The Victory Lap!

I have successfully lived in Perugia for four months.

Wow.

I've lived in another country with a different language from my native tongue away from my friends and family.

(Ew, that sentence was SO CLICHE. But I couldn't be bothered enough to really change it. What is this? A watered downed crappy travel blog for a university? You know, those links on study abroad websites that say "Click here to read the banal and cliched blogs of our former student Sarah M.!" I can't tell you how many terrible facebook statuses I had to read last week when the English Program students from my Institute left. I never want to see the words "awesome", "amazing", "unforgettable" and "experience" put together ever again. It was actually funny because they all were EXACTLY the same... while also being forgettable and un-"amazing." Sorry to be a hater, but someone had to say it. As Suzanne would say, "Sucks to suck." Haaaahahaaa.)

I've also lived in my first apartment and enrolled in my second foreign university. I've finally been to Spain and Germany! I survived daytime weather below 30 degrees and bought my first real down coat and snow boots. I know Florence better than I know Perugia...

Don't worry, I somehow managed to be miserable 40 percent of the time. So many times, I wanted to go home or cancel my second semester. But because I was chicken and America is so dang far away, I stayed! Lest we forget, I must also thank my mother, Suzanne and various chums who encouraged me to tough it out!

I also am now at B2 level for Italian! I'm so happy! If you have no idea what that is, here is a link to the European Framework for language levels.

But What Does It Mean For Louisa To Have Just Spanked B1 Real Good? Click here!

Last night, I was messaging Alex and said something completely wrong in English. It was because I just got off the phone with my aunt who speaks Italian, I was messaging my cousin Natasa in Italian, listening to American music and talking to Suzanne in English. Strugggggle bus.

I can't tell you how hard it just was to not call English "Inglese." I'm sure this blog has weird mistakes in general. I've noticed some for sure! Mi dispiace, parlo e scrivo in italiano spesso!

I'm anxious about next semester but there are promising things coming up! I will be taking challenging classes. I'm moving to a new apartment. My school offered an internship teaching English at a local high school. My Italian will improve!

But in between now and then, I GET TO GO TO AMERICA! To quote my soul sister Honey Boo Boo:

Packing? Do I have to?

Packing is the worst.

Packing would be the best. I am staying the entire year! What could I possibly have to pack? Oh yeah.. I HAVE TO MOVE. (%$#$%#$#$%#$%^$%^$%^$%!!!!!!)

All the perks of staying here? Gone.

And it gets better. I have a weird 3 hour period to do it. Kill me. My new apartment is at the bottom of 150 stairs. Cabs can't get there.

So I have four things to pack for: my overnight trip to Florence (easy), my new apartment (terrible. must include clothes, toiletries, books, everything from my kitchen.), my last week of Perugia (because I have to move all my possessions seven days before I leave. WHAT?!) and my trip home.


I have a stress rash. Additionally, I'm playing hookey... a lot recently... so my stress rash is also living off my semi-irrational fear that my attendance hasn't been sufficient to take my final exam.

I just want to go to home SO BADLY. I would go home now even if it meant leaving 80 percent of my possessions behind. I accumulate so much crap so that's saying something. All the American students get to go home in the next two days. I'm SO JEALOUS. I've wanted to go home for over a month.

Just when I feel totally wretched, I think of everyone else who have to do finals. You guys are the real sufferers here! I may be stuck here for another week but at least I have no intelligent hurdles.

Italian Men Just Wanna Dance

My mom emailed me today.

"Did you have a crazy adventure this weekend?"

Nope, I didn't... but then I thought about it and I did a fair amount of things. Haha. I'm just so used to living in Perugia and thinking nothing of our little escapades. Friday night I went to a birthday party that turned into "Let's GO OUT IN THE CITY CENTER" (aka 10 feet away from where we live) that then turned into "LET'S GO TO A CLUB 20 MINUTES AWAY NOW THAT IT'S 12:30 AM!"

So we did. A bunch of the Italian guests drove us there where we paid 8 euro to dance until 4 am in the smokiest club EVER. It was surprisingly not very sketchy. People JUST WANNA DANCE, OK?!

My two favorite things from my time in Italy: Accented, bad English and how straight men here really just want to dance.

You don't believe me. But I promise I see this phenomenon every time I go into a bar, even if it isn't a club. Straight boys here like to boogie. And they are HILARIOUS, I mean, very musical indeed.

I was giggling at one guy dancing by himself once on the dance floor. I turned to my friend from Thailand and said "Look! Baha!" and my Thai friend Nate said "Ah, come on, we've all been there. He's just dancing." I give him a weird look and said, "Do you realize straight men NEVER dance alone in the States? They barely dance even with other people." His mind was blown. He had no idea that was unusual. Ha! Here, bartenders dance to songs they like while behind the counter.

Here is a musical treat for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw4oRym4HSM
  

The Manna of My Life Comes for a Visit... And My Italian Thanksgiving!

I forgot to write about when Anna the Manna came to town!

We planned on meeting in Rome's main train station. I was super nervous I would never find her. She doesn't have a cell phone and doesn't know Italian.  To be honest, traveling in Rome without Italian is pretty easy but hey, I am a nervous nelly. I acknowledge it. Obviously, it worked out because Anna is oh so intelligent. She even got there early! It was so cute because I walked in the cafe we had planned to meet at and there she was, drinking a cappuccino and reading Anna Karenina in German.

We went to St. Peter's because she had never been. I tried to get to English confession... but a lady was parked in the confessional for a REALLY long time. I assume she was a bit off because a woman came and took her away from the confessional after a good 20 minutes. Then a girl cut me in line by accident... So after sitting there, meditating on what an awful person I was with deep guilt, for maybe 20-30 minutes, suddenly the priest turns off the light and gets ready to roll. "Father, are you finished?" "Yes, I'll be back at 2:30. Peace out!"

Dammit. Back to square one. So I felt pretty lousy and poor Anna had to deal with Louisa, the spiritually downtrodden. Hahaha. After some picture taking, we headed back to the station...

...where we RAN for our departing train... and then we arrived at our connection station... didn't realize we didn't have to actually get off the train like our ticket said... and then watched our train leave without us.

After figuring out we had to wait about an hour for our next train, we did what any normal people would do: we bought 3 cappuccinos and a bunch of food. We were so tired we didn't realize the soccer game we were watching was actually a rugby game. Haaaa.

When we finally arrived in Perugia, Anna was impressed with the city. I was SO PROUD to show her where I've been living with these past months. I love Perugia and I loved that her first impression was how pretty it was. Then we got home and my wifey Suzanne had an amazing feast for us.

SUZANNE, I LOVE YOU. NEVER LEAVE ME.

