Day 78- Sorchetta Doppio Schizzo

Well this week I had my last Spanish and English Lit class, so now just Italian to go. Which is nicee.  I have my first exam on Tuesday, so I have been reading up on summaries of "La Regenta". We shall see.

Besides that the weather has been amazing. No more rain!! It has felt like summer most days this week...so I am ready for a beach and the tan that will come with it. Now I'm just waiting for all the spring pollen to be goneee so my allergies can be gone with it. The whole breathing out of my mouth is getting really old.

I did get out a little more this week. Tuesday night I went to Coni and Pilar's for some wine and catching up...It was definitely nice to get out of the house. Then on Wednesday people came over for Marta's malted chocolate cake..and more wine. I also tried Aperol, which is basically another version of Campari, but sweeter.  So go figure, I like it more. The traditional way to drink it is with prosecco, called a "Spritz", so when in doubt about what to order at a bar here, go for that. It's growing on me.

And yesterday was a big eating day. I had a lot of reallly good food. First for lunch, Pasquina (did I fail to mention the new girl again?) made pesto. So wait, quick side note- Pascuina is my new apartment-mate, which means we have a full house.  She's 24, and from Siena. Which makes me happy because that means I'm currently surrounded by one more Italian. She's the sweetest, and from what Valerio tells me, very southern, with her breakfast set up perfectly at the kitchen table every night, ready for the next morning. We have happily been exchanging Italian and English, wanting to be fluent by the time we both leave here. I'm finding we're similar in many ways...same random pair of shoes, we both have blue lufas. Haha. And if it's possible, she's even more organized and cleaning-obsessive than I am. Godsent. We're definitely getting along.

So anyway. Pesto. Pasquina's brother came to visit, and brought her mom's homemade pesto, so she threw that in a bowl with mozzarella and cherry tomatoes.  Such a great fresh lunch for the summer and how hot it was yesterday. Then, Valerio made Tiramisu. It never ends. That's another one on my list that he has to teach me how to make. It was honestly the best one I've had so far (which isn't many, but hey, it beats both restaurants). Later, around 8, we decided to go out for a drink close by...Check out Valerio's parking job:

Obviously it hit on the way in. And the way out.

I think it's great that you can get away with this without getting a ticket or having your window smashed...Oh Valerio. Le cose que fai! Haha. Anyway, we went in and for a set price you get a cocktail and access to a little buffet of hor d'oeuvres, and by hors d'oeuvres I mean a full meal of little slices of various pizzas, pasta mixes and grilled vegetables. Yum. Then...back at the house Valerio made dinner for Maria, which ended up being...wait for it.....Spaghetti with white clam sauce. I was so excited it wasn't even funny. This used to be one of my grandma's best meals and I used to ask for it for my birthday all the time. I haven't had it for years...so I had to have a little taste and of course was in heaven. So so good. And apparently really easy to make...so yup-another thing I'll be learning to cook.

After dinner, I went out with Maria, Flavia, Coni and Pilar, to a place called Circolo degli Artisti.  Now I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but my first week in Rome, Daniela and I went out one night and ended up walking around after going to this place and finding it empty. Last night, it was definitely not empty, and turned out to be really fun. Basically it almost looks like a park; it's outdoors, with different areas to sit in tables, sofas, etc., and bars spread out throughout the area. There's also a pizzeria and a grilled sandwich station if you get hungry, and a closed space with a DJ for dancing. So nottt bad. Granted getting there and back with a car was amazing, so we'll see how it by means of regular old roman public transportation next time we go.  

Of course, on our way home, we had to try the late night (or early morning) snack, a "Sorchetta doppio schizzo"..a fried pastry topped with cream and nutella. Now, Sorchetta is the name of the pastry and
doppio schizzo means double squeezed, referring to the two toppings...however, there is a double meaning...which I don't know how to put into words, so you guys are on your own for that one. I'll give you a hint- Romans have pretty dirty minds. 

That's Maria!

Despite it's meaning (and I say despite, writing from a woman's perspective haha), it was a delicious way to end the night.

