First days in Italy

Ciao!

Blair and I left Chicago around noon on tuesday and with traffic we did not arrive until 4 thirty. I had a hard time getting my ticket, but they let me get it without a ticket back as long as I get a visa within the next 3 months. I feel lucky to have such a nice boyfriend that drove me all the way there. I cried alot saying goodbye, everyone around me looked at me like someone had died and a security guard came up to me to make sure that I was okay when I was going through security. It took him four hours to get back to Indianapolis, bad traffic!! I arrived in Milan on Wednesday around noon, the flight went well. I did not sleep much but the flight was not as hard as I had imagined. I was going to write and write this until tomorrow but I woke up because of bad dreams and could not go back to sleep; it is three thirty in the morning here. I arrived in Munich for my layover, the flight was short but we were over the Alps the whole time, it was breathtaking! When I arrived in Milan I accidently skipped over immigration, and Anitas family was there to pick me up. We drove to Barzago, talked with her family then headed to the Alps for the night. We drove about 30 minutes and then took a hour long bus ride. I have never seen so much snow! We arrived to her friends cabin where there were about 25 people. Only a few knew any english. We ate some dinner and drank sambuca and heniken. I quickly learned some survival phrases in Italian.

Parlo inglese. ( I speak english)

No Parlo italiano. ( I do not speak italian)

Parla inglese? (Do you speak english)

Dove el bano? ( where is the bathroom)

Una chica, per favore. (A piece of gum please)

Ferme! ( I am hungry)

Bravo! ( Well done)

Ole! (yay!)

No fumo. ( I do not smoke.)

Buon anno. (Happy new years)

Gratzi, prego. (thank you, your welcome)

Scuzzi ( excuse me, formal)

Scuzza (excuse me informal and i am sorry)

I think that was alot for one night!! As the night went on the people tried to speak English more and Improved. Once politics came up I realized that no one here knows what is really going on in America. They have heard that our economy is bad and we are in a recession but they were all stunned about no one having jobs, the big three bailout, the housing market and the stocks. I explained to them what an important role that Obama is going to be for America and for the world. We did not stay out too late but at midnight we went outside, there was champagne everywhere and people were all in the small streets surrounded by thousands of feet of mountains. It was snowing and everyone was laughing and yelling. We slept on couches and woke up early. We went to breakfast at a local ristorante. I had tea and a croissaunt with marmalada. I was looked at funny alot, apparently I do not have the right gear to be in the mountains... I will have to work on that. It took four hours by bus and trains to get back to Barzago. By the time that I was back I had severe jet lag, so I slept for four hours. Anita woke me up for dinner, her Aunts, uncles and cousin were there. The food was bueno! We had four courses. Ravioli soup ( cheese tortellini in a broth), two types of lasagna ( it is nothing like ours, there is no red sauce), rabbit, pig legs with lentil, fruit then an italian cake (it is like a sugar bundt cake). After dinner we played the Italian version of Bingo with Euros. I did not win more than I put in but I learned ALOT of Italian numbers! I then had to be the caller and exhaustingly pronounced all 90 numbers somewhat right. After that her parents went to bed and I called my mom, dad, sister and blair. We went to bed and I just woke up with bad dreams so decided to write this!

One thing that I need to put pictures of are the toilets!! I was embarresed when I saw two toilets right next to eachother and didnt know what to do. One is for washing, that is where I was confused. Also, everywhere you go the button to flush is somewhere different. It is never on the toilet, it is usually a round button somewhere on the wall, either above the toilet or near the floor. At one place it was a square metal box that you pushed in. At the train station the toilet was in the ground.. but still modernized with a lid and flush. I do not know why I was so amazed by toilets.. but it is so much different!

I will post a couple of pictures, I have about seventy more but I am using Anitas computer and I cant upload all of them on here. My converter is not working so I cannot charge my laptop. Tomorrow I will go to buy a new one. This is enough for tonight!

Ciao!!