Taming of the Shrew... Not Really!?

Taming of the Red Head

Setting: Padua, Italy
Author: William Shakespeare Harmony Morkve
Plot: Our TA, Rob, bought the whole house tickets to Padua! It was so much fun! We arrived at the train station and we thought we were late but we just jumped on a quick... 1 hour train ride! On the way there, all of the girls were either reading or talking! So I decided to "watch" a movie a.k.a. watch a movie in my head that i have memorized! (My film memorization repertoire: Cats Don't Dance, Little Mermaid 2, Monsters Inc., Hairspray and The Hangover) Everyone thought that seemed ridiculous but it's an easy way to watch movies if you don't have an iPod or iPad.
Once we got to Padua, we went to La Cappella degli Scrovegni. We waited in a room where we watched a video about the building... I kind of fell asleep during the video. After we entered the building! It was breath taking!

It was a beautiful building with the most amazing murals I have ever seen. It was also painted in only 2 years! It showed the stories of the Bible. We also walked through a museum with artifacts and pottery from many different centuries!

After the church, we walked through the streets of Padua! It was scary because the roads were a chaotic mix for both pedestrians, bikes, and cars! I think my life flashed before my eyes a few times. In Venice, there aren't any cars so I wasn't used to seeing motor vehicles! We found a huge fresh produce market that also had some vendors! We walked through and found some interesting clothes and exotic fruits! We ate at a unique restaurant called Brek that had really modern decor!


We ventured deeper into the city and found the beautiful Saint Anthony's Basilica! As we walked in there was a mass going on! People were sitting and then the whole congregation rose to sing in beautiful harmony! The voices bounced off the domes and walls within the basilica! It was an awkward but amazing experience. We walked around the whole basilica and even saw the preserved teeth, tongue and vocal cords of Saint Anthony. The sculptures of marble and other stones were the best decoration of the whole basilica! I am so amazed by the way artists can change a block of stone into a wonderful master piece!


Once we got home, we watched 10 Things i Hate About You in the spirit of Padua! This movie was based on Shakespeare's Taming of The Shrew! Plus ending your day with Heath Ledger and a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt is always amazing! I was so tired so I fell asleep halfway through the movie.... This is what happened next! I guess if your living in a house with 15 people, something is bound to happen!!!!

Next stop: Florence, Italy

Island Hopping!

Glass and blow... I mean LACE!

Last weekend was a grand adventure of not enough clothing and colorful houses! Corynn, Victoria, Olivia, and I decided to venture to some of the islands surrounding Venezia! We went to Murano and Burano! These islands are beautiful and only a short vapporetto ride away from the house!
We woke up relatively early and ate our breakfast on the rooftop terrace! The sun was shinning and the sky was a whimsical color of blue! Since it had been raining quite a bit, I was super pumped to see the sun and absorb some vitaminD. To match the fun weather, I wore a fun blue cami and neon green cardigan! Corynn warned me that I should probably bring a jacket just in case it gets cold! I didn't take her advice and it turned out to be almost fatal!!! (*okay I might be over exaggerating about the fatal but it did turn out to be cold!)

Murano: The Wonderful World of Glass
We rode to Murano and once we got off the vapporetto, we were adventurous and walked into a really cool glass shop and demonstration. The man charged us €5 each to watch him create a really neat glass horse! It was kind of a rip off but it was still cool! (*Now, we never buy something at the first place we see!) After the demonstration, we popped our heads into another shop with beautiful animals and Christmas tree glass sculptures! Adventures continued as we searched for a bar or cafe to get a bit to eat! After a few minutes of searching we found a quaint little eatery that had pizza and panini! Olivia got a spinach quiche thing and it was not very delicious! Corynn made a hilarious face after taking a bit of it!
We walked around the island and found huge glass sculptures that were made of blue, red, green, and any other color of glass that you can think of! Some of them looked like Chihuly pieces but I'm not sure if they were! I just enjoyed strolling around and looking at the great artistry of the Italian glass!

I wasn't sure where to look at the camera!!! oops! 

