Dear Mom,
As you know, last week was a sad week for my English. All those essays... Oh well at least that's over and those applications are submitted! Thank you for your help! And also great big thanks to Dad for getting it mailed! Most of the week was spent writing (actually I should say *attempting to write) those essays, so I didn't do much this week. One of my classes was really fun though! I finally convinced my technical design teacher to let me work on something and I've been doing proiezioni ortogonali. I draw a shape/solid in the first square on my sketch paper and then "project" it into the other squares and it becomes how it would look from all the different points of perspective. It's really fun! And I'm actually quite good at visualizing in my mind of how an object looks from all the different sides. I also enjoy math when we do planar geometry because I can really visualize the prisms and angles from a different view and know than an angle really is 90 degrees instead of a little tiny angle of 26 dgrees or something. My design teacher says I'm good at it me that I have a good hand for it, and I also enjoy it so that a bonus!
Saturday was a good day too. These past few days I have been reading Harry Potter and I just finished the second one. I didn't really want to start the third though because for one it takes a lot more time to read in another language but I also didn't want to get too into it like it normally happens when I read a book/series. So I suggested to my friends that we watch the movies instead! Saturday after school we started our "Harry Potter Marathon" and finished the first three movies. It was weird to see them though because they changed some of the names. For example Dumbledore is "Albus Silente" and Snape is "Professore Piton." There are a bunch of other names that were changed and it was almost hard to follow the story (especially in the books) because I didn't know who was doing what. It was a good though to spend time with friends after a week of staying home and working.
Well, March 28 passed and I officially have less than three months left here in Italy. I decided that I would like to read the Book of Mormon in Italian before I come home, or in other words in 3 months. I am starting at the beginning, but it's an open offer for anyone who would like to join me. Even if you are in 3 Nephi you can read starting in 3rd Nephi and ending in 3rd Nephi. I really believe that it will have a positive effect on my last three months here and will make them more memorable and special. I love you all so very much and I'm grateful to you for your examples!
Carolina
...
Monday, March 31, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
I think I'll call this post "Life"
Dear Mom,
It's been quite a "life-ish" week. I don't intend "life-ish" in a lively sense to mean exciting and full of grand, extraordinary events, but almost the opposite actually in the sense that it was quite an ordinary week that seemed just like a normal week in life. And it was great! The more time I spend with my new family and Jessica the more grateful and happy I am to be here and the more I see what a normal life of an Italian student can be like. I've come to enjoy studying more because now I finally have the books to study but I also have someone else studying by my side who can help me if I don't understand a word or a concept. Aside from studying, we also seem to be spending a lot of time sleeping. More often that not these two activities coincide and we find ourselves falling asleep while we study, but even that is fun because Jessica and I will be studying on the couch and I'll wake up with my head in her lap or with hers on my shoulder or with a blanket that a loving mother has brought by to cover us with. I really enjoy living with this family, they make me feel so loved and welcome. The mother left Tuesday for London to stay with her son for about a month, so it's me and Jess and the dad for a bit. He works a lot so it's often just us, but we take care of each other and manage to not burn the house down.
On Friday we didn't have school because there was an assembly "senza obbligo" and so we planned a picnic in the Villa Bellini. It's a beautiful park in Via Etnea (the Main Street of the city center). Well, it's the closest thing to a park they have here as grass as we know it is practically nonexistent and you can forget about picnic tables or typical playground sets. It was still a great time though as we played frisbee (thank you so much for buying me a frisbee to bring Dad, it has been well-used and appreciated!) and volleyball, as well as playing with numerous children who were attracted by the ball. I hadn't been outdoors to just enjoy the sun for a while and it was so rejuvenating and wonderful! Jessica says I look more tan now, but I think I'm mostly just more pink...
