Here's a pic of the center of town both day and night:
The weather these days in Perugia is a little touch and go - one minute it's clear, sunny skies and the next minute the clouds are rolling in and I am caught in either a few sprinkles or an immediate downpour. And I still do not have an umbrella. This of course, is Mary's fault because 1/2 an hour before we left my apartment we "repacked" my bags and she told me I could buy an umbrella here in Italy. Right! I don't need an umbrella! Check! Except, I am sort of lazy about buying items I clearly need.... So, sometimes I stay at the caffé for a little longer than what is socially acceptable if it's raining.
So, a sunny Sunday morning has now become a slightly dark and wet afternoon with a crack of thunder every so often; a perfect day for studying and blogging! It's been 3 weeks now in Perugia and I am finally getting into the swing of life, school, and "per fortuna" friends.
Life:
I joined the community pool for the cost of about $65/month! A bit expensive, but necessary with all the pasta and chocolate pastries I find myself eating. I walk everywhere since it's very easy to get around the city on foot. Lots of great nooks and crannies in this town and beautiful views.
School:
Studying seemed like a full-impact sport the first week. My body hurt from sitting down for 4 hours. I needed a lot of sleep. How did I do this before? I am still considering whether I like the school. We seem to waste too much time in class which equals wasting my hard-earned dollars slaving away at the BluePlate. September is a month-long course as opposed to a semester, therefore the teacher crams as much as possible into the class with very little focus... October begins a 3-month semester so I plan on at least studying in October to see how it goes. Fortunately, just living in Italy is a daily study of the language. I read everything I can in Italian - the paper, Vanity Fair, and have picked up a few books in Italian I already read in English... and then I look up every 4th word in the dictionary. But it's working!
Friends:
I have been really fortunate to meet some great Italian friends already who are constantly correcting my Italian and teaching me all the hip and inappropriate things to say in Italian. Today I learned the phrase for "hindsight is 20/20" when talking about a girl that my friend dated a few months ago. He then proceeded to teach me the words he currently uses to describe her. Having friends here certainly makes life more enjoyable and makes learning Italian tons of fun!
Well, I may have to brave the rain later for some gelato. For now, I am going to study a bit. Ciao Ciao!
