The Trips Continues

Hello friends,

So, I  have been on the road a lot in the last 3 weeks. Accordingly the need to update my blog presented itself. To which I can also proudly say that it has been less than a month since the last time I updated. However that is a fact which is most likley more entertaining for me than for you. Yet I have digressed from the original point. Back to the traveling, shall we? So the last time you heard from me, I was preparing for a trip to The Blue Coast of France and Italy. After that trip I returned to Varallo only to leave several days later on a trip to the Cinque Terre. To this trip, the credit belongs to Rotary. Thank you Rotary for your generosity in organizing the trip to the Cinque Terre. To present day, I am on a bus returning from Rome at this moment. Then to the future, we will see what travel it brings me. 

For those who may happen to be geographically impared let me explain where The Blue Coast. The Blue Coast, is the name given to Southern Frances border with the deep abyss. The region also continues into Italy, yet is best known for its French beach towns.

However, to the actual expirience. I spent one day in San Remo, one in Monte Carlo, and one in Menton. Of the three let us concentrate on Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo, is the most famous and only city in the Principality of Monaco. The city is renound for its yearly Formula 1 race, which features cars flying around tight corners overhanging the perilous ocean. Monte Carlo is also known as one of the worlds most famous billionaire hangouts. The amount of wealth in the city is part of what gives the city its unique character. We walked along the truley magnificent harbor which is filled with breath taking  yachts like normal cities are filled with Toyotas. After navigating ourselves through the floating jungle of, we hiked to  the heart of Monte Carlo; the casino. I arrived at the casino with spirits high, as I am a skilled poker player, but left with spirits crushed. Why you ask, because even in Monte Carlo 17 year olds cannot gamble. I will have to wait till next time to display my poker skill. After being turned away from the casino, I did what any normal 17 year old would do. I took a picture next to the new Rolls Royce parked in front. After leaving the casino we ended our day by driving to the high point of Monte Carlo where there is the princes palace, that is rightly accoustomed with a view fit for a prince. At the end it was a day I will never forget, and a city I hope to return with my own Rolls Royce on day. 

The succeeding trip was to The Cinque Terre, which in english transaltes to the five lands. The Cinque Terre are five old fishing towns that have turned into a tourist attraction. The draw to these five towns is quite exciting for an adventure lover like myself. The first notable thing about the Cinque Terre is how isolated they are from the rest of Italy. To arrive and to leave the area, you must take a train or boat, the towns are not accesible by car. Then once you arrive in the Cinque Terre, you are instantly overwhlemed by the beauty of the ocean mixed with the multi-colored buildings. It is really a sight to see. The trip as mentioned before was Rotary operated and funded. We (RYE Students & Rotarians) spent two night exploring the area in and around the Cinque Terre. The trip was exquisite, and what I saw was gorgeous. However if I had to chose the best part of the weekend it would be the time I spent with my fellow exchangers, and the memories we created togeather. Then before I knew it I was on a bus back to Varallo with only memories to comfort the fact that the weekend was over. 

The historical Mecca of our modern world. The Vaticans shield. The capital of Italy; the city of Rome. Early this week I returned from this cultural paradise, which I quickly dubbed Varallo's 

antipode. The city is to grand to correctly summarize in any type of blog, however I will briefly describe the city to my interpretation of it. Rome is a city to be visited by all goers of life, as it contains a mixture of culture unique to itself. The food is always good, the people are happy, and there is always a new monument to explore. The highlight of my trip was a tie between the colliseum and Piazza Navona. Then without a doubt, a  night walk to the Fontana di Trevi should not be turned down by anyone. It is a must do for any future tourists. However as stated the city has to much to write about in one blog. So I will stop my summary on Rome here.  I will leave you with the fact that the mix of culture, atmosphere, and monuments is what gives the city its axiom as the city of love. It is a city that belongs at the top of any travelers list.

That completes the story of my recent travels, and in turn completes my blog. To my readers, I thank you and until next time...

Grazie e Arrivederci,

Logan White

Monte Carlo Casino

Monte Carlo Marina

From another angle

Portovenere 

End of a hike in the Cinque Terre

Cove in Cinque Terre

Rotary Friends and I

Rome

Trevi

Colleseum

Pantheon

Inside the Pantheon

Marathon Edition!!

HELLO EVERYONE, 

It has been way too long since the last time I checked in with you. However I am justified in my actions, as I havn't found a free day in weeks. The last time I wrote to you was at the start of March. During that time I was very excited for the marathon which was quickly approaching, and is now in the rearview. Before I get to the marathon, lets talk about the trips and expiriences of March.

