January 25, 2010

So this weekend, we did not get a chance to go to the Matterhorn because it was way too cold, but we found a lot of interesting things to do in the city itself. First we went on a chocolate tour in which we were able to sample some chocolate cake and truffles from a couple of really famous places. The tour was a lot of fun but unfortunately we had to walk from store to store in about 10 degree weather and the stores were not close at all. I would say that we walked about 4 miles total on Saturday. On Sunday we went to the Egyptian museum that Torino is famous for. The museum itself is the second biggest in the world next to the one in Cairo. The museum was interesting, but their was mostly pottery and books which get old pretty quickly. They had some mummies on exhibit though which were really interesting. Apparently, the reason why their is a Egyptian museum in Italy is because during the Napoleonic era a high ranking official who was served as the French ambassador to Egypt started an extensive collection and had the items shipped to a home that he had built in Italy.

We have bought our tickets to a number of places.
Next weekend i'm driving with a European friend to the French Riviera.

I'll keep you guys updated. Here are some of the pictures from this weekend

January 21, 2010

So the last few days have been pretty low key. I went out to lunch with some friends after school and then stayed in most of the night. Tomorrow we are thinking about catching a really cheap train to the Matterhorn so that we can spend a couple of days in Switzerland. Finding cheap flights is difficult, but with enough time you can really get good at it. 2 Weekends from now we are going to Sicily and 3 weekends from now we are going to Rome. The price of both round trip tickets isn't even a 100 dollars. Sometimes the hardest part can be finding your way from the airport around the city. We have figured out that taking the metro is the ideal way, but sometimes it can be nonexistent in less developed cities. Right now were working on getting flights to Spain and Scandanavia, but its not easy because the flights are rare and expensive. I miss everyone at home and i'm looking forward to some of you coming over.

January 18, 2010

We went to Milan this weekend, and we saw a number of really awesome places. First we saw the Duomo, a giant cathedral. When we showed up at the Duomo, i was assaulted by about 15 Nigerians who were trying to give me their "lucky bracelets." My question to them was "How lucky can the bracelets be if they each have about 5,000 of them and they are still living off the street." I guess they didn't think that through, and my superior intellect was probably dazzling to them. Nevertheless, I still bought one. After i obliged the black guy, we continued on to see the statue of Leonardo, and a really incredible castle. Behind the castle was a Milka festival where there were people widdling and sampling food. Milka (The company sponsoring the event) also built these gigantic artificial ski slopes that you could pay to ski down. I however wen the cheap route and decided to take the free picture with the Giant Milka Cow . We tried to see the last supper, but we weren't able too because their was a month long waiting list. Instead we decided to go to this science museum where a lot of Leonardo Da Vinci's ideas are on display. The museum also had a collection of giant globes that represented how Europeans have historically viewed the geography of the earth. The earliest one didn't include Australia or much of Canada and it had giant sea monsters plotted onto the pacific. It was really interesting.
Today i went to my first real day of classes, it was 8 hours long. I know your probably thinking, "John, in every one of your blog posts you say you are attending your first day of class'" well to be more clear, today was my first day in which i attended all three classes on the same day. Italian starts early so i began those classes last week. I'm looking forward to traveling more and learning Italian.

January 15, 2010

Today i went to my first real Italian class. The teacher does not speak the best English, but i didn't have too much trouble understanding her, and i feel like she has a good grasp on how difficult it can be to learn a new language. She broke us into groups and had a competition in which the teams had to try and read a paragraph with a perfect Italian accent all the way through. (No one was able to do it). After class, i went out to an Italian Restaurant with my friends John, Kyle, Chi, and Laura. We sat at the table for like 40 minutes after we finished because we did not realize that it is rude to bring the customers their check without them asking for it first. Although their are a number of cultural difference between Americans and Italians, the most obvious is the advertisements. The advertisements in Italy can be pornographic and if they are not pornographic then they are borderline pornographic.
We got Gellato at this giant mall nearby, and then we went home.

January 14, 2010

So i attended my first class today, Elementary Italian. It is very intensive because the class is 5 days a week for three hours a day. For lunch i went down to a small restaurant and had like a grilled ham and cheese quesidilla. Depending on where you go food can be extremely cheap or extremely expensive. For example, a pizza of the same size could be priced anywhere from 1$ to 10$ depending on the area. After lunch, we finished some orientation things, and we went back to my friend kyle's apartment where we made pasta with a really "diverse" group of people. Diversity has never been my "big thing," but i think there may have been like 7 countries represented in the room.
I have elected not to drink while i'm over here, which limits my possibilities as far as venues, but i still go and spend time with my friends in pubs, bars, and cafes without drinking. After finishing dinner at Kyle's apartment, we went out to an Irish pub and watched a Soccer game. We have gone to an Irish pub every night that we have been here. I have no idea why i would fly to Italy to go to Irish pubs, but it has kinda worked out that way.
This weekend i'm taking the train to Milan to visit John's Dad and see the city.

January 12, 2010

So it has become increasingly difficult to find internet here. My apartment has internet but its so sporadic that it rarely functions at a usable level. The first night we went out to a pizza buffet with some of the group members. John and I walked around town for a bit and kind of checked out what was going on. We found this giant cathedral next to our apartment, which has these enormous works of art that correspond with past saints. I went to the supermarket to pick up some food but unfortunately their was very little selection. I got some authentic stuff and headed home. There are a lot of Irish pubs in our area so we have been spending time there to meet people.
We headed uptown the next day and went to orientation at the new school. The city itself looks a little like Soviet Russia, but its definitely got a lot of things to offer. On our way back from the school we got lost, but we used human ingenuity and my gigantic brain to figure our way back

January 10, 2010 (1st Day)

After an intensive 3 hour flight to Philadelphia and a 7 hour flight to Frankfurt, i found myself stuck in a snowstorm that delayed my last connecting flight to
Torino. On the way over to Europe i sat next to a German exchange student who told me in detail about the differences between German Politics and American Politics. He liked Obama and so therefore he hated America and lost all credibility (Just kidding). The snowstorm lasted about an hour and then they took us out on a bus to the plane. On the way over to the plane i sat staring at all the "Europeans" and i started being overly critical of them.
Differences
- Colorful Flamboyant clothing
- Pleather Galore
- Long Hair on a man is a crown of glory


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January 7, 2010 (3 Days before Leaving)

If you have not met me, or you do not spend too much time with me here is a run down on what is going on.

What's Going On
- I'm going abroad to Torino Italy with the USAC program.
- I will be sharing a room somewhere in Torino with my Grove City College roommate John Cain and up to 3 other people
- I decided on this program because USAC gives you a lot of academic flexibility so that you can travel and have fun
My Goals
- My goal for Europe is to travel too at least 6 different countries and experience 6 different cultures
- Another one of my goals is to not pay for a single hotel. I will stay in hostels or with other students across Europe
- Finally, I want to eat an authentic meal in each country i visit
Pictures
I will post pictures everywhere i go and i will try to add at least one entry per week