''I said it's something free that means a lot to me, when I'm with my friends I feel home''

So it has almost been a whole month here in Perugia and I cannot even begin to believe that it has been that long already! This month has flown by!! After being a little under the weather at the beginning of this week, I felt for the first time, slightly homesick as well. I think that that's a common occurrence though, when you are feeling sick in a new environment, its natural to miss being close to home and family members. Even at Northeastern, if I'm sick, I'm only a short car ride away, and I can easily head home for a night to recoup. Unfortunately 30 miles by car is a lot easier to travel in a day than the some 3000 miles by plane that I am from home right now. Luckily, my friends here have been taking care of me! One has even brought me cold medicine, tissues and some medicated tea! Being this far from home, your friends become your family a lot more quickly than at home. I have some girlfriends at home that are legitimately a part of my family, and it's nice to know that even this far from home, there are a few people here that already mean almost as much to me as my best friends.
Luckily for me, I didn't come to Perugia having known no one at all. I have one of my sorority sisters here with me and its nice to have a little piece of my life in the states here with me. It has made my transition to life in this new city and country that much easier. As much as you can be linked to the other students here through the shared experiences you are having currently, its nice to be around someone who knows your history. Someone who you already share a bond with, to experience these new things together.
And this week, yesterday actually, one of our other sorority sisters who is backpacking her way through Europe stopped in to visit with us! She was traveling around Italy and had an extra day, so she stopped by with us to see where we were studying and living. It is so nice to see more familiar faces in a place with so few! And its fun to show people from back home in the US around this new city that I have come to call home in Italy. Visitors like her make me glad I'm here, experiencing all of these new things. It reassures me that this was the right choice for me, because it reminds me that home - the people and the places - will always be home, and that is something that can't change, but this experience and this adventure that I'm on right now is something that might change my life forever and I would have regretted not taking the chance that I did in coming here.
In realizing that I've been here almost a month now, makes me also realize that I don't have that much time to spend here, so even though there might be the beginning pangs of homesickness, I'm not worried. I have people here that are becoming just like family, I have a few ties to my life back in Boston and I only have 2 and half months left to be away from everyone else. Since this past month has seemed to go by so quickly I can only imagine that the rest will fly by just as much; though I most definitely do not want it to!

The Ferry Stairs – 1 Me - 0

The amount that you can accomplish in a weekend never ceases to amaze me! Back at Northeastern, weekends consisted of late nights out with friends, sleepy mornings and mid-afternoon brunch. Homework was included in there too, but relaxation was ultimately the key activity of my weekends. I have seen more of Italy in one weekend than I think I have seen of Boston in my three years at NU.

This weekend, the town of Pompeii, the port of Naples and the Islands of Ischia and Capri were on the agenda. First up was Pompeii, the Italian city that until semi-recently (in comparison to its age) was covered in 25 feet of volcanic ash from the deadly eruption of Mount Vesuvius. I’d been there before, when I visited Italy senior year in high school, but still, the city amazes me! The fact that even though this city is in ruins and even though it was covered with twenty five feet of debris, it is still, in most respects standing, is literally unbelievable. Whenever I am in ancient cities that are in ruins like Pompeii I try to think about what life must have been like for the people who lived there all those years ago. The amount of people that had walked those cobbled streets before me and lived in each of the houses is insane. And unlike most ancient cities, some of the inhabitants of Pompeii are actually still living there. Clearly not actually several hundreds of year old people, but casts of their bodies, which had been preserved by the ash have survived. When Vesuvius erupted, it covered the bodies of the Pompeian’s with ash and after their bodies decomposed, there were hollows left within the layers of ash that excavators then poured plaster into. The result: casts of the actual inhabitants of the day that the volcano erupted. That was probably the coolest thing we saw there. This photo to the left is one of those bodies.

After Pompeii it was off to the hotel, on the island of Ischia, which was probably one of the nicest places I will stay while on my study abroad experience, as most of our stays are in hostels. Although I have had good luck with them thus far, not all of them are as clean and staffed with friendly people as my first hostel in Cinque Terre! Nothing too exciting to note except that I ate fish for dinner. Not so surprising of a meal when staying on an island, but as most people know, I don’t eat fish, ever. Shellfish, sure – but fish, fish, forget it! But new experiences include new foods, so I figured you have to try everything once and it was delicious!

