I know i blog too much. but before i forget..

llRandom events:
>The other day i went to a chiense restaurant. It was soooo gooood to have chinese food again. I LOVE Italian food. but i missed chinese food.
> went to Torino. my host dad had business there, he had to deliver something. we went to a factory where ferraris are designed, so i got to see a bunch of models, uncluding prototypes. It was awesome!

> I've realized recently, that if you have blue eyes, and come to Italy. Italians will love you, and swarm all around you. two of my friends who are also exchange students have blue eyes, and they are constantly being followed. I on the other hand.. not so much. not sure if thats a good or bad thing. they are making a LOT of friends, but they are annoyed sometimes a little.

>the other weekend in Novara I witnessed a car crash. Yes you've probably heard many stories of how italians are famous for bad driving. i think in the north it is MUCh better in the south. but that is just my opinion. Never in my life have i ever been there for a car accident. i think in my whole life ive probably seen 3-5 car accidents, i it was just me driving by them. i wasnt there when it happened. But this one, I didnt actually see it, because i was in the car. but i heard it. it was sooo loud! I hear a car screeeeech and then a huge crash. everyone got out of their cars(this was in the piazza). EVERYONe was running towards the accident. my host dad had gotten out of the car to see, but i stayed in because he left the keys in the car, and for some reason i was just terrified that if i left the car someone would take it(though no one probably would since everyone was focused on the accident) After he got back in the car we drove around the piazza to get out. we drove by the accident and one car was trying to drive straight past the piazza, as another was turning left into the piazza, but turned into the car that was going straight. make sense?

> many car accidents here, but the driving is much better and controlled than in the south(when i went to rome)

>my italy handbook told me about walking around with wet hair. hows its socially unacceptabloe apparently. how you cant walk around the house in barefoot or just socks, must always be slippers or shoes. but its not true. at least in my case. i talked to one of my friends(yes i know youre reading this.. fabio haha )and he said it is mostly traditional or older people. he laughed when i told him about this stuff. for him this isnt the case, for my friends it isnt the case, for me it isnt the case. i walk around with wet hair and just socks around the house. its too cold to walk around barefoot, because floors here arent carpeted.

> I think ive already mentioned this before, but you have to pay to drive on the highways here. It's so weird. because in america you dont. My host dad told me it is because the highways were not built by the government. It's just so weird because everyday you might have to drive somewhere that really isnt that far, but the speed  limit is low(its not a highway) so it takes longer. but back home, the highways are everywhere, and you could go frmo one place to another in like 5-15 minutes. here it might take half an hour or so. as i mentioned before, it is completly normal to travel half an hour or so or even more just to go to school everyday
Here since you have top pay to go on the highway, it seems like you have to make driving on it worth it(since its expensive) so you would drive on the highway for hours. also, there arent many people on the highway, and there arent many exits, only to major major cities for the most part, like milano and torino. and the highways are like in the middle of no where, last weekend when we went to a small village near france, we drove side by side to the train. it was cooool

> Last weekend i slept over at a friends house who lives in the city. We went to a birthday party, and then a small concert. Italian music(it was rap) is kind of good but weird :P I also went to a small village near france. my host family has family friends who live in that village. the village celebrated trade(its so close to france, it uised to be a major trading center esp. since there used to not be tax on trade) so there was a festival. It was really cute there were cowbells everywhere and all sorts of goods and examples of items that would have been traded back then. they were just out on the streets for show.
(small villages in italy apparently celebrate almost everything, just for the sake of celebrating and having a festival) according to my host mom :P

> my host brother has D&G shoes.. I think thats awesome but strange. he's 8 haha, not sure if thats normal.

> Here, I've learned to accept the food that is giv en to me. by all means im not given random strange food, but just different kinds of what i would usually eat. for instance, i eat cheese, but normally just cheddar on a sandwich, or cheese on pizza etc. But here theres cheese all the time everywhere, and normally i would question what kind it is and everything. But ive just accepted that it is cheese, and thats all. so i eat it. same goes with meat. I used to eat only chicken, and pork and beef. nothing else. but here i'm given all kinds of salami(which i never used to eat before) and bruschetta( i think thats what its called, but the italian ham, which in the states i didnt eat) but here i do. ITs just weird. i dont question it anymore. (mommy you will be very happy about this news for when i get back, knowing im such a picky eater)

>I've noticed that scarves(scerpa, i think..) are VERY in here. many people wear them at school. and they are sold EVERYWHERE

