Spoleto

I haven't been feeling better exactly, I've just been staying in my bed asleep a lot. I think I've slept enough in the past few days to make up for all the hours I missed the rest of the semester.

I got out of bed (at least physically, not so much mentally) yesterday, because my Early Christianity class had a field trip to Spoleto. I was in a daze, so I don't remember much that my professor said, but I was vaguely aware that they things we were looking at were beautiful so I tried to take some photos.

Doctor! Doctor!

I guess now that I've lived here for a bit, I don't take my camera out as much, and I don't experience that many new things.

Until now!

I got a cold, probably because, for those of you who are unaware, it's really cold in Perugia. Maybe not really cold by some standards, but definitely by my Central-Texas-I-only-own-one-sweater standards. I wear tights and socks under my jeans and boots every day and a shirt, sweater, coat, scarf, hat and gloves (the latter four purchased in Italy). This is not normal for me. But it's good practice, since the AmeriCorps and job opportunities I'm looking at for next year are Boston, Chicago and NYC.

Anyway, I got a cold. Really it was just a cough, which I like to let slide by for a few days. But then I got stuffy. And then I got stuffier. And yesterday I lost my voice. So I decided to go to the doctor today. I walked 20 minutes (in the cold! with a cold!) then took the elevator up. I was let into an examination room-office combo. The doctor and I spoke (in Italian!) for approximately 30 seconds, listened to my heart while I inhaled and exhaled (voca aperta!) and prescribed some medicine.

I didn't wait, filled out no paperwork and paid her (not a receptionist? awkward) 26 euro directly. Then at the pharmacy, my two drugs, a tissue packet and throat drops were only 10 euro. I'm pretty satisfied with the ease of the whole thing, and now I have hopes of surviving the winter. Maybe it would help if I could buy another sweater... but after going to Paris spending money isn't really an option.

paris

sacre coeur

school for girls. i think madeline attends.

formage. i like the little goat a lot

paris/tour eiffel from the louvre

chillin at musee d'orsay

falafel time

pigeons at the tour eiffel

the tour eiffel, paris at night, from the montparnasse tower

les petites bourrettes at la maroquinerie

rome

Baking in Italy

The ingredients

The result

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are pretty basic, and I've made them a million times. However... being in Italy presents a bit of a baking challenge, which makes life for someone who loves/needs to bake pretty hard. The biggest? Brown sugar. I checked a few regular stores, only to find natural cane sugar and white sugar. Finally at Bavachi I found what could possibly be dark brown sugar, and dropped 5 euros on it.

Vanilla comes in little vials and is definitely not vanilla extract, but rather "aroma per dolce." I had no idea how much of this to use so I just used both vials. I had tracked down baking soda (had to ask someone in the store to fetch it from a secret lair) a few weeks ago for pancakes. Thankfully there is an abundance of good chocolate in Perugia. I used milk chocolate instead of the usual dark because I was scared about a lack of sweetness due to the weird vanilla and sugar.

Once I figured out what temperature to set the oven on (oh, Celsius) and how long to bake them for (i'm a ways above sea level here), the cookies ended up delicious, at least according to my American friends here. I'm not sure how the Italians felt because it's hard to tell when people from other cultures are fibbing. But I'm sure they were being honest, not just polite.

Sicilia

Sometimes when you follow a strange man around in a foreign country, you end up trapped at an art history lecture regarding a stolen Caravaggio that you can barely comprehend with your third grade Italian. Other times, you are treated to beer, gelato, dinner (mm pizza), dance lessons (bachata, salsa, vai vai vai!), and a ride to the airport, in that order. And that was my weekend in Sicily. Other things we did: are Arancine and Cannoli, danced in downtown Palermo, visited some Cathedrals, avoided the dead body museum, spent the night in an airport, frolicked in green grass, got caught in a torrential down pour during la pausa (everything's closed!).

Now I'm back in Perugia and the chaos that is Eurochocolate is upon is. People are carving things out of large blocks of chocolate up and down the main drag and my usual 5 minute walk to school took 20 today because of the crowds.

Oh, Italia.

post no. 100

"For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.

But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. "

Titus 3:2-9

Thanks, God, for talking to me about this this morning. Love ya.