 Burano: Lace and Colorful Houses
After our artful walk, Olivia and I were practically ice cubes! My nose was freezing and my hands were brittle! I felt like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz! We walked around and saw the beautiful colored houses! I felt like I was in a fantasy land full of whimsy and bright energy! If I could live there, I would in a second! I would probably live the green house!!! or maybe purple! Corynn bought a beautiful lace scarf from Burano and she let me where it to warm up my neck! As we were leaving the island, I saw some women rowing and I cheered at them! Let's just say that Italians are very stoic and do not appreciate when people cheer them on! Plus I'm super loud so it was pretty hilarious!

Going to the Islands was amazing and I had so much fun even though I was slowly freezing to death! I got home safe and sound! I put on some fuzzy PJs and eat some hot pasta! I'm loving it in Venice !
Next Stop: Padova! 

Fighting Temptation

Attack of Gelato and Frittelle

Venice has so many sweet shops and bars where you can get a cappuccino and a pastry. Since I have been in Venice, I think I have bought about 7 gelatos and maybe 5 frittelle. They are just so delicious and very addicting. The shops are only a short walk from the house, so even when it is raining, i have sadly... walked to a pastry shop to get a nice warm frittelle with cream!

Just look at the delicious golden dough and the yummy powdered sugar on top. The whole house has been converted to fritellism! If you are ever going on a diet and are coming to Venice... don't. The temptation is too great and even the strongest willed person will be taken by the hands of sugar and changed into a zombie of the sweets! Frittelle is a Venetian doughnut snack that is part of Carnevale which is a costume celebration in late January and February. There is a wonderful shop named Tonolo right around the corner and it has the best Frittelle around! They also have so many more sweets! When I go to Tonolo, I always feel like a kind in a candy store... wait, I am in a candy store!  If you would like the recipe for frittelle, here it is: http://alloggibarbaria.blogspot.it/2011/01/frittelle-veneziane.html 

Gelato is a much more delicious substitute for ice cream! As said by Ms. Ungermeyer in The Lizzie Mcguire Movie,

"Keep in mind that Italian ice cream has about twice the sugar of American ice cream. Means you're gonna want about two scoops, huh?"

Since I take all of my advice from films, I normally get a double scoop! The best two flavors are Bacio and Stracciatella. Bacio is a chocolatey cream with hazelnuts in it. The Stracciatella is a vanilla flavored cream with yummy mini chocolate chips sprinkled in to perfection.  I enjoy indulging in these wonderful sweets!

Venice Night Life

Watch out Venice! Here I Come!

When living on an island, you sometimes have to dig to find the exciting and cool things to do! Here at Casa Artom, there are a variety of people who have many different interests! Venice has everything for everyone! I personally am open to everything, normally without judgement. Here are a few fun places to explore and partake in during the notte di Venezia! 

Rialto: 
The Rialto Bridge is a huge and iconic bridge in Venice. There are many shops in the area and a plethora of bars for socializing and drinking. While wandering through Rialto at midnight, you can find an Irish Pub, Raging Pub, and bars with very exotic names such as Orange! The bars don't really have dancing but socializing is very fun. It's a perfect way to practice your Italian. Talking with people about my program and about what they are doing is quite exciting. Even if there is a slight language barrier, you can always find a way to get your point across. If you are going for a good time and to drink it up, The Italian men are very friendly and may offer to buy you a drink. The Bar Scene is exciting but in my opinion, I would much rather go to a dancing club.

Dorsoduro 265: 
(a.k.a The Underground)
My last outing was sponsored by SaLE, an art consortium on the island, and I listened to a fun Italian cover band. Here is that post: http://therosepie.blogspot.it/2013/01/venitian-arts.html I went to another art show sponsored by them and it featured NY graffiti on trains! The graffiti was not as impressive as the graffiti I have found around town. Venice has some great anonymous artists! After the art show was a DJ... lets just say he wasn't as "hawt" as he thought he was. His beats were very repetitive and it started to become boring! GirlTalk is much better then this random Venetian DJ. At every event, SaLE gives you a stamp on your hand! It's like a secret club. A lot of their events are for an alternative or "hipster" audience so Olivia and I dubbed this place: The Underground! 

