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.... :)