Salone del Gusto 2008

On Thursday morning at approximately 5:00AM, I should have been sleeping. Instead, I was groggily dragging myself to the train station to catch an early morning train to Torino or as we english-speakers like to call it, Turin. Now, my body doesn't entirely function at this hour, so the journey to the train station was definitely an interesting one. Dragging my duffel bag and sleeping bag, I think I bore an uncanny resemblance to Quasimodo.

Why on earth would I wreak such havoc on my sleep-loving body? Two words - food festival.

A few months ago in Berkeley, my Italian teacher told me that I had to choose just one thing to do while in Italy, it should be to attend the Salone del Gusto, an international Slow Food festival which takes place every two years in Torino.

Now, I'm not sure I've ever heard two words which combined to form such a beautiful idea - food festival. Food festival. With this in mind, my friend Susan and I bought 5-day passes. Yes, five days of food. Am I making myself clear as to how amazing this is? We arrived in Torino late Thursday morning, and got to the festival in early afternoon. Neither of us knew what to expect exactly, and neither of us could have anticipated the glorious journey on which we were about to embark... haha, seriously though - we walked in the building (a gigantic convention center - the same one which hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics) and our mouths dropped. There was just so much food. Food everywhere. Food in piles, food hanging from the ceiling, hundreds and hundreds (maybe even thousands of stalls) offering samples of cheese, meat, fish, bread, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, cookies, crackers, gelato, honey, cake, chocolate (soooo much chocolate), fruit and vegetables.... literally, every food I could think of.
(This is a photo of one of the "piles" I mentioned, a delicious chicken with gravy and stuffing. Basically everyone just crowds around and stabs at it with toothpicks.)

There was one huge pavilion dedicated to international foods, another dedicated to the various regions of Italy and two more which we couldn't exactly figure out but it seemed to be something along the lines of "all the best foods you've ever tried ever." Hopefully this photo will give you some idea of how massive this place was - this is about one third of one pavilion. No mirrors, no tricks, it really is as big as it looks. Also, there was a section devoted to wine... as we entered, we were given a wine glass, which came in a pouch that we carried around our necks. The idea is to be able to enjoy the wine without ever having to stop eating.

This place was heaven, I'm telling you.

I'd make a list of everything I ate but that would just be gross. Keep in mind that I walked into this place with the full intention of trying everything. I figure, this is some of the best food in the world. If I can't trust the Slow Foodies, I can't trust anyone. So I ate things that I never really planning on eating, including raw beef sausage, beer cheese, honey wine, chicken fat (although they tricked me by calling it shmaltz), and rabbit. That's right folks, I ate bunny.

I decided to weigh myself before and after this weekend and discovered that I'd gained 3 kilos. I told myself that this was perfectly acceptable because there are 2.2 kilos in a pound, so I'd only gained like a pound and a half. Of course, deep down I knew that there are actually 2.2 pounds in a kilo....

Aside from having the most wonderful eating experience of my life, I really enjoyed Torino for other reasons as well. The city is beautiful, with tons of palaces, portici, parks and a river running through the city. It has really interesting history, mostly because of a king (Re Umberto, I think) who had the entire city designed for his convenience. For example, the city is lined with portici so that he could walk around in the rain without an umbrella. There is a beautiful palace which he had built for the queen, just so he didn't have to live with her. The church is attached to the king's palace just so he didn't have to leave home for mass. I think I'd built a food festival attached to my house!!

There was also a really amazing museum of cinema and a beautiful outdoor photography exhibit (the theme was Siddhartha the Buddha). I hope I get the chance to go back to Torino, though... I've heard it's really beautiful in the winter and there's still a lot that I haven't seen. Our trip to Torino was also my very first time couch-surfing, which if you don't know, is a world-wide collective of people who are willing to provide free beds for weary travelers. It's a really amazing way to meet people from all over the world, and it's also just a really nice thing to do.

