cherries

I went to another party at Roberto's with Floriana and Marco. It was alot of fun. It was so hot yesterday and Humid. There are great big cherry treeds in his back yard and all the cherries were ripe. We all ate far too many beautifully shiny red and purple cherries and picked baskets full. I think I will attempt to make a cherry pie this evening...even thoug I have no clue about what to do with cherries. There were some really beautuful moments.

When the sun set it glowed a bright red and the world was pink. at the same moment a thunder storm was passing in the east. SO one way was the sun set and the other there was a thunderstorm and of course a wonderful breeze. Later we built an enormous bon fire. There were lightning bugs every where making the fields seem electric or magical. the bon fire was made of alot of brush so it was a sparky fire. the sparks of the fire flew up to the sky where they tried to join the stars, however they fail and instead snowed down upon our heads. Everything was quite beautiful.

I am excited to see my father...who is coming tomorrow?! that is really crazy. Hopefully it will rain sometime and break the heat so that hiking around the countryside is bearable.

It is quite funny, whenever I call to make reservations for my father and myself at Hotels, the first thing that they ask me is if it is a wedding....ummm no, my father and I are traveling...and it's not only if I say for two people, even before I said the number of people it was for they asked me if it was a wedding. They must get a premium price for weddings.

Anyhow, I think that we now have a place to sleep every night. I alo have a place to sleep every night for the three days that I will be on my own. The first night in Perugia, the the second two in Florence. I trid to gte a room in Siena, but it is virtually impoible for one person. For 2 3 or 4 people it would have been easy, but just for little old me? not so much. I will have to go another time to find out about the feasting, but at least I know that if Doran and Nina decide to come we will be able to find a room.

Today was the reading Exam, it was not too bad at all. Afterwards there were some students and their teacher watching a film of an english spoken test, they were prepareing for this test. It was interesting because they asked them all sorts of strange open ended questions, I think they were looking for things like modal verbs...hypothesis.

I think that part of the reason that I was homeick yesterday is that I allowed my self to dwell in the future too much. I do thi alot, anticipate feeling lonely and thus feel lonely at the time. It is quite silly, especially since I have a great few weeks infront of me. I guess though that it is beginning to be along time that I have not only been away from home, but away from lots of friends. It is a beautiful day, no clouds at all and quite warm...if I were running around it would be too warm but I'm just walking around today. I think I will go running later this afternoon, when the sun goes down alittle. I went running on monday...my legs hurt so good as my father would put it...I guess.

I am working on writing up my Calvino and studying for my grammer exam tomorrow...I need to make sure that I do not have different tenses mixed up in my head.

jumping in the mouse

It has been quite a while since I have last posted.
This weekend Margot and I went to the beach. The water was so much warmer than the Atlantic ocean. the beach is completely dominated by bath houses. MEaning it is covered with rows of umbrellas. We of course just walked on down to the water, no one's making me pay to use the beach.
I think I kept MArgot on the beach longer than she's ever been, but I had lots of things for her to cover herslef up with so that she would not be burned.

One thing I'm fed up with here are the Senagalese men trying to sell you fake designer glasses and lighters etc. They are everywhere, and they won't just take no as an answer. They are even on the beach...leave me alone! I don't want your stuff. They either try to make conversation with you or try to make you feel bed...I just want to buy one coffee.... I know I'm coming off as really bitchy and terrible right now, but it is too much. That and since bathing is significantly less here they all smell.

Now that I am a terrible person:

I made an amazing cake on friday, it was chocolate with whipped cream and strawberries on the inside and ganasch on the outside. It turned out quite yummy. It was a fun weekend, after Margot and I went to the beach we went to go see the new Star Wars movie. Seeing it in Italian only enhanced the fact that the script was really poorly written. That said I did like it. I really like that George Lucas made the Darth VAdar character more complex. Not that you turn out likeing him, but I like the fact that there is a certain amount of desperation in his fall. Yoda's voice in the Italian dubbing was quite dissapointing. Just an old wise man voice....not right! not right at all! There was also alot of Lucas being like I need too tie everything up...so stop all diologue for the last part of the movie. My favorite scene must be the NOOOOOO!!!!! scene.

that said:

Congradulations to Christian on his Masters Thesis! Very excellent.

