, in my favourite city in the entire world, with me. I haven't seen Nicole since the day we said goodbye at the Toronto airport on September 11th and saw her cute little tanned face disappear from the crowds as I passed through the gate. She had her dark brown hair in a messy side braid, and she was wearing the cool ivory coloured tank top I bought her from American Eagle for her 21st birthday. So after seven and a half months, I'm going to see her. Her plane takes off on Wednesday, May 2nd, and then I'm picking her up at the airport the following day. Do you know what its like to go nearly eight months without seeing your one and only sibling?! 

Eurotrip

In the past few posts, I touched on how I'm taking a couple trips soon, but I haven't been able to exaggerate on where I'm going and what I'll be doing when I get there.
On Saturday, May 5th, my sister and I are heading to the Ciampino airport in Rome where we are flying to London for four days! I'm obviously very excited for this upcoming vacation, but I'm almost more excited to see my sister in London and her reactions to the city. Neither of us have ever been to England (in fact, it's her first time in Europe) and our To See and Do list is longer than my arm. My sister is to English culture as to I am to good food. She's completely obsessed with British culture, a first classnBeatlemaniac, and has her eye on Prince Harry (well, I guess that's not saying much - we all do). Of course we have a bunch of touristy things planned such as riding on a double decker bus, visiting Big Ben, London Bridge, the London Eye, and harass the guards at Buckingham Palace. But there's so much more to London than meets the eye (pun intended). One thing that's really great about London is that the majority of museums are free. However, one thing that's not so great is that London is an incredibly expensive city when it comes to food and transportation. Oh well. I guess you can't have your crumpet and eat it, too.
The best time to go to Buckingham Palace is at 11:30 am, which is the time that the guards change their places. It's a bit of a monarchy show in which it's passerbys are supposed to salute the guards who protect the Queen her Majesty. We're also going to the Globe Theatre, which is where Shakespeare held his plays. The original building burned down, but was replaced with a replica. We're also planning on visiting Westminster Abbey, where Will and Kate tied the knot in 2011. There is also something called Poet's Corner that my sister wants to visit. One place I hope to visit is called the Afghan Kitchen, which my sister is a little skeptical of. It's a cheap but lovely little restaurant that serves Afghan food. I've never had Afghan food and so I really don't know what to expect, but it's cheap, and I'm willing to try new things. Besides - the Eyewitness Travel guidebook on London I bought suggested it, so it must be worth checking out.
My sister found (after her extensive research on things to do in London) a free Harry Potter walking tour that includes sights of where Harry Potter was filmed, including Platform 9 3/4. We're also going to Carnaby Street which was the place to be in London during the Swinging 60's as well as a trip to Abbey Road, the famous road that is named after the Beatles' album. After explaining everything that my sister has listed above, she concluded her message by saying, "We should also check out Piccadilly Circus, but I might be pretty ambitious with all this. I don't mind if I don't sleep though." Good, because with the amount of things we have planned, I don't think there's going to be time to sleep.
On Wednesday May 9th, the two of us both head back to the airport, but are going to separate destinations. My sister will fly back to Rome in order to start her job as an au pair in replacement of my American friend Micah. But I will not be going back to Rome just yet. I booked a ticket to a city called Eindhoven, which is located in the Netherlands. Or should I say Holland? I'm not really sure what they prefer. From there, I have to take a bus to Amsterdam, which will take less than an hour. Case in point... I'm going to Amsterdam! And, yes, I am going with just me, myself and I. And my backpack.
I am returning back to Rome the following Friday or Saturday, but I'm still waiting to book my ticket to get the cheapest deal I can find. I feel like I should be nervous going to Amsterdam all by myself, but I'm not. In fact, I'm excited. I have at least

