"Honeymoon Stage"

Buongiorno! I am sorry for the late post, but the others I have tried would not work and so they deleted and I lost them all. Anyway, it is Friday here, and we don't have school! Instead I am going to Florence and going to the biggest discoteca there called Space. We are all SO busy here with trip planning, homework, eating, cooking, and making friends that it is impossible to sit down! To prove this, right now I have to go get new pants because I have none that fit anymore! It doesn't matter how much wine or gelato I eat! The same thing is happening with the others. We are trying to keep our calories up, but its so hard! I know, I nevere thought I would here myself complaing that I can't eat enough...well in Rome anything can happen.

The reason I call this the "Honeymoon Stage" is because it is now over. This stage is the first 8-10 days of a trip and it is sort of like a dream because of the shock and awe. Now, for instance, we were walking to get books and we passed the Trevi Fountain with a glance because it was normal. Only after though, we realized, wait, did we just pass one of the most famous fountains in the world on our way to buy books and it was normal. This is the sort of thing I mean by that. And now, that stage is over. I still fight htough, every time I go outside to soak everything in and not take it for granted. Still I wonder at the majesty of the Vatican, and the enormity of the Colloseo. I am improving my italian in great strides and I feel it everyday. I have Italian friends at school and we talk outside all the time in a circle. I am learning so much slang and how to improve my accent, because I still sound american.

I have also made a new traditon at our apartment. Here is the schedule: dinner at 8, homework till 10, then walk around Rome until 2. We try to discover new parts of Rome every night because I always feel bad sitting inside our apartment at night doing homework. We usually sit at the pantheon and have a beer or a tea. We chat and discuss philosophical things...(I lied on that last bit). My classes are all a joke except one where I actually have to work. I love them all though and am learning tons about Rome and its history.

Ok, so I will blog again after Florence and all of its adventures! I can't wait! I am so pumped to here the accent and compare it and try to use it myself and blend with the florentines! So ciao for now!

Biagio