For the first two nights of the festival, we stayed with an Italian couple - Davide and Laura. Not only did they welcome us into their home, but they also gave us slippers.

Even more importantly, they fed us more than I considered reasonable. On Friday night we returned exhausted and full from the Salone to discover that Davide and Laura were throwing a dinner party in our honor. There were 8 of us altogether, and enough food to feed 20. There were two types of antipasti, a pizza, two types of pasta, a "savory cake" (spinach and pancetta quiche), a regular cake with ice cream, and wine wine wine. All of this, after 6 hours of non-stop eating at the Salone.

Then, to top things off, they took on a night-time walking tour of Torino and then to an amazing pseudo-disco club where we danced all night. I've never been so full, so happy or so ill.

Here's a photo of all of us: Davide, Laura, Bagigia (their adorable kitty), Susan and me! I'll never forget them, and hopefully I'll have the chance to offer them my couch when I get back to the United States!Our second hosts were a Brazilian couple, Carem and Joao. They were also amazing, and actually accompanied us to the Salone on our last day in Torino. Of course, this was not until after they'd fed us an enormous breakfast and taken us to their friend's house for lunch where he'd prepared an enormous traditional Brazilian lunch of feijoada which is basically lots of beans and meat over rice - so good. SO good.

My weekend was incredible! I'm so glad that I got to meet Davide, Laura, Carem and Joao (and of course, Bagigia). I think I'll try couch-surfing every time I travel from now on - it's really an incredible concept.

One more thing before I head off to class - guess who popped in to say hello from Davide and Laura's fridge:

Un Gran Presidente?!

This past weekend, I went Parma to visit my friend Nicola and to attend an art exhibition featuring the famous Renaissance painter Antonio Allegri (better known as Correggio). The show was divided into four separate exhibits scattered all over the city. I think the idea was to go in a certain order, which I didn't - however I'll write about them in the order in which I was supposed to see them. (It's better this way, trust me.)

The first was a gallery featuring many of Correggio's paintings, as well as many works by artists who inspired him. For example, I saw a drawing by Da Vinci which has always been one of my favorites. I think that it's normally referred to in English as "Head of a Woman" or "Woman's head" or something, but in Italian, it's called La Scapigliata which means "uncombed woman." I like the Italian title more!It's really interesting to see the influence of this drawing on some of Correggio's paintings, especially those of the Virgin Mary:The second exhibit was in a convent, where I saw the "Camera di San Paolo." Correggio painted the entire room with a fresco of tiny cherubs. It used to be the private dining room of the mother-superior of the convent. I can't imagine having a room like that all to myself... I'd probably be too distracted to eat anything!Finally, the third and fourth exhibits were by far the most incredible. Correggio frescoed the domes (le cupole) of two churches in the city of Parma - the Cathedral of Parma, and the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista. The dome in the cathedral is painted with a fresco of the Assumption of Mary...
...and the dome in the church of San Giovanni is painted with a fresco of St. John at Patmos.
Now, let me tell you - I've seen a whole lot of frescoed domes in my day. (Ha!) This was a little different, though. For this exhibition, there were staircases set up which allowed us to actually climb up inside the domes and walk around, just inches from the painting itself. Completely surrounded by the painting, I could see each brush stroke, each tiny little detail and each toe of each apostle. There is so much detail that can't be seen from the ground. I was stunned - it was so beautiful. Photos were strictly forbidden, but I will never forget it.

If any of you get the chance to climb into a frescoed dome any time soon, I highly recommend it.

The rest of my free time lately has been taken over by studying, although I did take a break on Saturday night to enjoy a massive Italian dinner: American style with two friends from my program. What does "american style" mean, you ask? Garlic bread, my friends - Garlic bread, pasta from a box and sauce from a jar. It was magnificent, unless you ask my roommates, in which case it was absolutely repulsive. (That's why I don't ask them anything...) Did you know garlic bread doesn't exist here? Neither did I, which is why I agreed to study here for a year....

