ciao a tutti

Roomies & wonderful friends on Mardi Gras

Things that make me think I’m starting to look like I fit in here:

     1)    I got asked for directions yesterday! A woman from Brazil asked me in Italian where the Ponte Vecchio was. I asked her if she spoke English (in Italian), she said yes (grazie dio), and voila! I got her where she needed to go.

   2)    Today, two American boys stopped me and tried to ask me in Italian if I would take their picture. I replied with si, and kind of just rolled along with it because I want to better my Italian but mostly because it was fun having them think I was Italian.

Things that make me think I am never going to fit in here:

   1)    I bought lotion and started putting it on my legs for a few nights before bed. I thought it was weird and gross and wasn’t working properly, but I’ve been trying hard to keep in mind the advice I got that “nothing is good or bad, just different”. Turns out that sometimes you should trust your gut because my roommate informed me that it was HAND SOAP, not lotion. Ugh. Before moving to a country half-way across the world, you should consider knowing the language well enough to not be guessing at the market.

2)    A thousand other things.

So the point is, I’m making progress. I had my first completely-Italian conversation this morning getting my coffee--I didn’t speak a word of English and it felt great. Last night I went to a Hip Hop dancing class. I would never do that at home…I am really branching out here! It was a lot of fun and the instructor happens to be my Italian teacher who I love, so it works out. After that class I went on a run throughout the city. Working out goes hand-in-hand with my new goal of not eating fast food for one calendar year (started January 20). Wish me luck. I'm trying to transform to a healthier, happier mind + body!

After my work out, I went to dinner at Il Gatto e La Volpe with the roommates. I don’t go out for dinner all that often so it’s a nice treat when I do—I got the house spaghetti which was pasta with very spicy tomato sauce. It was delicious, and after, Sophie and I split a piece of chocolate cake.

To celebrate Fat Tuesday we went to a couple of pubs afterwards, met some nice, new friends, and then came back for bed.

This morning I went to my cooking class which is hands-down my favorite class both here and ever. I’m currently not getting any credit for it back at GSU (I’ll try showing them the syllabus again when I get back) and it’s at 9 am, but it’s still my favorite. Our professor-chef is so nice and loves his job. Today we didn’t cook, we went on a field trip. First we went to a bakery and he took us into the back where we learned about the different ovens bakers use. Next, we went to his chef-friend’s tiny café that offered the best cannoli I’ve ever eaten, and a strong-but-necessary espresso. The chef there told us about how he was moving to Taiwan soon to cook for some 5-star hotel chain there, and also about the simplicity of the cannoli we ate. There are so many places here that are over-priced and have too much going on in the food in attempt to entice people—fruit on top of the cannoli, added sugars, etc. Next, we went to the market and tried cow stomach and lungs. If you refused to try it, he didn't count you as participating in class for the day. I didn’t care for either, but at least I can say I’ve tried them! We followed that with a visit to a hole-in-the-wall sandwhich shop that is close to my house and was so good. Finally we went for gelato—this particular place has been owned by the same family for almost 100 years. Again...I LOVE this class! I get to learn to cook new things and/or discover where the best little places in town are. And I never have to eat breakfast or lunch on Wednesdays because the class inevitably fills me up. It’s my favorite.

Random thoughts: It’s strange that I’m going to be here for the election of a new president, prime minister and pope. If you’re interested in religion and/or politics, which I am going to TRY to be, this is a very busy time in Italy! I miss Modern Family, my friends/family, and Mexican food, but I’m convinced that I’m having the time of my life here. La vita e bella.