Sunday I was at the beach alittle again as Floriana and MArco worked on the boat. Afterwards we rode our bikes to the flower festival that was along the river this sunday. Lots and lots opf people. We than all went out to have a beer together, it was really quite fun. Oh the pizza Marco makes is quite quite different from what our conception of Pizza is. First off he lets it rise a second time, and then the things that he puts on. Sunday's pizza had Tuna, Capers, Anchovies, Artichoke, Olives, tomatoe sauce clearly and then after it had cooked for a bit smoked cheese on top. These things may not sound like they would be good on pizza, but they are. I will make Pizza Marco style one night for everyone...I will also add his favorite dish "Jumping in the Mouse" to my repetouir. he really means to say jumping in the mouth...but does not pronounce it correctly...little things like plume cakes...plum cake...smile this...smell this.

Today I am a bit home sick, but I think it is because everyone is becomming really excited to go home. The summer I will have though is much better than the summer I would have if I were going home at the end of this program, so I am happy.

another movie

the movies that we watch here are too long. They are not bad, but they are 3 hours long every thursday. Tomorrow Star Wars comes out here, I'll actually go see it.

Floriana is letting me leave my big bag at the apartment fo when Dad an I are wandering around. We are beginning to have a plan. We have a big quiz tomorrow. We reviewed and reviewed grammer, and now finally at the end we learn about 3 new tenses a week. Oh well. I hope that I know enough to go into the right level this summer so that I will not have to repeat alot of grammer.

Speaking of Lucca, Zander actually replied to my e-mail, he was very pleased with the program last year and is going back again this year. I go home in exactly 2 months counting by numbers, and have been here 2 months counting by days. It is strange to think that I'm half way through, because in a certain sense it feels like I have less time left than the time that I have spent here. I guess that it is merely an anticipation for the new.

cello

Yesterday evening as I was walking through Piazza Garibaldi there was a man playing his cello while accompanied by his boom box. It made me so nostalgic for my cello. I immediatly wanted to play it. There were also little girls dancing infront of him. It was a neat moment.

I neglected to mention the man that Annie (another student) and I met on the train. He had a really think accent from somewhere...perhaps he was from the part of Austria that speaks Italian, and the train was loud, because of these factors it was difficult to understand him. However he was really into animals. He had a snake at home he said, and wanted a lion or a cheetah from Africa. When I pointed out that it may be illegal to bring an animal from Africa into Europe...he was like oh that's ok give it a shot and then it will sleep in my backpack, then when we get home...roawr...yes he sort of growled. He also invited us to a disco techa in a town that we passed through on the train. you know as it is convenient to go to towns you pass through on the train.

today the teacher really complemented me. she said that she was really pleased with the improvement of my Italian, that it is coming natuarally to me now, and that I have probably improved the most in the class. That was really exciting because I really struggle with written stuff and grammer and there are moments where I feel that I do not improve. Yay...it made me feel really good.

Floriana seemed really tired when she came in last night, but they then did go out to see some friends, so she must not have been that tired. Not that much happened today as it was a class day. we still have one more class, in which we are writing the play. People in general are pretty negetive about this project, and Lin (the tutor/teacher) is really excited about it. She has such high hopes for it. We'll see what turns out.

venezia

Venice was so wonderful, at lòeast once you got off the main roads. On the main roads it was a bit like how I imagine Disney land must be. crowded with tourists..quite surreal. It really is a beautiful city though. Very much unlike anything that I have ever seen.

we stayed in a hotel alittle bit outside of the city proper.
It did not smell the way that people (duff) kept on stating that it would. there were at moments a sea smell, but then one must expect that in a city built on water.

I have to say that it was not really as I immagined it. I had a story tape of Vivalidi as a child, and I really imagined it to be different, my imagination as a child actyually put a darker edge on it. The part that was most different was the cemetary. my imagination had it not like a normal cemedtary, I understood the idea of its construction, but it was not the cherry bright brick walls that it actually is. There is just much more light than I imagined. It is of course the city of water and light.

