Ciao, Tutti!
I just had to share this e-mail which Lauren had sent - it's so good, and I'm sure several of you were wondering the same things . . .
"I was reading over the blogs you have posted today and I had a few questions that I would love to have cleared up before I go to Italy and make a fool of myself. The first one is about what to pack. Is there going to be a way for me to do laundry, or do I need to pack a whole bunch of clothes and a massive amount of deodorant? Kind of silly, but I really don't know. Also about the Homestay entry, you said that if I do not eat my whole meal my mom will think I am ill, I don't eat a whole bunch of food at meals, so is it going to be an issue if I do not complete my meal every night, or should I just stuff myself? Also, I believe on my application I remembered to write that I have a certain dietary limitation. Is my mother going to take offense if I do not eat the food if it has to do with this restriction? At home if my mom cooks a meal with this I just eat the rest of the meal prepared and have a little more vegetables than I normaly would. "
With packing, definitely plan to do laundry. In fact, most homestays will do a load of laundry for you each week (plus, of course, washing the sheets and towels in your room). If you discover that your homestay doesn't do laundry, that's okay too - mine doesn't. Instead, I just take one afternoon a week to take my few outfits (I usually pack four tops and four skirts, and that's it) to one of the laundromats in town and do my own laundry. Gives me time to enjoy a little reading or watch the news, anyways! If you're not in the mood to do your own laundry, there are also laundromats who will do your laundry for you, for a higher charge.
Eating in the homestay is an issue which I'm careful about, mostly because I find that different people view eating differently. The homestay hosts are REALLY good about watching the eating habits of their new tenants, and quickly alter their serving amounts for the tenant. By all means, don't STUFF yourself to misery at dinner - that isn't the point of enjoying Italian food at all. Just keep in mind that it's all about communication. When I don't finish something on my plate, my homestay Mom's first reaction is "what, did you not like it (no ti piace)?" I just have to be prepared to explain that it was too much food for me, but that it was delicious (as always).
In the past, I have had students who have performed self-destructive types of behavior in their eating habits (which, I often suspect, were habits before the trip), including not eating at all or often rejecting meals. The rudest student I've ever had actually rejected the homestay's meals, then went out and bought dinner for themselves, and returned home with leftovers. This made the student seem insolent, and the homestay parents were greatly insulted. Had she simply informed them that she was a picky eater and preferred to determine her menu, the homestay would have probably been more proactive in chatting with the student before they began dinner preparation. In another instance, I've had a wonderful student who had a chronic problem with her stomach (but didn't think to inform me or the program about it). Her homestay contacted me, concerned that she closed herself in her room, and hardly ate any dinner. Turns out that, if she had simply informed us and them about her dietary needs, they could have suited her quickly. As always, it's all about communication.
It's so smart of you to mention your dietary limitations in advance, because your homestay hosts do view themselves as professionals, and that you are their guest. Thank you for being proactive - you'll find that, even on nights when they prepare a dinner in which you can't eat one of the ingredients, because of your requests on your document, they will make you an alternate dinner.
Of course, if you should ever make plans to go out for dinner with your peers (and you do have this option), you simply inform your homestay at breakfast that you will be eating out that evening. There are some AMAZING restaurants in Siena, and it's always fun to get away for an evening with friends. The only downfall is the fact that dinner at the homestay is paid for in advance, and you'd have to pay for your dinner if you're dining out!
Wow - thank you for the great e-mail, Lauren!!! Keep sending them!!!
un' abbracio,
Laura :)
Friday, April 25, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Being Italian
I once read that PEOPLE are what really make a PLACE, and this is absolutely true in Italy. Italy is a wonderful place because of the people who live there - they make amazing food, they keep it a great tourism location with their pleasant personalities, and they even make it visually beautiful because of their beauty as a people.
By the end of our stay, you, too, will have become an Italian, if only for a short time. Here are some things to expect in this transformation:
1. You'll have a more discerning taste for Italian food, which is a good thing. Too many Americans tolerate their pasta being drowned in a mediocre sauce (more is better, right?) and overpaying for greasy pizza (ewwwwww).
2. You'll pay more attention to how you seem to others. It is a civic duty, as an Italian, to make sure you're respectable when you're out in public, both in your habits/behavior, and in your dress (see Homestay entry).
3. You'll complain far less about things you can't control. Complaining about the weather is inane to Italians. It's common conversation for Americans. Worrying isn't really part of Italian culture (except by parents, for their children), and people seem more willing to find contentment in their lives, rather than wanting to continually claw up the ladder.
