Moved.

12:00 AM CEST, 6:00 PM EST - Hey all! Greetings from my new apartment. Since we don’t have the Internet just yet I won’t be able to send this out at least until tomorrow, maybe later, but I figured I’d write it anyway. This weekend was pretty fun we went to Portello both Friday and Saturday nights because this is the last weekend that it is open. Poretllo was a cool place near my old dorm right on a river where about 15 of the bars from town set up little outside bars right by a river and everyone just goes to socialize. It was really cool, but they are closing it now because it is the end of summer and now they are moving back into the city. This year they have implemented a new thing though in the city where the bars stop serving at 12:00 midnight and they have video cameras everywhere apparently in the city. I guess the kids were getting too rowdy or something, who knows?
Weekends in Padova, despite a lot of the students leaving to go home are actually really fun. Saturday is when the markets are all open. Pretty much every piazza has their own little market and then there is a BIG one at the Prato delle Valle. But there are so many people out and about on the weekends. Sunday is the same thing, everyone just goes out and there is always something to do. Today there was a theatre event celebrated 25 years of the national children’s theatre or something. But everyone comes out and brings the family and the city is just packed. People playing music, people eating, people just socializing. It’s really cool to see.
Friday at the mensa (cafeteria) we met some kids from the Boston program that are in Padova. They aren’t studying at the universita because they have their own program, but they have the option to if they want. Again, they are all girls, and 2 guys, but we didn’t get to meet the guys. Davide and I have been the dynamic duo this week just getting things together. I am hoping to find some kids to play some basketball with sometime soon because Dave claims that he is no good. I don’t believe him but whatever, we ended up going to the market at the Prato on Saturday and then we made – no, strike that – he made a real good meal and showed me how to make it. I am going to have to go do some shopping tomorrow so that I don’t have to keep eating out all the time. Though the mensa is usually pretty good and pretty cheap. Annnd then we went to a vineyard that the girls from the Boston program invited us to go to for a little wine-tasting. It was actually really cool, hopefully I’ll have some pictures from there because it was really neat, I just wish I knew more about wines and what to look for. This lady that showed us around couldn’t have been nicer and showed us through the vineyard in the beautiful Italian countryside and then we were able to taste some great wine and she fed us too. It was really really nice I’m glad I went.
After that I came back and met up with Francesca one of my roommates and the others should be arriving tomorrow. They all go home for the weekend, which is actually really nice for me. Dude, Europeans are weird, I am watching this really messed up video on MTV by Rammstien, a German band. Yeahhhhh… I hope I never see that again. Gross.
I was finally able to talk to my mom today, I haven’t talked to her in a while and she told me about the Michigan State – NS game. Typical MSU, just like the Lions. Speaking of the Lions I wonder how they did today. Kristy informed me yesterday that the Victors lived up to their name and my mom said the game was rather uneventful. I’ll have to ask Cody, he’ll bring me up to speed on the Wolverines position by position. Will someone please let me know how my Tigs are doin? And I heard the Wings started up too. Jgnaisjgas I MISS ESPN! You know? It’s times like this though, where all I have to do is sit back and be like “Steve, you just went wine-tasting at a beautiful little family-owned vineyard in the heart of Italy,” and then the scores of this weekend reallllly don’t matter much after that. I need to learn how to relax here. They have it down to a T. They don’t worry about anything until they absolutely need to and even then they just kind of talk it off and turn it into a social event. Nothing ever gets done, though. If I knew this darn language I’d fit right in. A huge cricket just rolled right by my foot and I didn’t even think to kill it. I just let it go on its merry way. Is that weird?
Anyway, this one is getting long and I am getting a little tired so I think I am going to call it a night. I hope all is good, Love from Italia
Stevo
PS - Just read your post Mike, sorry I couldn't get you the well you wanted.