Buon Giorno, Tutti!
Ah, what an exciting week we're having! It's been a little crazy on me, personally, with the chaos of homesickness-culture shock, plus the Palio frenzy which takes over the city. It's possible your child doesn't sense this at all - even after returning to Italy every year since 1995, I'm still sensitive to these emotions (maybe because I'm recently married . . .).
The weather here has been gorgeous! Cool in the mornings, a continuous breeze, and raining every afternoon. For those of us who don't mind feeling like wet rats (or even Tony-Brent-Will, who did a picnic in the rain . . . PAZZI), we enjoy the coolness of the rain and the freshness of the evenings after the rain. In the center of town is the one large square, Il Campo (una piazza), where people may meet up in the evenings, and random events happen there throughout the summer (band or choir concerts, etc.). After it rains, there's almost a hazy quality of Il Campo, because the bricks are steaming off the rainwater. Also, there is a great drainage system in town. Nowhere does water really sit for longer than a few minutes, as the entire city is built on two hills, and the roads are even designed to direct water into small rivulets in the center. All the water runs down roads in the most efficient path, all towards the Campo, where there's a huge drain right at the bottom (center of the bottom of the shell).
The shell can be found throughout the city, and is super-important. The Campo itself is in the shape of a shell, fountains have the shell collecting the falling water . . . Siena was the last stop for pilgrims as they made their way to Rome, back since early medieval times, and the shell was the welcoming symbol of baptism for them as they made their last break before getting to Rome. How similar it is for us, feeling like children (nay, babies), as we learn a new language, and learn to live with new families for this brief time! But this, too, is a much-needed break from the business of our American lives, a way to help us recenter and find ourselves before we return home to take on our last year (or two years) of high school, before entering the world.
The rain has brought a little excitement to the Palio events, too - there are several practice runs (prove) which happen between the selection and the actual race (which happens around 7:45 PM on Thursday - you can actually find it online, and watch it in real time). Each evening, there's a prova at 7:45, and each morning, there's one at 9 AM (but we're in class). On Monday night, the Campo was a mud pit because of the rain, so there was no race (which is a big deal - lots of myths behind each race - if anything bad happens during the Prima Prova, something bad will happen at the actual race . . . you've got to imagine how people feel when it's been rained out!). The kids hear large "boom" noises in the mornings during classes - there's a cannon-type thing they use to give signals to the crowd. It booms when it's time to clear people from the track. It booms when it's time to bring the horses out from their holding area, it booms every time there's a false start (usually 7 - 10 times during the actual race), and it booms when the first horse crosses the finish line. The race itself is only three laps around the Campo (about 1.5 minutes), but the events leading up to the race take 4 days!!!
If you know horses (I grew up in Midland, with friends who had them), you know how terrible the Palio event is for the actual horses. Thousands of people sitting or standing around, cheering and yelling. Some large booming noise. Ten horses fitting on a track the width of about 8 horses. Lining up the horses takes longer than any race - the official reads out the contrada's names in the order of lineup, from one to ten. Position one has a good spot, as they're on the inside of the track. And position ten has a great spot, because he actually determines when the race starts. Once the nine other horses are lined up, the position ten can wait-circle around as much as he wants, then, runs in, and the race starts. While in lineup, jockeys are hitting each other, and bumping horses against each other. If one of the jockeys has a nervous horse, sometimes it falls completely out of line, and they have to all exit and re-line-up.
Then there are the 1.5 minutes when the race actually is happening. The Campo, in the shape of a shell, has two sharp corners which they have to take. One, corner, San Martino, is the most dangerous, and a spot where many jockeys are thrown. Last year, a jockey fell off into the crowd because his horse took the corner too sharp, and caught the jockey's leg against the turning post. There are medics in bright green everywhere near San Martino (there's a church just behind there dedicated to the same saint), if you look at pictures of the Palio, ready to pick up any fallen jockeys. As long as they're not too hurt, it's no big deal - the horse is who wins the race, anyways.
