Mantova

Mantova is a city in Lombardia, three hours by bus from Duino. We went this morning, leaving from Piazza at 6.45. Arriving at 10am, we first headed to the main Piazza delle Erbe, the Piazza was really big, It is surrounded by the Palazzo Ducale, a white church (that I have no idea what's called), some old buildings and cafes.

Then we headed to Chiesa di Sant'Andrea, it is a really sophisticated church that has a Dome. Believed that the blood from the Christ crucifixion buried on the ground and ritually each Good Friday it always comes up to the surface. The church is grand, the painting are so impressive, Henry Thomas said "It's an intensive labour-skill". Those great paintings were drawn by hands, covering all the walls and ceilings of the church. Great God!

After being there for about 45 minutes, we visited the Palazzo Ducale. It is a place where the Gonzaga family used to live. It has 500 rooms, could contain forty-five hundred people. I asked Henry he said it was a 200 years reconstrcution since the 12AD. Somehow, the Palazzo has been a bit transformed modern, and was by chance there was a contemporary arts showcase, so the urban and classical atmosphere were blended.

There was a room that has painting of the Gonzaga's horses on the wall. Gonzaga horses were famous! The pictures don't show complete parts of their body, because it was covered by curtain, everything was so flirtatious, sexy. There is also a room whose ceiling has a picture of the Gonzaga family having a direct communication to God. Very impressive! Henry said the Palazzo is the Mantova's Colosseum. For sure all the paintings are the most expensive possession in the world. Oh, I (the daughter), Roberto (the father) and Jeanne-Marie (the wife) pretended that we were one of the Gonzagas, walking down the stairs graciously, waving our hands elegantly. I mean, the Gonzaga used to step onto those floors.

Palazzo Te is a Frederico II gateway from his horrible life in Palazzo Ducale, and it was also a place where he tried to runaway with a girl Isabele Bosso (a beauty symbol that time). That girl apparently had the same name with his mother's Isabelle Deste, and therefore there was this mother-son conflict about future wife. Isabelle Deste was one of the most inteligent woman on her period.

Inside it was just so beautiful. There was a room that has a complete story of Venus and her love story. Nudity was all around, but Henry really explained it in a very instinctive, desirable and rational way of thinking - we really understood the meaning of everything.

Then we had a free time, I and Djana, my friend from Bosnia went out for pizzas and sat around Piazza Le Donne. Afterward, we headed to Palazzo Te. It was huge, it has this beautiful garden. That day there was a Lunar Park taken place on the east part of the castle, there was also a little football stadium. I went take a look, it was a blast, the Lunar Park I mean.

Mantova was beautiful. The more beautiful part is actually having Henry Thomas to elaborate every single details of it. I am going to miss it a lot next year!

Henry's famous fingers and the curious UWC Student

The white church that I mentioned before

Ludmila, my Latvian prima

Me, taken by Ludmila

Pabel (Peru) and Blanca (Spain)Victor (Catalonia)

The Great dome of Sant'Andrea

Frenchy brand and Mantovan bikes


Me in front of Palazzo Te

Lovebirds, Clara (Belgium) and Pablo (Mexico), garden of Palazzo te


Hot Fritelle is my favourite

The Lunar Park, and a couple ;/


Italia : Campioni del Mondo, e gusto?


UWC students.

Venice Carnival 2011 is Published!

THE JAKARTA POST
Venice Carnival: A tribute to women
Ruth Setio Nastiti, Contributor, Venice, Italy
(click here to see online version)

This weekend has been really fabulous. After a great prom last night, finally at around 2 in the morning my mother post a photo into Mama&Papa group written "Congratulation My Daughter as a Jakarta Post Contributor from Venice/Italy" - which officialy marked that my article has been published in the Jakarta Post, Sunday's edition, here is the link of the online version. I am really happy. Ever since the first time I wrote it and getting some messages on how the article is going to be proceeed and the feeling of waiting whether the article is going to be published ot not give me this kind of sensation. I really took it as a big deal, it has something to do with my future career, a journalist, or writer. Most importantly this is my first English article and immediately qualified to be put in the nation's largest English-language newspaper in Indonesia!! The targets are expatriates and Indonesians who work in English environment working place in general.

Two years ago, before coming to the college, we subscribed to the Jakarta Post, because my father thinks it is really important for me to read English newspaper to get used with English reading, and it was also useful to support my activity in English debating - when I was in high school. I always want to write an article about Italy (this country is very beautiful - you know beautiful things need to be shared), ever since I have been to so many cities here for example Naples, Sardegna, Padova, Rome, Mantova Venice and some European countries (Germany, Spain, Croatia - should really go to Slovenia tho) in general regarding my whole experience as scholar, however tho I never really managed and had time to do so. My father always encourages me, once after coming back from Project Week in Naples, or any places I have been to.

