Progress

It's getting harder and harder to remember english since Italian is all I ever hear. I don't ever write english anymoe except for when I get on the computer so it's really hard for me to think of what I want to say and write it the correct way and spell everything right, so I am sorry if half of this makes no sense and is spelled wrong. *cough Mrs Black

I officiallt got to go out on my own with my friends for the first time last week. It was by far the most fun I've had since I've been here. We walked along the beach and went shopping on the street and would be equvilant to Michegan Ave. in Chicago or 5th Ave. in New York. The teachers are on strike like no other here..we don't go to school on Fridays because that is there day to march around town and do their protests. Protests are really scary if you have ever been to one :p.

AFS camp was so much fun. It took the train ride home for it to finally click into everyones head that Naples isn't a specific city it's and area. We were actually in Sorrento. It was so beautiful! Our hotel had the most magnificant view of the sea! It wasn't a stupid orientation where all they did was talk though. We played tons of games..actually fun games. Like the 'Baby, if you love me won't you smile?' Where everyone is in a circle and someone says that to you and can do whatever they want to you to make you laugh, and you have to say back 'Baby I love you, but i just can't smile.' The object is to never laugh or else your it..and you have to say that to someone else. Of couse we played it in italian, so it was even funnier. There was only one other American at this orentation though. We just laughed at how easy American school is compared to Italian school. At the end of the stay we did a talent show. You could be with whoever you wanted with however many people. Most people just flocked to whoever was from their country though. So we decided we just had to do something that represented our country. But, the result of two uncoordinated, untalented American's trying to come up wtih a talent was just sad hahahaha. So being Americans..what better way to represent the USA..then to rap :D :) Since everybody listens to American music we knew the perfect song :) I'd say that our rendition of 'Baby Got Back' was a sucess :) :) hahahahhahaha it was so much fun. You can watch it on my facebook :D

I also found out that all schools in Italy go on school trips. The class you are in gets to pick wherever they want to go and they plan it all. We get to go to Barcelona, Spain. And then to Sicilia, Italia towards the end of the school year. I'm so excited! I don't knwo why American school don't do that.

I also now have to officially switch host families. My AFS volunteer said that my family wasn't compatible with INTERCULTURA because they don't communicate with them..so instead of living ten minutes away from Salerno I will live in the center of Salerno. I don't know exactly where though. I don't actually change host families until next week. As far as I know they have just one daughter who is 16 years old. It's the chance to get to know more people I suppose so I'll look on the bright side of things.

The weather here is even more unpredictable than the weather in Illinois. One day it feels like I have frost bite, and the next its warm enough to go swimming. Odd.

P.S.-according to everyone else in the world..there are 6 continents not seven. 'apparently' there is just one America. And there is no Australia..it's Austrilasia. Because New Zealand is appart of 'Austrilasia.'

Lesson Number 1

Lesson number 1:

do NOT fall asleep on a bus. I though I missed my stop when I went on the bus and I'm pretty sure the feeling I had was equivalent to cardiac arrest hahahaha

Sorry I haven't written in so long. I've been really busy with barely a minute to sit down.


New things I have discovered:
Italians are probably the worst drivers I have ever seen. Scary actually. They all drive on the dash in the middle of the road..and when it is supposed to be a one lane road they manage to fit like three. They also don't use stop signs..I think they see that as more of a suggestion hahaha. They are very courteous drivers though. There is a fast lane, and a slow lane on highways. They also drive in the lane that is supposed to be used for pulling over haha.

No matter how you are feeling, every Saturday night you go out. No matter what. Its fun though to get dressed up go out! Italians have parties..a lot. Birthday parties are probably more extravagant than homecoming. But teenagers here contain themselves with the drinking since it's of legal age for us. They don't drink to get drunk, it's more of a social thing that they do.

With the new fall lines out in Italia it makes me realize what a big difference there is in fashion here verses fashion in America. It's kind of sad actually. Everybody takes so much pride in how they look here and the boys dress soooo nice compared to what I'm used to seeing everyday. They even tie sweaters around their shoulders!

I go to Naples on Monday for an AFS camp. It's the first orientation since we got off the train to meet our host families. Everybody around my area is going to be there. There will probably be thirty of us, maybe. But, that is a big difference compared to the 450 of us that were at the incoming orientation!

Gelato!

I had my very first gelato in Italia yesterday! It was the most delicious thing I think I have ever had! There is no competition with Aneric on this one! They put little minature waffle scoops on top of your ice cream and you use that as like a spoon to eat your ice cream with, it's really neat! And the ice cream scoops they put on your cone are HUGE! I'm finally getting used to how much they eat here now because everyone was done eating and I was still hungry..yeah that didn't make me feel like a cow or anything..

I got my literature book the other day. The Betrothed, by Alessandro Manzoni. Translated into english..it's an almost 800 page novel. That is a LOT of reading! Oh how I miss the smallness of Great Expectations. Trying to figure out if you are in the right math class is harder than it would seem to be. Because you have to go through the processs of asking them if they're just going over review or if they are actually learning this. And I have to do all of this with 'review' not being in my dictionary ..piece of cake. I started my Latin class yesterday, too. I don't think it really clicked in my mind on how fr ahead in education other countries are compared to America until I sat down in my Latin class..I should have just brought my Latin teacher because I think I'll need her! Thank goodness most english words are derived from Latin or this would not be good.

Italian TV is practically exactly the same as American TV. They have the same shows we do..it is just translated into Italian so the actors' voices are all different. ..It isn't the same not hearing House's accent anymore :'( It's very weird not the here the the same voices that I am used to hearing in America..but I'm getting used to it I suppose. EVERYBODY is obsessed with House here..which I personally don't have a problem with. :) They all looooove Hello Kitty and Pooh Bear. It's weird because the things that highschoolers in America would never carry aroung because its more for little kids, every single person in Italy carries the character around of all ages.

Italians LOVE american music! It's funny when they all sing along in the car with me to music, and they dont know what thw word is they just kinda mubble what it sounds like, it is so hilarious!

The respect the students here have for their teachers is astonishing. The first day of school when I entered the room they all stud up for me, and then I got a BOUNGIORNO! and I said Ciao..but they all laughed. Probably because to them I have an 'accent' hahaha.. They recycle in Italy like no other! They have five trash cans everwhere you go for seperate recycled items. They even have a trashcan for gum..which is kind of gross when I looked at all the gum for the first time. NO BODY puts their gum underneath the desk.