I'll encourage your kiddos to attend all the Palio events tomorrow:
Benedicione dello Cavallo: 2:30 - each competing contrada has the blessing of the horse in the contrada's church. Seriously - they take the horse into the church (everyone's shooshing and quieting everyone else, yelling at tourists who are using flash, etc.), where it receives a blessing and communion.
La passegiata storica: Everyone processes from their home church to the Duomo, the church of the city, where the bishop sits at his window and puts a blessing onto each horse and the contrada. Representative flag throwers and drummers do a flag-tossing routine. Then, a large lineup of people in garb from the Middle Ages process - representatives of every town in Tuscany, representatives of qualities (virtues), and representatives of each contrada, with their horse. Everyone (after the parade passes, the locals follow behind) processes down into the Campo from there, to have the parade circle around the campo, and exit.
Il Palio: The Palio is in that procession, and it's lifted up and posted in the corner near San Martino. For an extended period of time, flag throwers and drummers circle on the track in the Campo, doing their routines for the crowd. Then is the race. Like the prove, they must process out, then line up in the given order, then, after about 1.5 or 2 hours of false starts, they have the 1.5 minute race.
I will be letting you know who wins on Friday! Draco seems to have a pretty strong horse - it took off with a great start. Lupa's horse had good consistency in speed, as well as the Owl's group.
al' Venerdi!
L :)
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
In Siena
This morning, we began classes. There was a little confusion about schedules, but no big deal - it's a good learning experience to realize that they should always follow MY schedule, not a different schedule given by others. :) Everyone had a good dinner, a good night's sleep (I think a few of us were excited about today), and came to the school bright-eyed!
They have already been placed into their classes, and are laughing . . . a lot. So, I thought I'd share with you the excitement of today.
June 29th is a holy day everywhere in Italy, first of all. It's the feast of SS. Peter and Paul, when the Pope inaugurates (right word? inducts?) the new archbishops. Seriously - in the Vatican Piazza (Piazza di San Pietro), throngs of people crowd in to see the Pope and all the excitement! In Siena, it's an important day, too, as it's the first day of the Palio. The city is set up for the festival - everyone has their flags and lamps up, decorating their contrada, and the track and all the important regalia is all placed around the Campo. The dirt track makes it fun on years like this - it has rained for a week in Siena, and it's supposed to rain a little every day. Which Rose and I don't mind, at all.
ANYWAYS, this morning, everyone is out, wearing their contrada's scarves (which you receive when you're little) and excited about today. Today, at 9 AM, they let the 30 chosen horses make a few laps around the Campo, just to let everyone see the potential of the horse (as if it really means anything - without a jockey, an excellent horse could just stroll around). THen, at 1, is when they do the selection of the horses. If you don't know what's going on, it means nothing. Numbers are matched to colored balls (each, the color of each competing Contrada), which sets the jockey with the horse for the next four days. The BIG event today is at 7 PM this evening, where they have the Prima Prova (first trial-run). This is the first time the jockey gets to publicly ride the horse around the Campo. Even though they've had quality time already - from the minute the selection is made, the jockey and horse are together. Eating. Sleeping. Bonding. There are a few myths surrounding the Prima Prova, one especially that, if something goes wrong during this one, the Palio is CURSED. A few years ago, a horse got tangled up in the starting-line ropes, and broke a leg. The owner of the horse promised to honor the horse (he, the rider, and the Contrada didn't get to compete) by not putting it under, but you and I both know what happens to horses with broken legs . . .