This time was just so right, Venice Carnival was a real celebration of the Italian beauty, also the fact that this year Italy celebrates the 150 years of unification, which also talked in the article (and I did not go last year). Moreover since I was given a camera by my parents as Birthday and Christmas gift and started using it properly or seriously last year after the Naples Project Week. Oh, the Chief Editor of the Jakarta Post once texted my father basically said, it was not a waste to give me the camera, because the pictures were just great, the editors love them. He also said "Well done to your daughter, she deserved it." Nothing can make me happier than hearing a press-elite in country said such things. This kind of details give me confidence and the willingness to take on more challenges for my future.

I was also offered to write a story, still in the same newspaper but different section, in Youthspeak - about my journey and experience here as a scholar, and also next Fall in the United States, however it is still discussed by the editors! It is a really good grip - a way to express my hobby and train my journalistic skill.

These weeks I have been so happy. A Sardinian Project week, a Roman vacation, a new crush, a prom, a publication, a cultural visit to Mantova and tomorrow a Sport Festival! I am so grateful and thankful. My life is beautiful and it is always good!

Yours sincerly,
Nastiti

This how it looks like in the paper. This was posted by my mother in our family Blackberry's group :) You see the article on the right-side? It is an article about the Unification of Italy in Rome from a Reuters journalist, somehow feel proud that my article is put next to it, I mean he is a professional!

Posted by daddy. I sent 4 photos to them ( I have 36 great pictures from 600 something). They put the four of them finally!

This is how the online version look. I prefer the printed one tho. It's classy.

One Day

"After spending the night together on the night of their college graduation Dexter and Em are revisited each year on the same date to see where they are in their lives. They are sometimes together, sometimes not, on that day..." IMDB

I found out this movie from my friend's blog, Andri Putri: she put it there. The cover was really interesting but what attracted me the most is the actors; Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess - they are one of my favourites. The plot also sounds really romantic, two school-buddies meet each other after being separated. I can guess at the end they realize they have feeling for each others. Easily guessed, just like fairytale - call me fairytale-believer! It is going to be published on July 8th, which means around the summer holiday, good - I would watch it with my bestfriends or hoping this summer there would be a new (summer) fling. Lately, I haven't watched many movies, too many works to do, deadlines to catch. I think March is the fullest month, in April I would have less work, just revision and get ready for IB Exam in May. I cannot hardly wait for IB Exam - afterward I will be home, preparing for a new beginning, freshmen year! But absolutely, this movie is already on my Summer List 2011!!

xoxo,
Rut Nastiti

The cover

A kiss on one's back, my preference ♥

Cocktails

We stayed up till night talked about nonsense

Ayo Dance, You Are in Sardegna!

I should have been doing my Biology Lab Report right now - since the deadline is tomorrow. It's important indeed, but sometimes there are less important things that will make you happier - I decided to post an article about our Project Week in Sardegna.

I can consider myself lucky when it comes to Project Week. Last year I went to Naples, it was my first choice. We worked a lot yet visited so many cultural places. This year I was almost unlucky. Not getting any of my four preferences, at the end chose a PW that was canceled because of an external problem and got in Sardegna - I think it was my 6th choice at the end.

Project Week is not always about the place where you go, but the content - the activities of the Project. Personally, I am always attracted to a Project that is going to do something with arts and kids. Sardinian Project Week with Carla Monni (because there was another one with Roberto), really made my week.

Friday, March 5
We left the college at 11.30 catched a train to Treviso, it was three hours train. The flight was at 15.00. We arrived in Alghero around 16.00. Picked up by Carla's father and aunts. The trip from Alghero to Carla's village was long. About two hours. But the view was beautiful. It was so green; mountains and they have lots of sheep everywhere. Arrived in Carla's house, we chilled out from some hour, had lunch and practicing. We practiced our dances; Bolywood, Polka, Blues Brother also Italian Drama and Siyahamba. The coolest thing is that we got to learn Sardinian dance, taught by Carla's family, her aunt, mother, father, uncles. The living room turned out to be a place to dance.

