farewell, my dear friend Italy.

As I remember, it was freshman year that I discovered this study abroad program. I remember exploring the Health and Human Development website for the first time and noticing that the nutrition department here at Penn State had their own program to travel and study in Italy.

I thought to myself, how awesome it would be to experience that.

Freshman year passed, sophomore year came along and I still kept up to date on what was happening with the program, I even signed up for emails and I was receiving the same emails as the students that were going on the trip at that time. It was fascinating. Junior year came along and it became decision time. Who knew mom would let me travel half way around the world?! Two hours up to State College was far enough for her it seemed. But, mom surprised all and helped me with the application. I remember the night like it was yesterday. Sitting in my Hamilton dorm room off in the hidden lost third, door number 321. Alyssa still my roommate, sitting at the opposite side of the room observing my excitment of submitting my application for this IPN (International Program in Nutrition).

I remember as soon as I submitted it and hung up the phone with mom, I updated my status on FB to, 'just submitted my application for study abroad to Rome, Italy!' I got sooo many comments. Many of them being, 'does your mom know you did this?!' haha, well, she did it with me and it was mostly her decision. and let me tell you, it has been the best decision EVER.

Here I am, blogging in Italy at 2am ready to board a plane back to the states in a few short hours. The program is done. My time here in Italy is over. I can not believe that I did this. That I am here and have been here for 7 weeks, doing as the Romans do. I have SEEN so much, I have LEARNED so much, I have EATEN so much. This has been a journey like no other that I will never ever forget.

A few days ago, I started making little sticky notes about what I will miss and surprisingly, some things that I will not miss.

Here are my thoughts:

I will miss ...

-Italy (obv)

-Roma

- strolling through the cobblestone streetsides

-the jewish ghetto

-the walk to class

-pizze rosa

-early morning adventures to the outdoor markets

-saying 'ciao' and 'bongiorno!' to my elder italian friends

-eating food ALL day long

-watching the claudster get loopy

-skyping with my family (its way cooler to skype when you are far far away)

-euro beach soccer

-learning something new about the city of Roma each and every day

*Architecture

*food

*history

-trips with the nutr 399 class

-fresh water, anywhere and everywhere!

-listening to italian children speak to their caregivers

-listening to the children sing in their school room as i walk pass

-piazza navona

-piazza venezia

-late night gelato runs

-the frigidarium

-coconut and dark chocolate gelato

-soaking in the sun on the terrace

-getting kicked out of the shower by Nick, and i quote ... "andiamo, Sahira!!!!!"

-blogging about italy

-prickly pear drinks

-watching the FIFA world cup 2010 in random places around italy

-being able to walk everywhere

-watching "when in Rome" or "letters to juliet" on fastpass tv a MILLION times and never getting to finish the entire movie. (although, last night, i was determined to sit down and watch the entire movie of "when in Rome". i wanted to make it a point that i watch it before i leave. it was a pretty good movie, by the way.

-my hair becoming more beautiful, shiny and very healthy due to the massive amounts of olive oil consumed

-zara

-dancing around in the apartment to waka waka

-wine tastings

-cornettos with nutella

-grilled and FRESH mozzarella

-goat cheese and walnut pasta

-fresh cherries (bing) - they are AMAZING here!

-truffles

-volpetti's

-sightseeing ... everyday

-acting like we are pure locals and staring at other Americans observing how rude and demanding they are being (i have learned so much of how other cultures interact with one another)

-pringoooooals!!!!

-having class in a castle

-having a key to everything ... made one feel so important

-the very convenient bar in the shower ... made it easier to shave thy legs

-living in an apartment with tons of kids my age ... life changing experience

-the saxaphone player on the crossing bridge

-the most richest, luxurious living homeless man i have ever seen and his adorable paralyzed doggy

-the so called 'opera' singing lady that always stands across from the cat sanctuary to put on her shows, she would give me such a huge grin everytime i looked at her

-just my overall experience, you have to be here to believe it. you need to experience it for yourself, pictures do not do justice neither does story telling

-learning a new italian word everyday

-the friends that i have made here (although i will see most of them back at school, it is just the fact that we are all parting from each other)

-Italy

-Italy

-Roma

-Italy

-did i mention that i will miss Italy?

***

I will not miss ...

