DUE SETTIMANE DI GIOIA - Gubbio

On Wednesday, we had class in the morning, and I had lunch in a very good pizzeria with Estefany, Ana, Iván, Nicolas and Anibal (but I may have forgotten somebody, I sometimes don't trust my memory that much...). The only time there I had a ''quattro formaggi'' dish - and I love things with 4 formaggi.

In the afternoon, we had a trip to Gubbio :)

On our way there, I talked to Iván for some time, it was very nice! I also tried to take a few pictures, but it was not easy... here is one of them

Gubbio is very interesting! A medieval city, really beautiful.
Uunfortunately, my camera ran out of battery soon after we got there, so these 2 pictures are all I have...

this one is a theatre, I think...

I really liked this trip - the place is nice and the weather was good. I had great ice cream too! twice \o/

While we were going back to San Severino, the guide/teacher told us there was going to be a surprise at Edulingua the next day, and therefore some changes regarding our schedule. I got really curious!

After that, I remember there was a moment I started to cry, wondering how much I was going to miss everything and everybody later... 

But then, some minutes before arriving in San Severino, I started talking to Deborah, we shared some ideas about teaching, it cheered me up a little :)

I didn't go out that evening, so I just had some snacks in the room and later went to sleep.

DUE SETTIMANE DI GIOIA - birthday at Bar Centrale

Monday was a holiday in Italy (Lunedì dell'Angelo), so we didn't have class. Some students stayed in San Severino, and I had lunch with Ana - my first pasta there! We spent some hours talking, it was really cool!

I took a nap in the afternoon and didn't do much... in the evening I met some people at Birreria, but we didn't stay really long. 

On Tuesday, the morning class was a little later (30 minutes actually). I had lunch with Estefany and in the afternoon we had one more class, about art - very interesting and funny! A bunch of students went to the supermarket and then I had to wait for a while before going out again because it was Estefany's birthday.
Some people were preparing a little surprise at Bar Centrale - including a cake! One of the Brazilian girls let me know when everybody was there, so Estefany could arrive after all of them.
As soon as we arrived we sang ''Tanti Auguri'' (the Italian Happy Birthday).
It was great!! We had a lot of fun there, talking and drinking and taking pictures \o/


I got some pictures from Iván's Facebook (grazie!)
This first shows the moment we arrived at Bar Centrale :)

and I really like this one too...

DUE SETTIMANE DI GIOIA - Verona

On Sunday (Easter, by the way), we were supposed to be at the station at 5am!!
I think it took us over 6 hours to arrive in Verona, and it wasn't exactly a good time... some people felt really bad (I was one of them) and the weather didn't help much :(

When we arrived in Verona, it was cloudy but not raining. I couldn't really enjoy this trip, because I felt bad and it was very cold. I can't even remember most of the places we've been to... but we started near the Arena - here's a picture we took there:

One of the places I remember seeing is Giulietta's house (it was crowded, I guess it's always crowded). I'm not exactly a fan of Romeo and Juliet, so it doesn't matter much how real this is... we were told the house didn't belong to a family named Capulet, but somehow it became Juliet's house and people love going there. I didn't take a picture of Giulietta's statue (it's supposed to bring good luck if you touch it), but I liked her "balcone" (balcony)

I have no idea what this is, but it looked beautiful so I took a picture anyway...

We walked a lot and I was feeling hungry, so unfortunately I didn't pay attention to the names of the places we saw, and I took few pictures.

But I know this is supposed to be Dante Alighieri:)

I had lunch with some Brazilian students in a small restaurant. After this I got a little better, but not enough to pay attention to everything the teacher/guide was telling us... so, instead of writing, I'll just show you some pictures for now:

one more selfie (I got this picture and also the one near Arena from Edulingua's Facebook page) 

We had some free time to go wherever we felt like, I just walked a little to buy a few things for my grandmothers, and talked to some students while we were waiting for the rest of the group. Some people (including my roommate) didn't go back to San Severino because they'd decided to spend the night in Verona or Venezia (which was Monday's trip). 

I went to the hotel, had some snacks and soon went to sleep... it was a very tiring day! the good thing is that I could sleep a lot again and recovered \o/ 

DUE SETTIMANE DI GIOIA - La Birreria!

Birreria del Borgo is a very cozy place with great food. Many people there loved the ''ventotto'' (28 - because we ordered food using the menu's numbers), I think it's one of their most popular hamburgers, but I haven't actually tried it. However, I had really good fried chicken and also pasta!

The important thing about Birreria is not the food though... I've been there 3 times only, but all of them were awesome!! Because of the people, doubtlessly :)

I'm not good at saying goodbye, and sometimes I feel I may not have said enough, so I'll not use this text to talk about Birreria itself, but about some of the amazing people I've been there with.

[I'm only writing about the people I talked to the most, but there were more people who shared the table with us there. And I'll go in alphabetical order, because no order would be fair anyway - and it doesn't really matter, does it?]