One last treat before I go to bed... Nicola decided to make a video while we were eating lunch and this is by far the best clip. In the beginning of the clip, he says "Era un gran presidente, George W. Bush." (George W. Bush was a great president.) Nicola is a nice guy and all, but we don't exactly see eye to eye when it comes to American politics... as you can probably see by my reaction. Anyway, this clip made me laugh a lot and hopefully it'll make you laugh, too!



I love and miss you all.... I look forward to hearing wonderful news from home. (In other words: e-mail me, you punks!)

My Days

Oh, what days they've been.

Let's start with Sunday. I woke up early and went to Padova with a group of friends. I was the only American, the rest were Portuguese, Spanish and Chilean. We tried to speak mainly in Italian but sometimes it was easier to speak in English. I'm constantly amazed at how many English-speaking people I've met - especially young people - from all over the world! It's a shame that it's not the same when my Portuguese friends go to the United States. Odds are they won't meet many Americans who speak Portuguese...

I have, however, officially added Portuguese to my list of languages to learn. It's so beautiful, and the more I hear it spoken, the more I want to learn it. Hopefully Marta will teach me something!

Anyway, I spent all day in Padova with my worldly group of friends. It's a really beautiful city, very quiet and peaceful. In a lot of ways, it's similar to Nice (which makes sense because Nice was an Italian city for about 500 years). The architecture is very similar, as is the layout of the city. There are wide, open piazzas filled with flower and fruit merchants, and the narrow streets are lined with beautiful pastel-colored buildings. There was no beach in Padova (like the beautiful pebble beach in Nice, where I think I could have stayed forever) but there were small canals running through the city.When I chose to study in Italy for a year, I had to choose between Bologna and Padova. I didn't know much about either city, so I chose Bologna based solely on its central location and larger student population. While visiting Padova, though, I realized how completely different my experience would have been if I'd decided to study there instead of here in Bologna.

I'm not saying that I made the wrong choice or that I wish I'd chosen Padova. I don't, at all. In fact, it's impossible to say that I'd have a better experience in either city, because they're so different. Literally everything that could be different is different. I could see myself living in Padova just as easily as I see myself living here, but for entirely different reasons. Luckily, my lovely and wonderful friend Heather ("Etter") will be studying in Padova next spring so I can spend as much time there as I want... assuming she doesn't get sick of me.This was my favorite place in Padova, a giant circular park with a view of the basilica. It's hard to tell in the photos, but the weather was very strange while we were there. There was a very thin layer of clouds but it was still very bright outside. This created a kind of surreal glow which just added to the charm of this already-beautiful city. I'm really glad that I had the chance to spend a day there!

Yesterday, I had 6 hours of class and returned home exhausted - just in time to watch "Taxi Driver" with my housemates. I've wanted to see that movie for years, and just never got around to it until last night. It was definitely a strange movie, made even stranger by the fact that it was dubbed in Italian. I was so confused. In fact, I'm still confused! There was relatively little dialogue in the film, which makes me think that those few lines were pretty important. I might watch it again in English but I'm honestly not sure if would be any easier to understand! :)

I'm not a big fan of dubbed films, and not just because they're more difficult for me to understand. I just feel like an actor's voice is so important - the tiny subtleties in the way an actor delivers his lines is part of what distinguishes a good actor from a terrible one. To me, taking away the actor's voice is taking away an incredibly important part of his or her performance! I just don't think it's fair to watch a De Niro movie without De Niro's voice... .and what about Sean Connery?! I can't imagine watching a Sean Connery movie without that incredibly awesome accent. It just seems... wrong. Oddly enough, the entire population of Italy disagrees with me. All of the movies here are dubbed, as well as television shows. I guess I'll just have to get used to it! (Amusing side note: I've heard that Keanu Reeves is actually considered a great actor here, probably due to the performance of the Italian voice-actor!!)

