1. Something tells me that none of you who smoke (which seems to be about 90% of you) will end up with lung caner (thank goodness); however, those of us who have NEVER smoked a day in our life, and NEVER will, would probably end up with it if we stayed here...Italy needs a stop smoking campaign. I want to show them pictures of their lungs and then show them pictures of how ugly their faces will become (especially the women) and THEN....i want them to see how HORRIBLY unattractive it is!!!
2. When it is almost 70 degress outside, you DO NOT need to bundle up as it if were a winter snow in New York City!! This cracks me up. Today (and every day) I saw so many people bundled up as if a snow storm was approaching!! I had on jeans, a t-shirt, my UA columbia fleece, and a thick white scarf and I was too warm. Either this is cold for them, or they just DO NOT like to be cold AT ALL...but I am cold natured and I am just fine...hmm...I dunno ::shrugs shoulders::
Okay, now that my "soapbox" is over, I will tell you all about my day:
I got up about 20 minutes late (I purposefully set my alarm clock late) because I already knew that I was not wearing make up today and wearing my hair in a pony tail with t-shirt and jeans. DOnt judge me for my loungy outfit today...if I'd had Nike tempos, tennis shoes, and a long sleeve shirt with a sweatshirt, I would have worn THAT!!! However, I did not bring any of the above (well, I have my Merrill tennis shoes). Then I went to the kitchen to eat breakfast and found the other sister (Matilde's mom) in there. There was hot tea already made (which was really yummy) and I ate the last muffin (again, not big on the chocolate chip muffin, but forbid I only eat the toast thingys with jam)! OH HOW I MISS MY DAILY OATMEAL...I will probably eat oatmeal for breakfast EVERY meal when I get home!!!
After I grabbed all of my stuff, I started walking to school. All the way there I kept singing two songs to myself (and kind of out loud when no one was around me). The first was, "You Call Me Yours" by Prelude. I couldn't stop singing the chorus: "You call me beautiful. You call me righteous. You call me worthy of your son's own precious blood. You call me holy. You call me strong at my weakest. Forgiven and pure, you call me yours." And then I couldn't get the chorus to "Blessings" by Laura Story out of my head: "'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you're near. What if trials of this life, are your mercies in disguise?" I literally could not stop singing these two songs this morning. Then, I just couldn't help but thing about how blessed I am. Being in Italy is a blessing. Being out of a hole is a blessing, but it definitely came from healing through tears and a thousand sleepless nights. My family and friends are HUGE blessing. My favorite part of this song says, "What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life, is the revealing of a greater thirst that this world can't satisfy? And what if trials of this life, the rain, the storms, the hardest nights, are your mercies in disguise?" I am here to tell you, that they were His mercy...and look where I am now!! Blessed in so many ways that this blog doesn't hold them.
So as I got closer to school I realized that I had made it rather quickly and so I walked a different street to see if I saw anything interesting. As usual, I did. I came across this bakery that had the BIGGEST muffins EVER!!! It was incredible...so of course, I took a picture
Then I had to go to class. I was exhausted today! My brain had such a hard time concentrating and was NOT thinking in Italian!!! However, the BEST part of class was the very beginning. She gave us back the "assignment" we did at the end of class and she said that mine was, "bellisimo", which means VEEEERRRY good!!! :) I only had one tiny correction! I was excited...however, from there...there, the day went dooooooowwwwnn hilllll. I kept thinking, I want to be ANYWHERE but here, and preferably in bed!!!! It was such a frustrating day!! During our break I usually go the computer and the bathroom, but today I decided to go with Fiona to the "bar" and get some coffee, which in Italy means like 3-5 sips of what is drinking "Starbucks on CRACK!!" But I needed something, ANYTHING to wake me up...I was desperate...This other girl from school joined us and when I saw her cappuccino, I decided that next time, that's what I am having!! I wish I could remember her name. She is really interesting. She is from Australia. She told me that UGGS cost like $60 in Australia (where they are made), but that people dont wear them outside of their house. I explained the sorority girl way of life: Nike tempos and UGGS. They got a laugh out of it! She is really sweet. She has been here for 4 months and is now in level 3 I think....or maybe 4. Anyway, she