Wow, who would have thought I was capable of it - miserable weather and zero autonomy have left me under house arrest since my return from Spain, and as a result I have pretty much been attached to my computer screen for 3 days straight. Huge progress in the study, the entire modelling process and associated hypotheses for thesis are understood, now I am just missing a few crucial references to back up some of our data choices... still planty more to do, but I feel I will be going home with most of the Italian side of things complete. Meanwhile I am SOOO glad it's the weekend, both my current adoptive parents (how many will I have accumulated in this country before my time is up??) are around and I can hopefully get out of the house! Assuming it stops raining and the temperature gets about 12 degrees.....
Pretty jealous right now of all you uni students who are, at the very moment, probably very drunk celebrating the end of exams, for some of you the last uni exams ever, with nice Sydney Spring weather!! Save yourselves, as I will be there in just a few weeks drinking with you!! Can't wait!
Love to all, see you quite soon!
Kels xox
Friday 16 November 2007
Monday 12 November 2007
La fiesta es finida.....
It's the end of my last day in Spain, and the thought of getting on a plane tomorrow for Rome inevitably brings thoughts of getting on a plane back to Australia in 25 days... oh my god it seems so surreal. I'm so excited about going back to summer, getting on the surfboard and seeing everyone again, especially a final family christmas at Tathra, but nothing can equal the months I've spent over here, I feel like I've had a chance to try EVERYTHING!! From living a normal life catching up with mates and going out in Civitanova, to backpacking around Europe, to cycling the countryside and then being a student in Rome. Holy cow I've been so lucky!
I'm absolutely exhausted after this week in Spain - if ever I found it ahrd to get used to how late things happen in Italy, it was nothing compared to Spain. Italians tend to eat at around 9 and go out around ten, the Spanish start thinking about food at ten and go out at midnight!! Sleeping until 3pm is considered kind of normal... ?!? I found this especially hard at San Sebastion since I wanted to make the most of the daylight to go surfing - not really compatible with staying out until 6am, ahem. As a result I may not have spent quite as much time in the water as I would have liked, but I did get one awesome Friday night out with Ilaria and all the surf instructors, which was unforgettable... well maybe not so unforgettable, the typical drink from San Sebastion, Patxaran, seems to have memory altering qualities because there are serious gaps in my recollection and I was NOT that drunk! Hmmm, wild night. But it was the last one for quite I while, and damn it I had fun, so I don't care!
In the end Ilaria had a few problems with one of her mates so we stayed an extra day to let her sort it all out, and it just so happened that we were blessed with yet another rare sunny day at San Sebastian, and spent all morning in the water. It's a perfect beginners beach there, the waves are gentle, clean, constant, and usually not too big. It would be so great to spend a few weeks there and really improve! So the result of all this was that I had only today in barcelona, having caught a night bus and slept badly for the whole 7 hour trip. Ilaria and I mustered every effort to see as much as we could, and I know know the architecture of Gaudi` intimately - what a beautiful city it is, if only for his influence! Absolutely amazing, I've never seen anything like it in my life! And to think that the Sagrada Familia has been under construction for 125 years and may be yet for many more to come! I had Tapas for dinner, too, more to say I did than anything else, and because I was so damn sick of eating rolls and hamburgers, as good as they may be here!
So now I'm having an early night (for Spain, anyway, haha) and leaving my backpacking days behind me as I trudge back to Rome to stick my nose in books and go blind staring at my computer screen, haha. And to think that everyone at Uni has either finished exams (some for good!!!) or are about to finish them, i'll be studying right through summer (not that it won't have been worth it).
Adios España, me gustas muchas!!
I'm absolutely exhausted after this week in Spain - if ever I found it ahrd to get used to how late things happen in Italy, it was nothing compared to Spain. Italians tend to eat at around 9 and go out around ten, the Spanish start thinking about food at ten and go out at midnight!! Sleeping until 3pm is considered kind of normal... ?!? I found this especially hard at San Sebastion since I wanted to make the most of the daylight to go surfing - not really compatible with staying out until 6am, ahem. As a result I may not have spent quite as much time in the water as I would have liked, but I did get one awesome Friday night out with Ilaria and all the surf instructors, which was unforgettable... well maybe not so unforgettable, the typical drink from San Sebastion, Patxaran, seems to have memory altering qualities because there are serious gaps in my recollection and I was NOT that drunk! Hmmm, wild night. But it was the last one for quite I while, and damn it I had fun, so I don't care!
In the end Ilaria had a few problems with one of her mates so we stayed an extra day to let her sort it all out, and it just so happened that we were blessed with yet another rare sunny day at San Sebastian, and spent all morning in the water. It's a perfect beginners beach there, the waves are gentle, clean, constant, and usually not too big. It would be so great to spend a few weeks there and really improve! So the result of all this was that I had only today in barcelona, having caught a night bus and slept badly for the whole 7 hour trip. Ilaria and I mustered every effort to see as much as we could, and I know know the architecture of Gaudi` intimately - what a beautiful city it is, if only for his influence! Absolutely amazing, I've never seen anything like it in my life! And to think that the Sagrada Familia has been under construction for 125 years and may be yet for many more to come! I had Tapas for dinner, too, more to say I did than anything else, and because I was so damn sick of eating rolls and hamburgers, as good as they may be here!
