Buongiorno!
Has it really been almost a month since I left home? It seems impossible that the time has gone so quickly... and still it feels like I've been here forever!
I've really started to build a life here: I've joined a gym on the outskirts of town, I've started to cook for my family, I understand more of the language than I ever expected in the first month, and I have wonderful friends! Granted, all of my friends so far are Americans, but I think Italian friendships will come as my language skills increase and as I become even more immersed in the activities around Viterbo.
I have to look at my diary to see what has happened to me since I've been here- it's just too much to recall off the top of my head!
The first weekend was the Festa di Santa Rosa, which consists of massive parades through the town for three straight days. It culminates in the transport of a 12,000-pound sculpture (the Macchina di Santa Rosa) through the streets of Viterbo. The sculpture is five stories high and is carried by 100 men. (The test to become a Macchina-carrier? Carry a 250-pound block on your shoulder for 2 kilometers!)
School has started off well for me. I'm really enjoying Art History, which I've never taken before, and Italian, of course!
The food continues to be delicious. Tiziana and I are going to make a pizza together sometime soon! I can't wait to learn how to make everything! I'm going to join a cooking class as soon as the schedule for it is finalized!
During the second week, my family took me to Rome. We saw St. Peter's Basilica, which was incredible, as well as the Spanish Steps and the Roman equivalent of Rodeo Drive. We ate dinner at my host family's favorite pizza place, took the Metro back to my family's tiny car, and drove home.
The day after my Rome excursion (I was the first student who got to go to Rome!) was a trip to an Etruscan museum inside the walls of Viterbo. We saw the remnants of a chariot and lots of papal crests. The museum itself had once served as a fortress for the pope!
On the third weekend, my family and I loaded up into their RV (who knew?). We took the weekend away to lie on the beach and soak up the September sun. We spent the weekend with another family with two daughters. The daughters are Emma and Sara (ages 15 and 13) and I think I count them as my first Italian friends. They speak English fairly well and we made plans to cook American foods together!
Everyone here is really into all things American, especially our movies, TV, and music. I walk down the street every day and I see two or three people wearing Mickey Mouse t-shirts or graphic tees with misspelled words on them. Sometimes, they just don't make sense (one said "I can't do much but if you give me shoes"). Still, it's nice to already be up to date on what is popular. Katy Perry is huge here, as is the Disney Channel. At least, that's what my little sisters love to watch.
Still, the people here are very proud to be Italian. They would look at our huge houses and supermarkets (Tiziana says they are super-supermarkets) and laugh at how ridiculously big and wasteful things are in America. In Viterbo, things are precious. Space is very limited and utilities like electricity and water are spent with utmost care. Cooking is an art; the Italians believe that every meal should be something truly worth savoring. This philosophy about material things extends to their outlook on life and interaction with others. The Italians, as far as I have learned, value every conversation highly. They don't spend time on many pleasantries, and when they ask how you're doing, they really want to know. They want the long version of whatever story you're telling, and if you can tell the same story three times in different ways, that's even better. For them, relationships are paramount.
It seems to be the same for me; no matter how many places I explore here, or how many beautiful views or astonishing architectural feats I see, I think that the things I will treasure most about this experience are the relationships that I build with the amazing people here. They have so much to teach me! I've already learned so much about parenting by observing my host parents with my sisters. My host mom teaches me about art history all the time, even if we're just walking down the street. She points out little details on the walls of the apartments and crests above doors that I would otherwise have missed. My little sisters are in the process of teaching me patience (although Benedetta's slow progress in the study of the recorder is getting on my last nerve) and my host father has shown me how difficult it is for him to live under a Prime Minister whom he despises.
I am so excited to bring everything I learn back to the U.S. I miss you all and I hope you are all doing well! Send me updates whenever it strikes your fancy.
A dopo!
-Eleanor
Has it really been almost a month since I left home? It seems impossible that the time has gone so quickly... and still it feels like I've been here forever!
I've really started to build a life here: I've joined a gym on the outskirts of town, I've started to cook for my family, I understand more of the language than I ever expected in the first month, and I have wonderful friends! Granted, all of my friends so far are Americans, but I think Italian friendships will come as my language skills increase and as I become even more immersed in the activities around Viterbo.
I have to look at my diary to see what has happened to me since I've been here- it's just too much to recall off the top of my head!
The first weekend was the Festa di Santa Rosa, which consists of massive parades through the town for three straight days. It culminates in the transport of a 12,000-pound sculpture (the Macchina di Santa Rosa) through the streets of Viterbo. The sculpture is five stories high and is carried by 100 men. (The test to become a Macchina-carrier? Carry a 250-pound block on your shoulder for 2 kilometers!)
School has started off well for me. I'm really enjoying Art History, which I've never taken before, and Italian, of course!
The food continues to be delicious. Tiziana and I are going to make a pizza together sometime soon! I can't wait to learn how to make everything! I'm going to join a cooking class as soon as the schedule for it is finalized!
During the second week, my family took me to Rome. We saw St. Peter's Basilica, which was incredible, as well as the Spanish Steps and the Roman equivalent of Rodeo Drive. We ate dinner at my host family's favorite pizza place, took the Metro back to my family's tiny car, and drove home.
The day after my Rome excursion (I was the first student who got to go to Rome!) was a trip to an Etruscan museum inside the walls of Viterbo. We saw the remnants of a chariot and lots of papal crests. The museum itself had once served as a fortress for the pope!
On the third weekend, my family and I loaded up into their RV (who knew?). We took the weekend away to lie on the beach and soak up the September sun. We spent the weekend with another family with two daughters. The daughters are Emma and Sara (ages 15 and 13) and I think I count them as my first Italian friends. They speak English fairly well and we made plans to cook American foods together!
Everyone here is really into all things American, especially our movies, TV, and music. I walk down the street every day and I see two or three people wearing Mickey Mouse t-shirts or graphic tees with misspelled words on them. Sometimes, they just don't make sense (one said "I can't do much but if you give me shoes"). Still, it's nice to already be up to date on what is popular. Katy Perry is huge here, as is the Disney Channel. At least, that's what my little sisters love to watch.
Still, the people here are very proud to be Italian. They would look at our huge houses and supermarkets (Tiziana says they are super-supermarkets) and laugh at how ridiculously big and wasteful things are in America. In Viterbo, things are precious. Space is very limited and utilities like electricity and water are spent with utmost care. Cooking is an art; the Italians believe that every meal should be something truly worth savoring. This philosophy about material things extends to their outlook on life and interaction with others. The Italians, as far as I have learned, value every conversation highly. They don't spend time on many pleasantries, and when they ask how you're doing, they really want to know. They want the long version of whatever story you're telling, and if you can tell the same story three times in different ways, that's even better. For them, relationships are paramount.
It seems to be the same for me; no matter how many places I explore here, or how many beautiful views or astonishing architectural feats I see, I think that the things I will treasure most about this experience are the relationships that I build with the amazing people here. They have so much to teach me! I've already learned so much about parenting by observing my host parents with my sisters. My host mom teaches me about art history all the time, even if we're just walking down the street. She points out little details on the walls of the apartments and crests above doors that I would otherwise have missed. My little sisters are in the process of teaching me patience (although Benedetta's slow progress in the study of the recorder is getting on my last nerve) and my host father has shown me how difficult it is for him to live under a Prime Minister whom he despises.
I am so excited to bring everything I learn back to the U.S. I miss you all and I hope you are all doing well! Send me updates whenever it strikes your fancy.
A dopo!
-Eleanor