has come a long way! I wonder where these people get this kind of money!!! So she and I went upstairs because we like our lungs and then it was time for the second half of class.The second half was worse than the first...at one point she (Maria) stopped even including me in the conversation (like didn't look at me or anything). It was really frustrating. Granted, I dont talk much, but I would still like to feel included. They were talking about jewelry, etc. and then superstitions (which I was only included in this part because they wanted to know if we were superstitious about black cats...ooh and before all of this I was partially included in a conversation about fears and phobias. I am of course much better at understanding than speaking, but you could at least include me; or look at me as though I am still in the room!! So now, not only was I tired and frustrated...but I was becoming a little angry and upset. At this point I just wanted to cry and go home because I can't join in...I just dont know enough vocabulary! I know I keep complaining about this, but I am trying..I dont study as much as I should, but that's because I have been spending time exploring and writing my blog. I do try to think of words in Italian...or I look up random things, but they just dont come to mind when I am trying to speak!! I also have a hard time doing some of the class work when she is hurrying us or we have to do it on the spot out loud because I need a second longer to think. This is made hard by two things: 1. She wants it to be quick and 2. When i dont say it fast enough that stupid guy Elmo (yes, that is his name) says it or mutters it "under his breathe" so loud that I can't answer. he really annoys me when he does this...today I was on the verge of telling him to shut it...he already knows Spanish (and only speaks Spanish) and it makes him hard to understand! Anyway, he was really pissing me off today...like I came close to throwing a highlighter at him and telling him that I needed a second to think! Ok...rant over with! So bottom line: today was a 75-80% comprehension day!
I was lost the majority of the time in Marco's "lecture(ish)" class...we started off talking about whether or not depression/anti-depressants carry a stigma in Italy and the next think I know they are saying something about Philosophy and then he is writing "H2O" on the board and talking about who knows what...and it would have been a little funny if I hadn't been SOO FREAKING FRUSTRATED with not knowing what the heck anyone was talking about!!! Oh well...tomorrow is another day...and we have history of art for an hour and a half...BLEH!! Ill have very little clue in that class...perhaps Ill take something to do...can you tell I'm frustrated!?!?!? If not, do you know me at all!?!?!
After this class was over, I ran (ok, not really) to the restaurant where I have lunch vouchers. I was in kind of a hurry because I only had 45 minutes to eat and get back for my private lesson that was starting 10 minutes early because she let me leave 10 minute early on Monday. I just ordered the pasta con pesto, which was NO WHERE NEAR AS GOOD as Signora Gabriella's.
This lesson was okay...it started out well...really well...but then it went south when she had me do a thing where I had to fill in blanks and she was hurrying me adn I didn't understand all of the words...etc, etc. Slow and steady wins the race for me right now...not all of this hurry, hurry, hurry... Cristina really is very sweet though!! She told me at the end of the lesson that next week we are going to, "talk, talk, talk, talk". UGHH my greatest fear...I suppose while I'm in Rome I will have to absorb as MUCH vocabulary as possible!!! I was grateful when "class" was over. It was 3:30 at this point. Oh, Cristina told me where to get post cards stamps too...which I was grateful for since the post office was INTIMIDATING!!!!!!!!
So when I left the school, I went to the "Tobacchi" to get the stamps. I asked for 20 and was SHOCKED when he said it would be 30+ euros....UMM NO!! I didn't have that kind of cash with me, so only 10 post cards were sent out today. Each post card is going to cost me 1,60 euro....this is ridiculously expensive. So, please dont anyone be upset with me for not buying you something in Italy! Just remember, that for me to send a post card cost me approx. $3.50 by the time I buy it AND mail it!!! Also, the stamps were so big that it may have/did cover some of my writing...sorry!!! :( I will send the remaining post cards after Rome. I sat in the Piazza della Repubblica (where the school is) and wrote a few post cards and put the stamps on. There was a creeper man sitting next to me who commented on "all of my stamps". Yes creepy man, I am aware of that...I do not need your creepy self to point that out...thanks though!!!
