Everyday Life

I didn't really have a whole ton today to do, so I came into school early to connect to the internet and blog to you guys. I think that it's about time that I explained a little bit of everyday life in Italy.

Grocery shopping is a good place to start. As I look back today on my first grocery trip, I'm relieved that I went with a small group of friends. First off, you have to buy your bags, so we brought some ahead of time so that we wouldn't have to pay. There are only the baskets to carry your groceries in, no carts. Everything is in a different language, obviously, so figuring out what is what and how it might taste is mind boggling and overwhelming. There are SO many different types of meats and cheeses! Prosciutto is probably the most amazing thing invented in the world. At first, I was scared of it because it looks like uncooked meat. Apparently, it's just very very very thinly sliced deli meat. The cheeses melt in your mouth and are dirt cheap, same with pasta. I went to buy body wash and that was an adventure. I couldn't figure out the words for lotion, body wash, and bubble bath, and they were all next to each other. I probably spent about 15 minutes just staring at them all. Overall, shopping at the supermarket is a great experience and so much cheaper than eating out every night.

The cafe's and most of the stores close down between 12-4 ish by custom for lunch. It's common here to take a nap after eating, and to take your time eating. The people are so skinny and tiny and beautiful! I think that it's because they truly treasure their time with people and take joy and time with the simple pleasures of life.

I think I explained apertivo already, but to enforce the definition...
You buy a drink and it comes with many different finger foods that you fill your plate up with. The one I went to had pizza bread, cheeses, several quiches, and a few meats. It's a great experience, sitting there sipping and eating and chatting with people.

Off to Class!