Of Planes, Trains, and Motorbikes

Remember that time that I went to Naples by myself? And was hanging out and walking along the coastline getting dinner and chilling? And then when I went back to the metro station to go home and it was void of people and trains? And the metro guard almost locked me inside the building? Yeah, that was only the beginning.

So after the previous happened, I looked for a bus which would take me close to my b&b safely. I stood for a moment at the bus stop until I realized that there were no buses running. At all. Weellll crap. I could walk back, of course, but it was an unfamiliar route (had taken the metro previously), and it was getting close to midnight. I knew I was safe from 'predators' as my b&b owner had told me that it's unheard of in Napoli and even those who rarely committed such acts of violation were beaten up or killed by other native Napoli-ans to defend the woman's honor so it's not such a great idea for anyone. That, and I have mace.

Across the street was a restaurant with some people milling around and enjoying the cool night air. There was also a parking tollbooth with a man inside. I went over and, to confirm sinking suspicions, asked 'when was linea 16?' Nooo english. I said I wanted to go to Montesanto station. nooo english. But thankfully he had a translation app that we used to communicate. After I told him what I wanted through the app, he said in italian (because I guess he figured I understood Italian though just didn't speak it... ?) that the metro was done for the day. The bus was done for the day. The taxis were done for the day. So he called a friend who came over from across the street and ended up suggesting "'bambini'... 'motobike'.... 'montesanto'... 'venti'". What did this mean? I assumed from those four words I understand of his communication that his 14-year old son would take me to the montesanto station for 20 Euros... on his scooter..

Options weighed and decision made, I experienced the thrills of the wind in my hair, helmet flopping around on my head, knuckles white and hands curled on the back of the scooter, near death run-ins with other motorbikes and cars, the struggle of 'motor vs. hill', and the overwhelming joy of scooter adventure. All the while telling myself to relax - (wisdom speaking) because I knew that a relaxed body falling from a bike was caused much less damage than a tense one. So relax I did. Then I smiled and laughed the entire way home and enjoyed the views of the city as we climbed up the hill.

I recognized the street we were on and stopped the kid when we reached the b&b, gave him the agreed upon amount, and thanked him profusely. He then sped away back down the hill. Oh boy. That was the best adventure of Italy so far.


If you are interested in hearing only the exciting stuff of my day, you may stop here and go about your merry way. Otherwise, please continue though it's a long blog today for some reason. Don't say I didn't warn you.

(written before the scooter fun) Today, I started my long weekend adventure in Naples! I got up waaay too early in order to make the trip to the airport (4:15) - which is about when after-parties will just begin in Milano. After my quick one hour flight, it took about 2 hours to find my b&b but eventually, and with the help of a different b&b, found my place. It's wonderful! The house is on one of the hills in Napoli and the owner speaks wonderful English and showed me on a map the various places to go and how to get there. Molto buono. Also told me what pizza, coffee, and gelato he thought were best in Napoli.

the walkway to my b&b (at the end)

Pizza making is a very honored activity here (and what Naples is famous for). The owner of the b&b has been cooking pizza for a long time and just started offering courses in how to make them yourself. He did this because of his passion for this art. This is actually the main reason I booked this specific b&b - it offered a chance to learn how to cook pizza from a native napolian (?) and when given that chance, you just say "yes". An interesting note: he uses yeast that is about 150 or so years old that has been passed down from pizza maker to pizza maker. Love that. More on pizza making later when I take the course.

Once I got settled into my room, I went exploring, ate something that I thought was going to be a bread roll but turned out to be a fried macaroni ball (not complaining), and continued to wander through the narrows and crowded streets in the historic district. There were many churches, and even more street vendors. So many shops too! Visited a modern art museum - the Madre and saw some interested artwork.

Some skulls looking into mirrors..

