So much to be thankful for...

Ciao,

Happy (early) Thanksgiving everyone!!! I have to say that we've been very lucky over here recently. We thought we would have to forego Thanksgiving this year, but Niraj and I have actually had 2 full Thanksgiving feasts and still have one more to go!

Last weekend we were invited out to some friends of ours who live near Reggio. Mariana is an American that Niraj met when he was living in L.A., and her boyfriend Enrico is Italian. There were a total of 10 people at their place (4 Americans, 6 Italians), and the food was incredible! Somehow she miraculously managed to make a full American meal in Italy where having to preorder a turkey weeks in advance from the butcher is only one of the many obstacles to overcome. She made a feast of an 8 kilo turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, peas, corn, cornbread muffins, cranberry/blueberry sauce, gravy, grilled onions, green beans, and applesauce. And for dessert... we had a grand total of 5 pies/cakes to choose from! We had chocolate cake, lemon cake, pineapple upside down cake, pumpkin pie, and the BIGGEST apple pie I have ever seen (literally, I think Italians have this impression that we make huge pies so as a result their pie pans are enormous). It was really a joy sharing the holiday with Italians. They were so intrigued by all of it and excited to learn the new food and the new traditions. They definitely imposed their "flare" on the meal by bringing lots of wine and insisting on espresso afterwards, and it was amusing to explain that everything is put on your plate and eaten at once, i.e. there are are no courses. We had such a great night and created many wonderful memories!

Last night was Thanksgiving #2 and was one of the best nights we have had with the students of SAIS since coming here. The student government organized a huge potluck at the school for the nearly 200 students, less than 50% of which are Americans. There were 10 (very large) turkeys and all of the standard fixins and sides. Again, it was amazing how such an American meal can be a success over here, but it was also really fun (and tasty) to see what kinds of flares and twists the non-Americans put on their dishes... especially the breads, stuffings, vegetables and desserts. The director of the University spoke before dinner and told the story of Thanksgiving. explaining all traditions from the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade to the post-Turkey naps. A few students put on a Thanksgiving play reminiscent of ones we would do in elementary school, and we all sat in the auditorium and ate and talked for hours. Again, it was a joy to share this important holiday with Europeans and with our new friends. At our end of the table, everyone especially had a wonderful time telling past Thanksgiving memories, sharing our family traditions, and thinking about the Thanksgiving food we would miss the most. My story was when we replaced the turkey in the oven with a rubber chicken and gave Grandmother a little birthday surprise, remember that year Hays folks?!?! The night ended with a cover band composed of students, Teaching Assistants, and an Economics professor! They even made a poster of the event (below). It really was an amazing night, and I know we will remember this year forever as a very unique, different, yet wonderful Thanksgiving.


And, we still have another potluck at a friend's house on Thursday! I'm pretty sure we are already close to being turkey-ed out... but something tells me we'll make room for more. :)

Besides all the Thanksgivings festivities, there have been lots of exciting things going on the past week. The Bologna chocolate festival was this week... need I say more?? There were chocolate makers here from all over Europe, and it really is amazing what they can do with chocolates. They come in every shape, size, color, flavor you can imagine and it was fun walking around all the tents and gawking at everything. Oh, and the cioccolata calda! So amazing! It is like drinking pudding, and when they make it they have to constantly have it churning since it is so thick. It is really spectacular how all the food and drink here (especially the sweets) is such an artform. Here in Bologna they have also put up a Christmas market down the street from the apartment, and it is exciting and wonderful to enjoy the season and really get in the Christmas spirit.

Yesterday, I also had another grand adventure when I got stuck in the middle of what was practically a mob scene! When I was walking home from the market, I suddenly realized that the street was closed to traffic and all of the buses were sitting empty in a line. There were people everywhere. Apparently there was some big-shot celebrity staying at the hotel there, and TONS of people were waiting outside in the street by their tour bus hoping they'd appear and come out of the hotel. I found the whole thing rather amusing (especially since I had no idea who it was), and just enjoyed the madness! See for yourself...


Things at school are still going well too. Midterms have been in full force so all of the students are stressed and overworked. The language midterms are this week, so we'll see how those go for both of us. Niraj is getting more involved with clubs and things at school, and he is now a part of the academic student government committee. He is working to improve some things for students and for his program in general, including getting weekly lunches with professors set up for the students and coordinating with the students in D.C. to prepare for his second year. We also had Azar Nafisi come speak to us this week, and she was absolutely incredible! She spoke about life in Iran, literature, importance of education, and was overall very moving and compelling. Niraj and I were both awed after coming out of her lecture, and I'm very anxious to read her books now.

Anyways, I suppose that is enough stories for now.

