I'm not 16....

Today started too early, but thankfully I was able to go back to sleep!  Then I was woken up by Lila (landlady) calling to say that she forgot to call me yesterday about coming today to show the apartment to someone for next year!  My thoughts were as follows: 1. It is 40 minutes away, and this woke me up!  2. What does next year mean?? After the new year, or after I've moved out?? 3. Oh crap, I have not washed dishes and the trash needs to be taken out!!  4. Ughh, I need to shower before she gets here 5. Crap, I have nothing for breakfast!!  So, I talked to April on facebook for a bit because she was awake, took a shower, got dressed, and then Lila showed up!  When I opened the door and there was a man standing there, I was SHOCKED!!  I was then trying to think of how I was going to tell Lila that I was not okay with this.  However, as they were walking around, and speaking in Italian, I realized that he was looking at all the rooms, and they were talking about his family! I also heard them mention that I was leaving in July!  Lila made some weird comments about the heat, but all I could think was, "I must have the heat on...I cannot freeze to death!!"  So, thankfully all seems well and there will not be an additional roommate.

So, then I worked on my blog, got dressed, and headed to the school before going to the church.  I stopped at a cafe to get a cornetto vuoto (basically a crescent roll with nothing in it...but this does not do the amazingness of it justice) because the apple and clementine were not holding me over!  When I arrived at the church, I saw Linda first!  She gave me kisses and told me that I could go look for the students; that they were all mixed in the crowd!  I found E.E. first, and some other students from Rosina's class.  So, I sat down with them on one of the alters for a bit.  E.E. was being a little quiet and awkward, but another girl came up to talk to me!  She LOVED my boots...the ones that Nick calls "Michaelangelo boots"!  She was rather disappointed when I told her that I got them in the U.S. Eventually a teacher had everyone move to the pews, which I was happy about, and so we were close to the front.  There was a little program that gave me the words to the songs, and thank goodness I understood all of them!  See, I DO understand Italian..not all of it, but I am getting better!  So, it was basically a Christmas Mass for the students.  They prayed over their school and such.  They sang songs, and a few of my students were in the "choir" that was singing!  I saw  A LOT of students throughout the service.  The service was nice, and I understood parts of it, but the sound system kind of sucked, so it was hard to understand the priest!  The students were all distracted throughout most of the service, but would of course all chime in on the prayers or responses that I believe all Catholics use, just in different languages.  I was really happy that I went!  I took a few videos when they sang some of the songs.  I thought of my Castrolibero students because they sang "Oh Happy Day", and all of my students at the other school said that this song is their favorite!  So, it was nice to be there.  The principal spoke...they brought things forward (including an Italian flag with a school banner on it)...there was definitely incense (my nose could tell)...and overall it was a really nice service!  I had never been in this church either, so it was nice to see it!  They had a really nice presepe (nativity) as well.  

Afterwards, I made my rounds of hugging and kissing the students.  Then, I found M., one of my students from Rosina's class, the one who sang Mariah Carey's song.  She showed me around, and then asked if I wanted to walk out with her!  I said yes of course, and we met some of her classmates outside.  They asked if I wanted to "stay with them", and so I decided that yes, I did want to walk around with them!  I definitely want to get to know my students better, and I want to be able to relate to them!  I think I say this all of the time, but I just want them to know that I am here to love on them and help them learn English; not to mention, I'd love it if they helped me learn Italian!  M. was so sweet to try and translate for me all day!  I am going to have to tell them that after my birthday, if I see them oustide of class, it is all Italian (though I will have to emphasize that they may have to simplify things...and speak slowly!!).  However, I think it will help them feel more confident in speaking English with me, if they know that I am desperately trying to speak Italian with them!  So, we stopped at one cafe so that could use their bathroom...and they bought me a sweet just so that we had bought something!  So sweet!  Then, we walked down the Corso.  M. wanted to go to H & M to buy her sister something for Christmas.  The Italians and I have different ideas of style!!  THere are some things that I would LOVE to own, or outfits I'd love to wear; however, some...NOT SO MUCH!  Though this is no different than if I were in the U.S.  So, she found a shirt for her sister, and we looked around a bit more!  They pointed out all of the really expensive stores, and we even went in a few!  They seemed so excited to show me around and to give me advice on where to shop and where to avoid!  It was really sweet and thoughtful of them!  Then we met M's boyfriend in this store called "Pull and Bear"...I think...or "Bull and Bear"...I dont really know!  Anyway, he was a funny guy!  He speaks English really well, but goes to a different high school!  He is most definitely the class clown, but really smart!  He has a mohawk, which is not uncommon here in Italy!  Anyway, he was fun to be around.  So, we just walked and laughed.  He made some jokes about weed, which was kind of strange for me, but he really was funny!  It was fun to see them all interact with each other!  They showed me an Irish pub, and we just walked around. By this point I was FROZEN to death, and it was around 1:00.  So, we gathered and they called their parents.  The boyfriend was SO excited when he heard that his mom was making some sort of traditional Calabrese dish for lunch; it was funny to see the mother/son thing from this point of view!  It is a unique thing here in Italy, for sure!!  So, then they all were headed home for lunch, and I was grateful to be getting out of the cold!  However, I really enjoyed spending the day with them!  We made plans to meet at 6 for the school band's performance later!  

