Life Lately

Life has been so busy. My roommates have been cooking dinner a lot (our cooking classes are totally paying off!) so it's been nice having home cooked food. Last week was a blur because I literally studied all week for three midterms (Operations, European Union & Italian I Final). (Who knew studying abroad involved actual studying?! They should have written that in a pamphlet or something.) I literally forgot how to study for midterms and it made me miss having normal spots to study, like an actual library. Luckily Busters (fav coffee shop) opens early, so I started a few mornings off by doing actual educational things. Not to worry - that madness only lasted for a week and now we're back to the fun of living abroad. :)

I stayed in Torino last weekend and it was such a nice break. Piazza Castello & Piazza Vittorio are beautiful piazzas in the heart of downtown and my favorite spots in the city. From Piazza Castello, Via Po leads to Piazza Vittorio and is an amazing long street full of great shopping and coffeeshops that leads directly to the Po river. The river is so charming and is a fun place to run.. the quiet paths along the river make the buzz of city-life seem so far away. Not to mention fall has definitely arrived and the river is such a beauty this time of year! I'm so excited for winter to hit, and hopefully it will snow for at least ONE day while we're here. (Considering the fact that the 2006 Winter Olympics were held in Torino, I'm crossing my fingers.)

On the way to the Po River is the Mole (pronounced like "mole-ay"), a major landmark that also houses the famous Cinema Museum. I went with Virginia, Molly and Carly a few days ago and it was definitely one of the best "museums" I've been to - super funky and not really a museum at all. You walk from room to room, each decorated to match the story of a famous film while it plays on a screen. In the very center of the museum, there are two huge projectors and dozens of red reclined chairs, so you can lay down and even watch movies for as long as you want. We then took the elevator to the top of the Mole, and saw an amazing view of the city!

Example of a super random room in the museum & the Mole from the outside

Inside of the museum.

The red and pink room

View from the top!

I also hung out with Maddie and we went walking around the piazzas downtown, and found cool entertainers performing! We also stopped and got gelato, of course. ;)

A few nights ago, some friends and I discovered a great Appertivo place in Piazza Vittorio that's only  €6 for a drink & all-you-can-eat buffet of appetizers. There were salads, rices, pastas, grilled veggies, potatoes, bruschetta, etc. (We were trying to figure out how the heck are these things yet not in America, since they're so successful and such a great deal.) We met up with our european friends studying abroad here and it turned into one of my favorite nights in Torino so far.. pretty sure nothing is more entertaining than hanging out with europeans. We also had the pleasure of being serenaded at dinner by a lovely old man playing the violin, who did not in fact know how to play the violin. At least it was the thought that counts!

Another thing that has been in full swing lately are the open markets. In at least every neighborhood, there are morning markets where vendors set up booths and sell produce, meats, clothes, shoes, and the most eclectic things.. nail polish, hair extensions, pots and pans, fabrics, dishes, etc. It's so fun browsing around and finding the craziest things. A few days ago, Kaitlyn, Kathleen and I found an amazing fall festival in their midtown neighborhood. Definitely one of the biggest I've seen and such a hidden gem!

Speaking of hidden gems, this weekend some of my roomies & neighbors discovered an amazing hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Slurp that was so off-the-beaten-path we almost didn't see it. But they served an amazing Sunday brunch in a very eccentric type of place. Later on, some of my roommates and I also had the pleasure of going to the IKEA in Torino! Never thought that would happen. We had to take the metro to the very last stop, and then get on the "Ikea bus" that took us to Ikea. We all were able to get the small things we needed. And except for the fact that everything was in Italian, it was exactly the same as the ones in America! Happy day.

Another highlight from the weekend was going to a friend's house for dinner where my friend Sky, studying abroad from South Korea, made us all an amazing dinner of curry and rice! Such a fun night complete with a stop at Grom, my new favorite gelatteria. ;)

Something else  I've been up to recently is volunteering at a private K-12 Jesuit school in Torino, called Istituto Sociale. I go with Natalie on Wednesday mornings from 9am-1pm, and we split up and help out with the 4 and 5-year-olds. There are about four classes (of 20 kids each) in the preschool group and unfortunately not one teacher can speak English. Luckily, there's an American English teacher, Donna, who leads an English workshop for a few hours each morning and takes groups of kids at a time to her classroom for crafts and games. I start in the "blue class" by helping the Italian teacher serve a small breakfast, lead singing time, and help with games. It's very chaotic, but is helping my Italian a TON. Nothing forces you to speak Italian more than when a sobbing 4-year old runs up to you shrieking in Italian that Mateo just hit her in the head with lego. We haven't covered phrases like 'stop shoving!' or 'the paint is NOT for eating!' so I've had to improvise a lot. My favorite part is getting to know some of the kids better and I've decided my favorites are Sveva and Andre.. a girl-boy duo who are so sweet and bff's.. they hold hands while walking to the playground or to lunch (precious!) and I'm secretly hoping they'll get married.

Anyway, I then spend the last half of my time with Donna leading the crafts in English. When in her room, she tries to only speak English with the group, which requires immense enthusiasm and lots and lots of repetition. The poor four year-olds have to think really hard and usually stare back with blank stares, but Donna's a great teacher so it's fun to watch! We finally take the kids in a hand-holding mob to lunch at miniature tables and chairs in the cafeteria. Lunch is an extravagant affair (and we get to eat too, such a perk!).. there is the first course of pasta or rice, the second course involving veggies, potatoes & some sort of meat, plus bread rolls, then sometimes applesauce and always yogurt! What's funny is that the kids always seem to eat it all.. which is a lot more food than I remember being able to eat at that age! We then head back up to the classrooms where some kids take naps (in the dark room with tiny beds!) Nat and I catch the bus back around 1 to make it to class by 2:30. Always a good time!

Ciao!
xoxo