Che ore sono?

Its hard to believe that I have already been in Verona a whole week. Time has truly flown by! The town and apartment are beginning to feel more and more comfortable. The days have been gorgeous and the walks around town are very enjoyable.

Class started Monday and I have to say it feels nice to be learning again. It also doesn't hurt that my professor is the most precious old man you've ever met. The class is Italian Renaissance and I am really enjoying the topic. We're learning about Florence and Rome- which is where the Renaissance mostly started and ended. This week we have learned all about Florence's art and history between 1200 and 1400s. We have been talking about Michelangelo a lot which has probably been my favorite. I have seen the statue David and some of his other works throughout my life but now that I can appreciate art, I am beginning to realize that it is truly amazing. I must say that our trip to Florence is becoming one of the things I am most excited about. Thats the other great thing about this class- we're learning all this history and we will get to see it all first hand in two months. Next week we'll learn all about Rome, which should also be full of incredible stuff. Like I mentioned, my teacher is an older man who is American born, married a Polish woman that he met in Canada and they both live in Italy, near Verona, on an army base where he teaches for University of Maryland on the base. Crazy, right? He wanted to eat pizza with the students tonight so we ordered a bunch and got to know him a bit better. He probably knows 6 languages fairly well, if not very well and has taught all over the world. Its just cool to be around someone like him, knowing all that he has accomplished. Plus, it was cool that he wanted to get to know his students as well.

Tonight after the pizza dinner, a group of girls went to the Ash Wednesday Service at a Catholic Church- Saint Nicolo Church to be specific. It was in complete Italian but it was a really cool experience. A few of the girls in the group are Catholic so they had some idea what was going on, but the language barrier was pretty thick. Its still weird to think that the people around me can't understand what I am saying to them, but I still hope to pick up more Italian while I am here. We did get some Italian gelato afterwards though- and it was delicious. I got a scoop of chocolate chip and a scoop of pistachio- both of which were very good.

So, tomorrow is our last class for the week and 9 girls are headed to Nice, France and Monaco this weekend! We're leaving tomorrow (Thursday) and we'll get back Sunday. It should be warmer weather and a great weekend. Pray for safety and patience!

Okay, I think I'm going to do my best and update the blog every 3 days or so... I'm not making promises but its just a goal. I'll fill you in on my weekend travels around Monday, hopefully. Until then here are random things that I thought I'd share:
1. Che ore sono?-- Your Italian phrase of the day. Translates to: What time is it?
Pronounced: keh ohreh sohnoh
2. Speaking of time, my watch randomly died on Monday. If you know how much I loved my watch, you know how bummed I am about it. I'll try to find an italian watch while I'm here though, don't worry.
3. So, we're going on our first weekend excursion, which means I get to use my new pack that I got for Christmas. I am really excited about it!
4. This week I have had intense sugar cravings... then I realized that without my sweet tea fix, my body doesn't get sugar. I'm drinking lots of water to try and change it.

I think thats it for today. I hope that all is well in the states. Please keep me updated with your life. Oh, and I hope to get more pictures up soon.

Love from Italy (and France)!
-Becca Boo