Last night, after an 8 hour bus ride (without AC because
Italians are not human when it comes to heat) we finally arrived in Ascoli
Piceno! When we got to the city we stopped at every group’s apartment so that
they could get off and figure out where they are going. My apartment has 8
fabulous ladies, and in my opinion, is one of the nicest apartments out of all
of them. Our apartment is the top floor of a bed and breakfast so everything is
super clean and very homey! We have 4 double bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living
room, and an outdoor terrace on top of the roof that overlooks the city.
Believe me when I say that this flat has NOTHING on the apartments of Durham,
NH. The professors even said that they think this apartment is too nice for students
to live in. So naturally, I’m pretty happy. The kitchen is a floor below us
since it is part of the bed & breakfast but we have full access to it. The
landlord even said she would wash our laundry for us! (Sounds cool, however I personally
would like to do my own). The apartment is very homey considering it has
everything fully furnished, decorations on the wall, linens in the closet, and
it even comes equipped with two cats and a dog! It makes the adjustment to
living abroad 10x easier!
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| View from our Balcony |
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| Balcony View |
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| Door to our Apartment from Balcony |
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| Our puppy!! |
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| Hallway |
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| Living Room |
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| Me and Kate's Bedroom |
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| Sitting Room |
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| View of our Garden from our Balcony |
Today we had our initiation in to Ascoli and a tour around
the city to get us acquainted to our new home. We started our morning in the
Piazza del Popolo where we met our three professors and the UNH-in-Italy
Program Director. They gave us a quick introduction to safety in the city and
the necessities we would need in case we had a medical issue/emergency. We then
walked around the city and like true tourists took a ride on a train (train/trolley)
that took us all around the city and described the history to us. One of the
really cool things that happened is that while we were driving around we passed
a wedding at one of the churches and as we drove by all of the people threw
rice at us and were cheering and yelling out in Italian (obviously, I couldn’t
understand them). The city is gorgeous and I feel like I am in a movie with all
of the marble and stone and brick architecture all over the city.
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| Piazza Popolo |
After the trolley ride around Ascoli, we were taken out to
lunch as a group to a place that served us an Italian buffet. The food was
absolutely amazing and so delicious. There was a wide variety of food and a
huge spread of vegetables, pastas, and potatoes. I can’t name for you any of
the dishes in Italian (I was too busy stuffing my face to ask) but I have some
savory pictures for you all to look at!
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| My Food! |
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| Lunch Buffet |
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| Lunch Buffet |
After lunch we were set free on our own to do with the
afternoon as we please. We decided to go to the local “watering hole”a.k.a. a
river that runs through the town where everyone goes to suntan and take a
refreshing dip in the water. It was absolutely beautiful and all of the locals
were surprisingly welcoming. We definitely put on a show when we show up with
24 Americans to a spot that is clearly meant for locals but we did our best to
immerse ourselves and not stand out. There was a huge waterfall that ran down
and was absolutely gorgeous. I didn’t take as many pictures as I hoped I would
(I felt too touristy) but I’m sure that I will be taking many trips back, so
stay tuned and you will see it!!
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| Small Waterfall at Swimming Hole |
Tomorrow our classes start which I am super excited for.
Some people are a little upset that we actually have to do work while we’re
here but I am definitely excited to start learning the language and talk about
the Italian culture. The classes I am taking are ITAL 401, which is the intro
language class, and then ITAL 425 that is a class dedicated to learning about
the culture of Italy. I’m a nerd at heart, so I am definitely excited to get
started with my classes, however I am not as excited to be getting up early for
class. Take the good with the bad I guess!!
Tune in tomorrow to see if I still have a positive attitude
about my classes!!
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