Mi Chiamo Molly. Sono di Georgia.

So as my Italian is getting better (severe overstatement) I am getting a little more confident in exploring the city shops, supermarkets, ect. Actually, my practical afternoon Italian class took a trip to the huge 'supermarcato' that is a little bit out side of the center of the city. While there are a few small markets around town, to really find the most for your money and more practical items/items that Americans are familiar with it is best to visit the bigger store. To get to the bigger store, I had my first trip with my class on the city's mini metro which is an above ground public transportation system that is above ground. It is only about two years old and really convenient, not to mention you get a fantastic view of the city without having to go very far at all. Like in America, Italy has chain stores. The store we went to is called the Coop (pronounced Coh-op if that makes sense) and was essentially like a Publix, but much better and much fresher ingredients. I had to buy a reusable shopping bag here today though to save my self a bit of money because as of January of this year, unless you buy the plastic bag at a grocery store you aren't getting one.

I am excited to be getting on a normal schedule and be getting settled into this beautiful city. It is starting to feel a bit like home. I have cooked meals here now, ridden transportation, done homework, taken classes, and even ordered my panino (sandwhich) today completely in Italian. Besides almost getting hit by a Fiat daily and the shady people that come out at night (happens everywhere, right?), I really do feel safe here. Italy has really livened my sense of adventure. Even though I live about 30 seconds from school, every day it seems like we discover a new view or a new part of town that we cannot wait to see more of. Also, it never fails that we learn a new cultural thing or idea that we cannot totally seem to wrap around our heads. So since before I left I wrote a list of things that I thought would be interesting to adjust to, here is a short version of a current running list of interesting things I have found in Italy thus far:
1. Strange store hours occur here. There is "la pausa" or the pause which is like the Spanish equivilent to a siesta where a lot of things close down from about 1:30 to 4, sometimes the stores close, sometimes they don't. Heck, sometimes they don't open back up until the owner darn well pleases. Also, shops often can be found closed on Monday mornings and Thursday afternoons. I feel like Italians just very much go with the flow and if they don't want to open, they just don't.
2. Italians are not stupid and know when Americans are coming here for school because they pass around flyers to come to the more "American" bars to get a free drink with your American ID and to quote "Shake your booty off." Obviously American people have a fabulous and classy reputation here. Note: These are not the places I am trying to spend my time here, no worries Mom and Dad.
3. I am all about being good to our environment, but these people are some kind of serious about recycling. We have 4 different colored trash bags that all of our trash must be sorted into and taken out all on different days between 8 and 10 at night. I can take one handful of trash from lunch and use 3 separate trash bags, but only after looking at the piece of paper that tells me what goes where.
4. Our shower door is a tri fold, I don't know if this makes sense to anyone, but it literally folds in three and if you aren't careful will leak everywhere. And even if you are extremely careful, it leaks a little. What does this mean? Our apartment bathroom came with instructions...and a mop. We have to mop after every single shower to garuntee that we do not leak water to the people below us. But I guess some things are worth having a beautiful place to live.
5. Fashion trends here are a little different than here at home. Which can mean one of two things, they are way ahead of us or behind us. From the looks of it, I think it might be a little bit of both. While there is lots of high fashion here and lots of discount stores, the two top things in this season? Shiny, puffy coats and those Timberland hiking boots.
6. Starbucks in America things it is so fancy for using Italian words and having all sorts of varieties. Well guess what, America? Italians have been known to call our coffee "dirty water." If you simply go into a coffe shop and order a caffe (the basic, you don't even say espresso), you will only get a shot of espresso. The Italians don't mess around. They have some variations of this, some with milk, some with chocolate, even some a little big watered down, but they think the stuff we like is gross.
7. Lastly for now, the people here are unlike any other nationality I have met. While Americans (I am one of them sometimes) and other people get really frustrated when people are in their country and do not speak their language adequately, the Italians do not care. The only thing they care about is that you even tried in the first place. Even if the means of communication is mostly smiling and pointing (which I am so very good at doing), the people appreciate that you even say hello or goodbye in their native language.