I feel like I ate nails for breakfast

Hello ALL.

Come va? That means "How's it going?" but it may be singular in which case I would be completely incorrect in asking you, unless of course only one person reads this blog, which would be in fact quite depressing. I have no idea why, but for SOME reason some Roman dude thought it'd be quite clever to have masculine and feminine nouns, with adjectives that must agree in gender and number, and thought it would be funny to have 4 differnet ways to say "yours," depending on what you were talking about and who you are speaking to. I'm having so much fun finding out about all this. My Italian classes are really great though, "Ho tre corsi di Italiano a settimana," I have three classes a week. And now I'm in the computer lab at school, it's Monday morning, and I'm feeling hypocritical and synical and not really in the best mood to be writing. Which is rather unfortunate, because I only get one day a week to write on here, and as of right now I only have like 40 minutes left. Crud.

Well let's see what can I write about today? How about how I do not like school. I don't like waking up early, I don't like riding the bus full of people who are rude and mean and don't move when I'm trying to get off at my stop and then give me weird looks when I accidently press the "Stop Requested" button at the wrong stop and then don't get off, I don't like going to school 6 days a week, and I don't like not understanding anything. I also don't like not having school books. I'm not sure WHO is supossed to provide me with them but whoever it is hasn't done their job. So I'm sitting in a wonderful mint green room the shade of some off-brand toothpaste, listening to a teacher with a notebook in front of me, and just sit. And sit. And sit. It's great, really.

Let's talk about the schools here. Well, first off, I noticed that they don't have toilet paper, soap, or paper towels in the bathrooms. It's disgusting and completely unsanitary. I mean sure, maybe they're saving money, but there are some standards in life that you just should meet. So that's gross, this school is practially a breeding ground for influenza. In school here, no one gets to pick their classes. You're in one class, all day, all year, for all of high school. You sit in the same room, and the same teachers come in and out all day, for five long years. Your classes are picked for you, and everyone has the same. The classrooms are boring, with one sole chalkboard behind the teacher's desk. You're lucky to have say maybe, a map or two hanging on the wall. There are no breaks except one for 15 minutes. There are no sports, and no extracuriculars. No art, music, film, band, chorus, or dance. However, my school really has been great to me. I get to move around quite a bit, and am even helping out a little around the school! Haha just a little. Each week I get two hours in the computer lab (totally awesome!), I help out in the library for two hours, and I'm helping my English professor one hour a week with one of his classes :D I may even help another English teacher. All the teachers and staff have really been very very nice, so really I shouldn't complain.

Gosh this is awful, for some reason my mind has drawn a complete blank as to what I should write about.

Well, I'm getting a little busy as it turns out. Here's my schedule for a week- Monday evenings I have basketball practice from 9-11 (yeah, LATE!), and in a few weeks play practice will start in the afternoons, which may conflict with Rotary Italian lessons seeing as the day may change... we'll see how that works out. Tuesday afternoons I have Italian lessons after school. Wednesday afternoon I have Italian after school with my school, then in the evenings I have YOGA! Thursday evenings I have basketball again, and in a few weeks play practice. Fridays I have Italian lessons again in the afternoons. Then this Saturday evening I'm going to a birthday party :) and next week I'm attending a Rotaract meeting/dinner which I'm looking forward to very much. This past Saturday I was with Rotary in MONZA to watch the races which was quite fun, and in the evening I went to a little neighborhood festival with all the kids from Poasco :D Last night I had basketball practice from 6-8:30, and after we went out to PIZZA! I think I like basketball... I'd like to get good at it anyway, and all the girls on the team are really sweet. The Rotary outing was great, and I loved seeing all my fellow students again! It's quite funny to step back and observe our group. Friendships have already begun, and ended. I guess drama is just inevitable when you stick a small group of English speaking (well for the most part) kids in a massive city where no one speaks English. The kids all cling to eachother for the first bit, and then break off into groups. It's just what happens. I hung out with these two awesome girls from Australia and a girl from California :D It is pretty cool to think about how now, in one short month, because of Rotary, I know people from really all over the world. Italy for one, but also Australia, Hawaii, Calirfornia, New York, Mexico, Japan. It's really very cool.

Well it's about time for me to get off :( I feel like I've done a horrible job writing this morning. No, I'm not in a very good mood. I guess now is when things stop becoming all new and exciting and I have to get used to what will be my "normal routine" And YES I'm doing a lot of really fun and great things, but still, adjusting is just rough, and sometimes it gets very frustrating. Not every day is going to be happy and cheery and wonderful either, I mean, that's just not normal. Every blog post can't be all happy and wonderful because that would be a bit strange. But I'l be better, I promise, and next week I'll write more and write about something fun and tell you all about my great week, because I really do have a good week coming up. I'm pleasantly surprised actually at what I've been doing lately :D Things will get easier, and of course the quicker I learn Italian the quicker things will get easier.

Well, I really do wish I had more time to write. I know I'm going to sign off and then for the next few hours have things come to mind that I wanted to or should've writen about. This post is definitely far from perfect.

I really am doing fine, I hope I don't sound like I'm miserable or something, because that would be far from the truth. This is however the longest I've EVER been away from home and some things are just hard about it. But I'll get better, I promise :)

Thank you all SO much for the emails and facebook comments and notes, I love all of them and love and miss each one of you :)

I'll try to put in more Italian in my next post too,

Love you all!!

Ciao a tutti!!!

Halcyon