Day 6: The First Day of School

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Ahhhh, the first day of school has come and gone. I woke up to a rooster crowing. (Roosters crow, right?) Then not much later, the church bells started ringing. Now don’t get me wrong: These are pleasant sounds. But not when a nearby rooster cock-a-doodle-doos at six-something and church bells ring nonstop from 7:00 to 7:10. At that point, it doesn’t matter what your original intentions were. You’re getting up and facing the day right then and there.

After my shower, it was off to campus. Bob, another one of my colleagues, filled me in on a great bit of info yesterday. Breakfast is free at the cafeteria. They have cereal, croissants, yogurt, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and juice. Not a bad way to start the day.

I taught class at 11:00. And my room is every bit as hot as I’d been warned it would be. My poor students! Most of them arrived in Italy just yesterday. So here they are, fighting jet lag, in a classroom that has to be at least 80F. And I can only think that it’s only going to get hotter from here on out.

My biggest adventure for the day was taking “Survival Italian,” a 90-minute crash course on Italian basics. I had learned most of the stuff already. But there were a few new phrases. I particularly liked, “Vorrei un litro vino rosso, per favore” (I’d like a jug of your house red wine, please). And per my father’s request, “Aiuto! Ho perso mio padre! Dov’è lui?” (Help! I’ve lost my father! Where is he?). I suppose a girl can never be too prepared…

Then I headed off to the travel orientation session. It was very informative. I learned just about everything I’ll need to know to explore the countryside by train. After the session was over, I talked to one of the RAs (undergraduate resident assistant) who has spent much time in Italy. She gave me some additional pointers on how to arrange my first long weekend of travel with my dad.

So needless to say, I am having a hard time concentrating on the task at hand (i.e., preparing my next class). I’d much rather make travel plans and daydream about how great these excursions are going to be!

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Photos

Won't Be Empty for Long
These park benches line the pathways on campus. I imagine that it won't be long before students are filling them up as they do their class reading in the beautiful outside air.

One of My Favorite Scents
These are the flowering bushes that smell like lilacs. They are so beautiful and fragrant. I'd love to have one for my own yard.

Comments

[Jenni]

Congratulations!
Congratulations on a successful first day! Can't wait to read more!

[Jordan]

Smooth sailing
Sounds like things are going great for you Kristen and its everything you hoped it would be!