The next stop on our weekend was the Island of Capri. We took a ferry from Ischia and the views from the boat were breathtaking. In the middle of the Mediterranean, surrounded by nothing but blue skies and blue water, it kind of makes you never want to leave! And the Island of Capri was even more beautiful! Most of the others on our trip went straight for the beach, but luckily my group of travelers was looking for something a little touristier. So it was off to the chairlift that we read about in one of the girl’s “Italy for Dummies” book. Expecting something closer to a ski lift that could carry several people at once, we were more than a little surprised to find a single-occupant chair that looked like it went at an almost completely vertical angle. More than a little scared, we hopped on one by one and rode up this giant mountainside. The payoff though was even more that imaginable! You could see for miles and miles of sea and other islands! I have never felt as small as I have these past few weeks looking at some of these endless views. But I also have never felt so lucky to be alive and be able to see and experience all of these wonderful things the world has to offer. After seeing all of the gorgeous water surrounding the mountaintop we were on though made me even more anxious to get in and swim! Luckily our next stop was the beach. The water is so salty that you barely need to tread water; with just minimal effort, you can float in place and soak up the sun on the top of the water. I hope I get to go back to the islands off of the port of Naples some day, because it is officially one of my favorite places I have seen thus far in Italy.

The last day of our trip was spent in Naples, the organized crime capital of Italy. You can imagine after having gotten this information from our tour guides, we didn’t quite relish our time in Naples. Window shopping consumed most of our time, and keeping track of our valuables consumed the rest. I admit, none of the people I was with lost anything important, nor did I see anyone get robbed. But from the stories we were told, it is not the nicest of neighborhoods. Forget the fact that it was Sunday, aka the Lord’s Day in most Italian towns, from the not so rosy picture we received from our tour guides, we did get the impression that we needed to venture far. I did however get the best pizza I have ever had, from Brandi Pizzeria, which is apparently where pizza was invented. And I am not even being facetious when I say that they invented pizza, because that is what this restaurant is famous for. And I believe them, because it was the most delicious pizza that I have eaten yet in Italy, and we eat a lot of pizza!

Well, I get exhausted just about every time I have to write about my ridiculously jam packed weekends. About as exhausted as I do after traveling all weekend, but I wouldn’t trade any amount of sleep for the experiences that I have had here. I very highly doubt that I will be as lame on my weekends once I return to Boston as I have been previously. If there is this much to see and do in a country the size of Italy, imagine what I have missed out on in my own state! I think I’ll be going on many more adventures next spring, because I’m not sure I remember how to sit still on a weekend anymore!

(The title for this blog entry came from one of my trips on the ferry; because apparently, even in Italy, I am clumsy and stairs and I do not get along)

There are simply not enough hours in the day…

Somehow time works differently here than at home. At Northeastern I have a very good schedule and I keep to my daily routine. Here, whether it’s the change in time zones, atmospheres or lifestyles, I can’t seem to get it down. I have a very hard time accomplishing absolutely everything that I need to in a given day. There is not only school, but homework, keeping in touch with family members, keeping my apartment up to the cleanliness standards of my Italian landlady, exercising if possible, cooking, enjoying what little free time I have during the week and if there are enough left over hours, sleeping! I try to blame it on the fact that my apartment lacks internet access and I have to go to either school at the set hours (8AM-8PM here) or to the internet café that’s only open an hour later and that I am in class most days during the week and have lots of reading. But really I can’t put my finger on what exactly about this city that makes me so amazingly unproductive that I occasionally have to wake up several hours before my first class (a thing that most people who know me, know I don’t do – I’m a wake up about 30 seconds before I have to head out the door kind of girl … I NEED my sleep ha-ha) just to accomplish things I didn’t have time for the day before. I suppose this isn’t too terrible of a thing, early mornings are the norm even on the weekends as we mostly travel Fridays to Sundays.

Keeping in touch with family and friends back home seems to unfortunately be the thing that keeps getting left out of my daily routine here. I try to email as much as possible, but again lack of internet and optimal times to use it (as in good times to talk to people in the states) put serious restrictions on when and where I can actually get in touch with people. **For family and friends reading this, bear with me on staying in touch! I miss you and I’ll be in contact when I can!!** But above all its coordinating my schedule (or lack there of as it seems to be) with the ones of my loved ones at home that is providing me the most difficult.