-the moldy shower curtain

-the flooding floors in the bathroom

-the disgusting kitchen

-billa

-listening to the most *annoying* laugh EVER from you know who at the most awkward times. It scared the heebie jeebies out of me everytime!

-massive mosquitos

-not being able to go to meeting

-single spaced papers

-not being able to find blonde curly haired individuals ... hahahaha

-the trainstation

-tripe

-ox tail

-the 1 euro cent pieces

-not being able to use spell check

-dirty feet

-gypsy people

***

So I am sure the list could go on and on, but the less that I add here will mean the longer and more in depth my stories will be when I get home!

Which ... I am going to *hopefully* be airport bound in ~6 hours.

It is weird. Incredibly weird that this journey of mine is over. I have been all over the boot of Italy, top to bottom. I have learned everything there is to know about the Meditteranean diet, Architecture and the "interpretation" as Romolo would state it, and may I say that my Italian linguistics have improved immensely.

I feel as though there should be some music to accompany this post ... it is so sad. I mean ... extremely bitterSWEET.

Let's just say, I am so happy that I did this. It has added so many benefits/memories/skills/ideas/thoughts to my college career. I am a changed person. Or at least I think I am. My eyes are more opened to things and I have a different outlook on everything.

I want to thank my mom for giving me this opportunity to be here ... in Italy. Thank you to her for raising such a wonderful daughter (hehe) and giving her the chance to broaden her horizons. Thank you to her for helping me with everything, step by step through all. Extremely supportive, loving and caring she is. I cannot thank her enough for allowing me and supporting me through school and this huge adventure in my life. It is unexplainable how grateful I am! I mean, not many people get this wonderful opportunity, and she provided the means for me to be here.

I love you mom! I hope you like the olive oil I bring home! :P

One day, when I am on my feet, and have a job, and supporting myself, I am going to take me and ma on a trip back here ... that is my future hope. BUTTTT lets think about getting the internship first. Sorry, I keep thinking about it.

Anyway, this is sad, but I am saying goodbye to my home that was of this past 7 weeks ... tomorrow!

Italy has left a beautiful mark in my heart and I will miss it dearly.

I will see you all back home tomorrow! Let's hope I have safe travels, no delays, good weather, and a good experience with customs. If my wine gets taken away ... I will cry for days.

Farewell, my dear friend Italy. arrivederci! ciao! goodbye! ciao bella! ciao to the boot!

ciao ciao!

see you all very soon!

love and kisses.

ps- i may have some follow up blog posts about italy once i am home but for now this is the end of italy blogging. i hope you all enjoyed my scatter brained thoughts written in this online journal of mine.

i am hoping to keep live love eat up and running and blog throughout my upcoming school year and possibly even after that (but that is too far to think about right now). As of now, keep checking in because i enjoy recapping my daily adventures and i hope you do too!

ciao tutti bellas.

goodbye Rome, Italy.

we are ... Penn State!

Today, at 7am {eastern time} 1pm Italy time, I purchased my Penn State footballlll tickets for the Fall season.

It was stressful, competing among those other crazy seniors. I had first dibs.

I had the screen up at 6am {eastern time} ready to press the link and fire through to get the tickets. I was a fortunate one to get them! All the girls were sitting at the common table around me, biting their nails hoping I would get the tickets. And I did! (they are all soon-to-be juniors so I was the first one to go, they all buy their tickets tomorrow)

Does anyone else think it is really weird/crazy/bizzare/insane/unreal that I am going to be a senior in college?? What?

I still remember the day I put my application in and this moment felt so far away.

bow chicka wow wow!

we are ... Penn State!

by the way ... ~4 days until I come home! woot woot!

love and kisses.

ciao bellas!

Finding the Kingdom Hall. Fail.

Today. Today I tried to venture off by myself and find the kingdom hall. What a fail.

I have been trying to find the english congregation ever since I have been here. Communication with people back home, keeping my eye out for witnesses, doing research, asking people in the Pantheon Institute office. No success. Finally the ladies in the PI office discovered that the english halls were way too far from where I am located and too complicated to venture to. Although, they did do their research and found a hall ~1 hour from here ... but it was an Italian congregation.

I thought I'd give it a whirl. I mean, someone has to speak a little bit of english there, right? Plus, I have that excel spreadsheet that mom created for me! ha!