Florence on saturday was also quite nice. We saw many works in the Uffizi, there were two works in partucular that reminded me of art that my grandmother would show me. one of a young girl with her hair cut short in a blue dress with long pearl earings, the other was of the reclined venizian courtizan. I bought postcards of them both. something that also struck me, was the birth of Venus. Of course you say, it is one of the most famous works there are, that is not why however. The face of Venus is very eeerily similar to my memory of Duff's sister, meridith's face. I kid not.

I can tell that collges are beginning to let out in the states. I am beginning to be more and more surrounded by English when I get onto trains. on the trains today it seemed that there were only english speakers. We met up with a group of students from Melborn university, they were creating a scavenger hunt for the group of them to do throughot the Tuscan countryside. It was quite amusing to listenj to, it reminded me of planning sessions with my collegus on the ropes course. "ok we need a game what do think is cool" sort of thing. The campers think that we know what we're doing...no no we're toatally doing it on the fly...I guess that menaas that we do actually know what we are doing.

This weekend I again remembered how much I love doing m,usic programs and have been reignighted with exctiment for the program at Lucca. They of course just sent a list of clothing that they want me to have...much of which is either packed up tightly in Chicago or I flat out do not own., actually I think that I actually only do not own one item of "import" nude character shoes. the rest of which I have here or I just neglected to bring here.
oh well. My friend from Tanglewood...Zander is doing th program!

movies

Students are argueing whether you should go to the gym while recovering from a cold. IT has become too involved and it has become an argument....sigh

I am going to Florence again tomorrow, and then I am continueing to Venice with Margot nd her mother. Margot is taking her to Siena today. I am glad that my father is coming after classes and exams, it seems inconvenient to have someone you want to show around while you are in the last week of class before finals. Even if they are not the hardest classes in the worls. WE still have a number of projects that are about to need to be finished.

I am alittle tired today, I didn't sleep well last night, but I think it was because I hve been getting too much sleep and I tried a "coffee" yesterday. Of course this coffee had a huge spoonful of Nutella in it so it was really much more like nutella with coffee flavoring. But then the Italians seem to like their coffee very sweet. Very few people take it with out sugar.

I am trying to figure out a Hotel for my father, it is strnge but he is coming quite soon and I actually need to anticipate it, and try to help come up with a plan for the time that he is here. As of now we really only have a sketch of a plan. I am also realizing the meaning of not having sung this quarter...I am feeling vaguely unprepared for the beginning of the progrm at Lucca. I am not overly concerned, I just am aware of the difficulties.

I might go to the movies tonight..,.I am not sure. I will for sure however see Sin City...which comes here the 27 of may. I feel that something will be lost in dubbing as it always is, but I'm excited non-the-less. I expect I will see it again if it comes to Doc. I also think that I will see Episode 3 when it opens here. I feel like perhaps seeing it in Italian will add some depth or something.

Oh! quite exciting, I understand I think about 90% of what is said to me. Therefore movies are now quite easy to watch. and books are easier to read. I can not expresss my self equally as well, but it is exciting because I definatly understand almost everything. Hopefully by the time I leave I will express myself almost as well!

The Boat man

we have an assignment that we have to interveiw a local, a shopo owner most likely and then make a little presentation on them. I was going to talk to someone from one of the fruit stands, but they always seem so haggard and busy, and really not all that nice to be quite honest. So today as I was riding to school I had an exccellent idea. There is an older man who sits behing his little truck type thing (truck is totally wrong because they are little little little) and builds model boats. and I figured that I would talk to him. I found out today in class that we're presenting next week, but that's ok because I had this idea. So today I went and sat down and chatted with him.

He was really cool. He was first a boxer, then a photographer and now he makes model boats. He works on each boat it seems to me for about 2 weeks. he buys kits and then he makes them, they look really complicated an cool, he has worked on them I think he said for 20 years, but I am not sure about that. The thing is that we had a long conversations but I couldn't necessarily write a report about him. I can say that he wanted to be an archeologist, but clearly that didn't happen. He took my photo, and gave me some picture of some boats that he has made in the past. We talked about the varying dialects in Italy. It was really fun and interesting. It is nice that I can now have conversations esssentially with whom I please now. My Italian isn't perfect, but it is functional enough, and I understand most everything that people say to me.

