October Postcard Challenge

Hello All :)

Why do I look so sad.... :(

OK, so over the past few days, I've bought and collected a myriad of postcards from Florence and Rome and I need to send them out to people.... the problem is... I have a ton of people to send postcards too... so here's the deal:

You send me a card. I'll send you a postcard. Simple as that. It could be anything from a postcard from where you currently live to a long letter proclaiming how much you miss seeing my beautiful face... anything.

If you already sent me a card before this challenge, you don't need to send another one to receive a postcard. Your cards are on their way. :)

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So, I met someone this weekend from New Hampshire. It was a boy. from Manchester. I was appalled that I would find another New Hampshire-ite. 

He definitely danced like one.

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Oreos. in Italy. Wow.

RANT:

So, I found these individually-wrapped-in-foil-baggies-like-pop-tarts Oreos at the supermarket one day. And the description says all. I'm deceived every time I find one of these wrappers into believing that they are Pop Tarts. I miss Pop Tarts. Dang you Italian Oreo company...... copying Pop Tarts. GAH.

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VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

Since I had an overwhelming response to my video post last month, I'm going to post another video.

I hope you all can sense the overbearingly excessive use of sarcasm in that last sentence.

So, this video here: Il Pucino Pio (The Wishful Chick)

is basically a song about animals on a farm and the sounds they make... but its in Italian. and it has some nifty dance moves. Their outfits are quite creative I must say. By the way, the chick that they're singing about does die at the end when it is run over by a tractor. Happy endings do not exist in Italy. Unless its a love story.

Why did I post this?

A. We had to watch and interpret this video/song in Italian class.

B. It was the #1 song in Italy for the entire summer of 2012.

C. It's extremely catchy and super annoying to listen to after 10 times...

D. It reminded me of my summers at camp and the ridiculous but awesome dances we did to entertain the kids. So I was reminiscing.

E. Its almost like Old MacDonald's Farm....

F. I bought it on iTunes to wake my roommates up with everyday.

G. I hope it gets more views that "Gangnam Style".

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Finally, I hope you all are having a fantastic start to the month of October and I'll post again sometime soon!

And if you are the guy from New Hampshire who's reading this post, you should probably email me. Like you promised.

Grazie e ciao! 

Joel C. Yates

Il Pulcino Pio

P.S. My email is jcy261@nyu.edu

:)

Happy Monday Everyone! (Octoberrrrrr)

Hello!

Catching up on my lovely Odyssey. blech.

This weekend flew by. I mean my weekend is literally half of my week; so I guess the whole week kinda disappeared too. I can also say that my weekend was very nonproductive, in saying, I did absolutely nothing productive. Was that redundant?

My ACTUAL Weekend:
Thursday Afternoon - I can't remember really. But I do remember staying in....
Friday - Class Trip to Fiesole (beautiful, really!); Work Study; Birthday Party @ Yab :)
Saturday - I do remember! I slept until about noon. And then.... we went out again :)
Sunday - Corri La Vita; Helped with an intervention; Went to a fake meeting; Went to a real meeting; Did laundry; went to bed.

We had quite the Stormy Sunday up here in Firenze. Basically, the weatherman was like "Oh. It's gonna storm alllll day." I disproved his theory when I opened my windows and saw the shining bright sun and not a single cloud in the sky. But then in the afternoon, like around 7ish, Mother Nature, true to Italian culture, was late. Obviously, she didn't get the memo saying that she was supposed to storm all day... maybe she got breakfast-in-bed and decided to torture us later with her lightning and thunder. But seriously.

In addition to this wacky weather weekend, (which reminds me of New England), yesterday was the Corri La Vita or the 'Run for Life' except, I walked. It was either I walk the 5k or I run the 13k. I was walking the 5k. Thank you. I got this fancy shmancy t-shirt which I got to bless with my sweat as it was 100 degrees out with 300% humidity. It was kind of cool though because both courses finished at the same time. So, as I was speed-walking to the finish line, the runners came in from the other side of the piazza and we joined together for a grand finale of about 10 metres.

