Today I had a test in german on about 60 irregular verb congugations in the past tense, the three different ways of saying *when* (wen, wann, als), the funky sentence structure when using *before* and *while* (bevor, wahrend), and the irregular forms of superlative(Gut-->besser-->am besten)...and I totally think I rocked it!
Go me! Don't ask me how I am learning more german over here than french... it's really quite bizzare. English, italian, french, german... when I was little I thought it was impressive to be able to count to ten in spanish (which by the way is now an impossible task for me because my tongue automatically switches to italian and I can't figure out those simple ten words I used to be able to recite by heart!).
German (tedesco in italian) is really just a funky language in my opinion... I mean, the word for italian in german is italienisch...weird, right? And if you are bored in germany, you exclaim Stingklangweilich!
You know how the longest word in the english language is honorificabilitudinitatibus (27 leters long, invented by William Shakespeare meaning bestowing great honors...or something like that)? Well, I'm pretty sure the longest word EVER has to be german...
Ok, Ciao for now! (look who's posting two day's in a row again!)Vi voglio bene!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
A Neve Ferma
So I'm on page 139. But this time it is not page 139 of Tom Sawyer, or Jayne Eyre, or Pride and Prejudice, or Northanger Abbey, or Great Expectations,or Ivanhoe, or A Tale of Two Cities, or The Picture of Dorian Grey... It is page 139 of A Neve Ferma by Stefania Bertola which is an italian romance novel set in Torino about the crazy lives of a group of pastry chefs.
I feel ridiculously jubilant to say that I am on page 139 of a book completely written in italian... that I just started a couple days ago... =D
*a neve ferma*is the culinary term for when you whip egg whites till they are stiff, I think the term in english is something like *firm slopes*
and let me write a couple of the chapter titles to you:
Emma e La Vera Mousse al Cioccolato, L'intero del croissant, Tre Meringhette Perfetto Amore, La Torta Di Noci Variegata Cubana, La Crosticina della Crème brulèe, Uno strato di Meringa al Cioccolato... not to mention La Creme Ottobre (The dessert that made Stalin cry...).
Can you guess how much I love this book?
I keep a dictionary at hand if I stumble on something, but generally I don't waste my time looking stuff up because I can figure it out from the context! Isn't that so exciting! I've been reading books in english and some boring childrens books in italian, but now I shall only read full out novels in italian! Non ho piu voglia per leggere in inglese!
And now for a general update on me (in Italy! >.< ):
I have finally converted my height to meters = 1 metro e 67 centimetri ( I have also converted my pounds to kiligrami, but we don't have to post that online! ;)
I love my hair.
I have made chocolate chip cookies with my host mom and wish there was an easier way to convert cups of butter to grams of butter (God save you if you try converting to mililiters!).
I am finally starting to tan a tiny bit!
I got a big bottle of contact solution and wear my contacts more often.
I have changed my bed comforter from a thick blue warm one to a thinner blue one with Nemo and Dori on it!
Life is good!
Ciao for now! Vi voglio bene!
I feel ridiculously jubilant to say that I am on page 139 of a book completely written in italian... that I just started a couple days ago... =D
*a neve ferma*is the culinary term for when you whip egg whites till they are stiff, I think the term in english is something like *firm slopes*
and let me write a couple of the chapter titles to you:
Emma e La Vera Mousse al Cioccolato, L'intero del croissant, Tre Meringhette Perfetto Amore, La Torta Di Noci Variegata Cubana, La Crosticina della Crème brulèe, Uno strato di Meringa al Cioccolato... not to mention La Creme Ottobre (The dessert that made Stalin cry...).
Can you guess how much I love this book?
I keep a dictionary at hand if I stumble on something, but generally I don't waste my time looking stuff up because I can figure it out from the context! Isn't that so exciting! I've been reading books in english and some boring childrens books in italian, but now I shall only read full out novels in italian! Non ho piu voglia per leggere in inglese!
And now for a general update on me (in Italy! >.< ):
I have finally converted my height to meters = 1 metro e 67 centimetri ( I have also converted my pounds to kiligrami, but we don't have to post that online! ;)
I love my hair.
I have made chocolate chip cookies with my host mom and wish there was an easier way to convert cups of butter to grams of butter (God save you if you try converting to mililiters!).
I am finally starting to tan a tiny bit!
I got a big bottle of contact solution and wear my contacts more often.
I have changed my bed comforter from a thick blue warm one to a thinner blue one with Nemo and Dori on it!
Life is good!
