My first post in ITALIA!!!

HI!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow I am SO sorry it has taken me THIS LONG to post something on here!!! I left for Italy thinking "I'll give myself one week to get on the computer and write a post, facebook, etc." and look, it has been ONE MONTH! Things just don't work out how you plan sometimes... My computer situation is this- my host family has one very old computer with internet and it's off until they get home from work, around 6:30. When they get home sometimes they turn it on (and put in the password to get in) but sometimes they don't, and even when they do my host parents have to use it for work... so I haven't been able to get on too much, and even when I do get on I feel bad about staying on for too long and am nervous that I'll spend too much time on it. I also can't put pictures up (I must have 500 already, although I am editing then) beause it would take until the next ice age (or global warming or whatever we're expecting...)

BUT you might ask how am I on now??? Well, my Enlgish teacher at school has really been wonderful and is working on my behlaf with the school to arrange for me a new schedule, which includes helping out in the library once a week AND getting 2 HOURS every Monday morning to use the computer!!! By myself, in like the teacher's computer lab (the one without all the... oh whats the word? Those things they put up to keep kids from getting on any "fun" sites, or in most cases just any sites in general. My English is failing me). So that's where I am right now :) I could've missed school today because I woke up two days ago with a sore throat, and that's ALWAYS the first sign that I'm getting sick, and yesterday I woke up feeling horrible and spent all day in bed. BUT I wasn't going to misout on this! Also for some reason my class today gets out of school at 10:45, so I figure why miss a school day when it's only 3 hours long? If you're going to miss a day, make sure you miss ALL of it :P

So back to business. I guess I should start well, "at the beginning" a very good place to start...

I arrived in Milan at about 2 in the afternoon I suppose on Friday, Sept 5, with 5 other students from CA, OH, ND (North Dakota?) and MI. The plane ride was so horrible that I think just the thought of having to fly like that again before I have to is enough to keep me here and not send me home early. I hate plane rides. I also sat next to a girl who wouldn't stop talking to me and offering me junk food. Thanks, but no thanks. The time change totally threw me off, because when I FINALLY fell asleep (at about 11) for a few short short hours it was dark, but when I woke up (or was woken up by flight attendants opening the shades on the windows quite noisily and rudely, and also by the girl next to me saying, "good morning!" I was like dude, its 4 in the morning, and nothing about it right now is good) it was BRIGHT outside! Ugh. It was apparently 11am. I didn't like that at ALL. But enough about the flight. Once we had all gotten our bags, I phoned home to let everybody know I was alright. I wanted to keep talking and talking but at the same time didn't because I was scared I'd start crying. Getting on the plane to leave back home in beautiful Asheville was seriously one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. All us Rotary students, dressed in our blue blazers, then walking out the big doors together to our awaiting host familes. The rest of the day is kind of a boring blur, because I felt sick, tired, and gross. All I wanted to do was take a long wonderful shower and curl up in bed. Maybe make a cup of green tea before I went. I drove back with my host family, I saw my room, unpacked a bit, and then it was time to eat dinner. We had personal pizzas. Then it was time for a BATH and bed. How nice. I think I called home that night, which was probably a good thing and a bad thing, because I started crying (or was that the second night?) and then got mad at myself because I was calling to let mommy and daddy know I was OK and here I was about to sob.

The next day, Saturday, was really very boring, because I had to go with my host mom to get my paperwork in order. Later around 6 I went with her and my host sister to church, this really really REALLY old small one in my neighborhood, and I met one of my host mom's good friends who invited me to her house for dinner Monday night! More about that later. THEN later Saturday evening they had planned to take me to their small house by the sea in GENOVA!!! We packed lightly, only for an overnight stay, and drove about 2 hours to the OCEAN!! We got there at about 10:30, and apparently it was time for GELATO! Gelato, I just have to tell you, is really really good. It is the Italian's version of ice cream, but oh so much better. It's creamier, and handmade in each of the little "Gelaterias" that are ALL OVER Italy, and the flavors are SO YUMMY! The first night I got a cone with banana and chocolate hazzelnut. Mmmmmmmm. My host family's appartment is up on the side of a mountain, and completely adorable. The next day I woke up rather late and played Monopoly with my host sister Elena and learned numbers 1-10 in Italian! Haha my first words :P Hahaha other than "ciao" "si" and "grazie." Then we went to walk around Genova in the afternoon, and later walked around their mountain. And... gasp! There were GRAPES growing everywhere!!! Seriously the most amazing grapes I've ever tasted in my entire life. And FIGS! I picked grapes off the vine and figs off the tree. How cool is that.