Saturday night we went out dancing with my friends. The next morning we slept in and then went to my beautiful church for Mass. Then we got dinner and a beer with my friends Connor, Kim, Sigrid and Suzanne. Monday we went to Firenze and met up with Irene Dana. It was so pretty... but I got us lost for like 30-40 minutes... fortunately, Irene and Anna didn't care/barely noticed. I felt like an idiot. Firenze is the city I perpetually get lost in.

Anna and I went to Santa Croce. Holy smokes. It was worth the 6 euros. There was so much to look at and come on, we all know we are both obsessed with Room with View...

So I went on and on about how Anna needed to try some good Italian food... and then we walked by the American diner in Firenze. I broke down and begged. They gave in. I ATE A REAL BURGER AND IT WAS AWESOME. Mmmm. It even had avocado.

In retrospect, I've had so many better burgers. But I was SO HAPPY to be eating a burger that it was worth it. We ended up sitting there for hours talking. Irene had so many stories from her travels with Phil, Andrew and Annie. It sounded fun but exhausting...

I'm such an old lady. When I travel, 70% of the time I'm thinking about how much I wish I was back in Perugia in my bed. Even though my bed is cripplingly unsupportive.

Anna stayed a few more days. She went to Assisi while I was in class. We ate a lot of chocolate and ice cream while she was here but took walks which I've now taken a liking to very much. It was so lovely to have her here and I was sad to see her go!

She left on Thanksgiving which stunk. But fortunately, my friends and I were invited to a big Thanksgiving dinner which was a blast. Suzanne and I brought a bunch of food and we got to eat fresh turkey and pumpkin pie. Good Ol' 'Murica.

Did I tell you I met the turkeys I ate? The guys who had the party went to a farm and bought four live turkeys. Anna and I met them. Hilarious. They butchered them the day before thanksgiving (I'm dying) and then cooked them at the restaurant where they work the day of... So funny. What a Thanksgiving to remember...

Want Me to Fall in Love with You? Take Me to Venezia

But for reaaaal.

Venezia (aka Venice for us Americani) is downright breathtaking. Suzanne and I finally went to explore it Saturday afternoon. At first, I was a little concerned because it was so foggy... but then we got to the island... and it was honestly the most romantic, beautiful place I've ever been.

"That lamppost is so pretty, KISS ME!" <--- how Venezia messes with a woman's mind. I'm so relieved I didn't grab some random man and suggest it.

Our first night, I slept for 10-11 hours I was so tired. Fortunately we had a comfy bed. I fell asleep with the lights on and Saving Private Ryan playing loudly.

The architecture is stunning. I went to mass at St. Mark's (where you can't kneel because there's no kneelers and then your chair is such that you can't kneel because it blocks your feet... Catholics know what I mean! Haha. Fortunately no one sat in front of me so I just picked up the chair and moved it...like a crazy gypsy woman.) It is entirely gold and mosaic everywhere.

It was a decadent trip. Venezia is stunning, we ate lobster pasta, we drank good wine... So worth it. 

But now it's back to reality and we are just tired. Our train took 5 hours on Sunday and we got back around 10 pm to a smelly dirty apartment with no food. Super awesome. 

Today I'm playing hooky because we needed to attend class so that we could qualify to take the final exam in December. I got my last signature yesterday! There goes all resolve to attend classes. Today I woke up with a sore throat so I chose to continue sleeping instead... Also, I have to finish my oral presentation second draft that was due five days ago... 

Umbra annoys me because they act like our grades really matter. Newsflash: THEY DON'T. I am learning for the sake of learning. I'm making myself do the oral presentation because it'll be good practice and I don't want to be rude to my teacher. I just wish this would translate into a magically awesome second draft already sent to his email inbox... Argh.

This weekend I'm going to Scotland for Cathleen's grad. Whew... why am I traveling back to back, self? I'm going to Rome Thursday, sleeping, getting up early Friday morning to catch my flight to Edinburgh, via Amsterdam, to arrival at 12:20. Hopefully all in time for life! Haha. I'm so excited to see some TAC girls. It will be grand. I think on Saturday they plan on going on a bus tour all day... I might just stay in Edinburgh and sleep and go shopping for baking soda, face wash, aka things I can't find in Italy! And our Bnb looks awesome. We get breakfast (WHEE). But most importantly, I'LL FINALLY GO TO CONFESSION IN ENGLISH. YESSSS. So excited. Last time I tried to go in St. Peter's they literally rejected me because of time. Sad. 

Sunday morning I leave super early at 5:50 am... weep. But I'll be back in Perugia by like 3/4 so it won't be so bad. I hope I don't verbally or physically assault anyone... 

On the Up'n'Up!

I write this post without caffeine. Haaaa disaster ahead?

So cool news: one of my teachers wants me to go up a level because I'm not challenged where I am and I'm ahead of most of the class. I was like eh I don't know... but then again I haven't learned anything new in a month and a half... and she was like yeah, you should move up.

She's my oral exercises teacher, Francesca. She is going to talk to my main teacher, Carla, and we'll see how it goes. It's Carla's decision to make. Things look promising though because even though I got the best grade on the Midterm, I could have done better. I didn't think much of it until my academic advisor emailed me and said Carla contacted her and wanted to know if everything was ok. HA! I didn't tell her the truth which is I'm bored out of my mind and got the best grade with 6 hours of sleep and my eyes half closed. But I'm so intimidated by the level up. Francesca suggested just sitting in once to see how much I understand first and then we can talk about real moving. I like this idea.

Last night Suzanne and I had a dinner party for seven people in our tiny apartment. We thought we only had 6 people coming... and then we counted an hour before everyone showed up haha. It was great! Suzanne is a goddess in the kitchen. She made sangria, mac and cheese, cheesy breaded chicken and glazed carrots. O.m.g. Sooo full after. It was ridiculous. It was 6 Americans and our Norwegian friend Sigrid and a lot of booze and food. Aka a success?

Barcelona: Where Everyone Speaks English/Catalan/Spanish...

Suzanne's friend Jordan was not as organized as he seemed. Hahahaha, I laugh now with sheer exhaustion.

Friday was a pain in the butt. I stayed out super late on Thursday night so I slept for a few hours before having to leave for Barcelona. Because Perugia is so out of the way of my life, the trip required a 20 min light rail ride, a 3 hour train ride, a 40 minute bus ride... just to get to the Roman airport. ARGH.

So Thursday night, I came home to Suzanne's alarm going off because her flight was 10 hours before mine. I fall asleep as she walked out the door... four hours later I get a phone call. "Hey, Louisa? I forgot my passport... Can you bring it to me?" Poor Suzanne has the worst luck with traveling. I check the train schedule and it was impossible for me to get there before her flight. So Suzanne spent 12 hours in the Fiumicino airport by herself. So Maura and I finally showed up at the airport and Suzanne had all these hilarious stories of how she spent her 12 hours, exploring the airport and buying things. We didn't get into our apartment in Barcelona until after midnight.

