Buongiorno Italiano (oy veh)

Since I last updated we started class. Our first month of class is kind of like an Ulpan or an intensive language course. So far I have been doing okay. It is hard to sit through 4 hours of class straight with only a half hour break but everything is good. The biggest frustration would have to be that our teacher does not speak any english even though everyone in the class including the Swedish and Japanese students know English. Some girls on my program think that the teacher may be lying to make us speak more Italian but she has difficulty answering my questions about grammar. Usually my solution is to ask things in Spanish (it has come back to me a lot and seems so easy compared to Italian) which kind of works. Otherwise I think I am catching on pretty fast. Today we learned how to pronounce things so I feel a lot better about reading things, especially off of menus (though my family would not believe me) My favorite word so far that I have learned would have to be sandali which means sandals ( I have managed to use it multiple times)  just because it is the prime example how Italians make every word either romantic or in this case really cute.

In other good news people actually think I'm Italian when I'm on my own. It is very obvious that we are Americans with the group I am in (AKA diversity in skin and hair color) but I have the Italian look. This happened yesterday when I was shopping by myself and every store I walked into I heard a blurb of words and just gave a shrug, where they then figured out I was American, but eventually I can hopefully learn to respond a little better. What I love about the shopping here is that there is so much variety. At home you can go to Old Orchard or Woodfield etc. but they all have the same stores with slight variation. In a matter of miles there are endless stores all with different merchandise. My favorite store so far is this cute boutique on Via Roma (a major street) right off of Via Mazzini (the land of Prada, Gucci etc.) it was pretty reasonable and run by two cute Asian women who were trying to help me accessorize the dress I was trying on. It is hard not to get pulled into the ridiculous expensive stores (I now know the true meaning of clothes and purses as art) but I am using considerable restraint.

Today I am off to do some more wandering with two main goals 1) get tickets to the symphony here (apparently cheap) 2) figure out where the old Jewish Ghetto in Verona was and where the synagogue is. According to the book I was reading the ghetto is just off one of the main Piazzas, meaning I have probably passed by. I will be able to tell it's the ghetto because the buildings are much taller since so many people were crammed into such a small area.  Some other things I would like to do include finding a chocolatier that I discovered a couple nights ago while it was closed, but frankly I have no idea where I was. 

Until then Ciao! (I can say Ciao in my blog because I know you it's informal if you were wondering)

p.s. Anyone have comments? It could be about what I am doing or how I'm writing just so I know people are reading!