Sunday June 22

---

Hello hello hello
So it's been a while since my last entry. So let's have an update:

The first week of the program was frantic, full, demanding, but fun. I wake up every day at 8 am in order to be in Italian class by 9 am. Italian class is so enjoyable, probably my favorite part. The teacher is this little Italian woman who refuses to speak English. So I've learned tons of Italian. I can understand it pretty well listening to it, I just can't speak it as well as I would like. But I still have 3 more weeks of Italian, so hopefully by the end I can say a little more besides "Ciao, come sai" and "Mi scusi" (which is my constant phrase while I'm riding my bike since I run into like every other person and/or car I pass).
After Italian, I ride my little bike over to Studio class. There are about 26 people who are in the Studio program. It's made for the younger singers. Don't take that too seriously, because everyone I have heard sing in this program sounds unbelievable. I've been blown away by their talent, and it scares me to think I have to get up and sing for them ha, I don't believe I'm on the same level as them. But atleast I'll learn and grow as a performer.
After Studio class, we usually have coachings or lessons or rehearsal for La Boheme, the opera we are doing here. I am doing a scene with a tenor and a soprano, it is an old Pergolesi opera about these two sisters who are in love with the same man, and we are forcing him to choose. It's fun because it's a comic opera, so when everyone else has these serious scenes, we have the fun one. Score.
Let's have a little chat about this bike of mine and all the problems I've had with it. For the first 4 days or so I loved my bike, and I still love it of course, buuuuuttttttt. A couple days ago, my lock broke. So we tried to fake it and make it seem like my lock was locked even though it wasn't. Then one time it really did lock, and wouldn't unlock. I had no idea what to do, so Jawan and I carried this locked bike all the way to the bike shop (which is not close). It looked like we had found a random bike on the road and were stealing it. Then we get to the bike shop and the owner gets the lock off so easily. It made me look really stupid. So, I rode it home in shame, but with a new bike lock. Well the next morning, I'm running a little late, and I run down to get my bike to go to class, and put the key in the lock, and the entire key just breaks off, leaving half of it in the lock. ha whoops. So I walk/run to class in the heat, and just played it off like I was going for a jog before class when I walked in all sweaty and red-faced. Well later on that day when I had time to try to fix my bike, I realized I had gone up to the wrong bike. So I had used my keys on the wrong bike, and when I got my bike I realized it unlocked easily. So, whoever's bike that is, I am very sorry for you having a broken key in your lock. Luckily, there are no security cameras in the hall with the bikes.
The weather here has gotten very very hot. And it probably still isn't as hot as Baton Rouge, but in Baton Rouge there is air conditioning, in Italy they are still a good decade behind. No air conditioning, no shower curtains, no wireless internet. America is just spoiled.
This weekend was our first weekend free. We had a party at our house Friday night for the voice people in order for us all to meet each other better. It was fun, there are some really nice people here from all over. Then on Saturday we woke up and went to Vioreggio, which is about a 20 minute bus ride away, and it's on the beach. We chilled on the beautiful Mediterranean with mountains behind us. It was lots of fun, a great day trip. Today has just been very chill. I have to learn a lot of music, I have sort of been putting that off, getting distracted by the Italian culture. So it's time to get down to business for me.
So talk to all of you later!

---