My First Friday Night on the Town...

... was a little underwhelming. I went out with a group of women from the town; two of whom speak a bit of English. We went to a local pizzeria/restaurant. The good was good – I had my first Italian pizza (more on that later)!

The whole night was just frustrating. I was exhausted from my full day (Filippo and I went to a huge park in Parma), and I was basically falling asleep at the table. Everyone was speaking spitfire Italian and by the end of the night I was halfheartedly attempting to pick out words that I knew. In fact, I developed a hatred for this one woman based solely on the fact that she spoke so quickly and laughed off the second half of her sentences.

The food was good, though! Italian pizza is floppy and light; the crust is airy and there isn’t a pound of toppings on top, like the Americans prepare it. I can’t say that I like it more or less than the pizza I am accustomed to because it is so different. I will say that the Italians put quite a range of food groups on their pizza – mushrooms, artichoke, tuna....

We also ate a fish dish – lightly breaded shrimp, tuna and calamari. I was shocked when I saw our plates because the fish actually looked like fish. I ate tuna that could have been swimming around – spine and all. I think if I were more awake, I might have been a little creeped out. Also, the shrimp was in-shell. I was peeking at my companions to see how I was supposed to go about eating it. (Ends up there was no one way of eating, so I just stuck the whole fish into my mouth ...with a fork, I figured that part out). (We also used a fork to eat the pizza, though using your hands is not taboo).

I’m always exhausted by 7:00 in the evening. Not only is my body adjusting to a new life – new schedule, time zone, responsibilities, climate – but my mind is working overtime trying to constantly translate (or merely understand) what people are saying around me. And then, when I finally get away from the Italian-speakers, I’ve got my nose stuck in an Italian book trying to learn this language. Add on top of these adjustments the fact that I’m thousands of miles away from my family and friends, and I am just exhausted!

I’ve got a plan for handling my lack of energy. One, I’m going to start exercising – running in the mornings before my Italian lessons. Also, I’m going to give my brain some time off from studying. I really want to learn this language ASAP, but my habits are overloading my system. Also, I’m going to avoid people who speak too quickly – they stress me out. And finally, I’m going to settle down when it comes to Italian cuisine; I’m doing my best to truly appreciate living this life, but my body still can’t handle sugar and caffeine, so I’m laying off. (I figure, European chocolate doesn’t really count).