All moved in!

So… I’m finally here. In my room. In Italy.
A whole week after the leaving the UK I am finally sat in what will be my ‘home’ for the next 9months. It hasn’t sunk in yet at all. I miei gentori left yesterday afternoon and to be honest my head only grasped this idea as they drove away in our poor little hire car (seriously-everything you hear about the driving in Italy is TRUE. We hadn’t even driven the car out of the airport car park and people were already peeping their horns at us!). Obviously feeling a little emotional, I took a second to calm myself down and headed back to the school building. I tried to use my ‘staff key’ to get in the side door but try as I might, I couldn’t get in. To anyone else watching me it must’ve been quite funny to see as I practically rugby tackled this ancient wooden door… and typically, this happened just as a bunch of students walked by…. giggling at me. When I heard this I actually laughed too, if I saw one of my teachers carrying out GBH on a door I’d probably giggle a wee bit as well.
So the last few days have been a tad hectic. Stayed in a beautiful villa in Gargano and travelled through most of South-East Italy. Visited Campobasso on Monday to make sure they knew that I was coming (after only receiving two very brief emails from the school before I headed out) and then spent the other days brushing up on il mio italiano.
The head teacher of the scuola is probably the most animated person I have ever spoken to, such a lovely man and luckily he speaks a little English so if my broken Italian fails…. :D Also during the last few days, we nearly ran over a cow (‘mucca’ in Italy-how cool!) as it stood aimlessly in the middle of a dirt track road having a staring competition with my dad, we had a power cut, we saw fires in the olive tree groves that were surrounding the villa and ate a lot. And drank a lot too. Have discovered a lovely little ‘nightcap’ drink called ‘Limoncino’… tis very syrup-y but bitter at the same time and is 33%...! :D (Doing my roomie proud eh Francesca?)
Anyhoo’s… my first night in my new home felt very strange. The room is huge, it isn’t actually a bedroom, as they have changed a teaching room into a room for me so it’s very grand but clinical at the same time. As the ceiling is so high it echoes and my furniture seems rather out of place in such a large room… I feel a bit like I’m living in a dolls house.
Even after spending just a week here, my Italian has really improved. As some of you may know, the language speaking part was the part I was most worried about as I’ve struggled with it… but everyone here is very patient with me and even when I know I’m messing up, I keep going and they seem to get the gist. I think that in a few weeks time I’ll be much more confident! At university the Italian teachers called me ‘Ali-ce’ as in ‘chair + e’ but whenever I tell anyone here that my name is Alice, they go ‘Ahhhhh- Alessia’… so in Italy…or at least for the next 9 months I will be called Alessia. Which I’m cool with. I’ve always wanted a funked-up name. :) Although it does remind me a bit of some kind of healthy yogurt ‘good-for-you’ drink. Which is also cool. Sort of.
Met with two of the classes I’m going to be working with this morning! They are seriously chatty and really confident which is totally different from how people reacted to Assistants at my schools- so I’m thrilled! Managed to talk about my friends in St Andrews and all about Korfball which was awesome! It’s difficult enough trying to explain to an English speaker how you play Korfball so it’s ten times as hard trying to get the Italian teenagers to understand! Still don’t have anyone to really talk too yet though, but the internet in my room is keeping me going for the time being! Whoop whoop for Facebook and MSN…! :)
Ciao for now…. Love and big hugs from Italia! Keep it korf!
Alice xx

2 Days to go....

Only two days left before I depart these fair lands for pastures new! I'm feeling surprisingly calm after a few weeks of being constantly petrified but now that my accommodation is sorted a feel much, MUCH better! :D

At last the packing has started... hurrah! Trying my hardest to be strict with myself when it comes down to things I reaaaaaaalllly need to take with me. You never know when you might need a pair of bright pink wellies, or a black and white greenpeace scarf or a fairy outfit!

Luckily, my parents bought me a huge suitcase at the weekend. If everything falls though regarding my accommodation, I can just live in my suitcase! It would be fab! Almost as cool as living in a tent on West Sands in St Andrews! :) Actually, I really hope it'll never come to that. I think I'd have a meltdown if my accommodation was messed up and I actually have no where to live. :S

It's very reassuring knowing that a lot of my friends are going through exactly the same thing right now. When people who aren't going away ask how you are feeling, you try to put on a brave face and everything but deep down (and any other year abroad students will agree with me here...!) my insides are turning and my heart needs to settle and stop panicking or else I might not make it till Friday! :)

Anyhoo's... hope I remember everything! Wish me luck! :D

x