Orientation in Assisi

Ahhh, where to begin?! I've been in Italy a little over 24 hours and I'm already obsessed. After many flight delays yesterday due to mechanical issues on the plane, we finally made it to Rome where the rest of the Saint Mary's group was waiting. We then took a bus north to the region of Umbria where Assisi/our orientation is located. Assisi is a city atop a hill which means LOTS of uphill walks! This place is beautiful. So many cobblestone winding streets, churches, and magnificent views of the countryside. I am already overwhelmed in this city of only 12,000 people so I can't imagine what it's going to be like once I get to Roma!

Here in Assisi, we are staying at the Casa Franchi in the Cittadella, which is a community kind of like a little town within itself. Last night we had our first Italian meal and it was fabulous! It just the SMC girls plus the program director, Dr. Prebys, our librarian on staff, Dotoressa Conturso, and our RA, Miss KcHugh. I'm pretty sure we all were overwhelmed at the prospect of eating this first meal since the customs/table manners are still foreign to us. Our first course was a risotto dish, then we had tacchino (turkey), insalata, and finally fruit for dessert (Ann-Marie--the fruit dessert makes me think of you!) Also, apparently Italians DO NOT dip their bread in olive oil as we do in the States...it is for salads and cooking only! There was also of course wine on all the tables....one of the many things I had been looking forward to! I can get used to drinking wine at both lunch and dinner every day :) Today at lunch, we had linguine pasta (note the "e" instead of the "i" ending--only Americans say "linguini" apparently!) and Dr. Prebys told us all the appropriate way of eating it. It was hilarious watching 50 Saint Mary's girls try to twist noodles onto the fork. Two no-no's are twirling your pasta above the plate and cutting it with a knife (called the "rape" of pasta haha). So many little customs to learn!

This afternoon we had orientation activities, including going over the handbook, getting our class schedules, and choosing room pick numbers for the hotel in Rome. Just hearing the program guides talk about all the places we get to see in our Lectures and Tours class makes me soo excited for everything I'm going to experience in the coming months. I am also taking Intermediate Italian, Mass Communications, Italian Art History, and Christian Moral Life. Sounds like it will be an interesting bunch of classes. We begin those on Monday after we get to Roma.

We also had quite a bit of spare time today to explore Assisi on our own, so I ventured out a few times and saw churches, piazzas, fountains, and little shops, bars, and restaurants. At one of the churches Cara and I walked into, we were greeted by a priest from Rome who asked us in Italian where we were from and our names and then he proceeded to make the sign of the cross on our foreheads and bless us! Definitely wasn't expecting that! I'm feeling a little inadequate in my Italian after 4 months away from school though :( It's very simple to get by with a few key words, but I want to work up the confidence to use the Italian I learned last year in conversations with locals. I guess that will all come with time.

All the girls on the program are so awesome--many of them are already my friends from last year, but we are already becoming closer and getting to know new girls as well. It is such a community--even including a few of the program staff members who are Saint Mary's alumns themselves. Their dedication to the program and SMC in general goes to show what an amazing institution Saint Mary's is. I just feel so fortunate to be here and experience Italy in such a unique way and with such amazing people. I keep feeling like I am in some kind of dream that I am going to wake up from at any moment. This is the farthest I have ever been away from home and I am just in awe of this country. I don't think that feeling will ever go away, nor do I want it to.

The lovely Umbrian countryside

If this is not the epitome of Italian life, I don't know what is!

Tomorrow and Saturday we go on tours of the Basilica of St. Francis and San Damiano. I'll be sure to write about those on Sunday evening when we return to Rome and get settled in the Hotel Tiziano. Love to all of you! Thanks for reading! Buona notte from Assisi :)

Gelateria where I had my first Italian gelato...nociolla (hazelnut) of course!