Italia on the Tuscan Side

So, I kinda feel like I should have posted something a while ago, but my excuse is that I’ve been so busy with getting settled here, AND Yahoo! apparently knows I’m in Italy, so everything is in Italian, and I’m trying to figure out how to post an entry. If you’re reading this, that means I have succeeded.  Yay.
Things I have noticed about Italy thus far:
1. Beauty—the people and the landscape
2. Italians are passionate people.
3. Gelato = delicious
4. Everyone here smokes
5. Everyone here wears skinny jeans
6. EVERYTHING has a story—usually a long history.
7. Euros are expensive
8. Everyone has dogs—and they are either very small ones with tons of fur, or GIANT dogs who are super fat (like German Shepherds, Great Danes, Pit bulls, etc.)
9. When you whisper, the faintest sound is magnified and echoes off of the walls of the buildings in the narrow streets.
10. Italians drive like bats out of hell, whipping around narrow streets. I think they don’t believe in using brakes, for they don’t even slow down for pedestrians (but our prof made it clear to us the first day that pedestrians don’t get the right-of-way in Italian law).
11. Italians are very social people, who are expressive in their love for one another
12. Beauty

Castiglion Fiorentino, the city that we live in, is a smaller town filled with very friendly people who love the students at the center. We live next to a church, whose bells toll all the time, adding to that European atmosphere. We walk a lot, and my cross-country legs are actually starting to come back. I’ve lost a bit of weight—eating healthy food and walking up all the hills here. We live in the mountainous region, which makes an even more beautiful scenic view—it’s the whole Tuscan charm. But the hills in town are intense. Megan (my roommate) joked that they would definitely not have passed code in America because of the risk they would create when it rains or snows (which is does a lot here—rain, that is). Most of the hills are a 45 degree incline, and you walk up them practically bent over, your legs screaming and gasping for breath. The weather is cold, but you get used to it, like anything I suppose. It’s going to be beautiful when the weather gets warmer. Classes aren’t even worth mentioning. Though my Italian class is great. The Professor is from Castiglion F.no (the abbreviation for our city—I know it looks ridiculous), and she is the sweetest lady. Hopefully I’ll be pretty good in Italian by the end of this trip. The Italians that I have encountered thus far truly appreciate it when you try to speak their language, and they generally are a lot nicer to you (versus treating you like the dumb American you act as). But apparently, my French helps, because I have been picking up the language pretty well. One of the goals I have for this entire experience is to be able to converse with the locals and become a part of their lives—at least get a glimpse of what makes this country Italia.
Today, we went to an antiques fair in Arezzo (the closest major town to us). The entire city was filled with tents with everything you could imagine. We spent the entire morning/afternoon there wandering around. I bought a hat, which you will now see in pictures to come. But as we were walking the streets, an Italian accordion player was playing this beautiful melody in the street lined with an open-air market—I got it on video, but I feel it truly captured Italian culture in such a small glimpse (for afterwards, his partner came up to us, asking for money).
Also one thing I didn’t really take into account when I came here—I automatically turned 21. And, considering I am the baby of this entire group (there is one other girl who is my age, everyone is a junior or older, and have been 21 for a while), we often go out to the bars at night and have a good time. Mixed drinks are actually pretty good, considering what you get. Wine is wonderful & cheap here as well. But I really like this group of people. It is a little different, because I’ve had to grow up a bit, just because they are pretty mature. But we laugh and joke and have a good time anyway—they are still college kids. It was slightly awkward at first, just cause no one really knew each other, but the ice was quickly broken, and soon we were planning our weekend trips with each other and hanging out all the time. I journal a lot, and because of that, get behind a little in my homework, but c’est la vie. It is just funny how quickly you get accustomed to everything—the different ways Italians do things, taking public transportation all the time, etc. Today we went to the Laundromat, and the owner spoke no English whatsoever, but he was nice enough to drive us back up the hill to our center for free. It was strange getting in a car again…
So, I’ve been rambling, I know, but I will still have so much more to say when I get back to the US. I won’t shut up, but y’all are under no obligation to read all this! :) Next week we go to Rome (“Roma” en Italiano). And that song always gets stuck in my head…. Roma…Ro-ma-ma…