After going back home to take a 3 hour nap to recover, I woke at 6pm and decided not to waste away in my room. So I ventured forth to the coast. I should have done that from the beginning. The open air and beautiful views were so relaxing. I walked around, had a snack, was unsuccessful in finding a suggested dinner spot but found a good alternative. I asked the waiter (very nice guy who spoke a little english) to recommend a pizza and he came out with what you might call.. a seafood pizza extravaganza. No doubt about it. And it was amazing.

Shells and all!

I walked along a pier, admired some large yachts, managed to avoid some couples making out, and had a chance to see the city from a different view. The stars were hidden due to city haze but the lights from the islands in the distance made up for it. Tomorrow I will do the coastal thing again most likely. I'll also try to make it to a few castles, possibly find a beach, and then take the pizza making course.

Mmm. I love standing somewhere looking at a sight and 'enjoying' it. It's a hill, with buildings and many lights scattered on the landscape. Nothing too grand to speak of. And then it hits you. You realize that you are halfway around the world from your real home. You are seeing a sight / standing in a location that most people will never have the chance to see / stand. I'm so blessed and honored. I could never have these great adventures of my life without emotional (and more) support from my amazing parents and family. I love them so much.


~Elizabeth

Bocconi rhymes with macaroni

I thought I should give homage to my exchange university while I'm here in Italy - Bocconi University - and also for historical sake notate what classes I'm taking and what I think of them so far since I have had 2 weeks worth so far.

Industrial Economics and Economics of Innovation - the classroom is chaotic with everyone talking to each other. Did I mean to type whisper? Why, no, I didn't. They talk. It's distracting but I have transitioned from my comfortable 4th row seat to the very front so I can actually hear and engage with the instructor. It has been much better. And academically, I am actually connecting all the implications of elasticity and demand and price more than I ever have. Could I teach the subject to someone else? No. But I'm getting there. I think I'm one of two exchange students in the class.

Workshop in Performing Arts - this class focuses on.. well.. performing arts! I have always been involved with the symphony type of performance art so this is already taking me out of my norm by introducing me to more. So far we have covered basics and languages of drama - the space used, the time portrayed, the characters, the use of the audience etc. Two other SMU MA/MBA's are in that class with me (Meghann and Joanna), as well as another friend that is in another class with me as well (Rana from Lebanon). We got to visit the Piccolo Teatro yesterday and I will definitely have to see a performance there. We will also take a field trip to Venice and visit a dance company there. (how great is it that our 'school field trips' are to Venice!?!??!)

Cultures, Media, and Consumption = marketing psychology. So far we have discussed what the signified objects signify and how they do that (my brain cannot visualize his lingo but it's interesting nonetheless). It's the culture behind the marketing that sells the object. So far, quite interesting. I have 3 other SMU MA/MBA's in that class (Meghann, Matt, Jillian) and the friend from Wkshp in Performing Arts, Rana.

Non-Profit Organizational Law - half of this class are foreign exchange students from U.S law schools. Interesting class as it deals with non-profits that are more social NPO's and not the arts - I think it's good for me to think of the arts as a sector of something larger (which they are but I'm not as aware of it), as a subset of all NPO's. Also good because we will not have the opportunity to take an Arts Law class back at SMU.

Social Movements and the Competitive Strategy of Firms - this was the class that was my first choice to take at Bocconi. I have never really participated in nor been interested in social movements in the past but a newfound interest in social psychology (thanks to Malcolm Gladwell) has lit a spark. So far, I learned about collective behavior, motivation, structure (or none thereof) and organizations of social movements. I also finally figured out what Occupy Wall Street was all about (I openly admit that I didn't follow that). But now I'm a well-informed citizen. :) We will eventually get to the strategies that firms use to utilize social movements. In this class, I have one friend (Kate from Germany) that is in Cultures, Media, and Consumption with me also.


My class choices are definitely all over the board and will keep me on my toes! It makes my brain happy. And although it hasn't been shown in my class, I like this clip: How to Start a Movement

In Italy, and I have yet to had macaroni.. it's on the 'pasta to cook' list.