Anyway, I walked about 20 minutes to the bus station in Piazza Venezia. But let me tell you first, we went to an outside market early this morning and we got sopping wet from the pouring down rain. It hasn't rained like that since the first 2 weeks that we were here and of course it decides to pour like a monsoooon when I need to walk somewhere.

After the market, we came back to the apartment and I cleaned myself up preparing to head out to find my way to this Italian kingdom hall. The sun was peaking out a little bit behind the dark gloomy clouds so I thought it was promising that I would not get rained on.

So, back to what I was saying earlier, I walked to Piazza Venezia and found the right bus stop. I was so proud of myself that I found the right place to get the bus. Really, this is a work in progress. Finally getting the whole public transportation thing down the last week that I am here! Once I reached the bus stop, wouldn't you know it, it started pouring ... again. It poured for about 3 minutes then stopped. Have I mentioned that while I was standing at the bus stop, a gypsy looking person kept staring at me talking on his phone making me very uncomfortable. Plus it was a Sunday, it was raining, and the world cup was soon to be on ... so the streets were complete silent (rare for the city of Rome).

I waited and waited for the number 81 bus to arrive and it was taking forever. I thought, maybe I am on the wrong side? So, I hobbled with my wet feet across the cobblestone streets very carefully not to slip to find the other 81 bus going in the opposite direction. Still no success. Keep in mind, the gypsy dude is still staring.

It started pouring again. Like a MONSOOON.

I was pretty upset and gave up. With an incredibly sad look on my face, I headed back to Trastevere. The rain stopped once again on my way back to the apartment, so I thought since I was out, I would stop in the Jewish ghetto (not "ghetto" like at home. this is the REAL name. An area where one can find Jewish elementary schools, delicious restaurants serving Jewish/Italian foods, wonderful Jewish bakeries (favorite place to get pizze rosa) and people watchers) to get myself some bread. As I was walking into the ghetto, the calibrini (security-like people, sort of like polizia), were staring at me probably thinking I was crazy and asking themselves why this girl is wearing a skirt and flippy sandles on an incredibly rainy and windy day. I don't know ... what was she thinking???

So I got my bread, still hobbling around, focusing not to fall ... and it pours again. I mean. Seriously?!

And this was not like before, the rain was pouring harder than ever and the wind was blowing so strong. By this time, I looked like a drowned rat and my clothes were turning see through. I was waiting on the bridge to let the wind and rain pass a bit before I kept walking. As I went to fix my umbrella, a HUGE gust of wind came by. FLEW my skirt up in mid air -- gave the calibrini a show and my umbrella completely turned inside out. What a scene.

I was trying to keep a hold onto my umbrella for dear life while trying to hold my sopping wet see through skirt down while also trying to save my bread from getting ruined!

Oh my. It was horrible. The rain finally stopped again and I rushed as fast I could with wet feet and wet hair and wet clothes back home to the apartment.

Let's just say, I can't wait to get home and conveniently get to the kingdom hall without all of this rigor moro.

phew.

So would you like to see what I looked like? Of course I needed to capture this moment in photo.

Thank you Christine for the following pictures:

yes, thumbs down.

see throughhhh! sopping wet.

pa! hahaha.

woo hoo!

Did I mention my umbrella broke?

So all in all, at least I tried.

After changing into comfy dry clothes. I got my bread out that I got in the Jewish ghetto and slathered it with peanut butter and jelly. (the bread was the only thing that was dry when I got home)

Then skyped with mom the rest of the day.

Here is a picture of the bread I bought:

Spelt and sunflower seeds.

I hope everyone had a glorious Sunny Sunday!

Stay dry! ;)

Love and Kisses.

Ciao!

Oh. My. Larabar.

A few days ago, I got a new Larabar Newsletter sent to me via email. First words I saw:

Greetings from Larabar! New Flavors are here!

Do you know how excited I got? very.

I immediately went to the website to check the news.

Have you ever tasted a Larabar before?

If not. you must.

Larabars are gluten free, all natural, raw fruit and nut bars. Just pure and simple. Larabar contains what your body needs - real, whole food loaded with nature's own minerals and vitamins. (I'm not saying that you can eat larabars for the rest of your life and be set though, you know what I mean).