RANT: Ok. First off: There was about 28,000 people. I think. Maybe more. And about 85% of them were walking. With me. The first mile was EXTREMELY SLOW. So, my friends and I made a game. We would speed walk and weave between people like crazy automobile drivers. And that's what we did. We eventually made it near the front because I think we took a shortcut somewhere.... but the course took us to the top of the Boboli gardens (which are magnificently beautiful) and we could see all of Florence. it was beautiful. then the course went across the Ponte Vecchio and into Piazza Repubblica for the grand finish. It was a lovely walk. But everyone was smoking. Which was weird because the walk was for cancer research. I love Italy. (:

So. Thats about it for today. Everyone should skype me :) either Joel Yates or joelyates401... i can't really remember which one was my username.

Anywho. Have a wonderful Monday :) Its gonna be great!

Ciao Ciao!

Joel C. Yates
Got back at the cleaning ladies today

There really is no excuse for this behavior. Words fail me.

P.S. Why am I NOT a model? lol :/

Let's go crazy crazy crazy till we see the sun....

Every Weekend. Exciting.

Oh my goodness! It is FINALLY the weekend!!!! (not trying to say that this week was too long....),

Per request of my fine roommates, I will dedicate today's post to them :) If you want a week dedicated to you, let me know!

So, who are my roommates? Well.

Roommate: Henry Knight

<------ This is Henry. He's from Houston, Texas. He plays the guitar and I sometimes find his picks under my notebooks. He also sings (TENOR.) with me during our random bursts of song. We prefer to sing songs with male singers. I showed him the song "Glad You Came" by The Wanted. He liked the song. We share the love for Ramen noodles, talking about politics when I'm in the mood, and listening to male a capella groups because they're freaking amazing. Other than the fact that he hates waking up to the alarm every morning, we're on wonderful terms.

Roommate: John Jayo

This is John. He's from Boise, Idaho. --------------------------->
Other than having a goofy face in the picture, he likes to read books, mainly poetry, as well as play guitar with Henry. I don't think they've played together yet but I'm pretty sure that our room is known for being the musical room. I think. He once forced me to listen to Rage Against The Machine. I didn't think it was THAAAAT BAD but I mean, it was torture so... it was sort of bad. I'm not sure if John sings.. I think he does....He also has a cool last name. We're also on fairly wonderful terms.... I think he likes Ramen noodles too.










Well. Those are my roommates. I often do their laundry once a week.
EXPLANATION:
I do their laundry ONLY because it gives me something to do on Sunday nights and thanks to Polo, I'm an expert folder of the clothing. I think I taught Henry how to fold his t-shirts.

So. The weekend:
Friday - The plan is to go on the class trip (FREE) up to Fiesole to the ancient ruins to take pictures and learn about ancient theatre. Apparently, we have to write a report... but no one really knows what's happening. Then, I have work study for six hours. Lovely.

Saturday - I'll just leave it by saying that I'll be sleeping. All day.

Sunday - The same thing happens each week but basically, its Laundry and Homework Day. Luckily, I don't have too much homework this weekend :)

And then its Monday. But I'm not thinking about it. Nope. I refuse.

September Music Video Challenge:
Don't forget to vote for your favorite video. Like seriously, its either Gangnam Style guy or One Direction. C'mon. You have to like AT LEAST ONE of them.

I got no responses. So I was extremely disappointed. Don't make me declare a winner myself.

Well guys, that's all I have for you today, maybe I'll post some pictures over the weekend :)

Amore,

Joel C. Yates
Trying to get a better picture of John for my blog

Let's go crazy, crazy, crazy, until we see the sun....Tonight, let's get some and live while we're young

P.S. The first photo is of me drinking orange soda. For all of you that thought I was an alcoholic. PLEASE.

Let's Talk About Bad Ideas...... :)

Hello and Greetings from Florence!

Well. One month ago, I said goodbye to my friends and family and as I got on the plane, I realized that I wouldn't be coming back to America for three and a half months. Now that one month has gone by (even though it has felt like a year or so), I think I have (FINALLY) assimilated to the culture here in Italy. AND. I. Love. It.