I came home, ate lunch (my new typical lunch of turkey, bread, tomatoes, and mozzarella with olive oil), worked on blogs, and took a nap!  I was sooooo tired, and I did NOT want to get out of bed...but I did!  I talked to my momma, watched "The Grinch" (Jim Carey) on tv (in Italian),and was missing the ability to talk to Nick on the phone!  

I eventually got my lazy butt up and got dressed (in warmer clothes) to go see the band play! They were on a little stage in one of the small streets just off the Corso!  It was not a band like I anticipated...it was like singers, guitars, drums, etc.  M. was one of the singers!  My favorite part was when the MC boy got up there and started with, "Buonasera Tutti!!!!!!".  I was DYING to call Nick...however, he is in Seattle.  This was such an Italian greeting that I could barely stand myself.  THe group then proceded to sing a few songs, but the lead boy was NOT entertaining at all!!  It was fun to watch M. though.  I saw a lot of teachers, and I saw the principal.  I was alone for the first half hour or so, but it was fun!  Then some of my girls from this afternoon showed up, and then M.'s boyfriend showed up, so I was rather entertained the rest of the time.  THe group played on and off while students from a music school here in Cosenza played the accordians (a very Calabrese thing to play), and they also sang.  Most of it was in Italian, but some songs were English!  They sang "Last Christmas" and "Jingle Bell Rock" in English for sure; it is funny how the Italians have an accent when singing in English, but the British do not!  I know it is because their letters sound soooo different, but it is strange!  I stood there for about 2 hours total.  I had fun with all of them!  Boyfriend and I had fun with a potato that we found on the ground...hard to explain...just remember that he is most likely the class clown!  I had fun with him until he started using the F word because he knew that nobody around him understood it!  At one point there was a huge group of students around me, and that's when they found out that I am 26.  M. was SHOCKED...she said, "I am only 16!"  Haha...they all said that I looked much younger, and I thanked them for that!  It is funny to see my students' reactions when they find out my age; they consistently think I am younger, which makes me feel good...I won't lie!!  So, by this point (2 hours later), I was freezing, hungry, and did not want to have to find a bathroom in a bar or something!  So, I waved goodbye and left.  OOOHHH...I met a few of my student's parents.  I met M.'s parents, boyfriend's parents, etc.  It was nice to put faces with my students.  

I love that the F on the music bars turned into the F for Fermi! 

I came home, ate dinner, watched Tim Allen in "The Santa Clause" (in Italian of course, but it is one of my faves), and talked to NICK on skype!  I had been tracking his flight with the flight tracker website, and when I saw it had landed, I anticipated an email...and sure enough...not too long after that, I received one!  THEN, he signed on skype and we skype video chatted while he was waiting in Customs!  What a wonderful surprise!!  It was so much fun to be able to skype with him; something we cannot do in Italy because he just has a chiavetta, not regular internet like I do! SO, then I spent the rest of the evening working on blogs!

P.S. M's boyfriend sdaid that I say, "cuddruriaddri" better than the girls I was with!!  Haha!  Yay!!!