I just realized - I never said what a CONTRADA is!!! Siena, as tiny as it is, is divided into 17 neighborhoods, or contrade, throughout town. Each contrada is assigned to an animal (usually, but there are a few, like "tower"), and has its own special colors. And people take major pride in the maintenance of their contrada. Someone using graffiti? Some child misbehaving? They can expect to be reprimanded by any random person within that contrada. It's really pretty cool. I wonder what our city would look like if everyone had such pride in their own neighborhood. Anyways, there are actually two Palio events each year, one on July 2, and one in August. They have NOTHING to do with each other. There are ten teams who compete on Thursday, and the other seven are promised a spot in the next July 2 race (and three others who are drawn sometime in October). I haven't heard about anything promising yet, but all the gossip starts while hanging around for the Prima Prova tonight.
If you never hear from your kiddos, keep a big list of questions which may arise from this experience, and from what you read, and you'll have conversation to share for MONTHS following!!!
Hugs,
Laura :)
They have already been placed into their classes, and are laughing . . . a lot. So, I thought I'd share with you the excitement of today.
June 29th is a holy day everywhere in Italy, first of all. It's the feast of SS. Peter and Paul, when the Pope inaugurates (right word? inducts?) the new archbishops. Seriously - in the Vatican Piazza (Piazza di San Pietro), throngs of people crowd in to see the Pope and all the excitement! In Siena, it's an important day, too, as it's the first day of the Palio. The city is set up for the festival - everyone has their flags and lamps up, decorating their contrada, and the track and all the important regalia is all placed around the Campo. The dirt track makes it fun on years like this - it has rained for a week in Siena, and it's supposed to rain a little every day. Which Rose and I don't mind, at all.
ANYWAYS, this morning, everyone is out, wearing their contrada's scarves (which you receive when you're little) and excited about today. Today, at 9 AM, they let the 30 chosen horses make a few laps around the Campo, just to let everyone see the potential of the horse (as if it really means anything - without a jockey, an excellent horse could just stroll around). THen, at 1, is when they do the selection of the horses. If you don't know what's going on, it means nothing. Numbers are matched to colored balls (each, the color of each competing Contrada), which sets the jockey with the horse for the next four days. The BIG event today is at 7 PM this evening, where they have the Prima Prova (first trial-run). This is the first time the jockey gets to publicly ride the horse around the Campo. Even though they've had quality time already - from the minute the selection is made, the jockey and horse are together. Eating. Sleeping. Bonding. There are a few myths surrounding the Prima Prova, one especially that, if something goes wrong during this one, the Palio is CURSED. A few years ago, a horse got tangled up in the starting-line ropes, and broke a leg. The owner of the horse promised to honor the horse (he, the rider, and the Contrada didn't get to compete) by not putting it under, but you and I both know what happens to horses with broken legs . . .
I just realized - I never said what a CONTRADA is!!! Siena, as tiny as it is, is divided into 17 neighborhoods, or contrade, throughout town. Each contrada is assigned to an animal (usually, but there are a few, like "tower"), and has its own special colors. And people take major pride in the maintenance of their contrada. Someone using graffiti? Some child misbehaving? They can expect to be reprimanded by any random person within that contrada. It's really pretty cool. I wonder what our city would look like if everyone had such pride in their own neighborhood. Anyways, there are actually two Palio events each year, one on July 2, and one in August. They have NOTHING to do with each other. There are ten teams who compete on Thursday, and the other seven are promised a spot in the next July 2 race (and three others who are drawn sometime in October). I haven't heard about anything promising yet, but all the gossip starts while hanging around for the Prima Prova tonight.
If you never hear from your kiddos, keep a big list of questions which may arise from this experience, and from what you read, and you'll have conversation to share for MONTHS following!!!
Hugs,
Laura :)
Siamo in Siena!!!
Buon Giorno, Tutti!
WOW - what a great first weekend!!! And I'd like to thank you, in advance, for sending me such an awesome group of kiddos. Really, this weekend was the best experience I've ever had (not just saying that).