We do want to say that we are both very thankful for everything and everyone. We are so incredibly lucky to have this opportunity and this experience, and we are very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family in our lives. We miss everyone, and hope you all have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

GOBBLE GOBBLE!!!

Random thoughts on the day to day life...

1) Walking down the street and hearing a man playing the accordion on the corner makes you feel so incredibly Italian.

2) Meeting the girls for coffee at Piazza Maggiore on Saturday morning is quite fabulous.

3) You can't help but smile when you see two little boys running around with giant helium balloons in front of the Cathedral down the street... especially when one of the balloons is Winnie the Pooh.

4) It's fascinating that the woman who owns the tiny pottery shop on the way to school sits inside all day every day making/painting her artwork.

5) It's fun when the man who runs the produce stand considers you a "regular" and throws extra bananas, tomatoes, and clementines into your bag.

6) It's hard not to feel proud when the checkout clerk at the grocery store is impressed because you (the American) are buying a pizza pan so you can try making pizza at home.

7) It is still hard to beat a great class of wine in the evening!

Prosciutto, Parmesan, and Rain... oh my!

Ciao tutti! Just thought I'd write again to share out latest weekend adventures...

On Friday night, Niraj and I met some friends for an appertivi in the University District. They had found this amazing little restaurant that used to be an old house. It was 3 stories and each level of the house had it's own tables and a bar. The decor was gorgeous, and it did feel like you were in somebody's house! It was very quaint and definitely worth going back to. We all had a Spritz (a popular Itlian cocktail consisting of a fizzy white wine called Prosseco and Aperol Liqueor... yum!) and talked for hours. It was a great evening.

Saturday, I decided to explore the city some while Niraj locked himself in the library and ventured out to do some shopping. They are beginning to put up Christmas decorations and lights everywhere in Bologna (they don't celebrate Thanksgiving here so it's ok to do this so early... haha) and the city is starting to buzz with excitement! I cannot wait until the turn all the lights on, and you can count on pictures of that. That night, Niraj and I decided to make a full, home cooked feast. We made salad, lemon/garlic balsamic dressing (made with AMAZING balsamic vinegar from the local town of Modena), bruschetta, homemade bread, Spaghetti Carbonera, and a nice Pinot Grigio. The picture below doesn't even describe how amazing this food was! We were both quite impressed with how we're slowly mastering Italian cooking, and we filled ourselves to the brim! :)


Yesterday was the biggest adventure of the weekend, however. We decided to do a day trip to nearby Parma. We arrived at the train station early to catch the 8:30 train only to find out that nearly every train leaving that station was canceled. So not thinking anything of it, we waited around for awhile and managed to get one out of Bologna just before 10:00. We arrived in Parma a bit after 11:00 and walked outside to pouring rain and freezing temperatures! That didn't stop these two determined travelers though, and we faced the rain. We spent a few hours exploring the town which really is beautiful. It was a lot smaller than Bologna and very quiet (probably an effect of the rain and the fact that it was Sunday). We sat in on Sunday Mass at the Madonna Cathedral, saw the famous pink-marble Baptisery and its amazing frescoes, walked around the Duomo Cathedral, found the old town Pharmacy, walked along the riverfront, and explored the area and parks around the Government buildings. We saw some amazing sights, but it was a hilarious day due to being soaked head to toe and having umbrella difficulties. I now know that if you buy a 3 Euro umbrella you get what you pay for (and yes, I do know it was inside out in the pictures, but I had no control over it!!!). I've put the pictures below, so check them out!

Parma Pictures

Probably the best part of Parma was our lunch. YUM!!! We went to this quiet little trattoria tucked away in a small alley, and it was one of the best meals either of us has ever had. We started off with the famous, local, incredible plate of Parma's Prosciutto and Parmesan Cheese which is eaten with Torta Fritta (a type of warm, soft fried bread). This meat and cheese was unlike anything else and it was incredible... no wonder it made the town famous! Then Niraj had pumpkin tortelli, and I had tortelli stuffed wtih prosciutto and cheese. Both were again topped with Parmesan and covered in oil and butter. We also enjoyed some house red wine, and concluded the meal with a piece of chocolate cake that literally melted in your mouth. We sat there about 2 hours, watched other Italians eat to learn "proper" etiquette, and walked out in a food coma.

Our adventure didn't end there though, because once we arrived back at the train station to head back home, we again noticed nearly every train was canceled. In summary, there was a train strike and we were stuck in the station for over 3 hours!! We finally made it out on a jammed packed train, and our short little day trip turned into a 12 hour journey! Needless to say we'll be checking to see if it's a strike day before venturing out from now on...

So, that's our latest Italian weekend! This week we have the typical classes and work, but there are some interesting events and speakers happening at school that we'll keep everyone posted on. So, happy Monday!