House Partayzz: 
If the house is not going out then we have fun just staying in and watching movies or listening to fun music! We had a Pajama Dance party in the large hallway! We got to see everyone's dancing skillz! I got down when they played my JAM: Dont Drop That Dun Dun Dun. Vitoria brought a good variety of movies to the house so we have watched The Hunger Games, 10 Things I hate About You, Crazy Stupid Love, and The Godfather! Sometimes it's just nice to chill and laze about!

Concert Fanatic!

I think I am addicted...
Throughout high school, I never got a chance to go to a concert. I always wanted to go to Warped Tour. Then last year, I went to my very first concert ever! I know that sounds weird coming from a 20 year old but sadly, it is true. I went to see FUN. in Raleigh, NC with my suite mates! It was such an exciting experience. There were tons of people drinking, shouting, and cheering! FUN. sounded amazing live and they did a funny Rolling Stones cover! I jumped and sang along with Nate!

Now I have decided to go to way more concerts! They are so exciting and you get to meet people who love the same music as you. In the house, I have found a few people who have similar musical taste. My friend Bryant and I decided to go see Enter Shikari in April in LONDON! They sound amazing and they have toured around everywhere. I am also super obsessed with YouTube and I watch CTFxC with Allie Speed and Charles Trippy. Charles is one of the guitarists for We The Kings and they are going to be on their EuroTour while I am in Venice. I am going to try to make it to one of their shows! If you want to check them out, go to http://www.youtube.com/ctfxc

Now that I have become addicted, I am going to try and find some more fun concerts to get to while Im in Europe. I think some girls in the house are going to try and hit up France to see The Lumineers. If you know of any good bands playing in Europe, Let me know in the comments about them! maybe I could see a show!

A Wet Residency

Wet like a dog...

This morning, The whole house had to wake up early to be at the Venice post Office at 8:10am!!! Let's just say we would rather of had class at 9! We woke up and were notified the high tide was HIGH! I put on my hot pink high heeled rain boots and ventured into the calle of Venice. Some of the calle were flooded and I got to SPLASH around in the huge puddles! Although Venice was flooded, The city is beautiful! The Piazza San Marco has many low spots so the piazza floods and makes a beautiful reflection of the buildings!

I am now officially a resident of Venice, Italy! The Post Office was quite an experience. It was like going to the DMV except I had no idea what the teller was saying! I had to fill out some paper work and then I was done! Study abroad so far has been a crazy and fun ride. Now that I have been in Venice for 2 weekends, I am ready to see more of Italy! I think I am going to jaunt over to Padua with the house on Saturday!

"What classes do you have?"

House as a classroom:

Living in a house where you go to class is sometimes tough especially when one of your professors lives with you. You have to try and separate those two parts of your life. You may live in the house but right down the hallway is your classroom! One of the best pieces of advice is to have a good schedule. Create certain times in the day that are only dedicated to studying and other times that are for relaxation and bonding with house mates.
I have class in the beginning of the day and then I have fun adventures in the afternoon when the weather permits. It is nice to have some time to get away before your start studying. After a few hours of walking around Venice or eating gelato, I make my way home for some HARDCORE STUDYING! I have actually made the best of it so far! I have done all of my homework on time and have made it to all of my classes.

The one downfall is that because your classes are in your house, you can't really "skip" or sleep in. The professors walk through the corridor every morning so they know who is awake and who is "sleeping," a.k.a. too lazy to walk down the hall.
A misconception may be that because you live there then you can go to class in pajamas... that is totally false! You must be dressed and ready to go for the day!

Living in Venice is such a fun experience! I hope everyone has a chance to experience some sort of study abroad program in their college years. If not, maybe an educational vacation may be the way to go. Maybe go visit the historical museums in your own hometown or the United States. You don't always have to go abroad to experience a new culture.