SUCCESS!

Strawberry jam bars were a little sweeter than usual but otherwise a success! One of my friends told me I should not be surprised if I get proposals over my baking, so I think I can take that as a very high compliment! When my host family found out I was baking, they told me to let them know next time, and bake for them and that they would buy the ingredients for me. I plan to take advantage of this!

The group was planning a trip to Sardegna while I was over at my friends, and a few of us have opted to go to Rome instead. That won't be for a few weeks, though.

I was thinking about what I have done so far after exactly three weeks, and it looks like this in summary:

1. moved from having slow and halting conversations with my family to having full on and lengthy conversations.

2. Figured out how the Italian grocery store functions and lost my fear of the Italian grocery store

3. Changed from being the lost tourist to being the American student helping lost tourists.

4. Begun to correctly conjugate verbs in conversation.

5. Travelled to: Arezzo, Florence, towns in Tuscany. Made plans to travel to: Venice, working on Cinque Terre and Rome with Pisa and Luca on the list.

6. Discovered the love of my life, Pecorino Cheese. Delicious accompanied by marmalade or red wine. Or probably both, I've not had the opportunity to try that though.

Still to go? I don't know. I am figuring out as I go.

Right now though, I really want to crash the party I can hear outside my window. It sounds like the Caterpillar Contrada is having a party that involves karaoke. Some interesting sounding music is floating in my window...