Rotary Orientation // Fognano, Ravenna

I have created the most memories and lasting friendships over this past weekend than I have ever made in my life.

In one weekend I was able to meet kids my age from almost every continent in this spectacular world. I met friends from Finland, Brazil, Canada, Australia, and South Africa... just to name a few places.

Friday afternoon my host dad drove me to the Rome train station where I met up with six other girls living in the area.

From left to right: The husband of our counselor, Denny, Selena, Gabriella (our counselor), Lily, myself, Fernanda
Below: Becca, Iitza

We hopped on the train and headed to Firenze (Florence) where we would switch trains to finish our four hour trip to Fognano, Ravenna.

I was very excited for my first Italian train ride and Gabriella was sure to capture the moment.

I sat by a wonderful girl named Selena from Washington. We found out we have so much in common and didn't stop talking the entire way there. I can't wait to see her again soon!

Selena and I waiting for our train in Fognano to return home.

When we arrived in Fognano we walked from the small station to Istituto Emiliani. It was a large gated Montasery where nuns were roaming every direction you looked.

One of the nuns walking through the garden of olive trees. 

The hallway. Each door led to a room with multiple beds. 

My bedroom which I shared with a dozen other girls. It reminded me of the movie, Madeline.

Outside, exchangers flew their flags from the windows.

We were some of the first exchangers to arrive. We played volleyball in the courtyard and mingled with the others as they arrived. It was the first time speaking English in full sentences since I had arrived in Italy. By the end of the first day I had started to lose my voice. It was a great feeling for people to understand and connect with me. 

Emma, Sarah, and myself. Fellow Minnesotans!

The first night we ate dinner in the large dining hall. It reminded me of Hogwarts. The food was not anything to write home about, but the people I ate with definitely were.

After dinner we all congregated in a meeting hall where we went over the rules and guidelines of Rotary. I've gone over them a few too many times now, but a refresher was nice. We sang karaoke songs. All 108 students, arm in arm, sang together. It was marvelous.

I didn't get much sleep that night, but I am completely okay with it. I wandered the halls of the montesary and stayed up until 2:00am talking with the other girls. 

Breakfast in the morning was similar to the dinner before... Nothing special. After breakfast we headed outside to trade pins with the other exchangers and took a large group picture. It was so much fun and I am happy to say my jacket is a couple pounds heavier than when I arrived. 

Sporting our decked out blazers. 

In the afternoon we took buses to the top of a mountain in Ravenna. We hiked trails and explored caves where Gypsum was excavated. We learned about the history of the mineral and its uses throughout Italian history.

Sporting the American flag.

A typical exchange student photo.

The view from the top of the mountain.

One of the townspeople's dogs sipping from the quarry inside a cave. 

The quarry inside the cave. 

Another view of a cave.

Becca enjoying her Nutella from the dining hall. Don't intervene with exchangers and their food. Ever.

My little Victoria from Mexico!

The Minnesotans (Sarah and myself) with the Aussies (Dalton and Dylan)

Minnesotans! Ezra, myself, and Sarah

I can't wait to see her again! xo Many wonderful memories

My fantastic packing job. One small backpack and my purse, I am proud.

When I got home from the weekend, I met my family at the train station in Rome. I was very happy to see their faces waiting for me. I was so tired. I got home around 6:00pm and went straight to bed. 

It was a great weekend to say the least. And a memorable one. I can't wait to meet up with the new friends I met. I know where ever I am in the world, I will always have someone's home to welcome me if I need them. It's a very unexplainable feeling I have inside of me. It's a certain type of comfort that I feel. It's best explained as that "home" feeling. I'm warm inside and filled with love from all over the world. Love is universal. Love is rewarding. Love is everywhere. 

I love you. 

xo. Frannie

P.S. When I returned home from Fognano my parents said my Italian is improving a lot. Today at school I told my friends all about my weekend. They also said my Italian is improving! Woohoo.
Go me. I hope you all are proud of me:)

Age is Just a Number

I want to start this post with my gratitude. The support I have received from my peers since beginning my new adventure is impeccable. It's amazing to see where my readers come from. I have gained relations from all over the world, and through my blog, I am able to watch my connections grow. I have realized how the human races thrives, inspires, and encourages others simply by a connection between two people.

