Orientation Days

The last two days we have all been learning our way around Siena! The whole town is beautiful and old. So old. All of the roads are cobblestone and very narrow, and the buildings very close together. The number of cars is restricted in the city center, so there are pedestrians everywhere. People walk in the middle of the road- except on the big roads, there is no sidewalk. Everyone simply moves aside when cars come. I can walk everywhere I need to go in fifteen minutes or less, and if I wanted to walk across all of Siena, it would take me maybe 30 minutes.

Yesterday I met everyone in the program, first for a tour of Siena in the morning, followed by lunch and meetings in the afternoon. We explored some on the way back to our house in the afternoon, and on the way, a man who did not seem to actually speak Italian stopped us to ask for directions in Italian! I guess we looked very self-assured, but we had to tell him (in Italian, which I think we spoke better than he did) that we did not know and were new to the city!

We were then free until the evening, when we met back at the school. This time the Italian roommates of those living in apartments came as well. We all went to dinner at a nearby restaurant with them. It was a beautiful little place, with long tables and curved brick ceilings. We ate delicious foods, and so many types! We had at least four different types of antipasti, and three different types of pasta, accompanied by both white and red wines.

One of the pasta dishes was a dish that is local to Siena. It is called Pici- it's a lot like spaghetti, but thicker and I believe made by hand. There was a type of meat in it that our Resident director said she was pretty sure was wild boar! One of the Italians students likes it so much that one of the other students kept telling the waiter to put more on his plate, so much that he had a whole pile of it - and this was our last dish, so we had already eaten so much!

It's surprising in some ways how much American music and media has permeated Italian culture. Right now at a local bar or club near my house, they are playing the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song (a dance version...it's interesting). Earlier they were playing Black Eyed Peas, and yesterday they played Spice Girls. This evening, my roommate and my homestay mother and I all watched NCIS. The American NCIS, voiced over in Italian.

wait...they just played something that sounded like Cotton Eye Joe-but in Italian. I think it was supposed to be Cotton Eye Joe. wow... and now they are playing I'm Blue.

Anyway, that hits the major points of the last two days! There have been so many little things, too, though! learning how to get coffee in an Italian bar (a bar is any place with a counter that you stand at), sitting on the piazza eating pizza or panini, and especially ordering in Italian and not having them speak back in English. I was able to answer a question on the Italian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire! And I am learning so quickly. I keep a journal of words I learn in a day, but I almost don't have too, because I hear the words and phrases so often.

Tomorrow we are going to explore the whole city. We have the whole day free until dinner time. And I will take and post pictures!