Then Jordan said the most terrible sentence you can hear from the person who has booked your trip, "Guys, you are going to hate me."

AHHH. That's in the same category as "We need to talk", "I have to tell you something" and "Can I ask you a question?"

Turns out he didn't realize he booked a bedroom in an apartment, not an entire apartment. He had to sleep on basically two cushions in the living room while us girls shared one of the bedrooms. None of the doors had locks... Fortunately, it was a nice clean apartment and nothing was stolen whatsoever.

Saturday we were all so tired we slept until noon. Because it was Jordan's birthday and he had given the impression of having a strategy for the day... but he had not. Hahah So we went to Gaudi's famous cathedral, walked around, drank sangria...

This is the worst part though. Jordan found a movie theatre that played movies in English... I went all the way to Barcelona to watch Looper with Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordan Levit.

My first movie since... August? AH it was awesome. All I want to do is eat Mexican food, sushi and go to the movie theatre.

AT THE SAME TIME EVEN.

That evening, I tried "mixed paella" which had all this sketchy seafood in it. The rice and meat was bomb but I don't think I'm a big seafood person. But hey I tried it! Then we went out to different bars because it was Jordan's 21st birthday. There were some misses for sure. However, this friend of a friend of Suzanne's got us into this one club around 2:30... turns out it was SUPER legit and fun! One of the first bars we went to was full of rude American study abroad students. This, however, club was full of internationals and Spaniards. It was so much fun. We danced until around 5:30!

Sunday was rough. We slept from 6:30 to 12, took a cab to an airport, flew to Rome, took a cab, took a 3 hour train, waited and took a bus, watched home in pouring rain...

I was no fun haha. Even today I feel so tired. I hate this rain so much. I hate having wet feet.

Spain was a cool experience. I wish I saw more of the city. It was frustrating being unable to speak Italian with anyone. I hate speaking English in foreign countries, it feel so rude and stereotypical.

Needless to say, I'm thrilled to be back in Perugia and don't want to leave for awhile!

"I'm Sorry, I Forgot That You Deserve Special Treatment Because We Bought The Same Ticket..."

The rest of my trip was great. My family was very generous and feed me a lot. My brain stopped functioning though, it was so hard to follow. At dinner on Saturday, in a restaurant in ITALY, my family ordered in Slovenian without menus... it was stressful... the dining room was loud with the Italians sitting next to us, my family kept switching between Slovenian and Italian, and THEN between proper Italian and Trieste Italian dialect...

I looked like an idiot. Fortunately, my cousin Natasa felt super bad for me and helped me out a LOT. Haha. Love that girl! She would just turn to me and repeat questions with simple grammar and vocab. It helped me relax and suddenly I found myself chatting away in Italian about my travels. She and I are planning her to visit me in Perugia sometime! Unfortunately, my next two months will be crazy busy.

My trip back from Trieste was pure misery. I almost screamed at the man across for me and his rude wife. I don't know how to say really rude things in Italian but I had some good stuff prepared. "OH, I'M SORRY! IS THIS YOUR TRAIN? OH I FORGOT, YOU KNOW, SINCE WE BOTH PAID THE SAME FOR OUR TICKETS???" I was so mad with how rude people were that I started to mimic them. I pretended to not understand, pretended to be sleeping, visibly rolled my eyes and denied every single request some jerk asked of me.

On a better foot...

This weekend I'm going to BARCELONA! I've never been to Spain and speak no Spanish... this shall be fun hahaha. Suzanne and I are meeting up with her good friend Jordan who is studying in Madrid or something, so someone will know Spanish! He booked us an apartment on the beach. Score. I started to get stressed because I hadn't looked up anything about Barcelona, ecc. Then I realized, "Louisa. You travel ALL THE TIME. This is peachy. You don't have to see everything. You should try to see a bit of the city and relax. You will go back again soon. And Mass? Just go in Spanish. You went to Mass in Slovenian when you were in Trieste. You CAN DO IT."

Do you like my little peep talk? To make things better, Suzanne's friend Jordan is very organized. He sent me a PDF with all our travel information, apartment info and maps on it. I'm so relieved someone else is in charge and pays attention to detail!

A Mermaid in Trieste

So I finally realized why my favorite color has always been greenish blue/bluish green. It is the color of the Adriatic at Trieste.

The water is SO beautiful, even when it is cold and overcast. I just wanted to jump in and swim, embracing my inner mermaid wholeheartedly.

Let me start further back…

This past weekend I went to visit my great aunt (Teta in Slovenian) Magda and her family in Trieste. She is married to my uncle Bogdan (Strzt in Slovenian) and has three sons: Dan, David and Pavel. Dan’s daughter is Natasa who is 19 years old. I spent most of the weekend with Magda and Pavel. Pavel is 29 and we hung out a lot. I spoke Italian almost the whole time.

Soooo…. Where do I even begin??? Well first of all, my family is NOT Italian. Only Italian by citizenship. My whole family speaks Slovenian together and Italian is their second language. Bogdan also speaks French and English. Pavel also knows German and is learning English. Natasa speaks Slovenian and Italian but has taken a lot of English classes.

To get to Trieste from Perugia, I had to take 3 trains… misery abounds. On the way there wasn’t SO bad. Magda picked me up by herself. The Italian conversation commenced! My aunt loves to talk… and once she got used to me being there, she kind of forgot how basic my Italian was… so suddenly, she was telling me these complicated stories. So I’d get the general idea, nod along and say “Si”, hoping to God she wasn’t asking me a question. But after telling me this WAY COMPLICATED story about the local priest, she’d throw me for a loop by asking a completely unrelated question. Haha. She probably thinks I’m retarded.

After 3 hours of conversation over a delicious meal I barely noticed because I was so focused on listening, she let me go to bed. My brain was so fried that I slept FOR TEN HOURS. I think I moved twice all night. So then Magda, Pavel and I drove to Slovenia for a delicious lunch. We went to this restaurant in the country about 50 minutes away. Of course, there was no menu so ordering was super awkward. I ended up getting a pasta sampler (OMG): pasta with mushroom sauce, gnocchi, ecc. Slovenian gnocchi is SO much better than Italian gnocchi, IMO. Then I had some amazing fresh produce in my salad and some roasted rabbit in sauce. MMmmmmm. So delicious.

I was sooo tired but felt like I needed some exercise. I fell asleep in the car for a bit too. We went to Castello Duino in Trieste. It belongs to some prince but they let people visit it. It has a bunker and was used by Nazis during WW2 as a post because of its location. Magda dropped off Pavel and I so we could explore it. It was such a pleasant chill time. We chatted in Italian and English. The castle had all these pretty rooms. The bunker was cold and wet. The gardens were very fresh and beautiful. But the VIEWS were INSANE. I am such a water person. I’m sure Pavel thought I was nuts. I was freaking out over how beautiful the sea was.

