Jimmy. Buffett.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I met him. I'm going to put down the whole story here so that I don't have to keep retelling it. Not for my sake; I could tell it till I die. So the story begins with church. We went to St. Paul's for service last Sunday and afterwards to the British Museum. We thought we'd go back to the hostel for a quiet evening of homework and reading. Hahahaha... anyway. There were four of us on the tube and I decided to get off a stop earlier than the other three. I was just taking a different route to see who got home first. It turned out that the tube I decided to take was about ten minutes delayed, but in this time I noticed a man with a Buffett shirt on waiting for the same train. I was a little hesitant to talk to him, but I figured he had to be from the states. Before our train arrived, the other girls I had been with showed up. They had gotten on the wrong train and come back to where I was. Now that I had someone to fall back on in case he wasn't from the states, I asked him. He said yes, he was, so I told him how much I loved Jimmy Buffett. On hearing this, Anna, a fellow parrothead, joined the conversation. Eric, we found out was his name, said he was in fact going to a Jimmy Buffett show at that very moment. Disbelieving, Anna and I asked where it was and how far that was from us. Turns out it wasn't far, so we followed him there. :) As soon as we got there, he asked people in line if anyone had extra tickets. There were only about fifty people there, but the show was sold out. The theatre held 2,000. One couple saw Anna's pretty floral maxi dress that she wore to church, and overheard us, so they called us over. They had standing tickets that they sold us for face value, and we got in line. We were like 20th in line for the standing room, and it was all sorts of fun. We were there like 2 hours early, so we made friends in line and everybody took turns holding places and going to the bar next door to buy beer. The lady who sold us our tickets gave me her lei because I was wearing my black dress from church that morning. Not parrothead attire at all. A friend of theirs who was ahead of us in line, named Bob, came back and said that he'd save us spaces at the stage. He'd been there since noon, so he was 2nd in line. He talked to the people behind him and they didn't mind if we waited with him because they had seats anyway. So we moved up to the front of the line and ended up being about tenth through the doors.
Somebody had brought a flat stanley of Obama and dressed him up with a sign asking for tickets. Anna grabbed his lei, and somebody else got his grass skirt, and we headed to the stage. I bought a shirt first thing, and whoever took Obama's skirt handed it to me. I don't know who, they were just like "Hey, you want this?" So now I was dressed. Anna and I were the youngest on the first row, save the little boy down to my left. Jimmy Buffett was very impressed that two young ladies would know the words to his older songs, like "Why don't we get drunk." I made Nadira Shakur jump when I screamed for Manana. I was excited, I love that song. He looked at us when we were singing extra loud a couple of times and smiled. He winked at me once and I thought I was gonna faint. I'm gonna look at Anna's set list, which Jimmy handed down from the stage, and find out which song it was, but during one, he gave the little boy I mentioned earlier one of his wristbands. He sang a verse and then walked over to me. He looked me dead in my eyeballs, and smiled his perfect Jimmy Buffett smile, took off his other wristband and handed it to me. I cried I was so excited. Somebody got pictures, when they email me I'll post them.
At the end of the show after all his encores he signed autographs from the stage, and Anna and I got our shirts signed. When he came over, he said, "Ladies! You're beautiful, beautiful! Keep rockin'!" I told him I loved him. Bob gave me a guitar pick he had thrown off the stage, too. He said that I'd enjoy it more than he would.
I'm seriously considering a parrot tattoo. If you had asked me before this trip to name two people I wanted to meet before I died, it would be Steven Tyler and Jimmy Buffett. Since Dad always sang me Jimmy Buffett when I was little, and now I've met him, it seems appropriate. I don't know, I have to talk to mom and dad ;)
So now, I have all my Parrothead attire, a guitar pick, a signed Buffett shirt, and Jimmy Buffett's wristband, with a memory I'll NEVER forget. All of this, because I spoke to a stranger in the tube station. Lesson learned. Talk to strangers.

Cheerio from London!