I started March off with some weekends at Alagna snowboarding all the different terrain I could find. Then as the sun eroded away the snow, and the middle/end part of March took flight, I started traveling on weekends with my family. The first trip we took was to Como. Como is a famous lake town that resides on the shore of... you guessed it Lake Como. The town is famous for its amazing villa's and famous residents, namley George Clooney. Then the following weekend, we once again went to the lake district, only this time closer and less famous. We went to Lake Orta, and spent a day in the accordingly named city of Orta. Orta was beautiful just like Como, infact I liked it more! The town was smaller and not covered in tourism like Como, in turn, the city of Orta is much more of a cultural gem. Then to finish off the month, we took a trip to Bergamo. A city about an hour east of Milan. Bergamo was a beautiful city from was I was able to see. The history behind it is intresting, to learn more we took part in a guided tour while we were there. 

Then As quick as it started, it was gone. March ended and April started. In the first few days of April I had a break from school, in which I went to Milan a couple times. The most notable thing I did there was attend a museum of Leonardo Da Vinci. The window into the ideas of Da Vinci was amazing to see! His ideas were so very far ahead of his time. Then during that of the start of April my family took me to Switzerland for a day!! Not just to walk around the town, but to enjoy the THERMAL SPRINGS! It was a day of relaxing in the natural beauty of the mountains. Do not worry, we left with plenty of choclate! We got back from Leukerbad, Switzerland, with just a week before leaving to Vienna!

We left to Vienna, Austria, on the 10th of April. The marathon was on the 13th. After arriving in the city, we took 2 days to explore the prestine city. As far as a city goes Vienna is amazing! It is ranked as the worlds best city to live in, and I havn't been to all the worlds cities... Yet I can tell you that I wouldn't mind living in Vienna. The history is  just as rich as the art culture, and the food is always good. It is also a city where the buses always arrive on time, something Italy could learn (haha, but really) Anyway on the 3rd day, I woke myself up early, went down stairs to eat a high carb breakfast, got on the metro, and arrived at the starting line. It was marathon time. I had been training for over 3 months and was ready to conquer. During the training I had followed a strict training schedule, unfortunatly my Nike tracking app tracked 1.5 miles for every actual mile I ran. So in the end I was gravley unprepared for the marathon, having ran no more than 14 miles at any given time in my training. (I thought I had ran more than 20) I however was not aware of this at the start line, and only became awear when I was barley finished with 9 miles and my app alerted me that I had just completed a half marathon. From that point I knew the race was going to become a mental war. It's all in the mind afterall right? I reached 15 miles, and started to cramp. It was becoming hard to even walk, but I continued to jog as much as possible. My body was screaming stop after 18 miles, but my mind pushed forward. I had only 8.2 miles to go, and knew nothing was going to stop me, absolutley nothing. My body had broken down. It was my mind that was running. I had pushed my mind to a point past what it had before thought impossible.  I limped and ran to 22 miles, and with 4.2 miles to go, "Till I colapse" by Eminem came on my playlist, I listened to the songs message, and dug even deeper, forcing myself to seemingly sprint the last leg of the race. In the end I had heart pains, I vomited, and I colapsed, during the last leg of the race. However I passed the finish line, and nothing in the world could have felt better. I had ran a marathon and even more learned about the power of will. I had learned if you want something bad enough, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can stop you from capitolizing on your goal or dream. After the race I without exaggeration couldn't walk, and was asked if I needed crutches multiple times by event staff. I declined, because I knew my 2nd pair of parents would arrive (Patrizia & Gian) and I could use them as my crutches back to the hotel where I could rest back to health. In the end, I can say it was the best single expirience of my life, and I could not be more happy with myself for running it. 

Jumping forward to present day, it is spring break, and I am going to Monaco on Monday. I will get to see the stunning city/country with my own eyes and marvel on the beauty. Then a week later I have a rotary trip to Cinque Terre. The time I have left continues to shrink, it is sad knowing I must go, but every ending is a new beggining. 

Until next time,

Logan White

(Most my pictures are on my other camera)

Cafe in Vienna 

After the marathon!

I only have 1 picture of downtown Vienna on my phone, this is it.

The thermal springs in Switzerland

The alps behind the thermal spring

Curch in Bergamo 

Curch in Como

(I will put all the pictures on my camera on FB when I have the chance)

Hello 180 Days!

"How did it get so late so soon" - Dr. Seuss

That is a pretty good way of looking at the situation right now. They say exchange isn't a year in a life, but a life in a year. As true as that is, I then must acknowledge I am starting to approach the end of my life here in Italy. It remains true in this case, as it is true in every case that the end of a life is a sad thing. Although fortunatley for me the end if this life leads to a place where there is always sun. Yes, in a sense I am talking about heaven, but this heaven is called 'Summertime in California'

I last wrote in this blog a little over a month ago. A lot has transpired in the last 40 days. I switched houses, twice, thats right 2 times! I am now living with my first host family until I leave Italy. This is as scheduled. I am happy to be back with the Bettoni family, and finally to be settled in to a house for more than a month. 

