September 4, 2008


Buon giorno!

I’ve finally started settling in to my apartment, which, by the way, is wonderful. Ours is one of the better ones by far. I live with three other girls. They didn’t tell us who we would be rooming with until we arrived in Viterbo. There are about 40 of us in the group, and I’m not going to lie… there were definitely a few girls that if I were to get stuck living with them, I would probably want to come home haha. But fortunately, I was blessed with three very sweet, and very normal roommates. One of which is Jenna, my friend from Chico. The other two are Bethany, from San Diego, and Jessica, from Australia. We all get along great, so far at least, and our apartment seems to be the place where everyone likes to hang out. It’s been fun.
Ok, so I know you all want to know about Italy. Well, it sure is different. But it is absolutely beautiful. I live in a small, medieval city that is built within stonewalls. My school, not more than 50 years ago, was used as a prison. Everything is very slow-paced. From 1 to about 4 in the afternoon, everything closes. The people go home to have lunch and spend time with their families. Someone asked how then do they make money… That’s the difference here. The goal isn’t to make money. It’s all very family-oriented. So during the morning and afternoon it seems like the town is deserted. Then in the evening, every single person who lives here comes out and walks around the city. They also dress up a little because they know they’re going to be seen. It’s crazy to see the difference within just a few short hours. I love it. Their way of life is unbelievably different, but I’m so glad I get to experience it first-hand.
I’m still getting adjusted to all of the changes though. It’s going to take a little while before I feel like a local. Right now every time we go out, we get stared at because it is COMPLETELY obvious that we aren’t from here… But oh well, that will change soon. Also, the washing machines here look like little toys haha. Like they should be in a playhouse. And they don’t use dryers. You either hang your clothes outside, or inside on racks. The cars here also look like little toys. But they have to be small because of the size of the streets. Our trucks and SUVs would get stuck. And it’s really, really hot here and they don’t use air-conditioning…so that will take some getting used to. It’s funny how in America we are so reliant on things. Everything is made to be so easy for us. Here, it's another story. Another thing…my calves are ON FIRE! Haha. We walk everywhere, ALL daylong. But I’ll be thankful for that once my legs aren’t hurting.
This past week has been a huge celebration in Viterbo for Santa Rosa. Parades every night. One of the nights, a huge statue is carried around the city by 100 children. They train beforehand, but still, it’s very impressive. Another parade, they carried the actually body of Santa Rosa. It is still preserved after 800 years. Last night, 100 men carried the largest statue, and I could be wrong about this, but it weighed almost 5 tons. It’s massive. I’ll have pictures of all this soon. Then you’ll have a better idea as to what I’m talking about. I missed most of the festivities because I’ve been sick ever since I got here. No, it’s not what you’re thinking. I am not homesick haha. I might have either strep throat or tonsillitis. Go figure, huh? And since it's such a huge holiday here, doctors’ offices aren’t open until Friday. So if you don’t mind…mention my name when you’re saying your prayers at night. I’ll let you all know the diagnosis once I see someone about it. I’ve already been to the “farmacia” three times now. But you know, with the language barrier, I could only do so much. I had two friends go with me who speak Italian pretty well, and they helped as much as they could. My third visit, there was some sort of doctor there who actually was able to look at my throat. She said it is really red and swollen. (Uh, thanks doc, cause I couldn’t figure that out on my own?) I also showed the medicine the other two told me to take, and she said those were pretty much worthless for what I have. So she gave me this spray to use until I can see a doctor on Friday. Doesn’t seem like that’s helped either. So I’ve given up on medicine and have just been praying for a miracle. What a week! But I figure, if I get this out my system now, I’ll be able to enjoy the rest of my time here without any strange illnesses. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for.
Even though there’s a slight chance I might have to get my tonsils removed…just kidding!.. I’m still loving it here. It’s incredible. I wish all of you could be here to see what I see everyday. There are a few of you whom I miss a lot, and some whom I don’t… Haha, just kidding again! I miss ALL of you!! Just not enough yet to come home! I hope this has helped you get a better idea of what my life is like here. I’ll try to update this as much as possible, but the internet is not easy to come across. I’ll do my best!

Love you all! Miss you!

-Holly