Italy (Part III, Verona)

Sunday started as a typical Sunday. We rolled out of our beds with aching heads, trying to remember all the highlights of the night before and seeing who caught what on camera. The quick risers (as well as quick learners) were rewarded with hot showers. Our morning walk around town was to Basilica di Sant'Antonio. As Team 705 knew all too well, St Antony is the patron saint of lost things. While living on Belmont we cursed him quite frequently because there was always someone who couldn't find their keys. In Padova, the pilgrims were a bit more serious, and the church was quite lovely. After a snack (of course, pizza and coffee) we met Andrea, a friend of Giorgia's that we had seen the two previous nights. He joined us on a road trip to Verona.

When we arrived in Verona, the first thing we did was have a snack (panini with prosciutto and mozzarella) at a cafe in Piazza Brá, while gazing at the Roman amphitheatre across from us. It is such a lovely structure. It is currently undergoing a bit of renovations, but it is the opera house for the city of Verona. I would have loved to see a show there. Instead, we got our quad workout for the day, climbing up and down the stairs to check out the views.

Our next stop was Casa di Giulietta, but on the way over we had to get some gelato. Casa di Giulietta is marketed as the infamous house of Miss Juliet Capulet, of Romeo & Juliet fame. I am a bit sceptical about this residence, considering Shakespeare wrote fiction. Regardless, it was a nice house with a lovely balcony. In the courtyard is a statue of Juliet where superstition declares one should rub her left breast in order to find a new love (though I would assume that her heart would be under her right breast).

To relax before heading back to Padova, we stopped for a drink and a snack as night was falling on the city. I had the best bruschetta that I have ever eaten. Rather than being topped with tomatoes, this had only lard and pepper. No, that is not a typo, I ate the creamy fat from the underbelly of a pig. It was excellent. It had so much flavor, which was expertly enhanced by the lightest dusting of fresh cracked pepper. Washed down with an aperitif of Campari and orange juice. Back to Padova for dinner.

When we arrived back at Giorgia's flat we found a note from her mom saying that there was beer in the fridge and dinner in the oven. It was so sweet. Giorgia's father arrived for dinner as did some of Giorgia's local friends, so the house was full as we had our final night in Italy, feasting of course. After dinner was coffee and sweets and packing. Packing? None of us were looking forward to the 5AM wake up call the next day.

The alarm rings. Giorgia walks in to wake us up. So soon? We doze all the way to the airport, get coffee to wake up when we arrive. We conspire to take Filippo home with us. Then we sit and wait. And wait. We count the minutes until we can get on the plane and nap. Only Imraan seems excited with his sports section of the paper, and Elena, who has a remarkable sense of humour for someone who has spent the past month being sick.

Italy (Part II, Venice)

We all slept well on Friday night and slept in on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, we battled with cold showers, which wasn't unexpected when you have eight people in one flat trying to shower two at a time (separate showers, of course). But by 11AM Giorgia, Rosy, Elena, and I had left to go to the salon. While the other three girls got their hair blown out, I decided it was time for a chic Italian haircut. I felt that Rosy and I could almost pass for Italian at our post salon, midday coffee and juice at the outdoor cafe.

After a quick walk around the neighborhood we gathered the rest of the team from Giorgia's and started the half hour walk to the train station. Once we got into the station it turned into a sprint to the train, but of course, as we arrived at the track it had been delayed for a few minutes, so we had not missed out train to Venice. Once we finally got settled, the trip only took about 30 minutes. Suddenly we were there.

The layout of Venice is made to be appreciated from the second you step out of the station. I have never arrived by car or by boat, and once by bus, but as you exit the train terminal you are struck with the blinding beauty of the city. From the top of the stairs your eyes find the Ponte degli Scalzi straddling the Grand Canal, then you catch a gondola gliding by and follow it to a Neo-Classical church or a Byzantine palace. There are people everywhere, especially during Carnival there were hundreds of people painting faces outside the station. Apparently that is in this year. People were still in masks and costumes, but lots of people were hidden behind eyeliner and glitter.

The main celebrations take place in Piazza San Marco, which leads me to another comment about the layout of the city. Venice is made up of 177 islands and 150 canals. There are over 400 bridges, but only three that cross the Grand Canal. Also, Piazza San Marco is on the opposite side of the city from the train station. There are two ways to get there, by vaporetti (water taxi) which takes about 25 minutes and provides beautiful views of the facades along the Grand Canal, or by foot, which takes about 30 minutes on a good day. It took us about two hours with the crowds, the snacks, the turns down small alleys, and the shopping. Of course, you can always swim, but it's not recommended since the Grand Canal also doubles as an open sewer.