On Friday, the kids arrived en masse into Fiumicino Airport, but not without a little excitement. I know the kids' flight out of Chicago was delayed due to technical issues (thank you, thank you, thank you Moores, for meeting them at the airport and seeing them on!!!), but their flight was comfortable, and I think they slept NOT AT ALL. :) Amanda, fresh from Paris, was eager and excited about arriving first. We were planning to meet Grace and Caroline considerably earlier than the rest of the group, but, responsible young ladies they are, when they were in customs, they decided to stay in there (3 hours) and meet the rest of the group and walk out together. Tony and his mom met us, as well (they had been enjoying Rome for a week already), and we all headed to the bus! The bus ride was very nice, and we had a pretty successful attempt at all having lunch at the AutoGrill. An AutoGrill is like a truck stop, "but SO much nicer" (according to Sara).
Pompeii was actually pretty pleasant. I must admit, I didn't give them a killer death-march tour (due to time limits), and the breeze was nice, so we enjoyed a nice stroll through town, going from the Theatre district, through the Forum, up to the Villa of the Mysteries. Our bus ride from Pompeii to Sorrento was also longer than usual (they were having a "protest" in some small town outside of Pompeii, which blocked the streets - when it's one main street which takes you along the entire coastline, you can have some problems with that . . .), and after two hours of winding along the beautiful coastal road of the Bay of Naples (without any travel sickness - BRILLIANT), we arrived to our hotel in Sorrento.
I must suggest this spot - the Hotel Mignon Meuble is a great hotel, with wonderful service. It might have also been because of your wonderful kiddos being so well-behaved and mature (or my being slower than usual, due to jetlag), but we had no behavior problems the entire weekend. We were all hungry as horses when we got into the hotel, so we quickly cleaned up (10 minutes) and headed to dinner at the Pizzeria da Franco. It's a fave of mine - nice, family establishment, and GREAT pizza. You'll have to ask your own child about what kind of pizza they had - I had the house pizza (yes, Jay, I was indecisive), with parmesan, arugula (which they call "rocket" - the British call it "rockette", I think?), and tomatoes.
We then took a stroll down to the city park, which overlooks the entire Bay of Naples, and returned to the hotel, stopping, of course, by Davide, the best gelateria in town. Ah, yes, that's what real gelato tastes like . . .
Everyone was in their room by 10, and crashed (if not earlier).
Saturday, wake up call was at 6:00 - we had to get to the marina piccola (the tourist marina of the town, near the center of town - all arrows point to calling this the "marina grande", except for the fact that the actual marina grande is a serious fishing spot) for a boat departing at 7:30 for Capri! And what a great day! Upon arrival, we hitched a ride onto the funicolare, which took us into the piazzetta, the main centre of Capri proper. We sweated-grunted-climbed all the way up to the Villa Jovis, the southern summit of the island, then returned, making a stop at my favorite spot for Granite di Limone (talk about refreshing!!!). We strolled through Capri, over to the bus stop, where we took the bus up to Anacapri (ask your kiddos about the bus ride on the cliffside). I invited any willing students to join me on the chairlift to Monte Solaro (the northern peak of the island), and then gave them free time. Lots of fun had in the afternoon on Capri - some students headed straight to the beach, some shopped, some enjoyed a leisurely afternoon lunch, and some took one of the strolls suggested in my Capri brochure (sorry about the whole street-name-changing thing, girls!). Sea-soaked and sunburnt, we returned by boat to Sorrento, then all went out for a nice dinner at Zi'Ntonio's. A little strolling for some, a little more gelato for others, and we were all back in our rooms before midnight!
Sunday:
We had the opportunity to have a little more leisure on Sunday morning. Everyone enjoyed a nice breakfast at the hotel (YAY - no misery from the prior day-evening!), and we slowly headed to the bus around 10 AM to head north. We made another brief stop at an AutoGrill (for the bus driver's break - they get those every two hours or so), where the kids got some snacks and did a little shopping (as much as can be done at a truck stop). We then journeyed 1:30 and made another stop at Orvieto, a beautiful walled town which sits at the top of a hill. With a limited time, they were treated to an hour in Orvieto, enjoying a little walking and visiting the Duomo of the city (BEAUTIFUL!!!). We then journeyed another 1:30 and arrived into Siena at 6 PM, just in time to meet all of our homestay families (and Dana had arrived earlier, too)! I did get lots of pictures, and once I have a computer where I can download all my pics, I'll have them cycling through on this blog! It was raining a little (see below), but no one minded, and everyone headed home for a nice dinner with their homestay families and a good night's sleep.