So I've been in London for a week now and it's absolutely magnificent, as were Switzerland and Paris. Switzerland was more beautiful than I ever gave it credit for. I looked out of my bedroom window at the Swiss Alps and two beautiful waterfalls running down them. We hiked up one mountain, and I promise, it was hardly a leisurely stroll. If I don't look like a track star by the time I'm through here I will be highly upset. We stayed in Switzerland two nights and left for Paris on Saturday morning. We got there Saturday night and I was a little apprehensive; I still wasn't quite sure about all this Paris business. However, it turned out to be quite beautiful and very comfortable. We stayed at a cool hostel and saw the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre in our one day. We did some shopping, but alas, my body isn't made for the fabulous european clothes. (My shopping efforts have been highly unsuccessful until yesterday, I did get a dress in London)
We arrived here in London around 6:00 Monday evening. On the trek from the station to the hostel, laden with our enormous backpacks and travel bags, we ran into some fresh MC girls in all their cute new clothes that they haven't been wearing, febreezing, and handwashing for a month...we felt very cosmopolitan. All our woes were alleviated when we saw our rooms. Each lady gets her own room: her own bed, her own desk, her own closet, her own chest of drawers, her own bedside table, her own sink. There is a laundry room with machines downstairs and free detergent to boot. This place is a palace.

We kicked off the stay with some fan. tastic. theatre. We saw Billy Elliot and it was one of the finest productions I've ever seen. I've never cried so much over a work of theatre in my life. You must go see it. The next day we went to the National Gallery and saw artwork from the early Italian frescos up to Van Gogh. We saw Phantom of the Opera two nights ago and have tickets to see Waiting for Godot (starring PATRICK STEWART AND SIR IAN MCCELLAN. I WILL MEET PATRICK STEWART AND SIR IAN MCCELLAN) next Saturday. We actually got to meet the Phantom, dream come true, after the show. He liked my scarf. And my smile. Oh yeah, he dug me.

We're all having a great time; it's really nice to actually speak the language in a country, and really makes you appreciate your own. I can't wait to see you all in a couple of weeks!

I am simply eventful

Well if I weren't you might not love me as much. Venice was just magnificent. Absolutely beautiful, and to quote Jimmy Buffett "Salt air, it ain't thin. It'll stick right to your skin and make you feel fine." Oh it did. The whole place smelled like the beach and we rode boats everywhere. I got to see Erik yaay :) that was great. We shared one great adventure on the way to Vicenza to see the Teatro Olimpico (oldest working theatre in the world,) and Carlie and I shared another on the way home from Milan. On the way to Vicenza, Erik and I missed our train because the ticket line was so long. So we ended up paying triple the amount of a regional train to take the fancy pants Eurostar, but we got there, so no worries. The three of us - Carlie, Erik, and I - woke up at 4, listen to me, 4 A M to catch a 5:15 train to Milan on Thursday morning. My highlight was the Teatrale alla Scalla, which is the world's most famous opera house. I went through the museum and saw original costumes from Carmen, Aida, and other famous operas. The absolute best thing that could ever happen did, and that was that I got to see the theatre itself while there was a rehearsal going on. Not just any rehearsal, but the rehearsal of AIDA. LOVE IT. Elton John wrote the music for the musical version, so I'm in love with that already, and I got to see these crazy famous talented opera stars rehearse the opera right there in the opera house. Incredible.
Anyway, on to the adventure. Carlie and I had a direct train from Milan to Arezzo, which would be about a 4 1/2 hour ride. About an hour into it, our train broke down. We were in the straight boondocks. Even the italians on the train didnt know where we were. Codogna, rhymes with Bologna, which is where our saviour train (arriving to pick us up from the heat of the day an hour later) took us. We were lucky an english speaking local took pity on us, otherwise we would have ended up in Piacenza or Vicenza, again, I could never be sure. Anyway, we had to stand on the train to bologna because it was already full, but we got there around 6:45. There was a train to Arezzo at 7:45, so we went to that platform, buttttt it never showed up, I don't know why. We then had to RUN to another platform to catch the last train through arezzo, but we couldn't make the reservation required to get a compartment seat. So we sat in the aisle and wrestled the snack cart. Twice. Once the train cleared out at the stop in Florence, we just took a compartment seat and dared the attendants to question us. By this time I had my headband around my head rambo style and Carlie had a look in her eye that no sane person would cross. We got to Arezzo at 10:30, but the last bus back to Sansepolcro was at 8:30. So we sold our souls for a cab. I know, Taken. Dont take a cab. But I'm blogging from the comfort of my Sansepolcro base, not the basement of a sexual slave owner's headquarters. Addddventures. I'm gonna call my parents now to confirm that before they read the blog and worry. Miss you all, Love you more!

