Living in Italy

I’ve been in Italy for a month now!  It’s hard to believe, the time has gone by so fast.  Taking pre-term intensive Italian was a good decision for me.  I have learned quite a lot of Italian, and I've made some friends at the school.  

A lot of people have been asking me, “What are you going to do in Italy?”  It’s a question to which I don’t have an answer yet.  I’m not really a person who plans ahead.  Also, I honestly didn't think I would come to Italy.  Even 2 weeks before the move, I fully expected myself to back out.  Now that I’m here, I've been too busy with class to really put in time to research opportunities.  However, my class ends on Tuesday, and then I’ll have more time.  Ideally I would like to find work babysitting or teaching English.  I would like to do volunteer work, perhaps at a hospital.  I also want to find an Italian or two to practice speaking the language. 

People have also asked me what I my every-day life is like in Italy.  I typically get up late (around 8:30 or 9) and have breakfast.  Breakfast in Italy is really light- usually just a coffee and a croissant.  I eat breakfast at home, but once a week David and I go to the bar next to our apartment for a delicious cappuccino.  In Italy, a bar is more like a café- they serve coffee, pastries, and sandwiches. 

Italian class starts at 11.  It takes me about 15 minutes to walk to school.  The weather here has been beautiful- warm and sunny- so I don’t mind the walk.  We get a short break from class at 12:30- time to get an espresso at the school bar or a piece of fruit from the friendly vendor right across from the school.  My lunch hour is from 2-3 and I usually pack a sandwich and eat at school with friends.  Class ends at 5, and I pick up groceries on the walk home from school.  Since we don’t have a car here, I go grocery shopping every 2-3 days, bringing home food for dinner that day and whatever else I can carry.  Once I get home, I do my homework, which can take an hour or two.  David gets home from class a little before 8pm and we eat dinner, which is a perfectly acceptable dinner time in Italy (especially when lunch is at 2!). 

On Fridays, the school bar has a cocktail “hour” that starts at 6 and usually runs till 8ish.  The bar is owned by Guilio, an attractive young Italian who looks like Johnny Depp.  Guilio makes an awesome spritz- the typical Italian cocktail beverage.  After a drink at Guilio’s, we usually head out to another bar for an aperitivo- a drink, usually a cocktail, served with some food.  At many bars in Bologna, you pay about 7 euro for a drink and access to the buffet, which serves pastas, vegetable dishes, pizza slices, and other such things. 

                On the weekends we have been making day trips to cities near Bologna.  This weekend David is busy studying for his macro-economics final, so we’re staying home.  I am looking forward to having time to explore the city we live in.  Last night, to celebrate the end of intensive Italian, the instructors organized a city-wide scavenger hunt.  We had to go through-out the city taking pictures of things and finding out information from people, which required us to speak Italian.  I had a great time, but I also realized how little of the city I’ve actually seen.  Next weekend, to celebrate our 6^th anniversary, we are planning a trip to Cinque Terre, so stay tuned!