Mi Piace Senti Mouvi!

When we leave the University everyday there are little people handing out fliers with various activities for the evening and upcoming week. Today a particular flier was thrust into my hand advertising Strawberry Daiquiris AND a movie. The movie is “Family Stone”. On the poster of the flier the movie is titled “Feel the Love.” Next to the poster on the flier the words read, “Fell the Love.”

Italian’s obsession with American Pop Culture (which I know SO well) is always fascinating to me. I try so hard to appreciate that I am from such an affluent place but it is also a smidgen depressing me. Is there any way to get away from it? I am trying my utmost to soak in as much NON-American culture as possible.

Last night one of my roommates Swati and I had dinner with some friends we made this weekend. They are from Switzerland, Poland, Holland and Austria. At dinner we talked about Euthanasia, the death penalty, celebrations (Carnival, Halloween, Day of the Dead, etc). It was so interesting to here what everyone had to say. The more we all learn from each other the more our opinions will develop. It was intriguing to hear what they had to say compared to what we are taught compared to what they are taught.

Don’t worry--it wasn’t all serious, the night before we went to a Disco Tec together.

My other big NON-American venture of the weekend was a guy I met named Aldo. I was walking home from the Internet one evening and a young man and his big hyper dog (named Bob, my Daddy’s name!) were ahead of me. We kind of just said hello but kept walking together. We ended up chatting and he is from Camucia (the bigger part of Cortona). We exchanged phone numbers so that we could meet again. The next day he called and he took me to a very cute little café to have un café. Please keep in mind that there is a language barrier. We both wanted to practice the language we do not know while getting to know one another. Instead of talking about American Pop Culture (what many Italian want to talk about with Americans) we talked about where we are from, the differences of our two countries, even got onto religion, etc. Refreshing that experience was.

A few random things:

If you know my sister and have not congratulated her on being a FRESHMAN in high school and getting the LEAD in Guys and Dolls, I suggest you should

Swati and I made dinner for some friends. We did NOT burn the apartment down.

In class last week someone was playing the piano the hole time. Wow. Amazing. Distracted. I think it was Chopin. I would love for my painting to reflect art as his music does.

The Professors always leave their coats on (as do the students). Sometimes they stand the hole first hour of class. Sometimes they stand holding their coats. They are just so ready to start, the just go!

The rooms in which we have our classes are amazing, molding, high ceilings, church pew like desks sort of like at the Wren Chapel In Williamsburg. When I am walking around the building sometimes I just walk by a fresco.

I only have two week left at l’Universita Stranieri.

One of my teachers teased me about (stupidly, I changed as soon as class got out) not wearing socks. I thought y’all would appreciate that.

I am going to attempt to upload some pictures if my silly blog actually starts to work.

Swati and I just wrote down every café and bar in Perguia on little pieces of paper. I put them into a baggy and we are going to randomly draw them out every other day and GO!