Well, there is more I could write about but I had 8.5 hours of class today... so I think I'll call it a night. I love and miss you all, very much. Write me, tell me things about home!

The 406-word sentence

I thought it would be neat to share a little bit of my reading with my family and friends, so everyone could see what I'm learning about in Italy!!

The following sentence/passage/deathtrap, written in Italian of course, took me about an hour to decipher. (By "decipher", I mean look up all the words I didn't recognize.) After having finished this long and tedious process, I realized I still had no idea what the sentence/passage/deathtrap meant, so I decided to type it into "www.freetranslation.com" and see what would happen. Frankly, I'm surprised my computer didn't explode. Everyone, meet my nemesis:

Also in its to say itself "communist" (and in the route that for designation of its party, he completed in this damp dawn like a sponge) it not it is distinguished outcome where arrived a duty handed down of generation in generation (between the walls of those ecclesiastical buildings Amerigo is seen - a little one ironically and a little one on the serious one - in the part of a last anonymous heir of the eighteenth-century razionalismo - I stay of that inheritance ever known to make to yield - in the town that held Giannone in stumps) and outcome where the outlet in another story, old just of a century but already bristly of you obstruct and steps obliged, the advance of the socialist proletariat (then was across them "contradictions it of the bourgeoisie" or "the autocoscienza of the class in crisis" that the struggle of class had arrived to move also of about forty years only - embodiment of that struggle of class, since the communism had become international power and the revolution is made discipline, preparation to direct, negotiation from power to power also where it is not had the power (therefore also Amerigo this game of whom a lot regulates seemed fixed and inscutable and dark but a lot it is had the sense of to participate to establish them), or, communism, was a touch of reserve on the general matters, that pushed Amerigo to choose the most limited tasks of party and modest how recognizing in you are the most surely useful, and also in these going always gotten ready to the worst, wanting to keep itself serene simply in its (other generic limit) pessimism (in part hereditary also that, the plaintive air of family that contradict the Italians of the minority it wins it is noticed to have loser), but always in line subordinated to an as much optimism and stronger, the optimism without which would not have been communist (then was necessary to say, first: a hereditary optimism, of the minority italians that believes to have won every time that loses; that is to say the optimism and the pessimism were, if not the same thing, the two faces of the same leaf of artichoke), and, in the Italian, the sense of the relevant one, the faculty of adaptation and awaited (that is to say the age-old enemy of that minority: and then all the cards returned to confuse itself because who leaves in war against the skepticism cannot resign lose itself, otherwise it is identified with the its enemy), and above to all have understood it finally what did not want us then a lot understand: that this is alone an angle they decide themselves, we do not say elsewhere because elsewhere it is everywhere, but on a more immense staircase (and also in this there they were reasons of pessimism and reasons of optimism, but the first came to the most spontaneous mind).

I'm sure you didn't actually read all of that (can't even read one sentence, you slackers!), but if you had, you'd know that it doesn't make any sense and that my brain is about to self-combust. I'm happy to say that I've managed to read 8 pages of this stuff today... but I'm not so happy to say that it took me over 3 hours and 2 shots of espresso to do so.

My dear, wonderful, much-too-helpful friend Ryan was kind enough to inform me that at this rate, it will only take me 20 full days (reading 24 hours each day, of course) to read the 1000 pages of required text for my literature class. Since there are about 80 days in the semester, this leaves me 60 days of freedom.

Luckily I think Calvino will be the heaviest of the reading, and this book is only 80 pages long which means it should only take me about 30 hours to read. In other words, I love you all but I'm wasting precious reading-time by writing this. Goodbye :)

Non si fa?

