2014 - Day 1

I arrived at the school (la scuola) at 9AM, after a restless night (no thanks to the mosquitoes!). New class blocks start on Mondays and my group consisted of about 12 people. I would guess there are about 4-5 nationalities represented. An interesting dynamic: we all seemed to be able to ask each other "where are you from" and "how many weeks will you be here" as people took turns translating when there was no common language. It will be interesting to see how we do at the end of our classes as we should all have something in common.

After a quick orientation, we were tested to determine our Italian knowledge level. I was not surprised that I was placed at the beginners level. I was surprised that this is total immersion! I would be totally under water without having taken the previous classes at UW-Waukesha. My class consists of Prof Paolo, me and Jeannette (from Switzerland)! Yup, all 3 of us. Gotta love the student/teacher ratio.

Here are a couple shots of the break room and patio. Class rooms are typical...

After class, Marco took us on a short tour into the center of Florence. The city is packed with tourists already! Any guesses as to where we are?

I also wanted to share a few pictures of where I am staying. I'm staying with Francesca, Leolino and Mimi. The latter two are cats! They love to play loudly at about 4AM! :(

Here's my room. It's not possible to take pictures width-wise!

And a few of the living room/dining dining room, and kitchen. Joyce, I'm getting used to a daily dose of red wine!

Ciao tutti!