part way there

Everyone but Vanessa and I left the room at 4.30 this morning. I was up until 1 or 2 slept really poorly until 4 when everyone started leaving, woke up and considered call Duff or home because it would have been 9 in the evening, and then slept poorly again until 7 or 8.

We finished up packing and left the hostel at about 11. after 30 minutes of rigorous lugging we are here at bar astra. the train we want to catch leaves at 1 and it is 11:45 now, so we will be here chilling until then. I was thinking about how I was sitting there wishing that it was tomorrow, and I came upon this chain..I wish it were tomorrow so that I could be wishing it was tomorrow then so that I could with it was the weekend so that I could wish that I would be seeing Duff so that I could wish school would start.

I think that I have this dillema because I am still quite young. I live far too much in the future. not the future in the grand sceme, but next week month etc. I wish I didn't, when I get too caught up in it I don't enjoy the moment. I have only two more days in this amasing country, who nows when I will be coming back, perhaps soon, but perhaps not. I did the whole future thing before I came to Italy, dreading the ikminant new thing that was heading my way, now I'm craving the familiar, though I know it will not be 100% satisfying.

I guess in this way I have not grown up yet. I think I have grown up here, but I can not necessarily name the ways. i think it will take perhaps someone I know well at home pointing things out.

I think I have changed as a person, but perhaps being here has just brought out different aspects of myself rather than actually change anything. I don't know, I will be in Rome this evening and all day tomorrow, then i will be home in time for dinner on tuesday..strange thought.

brought Gretchen and Vanessa to Pisa today. had both Gelato and hot chocolate...but it was worth it.

Things are winding down, I returned my phone, and we have just two more days of performances. we do the Gala and we have a "singout2 tomorrow. If I can memorize the words I will sing Vedrai carino tomorrow.

Other than that there is not enough time to go into detail

movie

once and a while being in this country is like being in a movie. I think what accentuates this is not necessarily what I'm doing but the amount of background music that there is while walking through a city.
It can actually be quite terrible at times...the little gypsy kids that parents threw an accordian at as soon as they could walk, but there are also some people who are actually quite good. I rode around the old walls of the city twice this morning. there are great views of mountains from the wall.
we have had two good performances, and we are doing the same two shows again tonight and tomorrow. I think that pehaps we will have wednesday off. I would prefer that we were occupied here in the mornings still, they stopped our italian classes, which I am not thrilled about, but I do appreciate the time to start my morning. the unfortunate thing about hte time in the morning is that it gives you time to be lonely and miss home.
Last night the entire studio program went out to eat at a very good pizzaria. It was lopts of fun I took pictures of us all dolled up because of the performance...I literally look like a doll because my hair is pulled back and my eyelashes are huge and I have really red cheeks.
it has been lots of fun here, but i am ready to head home. I know that home will still be hard because I have fewer friends there than in chicago, but I think that being with my faimly will be really nice to finally be able to do.

visit a brief chat

Nina just left to arrive in Geneva tomorrow morning. Ryan will leave tomorrow night. It has been awesome having them here. I thought that it might be very strange to have my two worlds sort of interesect here, but it has been only fun and wonderful. Ryan found some awsome things in Pisa, including a great wool cap made in England especially for this one hat shop in Pisa.

WE explored Pisa...had a great dinner, and today we explored Lucca and had great Pizza for dinner. It has been really wonderflul to have them here to talk to, you don't realize how much you miss the people that you feel comfortable talking to until you have them there to chat with again.

I think that Ryan will com to watch the rehersals for my opera scenes tomorrow, something that I'm excited about at least. they are all really funny and well staged so that even not speaking ITalian he should get them.

much

so perhaps I have not posted in a long while. I'm very busy get over it. This weekend I visited Marco and Floriana on sunday. WE went to eat lunch in santo lago, up high in the mountains. Great views on the way up of Pisa and Calci, especially cool in the eveniong with all of the lights.

I have been going to quite a number of concerts, I think that there is one concert every night, and I am in the midst of memorizing lots of music. I really like all that I am singing. My Figaro Scene is really fun, I wish that you guys could see it, I get to laugh and prance around making fun of Marcellina.

Both Ryan and Nina are coming this weekend, I am really quite excited about this. It is crazy to think that I really only hvae three more weekends...heck three more weeks., I think that I will be ready to come home. though I will terribly miss the intensity of all the music that I am foing. I could have inverted the lengths of the two programs that I did and been much happier...although I have much better italian this way.

Lucca is a pretty little medeval town surrounded by walls. I live in the hostel which is a old converted convent I think. There are highceilings, but it is still quite warm. One thing that I will be very happy to have again is screens. the Italians seem not to believe in them, thusly I have a great deal of nasty nasty bug bites.

Now that it is really hot I am appreciuating the pausa in the middle of the day. I am prefectly hapy to merely sleep come midday. I'm drinking more water than I ever have.

if there is anything important that I need to do before I leave Italy someone please inform me!

rock concert

They are setting up for a rock concert across the plaza from where I am...they have lots of people come here in the summer...Crosby stills and nash, James brown...all very interesting.

Just a note...I don't know if anyone was planning on visiting me...for those of you in Europe, but you probably ought to tell me when you would like to come so that I caN MAKE PLANS FOR THAT ETC.

I am singing the part of SUsanna in a duet from le nozze di figaro Mozart of course, and the part of Bianca from La Rondine by Puccini. things are very warm here. I have alot of music to learn. I tried to running this morning, but I was still too sleepy and it was already quite warm.

I have started hanging out quite a bunch with people from chicago...Roosevelt and Northwestern. It always strikes me as so strange that singers in Music programs don't have to take any real classes, I approve of real classes. I saw my voice teacher as I was riding around today, I chatted with himn for quite a bit.

Next weekend lots of people are going on the trip with the Program to Bologna, I havn't decided what I am doing yet. I might try to see Floriana and MArco since they asked me to visit.

My Italian is so amazing compared to everyone elses, not that it is that great in the end, though I do think that I will be comfortable taking the proficiency exam in the fall. Currently I am signed up for the next Italian course, but I may drop it as I am A. signed up for 5 classes...loop hole because of the music class only counting spring quarter, and I may feel like I don't want it after taking advanced Italian for the next five weeks, perhaps I'll pick up a lit course or somthing depending. I am also taking the Biology of gender, Terror and REligion, and Drama. I went to the questatura today about the error on my permisso di soccorso, I'm not entirely certain if she understood me, but she said that there shouldn't be an issue. If anyone gives me a hard time I can tell them that I did ask about it.I had to miss Italian class this morning because of coming to Pisa for this paper work, but everyone knew, it is very strange technically you have to sign out at the office whenever you leave the town...they are more loose about somethings and more tight about others.Meeting very interesting people. I'm going to be studying voice with a professor from the University of Indiana, he is supposed to be really god. I'm excited to study with someone who is old and male...interested to see what he'll do with me