September Music Video Contest:
This is just a little something to keep me entertained. Tell me in the comments which video you like the best! (and you can't like both)

Video Choice #1

Video Choice #2

Thanks! Your vote will be appreciated! :)

Bad Ideas:

1. Vogue Fashion Week Night Out --> So a bunch of friends and I went out to this event in Florence (it was free) and it was like a Tuesday night. We get to the event and it is crowded with people. I would say 'packed' but there was definitely enough space to walk around. Basically, all the stores are open until the wee hours of the morning hosting fashion shows, playing loud music, and most importantly, handing out free alcohol (Now before you all get concerned, I only had one glass of champagne and one cocktail). Here's the bad part: Not only did it get several members of our group extremely intoxicated, this event also attracted the Florentine hobos who were also getting drunk. Another thing, who gives out alcohol in a high-end designer store? Like champagne in expensive glassware? Yeah. All the drunkards dropped their drinks, ergo, smashing the glass and spilling champagne EVERYWHERE. Say goodbye to that 300 Euro jacket because the value just depreciated.
2. Wheelchair Escapades --> So one of my amazing friends, Anastasia, keeps her wheelchair in our room for safekeeping and ONCE IN AWHILE, I go out in the wheelchair on little, tiny adventures. You know what's hard to do? Trying to maneuver a wheelchair through gravel. That's hard. So anyways, I would be in the wheelchair and while no one is looking, I'd go down the valley path. Here's the bad thing: there is no possible way to steer a wheelchair when it is accelerating at rates too high to comprehend, ergo, I lost control of the chair and landed in the hedge by the volleyball nets. Luckily, my impression in the hedge was covered up the next day when the gardeners noticed the blemish and fixed it up. How nice. Oh. And I also wasn't wearing a helmet. :) #YOLO
3. Keeping food in your room --> Each week, I go out to the supermarket to buy some bread and sandwich supplies along with other snacks and drinks for the week and we keep all of it in our rooms. Now that everyone knows that I can make sandwiches fairly well, I get constant requests for sandwiches. Not that I don't mind, but if I'm trying to sleep, you're not getting a sandwich. Here's the bad part: We are out of bread. (I love you Perris <3 )

So, I'm talking to a few friends from high school and they're always like: How's Italy? Well. Let me tell you.

It's amazing. If you ever have the slightest chance of coming over, DO IT and you will never ever regret it. When its not cloudy, I wake up to the most spectacular sunrises that I've ever seen. The sunsets are so gorgeous especially since our campus is on a hill and we can see everything. The food, although questionable sometimes, is still amazing. It is not your "run-of-the-mill" Olive Garden style food. It is gourmet Tuscan cooking and it is so delicious, that you'll probably gain about 3 pounds just from looking at it. But its OK because, you're in Italy and you'll walk it off when you're taking the town by foot EVERYDAY. And although the drivers are crazy, you don't have to worry about it because you're a pedestrian... unless you're in a taxi. Don't get me wrong, I miss America, my friends and family, and real Chinese food, but its wonderful here. GET OVER HERE. please.

Well, until next week, I'm going to drown my time in 'One Direction' music, fake Nutella, and Plato's Republic. And I expect EVERYONE to Gangnam Style sometime this week: at work, at school, on the bus, in your bedroom, or with your mom. That is my personal challenge to you.

Ciao Ciao!

Joel C. Yates

Broken Bones because of wheelchair accident #YOLO

Buon Giorno! Its Tuesday!!!......wah.

Good Morning Everyone!

Me and my baby: Special K Chocolate :)

This morning, I had the ingenious idea of calling my old employer (Polo Ralph Lauren) back at midnight (their time). Now before y'all go crazy, saying that "S/He must've been mad at you"... I'll tell you that this week the Polo RL staff is going crazy and working overnight to prepare the store for the Holiday season (which is a bit early..) but anywho, I called and they were like "Oh my goodness, Joel! We miss you!" Then I told them how I missed the retail business and how I do my roommates' laundry to cope with my empty hole for retail. Yup. I standardize my roommates' laundry.

I'm going to call again tomorrow or something :)

If you haven't noticed, I found a box of Special K Chocolate at the grocery store here in Florence. Oh my goodness. My breakfasts now have a little more meaning than a pear, a crossiant, and marscapone cheese. I cannot wait to eat ALL OF IT. In a reasonable amount of time.

