School and some more school

Ciao! The last two days have been spent becoming accustomed to my surroundings. We were brought to our new school and I must say it is absolutely beautiful! Built in 1214, the buildings, well most of them, my classes are in were once the home to monks. The likeness to a monastery is still discernible in the buildings I will be walking through and by five days out of seven every week I spend in Italy. In the 1800’s the monastery sadly went up for sale and was purchased by the government to house prisoners. Thus, as our adviser said “what was once a place to imprison criminals, now is a prison for students.” In the library, you can still see where the isolation cells once were and in the basement, a place apparently only the staff is allowed, there is a preserved cell. Another adviser joked that when students misbehave this is where they are sent. I would be terrified honestly.

 Pictures: The very first picture is the first little courtyard you see when you enter the school, and then the plaque with the school name. The next picture is looking at one of courtyards that shows the main building in the background. The next pictures are all of the same little courtyard where the original frescoes are, which they are attempting to have restored. This last photograph is the actual entrance into the school looking out from the inside of the school.

The Italian students stare at us LOUD Americans. Yes, I never noticed before at how high of a decibel Americans truly do speak. Walking down the small streets of Viterbo, we can hear another group of American students coming from the opposite direction before we can see them. I thought at first that if we began to look Italian, true Italians would not pay us as much attention. I don’t think this will be the case because it seems we admit the fact we were raised in America simply by the way we walk, talk, move, gesture, etc. There is no running away from the fact that we do not “belong” here.

Hopefully after several weeks of taking Italian courses and growing more comfortable with the Italian culture, we will not stick out so profoundly as we do now.

Many forms have been taking up our time the last two days. There is so much paperwork that must be completed if you want to stay in another country. It is interesting how disconnected we are as humans from one another and we put boundaries such as paperwork to make sure the disconnection remains.  

Classes begin tomorrow and I will have my first scholarly introduction to the Italian language. I am looking forward to being able to grasp what Italians are saying when they speak to me, because right now my form of communication resembles that of a babbling one year old and a mime. I pray I at least reach five year old level before completing my time here.

Well, back to yet another orientation session. When will the papers be done!?!?!