I sentimenti degli italiani dopo gli elezioni

In this month following the U.S. Presidential Election, I have been asked my opinion many times by Bolognesi. Even though the Italian citizens are not directly affected by the result of the election, President-elect Trump's policies on international relations, as well as his attitude towards the United Nations, will impact the rest of the world.
The middle school students from the school at which I volunteer had a fiery debate over the election results. One student supported Trump, and the others were interrogating him on his decision. I was impressed by how well-informed the students were on issues of American politics: much more so than American 14-year-olds. They were able to debate the merits and deficiencies of both Clinton and Trump, as well as systemic problems like racism and sexism. This makes me wonder what the differences are between political education in Italy and the United States, as it seems that American students are less knowledgeable about their own political climate than Italian students.
Either way, everyone is hoping that President-elect Trump will do a wonderful job leading the country for the next four years.

Bologna's Political Climate

It's no secret that the Bolognese, "the red," lean towards the left on the political spectrum. In fact, all of Emilia-Romagna, the province in which Bologna resides, is fairly liberal. In contrast to Rome, one would be hard-pressed to find a political conservative in the city. Though the "Partito Democratico" functions under the name of the democratic party, Americans may quickly discover that this party does not resemble the Democratic National Committee of the United States. While the group as a whole acknowledges exclusively democratic principles, the ideas of a significant number of its members align more closely with communism. The party regularly organizes "public gatherings," in which Bologna residents may congregate and share in their similar negative views of the current political system in Italy. These "gatherings" usually include a guest speaker, such as a political science or law professor from the university, a similar political group, or a live band.

Other evidence of Bologna's current political climate may be easily found on the graffiti that seemingly spans every wall of every building. Italians are a straightforward bunch; it is common to see a handful of extremist political messages scrawled on buildings on a walk to or from class. These writings have simply become a part of the scenery, because as soon as a wall is repainted, it is tagged within days.

For more information about the Partito Democratico, click here.

Le cose che mi mancano dagli Stati Uniti

After living here for one month, I am starting to miss certain things from the United States. This short post is a list of the things I am missing most (besides friends and family, because that is a given):

1. Dogs: While there are quite a few dogs in Bologna, I don't get the same regular contact with dogs that I do in the United States.
2. Culinary Diversity: Bologna is known as the gastronomical capitol of Italy, and quite possibly the world. While the food here is absolutely delicious, the only non-Italian restaurants I've seen are Chinese. As such, I'm craving other cuisines, specifically Mexican and Indian.

Italian Culinary Diversity: an American pizza on the left, and Italian one on the right

3. A Centralized University System: The University of Bologna is the oldest in Europe, founded in the 12th century. Partially because of its medieval beginnings, and partially because of the laid back Italian mindset, the University is structured as a collection of departments, independent of one another. Students don't register for classes until right before the final exam, meaning that there is no way of determining how many students are in a class. This results in lots of last minute changes of course times and locations, making the beginning of the semester difficult to handle.
4. Accessibility to Basic Conveniences: There are two basic things Italy seems to have a lack of - water and bathrooms. While water can be purchased at low prices in markets around town, water at restaurants usually comes at a high price - almost as much as the cheapest bottle of wine. As such, it is easy to become dehydrated when without a water bottle of your own.  Additionally, stores, cafes (which is referred to as a bar in Italian), and even many restaurants do not have bathrooms available for customer use. Therefore, one must always be sure to use their own bathroom before going out in order to avoid being stranded without anywhere to go.
5. American Idioms: This summarizes English language exposure in general, but idioms are specifically difficult to translate. However, this can also provide for some easy entertainment. For example, the other day I was watching Modern Family (with Italian subtitles), and one character told another that she was "hotter than the sidewalk in Los Angeles on the 4th of July." The subtitles read, "Sei piu' appetitosa di un panettone farcita di mascarpone e nutella," which translates to, "You are more appetizing than panettone (a Christmas sweet bread) stuffed with mascarpone and nutella."

Come si fa la pasta a mano

 Yesterday, my study abroad program went to a vineyard to learn how to make pasta by hand. The following is the recipe we learned, by rote, from the master pasta maker:

Ingredients:

200g of fine flour (00 flour is best)
2 eggs

Directions:

Pour nearly all of the flour in the center of a large wooden board. Save a little for flouring the board once the dough has been kneaded and must be rolled. Using your fingers, make a wide "bowl" in the center of the flour pile, about 8-10" in diameter. Be sure that your "bowl" is rimmed with flour, so that the eggs will stay in the center.
Crack the two eggs into the flour bowl and whisk with a fork, mixing air into the eggs as you whisk. Once the eggs are beaten, begin to whisk in the flour, creating larger circles centered around the eggs until it starts to form a paste. Once the mixture starts to thicken, use your fingers (not your palms, only your fingers!) to mix in the remaining flour. Our teacher advised us to touch the dough as if it were a child - don't be rough! Once the dough begins to form, knead it, using only your fingers. Be sure to turn and flip the dough while kneading, so it is well-mixed.