I would like to take this time to appreciate my family. I received a package the other day with a LOT of Ramen. Lots and lots. And tuna fish. And granola bars. And goldfish (Gosh, I miss those). To comment on the Italian food once again, THERE IS NO JUNK FOOD HERE. No Doritos, No Cheetos, NOTHING. Its good because I won't be caught snacking but its awful because if I do have to snack, I'll be eating a straight-up cannoli or a bowl of nutella. (Don't worry, I have not eaten a bowl of Nutella.... recently.... ;)

This evening, there is an 'NYU Theatre Group' Meeting for my campus. Tonight, I will be presenting the play by Mary Zimmerman, Metamorphoses, how it relates to the freshman curriculum, and how it will be an exceptional performance considering that we have a 15th century pool on campus. I'm so excited.

Other than that meeting, I have a few classes today.... like 3/4 of my classes. BLAH.

I think I'll go out for Italian karaoke tonight CONSIDERING my first class tomorrow isn't until 3:00P.M.... huh.

Until then, I hope you have a wonderful day. Wake up for the sunrise. It's beautiful. Like every other day.... but seriously. Its magnificent.


Grazie e Buona giornata !

Joel C. Yates
Craving Junk Food

Weekend Update: Its getting cold.... and we're getting colds.

Hello Everyone!

So, as you can probably tell from the title, I'm still a little bit sick from my trip to Rome (sad face.) but I feel so much better than I did yesterday....so that's an improvement! The only thing drawback about having a small campus of 300ish and a freshman class of about 80 is that when someone gets sick, WE ALL GET SICK. We don't know who the culprit is yet...but we'll find 'em.

So, I'm not exactly sure when I posted last but I did have an eventful weekend :)

Thursday - After classes, I went with a group out to the bars and clubs. Every place, except one place, was dead. And at that one place, it was CRAZY. (I was sober, for those who were a bit worried). They had like these firecracker cigar thingies and people were dancing EVERYWHERE. on tables. on chairs. with the DJ, with the DJ's friend. If you've ever been in a basketball court, cut it about in half length-wise and try to fit about 500 people in that space. We left around 2:30am.

Friday - After a crazyish night, I had my workstudy job for six hours. 12-6. as a receptionist. Now, I only had one shift and I know its going to be an awful job. First off, I'm a receptionist in a classroom building. Secondly, there are no classes on Fridays. Thirdly, no one (AND I MEAN NO ONE) is in the academic buildings on Fridays. And fourthly, I cleaned whiteboards and classrooms for 90 minutes and the remaining 4 1/2 hours I spent playing Mahjong on my laptop. I was bored. Good thing my boss listens to Gaga and Ke$ha. That night wasn't as crazy. We went to an American Diner (!!!!) and ate American food. Like a Bacon Cheeseburger, fries, AND A MILKSHAKE. (guhhhh..... dying). I'm having American food withdrawals. I mean, living in Italy is like being trapped in a mall's Olive Garden. The salads and pastas keep coming, but all you want is some McDonalds.

Saturday - Let's just say I slept all day. (OK, until about 3pm). and I attempted to do some homework. I was invited to watch "Mean Girls". I accepted this invitation.

Sunday - I worked on my term paper for Writing ALL DAY. It was fantastic. Then, our floor decided to watch "Bridesmaids" in my room :)

METACOMMENT: So. Dinner on Sundays: STORY:
Basically, everyone parties hard on Saturday night (except for me, of course....) and NO ONE wakes up for breakfast on Sundays. Actually, no one wakes up for breakfast EVER. NYU has this strange policy where they don't serve lunch on the weekends. So, we starve ourselves until dinner OR we can order pizza for about 7 euros. So, by the time dinner comes around on weekends, it kinda looks like this:

Dinner at NYU Florence = Black Friday at Macys

Now today, I'm attempting to read like 100 pages of "Mahabharata" and finishing my Italian homework. Thankfully, I have classes at 1:30 and 3:00, so, I have the morning to myself! :)

Today's cleaning day and I'm pretty sure that every time the cleaning ladies come in to do their thing, they're always judging my room and the mess it contains. Like basically they talk about it in Italian, EXCEPT I have no idea what they're saying... ONE DAY. I will come back and respond to your nonsense, ladies.... ONE DAY.

Well, that's about it...... Sorry for the lack of photos but here's one of me being studious:

The Five Dialogues. I only read two.

Until next time, buona giornata!

Joel C. Yates
The Cleaning Ladies' Nightmare

Sick. As. A. Dog. :/

Ciao!