So now, I need to do more studying...There's a vegetarian vegetable market today (redundant as it sounds) that I'd like to go to in the afternoon with Maria, but I don't know if I'll have the time. If I apply myself enough maybe I could go...Uff. Now that I think of it, my shelves in the fridge are actually completely empty besides a yogurt and two tomatoes...sooo maybe I should consider it more of a necessity?

Day 31

It's been a month. I'm not sure yet whether it feels like less or more. Either way I feel good so far, very happy to be here. It's really all just beginning.

Italian Lack of Stress Exhibit Number 328:

Today I was like fifteen minutes late for class and as I hastily walked into the building I saw my teacher going the opposite direction...(sometimes I have that class in another building so I was worried I had gotten confused or something) and I think I sort of looked at her weird because she stopped and explained that I was in the right place but that she just had to get some coffee first. Oh right. Great. 

And I had Italian today. It's moving along I suppose...It's looking like most of it is really going to have to be individual effort since it's more of an online course, so I'm curious to see how that works out. It's really a bit of a conflict...I want to speak Italian by...last year, but the learning part really gets in the way of my doing nothing but travelling. I'm going to have to figure that out. 

Besides that, Milan on Friday!! We leave really early so I have to figure out how to get to the airport so early, since the metro doesn't run at that time. We'll probably take the night buses, which means us waiting outside with our suitcases for a while just to make sure we get there in time for our flight. But that's the fun part of travelling. I remember being little and going to Chile. I must have been 4 or 5 years old-yes I remember-and we had to get up at 3 in the morning and it was just so cool. I was so excited being up and having breakfast while it was still dark out, and I knew something special was happening, that I was going on some crazy adventure. So yeah...I don't really mind it. As long as I'm able to sleep during the flight. All 60 minutes of it haha. Anyway, we'll be staying with a friend of Coni's who knows his way around, so it should be good. Then Budapest, then Paris! I can't wait. Anddd I can't stop thinking about the food I'm going to eat. Next to Italian food, French pretty much takes it. I seem to have been pretty influenced by some of my grandparents...

For now some tea, then bed. Sogni d'oro (sweet dreams). 

Day 26- Bigne di San Giuseppe

I must say I feel like quite the writer, sitting here in my little room, overlooking the river and the little specks of gold reflecting off the basilica. This laptop should be a typewriter though.

Anyway...There have been some new developments in my knowledge of the Italian language:

Verb to be

• Io sono
• tu sei
• lei/lui è
• noi siamo
• voi siete
• loro sono

Okay so I barely wrote any of that without looking at my notes. But at least I have notes. And all 8 of the people in my class know just as much as I do, so that makes it a little less painful. So I have to log in 40 hours at the computer lab and I have class once a week with a teacher to help with any issues we might have. Allora sono pronta! I'll be fluent in no time.

Going back a few days, I forgot to mention the most beautiful thing I have eaten since I've been here. Actually I don't know if I can say that, I don't want to offend the pizza I had. Or  the cannolis. Ugh..too good. But this little piece of heaven was a gift from Valerio, as goes the tradition on the day of Festa di San Giuseppe (Italian Father's Day).  And thus it's name: Bigne di San Giuseppe, also known as zeppoli. A wonderful fried dough puff, that is unbelievable light and airy, filled with a vanilla cream custard. In other words a miracle. I looked up a recipe just to make sure someday if I need to have one I can make it.  Just in case.

Last night I got lost again. After our Italian class we went back to Coni and her roommate Pilar's house with our newest addition, Francisco from Portugal, who we picked up in class-looking just as confused as us. We made dinner and had numerous bottles of wine. And after a lot of intense conversation, that ranged from earthquakes and Charlie's Angels to religious views, Francisco and I had the journey home ahead of us, which is no small feat thanks to Rome's oh so efficient nightly transportation system. It took us 2 hours. A lot of wandering and 3 buses later we were both able to finally get back and sleep. We decided that next time we would buy more wine and just not leave. Wait out the Metro until it opens in the morning. Much better plan.

