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Published: October 14th 2008
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Bologna
From torre asinelli
Once again, I'm writing this in the future, but i really want to try and remember the highlights "for posterity" (as Pliny would say). Not that I am like Pliny, god forbid no.
The best thing that has happened to me in Bologna so far was meeting two of the most wonderful girls I have ever known on my second day in our CILTA oral "exam". This exam was actually just a chat with the other students in the class (arent all italian exams?), and it wasnt until afterwards and people were milling around outside that i met Edie and Lotje properly. Edie is German, a law student, and Lotje is Flemish, doing a masters in Ancient History. I could never begin to describe them because it would be impossible to do them justice, i will just say, they are wonderful people and amazing fun to be with.
The first couple of weeks passed in a bit of a daze of aperitivo, mojoitos, cheesey erasmus party music, swarms of international students, ice-cream-dates and pizza. My flatmates never cease to be a cause of fascination for me and my friends, who frequently request "updates". They are very cool, left wing,
slightly anarchistic and live student lives inspite of actually having "jobs". The inverted commas are there because im not sure whether being a body builder/fight club member constitutes a job, but apparently it does in Italy. Of course I am talking about francesco. I believe he is also a personal trainer, for the record. He has about 5 girlfriends on rotation, and a room full of leather, handcuffs, female underwear and my favourite, a black pvc teddy bear called Bobbit. His muscles are pretty spectacular, (francesco's not bobbit's) and I am given full view of them almost every day when he stands in the kitchen almsot naked bathed in dazzling sunshine making his morning coffee.
Then there is Valentino who is a doctor (known fondly among friends as "the hot doctor") who made me dinner the first night and played piano and sang to me!! He is in a jazz band who were in a newspaper (i know from looking at his bedroom walls) and has some very strange friends (but very sweet) who decided one night at 2 in the morning to serenade me with some gentle guitar music outside my bedroom door. Aisling was staying and we
Lotje and Edie
At Giardini Margherita were still talking with the light on when we heard soft strumming and a noise you might expect to make if you were calling a cat. The music proceeded and i went to the door, but on opening it was met with a corridor of pitch darkness. After about one second however, i realised that there were in fact two boys leaning on the threshold, armed with guitar and charming smiles.
"che cosa fate?" was my bewildered response.
"suoniamo la chitarra"
"ma... perche?"
"because this is the perfect time, 2 am, and here is the perfect place."
"ma proviamo dormire...." I was a little unsettled, as they seemed intent on coming in.
"just five minutes?"
"NO Grazie!"
at this they were a little upset. in fact, i think italians have just mastered the appearance of looking very upset every time a girl turns them down in the hope that the girl will retract her words. this girl however, does not, and i shut the door and went back to bed trying to supress the surge of giggles.
Dennis, originally albanian is an absolute sweetie, but looks a bit like a druggie tramp and (?thinks that he?) plays in a
heavy metal band who is always trying to give me his dinner, which incidently is often pretty amazing, fresh fish, salads, pasta etc. He took me to a rock concert in my first week, to see a band called Elio e le storie tese" who are awesome by the way, you should go check them out.
Sergio is from Argentina but has travelled lots and lived in italy for the last few years.He is very nice, the "nonno" (grandfather) of the flat, as Annalisa told me, but still knows how to let his hair down and go a bit wild partying with francesco. when aisling was here they conversed a lot in spanish which was great.
Annalisa i cant really say anything about, because i havent seen her now for weeks, and hardly have at all. watch this space!
Really, it is as if i live with four boys. Im not complaining though! It is always very tidy and spotlessly clean. And im not at all scared of burglars.
There have been many, many parties. And many hilarious incidents with Italian boys. I'll put pictures up of the important ones for the nosiest girls among you :p. The
clubs in Italy are very cool. Giardini Margherita is on a lake, although now unfortunately closed for winter. It is in the middle of a park and on a tiny island, as i said, on a lake, and the sides are open. It is the PERFECT recipe for drunk staggering students. Corto Maltese is small and cramped and very housey/bassey but with more genuine italians than normal and i always seem to have immense fun whenever i go there. Kinki is more of a typical "club" club, with big dance floor, badly positioned sofas (if you dont want people to see you) and crazily overpriced drinks, 6euros for a plain old little coke in tiny plastic cup. I dont think ive been anywhere yet, except Covo (see future entry il fine settimana) that has not played Estelle, Madonna and Katy Perry. Oh well, apparently that is what Erasmus students love. Hobby One is probably the best club, quite swish, with dance floor on lower level in centre surrounded by seating areas raised around it. If you want a drink though you have to queue at a little secret cashier, get your ticket, then queue again for anything up to an
Raffaele
and one of the greatest pictures of me so far... hour and half (if you are crazy) at the bar to get a small, weak cocktail. and they dont even do mojito!!! Anyway, as i have told some of you, italians dont really go into the clubs when they go clubbing, they just stand outside all night smoking, shouting loudly and checking out any passing girls. A bit like the favourite occupations of the Carabinieri (italian police) actually.
Starting univeristy wasnt quite the shock i had expected. In fact it was more soporific than anything else. My first week i had nine o clock lectures (for the first time ever!!) from monday to wednesday for possibly the most boring incomprehensible man i have ever seen. As Anna sweetly said, he "looks like he could drop dead at any second". Since then however, i left that lecture to illicitly attend the one intended for those lucky people in the first half of the alphabet. Joy, instead of being at nine, it is from eleven. So after being led to believe i understand no italian whatsoever, i started to settle in and understand at least something. Unfortunately my personal tutor seemed compltely unreachable, which was explained when i was later told
he was in America. I still have not been able to see him though, and all my emails are returned to me, so i realy dont have much of a clue about what im supposed to do... As stefano suggested, i should possibly try a pigeon...
As a last little mention, i really have to say something about aperitivo for anyone who has not yet been subjected to a wild stream of enthusiasm from me about it. FREE DINNER, every night. Italian bars labour under the misapprehension that no one will buy a drink unless tempted by stacks of delicious food, from pasta to bruschette to pizza and stews, it is possible to have three dinners for the price of a 5euro glass of wine. Still dont want to come and visit me???
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