Uno studente italiano?

12:48 PADOVA - Hey all! After seven months I'm starting to feel like somewhat of an Italian student - even if that means I'm not really doing anything. These last couple of weeks I have had two classes at the University and one at the Study Center and when I try I can understand *almost* all that they are saying (with the help of some context clues). My two classes at the University are: Sociology of Religion I (Isam) and Sociology of the Communication of the Masses while my one at the Study Center is a comparative politics class focusing on the Italian politica. They are rather interesting.
Two weeks ago two friends from High School, Jess Parsh and Megan Irving made their way over here from Spain - they are studying in Sevilla - and in the weekend we did Padova, Verona and Venice and we celebrated Megan's 21st! I am getting to be a rather decent tour guide of the Veneto region so you better come soon before I'm gone (and then forget)! A week from today I will be in Rome waiting for my mother and brothers to arrive! I've done the tourist thing there a few times as well so we can ask them how I am as a tourguide I'm sure they will be my best critics.
Also, I have booked two trips for April (Morocco and Amsterdam) and found out that my sister will be able to come in May! Over all my life is pretty darn good. :-)
Yesterday a couple of us went to an Italian political discussion at a local bookstore as the American diplomats. It was a very intense experience and even though I know some stuff was lost in translation I felt we did a decent job representing the Red, White and Blue. This weekend I need to study a little bit because I have an exam on Tuesday :-O !
Write me an e-mail and let me know what's going on at home!

Spring Break Wolverine Style

12:03 PADOVA - Finally back from a great week of good times with good friends. After Berman came last week Saturday we made it to Rome on Sunday and met up with Lisa and Nadia for a pub crawl that night. Pub crawls are fun, however they are totally Americanized. The people running the show are mostly Americans and barely (if at all) know the language. The hostel we were staying at was putting on a pub crawl/night tour of Rome however they even spelled the main drink they were serving wrong! They spelled it PERSECO instead of Prosecco. It was kind of sad but I got over it. Pub crawl was still fun, and we got up quasi-early the next day and did my standard "Rome in a Day" trip. We hit the Vatican, Roman Forum, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Jewish Ghetto, Colleseum in no particular order. Then we met up with Nadia's friend who is studying in Rome at this really nice restaurant where we had a nice dinner and some great wine. Tuesday came and Berm and I were off back to Padova. We made it in time for some spritz in the Piazza and then a dinner in the mensa (Italian cafeteria).
Berm and I took it easy that night and were off the next day to Verona to pick up Kristy and Liz from the airport. After a debacle trying to figure out where the airport was we made it in time to greet the girls and we came back to Padova for a pizza dinner with some of the Americans.
Wednesday night in the piazza was pretty crazy as usual and we ended up at the discoteque for a little bit of dancing. It was really nice to see Kristy :-)
Thursday was spent in Venice... it was beautiful weather and great company. Berman left Thursday night and Liz, Kristy and I were out to Paris Friday afternoon.
Arriviamo in Paris and we went to eat near the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Then we found a great gyro place and then a bar in the Latin quarter of Paris (student district).
Saturday we did Paris in a day. We started off at the Musée d'Orsay, made our way to the Louvre! and down the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe. We ate some crepes on the way and then made it to the Tour Eiffel where we saw a freestylin' footballer named Iya Traore who was fun to watch. Then we made it back to Notre Dame to see inside and then it started to rain so we grabbed some food, etc. and called it a day. Kristy and I went out to an Italian restaraunt for dinner and then we were off in the morning - she and Liz to Detroit and I to Milan.
Made it to my hotel in Milan after three hours in the Italian airport (they lost the bag I knew I shouldn't have checked) and walked around town with an older couple who showed me around the city. I got some Burger King! which I haven't had in a long time, saw a pretty sweet old castle with a moat and drawbridge and then made my way over to the Teatro dal Verme where I waited with some enthusiastic Dave Matthews fans for the much anticipated Dave and Tim show. Made some Milan friends and then retired around 1 because I had to be up at 7 to try and get to class (which I missed most of:-/ ). Oh well, it was a good time all around I can miss a little bit of class. THis week has been full of class and Megan and Jess are arriving tomorrow from Spain! So here we go again this weekend! Speaking of Norseman, Congrats to Billy-Boy and the boys' basketball team who won their district game the other night vs. Detroit Southeastern! Go Norsemen. Alright it's back to class, Have a good one!