Firenze photos!

All those photos are from Firenze. and then one of my family!

Firenze (Florence)

I left for Firenze on the 20th. I met up with Jackie the other exchange student in Gallararte. We got a train to Milan at 10:03. Once we arrived in Milan central we had over an hour until our next train to Firenze. We had to meet the STS reps and other students at 11:30. Jackie and I spotted a bright yellow STS bag over by a shop so we went over and introduced ourselves. He was Michael from New Zealand. We had so much to talk about. We went for a walk outside of the station trying to find a pizza shop. Surprisingly we couldn’t find one and we didn’t want to walk too far just in case we got lost!! Milan is very nice, well the little square that we saw. Michael is very nice, we were always talking it was great to talk to people who were going through the same thing! He has already gone on a school trip to London for 5 days! We went back to the station to get food and we saw another STS bag. We went over and said hi, it was Alex. I remember this from flying over. After picking a few students we went and got food! While walking to the shop which we had to meet the STS reps we saw another student. Emma, I also remember her from flying over. Her host parents were with her. Once we had all arrived we had a short time before the train left for Firenze. We weren’t all sitting together. Jackie and I were in the same carriage, Emma was going to be by herself so she just came and sat with us. Her host parents bought her the train ticket and bought her second class tickets and gave her 100 Euro for spending money! After about an hour we all went to the Bar. We found a very empty carriage so we all (Alex, Michael, Emma, Jackie and I) just moved there. It was a very quick trip, we talked a lot of the way. Once we arrived at Firenze we had to meet all the other students at MacDonalds. There were about 16 students and then 3 STS reps or just people who worked in the office. We were all just standing in this circle waiting for one for person. The circle was quiet no one really said anything to each other for the first like 10 or so minutes! We walk to our Hotel, it took about 20 mintues. We walked past the Piazza San Giovanni and the Duoma. They are so beautiful. As you will be able to see from the photos when I get around to sending them! Firenze is so beautiful the best city I have been to. Haven’t been to many though! I was in room 21, it was a 4 person room but there was only 3 of us in there. Mel, Jackie and me. It wasn’t a bad room. 4 beds and a bathroom. And an ugly picture of a shell! Haha We had a meeting which was just any questions we had and just going through all the rules and regulations of doing exchange! Everyone has broken at least one! No one has been sent home soon! STS way paying for dinner, we went out too a very nice restaurant. I didn’t get pizza because I thought well since I wasn’t paying I should get something a little more expensive! I got steak and a tomatoey sauce. It was ok. We then went for a nice gelato shop and we all got an ice cream. It was a cold night too! At 10pm the Pure Night Space Club opened, I think that’s what it was called! It was heaps of fun. Quite expensive though but then all these night clubs are. They put a big black line through our little card thing which meant what ever drink we bought or got because you get a free drink when you pay to get in. The black line meant that we couldn’t have any alcoholic drinks! Mel was sick, she spewed up. I had to look after her for some of the night. We aren’t really sure what was wrong. We didn’t leave until about 12:30 and then Jackie and I stayed up talking until about 12 and being immature by playing a knocking on the wall game with the people next door! Ahah Breakfast was at 8:30 and then we had the rest of the day to do what ever we wanted. We all left the hotel as a group and then just slowly split up. I was with Michael and Natasha from NZ and Sonia from Austria. Florence is so beautiful!
Such fun travelling!

Top photo: Me going for one of my little adventures on the bike!

next one down: the bike! its quite hard to ride! but its fun!

next one down!: Jas, Bini, Jess and i the night we went out for pizza last thursday night.

next one down!: Snowy mountains!!

Next 3 photos down: GORGEOUS sunset! it was so beautiful.. as you can see by the photos!

BE JEALOUS!!

CIAO!

All these photos are from the carnival that i went to on saturday, as you can see in some of the photos the models are just so amazing. The bottom photo is from the Arsgago parade and the one up from that is Lorodana and Francesca getting ready to go into the parade.

Buon giorno!

