Already 3 Months!

This last Saturday marked three entire months here in Messina!!! :) I had been sick for most of the week before that. Unfortunately for me, I am very prone to sickness, whether I am an exchange student or not. My host mother had influenza, so naturally, I caught something. Anyway, it was gone by the time Saturday rolled around. On Saturday, the volunteers of Intercultura Messina organized a Christmas party for us and our families. It was at Halldis' house, the girl from Norway. Neither my brother or my sister wanted to come. They both wanted to go out with their friends. Once they got there though and started eating some of the food and playing cards, they seemed happy. This house that we were at has an outdoor, brick, wood burning oven to make pizza. There were all four of us exchange students, our families, volunteers, some of their families...basically, there was just a whole mess of people. We had a huge feast! There was pizza, focaccia, these tartes that Roberta made (with eggs and zucchini or with ricotta and artichokes), cheese, salami....you name it. It was a time for all of us to talk, have a good time, and celebrate Christmas all together. We ended up playing BS (bullshit - the card game) with Finnish rules. I have never played it that way and was very confused. The American way of playing BS is way easier. All of the Italians playing had to learn how to play and it ended up being really fun. Eventually, we had dessert. That consisted of panettone, chocolate cake, an apple cake, little pastries from a pastry shop, coconut balls that tasted exactly like macaroons, and gelato. :) We each got two Christmas presents as well. We got one from a volunteer, Giulia, and one from my assistant, who also happens to be our Italian teacher. The one from the volunteer was a Christmas mug filled with candy and marshmallows. The other one I have yet to open. I am waiting for Christmas day. :) By the time people started to leave, it was around 11:30 at night. Suddenly, my host father noticed that Taneli had brought his guitar. Stop!!! We all had to stand around and listen to Taneli play the guitar and sing. I ended up singing too. My host father was enjoying himself so much that he pulled me into the middle of the room and started to dance with me. I also played piano for them. I couldn't remember much because we don't have a piano at my house and I don't have music, but it went pretty well. It was a long, tiring evening, but it was fun.

On Sunday, the four of us met at a bar in order to meet an Australian girl who is going home early. She lives in the mountains here on Sicily, so we haven't met her before. Her program was going to end in January, but she wants to go home now. She has only been with her family for three weeks. Halldis and I each had a capuccino (YUM). I actually had to take a picture of my capuccino because the foam looked like a heart. When Tobias and Taneli finally showed up (they were a half an hour late), we took the girl around Messina for a little bit. We took her to the Duomo, where Taneli and Tobias convinced her to try a granita with brioche for the first time. Then, since it was midday, we watched the bell tower. By watching the bell tower, I really do mean watching the bell tower. The decorations move! By then, it was a little late, about 12:15 and we had to be back at the bar by 12:30. After we said goodbye to the girl and her family, we all walked around Messina. We went into a place that says it is an aquarium, but it really isn't. The only thing that even resembles an aquarium is a little pond with a bunch of fish and one koi. There were little kid games and a bunch of food items to buy inside of there. After finishing there, we walked to the cinema where we checked out the times for A Christmas Carol in 3D. We all split up to go home for lunch, and Tobias, Taneli, and I returned to the cinema to see A Christmas Carol. I actually liked it. Some people I have talked to didn't like it very much. I'm just glad that I can now understand movies in Italian now. :)

I just have to make it through this week of school and then I can relax during Christmas break. We really do have almost three weeks. It will be fun. I don't really know what we are doing, but I'm excited nonetheless. The past two days have been autogestione. Basically, we have gone to school, had the first two blocks of class, and then for the last two, we have done nothing. We have played games, read, and talked. Tomorrow everything goes back to normal.

Finally, I have news about the exchange week. It is from March 19-March 28. Also, one of my options is to go to Livorno to do a musical program. By choosing to go to Livorno and do the music program, not only would I see Livorno and participate in music in a well-known music school, but I would also spend a half a day in Pisa and a full day in Florence. You can only go to the music program if you can play an instrument or sing. Considering that I sing and I can play the piano, I am definitely qualified. It is going to be a tough choice between this program or another city that I have always wanted to go to. This will be my only opportunity to do this music program though. We will see what I choose. There is still time. :)

Ciao!
Love,
Rebecca