Sesto

Hey there,

I am writing from my room right now as I sit here sweating in the 90 weather here in Sesto Fiorentino. We just finished lunch – the food here is unreal – and now the kids have classes and voice lessons and I have some free time. Ok I haven’t written anything recently so I will try and catch you up.

I arrived on a Tuesday in the middle of the afternoon. The eight music students were already here and I just kinda wafted around all day with nothing to do. I started to get to know the layout of the villa and meeting the music kids. I spent the next couple of days preparing for the Honors students to get here and checking out Sesto Fiorentino as well as Florence which is about a 10 minute train ride from here. Here in Sesto we are stuck between some really big hills (I would call them mountains, they call them hills here) so I went and climbed for a little bit. It really is nice to be back in Italy.

Up until yesterday really it has been pretty overcast and rainy since I got here. Yesterday and today have just been really hot but sunny. It’s crazy to think I have been here two weeks already. So some of the highlights:
- Cinque Terre – We went hiking through these five towns right on the water, it was beautiful weather that sprinkled just when we needed it to.
- Kiko and his girlfriend Erin came and visited last week. We watched the Champions League final around the corner from the villa and then we went into town to a disco. It was fun being with them but the disco was kind of stupid. Just what I expected really, Italian men praying on American girls.
- Some of the music kids and I went to a real disco outside of the city, closer to Sesto, the other day and it was a lot of fun. They had an Elisa cover band and the singer who was supposed to be Elisa was really good.
- We were playing soccer with one of the professors kids and I got scraped up. He was good.
- Haven’t stayed up to watch the games yet but I will probably these next couple of days
- All the kids are from Michigan and Wisconsin so Euchre is frequently played which I dig.

Some thoughts so far:
- Tigers need to pick it up.
- Comparing Sesto to Padova is useless. PD has a unique charm for kids of my age.
- The flowers here are beautiful and bountiful.
- If it’s this hot now, I don’t want to know what July is going to be like.
- The music students are really good and it’s really pleasant listening to the piano while staring up at the frescoed walls of the villa.
- Frisbee is a great time killer.
- The Tigers really need to pick it up.
- Florence has a lot to offer but is REALLY really touristy and doesn’t give you the feel of true Italian culture unless you seek it out.
- I feel like my Italian is getting worse in the villa because all we talk is English. Kind of a bummer but I am trying to get out more even if it’s just by myself.
- I really should go to Church.
- Country music makes me think of summer
- I really wanted a hot dog for Memorial Day
- I think I want to write a book for how to behave in Europe for the American population
- First Entry would be – SHUT UP. The world already thinks we are LOUD, arrogant and ignorant, why prove them right by opening our mouths?
- Hockey should be more popular.
- Seriously Tigers, what’s goin on?

That’s all for now. Tonight at 8:30 the music students are putting on a performance. I’m excited for that. I’ll try to keep this up, cheers ya’ll.