July 8th: People

Im posting from the internet cafe for the first time. Only 1.50 euro per hour to use the computers here - the downside is, the keyboard keys are different, and they feel funny. So excuse any typing errors for now, until I can go home and fix them on my laptop with AMERICAN keys.

Recently I was introduced to the "Kebap place" down the street from the Convent... Normally Iàm not a fan of Middle >Eastern food, but this place is great. Evidently other students have been eating there for a while, and built up a nice chat history with the women who work there. Itàs two Turkish women, a son, and a man who looks like a husband-owner of the place. So I went a few times, or enough for one of the women to recognize me. One day this week I heard that they were going on vacation, and wouldnàt be returning until after we leave Italy. Once the news spread, all the Oberlin students flocked there on Saturday for the final day of kebaps (a type of lamb meat sandwich on pita bread -- I usually get mine with ketchup-mayo spread and lettuce, and onions, although they also offer French fries as toppings, among others.) While there, I spoke with one of the women and asked where they were going on vacation, to which she responded, her home country of Turkey. Then she added, "If you students are ever back in town, just let us know -- say youàre the Americans who were here studying music in 2008 and we,ll surely remember you." I wished her a good vacation, ordered my sandwich, and said goodbye to the little boy behind the counter, who had been staring at me with a confused expression on his face.

Marco, the young Italian actor, has become good friends with Caroline, an oboeist friend here who knows my sister from school in Michigan. After hearing her talk about the concerts, he decided to come see Figaro for our final performance, and judging by the grin on his face I saw when I had a chance to look up, he seemed to like it.

We returned to Blu Bar, Marcoàs parents place, again today for lunch. They are always happy to see us, and chat about our classes and upcoming concerts. While eating, it dawned on me that I would only be here for three more days, and that there were many people to say goodbye to, including Marcoàs family.

After a bad day last week where I couldnàt speak hardly a word of Italian for lack of sleep, I recharged at home and returned that evening to Carloàs bar with slightly greater success. Intending only to buy a drink and leave, I heard a frantic voice as I walked out the door: "Allie! English!" I reentered the store to find a petite British woman at the counter unsuccessfully trying to order one scoop of mascarpone in a cone. After helping her out, I asked what she was doing in Italy, and found out that she and her husband were vacationing. I then told her that I was heading to England in a few days, and we chatted about that for a few minutes. Once she left, I turned back to Carlo, who had been listening and trying to understand our conversation. He asked how much longer we were here, and when I told him, he made a sad face and mimed a letter: "You will write me?" I,ll send him and Barbara a postcard when I return to the States.

The trains are running for the first time in a couple of days, due to a transportation strike (affecting buses as well, from what Iàve heard). When asked about it in class, the Italian teachers seemed not to mind, saying that it happens every two or three months here, especially during the summer.

Ok, typing errors fixed and pics uploaded later.

-Allie

p.s. I am adding the picture above several days later, as I didn't have access to my album while in the internet cafe -- it's a shot I took of the antique market that took place last weekend. (I didn't buy anything.)

July 6th: Fourth of July??

One funny thing I forgot to mention was the lack of an Independence Day here.

Well, duh, we're not in America. But it was still strange not to celebrate. Many of us had forgotten altogether (myself included), until a quiet ripple began to spread among the students: "hey guys, it's the Fourth of July." Oh yeah, right. Now the question was: what do we do?

The obvious answer was to go to Bloom, the self-proclaimed "foreign bar," order some American drinks, and have our own celebration off in the corner. However, seeing as the opera let out so late, that wasn't a possibility. Or at least not a smart one.

So, on the ride to Cortona that evening, someone started singing "The Star-Spangled Banner," and we half-heartedly joined in. That was it. No fireworks, no more patriotic songs, and no red-white-and-blue. Having never been out of the country before, it was the first big American holiday that I've missed, and it felt strange.

Oh well. Maybe we'll make up for it this Labor Day. I know I'm buying fireworks, at least.

Ciao,

-Al

p.s. (the picture above isn't mine)

July 6th: Catching up

It's getting harder and harder to update as we get closer to the end of the program. Things are pretty busy.

We're full-on into the opera right now, and it's pretty intense. There are four performances total -- tonight is our last -- with two casts in three different locations near Arezzo (Cortona, Sansepolcro, and Castiglion Fiorentino). We have large charter buses that shuttle everyone back and forth from Arezzo to the concert venues, which are great except that the overhead bins don't hold violins. Anyway, since the Italian people take their time with every aspect of life, it makes sense that evening concerts wouldn't start until 9 pm. And that's a lazy 9 pm -- it's usually more like 9:15 or 9:30. So do the math -- if the opera is four hours long, we're not getting home and in bed until well after 2 a.m. every night. Fortunately, the Italian teachers are gracious and allowed us to set back our class time until the afternoon, for the duration of the opera performances.

That said, many of the language classes have been cancelled altogether. They understand that music is our main focus here, so they allowed us to take a few days' break last week. Now that means not only is our test on Thursday (help!), but we've also had time to forget everything we learned in the past couple of weeks. And forget studying -- it's been hard enough just to stay awake with the crazy time schedule everyone's been on. Saturday "morning" I woke up and was shocked to find that it was actually 3 in the afternoon.... but, I guess I needed it.

Some of the kids' parents are visiting Italy to see the performances, and I'm a little jealous. I wish my family could be here too.

Going back to the Italians taking their time with life... that's one thing I really like about it here. Remember how I've said that the locals find it strange that we eat on the run? I actually am beginning to understand that. When I grab a ham and mozzarella panino per portare via, for takout, I find myself wondering whether it's actually necessary that I get it to go. And a lot of the time, the answer is no. Yesterday, for example -- I was in such a habit of getting food fast that I didn't stop to think that I didn't really need to be anywhere in a hurry. So rather than running with it, I sat down outside the cafe with a few friends and had a nice conversation while eating my freshly-made panino. It was a very pleasant change.

I haven't even seen anyone here eating while walking, let alone eating while working or driving. Even to go for a caffe', they deliberately stand at the counter and sip it slowly, making conversation with the bar owner or other customers. It's a nice change of pace.

Also, the time schedule of this culture is really different. For the first couple of weeks we were here, no one could figure out why stores seemed to close at random at strange times of the day. It was actually a little frustrating, since the afternoon is often the only time that we have free to do shopping, get groceries, etc.Then someone informed us that the town takes a break from 1-4 every afternoon, which we call their siesta time (although that's probably not really what it is). For these few hours, most stores shut down, and there are fewer people out on the streets. Everything re-opens late afternoon and the restaurants start preparing for dinner, which actually doesn't happen until 8 or 9. Then, naturally, everyone is out until 1 or 2 in the morning -- even on weeknights -- which is why it's not unusual to them for the opera to end at 1:30. It's as if they have their quiet time in the afternoon to allow them to stay out as late as they want. Who knows, maybe that's actually the point. Either way, I kind of like it. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen an Italian in a hurry -- these people just have a natural sense of taking it easy that makes everything around here really leisurely and enjoyable.

So while my dining habits probably won't be any different when I return to the States, it's really nice to enjoy here while I can.

(The picture above is the sign hanging outside the theater where we performed in Cortona.)

More later,
-Allie