Asolo

 On Friday afternoon my CAP group went to Asolo, a nearby town built on top of a mountain. It’s name means “into the sky” and it literally is part of the sky. The view is amazing from any spot, hence why it is also called the city of a hundred horizons. Unfortunately we didn’t arrive until 5:30 pm so I wasn’t able to get any pictures of the view. We were given a tour of the CIMBA MBA campus which is housed in a former convent. There are 20 full time students, with 12 from the United States, and 20 part time students. Since it is so small, they only have 2 classrooms and all of the full time students live in dorm rooms on the second floor. It is a really nice facility, but I don’t think I would like being in such a small program. Also, they only offer a general MBA so no specializations (like Entrepreneurship or Finance). 

After visiting the MBA campus, we went to the Caffe Centrale (pictured above) to have spritz, an Italian before dinner cocktail comprised of Prosecco, Aperol Orange Liqueur, seltzer water, and an orange slice. Megan, Kailyn, Elena, and I decided to stay and have dinner in Asolo since we didn’t have any other plans. After window shopping at some very high-end boutiques and picking up a couple postcards at a Tabacchi, we went to a Pizzeria where  they made us heart shaped pizzas. Our cameriere (waiter) absolutely loved us!

Saturday was filled up with the Da Vinci Challenge, a group activity where we scaled walls, crossed lava pits, and climbed through spider webs (all metaphorically, of course). It was all very exhausting. Saturday night I was invited to dinner with Mariano and Agnese Venzo, a couple that lives in Nove and knows my family. I brought Vanessa along with me. We went to this fabulous restaurant called Alla Torre (the wine cellar is pictured below) which is situated atop a mountain right next to a beautiful church. It had the most amazing view of the valley. Mariano said that during the summer they have seating on an outside patio that sits right on the edge of the cliff.

After dinner, I rode the CIMBA bus to Asolo. We went to the Epoca pub and the Caffe Centrale. There isn’t a huge nightlife in Asolo but with 50+ American students there, we made it fun. Here is a picture of Megan and I at Epoca. A few of our friends ordered cheese burgers there so I was finally able to have a bite of American food and it was delicious! We met a couple of Italians that were very friendly and helped us with our Italian.

I am now a graduate of LIFE...

Now that my first weekend in Paderno has passed, I think I have finally adjusted to living in Italy. Don’t get me wrong, I still miss everyone back in Raleigh but I have fallen in love with this quaint little town.

On Thursday afternoon, I began LIFE (Leadership initiative for excellence) training. I can’t go into much detail, but it was 36 hours of the most intense leadership training I have ever been through. While it could be called a boot camp, the connections I made with my teammates will never be replaced. Saturday afternoon I graduated from LIFE with a Life Breakthrough Achievement Certification after passing both of my final exams. To celebrate, we all went to the Pizzeria for dinner and drinks.

On Sunday, I walked to the Market in Crespano del Grappa with some of my friends from LIFE and neighbors in La Salle. The market was a lot bigger than I expected and had everything from fruit and raw fish to jeans and leather boots. While there, I picked up a lamp for my room, a pair of slippers, and some fruit. There were puppies for sale that were tempting, but I knew it would be impossible (and probably not allowed by CIMBA policy) to keep one in my room.

Last night was probably the most fun night I have had since coming to Italy. After dinner, I went to the Cafe in Paderno with a few girls that live in La Salle. We were going to get some gelato before going to the sports bar. When we got to the Cafe, it turns out that they don’t serve gelato during the winter but instead we met a nice man named Julio who bought us a bottle of Proseco. We sat and talked to him for a while. He is a businessman who grew up in Asolo and has lived in Milan but now lives in Paderno. Later, we went to the Sports Bar (pictured with Mike and Keith), Hotel Bar, and finally the Pizzeria. At the Pizzeria, Kirsten, who is in my Italian class, and I started talking to three older Italian men, just to practice our Italian. We ended up having a glass of wine with them and talking to them for an hour! I just can’t get over how friendly and welcoming the people of Paderno are; in fact, we were invited back next Wednesday for their weekly dinner and drinks at the Pizzeria!
Ciao!

Arrivederci America

What a few weeks it has been. Since getting out of school in December, I have been busy getting ready for my semester in Italy. Everyone has told me that it will be a life changing experience. While I am so excited to live in such an amazing place for 3 months, I’m going to miss home a lot.

I arrived at RDU at 4:30 Sunday afternoon with way too much luggage in hand. After saying a tearful goodbye to Mom, Dad, and Lori, I headed to my gate where I met up with Tim, a student also studying at CIMBA. Our 7 hour flight to London-Heathrow left a little after 6:00

We arrived in London at 6:30 AM their time and were immediately in a rush to go through security again then make it to our flight to Venice. As we were walking to the gate, we heard “Final call for Venice” so we sprinted through the terminal and got their just in time.

Once we landed in Venice at about noon, the journey was not even close to being over. We had to take a bus to Mestre Train Station, then a train to Bassano del Grappa and finally a bus to Paderno del Grappa. Five hours after landing in Italy, I finally made it to the CIMBA campus. Lugging two huge suitcases, a backpack, a Longchamp purse, laptop bag, and a pillow through out this journey (including up and down stairs at both train stations!) was not easy. Thankfully, I found friendly Italians and boys from CIMBA to help me 

Once at school, I checked into my room in the La Salle building (pictured above) and headed straight to the cafeteria for dinner. My first orientation was at 7:30 that night. After that, I met up with a few girls to go to “The Sports Bar”, the on-campus bar. After a few drinks I headed back to La Salle to get some rest.

Tuesday morning started off bright and early with Travel Orientation. After learning ways to travel Europe on a budget, I went back to my room and met up with my neighbor Vanessa. We went on a walk around Paderno then headed to lunch. After a quick nap, I went to another program orientation and got to meet my teachers. They are from all over the United States, with one from the UK. With 2 hours to spare until our mall trip, I decided to go on another walk, this time with my camera. I found a pastry shop near campus and had to try a nutella filled sweet roll. It was even more delicious than it sounds.

After a quick Skype, I got on the bus to go to the mall, which was 30 minutes away. I shopped with Karen and Nicole then had pizza for the first time in Italy. It was even better than expected! Shopping at an Italian supermarket was quite an experience. Absolutely nothing was in English, so it took us a while to find what we needed.

Once back on campus, I was finally able to hang up all my clothes with the hangers I bought. Also, I was so excited to use my new European hairdryer! After a quick shower it was time for bed since classes were starting the next morning.

I woke up just in time for a quick breakfast with Danielle before heading to my first class at CIMBA, Italian for Travelers. It was interesting to say the least. My teacher, Angela, told us, “I am not very proud of my English and will teach only in Italian.” I’m not sure how well this class will go…

After Italian I had a break until 1, so I had time to check my email and start planning for the travel breaks. I then headed to lunch and Journalism Ethics with Vanessa followed by Marketing and Topics in Management: Business, Culture, and Society.

Ciao!