Larabar's Philosophy is: Simple. Pure. Delicious.

What you eat is healthiest and most satisfying when it's in a whole, natural state.

The larabar company name comes from an ancient belief that food falls into two categories:

BECKONING FOODS - which beckon consumption again and again, sapping the body of energy without any real health benefits. Today, that is what we call "junk foods!"

and

HUMM FOODS - resonate with energy in a whole, natural state. When you consume a larabar, they cause you to feel vibrant and alive.

You can expect an unmistakable urge to humm after every larabar you eat! :)

So, drumroll please ... the 4 new flavors of the larabar family:

1.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip.

Everyone's favorite flavor combination. Made with tons of fiber, protein from the peanuts and fair trade chocolate chips.


2.

Carrot Cake.

Good source of Vitamin A and potassium and also a 1/2 serving of fruit. Combination of carrots, nuts, raisins, pineapple, and coconut. (I am very excited to try this one.)

3.

Chocolate Chip Brownie.

4.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

I'm sure you'll swear you are eating the real thing when you taste this, and how many real cookies provide you with a 1/2 serving of fruit?!

So there you have it, the new Four Fantastic Flavors.

Go and buy some! I can't wait to get home so I can try these. I heard they are selling larabars at Target now! woo hoo!

So even though all of those new flavors sound redic wonderful, can you guess which is my all time favorite??

PB&J, of course!

Pictures courtesy of Larabar.

Love and Kisses.

Ciao!

Waka Waka love this!

In lieu of the FIFA World Cup 2010, enjoy!

A Package!

Yesterday afternoon, I received a HUGE package from mom. I have been anxiously awaiting this box for a while, checking the Fedex tracking confirmation everyday. :) And finally, it arrived.

All of my classmates were so excited to see what was inside. I went to pick it up in between classes so I had been carrying it around with me through the Italian street sides back to our apartment, and let. me. tell. you. it was so heavy. 10 lbs to be exact.

When we arrived back at the apartment from our LAST day of class (for nutrition, anyway) I needed to play show-and-tell. I was so excited, as was everyone else.

I tried to open the package in class (while we were having discussion time in our groups, haha) because all I kept hearing was, "hurry hurry, open it!" and "Sahira, what did you get?!" All I could say was, "I at least know there is a jar of peanut butter inside!!!"

I finally did get it open, the tape was incredibly sticky, with the help of Caitlin and Christine in my group. We didn't have time to look through everything, obviously, because we were in class.

I took a picture before we caved in and ripped the box apart!

Addressed to: Sabrina Copenhaver. ;)

Back to the apartment. Ready. set. GO!

First I found a note from my lovely momma:

{Sorry it is sideways}

It read:

Hi- my love!

Hope you are happy with the items and you find useful, not too late.

And that some are a nice surprise! :-)

Miss you! Look forward to when you come home.

Enjoy your stay!

Momma.

{I liked how she crossed out her full name on her penske note sheet and wrote momma. funny.} :)

And on the back was a note explaining the very detailed, organized excel spreadsheet she created for me to help me learn and utilize the Italian language better. I will be speaking fabulous Italian this last week that I am here! haha. Thank you mom, for taking the time to create that.

It was a very sweet note.

So, here is what was inside the box:

My favorites.

Anddddd ... Peanut Butter! Oh, how I have missed thee. I can now (and did already) make a pb&j, my all time favorite meal. ever.

A laptop case. Now my computer will not get crumby from the mess around the apartment and I can keep it from getting scratched. Plus, easier portability.

Extra surprises, Gap t-shirts. Another one of my favorites. Before I left for Italy, I bought some of these, but I bought size large thinking they would shrink and I wanted them a little loose, but they are way to big so mom got me smaller sizes.

A huge supply of laundry detergent and bug spray. Also to the left of the picture, my duffel to bring all of this home! and some pretty skirts and a dress.

While I was digging through the box seeing what was inside, every so often a little post card would fall out. Mom had wrapped them in the shirts and tucked them in different places. That was fun, and they were fun to read. One from the Wilson family, the High family, Troy.Gwen.Kylee.and Aubrey, and Uncle Billy and Aunt Jonnie.

Thank you for the post cards they were lovely. I love getting Amish country postcards in Italy. It makes me miss PA even more!