three full days to do anything that I want. I can walk at my own pace, decide which places I feel are worth visiting, which places aren't, and will do solely what I want. I'm in the midst of booking a hostel, and so far, The Flying Pig sounds pretty good. My friend Shayna stayed there when she ventured to Amsterdam, and the name is too catchy to not go. Another obvious thing on the list - a walk through the Red Light District. 
But there's so much more that Amsterdam has to offer. It's home to one of my favourite artists, Vincent van Gogh. I'm also excited to see the architecture, walk through tulip gardens, explore the vintage markets, and go inside the Annex House (also known as the Anne Frank House where Anne and her family went into hiding during World War II). I don't mind taking this trip by myself, although I'm hoping to find some other interesting solo travelers at my hostel to venture out with. I'm also meeting up with this girl Sanne who is a friend of my sister's from home. Her family is originally from Holland, but immigrated to Canada. 
This duel city trip is less than a month away now, and I cannot express how excited I am to explore both. During the week that I'll be away, I won't be updating my blog because 1) I'm only bringing a small backpack, which will only serve room for clothes and necessities and 2) There is no way that I'll have time to blog when I'm so busy. I'm just letting you know so that during the month of May, you don't wonder why I'm not blogging for a full week. But as I did during my Christmas trip, I am bringing my diary to document everything that happens on my vacation so that I don't forget to explain every fun filled detail.

Buon Pasqua Da Italia!

I have this new jogging spot in Rome. It's in a huge park full of greenery with a big pond filled with ducks swimming in the middle. It's a 10 minute tram ride away from Largo Argentina.
Easter in Rome is the holiest of days, and is packed with tourists galore. The other day, a friend and I went to the Vatican just to sit back and watch the lineup. We were perched 

on top of some steps and spent the whole day watching the thousands of people who were 

trying to squeeze their way into the centre of the Roman Catholic church. A lot of these tourists were missionaries and it is Easter after all. Of course the Vatican is worth seeing when coming to Rome, but these people were lined up all day. In my opinion, there is so much that Rome has to offer, and that you're wasting your time by standing in line for five hours just to say, "I went to the Vatican at Easter." 
So how exactly did I spend my Easter, you ask? In Tuscany! On Thursday, the family and I drove to the Tuscan region to spend Easter on the seaside. 
I fell in love with the house immediately. The whole interior had white washed walls and open windows to let the warm sun shine through. The dining room was simple, with a large wooden table and iron black chairs. All the doors were arched and the whole house had accents of blue from paintings, books and throw rugs everywhere, giving it a Greek vibe. The living room had plush white couches with blue and orange cushions on the floor to sit on Indian style. Books about art, wooden sailboat models and photos of the family occupied the bookshelves while a floor length window beckoned on the opposite side with a view of the sea.
Tiny shops and homes dotted the street below and there were dozens of house and sailing boats parked in the harbour. I saw an old couple together on a rowboat, and it kind of reminded me of that scene from The Notebook. A grassy, steep hill (volcano?) was off to one side of the town, where a proud castle was perched on top. There were palm trees everywhere, and I couldn't possibly think of a better place to spend my Easter holiday. On Friday, we went to the beach. For lunch I had a pomodoro e mozzarella panini on a beautiful deck with white wicker and purple cushions overlooking the Mediterranean. The kids were preoccupied playing with their cousins, so all I really did was listen to the waves crash and read one of the English novels I stole from one of the bookshelves. There's nothing I love more in life than a good beach read.
After a while, my host dad came running over and was very excited about something. "This is perfect!" he says. "I found another Canadian." He was dragging this tall, red headed
girl over to me whose name was Esther, and she was currently living in London. I even had my small guidebook on London in my beach purse, and so she recommended some things to do and helped me understand the map a little better. I asked her where she was from in Canada, and guess what? She's from Nova Scotia! I don't remember the name of the city she's from because it's really small, but what a small world it is after all. Of course I told her how I'm moving there in September and that I'm going to King's for journalism. Well, it turns out that she has a friend who goes to King's, and she's going to give me her name as soon as she gets a chance to get on the computer. We got on really well and it was really refreshing to talk to someone from home. She told me how she's hoping to backpack through Asia and eventually wants to buy a boat to sail around the world. In other words, this girl is super cool and I found myself getting a bit jealous. I want to go to Asia! I want to sail around the world on my own in a boat! Everything about this holiday was perfect, except for one teensy tiny little thing... I am constantly lecturing my friends and family about the importance of wearing sun screen, and I completely forgot to bring a bottle with me when we went to the beach. Italians hardly ever wear sunscreen, so it was no surprise that no one had any. Of course, as we spent the entire day there, I could a terrible burn. I feel like such a hypocrite, not to mention I'm in pain. Besides that, it was a fantastic Easter.

