Ciao from the soggy centre of Rome – I surely am getting tired of this rain! Today we had the tramontina winds to add to the mix so by the time I got to class this morning I was soaked through and through. I then discovered that my sopping wet shoes started to smell most pungently as they dried – in a class with nine people in a room the size of a closet! Ooops! It was a very good thing there were also quite a few soggy wool sweaters as well – the air was fuggy to say the least.
A bit more on my class – once again we are heavily weighted with the religious orders. We have a nun (Ryoko) and a priest (Ryota) from Japan – they have these very cool mini computer gadgets which transate from Japanese characters to Italian – and they are both quite nice if somewhat incomprehensible. Then a nun (Sister Theresa) from Kerali, India who is very straight-laced, and a brother and sister (John and Julie – which have got to be the least Indian sounding names)  also from Kerali who I think are in a Lay order. I don’t exactly know what that means and I don’t know exactly what their connection to the nun is but when she is around they are very, very quiet and when she isn’t they both have the best giggles….!
Then we have two young men (Ben and Ross) from The Catholic University of America here for 6 months. They are so cute and when my son Garrett gets here tomorrow they’ve promised to take him around and see the sights – IE. THE BARS.
Antonella is my teacher again this year and I’m always so impressed with her energy and vast stores of patience.
I’m actually getting better at Italian – big surprise to me. I spend a lot of my time having odd conversations with anone who will talk to me. The butcher and I spend about half an hour bellowing at each other – I am pretty sure he’s deaf as a post – unusally at complete cross purposes but it is fun anyway. I just cringe everytime I look at the cigarette hanging out of his mouth! The grocer kisses my hand everytime I see him and speaks very softly – I dread the day I ever confuse the two. My friends (??!!) at Camponeschi have taken it upon themselves to ensure I speak PERFECT ITALIAN so I have about 6 or 7 people telling me how to speak and what to say – all at the same time. Actually, my favourite person to talk to is the beggar who lives down the street as we have these little formal conversations every morning; he enquires after my health; I reciprocate; we wish each other a good day; I give him some loose change; he gives me a lovely little bow and we proceed on our separate ways content with our exchange. Interestingly, we don’t speak at the end of the day. One of lifes little oddities I guess.
Time to go, homework to be done – on a Friday night no less – but I want to get it out of the way before Garrett gets here. Then Josie – who does NOT speak Italian despite living here for 7+ years – and I are out for a cocktail or two. Gotta have at least one friend who is more language challenged than I eh?