Well, I guess this was going to happen sooner or later... but.... I'm pretty sick (just a cold, thankfully). Apparently, the trains here go a little bit faster than the trains in the U.S. (no one told me....) and there's lots of tunnels between here and Rome.....

Basically what happened was.... on the train, we would be going 120-140km/h (about 80-90mph) and we would go through these tunnels. The pressure would increase dramatically, and instinctively, I expected a mask to fall from the overhead bins... but they didn't.... and my ears were slowly destroyed by the pressure changes that I got a nice headache by the time I got there. 

METACOMMENT: Funny thing is, the fastest trains here go about 300km/h.... So, its pretty funny getting passed, then lapped, by the same train... TWICE.

Luckily for me, I knew in my mind that I packed some ibuprofen, so I decided I would get it when I got to my friend's house. But in reality, I left the ibuprofen back at my dorm. *ugh*. THANKFULLY, the Mancinellis gave me some Paracetamol (Italy's Tylenol equivalent). They're so nice :) I love them! They remind me of my family.

So, I'm trying to take some ibuprofen here at the dorm and take a few cough drops so I don't cough over everyone during class....

Huh. Coldplay seems to be soothing my mind.

I know I promised this a while ago, but the video tour will be done on a day when its actually sunny out. For some reason, we've been having some cloud issues.

Well, until next time....

Grazie per tua atenzione e Arrivederci!

Joel C. Yates
Sleeping All day.

Returning to Florence (:(

Well, its my last day in Rome :( but I can always come back!! :) Just a huge 'THANK YOU' (GRAZIE A MILLE) to the wonderful Mancinellis who were extremely hospitable, kind, and they took me in like their own family! I got to meet some of Veronica's friends while I was here and they are really excited for me to come again! I told all of them that since I visited them here in Rome, it is now their turn to come visit me in Florence :)

So, to end the week with a bang, I suppose that giving 'FREE HUGS' in the center of Rome wouldn't be a bad idea :)

Here are some photo highlights for you to enjoy!

 Looking at the Parthenon :)

 Joel's "On-The-Move" in Rome!

 Peace. with Veronica :)

 Veronica and the Colosseo :)

Shadow Pic :)

ABRACCI GRATIS!

(free hugs)

Until next time,

Ciao!

Benvenuto a Roma in Italia!

After a two-hour long wait at the Firenze Santa Maria Novella Train Station, four hours on the train (which I thought was an express.....), and ten minutes trying to find my friend in the Roma Termini Train Station... I am finally in Rome!!!

So. Ten Things About Today:

1) We went to the Hard Rock Cafe' here in Rome.
2) We went to the Spanish steps.
3) We went to the Trevi Fountain and made a few wishes.
4) We took a lot of awkward photos in an attempt to break some social norms.
5) I practiced my Italian with my friend Veronica, who is, apparently, very impressed.
6) We went to the Castel Sant'Angelo.
7) We took some photos in Piazza San Paolo (Vatican city)
8) We ate some gelato at the BEST Gelateria
9) We rode on the back of motorcycles.
10) We took full advantage of the public transportation system. Apparently, nobody pays for the buses.

Other than those 10 things, I am super super tired and I will sleep until 10:00 tomorrow morning!

Buona notte, e A Dopo!

Joel C. Yates

Week Two Update: Rome?

Well, I bet the majority of you are probably thinking.... "Wow, its been awhile since Joel has posted on his blog" and "Gee, I wonder when he'll post again". Folks, here is the remarkable post you all have been waiting for!

But in reality, the truth is that this was my first full week of school.... and not to sound like a freshman, but I would like to be able to adjust to my college schedule of classes, meal times, parties, and homework sessions in a relaxed fashion and organized manner.

So, its my 2nd weekend in Florence (whaaa?) and I decided that I would travel here:

ROME

It really wasn't a spontaneous decision, at least that's what I tell my parents, but I'm going to Rome because I want to see one of my friends from High School, Veronica Mancinelli, a native citizen of Rome, Italy. Sightseeing? I guess if I have to :)

OK, so this week, I had an encounter with one of these:

and if you're wondering what THAT^^^^^^^^ is.... well. its the Italian equivalent of a Twinkie with chocolate filling. EXCEPT its not deep-fried in a vat of oil AND its APPARENTLY super healthy. Why I bought it? I was hungry and I needed some quick energy. Did I satisfy my need? Partially. FIRSTLY, the Twinkie wasn't even a Twinkie. It was bread. Straight up, baked-in-an-oven, 'use-it-for-your-PBJ-sandwich', All-American BREAD. And inside was this frosting, almost like nutella, but chocolately substance.