Today has so much to share that I've got to put that onto another entry . . .
Thank you for your patience with the transportation on Thursday - I'm happy to have my assistant director with us, and until the end of the trip!
Grazie,
Laura :)
WOW - what a great first weekend!!! And I'd like to thank you, in advance, for sending me such an awesome group of kiddos. Really, this weekend was the best experience I've ever had (not just saying that).
On Friday, the kids arrived en masse into Fiumicino Airport, but not without a little excitement. I know the kids' flight out of Chicago was delayed due to technical issues (thank you, thank you, thank you Moores, for meeting them at the airport and seeing them on!!!), but their flight was comfortable, and I think they slept NOT AT ALL. :) Amanda, fresh from Paris, was eager and excited about arriving first. We were planning to meet Grace and Caroline considerably earlier than the rest of the group, but, responsible young ladies they are, when they were in customs, they decided to stay in there (3 hours) and meet the rest of the group and walk out together. Tony and his mom met us, as well (they had been enjoying Rome for a week already), and we all headed to the bus! The bus ride was very nice, and we had a pretty successful attempt at all having lunch at the AutoGrill. An AutoGrill is like a truck stop, "but SO much nicer" (according to Sara).
Pompeii was actually pretty pleasant. I must admit, I didn't give them a killer death-march tour (due to time limits), and the breeze was nice, so we enjoyed a nice stroll through town, going from the Theatre district, through the Forum, up to the Villa of the Mysteries. Our bus ride from Pompeii to Sorrento was also longer than usual (they were having a "protest" in some small town outside of Pompeii, which blocked the streets - when it's one main street which takes you along the entire coastline, you can have some problems with that . . .), and after two hours of winding along the beautiful coastal road of the Bay of Naples (without any travel sickness - BRILLIANT), we arrived to our hotel in Sorrento.
I must suggest this spot - the Hotel Mignon Meuble is a great hotel, with wonderful service. It might have also been because of your wonderful kiddos being so well-behaved and mature (or my being slower than usual, due to jetlag), but we had no behavior problems the entire weekend. We were all hungry as horses when we got into the hotel, so we quickly cleaned up (10 minutes) and headed to dinner at the Pizzeria da Franco. It's a fave of mine - nice, family establishment, and GREAT pizza. You'll have to ask your own child about what kind of pizza they had - I had the house pizza (yes, Jay, I was indecisive), with parmesan, arugula (which they call "rocket" - the British call it "rockette", I think?), and tomatoes.
We then took a stroll down to the city park, which overlooks the entire Bay of Naples, and returned to the hotel, stopping, of course, by Davide, the best gelateria in town. Ah, yes, that's what real gelato tastes like . . .
Everyone was in their room by 10, and crashed (if not earlier).
Saturday, wake up call was at 6:00 - we had to get to the marina piccola (the tourist marina of the town, near the center of town - all arrows point to calling this the "marina grande", except for the fact that the actual marina grande is a serious fishing spot) for a boat departing at 7:30 for Capri! And what a great day! Upon arrival, we hitched a ride onto the funicolare, which took us into the piazzetta, the main centre of Capri proper. We sweated-grunted-climbed all the way up to the Villa Jovis, the southern summit of the island, then returned, making a stop at my favorite spot for Granite di Limone (talk about refreshing!!!). We strolled through Capri, over to the bus stop, where we took the bus up to Anacapri (ask your kiddos about the bus ride on the cliffside). I invited any willing students to join me on the chairlift to Monte Solaro (the northern peak of the island), and then gave them free time. Lots of fun had in the afternoon on Capri - some students headed straight to the beach, some shopped, some enjoyed a leisurely afternoon lunch, and some took one of the strolls suggested in my Capri brochure (sorry about the whole street-name-changing thing, girls!). Sea-soaked and sunburnt, we returned by boat to Sorrento, then all went out for a nice dinner at Zi'Ntonio's. A little strolling for some, a little more gelato for others, and we were all back in our rooms before midnight!