I occasionally, though seemingly stupidly so, forget that I really am in another country and time zone entirely during my week. Because I am taking classes and currently in “school mode” my weeks aren’t that completely different than at home. So sometimes, it feels like I’m just back at school in Boston, which is only thirty minutes from my hometown. It is only when I have a free minute and attempt to contact someone from home and realize it’s only 3 AM there, or when chatting with friends and I pass by locals and hear their Italian accents melodically conversing with one another that it snaps me back into reality. I really am here. I’m in Italy; on the complete opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean. It is both the most amazing and frightening feeling ever. I love that I’m here and I love that I’m getting to have this experience, but knowing that I can’t just run home to do laundry, or have dinner with my parents is a little bit scary for a girl who didn’t move very far to go to college. Thankfully, though I do miss my friends and family dearly, Italy is keeping me busy, and I don’t have time to really wrap my head around it. Luckily, in situations like this, all of the almost 200 students that are in my program are in a similar boat. It’s a nice little unspoken bond that we have with each other. Like kids at summer camp, we’re all taking a little risk, enjoying a little taste of life away from home where new friends abound and the chance to experience new things is a daily occurrence. Well bring on the stupid campfire songs and outside excursions, ‘cause I’m bunked up for the “summer” and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

"And crazy is the forecast all week"

Well ... it has been yet another whirlwind weekend that was barely over by monday morning! We were traveling again this time to Tuscany on a field trip, Pisa and Cinque Terre. It Tuesday, and I'm still exhuasted! Friday, I had a field trip for my History and Culture of Food in Italy class ( I know, what a class right?). Anyway, we took a trip to a little farm and got to tour it and see all of the animals and tour their olive oil making factory. Then they let us taste a few different kinds of cheeses that they produce there (made from both cow and goats milk), the yogurt and the juices that they make at this little farm. No one there is of any more importance than another, all of the workers work together to produce all of the goods that they make. It was such a fun little day! I mean for me, it was just a little side trip, but what we saw and the things that we taste tested were a part of their everyday life. It is interesting to see how a very different way of life works, especially one that is so different from not only my own life, but the life that I have experienced here in Perugia.
After the farm it was off to learn how to cook an authentic Tuscan meal! This family welcomed us into their house and taught us how to cook 3 different kinds of bruschetta, antipasto, gnocchi, ravioli and tiramisu! And then we sat at a huge banquet table and ate all of the fruits of our labors. What and experience, to learn to cook such authentic Italian dishes from an Italian family! They were so welcoming and helpful in trying to explain not only how to cook the foods we were cooking, but why we were cooking them the way that we were. For instance, they peel the skin off of the peppers used in one of the appetizers for better digestion. I had no idea that the skin of peppers wasn't good for digestion. Also, the antipasto we made you had to put bread in a bowl of water, then squish all of the water out and crumble it into a bowl filled with vegetables. They explained that they used to do this when bread got stale so as to use all of the precious food that they have. Learning all about these old cooking techniques and how the food is used in the culture was incredible! It was probably the best field trip I have ever been on in my entire life!
But my weekend was not over at all at the end of my Friday field trip. Two of my friends here an I woke up bright and early and headed North! We were eventually headed for a place called Cinque Terre, 5 towns on the coast separated by mountains that have trails that you can hike along, but we stopped first in Pisa. There is basically only one major tourist attraction in Pisa so it was easy to simply hop off the train for a few hours, take our ridiculous pictures with the Leaning Tower (though they don't call it the "leaning" tower of Pisa here, its just the Tower of Pisa) and we were on our way. But the tower is incredible! People climbed all the way to the top and I honestly don't know how they didn't fall off! What a sight it was to see! I keep seeing these amazing monuments and they barely seem real. It is so surreal to see things that I have heard about all of my life up close and in person. I am literally speechless every time! I just can't even begin to wrap my head around all of the history that I keep seeing. I'm not sure what the Tower was constructed for originally, but it is interesting to see something that was once probably a very necessary building turned into a silly thing that you take crazy pictures in front of. That however, did not stop me from taking the obligatory, holding up the Tower picture!
After that, it was back to the train and off to Cinque Terre! What a beautiful beautiful region! Right one coast, this series of adorable little coast towns were slightly touristy, but more absolutely Italian than anything else. We hiked the 5th and hardest mountain between Monterosso and Vernazza, two hours of striaght, steep, uphill! That was probably the most intense hike I have ever been on. I used to hike when I was little in the mountains in Vermont with my family, but this was VERY different. Hiking along these mountains you got the most amazing views of the coastline. We started hiking late, so we got to see the sun set beyond the mountains towards the end of our hike. Again, there are very few words that even come close to describing this view. The closest thing I can say, is imagine the bluest water you ever seen, clear straight to the bottom even hundreds of feet deep, stretching across so far that you can barely tell where the horizon ends and the sky itself begins. And the unbelievable colors that stretched across the horizon while the sun was setting was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen! I literally cannot over exaggerate enough the views that we saw. After our hike, we relaxed at a cafe and ate bruschetta while enjoying the peacefulness of the night in Vernazza. And the relaxing extended into the next day as we relaxed on the beach and swam in the gorgeous blue waters of Monterosso. It almost seemed too beach-y of an area to be Italy, but I am absolutely excited that it does exist here! Because it was a nice break from the regular tourist and monument visits that we have done thus far.
All in all, this weekend was a fabulous diversion from the ordinary here in Italy. Learning about how food is harvested and cooked in Tuscany was unbelievable. It was absolutely amazing to be able to be involved in something so authentic! And the trip to Cinque Terre was an amazing little slice of nature, countryside and the sea that I would love to be able to spend more time in some day. The people that actually reside there are incredibly lucky! They have beautiful views, mostly nice weather, and gorgeous waters that they can cool off in at any time! How lucky they are! And how lucky I am to have been able to see and experience some of the amazing, yet slightly out of the ordinary, things that Italy has to offer!