Our walk to the piazza was an adventure. We saw people in classical costumes as well as some more modern ones (who are those masked beauties with the 18th century debutantes?) . It was like Halloween, but with less sweets and better food. The piazza was packed. A stage was set up with musicians and dancers and the campanile (bell tower) was lit to look like Venetian glass. After our quick tour or the piazza we took an early dinner, since we had been on our feet for the past few hours. In Venice food is very expensive. Well, everything there is expensive, but we managed to find a small tratoria where we ate and drank through three courses for less than €25 each. The food, once again was divine. We had some grilled squid in it's own ink, fresh pasta with prawns, lasagna, and of course, the divine desserts of chocolate mouse, profiteroles, and Guillermo. Sorry, I meant Casanova. Once he was in costume, all the girls found him irresistible.

After dinner it was back to the piazza where we met with some of Giorgia's friends and drank and danced the night away. Though finding a drink was easy, finding a toilet was a bit of a problem. Therefore when one person needed to use one, it took about 30 minutes. Fortunately we live in the age of cell phones and were all able to meet up at the end of the night to take the long hike back to the train station. This time it only took an hour and a half to cross the city. As we were heading back we followed an informal parade, a few pied pipers with a stereo and speakers on a dolly, leading revellers dancing down the streets. Our best luck of the night was when two of Giorgia's friends offered to drive us back to her house from the train station in Padua. Our legs were like jelly at that point. It was a long, tiring, wonderful day.

Italy (Part I, Padova)

Another weekend holiday with my IHE friends (Guillermo (Colombia), Imraan (South Africa) Judith (USA), Maria (Spain), Alejandro (Colombia), Rosy (Serbia), and in front Giorgia (Italy) and Elena (Spain)). Last weekend was Venice for Carnival. We weren't in Venice the whole time, not even 12 hours, but that was the premise of the trip. Giorgia hosted us in Padova (or Padua as they call it in the States). Of course it started as an adventure.

Last Friday morning we woke up at 3AM to meet at 3:30AM to take the 4:11AM train to Schiphol that would arrive at 4:55AM with a solid two hours to hang out at the airport until our 7:15AM flight. Well, the trouble started on the train. It did not go to Schiphol, but only to Leiden, where we boarded a bus to the airport. We understood the bus would be a bit slower, but had plenty of time. After 20 minutes on the bus, as the airport office park was coming into view, the bus stops. We barely noticed the bus slowing down, but suddenly the lights dimmed and we were stopped on the side of the highway. After a few minutes Giorgia went to ask the bus driver what had happened. Then, all the way at the back of the bus we hear the sweet sound of Italian curing coming from the front. We had run out of gas. Apparently the bus driver has nothing to do with the maintenance of the bus. OK, I can understand that. But I figured that he would notice when the fuel gage was low. After about 25 minutes on the side of the highway, contemplating walking or calling a taxi, another bus shows up and we all squeeze in. We arrive at the airport by 5:45AM and check-in and security are a breeze. We even have time for some coffee before the flight.

Once we arrived in Treviso we took a bus to Padova where Giorgia's mother and stepfather met us and took us home for some fabulous Italian coffee (elevenes) and we met Filippo (Giorgia's dog) and Matilde (her cat). We took Filippo out for a walk around town where we all enjoyed seeing the sun (there is a permanent cloud cover over Holland) as well as a few Italian figos on the way to the university. It was graduation season so we ended up sneaking into a ceremonial room that was empty and unlocked. We even brought Filippo in with us as we stared at the gilded walls and tapestries, and taking photos right next to the sign that said no cameras allowed. We snuck out with just as much ease. We returned home for lunch, which was to be the start of our three day eating binge. I had not traveled with Guillermo before and had no idea about his gastronomic capabilities. He is always hungry. And, of course, when one person would stop for a snack, everyone would end up eating. Just a bite of your sandwich, a cup of coffee, a taste or gelato, well, I think I'll get my own cone. The food was fantastic. As many people know, I'm a bit of a picky eater, but I ate almost everything put in front of me in Italy. But more on that later.

After lunch and a brief nap was another walk around town, towards the city museum, taking our time, of course. We had tickets to see the Cappella degli Scrovegni, a masterpiece by Giotto. Since we got there a few minutes early we were sprinted up the stairs to see one of his earlier a pieces, being told in Italian not to run. Once we arrived at the chapel there was another sprint when Giorgia realized that she left the tickets in her purse which she had just checked. But we made it into the sealed room for our 15 minutes of viewing the chapel, where of course we got yelled at by a guide for giggling in a sacred place. We weren't being disrespectful, it's just that our interpretations of the frescoes seemed to differ with the official tale.

That evening we met up with Giorgia's friends at a bar. Apparently the custom there is to stand of the sidewalk outside the bar with your drink. And usually your drink is a "Spritz", an aperitif made of Aperol and prosecco (I think). It's very tasty. It was seasonable warm for the middle of winter, but still a bit chilly and after three hours and two bars it was time to drive out of the city for some pizza. Yum. It was great to meet Giorgia's friends and see how she lived. But we were absolutely exhausted after our first day and excited for Saturday in Venice...