After unpacking the box and putting everything away, I finally made myself a peanut butter and jelly. I cherished it. devoured it, slowly. enjoyed it.

Can you tell how much I have missed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? a lot.

PB&J, Italian style:

Thank you mom for the wonderful package from home, I appreciated it very much. You are so thoughtful. caring. kind. loving. generous. good hearted. beautiful. hospitable. and a great mom.

I love you dearly and miss you very much!

But I will see you soon!

I love you!

9 days and counting.

***

Love and Kisses!

ciao!

Sowing Seeds of Hunger

This past week has been all FAO. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Its headquarters is based in Rome and is a huge organization that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Achieving food security for ALL is at the heart of FAO's efforts, to make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.

Source

FAO's mandate is to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural productivity, better the lives of the rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world economy.

FAO provides the kind of behind the scenes assistance that helps people and nations help themselves. If a community wants to increase crop yields but lacks the techinical assistance or skills, FAO introduces simple sustainable tools and techniques for the community. When a drought pushes already vulnerable groups to the point of famine, FAO will mobilize action to help.

FAO is governed by the Conference of Member Nations. They meet every two years to review the work carried out by the organization and approve a program of work and budget.

FAO is composed of 8 different departments within. Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Economic and Social Development, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Forestry, Natural Resources Management and Environment, Technical Cooperation, Human, Financial, and Physical Resources and Knowledge and Communication.

This picture above is one small section of the FAO building. This is their banner for their 1 billion people hungry campaign. It says, 1 billion people live in chronic hunger and I'm mad as hell. Pretty strong statement, huh?

So everyday, well almost everyday of this past week, we have visited FAO to listen to presentations from various workers from different departments within to tell us about what they are doing and what their job consists of.

Despite the long days of sitting in cold rooms with comfy chairs, I had a lot of fun visiting FAO. I learned a lot, seen a lot, and I felt like a professional. :) We needed to dress nicely and we each got a special name tag which was our building pass. Not many people get the privilege to visit FAO, so I felt honered to be able to walk the halls of the corporation and sit in the actual conference rooms where big honchos speak at very important conferences with people all around the world.

Here are some of the topics that we learned about:

Assessment Issues:

-Nutrition requirements, composition, assessment and biodiversity

-Distance-learning Tool for Self-learners and Universities

Nutrition Education and Communication:

-Nutrition Education work

-Update on Feeding Minds and new nutrition lessons

-Overview and highlights of nutrition education in schools and school garden projects

Community Nutrition and Food Safety:

-Food security policies and programmes: impact of the food and financial crisis

-Food-based approaches for combating hunger and malnutrition

-Food Safety, as an element of food security and nutrition foods

-Unsafe food and global impact, need for global response

-Capacity building and HIV Mitigation: Project on Improving the Food and Nutrition Security of HIV Affected Communities, particularly in Lesotho and Malawi

***

Let's just say FAO is hard at work? yes.

Above and below, some of the signs that hang among the walls in the FAO building.

1 billion people. hungry. that's A LOT.

FAO has a petition to sign and end hunger.

My signature.

FAO has a blend with the United Nations and together, they created what they call, the MDG's. Millenium Development Goals to be reached by 2015. It is a huge document of goals related to nutrition, poverty, hunger etc etc. FAO and many others are realizing that these goals are moving much too slow and will not be reached by 2015. Even though FAO and its partners are making much progress and improving some situations and helping many many people throughout the world, they will never be able to cure all the problems and sorrows. Mankind will never be able to cure the hunger situation in the world but we can try as hard as possible to help feed those who have the right to food, right now.

Which by the way, is my topic for presentation on Monday. The Right to Food.

Sahira's tidbit {God will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.-Rev. 21:4.

When God's will is done on earth, people will not get sick or die because of inherited sin and imperfection. The dead in God's memory will have the opportunity to live forever, for the Bible promises: "There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous." There will be no more war, illness, or hunger, and the earth will be transformed into a paradise}.

So in do saying, no matter how much good FAO is putting forth, only one solution will cure the hunger situation.

Me at FAO. One day I'll be a professional. This was just practice. :)

The group at FAO.

Love and kisses.

Ciao for now!

Yogurt lovin'

Hello everyone!

While enjoying this quiet Sunday evening in Roma, I thought I'd write to you about yogurt!