I have now read 7 of the 12 chapters in my Calvino book. I need to really prepare for art because we have to write alot of stuff on things that we have seen, but we need to know dates and facts. which of course sort of slip in and out of the brain. I picked up my photos from the shop. I will send half of them to Duff so that those of you in the dorm can see them and I will send the other half home with dad so that those of you in connecticut can see them. My letters that I sent last thursday arrived on tuesday I think...that is quite impresive I think.

My white bike has new breaks!! so that it actually stops when I wish it to. oh I do not know the person who commented about the game that Margot and I were working on... who are you?

I might try to go see life of Brian tonight in Italian...the only issue is that It is being shown at ten...which for little old me is kate...isn't that funny that being out at 10 seems really late to me here? Anyhow I think that is all I have to say for the moment.

Today I happen to be in a chatty mood. I have already written two long e-mails. Saddly the a and s seem to need alittle more loving than the other keys on this keyboard....oh Italian computors....they are all at least 5 years old. Not really, just this computer lab.

For those of you who don't actually know, Hitchcock tied with Max P for winning scav hunt. I have to say that I am actually glad that we didn't win Scav. Honestly part of the fun is this insurmountable goal, and the intense competition. If there wasn't intense competition it would not be nearly as fun...as winning wouldn't mean as much. I will write more later but clss has started

yahoo!

I'm actually glad thta we did not out right win scav hunt. In the end scav is made great by the intense competition, if it were simple we wouldn't do it.

Saturday we all went to Firenze...we saw David and other amazing sculptures. WE also went into the Duomo and to the ponte vecchio. AAll of which very enjoyable. Margot and I had to rush back inorder to see if our scav labors were paying off. I went in today and dropped off my pictures to be developed. I will send a set home with dad and depending how I'm feeling about Italian mail I will send a set to Duff for people in the dorm...I will mark all the pictures so that people know wht they re of.

Sunday was another party virtually identical to the one last week. I realized this weekend that there are only two more weeks of classes here...dunque I ought to get my book read so that I will be able to talk about it...because I will have actually read it. I am vaguely hungry...I think I will get a waffle anyhow there is clss in here

scav

I don't think that I can post my pictures because the computers here won't let me down load the soft ware to do this....anyhow I will e-mail the pictures...MArgot and I are busy working on scav hunt....believe it or not.....I have been looking through the list and posting when I cn...Mrgot is making world of wrcrft item...I am helping....only sort of...because my creative juices apper to be lacking...I am much better at building things. WE love the pictures...and we are busy busy and happy!
ciao!

soon pictures

I have pictures but I don't know how to post them...hopefully I'll figure that out soon.
I feel much better!

the weekend

After my last post Margot and I went to see a movie...HEad in the Clouds...of course dubbed into Italian. Understood it mostly.
Yesterday I did not go with MArgot and CArlos to Cinqueterra because I wanted sometime to just sort of do alittle work and breath. Floriana and Marco were going to have lunch with a bunch of people outside...so they invited me to come. Let me just say that lunch means all evening. We were definatly there until 10 and had both lunch and dinner there. It was alot of fun. Someone had a house out in the countryside.
There were quite afew people there...including some Senagalize. The food was really good too...much more party than picnic.
the entire afternoon was spent eating slowly...and smoking splits. they were surprised that I smoked nothing at all but were't difficult about it in any way. They wanted me to sing so I sang a song or twwo for them.
Apparently may first is a festival here. I think it is a labor type day....I think it is a communist holiday...there was a hunge concert in Rome that was on the television. there was alot of talk about "li bamabini della sinestra" children of the left. Lots of talk about how ITaly was great.
There were some interesting groups and there was this guy who apparently is important...was a doctor now plays music...but he was terrible. Not in tune at all. There was an eight year old girl there with us...I talked to her about what groups were good and which were not.
Anyhow...I got only alittle work done in the morning...but it is not an issue as nothing is due until tomorrow anyhow. I hope that Nina has found her wallet! We had an exam this morning... Ithink this one was the easiest so far.
I am excited to hear lots of stories about scav hunt. I have to say I'm not sad to be missing the lottery....people get so stressed out about it.
That's all I can think of right now