It's not good, it's not bad, it's just different.

Ciao tutti! I feel like I haven't blogged in forever! This post, like all of the others, is going to be a random mashup of what my life is like. First off I would like to clear the air. I'm not trying to bash Italy in this blog. I'm simply trying to tell the differences that I see and experience. I'm sorry if anyone thinks I'm rude towards Italy/Italians. I'm just trying to tell the differences between Italy and America. It's not good, it's not bad, it's just different. All right! Now into my post.

Let's start with school. I've had a breakthrough. I finished a math equation! Iiris and I were moved into the prima B math class in school since our classes math was to difficult. These kids still no more math than I do though which is embarrassing since they're equivalent to 8th graders. We have a test this Friday and I'm bound to fail. This week I also had my first science class! The teacher had been missing since school started so we're a month behind. I think he said that he was sick? More importantly, I understood everysingle thing that happened in class! We were learning Biology, cells specifically, and since I took biology two years ago I could follow along. The Italian words they used were also very similar to the English ones we use. I wish I could have Biology everyday.

Should I talk about food again now? Why not! I've had a few more "firsts" on the food front. I've had veal, prickly pear (cactus fruit), and... horse. The first two I was ok with and both tasted good, but horse was another story. It wasn't the taste, or the texture that I didn't like, it was the fact that I was eating every horse named Misty that I've ever rode in my life. I know they're just animals but I have horse on a different level from cow and chicken. I don't think I'll be having it again.

I never get tired of looking at the Italian landscape, but it confuses me so much! Is it mountains, is it desert, is it forest? I have no clue. All I know is that it's beautiful. Everyone thinks I'm weird because I'm always talking about the trees here, but they're so different from the ones in Pennsylvania! Everywhere I look I see palm, cyprus, and fruit trees. Sometimes I miss the pine, oak, and maple trees of PA. I think I'll really miss them this winter. As much as I love living at the beach surrounded by palm trees during the summer, in the winter I love walking outside in the cold with the snow covered trees. Another thing I noticed about Italy is that when you are driving you go through lots of tunnels and that Italy also has a lot of windmills. Go green!

This Friday I didn't go to school because I had to go to Matera for my permesso di soggiorno. For any non Italians reading, it's the document that says I'm not living here illegally. Matera is where athe Passion of The Christ was filmed and is really beautiful. When I went we were in the modern part of Matera. We went to the police station where I signed documents, had my finger prints taken, and basically got a mug shot. It's lame but I felt like I was in CSI. Afterwards we drove to Bari and did some shopping. Io compravo leggings e due unghi smalti. Sorry if I just butchered that. It was some much needed retail therapy.

Even though I can still barely speak Italian I feel like I'm not just a tourist, but an "honorary Italian."  My friends at school are inviting me to go to the movies with them, go out on Saturday nights, and I've even found some who like LOTR and The Hobbit! I can only imagine how good things will be when we can all speak Italian together. And I'm almost to 1.5k views on my blog! I hope to be over 2k by the end of the month. Grazie e arrivederci!