So that day, Sunday, was great. Then we drove back and got home around 6 I think, and I really must hury up because I only have an hour left on this computer and have only gotten through like the third day. OH WOW. Monday evening I went to eat dinner with my host mom's friend and her family, which I loved! She has 5 kids, so I felt right at home. They were loud, made fun of each other, laughed, and got on each other about everything... a bit like at home. Rosie's husband and second and third oldest sons could speak Enlgish very well so we managed to have a very nice conversation. And the food was AWESOME!

Let me tell you a bit about the food. When I told people last year I was going to Italy, they warned me of 1. The food and/or 2. The boys. So far hey've been correct about the food, but I have yet to see a really good looking boy. I don't know where they are (definitely NOT at my school). I have been "heckled" at once though, but I was in the Center with other girls and the boys were stupid and young and not very cute. Anyway that's besides the point. I have eaten VERY well since I've been here, maybe better even than what is normal here BECAUSE my host father, Sergio, used to be a chef. At least that's what one of the girl's I've met told me (Asava, the best friend of Ilaria, my host sister in NC). I belive it though. He also comes from Genova, which is the region in Italy FAMOUS for it's basil AND... PESTO!!! Apparently the best basil in the world is from Genova (like how pizza COMES from Naples so the best in the world is there) so I have tasted the best pesto in the world. I've had fish meatballs with tomato sauce, eggplant parmesan with sauce, these rice ball things that were fried on the outside and inside have meat, sauce and peas, homemade bread with cheese, meat, and pistcaios inside, pasta pasta and more pasta, great pizza, and FRUIT!!! My host family ALWAYS has the two drawers in their fridge FILLED with fruit! Grapes, apples, oranges, pears, peaches, figs. It's awesome.

Now about my host family. They're really really great, and I'm very fortunate to be staying with them. I have a host dad, Sergio, a host mom, Manuela, a 12 year old sister, Elena, and 5 year old brother, Stephano. I live in a newer appartment building (everyone in the city lives in appartment buildings, I think houses are unheard of) which is strangely similar to my house at home because it's not quite finished and they haven't exactly finshed unpacking (Stehano's room has been turned into a "temporary" storage space for boxes). Haha it's great. I live in this little neighborhood called Poasco, which is about 20 mintues outside the city but is surrounded by FEILDS which is very very rare in Milan, as you might imagine. This city is huge. It's also about 10 mintues outside San Donato (if any of you are intereste to Google Earth it or something). It has it's own teeny tiny grocery store, newspaper and magazine stand, 2 bars, church, a few parks, a cemetary, soccer feild, elementary school, and old old farmhouse. It's so adorable! I can walk down every street one time without repeating any (yes, I have been so bored once that I was able to do that) and it takes me about... maybe an hour, more like 45 minutes. Running there was a BAD idea though! I tried it once and was MISERABLE! I haven't been able to run at all not counting that one attempt. It's so FLAT here, and all pavement or sidewalk. Yes I've gone one month without running. It's horrible and I miss it so so much.

I have WALKED more this month than I think I did all last summer, if not all last semester! (not counting of course my milage running). I've really had fun just walking around the city by myself after school I've done it a few times. I have my map in my bag, euros in one pocket, my cell phone in the other, an apple in my hand, and I'm ready to go anywhere! The other day I walked from my school to the Center on a quest to find a Bank of America. I found it, but alas, twas only an office building and not an actual bank. So I think I'm going to have to open a bank account here, which is a good idea anyway. Dispite not finding what I so desperately needed however I had a great time wandering around exploring the city center. I went into a few stores, and at one point when I was almost lost (although how can you be lost when you don't really have anywhere you have to be?) I walked by THE Prada and THE Dolce & Gabana store!!! WOW. Public transportation has been quite hard to figure out though, and the first week here I rode the bus completely unaware that I had to buy a ticket, which could've been bad. There is a wonderful sense of accomplishment however when you first manage to take the metro by yourself and end up getting to where you needed to be! With switching lines once and everything. I was so proud of myself. I wanted to tell my host mom, but then realized that she wouldn't see the accomplishment the way I did :P

