I stick out like a sore thumb in Italy. Blonde guys? Nahhh they just don't exist here. Taylor (my roommate) and myself are about the only two Blonde guys I've seen. Blonde girls are even fairly rare and are pretty much just tourists. A few of the blonde girls on the trip have said they have gotten nasty stares from some of the other Italian girls. Fun times.
Talking to Italians that know little to no english, with my little bit of Italian is sometimes entertaining and frustrating. Casual conversations with Italians are definitely a learning experience and it seems that both parties end up learning something. Simple conversations are pretty much the limit. Dealing with vendors at a shop, you can sense their frustrating when you ask them "Parla Inglese?" I can understand their frustration, but right now, it's the best I'm able to do until I learn more Italian (or struggle with what I do have).
The price of items here varies wildly. It has become second nature to me now to figure out the price of an item in dollars from Euros (right now, multiply by 1.3). Hopefully the dollar picks up something in the few weeks, but I'm not holding my breath. Pasta is of course really cheap: 1kg (2.2lbs) is about €0,74 ($0.95). Clothing is similar for the most part, with the markets of course being fairly cheap. Wine is very cheap with a $10 bottle costing about €3 here. It is pretty common at most bars (cafes) or shops throughout the city as well. It is interesting to see kids smoking in the streets as well.
I've talked to many of you in the past week. I have tried to be as prompt in answering the emails as I can, however internet access is hard to come by here, and with the 7 hour time difference, responses will usually take a day. For those of you who I have not talked to, I will try to give as thorough an update as I can.
The School
The school is not exactly what I had expected. They show in the website a grand staircase that looks rather nice. We go to school in an old alleyway in a building that when you walk into it feels like a jail. The actual classrooms aren’t too bad other than a few days have been somewhat cold.
The teachers are somewhat insane. I have more busy-work here than I have had most of my nine semesters at NDSU, basically a ton of reading, presentations, papers, daily quizzes, the works. I think the worst part is the attendance policy: miss 2 or more days and your grade drops one letter. I think we’re going to start a petition and have everyone sign it, since it is U of M dictating this policy. I understand why this policy exists, but we’re not in high school anymore and we need to be accountable for our actions, not hand held.
On that note, I am missing two classes next week on my trip to Madrid. Yay for flight schedules.
The City
The city is absolutely gorgeous and up until the past few days the weather has been spectacular. When we got off the plane in Rome, it was nearly 70f and it was far too warm to wear jackets. It is a bit cooler in Firenze, but we have had a few days around 65f. Most days are overcast, with a little bit of sunshine here and there. This week we are down to 35f, rainy and somewhat windy (there is no comparison to the wind in Fargo, but the humidity is different here so I think that tends to make it feel a little cooler).
The cobblestone streets are interesting and sometimes a pain to walk on, not as much for me, but for those that attempt to wear heels. You do find yourself stumbling occasionally over some of the stones that are ajar.
I have not had a chance to see many of the indoor places, but have done quite a bit of sightseeing around the city and its surrounding mountains (or hills). I think by far the two coolest places have been Fiesole Hills and Piazzale Michelangiolo. I want to go up to Fiesole Hills at night and overlook the city lights from there. If you have not seen my pictures, please check the Flickr link on the right side of this site. The view from the inside of the Duomo and the Duomo tower look as though they would be excellent so I am waiting for a clear day to climb the 900 stairs (or however many).
