Guardando il tramonto e ballando sul ghiaccio- (Watching the sunset and dancing on ice)

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The time is flying and I have only five days until my exam and only 11 until I come home! Amongst much diligent revision *ahem* it has been a lovely week. The highlight had to be Tuesday night, when forty nine erasmus students and I were driven by private bus into the hills to an ice rink surrounded by pine trees with a roof of wood and sides open to the night. The trip was organised by Aegee Bologna, and there was vin brule (mulled wine) and lots of prizes. Over the course of the evening my partner manuel and I won best couples dancing on ice twice out of two times (prosecco), and then I won a ski trip. I have not suddenly and miraculously become an ice-skating extrodinare, was just lucky enough to have a partner who has played ice hockey at national level for the last twelve years. It was a wonderful evening though, with all the funness of an erasmus party but extra special cos it involved lots of physical exercise and excitement. Plus being surrounded by ice and pine forests provides a wonderful christmassy atmosphere.

I have also had some great opportunties to eat lots of delicious Italian food, having been cooked a four course meal last week: avacado with prawns, porcini mushroom risotto, spinach and ricotta pie then incredible home made tirimisu and a three course meal the other day-- artichoke risotto and melanzane parmigiano (I dont know what you'd call it in english, it is made with fried aubergines, tomatos, mozerella, parmesan and looks a bit like a vegetarian lasagne- amazing!!!) and apfel strudel for dessert. Don't worry though, I am not obese yet...in fact I seem to be getting that lovely christmas syndrome of the more you eat the thinner you get... it might just be all the shivering. (But its fine mummy I am keeping warm, and eating well, evidently.)

I had a chance to see some of the countryside around Bologna having been driven up into the hills by my private tour guide to watch the sunset. Unfortunately it was raining, (it has been raining a lot) and the sky was a little gray but it was still very pretty.

I feel like my Italian has made a lot of progress recently, I seem to be speaking a lot at the moment. On thursday I went to see Twilight (I'm really sorry Annabel, I just had to, but I promise I will see it with you again in England) and understood practically everything! Obviously it helped that I had read the book (also mostly in Italian) so was well clued up on all the technical vampire vocabulary. A hilarious and rather embarassing mistake however, that my friend Emma and I realised we had been making ever since we arrived is asking people if they are "eccitato"- excited, or, worse, saying that we are "eccitata". For example "are you excited for christmas?" "are you excited for the weekend" "I am too excited to sleep..." and I know I use it ALL the time because it is one of my favourite words in English. However Italian always tends to use words much more literally than we do, and "eccitato" can only really refer to sexual excitement or arousal. This was only pointed out to us by Emma's flatmate Nico, who was the first person I've been aware of to act really shocked about it. My question is... how on earth do Italians survive without having a word to describe just being excited? They really only say "contenta" which in my mind is pretty different.

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Photos

dancing couple
with our prosecco