This is going to be my blog while here in Torino so here is the rundown of my trip so far!
Saturday, January 9, 2010- I left for the airport in the afternoon after eating at Chipotle with Mom and Dad. We waited in line for a really long time at international check in. Going through security was really hard because it was so sad. I hate saying goodbye so it was not good. After I was told to stop crying because I was too pretty (right?) I passed through security and went on my way to the terminal. I was anxious especially because I can’t sleep on flights. I soon boarded and was on my way to Frankfurt. I avoided my beloved diet coke in hopes that it would help me sleep better and I chose beef teriyaki for dinner. I sat back and watched Sunny with a Chance of Meatballs. It was so cute! Kids movies are really the best. Unfourtantly the programming just ran on a loop for the 7hr 14min flight so I watched things over and over as I couldn’t sleep for some reason. I guess this is where timing gets a little complicated so now I shall move on to…
Sunday, January 10, 2010- I got off the plan in Frankfurt and felt a blast of cold German air. Gotta love winter storm Daisy! I walked very very far the large airport to get through customs. It was actually quick and easy. After that I had to walk through security to get to my smaller flight. I was extremely disoriented as I gathered my things to go through the check point. Apparently you don’t have to take your shoes off as you go through (might as well stamp my barefeet with AMERICAN on them haha). So after i went through security and found my gate I sat down at the terminal. Not sure if this was a European thing or maybe because it was a little commuter flight but the waiting area had big windows with little cafe-esque tables and chairs. There was also a little vending machine for coffee which was conveniently free. Stupidly I didnt realize this and paid $4 for a diet coke (Guess Dad was right, things will be more expensive than I expected). I had an hour and a half in Frankfurt before I went to Torino and students from the San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles flights slowly rolled in so I got to meet some students before I boarded. So many students are from CSU Chico. So many many West Coasters here. It seems pretty diverse with the except of the Cali influx. It was nice chatting with people and talking about how no one really slept on the flight. It soon came time to board and since in the US the checked baggage rule is 1 carry on and 1 personal item I thought I would be okay to bring my carry on and bookbag. Boy was I wrong. At the gate the persuaded/asked/forced me to check my carry on which contained my favorites clothes, toothbrush, prescriptions, warm pajamas and HELLO KITTY. Basically everything that I would NOT want to get lost. Well fast forward to Torino and the bag they persuaded/asked/forced me to check is missing (even as I write this). Funny part about it is that our flight was supposed to take off at 1:10pm but didn’t take off until around 2:30pm because there was a problem with luggage but “we promise you it is all on the plane now.” Omg fml really Lufthansa? Epic fail. The flight was smooth for the most part and I found out too late that wine and beer were free. The silver lining to this soon to be frustrating ordeal was the GORGEOUS view of the Alps from the sky. I took a picture. It was just unbelievable. When we finally touched down in Torino we were very excited to get there however we had no idea we would be waiting to leave for another 2 hours thanks to the baggage ordeal. Okay sorry about the luggage rant but it needed to be said haha. We took a private bus to Hotel Roma in Piazza Carlo Felice. It was located across from Porta Nuova one of the main train stations in Torino. After we put our bags down we went to a pizzaria named Stars and Roses and ate tons and tons of pizza. I had a particularly funny table and then made me cry from laughing so hard at one point. Afterward we went on a walking tour of central Torino. It wasn’t very cold, maybe about 40 degrees. Much warmer than NYC. We strolled down Via Roma and viewed the shops (Um Sephora?!), walked to the Savoys Palace, and saw il Duomo where the shroud of Turin is kept. I learned a lot about the city from walking around. The hotel had wireless connection but for me it was upsetting more than comforting. Because I had slept only 1hr since Saturday morning, I was very irritable and we very sad that no one could directly comfort me. It was hard at first but I went for a walk with another student and calmed down in the fresh air. Then it was time for some sleep (finally.)