All in all, I ate it anyway. It was super dry though.



And this week's Picture of the Week:

'The Art of War'

a required reading for my Social Foundations Class

So. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and I will try to post a little bit more frequently during my trip to Rome.

Arrivederci,

Joel C. Yates

P.S. If you haven't tried the Recipe of the Month, you better.

Recipe of the Month: Pasta Bolognese

Buona notte!

So, the FEATURED Recipe of the Month is Pasta Bolognese (BOH-LO-NEH-SAY)! Please try this at home because it is SUPER DELICIOUS. We had it for dinner and this is the recipe our kitchen uses. So, literally, FROM OUR KITCHEN to YOURS.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion or 2 small, cut into 1-inch dice
• 2 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch dice
• 4 cloves garlic
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for the pan
• Kosher salt
• 3 pounds ground chuck, brisket or round or combination
• 2 cups tomato paste
• 3 cups hearty red wine
• Water
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 bunch thyme, tied in a bundle
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• High quality extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing

Directions

1. In a food processor, puree onion, carrots, celery, and garlic into a coarse paste. In a large pan over medium heat, coat pan with oil. Add the pureed veggies and season generously with salt. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat and cook until all the water has evaporated and they become nice and brown, stirring frequently, about 15 to 20 minutes. Be patient, this is where the big flavors develop.

2. Add the ground beef and season again generously with salt. BROWN THE BEEF! Brown food tastes good. Don't rush this step. Cook another 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Add the tomato paste and cook until brown about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the red wine. Cook until the wine has reduced by half, another 4 to 5 minutes.

4. Add water to the pan until the water is about 1 inch above the meat. Toss in the bay leaves and the bundle of thyme and stir to combine everything. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally. As the water evaporates you will gradually need to add more, about 2 to 3 cups at a time. Don't be shy about adding water during the cooking process, you can always cook it out. This is a game of reduce and add more water. This is where big rich flavors develop. If you try to add all the water in the beginning you will have boiled meat sauce rather than a rich, thick meaty sauce. Stir and TASTE frequently. Season with salt, if needed (you probably will). Simmer for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

5. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat to cook the spaghetti. Pasta water should ALWAYS be well salted. Salty as the ocean! TASTE IT! If your pasta water is under seasoned it doesn't matter how good your sauce is, your complete dish will always taste under seasoned. When the water is at a rolling boil add the spaghetti and cook for 1 minute less than it calls for on the package. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

6. While the pasta is cooking remove 1/2 of the ragu from the pot and reserve.

7. Drain the pasta and add to the pot with the remaining ragu. Stir or toss the pasta to coat with the sauce. Add some of the reserved sauce, if needed, to make it about an even ratio between pasta and sauce. Add the reserved pasta cooking water and cook the pasta and sauce together over a medium heat until the water has reduced. Turn off the heat and give a big sprinkle of Parmigiano and a generous drizzle of the high quality finishing olive oil. Toss or stir vigorously. Divide the pasta and sauce into serving bowls or 1 big pasta bowl. Top with remaining grated Parmigiano. Serve immediately.

Source: Villa Natalia Kitchen via Food Network Online

^^Joel's Stamp of Approval^^

Ok, so yeah, its a lot of work for one meal and I know that most of you lead busy lives. BUT. Sometime this month. Take one day and cook this AMAZING recipe. 

And once you do, please let me know how it worked out for you and if I like your experience, I'll feature it on the blog!

Happy Cooking and Ciao!

Joel C. Yates

Food Connoseiur 

"First-Day-of-School" Blues

Buona sera Americani (edited by my roomate Henry because I can't type in Italian),

Well, for all you Merrimack-ians and other people starting school today. I also started school today. I only had three classes:

CULTURE FOUNDATIONS - a glorified version of Art History and Literature. I decided that I would like my professor very much when he pulled out his masks and started dancing around the room.   I was happy to learn that he is fascinated by the performing arts. He's putting on a play in Villa Pietra this spring. Going to be in it.