So now I'm having an early night (for Spain, anyway, haha) and leaving my backpacking days behind me as I trudge back to Rome to stick my nose in books and go blind staring at my computer screen, haha. And to think that everyone at Uni has either finished exams (some for good!!!) or are about to finish them, i'll be studying right through summer (not that it won't have been worth it).
Adios España, me gustas muchas!!
Thursday 8 November 2007
Hola chicos!! Yo estoy en España!
This is my final fling before I am once again homeward bound (even thinking about it makes me nervous, sorry but I DO NOT want to leave...). One fated day, my best mate Ilaria thought to call me to see if I wanted to join her for a few days in Spain... as a result, I am now at San Sebastion, hanging out with all her bautiful surfer mates and mooching off them to hire wetsuits and borrow boards etc, speinding the daylight freezing my butt off in the water and loving it, and the nights drinking Patxaran and trying to switch between Italian, English and Spanish to have a conversation! This is potentially the coolest thing I have done in this entire trip. Don´t get me wrong, everything has been absolutely fantastic in it's own right, some places have been more beautiful than others, and for different reasons, some more historically interesting, some more different, but this is just plain fun!! I couldn't think of anything better right now. What's more it's also the cheapest thing I've done - 20 euro flight each way, 18 euro for a private room in a charming little hostel in the centre of the old part of town, even the food here is cheap because they specialise in these rather substantial and very satisfying hot filled rolls called camperos. Fair enough it's ten degrees outside and god knows what the water temp is, but at least that means there's hardly anyone in the water. What an awesome way to finish travelling! We've got 3-4 days here, then a day or two in Barcelona before heading back to Italy once and for all.
I have postponed my flight home but not by much, I rang to check on the dates in case I needed more time for the research and it turned out there was only one other day in December available, so I took it just in case. I wish I could transfer all the things and people I miss in Australia and chuck them in with all the things and people I love in Italy, it just kills me to think I will be leaving here in less than a month and it could be years before I get to do all this again. I'm torn to pieces because I want so much to come home and see everyone and live out the Aussie summer, but I choke up when I think about how many beautiful people I will be leaving behind :( I've been so damned lucky in everything I've done. Who'd have thought 5 years ago that ilaria and I would wind up on the same path, surfing together in San Sebastion!?! And my current hosts near Rome are the loving, caring, supportive host family I never really had at Civitanova, who call me when I go anywhere to check that I arrived safely or bend over backwards to help whenever they possibly can, making me feel incredibly guilty! I'm trying to think of a single time when the Romagnolis called me for anything at all, even if they needed to talk to me... I seriously don't think they ever have. I've always been the one to call them and say hi, to see how things are going, to visit them etc. Anyway this isn't about complaining!! Sigh, I'm just so overwhelmed by how wonderful everything here has been. I knew it would be fun and interesting and that I would learn about the world, yada yada yada, but who knew it would be so perfect. In 4 months I think I've had 2 days when I felt sad, and had good reason to. The rest of the time I've been either exhausted, or just plain loving life.
Hope everyone is well back home, I am missing you ALL heaps and heaps, whether or not it seems like it, haha. Seriously, there are so many moments when I think about certain people and wish I could share with them, so I am constantly talking about friends and family back home to everyone over here. I'm sure they're all sick of it, but you will all get a taste of the reverse when I get home, I'm sure!
Kel xox
I have postponed my flight home but not by much, I rang to check on the dates in case I needed more time for the research and it turned out there was only one other day in December available, so I took it just in case. I wish I could transfer all the things and people I miss in Australia and chuck them in with all the things and people I love in Italy, it just kills me to think I will be leaving here in less than a month and it could be years before I get to do all this again. I'm torn to pieces because I want so much to come home and see everyone and live out the Aussie summer, but I choke up when I think about how many beautiful people I will be leaving behind :( I've been so damned lucky in everything I've done. Who'd have thought 5 years ago that ilaria and I would wind up on the same path, surfing together in San Sebastion!?! And my current hosts near Rome are the loving, caring, supportive host family I never really had at Civitanova, who call me when I go anywhere to check that I arrived safely or bend over backwards to help whenever they possibly can, making me feel incredibly guilty! I'm trying to think of a single time when the Romagnolis called me for anything at all, even if they needed to talk to me... I seriously don't think they ever have. I've always been the one to call them and say hi, to see how things are going, to visit them etc. Anyway this isn't about complaining!! Sigh, I'm just so overwhelmed by how wonderful everything here has been. I knew it would be fun and interesting and that I would learn about the world, yada yada yada, but who knew it would be so perfect. In 4 months I think I've had 2 days when I felt sad, and had good reason to. The rest of the time I've been either exhausted, or just plain loving life.
Hope everyone is well back home, I am missing you ALL heaps and heaps, whether or not it seems like it, haha. Seriously, there are so many moments when I think about certain people and wish I could share with them, so I am constantly talking about friends and family back home to everyone over here. I'm sure they're all sick of it, but you will all get a taste of the reverse when I get home, I'm sure!
Kel xox
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