~Elizabeth





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In the land of neutrality

This weekend, Meghann, Matt, Jillian and myself decided to take a day trip to Lugano, Switzerland. It was beautiful! I had never been to Switzerland before so that made the trip even more special. The lake was the main purpose of our trip and Jillian found a boat ride around the lake with lunch included.

So once we took our short 1 hour train from Milan, descended by sideways tram (no idea what's it's called..) we found our way to the lake pier and purchased tickets. Once on board, we enjoyed the weather (78 degrees and slightly cloudy = perfect), took pictures, and then ate a delicious lunch with some wine (of course). Two hours flew by and before we knew it, our boat time was over.

Lake of Lugano

Beautiful buildings on the hillsides

Our train back to Milan was later that night so we had alot of time to explore and do a little shopping. Soon enough, we found out that the area we were in was quite small and we managed to make differing loops but finding the same shops. We saw commotion in a square and what was it? In an explanation that included a mixture of English, German, French, and Italian we found out that it was, of course, a concert of alphorn-ists as would be typical in an Alpine Swiss city. Not sure why I was surprised..

Alphorns

- side note on the shops. When people say that Switzerland is expensive, they mean it. A McDonald's chicken sandwhich was about $15! Hmmm. I found a few less expensive trinkets for presents and called it a day from shopping.

We found a lovely little park on the side of the lake and enjoyed the various flowers and sculptures. There was a small beach which included many a man sporting speedos (I won't mention the one man without..) There were wooden piers that people had built stone towers on so of course we added to them also. Just having fun is fun! We also found a gelato stand which, of course, we partook of.

flower-lined lakeside park

Rock towers 

Dinner then it was time to go home. Short time in the neutral land but I'm not neutral about it - I'm for it!

Matt, me, Jillian, and Meghann

~Elizabeth

V2

Verona for a second day!

Woke up and enjoyed breakfast with an Irish / Czech couple at our B&B. Then, it was tourist time! We purchased a handy Verona tourist card and proceeded to do a walking tour. We started with the arena that we watched Rigoletto the night before. It was fun to see it in the daylight and scramble around all the old Roman steps. I'm amazed that shorter humans walked in that area easily.  Next we went to 'Juliet's' house and balcony. I've never really been a Shakespeare fan but it was a fun experience anyway :)

no words but 'wow'

wherefore art my Romeo!?

Then we walked to a bell tower - Torre dei Lamberti (lots and lots of steps. lots) but we arrived right in time for the noon bell ringing which was loud but fun. There were a few Brits at the top so we had a pleasant conversation while waiting for the bells.  On to a few tombs of the Scaglieri family, the sculpture of Dante, and then the Basilica of St. Anastasia. Apparently they never finished the facade of the building but the interior was beautiful.

loud bells!

basilica of st. anastasia

 We were on the northern part of the center city so we decided to cross the river and go to castle and ancient Roman ruins. The castle ended up being closed but the view was fantastic. We stopped for a fruit juice and water break at a restaurant at the top of the hill (yes, we definitely got a good quad workout with all the steps we climbed today). After climbing back down and seeing that the ruins weren't much to look at (seriously, not even for ruins), we walked back over the bridge to the Duomo of Verona. It was beautiful as expected. It was fun because there was an organist and violinist practicing and the music combined with the surroundings was quite... majestic. The last sight was another castle and this one housed an art museum. It was not my style but still fun to see and appreciate. We enjoyed just meandering around and seeing some views from yes, even more stairs.

City view from the Castel San Pietro

Duomo of Verona 

Castel Vecchio

2 Hour train and we were back to Milan. We were so tired that we both fell asleep and the ride was quiet quick. Not a bad weekend at all.

~Elizabeth


As always, facebook will have more photos..

V is for Verona

Verona is AMAZING. Before Meghann and I got off the train we were smiling. We felt relaxed. And able to enjoy we're we were. It's old. Looks like Italy. And beautiful. Ahhhhhhh. 

I told her that I might have to get out of Milan every weekend. She agreed. Milan is... Nice. The duomo and some of the center city is pretty. The castle too. But the rest is... Meh. I'm not a fashion lover so all the fashion stores kinda aren't as interesting as is might be to someone/anyone else. 