4. You'll appreciate the slower things in life. Sure, I'll MAKE you do journaling time at least once a week, but, by the end of the trip, you'll be asking for more days at the Fortezza, sitting, watching. A favorite pasttime of an Italian is watching others, who are probably watching you. What is better than to immerse yourself in humanity for a while?
Just a few things to anticipate as we move closer to our departure date! Can you believe we're just 2.5 months away??? Tell me you have your passport . . . anything else can be bought there.
un' abbracio,
Laura
By the end of our stay, you, too, will have become an Italian, if only for a short time. Here are some things to expect in this transformation:
1. You'll have a more discerning taste for Italian food, which is a good thing. Too many Americans tolerate their pasta being drowned in a mediocre sauce (more is better, right?) and overpaying for greasy pizza (ewwwwww).
2. You'll pay more attention to how you seem to others. It is a civic duty, as an Italian, to make sure you're respectable when you're out in public, both in your habits/behavior, and in your dress (see Homestay entry).
3. You'll complain far less about things you can't control. Complaining about the weather is inane to Italians. It's common conversation for Americans. Worrying isn't really part of Italian culture (except by parents, for their children), and people seem more willing to find contentment in their lives, rather than wanting to continually claw up the ladder.
4. You'll appreciate the slower things in life. Sure, I'll MAKE you do journaling time at least once a week, but, by the end of the trip, you'll be asking for more days at the Fortezza, sitting, watching. A favorite pasttime of an Italian is watching others, who are probably watching you. What is better than to immerse yourself in humanity for a while?
Just a few things to anticipate as we move closer to our departure date! Can you believe we're just 2.5 months away??? Tell me you have your passport . . . anything else can be bought there.
un' abbracio,
Laura
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Movies about Italy
Are you a big movie fan like I am? There are some great movies which can give you a great sense of life in Italy (and some which present a fluffier version of it):
Il Bianco e il Nero - documentary about Siena and the Palio
Under the Tuscan Sun - if you like this kind of fluff :) - the book is far better in helping get a sense of living in Tuscany!
Viaggio in Italia (1954) - a married (but suffering) couple has to journey through Italy to sell a deceased uncle's house - images of Capri
La Vita e Bella - Italy in WWII - just for the love of Roberto Benigni, you've gotta see this one (he has others - very cute and light ones)
Roman Holiday - ah, when Gregory Peck passed away a few years ago, they showed "Roman Holiday" on Rome TV for 4 weeks straight!!! A must see to rekindle your love for Rome
Ieri, Oggi, Domani - Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni - a classic comedy based in Rome
Three Coins in a Fountain - the American parallel of the above movie
Wow - so many others to see! Are you a documentary fan? Perhaps check out Scorsese's "Italianamerican", about his parents lives, both in New York and in Sicily. Into musicals? Check out the MANY operas out there, by greats such as Verdi and Puccini.
I am not saying that the above movies are the best Italian ones out there - have you seen one which is your top? Share!!!
Ciao
Il Bianco e il Nero - documentary about Siena and the Palio
Under the Tuscan Sun - if you like this kind of fluff :) - the book is far better in helping get a sense of living in Tuscany!
Viaggio in Italia (1954) - a married (but suffering) couple has to journey through Italy to sell a deceased uncle's house - images of Capri
La Vita e Bella - Italy in WWII - just for the love of Roberto Benigni, you've gotta see this one (he has others - very cute and light ones)
Roman Holiday - ah, when Gregory Peck passed away a few years ago, they showed "Roman Holiday" on Rome TV for 4 weeks straight!!! A must see to rekindle your love for Rome
Ieri, Oggi, Domani - Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni - a classic comedy based in Rome
Three Coins in a Fountain - the American parallel of the above movie
Wow - so many others to see! Are you a documentary fan? Perhaps check out Scorsese's "Italianamerican", about his parents lives, both in New York and in Sicily. Into musicals? Check out the MANY operas out there, by greats such as Verdi and Puccini.
I am not saying that the above movies are the best Italian ones out there - have you seen one which is your top? Share!!!
