Italiano Level One Billion

Today was exhausting and overwhelming, but in the end I had a lot of fun. My roommate Julia and I got up a little early so that we could go to a bar (which is actually a cafe) for breakfast. Even though we ordered in perfectly fine Italian the barista responded in English, but I decided to just keep speaking Italian to her anyways, and she didn't seem to care (the bar we chose was actually the trendy, sheik one, so we decided that that was probably why they were a little snobbier). I ordered un cornetto con marmallata, which is essentially a croissant with marmalade in it, and it was probably one of the best breakfast treats I've ever had, along with my espresso. The bars are funny because there is no sitting, you just stand, literally at the bar, or sometimes there are small, tall tables to stand at.

My roommate Julia at the Bar

After breakfast we headed to school via the escalators near the Duomo that take you all the way  down the big hill. As far as I'm concerned the escalators are for lazy days and novelty, but considering the school is at the bottom of a giant hill, well see how I feel about them when it comes time to climb back up everyday. Today at school we had our first day of Italian language lessons. The good news is I did well enough on the placement exam to be put in the advanced group; the bad news is it was a total disaster. I though it started out okay, but I should have guessed it would only get worse when the first thing we were asked to do was comment on Italian politics. I mean really, I've only had one semester of Italian. However, I wasn't the only one in that situation, three other girls who had been in my Italian Class at Lewis and Clark were right there with me. After class ended we all went up to the instructor and we didn't even have to tell her, she already had marks by our names and told us we could move down a level or two, which was quite a relief. Generally, I feel pretty confident in the Italian I know, and I think that what I can say I can say well, but there's really only so much one can learn in a semester. That certainly had me flustered, but I'm glad it seems to be worked out.

After lunch we had two meetings: the first was almost entirely to warn the girls about Italian men and the more dangerous Italian men imposters. As it turns out, Romanian and Albanian often try to pass for Italian, which they can since they speak the language and look similar to Italian, however these men are supposedly more aggressive than Italians, and it's no secret that Italian men already aren't known for being shy. Honestly though, I don't anticipate a whole lot of clubbing in my immediate future, so I think I'll be fine. Maybe I'll go after I get more adjusted, but right now being hit on my men of who knows what nationality is not quite what I'm looking for. The second meeting was a short introduction to the history of the city of Siena. Here are my favorite things that I learned:
-Siena was made to be a tourist town. People stopped in on their way to Rome, the holy city, so Siena took advantage and made hella bank.
-The streets inside the city walls were built to be confusing on purpose, because that way if an army invaded they'd get lost and probably not even be able to find their way out (we lost American students do not enjoy the same sense of security that the walls once provided).
-The Contrade (regions of the city, which compete in the Palio horse races every year) were established as another security measure. Each contrada (neighborhood) was responsible for guarding it's portion of the wall. This was cheaper and more efficient than stationing an army around the walls, both in money and in man power. Originally there were 54 contrade, but the plague caused the death of about 2/3 of the city, so they ended up with only 17.
-In the current day Palio it is no secret nor is it shameful for contrade to bribe other contrade to sabatoge their enemies, specifically by running their horses off the track during the race.

When a got home a few hours after school I finally got to meet Renato, my host father. Boy, is he fun! He speaks less English than Alessandra, but he's so encouraging and fun to talk to in what little Italian I have. However, I did have a hard time explaining when he asked about what my mother did for work; I don't quite know the translation for non-profit, so 'm pretty sure we settled on something close to charity, even though that's really not it. I didn't even touch the independent consultant aspect. And, as it turns out, Renato's favorite music includes Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin!
After dinner he and Alessandra showed us the video of the 2006 Palio, when their contrada, the panther, won. It looked like so much fun, and I caught some silly shots of them in the part showing the celebration!
After that (Mom, you'll be proud to hear this) I showed them the album Mom made of my family and friends. They seemed to really enjoy looking at it, and I had a good time using my Italian vocabulary to explain nonni and zia and fratelli and sorelli. I had even picked up how to say roommate, companione di stanza (that's right Mags, you're in the album. Twice.). He also said that Casey's beard was big like a bear. Funny that I actually already knew that vocabulary to the point where I didn't even have to think about it (ha un barba come un'orso!).
And this brings us to the end of the day, where I am worn out but happy and well fed (home made fritatta for dinner!).
OH and also I got my phone all set to go. In the unlikely event that any of you would like to call me, it'll probably cost you a lot but receiving calls is free for me!