"Drive a little while on the wrong side of the road..."

Okay so maybe Italians drive on the right side of the road, but there was something about that line that reminded me of Europe. And I've been listening to the song the line comes from alot since I've been here, and I think it sums up my feelings about my trip so far. I've been here almost two weeks and I can say I am thoroughly in love with this country! It has been such a crazy few weeks I can't even imagine that its already almost my 2 week anniversary in this city. I'm finally starting to get used to the pace of life here and both the small and major differences that Italy has from the U.S. Everything here takes twice as long and about as much effort. I experienced my first scorpiero for the bus system yesterday. Scopiero means strike in Italian and apparently they are common occurances here in Italy. Yesterday's strike meant that I couldn't get to the large grocery store in town because I couldn't take the bus there. This was something completely foreign (please mind my unintentional pun) to me. Back home if there is a strike, it's well announced, shuts down operation of whole cities and only happens once a year, if that. Unfortunately this is NOT the way it happens in Italy. Here strikes happen very regularly and while they are announced in certain places they are not always easily predicted. However, it doesn't seem to slow Italians down at all! I'm sure that they are used to the unreliability of the public transportation but it doesn't seem to phase them or interrupt their day at all! If only I could be so free spirited as they are! Reliability is definitely something that I miss about the U.S.
I guess though, it wouldn't be a truly Italian experience if every once in a while something like this strike didn't happen. They told us to be open to new experiences before we came here, I guess it shouldn't have surprised me that those experiences would've included something so vital to my life here as public transportation. But I guess that that is just the way things go. I think I'm being pretty open minded about most things here in town and around the country that are different from what I'm used to. It's still going to take some effort not to be surprised when I can't get on the bus, but I think that I am doing far better than some of my program mates. Being angry or frustrated helps no one and it certainly doesn't change the fact that the bus doesn't run! No wonder so many Europeans are so relaxed and care free, because if they stressed about anything, they'd have to stress about everything and then they'd have no time to enjoy life. So i say c'est la vie! And while that may not be an Italian phrase, it’s going to be my new catch phrase. Because I can’t change things like that, so I’m just going to sit back and enjoy the ride, (barring scopieros!)! Ciao!

My First Big Steps ...

I wrote this yesterday, but it was Sunday and there are VERY VERY few spots that have internet access so the date might be off, but this was what I was thinking yesterday! It was a big weekend, so this is kind of a long one :

It is four o'clock on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Perugia and I am thoroughly exhausted! This has been a whirlwind first weekend! We traveled to Florence (Firenze) on Friday for the day and then headed into Rome on Saturday night for an all a night festival called la Notte Bianco or White Night! I have managed to squeeze so many historical sites into just a few days its ridiculous!
Traveling around Italy while I am here, as well as the rest of Europe has been one of my biggest goals for this trip and I am beyond thrilled to have had such a productive first weekend!

First up was Florence; it was beautiful! We left Perugia on Friday morning with little more than a vague notion of where we were going to. We had no plan, no real idea of what sites we wanted to see or how we would find our way around beautiful Firenze. Luckily with a little help from a guide book and some map reading skills, we managed to guess our way to all of the big sites in Florence.