WRITING I - literally the EASIEST writing class on the face of this planet. One major paper for this entire semester and three free writing exercises. Thats it. All reading material is to be covered in class unless we "wanted to be overachievers and do it ourselves"... and my professor is British. :D

ITALIAN - well. if I could understand my professor, I would totally tell you how Italian class was. Ciao?

Today's Advice: Even if the going gets tough, like Italian, keep trying and trying and eventually, you're grammar will correct itself and you'll be fine :)

Coming Soon! A tour of Villa La Pietra! Voiced by me!

Also Coming Soon: Recipes from the Florentines!

Off to eat dinner,

Joel C. Yates

Picture Installment 1: Benvenuti a Firenze!

Alright folks,

I know you've all been waiting for some pictures so, here's the link to my Facebook's Photo Album.

<LINK UNDER CONSTRUCTION>


I hope it works!

Let me know how you like the pictures!

--Joel C. Yates

Orientation Day (Part Two)

Buon Giorno!

Today, all of us NYU kids were bussed into the city to the Odean Theatre to sit and listen to the administrative staff to talk to us about things like safety in the city, the events on campus, and other somewhat pointless information that really did NOT need to take up 7 hours of our time. Yes, I understand that MAYBE since we're in a foreign country, we should be reminded not to get arrested. But if people are asking.. "Well, what if this happens...." for like 2 hours, I'm pretty sure that we all get the jist of the whole "don't get arrested" thing.

Sorry for the rant.

So, I was cruising through my Facebook newsfeed this afternoon and I stumbled upon this post:

"Oh my goodness, I hope we're not having pasta for lunch. I'm sick of it already".

I mean seriously? You're in Italy! What do you expect? Tacos, Chips and Salsa? But then again, I can sympathize because I have been experiencing American food withdrawals. (We did have french fries last night :) )

Pictures to come soon, I promise!

Classes Begin Tomorrow... Time to put the game faces on.

Considerably jet-lagged (aren't we supposed to get better as we progress...?),

Joel C. Yates

Night on the Town

Hello! and Buona Sera!

Well ladies and gentlemen, tonight, a group of my new-found friends and I went for a nice three or four mile adventure into Florence to go see the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio (see the pictures below!)

DUOMO: Literally, the COOLEST thing I've EVER SAW. The pictures really don't do it too much justice because you really have to be there to internalize the beauty of the architecture and the amazingness of the building itself.

PONTE VECCHIO: This is basically a bridge littered with stores, shops, and vendors. At night it is lit up and it is very common to find couples on the shoreline doing their thing because the atmosphere is literally just perfect. The moon was full, the river was quietly moving by, the sounds of Florence in the background, and clicks and flashes of American cameras.

In addition, I had my first sampling of REAL ITALIAN GELATO. Which was hands-down delicious. It melts in your mouth so fast and its wonderful, absolutely wonderful. Like if you took the word "wonderful" and the word "explosion"combined them both together like they do on Sesame Street, melt it down, freeze it, and add sugar, you would get the best gelato. EVER.

I'll bring back a recipe.

Well, nighty-nights for now,

Tomorrow I'll be getting my passport checked! Wheeeee.... like really, you need to check my passport? How do you think I got here....

Italian Love,

Joel C. Yates

The Duomo, well the front of it anyways...

Ponte Vecchio!!! *sigh*

**More pictures to follow in a few days!**

Sleep, Orientation, and Chocolate

Hello, Ciao, Buon Giorno!

Well everyone, I survived my first ever adventure into Florence last night.
STORY: So, a bunch of us rascals decided it would be a cool idea to walk downtown for the night and aimlessly wander through the city. We all concluded that if we didn't get hit by a moving vehicle (see below) and we all made it back to the Villas, it would be a successful evening.

DRIVERS IN ITALY: Let's see. So, for all of you people out there who operate a motor vehicle, please visualize the worst possible driving scenario at a traffic circle. Now, take out the yield, stop, and one way signs, a few stop lights, add about 1,000 pedestrians, decrease the size of the circle to a 5 foot diameter, and add a few crazy motorcyclists into the mix. Congratulations, Benvenuti in Italia!

