My glasses are fixed : )

It's too early to wake up. I have not been warm in over a month. We pulled out Timur's couch into a bed and we have been having slumber parties : ). I have my own room downstairs but it is boring down there.

I forgot conditioner so my hair is getting pretty rough.

Timur's mom has breakfast made for us : ) Baby carrots, coffee and bread with some sort of meet. It's delicious.

He gives me a bag for my books, because I have homework too. His friends mom picks us up and drops us off near the school. Its kind of rainy.

I see a bunch of the people I met at the party the other day so I don't feel to out of place. We have religion class and I get to sit in : ).

For lunch we walk down to the old town. It is very traditionally German looking, like Frankenmuth. We finally get my glasses fixed so now I don't have to constantly hold them on my face. Timur gets me conditioner, razors, face wash and chocolate at the drug store. I am not used to people buying me stuff like that but he insisted. It is nice to be taken care of again. It's been so long since I've been around my own family. It is a breath of fresh air.

After school Timur skipped choir and we took the bus home. It is a public bus so you had to pay but it was fully of students, most about 8 years old. It was so cute watching them show their bus passes and hitting the button so they can get off.

At home I feel asleep for like two hours while Timur watched movies in German. I'm starting to pick the language back up, it's gonna be shitty when I go back to Italy. I will have the languages all mixed up.

We walked Timur's dog, she is 12 years old, about 12 pounds and sick with a bad cough. I can't believe we walked her. I thought she was going to die.

We went back to Timur's school for a ski banquette. Half their grade went to Austria for a week to ski. It looked like so much fun, they all got really close from the experience. The pictures at the end were the best, everyone was drunk. I forgot what they call it but its like afterski. they start drinking around 4. I love how the teachers are the ones taking all the pictures of the drunk students then playing them in school. Europe knows what's up. Like how the teacher was talking about sex in religion class.

Germany feels a lot like home for me. I love the people and the culture, other than for being more open minded about sex and drinking, we are a lot the same. Well Germany is better in a lot more ways than just that but I'm to tired to write them.

I like it here much more than Italy. Italy feels cold and lonely to me. That could be because I am not living with a family and I don't have a good local friend to show me around. I feel like I can relate better to people here. Everyone speaks English and is very welcoming. Much more friendly than Italy. Don't get me wrong, the last three days in Italy before I came here were the best, making solid friends, meeting their families, studying in the library, learning more Italian. I know things will get better, but I think I will always love Germany the best.

Ich bin gehen zu Deutchland

It's Saturday Feb 20th and I am on my way to Germany, by myself...

Last night I didn't sleep. Matteo and I were supposed go do homework at Pathos but somehow I ended up at a club in Pourto Rickinati.

So I met his family (really nice and fed me Chocolate)

His brother is nine and I tried to help him with his english homework (we have the same workbook except mine is in Italian)

We went to the gate and met up with some friends.

I lost my favorite black shirt at the club last night because I drank to much, possible kissed my hott friend and forgot my shirt. We tried to go back and get it but we couldn't get in because there were strippers. When we were waiting this old man walked by, took him about 4 minutes to walk down 3 stairs, said something suggestive to me then walked into the club, we about peed ourselves.

Matteo couldn't go to the disco because he said he had to study and didn't have clothes to wear. I'm trying to be more open minded so I hopped in the car with Luca and Paolol.

Driving the the Marche region of Italy is unbelievable beautiful. We are driving threw the valleys and can see lighted medieval city after city on the tops of the surrounding hills.

So I am defiantly underdressed... we are at this really classy bar on the Adriatic Sea wearing jeans and a long sleeve shirt, smooth move....

We met up with three of Luca's girl friends and drank sex on the beach. The waves are so big they are hitting the glass wall behind me. I am in such a good mood I can't stop smiling : ).

I thought this place was the club and that we would dance on the tables like everywhere else, Paolol looked at me like I was crazy.