Ciao
Monday, April 7, 2008
Bella Campania
Ahhhh, Campania, the playground of the rich and famous since (and before) recorded history. From the time of the ancient Phoenicians, Greeks, and Cretans all the way to a modern playground for celebrities, the area’s incomparable beauty draws all people to this home of literary wonders. The Bay of Naples hosts such mythological places as Lake Avernus (Virgil’s entrance to Hades in book VI of the Aeneid), the buried cities of Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Pompeii, and the well-known Amalfi Coast. And we’re staying here for three days.
Caveat lector: If you like surprises, don’t read the rest of this. If you are a planner, and would like to see what’s in store for our first weekend, READ ON!
We’ll travel by hired bus from Rome to Sorrento the day we fly in. We’ll stop on the way down at a filling station (truck stop) to grab some lunch. At these great spots, there are usually three different dining options – a sandwich bar, a pizza restaurant, and a hot food/cafeterium option. Be ready to know how to order food – I’ll be jet-lagged and grumpy. Ask my husband and last year’s group. Soon after that stop, we’ll take our first excursion in Pompeii, a perfect induction into the appreciation of ancient Greek and Roman culture, and the dustiest place we’ll visit. You’ll love it. One warning: All tourist places (this is the same as in Rome) are surrounded by vendors selling, well, junk. It’s all the same junk at all the different stands, and it’s all JUNK. If you’d like to buy the junk, wait until we’re leaving Pompeii – you can bargain better in the afternoons/evenings than in the mornings, and you can decide whether you’d really like to carry the junk with you all the way to Siena, then to Rome, along with your bags which we’ve carried around since Friday. Pompeii is absolutely incredible, and there are SO many websites about this ancient city – feel free to look around the internet! However, as it is always true – if the story you’re reading seems incredible, it’s probably not true. These people from Pompeii lived very standard, regular, middle-class lives. Look through to see if there are specific places where you’d like to visit, and make note – I can adjust our tour to your own likings – there’s no way to get through ALL of Pompeii in one day, so we’ll see samples of various issues of Roman daily life.
Have you noticed that we haven’t checked into a hotel yet? After our Pompeii tour, we’ll head down to Sorrento to check in, clean up, and hit a great pizza place just to the east of Piazza Tasso, on the main street (Corso Italia). We might also get a little stroll around town, just to see how wonderful the city is. Plan to be surrounded by loads of beachcombers and interesting folks. Plan to be on your feet and in the same clothes for these two days (Thursday and Friday), and wear COMFORTABLE shoes on the plane. We’ll have flown from your home town to Newark to Rome, will have taken the bus to Pompeii, walk for at least four hours around Pompeii, then take the bus to Sorrento in late afternoon Friday/tourist/beach traffic. We’ll smell the same as the beachcombers.
Once we arrive into Sorrento, we’ll drag bags to our hotel (great location – center of town), where we’ll take our first shower in about 48 hours, and then we’ll all meet up, ready for dinner, and stroll the town of Sorrento, hunting for pizza and saunter for a while until we find gelato (Gelateria Davide, anyone?).
Now, I’m not a big fan of uncooked tomatoes in America. In fact, I request no tomatoes on my burgers at restaurants. But in Campania, tomatoes (pomodori) are the most incredible food – sweet, solid, delicious. One of the most famed dishes from Campania is the Insalata Caprese – slices of tomatoes with slices of fresh mozzarella, with basil and olive oil sprinkled over the slices. It’s my favorite dish from this region.
After an early evening, we’ll stroll back to the hotel and crash. Capri will be incredible. We’ll meet early for breakfast, then hustle to the Marina, where we’ll catch a boat out to Capri (usually about a 20 minute ride – bring the Bonine if you have problems like I do). We’ll immediately catch the funicolare up to the main Piazza in Capri, from where we’ll hike up to the Villa Jovis, the largest of Tiberius’ 13 villas on Capri. There is a walking trail, but it’s steep – I wore backless shoes on this walk . . . once. Awesome site – you won’t believe it until you see it. Then, we’ll slowly stroll back downhill, stopping for a spremuta (orange juice) or granita (Italy’s far superior version of an icee), back to the main Piazza. Then we’ll catch a local bus up to Anacapri (an adventurous ride, to say the least), where we’ll take a chairlift to Monte Solaro, the other peak of Capri, where another of Tiberius’ villas was located. We’ll return to the Piazzetta in Anacapri to decide whether to stroll out to the Villa Damecuta (yet another of Tiberius’ villas – do you see a repeating theme?) or the Villa San Michele. If the weather’s good, we might walk down to the Blue Grotto to see if we can enter (it’s been years since I’ve been able to – the weather’s always been a little too rough). After much walking, we’ll need lunch, and we’ll decide where and when we want to stop. Of course, shopping is very important in Capri, so you’ll be given a little time to do some purchasing of the famous lemon-based items (soaps, perfumes, treats) or ceramic gifts (we may even stop by the ceramic production shops) before we take the bus back to the main Piazza, take the funicolare back to the Marina Grande of Capri, and sail back to Sorrento. We’ll enjoy dinner in Sorrento, and stop by woodworking shops to learn about the inlaid wood production which is SO famous in Sorrento.
