first 5 days

I will try and update this blog as much as possible, hopefully at least once a week. I had hoped to write sooner but this is the first time I have had a moment all to myself!

thursday, september 5

My host dad Bernardo goes to work every morning at 8:30, comes home for lunch around 1:30 pm and goes back to work, and returns back home around 6:00 pm or earlier. During his lunch break on Thursday, his son Stefano came with him (they are both engineers and work together) and dropped off his two children. Elena is four and has short blonde curls and her little brother Matteo is two and a half with little tufts of white-ish golden hair. Every single member of my host family has blue eyes (an Italian rarity). We painted together and read an Italian story book that I could actually comprehend (!!!!).  

For dinner (around 9 pm), Marina, Bernardo, and I rode our bikes to a local pizzeria. Bernardo ordered each of us our own pizza accompanied by a tall glass of beer. They both finished their pizzas in entirety when I had nearly finished half of my own. Marina asked me if I was okay and I told her that I was perfectly great and that my stomach was full. She scolded me for not eating enough and made sure that I finished all of my beer. We then rode our bikes into the city center where there was a dancing/roller skating competition for teens. Really cool. 

friday, september 6

Marina drove me to the pool (in her Mini Cooper convertible which I adore) and I met with the swim coach Moreno and did a workout. He thinks I don't understand Italian very well and always tries to speak English with me which is entertaining. I trained with 3 other swimmers who are in their 20s and if I understood correctly, one girl was an Olympian for Venezuela. 

saturday, september 7

When Marina came home from work (she is a middle school Italian teacher) around 1pm, Bernardo drove the three of us into Venice. We parked in one of the enormous garages and then took a water taxi across the canal to a point called Punta della Dogana, just opposite of Piazza San Marco (my parents insisted that we didn't need to buy tickets for the taxi because the workers never check them anyways). We went through a door on the side of this beautiful white building and inside was a modern art exhibit. Most of the artists were American but there were a few French and maybe one or two Italian artists. The art was fascinating and a little confusing but perhaps even more entertaining was Marina and Bernardo's reaction to everything. They are now convinced that all modern American artists are psychopaths.

Punta della Dogana

inside the exhibit

Afterwards, we took a water taxi across the canal to Piazza San Marco where we grabbed drinks at an outdoor caffè away from all of the tourists and watched the boats pass by in the side canals. There was a newlywed couple who had rented a gondola and the bride had on her dress and veil and the groom was still in his tux. A proper fairytale. 

We then met friends of Bernardo and Marina and watched a new indie Italian film that was part of the Venice Film Festival. It was outdoors in a fairly large courtyard, and beneath the stars with the gentle Venetian breeze... it was perfect (aside from the fact that I was absolutely exhausted and fell asleep on both Marina and her friend twice during the movie). We got lost trying to find our way back to the main canal and arrived home a little past midnight. 

sunday, september 8

Bernardo took me out at sunset to show me how to get to the pool by bike. We rode along this gravel path that ran parallel with the river and it absolutely charming. The river is lined by old, two story, villa-style homes with tall grass and crickets buzzing.

We then drove out of the city into the countryside, to a house owned by the friends that we watched the outdoor movie with. The villa was built in 1690 and you could smell how ancient it was. There were maybe 50 people at the house for a dinner-potluck party. I was the only kid there but it wasn't too boring. This little Italian man (around 60 years old) armed me with a decent amount of words and phrases that "are not very well to say inside of the church". 

monday september 9

Tonight we are planning on going to a fair/carnival for my family's local church. The festival will continue on through next weekend.

I start school Thursday and I'm both excited (as much as one can be for school) and nervous. We haven't bought my books yet but Marina assures me we will get them soon (hopefully sometime in the next two days???).

a dopo,
sarah