Saturday we took the bus early to Ragusa to see Ibla and a typical festival at Scicli. It was to celebrate the Holy Family's flight from Egypt, as they explained to us, and there were tons of horses covered in flowers and designs. I felt bad for the horses though because the decorations looked quite heavy. We spent the night in Ragusa with Rotarian families who hosted us for the night and my family there was so kind and they had a beautiful apartment on the 7th floor that overlooked the whole city! In the free time we had for a bit before the festival I took a shower and let my hair dry out on the terrace while I read Harry Potter 2 in Italian with a beautiful panorama behind it.
All in all it was a very good week and possibly even one of my favorites so far because of it's simplicity and enjoyment in just living it. I'm learning that life (and especially being an exchange student) isn't about all the stupendous things we do or the marvelous things we see, but about doing normal things and enjoying them and finding happiness in just being alive and capable to do the things we do. I love you all so very much and I hope you are all enjoying being part of this great thing called LIFE!
Carolina
It's been quite a "life-ish" week. I don't intend "life-ish" in a lively sense to mean exciting and full of grand, extraordinary events, but almost the opposite actually in the sense that it was quite an ordinary week that seemed just like a normal week in life. And it was great! The more time I spend with my new family and Jessica the more grateful and happy I am to be here and the more I see what a normal life of an Italian student can be like. I've come to enjoy studying more because now I finally have the books to study but I also have someone else studying by my side who can help me if I don't understand a word or a concept. Aside from studying, we also seem to be spending a lot of time sleeping. More often that not these two activities coincide and we find ourselves falling asleep while we study, but even that is fun because Jessica and I will be studying on the couch and I'll wake up with my head in her lap or with hers on my shoulder or with a blanket that a loving mother has brought by to cover us with. I really enjoy living with this family, they make me feel so loved and welcome. The mother left Tuesday for London to stay with her son for about a month, so it's me and Jess and the dad for a bit. He works a lot so it's often just us, but we take care of each other and manage to not burn the house down.
On Friday we didn't have school because there was an assembly "senza obbligo" and so we planned a picnic in the Villa Bellini. It's a beautiful park in Via Etnea (the Main Street of the city center). Well, it's the closest thing to a park they have here as grass as we know it is practically nonexistent and you can forget about picnic tables or typical playground sets. It was still a great time though as we played frisbee (thank you so much for buying me a frisbee to bring Dad, it has been well-used and appreciated!) and volleyball, as well as playing with numerous children who were attracted by the ball. I hadn't been outdoors to just enjoy the sun for a while and it was so rejuvenating and wonderful! Jessica says I look more tan now, but I think I'm mostly just more pink...
Saturday we took the bus early to Ragusa to see Ibla and a typical festival at Scicli. It was to celebrate the Holy Family's flight from Egypt, as they explained to us, and there were tons of horses covered in flowers and designs. I felt bad for the horses though because the decorations looked quite heavy. We spent the night in Ragusa with Rotarian families who hosted us for the night and my family there was so kind and they had a beautiful apartment on the 7th floor that overlooked the whole city! In the free time we had for a bit before the festival I took a shower and let my hair dry out on the terrace while I read Harry Potter 2 in Italian with a beautiful panorama behind it.
All in all it was a very good week and possibly even one of my favorites so far because of it's simplicity and enjoyment in just living it. I'm learning that life (and especially being an exchange student) isn't about all the stupendous things we do or the marvelous things we see, but about doing normal things and enjoying them and finding happiness in just being alive and capable to do the things we do. I love you all so very much and I hope you are all enjoying being part of this great thing called LIFE!
Carolina
...
Speaking of enjoying the sun, the picture for this week is a picture a friend of mine took while we were doing just that from the roof of another friend's Chinese restaurant. She put it as the icon of our group message chat with the caption "Carol allo Spiedo." *Hint: spiedo is the spit thing they put chickens and pigs on to roast them. It was then followed by comments such as "Girala! È bene cotta! (Turn her! She's well-cooked!)" I guess they've never seen anyone lay down on a chair before... PS for Valerie- it may look like my socks match but one is green and black stripes and the other is green and yellow. You don't have to worry yet, Italy hasn't changed me that much (:
Monday, March 17, 2014
Cześć! Co tam!
