We know the city

On Thursday we took a Presession placement test at the office so they know our ability level, i did about average but will most likely  be placed in the lowest of three levels which is perfectly fine with me. Lauren and I finally got our cell phone plans which are mostly prepaid and quite a different system. Then later we returned to the office to meet with a police officer about safety in Bologna- nothing different than any other big city. Then we all went out for a girl in our program's 21st birthday to dinner. Then a group of us went to the Irish Pub to hang out and Lauren and I went up to the bar to get shots and then just never returned back to the table because we were talking to all the guys at the bar. We made friends with a group of guys about our age that go to the bar a lot. We talked all night and had fun finally being comfortable and having fun talking in Italian. 

Friday morning Lauren went to the Post Office to get her Permit of Stay. When she came back our room was being cleaned so we decided to go out in the city and walk around some more and grab lunch. We went to the fresh food market and got some strawberries, a plum and a nectarine. It was finally a sunny day again so we went to the Piazza to eat our lunch. There was a lot of people out roaming around. Then two of the guys we meet the night before came and met us there. We went to a bar for coffee and tea with them, one they work at. We met their friend Michelle, who was so fun and such a clown- which i learned the italian word for: pagliaccio.  Then we went to lunch with them and Lauren and I shared a pizza. From there we went to the public library which is a very cool place, there are glass floors so u can see down to a city beneath the city. Then after being out with them for hours Lauren and I cam back to our hotel to get ready for dinner. Our program went to dinner at our director's home that night. It was a little bit of a walk outside the center and his house was gorgeous. We all ate pizza and sat around and talked- it was relaxing and fun. Then Lauren and I were going to met the guys- Floriano and Vincenzo at Irish Pub and then bring them out to a bar with some people from our program. But they didn't like the bar we wanted to take them to so we just stayed there all night talking with them. 

Saturday morning I woke up at seven to go to the Post Office to get my Permit of Stay. Then at twelve Lauren and I met the group at the Piazza to go on a bus tour of the city. We sat in the back in the open air part of the double decker bus. It was freezing but we took a lot of cool pictures finally. We also went up to a high point at a church and looked out over the city but it was pretty foggy, (which it has been quite a lot here and what i read isnt uncommon) so we didnt get too good of a view. But we said we will definitely have to come back later in the semester for good pictures. Next we ate lunch at a bar on the piazza and warmed up. At two we went to an appointment for an apartment for Lauren. The room ended up being half the size our my room at Theta- a twin mattress basically on the floor with half a desk, and the armoire out in the hallway-- not something you would want to pay 310 euros for. Lauren and I took the bus back and hung out at the hotel for a bit, looking for more apartments online. Lauren and I haven't found places to live but we have been exploring so much that we know the city pretty well and are having a great time discovering different parts of it- we are the ones that actually know where we are going when we are out at night trying to find a bar or something to do. Then we went out to dinner with part of our group, i had some delicious grilled vegetables. Lauren and I then met up with another part of the program at a bar called Cafe Paris. They have euro shots and Lauren flirting with the baristo and got free ones for all of us. Then the group traveled to a discoteca called Soda Pops. We danced in this very crowded bar and I met a Sengalese guy. Then at about 2 we left and got crepes- chocolate and strawberries---soo good. 

Now it is Sunday and Lauren and I slept in and then watch some more of our movie Under the Tuscan Sun. Now im catching up on this and will contact more people about apartments. 

Ciao for now!

Phone and Looking for Houses

This morning I had a meeting for our permits of stay, not bad. Then Lauren and I got our cell phone service at WIND with some help from a friend in the program, I luckily unlocked my phone and didn't have to buy a new one. Then it was time for lunch and we found a cafeteria for some fruit, salad and bread. Then we hung out in the room and starting looking online for apartments. We went out at 4 to check one out, just around the corner. They had a dog so I was out right away. Then we walked around for a lil. And came back to continue our search- very frustrating. I need dinner now and in a bit I am going to look at another apartment. The days are non-stop from earlier in the morning until or can finally go to sleep at 12:30- when ive already been exhausted since 10..

Surreal Life

Last night (Monday) Lauren and I walked around the city for two hours, a lil lost but having fun exploring the city. Then we found our way around and headed to the main square- Piazza Maggiore. When we arrived in front of the basilica I was in awe- the site i have seen in pictures is actually right in front of me- hardly could believe it. I took a couple of pictures. Then we headed back towards our hotel to a little ristorante we saw by our hotel to eat dinner around 9. It was called A Roma di Roma and it was a cute little place with an older gentleman named Michelle that was super nice. We shared a homemade egg pasta with artichokes dish- very delicious and something I would not have tries in Stati Uniti. We also had rosemary potatoes and a half bottle of white wine. To finish they served us a small flute of bubbly strawberry drink- very sweet and good. We ate for an our an a half- the whole time sitting there not believing this was our life and will be for the next 6 months. 

This morning we had our first meeting at the BCSP office- which is right around the corner from our hotel and just off Via Indipendenza. We met Dot. Andrea Ricci, the director of our program- very cute and seems very nice. We had a 2 hour orientation meeting and i surprisingly understood quite a bit. Then we had a 15 minute break to go get a cappucino at a bar around the corner- i tried lauren's. Then we headed back for a housing meeting with Daniella- all repetitive. Lauren and I were starving by this point and headed out to get lunch and look into cell phones. The cellphone stores were closed but we got a prosciutto e formaggio panino. We then headed back to the piazzia and i took some more pictures in the daylight. We then actually went into the basilica. It is my first huge european church i have been in- it was amazing. Then we walked around little streets near the piazza- tiny cute and expensive shops. We then went into a cell phone store to inquire. Next we chilled at our hotel before headed back out to try to actually get a cell phone service and the store closed right in front of us. So instead we headed to this nice hair salon two stores away and purchased our straightner and other hair products. Then we went to dinner with the BCSP group at Pizzeria Belle Arti- with many courses and a fun table to chat with. We met the year students and Ricci's wife and three year old. Then a group of us headed to Via Zamboni in the university zone to find a bar. The first one we happened upon was English Empire, we found a table and ordered drinks. Lauren and I both had a drink called Sexy. It was vodka, lemon and strawberry- very tasty. We stayed and talked for an hour, complete with 90's hip-hop songs playing on the tv's. Now it is one and I have to get up for a meeting at 9:30, buy a phone and make apartment contact tmrw afternoon. A domani!