We dance in Pompeii Rain, and when we run in train stations, even the Italians get out the way.

Sooo alot has happened, but like I said, the demand for the computer restricts online access. The most eventful things have been our trip to Sorrento and Rome, and our excursion to Assisi.
In Sorrento, we stayed in our first hostel, and met people from all over: UK, Canada, and US. That was fun times. We went to Pompeii, which was definitely my favorite part of the trip. We saw the ruins (including the cast molds of the victims -- super cool) and afterward I had shoes hand made for me in the store in the market in town. They are super cute. I got pictures. In Rome, we did the Warner Powell tour of the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and Vatican. We ran through the city of Rome, raced the tour guide through the Colosseum, and ran back across to the Trevi Fountain, threw our pennies in as we passed it at a dead run and made it back to the hostel in time for free pizza dinner. Yes, this is a bit of an exaggeration, but if you are a member of the Powell clan, you can appreciate the rapidity of our Rome tour. We did the Vatican the following day and saw the museums and the Sistine Chapel. The entire thing was just incredible. ALAS my camera died after the second picture of the colosseum, so I'll have to steal from my friends. Our real adventure began when we got back to the train station from seeing the Vatican. It was about 2:40 and we had to catch a 3:00 train. Catch: We had to get back to the hostel and get our bags first. Two of our group stayed behind and the other four of us RAN, no exaggeration RAN, two blocks to our hostel and back to the train station. When we got back we couldn't locate the two of our group with our purses, phones, money, and tickets, so Caitlin and I RAN through the station looking for them. We found them, got back to our train, and boarded just in time.
I wish I had time to do this next part of the story justice, but I'll just have to tell it like it is. A little girl sitting next to one of our group got out of her seat and, under the protective wings of her mother, PEED ON THE FLOOR. Y'all, she peed on the floor on purpose while her mother looked on and there was a BATHROOM! OOONN! the TRAAAAINNN!!! It was an adventure. Like an intense game of don't step on the cracks. It was don't step on the urine that's runnin your way cause this train is moving. Whew. I've been on this computer for a while so I have to go, but I've loved hearing from all of you that have contacted me. If I can't respond, Know that I love you all soooo much, and miss you like flowers miss the sun. Kisses for you all, I'll post again next week after we get back from Venice and Milan!

One Week and Counting

Hey guys!!! I'm sorry I haven't been able to post lately, you wouldn't believe the demand for one computer in a house of 23 girls... Plus we've been busy as sin with school work. It's a little ridiculous. I'm taking Teresa's advice to a certain point and not letting my schoolwork get in the way of my education. :) So far, we've been out of Sansepolcro three times. I've been to the neighboring towns Anghiari and Arezzo twice and Florence once. We had to be on high alert in Florence because the crime there is out of sight. Happily, no one got robbed and I got some incredible pictures of the most beautiful Cathedral I've ever seen. Alot of girls did some bartering in the market there, and one girl got a leather jacket for ridiculously cheap.
Anghiari and Arezzo are really really beautiful in the quaint little town sort of way. We went into a cathedral in Arezzo and they were conducting a wedding right there for everybody to come in and see. So we did. We also saw frescos painted by Francesco, you may have heard of it, Legends of the True Cross. BEAUTIFUL. The preservation and beauty is just incredible. We're not allowed to take pictures, but I have a brochure to show you when I get home. We went to the park after wards, and just sat on this mountain and looked across the valley. Dr. Winterhoff's wife got it pretty much in one phrase. She just said "God is talking." It was an indescribable sight, so I took alot of pictures.
Y'ALL. The Public Displays of Affection here are CRAZY. We're trying to take pictures of as many as we can. Don't worry either, cause there's no way they see us. Girls sitting on guys laps, completely like eating each others faces. I wish I had a picture of the couple we saw at the park. Cathy called them Brave Blind Dentists. Hilarious.
If you know anything about the materials we had to read to prep for the trip, you've heard about the different stages that most people go through when studying abroad. Supposedly, you go through a euphoria stage where you're super excited to be in a new place, then a irritation stage where the differences get on your nerves and seeing the same people everyday gets stressful, then you acclimate and find a happy medium to finish your trip. I am here to tell you that this euphoria stage skipped right over me and I'm vaccillating between acclimation and annoyance at seeing the same people every single day. I love the girls that I'm with, but close quarters get a little stressful sometimes. The only complaint I have with the country is that they don't eat enough chicken. I miss ketchup and chicken. However, I think I will come back in the greatest shape of my life.