Besides that I've been reading for my English Lit. class...which so far has gone well. The books in the program have been a pleasant surprise, not nearly as dull as I thought they would be. Although not by any means anything I would choose off a bookshelf on my own, they have been surprisingly good reads...interesting styles of writing. They are after all considered classics I'm sure. So far Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway and Graham Greene's The End of the Affair. So...I'm not getting less smart.

But before more reading I'm going to go make dinner. There's some prosciutto and chicken and pesto in the fridge...so I think I'll try and be creative today.

And Friday's almost here...

Day 19- Communication

Watching people trying to understand each other is really pretty entertaining. Definitely so much more entertaining than actually being the understandee or understander. Last night there was a lot of that. I should definitely get points for my effort, I was sort of proud of myself because I wasn't completely mute the entire time. Granted most of the Italian spoken was Spanish with an Italian accent, but the point of speaking to anyone at all is to communicate and I'm pretty sure everyone understood at least 85% of what I was saying...So I'm going to go ahead and call that a success. Oh I'll get it soon enough.

I do admit I miss being understood a 100% of the time. It's details like that that have made me miss home a little. I always thought it was absolutely ridiculous when people said they were homesick while being in such amazing places (and even now it's me I still do), but at certain times...at specific moments, it seems that nothing really compares to the familiarity and comfort of your own life. Your own room. Your bed. Pillow. Just the tiny things that I wish I could maybe try and fit in a third suitcase. But. My bed here isn't all that bad. 

Tomorrow I have class. English Literature, which means more sitting by myself amongst 50 other students...until someone picks up on the fact that I speak English fluently and can be an asset to them and their grade. Hopefully. That's my strategy right now. Although it's not like I read what I was supposed to for next class so...I might not end up being very helpful. I should go read. 

One more Top Chef episode and then I'll read.

Day 15

It is so odd how sometimes you think you want something and then once it's happening, you feel the opposite way. I fueled this trip with the thought of an adventure, telling myself I wanted so badly to feel scared, out of my comfort zone, doing something new. So why is it once I'm finally in that position, sitting alone in a classroom full of 50 Italian students, that I want to turn and run.  Really, why would I do this to myself? It's the awkward introductions that kill me. "Hi, I'm Nasha..I don't know how to say anything else in your language. Be my friend?" God.

I finally went to my first class last Friday. It's an English Lit class, kind of a cop out move on my part, but I thought anything that could help me ease my way into the system and give me some sort of cushion language-wise would be a good thing. The lectures are all in Italian, but the texts and novels we have to read are in English and the teacher said I could give the final exam in English as well so that's enough cushion. We'll see how it goes.  So Tuesday is my next class. English Lit or Social Skills 101?

Also this week is my placement test for Italian classes, tomorrow at 9:15. We'll see how far a language learning app can get you. At least it means I'll be surrounded by people in the same position I am.

So...I'm hoping both classes will help me turn around my social life here, which has been a little non-existent so far. People keep telling me I haven't even been here a month, but it honestly feels like three. It's a little confusing because I feel like I've done so many things, and new things, which makes everyday so long. And makes me a little homesick.  But at the same time I'm getting antsy thinking I haven't done anything at all. I mean I woke up after 12 today. I really feel like I should be off doing something.  On that note, remember how I was going to go to Pisa? Daniela and I went to get the ticket and we were going to leave at 6 the next morning (4 hour trip to get there), so I stayed at her house because it's closer to the station. So the alarm was set and we should have been ready to go around 5:30, but....we both jumped up around 6, when her roommate walks in more aware of our trip then we were telling us that we were tardi tardi. There went our train. And Pisa. Thankfully, the train ticket is valid through May, so we can go next weekend. Oops.

After that, the weekend left much to desire, so when I did wake up today, I went running, and then went out and walked around with my camera a little. A few times I wanted so badly to take pictures of random people...the old couple sitting on the bench or the little boy stuffing his face with gelato...but I don't have the vocabulary to ask permission yet and even if I did I'm not so sure I would.  Some people in a pastry shop saw my camera and posed for me though, without even having to ask. So there you go. 

View from my room-Basilica di San Paolo

Eat and Run

While these were uploading, I had dinner. I thought I was eating a weird cut of beef until Maria told me it was veal. So. Much. Better. Haha. Any takers?