I'm sitting at the train station and the lady is saying a bunch of stuff. I sure hope this is the right train...

I think I forgot my little blue book I write all my blog stuff in in Timur's friends car... so this trip is over for now...

Ok I found my blue book but now I am using a German keyboard so its hard to type.

So back to the disco story. We leave the bar and head to the real disco.

Ok, so I am definatly very underdressed. I would be better of walking naked threw a Puratin community. The security men are walking around like the secret service and the girls are all in stilettos and sexy outfits. There are so many old people here in slutty clothes dancin like hoes. This place is the midlife crisis meeting spot of Italy.

Ok so now I have made it to Civitanova, a city near Macerata, so far so good. I sat next to this sweet girl with dreadlocks who helped me when I didn't know where we were. But other than that I didn't talk to here because I was too tired. We didn't make it back from the club until 4:30 am.

Oh yesterday I watched the Italian version of this American game show, girls here don't really wear cothes on TV.

I like Paolol. He Isn't super cute or anything. He doesn't even look Italian, with blonde hair. I just have a good feeling about him, he is so nice. These guys are so much fun : )

I danced with an 80-year-old man... I think he was lost in the disco. I can not even describe this situation without pictures and I don't have any pictures.

So my plan for this trip to Germany is to stay with Timur for a few dazs in Limburg and then Elena in Heidleberg. I am taking trains from Macerata to Rimini, with stops in Civitanova and Ancona. In Rimini I will take a bus to the airport then hopefully fly ryanair to Frankfurt-Hahn. They are really strict with baggage and are notorious for messing things up. Timur and his dad will pick me up from the airport and we will go to a party. Man I hope this all works out...

I think I'm getting better about the fast as tits trains. I don't scream when they go by.

Ok, nevermind, that was a lie.

Oh and I have no idea how I will get to Elena or back to Macerata... I'm not really worried about it though, and that is probably a problem.

I'm getting better at this whole train thing. I am curious to see how they check my passport. I really want to go to Croatia but if my visa is dead it probably is a bad idea because my mom said Croatia's goverment is still somewhat unstable and perhaps a little communist. I'll just go toward the end of my trip so it's not so bad if I get deported.

I'm getting fat here.

I have to pee but I don't want to because I don't want to take my bag in the bathroom.

Well I made it to Ancona. One more train! Now I really need to pee but I have to wait for my train, I am gonna fall in when I hold my bag in the bathroom.

I'm pretty sure I just missed my train.

Yep, definatly just missed me train. I was eating my lunch talking with my mom on the phone. I asked a guy sitting next to me if this was the train to Rimini. He said no and pointed further down the platform then got on the train. I sat there for like ten minutes just looking at it, then it left. I was the only one left on the platform... how am I so dumb.

Shit

I'm gonna miss my flight, I don't have Timur's number. They are gonna be waiting for me at the airport and I wont be there. Oh man this is not good and I still really need to pee.

Ok so this sets me back an hour and a half. I will get to Rimini at 15:00. I know I need to take bus 9 to the airport. I will probably miss the one at 15 so perhaps I make it to the airport by 16 if all goes well. My gate closes at 17:25, ok it might be ok. I will never ask an Italian about trains again...

If I don't keep writing I might freak out. So after my program is done in April I will move in with a family In Urbsalvia for a month. They have two boys, four and ten. I will go to the highschool in Sarnano to help teach English.

Ok I'm on a train to Rimini, I peed, I feel much better now : )

I Made it to Rimini! I found the bus and only need a euro but I am digging threw my pockets and, ok I have a euro. Crap, I need to validate my ticket and I can't find the validator thing,
my bus stop is across a busy road I am scared to cross it.

I crossed it

Crap, the validator is on the other side, I run.

Two girls at the bus stop, both speakin English, one from Italy and one from Germany. They are going the same place, thank goodness.

This week..