Sunday:
We had the opportunity to have a little more leisure on Sunday morning. Everyone enjoyed a nice breakfast at the hotel (YAY - no misery from the prior day-evening!), and we slowly headed to the bus around 10 AM to head north. We made another brief stop at an AutoGrill (for the bus driver's break - they get those every two hours or so), where the kids got some snacks and did a little shopping (as much as can be done at a truck stop). We then journeyed 1:30 and made another stop at Orvieto, a beautiful walled town which sits at the top of a hill. With a limited time, they were treated to an hour in Orvieto, enjoying a little walking and visiting the Duomo of the city (BEAUTIFUL!!!). We then journeyed another 1:30 and arrived into Siena at 6 PM, just in time to meet all of our homestay families (and Dana had arrived earlier, too)! I did get lots of pictures, and once I have a computer where I can download all my pics, I'll have them cycling through on this blog! It was raining a little (see below), but no one minded, and everyone headed home for a nice dinner with their homestay families and a good night's sleep.
Today has so much to share that I've got to put that onto another entry . . .
Thank you for your patience with the transportation on Thursday - I'm happy to have my assistant director with us, and until the end of the trip!
Grazie,
Laura :)
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Small alteration for Departure
Buon Giorno, Tutti!
First of all, if you're a weather.com fan like I am, you'll have noticed how BEAUTIFUL the weather will be during our first weekend in Italy! (caveat: weather.com almost NEVER posts the right temperature of Italian weather, from what I can tell - it was 55 and rainy, and weather.com said we were 76 and sunny, and vice versa, on the usual day)
As you will hear from Celeste, we've had a slight change for the trip. Instead of Dana Caron coming as the assistant Director, we will have Liz Schnautz for the first part of the trip, then an actual Siennese teacher for the rest of our stay! The one big change for you is that you won't have Dana on the flights with you coming over to Italy. But we're all experienced travelers, and, with a few notes from me, I know this will be SO easy for you!
Kate, with you as our senior traveler (actually, GRADUATE traveler!), I'm going to make you the shepherd for the trip! Please feel free to print off this blog for reference during your travel day. :)
I figured this would be good for those of you who are traveling on your own, anyways!
Check-in
You should be at check-in 2.5 hours before departure, as stated many times before. That means that most of you will be at DFW between 7 and 7:30 AM. During this time, parents will check in their own student, then afterwards take group pictures, have hugs, etc., before you all go together through the security checkpoint.
BAGS SHOULD BE CHECKED ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO ROME – we lose bags almost every year because of this miscommunication.
At the Departure Gate
Set up camp at the departure gate, which means EVERYONE's carryon bags are to be neatly gathered together into one spot. From now on, if you go out in a group, a group is THREE PEOPLE from our SPI group. If you want to get breakfast, eat something like what you’d usually eat for lunch. And to get lots of water or juice. Pick up food, and bring it back to the gate to eat it. Be at the gate, ready to board, at 8:45.
On the Chicago Flight
You all need to stay awake on this flight - talk, play games, share what you're excited about, take pictures . . . and be super-nice to the flight attendants!!!
