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

Lucca

I have arrived!
I had forgotten how much clothing and makeup that singings insist that they need. I was feeling really over packed, but now I don't at all.

I am really happy to be here though. I hung out with many older musicians last night, a conductor, kid from Yale...it's interesting to be one of the only people who has taken Calculus here...I feel all well read and educated. Not to mention that my Italian is worlds better than everyone elses.

The hostel is very clean and nice. I was alittle worries when a bunch of girls walked in wearing pearls...but again you know...singers, what are you going to do. All of the girls in charge are really young it's crazy, Sara Wollen-Danner who was so helpful (and excited to meet me) can't be 30 yet, and her assistent is even younger. They are all blond pretty with very perfect teeth. It is exciting to talk really intensly about music again, that is something that I don't even really get to do in chicago. We did a (about 6 of us who had dinner together) if you could only listen to the music of 3 composers for the rest of your life who would they be...my three composers of that particular moment were. Shosticovich, Bach, and Dvorjk, the response was oh yeah she's a theorist.

any how, posts will be much more infrequent as interenet is even more expensive here than it was in Florence, which was more expensive than Pisa. Phone calls will also be less frequent as they are more expensive now too.

anyhow I will do my best to cram things into these posts.

trip with dad

It seems like I havn't posted in quite a while, I have been busy traveling around with my father about the country. I am going to try very hard, but there is no way that I'm going to be able to mention everything that I intend to and there will probably be subsequent updates that say oh I forgot to mention this that and the other thing.

ok

attempting to start at the beginning:
May 31: Dad arrived in Pisa, he came in about an hour later than expected, but that really was not an issue. we went out to dinner with the preogram. That was interesting because when we left Dad had many of the same impressions of people in the program that I have had. Jeremy's can be kinda annoying can't he...I'd use the work asshole but ok...he was hitting on (?) Margot and trying to make her drink more alcohol...and CArlos is a bit sour isn't he...he also put the boys into place as he actually knew what he was talking about with wine as opposed to pretending to know what he was talking about.

June 1: we hiked Cinqueterra with Margot. It was really very hot, but lovely to hike. the first two streatched are lovely, but the last few are not nearly as nice, I would suggest to skip those and go instead on some side trails up mountains. Margot had 11 bottle of wine she wanted to get through customs, I don't know what she decided to do as she said technically you're only allowed 1 litre of alcohol. I hope she didn't try to smuggle them because as I now know (from my dad going back into the country) that they x-ray everything that comes into the states. Had dinner back with Floriana and MArco...best dinner I've had there yet. You could tell Marco was really excited, he litereally bounded to the door when we came in. They even bough more water and wine glasses for the occasion (they only had 3 matching water glasses, and wine glasses I think)

June 2-3: We were in Le Marche pernounced Markay not with the french pronunciation that the spelling implies. We stayed at this really cool agriturismo...it is essentially a bed and breakfast on a farm. We ate dinners ther as well as breakfast, quite quite good. the VErdiccio...which is a white wine...was amazing. He made it there from Grapes he had grown. It was as my dad put it, not oily as some white wines get, and not too oakie or fruity...essentially too easy to drink. We hiked the mountains behind the farm ona quite warm day. Mario the owner was a really chatter box. loved his life and his land and loved to expound upon the fact that we were in a paradise, and that eveything we ate they made right there. all in Italian of course, he was really fun to talk to.

June 4-5: The sibillian range, we decided that these mountains are the spine of Italy. REally some breath taking views, high high up above th tree line (I think). Came back exhousted every day from the hikes. The temperatures were quite cool up in the mountains. THe hotel we stayed at was not quite as nice as the first, but nothing to sneeze at either, the only unfortunate thing was that the woman who appeared to be in charge was a real sour puss, not particularily interested in anything I had to say, even when I was ordering food in the restaraunt.

June 6-8: we were in Rome, the first night that we were there a thunderstorm came through and the weather was quite pleasent. One might even say cool. the weather has been cool ever since. we saw many museams and walk all around the city. Many hours of walking, exhausting in a different way than hiking mountains, but exhausting non-the-less. Very cool to see all the art that you read about.

June 9: dad left, I went to one more museam and then headed to Perugia. IT was really quite cool in Perugia, I wandered around the city looking at things. the hostel there has really nice sheets incase anyone ever wants to go, it is unfortunatly alittle out of the city.

June 10: went to ASsissi with one of the girls that I met in the hostel. she was 32 from Australia, had been traveling since January...as they do, the australians do much longer travels. The church of saint Francis is quite cool, there are three levels, usually churchs don't have levels, but this one did, church, baptastry, tomb. I then made my way to Florence.

It is cool here too. I wandered over to the hill that Duff and Daniel had told me about. Wandered the city, looked in some museams.

Tomorrow I head back to Pisa to pick up my bag from Floriana and MArco, and then up to Lucca. I am, quite tired, it might be all the traveling and walking that I have done in the past two weeks, I hope it is just that I am tired and not that I am getting sick, though I do not expect that this is the case. Met another Girl named Emily at the hostel here, her birthday is august 1...I think we'll go out to dinner together tonight. I don't actually mind going out to dinner alone at all. I actually do it once and a while in chicago even, but it will be fun to have someone to talk to.

I didn't get into the Drama class...what? I put it as my first choice...I have third year standing to get that class...oh well.

hope exams went well and thaqt move out had no trajeties. I am perhaps screwed for singing my piece come monday, but I will give it my best shot and smile and such. there is not too too much more that I could have done to prepare.