The longer I sit in class the more mentally defective I feel I am. I am a slow learner. But if I think about it I don't care. I am not embarrassed. It's kinda fun because when I understand something it's like a bonus. The feeling I get is amazing : ). 

I just took my Italian exam, not so good. 

This week has been a big step for me. I'm making some pretty good Italian friends. One is my neighbor which is super convenient. I have been going with him and some other friends to the library every day. Its fun because they loved helping me with my Italian homework and distracting me, just like at home. 

I have been sick all week and all Italians carry around packets of tissues, I get a new pack from a friend every day : ). They are like my mom taking care of me. 

Almost a good weekend...

So I almost had a good weekend,

I almost did my homework, but then the lady came over to clean the black mold out of the apartment so I had to stay with her. I thought it would be a nice gesture to put on some music for her in the room, then I realized I needed my laptop to do my homework, oops.

However she enjoyed the music and I cleaned our apartment for 3 hours.

I had no food, half an onion and a bag of pasta. I got groceries with the money my mom gave me for Valentines day, super exciting. I love grocery shopping cause I always buy myself a piece of chocolate to eat on the way home and this time no creepy Italian guy took it from me. 

I don't think I posted that story so here it is..

So yesterday I was walking home from the grocery store eating a piece of chocolate when I bumped into and Italian guy I had met just once. He looked at me, kissed me on the cheeks, took the chocolate from my hand, ate half, then offered the other half to his friend. When is friend said no, he looked at it, I was really hoping he would give it back to me, but nope, he popped it in his mouth and walked away... WTF

So I tried to buy rain boots... 

I don't know the word for rain boots... 

so these are the words I used (don't mind my spelling)

Il Scarpe cattivo in nevika   (pointing at my shoes)

Non mi piece piede bagniti   (looking upset)

Voglio scarpe per ashutti piedi in nevika ( trying to act out rain and puddle stomping)

The sales people just looked at me like I was nuts. 

This is what I was trying to say...

the shoes I have are evil in snow

I don't like wet feet

I want dry shoes for my feet in the snow.... yeah my Italian is great

so once I got the idea across the sales lady grapped a pair of black lether boots that could have been the ugliest things I have ever seen and proceeded to put them on not my foot, but my whole damn leg. They went up to my knee. It was to small buy like Cinderellas evil step sisters she was determined to make it fit. The whole time I was tying to tell her not to bother because they are awful. She rolled up my pants and tucked them in, and forced the zipper up, using every ounce of stregnth. There was a family in the store as well with a little girl and they were just watching and giggling. 

So I didn't find any rain boots.... 

I go home, unpack my groceries, pack up my homework and head to Patbos (the internet cafe) So I work on my journal entries for class then my guy friend with the piercings came and picked me up to go get coffee. 

He took me to a sports bar outside the city center and we drank some weird alcohol with our espressos. He proceeded to smoke and drink, probably a little more than he should have. We went to his place after so I could see his animals. He has two snakes, a tarantula, cockroaches, and a cat : )

He helped me with my homework and we just hung out. 

I get home and my room mate is throwing up every five minutes. I already don't feel good. I just had the flu, I don't want it again. I eat an orange, cross my fingers and go to bed.

I wake up, my stomach hurts.... Crap

I gather all my homework on my bed and try to get some of it done while wrapped up in my sleeping bag. Well, that worked for about an hour, then I fell asleep for another 4 hours. Great...

My friend with the piercings texts me wanting to know if he can cook me dinner. Now he told me last night he only cooks for girls he likes, I couldn't help but smile because I kinda like him too. P.S. it is Valentines day, not all is lost : ). 

He says he will be over at 8 so I clean up the house and get cracking on my homework. 

Now its 8:10, no friend...

Now its 8:20, no friend...

8:30, no friend...