All of my fellow roommates here have noticed my slight obsession with the creamy goodness. We have been around each other for a decent amount of time and have gotten to know a lot about each other, including favorite foods...because we are nutrition majors and all we talk about is FOOD! (for the most part) :)

I love going to different markets around town and finding the many different varieties that Italy has to offer.

Obviously Stonyfield will ALWAYS be my favorite, but I am taking risks and trying new things.

Like Activia yogurt! I never buy Activia in the states, but when we did our first market exploration here, it was the only type that looked familiar to me. And I am glad I chose it because it is wonderful! It taste so much better than the Activia at home. Is that weird? They also have so many different flavors compared to back home. For example, kiwi? Yes, it is amazing and I am slightly addicted to it. Also, fig, pineapple...and the norm: strawberry, blueberry, etc etc.

A few days ago, I ventured off to a new market and I found Fage yogurt. It is greek yogurt and they do have this in the states but I never buy it because I always buy Stonyfield. From now until I leave Italy, all I am buying is Fage yogurt. If you have never had it, go and get some!

This is a picture of my yogurt collection right now. I am running low and need to get some more soon. The Fage that I got is honey and walnut. yes!

So this post is not just going to be about me ranting about my love for yogurt but also the health benefits of eating yogurt.

The health benefits of yogurt have been sited for centuries, but many people still don't realize just how valuable yogurt can be to living a healthy lifestyle. Yogurt can actually benefit your health in a variety of ways. The most outstanding benefit of yogurt comes right from the unique way that it is made. Yogurt is simply milk or cream that is cultured with active live cultures. These cultures are the key to many of yogurt's health benefits. Active live cultures are good bacteria that are necessary for the body to function at its best. This good bacteria prevents the growth of harmful bacteria that cause bacterial infections and diseases. Healthy levels of good bacteria promotes digestive health and can boost the immune system.

Eating yogurt regularly can help restore your good bacteria levels. Active live cultures actually reduce yogurt's level of lactose, making yogurt a delicious dairy alternative for anyone who is lactose intolerant.

Since yogurt is made from dairy products, it is a very good source of calcium which is beneficial for bone and teeth health. Calcium is especially important for those trying to prevent osteoporosis and bone density loss. Healthy levels of calcium can also encourage the body to maintain and lose weight.

Yogurt is also a good source of protein, especially greek yogurt (like Fage) which helps give the body energy to keep you going throughout the day. Protein is an essential building block for many systems in the body, including your muscles. Protein is also good for curbing your appetite and helping you feel full for a longer period of time.

Yogurt can be incorporated into your diet in a variety of ways. By adding fruit, granola, nuts, or for indulgence...dark chocolate. You can use this as a replacement for your usual dolce. Yogurt can also be substituted in many different recipes to make healthier.

When buying yogurt, the more natural the product is, the more beneficial it will be to your health. Organic yogurt is the best! Look for yogurt that is low in sugar and without trans fats and high fructose corn syrup. Also look for artificial sweeteners...stay away from them! Always check the levels of active live cultures in your yogurt. The more active live cultures, the more benefits you will receive from eating the yogurt. Keep in mind that yogurt should be made with pasteurized milk or cream, but any pasteurizing done after the culturing process can kill the active live cultures and keep you from reaping their benefits.

My favorite way to have yogurt is with granola and fruit. Do you like eating yogurt? What is your favorite kind/brand to purchase? What do you like to add, if anything, to your yogurt?

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I know I did. :) We went to the beach soccer cup nationals 2010 in Roma and it was so much fun. Today, some of us went to visit the colosseum hoping we would get inside but that didn't happen. But we got some great shots from the outside. We will just save that excursion for the last week we are here.

Next week is going to be very busy with school shenanigans. We are visiting FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and WFP (United Nations World Food Programme-Fighting Hunger Worldwide) and working on our presentations for next Monday. It should be fun! We need to dress nice and everything! :) Although, our professor just sent us all a crabby email about our papers from last week. Uh, guessing we didn't follow directions according to him? BTW, he told us to do an intense research and write a 2-3 page SINGLE spaced paper in a few hours. I thought I did well. :) We'll see tomorrow.

It's suddenly not quiet anymore, stereo love is in the air (nutrition crew 2010...our song)

Talk to you soon!