Once the pasta dough is smooth and homogeneous, wrap it in plastic and let it sit for 10-12 minutes. During that time, use a pastry knife or metal spatula to clean your board, being sure to remove all excess dough that did not get mixed in.
After the ten minutes, flour the board and begin rolling the dough out. Roll the dough by starting in the middle and pushing towards the outer edge. Rotate the dough in 45 degree angles and flip regularly, to ensure that it is rolled evenly. Use the rolling pin to pick up the dough - not your hands! This causes stress and the dough, and can lead to holes and uneven thickness.

Once the dough is rolled (it should look like a circle with a diameter of roughly 1.25 - 1.5 feet), fold it in half, making a crease at the fold. Unfold the dough, and, starting at one edge, gently fold the dough towards the center, making each fold approximately one inch wide. DO NOT CREASE! Turn the dough around 180 degrees and do this on the other half as well, so that the two folded sides meet at the crease in the middle. Cut the dough in half cross-wise. Taking one half, cut the pasta into pieces, each about .25 inches wide. After the dough is sliced, take your knife and slide it, sharp side first, under the pasta, stopping at the middle crease. Lift the knife up and rotate it 90 degrees, so that the pasta is hanging off of both sides of the knife. If your dough is stickier, it may take some gentle shaking of the knife for the pasta to unfold. Grab the pasta with your other hand and gently twist it into a circle, placing it on the board. Repeat this process with the remaining dough.


When cooking the pasta, place it into boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Top with ragù and serve al dente.

Il primo annuncio

After living in Bologna, Italy for a week and a half, I am beginning to settle in to daily life. I have a bus pass, there is food in my fridge, and I just found work as a part-time nanny. I love living in such a vibrant and historic city, and still find it hard to believe that I will be here for the next ten months!

 As a native Wisconsinite, I attend UW-Madison, where I study psychology and criminal justice. I have just begun my senior year abroad and cannot believe that this is my last year of college. Though official Università di Bologna classes have not started yet, my "pre-session" course (vocabulary and grammar review) began this week. One interesting thing about the university schedule is that there is no official schedule! Every department sets its own term, anywhere between mid-September and mid-January. Every class occurs within that range, but while some classes run September - December, others only run for one month, though they meet more frequently and require more time while they are running. Excluding my pre-session course, I am only taking 12 credits this semester, which is two classes. It seems very strange to me to not have four or five classes per semester, but since the usual number of credits is so high (6-9), it is very difficult to take lots of courses.

La Piazza Maggiore

As of right now, here's what a typical day looks like for me:

8:30 - wake up, get ready for class
9:30 - leave for class (either by bus or on foot)
10:00-12:30 - class
13:15 - lunch
14:15-18:00 - run errands, do homework, etc.
18:30 - return to my apartment fuori dalle mura (outside of the walls)
19:00-20:30 - cook and eat dinner, clean up
12:00 - bedtime!

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese

Compared to most Italians, I eat dinner a little early (19:30); most people like to eat around 20:30. Food is a huge part of the culture in Bologna, which has been dubbed the "gastronomic capital of Italy." Some traditional piatti include:

tagliatelle al ragù (tagliatelle with a traditional Bolognese sauce - much better here than in the United States!)
le lasagne
la pizza
i tortellini in brodo (tortellini in a light broth)
le polpette (meatballs served in a tomato sauce - but not with pasta)

Eating a viewed as a near-sacred tradition in Bologna. A true meal requires at least an hour, if not two, and is complete with primi piatti (pasta or risotto), secondi piatti (meat or fish), dolci (tiramisù, marscapone, or gelato), and, of course, vino. Though you can purchase beer at some restaurants, every establishment has a large wine selection, which people usually take advantage of.

Among the most popular topics to discuss during dinner is politics. Italians love discussing politics, particularly American politics. With the upcoming election, everyone is anxious to find out who will be the next "leader of the free world." In general, most native Italians with whom I have spoken think that if Trump were elected, it would mark the fall of democracy. While they are hesitant to support Clinton, they predict that a Trump administration would negatively impact the entire globe. I'm sure that these sentiments will continue to percolate as the election looms closer.

Our AirBnB in Amalfi

Now, I'm off to buy a train ticket to Napoli, for a weekend trip to the Amalfi Coast with my friends - a great way to welcome in the new school year!