I want to thank you for taking time to read my blogs. You support and encourage me more than you could ever imagine. You keep me striving so I have a great story to tell.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

MY WEEK IN MINIMUM WORDS
(Because it's late and my brain is exhausted)

MONDAY: Volleyball with a new team. Proof that you can make life lasting friendships in two hours.

TUESDAY: Received my first letter in the mail! Shout out to Anna Marie Noble. You made my day.

P.S. Via dei Glicini, 11, Tivoli, RM, 00019 

WEDNESDAY:  This happened. Take notice of the video at the bottom:)

THURSDAY: Beautiful moon! Photo does not do justice.

FRIDAY: I like to talk. When translating between English and Italian... I talk even more. I talk and laugh too much during volleyball.

SATURDAY: Went out with friends. Had a blast. Ate pizza. Enjoyed others company.

SUNDAY: Rotaract/Interact/Rotary soccer/picnic/brunch. Good food. Great people. Sunshine!

Oh, and age is just a number. That's my lesson for the week

F.

Stepping out of Boundaries

Today after school I drove with my parents and sister to the west coast of Italy. Our first stop was to a friends beach house. I didn't know this was going to be part of my day, so when we arrived I was so excited. It was a nice treat for the day. We went to the beach and I ate pizza and a sandwich with only salami. It was fantastic. The food was scrumptious and the view was impeccable. A half hour went by and it was time for Marco and I to leave to go to the next town.

I went to a Rotaract Conference and participated in the Seminar of New Generations. It was a large meeting where all of the important heads of Rotary District 2080 spoke and discussed guidelines, missions, and goals of the new Interact and Rotaract Club. I know this all sounds confusing and that is because it is. It is even worse when everyone speaks in Italian, but this is the only way I am going to learn the lovely language.

The conference lasted about three or four hours. I listened to many important people as I sat between Pietro (Head of Commissions and a good family friend) and my father. Little did I know that by the end of the seminar I would be up there in front of everyone speaking about my experience with RYE and why I decided to join Rotary. I was surprisingly calm as I spoke in front of about 50 adults, and by the end I was so happy Pietro and Marco had me go up there. It was a big step out of my boundaries, but was one that needed to happen. 

The resort where the conference was held is gorgeous. I wanted to hop in the pool so badly. It looked so heavenly, but listening to important men and women in my club was also pretty special. What I thought would be a bunch of exchange students ended up being one exchange student and a large number of intimidating chairmen and women. 

View of Sperlonga

Nothing better than a sunset over the ocean.

After the conference, we headed back to the beach house, and met with friends and family to go to dinner. Pietro and his family were there, Marco's cousin, and more friends and family. It was great to meet more wonderful people. It was the first time ordering at a restaurant. Pietro's wife helped me choose, because she speaks English very well (I later found out that their kids do as well). Everyone shared multiple dishes of antipasti to start and I had amazing pasta topped with squid and caviar as my entree.

Now here I am at 2:30 in the morning writing my blog, because I was so excited to share my wonderful day. It's time to shut down. Until next time. 

F.

I Might Have Missed a Few Things

The sunsets here are beyond imagination. The sun sets over Rome, and the colors couldn't get any more gorgeous. It may be hard to believe this is natural. I wish you all could see for yourselves.

The view from my house is amazing. I always catch myself staring out a window and just gazing. 

Bigliardino

Where do I begin? When the plane arrived in Tivoli, all I could say was wow. I am definitely in a different country. Everything is beautiful- from the people to the mountains to the trees and to the cobblestone street.

Tivoli is wonderful.
My family is so nice.
The home is small, but perfect. It is from WWI.