It is now March, and I thought the snow would be melting at lightspeed by this time, but oh how I was wrong! In the first three days of March the mountain has recieved nearly two more meters of snow! I guess I will have more time on the mountain than I thought. Speaking of time on the mountain.  A new hobby that some friends of mine and I do from time to time is what I have dubbed "Utimate Sledding". We rent bobsleds, take a lift to the top of the ski resort, eat dinner, and then sled down well over a mile guided by the lights we have attatched to out heads. This my friends, is the future of winter sports!

To continue with the sport theme, I went to Sestriere in the middle of Febuary. Sestriere was the center of events for the 2006 Torino Olympics, and is the heart of the ski/snowboard fantasy land known as Via Lattia aka the Milky Way. I was hosted there by an Italian family who's kid will be going to the US on exchange this coming year. I returned from that weekend and ran my longgest practice run yet, and 18 miler. The marathon prep is in full swing, and I could not be more excited for the race in April. All my hard work will cullminate into an amazing trip to Vienna, Austria where I will complete 26 miles on feet. My goal for the race is under 3 hours and 25 minutes.

 Away from the topic of sports, and straight into lyguistics. I am taking on the challenge of learning dialect. Every region of Italy has distinct dialects of the Italian language, not everyone speaks their regions dialect, but I have taken it upon myslef to learn this regions dialect. I am in Valsesia where the dialect is very unique. The Valsesia was the border of the Piedmont and Lombard regions/kingdoms almost 200 years ago. As a result you get a mixed dialect of Milanese and Piemontese that less than 2500 people speak. 

This coming month I do not have a lot planned so we will see where it takes me. Sometimes the best things come as surprises. I welcome this last branch of my exchange with open arms, and a hope of many many new expiriences, adventures, and educational growth. I will update in the next month or so. 

Until next time, arrivederci,

Logan White

Before ultimate sledding

A rare sunny day in Alagna

Sestriere

Skiing with Gianmario

Half way

Hello to all,

(Pictures at bottom)

So it's been a month and some days since I last updated the blog. The last time I wrote was at the start of Christmas break. So that is where we will start this blog. 

Let me start by saying Christmas break was lots of fun, also shorter than it should be. The break was kicked off with a school party that transcended into the night. The following days were spent on the mountain snowboarding. This year has been amazing to the mountains with more than 9 feet of snow!!! I then spent some days with friends from school, and visited some other exchangers. At some point during the break I signed up for the Marathon of Milan. That is 26 miles of running to clarify. More on that later. Then with the blink of an eye break was over and school was back.

 School was back, but life goes on. I made a trip to Biella during the first week of school being back, to say bye to a friend. Luci the Aussie, had finished her year in Italy. (As Austrillia operates on a different time table)  To commensurate her time we had a dinner with the district head families and other students. We miss you Luci. That night wasn't all sad, as I neglected to mention before Luci leaving wasn't the only cause for the dinner. The other purpose was to welcome the new. Frances, a girl from South Africa arrived the day before, and we all came to welcome her to Italy. That night was very transitional for me. It felt as if a right of passage ritual had been completed. I am the "oldie" and she is the "newbie" as we call the positions here in Italy

Now lets talk about my Visa, and I don't mean the credit card. To come to Italy on exchange you have to get a student visa. I recieved my student visa without a hassle and continued on my path to Italy. Fast forward 5 months. Logan is in his room, and is reading about the return procedure and guidelines. One of the rules says you must return before the Visa expires. No problem right? Wrong.  My visa expires June 7th, let me explain the problems.

-1st school ends on the 6th so I recieve no rest or goodbye time.

-2nd I get no summer

-3rd  everyone elses visa expires late june or early July! Making me the first to leave

Atleast I will get to see my class graduate, I guess that is an upside. So the visa takes me to my next point I am now half way through my exchange which means I have been here for more time than I have left! See you soon Humboldt. (slightly joking, slightly serious)

Now as promised the marathon. I have been running and cross training 5 times a week in prep for the event. Then I recieved an email yesterday saying I am to young to run and will be refunded my money. So now the hard part, find a marathon I can do. After expanding my search a million times I found the VCM, (Vienna City Marathon) yes Vienna, Austria. So now that is the goal. The race is April 13. Now I just need to work out the logistics. I have called upon my first host mom to be my guidance on the trip, but do not have an answer yet. I understand if she can't take me though, as going to Vienna is a lot to ask from a person. For now I just have to keep running, and hope the logistics work out in my favor.

Thank you for reading, and stay classy,

Logan White

Enjoy the pictures

Me, Luci, (Standing) Frances (Blonde) at The farewell/welcome dinner

Milan christmas time

Host grandma

Favorite restraunt on the Mountain

Xmas themed dinner with friends

Who does't love snow and beautiful mountains?