This weekend, Marta and I decided to cook dinner for several of our friends. We're not exactly culinary experts, but we decided on something that sounded pretty dang good to us - our own invention: Pasta Caprese!! This consists (or more accurately, would have consisted) of pasta with pesto, tomatoes, and mozzarella. We ran into a snag when our three Italian roommates informed us that this is just not acceptable. Non si fa were their exact words, the rough translation of which is "one doesn't do that."

These are three words that I've grown quite accustomed to hearing, actually. For example, I learned that "one does not" order a panino with a cappuccino. Non si fa. I asked my roommates to further explain, because I happen to like drinking a cappuccino with my panino. They explained that "one does not" mix breakfast items (cappuccino) with lunch items (panino).

Well, "one" may not not mix meals, but Kalen certainly does. Haven't Italians ever heard of brunch? Or, even better, brinner?! (I'm going to wait awhile before suggesting that we have weekly pancake dinners...)

Anyway, back to our could-have-been magnificent Pasta Caprese. Andrea, Pierluca and Giada insisted that we at least leave out the mozzarella. Tomatoes were acceptable as long as we promised to sauté them, not just toss in diced tomatoes at the end... which is what we were planning to do - once again, non si fa. So, the recipe was agreed upon - but we got off to a disastrous start when we accidentally bought two different types of pasta. One required a cooking time of 11 minutes, and the other required a cooking time of 12 minutes! I thought Andrea was going to have a heart-attack, especially when I explained to him my normal U.S. pasta recipe:

1. Buy pasta
2. Buy sauce
3. Cook pasta for somewhere between 10-20 minutes
(yeah, that one really got him...)
4. Combine pasta and sauce
5. Enjoy, usually with a glass of milk, sometimes directly from the pan. Haha!

After much ado about everything, and much help from our roommates, our pasta was finally complete. If you ask me, it was perfect. If you ask Andrea, Pierluca or Giada... you know what, just don't ask them! :) Marta and I are extremely proud of our very first Italian culinary masterpiece!

Oh, speaking of firsts: on Monday, I attended my first courses at the University of Bologna!

Beginning Latin Grammer: first, I went to the wrong building and waited in an empty hall for... well, probably longer than most people would have. Then I went to the right building but the wrong hall. Then I went to the right hall in the right building and after a very confusing hour, realized that Beginning Latin Grammer is not, in fact, a beginning course in Latin as I had been led to believe. It is actually a beginning course in literature and translation. This obviously requires some knowledge of the latin language, of which I have none. Note to self: Drop latin class.

Contemporary Italian Literature: right building, right hall! Yesssss! I was so excited about this that I wasn't even phased by the fact that I'm expected to read over 1000 pages of Contemporary Italian Literature by December. Okay, I was a little phased. In fact, I was terrified and am still terrified and would prefer not to talk about it any more. Note to self: learn speed-reading.

In all honesty, I'm excited about the class. The theme is "confines of humanity" which seems interesting, the professor seems really passionate and the books are long. I mean, the books are fascinating.

History of Photography: Finally, a class which doesn't scare the crap out of me. The professor is engaging and seems to know just about everything there is to know about photography. He's really easy to understand. We have two books, one about photography in the 1800's and one about photography in the 1900's. They seem a little dense but I think that I'll be alright if I study a lot and get on Professor Marra's good side. Note to self: bake cookies for prof.

Since I'm only taking two courses right now, I decided to take a photography course at a nearby community center. It's a 36-week long course, during which I'll have unlimited access to two different darkrooms and also to a professional studio equipped with lighting, backdrops, etc. This is incredible, because it can cost hundreds of dollars per day to use a studio like that and I'll have unlimited access to it for the entire time I'm here.

Well, that's about it for now but I want to leave you with one more thing!

An American photographer living here in Bologna organized a photo shoot today in Piazza Maggiore, for all the people who want to show their international support for Barack Obama. Here we are, in all our glory:
Can you find me? Hint: I am (unintentionally) doing the "rock on" symbol... not sure how that happened. Ah well... rock on, Obama!

:)

La Nostra Prima Festa!

