The Last Supper

I saw it.
There are no words.
I will not try to describe it.

???

So I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I go home and have to start eating lunch at school again. I mean, I think of the lunch line and cringe. I imagine packing my lunch and I'm puzzled. What is going to happen when I don't get to go back to the house for a home-cooked meal? Where am I going to find the same mozzarella?! How am I going to recreate a portable version of all of the Italian goodness?

I just don't know.

This past week

was really great for me. Going to Como was an enormous treat, and I've been staying really busy in and out of school. My lessons with Suora Ada are getting so much easier to do. I really feel like I've accomplished a lot with my Italian and now I am beginning to study and perfect my past and future tenses. When I got here, I didn't bother with trying to learn anything but the present. When I needed to explain something about the past or future I just announced it. I would say "In the past" and then continue on with present tense. It was ridiculous to try to memorize anything else at that point. I picked up on passato prossimo quickly enough and I use that any chance I get. But now I feel very comfortable studying futuro, imperfetto, etc. and it feels so much easier to process. In school, during my free period, Jody and I studied different tenses of "dire", "potere", and "fare" which are the verbs "to tell", "to be able to", and "to make, do". We spent probably less than an hour drilling, but when I went to my lesson this evening with Suora Ada I was able to use what I learned so easily! Living here does tend to invite opportunities for ongoing practice. I am also trying to make what I say not just understandable- but correct. My grammar isn't the best yet. BUT I AM FEELING SO GOOD. It's not yet been 2 months for me, and I already feel like I have come so far. So you have caught me at a moment of great satisfaction. I know this is manageable- I just have to tackle all of my challenges one by one and have patience with myself. This is one of those things that doesn't happen overnight. But maybe it can happen over 10 months! :)

Ciao,
Grace

Lake Como

I am in love.

Cadorna (In Milan)

The Latest

My tutor is one of my favorite people in the entire world. Thank you Rotary for your impeccable system. I've been having minor difficulties with my family situation, so I went to my tutor, Giorgio and his wife Valeria. We talked through them and found a solution. Giorgio also said that if I ever just need a weekend away I can stay with them. He'll even take me up to his house in Como. (Yes, he really does go to the same golf club as George Clooney. And right now Giorgio is in Rome for an important meeting with the new pope- he has a photo of himself with the last one on his mantel. Also the President of Czech Rep. wants Giorgio to be on the Italian Consulate, I think. So he's going to Czech and is going to see if I can come too. I said to him "Giorgio, You're a big deal!" and he says "No, you should talk to my wife. She is much better. And all of this *gesturing to his house, etc* is not important. You come into this world with nothing, and you leave it with nothing. The only thing that lasts is the love in the hearts of your friends and family") So Giorgio is great. And now I hope that my own family dynamic will be a lot smoother these next two months. After I talked with him, I went out with his daughter Ludovica on her vespa to have dinner with her two cousins. It was nice, they have a beautiful dog, they were really friendly, and we all made fools of ourselves with a kareoke machine.

Also, because of all these Italian protests/festivities I will not be going back to school until Monday, and it's Wednesday so you KNOW I'm happy about that one. I baked my class chocolate chip cookies and brought in a lot of different candies to wish everyone and good vacation and and Happy Halloween! I'm still not sure what I'll be doing for the next few days, but I'm pretty sure a daytrip to Como is on the agenda, as is finding a horror movie/cinema. We'll see. I will be sleeping in tomorrow, no doubt about it. As for now, I have a lesson in an hour, so I better get myself together.

I love you all!
Grace

foto ancora