Monthly Archives: October 2017

Americans frequently tip but Italians don’t necessarily expect it.  Italians themselves generally do not tip and when they do, it isn’t the full 15% to 25% common in the US.  Italians pay a fair wage.  Italians don’t rush you through … Continue reading →

Ciao i miei amici! Verona is among the smaller of Italy’s cities.  It was located (somewhat intentionally) by the Romans at a crossroads: North-South:  Rome (~500 km to the south) to points north. East-West:  Milan (~160 km to the west) … Continue reading →

Ciao i miei amici! Our old apartment was situated in a university area (see 2 October) which turned out to be somewhat noisier than we could handle.  We kept thinking that their professors weren’t giving those kids enough homework.  Today … Continue reading →

Ciao i miei amici! Italians like cash but they don’t like to give a lot of little change.  The more you can arrange it so that they can give you your change as efficiently as possible, the better they like … Continue reading →

Ciao i miei amici! Allora! Mamma mia, that’s a lot of Italian.  However, what a week.  My brain feels swollen.  That’s what Happy Hour is for: Btw, for you language wonks, c’era follows directly from today’s lesson:  esserci. Ciao!

Ciao, i miei amici! Anywhere you go in Italy, Rome is not far beneath the surface.  Indeed, it is a source of much chagrin that anytime the Italians want to initiate a building project requiring new excavation, they’re always finding … Continue reading →

09:00  The Sorting Hat has determined that eight of us ranked not only at a similar level with our Italian but also had similar needs–hearing and listening.  Other groups were raw beginners, beginner level but had experience with some Italian … Continue reading →

I have been weighed, I have been measured, and I have been found… The evaluation consisted of both written and oral portions.  Written was in a variety of formats including reading comprehension and essay.  Oral was a sweat-filled two minutes … Continue reading →

It’s move-in day to our apartment which is located in the University of Verona area just outside of the original Roman settlement.  It is a one-bedroom unit with a balcony on the first floor (not ground floor).  Setting up house … Continue reading →

Our group consists of 21 travelers–20 of the nicest people you would ever want to meet…and me. Don’t ever underestimate the power of jet-lag. One Italian meal consists of around 12 courses plus wine.  *yawn* Even with jet-lag, don’t underestimate … Continue reading →