CONTINUATION OF STORY: So, we all went off downtown, some of us went looking for bars, while myself and a few lovely ladies ventured off into the park and got lost. Woooohoooo. Although, it was a super nice evening, weather wise and we were all happy and excited to be in Florence, that we didn't notice that we were lost until someone asked.... "Where are we?!?" After following a bunch of "I thought you knew the way"s and "This is my first night, I couldn't possibly know where I'm going", we pulled out our handy dandy maps and tried orienteering our way home. EXCEPT. the map was wrong.

TO MAKE THE STORY A LITTLE BIT SHORTER FOR THE ENDING, We all finally found the road that led back to campus, and after walking a grand total of about 4 miles, we made it safely back to  the campus and we did NOT get hit by a moving vehicle, even though we came really close to it....

NIGHT: Success

....I may have also forgot to bring my NYU ID card on the trip sooooooo...... yeah.

WARNING: Today should be the best of your weekdays, make it count. How should I know? Well, I'm 6 hours ahead of you, so I'm experiencing the day before you. At least I think I am.

WARNING 2: Swiss Chocolate, although extremely delicious and seemingly addictive, is probably the most fattening substance in Europe.

WARNING 3: Just because the guy in the dark corner on that alleyway in Florence looks creepy, doesn't mean he's a bad person. EVERYONE IN ITALY IS SUPER FRIENDLY.

LAST WARNING: The sunrises here are magnificent. I'll try getting a picture for you all :)

Today, I'll be attending Freshman Orientation :) I hope to be on Facebook shortly after 10:00A.M. (your time).

Until the next post,

Joel C. Yates
Italian Language Butcher-er

Welcome to Florence, Italy!!

Well everyone, I made it to Florence, Italy without any complications, lost luggage, or lost passports....

So, I left America yesterday around 10:00P.M. EST and I arrived in Zurich around 5:00A.M. EST. The flight was nice and smooth, however, the seats were far from it. Getting sleep on a 7-hour red-eye. HA. not happening. (especially when the lady next to you is snoring AND elbowing you in the side of your stomach)

After arriving late in Zurich, I was able to rush to the next gate and catch my flight to Florence just in time. Over here, apparently, the Europeans are too cool for jetways (the hallways that lead to the airplanes) and they load us all on buses to bring us to the planes. That was weird.

Sooner or later, I'l be posting pictures of the Swiss/Italian Alps, Italy, France.... and Swiss chocolate (:

Until then, I'll be eating dinner....

Joel C. Yates
World Traveler

Just a few more days...!

For those of you who just happened to stumble upon this blog, I will start to regularly post next week when I'm actually in Italy(: other than that, welcome to my blog!

Final preparations are underway for my trip. I paid my tuition balance this morning and I am in the process of finishing my packing for the
3.5 months that I will be away.

TIP: to future college freshmen, get your private student loans done ASAP because the process is super long and super tedious.

So a few of you are probably wondering, when is this kid actually going to be in Florence? Well, here's my itinerary:

August 26th-Sunday
9:45P- Depart Boston

August 27th-Monday
10:30A- Arrive in Zurich
12:30P- Depart Zurich
2:45P- Arrive in Florence

So the next few days may prove to be quite busy, but I intend to post a few pictures and stories before and during my journey over to Italy.


Until then,
Ciao!

Joel C. Yates

A little bit about myself....

One of my many jobs is with Vector marketing, which includes selling Cutco knives, in order to pay for my trip to Italy. At the beginning of every presentation, I always have to say..

"let me tell you a little bit about myself..."

...in order to establish and build rapport with customers so they feel comfortable in buying knives.

So here's what I usually say: "hi, my name is Joel, and I have served on the Merrimack School District School Board for the past school year. I will be attending New York University in the fall, studying abroad in Florence, Italy because they didn't have enough room for me in New York."

So in addition to that... I am also an Eagle Scout and I work in sales at Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Stores in Merrimack, NH.

So why am I blogging? Well, for starters, I'm pretty sure that my parents, friends, and family would love to keep some sort of tab on me while I'm thousands of miles away from home. Secondly, I love to tell stories and I love to be extremely dramatic. So, you may find several dramatic hyperboles and exaggerations throughout my posts.

So, the stories of my upcoming adventure will start in mid-August and I will be leaving on a jet plane on August 26th. There also may be some pictures and videos to accompany these posts.

Until then,

Joel C. Yates
NYU 2016