> though i had chinese food fairly recently , i still kind of miss it. but its ok cuz food here is really good. i dont know why its such a big deal. i guess food is a REALLy important aspect of my life. i think it might be my best friend.. I made a list at school when i was bored of the food i miss. i think its just chinese food, bubble tea, and micdonalds. mccdonalds is much better in america. and i miss food my mommy cooks. food here is AMAZING! but i just miss that food too :\

>So lately Ive been hanging out with this girl named Brittany( i know youre reading this too, be happy im mentioning your name lol) she is also an AFSer and she is the only other one who lives in my province. ITaly is divided into regiones, and within the regions, into provinces. She lives in the city and i live in a small village about 40 minutes away. but almost everyweekend since weve been here weve hung out. Its really fun having someone there with you, also having the same experiences as you! and it is really nice for me since we have a lot in common, we get along well, and she is from australia so she speaks english well haha

>NOTE TO FUTURE EXCHANGE STUDENTS: We all have to make adjustements. Thats why you went on exchange, to experience something new and different. Of course you have to be comfortable with the differences, but you cant live somewhere where everything is sooo similar to your actualy home that there is practically no difference. why would you go on exchange? Let me explain the main difference i have adjusted to:

SCHOOL: i think school for me is the biggest difference. aside from the language
1. School here is like elementary school in the states You have one class, and you stay with them all day all year. you have all your classes with them
2. Teachers come in and out for each subject. You do not get break, only 10 minutes halfway throughout the day(we have 6 classes a day, so after 3). and sometimes if you are lucky the teachers come late, then you have break.
3. There is this really really weird thing called PNI or PNE, im not quite sure. and Its like advanced math. and the class splits up into two different groups for math class. I dont understand it..
4. There are no subsitute teachers here, if a teacher doesnt come, it's free hour.
5. Im not sure if this is all schools, but my school is one building. and in it there is another school. on the bottom floor. In the states one building is one school. Its strange to me that its divided into two.
6. during the 10 minute break they serve pizza and sandwiches which cost 1 euro, this is lunch.
7. schools scheduels are inconsistent and confusing
8. i find my hardest subject to be art. I have to draw something given to me in perfect proportionn and we have to measure everything(artbeing my hardest subject is really sad..)
9. getting a 6 out of 10 or above is considered good. It is very rare to get 9 or 10.
10. The other day i met with my tutors, they are helping me with recieving credits
11. I talked with my english teacher, she told me all my teachers and her are meeting to discuss what to do with me. as in what classes i should be in. They might possibly move me around to other classes for other subjects. just because i am further ahead than my main class in some subjects. I am really excited for this! not becuase i want to leave my class, i really like them, but i want to meet other people. i think itll be interesting and fun! I am told I will be given a new class schedule next week, or the week after. and I'm reallly excited to meet new people! I might get put in some 3rd year classes, and some 5th year classes! so ill get to know everyone of all ages!
12. There are specific scholls, top study specific things. there is technical, which is supposed to be an easier kind of school, where you study carears. I met a girl today who also live in borgo ticino(met her after we got off the train, also a good way to meet people who live near you) and she studies hairdressing... for Liceo(is the most difficult kind of school) there are many kinds. artistico, linguistico, classico, scentifico. I go to sceintifico. there are other kinds too of course. i just dont remember
13. gym here is sort of a joke. And also its weird that they dont have their own track field, Its like the community track and we have to walk and go off campus to get to it. gym is really chill here becasue if you dont come to class changed, then you just sit on the side and no one cares.
MANY OTHER DIFFERENCES> WILL ADD LATER BUT I CANT THINK OF OTHERS NOW> ILL ADD LATER IM GOING TO BED

Today: I skipped school to go to the city to get my living permit. It took awhile.. we had to get our fingerprints done and everything. then went into the city with brittany and went ot lunch and shopped a bit. went home at the time school in novara got out(2) by train, and the train was FLOODING with students. I didnt even know that many people from out of novara went to school in novara. i mean i knew people did, but just, not THAT many people. I mean, It's different, or i thought school int he city would be differnet. that becuase it was a city, most people who go to school there would live ther.e but i guess i was wrong. on the train there were so many people I had no where to sit. I had to stand. I got a bit confused on the stops and had to ask to make sure i was getting on the right train. and when i asked if they spoke english, they all became fascinted by me. It seems the train is a great place to make new friends :) haha if you go at the right time at least. when i go in the morning no one is on it.

When i went ot lunch in the city, i was talking to brittany in english. and the waiter came up to us and asked us if we were russian. i was so confused. 1. neither of us look russian. and 2, we were speaking english. it was reallyweird and random
over all good past few days

Sorry my posts are always random and unoraganized. I njust type what comes to mind before i forget.