Sunday, February 8, 2009

Ciao Tutti!

I am sorry that I haven't updated at all lately, but my host families computer has the slowest internet in the world. I assumed that it wasn't uploading my blog page correctly, when in reality I just needed to wait another five minutes... But I got it figured out now.

There is so much to say. I have been here for a week, and it has been the most exciting week of my life!

Basically, I love it all.
I love the food.
I love the language.
I love my host family.
I love Fossano.
I love my class.
I love the sidewalks.
I love the coffee.
I love the other intercultura kids in my local chapter.
I love the Alps that you can see any direction you look.
I love the castle in Fossano.
I love Via Roma (a street)
I love the snow.
I love the victory of communication.
I love speaking full sentences in italian with correct grammar!
I love the bread.
I love the pasta.
I love the cheese.
I love the fake mexican food my host family and I tried to piece together.
I love the snack between 4 and 5 O'clock that has it's own name.
I love my friends.
I love setting the table and clearing the table for dinner.
I love my house.
I love the little socks with sticky things on the bottom that we wear in the house.
I love Cuneo.
I love my routine.
I love walking home after school.
I love the neighbors dog.
I love teaching my friends weird english phrases.
I love the cobblestones of the main street here.
I love the tiny little shops.
I love olive oil that the neighbors make and give to us.
I love my life in Italy!


There you go! Now you may ask what I don't love?
Trying to understand Italian history when the teacher is speaking a billion words a minute and making indecipherable scribbles on the chalkboard that I am supposed to copy. Yes. These scribbles are even worse than those of Mr. Paul and Eli combined. Luckily my schoolmates all speak english fairly well so they help me.
Other than that everything is peachy!

I am actually enjoying my german class that is taught in italian. And it is so much fun in english class when this petite italian woman is speaking english with a perfect little brittish accent and teaching the class how to say absolutely superb! School is fun. My class is on the top floor of this huge building and is only 15 students:
Me, Elena, Elena, Elena (yes, there are three of them), Serena, Serena, Edoardo,Alessandro, Alessandra, Laura, Lucia, Louisa, Sophia, Costanza, and Marlenys.

I am in the 3 class (there are 5 years of high school in Italy) and I am in the Linguistico school, quindi (therefore) my classes are as follows: Art history, Chemistry, Latin, Italian literature, PE, History, Philosophy, Physics, Religion, Math, German, French, Italian, English (my favorite class), and I have an italian tutor after school 3-4 days a week.

School starts at 7.55 and ends at 13.25 and I do have to go on Saturdays. Each class is one hour long, but sometimes we have 2 periods of something back to back. We have 5 minutes between each class for our teachers to switch classrooms (the students stay in the same room for all classes and the teachers switch), and then we have one 10 minute break for a snack.. Then I walk home to have lunch with my family.

I am picking up a lot of italian alreaday and my host mom said that in just a couple days of school I know many new words! (Go Me!) Tomorrow I meet with my italian tutor to figure out when we will meet each week, and I can start working italian seriously.
I have a little pocket dictionary which is now my security blancket (I don't go anywhere without it) but soon I will have to get a bigger one.


Yesterday I went to Alba (circa 35 minuti in macchina—about 35 minutes in the car) for a welcomeing party for me and the other girl from the US in another nearby place. Me and Liliana are the only two newly arrivals for the semester program in our local chapter, but there are five others that are on the year long program. There is a boy from China that goes to my school in Fossano, a boy from Germany, and a boy from Brazil. Then There are two girls, one from Belgium, and I can't remember where Catalina is from....

Anyways, it was a lot of fun getting to talk to them! None of then knew any italian when they got to Italy, and now they are practically fluent (at least they seemed fluent to me). The boy from Brazil (sono molto smemorata, quindi non ricordo lui nome—I am very forgettful, therefore I don't remember his name) said that he was so lost when he arrived (he also literally got lost in the paris airport, but that is another story) and that I am very lucky that my friends speak english. I spoke as much italian as I could with him, and when I didn't understand we spoke english, but he said that I also know a lot of italian for being here only a week..

I get to see all of the intercultura/AFS kids in my local chapter again soon when we meet up in Torino for the Orange Festival. Simo was telling we a little about this carnival and she mentioned that some orange throwing occurs. Yikes! Oh well. It will be a new experience and that is a good thing nomatter how sticky I get.

Everything is new, and a little confusing, and overwhelming, and my mom was right. I need to work on beeing less shy, but I am having a blast! It is another world over here, and I am doing my best to enjoy every minute of it and to record every minute of it because we all know how forgetfull I am.

There are thosands of little quirky things that seem odd (like the utter importance of using rulers in school) and I can't write everything on this blog so forgive me, but I will try to keep you all updated because I know you are all checking this blog every hour to see how I am... RIGHT? Heheh...


Amore e Baci (look it up ;D)

6 comments:

  1. I'm so happy your having a great time! We miss you dearly over here and yes don't be shy, but it sounds like you have a lot of great friends already. Much love -Emily

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  2. So what is the name of the snack between 4-5pm? (and what do you have for snack?) what is special about the sidewalks?.......and why did you never set or clear the table at your home in Flagstaff??? amore, your American Mama

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  3. Hi! I'm francine from Alaska doing exchange in Denmark! (I've been here since August) sounds like you're having fun! I was just reading your blog.. Keep writing! I'll keep reading! I remember my first week here.. everything was amazing.. from the cows mooing to the cheese we ate at breakfast time!

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  4. Michelle. I am jealous! You sound like you are having the time of your life! My advice to you is to get out of your shell and take every opportunity you can!!! We miss you so much!!! I am so excited for you! I have butterflies!!! Just cherish the time you have there! and please, come back to us. =) I love you veryyyy much!!! ENJOY EVERYTHING Italia has to offer you!

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  5. ciao michelle! I am carla, an italian girl. I found out by chance your blog while I was surfin the net looking for exchange students' blogs,because i will be an exchange student and will spend next year in the USA !
    But what is interesting is that i've just read that you are in Fossano, and I live 10 minutes away from it!!! what high school are you at? i've got a lot of friends in fossano, and u may know some of them! anyway, here's my msn/email address, add me if u like! carla25us@hotmail.com
    Bye! =)

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  6. Hi Carla! What a coincidence!!! I go to Liceo Scientifico G.Ancina, but I am in a linguistico class in the third year.
    Goodluck with your application and visa and everything because it can get pretty stressful, but it is well worth it!

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