ARRIVAL

I arrived on Sunday morning a little before 7:00. I got off the plane and started sweating. I was nervous, it was hot, I was wearing three layers, and had to carry fours bags around looking for my family. I looked like a fool. At first I couldn't find them, so I started nervously sweating some more. Finally after about 10 minutes, which felt like an eternity, I found their faces in the crowd. I was so relieved. Kisses and hugs to all when we met. We went to the bar and bought coffee and treats. I had my first cappuccino only minutes after arriving. I now know that I like sugar in my coffee, but it was still delicious with out.

HOME

Tivoli is only about 20 minutes from Rome, but it takes about an hour when there is traffic. When we got home, we brought my bags up the stairs to the fourth level. It's safe to say I overpacked. Italians dress very simply and have minimally. They couldn't believe what I brought. I was slightly embarrassed. With Aurora's help, I unpacked my bags. She took the clothes out of the bag and helped me count, uno... due... tre... And I would say one... two... three... After unpacking all I could think about was showering, so I did exactly that. It felt so amazing, and sleep sounded just as good. I went to bed around noon, slept through lunch and woke up around 15:00 (3:00pm).

Around 19:00 (7:00pm) I got dressed for a party. Little did I know the party was for me. It was at a house in the mountainside at my counselors house. There were so many people there. Family, friends,  and kids my age were all there to greet me. It was overwhelming, but I was very appreciative. Everyone was so nice. I ate pizza, cold pasta, cake, the best mozzarella in the world, and watermelon. Luckily there were two girls who spoke a little English so I talked to them.

MONDAY

On Monday, luckily, we did not have school. I went to the mall with Anna Maria, Lorenzo, and Aurora. I did not buy anything, because I was still in culture shock mode and I did not know what I wanted or needed. They asked me why I didn't want anything, but I didn't know how to respond. We ate McDonald's for lunch. It was not my favorite meal I have had while I am here. When we got home, I realized I didn't buy an universal adapter for the wall plug-in. Pretty dumb of me.

Later in the day, Lorenzo and I walked around Tivoli. He brought me to the important streets and showed me the big attractions. All the streets are very narrow and uneven. Everything is old, very old. Yet it is all so beautiful. At the end of our city you can look over Rome. It is a breathtaking view. Unfortunately, this photo does not do justice.

Rome is hiding to the far left. From this view I am able to see Basilica di San Pietro. It barely peaks out of the horizon.

TUESDAY

Today was the first day of school. I started at 9:10. I went there with my parents and we had to figure out what class I would join. We talked with many teachers and the head master. After about an hour of debate they decided to put me into class 5C. I believe it is the highest grade level. The other students are 17-18 years old. Everyone is very nice. We stay in one class all day. The teachers move classrooms. The first week of school we did not really do anything. I also do not understand very much, so I have to very nice friends who will translate for me when it is needed. 

Lucilla, myself, and Margherita. They both went on exchange last year, so they speak English well.

After school, I walked with Lorenzo to town and watched a bunch of guys play bigliardino (foosball). It was very funny. They get very excited and into their game. After one bar, we went onto the next and I watched them play some more. They asked if I wanted to, but my skills wouldn't  have compared. 

WEDNESDAY

How my day went:

-breakfast

-school

-lunch

-volleyball

-dinner

I tried volleyball. It was very fun, but late at night. All the players were very nice. They were around my age level and about the same skill level. 

THURSDAY

Today I was very tired. After school I slept for six hours. I have still not caught up with the time difference. I always want to sleep during the day, and at night I am always up at 3:00 and never fall back asleep. It is hard to get used to.

FRIDAY

After school I went with friends to get gelato. It was delicious and nothing like American ice cream or our version of gelato for that matter. We walked around the old part of Tivoli. Again, I slept for about 6 hours during the day.

Slowly, I am learning Italian. Quickly, I am losing my English. I have forgotten so many simple English words. If you can't tell, my grammar is also very poor. It amazing how much changes in one week.

F.