On Sunday, we’ll meet with packed bags for breakfast, and check out. We’ll catch a bus and head to Siena (Road Trip, anyone?). We’ll stop again at a filling station to get lunch on the way up. *A little fun story about Italian truckers – in December, they were so tired of the rising gas prices that they went on strike (sciopero – something you’ll hear me curse at least once on our trip) for a few days! Closed down the filling stations, too! These Italians are serious about their strikes, and they do them often in summers.* We’ll arrive into Siena around 6 PM, where we’ll meet our homestay families at the train station, and I’ll see you off until we meet on Monday morning (8AM) for your placement tests to get you into the right level! Classes will start at 9 AM following this day.
Feel free to research any of the places which I mentioned (or will mention) in these e-mails. Here’s a brief list of search topics, if you’re interested:
Continental Airlines (air carrier from Newark to Fiumicino)
Fiumicino or Leonardo da Vinci Airport
Campania
Circumvesuviana (the local train line in Campania)
Sorrento
Capri
Anacapri
Villa Jovis
Monte Solaro
Villa Damecuta
Villa San Michele
Grotto d’Azurro
Capri ceramic production
Capri lemons
Sorrento inlaid wood
Pompeii
Of course, start keeping an eye on the conversion websites, checking to see if the dollar is getting any stronger against the Euro. I won’t do any exchanging until we get to Fiumicino (I use my ATM card only to exchange money, but will have a few euros left over from an earlier trip this summer to France), and hope that the dollar will fight to regain strength – last year was a pricey one.
Next entry: What to expect with your homestays!
Ciao!
Laura J
Caveat lector: If you like surprises, don’t read the rest of this. If you are a planner, and would like to see what’s in store for our first weekend, READ ON!
We’ll travel by hired bus from Rome to Sorrento the day we fly in. We’ll stop on the way down at a filling station (truck stop) to grab some lunch. At these great spots, there are usually three different dining options – a sandwich bar, a pizza restaurant, and a hot food/cafeterium option. Be ready to know how to order food – I’ll be jet-lagged and grumpy. Ask my husband and last year’s group. Soon after that stop, we’ll take our first excursion in Pompeii, a perfect induction into the appreciation of ancient Greek and Roman culture, and the dustiest place we’ll visit. You’ll love it. One warning: All tourist places (this is the same as in Rome) are surrounded by vendors selling, well, junk. It’s all the same junk at all the different stands, and it’s all JUNK. If you’d like to buy the junk, wait until we’re leaving Pompeii – you can bargain better in the afternoons/evenings than in the mornings, and you can decide whether you’d really like to carry the junk with you all the way to Siena, then to Rome, along with your bags which we’ve carried around since Friday. Pompeii is absolutely incredible, and there are SO many websites about this ancient city – feel free to look around the internet! However, as it is always true – if the story you’re reading seems incredible, it’s probably not true. These people from Pompeii lived very standard, regular, middle-class lives. Look through to see if there are specific places where you’d like to visit, and make note – I can adjust our tour to your own likings – there’s no way to get through ALL of Pompeii in one day, so we’ll see samples of various issues of Roman daily life.
Have you noticed that we haven’t checked into a hotel yet? After our Pompeii tour, we’ll head down to Sorrento to check in, clean up, and hit a great pizza place just to the east of Piazza Tasso, on the main street (Corso Italia). We might also get a little stroll around town, just to see how wonderful the city is. Plan to be surrounded by loads of beachcombers and interesting folks. Plan to be on your feet and in the same clothes for these two days (Thursday and Friday), and wear COMFORTABLE shoes on the plane. We’ll have flown from your home town to Newark to Rome, will have taken the bus to Pompeii, walk for at least four hours around Pompeii, then take the bus to Sorrento in late afternoon Friday/tourist/beach traffic. We’ll smell the same as the beachcombers.