Dear Mom,
Once upon I time, I thought Italian was a difficult language to learn. And then Zuzanna showed up. Oh my heavens to Betsy goodness gracious Polish is impossible! I spent a whole week with a headache just from listening to the Polish kids talk to each other. By the end of the week I learned how to say "Hello! How are you?" Actually I should say I learned how to spell it because it sounds nothing like it looks and my pronunciation is atrocious. It was interesting to meet the Polish kids and learn about their lives though. They speak English incredibly well, which sadly the Italians do not so I also spent the week listening to the Italian kids that were hosting them trying to muddle through conversations with their guests. It was a fun week, but quite tiring and I still don't feel ready to tackle the homework and lessons I missed at school. I did however finally get to see some snow! Our excursion to Etna was the first time I got to touch real snow in almost a year and to be honest I had missed it. I might have thrown a few snowballs, but that's just between me and you... The weather wasn't typical Sicilian "Island of the Sun" weather and I felt bad for the Polish kids because they were hoping to escape ugly weather, but we managed to see all the things we had planned on. We also went to Taormina and I got to see the Greek Theater again.
Speaking of homework a minute ago I really should get going so I can attempt to be prepared tomorrow, but I'll try to make up for the short letter with some pictures. They were taken with my phone so they aren't high quality, but they turned out pretty well. I'll put some better ones up when I get them off my real camera. Love you all and miss you bunches! Hope everyone is well!
Carolina
...
Snow and lava!
Finally got to use my coat!
Il Teatro Grecco
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Carol's in front of a Greek temple!
From left to right: Naty (messicana), Mon (taiwanese), Carolina (americana), Inga (tedesca), e Fernanda (messicana)
Sunday, March 2, 2014
I found it! Here's the intriguing title: "Un titolo intrigante"
Dear Mom,
Yello! Today has been such a busy day, I have hardly had a free minute. From the moment I woke up, I was involved in a very serious international affair and my presence was vital to the success of the project. Then my help was needed in the domestic food-service arena. I then partecipated in a heavy-combat competition in a severe environment in which I was constrained to stay for 2 hours. It was brutal and I sustained many injuries, but I survived and made it out alive. I am now writing to you to document this very productive day, I would hate for anyone to forget how busy I have been. In other words, I woke up and was introduced to an aunt in Mauritius (in my pajames, looking absolutely stunning of course), and then I just had to help Jessica eat breakfast in the kitchen. The poor girl was so lonely. Then of course the brutal competition of "Fruit Ninja," which we carried out sitting on the tile floor in the hallway. Most of the injuries were sustatined to my rear end (2 hours on a hard floor can really do some serious damage, you know). I am now recovering on the couch next to Jessica with a portable heater within an arms-length away from us, documenting this historic day for the sake of posterity.
It has actually been a enjoyable Sunday, relaxing around the house and sleeping in. It's my third day with this new family and I wanted to spend time with them, so I didn't go to church today. Next week the Polish girl will be here so I won't be going to church, but I think I'll still be able to go regularly when I can.
Yello! Today has been such a busy day, I have hardly had a free minute. From the moment I woke up, I was involved in a very serious international affair and my presence was vital to the success of the project. Then my help was needed in the domestic food-service arena. I then partecipated in a heavy-combat competition in a severe environment in which I was constrained to stay for 2 hours. It was brutal and I sustained many injuries, but I survived and made it out alive. I am now writing to you to document this very productive day, I would hate for anyone to forget how busy I have been. In other words, I woke up and was introduced to an aunt in Mauritius (in my pajames, looking absolutely stunning of course), and then I just had to help Jessica eat breakfast in the kitchen. The poor girl was so lonely. Then of course the brutal competition of "Fruit Ninja," which we carried out sitting on the tile floor in the hallway. Most of the injuries were sustatined to my rear end (2 hours on a hard floor can really do some serious damage, you know). I am now recovering on the couch next to Jessica with a portable heater within an arms-length away from us, documenting this historic day for the sake of posterity.
