foggy day in venice

Today we didn't have any obligations until a meeting at the train station at 3, so the group went out last night to hang out and get to know each other better at a few local wine bars. We left here around 10:30 I think but got a little lost, then the first place was closed, so we eventually made our way to a second place aroun 11. The group got along really well with the owner/bartender, which was nice, because sometimes a group of 20 or so Americans can be really "obnoxious" by Italian standards. Some people had wine, but the hit of the night was grappa, which is a very, very strong liquor that apparently burns your insides in a very real way. So, the bartender showed the group the "Italian" way to take a shot, which involves drinking it all at once by using only your mouth to pick up the glass and drink it...quite the cultural experience. Some of the group members bravely tried it and the bartender even made Brendan the guest bartender for a while, which was hilarious. It was really laid back and a nice way to get to know people better before classes start tomorrow!

Despite my late night bedtime, I still woke up at 9 and so I ended up just getting up so I could eat some breakfast and go to the fruit and veggie vendor with Mal and Allie. We also stopped in for coffee, which is a custom I like a lot, especially since it's quick but still very social...so much more efficient than in America! We also hit the meat and cheese store so I could get some tacchino (turkey) for lunches. We even ran into a fellow American in the shop who had Mal help him order some lunch meat, too. It's really strange to see Americans in this part of Venice because it's not very touristy, so it was a nice surprise.

Later I went with part of the group to find the train station, which is a bit of walk (pretty much on the opposite side of the island), but we still made it there early and had some time to walk around and ventured into a mask shop, which was really fascinating. Then Roberta, the assitant house director, brough us back to the house but gave a mini tour on the way. Back at the house we met our Italian language/literature professor and the art history professor, which was nice but slightly awkward for those of us who don't have excellent Italian skills.

Pretty much the whole group has started to bond not just on account of wine bar visits, but also cooking together and exploring the city, as well as worrying about the classes. We're all a little worried about how much work is expected, not because we're afraid of applying ourselves, but just because there is so much to do and see here and we feel like the classes are so demanding that they'll interfere with the type of learning that is supposed to happen outside the classroom. Tomorrow is the first day, so we'll see exactly where the bar is set, but we're all nervous to see just how much our GPAs are going to suffer!

I've finished my reading for tomorrow (not that I remember anything) so some of us are going to get gelato and then I'm going to try to go to bed early since class starts at 9. I should probably work ahead or something, but I'm still in denial about classes starting...