Our first house party was a huge success... and I mean really huge. I couldn't believe how many people were crammed into our apartment. I was a little terrified when everyone started showing up... but after a little bit of time and a little bit of wine I loosened up and was able to mingle pretty successfully. It was quite the challenge, mingling in Italian (especially because mingling has always been difficult for me, even in English)! I met a lot of really cool people, though, and we all had an amazing time. No one is entirely sure how many people came last night, but Pierluca estimates around 100! There were about 60 in the apartment at any given time, but people were coming and going all night between 8:00PM and 3:00AM so it's pretty hard to say.


(I was the only one who realized this photo was being taken...)

Mmm, I forgot to mention the best part of our party - the food. Sadly, I don't have a photo but Pierluca and Giada made tons of food - several different kinds of pasta, bruschetta, pastry things filled with prosciutto, all kinds of snacks... and I made guacamole which was actually a big hit. I was amazed at how many people had never tried guacamole! I'm honestly not sure how they've lived this long without it.

Perhaps the best part of the night (other than the food of course) - we managed to take our very first family photo!
From left to right: Pierluca, me, Giada, Marta and Andrea. We took three of these and Andrea managed to look goofy in all three, haha!

We're a pretty mellow bunch so I'm not sure how many more giant parties we'll have... but this was a great opportunity to meet people. I'm making a lot of friends here, which makes me feel more and more at home.

Speaking of which, I met my penpal Nicola a few days ago! He studies at the University of Emilia-Romagna, not too far from here. We've been writing to each other for about a year so it was interesting meeting him in person. There's only so much you can learn about a person through e-mails, after all. He's very nice, though, and I'm glad I had the chance to meet him.

I know this feeling will go away as I get to know people a little better, but sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by strangers here... it was really nice spending time with someone who knows me a little better.
Even though I'm starting to make friends here, I still miss everyone at home a lot. Sometimes it's hard for me to really be here, to let myself sink in... but I think I'm getting there. It'll just take time, and patience. I'm starting from scratch, you know? I came here with just me, just the basics, and now comes the tricky part - building the rest. I get to build an entire life for myself here, la mia vita italiana. Let's hope I don't screw it up too much! :)

Living in Bologna

Introducing.... (drumroll please!).... my new favorite place in Bologna:

That's right - this is my bed. It is located in my room, in my apartment, in Bologna, in Italy. It's so amazing to finally have a place that's mine, a place where I can lay my weary head or sometimes hide it under my pillow...

I love my apartment. I mean, I really love my apartment. Until yesterday, I didn't have any internet, which is why I haven't posted in so long. In fact, we still don't have legitimate internet... I won't go into details but let's just say we're not exactly paying for it.

The best thing about my apartment is the group of people in it. Andrea and Pierluca are the two men of the house, both italian and both extremely busy - Pierluca is currently studying for the TOEFL and Andrea is a musician. He plays piano and guitar, and sings, and directs a local choir! Right now he's in Florence at a recording studio. I don't have any pictures of them yet but we're throwing a house party on Friday so I'm sure I'll have some next week.

The women of the house are proudly represented by myself, Giada and Marta. Last night we all attended an event held for international students:

Giada (far left) is my roommate, a 20-year old italian student. She speaks a little english and actually spent a summer in California a few years ago. She talks insanely fast, so sometimes I have to pull a good ol' smile-and-nod, but for the most part we communicate very well! She also reallllly likes MTV and it's almost always on in our room, so by the time I get back to California, well... actually, I don't want to think about what could happen to my brain in the next year!

Marta is absolutely wonderful and I'm not just saying that because I know she'll read this (hehe). She's from Portugal and is studying in Bologna for a year, just like me! She's fluent in english and is learning Italian - it's nice to have somebody struggling with me sometimes.

