Time Flies...

I can't wrap my head around the fact that I've been in Italy for 6 months! It honestly feels like a month. In these past six months I've done more than I've ever imagined! I have Rotary to thank for that! I truly can't say thank you enough!
A special big thanks to Rotary districts 7750 and 2060! You guys have truly become my family! I knew the first time that I meet you that I was welcomed! Thank you !!!

When I first started this journey, 10 months seemed like such a long time. Now I'm six months in and have a little less than 4 months left. Time flies. I've seen more of Italy than I ever dreamed of, I've meet life long friends, and tasted delicious food! Thinking about saying goodbye is heartbreaking! I've been blessed with an amazing host family and an amazing district! These next four months I hope to make many, many, many more memories with you guys!!! I love you!

Ti voglio bene e grazie infinite!!!❤❤

Napoli/Pompeii

Two weekends ago I had the amazing opportunity to go on a trip to Napoli and Pompeii!

This trip was most definitely one for the books!

Let me start from the beginning...

 

So we left Udine at 8:30 to catch the bus, which was waiting at Palmnova. We got on the bus at 9 o'clock. At around 1 o'clock we got the news that the road we had to take was closed due to the "Big Snow." So we took a detour. The detour was all good, just a little rain and a lot of wind. It was all good till we got to the longest bridge I've ever seen in my life! It was a bridge that a lake on both sides. Now had it been a nice sunny day, there would've been no problem crossing this bridge, however that was not the cause. It was pouring the rain and windy as ever! So we waited for at least 20 minutes before the bus driver finally decided to cross it. It took us 30+ minutes to get across this bridge. There was a tractor trailer that had flipped over on the bridge into the water. It was bad. However I think the driver was okay.

Once we finally got to Bologna around 3, we saw the snow...

I'm from the south, so to me 6 inches of snow is A LOT of snow! Never in my life have I seen 3 feet of snow! I was like a 5 year old child! We had snowball fights and made snow angels.



 

We hit another accident on the way, but this time we stopped for 2 hours! We finally arrived in Pompeii at 2 in the morning! Got checked-in and in our rooms, and then we realized that no one was tired, so we went for a walk. We finally went to bed at around 3:30ish.

This is a 139 year old church
in the main pizzia of Pompeii

 

The next day we were up early and off for a day in Pompeii. It was spectacular! We only had about 2 and half hours inside. So we didn't get to see very much. However what we did see was beautiful!

This was Pompeii's arena. Where people fought against people
and animals.

The city of Pompeii is an ancient Roman town-city near modern Naples. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area, were mostly destroyed and buried under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
Researchers believe that the town was founded in the seventh or sixth century BC by the Osci. It came under the domination of Rome in the 4th century BC, and was conquered and became a Roman colony in 80 BC after it joined an unsuccessful rebellion against the Roman Republic. By the time of it's destruction, 160 years later, its population was approximately 11,000 people, and the city had a complex water system, an amphitheatre, gymnasium and a port.
The eruption destroyed the city, killing its inhabitants and burying it under tons of ash. Evidence for the destruction originally came from a surviving letter by Pliny the Younger, who saw the eruption from a distance and described the death of his uncle Pliny the Elder, an admiral of the Roman fleet, who tried to rescue citizens. The site was lost for about 1,500 years until its initial rediscovery in 1599 and broader rediscovery almost 150 years later by Spanish engineer Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre in 1748.




 The objects that lay beneath the city have been well-preserved for centuries because of the lack of air and moisture.


























During the excavation, plaster was used to fill in the voids in the ash layers that once held human bodies. This allowed one to see the exact position the person was in when he or she died.

Pompeii fun fact: The reason that they had sort of stepping stones in between the streetwise because back in the day, they didn't have plumbing systems, so all there waste went straight to the streets. So they put in stepping stones, so people didn't have to step in waste.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally made it to the top! Me featuring the famous Mt. Vesuvius

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

The next day we were off at 9. Our first stop was Napoli. We only had till 12 because we had to go home that day too:(

Napoli is a very peculiar city. For some reason it reminded me kinda of alley ways in New York.  

 

 

Okay so here are just a few group photos from that weekend...

