Week 3 has been busy, and thanks to a literature paper due Monday, it is starting to feel a bit like real school. There's nothing too exciting to write about, other than the continuation of the great time I'm having! Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I am falling more and more into the lifestyle here. Just two examples, I have found it increasingly difficult to be on time to things and dinner time has been moving later and later. Che una bella vita!

I took some pictures around Colorno this week. Amazingly, we had 2 sunny days in a row and I finaly saw a beautiful sunset.


However, the sunny days were followed by some of the thickest fog I have ever seen. I'm afraid this is more the norm. These were taken around the school building at 5 in the afternoon.

Weekend

This past weekend, I went with a small group of friends to Bologna (one of my favorite cities) to check out an art event. The train ride is about 1 hour, so we caught the Saturday night gallery crawl and afterward enjoyed some really great music in a small hot spot, then made it back to Parma by about 2 am.
And while there, I found my namesake!


And other big happenings, last Thursday was sunny! This pic was taken out of a window of the classroom were I spend most of my days, looking out over Colorno and the previously engorged river.

More on the real reason I am here

So far, after 8 days of school, here are a few of the classes I have had: Italian literature, Italian language, Food Technology (mostly on preservation techniques and the chemistry and biology behind them), and my two favorites, Cheese tasting, and "The sense of smell." In cheese tasting, a professional cheese taster led us through the process of analyzing the qualities of cheese and quite obsessively had us fill out professional evaluation forms. We examined four cheeses, and somehow we are supposed to be able to sense 20 different scents in each cheese. I can maybe detect 3 or 4, but animal hair and dark chocolate are a little out of reach for me at this time. Regardless, the cheese was tasty, and I learned to appreciate Taleggio, a cheese with which I previously could not get past the similarity to smelly feet. And in "The sense of smell," after a round of blind smelling of essential oils from everything from sandalwood to flint to papaya, I was awarded the "Golden Nose." Apparently I have a good sniffer!
Another big event is the near flooding of the Parma River, which runs right through Colorno and borders one side of the school. Late last night as a group of us arrived back from an inaguration gathering in Parma, a sizable group of spectators were gathered around the ancient bridge that connects the two sides of the town. The normally very low river was about 1 1/2 feet from breaching the barier walls. So we took pictures and went to bed hoping to not wake up swimming in the morning. Being Colorno, this was very exciting! (If I have not yet mentioned, Colorno is a TINY town with not much going on!)

I survived...

the post office. The Permesso di Soggiorno is now MINE!!!!!! (or at least the temporary one, as I will not get the actual card until the goverment decides it wants to send it to me. 3 months, 5 months, who knows) I have completed the first week of classes, and I am ready for more.

Just how cold is it?

Today was my first Italian class. They have split the class into 3 parts: Beginners, Intermediate, and Italians. I'll be in the intermediate class with only 2 other girls, so I hope it will help my language greatly. Conversation is my biggest need! I spent a lot of time today hanging out around a bottle of wine with a group from class, and I continue to be so excited about being with all of these people who care about and know about food just as much if not more than I do. We have had some great conversations and just because of this connection there is already a great sort of kindred spirit among everyone.
Tomorrow I will again put myself in harm's way of Italian red tape. I have to apply for a permit of stay, which requires several trips to the post office. I have already made my document copies, a ridiculously large number of them, so now all I need is to go to the tobacco shop and buy a tax stamp, fill out the forms I pick up tomorrow at the post office, then return to the post office with said forms completed and all 20 document copies, then wait for 5 months. Then I take the receipt and go to another office for a fiscal code, fill out who knows how many forms. It is processes like this that make me thankful for the efficiency of America.
I took a picture today out the window of one of the classrooms looking into the english garden attached to the palace that the school is in. Note the fountain and surrounding "free-form ice sculpture"!

Now begins the fun!

Today was the first day of classes. After an early start of 11:00 am, we heard a short orientation and were able to meet other classmates for the first time. There are 15 of us in this program; 7 Americans, 3 Italians, and a smattering of others. Only 3 males! (which is really odd, considering the food industry has always been dominated by men) Lunch is supplied by the prestigious Italian cooking school that happens to be housed in the same building. It was wonderful! After a class in Italian Literature with a food bent(think Dante's perceptions on gluttony, Boccaccio on Basil). After class I joined a small group for apperativi. You know, typical after school activity, chatting with friends about the problems of growing wine in the Old World compared to the New World regarding the slope of the lands, the failings of massive food industries in regards to sustainability, and the plannings of gatherings based on all things consumable, over a massive hunk of Parmigiano and Lambrusco (the local wine). It makes me feel like I'm getting away with some sort of heist when they bring out the cheese like this. Parmigiano must be made here to be called Parmigiano-Reggiano, and in Houston, the real thing goes for about $19.95/lb. So when the guy brings out this hunk that must weigh 4 pounds, with each peice I eat, the satisfaction of enjoying the king of cheeses for free absolutly thrills my frugality!!!

First Post

First of all, thanks for visiting my blog. About the title, I think that is the most frequent question that I have been asked in the last few months when I tell people what I will be doing this year. So this blog will be an attempt to share a little more on this subject along with all of the experiences I will hopefully enjoy this year. I will write about classes and school activities, personal expeditions, and probably lots of random subjects that I might feel inclined to post. And if I throw in some Italian, well, I think it's inevitable. I would love to see your comments!
To begin, I was scheduled to arrive in Milan this past Wednesday morning at 9 am. But I picked the day of a massive snow storm along with striking airport workers, so the plane diverted to Genova, maybe 300 km to the south of Milan. As we were about to land, hey, let's go to Zurich instead, about 300 km to the north of Milan. After arriving at 10:30 and sitting in the plane for 1 hour, they determined the only way to Milan was on train. Well, I had not planned on carrying my 3 enormous bags and 2 carry-ons on and off 3 trains and through stations. Not physically possible.
Luckily, I had the help of several very nice men at each location to give me a hand. This is all while trying to communicate with the guy who had arrived at Milan that morning to pick me up. We decided it would be easier to meet in Lugano, Swizterland than at the main train station in Milan. So at 4:30 pm, I met my ride, to enjoy another 3 hours through the snow and icy roads. But I do have to say, riding the train through the alps was absolutely breathtaking! I guess one positive!
After a few days in a small Piemontese town, I made it to Colorno, bags in tow. I am getting situated in my apartment and will begin classes Monday. In boca al lupo!

Click here for a map.


(The picture is from Acqui Terme, of an ancient thermal spring around which the town was built by the Romans. Note the snow! Can anyone tell me how to add captions to pics?)