Once we arrive into Sorrento, we’ll drag bags to our hotel (great location – center of town), where we’ll take our first shower in about 48 hours, and then we’ll all meet up, ready for dinner, and stroll the town of Sorrento, hunting for pizza and saunter for a while until we find gelato (Gelateria Davide, anyone?).
Now, I’m not a big fan of uncooked tomatoes in America. In fact, I request no tomatoes on my burgers at restaurants. But in Campania, tomatoes (pomodori) are the most incredible food – sweet, solid, delicious. One of the most famed dishes from Campania is the Insalata Caprese – slices of tomatoes with slices of fresh mozzarella, with basil and olive oil sprinkled over the slices. It’s my favorite dish from this region.
After an early evening, we’ll stroll back to the hotel and crash. Capri will be incredible. We’ll meet early for breakfast, then hustle to the Marina, where we’ll catch a boat out to Capri (usually about a 20 minute ride – bring the Bonine if you have problems like I do). We’ll immediately catch the funicolare up to the main Piazza in Capri, from where we’ll hike up to the Villa Jovis, the largest of Tiberius’ 13 villas on Capri. There is a walking trail, but it’s steep – I wore backless shoes on this walk . . . once. Awesome site – you won’t believe it until you see it. Then, we’ll slowly stroll back downhill, stopping for a spremuta (orange juice) or granita (Italy’s far superior version of an icee), back to the main Piazza. Then we’ll catch a local bus up to Anacapri (an adventurous ride, to say the least), where we’ll take a chairlift to Monte Solaro, the other peak of Capri, where another of Tiberius’ villas was located. We’ll return to the Piazzetta in Anacapri to decide whether to stroll out to the Villa Damecuta (yet another of Tiberius’ villas – do you see a repeating theme?) or the Villa San Michele. If the weather’s good, we might walk down to the Blue Grotto to see if we can enter (it’s been years since I’ve been able to – the weather’s always been a little too rough). After much walking, we’ll need lunch, and we’ll decide where and when we want to stop. Of course, shopping is very important in Capri, so you’ll be given a little time to do some purchasing of the famous lemon-based items (soaps, perfumes, treats) or ceramic gifts (we may even stop by the ceramic production shops) before we take the bus back to the main Piazza, take the funicolare back to the Marina Grande of Capri, and sail back to Sorrento. We’ll enjoy dinner in Sorrento, and stop by woodworking shops to learn about the inlaid wood production which is SO famous in Sorrento.
On Sunday, we’ll meet with packed bags for breakfast, and check out. We’ll catch a bus and head to Siena (Road Trip, anyone?). We’ll stop again at a filling station to get lunch on the way up. *A little fun story about Italian truckers – in December, they were so tired of the rising gas prices that they went on strike (sciopero – something you’ll hear me curse at least once on our trip) for a few days! Closed down the filling stations, too! These Italians are serious about their strikes, and they do them often in summers.* We’ll arrive into Siena around 6 PM, where we’ll meet our homestay families at the train station, and I’ll see you off until we meet on Monday morning (8AM) for your placement tests to get you into the right level! Classes will start at 9 AM following this day.
Feel free to research any of the places which I mentioned (or will mention) in these e-mails. Here’s a brief list of search topics, if you’re interested:
Continental Airlines (air carrier from Newark to Fiumicino)
Fiumicino or Leonardo da Vinci Airport
Campania
Circumvesuviana (the local train line in Campania)
Sorrento
Capri
Anacapri
Villa Jovis
Monte Solaro
Villa Damecuta
Villa San Michele
Grotto d’Azurro
Capri ceramic production
Capri lemons
Sorrento inlaid wood
Pompeii
Of course, start keeping an eye on the conversion websites, checking to see if the dollar is getting any stronger against the Euro. I won’t do any exchanging until we get to Fiumicino (I use my ATM card only to exchange money, but will have a few euros left over from an earlier trip this summer to France), and hope that the dollar will fight to regain strength – last year was a pricey one.
Next entry: What to expect with your homestays!
Ciao!
Laura J
Homestays - what to expect?
The day we head to Siena, we'll be taking an extended road trip. While you'll want to be comfortable, we still have to drag our bags through Sorrento to meet the bus, which makes this a good time to address public dress versus how you dress in private.