It has actually been a enjoyable Sunday, relaxing around the house and sleeping in. It's my third day with this new family and I wanted to spend time with them, so I didn't go to church today. Next week the Polish girl will be here so I won't be going to church, but I think I'll still be able to go regularly when I can.
-insert- I wrote this Sunday but then kind of forgot to send it, so technically it's not late.
Anyway, I guess the moral of the story is that it was a nice week. I even went to the park and threw a frisbee with Jessica for about an hour, and it was incredibly fun. It's such a simple thing, but it was honestly one of the funnest things I've done here. Well, I love you all dearly and hope everything is well!
Carolina
...
Sunday, February 23, 2014
(Still waiting for the intriguing title)
Dear Mom and (your name here) ,
Wow I can hardly believe a week has passed since I last wrote! But I guess that could be because it's only been 3 days... I actually do have some interesting things to share though. One of the most exciting things that happened this week is that I have started helping the missionaries teach English lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the church. Even though I have only gone these two times, I'm already really excited about it! It's fun to meet new people and it's also helping my Italian vocabulary. I'm assisting with the beginner's course, but I'm learning that it's actually hard to teach English! (For all those grammar nerds and wordy people in the family, I need a little bit of help. How do you explain when and when not to use "do"? Many foreigners to the English language think that you have to put "do" somewhere in every question, or invert everything single verb to ask a question. For example, I was asked if you can say "Do you are happy?" The answer is obvious to me that it's wrong, but when I tried to explain inversion and "Are you happy?", they wanted to know when to use "do" and when to invert the order of the subject and word. Is there a rule somethere that says when and when not to invert and when to use a helper such as "do" or "will"? Some kind of guide as to which verbs are inverted and which ones are left alone? I can tell them which phrases are right and which are wrong, but I'm not sure how to explain it. Anyway, any input y'all have would be appreciated.)
OnThursday after the lesson, I went to eat dinner with one of the people from the English course and some of the missionaries. Apparently, Catania is quite famous for its horse meat and some of the missionaries were in town from other areas so they wanted to try it. They were all incredulous when they found out that I had never eaten it, so I found myself at the restaurant with them trying horse meat for the first (and maybe last) time in my life. I have to say, it's actaully pretty good but I couldn't help but imagine poor Strawberry and Lady at Scott and Valerie's house, blissfully unaware that I was chomping down on one of their kind. Although to be honest, I have never thought of little Bully Bogeywart when I eat hamburgers. But maybe that's because I have a fear of cows and its almost like a small form of revenge every time I eat a scrumptious burger. Anyway, I hope Strawberry and Lady are doing well and won't hold a grudge against me for eating some long-lost relative of theirs.
My last bit of exciting news comes from yesterday. Despite being at school on a Saturday, at least one good thing came out of it. I got an 8 in my math interrogation! I won't take another page and a half to explain the grading system here and all the horrors of interrogation, but trust me, an 8 is a pretty darn good reason to celebrate. Also for the sake of space, I will try not to talk too much about arancini but I'll answer the questions. One of the really good ones is filled with rice, cheese, and little chunks of ham, but the typical arancino with the sauce, meat, peas, and rice is always a good fall-back if you can't decide. A lot of the smaller places that sell arancini only carry that type. They are normally about the size of a fist or maybe even a tiny bit bigger, but I would love to come try yours Karyn! I'd love to come anyway though, I think some of my niece-phews are forgetting who their favorite aunt is.
I've been downloading the pictures from my camera, but I still haven't reached the ones from the trip to Palermo and Agrigento yet so I will try to put them up sometime this week. I hope everything is going well with everyone and I love you all!
Carolina
...
