So after a long day in Gallipoli and getting back very late, I had to wake up for class. Luckily my teacher (Donatella) did not give the class any homework. I woke up very late and had a quick breakfast and put on comfortable clothes. The first part of class, everyone in my group walked to the piazza to visit la libreria. The assignment was to find a book you like to read, would like to read, and one that stands out to you in the book store. Of course I wondered over to the sports section of the library and found Andre Agassi's book Open in Italian, as well as John McEnroe's and Monica Seles's books. I also found all of Nicholas Sparks's books written in Italian including La canzone ultima. The book I said I would like to read is called In Nome della Madre. It is a hebrew book that was written in English. It was a small, light book, that did not look too difficult, so I decided to purchase the book for eight euros.
After the book store I wondered into a cook book store, and browsed through some books, looking at all the pictures of the delicious food. I also found the wine my Uncle recommended and it was called cantele salice salentino. I am definitely going to go back to the store to buy it. Once everyone finished the assignment at the book store, the group walked back to class and we had a fifteen minute break to cool down and drink cold refreshments. During the last hour of class we talked about the books we saw or bought, and what type of books we like to read. One question my teacher asked everyone was what type of character would you want to be in a story. Most girls said they wanted to be the girl who fell in love with the handsome man in a romance novel. I said I wanted to be the girl who goes on adventures and gets to experience different parts of the world. Sometimes I feel like I am currently being written about for a novel because everyday during my study abroad, I have been going on mini adventures and seeing new things (and "living the dream")
Once class was over I ran over to the panetteria to buy fresh bread for the day. At home I rarely eat bread, but here (in Italy) the bread is so fresh. I also have not been eating a lot of protein since we make our own food. I don't eat read meat, and the grocery store does not sell sliced turkey or chicken. I have been eating greek yogurt some days for protein as well as fresh tuna fish. I definitely miss my mom's cooking, her grilled chicken, and my smoothies every morning. But I am happy that I paid attention this summer when my mom cooked so I know how to cook this semester. (maybe I will invest in a blender in Bologna) For lunch I made a salad with tunafish, fresh tomatoes, a carrot and some balsamic with a small roll. It was delicious and the perfect amount of food. I then took a short nap and got ready to go to the beach.
We boarded the bus and drove to the Villa Tafuri off the coast of Nardò. The walk down to the beach was about a half of mile, down a steep hill with rocks. Good thing our program director told us to wear sneakers and bring sandals. After arriving to the beach, a couple of my friends and I found a nice place under the trees to leave our things and relax. Half of us went in the water first and half of us watched each others things. I stayed back first and took a nice nap in the shade. (Yes Mom I made sure I had sunscreen on). After the others returned, it was my turn to go in. To enter the water I had to climb down some rocks/cliffs. The walk was scary but once I entered the water, it felt so refreshing. My friends and I swam (nuotare) for almost 45 minutes and enjoyed the scenery. We even tried to speak to each other in Italian. After two hours at the beach, the group met at a meeting point and we all walked back up the hill to the bus. I took a lovely nap on the way home in air condition and when we arrived back to our apartments I felt energized.
At 18:45, a couple people joined me to workout. I love that my mom sends me the daily workout routines from Old School Fitness because I feel like I never miss a day. The workout we did was called the dirty dozen and it wasn't too difficult but it was definitely challenging. After working out I took a nice cold shower and did my laundry. There is only a washer so all of the clothes need to be hung dry. I was just happy there was a washer because I needed to wash all my smelly workout clothes and dirty towels (I miss my grandpa doing my wash when he visits). While my laundry was getting clean, I made myself dinner (a roll sliced with greek yogurt on top, fresh peaches and fresh tomato and some balsamic vinegar). Once again, a delicious meal. After dinner I hung all my clothes on the line outside in our courtyard, and I relaxed in my room.
Even though I was super tired, I decided to go out with some of the girls in my group. It was definitely a mistake. An hour after being out I wanted to go back to bed, but no one wanted to leave (and I could not walk by myself) so I ended up staying out till two in the morning. It was a very long day, and I am just happy I am in my bed. At least tomorrow we have no class because it is a religious holiday in Italy. I plan to sleep in as late as possible. Buona notte
Con tanto amore,
Samantha
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| Many people were at the beach! |
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| The sun was very strong so we found shade under trees. |
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| There were many cliffs to jump off of. I only climbed down them to get into the water. |
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