Advent of Adventuresome Academia

Classes began yesterday, beginning my summer routine. I had class in the morning, 8 o'clock sharp. I didn't get lost, which was a good start to the day. And all of the buildings begin with "Palazzo," which makes the search for Classroom Two (or, Aula 2) sound very romantic. What wasn't romantic was my dress getting stuck in an escalator. The rip is no problem-- a needle and thread will fix it, no problem. The oil was a different issue. I'm just glad that I could get it out of the escalator at all. There's always a silver lining, I suppose.

A little disheveled, but thankfully fully clothed, I arrived at my first class. It was larger than our poor instructor expected. By the end of the third hour, a class of little over twenty had ballooned to a over forty. So we were divided up into two classes, giving me a new timetable and a new Palace to find.

After class, Helen and I went for a quiet lunch near the main building of Universita per Stranieri. It was only 11:30, so we gave the restaurant staff, which included a perky dachshund, quite a turn. But the food was good, and I had plenty of time to return home for a nice nap. My next class was at 5, and I gave myself plenty of time to find my new palazzo, Palazzo Proschiutti. I was overjoyed to be put in the conversation group that I wanted-- the timetable leaves my Fridays open after 10 AM, leaving me with long weekends for the rest of my stay in Perugia.

Today was day two, when the challenge really begins: no more introductions, no more distractions. My first class this morning was actually a language lab. We practiced pronunciation in a computer lab with headphones that made the whole thing feel like mission control. The practical aspect was very interesting. After class, I went to the supermarket. The plan was to go back to the apartment, make some lunch, and do some laundry. Plans, however, can derail with alarming skill.

Our door, it seems, is just as finicky as our router. Today was the second day I was locked out (with keys). Yesterday, one of my flatmates was home to let me in. Today, loaded down with groceries, I was not so lucky. I bought lunch at a cafe, took shelter from the blazing sun in the Universita, called my landlady, and was lucky enough to have Helen as a friend. She let me into the monastery where she has a room and helped me stow my groceries in the kitchen.

Monastery Monteripido. The hike to get there is worth it.
Picture from: Key to Umbria: City Walks

We went to our language class, where we learned about articles. Because Italian nouns have genders, this isn't an easy concept, but it was great to get past "Mi chiamo Alicia" and "Io sono americana." And when I returned, the door had been opened. I retrieved my groceries and proceeded to cook myself a nice, big dinner. So tomorrow the plan is, once again, to do laundry during my break. Fingers crossed, it will actually happen.