We found a Rotary Tree!!

 

 

I've taken a liken to yoga.

 

 

 
 
 
I also turned 17! Best birthday ever! I had my favorite pizza for lunch, and my host mom made hamburgers and potatoes for me:)

 

Carnival

So Carnival is a huge festival in northern Italy. It's like the Italian Marti Gras. We had a carnival day at school and tons of people dressed up for the occasion. It was an interesting day!

 

 

Then on Saturday after school I had the opportunity to see carnival in Venice! It was amazingly beautiful! Everyone had on costumes and mask.

Of Course we had to dress up for
the party! We all decided to be
mimes

 

The next day for lunch we decided we would eat healthy. We had chicken salad with apples, and pasta pomodoro! It wasn't gourmet, but it was good!

 

 

 

Then it was time to depart.

 

 

Just a few more photos from carnival in Venice

 

 

~Future Exchangers~

 

By now you guys know which country your going to and some of you may even know which city. I'm so excited for you guys and can't wait to meet some of you guys! I hope you guys are prepared for the best year of your life! I hope you're prepared to change and gain a different understanding of the world.

Since I only have 4 months left here in Italy, that means your guys exchange is right around the corner. So if you guys have any questions, or something you'd like to know email ( baberuthgirl@gmail.com )  me and I'll be glad to talk to you!

Get ready your adventure is about to begin!

 

Ciao Ciao Ci vediamo a presto !

Bye bye see you soon!

Look who's back!

I know it's been awhile since my last post, but my life here in Italy has been a rollercoaster this month.

It's said that while on exchange you meet your truest friends. Well that's so true! The people in my District have become my family. We understand each other and we always have a good time together. To think that I'm going to have to say goodbye to them, breaks my heart!

 

 

I went to my first Italian movie this month. Now let me tell you about Italian movie theaters... America needs to step up! When I walked into this movie theater there was about 12 ticket counters, when you buy your ticket you have to decided if you want to sit in the middle, front, or back, then you get a seat number, and you have to sit there. Once you have you ticket you walk into the "Food area" They had a regular snack bar like in America, but they also had a mini store with drinks and snacks and a HUGE wall of candy! They also had a café. Once you get you snacks and drinks, you walk into the actual theater part, and they had mini bars, so if you needed a refill of popcorn you could go there. To shorten that... It's really nice!!

 

 

 

On to school...

This week I got yet another new schedule. I have a lot of friends in a lot of classes now. Italians are really funny! They also like to selfie a lot!   

 

One thing I absolutely love Italy is the scenery. I really wish my pictures could do it justices.

This is my front yard. Waking up to this is
really one of the highlights of my day.

The castle in Udine has some of the most
amazing view! I sit up here for hours, and just
take in the beauty!

 

 

 

 

 

So past Saturday I had to take the SAT...

On the bright side I got to see my fellow exchangees in Trieste! They took me around the city and we went to a roller blade hockey game. It was a lot of fun, but it was FREEZING COLD! In Trieste they have this really strong wind called "Boar." It's really strong and makes it like 10 degrees colder!

 

 

Exchange students unite!

 

 

Then Sunday I went to Venice to have pizza with the governor of Rotary. Some of the exchange students meet in Venice early to explore. We managed to get lost at least twice, but that's a part of exchange!

 

 

So we got a new family member this month!
This is Abi, she is from South Africa. She
lives in Udine with Paige and I.

Max-a-Million is truly one in a
million!

My long lost sister!

 

 

 

 

So everything was good until it was time to go home...

There was a huge train strike! I was supposed to leave Venice at 6... I didn't leave until 9. Then once the train finally got to the station, it was totally full of people. So we had to stand, which wasn't that bad. So the train finally got moving and everything was good, or so we thought. Well the train stops in the middle of nowhere, and they tell us that the train has stopped and we had to wait to see what happened... we waited for about 30+ minutes, then they told us that the train wasn't going to start again. So we had to exit the train and wait for another 30+ minutes out in the cold, but once that train came we got on, got a seat and eventually made it home:) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know when you have all the family together you have to take family photos, so these are a few of my family photos.