Last Call

The majority of the week was spent packing and repacking. I had three bags to fill and all had to be under 50ibs. Of course I overpacked. I kept having to put items back into my closet. It was a little sad for me, but way more exciting for Riley and Zoe. More clothes for them! I'm not particularly happy about them having free access into my closet. If it was up to me it would be under lock and key. Yes, I know clothes aren't important in the grand scheme of it all, but if you know my sisters' they're going to be all over my things. I hope they at least think of me when they wear my clothes;) Riley, Zoe: take a selfie every time you wear something of mine. Make sure your face is extra "cute" too. You know what I mean. Zo, I love your frog face, and Riley, I'll miss your chins. So please, don't forget to share them every once in a while. 

After I finished packing the rest of the week was spent doing these things in no such order

-Eat

-Watch Mad Men (great show by the way)

-Walk around the house aimlessly

-Annoyed Dad (Love you)

-Harass Beau

-Harass the Cats

-Watch Beau harass the cats

-Take Beau on walk

-Eat

-More Mad Men

-Go crazy

You get the picture. I did absolutely nothing at home. All my friends are now off to college, so life in Castle Rock got quite boring. Instead of being cooped up at home, I went to Mom's office up in St. Paul and helped her out. I filed… made labels on the label machine… and filed some more. It was wonderful… The bet part was that I brought Beau up to the office with me! Well, and I was able to spend the day with my mama. 

After work Beau and I picked Riley up from class at the St. Paul, U of M campus and went to her house for the night. I hung out with her and her friends all night and had a wonderful time! I last hooray if you will. 

The next morning I slept in as she had morning class. Kyle made me a delicious breakfast, and when it was time we picked her up from class. 

When it was time to go home we made a pit stop at Coastal Seafood and picked up lobster tails, shrimp, and mussels. My last night at home was spent with the family, minus Adam because he wasn't able to be home due to work. Luckily I was able to say goodbye to him last week in Chicago. But back to my story… on my final might on the farm Dad made Paella- one of my favorite dishes of his. We sat outside in the candle light and enjoyed a delicious dinner and said our goodbyes. 

Surprisingly, I slept really well that night. I woke up around 6:30am and got ready for my flight. Dad packed my bags into the car and we were off to the airport. I checked two bags, both ended up weighing a pound or two over fifty, but Delta was extra nice and didn't make me pay extra. I gave my last hugs to everyone, said "I love you", and went through security. It was emotional, but I held myself together the best that I could. I waved through the glass and that was it. I was on my own.

The flight to Boston was quick. I slept through the majority of it and also talked to the nice man sitting beside me. Flying into Logan airport was absolutely stunning. We flew over all the sail boats on the coast and I was able to see all the amazing houses on the beach. Nathan Dahlen, if you are reading this, I wouldn't want to leave that city if i were you.. Stunning

When I got off the plane, I was completely lost. I didn't know how big the airport was. I walked for about 20 minutes just to get to my connecting flight gate. I had a couple of hours to spare, so I watched an episode of Mad Men, then sat there a while soaking everything in and enjoying the people around me. The gate started filling up and I noticed an elderly couple looking for a spot to sit. With out hesitating I offered them mine. I moved my rump to the floor nearby and charged my phone. As I was doing so a couple men came up to me and said how courteous that was of me. It didn't hit me until then, that a gesture as little as that can go so far. I would just hope that someday, someone would do the same for me. 

When it was time to board I got butterflies in my stomach. I found my seat and settled in. The flight was about 8 hours and during that time I did a few things to keep myself occupied:

-Watched Valkryie 

-Ate dinner… mmm airplane dinner...

-Slept

-Numbed my butt

-Walked around and stretched 

-Watched a little bit of Angels and Demons

-Stretched some more

-Typed up my new blog post

-Listened to The Weeknd, The XX, and Bon Iver on repeat

-I tried to play a Brain-Fu game on my TV, but it froze so now its stuck and won't let me exit. So much for raising my IQ.

So here I am less than three hours from my destination, anxious more than ever! I can't wait to step foot in Italy. I'm going to try to get a little more sleep before I do so.

Ciao, F.