Trip to Chicago

 Today, well actually yesterday, I applied for my Italian student visa in downtown Chicago. It was a very enjoyable trip with my mom and dad. I was at a church camp from Monday - Thursday where my parents picked me up and we headed east toward Chicago. The ride to the windy city seemed like a fairly quick nine-hour drive.
Once we arrived to our hotel in Elk Grove Village, a suburb just outside of Chicago, we relaxed for a bit and then went to eat at Baby Ray's BBQ. It was extremely nice outside so we decided to sit outside where we enjoyed the view of airplanes flying directly over us every 60 seconds. After we eat, we went back to the hotel and relaxed the rest of the night.
We woke up the next morning at 4:30 in order to make the 6:00 shuttle to Chicago O'Hare International Airport. When we got to O'Hare we found the blue line, Chicago's public train system, which took us downtown to Grant Street where we walked about a mile until we found Michigan Avenue, the street the Italian Consulate is located on. Because it was only about 7:30 AM and the consulate offices didn't open until 9:00, we decided to walk eastward towards Lake Michigan, one of the five great lakes. It took about 20 minutes to make it to the beaches of Lake Michigan. Once we got to the lake, my mother and I walked in the lake until we were ankle-deep. The water was cold!
We headed back towards the consulate at 8:15 but stopped to look in some buildings like the Chicago Tribune. We went to the consulate offices at 9:00 and waited. My appointment was scheduled for 10:00 but my name wasn't called until about 10:35. It was about 15 minutes of exchanging papers, signing a few things, and fixing a few minor details but the process went over very well. The consulate officer was extremely nice. She used to live in Venice and told me she has been to Syracuse many times and said that it is one of the most beautiful Italian cities.
After the visa appointment, we walked down the street to the Willis Tower, the tallest building in the USA. (Yeah, it's huge.) After this, we made our way back to the blue line, to the airport, to the hotel, and then headed west towards South Dakota. We arrived home at midnight. I slept a majority of the way home (which explains why I'm posting this at 2:00 in the morning). When I got home, I saw my French sister Elena who is back for a few days. I also met her sister Elsa who is also very kind.
The trip to Chicago and back was fast but very fun. I would love to return someday.

P.S. Sorry that the video is sideways!

AF

The Azzurri

I am still very pleased with the Italian national soccer team, The Azzurri, and the way they played in the Euro 2012 Tournament. I will list my top five favorite players on the team:
5. Antonio Cassano - I love his playing style. He attacks whenever he thinks he can get an opportunity to score. He is also a very gifted passer.
4. Alessandro Diamanti - Though Diamanti does not play until the second half of most games for the national team, he is a spark off the bench that The Azzurri sometimes need. He is a feisty player which is a change when he comes in compared to the semi laid-back playing style of the Italians. Oh, and he has great hair which is never a bad thing.
3. Andrea Pirlo - He is one of the best passing mid fielders in the world, if not the best. He is a veteran for his team and does a great job keeping his composer in heated situations. He can score, pass, and play defense and very well. He's just an all-around gifted player. If you want to see some of his best goals and listen to some epic music, click here.
2. Mario Balotelli - Balotelli has an immense amount of skill. Some people doubt "Super Mario" because he sometimes can have attitude problems that hold him back. This may be true, but I believe that if he learns how to improve his passing, play a little better defense, and straighten up his effort that he can be marked as one of the best players of all time. He played superb in the semifinal against Germany; this was the game no one expected Italy to win. If you want to see the highlights of Mario's game against Germany, click here.
1. Gianluigi Buffon - There are so many reasons to like this guy. Number one: He is a veteran. Number two: He is totally, 100 percent dedicated to his country. He sings his heart out when the Italian national anthem is played before the game starts. There is no audio, but if you want to see how proof of this man's dedication to his great country click here. And number three: He is a competitor, an amazing goal keeper, and a great teammate. His goal keeping skills are tremendous. Click here to see a video of some of his best saves.

There you have it. My top five players for Italy's national team. This picture below is the logo for The Azzurri.

Thanks for reading my blog. Have a nice Fourth of July and please stay safe!

AF



2 Months of Waiting

Hello everyone who may be reading this!
Sorry for the lack of communication and no posts over the last week or so, I haven't had anything too exciting to share and wasn't feeling ultra-creative so I decided to save both your and my time.
Today, I played soccer with some people from Madison and spent some time with my friend Elliot who just got home from France last week. I am getting more and more interested in soccer everyday thanks to the Euro 2012 tournament which I enjoyed watching. I was a loyal supporter of my host country, Italy, in the tournament. The Azzurri (Italy's team name because they wear blue uniforms, also translates to "blues" in English) finished second place in the tournament. I was hoping for they to be victorious but the Italians just couldn't get it done today. Though I was disappointed with the 4-0 loss today, I was very proud of Italy's effort this tournament. They weren't even supposed to make it passed the first game in the knock-out rounds, let alone make it to the championship game. Sempre amo l'Italia!
In 12 days I will be traveling to Chicago to apply for my student visa. Wish me luck, I hope I filled out the application correctly otherwise I may need to return to Chicago at a later date to reapply.
Exactly two months from today I will be leaving the United States of America headed east towards Italy. In exactly two months from tomorrow my exchange will officially start as I will be landing in the great country of Italy.
These next two months I will continue studying Italian to hopefully get a grasp on the language so I am not totally lost upon my arrival in Italy. I also hope to spend some time with friends since I will be unable to see them for ten months unless it is via webcam.
I hope you all had a great weekend. Have a nice July 4th but please be safe and please remember those who have died for us all in order for us to have the freedoms we do today. We are all truly blessed!
AF