Buongiorno Verona ( like actually)

Yesterday was amazing. We had breakfast at this cute place right in the center of Verona then we had our orientation (not so much fun) We learned about the school which was good, but then had to fill out a million forms for the police station here in Verona to be completely legal. After that we walked around town and ate at this gorgeous restaurant that overlooked the river. We then walked all around just to get a feel for the city, this is when it really hit me that I was here and how unbelievable it is. What I love most is that it is against the law in italy to knock down buildings, all buildings have to be restored. This means that not only are buildings old, but buildings side by side are from all different time periods and are in different styles. To me it is most bizarre in the shopping section of town to have all of these gorgeous buildings, because when I think named brand I think of Michigan Ave, this is much more beautiful.

In addition to walking around we went to this tower that overlooked all of Verona. The view was beautiful, well at least after I caught my breath from walking up the 400 stairs that we all insisted on taking instead of the elevator (the walk down wasn't as bad). We also visited Juliet's balcony which Verona is famous for (also from the Movie Letters From Juliet) sadly I learned that the whole story of Romeo and Juliet actually happened in a smaller town not far from Verona and Verona just decided to steal it. While I was at the wall I met a couple from Haifa and talked with them. It was so exciting for me to hear just a little of Hebrew in a place where I am so confused.  Awkwardly instead saying I was Jewish I just said I was from Chicago, but I think they figured out what I meant. We finished the day off with dinner ( I tried Spinach and ricotta pizza and truffle pizza sooo good!), drinks at a beer place (where I enjoyed a cappuccino sorry dad) and then wine on piazza erbe, the main square where people our age hang out and drink ( only slightly more sophisticated than the bars in champaign). I tried a strawberry wine which was soo good, it kind of reminded me of jello.

Today was not a great day because I couldn't fall asleep and felt sick (all of this rich food was catching up to me) so  I stayed home. Right now, I am off to see AIDA in the Arena which is a 2000 year-old structure that was built during Roman times for different sports and is now one of the most famous opera houses in the country. I am really excited for that and to start class tomorrow. If you would like to see some pictures I have posted them on facebook. (http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=2048762&id=1141801647) If you don't have a facebook, let me know I can share the album with your email.

Ciao!

Leah  

Buongiorno Verona!

Part I (on the plane)
 
I am currently on the plane and according to the map on the t.v. we are right near Halifax.  Going through security was stressful  but once on the plane things were good. We first got these Olive flavored crackers, they were so good!  On the back of the package it said that it was provided by air-France so it is not necessarily Italian but still very yummy. I ordered a Kosher meal but for some reason they had me down for a Muslim meal (not sure what that means) but I figured there would be no pork which was good.  I ended up with food that kind of resembled Indian food I had before plus lox so it was pretty good  Most of the flight is Italians coming back from the U.S.  Which I was not expecting. I feel totally clueless even though I have traveled before I have never been somewhere where I actually know nothing about the language Right now I am on my computer listening to my learn Italian podcast it totally reminds me of junior high Spanish with cheesy music and jokes- we'll see if it helps I start my Spanish immersion month on Monday, it's kind of like an ulpan where I'll spend several hours a day for a whole month just learning Italian. I am so excited about getting to Verona I can't wait, but until then, I better keep working on my Italian!

Part II ( In Italy) 


So I finally made it to Italy! Right when we got in we met up with Claudio our resident director who took us to the apt. My apt was not going to be ready until 2:30 so I hung around the other apt. with the girls who were there and waited for everyone else to arrive. My apartment is absolutely beautiful it has a great view from our balcony and we have tons of space and shelving (literally I have empty shelves it's ridiculous) pictures to come soon. Our next adventure is to try to find the restaurant we are meeting at on our own.  Until more adventures, 
Arrevaderchi!

Buongiorno Packing

Hi! This blog will document all of my adventures in Verona and all around Italy and Europe. You can follow it on your own or sign up to get email updates on the right. Right now I am sitting in my bed in Deerfield amongst piles of all of my stuff which seem like they will never be packed/fit, but it's got to happen. I spent last weekend down in Champaign so that I could see everyone for the last time before leaving. It was very weird to be there with no commitments but now I am excited to get going in Italy with my classes and entire semester. You may be wondering how I came to such a lovely title...you can ask my sister or Sammy but according to them I am not sophisticated enough to actually have a sophisticated title, but maybe Italy will help me with that. More updates to come as soon as something happens. Until then Arrivederci!
(special shout out to Keren for helping me with my Italian spelling using her guide book)