Facts, Answers and Questions....

This post is just to answer Mrs. Hamiliton's questions...I'll post a bigger one in a little bit.

1) No, I don't have a class at school for me to learn Italian. Everyone trys to help as much as they can, and teachers do give Ilze and I (mostly me, because Ilze is getting really good at speaking Italian. She studied it in school for 2 years and had a private tutor for 3 months before she came, so her she can get a lot across.....I can't) excercises, but we are expected to study a lot on our own. After all, the classes we are in have their own agendas and their students already know Italian. Here's a typical day in class (I'll give you tomorrow's schedule; each day I have a different schedule...it's farther down in another post if you want to look at it)

Mercoledi

Math (III AL, Claudia's class) - Really boring. I don't understnad anything....they are studying Analytical Geometry....and everyone who knows me knows that I am horrible at math. I don't understand a lot of concepts at UM, how am I suppose t study it in Italian?! Who ever said that Math is easy because it's the same in every language is a liar....the numbers may be the same, but how you explain the steps is very different. It took the teacher a half an hour, and a lot of gibberish, to tell the class that the interger in the answer must be positive....and WHY couldn't he just say that? Oh well, I copy it all down to look like I'm doing something.

German (III AL) - I have to buy a book for this class soon because the teacher wants me to take tests with Claudia's class...urgh. I vented in an earlier post....that's all I really have to say on the subject. Am I getting better...yes, I now know the words for "yes" "and" "my name is" and "Good Morning"...will I be ready for an oral exam in a month...niene.

Individual Lab (with Joaquin and Ilze) - This is with the teacher who is tutoring the foreign exchange students, she's not the best teacher, but I am learning some things. We just study words, how to buy things, conversation topics...

P.E. (III AL) - There is no teacher for this class...it's not structured like the classes in the US. Kids come into the gym, decide if they put sweatpants on or not...some grab a volleyballl and play...most sit on the floor and chat with their friends. Because it's the only subjects I can actually participate in without speaking...I usually grab abasketball or a volleyball and try and convince Ilze to play with me. It's like pulling teeth though, she doesn't like any physical activity...so either a coule of guys join me in shooting hoops (no one but Ilze know how to play a game, and she, of course, doesn't want to) or a couple of girls hit the volleyball back and forth with me.

Italian (2BL) - I usually do excercises in this class on the computer, while Ilze reads a book. The teacher is our Italian tutor...she told me to buy a book soon, so I think I will get the first Harry Potter book, I've read it enough times....

...And on Wednesdays we get out at 1pm...not the whole school, just our class. Each class has it's own schedule and they get one day where they get out early. Because Claudia stays until 5pm at school for an advanced English clas, I come home alone on the train.

2) No, we don't have a library at school. No Libraries period. Everyone buys every book they need...in fact, I have to buy a couple...one for German (£22), one for one of my Italian classes (£9,50), an English Literature (£18) and my Harry Potter one (not sure how much it will cost).

3) Titos...well, here are some pictures to help. It has a main restaurant, full bar, tavern down below, and small space upstairs with a fireplace. No specialties...cooks whatever...by far the nicest restaurant in Vico. It has a huge full screen TV, which plays football games and live music on the weekends...

4) A typical lunch is whatever the cook makes for us (gnocchi is my favorite), bread, wine, water, cheese. Sometimes we have cake and most days we have coffee afterwards...and, by the way, Mom, Dad, don't make fun of me...I like american coffee with sugar, but I also drink Italian espresso without anything...so HA!

5) Lunch is a big meal, but dinner is the same too. My family really isn't a typical family...most Italian families have several courses, with pasta first, then meat, and salads....we eat only one course. Which is fine with me...they eat huge servings anyways...I don't think I couldhandle more servings. Lunch is at 14.30 and dinner is at 21.30, usually.

so...that's it. I'll post more about Carnevale, which was today, later=))