Synchronized Skating Summer Update: Mary Halling
6/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Synchronized Skating
Mary Halling -- June 29, 2009
 View of the City of Urbino from the Fortezza (Fortress)  | |
I am still in awe waking up here every morning (awe mixed with exhaustion from staying up late at the café bonding with my new friends, of course). I love that I'm here in this beautiful country, taking interesting classes in an old Renaissance town, working towards fulfilling my life dream of speaking Italian, living with three amazing girls and loving all 22 people in my group.
Even though it's only been two weeks, I feel at home here now. Each day is a perfect combination of predictable and random - shower, breakfast, and three hours of class in the morning, and then the rest of the day is undetermined until that moment. One day we'll do homework in Pesaro on the sandy beaches of the Adriatic. Another day we'll sit up at the Fortezza - a grassy spot overlooking the entire city center of Urbino, as well as the rolling hills for kilometers around. Some days we'll sit at our favorite café in the main Piazza della Repubblica, drink caffé americano, eat gelato, and people watch when we feel like taking a break from homework.
 Piazza San Marco | |
Taking class here is such an enriching experience. Even though we are learning a week's worth of material in three hours, we take 10 minute breaks each hour (which actually means 15 minutes, when we all congregate around the coffee vending machine and the professors chat in the hallway). There are only six people in my class, so we get a lot of personal attention. Two of our professors live here, and they're very patient with us, along with the local urbinati, who are so nice and appreciate our efforts to speak Italian with them.
Being surrounded entirely by a rich, new language, culture and lifestyle is amazing. As cliché as it is, I know that I am becoming a different person here and I can't wait to see what the next six weeks have in store for me and my group!
This is a continuation in a series of updates from the Miami University synchronized skaters throughout the summer.
Players Mentioned
