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Published: December 4th 2007
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Thanksgiving table
Perugia Thanksgiving! I'll start with this last weekend and work backwards. (This entry is backdated, since I wrote most of it in a word document last week.)
There is a train strike in France going on, which made me a little nervous, because I was taking an overnight train to visit Ann. I knew I was going to want to see someone from home around Thanksgiving, and, though I’m sure I would have been fine, it was really nice to know I was headed to see Ann when I was feeling particularly homesick Thursday evening. I left my apartment around seven and went to the Perugia train station. I brought my diary on the trip and spent the train ride from Perugia to Florence writing a long entry about study abroad, since I haven’t written in there since February. I then entertained myself by reading my musings from late high school, which made me laugh and think.
In the Florence train station (not Santa Maria Novella, the main station, but Campo di Marte) I had a lot of time to wait for my train, so I called Betsy and chatted with her and Katie for quite a while.
View out of the train
On the way from Ventimiglia to Nice. When I got on my train, there were three other people in the sleeper compartment, so I awkwardly set myself up, trying not to be too loud, in the dark. I didn’t sleep very well, which isn’t such a big deal, and I woke up to an Italian woman in my compartment saying (shouting) “ogni volta, ogni volta . . . un sciopero” which means “every time, every time . . . a strike.” I didn’t catch all of what she said, but I understood what was going on. Our train was stopped in Ventimiglia, which is in Northern Italy. The woman came into our compartment and spoke in very clear English to the confused looking Asian woman, who I assume did not speak Italian, “I think we need to change trains.” I’m glad she said that, because then I just followed them to the train at the nearest platform. Other than getting nervous about the trials that could be ahead, I was glad we had to switch trains, because it meant I got to see the view of the ocean and Southern France as we made our way to Nice. In Nice I got my ticket to Aix-en-Provence TGV,
Ann and me
At the Aix Thanksgiving. and took the train there. Ann took a bus out to that train station (which is much more out of the way than the Aix central train station) and rescued me from my lack of French and my 18ish hours of travel.
It was so fantastic seeing Ann again! We took the bus back to the rest of Aix and walked around a little bit on the way to her dorm, where I set my stuff down, took a very fast shower and Ann prepared a sugary, buttery, delicious baked apple dessert. We then went to the apartment of a girl some of Ann’s friends knew, since there is no oven in the dorm kitchen. There were many American girls, and a few foreign students as well. It was a lovely dinner, just like my Thanksgiving in Perugia on Wednesday night. During the meal I looked up at Ann and said “never again” in reference to my discussing with her earlier how never again would I want to spend Thanksgiving without a single member of my family, even though the Thanksgivings this year were arguably more enjoyable than some Thanksgivings I’ve had in the past. There was
Ann
with the cotton candy we bought while walking around the Christmas shops, which are in the background to her right. a certain special-ness to sharing this situation of being abroad during a significant holiday with other American students, and sharing our traditions with newcomers.
After we finished the meal, Ann and I headed back to her apartment and watched most of the first season of The Office. We were getting really tired, so we turned it off and lay down, but ended up having a fantastic chat until four in the morning. It was so good talking to Ann again for a long time. It’s going to be tough not having her in Lincoln over winter break and for the first part of summer when I’m back home. On the other hand, Aix-en-Provence is a fantastic little town, and she’s learning a lot and having great experiences. I know, despite being homesick this semester, that I wouldn’t trade this experience for being back at Macalester this fall. I love Macalester, and it’s been wonderful, but being able to take these classes, learn Italian, travel around Europe, and make new friends has been fantastic.
I headed to the Marsailles train station by bus around four in the afternoon on Saturday, after walking around the Christmas
Running around like wet rats
I think that was the caption Ann wanted . . . it was really rainy. shops, having a nice lunch, and Ann giving me a brief tour of Aix. On the train back to Florence from Nice, I met a middle aged couple from Lakeville, Minnesota. I heard the American accents down the hall from my empty compartment, and decided to stop over and say hello. They asked where I was from, and when I returned the question I was delighted with the response. I ended up talking to them for about an hour and a half, and they offered me their phone number in case I was ever in an emergency (like a snow storm) on my way to or from school. What a small world we live in.
The weekend before that I was at the University of Sussex visiting Becky. I loved being in England. Becky had another friend, Emily, visiting. It was nice to meet another friend of Becky’s from high school, and Emily was really nice. We spent Saturday in Cambridge, which was lovely. We had a tour, then walked around the town, enjoying a nice long lunch. That night we had another nice dinner and chatted with Becky’s friend Ali until we went to bed. I
Grandma and me
(I didn't use the flash so the picture would show the background better . . . but the picture is blurry because of that) had to leave pretty early in the morning to catch my train to the airport, but I made it okay. It was wonderful seeing Becky again, and I really enjoyed the time in England. My favorite part was probably standing on the street in Cambridge, listening to this jam band Bijoumiyo play on the street; it reminded me of going to shows back home, and how wonderful it is to listen to good music. (I have no pictures from that weekend because my camera batteries were dead, so Becky took all the pictures.)
The weekend before that I was in Rome with Grandma, and boy was it good to have family come visit! I went up to Rome Thursday after my class, and met Jake (from Mac) in the train station. He was traveling with a friend from his program in London. We three walked over to Grandma’s hotel and the four of us took a cab to a pizzeria. The pizza was delicious, and the company was wonderful. It was so good to see Grandma, and really nice that she got to meet a friend of mine from school. That night we walked from the pizzeria
Jake and me
This is one of those great photos from study abroad. There's nothing like seeing friends from home in fantastic foreign places. to have tartuffo, see the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. We then made our way back to the hotel, where we parted ways. The next day, Grandma and I started our sightseeing with the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. I don’t remember what else we saw, but it was a full day and very fun spending it with Grandma. The next day we went to the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica. We climbed all the way to the top of the dome! That night we turned in early, and went to Perugia the next day. It was really nice showing Grandma around Perugia, and having her meet my roommates and Stephanie. We had some great meals, and spent the whole six days having very good chats. Grandma, thanks for coming to visit, it was wonderful having you. I’m sorry I didn’t update this sooner so I could do the trip justice.
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joan nigro
non-member comment
Thank you!
I had a wonderful visit with you; I think it's a memory we'll share for a long time! I loved Perugia and have some great photos to share with you when you get home. You gave me an opportunity to experience something that I never would have had you not chosen to study abroad; for that I thank you . And I will never again eat a pizza without thinking of you! Love, Grandma Joan