Around town!

Even with classes and trips to Ikea, I've been walking around  the city alot, checking out lots of cool architecture and wandering down quaint streets, checking out little cafes, nibbling on biscotti and just feeling really happy (and sometimes disbelief) that I am living here!  Here are some pictures from around town!

(I apologize in advance for shitty layout...  Blogger program needs some work when you upload more than 2 pics)

Above Saint Sebastian

Views from around town

A pope!

A big church near my school!

This used to be the Bourse (city stock exchange) and now its a gorgeous public library!

One of the many quaint streets

2 of the city's most famous towers and the one leans more than Pisa!

The city has a whole network of underground canals, here's where it comes above ground

The main Church St. Peter, it was suppose to be the biggest in all of Italy but then a Pope stopped it so now its only the 5th-largest and half done.

The famous Neptune Fountain

More views

The Main Square - Piazza Maggiore

Update on Life in Italy!

So its been a bit of time and I promise to be better about it...but I've started school.  It's definitely a little intense, I have 2.5 hours of Italian every morning and the 3 hours of microeconomic theory 3 times a week - it's before the actual semester starts so its a semester crammed into 5 weeks...but its good to ease back into this stuff, right?

It actually feels great to be back into the academic environment and already I have gone to 3 lectures; one on expansion of the European Union, the situation in Kosovo, and heard from the head of the Austrian Central Bank on stabilizing the Euro and policies that have taken in response to the economic crisis (which was actually really interesting) as well as a pianist who despite being egotistical and liked to about his female conquests, played a great concert!

It's also been fun to have some great political conversations with other students and I realize I know so little and have so much to read!!!

Socially, its been fantastic too!  I've definitely got to go dancing already twice, I just love the European discotheques, they just play lots of fun music and everyone dances, no DJs, no covers, just cheesy and fun music!  I've found a place to go running, Ghiardinia Marghertia (appropriately named! ) and I even got a intercambio with a real Italian going.  

My roommate Andy and I both like to cook so we have been having lots of fun, from making pizza and trying out different crusts, to taking turns making everything from veal cutlets and polenta to big pots of soup and stewed chicken!  And of course no meal is complete withou gelato.... :)  

1st Day of School!!!

This is it!!!  Its for real now!!!  I am a student again.....AHHHHH!!!!

I had my first class on Thursday, MicroEconomic Theory!  I actually already took it, but since its been 9 years (ouch! I feel old) I had to retake it.  But this is a good thing because I am easing back into school.  Its actually a semester crammed into 5 weeks (I'm also taking an Italian class) and then I will have orientation and start taking a full coarse-load at a normal semester pace.  

So how did it go?  Well I have to admit, I was very scared for that first class and there was alot running through my mind.  I felt like I couldn't take notes fast enough, I was intimidated by 22 year old peers giving textbook answers, it was hard to pay attention to someone lecturing for 3 hours on elasticity of prices, I need to buy a calculator, did the professor really mean we had to study economics everyday, what if i don't pass, readings, problem sets, an exam worth 40% of my grade???!!!!  Oh God, This is really happening!

The following morning I had to take a Calculus test, but I actually think I did ok on it and I even took a test in Italian (I don't know any Italian!) but I must have made some good guesses because I ended up in a class level 4 (out of 6!) - time to hit the books!

Even though the big switch feels a little daunting at times, I am really excited for these new challenges and it feels good to be in an academic setting again.  I promise not to write too much about boring school stuff but I will keep you updated on living in Italy, the food, trips, and interesting anecdotes.

Oh and lucky for me, our first reading was on the economics of the Food Stamp Program....watch out class, I have some ideas!!

Settling In!

Hey Everyone!!!

I'm Settled!!  So I apologize for not posting in the last week, but it was full of moving things like buying a cell phone (you get 4000 texts here and the plan is only 10 euros a month!!!), unpacking, stocking up on food, applying for a residence permit (a zillion Italian  forms - difficult!), purchasing Italian health insurance, figuring out the Italian washing machine (an actual very, very hard task), trying to find/buy all those little things I forgot to bring, starting classes, meeting new students, taking my first math test, and at every utterly confusing point compensating by eating gelato!!!!  Yesterday I ate gelato 3 times.  This may be a dangerous coping mechanism.

This translated into a Lemon Gelato

Gelato aside, I feel very excited and fortunate to be here, so far everyone is really nice and I'm meeting some pretty interesting students from around the world!  

My apartment is great, it's in the university district so super busy and lots of life, but has a quiet balcony and tons of sunlight.  I'm living with a British student Andy as well as another American (who we are convinced is a spy - but thats a different story!)  I tried to live with Italians but it was a little difficult to rent an apt when one does not speak the language and needed to sign a 9 month lease.  So I will look for an intercambio but I am committed to learning Italian!  

The view from my bedroom window:                 My Apartment: Via Irnerio 22 (my room is the    3rd from the left and 2nd from the top)