I want to be a mermaid and dash through the green waves to my white rock oasis.

Then we went home… and I took a 2 hour nap. I don’t take naps EVVVVERRRR. Translation = squashing of the brain. 

Fail Break

Most of the Americans went on Fall break this week. I went on Fail Break.

I struggled to go to class, I barely slept and I complained a lot. I also went out most nights. All these activities = cranky Louisa.

Now that I have slept more, life has improved immensely! Just in time for everyone to come back to town :) I was supposed to go to Pisa yesterday... but I overslept. I think it was a better decision to stay here anyway. I would have been a terrible monster had I not slept.

Chocolate fest's last day is today. I will get my city center back! I admit, I benefited from the food products available. Yesterday I had churros with nutella drizzled on top. Oh my goodness. Unfortunately, they desperately lacked cinnamon. I was so excited to have something that reminded me in some distant way to Southwestern Mexican food that I was quite overjoyed regardless. Whew. they were sooo sweet though. I couldn't handle it.

I'm trying to not eat ham, cheese and bread at every meal so I'm forcing myself to be more creative with vegetables. Normally, I sauté zucchini and whatever vegetables I have in olive oil and garlic. Sometimes when they are done, I crack a few eggs on top and have a little omelet. Yet there was an "incident" that scarred me a little bit. So I have this thing about shrimp. I LOVE fresh shrimp. But I am terribly picky about seafood, especially frozen seafood. Especially the tiny kind. I barf a little bit just thinking about it. So in our protein deprived country, Suzanne found frozen mini shrimp and was thrilled. I turned a little green but hey, as long as I don't eat it, no harm done.

So... one night, after Suzanne has made shrimp... I am making my vegetable and egg combo... I used very clean looking pan and spoon.. but suddenly my food starts to smell shrimpy. Suzanne cleans dishes excellently so I thought it was my overactive imagination. Nope. My first bite of eggs... fishy... my third bite of eggs... MORE fishy. Then I threw it all away. Fail.

So today, my cooking solution is baking zucchini, peppers, garlic and olive oil in the my oven for a nice little roast! Hopefully, it'll turn out well. Suzanne and I have been learning how to cook via experiment. So far, so good.

Eurochocolate 2012: I'm Buying Chocolate In Bulk Because I Want to Support Local Perugian Businesses

I need to go grocery shopping. I'm munching on chocolate like it's carrots. But hey, it's Eurochocolate, or as I call it without even realizing it, CHOCOLATE FEST.

My barely week old cheese got moldy in my fridge. A WEEK? I feel like that's gotta be illegal. Or Suzanne is mad at me and painted blue spots on my cheese. How else is that even possible? It's provolone for heavens sake.

Do you know what Italians love?

Karaoke.

I went to this Italian pub by my house with my American friends Connor and Maura and my Italian friends Valerio e Chiara. So there's probably 30 people in a tiny room. The DJ claims he can't find ANY of the songs he requested. It's soooo hot. The mics don't work. But it don' mattah! Because as soon as a song and lyrics start playing, EVERYONE begins to screech heartily. Some of the lyrics might be wrong on the screen. But it's ok. Everyone makes up their own anyway.

My English is going. Please forgive all the typeos I'm making and not noticing.

My favorite part of the evening: Everyone knows all the words to Don't Look Back In Anger. Oasis <3

A General Catch Up/I'm Not Going to Sicily

Hello, world! It's been awhile.

I took a break for your own good. Besides complaining and being bored, there was nothing going on in my life to recount! But good news, more things happened in my life!

First, I got invited to a Bible study. It was reallllly great. It's funny how easily it all happened... I got invited when I should have gone home to sleep early but I was lured in by the promise of cookies. I downloaded an Ignatius Bible on my phone in like 45 seconds. It was a small group of Christians who I'm pretty sure all attend different churches back home. Suddenly, I found myself in this deep discussion about prayer, conversion stories, St. Augustine, the progression of human knowledge towards the Divine Being, etc. It was quite wonderful. I was the only Catholic there and suddenly I was asked sincere questions about Catholicism, which I LOVE. It makes me realize how much I learned at TAC. I found myself confidently answering questions after simple reflection. Also, unlike most Bible studies, it was really comfortable because we were all friends beforehand. Some people said some beautiful things that were great to hear.

Friday night, I made dinner with some people. Good news, you really can't go wrong with salt, vegetables, olive oil, garlic, tomato sauce and herbs. Better news, if you fry enough garlic with confidence and people are really hungry, they might think you are a good cook. Huzzzahhh! After dinner, we went to meet up with my friend Effie for aperitivo because her American boyfriend Nate was in town.  Afterwards, we went to a few bars because Effie wanted to show Nate our ridiculous Perugia nightlife. We had sooo much fun. I was in such a good mood that Suzanne asked me if I was drunk (false).

Can I just give out a shout out to American men? I MISS YOU. I've talked to other American girls about this. I truly realize how amazing my guy friends are. Italian men can be such dogs. I can think of one or two Italian men who aren't skeeze bags. Ok, that might not be fair to Italian men in general. But in Perugia where foreign girls come and go, (ok, SOME OF) these Italian guys totally take advantage. I'm sure there are nice Italian men somewhere studying in a library and don't go on patrol in the downtown center to pick up girls... but I doubt I will meet any of them hahaha. I would probably get lost trying to find this hypothetical library full of Italian nerds (swoon). It's probably for the best because I would never leave if I actually found it.

So I'm contemplating dying my hair brown. For my pronunciation class, I have this Italian professor who might be barely 5'1. He is missing teeth. He's in his 50s and very funny. Of course, his class is a waste of time because we never learn anything. My friend Sigrid from Norway (aka beautiful blonde girl) and I sat in the back of the class, bored and talking to each other instead of paying much attention. We are the only blondes in the class. I don't really remember how this came up, but suddenly our professor tells us that in Sicily, men think blondes are easy. Hence they harass them very much. After laughing, I turned to Sigrid and said "Wow, that explains a lot..." And she's like YEAH and then goes on to tell me this story where these two old Italian  men fought over her once and she had no idea what was going on hahahah. Oh great.

So on Sunday, Sigrid and I went to San Marino and San Leo. Both are famous for their rock castles. We loved the towns more than the castles because they were so charming. Unfortunately, San Marino was full of creepy staring men. One old guy literally watched me eat lunch and tried to catch my eye for about 20-30 minutes AT 1 IN THE AFTERNOON. What the heck. I also wanted to stand up and go over to him and say, "REALLY? I'm probably 4 inches taller and 20 years younger than you. In what world? You disgust me. Go awaaaaayyyyyyy!"

Otherwise, San Marino was a beautiful little country. Go visit it.

