Intensive Italian

I haven't slept too well and still feel jet lag but that's the only downside so far!

I love the Italian language and I get so many opportunities to use it here with all of the locals.  It is so beautiful.  You see pictures of Europe but actually living in a city that people walked 10 to 20 CE before Christ that is something else.  Although the city is medieval looking there are many of the commodities that we have in America.  My roommates and I were able to get a hair straightener and notebooks and pens and such at a sort of convenient store.  I love the fashion here. Long coats for the ladies with high beautiful boots and big sunglasses and tight jeans and shiny puffy jackets for the men.

So far in my Italian class, I have learned to say "Io Sono Americano e dov'e di Marion in Massachusetts" (I think)! And some other basic things.  Having six years of Spanish, two years of Latin, and knowing the phonetic alphabet has given me a huge head start.  The pronunciation is hard especially remembering that ci or ce makes the "ch" sound not the "s" sound.  Everything just rolls together...they don't take many breaks in their speech.  I like my professor though.  I am in intensive Italian which is four times a week for an hour and a twenty music, so I hope to learn a lot!  It is necessary for survival here.  My other classes seem really fun as well.  One psychology class, a food and wine class, a perugia culture class where we travel to Sienna, and an academic internship and seminar where I will be in an Italian high school.  I am so excited.  We are trying to get back into the school mode again.

We are off to make dinner at our friends apartment.  She has a lot of room and chairs so we can have up to 20 people come which is fun.  For breakfast this morning I had a ciolatte crossante? (Trying to use what I know about the spelling and sounds) and the best orange ever.  I am scared of their expressos but I will have to try one soon!

Ciao!