99 Songs Everyone Should Have On Their iPods

One reader asked me what kind of music I like to listen to. What a fun question! I have an open mind when it comes to music. I like almost everything, except for screamo and techno. When I'm at the club or the bar and pop or hip hop comes on, awesome. When I'm in a tired mood and want to work on my writing, I listen to calming music. Then there is the odd mood I have where I'll listen to Celtic music, as in Maritime and Irish music. When I'm hanging out around the house, I like to listen to country music. And thanks to the Americans who own the cottage beside my house who like to turn their music up louder than the average person, I have to admit that I even enjoy classical music. 
My favourite artists consist of City and Colour, Counting Crows, Adele, and so on. Lately I've especially been getting into Great Big Sea and The Pogues, which is probably because I'm a huge fan of the movie P.S I Love You and am moving to Nova Scotia in about four and a half months. I thought I'd share some songs that are on my "Most Played" playlist from my iPod. No matter what genre you prefer, I promise that you'll find something that pleases your ear. Enjoy!
1. Brian Wilson - The Barenaked Ladies
2. What's Up - Not 4 Blondes
3. Set Fire To The Rain - Adele
4. Galway Girl - Steve Earle
5. Love You Till The End - The Pogues
6. Take A Back Road - Rodney Atkins
7. Rococo - Arcade Fire
8. Charlie Brown - Coldplay
9. Skeleton - Kate Nash
10. Fortune - Great Big Sea
11. Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
12. Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn and John
13. Give Peace A Chance - John Lennon
14. Where Is My Mind - James Blunt
15. Love Like Crazy - Lee Brice
16. All For You - Sister Hazel
17. Turning Tables - Adele
18. Fly Away - Lenny Kravitz
19. Remind Me - Brad Paisley
20. Video Games - Lana Del Ray
21. Zombies - The Cranberries
22. Jack and Diane - John Melloncamp
23. What A Wonderful World - Louie Armstrong
24. If It Makes You Happy - Sheryl Crow
25. Paradise - Coldplay
26. You - The Pretty Reckless
27. Mr. Jones - Counting Crows
28. Fortune - Great Big Sea
29. Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell
30. I Don't Wanna Be - Gavin DeGraw
31. Hanging Around This Town - Counting Crows
32. Free Fallin' - Tom Petty
33. I Do - Colbie Calliat
34. Drunk On You - Luke Brian
35. The Girl - City and Colour
36. Whiskey - Brad Paisley
37. First Cut Is the Deepest - Sheryl Crow
38. Life Is A Highway - Rascal Flats
39. The Grand Optimist - City and Colour
40. Accidentally In Love - Counting Crows
41. You And Tequila - Kenny Chesney
42. Sparks Fly - Taylor Swift
43. Me & Mr. Jones - Amy Winehouse
44. Girl I Want To Make You Sweat - Bob Marley
45. Constant Knot - City and Colour
46. Letter To Me - Brad Paisley
47. Clocks - Coldplay
48. Country Girl (Shake It For Me) - Luke Brian
49. The Tide - The Spill Canvas
50. Thank You - Dido
51. Not Ready To Make Nice - Dixie Chicks
52. Tiny Dancer - Elton John
53. I'm A Rover - Great Big Sea
54. Gone Country - Alan Jackson
55. Born To Die - Lana Del Ray
56. Dog Days Are Over - Florence & The Machine
57. Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
58. 1973 - James Blunt
59. Bigger Than My Body - John Mayer
60. The Love Song - K OS