So after I got the stamps on, I walked down to the post office (also in Piazza della Repubblica) and put them in the box, and now they are on their way to you (well, 10 of them are).
After I mailed the post cards, I started walking. I decided to just pick random streets to walk down. This was the point though when I realized that I did not have my map with me! However, I just kept picking random streets and looking in the store windows! Nothing too interesting...not like in NYC!!! I eventually came to familiar landmarks and turns out I didn't need my map at all!!! :) I was excited about this...the thing I wasn't excited about was that my knees were starting to hurt!! THe uneven streets here are hard on my knees! :(When I got back to the apartment, I immediately took 4 ibuprofen (say nothing unless you know what it is like to have knee pain...). Then i went to say ciao to Signora Gabriella and there were a ton of people in the kitchen (Signora Gabriella, the other two daughters, a husband, and Matilde). Signora Gabriella offered me tea and I took it!! Some more hot tea sounded PERFECT!!! Then she offered me a biscotti, thinking it would be biscotti like we have I said yes; however, it was one of those weird cake thingys, like they tried to get me to eat for breakfast, but this time without the chocolate chips! It was still good..but unnecessary calories because it wasn't that good!!! However, the tea was GREAT!! While it was being made, Matilde and I played!! It's hard to do because I don't know what to say to her in Italian...but it's still fun!! Then she wanted to sit with me (she had already "asked me" to pick her up, which I did...I think they were excited to see her taking to me so well), but they wouldn't let her while I was having tea. But after I finished she crawled up in my lap and we played with one of her toys! Other than the fact that they dont encourage her to say words, they just let her SCREAM, she is really a sweet little girl!!! Guenda told me last night that Matilde is 17 months old...she should definitely be talking more than she is...unless it is different with other languages!! I'll have to look that up...or email Dr. Scofield...maybe he knows!!!
Anyway, then Signora Gabriella encouraged me to "go study". Really I think she just wanted Matilde to leave me alone. They are very weird about this!!! I enjoy her...in fact, I am less shy when I can play with her because playing with children is my comfort zone!! I enjoy it...and she really is fun to play with!!!
So now I've just been laying here writing, putting some pictures on facebook, and I am now about to study some for my "test" tomorrow. I'm curious to see what dinner is like tonight!!
Tonight's dinner was AMAZING!!!!!!! Not for the food though, however the food was good, but because I was able to speak!!! THey asked me about Matilde (developmental question) and from there we talked about NYC, and cost of living, school, more NYC...I was able to show them a picture of Radio City in a New York City book that they have. We talked about celebrities I have met...Guenda even knew who Kristen Chenoweth was!!! :) YAY!! They asked me if 5th Ave was beautiful, etc. We talked about the diversity of Queens...we talked about Nonna making me Spezzatino when i get back to NYC...and Signora Gabriella pretty much told me how to make it!!! :) I'm so freaking excited right now... I was so excited to talk about something I love (NYC)...I did MOST of the talking in Italian...because they allow me time to think!!! This is so key to my ability to speak!!! Not rushing me...and if I get a word wrong...gently remind me of the correct form! :) IT was great...I think today is the most they have seen of the real me!! I hope that they see that I just need some time to get comfortable. I really do like them and things are getting better!!! I'm excited about this!!!
Dinner started with pasta and tomato (sauce). Again, I could have just stopped here...plus I've had waaaaaaaaayyyy too many carbs today!!! Then we had roast beef slices (i had two sall ones) and some potatoes that were done in what i imagine was some sort of Greek seasoning. THen for "dessert" I had a little orange thing...why in the world does this word NEVER want to come to me...
Okay, well even though my day hasnt quiiiite ended...I am going to go study, take a shower, and GO TO BED....hopefully tomorrow will be a better start to a day!!! If it is sunny, and my knees aren't hurting too much, I plan to make the trek back to Piazzale Michelangelo to take some pictures with my BIG camera!!! :) YAY!! Though....I miiiiight need to wait for this...depending on how my knees are feeling! :( A domani (until tomorrow).
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