Finally at 8:48 I get a call from him asking me to let him in. I hit the buzzer to unlock the upstairs door and tell him to go downstairs. I turn on the light for him and stand in the door way as I listen to his footsteps go all the way to the top of my apartment building. Then I hear nothing. I have no idea where he is... finally 5 minutes later he figures it out and stumbles there my door. I can smell the booze, he is so drunk he can hardly walk. My heart just sunk.

He had forgotten all about dinner, started talking super loud when my room mate was trying to study and I felt like a baby sitter. I got him some water. I didn't want to kick him out because if I did he would be driving and would probably just go to a bar. 

I have him some Italian worksheets to do for me in pencil. He really wants to help teach me Italian because people taught him English, he's paying it forward. He left his house and didn't want to go back till 11 so he could give his room mate some time with his girlfriend. A nice gesture, but I really like this friend when he is sober.... 

We had as fun of time as we could have. I didn't get my homework done, other than for the homework he did for me. He left around 10:45 and gave me a big hug. I really hope he gets his act together, He is an extremely talented guy, actor, musician, artist. 

Well now I have time to do some homework..

Nope, a friend just called me to go out. I said no, he called me a grandma, I gave in. 

He is my neighbor so he was waiting in the car 2 minutes from when I said I would go. We drove to the gate. (this place that is like the main entry into the city walls) We always meet there in this little area in front of a laundry mat with high stone ceilings. It is always cold there but that is always were they meet, and wait, and plan, and wait, no matter what weather it is.  

There are about 12 of us there now and we pile into three cars and head to a bar. It was nice, Grace and I got pizza, It was just a nice little get together. Home around 12:30.

Homework still not done, but I'm tired and don't feel good, time for bed.

Venice...

So I tried to buy train ticketed to Venice today with Katie…

The guy selling tickets was older and didn’t speak any English. So I decided to use my Italian skills. He gave us our tickets and I was pumped because instead of 22 euro they were only 16.50! Then Katie grabbed me as I started to walk away, the tickets were for Florence, not Venice, oops.

The next set of tickets we got were to Venice, but they were really expensive, we didn’t want that, Katie told the man Regionale (a cheaper train) and he about threw out money back at us. In the end we got our tickets to Venice for 22.50 and managed to piss off a sweet old Italian man and the huge line of impatient Italians behind us… nice

So we are walking to the train station and I have the feeling I forgot my train tickets. I ask Carly to check my bag for me but she can’t find them. I take my pak pak off to check myself, they are there. We start walking again and I hear Carly say no no nonononon stop! As I feel my pakpak getting lighter and listen to its contents spill across the sidewalk.

Crap

But somehow neither the tomato sauce or vodka bottles broke.

So we just missed out train, our heads were on the door as it pulled away. The lady inside the window just shook her head as all five of us, Carly, Alyson, Katie, Molly and I watched with disbelief as our train disappeared into the tunnel.

Oops.

Well now I have some time to tell you about Venice. Venice is a port city in Northeast Italy. It is built on the water of the Adriatic Sea and is composed of many Islands.  It was a city that blossomed around the 12^th century when the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman empire, successor to the Roman heritage and to the line of Caesar’s from the time of Augustus) weakened and continued to gain power during the 13^th and 14^th centuries due to

the growth of commercial trade. Venice and Genoese ruled the sea trade routes. Markups were great and covered ocean travel insurance.  Venice was dependant on imported food and raw materials. Germans went to Venice to set up markets: Venice became main carrier of eastern products.

Venetians themselves were very proud and wealthy. They would were fancy outfits when walking the streets, often thousands of dollars worth of clothes and jewels. They were so proud indeed they married the Adriatic Sea to show their power over her. They did this by tossing her a golden ring, pronouncing Venice the Virgin city because she has never been taken by force.

We are going to Venice not only because it is beautiful and rich with history, but to celebrate the biggest party in the world, Carnivale. Carnivale is a time where people dress in costume with masks and do as they please. They can party and sin as they please without anyone knowing who they are. This festival comes before lent and allows a person to get all their craziness out before they have to “be good”. Marty Gras is a spin off of the Venetian Carnivale.