61. Time To Pretend - MGMT

62. Everyone's At It - Lily Allen

63. Hanging By A Moment - Lifehouse

64. Feeling Good - Michael Bublé

65. Holland, 1945 - Neutral Milk Hotel

66. If I Die Young - The Band Perry

67. These Words - Natasha Bedingfield

68. Hey Jude - The Beatles

69. Waiting On The World To Change - John Mayer

70. With Or Without You - U2

71. Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye

72. Possibilities - Teddy Geiger

73. Ohio - Neil Young

74. Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Bublé

75. 22 - Lily Allen
76. Wicked Game - Chris Isaak
77. Paperback Writer - The Beatles
78. Untouchable - Taylor Swift
79. Peace Of Me - Natasha Bedingfield
80. Landslide - Stevie Nicks
81. Brother Down - Sam Roberts
82. Let It Be - The Beatles
83. That Don't Impress Me Much - Shania Twain
84. Fearless - Taylor Swift
85. Maybe I'm Amazed - Paul McCartney
86. I Will See You Again - City and Colour
87. Snow (Hey Oh) - Red Hot Chili Peppers
88. Send Me On My Way - Rusted Root
89. Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
90. Bridge To Nowhere - Sam Roberts
91. Mr. Tambourine Man - Bob Dylan
92. Roxanne - The Police
93. Dashboard - Modest Mouse
94. Fairytale Of New York - The Pogues
95. All Along The Watchtower - Bob Dylan
96. Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton
97. Only The Good Die Young - Billy Joel
98. Time Of Your Life - Green Day
99. Black Bird - The Beatles

Congratulations!

"A big, suspicious envelope came in the mail today from King's... Should we open it?" 
This is the text message I received from my mom late last night, soon after I'd published a post about freaking out about being accepted to university. After reading this message, my nerves went from a level five to a gut wrenching level 10. I replied that yes, I would like her to please open the envelope this very second and to please text me back right away. This is where I began to pace around my bedroom.
I would stop every five seconds and stare at my telefonio, hoping to see it light up before the annoying beeping indicating that a new text message was delivered in my inbox. After what felt like the greater part of a decade, my phone finally shook with a vibrate that was to foretell my future. The news I've been dreading/excited about since I applied to school in January. 

The news that I've been waiting for forever. The news that every time I think about, has caused my heart to jump up inside my throat and choke me. The news that just determined where I will be living for the next four years of my life. The text message read: "CONGRATULATIONS... You got accepted!!!"  I. Got. In. 
I worked so hard at this, that it would have been a shock not to get accepted. More than that, it would've been a disappointment. A great, dark cloud of disappointment and rejection that would lead me to staring at the computer screen blankly for five hours, hoping that if I stared at it long enough, the words would magically go from We're sorry to Congratulations. But it was congratulations. Which means that in late August, I will once again be leaving my small town in the south of Ontario for Halifax. A city in which I have never been to, but am already dying to explore. 
I haven't felt this excited about something since I decided to move to Italy. In my senior year of high school when my acceptances were pouring in from various universities across Ontario, I felt... nothing. Happy to know that I was recognized for my grades and extra curricular, but confused because I wasn't excited. Wasn't I supposed to be running to my mom's bedroom to tell her the good news and to immediately go shopping online for a new school spirited hoodie and search for one in pink? 