Love and kisses!

Go buy some yogurt and think of me!

ciao!

Dear Pompeii: I am sorry! Love, Mount Vesuvius

Hello!

Welcome June! I can't believe we are in the month of June already!

This is post overload!

So be prepared! :)

Before we left for our past southern Italy trip, the class did ANOTHER market walk with Dr. Probart. This was more like a deli type market, but it was fabulous!

Volpetti's!

This store/little Italian market sells all types of cheeses, meats, different types/flavors of olive oil, balsamico, sweets, EVERYTHING!

(and we got to taste it all!)

First he thought he would quiz us (and stump our knowledge) but since we have already learned about and the history of *all* foods before we arrived to Volpetti's, we showed him how smart we all were! (all about parm, mozz, balsamico, olives/olive oil, bread, pancetta, etc)

The inside of Volpetti's.

Hamhocks. Pancetta in the making.

He was asking us, "what is this?" Pancetta, of course!

Last year's nutrition crew, 2009. We took a photo at the end too, our picture will replace this one. :) Maddy, where are you in this picture?

Cheese creations.

Cutting Pecorino Romano. This is a chore in itself!

Phew!

Pouring aceto balsamico for tasting.

The very expensive truffles! We got to taste truffle oil, it reminded me of chinese food.

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese!

He finally smiled for me! :)

***

Our first stop on our southern trip: the ruins of Pompeii!

The site of Pompeii, petrified memorial to Mount Vesuvius's eruption on the morning of August 24, AD 79, is the largest most accessible, and probably most famous of excavations anywhere.

Mount Vesuvius!

The entrance way into the ruins.

Pretty flowers that I saw on the way in.

Beginning of the Arch lecture.

This random American couple asked Professor Martemucci if they could follow along on our tour (because they heard us speaking American). The wife was funny and the husband seemed bored. haha.

Pumice walls in the ruins of Pompeii.

The city center. The forum.

Mount Vesuvius in the background. I was so enthralled. I couldn't stop staring at it!

Professor Martemucci showing us the tracks of cart wheels cut into the road surface.

As we walk through Pompeii, covered with dust and decay as it is, the city seems to come alive. Perhaps it is the familiar signs of life observed along the ancient streets: bakeries with large ovens just like those for making pizzas, graffiti etched onto the plastered surfaces of street walls. Coming upon a thermopolium (snack bar), we imagine natives calling out, "let's move on to the am-phitheater." But a glance up at Mount Vesuvius, still brooding over the scene like an enormous headstone, reminds us that these folks, whether imagined in our heads or actually wearing the lava dust-have not taken a breath for centuries.

The town was laid out in a grid pattern, with two main intersecting streets. The wealthiest took a whole block for themselves and those less fortunate built a house and rented out the front rooms, facing the street, as shops.

They had walkways! This was convenient when they didn't want to walk in the animal poo.

eek! The inside of a brothel. There was some pretty provacative engraved images in this little area. I did take pictures, but I am not blogging about them!

The excavated ruins are a unique and spooky glimpse into everyday life- and sudden death- in Roman times.

Amazing.

We found a smiley face in the road. :)

me, crossing the bridge. a sweaty mess.

***

After a day spent in the ruins of Pompeii, we headed for Paestum.

Here is Hotel Calypso:

The beach right behind our hotel. It looked beautiful from a distance, but it was dirty and full of litter once you got onto the sand.

After we checked into the hotel, we had dinner at Hotel Calypso's restaurant.

The dining area where we had breakfast and dinner for the next two days.

The artistic floor. This hotel was family owned (Roberto was the father) and run but an au natural viewpoint. I loved it! All organic, homegrown meals. Everything made from scratch. He didn't even have wi-fi in his hotel because he doesn't want the electronic waves going through his home (the hotel).

My place setting at dinnertime.

The house wine.

First course. Fresh pasta made from wheat that was ground up by Roberto's wife. Mixed with cheese, a bit of tomato sauce, and potatoes. Tossed together and baked. Oh so good.

Second course. I never know what kind of meat I am eating here, but obviously it was antibiotic/hormone free, so I ate. Maybe turkey? And wonderful potatoes cooked with olive oil and salt.