Saturday, Suzanne, Sigrid, Kim and I hit up Eurochocolate, the chocolate festival that goes on in downtown Perugia for 10 days. It sounds fun! It was... a zoo. Sooo many people. Overpriced chocolate and lines everywhere you looked. I hate crowds but we managed to escape eventually and have some chill time. I'm currently scared to go to the supermarket because I don't want to brave the chaos... But I'm hungry. Louisa cannot live on saltines, Nutella and jam alone! At least I have coffee :D

November is going to be full of visits! I'm so excited. Suzanne and I are going to hit up Barcelona for a weekend. After that, Anna will come visit me in Perugia. I'm going to try to swing a day trip to Florence which would be lovely indeed. Then at the end of November, Anna and I will be meeting up with Cathleen, Jenny and Annie in Scotland. AH!! I hope it all works out. I'm so excited... and a little sick of Perugia on the weekends. I'm also trying to visit my family in Trieste and I want to hit up Venice.

I'm thinking of going to a different Italian city next semester because I think I'm going to be so so so sick of Perugia by January and I'll have to meet all new people anyway since all of my good peeps are here for only a semester. But that sounds like sooo much work... and I think B2 will be so much better class wise too here in Perugia.

I'm currently playing hooky. Can you tell I'm a little over life right now? Haha.

Why I Got Waaayy Too Excited about the Possibility of Purchasing A Snuggie...

My German friend Kim is really annoying. (See, Kim? This time I made it real clear if I was saying terrible things about you.)


In other news...

I AM SO COLD. I didn't bring anything warm. Did you know it's illegal to turn on your heat before November 1st? Yeah... That's why I have a cold (bad pun unintended) right now. Because it's illegal to be warm! As I waited for my coffee to brew, instead of bothering with putting a sweatshirt on and more pajamas... I just got dressed. T shirt, jeans, socks, sweater hoodie... and then I put my coat on. At the kitchen table.

Mom, will you please send my extra pants, sweaters and scarf? I feel like this:

But I don't have an awesome library and magical dancing servants to serve me in fear. Or build a big legal fire. Or a bunch of fur, come to think of it...

I would like soup but I have no idea where to even begin looking for a can of soup. I feel like that is also illegal in Italy.

BUT, I did order a down puffy jacket online today because it sounded like the best idea in the world. I now don't have fear of visiting colder countries :D How practical I am!

I really really really want to go to Cathleen's graduation at St. Andrews next month. I'm saving my school absences in preparation. Of course, it's going to take me 6-14 hours to fly there, depending on what flight I get... But the good news is I HAVE BIG PUFFY COAT SO ALL IS POSSIBLE.

And possibly a snuggie...

This weekend I'm going to San Marino with a girl from my class! We leave at the butt crack of dawn, (actually before the sun comes up. grrr) at 6:30 am on Sunday and come back in the late evening.

I was going to plan a last minute trip to Paris (oh la la how glamorous!) but I'm not very good at last minute. Even if I don't go to Paris this week or the next, I will still be thrilled that I had the opportunity to scramble for a "last minute trip to Paris."

A Blonde in a Bright Green Coat Walks into a Bar, I mean, Church! and....

Remember when I talked about buying a bright kelly green coat this summer? Dear friend, WHERE WERE YOU TO COUNSEL ME? Because I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in Perugia who wears a bright coat AND has bright blonde hair. Awesome... I am a walking target.

In other news...

I found a parish! Chiesa San Filippo Neri here in Perugia.

Click on this to see the inside of the chiesa.

I've been really struggling with Italian mass. It's hard enough to be Catholic in the day to day, but it's way harder when no one around you gets Catholicism and then you can't even understand your own Sunday mass. These should be your people! Instead, everyone is mumbling incoherently and is 80 years old. Perhaps, you are blending in but forgetting to pray because you are (not really) translating. Perhaps you are distracted by the obvious bad behavior that Italians demonstrate in church... It's MADDENING.

So today I tried a new tactic. A certain someone hasn't sent me a magnificat (COUGH) and the magnificat crappy crappy website (that some homeschooler who is "good with computers" probably made) denies my request for a subscription because I want to send it to Italy. Commie bastards!

Oh yes, back to my new tactic... I downloaded a translation of the mass in Italian. I downloaded today's readings. I put them on my kindle. Then I went to a different church than usual (usually I go to Chiesa San Lorenzo which collects the most causal, rude Catholics. But it's pretty... wayyy less pretty than San Filippo Neri though. Chiesa San Lorenzo).

And it was fantastic! There were actual paper booklets with parts of the Mass and the readings in Italian. The church is overwhelmingly beautiful. Best of all, there is a young priest and very reverent altar (man?) man who served. No, wait, the best of all was I UNDERSTOOD SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE HOMILY!!!!!!!

That has never never never happened before. And it was a great homily. It was about what it meant for Christ to be the Word of God. I found myself listening for the first three minutes straight without realizing I was following an Italian homily. WAHOO. He concluded with a brief analysis on the story of the rich man who couldn't go to Heaven unless he sacrificed his wealth. His analysis was very good and he asked the congregation to mediate on it briefly before the profession of faith. I was very impressed.

I will not become a heathen after all. And I might be learning Italian :D

I am becoming a massive grump though. I am so sick of Italian food! I got a Turkish kabob wrap today and I almost cried with delight. I realized it also tastes a teeny bit like Taco Bell. Double score.

“It is fate that I am here,' George persisted, 'but you can call it Italy if it makes you less unhappy.”

So I'm really embarrassing. How embarrassing? I had been rereading quotes from Room with a View by E.M. Forster as I prepared (emotionally? physically? definitely embarrassingly) for my trip to Firenze.

If you are reading this and know positively nothing about the previously mentioned novel, you have two options: 1) Kill yourself or 2) Go find it and read it this moment! 3) Go watch the movie with Helen Bonham Carter. It's AMAZING. The film makes you want to escape immediately to the Italian countryside. The music is stunning. I am listening to it right now like a big big big sap the size of Texas.

I've decided Room with a View is exactly what I should be reading right now. It's about Victorian English people visiting Italy and what enfolds as their lives interact. It's very clever, funny and just... true. If you have read it before, you will understand.


One of the reasons I love Room with a View is the heroine.  Lucy thinks she needs some adventure but at the same time has a very organized (see "English") view of the world. Of course, she is very naive and is constantly shaken by what happens to her in her travels. What strikes you is that she is at the same time a very strong minded girl, not in the least cold, with a passion for Beethoven. She isn't your typical "impressionable young maiden" but a thoughtful, spirited girl who is expanding her understanding of the world day by day.

So I identify with Lucy very much. I did not realize how naive I was until a week or two ago. What a shocking revelation! I'm twenty two years old, I have my college degree, I've watched cable, traveled to different countries, read many books... and I am far more naive than I thought.