Day One and Technically Two, I hate jet lag...

Soooo we're here! This keyboard different from American ones. Well we got to Rome around 9 this morning after an 8 hour overnight flight. My first word to an Italian was grazie, to the bus driver, because he put my bag on the bus. He said "prego." It was awesome. We had two INCREDIBLE meals here at the Servi and are now preparing to go to bed. The shower is literally like two feet by two feet. If I had a tape measure I'd confirm it. I'm a little homesick, but we're keeping busy so it's not too awful. I had gelato for the first time, incredible :) We were hit on once by Italian men after dinner. They said "Helloooo," to which we answered "Ciao, ciao." But they were not fooled. Immediately they recognized us: "You are english, no?" Maybe it was the fact that we were traveling en masse with no particular aim, maybe it was the star struck look we gave them as we stopped mid stride when they spoke to us in our native tongue. Never can tell.
I have learned a few other important phrases, such as "I'm sorry, I don't speak Italian," "Do you speak English?" "Stop" and "No thanks, I have a boyfriend." So far I've only utilized "thanks" and "very good," but I'm told this is a good start.
Whoever called me this afternoon, try again, it didn't show up on the caller id, sorry I don't have my voicemail up yet. I'll get on that. Also, if you're posting comments to these posts, I'm not getting those either. If you need to get in touch with me, you can call or email me at powellsp@meredith.edu.
I miss and love you guys soooooooo much! I'll keep you posted:) Ciao, ciao for now!

One More Day = terrified

Welp, I'm freaking out a bit more than I was previously. One because I leave officially tomorrow (because it's technically Wednesday,) and two, because I have to go to Meredith and make sure that my financial aid business is squared away. I know we all thought that it was, but we have been duped. It's my own stupid fault and I take full responsibility - or rather irresponsibility. Grow up, Spence. Get it together. My future will not be this scattered. My acting professor told me I have a scattered energy. My aura is very big. This may be because I grew up in a rural area.
Anyways, I didn't get my foot x-rayed because the machine was broken, so I hope my foot is not. I've listened to my body though, and I'm pretty sure it's just bruised. I know you were all concerned.
The real reason I posted this blog: Updates for everyone who wants to contact me via telephone while I'm abroad! I received a "Virtual US Number." This means that anyone in the US may call me at this number and will only have to pay the rate that it would cost to call this number in the US, instead of my real Italy number. I believe the number is a Fayetteville line? They didn't offer Raleigh, go figure, and Fayetteville was as close as it got. Why they offer Fayette-nam and not Raleigh numbers, I could never say.

Anywho, if you want to call me from the US and pay the same rates as you would to call Fayetteville, my number is:

1-910-778-1770

If for any reason you want to get in touch with me via my European numbers, (i.e. if you are ERIK and I am meeting up with you while we happen to be in Europe at the same time!!!), those numbers are:

Italy: 39-335-719-7665

Switzerland: 41-797-895 (I didn't leave a digit out, it's just shorter than the others)

UK: 44-790-433-1148

Hip, hip huzzah. I'm gonna be in Italy after a day and an 18 hour plane ride.