Verona - though only been seen for dinner and the opera- is my kind of Italian town. We found our b&b - and conversed all in Italian thanks to meghann - and then walked to dinner at a pizzaria. This place was not some dinky pizza joint. no. This was a courtyard with candles in glass jars in the grass, lovely buildings, and delicious food. It was marvelous. 

We then headed to the opera - rigoletto - which was performed in the 3rd largest coliseum in Italy. Arena di Verona. Roman of course. And amazing. And more amazing to see an opera being performed in that venue. No microphones. Just human voices (and a full orchestra). Simply wonderful. Perfect 75 degree weather with a light breeze. Waiters continuously asking if anyone wanted "fanta, coca, berra, vino!" I had played in this opera's orchestra before and seeing for the first time in verona, Italy made my week. 

Tomorrow, we sight see Verona then 2 hour train back to Milan. 

-Elizabeth 

Settembre a Milano

On the first of September...

Meghann and I decided to be tourists. So we went on a walking tour starting with the Castello Sforzesco. This was pretty memorable to me since my dad and I had been there years ago during a long layover. Kinda fun to be there again!

We continued walking and ended up at the cathedral of Milan, the Duomo di Milano. It's the largest gothic cathedral in the world and the largest cathedral in Italy. Construction began in 1386 and the last finishing touches were done in 1965. Loooooong time.

The next location on our route was on a mystery path but we eventually found it, and lunch. The house we sought after was one built in the Renaissance and the oldest house in Milan. And.. we found it. it looked.. like a house. We took a picture and left. I cooked some pasta with home made sauce and steamed zucchini.

On the second of September...

We checked in at Bocconi - which meant that we took a number (common in Italy) and sat down to wait for our numbers to be called. And we waited. (luckily I have a Kindle and an interesting book). Soon enough (30 min later) a lady came out and asked how many exchange students were waiting to check in. There were at least 7 of us out of the 10 in the hallway. She apologized and said that if we went to another building, we could be helped with no wait at all. We went, and sure enough, took less than 5 minutes.

Did a few other housekeeping things like paying for a tour of Milan.. found lunch and we parted ways - Meghann to purchase an Italian phone and me to an Italian crash course. This proved to be yet another example of Italian inefficiency. I went to where an instructional email had told me, the volunteers there didn't know where I needed to be, sent me to another desk who said the same thing, and I went back to the general help desk (where they had sent me to location #1 which correlated to my email) and a different volunteer told me what room to be in... in that exact building. Sigh. So then after 30 min of not having an instructor and being in the wrong room, I found where I needed to be. Except I had gotten placed in a higher level than I needed to be in and will have to fix it tomorrow. Whew! Long day.


Buona Notte!

~Elizabeth

Longest sleep for a short day

After waking from 17 ish hours of sleep, Meghann and I walked to University Bocconi which is about 2 miles from our apartment. Once we got there, we just walked around and orientated ourselves with some of the buildings. Then found a bookstore (where I bought an italian cookbook .. in italian... 'Cucina bene e spendi poco' which is 'cooking well and spending little'. We'll see how this goes. :)

Then we found a little place for dinner and came back to the apartment. Short day! (up at 3pm and back at the apartment at 8pm) Tomorrow has a big list of getting things for the apartment, finding a bank, etc etc.

~Elizabeth




http://howdyitalia.blogspot.it

One Handed Countdown

Italia. It's actually becoming reality! I mean.. this is not just a distant dream or exciting possibility. This is real life and it's happening. We are going to Italy! It didn't quite start hitting me until about a week before our departure date (Wednesday).

I have done most of my packing. It helps that I've already packed up most of my belongings in storage in Dallas so I basically just include everything that I have here in Dallas and hope that it fits in my suitcase(s).