In Chicago
Here’s where the fun starts. You are supposed to arrive around 11:50 AM. When y’all disembark, find the location of your departing flight, and take the whole group there to set up camp. Again, in groups, go to pick up lunch (dinner), and, with food, return to the gate quickly. Determine a group of five of you (at least) who will camp out with the bags at the departure gate. Then, head out to meet up with later arrivals:
Shannon: AA 2348 from DFW
Abbie and Carly: AA2486 from AUS
These are close-timed flights – if the gates are too far from each other, send Sara and Natalie to meet Shannon (make sure they have your cell phone #), and you can meet Abbie and Carly with another group of HP kids. Again, EVERYONE should have their SPI shirts on, so you'll be easily recognizable. Everyone is to return to the departure gate as quickly as possible – international flights start boarding 1 hour to 45 minutes ahead of time. Try to find out where everyone is sitting, and write it down here, so that you can say hi to everyone during the flight.
On the Flight
Eat ALL your dinner. SLEEP. A lot. However you need to do it. EVERYONE. Whenever you awake and pace around, stop by to visit each other, wherever you’re sitting. Plan to meet as a group immediately outside the gate. And eat ALL of your breakfast (no matter WHAT you're served).
Forms? Last time we flew to Italy, we received no forms entering the country. If they do hand out Customs forms, make sure you are filling everything out (you should have NOTHING to claim), and placing the form in your passports, for easy access. Have your passports in a quick-access spot, because that's the first stop you'll make once you get off the plane.
Disembarking
When you get off the flight, the minute you enter the airport, get the group together. Have any necessary potty breaks happen between there and the passport check.
Passport check: Be sure to get into a NON-EU line, and y'all can wait for each other as soon as they get through there. It’s a quick thing – they just check your passports, and you head to baggage claim. No one in our group has an international passport this year (Gratias Deo), so this should be smooth.
Baggage Claim: With the whole group with you at the end of passport check, just around the corner is the baggage claim. Everyone is to get his own bags, then head over just past the last carousel, to wait as a group for everyone to get their bags. Determine a spot to meet, before exiting customs. During this time, you can stop by the ATM inside the baggage claim if you want to get cash (make sure your bag is secure with someone else in the SPI group), but mostly, wait with the group until everyone has received their bags.
If there is a lost bag, go to the American desk right by the baggage claim. We’re headed directly to Sorrento, which could make things interesting . . . I’m right outside of the Customs exit door (just metres away) if there’s a problem – call my cell phone or have them come and get me.
Customs: You should just pass right through. If someone is stopped, it’s a random search, and shouldn’t be a problem – just let the rest of the group go ahead and stay nearby, Kate.
As soon as you pass through the Customs doors (big sliding glass doors), you should see me and Liz – I’ll have my pink SPI sign and green t-shirt, just like yours! We’ll be ready to load everyone up on the bus by then (Amanda, Grace and Caroline arrive before you – we'll be ready for everyone with the bus, to head directly to Pompeii!!!)!
Can you believe it??? See you in a few days!!! Parents, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me (e-mail is the best) before Wednesday morning, when I depart!
BIGGEST HUGS,
Laura :)
First of all, if you're a weather.com fan like I am, you'll have noticed how BEAUTIFUL the weather will be during our first weekend in Italy! (caveat: weather.com almost NEVER posts the right temperature of Italian weather, from what I can tell - it was 55 and rainy, and weather.com said we were 76 and sunny, and vice versa, on the usual day)
As you will hear from Celeste, we've had a slight change for the trip. Instead of Dana Caron coming as the assistant Director, we will have Liz Schnautz for the first part of the trip, then an actual Siennese teacher for the rest of our stay! The one big change for you is that you won't have Dana on the flights with you coming over to Italy. But we're all experienced travelers, and, with a few notes from me, I know this will be SO easy for you!
Kate, with you as our senior traveler (actually, GRADUATE traveler!), I'm going to make you the shepherd for the trip! Please feel free to print off this blog for reference during your travel day. :)
I figured this would be good for those of you who are traveling on your own, anyways!
Check-in
You should be at check-in 2.5 hours before departure, as stated many times before. That means that most of you will be at DFW between 7 and 7:30 AM. During this time, parents will check in their own student, then afterwards take group pictures, have hugs, etc., before you all go together through the security checkpoint.