Ana

She's extremely funny and smart, and she taught us some very important things, such as proverbs - I'll memorize the glass thing one day! haha

In the beginning it was a little hard to understand her, but then when we talked in Italian it was ok. 

And she convinced me I must go to Spain. Moreover, she convinced me I have to go to Valencia, for Las Fallas, and I really want to! Even though it hasn't been easy to find her online because of the time zones, I'm glad we can still talk once in a while :)

Anibal

Before talking to him I thought he was weird, but then we started talking and I noticed he is weird indeed haha... but in a good way:) I tend to enjoy talking to people who are different from the ''crowd'', and he was no exception.
Apparently we share some tastes and opinions, so the conversation really seemed to flow.
Oh, and he can imitate Sean Connery's voice really well!

Estefany

Like I said before, best roommate ever!!

When I decided to share a hotel room with a student, I was a little worried, because I didn't know what to expect. But things were really nice, we could communicate easily and I'm very very happy that we still talk to each other often :)

She's a great person, very intelligent and funny (she has a peculiar laughter I really liked hearing haha), and it was great to 'explore' the town with her!

Iván

Basically, one of the nicest people I've ever met! Talking to him was always easy and enjoyable, and he often helped me understand the others speaking Spanish :)
There were moments it felt like I had known him for ages, it seemed that I could talk to him about anything - and he's really good at giving advice.
I must also say he's very brave! Hopefully one day I'll be able to travel like this too...   

Nicolas

He's not just another smart and funny guy, he also has the amazing ability to sound like a native speaker in different languages haha... if I hadn't listened to him in Spanish, I wouldn't have believed he is not Italian (isn't he? really?).
He made people laugh many times, but it doesn't mean we can't have a more serious/sensible conversation with him too. And his voice singing 'Volare' (especially while we were going to Rome) is still on my mind :) 

Solange

Although we didn't talk much in Italy, I could notice she's a very nice girl. Luckily things have changed, and now I think she's the one I've been talking to the most recently - and I've been learning a lot of Spanish!! \o/
We have many things in common, and even when we speak different languages the conversation really flows (sometimes it's like we can read each other's minds haha)

A little message to all of you

If someone asks me what my best memory of Italy is, I can only say it's the people I've met there. 

I've seen beautiful places, I've had great gelati and cornetti, I've learned a lot of stuff, but this trip wouldn't have been so special without you...

I really wish I can see you again,

you have (and I believe you always will) a very special place in my heart!!

DUE SETTIMANE DI GIOIA - I don't speak Spanish! (not yet)

On Friday, I had lunch with Estefany (after the morning class) and in the afternoon there was a very nice culture class about Italian habits. After that I went to Bar Centrale with a lot of students speaking Spanish. That was when I met amazing people from Argentina and Spain... but sometimes they would speak only Spanish and I'd get a little lost... luckily, some of them translated a few things for me - gracias! 

At Bar Centrale we had 'aperitivo' (I'll explain this later, wait for it). Some girls had Spritz, which is really good, and I had a drink made with prosecco and peach, also good and not too strong (I actually drank it kinda quickly, and I'm not used to doing so...).

After a really good time at Bar Centrale, we headed to Birreria del Borgo (more about it later), where I spent several hours, having a lot of fun too \o/

There was a trip to San Marino on Saturday, but I decided not to go - I thought it was going to be too tiring, because on Sunday we were going to Verona.

So I spent the day resting (it feels so nice when we can simply sleep without worrying about what time to wake up, isn't it?), checking e-mails, saving the pictures I'd taken, and watching TV for a while (basically I watched Nickleodeon TV shows, with the sound in Italian, interesting...)

I also walked for a while around the town, the weather was ok so I could enjoy it. But I looked for some places I couldn't find :/

In the evening, I met some people at Bar Centrale again, but it was raining and really cold... I had a toast and soon went back to the hotel.

* And I've decided I need a post just to talk about Birreria and some of the people I went there with...

DUE SETTIMANE DI GIOIA - 2 more days...

On Wednesday, we had class in the morning and in the afternoon we had time to prepare the food for the international dinner (cena internazionale).

I joined the girls from my group to help them make our posters and our ''docinhos'' (brigadeiro, beijinho, cajuzinho), which in the end got the best sweet prize!

Here's a picture of  them (grazie mille, Iván!)

In the evening, all the countries presented their food and drink, it was really interesting. We could learn a little about typical dishes from Brazil, Argentina (the champions, with 'empanadas'), Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, Australia, Finland and Libanon. And there was also pizza!

On Thursday I had lunch at Edulingua after the class, and in the afternoon we went to Caldarola and Tolentino.

In Caldarola we visited a castle! It was really cold there because there wasn't much sun in many rooms, but it was amazing - really beautiful :)

In Tolentino, we saw a beautiful church and later had time to go shopping. I finally managed to buy a new zaino (backpack) - mine wasn't strong enough so before arriving in Europe I realized I shouldn't travel back home using it.