Florence is a big city, which I would say is much akin in size and population to Boston. Much, much bigger than Perugia, the small city that has become my home this past week. It was quite a shock. An overload of senses I would say. There were so many smells and sights and sounds that I wasn’t quite sure where to focus my attention. The city is much more “touristy”, if you will, than Perugia as well. With the city filled to the brim with people taking pictures shuffling from one historic point to the next added to the already bustling life in Firenze made for an almost overwhelming day. But the sights were breathtaking. I’m having a hard time finding better words for the sights that I have seen, so many of them have left me speechless. The Duomo, our first stop was a gorgeous huge basilica where they still hold Mass. The intricate details of the front of the Duomo are astounding. How anyone can attempt to even begin sculpting such a masterpiece is beyond my comprehension. The sheer magnitude of some of these pieces of architecture can make you feel quite small. The Ponte Vecchio, the most famous of the 6 bridges in Florence was also a beautiful sight to see. It extends over a murky river that several boats were rowing in. I can’t even fathom my morning exercise involving rowing past the Ponte Vecchio everyday!

The Museo di Accademia was also quite the experience! Seeing Michelangelo’s “David” was probably one of the remarkable things I have ever seen. The amount of talent that must go into sculpting such a large piece of marble is unfathomable! I can’t help but wonder if the amazing artists that built these phenomenal pieces were not also a little bit crazy. To focus all ones energy on the success of one particular project takes a lot of talent, but I would guess a little bit of gut instinct too. I applaud them, I really do, and I hope that in seeing some of these works a little bit of that gusto and hunger for perfection in your passion has rubbed on me!

The last stop of our day however, may have been my favorite of the trip to Florence. After a day of traveling, most of my travel mates were exhausted and ready to return to the train, but one of them had one more stop she wanted to see, the view from the top of the Duomo’s Bell Tower. After a little convincing we decided to all take the chance and try to climb to the top for what was promised to be the best view of Florence. Well, 414 steps later, that was exactly what we saw, possibly the best 360 view in Italy, or anywhere that I have seen thus far in my life. As scary as it was to be that high, I realized that sometimes it takes a little risk to get a big reward. And the view (left), was the best reward of the day! Though I must admit the picture does not do it nearly enough justice!

On Sautrday we went to Rome (Roma) for the 5th annual Notte Bianco in Rome (they have these festivals in alot of countries in Europe) was one of the most intense nights I believe that I have ever had in my life. The festival, which celebrates literally "a Night of White" or no sleep is an all night festival. Running from 8PM to 8AM, all of the Museums are free to the public and there is so much to see and do!

Well if Florence is akin to Boston, then Roma is most definitely akin to New York City, in size and human traffic. With so much to see and do, one night is certainly not enough to see everything! Though that did not keep us from trying! Making one giant loop of Rome we managed to see The Colosseum, the Capitol building, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Capitoline Museum and the Circus Maximus; all in about 10 or so hours!

I have been to Rome once before in my life, as a senior in high school with a class of mine in which I had been studying ancient civilizations, art and architecture. So I have see most of these sights before during the day, but what an experience seeing them at night! The Colosseum was lit up blue form the inside and symphony was playing. I couldn’t make out the song, but how unreal for those who were inside to actually be attending a concert inside the Colosseum! I was in awe just taking in its size and trying to wrap my mind around the history of it and what it must have been like is its glory days! And as we wound our way around the city into the wee hours of the morning, trying not to miss a single opportunity, we sought out the Circus Maximus and sat on one of its grassy hills and watched the sunrise over Roma! Seeing the morning sky change colors over such an amazingly beautiful and historic city was nothing short of breathtaking. On the way back to the train, running on absolutely no sleep, but lots of cappuccinos and pizza we stopped by the Colosseum for one last look in the early morning light. When looking at the Colosseum and especially when stopped overlooking the Roman Forum I couldn’t help but think about all of the people that had been in this exact same spot before me. And how absolutely beautiful these “ruins” (though I hate calling them that because they’re still so unbelievable) must have been to the people who lived when they were new and when the Roman Forum and the Colosseum were being used the way that they were intended to be used and not as a view into the past.

Probably the most amazing thing about the time I spent in Rome this weekend though was the festival of la Notte Bianco itself. I have never in my life seen so many people in the streets as I did last night. The major streets and all of the major sights were just wall to wall people. I can’t imagine living in Italy for my whole life and being able to come into the city for a night like this every year. And it was people of all ages, up the whole night! Even small children walking around with their parents got to experience this amazing event. I cannot express how glad I am that we decided to take our first trip into Rome this fall for this festival. I have never in my life seen anything like it, and I highly doubt I ever will. Unless by some miracle I make it back to Rome for another Notte Bianco celebration! The entire time we were there, the group I was with was trying to compare the crowds and the celebration to something in America, and it was physically impossible. The closest I could come up with was New Years Eve and even that is a terrible comparison. But it’s the closest thing to an all night celebration with millions and millions of people lining the streets.