BAGS SHOULD BE CHECKED ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO ROME – we lose bags almost every year because of this miscommunication.
At the Departure Gate
Set up camp at the departure gate, which means EVERYONE's carryon bags are to be neatly gathered together into one spot. From now on, if you go out in a group, a group is THREE PEOPLE from our SPI group. If you want to get breakfast, eat something like what you’d usually eat for lunch. And to get lots of water or juice. Pick up food, and bring it back to the gate to eat it. Be at the gate, ready to board, at 8:45.
On the Chicago Flight
You all need to stay awake on this flight - talk, play games, share what you're excited about, take pictures . . . and be super-nice to the flight attendants!!!
In Chicago
Here’s where the fun starts. You are supposed to arrive around 11:50 AM. When y’all disembark, find the location of your departing flight, and take the whole group there to set up camp. Again, in groups, go to pick up lunch (dinner), and, with food, return to the gate quickly. Determine a group of five of you (at least) who will camp out with the bags at the departure gate. Then, head out to meet up with later arrivals:
Shannon: AA 2348 from DFW
Abbie and Carly: AA2486 from AUS
These are close-timed flights – if the gates are too far from each other, send Sara and Natalie to meet Shannon (make sure they have your cell phone #), and you can meet Abbie and Carly with another group of HP kids. Again, EVERYONE should have their SPI shirts on, so you'll be easily recognizable. Everyone is to return to the departure gate as quickly as possible – international flights start boarding 1 hour to 45 minutes ahead of time. Try to find out where everyone is sitting, and write it down here, so that you can say hi to everyone during the flight.
On the Flight
Eat ALL your dinner. SLEEP. A lot. However you need to do it. EVERYONE. Whenever you awake and pace around, stop by to visit each other, wherever you’re sitting. Plan to meet as a group immediately outside the gate. And eat ALL of your breakfast (no matter WHAT you're served).
Forms? Last time we flew to Italy, we received no forms entering the country. If they do hand out Customs forms, make sure you are filling everything out (you should have NOTHING to claim), and placing the form in your passports, for easy access. Have your passports in a quick-access spot, because that's the first stop you'll make once you get off the plane.
Disembarking
When you get off the flight, the minute you enter the airport, get the group together. Have any necessary potty breaks happen between there and the passport check.
Passport check: Be sure to get into a NON-EU line, and y'all can wait for each other as soon as they get through there. It’s a quick thing – they just check your passports, and you head to baggage claim. No one in our group has an international passport this year (Gratias Deo), so this should be smooth.
Baggage Claim: With the whole group with you at the end of passport check, just around the corner is the baggage claim. Everyone is to get his own bags, then head over just past the last carousel, to wait as a group for everyone to get their bags. Determine a spot to meet, before exiting customs. During this time, you can stop by the ATM inside the baggage claim if you want to get cash (make sure your bag is secure with someone else in the SPI group), but mostly, wait with the group until everyone has received their bags.
If there is a lost bag, go to the American desk right by the baggage claim. We’re headed directly to Sorrento, which could make things interesting . . . I’m right outside of the Customs exit door (just metres away) if there’s a problem – call my cell phone or have them come and get me.
Customs: You should just pass right through. If someone is stopped, it’s a random search, and shouldn’t be a problem – just let the rest of the group go ahead and stay nearby, Kate.
As soon as you pass through the Customs doors (big sliding glass doors), you should see me and Liz – I’ll have my pink SPI sign and green t-shirt, just like yours! We’ll be ready to load everyone up on the bus by then (Amanda, Grace and Caroline arrive before you – we'll be ready for everyone with the bus, to head directly to Pompeii!!!)!
Can you believe it??? See you in a few days!!! Parents, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me (e-mail is the best) before Wednesday morning, when I depart!
BIGGEST HUGS,
Laura :)
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