Trick or Treat!

Well it is now November, and I have officially been here over a month which does not seem possible! Niraj has been here over 2 months and it's amazing how fast time is going. Fall is in full swing with cooler temperatures, changing leaves, and a sense that winter is just around the corner.

We had a fantastic Halloween weekend, especially considering Italians don't really do Halloween. The city's only festivities consisted of a few ghosts hanging from lampposts on random streets and stores putting up a few spiderwebs and plastic pumpkins in their windows (which by the way is very misleading when you're looking for Halloween goodies because that does not mean they actually sell Halloween stuff). We did manage to carve a pumpkin out here though!

Saturday we actually had a Deep Dish Pizza Party (which I know all you Seattle-ites will appreciate!!). We made our famous deep dish pizzas from scratch for some friends of ours. We had 3 pizzas for 4 Americans, 1 Colombian, 2 Canadians, and an Englishman... and we couldn't help but wonder what an Italian would think of the gigantic pizzas! It was a great night, the pizza was fantastic, and below is a picture of Niraj anxious to sink his teeth into them.


Sunday night the entire school got costumed-up for the big annual Halloween party. It was a great time, and there were some fanstastic costumes. It was impressive how creative people were and how much everyone enjoyed getting all dressed up! I was a gypsy-pirate and was quite proud of how my thrown-together costume turned out. Niraj was a street vendor selling roses. For those of you who have not been to Italy, there are always Indian men out in the streets at night with roses for 1 euro each. They walk up to your table in restaurants and also just approach you on the street. So Niraj threw on tennis shoes, a beanie, and a wool scarf, bought some plastic roses, and proceeded to approach everybody at the party (without saying a word) to try to get them to buy his roses. He was a HUGE HIT!!! Everybody loved it and thought it was hysterical, and he even won 2nd place in the costume contest! It was hilarious, especially when a "real" rose vendor walked into the party (you can see him in the pictures). So, needless to say we had a fantastic time!

Halloween Pictures ... Boo!

Other than that, things are still moving along. We went out to a nice dinner the other night at a little Trattoria and had amazing Tortellini Bolognese and Lasagna Verdi. We are getting anxious for Thanksgiving and many of the Americans are trying to figure out how to make a traditional Thanksgiving feast. I'm sure it'll be interesting, and I'll let everyone know how it turns out. We have some more day trips planned for the near future, and we are also hoping to put together a short trip for New Years... any suggestions on where to go??

So until next time, enjoy fall, stay warm, and keep in touch... ciao!

Verona and Bocelli

Buona sera,

It has been another fantastic (yet rainy and very wet) week here in Bologna.

Niraj is still hard at work, but is getting to know his classmates better which is exciting. The people in his program are from all over the world including Germany, Austria, Colombia, Canada, Belgium, Croatia, Bosnia, Russia, Portugal, Azerbaijan, Japan, Holland, Croatia, and many more. We are starting to plan more big excursions, and it's nice to have people offer insight and travel tips into their hometowns.

As for me, I am having a blast getting more soaked into the Italian lifestyle. I am really starting to enjoy cooking out here and am getting more ambitious every day. My latest adventures have been chocolate and ricotta cake, baked ziti, and homemade bread (which I am waiting to rise right now but isn't looking so promising...) .

I am also meeting some girls who are also here as non-students, and we are having fun exploring the city together. There is even an official group of English speaking, professional women in Bologna who organize book clubs, cocktail and coffee hours, dinners, etc. The president of this group is actually married to the former CEO of Ducati (you should see their penthouse apartment! quite impressive!), so if nothing else maybe I'll get some sort of tour of Ducati while I'm here!

This weekend we had another adventure and went to Verona for the day/evening. Andrea Bocelli was singing in the Teatro Filarmonico, so a group of 20 or so students got together to go hear him. I went out earlier with a friend to explore the city, and then we all met up for dinner and the show. Verona was gorgeous and very different from Bologna. The city is very relaxed and seemed much slower paced than where we are living. The squares were full of street vendors and markets, and they were selling some of the most gorgeous masks that I have ever seen! Of course we went to Romeo's House and Julet's Balcony, but we also saw the Castle and some of the old churches. One of the best parts of the day was when we went to this very small bar for a glass of wine and an appertivo. The entire place probably only sat 10 people, and you could tell we were the only non-regulars there. At one point, the bartender (who also was enjoying some wine) and 2 other men in the bar started singing along with the Italian love songs that were playing. It was perfect! The concert was also incredible of course, and we really enjoyed the symphony and the music. After the concert the entire group went to a Trattoria for dinner, and they set up a huge table for us in their wine cellar where we sat for nearly 3 hours. They had hundreds of bottles back there, some of which were 25 years old! It was a very typical, slow Italian meal and was fantastic.