All in all this was a perfect way to start off my time in Italy. There was great weather, I saw so many amazing things already and I took my first big steps outside the city limits that I have gotten used to the past week. But all in all I’m glad to be back in Perugia. The city is big, but not so big that I feel overwhelmed. The surroundings seem more authentically Italian that the more tourist populated cities like Rome and Florence. I am thrilled to have been able to travel to both of these amazing cities, but I am also happy to be back in my own Italian city. So far I think Perugia is the perfect place to be studying abroad! It has enough in it to keep me busy, but it has also is small enough that I feel safe living and studying here. But I suppose we’ll see how I feel after my first official day of class!

A whole week!

I can't believe it! It's been an entire week since I left Massachusetts to come to Italia! The last seven days have flown by so quickly! I can only imagine that once my actual classes start and we begin to travel that the next 3 and a half months will go by just as quickly! I've fallen in love with this city in just this short amount of time and I can't wait to enjoy the rest of my time here!
We plan on starting those travel plans tomorrow by taking a trip to Florence, or Firenze in Italian. It will be interesting to see how the regions of Italy differ from each other. It will be our first step outside of our little Perugian bubble that we have gotten comfortable with. I'm excited, but I hope I've absorbed enough Italian this week to get by while we are venturing around the country! And I hope that all of the Italian people that we meet are just as helpful and enjoyable to interact with as those that I have met so far in Perugia!
I should also hope that they are much more tentative drivers. Unfortunately I don't think that there are many tentative drivers in Europe, so I guess it's one of my new jobs to worry more about when and where I walk and cross streets. Because in Perugia, sidewalks, crosswalks and occasionally stop lights are more of a suggestion than an actual law. I am slightly embarrassed to say that today alone I almost got hit several times. But I think in time I'll learn, and I'm sure my newfound cautiousness will travel back to Boston with me. So if nothing else, I'll be safer at home! Who knew that Italian drivers could possibly help me back home?!

Speechless

I am about a week behind in posts, but it has taken me until today to figure out the best place and time to use the internet here. Unlike the US, internet access here does not abound! And that my friends is the first of many things I have learned so far in even just the few short days I have been here.
But first things first, Italy is beautiful! The sights here literally take my breath away! I haven't been taking near enough pictures I'm sure, but even so, I'm not sure that the pictures would do it any justice! I walk through the old street and by all the old buildings everyday and I literally have to pinch myself that I live here! I can't think of a place that I would rather be than this quiant little city.
My apartment is cute! There are six of us girls who live there and I have managed to get a single in my apartment. (my street sign is pictured) As of now I think that it's a good thing, but I just hope that it won't keep me from getting to know my roomates. But they all seem fabulous so far. Our landlord can be a little stressful, but alot of the things that she is concerned about seem legitamate and are maybe just a slight difference in culture. Which is also one of the most difficult things here; just getting around attempting to speak to locals. Thankfully my Italian classes are starting to pay off and I can understand at least one half of the conversation, though I may not be able to respond!
Perugia is a university town so there are many many students around my age here. It is interesting to see how people of similar age act and spend time with their friends. La fontana, or fountain (as I'm sure most of you could tell) is the main meeting place here. For American students as weel as many more Italian and international students. People sit on the steps that surround la fontana at all hours of the day talking, eating, laughing, and yes even drinking a bottle of wine, in public! It is amazing the customs that are different here. There are always people on the streets and everyone is very affectionate. I think that they say that Paris is the city that never sleeps, well let me tell you, Perugia gives it a run for its money. There is never an asbsence of noise outside, even at the wee hours in the morning. And those hours, from about 11-sunrise you can find the steps teeming with people, probably the most traffic they get all day!
As this is my first official post feel like I have so much to tell you all! But unfortunately, the internet cafe that I am currently holed up in will not stay open all night! So for now all I can think to say is, I love Italy, and I think that coming here might just be the best decision I've ever made. And a friend before I left asked me if I nervous or excited about coming here, at the time I said both. They told me that I had to pick one and I couldn't. Well I can now officially say that I am registering a great big EXCITED on my own personal radar and I wouldn't have it any other way! Ciao tutti!!!