I'm off to explore Europe! Forgive me, for I will be absent from my blog from now until the 27th, but I assure you there will be A LOT to recount upon my return. A presto!
When I woke up this Sunday morning, I knew it was going to be an interesting day. There was an ucellino or little bird in the house, causing my host mom and I to scream and duck for cover while my host dad ran around with a broom with the aim of whisping it outside. It was quite the sign I was in for an adventure. My host mom told me we would be spending the morning "trekking". We pulled up into a parking lot off the side of a main road of southern Viterbo where many many people from the university community were listening to two archeologists. These archaeologists were quite the characters. They guided all of us along the side of the road until we came up to a locked gate. Little did I know right off the side of a seemingly normal highway is a medieval villa waiting to be explored. The archeologists pieced together bits and pieces of information about the villa, explaining a rich Viterbese family of the 14th century must have lived there. Between poetry, mythology, and ...
First Lady Michelle Obama went to SYA China recently. The school was honored to meet her, Malia, and Sasha, and to be honest all of us here in Italy were wondering why Mr. President didn't pay us a visit while he popped over to Rome last week.... Whilst in China, The First Lady spoke on the importance of studying abroad. If you have a couple of minutes, I think her speech is worth a listen.
So Viterbo is known in the Guinness Book of World Records most notably for La Spaghetteria , or the amazing restaurant that has 300 kinds of spaghetti (ALL ARE AMAZING). Surprisingly, their world record achievements do not stop there. The 6th of January was L'Epifania or The Epiphany where The Three Kings come to see the newborn Jesus. Here in Italy, like many other countries, the witch named La Bufana comes and leaves socks full of candy (or coal...) for kids who have been good (Sound familiar, Santa?) So, in Viterbo, on the 5th of January, we were supposed to witness the world's largest calza filled with candies get paraded around town by witches. It got postponed until this Saturday, and therefore I got to see it a little behind schedule, but nonetheless it was an adorable Viterbese tradition. The kids were hyped and the town was full of excitement. I do love these town gatherings, particularly when they involve sweets. ...
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