It's exactly how a person should feel upon being accepted to their dream school, and its exactly how I feel right now. I knew this was the right decision for me. 
And just what am I doing to celebrate this monumental moment in my life? With gelato, of course! A big cup from Della Palma. I walked through the whole city of Rome, licking and enjoying my afternoon treat with the warm sun on my back and a feeling that is so good, I cannot properly describe it. It's something like when you see your crush go from "In a Relationship" to "Single" on facebook, or when your parents say, "We're getting a new puppy!" or when you win the lottery. I have yet to win the lottery, but once it happens, I'll try to describe that feeling too.
I've spent my entire morning surfing through the universities website, watching video's with information on the school from students and administration, and am in the midst of applying to residence. That's right - residence! The nice thing as well is that all of my resources are exactly where I need them - at my fingertips.
I want to do everything in Nova Scotia, but I also want to venture elsewhere in the Maritimes. I want to see the house of Anne of Green Gables in P.E.I. I want to stand at the edge of Newfoundland and Labrador so that I can touch the edge of Canada. I want to go whale watching. I want to do everything! I have at least four years of my life to spend there, so I'm sure time won't be much of a problem. As for school, I truly am excited to go back. I feel ready, and that it's the right decision for me. Now that I've done some exploring through Europe and found my "writing voice" through this blog, I'm prepared to get my education so that I can eventually work as a journalist and fulfil my dreams. I'm happier than ever and this is the best news I could have possibly gotten. And it came when I was least expecting it. But until I endure the 20 or so hour drive there in September, I have people to catch up with and places to revisit that I haven't seen for almost a year. And until then, I still have some traveling to do here in Europe.

Life Lately

Do you know what it feels like to wait for something that takes so long, you feel as though the thing you were waiting for is actually a figment of the imagination, nothing more than a hallucination of desire? That's exactly how I feel waiting for my university acceptance. Something that I do not even know if I will get or not. According to the University of King's College website, all their admission letter's are sent out on Friday, March 30th, and that a letter/e-mail should be received no later than Sunday, April 15th. That means that potentially, I could know if I will be moving to Halifax for the next four years and studying Journalism at my dream school within one week. No pressure.
In the meantime, I really can't complain. Since today is my day off, I spent the morning shopping and went to the English bookstore, where I picked up a couple new guidebooks on cities I'm planning on visiting. I also bought that cool purple bikini that was in the windows of Yamamay. Then I took the bus to my old neighborhood in Rome to tutor and play with Giulia, the little sister I never had. The bus, sensing my happiness, came right on time, landing me in Corso Trieste earlier than expected. I celebrated this by ordering a generous slice of pizza from the local pizzeria. Well, I guess they could sense my good mood as well, because they gave it to me for half the price it should've cost. A huge, floppy, chewy, delicious slice of pizza with fresh tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. It had just come out of the oven as I walked into the shop, and the cheese was still hot and bubbly by the time I bit into it. Tonight, as I do religiously every Tuesday, I'm going to Scholar's. I'm meeting up with a couple friends for red wine on the steps of a beautiful church nestled in between Largo Argentina and Piazza Venezia. Since they have to work earlier tomorrow, I'm going to head there alone and see who I run into. And then tomorrow, I have a date with some friends to have a picnic at the park near Castle St. Angelo to sit in the hot Roman sun and munch on grapes for the afternoon. At this point, even if I do get rejected from the one school I applied to, I think I'll be just fine. Or maybe that's the red wine talking, because let's face it - as of Friday, every time I check into my e-mail my stomach will be filled with butterflies.

"F" Is For "Falling In Love"