My main problem is I expect everyone to be a good person. Mature, friendly, appropriate, honest, trustworthy... Which is funny because I feel like I'm generally far more critical back home. It's probably because I really want to befriend everyone here so I'm not in my room crying and eating jars of Nutella.

I'm really dumb. Welcome to the real world, Louisa. Obviously, I didn't give my passport or wallet to a man on the streets of Napoli with a gold teeth. It's the subtle social things I miss. Suzanne likes to laugh at me but seriously scolds me, "Louisa, you have to stop being nice to people." I collect crazy people very easily because I assume everyone has boundaries... NOPE. They don't. Yay...

I'm sure any of you who know me well are laughing. "Louisa? Too nice to people? Bullshit." It's true, folks. It's a problem.

Back to Firenzzzzeeee, it was the first city I got lost in. The first city in which I went to no museums or exhibits. I went to the Duomo, ate THE BEST GELATO I'VE EVER HAD, and wandered around. Apparently, you have to pay to go to Santa Croce. I had no cash but I decided hey, next time!

I thought I'd hate Firenze... but I didn't at all. I think I've become a city girl. I walked for hours and hours each day we were there. I finally found face wash (!!!!).  People told me they hated how touristy it was and how everyone spoke English to them. Almost everyone spoke Italian with me and it was by far less touristy than Roma.

But holy smokes, Florentine men are bold. A crazy man on the street told me, "Ciao. I love you." Our waiter was suppperr flirty (naive Louisa only noticed after Suzanne pointed it out. "Duh.")

The best story I have, however, was when I was waiting for someone to buzz me into the hostel. It was still light out and I had been walking around for hours. I was returning from my personal adventure where I found the best extra dark chocolate gelato in the world which I ate leaning against a bridge over the river as the sun was that lovely orange color. It was soul reviving. (Very Room with a View!) I felt relaxed and happy. I wasn't even annoyed waiting to get into the hostel. I was standing and waiting for a few minutes when a group of people pass by.... I hear someone say "Do you need something?" in Italian. Finally, I realize this voice is talking to me. I turn to my left and who do I behold but

The most beautiful man I've ever seen.

No joke. So imagine this conversation in Italian.

"Ciao, want to get a drink?", winked the most beautiful Italian alive.

"Uhhhhhh", I stuttered like the mature, well-educated woman I am, "Sorry, I can't (insert here an awkward laugh because I am so uncool)... I have a boyfriend." (New instant response to all Italian men.)

"Oh, ok... want to go get a Coca Cola ;)," innocently suggested the most beautiful Italian alive.

"(Awkward laugh) No, sorrrrryy, I can't," I responded, great amused by his innocent offering of a soda.

"Ah.... ok, see you later ;)."

Oh, Firenze.

First Day of School... Again

Last month's courses were lackluster. Two of my courses were drier than TAC cornbread. That's saying something.

I started a new three month semester today. I am taking the same level (B1) because I want confidence with the foundations of Italian. So today we got new professors, a new schedule, a new book and new classmates.

After being Germany for a weekend and being unable to speak Italian there, I was so excited to back in Italy. On my way home, I had conversations with my taxi driver and a lady on the train in Italian. I ordered properly (in Italian with the popular cultural customs!) at a cafe by myself. I am so pumped to give this language thing another go. Of course, I still got stressed out by these conversations because I understood sixty percent of the content. BUT I find myself UNDERSTANDING without concentrating. Obviously, it's simple things that I understand but it feels natural. FINALLY.

My new professors are really good. I LOVE my oral exercises teacher. I found myself doing really well in her class.  It felt like Berlitz again. I was expressing myself comfortably! Right now the teachers are very patient and clear because we have so many students that are way behind. I have no idea how some of them got into B1. But hey, if it helps me out, I'll take it.

Also, now that Suzanne and I aren't freshmen, we've made so many new friends. We showed two lost Europeans how to get to school and we befriended some of our classmates.

However, I REALLYYY miss my old classmates. They were mature, friendly and respectful. My current classmates are really rude and immature. My grammar teacher kept asking them to be quiet. She finally was staring at them silently... and they kept chatting. It was painful. I've never felt so silent in my life. Was I even breathing? I have no idea.

My schedule has class on Friday... but I got into the morning section so I get off at 12! Hurrah!

Germania: "You talk like the Movies!"

After a ridiculously fun birthday, I bought a plane ticket to visit Anna near Dusseldorf at her uncle's house.

It was the worst travel experience. Well, it was fun until I showed up at the airport. Hani and I took the train together and just chatted. It was great to travel with him because he knew exactly what we were doing, unlike myself...

At the airport, as I waited in the overheated gate for my plane, I realized I didn't have my headphones. I left them on the train to the airport. I couldn't get wifi at my gate. When I ordered a sandwich at the main terminal, my accent was so bad that the cash register answered me in English. I searched my bag for 40 minutes as I got super sweaty and self conscious as all these nosy Italians stared at me. I miss how Americans pretend to ignore you and politely sneak peeks. Rarely do people blatantly stare in the US. So, the gate is tiny, overpacked, and hot. No wifi is available. I stood for... over 40 minutes waiting, worrying that I was at the wrong place. My plane was late. I was dehydrated. While I waited, I stared at people (when in Roma, be a staring jackass. That's the saying, right?). I noticed this couple all over each other. The woman literally snarled playfully as she kissed her boyfriend. Vommmmmit.

They sat next to me on the plane. They made out during the majority of the flight.

I didn't have headphones.

I didn't have a magazine.

I sat there and tried to zone out. Obviously, I got a beer in flight. I needed SOMETHING. I didn't realize people could kiss so loudly in public without shame.

So when I landed in Germany, I freaked out seeing my beloved Anna. I talked so much in the car, I was so happy to see her! Her uncle's house is super cool; it's over 100 years old. But it also was very cold. I wore pretty much everything I brought everyday. I foolishly thought Germany wouldn't be so cold. It's freaking freezing. No wonder Germans are considered a cold people. They've been desensitized in order to survive.

The next day, we went to Cologne (Koln with a double dot over the o). We walked by the water and headed over to the chocolate museum. It smelled fantasticccc. We learned a bit about chocolate too, so it was a cultural experience ;) We walked around downtown Cologne and bought ice cream. Anna is obsessed with "spaghetti" ice cream so we got these huge bowls of ice cream. I couldn't handle it. Italy is ruining me. I'm losing my taste for sweets. We shopped a bit and got more fries. Curry ketchup? Where have you been all my life?

Then we went to the big church in Cologne. Very Gothic and beautiful. My favorite church we visited was the next day. It was in this small town where there was where Mary appeared to a German. There was this beautiful little chapel and two huge churches next to them. My favorite was stunning. My jaw dropped.