Italian men and women put great pride in their appearance in public. Really - they don't leave the house if they're not presentable. Head to toe. Hair done, clothes in good condition, attractive shoes. And, opposed to rumor, their hygiene is taken care of, too. For as important it is for them to be attractive, it's important that others around them put in the same effort. Along with the traditional greeting of the two kisses, the unspoken part is the full-scope of the person you're with - shoe check, clothes check, hair check. Believe me - you want to look appropriate when you're out in public. And, for the sake of the homestay, outside of your room is considered "public" - at the kitchen table, hanging around the patio, etc. Being in class is considered "public", too. And with me. If you don't brush your hair before leaving the house, if you're in jogging shorts or tank tops, if you're strolling around publicly in pajama pants, EVER, I probably won't recognize your presence.
With that said, we'll arrive at the Siena train station just before dinner, and your homestay families will meet you the minute you walk off the bus. When you make an amazing impression for them, you'll pile into cars and drive to their homes, to settle in, enjoy your first meal together, and get moved into your new room.
Homestays usually have two twin beds in each room, along with some form of dresser/armoire/closet where you can store your clothes. Expect to share a room with someone else from our group ONLY, and plan to also share a bathroom. When you sit down to dinner, you may learn that you have other roommates, as well, who may know English, but are also students at Dante Alighieri, learning Italian just like you. Get to know them, so that you can introduce them to our SPI group (and me) on Monday.
Dinner at a homestay usually consists of three courses (in some form or another) - the primo (pasta or salad), the secondo (meat dish)...sometimes with contorni (vegetables), and the dessert (usually fruit). If you don't eat all that's been served to you, your homestay mom will assume you're sick, so please be sure to space out your eating throughout the day so that you can eat your dinner well! During dinner, you'll be informed as to what time you'll have breakfast the next morning. Set your alarms to make sure you'll be ready for that. Breakfast will consist of some sort of pastry and a drink (milk, juice).
After your first dinner, consider taking a walk (passagiata) around the neighborhood in which you live - is there a gelateria nearby? A grocery store? A fountain? What geographical spots will help you find your way home if you get lost? Perhaps even ask if there are nearby bus stops (if you'll be taking a bus to school).
Then, get a good night's sleep before our first day of class!!!
Next blog: Monday, June 23 - Dante Aligheri!!!
Italian men and women put great pride in their appearance in public. Really - they don't leave the house if they're not presentable. Head to toe. Hair done, clothes in good condition, attractive shoes. And, opposed to rumor, their hygiene is taken care of, too. For as important it is for them to be attractive, it's important that others around them put in the same effort. Along with the traditional greeting of the two kisses, the unspoken part is the full-scope of the person you're with - shoe check, clothes check, hair check. Believe me - you want to look appropriate when you're out in public. And, for the sake of the homestay, outside of your room is considered "public" - at the kitchen table, hanging around the patio, etc. Being in class is considered "public", too. And with me. If you don't brush your hair before leaving the house, if you're in jogging shorts or tank tops, if you're strolling around publicly in pajama pants, EVER, I probably won't recognize your presence.
With that said, we'll arrive at the Siena train station just before dinner, and your homestay families will meet you the minute you walk off the bus. When you make an amazing impression for them, you'll pile into cars and drive to their homes, to settle in, enjoy your first meal together, and get moved into your new room.
Homestays usually have two twin beds in each room, along with some form of dresser/armoire/closet where you can store your clothes. Expect to share a room with someone else from our group ONLY, and plan to also share a bathroom. When you sit down to dinner, you may learn that you have other roommates, as well, who may know English, but are also students at Dante Alighieri, learning Italian just like you. Get to know them, so that you can introduce them to our SPI group (and me) on Monday.
Dinner at a homestay usually consists of three courses (in some form or another) - the primo (pasta or salad), the secondo (meat dish)...sometimes with contorni (vegetables), and the dessert (usually fruit). If you don't eat all that's been served to you, your homestay mom will assume you're sick, so please be sure to space out your eating throughout the day so that you can eat your dinner well! During dinner, you'll be informed as to what time you'll have breakfast the next morning. Set your alarms to make sure you'll be ready for that. Breakfast will consist of some sort of pastry and a drink (milk, juice).
After your first dinner, consider taking a walk (passagiata) around the neighborhood in which you live - is there a gelateria nearby? A grocery store? A fountain? What geographical spots will help you find your way home if you get lost? Perhaps even ask if there are nearby bus stops (if you'll be taking a bus to school).
Then, get a good night's sleep before our first day of class!!!
Next blog: Monday, June 23 - Dante Aligheri!!!
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