Ciao for now! Vi voglio bene!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Don't Freak Out, Okay?
Today was the big day: Sono andata al pettinatrice!!! (I went to the hairdresser!)
This is a photo of me this morning:
And after two and a half hours of tin foil, shampooing, and snipping this is the result!
Please excuse the camera shadow in the first one... :P
It's not what I had in mind, but I love it just the same! I actually think I look more like a grown up version of my six year old self with this hair! Quando ero piccola avevo i capelli corti e piu chiari e la frangia cosi! (When I was little I had short, lighter hair and bangs like this!)
When Giorgio (il parruchiere) was cutting the bangs at first and asked me if io ho detto They were completely covering my eyes! So, good old practical me asked him to cut them a little shorter! They are still pretty long, but I love them! The not so practical me didn't think about how getting bangs right when the weather was getting ridiculously hot wouldn't be a good idea...oh well! I love my hair! I love pasta! I love Italy!
And guess what is really exciting! I can still get all the layers in a nice bun! I just need a few extra pins and a little hairspray! Last night I went to Just Pasta again for dinner (Garganelli con ricotta e timo(thyme) e poi penne con nutella e noci ancora) and I put my hair in an elegant bun, and got all fancied up! It was fun! I think being fashionable in Italy is more exciting than being fashionable in the U.S.... Then after dinner we went for a walk and ended up singing Abba songs in front of a store with a christmas tree in the window and dancing to Dancing Queen! All in all an enjoyable night!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
To my Mother,
Today is the first Mothers Day that my mother and I have spent apart. (And not just a little bit, but half a planet apart). This blog entry is dedicated to my meravigliosa mamma!
My mom, (Julia/Giulia) has always ecouraged me to go on a foreign exchange, and has helped me tremendously tomake my dream a reality. From the very beginning of this AFS buisness my mom has helped me stand up to all the difficulties of becoming a foreign exchange student:Per esempio, the mountains of application paperwork, the dissapointment of not getting into my choice country (twice), and having to drive me across an eight hour long desert (twice, aswell)
to apply for my visa. She went through the hell-ish stress and worry with me through out the entire process, and now I hope to pay her back by letting her know how amazingly happy I am as the result of everything she has done for me!
I have had amazing experiences here that I will learn from for the rest of my life, both good and not so good... (lets not go into the crazy catastrophy of last night where I accidentally got on the wrong train and was on my way to Savona instead of Savigliano and had to find a way to communicate my dillemna to my host family and my friend/AFS assistent who was waiting for me in Savigliano without a cellphone or the ability to use italian payphones...)
I have eaten thousands of different types of cheeses (or at least it tastes like I have!) and pastas.
I have learned a completely new and beautiful language that I will cuss in for the rest of my life.
I have discovered how much I love and appreciate my home and family.
I have bought bright sparkly gold pants.
I have legally drunk some amazing alchohol (dessert wines... o dio.)
I have spent the afternoon sun-tanning on the italian riviera while reading Charles Dickens in two languages.
I have changed and grown inside (and outside!) and I have to thank my mom for it all.
Grazie. Ti voglio bene. Happy Mothers Day.
My mom, (Julia/Giulia) has always ecouraged me to go on a foreign exchange, and has helped me tremendously tomake my dream a reality. From the very beginning of this AFS buisness my mom has helped me stand up to all the difficulties of becoming a foreign exchange student:Per esempio, the mountains of application paperwork, the dissapointment of not getting into my choice country (twice), and having to drive me across an eight hour long desert (twice, aswell)
to apply for my visa. She went through the hell-ish stress and worry with me through out the entire process, and now I hope to pay her back by letting her know how amazingly happy I am as the result of everything she has done for me!
I have had amazing experiences here that I will learn from for the rest of my life, both good and not so good... (lets not go into the crazy catastrophy of last night where I accidentally got on the wrong train and was on my way to Savona instead of Savigliano and had to find a way to communicate my dillemna to my host family and my friend/AFS assistent who was waiting for me in Savigliano without a cellphone or the ability to use italian payphones...)
I have eaten thousands of different types of cheeses (or at least it tastes like I have!) and pastas.
I have learned a completely new and beautiful language that I will cuss in for the rest of my life.
I have discovered how much I love and appreciate my home and family.
I have bought bright sparkly gold pants.
I have legally drunk some amazing alchohol (dessert wines... o dio.)
I have spent the afternoon sun-tanning on the italian riviera while reading Charles Dickens in two languages.