Wow I can hardly believe a week has passed since I last wrote! But I guess that could be because it's only been 3 days... I actually do have some interesting things to share though. One of the most exciting things that happened this week is that I have started helping the missionaries teach English lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the church. Even though I have only gone these two times, I'm already really excited about it! It's fun to meet new people and it's also helping my Italian vocabulary. I'm assisting with the beginner's course, but I'm learning that it's actually hard to teach English! (For all those grammar nerds and wordy people in the family, I need a little bit of help. How do you explain when and when not to use "do"? Many foreigners to the English language think that you have to put "do" somewhere in every question, or invert everything single verb to ask a question. For example, I was asked if you can say "Do you are happy?" The answer is obvious to me that it's wrong, but when I tried to explain inversion and "Are you happy?", they wanted to know when to use "do" and when to invert the order of the subject and word. Is there a rule somethere that says when and when not to invert and when to use a helper such as "do" or "will"? Some kind of guide as to which verbs are inverted and which ones are left alone? I can tell them which phrases are right and which are wrong, but I'm not sure how to explain it. Anyway, any input y'all have would be appreciated.)
OnThursday after the lesson, I went to eat dinner with one of the people from the English course and some of the missionaries. Apparently, Catania is quite famous for its horse meat and some of the missionaries were in town from other areas so they wanted to try it. They were all incredulous when they found out that I had never eaten it, so I found myself at the restaurant with them trying horse meat for the first (and maybe last) time in my life. I have to say, it's actaully pretty good but I couldn't help but imagine poor Strawberry and Lady at Scott and Valerie's house, blissfully unaware that I was chomping down on one of their kind. Although to be honest, I have never thought of little Bully Bogeywart when I eat hamburgers. But maybe that's because I have a fear of cows and its almost like a small form of revenge every time I eat a scrumptious burger. Anyway, I hope Strawberry and Lady are doing well and won't hold a grudge against me for eating some long-lost relative of theirs.
My last bit of exciting news comes from yesterday. Despite being at school on a Saturday, at least one good thing came out of it. I got an 8 in my math interrogation! I won't take another page and a half to explain the grading system here and all the horrors of interrogation, but trust me, an 8 is a pretty darn good reason to celebrate. Also for the sake of space, I will try not to talk too much about arancini but I'll answer the questions. One of the really good ones is filled with rice, cheese, and little chunks of ham, but the typical arancino with the sauce, meat, peas, and rice is always a good fall-back if you can't decide. A lot of the smaller places that sell arancini only carry that type. They are normally about the size of a fist or maybe even a tiny bit bigger, but I would love to come try yours Karyn! I'd love to come anyway though, I think some of my niece-phews are forgetting who their favorite aunt is.
I've been downloading the pictures from my camera, but I still haven't reached the ones from the trip to Palermo and Agrigento yet so I will try to put them up sometime this week. I hope everything is going well with everyone and I love you all!
Carolina
...
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Sorry I'm late!
20 Feb 2014
Dear Mom. And y'all.
I had planned on updating once a week on Sunday, but I was in Palermo last Sunday and then I got caught up in everyday life, so I apologize for being a bit behind. We spent last Friday-Sunday on a little "Mini-Tour" that Rotary organized, and I was able to see more of the west side of Sicily. One of the incredible things I got to see was Agrigento, the Valley of the Temples. It is quite an experience to be standing in front of Greek Temples! While I was talking to my friend Marlene (an Austrian exchange student) about how many pictures we take of everything, she said something interesting that I've been thinking about for a little while. She was telling me how she likes to have pictures of herself and people she cares about in her photos because you can find gorgeous pictures of any place on the internet, but how many pictures will you find of Carol Burton standing in front of a Greek Temple? I always hated being in the pictures, but it's been fun to look back through them and think "Hey! I was really there!"