Valoracion (Parte I)

Dejé Chicago aproximadamente hace cuatro meses y me ha preguntado escribir un analisis detallado de mi vida aquí comparó a que en Chicago. En español. Falto mi familia, mis amigos, mi condominio, y el pato de Peking de BBQ King en Chinatown. En Delft, he conocido mas familia, he hecho amigos nuevos, y tengo un dormitorio simpatico. Pero no he encontrado nada parecido pato de Peking.

Critica por favor.

Bluesfestival

Dutch is sometimes a bit like German. To create a new word all you need to do is run two of them together. Last weekend there was a blues festival in Delft. Over the course of two nights about 50 different bands played at 20 different bars. As many of you know, I sometimes find concerts a bit tedious, they are too loud, there's no space, you have to stand for such a long time. Well, this time was no different but I loved every minute of it. Both Friday and Saturday night had similar itineraries. Meet in front of Mina, rendezvous with the "urban" residents, go to a pub and watch a set or two, then stumble upon more friends on the way to the next bar.

On the left we have the Friday night group on the way to De Engel, friend's of Maria from Spain (Mitchel and Katy, I know I spelled that wrong, sorry), Maria (Spain), Alejandro (Colombia), Bin (India), Vesna (Bosnia), and Guillermo (Colombia). On the night we have a picture from Saturday, Andrea (Colombia), Bin (India), me, Giorgia (Italy), and Guillermo (Colombia), at De Waag. And once I collect more pictures (I ran out of batteries on Friday night, put new ones in on Saturday, which were apparently not fully charged, so my camera died that night as well), I may even post some of the bands!

Mis Examenes Han Terminado

The exams for modules 3 and 4 are finally over. I just have a two page paper on process technology to write, which shouldn't be too difficult. My room is an absolute mess with papers strewn about from studying as well as new lecture notes for the next module. But they will probably stay on the floor for a bit longer because I'm feeling absolutely lazy today. I know that I need to buy groceries and the dishes need to be washed, as well as the laundry, but I can't seem to motivate myself to get out of my pyjamas. After my exam yesterday I was so exhausted that the decision center of my brain ceased to function and I was unable to make any decisions for myself: market or Mina? cappuchino or chocolate? snow angel or snowball fight?

That last decision wasn't too tough. It snowed on Tuesday, just a dusting, during our exam. It was almost gone by the time we finished. During the exam, many people were staring out the window, including myself, but it took me a while to remember that many of my classmates had not seen snow before. Yesterday it snowed even more, maybe 2 inches that melted within 24 hours. I had forgotten the delight of walking on uncompacted snow, feeling it compress under my feet and the pleasure of a mug of hot chocolate to defrost frozen fingers and warm you inside. I was also able to show off a bit, explaining the proper way to roll a snowman rather than molding it (as you can see Carolina (Brazil), Julia (Brazil), and Carlos (Ecuador) dressing our creation).

Oh, and then there was no water on Wednesday. Again. At least they warned us this time. It wouldn't have been so bad if we had had classes and were not roaming the dormitory all day or if it was just the hot water again. But due to a water main leak, all of our water was turned off, which is a bit of a pain when you plan to spend the whole day in your room studying. Being forced to leave my room wasn't too detrimental, at least I was well fed at IHE. I'm just really surprised by the frequency of water problems here, considering that's what we are all here to study, and the Dutch are known for their hydrological prowess.

Photos from Bin's birthday party last week are here.

Assessment

I left Chicago about four months ago and have been asked to write a detailed analysis of my life here compared to that in Chicago. In Spanish. I will start with the English version. I miss my family, my friends, my condo, and the Peking Duck from BBQ King in Chinatown. In Delft, I have met more family, made new friends (photos), and have a nice room. But I haven't found anything close to the Peking Duck.

I don't miss working at all. Though it has been hard at times to motivate myself to study, I really am enjoying what I am learning here. I have had so much fun playing in the chemistry and microbiology labs. Though there are some essays and problem sets that I could really do without, I think the balance of class, studying, and socializing is ideal. Maybe I will think differently after next week's exams, but I have been doing well so far.

Though most of the people I interact with are not Dutch, I have found a great community here. I have been running, dancing, and playing futbol regularly (hopefully I'll start tennis again too). I have been able to travel (not that much yet, but in the next month I'll be going to Venice and Madrid). Coffee breaks have now been transformed from the mundane to the absurd (we have coffee breaks for 15 minutes of every hour, I think it's a Dutch cultural thing). I love being able to ride my bike in the middle of winter, even through the wind and rain. I have a vase of tulips sitting on my desk.

Delft is now home.