I have changed and grown inside (and outside!) and I have to thank my mom for it all.
Grazie. Ti voglio bene. Happy Mothers Day.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Look at me! Posting two days in a row! Wooohoo!
So I have BIG news.
I started using the coffee machine at school. I discovered that it makes hot cocoa too! It's a big old vending machine type thing where you put in 30 cents (centesimi) and out pops a plastic cup that starts getting filled with whatever drink you pushed the button for, sugar and a little stirring spoon! It was fabulous! The hot cocoa is sugary and thick and wonderfully toasty hot! I love it! It was much more pleasant that munching on some olive crackers from the other vending machine!
Now... I must go... CIAO!
So I have BIG news.
I started using the coffee machine at school. I discovered that it makes hot cocoa too! It's a big old vending machine type thing where you put in 30 cents (centesimi) and out pops a plastic cup that starts getting filled with whatever drink you pushed the button for, sugar and a little stirring spoon! It was fabulous! The hot cocoa is sugary and thick and wonderfully toasty hot! I love it! It was much more pleasant that munching on some olive crackers from the other vending machine!
Now... I must go... CIAO!
Friday, May 8, 2009
Lunch. Pranzo. Déjeuner. Mittagessen.
I'm so darn bilingual! Look at me whipping out four different languages like that! Go me!
Now a days, school is getting easier, I'm participating in more and understanding a LOT more! I actually got an 8 1/2 (on a scale from 1 to 10, 5 being failing, 10 being impossible) on my german test which is pretty darn awesome if I do say so myself! I'm learning stuff, I'm speaking italian (still not fluent, but getting along beautifully), and I'm happy.
but...
Time is soaring.
I have passed the three month marker and ran straight into a giant wall of homesickness. It hurt, but rather than becomeing miserable with where I am now, home just became a sweeter treat to look forward to. I actually think that getting homesick was what I needed because otherwise I would make myself miserable knowing I only have two months left in Italy!!!
When I hit the halfway marker a letter arrived for me in the mail, from me. I wrote it to myself at the pre-departure orientation back in January... and reading it made me think about if I've changed since then.... the only significant change I could see was that my handwriting is different. I'm still me... I'm the same freckled, smiley, tooth-missing girl, but I get the feeling that I've opened up my eyes a little wider being out of my given place on this planet. Having the courage to live in Italy where the language, smell, and cheese is all different has given me the courage to look into my future and accept that anything literally could happen there, and I'm okay with that.
I can be pretty eloquent when I want to, huh? ;D
Oh, and by the time I return back into my world I won't have only changed on the inside... a significant physical change is presently in the planning process, but I won't give it away until after the fact and I can get a picture posted up here for you.
So that's all for now folks! Please do excuse me for the shorter post this time, and the rarety of my posts, but I find Italy much prettier outside of cyberspace. I can't resist the sunshine calling my name...
CIAO! BACI A TUTTI!!!!!!!!! <3
Now a days, school is getting easier, I'm participating in more and understanding a LOT more! I actually got an 8 1/2 (on a scale from 1 to 10, 5 being failing, 10 being impossible) on my german test which is pretty darn awesome if I do say so myself! I'm learning stuff, I'm speaking italian (still not fluent, but getting along beautifully), and I'm happy.
but...
Time is soaring.
I have passed the three month marker and ran straight into a giant wall of homesickness. It hurt, but rather than becomeing miserable with where I am now, home just became a sweeter treat to look forward to. I actually think that getting homesick was what I needed because otherwise I would make myself miserable knowing I only have two months left in Italy!!!
When I hit the halfway marker a letter arrived for me in the mail, from me. I wrote it to myself at the pre-departure orientation back in January... and reading it made me think about if I've changed since then.... the only significant change I could see was that my handwriting is different. I'm still me... I'm the same freckled, smiley, tooth-missing girl, but I get the feeling that I've opened up my eyes a little wider being out of my given place on this planet. Having the courage to live in Italy where the language, smell, and cheese is all different has given me the courage to look into my future and accept that anything literally could happen there, and I'm okay with that.
I can be pretty eloquent when I want to, huh? ;D
Oh, and by the time I return back into my world I won't have only changed on the inside... a significant physical change is presently in the planning process, but I won't give it away until after the fact and I can get a picture posted up here for you.
So that's all for now folks! Please do excuse me for the shorter post this time, and the rarety of my posts, but I find Italy much prettier outside of cyberspace. I can't resist the sunshine calling my name...
CIAO! BACI A TUTTI!!!!!!!!! <3
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