Starting Tuesday I'll be using only wifi and therefore no normal phone calls or texts will be answered. I will be using the 'Viber' app for text and calling (using my US phone number). I don't think all phones can download that app, so I'll also use Skype (user name: elizabethabauman) and GTalk (elizabethabauman@gmail.com) when needed.

Meghann and I will update our mailing address if you're interested in sending mail. We have also started an Italy blog that we will both be writing on and I'll copy / edit on this as well.

That's all for now. Of course, I'll update as often as I can!

~Elizabeth


3 days until departure - it's a one-handed countdown.




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Of space, sea, and sound

It's strange to be somewhere for an extended period of time like a month. The first week you get settled, the second week you are realize it is a longer trip than your usual 10 days and get excited, the third week you feel natural, and then comes the last week. That week is a sad week because it means that the stay on this beautiful island and with wonderful people is coming to a quick and sad close.

Fun things that have happened since last post: 

Stars and space. I was fortunate to join some of our faculty for a behind-the-scenes tour by an employee who is one of HPAF's wonderful volunteers. She works at the Canada-French-Hawaii Telescope which is a part of the Mauna Kea Observatory. I got excited about the instruments and gear of the telescope - we got to see the inside of the dome and see it turn also. Through a secret door and we were on the outside walkway which ran all the way around the dome. The sun was setting as we walked out and the view was marvelous. 

The altitude got to a few of us (13,796") so we ate some food and drove back down the mountain. What's even crazier than a near 14er in Hawaii is that if based on the entire height of the mountain, Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world at 32,000 ft. (they extend wwwaaaaay far down) So.. using that logic, I have been on top of the tallest mountain in the world. I'm pretty dang cool. ha!

A few facts about this cluster of telescopes (see website): There are 13 working telescopes at the top including 9 that are for optical and infrared astronomy, 3 are for submillimeter wavelength astronomy and one for radio astronomy. They include the largest optical/infrared  telescopes in the world (the Keck telescopes), the largest dedicated infrared telescope (UKIRT) and the largest submillimeter telescope in the world (the JCMT). Mauna Kea has a few key components that make it a unique astronomical observing site - the atmosphere is dry which is good for infrared and submillimeter radiation, and also has one of the highest number of cloud-free nights in the world. Mauna Kea is also very far from city lights (island-wide lighting ordinance ensures dark skies).

Sunset through the opening of the dome.

There she is! 

Above and below the clouds

Whatever you do, don't press this button...

Scuba! On our second day off, I was also able to go on my second day of diving and complete #3 and 4 of the required open water dives to be an open-water certified scuba diver! Woo hoo! I don't have as many pictures of this dive because I didn't have a buddy with a camera. But I did see some beautiful fish and eels and sea slugs. Had to buy a book so I could keep track of all the fish I had seen. It's fun to flip through a book of beautiful creatures and most pages say, "Oh! I've seen that fish!!" 

Another cool thing we got to see were green turtles being cleaned in a 'cleaning station'! It really is an area that turtles will swim into just to have their shells cleaned by these little yellow fishes. It was beautiful to watch. 

First dive was 40 ft depth for about 50 min, one hour surface interval and then a 60ft dive for 45 min. 

My dive instructor, Scotty

Turtle Cleaning Point

Phil Mickelson. Ok, so nothing really having to do with Phil himself, but I did decide a new life goal. I think it would be really neat, when age 40 ish, to be able to go golfing with future husband and another couple or two every month or so. Therefore, for me to be able to do that at that point of my life, I have to start learning how to golf sometime. 

So on my day off, after scuba, I went to one of the golf resorts and got a short lesson to help get me started in posture etc etc. It was great and I feel like I could practice for many hours and continue to improve. My instructor told me he saw potential so that's encouraging :) It's fun to start this quest in one of the most beautiful places and courses in the US. (not that I know personally, but I can only imagine that it is)

Chilax. After scuba and golf, I took the afternoon off and just read my book on the beach. I still can't get over how beautiful it is here. God did a really nice job on this one.

