one week

I just realized that I arrived in Perugia only a week ago. It feels like it's been so long. I feel like I've known these people for years, and I feel like I'm already establishing some sorts of routines. For example, I really like un bar (which in Italy is more of a coffeehouse, although some bars here have drinks, too) down our street a bit, Bar Monteluce. The owners already recognize us, and I love talking with everyone who works there. Of course, our conversations are very basic, but the fact that they talk to me at all gives me hope; while I'm clearly a foreigner and while it's evident that I don't speak fluently, it feels like they're recognizing that I actually can understand and reply to questions and little comments. I'm sure the first two or three times I went there, they were nice, but they didn't try to make conversation at all. This morning, una barista and I greeted each other before I ordered a coffee, commenting that I was tired. She asked if I was late, and I said no, but I didn't sleep last night. She laughed and said that giovani (young people) don't need sleep, and I laughed and agreed with a simple "esattamente," or "exactly!" I know this brief chat doesn't make me some kind of hot shit, but it makes me a little more comfortable. It's a small measure of acceptance, or at least approval that I'm trying.

Classes started Monday. My first day of classes, I decided that I liked my first class and didn't care for my second. The second day of classes, I decided that I disliked my third class. And yesterday, I realized that I actually really like the second class, and this morning I realized that I actually like my third class, too! Maybe it just takes some time to get used to something so strange. Because I'm studying at a university full of foreigners from all over the world, this is the first time I've ever studied a language completely without another language to fall back on. A great deal of the class wouldn't understand me if I reverted to English at all, and so I'm making an effort to learn and augment my Italian using the Italian that I already know. I'm taking notes almost exclusively in italiano, looking for ways to define words using synonyms I already know, and trying to write grammatical rules and instructions in simple Italian, so I don't have to revert to English to study.

My classmates. Oh, man. What I was warned has pretty much been true. The Americans are absolutely the worst speakers here. Other people in my classes whip out complex sentences without even pausing to think, and on the first day, la professoressa asked us how much of her lecture we understood. About 80% of the class claimed to understand 100%. I guessed about 7o. I've realized since then that perhaps they've had opportunities to practice conversationally, but that they don't all have a good grasp on grammar, and so I guess that's why they're not in a higher level. But my original thought, which I try not to let bother me, is, "if you understood 100% of our three-hour lecture on philosophy and metaphors in Italian art and film, why the hell are you in an intermediate class?" And indeed, our teacher moved several people to a higher level, although whether they had a choice or not, I don't know. I try to keep my confidence up by acknowledging to myself that we Americans speak more slowly than others, and we don't speak as well, but we're sure as hell pushing ourselves a lot harder. If I wanted to, I could have signed up for a beginner level class in which I would probably understand 100% of what the teachers say, but I don't feel that I'd take nearly as much out of that. So I'm trying not to care that I'm not on the same level.

Despite all that, as I'm getting more comfortable, I'm finding myself understanding almost all of what some of my teachers say. I can't produce the same sorts of ideas, but my comprehension is probably higher than I expected. A few of our classmates have already become good friends to us. We've been hanging out outside of class with one American girl named Gabby and another named Adrian, and they're a lot of fun. Gabby speaks better than we do, but she's also very supportive and helpful, and we try to talk in Italian instead of going the easier route and using English all the time. We do what we can, but I'm sure we'll do a better job of sticking to l'italiano outside of class within another week or so, as we're studying and reviewing notes and stuff.

I probably haven't been sleeping enough, but I just never want to stay in. I love la piazza and il centro, where we end up most nights. We ended up dancing at clubs Monday and Wednesday this week, and Ada visited me for three nights! It was so wild to meet up with a friend from home on an entirely different side of an ocean. She left this morning for Paris and Milan.

I'm so excited to go to Napoli, Pompei, e Capri this weekend! I want to swim in la grotta azzurra and hit the beaches of Capri! We're going to be so busy, but it's going to be so much fun. If it's even a fraction as incredible as our excursion to Siena, consider me the luckiest person alive right now, because I do.