So in Venice most of our group will be staying in a hotel in Lido, a nearby Island. I didn’t want to waste my money so my friend Katie and I decided to Couch Surf. Our host, lets call him Host Man, is a 40-year-old single man. We will be staying in his second house, which is located near the city center of Venice. There will be nine girls staying there, two from Russia, two from Israel, three from Turkey then Katie and I.  This should be interesting.

We have an hour layover in Civitanova, a city on the sea just northeast of Macerata. We need to find an internet café because Carly needs to get the hotel information to the rest of the group who didn’t miss the train so they can check in.

Ok so I’m pretty sure I almost peed my pants and blew out my friends eardrums. An express train just went by and I’m sitting on the platform. It was coming straight at us at like 100 mph. I fetal positioned so fast and screamed. I thought I was gonna die. My friends just laughed…. Not funny

So I just sat nest to a really cut boy on the train. He doesn’t speak any English but its nice to look at him while we are trying to figure out how to communicate.

Well the cute boy just got off and now this Old Italian man keeps talking to Alyson and me about collecting miniature monuments. He wants us to find one of the Whitehouse and mailed it to him. I don’t want to. I told him American mail is dead (my Italian vocabulary is limited) and wrote e-bay on a piece of paper and gave it to him. Poor Alyson, she speaks way more Italian than I do and he keeps talking to her, ha.

We switch trains again in Ancona. Molly made some kind of pasta salad and we all dig in with our fingers because we don’t have forks. We are dirty Americans and I don’t care.

I really need to use the bathroom, I’m waiting and waiting by the door but no one comes out, I think they are having sex so I go sit back down.

So I guess the bathrooms on trains don’t work when they are at the station. I think this is because the stuff all just flushes out onto the tracks, my bad.

I’m tired so I fall asleep, the other girls are all chatting in the seats on the other side of the train leaving room for random people to sit by me. This young couple gets on and sits directly across from me. I can see them threw my scarf which I wrapped around my head to sleep. (my face looks funny when I’m sleeping and I guess sometimes I drool). They were fine until the girl took the guys face in her hands and started talking to him in a nasally baby voice. I wanted to puke. Then he wrapped his arms around her like John Lennon and Yoko. This lasted for like a half hour then she started talking again in her nasally valley girl voice and proceeded to make out, nosily. I feel nauseous.

Now we are in Bologna

Katie told her parents that the guy we are staying with is a friend of mine. Now I’m gonna feel even worse if we die.

I already ate a whole loaf of bread.

So Katie and I just realized our tickets take us to Mestre, a city just outside of Venice. I think that must have been the old mans way of saying f**k you. He wins…

Everyone else’s tickets go to St. Lucia, which is the main train station in Venice, and they are the same price! Katie and I are just going to play dumb because it’s just one train stop more.

Katie’s travel book says playing the dumb American card wont work in Venice because there are so many tourists here. Crap….

So we are almost to Venice. I am really nervous about the playing dumb thing, I’m just gonna do it and cry.

Now we are at the place were we are supposed to get off and we are not getting off. I’m freaking out, my heart is pounding, I know if we get off here we will get lost and its dark and we don’t know how to get to Venice, it’s just a bad idea. I know they are gonna check our tickets, it’s gonna happen…

We are still on the train,

Still on the train…

Ok the train is moving. We are doing it, no turning back now, I hope I have my passport.

Oh my gosh we are in Venice! It’s dark and it’s pouring. Oh man I don’t care!!!

I have no idea how to get to Host Man’s so I call him. He gives me directions but I forgot them already. Now we are lost but he is calling me back.

He met us half way and walked us back to his place, thank goodness.

