June 8 2017

Friday, I met the rugby team at 5:30am to head to the airport.

 I was really happy to travel with the girls, but sometime it was a little hard. Because I don't play (because of documents and also because of all the uncalled illegal tackles that I've seen), I sometime don't feel like I am fully apart of the team. Sometimes being an exchange student I miss important information posted in the group chat. I was a little sad when I saw that everyone had borrowed matching backpacks from the boys team, and even though I had the same matching shirt, I've never been given or offered any of the other clothes the girls have (even when I've specifically asked).

In the afternoon we arrived in Milan and took the metro to the center for a quick lunch.

After two extremely hot and sweaty train rides we arrived in Calvisano! While I was quickly taking this photo a group of boys from the train window started joking with me about putting it on social media (they didn't know that I am way trendier and have a blog). 

The next day after a slow morning we started the tournament in the afternoon. In Minnesota I played 15's rugby with 30 minute halves. The girls play a very different version where they play 7's but only use half the field and play for one ten minute half.  Unfortunately during the third game, my friend Giuliana fell badly and broke her ankle and was taken to the hospital. 

After losing all four games, we got to watches the Italian Women's 15's final championship game!

Of course there is always music and dancing. 

The next day we had another four games in the morning and once again lost them all. But we had fun. 

We took another two trains and went to Verona for the evening! 

The park.

Greek amphitheater. 

The center.

Walking through the street we got to explore a bit. Giuliana was a trooper with the crutches but every once in a while the girls could see when was tires and carried her, and for a bit our coach, carried her around on his shoulders. All the tourist in Verona thought we were cute. 

We got to see Juliette's balcony! Sadly the gate to was locked and we couldn't get close.

"This was the house of the Capulets, from which Juliette went out, for whom many kind hearts mourned, and poets sang." 

I thought the red vespa was way too stereotypical italian. 

The funny thing was that we didn't get a hotel in Verona. We just decided to spend the whole night together in the piazza, hanging out. There was a drunk Austrian boy around for a while trying to flirt with all the girls, and I helped as a translator for those who spoke less english. We headed to the airport at 3:00am, and tried to sleep on the benches for an hour before our plane at 5:30. However the freezing temperature of the airport made it very difficult to sleep.

The ride home from the airport.

It was a nice few days, 

Yesterday Goigio had to run some errands in Marina and I went with her. One of my team mates lives in Marina, so we met up and went to the ice cream shop where two of our other team mates work.

Today I met three of my good friends, Mati, Ottavia and Olga at the tea shop! It's been closed for the past three weeks because the owner was getting married. 

For the summer all the teas are offered cold and they also have a new, summer menu with tons of cool items impossible to find in any other part of Ragusa. Almost all the bars/cafes serve exactly the same classic things and the sicilians like it that way. I was so surprised when Ottavia asked me if I knew what a smoothie was!  

Using my completed punch-card I got Matcha Yogurt with Strawberries, chocolate shavings and cookie bits! It was really tasty!