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!