Another interesting thing to think about came when I asked someone if he preferred the mountains or the ocean, because I get asked that question quite often here. He responded that it depends on who is there; he said he wouldn't want to go to a beach if he was by himself, but he would love to go with his friends and family. I've have been to many really neat places, and quite a few beaches too, but it really is the company that makes the difference. I think that's one thing Dad has always understood quite well. I was writing a paper for my Italian teacher about the book The Thief Lord because I had just finished reading it in Italian, and the main topic was about every child's dream of being an adult and how many adults wish they could go back to the simplicity of childhood. I think we've all been guilty of this one time or another, but I know it was an eye-opener a few weeks ago to realize that I turned 18 without even realizing it. Oh my heavens to Betsy, I'm old! Maybe it's just the sun lightening my hair, but I think I even found a couple white ones... Time passes so quickly. I officially booked my return flight last week and I will be home on June 28, just a little over 4 months away! That means I've been here for 6 months. How nutty!
Karyn, the Nero di Seppia didn't taste bad, but it was still disconcerting to be eating black spaghetti! I have been eating many things I normally don't eat (in a good and a bad way. Bad because I end up eating a lot of things I don't like, but good because there are some delicious foods that are only found here in Sicily, and I get to eat them!) Some of those things are gli arancini. Delicious! I might be a little fixated on them... I'm learning the conjunctive tenses and hypotheses in Italian, and it gives my English teacher (who is pretty much my Italian teacher) a pretty good laugh when she reads my work because most of my sentecnes and hypotheses are about how happy Americans would be if we had gli arancini in America. Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well at home and I love you all dearly!
Carolina
...
Dear Mom. And y'all.
I had planned on updating once a week on Sunday, but I was in Palermo last Sunday and then I got caught up in everyday life, so I apologize for being a bit behind. We spent last Friday-Sunday on a little "Mini-Tour" that Rotary organized, and I was able to see more of the west side of Sicily. One of the incredible things I got to see was Agrigento, the Valley of the Temples. It is quite an experience to be standing in front of Greek Temples! While I was talking to my friend Marlene (an Austrian exchange student) about how many pictures we take of everything, she said something interesting that I've been thinking about for a little while. She was telling me how she likes to have pictures of herself and people she cares about in her photos because you can find gorgeous pictures of any place on the internet, but how many pictures will you find of Carol Burton standing in front of a Greek Temple? I always hated being in the pictures, but it's been fun to look back through them and think "Hey! I was really there!"
Another interesting thing to think about came when I asked someone if he preferred the mountains or the ocean, because I get asked that question quite often here. He responded that it depends on who is there; he said he wouldn't want to go to a beach if he was by himself, but he would love to go with his friends and family. I've have been to many really neat places, and quite a few beaches too, but it really is the company that makes the difference. I think that's one thing Dad has always understood quite well. I was writing a paper for my Italian teacher about the book The Thief Lord because I had just finished reading it in Italian, and the main topic was about every child's dream of being an adult and how many adults wish they could go back to the simplicity of childhood. I think we've all been guilty of this one time or another, but I know it was an eye-opener a few weeks ago to realize that I turned 18 without even realizing it. Oh my heavens to Betsy, I'm old! Maybe it's just the sun lightening my hair, but I think I even found a couple white ones... Time passes so quickly. I officially booked my return flight last week and I will be home on June 28, just a little over 4 months away! That means I've been here for 6 months. How nutty!
Karyn, the Nero di Seppia didn't taste bad, but it was still disconcerting to be eating black spaghetti! I have been eating many things I normally don't eat (in a good and a bad way. Bad because I end up eating a lot of things I don't like, but good because there are some delicious foods that are only found here in Sicily, and I get to eat them!) Some of those things are gli arancini. Delicious! I might be a little fixated on them... I'm learning the conjunctive tenses and hypotheses in Italian, and it gives my English teacher (who is pretty much my Italian teacher) a pretty good laugh when she reads my work because most of my sentecnes and hypotheses are about how happy Americans would be if we had gli arancini in America. Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well at home and I love you all dearly!
Carolina
...
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