I've been spoiled with all this fantastic European architecture so I've become harder to impress. I promise this church we saw (God knows where. I NEVER knew where the hell we were. I can't remember German names for the life of me. My brain only has room for Italian and English these days.)  It honestly made the basilica in Cologne just look pretty in comparison. This church combined Gothic, Baroque, and Eastern Catholic styles.

I could have cried, it was so beautiful. http://www.flickr.com/photos/fdpicturesart/5861907985/

The funniest part of our weekend was when we were taking the train back from Cologne to Anna's uncle's house, Hans Willi. There were three guys next to us on the train speaking rather bad English with strong accents. Anna and I were trying to figure out where they were from- they had to be from different places. Why else would they be speaking English between them? We debated asking them where they were from but both were too chicken.

Suddenly, I find myself blurting out to them, "WHERE are you guys FROM?" I surprised myself how easily I said it. We spent the next 30-60 mins chatting with these guys on the train. Two were from Spain and one from Roma. The three of them are studying engineering and computer science via Erasmus in Holland. They were so funny. The guy from Roma tried to speak Italian with me but I refused. He got all pissy about it. Lame. The Spaniards were way awesome. They made Anna and I laugh so much.

Three highlights of that conversation: 1) The MASSIVE confusion that occurred when one of the guys said his name was Fernando, "Like the Abba song!" That made me love Fernando right away. Anna said, "Wait, like the bull?" Then we got into this huge explanation about Ferdinand the bull, using misleading hand gestures. It took five minutes to clear that up. 2) They told me that I was easy to understand because they watch a lot of American movies and television. "You talk like the movies!" 3) When you don't know what to say to a European under the age of 30, mention How I Met Your Mother. They follow it religiously.

The highlight of the trip was when Anna and I rode her family's ancient bicycles in the green fields at sunset. Poetic, yes? It was stunning.

The Birthday Bambina!

On the eve of my 22nd birthday, I was wondering about being in Italy. Perche? Why? What? Hum. Ho. Hee.

My birthday was wonderful.  Earlier this summer I worried: will my birthday suck and will I struggle to eat a whole cake in the dark in a moody music montage as I watched Glee reruns?

Answer: Nope! Instead I went to class. I showed up over an hour late. My teacher said, "How are you, Louisa?!" And I, with a big smile, announced that it was my birthday. Every time a teacher would ask me how old I was, they would throw their hands and eyes up and say "Oh, UNA BAMBINA!" To my professors and majority of classmates, I was a spring chicken. It was nice considering everyone in Umbra was teasing me I was an old lady haha.

Then the craziest thing happened to me, evvvverrr.  My friends and I were going to the cafeteria when my friend Abdu came up. Abdu works at Lunabar, this popular student bar which has themes every night. He's casually putting up posters when I realize MY FACE is on them.  Apparently, me and two other people had their birthday so he put all of our faces on the poster. He joked about doing it awhile ago but he did it! My face was pasted on public walls and printed on flyers that were all over Perugia.

WHEN DOES THIS EVER HAPPEN? I laughed so hard. So my birthday "party" was at Lunabar... in writing.

I skipped half of my afternoon shitty lesson and I went home to clean pots as I sang at the top of my voice with joy. It was my birthday! Those ridiculous flyers were hilarious! I had a new curling iron! I had dinner plans!

That evening, I sat at a table of five new friends from all different places. We drank wine, ate a bunch of food and had great conversation. I found five awesome people to share my birthday dinner with. Despite almost exploding, we went to get gelato after dinner. Then we went to Dempsey's and Lunabar where everyone bought me tequila (shots) and danced like crazy people.  We met up with a bunch of other great people at the bars and club.  They were so kind and generous to me! I don't remember laughing so much in such a long time.  As I started to fall asleep standing on the dance floor... I realized it was time to go home!

I'm pretty sure I fell asleep with a smile on my face. Maybe I'll stay after all :)

Pulling out the Wall Socket: Where are You, Inner Peace?!

      Vatican City on a Sunday in September... might as well be Christmas Eve at the best mall in town. There's ridiculous long lines, there's millions of people inspecting the merchandise... and that's where my analogy ends.

      Because unlike crowded department stores, St. Peter's is worth the crowd of admirers. You come inside and your jaw drops. I've been there before, and I still drooled a bit.

      But then the negatives come... it's sweaty, there's too many people, not enough space, too much noise, not enough thoughtful silence... but what a feast for the eyes!

      I read online that you can go to Confession on Sundays and there are various priests with different languages available. There is a big eighth of the church roped off with a lay guard in a fancy suit. (For the record, I will marry one of you, Men who work at Vatican who aren't priests but who clearly take the parish of our Pope very seriously! RESPECT.) So handsome young Matthew/Mark/Luke/John was standing guard at this rope turning various people away who wanted to see that part of the church. Turns out, you get to go past the rope if you want to receive the Sacrament of Penance! (Or lie about it, I suppose.) I wandered around searching for the right confessional. English was WAY at the back and I had to wait a bit.

      It was so wonderful because unlike the rest of St. Peter's, it was quiet. I was small. I was alone. The church soared above me, with altars and beautiful details overwhelming me at every turn. It was cool. I had to stand there and wait to be comforted in Confession at a holy place. Instead of feeling slightly scared or nervous, I felt so peaceful. I had nothing to do but be in awe and wait. I didn't have to scurry around or worry or plan. I just had to admire the contrast between me and my Creator, as exemplified in His large Roman basilica. The basilica is beyond anything I could hope to create, examine in detail or replicate. I don't feel worthless, I feel sheltered. I don't have to do any of those things. I just have to see my limited role and accept it in the way this world will work. My concerns, my worries, my anxieties... they will all disappear one day. Not because I will solve my problems but they will be taken away from me. How liberated I felt in that moment!

      People keep telling me how they wish they lived in Italy too and how lucky I am. I feel ridiculous when people say that to me... because honestly, I'd love to go home. Besides some really great people I've met, I'm ready to pack my (admittedly overweight) bags and head home. I've got some good stories, mostly ones that I would hate to re-live, but I'm not feeling it. My classes are boring. I dread going because two of them feel so repetitive that I sit there as I wait for it to end. My current lifestyle is overpriced and inconvenient.

      This is the part where I have to say: "I am lucky to be here. Many people would happily trade lots." But it cannot be denied that I'm not enjoying myself as I should be.

      But then I realize, if I go home... what then? Everyone will think I'm a quitter. "You got to live in Italy, how could you bear to leave?" Well, living in Italy can be such a pain in the ass. Just ask someone who has tried it. Don't watch a movie and share with me your cinematic experience. "After Diane Lane pulls out the wall socket, she falls in love with Italy and respects herself as woman even though her boyfriend turned out to be married and her plumbing sucked." 1) I did pull out a wall socket. I haven't told my landlord yet. I'm scared. 2) I respect myself as a woman probably more than Diane Lane ever has. 3) Terrible plumbing is only funny when it doesn't happen to you!