Saturday, March 6
Eventough it was Saturday, we had to get up early at 7, since we are visiting two different school location. One location was for Elementary School and Middle school the other location was a kindergarten. We taught English, played English game with them - for sure introduced who we were, where we came from. Many students thought I was Japanese! With the kindergarten kids we played the jungle games. They had fun with us. They are so cute, around 1-4 years old. We also perfomed a show that consisted of all the dances that we have in the college. Cup dance attracted many audiences, they asked us to teach them how to do it. In the night, we went to La Sala - a party before the Carnival, held in a common building. It was great, people danced in masks, even somehow it turned to be really random since they just did what they wanted to do. But we had fun.

Sunday, March 7
It was the only day when we could really had a good sleep. Waking up at 12am and had lunch, practicing and going out to join the Carnival! It was a blast. The fact that Orune is such a small village with 5.000 people that makes everybody knows each other really well. The people that we met in the Carnival are the people we met in Sala. Everybody knows each other basically. The Carnival was a blast, it went around the village. There were 4 major booths carried by trucks. There were Simpsons, Mickey, car ganks and I forgot the other one. But it was just amazing. People were very welcomed to us as visitors. They offered free salami, wine. We danced. There was many songs and musics: our favorite was Il Capitano. For so many times the Sardinian dance was done. The Carnival finished around 7pm. We went back to Carla's house, had dinner and practicing!

Monday, March 8
We had to wake up at 6 because we had to catch the bus that will bring us to Oliena, Maria Salis' village - since there are only three orario everyday. We reached Oliena early in the morning, looked around the city. We visited MAN (Museo dell'Arte Nuova), apparently since it was Monday it was close, but after talking with the keeper, magically we were allowed to enter without a need to pay however weren't allowed to take picture. The museum was amazing. That time they were showing Aborigin arts. It was wonderful. One of the prettiest artworks I have ever seen in my life. Around lunch time, we headed to the village part of Oliena and worked helping a Caritas to move out tons of foods from a container. We had lunch with them. After lunch we went back Nuoro, this time to Carla's grandmother's house, because we were having another show somewhere near there. Once managed to visit a church, saw a choir practicing. And went back to Carla's grandma's place had dinner and did some other new Sardinian dances.

Tuesday, March 9
We woke up at 6.45 to catch the first bus to Nuoro, not that we missed it but unfortunately there was no bus that really went there somehow. So we waited in Piazza until Carla's family members picked us and brought us to first Carla's grandma's place then we walked to a Casa Famiglia house. It was such a deep experience to do activities with people with disabilities. One cannot see, one cannot see and hear, one is just too old and out of his mind, one cannot see and you can only communicated through his palms. We did a lot. We first played the jungle games, then we made a stories togehter. It was funny, about a prince who was looking for love and somehow realized his princess was a guy or something. We also perfomed Bolywood dance and asked them to dance with us. They were really happy. They smiled a lot, they laughed. It made us happy too. We also performed for the last time. We went back to Carla's house had pizza together, had a talk till late night knowing that it was our last night in Sardegna. I felt sad, because I had been having a great time. Precious.

Wednesday, March 10
Sayonara, Orune. We took the earliest bus at 5.30 that will bring us to Oliena. We waited for an hour for the bus that will bring us to Sassari. Arrived in Sassari we still had one and half hours before catching the bus that brought us back to Alghero. We kind of walked around and had breakfast. Visited a church, apparently has two Sardi fathers who had lived in Sumatera and speak Indonesians, man it was random. However, I didn't manage to meet them since we had a bus to catch. So, we took the bus to Alghero, around 1pm I flew to Rome, some other students went back to Treviso. And Rome has another batti cuore story to tell! Which I am going to share latter.

For me Sardinian Project Week was memorable. We learned, we gained yet we gave. It was just so cool, I think we danced the Sardinian dance for like ten times in a week, wherever we were with people they just did this dance. At the end we knew it by our heart. It was a wonderful experience. Thanks a lot for our super Sardinian organiser: Carla Monni and the co-organizer Maria Salis. Ballu Sardo!! AYO!!!

ps: Ayo is a way to say let's go in Sardinian. Apparently back home in Indonesia we also say Ayo to ask someone to get out to do something like Let's go eat (Ayo, makan!).

The kids were just too cute

The beginning of the carnival, it was just the beginning you know

Typical Sardinian houses

A man in donkey, I guess it is kind of a pride to be able to ride it

Sardinian old lady and the kind of clothes they wear

Carla's youngest sister (left) who dressed up as a man

Some Minnies, made the crowd!


Ballu Sardu is just every-freaking-where!

Mother and Son. Native American costumes.


Another Minnie
Some of the girls from our group; Luisa, me and Allisha


Typical Oliena houses. They have this famous painting


Our second perfomance in Nuoro

Franco, the guy who will always dance and ask girls out.

Still Franco.