#Win! Alternate Title: Partaking in an Umbrian Grape Harvest LIKE A BOSS.

I don't know why I don't live on a grape vineyard. I am A NATURAL grape picker. It's the Slovenian in me. Very diligent. Almost, dare I say German in work ethic? I was crate buddies with Effie for our harvesting experience and we were annoyed that the other Americans weren't taking the picking more seriously hahhaha. Americans have such bad reputations it almost causes me physical pain. The nonna (the mother-in-law of the farm we were at) was going over some of the vines that our group left behind because they sucked so bad haha.

How did I land in a beautiful vineyard judging the crappy grape picking of my countrymen? I'm so glad you asked, boys and girls.

I am at the Umbra Institute and University for Foreigners in Perugia. The Umbra Institute helps me with my enrollment process and classes at the University of Foreigners (we call it "Stranieri" for short, it's the Italian word for foreigners) where I go to class. Umbra gives me a tutor to meet with at their location and also coordinates my housing, occasional trips, ecc. Umbra is for North American students who want to study in Italy. They have four programs:

1. General Studies in English at their locations taught by their professors. This is the most popular program. 
2. Food Studies Program in English at their location taught by their professors. 
3. Direct Enrollment to Stranieri to study Italian Language and Culture, entirely in Italian. I'm doing that one! 
4. Direct Enrollment to University of Perugia to study in the Humanities department, entirely in Italian! Very tough to get into. You must be fluent. 

So to apply to Umbra Institute you have to apply through two different American schools. One of which is Arcadia University. I applied through Arcadia University to get into Umbra.

Why is this relevant? What happened to berry pickin'? Well, Arcadia University planned this mandatory trip to the vineyard today as a sort of orientation and introduction to their staff.

At 9:30, Suzanne and I grouchily walked to Piazza Italia in Perugia to meet our bus. Both of us have terrible chest coughs and colds. We were pissed off and wanted to go back to bed. We were SO HAPPY that we didn't.

Our bus headed to a farm which is a member of the Slow Food movement in Italy, a response to the new popularity of fast food in the 1980s. This cheerful Italian man lives with his mother in law, sister and they make wine, olive oil and their own food. They let us pick some grapes and then showed us how they crush it up (with a machine!). They let whoever wanted crush some grapes with their bare feet. I didn't do it because I didn't want to wait five hundred years.

The property was beautiful, the air was fresh and windy. You understood why these people appeared so happy. They lived in a little paradise! They then prepared a four course meal with the house wine. We had bruschettas, pasta, chicken, spinach, cookies... it was divine. We all just ooed and ahhhhed over the food. Shameless Americans. They sold us their famous olive oil for only 6 euros. So delicious. Then Suzanne asked if she could buy their wine. I'm so glad she did because we ended up having a conversation with the people that worked there. They ended up selling Suzanne a liter and a half of wine in a cleaned out water bottle for two euro. So Italian! We got a picture with an old man who worked there too. He made fun of me for taking the grape picking so seriously. After our photo, he gave Suzanne and I big kisses on the cheek. Hahhahaaaaa.

We all came back to the city refreshed, happy and full. Maybe this city girl could be convinced to move to a farm...