Now about the people I've met. Although I didn't spend a whole lot of time on my host family did I? They deserve more than that. Manuela knows English quite well although seeing as I've been here a month I think it's time for her to start speaking in Italian first and then repeating in English what I don't understand. Haha she asked me when I'd like for her to start doing that, and I told her one month... which was yesterday. My Italian is definitely coming along, but not as quickly as I would like. But THIS WEEK I begin Italian courses provided by ROTARY (Rotary is So amazing by the way, I've loved EVERYTHING they've done for me it really is awesome) on Tues and Thurs and they will continue until, or through, Dec I think. My school also offers Italian for foreigners after school on Wed that I'm definitely going to try. I hope it's good. Sergio doesn't speak any English, but yesterday morning I had my FIRST somewhat conversation with him!! He was telling me about Monza, and the races held there. Then he went on to tell me about his favorite soccer team (from Genova). It was aweosme! Elena is very sweet and I really like talking with her because she doesn't know much English and it's fun trying to figure out what we're trying to say to eachother :P Stephano is just adorable and loves giving tons of kisses. He also loves cookies with chocolate milk in the mornings for breakfast (everyone here likes cookies for breakfast! It's like Chips Ahoy in the morning or something, ahck!), Hahaha and yesterday I told Stephano, in broken and VERY gramatically incorrect Italian I'm sure, that before breakfast he needed to brush his teeth, and he understood me!! Yes!!! And today, Sergio said that after school he has a surprise for me at his office... I have NO idea what to think or expect :D So after school I'm going to Manuela's parent's house to have lunch with her mom who's then driving me to his office at about 4, and he told me to make sure I bring my camera... I guess you'll fund out next week what it is :D And OH MY GOSH I have the SWEETEST host grandparents EVER!!! They're SO cute! The grandmother (nonna) loves to give me big hugs and whenever I walk over to her house (she lives in Poacso) she offers me food and gives me a big plate of grapes. The grandfather is also really really nice and eeps asking me baout Italian lessons because he says he wants to be able to really talk with me. I want to be able to talk to all of them too so bad!!! Argh. They call it a language "barrier" for a very good reason.

So back to the people I've met. I met first Asava, this really sweet girl who is FLUENT in English and goes to my school. Unfortunatly she's not in my class. There's a whole group of girls in her class (5D) who are ALL super super sweet and have taken me shopping in the Center and also invited me to lunch with them the other week which was SO much fun! We made crepes with banana and Nutella inside topped with gelato :D Then there's the neighborhood "gang" of Poasco who I met that Monday night after I had dinner at Rosie's house. Her son Stephano had gotten a bunch of his friends together to take me out to DOWNTOWN Milan later that evening! Woo-hoo! Haha I had a great time with them. There's Robie, another girl who's fluent in Enlgish and very very nice. Degli, this punk-ish girl who loves English and all things American. Then the boys, who al have funny little nicknames. Fra (Franchesco), Da (Dario), Gigi (Luigi!!), Ste (Stephano), Marc (Marco), and Tom. I was later invited to Robie's birthday party, and then his past Friday went out all afternoon with them to see Fra's school play and then a photo exhibit with some of Robie's pictures (she loves photography). They're all realy fun and I want to keeping hanging out with them.

So I still have more to write about school, my Rotary HOST CLUB (like the PALACE where they hold their meetings!!!), Rotary in Milan (there are 21 exchange students in the area, mostly from the U.S.), all the events and trips they've planned for us (they took us out all day in Milan together and this Saturday we're all ging to MONZA to see the races! They also offer trips to Venice, Rome, Florance and... a few other places, but those are the biggest) and just the fun details of life in this massive city (like I have a NATURAL FOOD STORE at my bus stop for school! Hahaha and much more). Things aren't ALL great and wonderful of course, and at the moment I'm quite sick and freezing cold. But so far the first month here has been, I think, really really great. I still have A LOT of things to figure out and work on, which includes learning Italian, but things are getting done slowly. School I will say is very boring. BUT the other day I signed up to be in the school PLAY! I hope it ends up being fun :) I also went to my first BASKETBALL practice last Thurs evening, and I htink I'm gonna go again tonight! Haha I WANT to exercise so bad and my host mom found out about this group of girls who practice together and they lt me come try it out. I may not ever paly in a real game, which is totally ok with me, but just to run and learn how to play could be great! I also have yoga every Wed evening in Poacso which I HOPE is somewhat similar to yoga back at home, that would be ao wonderful!!!

Alright well the bell is about to ring. I'll be back next Monday though!!! Hopefully I'll be a bit better by then, and WARMER would be great too, and I'll tell you all about my Italian courses and MONZA! And maybe hopefully posts will get more detailed when I only have to write about one WEEK and not one MONTH!!!

I miss you all, I miss NC weather, I miss running, and I miss my health food (although I do have tea here :) but I'm glad I'm here. Come visit me!!!!!!!!! ;P

I LOVE ALL OF YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!! Write me letters!!! Or emails!!! Either would be wonderful, I LOVE hearing from you!!!!!!!!!

My address is

Sergio Mugnos
Halcyon Garrett
Via Schuster 4
20097 San Donato Milanese
MI Italy

email is

halcyon.italy@gmail.com

Alrighty, ciao for now!!!!!

ALL MY LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Halcyon