Chianti

I have officially been in Florence for one week! Only a few mishaps...but I'm still alive and well! I live pretty far from the center and the busses are not that relaible. Therefore I am looking into buying a moped/vespa. I kind of fear for my life because I can't even begin to explain the driving here. I've not once seen a car pulled over so I'm not so sure there are even traffic laws!


I love my school! Laungage classes have about 8 people and are mostly half American and half Japanese. They Japanese are so nice and make me laugh so hard every day. They drink so much more that we do. When I first met the girls in my class they kept saying "Legally Blond" and finally we were able to communicate, in broken Italian, that they think I look like Reese Witherspoon? Funny. The pictures are of us playing a guessing game and asking questions about what is on our forehead trying to figure out what or who we were.


On Wednesday we went to Chianti. It was beautiful and very historic. The castle was amazing and the wine cellars literally had bottles of collector wine that had years of dust on them. I think they were the $30,000 bottles. Our guide spoke Italian but told us that these wines were very hard to find throughout the world. The tasting was not how I expected it to be. They brought us snacks (formaggio, proscuitto, bread and etc.) but did not provide a spitting bucket! What's a tasting without a bucket? And they did not teach us about the wine, what kind, what made it special, etc. I think we were such a big group becasue we went with the school that pehaps it was different than usual. I did taste, however, the most delicious balsemic vinegar ever. It was 46 euro for about 4 ounces! That is almost $50-55! Needless to say, I didn't buy anything there!



I love my apartment I just wish it wasn't so far. The pictures are of the yard, patio, view and entrance to my section. The house is gated and the owners live on the whole upper section. They have two kids and a dog, Elena. Don't worry Nikoli, no competition! I have a great view and live in a nice neighborhood. The school is right across the street with a public park attached to it. The kids look at me like I'm an alien when I wait for the bus in the morning. They are much more aware of foreigners than American kids, I think. I don't ever see any Americans in my part of town so I really stick out. However, in the center where the other girls live there are a lot of Americans. Bad for our Italian skills! We try to talk in English only when we have not learned how to say it in Italian. However, we only really know basic things!


I have been speaking a lot of Spanish becasue the boys that we hang out with are from Spain, Columbia, and Mexico. I can speak well with them and ususally almost carry on a broken, short, conversation. Yet, everyone, no matter what nationality seems to speak English.



It has been rainy here on and off all week. It is warmer now, but I was so cold for the first couple of days!! Luckily I found an umbrella in my apartment!
I miss everyone and hope all is well! Ella congrats on GRADUATING COLLEGE! Jake...you're going to New York! Watch out for the teacher-student realtionships that equal trouble! Daddy how was Florida? Rach, George and Chris..you're moving to!! When? Love you all, give Nikoli major kisses for me.