It's actually pretty amazing how quickly I'm picking up italian. After just a few weeks here, I find myself saying "eh" instead of "um" and "cazzo" instead of "(insert english swear word here)". I understand almost everything, and have no trouble holding a conversation about anything from food to international politics! The only time I have serious trouble understanding is when my 3 italian housemates are all talking at once, which seems to happen multiple times a day. When this happens, Marta and I just look at each other and laugh, knowing that neither of us knows what's going on.

I finally finished my required italian course last Friday - I had to do a presentation on the topic of my choice (I chose controversial photographer Oliviero Toscani) and an oral exam. For the oral exam, I had to randomly choose topics out of a hat and speak in Italian for 5 minutes about each topic - I chose Bologna in WWII, the Italian university system, and the stereotypical perceptions of Italy versus reality. I was pretty well prepared, so it wasn't too bad. I think I mentioned before that once I start courses at Unibo, my entire grade will be decided by one final oral exam with the professor. It was nice to get a little practice, but I have a feeling that the real thing will be a little more difficult!

Speaking of Unibo courses, they start on Monday! I'll be taking Contemporary Italian Literature, History of Photography, and Beginning Latin Grammar. Each of those classes will last for about 6 weeks, and then I'll start a few more courses in November - History of Contemporary Italy, and Linguistics of Body Language. I didn't plan it this way, but I only have class on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday! Che fortuna! This means that I'll be able to work or travel or sleep or study or party as much as I want for the rest of the week. It will definitely be an exercise in self-discipline, I think...

The exams for all 5 courses are in December, which will probably be a pretty stressful month for me! Before that though, there are no tests, no quizzes, no assignments - just lectures (which aren't mandatory) and lots and lots of reading... all in italian. Wish me luck!

Until courses start on Monday, I have a bit of vacation time... I was hoping to travel, but I seem to have contracted the plague. Okay, maybe it's just a cold. Regardless, I am running pretty low on energy so I decided to stay in Bologna and the surrounding area for a week. I found a beautiful park next to my house, and I'm really excited to spend more time there and go running with Marta!

Last Sunday my friend Leslie and I went to Florence for a day to hang out with some friends who were visiting from the US. (Paul, Annie and Jed have been traveling Europe for the past month and managed to find time to visit me in Italy!) It was really nice seeing them, speaking english and seeing Florence again. It was interesting seeing how the city has changed since I studied there last summer. I even saw a few familiar faces, including those of the infamous Florence nutria - giant river rats! They're actually cousins of the otter, but their long skinny tails and affinity for garbage-eating make them seem extremely rat-like. I didn't particularly miss them but seeing their creepy little rat faces gave me a strange sense of nostalgia... haha!

My friends and I encountered quite the adventure when we tried to enter the Uffizi gallery, an amazing art museum in Florence. Paul had purchased a 7-inch knife in Spain and failed to realize that the museum guards probably wouldn't appreciate seeing it pop up on their x-ray screen when he put his bag through security. After a few minutes of yelling, the guards told Paul that he had to check the knife and could pick it up when he left the museum. What they didn't tell him is that there would be a police officer waiting for him when he got out.

Paul's girlfriend Annie and I were waiting for the others outside of the museum when my friend Leslie called me and said "The carabinieri are taking us to the station - run and meet us there!"

Even with Leslie there to translate, the police officers couldn't seem to understand why Paul had purchased a 7-inch knife, why he thought it was a good idea to carry it concealed in his backpack throughout Europe, or why he thought he could get away with bringing it into the Uffizi. Honestly though, I don't understand any of those things either so I don't think it was the language barrier which kept them from understanding. Finally they got frustrated and let him go - they even let him keep the knife. Essentially they said "we're going to pretend this never happened but please, please get out of our country."

Needless to say, I was very happy to fall into my bed that night.

It's a beautiful day here in Bologna so I'm going for a walk... but now that I have internet (stolen internet, bad bad bad internet!) at my house, I will write more often. I promise.

I love you all, ciao!