Katie and I cannot believe our luck, it’s to good to be true, Host Man is so nice, perhaps a little ocd but it’s a good change from our messy lifestyles. Katie and I take shots with red oranges, probably one of the best ideas I have ever had before heading out to explore before dinner.

Agh. Its dark and rainy but we are like little kids gawking at everything, the gondolas, canals, churches, wells, piazzas, its is so beautiful here! We are soaked then at 8 we come back and put our wet clothes on the registers and talk with Host Man, his English is so good and he as only been practicing for six months!

The Turkish girls just got home too. They are so nice. The one likes photography and used my lens to check it out. Katie and I helped Host Man cook. He is a chef. The Turkish girls brought wine and onions. We brought water and tomato sauce.

Dinner took a while to make, but it was worth it. We set the table and it was beautiful. The wine glasses sparkled in the dimly lit room. Classical music was playing in the background and it seemed to match the dancing light reflecting off the wine as we talked and ate. It was the best spaghetti ever.

The Turkish girls brought Turkish delights (like the ones form the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe) they really are good!

Katie and I did dishes while one of the Turkish girls made us all Turkish coffee. It was good but all the grounds were at the bottom. I asked what to do with them and she to leave them because some people can read the drinkers fortune with them.

So far so good : )

We are too tired to go out.

The next morning…

I feel so sick, like I need to throw up.

I didn’t sleep so good, my bed was really small and my sleeping bag is slipper, I rolled over and almost slipped off.

The Turkish girls were out late last night, we didn’t see them this morning. We made proschutto and cheese sandwiches, tea, and croissants for breakfast. We had the house to ourselves because Host Man was meditation and the girls were sleeping.

So it took us four hours to find San Marco (the main square were all the people go to). But that was ok, we enjoyed looking around at all the beautiful shops and masks.

We found a Burger King! I’m so excited because Burger King is American and Americans have big coffee’s.

My coffee is the size of my fist. Fail.

We sit down because we are exhausted and I’m trying not to throw up.

We leave and walk some more, find San Marco. Its huge, the church is huge and beautiful, but there are just so many tourists, I cant handle it and we are both hungry.

Oh that picture is of a friar talking with some hippies...

My stomach hurts like I have the flu but I’m not achy and I don’t have a fever. I dragged Katie around the city looking for a kebob lace. It took forever and I was just feeling sicker, we fond one for four Euros. Katie thought I was crazy for eating it. We were so tired of waling so we sat in a small piazza on a well to eat. We met some dumb drunk American guys in white masks and ponchos.

We wanted to get gelato, but I thought it would be a bad idea, but I got some anyway.

I am so sick, I tell Katie go to meet up with the rest of our group. I need to go home.

So I thought I knew how to get back. But after 90 minutes of painful walking I ended right back at burger king. I’m gonna die right here in burger king, I know it.

I finally gathered enough strength to try again. Its getting dark and I need to hurry. I keep asking police where the station is and they nod me in a random direction. I don’t think, I just walk and push my way threw the masses of people.

So its dark now and I’m in a quiet back alley. Host Man isn’t home. I text him, but no answer. I sit on tome stairs going into the canal and try not to pass out.

I really need to go to a bathroom.

Another forty minutes goes by before he gets home. The American and Israeli girl just arrived. I introduced myself, tell Host Man I ate evil food, use the bathroom and go to bed.

I blew chunks. I swear half of the kebob is still in my sinuses.

I went back to bed.

I wake up, its 12p.m now, Katie is home and we are talking about her day.

A piece of Kebob just dropped into my mouth from my nasal cavity, delicious…

I need to go to the bathroom again but the Russian girls are in them and will be for a long time. So Katie Achim Julia and I camp out on the kitchen floor just chatting. One of the older Turkish girls is supposably sick and Host Man is in the room with her taking care of her. We have a good feeling they were taking care of each other… so we moved the pow wow to our room.

The next day…

So this is awesome, we are taking a bus boat to San Marco. I just saw a bunch of kayakers in masks and costumes making their way into the canal.