Monday, January 11, 2010- Move in day! I woke up pretty easily and ventured down to the breakfast bar. I had forgotten how sparse Italian breakfasts were. After breakfast we had a small orientation and then time for lunch. I had a heaping plate of prosciutto and boy was it good. The one thing I have noticed about being in Italy is that I tend to get very parched very quickly. It may still just be a travel side effect. After breakfast we got on the bus and were driven to our apartments. Ours is one block from the school and one block from the Lingotto,which is a huge mall and used to be the FIAT plant. It has a racetrack on the roof which we will visit Friday. When we got to our 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment (complete with bidet and super awesome heated towel rack). We have 4 sky lights in our apartment and it is so pretty when the sun is out. We noticed there was no heat. The landlord, who speaks zero English, came up and fixed it. But for some reason as soon as he stepped out water began spewing out of the hot water heater Yikes! He told us to go out so we walked to the mall to get dinner and then checked out other student apartments. Later on that night we decided to check out an Irish pub. We wanted to go to an Italian bar but couldn’t find one. It was really fun talking to the other kids and laughing and having a good time.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010- Today was very very hectic. We still had no hot water so we had to shower at our neighbors place. Funny how there were men working on the roof, oops! Don’t worry we found the shade that goes over the window, crisis averted. We walked a total of 2 minutes to school (!!!) and then we ate at the cafe. It is really cute and very inexpensive. We had orientation today and they talked about all the day trips we have planned for the semester. There seems to be a lot to look forward to here to come. Side note: I hope I get to know Torino very well, it seems like its a big city though so there may be things I sadly miss. After orientation was over we went to the Lingotto to buy phones. It was so strange because it seems as though everyone (including Italians) for the most part buy phones and then recharge minutes as they go. Everyone had the same phone because it was the least expensive, so I decided to give mine some flair and added some signature Hello Kitty stickers (photo to come). I also bought an internet key which is a little USB that connects me to the internet wherever I go. I walked around the Lingotto with my roommate and went in a bunch of shops. I bought my first pair of Italian shoes which were little black flats for 16 euro, adorbs! I like how sales tax is built into cost so whatever the price tag says, it is for everything from phone to pizza to shoes. AND I saw my first Torino snow tonight. It was sooo pretty and very romantic.
Now I’m here perusing the internet and writing here. I’ve seen a whole bunch of Hello Kitty things so far including but not limited to: a scale, various types of gelato, stickers, fortune machine, dolls, necklace and many many more. Lovin it! I think I will blog every few days so I can look back and write the most important stuff but I guess I will see as I go on. I would love to hear comments and what not, I miss everyone in the USA. xox
Saturday, January 9, 2010- I left for the airport in the afternoon after eating at Chipotle with Mom and Dad. We waited in line for a really long time at international check in. Going through security was really hard because it was so sad. I hate saying goodbye so it was not good. After I was told to stop crying because I was too pretty (right?) I passed through security and went on my way to the terminal. I was anxious especially because I can’t sleep on flights. I soon boarded and was on my way to Frankfurt. I avoided my beloved diet coke in hopes that it would help me sleep better and I chose beef teriyaki for dinner. I sat back and watched Sunny with a Chance of Meatballs. It was so cute! Kids movies are really the best. Unfourtantly the programming just ran on a loop for the 7hr 14min flight so I watched things over and over as I couldn’t sleep for some reason. I guess this is where timing gets a little complicated so now I shall move on to…
Sunday, January 10, 2010- I got off the plan in Frankfurt and felt a blast of cold German air. Gotta love winter storm Daisy! I walked very very far the large airport to get through customs. It was actually quick and easy. After that I had to walk through security to get to my smaller flight. I was extremely disoriented as I gathered my things to go through the check point. Apparently you don’t have to take your shoes off as you go through (might as well stamp my barefeet with AMERICAN on them haha). So after i went through security and found my gate I sat down at the terminal. Not sure if this was a European thing or maybe because it was a little commuter flight but the waiting area had big windows with little cafe-esque tables and chairs. There was also a little vending machine for coffee which was conveniently free. Stupidly I didnt realize this and paid $4 for a diet coke (Guess Dad was right, things will be more expensive than I expected). I had an hour and a half in Frankfurt before I went to Torino and students from the San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles flights slowly rolled in so I got to meet some students before I boarded. So many students are from CSU Chico. So many many West Coasters here. It seems pretty diverse with the except of the Cali influx. It was nice chatting with people and talking about how no one really slept on the flight. It soon came time to board and since in the