Beautiful Mauna Kea beach

Sunsets are a weakness of mine

Robbery. One sad thing did happen - one night while enjoying the waves and full moon with a group of colleagues, two of us realized both our cars were broken into and items stolen. :( I didn't have anything that was of monetary importance but rather sentimental - was sad to lose a necklace for which I had picked out the specific pearl at a pearl market in Beijing, China. I also lost a card holder from my trip to Colombia. They also took a pair of flipflops, makeup, and my blood sugar tester and insulin. Frustrating. My colleague's instruments were stolen which makes my losses comparatively mere pieces of sand on the beach. Things like this are a good reminder of how objects should not rule our lives. They can help us express ourselves but they are not who we are.

HPAF. Last but not least includes the wonderful performances at this festival. The voices are beautiful and inspiring. I had the misconception that more opera singers were divas but I have found that not to be the case with the wonderful people here. In part, it is the environment and the mana of the island (or the creator of, at least). I have definitely developed a more relaxed side of my leadership style. Here in Hawai'i, there is no other way to get things done while maintaining relationships unless you are more relaxed and kind. Being all 'business' is not going to work - it's good for me to learn that.

That's it for now! Tropical Storm Flossie will make an appearance tonight. And then I have two more days left on the Big Island until it's off to Kauai for a few days. 

"The crashing of waves are like deep sighs of our soul."

~Elizabeth 

The Land(s) Down Under

Yesterday was one of two days off! Time to see some fun Hawai'i fun things!

The first thing I got to do was my open water dives #1 and #2 of my scuba certification. It was great - every time I dive, I like it more. Visibility was good, the coral were beautiful, the fish were swimming, and the shark didn't bite.. Yup! A pretty successful scuba dive. :)

On the boat ride there we saw 3 pods of dolphins who swam with the boat for quite a while. Once in the water at our dive site, we got to see them from under the water and very close. I heard them too! First time to see dolphins and it was incredible. Other flora / fauna included black coral, lots of fish whose names I don't remember (but including 'Gill' from Finding Nemo - which is actually a moorish idol fish), and a small shark in a cave we swam into.

We went out to the north west part of the Big Island and loaded up our gear and walked into the water to join in with the water world below us. The dive boat had two dive teams - one group that had been diving throughout the islands all week and then myself, my instructor, and a mother / son pair. Thankfully, the mother had brought her underwater camera and got some great photos that she shared with me after the dive.

diving along - ascent from dive #1

dolphins! 

Fishy

Just keep swimmin', Just keep swimmin'

Doin' alright :) 

so colorful fishies! 

After logging the dive in the logbook (and buying a tshirt), I hurried back up the hill to Waimea to join Jason and Cyndia to join our group going on a hike to see lava. After about 2 hours of driving and getting lost on a 7 mile road 3 times, we finally found our way to the site. We found a guide and hiked over 6 month old lava flow and joined our group who was on their way (but more slowly - such is a hike with middle school kids chatting away).

After 3 ish miles of avoiding a few missteps and nearly missing chunks of lava scraping my legs up into a bloody mess (it happened to someone 2 years ago - but not to me!), we finally made it to the flow. Oh my. What magnificence is ret hot flowing magma. Apparently, this site is the only place in the world where lava is flowing through a lava tube from the volcano and depositing straight into the ocean - no land flow. It was great. Small deposits slowly dripping into the sizzling ocean as the waves crash over the magma cooling a layer which is then pushed into the ocean from the continuing push of fresh lava from the bottom of the earth.

We got to the lava flow while the sun was still up but slowly the sun retreated making the contrast of darkness and the glow of the molten earth more apparent. Waves would crash, lava would spew like fireworks, a constant sound of sizzle and the bright glow of the lava kept me entranced. It was like sitting by a campfire staring and getting lost in thought, but in a much more powerful way - fire is great, but fire from the depths of the earth is even better.

Walking over the barren lava flow

The beauty of magma

Wearing a rain poncho watching the lava

Two completely different 'lands down under'. The view of the land under the sea, and the view of  the lava - the land under the sea = Amazing.


~Elizabeth




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