I don't remember taking pictures in Tolentino, so here is another one I took in Caldarola :)

DUE SETTIMANE DI GIOIA - meeting people, seeing places...

It's difficult to summarize my first days in San Severino Marche, but I'm going to try...

It took us about 4 hours to get there, but it was a pleasant time. I slept a little, took some pictures, there was a movie on TV, and we had a quick stop (sure, people needed to go to the bathroom, and buy some things). We got off the bus in groups, according to where we were going to stay. I was staying in the hotel, and while I was there waiting for the elevator I found out who my roommate was: Estefany, a really nice Mexican girl (best roommate ever!). We were hungry, so soon after leaving our luggage in the room we headed for a pizza place. Back to the hotel, we started organizing our stuff. Luckily I slept really well - I must say that the hotel room's bed was great, so sleeping there was not a problem :)

On Monday we had an eventful morning at Edulingua - the principal introduced us to the school and showed us around, we had colazione (breakfast) and a guided little tour around the town.

After the tour we had lunch at school. I met some of the Brazilian students, they are very nice :)

And from 2 to 6 we had classes. I was in the smaller group, only 6 people (5 in the 1st day), and I met one of the sweetest students there: Deborah, an Australian girl who's a language teacher too! 

In the evening I walked a little with Estefany (we had to find a place to eat, which was not really difficult), and later joined a nice Libanese guy (ok, this is the point I probably have to explain that everyone I met was really nice, so I won't need to repeat it again later), but unfortunately I wasn't feeling ok so I had to leave them and go back to the hotel to sleep :/ I know they joined other people somewhere and had fun, but I really needed to rest...

On Tuesday we had class in the morning, and in the afternoon we had another tour around the town, but this time it was longer and he went to many interesting places. I took a picture of one of the most amazing views there:

We also went to a really beautiful theatre (Teatro Feronia) and a museum, where we were guided by some teenagers. Later many people needed to go to the supermarket, so did I. 

I had dinner in a pizzeria with some Brazilian students and also a German one I had talked to in the afternoon. My pizza was huge so I took half of it to the hotel (and had it for lunch the next day, sharing it with my roommate), and headed to a great gelateria where I'd had lunch, but I got a little lost before finally finding it! Many other students were there, I talked to some of them and also to some girls from the school staff. I had a lot of fun - and ice cream! - and ended up going to sleep late...

*just one more picture, I took it from Edulingua's Facebook page, I love it!

DUE SETTIMANE DI GIOIA - flying...

...It was going to be my first plane trip by myself, and I have to say that I don't really like planes, so I wasn't exactly calm...

I had to run to get my first flight, from Porto Alegre to São Paulo, but everything was ok. I think I slept a little, I ate peanuts, the flight was not long... but then I finally arrived at Guarulhos airport. I had to walk a lot to find where I'd have to do the next check-in, and I had my bag for a lot of time. I still had it when I had lunch... I needed to wait for some hours, I read a little (Machado de Assis), I surfed the web for a few minutes, but I couldn't help feeling bored. And the next flight, to Lisbon, was a little late =[

But again, everything was ok. In the plane I started practicing a little... English? Yes, I talked to some foreign people, like a very nice English guy who sat beside me. The food was ok and I could rest a little, so I was fine when I arrived in Portugal. I didn't have a lot of time, so I just went to the bathroom and later got a Kibon's ''sorbet'', and soon I entered the plane.

And then, going to Rome, I could speak a little... English again? Yes, there was a lovely lady beside me and we talked a little. She was born in Ecuador, but she's married to an American man and they live in Florida.

Once again the food was good :) and I arrived very well in Italy.

But it took me a while to start finding the places I needed to find at Fiumicino. That airport is very strange! Anyway, I ended up finding the meeting point, and after lunch (McDonald's) I didn't have to wait for too long. Soon I found some people from the school and the students, and we headed to San Severino \o/

DUE SETTIMANE DI GIOIA - first things first...

So, I've decided to write about my trip to Italy. It was an amazing experience :) way much better than I would've ever imagined!!!

It all started in November. I was checking my e-mail after work and I saw a Facebook post (by oriundi.net) with this ad:

Spring in Italy? I liked the idea... the prices seemed reasonable... well, why not?

I started to gather a little more information, and it took me some weeks to make up my mind.

I asked my parents for help, because I knew I wouldn't have the money for everything :( But my 30th birthday was going to be soon, so they gave me the flight tickets as a gift.

And basically, I ended up having only 3 months to prepare everything... I didn't even have an updated passport! But 3 months were enough, everything was ok, and my journey started on March 28...

[to be continued]

* I wasn't looking for this, I wasn't even thinking of going abroad soon, but, luckily, this ad changed everything. Now I know I would've loved spending more time there, and I'll surely consider this next time I travel - no idea when it'll be possible...