US the checked baggage rule is 1 carry on and 1 personal item I thought I would be okay to bring my carry on and bookbag. Boy was I wrong. At the gate the persuaded/asked/forced me to check my carry on which contained my favorites clothes, toothbrush, prescriptions, warm pajamas and HELLO KITTY. Basically everything that I would NOT want to get lost. Well fast forward to Torino and the bag they persuaded/asked/forced me to check is missing (even as I write this). Funny part about it is that our flight was supposed to take off at 1:10pm but didn’t take off until around 2:30pm because there was a problem with luggage but “we promise you it is all on the plane now.” Omg fml really Lufthansa? Epic fail. The flight was smooth for the most part and I found out too late that wine and beer were free. The silver lining to this soon to be frustrating ordeal was the GORGEOUS view of the Alps from the sky. I took a picture. It was just unbelievable. When we finally touched down in Torino we were very excited to get there however we had no idea we would be waiting to leave for another 2 hours thanks to the baggage ordeal. Okay sorry about the luggage rant but it needed to be said haha. We took a private bus to Hotel Roma in Piazza Carlo Felice. It was located across from Porta Nuova one of the main train stations in Torino. After we put our bags down we went to a pizzaria named Stars and Roses and ate tons and tons of pizza. I had a particularly funny table and then made me cry from laughing so hard at one point. Afterward we went on a walking tour of central Torino. It wasn’t very cold, maybe about 40 degrees. Much warmer than NYC. We strolled down Via Roma and viewed the shops (Um Sephora?!), walked to the Savoys Palace, and saw il Duomo where the shroud of Turin is kept. I learned a lot about the city from walking around. The hotel had wireless connection but for me it was upsetting more than comforting. Because I had slept only 1hr since Saturday morning, I was very irritable and we very sad that no one could directly comfort me. It was hard at first but I went for a walk with another student and calmed down in the fresh air. Then it was time for some sleep (finally.)
Monday, January 11, 2010- Move in day! I woke up pretty easily and ventured down to the breakfast bar. I had forgotten how sparse Italian breakfasts were. After breakfast we had a small orientation and then time for lunch. I had a heaping plate of prosciutto and boy was it good. The one thing I have noticed about being in Italy is that I tend to get very parched very quickly. It may still just be a travel side effect. After breakfast we got on the bus and were driven to our apartments. Ours is one block from the school and one block from the Lingotto,which is a huge mall and used to be the FIAT plant. It has a racetrack on the roof which we will visit Friday. When we got to our 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment (complete with bidet and super awesome heated towel rack). We have 4 sky lights in our apartment and it is so pretty when the sun is out. We noticed there was no heat. The landlord, who speaks zero English, came up and fixed it. But for some reason as soon as he stepped out water began spewing out of the hot water heater Yikes! He told us to go out so we walked to the mall to get dinner and then checked out other student apartments. Later on that night we decided to check out an Irish pub. We wanted to go to an Italian bar but couldn’t find one. It was really fun talking to the other kids and laughing and having a good time.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010- Today was very very hectic. We still had no hot water so we had to shower at our neighbors place. Funny how there were men working on the roof, oops! Don’t worry we found the shade that goes over the window, crisis averted. We walked a total of 2 minutes to school (!!!) and then we ate at the cafe. It is really cute and very inexpensive. We had orientation today and they talked about all the day trips we have planned for the semester. There seems to be a lot to look forward to here to come. Side note: I hope I get to know Torino very well, it seems like its a big city though so there may be things I sadly miss. After orientation was over we went to the Lingotto to buy phones. It was so strange because it seems as though everyone (including Italians) for the most part buy phones and then recharge minutes as they go. Everyone had the same phone because it was the least expensive, so I decided to give mine some flair and added some signature Hello Kitty stickers (photo to come). I also bought an internet key which is a little USB that connects me to the internet wherever I go. I walked around the Lingotto with my roommate and went in a bunch of shops. I bought my first pair of Italian shoes which were little black flats for 16 euro, adorbs! I like how sales tax is built into cost so whatever the price tag says, it is for everything from phone to pizza to shoes. AND I saw my first Torino snow tonight. It was sooo pretty and very romantic.
Now I’m here perusing the internet and writing here. I’ve seen a whole bunch of Hello Kitty things so far including but not limited to: a scale, various types of gelato, stickers, fortune machine, dolls, necklace and many many more. Lovin it! I think I will blog every few days so I can look back and write the most important stuff but I guess I will see as I go on. I would love to hear comments and what not, I miss everyone in the USA. xox
Love your blog, bbk! I cannot wait to hear about all of your adventures (and of course you can email about the ones you do not want your mom to see!)
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