Ciao,
I have just finished a long weekend. We had Friday and Saturday off school because it was carnival weekend. On Saturday afternoon at about 3 in most towns there is a parade around the town. Anyone can get dressed up for it and join the parade. Francesca and Marvin got all dressed up crazily and walked with the parade. Everyone throws around confetti and sprays this sticky stringy stuff! Its quite fun to see. The Arsago parade is quite small. The grandma took Stefano and I to Busto to see their parade. It was much bigger and they didn’t just have people walking, there was a horse and cart and then heaps of trailers, with lots of people dressed up. Each trailer had its own theme. On most of the trailers there were huge models of different things. There was a Harry Potter trailer, all the people on that one were dressed as wizards and they had made a model of Harry and the 3 headed dog and then castle walls around the outside of the trailer. There was a Ratatouille (the movie) trailer, with 2 huge models of rats! As you will see in the photos! It was good fun.
Thursday night I went out with 8 girls from my class, which was heaps of fun. We had pizza for dinner, it was very nice just to sit down and have dinner with group of friends. We then went out and had a look around Sesto Calende. Sesto is the town where our school is and where most people live closest too. I had a look at my first bar. They are quite different to Tassies! Well I wouldn’t know because I’ve never been in one, but from what I can see! People from the age of 14-15 can buy alcohol here. The bar I went to was a café where you could then buy alcoholic drinks. Luciana and I shared a “Sex on the Beach” cocktail! It was very nice! Friday there wasn’t anything planned. I went for a shortish bike ride in the morning and got some nice snowy mountain photos. I watched a movie and then got some lovely sunset photos. On Saturday night we had people over for dinner and that was quite boring because there wasn't much of the conversation that I could understand!
On Sunday we went to a lovely little town called Stresa. Stresa is on the edge of Lake Maggiore. It was quite old, we went for walk through one of the little streets and then back along the side of the lake. The street we walked through was very narrow and the buildings were very old. Of this one lane way really, we went up a few other even smaller lanes. There are so many people and so much traffic! Trying to get out of a car parking spot and then keep driving can take quite a while or a bit of road rage! I saw quite a bit of road rage and angry drivers. That’s when I realised it is so much better to travel by bike! I would love to do Italy again with my family on bikes!
I was back at school today, it wasn’t too bad day. I did my first test today, it was on the computers and we had to write out a letter and set it out all correctly. I got 8 for it. They mark up to 10! I was happy! I really don’t know how I am going to get my results. Or they're going to be really bad!
I am going to Florence next Wednesday the 20th and spending the night there with STS with all the exchange students that came here in January. It should be really good. We only have to pay for the train ticket and STS pays for the Hotel and Dinner. I will be getting train to Milan from Gallerate. Gallerate is about 20km from Arsago. From Milan I will get a train to Florence, it’s a 4 hour trip or something. There will be other exchange students so it shouldn’t be too boring! I have a few hours in Florence before I get a train home on the Thursday so hopefully I’ll be able to see a bit of Florence. I am a bit scared getting the train to Milan from Gallarate though! I should be fine. I am learning Italian so fast, I am doing those extra Italian classes. I had one today and the teacher I think was very surprised at how much I have learnt. "Non a Capito" means "I don’t understand!" I am still saying that a fair bit though! Hehe but I am getting there. I have just spent the afternoon with Luciana, it was very nice. I went to her house for a short time and that’s really nice too! I am hopefully going to a dance club this Saturday night. A guy, Sasa, from my class is turning 18 on the 14th so most of the class is going there is celebrate!
Well that is all from me know, hear from me sooner or later! Here are some pictures, enjoy and be jealous!
Ciao! Baci (kiss)

The first photo is of a few of the girls in my class and the back of the class room. this photo was taken when we had a few period just in the class room because the teacher was there.
The next photo is just a few more girls and the front of the class room!
and the the last photo is my BED! yay!

First photo (top down): The first 3 photos are from Brissago Valtravaglia, which was where the families friends lived. It wasnt that nicer day so the photos didnt come out very well and my camera batteries were dieing.

The next two photos are of my house! The front and the side with the backyard. It is a pretty ordinary house, with another house underneath, thats where Nonna (the grandma) lives. We have 2 dogs and 2 cats. I share a room with Francesca.

The next photo down was from the garden in Varese. I attemped to do a 2 plus photo thing (forgot what its called!) but the light is different! But justy focus on those BIG WHITE SNOWY MOUNTAINS in the background. they are so spectacular. I havent been to the snow yet.

The last two are from a thing that happens at the end of January every year. They have a fire with a girl burning. not sure what the story was behind it! i didnt quite understand it.

At school!

Ciao.
Going to school on Saturday is not fun at all! No one else in the house has to get up so early. I am not eating any gluten now and i i feel much better. Give it a week or so and i will feel even better.
The plans for the weekend were going to be good but they all changed when there was a bit of rain. We werer going to Milan for the day on Sunday but with a bit of drizzle we cant do that! i was looking forward to going to Milan. Lorodana said the day before if its bad weather then we wouldnt go to Milan but we would go and see the local equastrian centre. We didnt do that either. Instead we went for a family friends house about an hour away, they lived up in the mountains. It was a very nice area, snowy mountains surrounding the house and their little town, Brissago Valtravaglia, was on the side of a mountain and looking over to the other side was another little town. Photos will be up soon! We went for a walk to a friends of these friends and went to this house that was full of animals, they had donkeys, a cow, chooks, ducks, geese, rabbits, foxs, guinue pigs, deer and 80 - 90 cats! it was mad, there were so many cats!
On saturday night we went out for dinner to a local pizza place! We were celebrating the anniversary of Lorodana and Giorgio, they have been married for 19 years.
School is quite boring because of the whole language thing. I will get it slowly.
This afternoon we are going to see the equestrain centre and hopefully if its not too expensive i might be able to ride sometime.
well have to go, class is ending, im at school now, school is the best place for being able to go on the net.
ciao for now!