And do you see that little piece of bread on my plate? It was whole wheat! The first time I have had whole wheat bread here in Italy! Although, I feel better eating white flour here too, rather than at home. But the whole wheat was amazing! That too, was homemade.

dolce. One thing we have all been craving...fruit! It was a mixture of grapefruit, apples, cantelope...in a fresh juice of a blood orange.

***

The next day, we went to the Mozzarella di bufala factory!

Mozz in the making:

This is the classic porcelain white, SUPER-fresh cheese which is essential for the best pizze and a pure joy to eat fresh.

Making fresh mozzarella balls from the buffalo milk.

Dr. Probart said that the last time she was at this factory they were making these mozz balls by hand, and now it is a machine-done process. Oh, technology.

So cool. :)

Skiming the whey.

The mozzarella di bufala workers.

Hard at work, packaging the fresh cheese.

We got to taste the goodness!

We ate SO much mozzarella that day. It was very watery and kind of squeaky on the teeth, but it was very tasty! You could taste the freshness! Claudster kept saying, eat up! You will never ever have this chance again to eat such fresh mozzarella! The mozz that we tasted was literally just taken from the brand new batch.

***

Still in Paestum.

The next day, we headed to the remarkably well-preserved Greek temples of Paestum.

We had an Arch lecture here with Martemucci.

The first temple that we saw. It is amazing that they are all still standing after all of these years.

This is the site of an ancient city of Poseidonia (what it used to be called, but now latinized to Paestum), founded by Greek colonists in the 6th centuryBC.

My favorite temple out of all that we had seen.

This was a labyrinth inside of the *pool*. It was so much fun.

The doggy that followed us EVERYWHERE! Here in Italy, animals are pretty much let run wild (and loved by all). They just roam the streets like it is no big deal. There were a few dogs that lived in the Paestum streets and the sign said that they are well taken care of but would be more taken care of if they were adopted by a loving family. The one girl in my class fell in love with this dog, she walked all the way back to the bus with us and gave the sadest face as we were leaving. She (the dog) watched the bus go. The girl in my class cried. :( I think they named her Athena.

***

After hanging out with the Greek temples, we headed up the mountain to a wonderful winery for lunch and wine tasting.

This was like a quiche made with pasta and ham.

Grilled mozzarella! Best thing ever! (maybe second to a PB&J) ;)

My wine. The best tasting wine I have ever had. This is the kind that I am bringing home.

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel-got changed and later had dinner.

This is Roberto in the background (the owner of hotel Calypso). He was so nice and very hospitable. He had a lovely family. His son was so cute. He was ~5 or 6 years old. Curly hair and all. He helped serve our dishes, but he was impossible to photograph, he refused and he moved too fast!

Our first course. Gnocchi with tomato sauce. So good!

Second course, a *meatloaf* with egg, and sauteed vegetables.

ANDDD...we FINALLY got CAKE! This was the second thing we have all been craving besides fresh fruit (which we got the first night) It was like a tiramisu cake. Oh.my.goodness.yum.

Pimple mania! ew. :)

***

The next day, before we left to head back to Roma, Roberto's wife gave us a pasta lesson. She taught us how she makes her homemade pasta.

Her earthy set-up.

In the little jars with the colored lids, were whole grains. Like barley, millet, etc.

Different types of pasta.

Her Grano machine that she uses to grind up her whole seeds, the grains. I want one of these so bad!

She also showed us the cleaning process of the grains, where she gets them, and what she uses the different grains for.

There she is! Roberto's wife.

The Grano, hard at work!

Showing us how to make a Gnocchi dough.

Showing us how to form a Gnocchi. We all got a chance to try. She said I did very well. :)

Our little Gnocchi pastas.

Her pasta shaping tools.

We got to taste. I think these are Gnocchi alla romana, which is totally unlike the other gnocchi. From Roma, these are round disks of cooked semolina pasta which are cut into flattish rounds and baked. She baked these with olive oil, salt, and fresh rosemary.

***

Next, we headed to the trainstation to get back to home sweet Rome. (that's how we feel when we are away from it for too long).

Waiting for our euro star. Oh, good ole' Trenitalia.

The end.

It is after 1am here in Italy, and I am falling asleep as I write this. I shall soon go to bed. I have a full day of classes ahead of me tomorrow, starting at 9am.

Talk to you soon!

ciao! :)