Day 11! Sorry for the delay!

Ciaoooo! Wow it has been quite a week. I'm so sorry I haven't updated since Monday. The move to my apartment went well, but I am still working on getting settled in. What with that and classes this week, things have just been super busy so I haven't had the time or energy to write. I also couldn't figure out the internet at my apartment at first, and I also am having issues with the outlets here. So many things involved in settling in! I will do my best now to fill you in on what's happened this week.
Ok, so after class on Tuesday, Maria, Rodlofo, and Erin graciously helped me lug my bags up five flights of stairs to my new apartment. We just dropped my stuff off and then left because it was way too hot and overwhelming to even think about unpacking!
We had a meeting at the BCSP office and then l'aperitivo (like coffee and conversation). I think we have that every Tuesday with Italian students. It will be an excellent way to meet people. I actually met a boy, Gabriele, there on Tuesday who studied at IU last year. I had met him once last semester through the overseas office, but it was so good to run into him again! He and his friend Andrea are super nice and really fun.
After l'aperitivo Maria and I helped Rodolfo move into his apartment. He lives just outside of the city walls. It's a really really nice place, just too far away for me!
On our way back from that, Rodolfo and I stopped and bought a couple bottles of wine. The man in the shop was absolutely crazy and reminded me of and Italian Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future. But he was very nice and suggested some good wine for us. We headed back to my place (MY PLACE!!) and invited a few people over to share our wine. Erin, Alex, and Max came over, and then Andrea and Gabriele joined us later. It was really nice to have eveyone over to my apartment. Elena (one of my roommates) joined us for a little bit too.
We then decided to go out on the town! Gabriele and Andrea took us down to a place in Giardini Margherita, but it was still closed for the summer when we got there, so we went all the way back up to an outdoor club called Vicolo Bolognetti. It was nice, but not very crowded still. I can't wait for all the students to get back in town! Still, it was a good night, especially nice to sleep in a bed of my very own! Gabriele and Andrea have both studied in the United States, so they are really fun to talk to. They were telling us all kind of slang words and things that young people should know but that we won't learn in class!
As for Wednesday, we had the day off for morning class because we had two very long (very boring) meetings at the BCSP office in the afternoon. Maria and I used the morning to go grocery shopping since we now are responsible for our own nourishment! We went to Pam, which is the big grocery store in the city center. It was so fun! It was so cool to see how some things were the same and some were so different. For example, I recognized a lot of brand names, especially of hair products and stuff like that. Some things are SO different though--we saw a lady just hacking away at this huge fish that was easily five feet long and at least a foot and a half in diameter. I was proud of us when we figured out how to weigh our produce. Then I realized there was a huge sign above every scale that told you what to do. Oh well! This time around I just got prosciutto already cooked, some cheeses, yogurt, cereal, fruit, veggies. Nothing I have to cook since that makes me nervous. Cooking is something I want to learn how to do here, but that is another project for another time! I figure that can wait until I at least have my clothes put away...
After the meetings, we had some errands to run. We got school supplies and looked at a poster shop. I like the notebooks and folders here. It's so interesting to see the little details that are so different here.
We had dinner at Maria's place that night. Her roommates are all out of town right now, so it was just her, Rodolfo, Erin, Alex, and me. Maria provided the pasta and sauce, Rodolfo and I got salad and caprese fixings, and Erin brought some white wine. It was so fun to try our hand at cooking (well I actually just took pictures of everyone else cooking). We had an indoor picnic in Maria's room because the kitchen was a little too small for us! We are thinking we are going to make it a tradition to go to someone else's place every Wednesday for dinner. I'm looking forward to it!
Today (Thursday) I got up and went to a little market off the Piazza Maggiore to buy some plants. I got two cacti--Fabio has soft hair-like needles, and Donnatella has prickly ones and little pink flowers. They make a really cute couple!
We then had class, during which we watched a movie, and then after stopping at Paninoteca (maybe my favorite bar) for lunch, we moved Erin into her place. It was just Erin, Alex, and I lugging Erin's crazy heavy bags up I don't even know how many flights of stairs! But we made it, and it was so worth the heavy lifting. Her apartment is also outside the walls, but is really great. Her roommate is really fun too!
We headed back into town afterward, stopping for caffe on the way. I have already developed a mad coffee habit, but it's just so good here! We did a little shopping, and then parted ways. I went to buy a power strip, which doesn't actually fit my outlets:(, and then headed back to my place. I then proceeded to take the best nap ever!
Alex and Michelle came over after to work on the LOADS of homework we have for tomorrow. Speaking of which, I need to get back to finishing that up...
But I just wanted to bring everyone up to date! Ciao for now!
xoxo