So I know I definitely cannot compete with all the troubles my sister Brittany faced during her horrible September, but I have to say that this month has been pretty rough for me too. I know, I know- how can I possibly be having a rough time when I am in Italy? Well, let me tell you. This trip is not all fun and games folks, I am here to get some serious and essential work done. And although things are moving along, they are doing so slowly. Part of this is due to the fact that I have been feeling ill for about three weeks. My symptoms include terrible sinus headaches, sore throat, cough, runny nose, and general exhaustion. I am eating healthy and getting 8 or more hours of sleep each night but I am still exhausted all day, every day. This makes it rather hard to concentrate when I am sitting in the archives faced with fifteenth century handwriting and eyes that will barely stay open. I have tried to rest a day here and there, and I have also tried just spending half the day in the archives, but to no avail. I am starting to feel very frustrated about it, since I am here to do this research but I am having a hard time getting things done.

Add to my health issues the following events which occurred today:

1. I have a grant application that I had to finish and mail off to Toronto, which I did; only to realize later in the day that I forgot to include my transcripts in the envelope so I had to go back to the post office and send those off as well. This would not be so bad if the post office in Italy didn't involve such long lines and eternal wait times.

2. My iPod got stuck in one of the USB ports on my computer (it's a first generation shuffle) and I seriously couldn't get it out. I didn't want to break it or my computer but I didn't know what to do. I played with it for awhile and then just sucked it up and pulled really, really hard . . . which didn't work! So, I hauled my laptop to the archives with my iPod stuck in it; I managed to get it out this afternoon by pulling up first, and then pulling really, really hard.

3. While I was at the archives today I was working with some documents from the 1500s that are bound together with a leather spine and wooden board covers. While trying to shift the book to the other side of my desk my hand slipped and I got a huge splinter in my pinky finger- ouch! I got it out, and promptly gave myself a tiny paper cut. I decided, shortly thereafter, that it was probably best to just go home.

Needless to say, I was feeling pretty lousy (both mentally and physically) but after a bit of self-reflection I feel much better- mentally, anyway! This past week I co-taught the lesson in Relief Society and we talked about the concept of "being of good cheer." This afternoon, as I mentally counted down all the crummy things that have happened to me lately, a few key points from the lesson crept into my mind. I remembered that despite all the trials or difficulties we face in this life, ultimately we are here to have joy. We find that joy by making the gospel of Jesus Christ the centre of our lives. I was reminded that I have so much to be thankful for because of the Savior, that even in tough times I can have joy in my life. That doesn't mean that everything will automatically be better or that things won't be hard (did I mention that a pigeon pooped on my foot a few weeks ago? Gross!) but it does make things a little brighter. So here's hoping to a better day tomorrow and a better month ahead; but if not, I know that things will be okay and I will come out a stronger person in the end, and that thought makes me happy!

This past week I experienced my first Italian thunderstorm- well, actually we had several! It rained and thundered Monday through Friday and although I do love that kind of weather I was very happy to get up this morning and see sunshine coming through my window. I originally planned to stay in, rest, and get some work done today, but the sunshine is calling me so maybe I will have to go out. In honor of the return of the sunshine I thought I would post some pictures of a day trip I took a few weeks ago with some of the girls from the program. We got up early one Friday morning and caught an 8am train to a place not far from Siena called Rapolano. It is a small town well-known for its hot springs, which were our reason for going. The train ride only took about 30 minutes, and then it was another 20-30 minute walk to a large hotel/spa. The day was so beautiful and sunny and the countryside so lovely that I didn't mind the walk there. When we arrived we each paid 13 euro and had access to the spa's hot spring pools for the entire day. It was such a great, relaxing way to spend a day off! There were a series of pools, each with a different temperature, and there was even a mud pit where you could cover yourself in a white, chalky residue, wait for it to dry, and then rinse it off. I am not sure exactly what it was supposed to do for the skin but it felt good! Anyway, we swam, soaked, slept, and relaxed the day away until around 5pm, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. (The only downside was the major sunburn I got on my legs - blisters and everything! But it wasn't from lack of responsibility; I mean, my legs were in the shade when I fell asleep, it's just that pesky moving sun!) After a long walk back to the tiny train station we all collapsed on the train - an entire day of sunshine and soaking in the water left us pretty exhausted, but in a good way. It was my first hot springs experience and it was a success!

Me, Julia, and Sahar walking to the hotel/spa.

A view of the spa and some of the pools. The warmest pool was inside the closest building in the picture and it connected to one of outdoor pools (the one that the waterfall is coming from).

The coolest pool, with the town of Rapolano on the hill in the background.

See Mom? Proof that I was there!

More proof. (Please ignore my hideous tan lines!)

It felt so good to stand under the waterfall and let it hit my shoulders and back!

