Buon Pomeriggio!

In other words, good afternoon!

Before I talk about school, I just have to say that it honestly is such a good afternoon. We started class early this morning so we got out early which is a-ok with me, especially on such a gorgeous afternoon! I was out of school by 12:30pm and couldn't have been happier. It's 70 degrees, sunny without a cloud in the sky and the perfect day for a run...or margaritas. Lucky for me, I'm doing both. You can do that kind of thing when you're a student again.

I've had quite a few setbacks with running over the past year so I never know what I'm gonna get when I hit the road. My most recent tumble down the bus steps has left my ankle messed up so, after seeing the podiatrist to make sure there wasn't a stress fracture (there wasn't, just a sprain), I've been taking it as easy as I can. I've just been running on the treadmill recently since it's softer but I absolutely had to take advantage of this pretty day so I ran 4.5 outside. I just have to say it...I love running so much. I hate that my knees and ankle aren't in the perfect health they once were but I just have to work around it. Here's where the margarita reward comes into play. I run through some pain then treat myself to a refreshing, cold margarita. See how that works? Don't worry, I'm not just gallivanting around the city without a care. I'm going to bring my notes and homework to study so it's productive. I love my logic with things sometimes.

Since all of you can't join me for cocktails, I thought I'd share what I'll be studying with you so we can feel like we're with each other:

These are just a few of the many pages of notes I already have to study - after just three days - so you can see a small glimpse of the intensity. We're already doing verb conjugations and it's really really tough. The introduzioni (introductions) are the easy part. Putting everything together to create sentences and sound like we're not four years old is the tough part. Of course, it's only day three so none of us are expected to be at a different level yet but there is a high expectation of our progress. This program isn't esteemed for no reason, you know? 

While overwhelming, it's also very fun to be learning this beautiful, romantic language. Something really cool that I didn't know is that 99% of all Italian words end in vocali (vowels). It's so neat! Also, if you've ever heard an Italian person speak, you know that certain syllables are deeply emphasized or dramatic, if you will. There's absolutely a reason for that! Certain words, such as pomeriggio as I wrote above, have double letters that draw out the way a word is spoken so that you're able to tell how to spell it. When you pronounce pomeriggio, the 'gg' part is emphasized and focused on. On the contrary, serata in the phrase buona serata (have a good evening) is spoken with a very quick 't' sound so you know there's only one 't' instead of two. One other fun tidbit is that in words with one 's', such as risotto, the 's' takes on a 'z' sound whereas with the word rossa (red), the double 's' makes a true 's' sound. Does that all make sense? It's kinda hard to get that across in writing, haha. I always thought Italians were just dramatic by nature, which of course they are also, but there is a true reason why the language is spoken as it is. 

At any rate, it's been a marvelous week so far. By the way, I'm only rubbing in the fact that I got out early today because it will never happen again, haha. Tomorrow is our first language + kitchen day so I basically have to relish in the fact that I could enjoy this pretty day, don't you agree? I'm definitely very very excited to get into the kitchen, though. I think we all can't wait for that! 

Ok kids, time for margaritas. Um, and to study, of course. ;)