We had another exciting time buying train tickets, I have no idea how this works, I don’t even know if we have seats.

Watching them work the boats makes me miss Shepler’s.

So yesterday was miserable and today is great. Katie went with the rest of our American group and I stayed with Julia and Achi. We were walking back to Host Man’s house when I saw two little boys playing soccer in the piazza, one passed the ball to me so I started playing, then Julia and Acheim started joined in too. I was on the boy’s team. I have no idea who won but it was the highlight of my weekend. The piazza was so busy and people kept getting in the way, but instead of getting mad they would just join in for a few seconds with a huge smile. Italians sure do love soccer, even when the ball unexpectedly hits them in the face.

When we got back to Host Man’s we made tea and sat on my bedroom floor and took shots of vodka with orange slices. I only had two hours before my train left so we made the most of it and hit the streets! They were lit and full of shops and merchants selling things from masks, to raw fish, to vegetables. My mission was to find a cheap bottle of wine to give Host Man for dinner. We got one for four Euros from this fun old man trying to speak English. We bought a bottle four ourselves as well. He even opened it for us. Only in Venice can you walk gaily down the streets wearing masks and drinking wine from the bottle. The city was beautiful, everything was beautiful, everyone was happy and excited. It felt like Christmas Eve.

Julia and Anchi are two very awesome girls. We met random people. One group of guys our age asked us if we want to go smoke a joint with them, how nice, but we declined.

Tonight is just so beautiful. I can’t remember all the details but it is a blur of laughter and glowing bustling streets.

I miss my friends from home so much right now. I just want threw my old pictures; I miss home and college and everyone so much. I wish they could be here with me. This is really sad.

Trip home…

Tickets different from schedule

Don’t know what train to get on

Get on train to Verona

Drunk obnoxious guys talk to us, take tons of pictures, deface my sketch of the Virgin Mary and scribble on our homework

Talk with two polite Sicilian gentlemen when the rowdy group gets off

We get off in Verona

We get on a train

It is a sleeper train, meaning it is horrible, assigned seats, skinny hallway, and sleeping next to random people.

I fall asleep

I wake up

The lights are on, Katie looks confused, everyone is talking in Italian like they are annoyed then look at us.

There is a new woman in our cabin

I have a feeling we messed up.

We messed up.

The older guy is doing most of the talking while standing in the doorway

Two younger boys heads are peering around the door to watch what’s going on.

We are in bologna and we need to get off

I start to get off and the man in the door tells me to sit

Katie tells me we were supposed to get off, but our train already left, she didn’t know we had to get off.

I don’t care cause I wouldn’t have known either.

The new lady and the boy are the people who’s seats were in

Mass confusion

I just want to stand, and they make a huge deal about it.

We just leave the cabin

The older man finds me a seat in a different cabin

I sit in it for 30 seconds, realize I am surround by middle age men who are looking at me like a juicy steak and flee the scene

I find Katie and one of the boys.

We stick together

There are two boys and we make friends with them

Then this guy I met earlier who I thought was nice started caressing my face and touching my hair.

Super not cool.

I give him the NO hand and squeeze threw the two “good” boys so they’re blocking him from me.

He tries to get threw and talk to me. I put my hood up and face the other direction

He talks to the boys for about a half hour.

then one of the boys looks at me and is like, He’s crazy.

I knew that.

The guy tries to talk to me again,

The second boys tells me something in Italian

I repeat it to the man

I think it was something like your crazy leave me alone, but that’s just a guess

Finally he leaves

We are exhausted so we camp out on the floor like packed sardines.

To bad we cant understand each other

This is all at like 2:30 in the morning

So we arrive in Ancona! Katie sees Alyson and some others in our group. I am so excited, we are not going to die. The good Italian boy gets our bags for us because they are in the creepy guys cabin. I really like those two and the ones dad. They saved us.