Here are the pictures from the day/evening:
Verona Pictures

And as a side-note, how bout them Broncos? 6-0!!! Niraj is getting really excited for the Bears game tonight and is actually staring at ChicagoBears.com right now. Kickoff is at 2215 here, and we are planning to stream it and watch online. So... go Bears!

So until next time, Happy Halloween and ciao!

Fall into Fall!

Fall has officially arrived in Bologna (seemed like overnight the temperature dropped 30 degrees), and it is fantastic. The sun is shining everyday and it is nice and cool outside. It's strange not seeing lots of scarecrows and carved pumpkins though! The Italians just need to get into Fall and Halloween more I guess...

Niraj is still keeping busy with his classes and is starting to have papers and presentations pile up. He's taking two econ classes, an American Foreign Policy class, a class on Science and Technology and policy-making, and Spanish. The students here are really starting to get more into the program, and it seems like every get-together sparks some discussion or debate! I told him the other day how weird it is to have these types of discussions now and how it's even stranger that I have not run into another engineer since coming here! My Italian class started last week, and I love it. The class is very intense, and my teacher walked in on the first day saying how that was the only English we would hear all semester. The class is really small though, and I'm hoping to learn a lot.

We had a fantastic weekend hanging out with the friends that we are making through SAIS. On Saturday we explored the Bologna Flea Market which was unlike anything I have ever seen! The market takes over an entire piazza every Friday and Saturday, and the tents seem to go on forever in all directions. They have the standard flea market junk (kitchenwares, knick-knacks, etc) but they also have nice clothes, shoes and anything you could ever need. So, that was definitely a great find. Saturday night some friends had a BBQ which was a great opportunity to eat some good food, get to know people better, and just relax. Then last night, to cap off the weekend, I decided to try some real home cooked Italian food and not just the "instant" meals we've been eating (which are also quite yummy by the way). I made Spaghetti Carbonera with pancetta, fresh Spaghetti noodles, and fresh Parmesan cheese. It was fantastic!!

So, overall things are falling into place more and more each day. We are always looking into more weekend trips and have some exciting things coming up. On Friday we are going to Verona to hear Andrea Bocelli, and November is slowly filling up with chocolate festivals and a potential trip to Vienna (keep your fingers crossed that one works out).

We miss everyone and love hearing what is going on back in the States so keep us posted!

Ciao!
Danielle

Little Bit of History and Stunning Mosaics

Hello again and happy Monday,

First of all, I must say something completely unrelated to Bologna or Italia... GO BRONCOS!!!! 5-0!!! And keep your fingers crossed for the Rockies! (I'm sure Niraj will have similar comments about the Bears performance next week so stay tuned...)

Ok, now on to serious business. :)

This weekend was really fantastic and provided some more sightseeing opportunities. On Saturday, Niraj and I did a walking tour of Bologna which we both really enjoyed. It was our first time starting to learn the history of this city and realizing exactly what it is we are looking at while walking down the street. One of the more interesting tidbits that I learned is that the main cathedral in Piazza Maggiore (the main square) was never finished! Rumor has it that when the city decided to build it they wanted to make it the largest cathedral, even bigger than the Vatican. Of course the Pope would not allow this, so midway through construction he decided to order the construction of palaces right next to it which would block additional growth. So, the cathedral is not finished and you can even see 1/2 windows and 1/2 arches on the sides where it was suppossed to be bigger! Take a look... the first picture is the cathedral (even the facade was never completed), the second picture you can see a 1/2 window on the right side of the church (right above the point on the tent), and the third picture you can see the start of the arch where the church was to be expanded outward. I'm excited to learn more about this city and will share more pictures as I continue exploring.





Yesterday we hopped on a train and did a day trip to Ravenna which is about 1 hour southeast of Bologna. It was a small, sleepy town that seems to still be stuck in the middle ages, and it was truly fascinating. Ravenna is known for its Mosaics which are everywhere in the city. We went into 5 or 6 different churches, and each one had floor to ceiling art that was made completely of tiny glass, colored stones. It was incredible! I've been to the Vatican and many other amazing churches completely covered in paintings, and this was equally as remarkable! The stones have been incredibly preserved considering these churches dated back to 600AD, and it is hard to grasp that the entire wall and ceiling was created by hand-placing the mosaics. I posted pictures and the link is below. Even in some of the pictures you can make out the individual stones, and just try to imagine seeing it in person!

Ravenna Pictures

Now we are into another week of classes and such. Niraj is getting more into his classes, and my Italian course starts tomorrow. Oh, and of course we are still eating well. After all, Bologna's nickname is "la grassa" or "the fat one" due to the amazing eats, haha!

Ciao!