"F" is also for "Florence", which I did end up falling in love with. The city was a lot smaller than I expected it to be, which made navigating a simple task. When my parents and I arrived at the train station, it only took us 15 minutes to walk to our apartment that we'd rented for three days. Three wonderful, perfect days that I never wanted to end. Our apartment was on the third floor and situated next to a curious old Italian couple who we chatted with every time we waited for the elevator, and we could only communicate with the small amount of English they knew combined with my Italian vocabulary. They invited us into their apartment for more small talk while I wandered about and appreciated the floor length mirrors and beautiful fresco's. Later on the same day, my mom and I picked out a big bag of homemade biscotti and a pouch with lavender to put in a drawer from the markets as a thank you.
Now. The marks in Florence. I could spend an eternity there, wandering around while admiring the tourists and locals as they pick out their fresh finds. In fact, there wasn't a single day where we didn't spend a good chunk of time hanging out there. I got to try honey biscotti, olive oil with fresh bread (dear God, the olive oil...) and cheese. Everything was homemade and grown in Tuscany. 
Then there are also the shopping markets where you can buy clothes, souvenirs, and accessories. Here you can bargain with the shop owners about how much you want to spend. I got a cool ring for both myself and my sister as well as a fantastic purse that I swear I've seen before in a dream. Its a large bag with a long strap and is decorated like a patchwork quilt. The best part about it was that while it was originally priced for 25 Euros, I got it knocked down to just 12.The markets stretch down several streets and all you can smell is fine Italian leather while walking about.
After spending time in Florence, I learned that there is no greater feeling in life than walking through an Italian city with good company while eating free food and getting tipsy off of Tuscan wine. Every day the sun was shining and somehow, I felt like I was home. Not that Florence was anything at all like Port Colborne. What I mean is that I feel as though 

I could actually live in Florence. Forever.  I was comfortable and at ease there, and I think that if I were to ever settle down in Italy, it would be in Florence. Yes, the economy is 

eternally unstable. Yes, the government is completely corrupt and, yes, there is a train, bus or postal strike almost every week, but I do love Italy. Whether or not I would actually want to be this far from my family and deprive my future children of a Canadian education, I don't know.
Il Porcellino (Italian for the piglet) is in the neighbourhood just behind the markets where a famous statue of a boar is. It was completed in 1612 and tourists from all over the world flock to this little piggy to rub its nose for good luck. It also promises a return back to Florence one day, and just to make sure this does happen, I rubbed the nose twice. The nose has been touched so many times, in fact, that the grey colouring has rubbed off, revealing the gold underneath.
The Duomo is the very famous and very beautiful Catholic basilica located in the centre of the city. It was nearly impossible for me to get a picture of the entire thing because it really is that big. Not only that, but the many buildings surrounding it make it difficult to get a clear shot of it. For a steep price, you can climb to the top of the dome that offers a spectacular 

view of the entire city. However, thanks to the knowledge of a friend who previously visited, I learned that you can get the same view from the Bell Tower which is right beside the Duomo for less than half the price. Just something to think about if you ever decide to visit yourself. 
Ponte Vecchio is the famous bridge that stretches across the river separating the south from the north. It was filled with shops selling gold, silver and diamonds.
On our last night in the city, my parents and I ventured back into the empty markets and rode the carousel that runs 24/7. We behaved like children and found a large bookstore not too far away which I was very excited about. The shop was three stories high and offered a "pasta bar" on the first level. My parents kept themselves occupied with that while I wandered about, picking up Italian novels and running my fingers along their spines, wishing that when I opened the books they would magically make sense to me, as if I spoke fluent Italian all along. Of course this didn't happen, but there was an English section that I got lost in. I ended up buying a book called Between Shades Of Gray, and spent the rest of the night reading it while drinking a hot chocolate.
On the train back to Rome, my dad was seated in a different cart than my mom and I. Our company was a tiny, wrinkled old Italian woman who talked non stop and was oblivious to the fact that neither of us were fluent in her beautiful language. I was able to pick up some of what she said, but this woman talked so fast that her words were speeding by faster than the train itself. My mom asked her if she spoke English, and when she kept babbling on in Italian, she said aloud, "Honey... I think this woman is nuts." This woman told us that she was taking the train all the way to Napoli, and that she couldn't wait to get back to her casa. That explained so much. I told my mom that this woman wasn't crazy, but rather that she was from Naples. Everyone knows that people from Naples are loud and don't have any fears whatsoever. As I listened to her rant about cheese (I heard the word formaggio in there somewhere), I drifted off while the olive tree fields and rustic houses blurred by.