Waiting for the train home at the little train station. Isn't it cute?

As some of you already know, the study abroad program that I worked with for the month of August finished last Saturday. At 5:15am we loaded up three buses and took the students on the group flight to the airport in Rome. We stayed while they all checked in for their flight (which might sound boring but it was actually a little amusing to watch many of them heave gigantic suitcases onto the scales and wince as they waited for the total weight to appear) and then, when the last students finished, Ninni and I said goodbye to Joe, got in a rental car, and drove back to Siena. We arrived back in Siena around 4:30pm, which gave me an hour or two to finish packing my room and talk to my family before calling a taxi and heading across town to my new apartment. The entire day felt very rushed and before I knew it, I had left the Sperandie Residence behind and moved on, without really taking the time to think about it. My new apartment is great (I'll post some pictures soon!), my new roommates are lovely, kind, and considerate girls, and I feel very lucky to have found it. But I have some wonderful memories of the Residence, so I thought I would share one of them with you. One my favorite things about the residence was the random decor that could be found on the walls in nearly every room. Unlike the dorms that I have seen in North America, the students here are not required to remove everything from the walls when they leave. For example, two of our girls were staying in a room that had race cars, bikini clad women, and a dart board on the wall, while others had random paintings, sea shell decals, and other odds and ends. Even my room had a few quirks, as you can see in the pictures below. My favorite room, however, was that of my neighbour Helene: she had kittens on her wall! It was amazing! So here's to the Sperandie Residence and its random decor- kittens, sea shells, dart boards, and all!

My bed- nothing strange on the walls here!

A shot of the room from the doorway . . . wait, what is that on the wardrobe? Let's get a little closer.

They look like leaves . . . let's get closer!

Look at that- they are leaves, maple leaves to be exact. They are actually made out of the same sticky stuff they use to make those sticky hands that kids are always playing with. I am not quite sure who put them there or why, but if felt approriate for a University of Toronto student to live in a room with some maple leaves on her wardrobe.
So what else was in my room, you ask? Well . . .

How about some Winnie the Pooh? This lovely wallpaper covered a storage box in the entry to the room. Well, that is about it for my room, so let's move on to Helene's room next door.

This poster was above the door that led into the bathroom that Helene and I shared; maybe the people who had our rooms previously just really liked Disney! Or, it's quite possible that the person just really liked animals because this was also on the wall in Helene's room:

Yes, that is an aerial view of Siena (which has probably been on the wall for a long time based on how faded the picture is) and yes, those are pictures of kittens tacked onto it. Don't you just love the cute little grey kitten sitting on a pair of jeans, and the adorable black and white kitten in the garden? Don't get me wrong- I don't have anything against cats. But these pictures in this context were a bit much. Helene just laughed about it and left them there for the next occupant of the room - I probably would have taken them down!

Last night I went with our Italian language course to a small town about thirty minutes away from Siena called Monteriggioni. The town itself is a small fortress located on top of a hill, and it has the distinction of being one of the only Italian fortresses that has never been conquered, at least not by military force. (It was just betrayed into the hands of the Medici during the 16th century by a corrupt captian!) But these days there is no military force behind the fortress walls, just a beautiful, peaceful little town. It is a popular location for honeymoons and romantic evenings, and the setting is, indeed, perfect. We arrived around 5:30pm and wandered through the streets and around the walls, before going to a small restaurant in the village below the fortress for dinner. The food was . . . well, words just won't do it any justice! We had a four course meal with traditional Tuscan and Sienese dishes, and both the pasta and the meat were to die for. (I think I gained a few pounds at least because I ate so much!) After dinner we went back up to the fortress for an hour or so, because the Professor insisted that the students see Monteriggioni at night. It was definitely worth it. The steps leading up to the town from the parking area were lined with lavender so it smelled wonderful, the stars were out, and I haven't heard such quiet since I arrived in Italy! It was so beautiful, standing there in the shadow of the 13th century walls with the scent of lavender in the air and the stars twinkling overhead, that it almost made me cry. It was magical! My photos don't really do it justice (and my camera battery died before dark so I didn't get any evening shots) but at least they can give you an idea of what it was like. We are now in the home stretch of the program, and I am not able to think of a better way to spend one of our final evenings- it was perfect!

Me and the Porta Fiorentina, the north gate of the fortress. There are actually only two gates, one facing north and the other facing south, and the fortress is so small that if it were flat you could see one from the other. They gates are named after the enemies they face: Florence for the north, and Rome for the south.

A shot of the walls outside the north gate. For a small price you can go up and walk along parts of the walls, and the view is amazing!

Outside the south gate, Porta Roma.

The tiny cemetary, located outside the fortress walls.

These next few pictures are just shots of the town inside the fortress- so pretty!