      Beyond my potential quitter status, there's the new concern: what will I do if I leave? Go to another European city? Go home? Go to a new American city? Live at Walgreens? Work at what? With my impressive resume and Liberal arts? Ye Gads. Maybe I'll stay here and be miserable.

      In times like this, I try to think back to that moment of standing in St. Peter's. The wonder, the awe, the trust, the peace... Time will only tell what I should do. Because I sure as hell don't know.

     

The Joys of Being a Lightweight at Lunchtime

SO we had our 9-13 class replaced with a museum tour here in Perugia.

Like all museum tours composed of multiple adults, it felt like 3rd grade again. People were leaving the group, our teacher was getting annoyed with us... and we ended the tour overtime, cranky and hungry.

But at the end of the very long boring tunnel there was an oasis! Our classmate Marekay (spelling? Unknown.) had a class lunch in her garden. We had some amazing pizza, wine, salad and snacks. We sat in the shady area with the sun shining warmly on our nature-starved faces. It was great because this is our last week together as a class. Here I am, getting sentimental. We all mingled and feasted. People took awkward candid photos, pretending they wanted to take a picture of the pizza table. I SAW YOU, YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT THE PIZZAS. I also got yelled at because I hid my face when someone tried to take a picture of me eating pizza. Um, hello? Why was this man surprised when I refused to be documented in this state?

But I have to say, one and a half glasses of wine give me an excellent buzz at lunch time. The joys of being a lightweight! While everyone else is pouring glass number 3 somberly, you are giggling from your first glass. He he...

"Dancing, AFTAH DINNAH."

Oh the people you will meet… I had a very unexpected wonderful day.

So, my Italian suffers because I’m scared poopless of my Italian professor Fulvio. Fulvio is a well-pressed tan Italian man who speaks like Yul Brynner VERY LOUDLY. I can just imagine him saying “ET CETERA… DANCING, AFTA DINNAAHH.”

He asks everyone very personal questions. For example, my friend Cristoffano from Poland, I found out today that he’s a POLISH CATHOLIC PRIEST.  I found this out because he was telling my friend Judy and I that he's late for everything except church. And I was good for you, Cristoff! He said "Well, priests can't be late for Mass." You should have seen my face. Whaaaaat. Anyway, Fulvio was asking him if his life was easier than that of a lay person and if he was a “normal” man (aka asked him in front of the class if he was straight. Very offensive and Italian to many people in the class. Forehead slapper…) who regretted not having a wife…and then Fulvio asked a bunch of guys if they wanted to become priests. It was all very funny but just so inappropriate at the same time. Oh Fulvio... you would be fired back home SO FAST. 

One of my classmates told him yesterday that she was scared of him. He turned to me and said, "Louisa, are you scared of me?" My answer: "SI." He was surprised hahaha. But now that I've told him he scares me, I'm less scared of him. This is an excellent realization because it will make me talk more. 

So last night I was supposed to get an aperitivo with Dore, Judy and their friend Harold from Idaho. 

Oh, sorry, you don't know what an aperitivo is? Man, are you missing out. You go to a bar or restaurant in their casual bar area and order a drink or two. As you sip, you are supplied with free snacks, usually mini sandwiches. I'm a recent convert. Effie, Corrina, Hani, Suzanne and I met up for one the other night. Umbra students get a discount (score) at the restaurant we went to because the main waiter has some sort of working relationship with Umbra. So we all had two drinks and 3 full plates of mini sandwiches. It was delicious, filling and cheaaapppp. Everyone is like why don't we have this in America? I think the answer is obvious: Americans are shameless and would eat all the food for free without ordering more than one drink. But hey, it's a pretty unbeatable meal option.  

Back to last night... I was supposed to meet up with Dore, Judy and Harold in front of Stranieri's main building for an aperitivo. It's my new favorite meet up place because it's right below my window so it's very easy to pop over there. I showed up and they said "I hope you don't mind, but we decided to get dinner instead!" Then I had a very hysterical fit... not. We went to this great restaurant that Harold's been to before and had some great food, wine and conversation. Harold is 52 year old man from Idaho. He teaches Indian and Middle Eastern languages. He's in Italy to study Italian and he cycles everywhere during the weekend. I love Harold especially because he can quote Room with a View. Hahha. Judy is originally from New York but lives in Los Angeles with her husband and is retired. She's a really pleasant and sensible person, I'm a big fan. She laughs when I make fun of Dore so she's great fun hahah. We were such a random group! But we talked about some interesting things. Unfortunately, there was some complaining about some of our professors (well founded complaints too). 

One interesting topic of conversation was religion. Cristoff the priest came up in conversation and Dore started to rant about Catholics and how they are all brainwashed. I just looked over at him with a smile and said that I was Catholic and I don't consider myself brainwashed. His main compliant was how could religious people have such conviction and no doubts whatsoever. I kind of laughed and looked at him. I told him doubt is very much a part of religious person's life but it may manifest itself differently. I personally am convinced of my Catholic faith but I'd be a liar if I said I have never felt doubt. Mother Teresa had her dark night of the soul. I didn't want to embarrass Dore so I kept my tone light and playful: "Tell me how I truly feel, Dore, haha." The funniest part was he said "But you aren't very religious yourself, right? You don't go to church every Sunday." I laughed and said, "Yes, I'm very religious. I go to church once a week and I should go more often. Look, I'm wearing a medal. I got my degree in philosophy AND theology. I can talk about anything you want." He was so surprised. I teased him, "Oh, Dore, am I blowing your mind right now? Haha." He laughed. Judy was great. Without even providing her own religious standpoint, she calmly commented on how when someone has no religious affiliation (Dore's self-description) that it's hard to imagine a religious person experiencing doubt.  Fortunately, the conversation ended on a good note. I wasn't offended by his comments but I at the same time wanted to make my opinion and experience known.  It was a relief that my religion wasn't a deal breaker. I like talking to different kinds of people who believe different things. What's the point of talking to a clone of yourself 24/7? 

But it made me think about the image of a person of faith. I cannot tell you how many times people are surprised I'm an observant Catholic. "Oh you're Catholic? But you're not like a real Catholic, like you don't go to church every Sunday right? You do? Oh... weird." Haha. Or my other favorite: "Wow, usually I dislike religious people a lot." 

I don't mind talking about religion or "outting" myself as Catholic. In fact, I LOVE discussing religion. I've had some GREAT conversations with Hani and Suzanne about religion because we are all so chill and curious about what the other thinks. I'm sad though how people tell me about the religious Catholics they've met that they couldn't stand. Argh. 

Maybe that's why I'm here. My Italian sucks, so it might not be for the acquiring of language...