We run to the rest of our group, eat food then try to figure out how to get home. We take a train to Civitanova then from Civitanova to Macerata, the last train kept breaking and stopping in the idle of no were, we are so exhausted we have no idea what is going on.

The mile walk up hill to our apartment is freezing at 6 am. We have school in 2 hours and I still have to finish my homework, this is going to be a rough day.

Random things I find interesting,..

Me: I just had the thought whether to change my underwear or just turn them inside out…

Alyson: Ugh, I don’t even know what’s clean or dirty. 

Me: Just smell it. 

Alyson: (walks away) 

Me: So do II have to change my underwear if I changed then last night? 

Alyson: That’s a personal choice…    

(A few moments go by) 

Alyson: So did you change them? 

Me: Yeah…. 

Alyson. Good

Oh and I forgot to mention. I live above a dance studio and across the street from a karaoke bar. Silence does not exist. 

Sitting in class is a talent I do not have. The pull our arm rest connected the the chairs are the size of a slice of bread. They are al bent so if we don't pay attention our books slip of and spill all over the floor. About once every five minutes someone slaps their hand to the books to try and keep them from falling. It is impossible to sleep leaning on them. They will snap forward and everyone will stare at you. 

In Italy Subways are rare to find because whenever they try to dig and make one they discover an ancient city.

The Bubonic Plague wiped out more than two thirds of the population in Europe starting in 1347. It started when the Genoese were over in the East near China. They were trading there and got in a fight with the Mongols but the Mongols couldn't get around the Genoese walls so when their people started getting sick and dying they catapulted the infected corpses over the walls of the city. Hundreds of rotting corpses in city walls do not smell good. The Genoese tried to burn the bodies but that just made it worse, they gave up and sailed back to Italy. 

On the way back some of them became sick as well. Genoa is one of the main port cities in Europe and the disease quickly spread. Rats were the main carrier of the disease and their fleas are what spread it to humans. It affected a persons gland areas first, neck, armpits, etch then spread. Portions of skin would die and a boil would form. Most infected people died within two or three weeks. 

This is before the Pheumonic and Septicemic Plauge. That killed a person in just two to three days. It was spread more easily, threw the air. Pheumonic affected the lungs and the septicemic affected the other organs. 

The 100 years war was actually 114 years. Joan of Arc was a major player in helping the French get their land back from the English. The French were getting dominated when this young peasant girl made here way to the King of France. He heard she was coming and that God was with her and he wanted to see if she was legit. So before she arrived he swapped clothes with a noble man, put the crown on him and let him sit in his thrown while he hid in the crowd. When she arrived she walked up to the "King" started to bow and then stopped. She looked around and saw the true king in the crowd, walked over to him, knelt and kissed his hand. This is amazing because she could not have know what the King could have looked like. She said she knew because St. Micheal was standing next to him. St. Micheal and St. Catherine were the spirit saints who traveled and talked with Joan. 

The king believed her. She fought in battles. In the Battle of Orleon she was shot in the shoulder with an arrow and knocked off her horse. She pulled the arrow out, got back on her horse and lead the attack. It was a huge victory for her and the French.

She began gaining a lot of popularity and began getting a little full of her self. She was as popular as the French King. This got her captured by the Duke of Burgendy who turned her over to the English. The English put up a ransom for her but the French King didn't care. They told him they would kill her, but he still didn't care. He wanted to be rid of her because she was taking away his popularity. 

The English put her on trial and asked her the trick question "are you in God's Grace?" If she were to say yes she would be admitting to be able to speak with God and be burned. If she said no she would be convicted of a heretic and burned. So when she answered "If I'm not may he put me there." the English didn't know what to do. 

They ended up convicting her of Heresy for dressing like a man. She did this when she was in jail for fear of being raped. 

She was burned at the stake. She was only 19 years old...

Is anybody there?

I just want to see if anyone even reads this?