settled?

ok...so, venice...
venice was STORMY. dark and rainy and cold...i, clearly, had just come from greece, my bright tan and slightly burned cheecks and flip flops and tank top were not counting on entering the arctic any time soon, so, at least initially, i suffered. i found my hostel, which was nice, but sort of shabby and dull, and settled in. i had no money and it was pouring down rain, so i set about to make some ramen in my dorm room. they had one of those instant kettles that boils water really fast, so i opened the packet of profurred ramen, inserted it, the flavoring packet, and water into the boiler, and began to let it cook. just then i noticed the sign, bright orange: anyone caught cooking in the boiling kettle will replace kettle, EOD. panicked, sure i was to be caught, i grabbed the kettle of boiling ramen and dumped it into the toilet. it took about 5 flushes to get the noodles all down, and the room reeked of chicken flavoring. i slunk off to the internet room in an effort to "leave the scene after commiting the crime".
about an hour later, i reemerged, and entered my dorm to find an extremely cute british boy sitting on his bunk, next to mine. we complained bitterly about the rain and how it was ruining our time in this marvelous city. he at least had a rain slicker. i had thrown away my sweater in greece.
we layed in our bunks and talked about things; he is a cambridge student which pleased and intrigued me. i got to hear all about their strict education regiment. i told him about uga...after about an hour i couldnt take it anymore...i was hungry and i was in venice and i would not be outdone. so we decided to go out.
i bought a 15euro sweater from the shop next door, and josh and i scampered through the drizzle. about the time it started to pour again, we found a nice (tourist) restaurant, and sat under the awning, watching the rain and the poor schmucks who were stuck in it, shared a bottle (or two?) of wine, and talked. he was extremely bright (not surprisingly) and easy going and i have finally taken a firm side in the oxford-campridge debate (something that, obviously, has been weighing on me)...josh, stephen hawking, hugh laurie, marc darcy...nuff said. i slept through the night better then i had in a long time, with the rain and the other peoples snoring (oddly comforting), and the next morning josh and i had croissants and coffee before i departed. it was still rainy that morning, and as we crossed the big bridge over the river, i stopped, caught stock-still by the beauty of venice, grey and choppy, the wide imperfect buildings, the boats rowing decidedly against the raging current, clouds swirling, everything awash in time and elements. it was one of the most beautiful sights that i have ever seen. i hope i can go back to venice soon and explore more, with a coat this time, and maybe even some closed-toe shoes...

so. udine...
wasnt prepared for this.
all of like, 5 people here speak english. i knew i was doomed when i arrived at my hotel the first night, and couldnt even check in! they had no idea what i was talking about, and i had to physically take the reservation book and find my name. was awful. sunday was also not a good day to be introduced to this town. everything is closed. it is deserted. it was scary and sad.
i went to bed super early sunday night, deciding to not worry, sure that all would be ok. i woke up at 6am monday morning. my class was at 9am. surely, i thought, this would be enough time to find my class room. the people who are in charge of my program, btw, are some of the most appalingly inefficient, mean, unhelpful people that i have ever encountered. they take like, 3 hour lunch breaks, and then freak out when they are too busy to get all of their work done. no instructions, directions, opr words of advice had been given to me, despite how many times i wrote emails asking for them. monday morning, i wandered all over the town, begging anyone who spoke english to help me find my way. no one knew what to say to me, and they looked at me like i had 2 heads when i asked, "parla inglese?". one man was nice enough to supply me with a map. ok, a map is good, but not if you dont even know where on the map you are. then one person pointed me down a street. ok. found a building, finally, at 8:30, where a woman LOOKED ON A COMPUTER (a novel idea) the name of my teacher, to see which building she worked in. take the bus, bus 10. where is bus stop. no idea. no one knows. finally found bus stop, but no ticket dispenser, etc. this went on for hours. at 10:30 i reached the building where i was suppose to be (way far away). no one there spoke english either. i walked around office to office, harping my professors name. received blank stares. finally, one woman was piecing together a sentence that i think was trying to tell me that i am in the wrong building (actually, the only thing she managed to say correctly was, "we dont have international students here"), and i was nearing the point of throwing my hands around her neck and SQUEEZING when a voice from behind said, "erasmus?". i wheeled around, and this sweet boy in glasses smiled and said, "erasmus student?". i could have cried because, yes! erasmus! exchange student! thats me! he spoke english! he said, "i saw your backpack, and i figured you must be here for a foreign program" (yes, i had been lugging my backpack around with me all day, because no one could tell me where my dorm was either). he was a miracle. the boy knew where my class room was, and i embraced him and thanked him fervently before finding a seat in the class.
my "absolute beginners" italian class is fun. its me, 12 russians, 8 chinese, 1 brazilian, and 2 portughese kids. my teacher is extremely nice and helpful and told me that my pronunciation was perfect (again! wish i knew just what to pronounce, though). after class this siberian woman and her daughter came up to me and basically adopted me. they were in the same program and had been here a week already and had been getting the same sort of cold-shoulder from the program directors. they had figured everything out for themselves. they walked me back to town (not nearly as far away as i had thought) and brought me to allesia bruno's office. she is suppose to be in chanrge of this program. we walked into her office, where she slammed down a book and yelled, "this office not for public! have decency! wait outside, oh my god!". yeah. she was mean. she said, "you found your dorm?" and i said, "no, i sent you emails asking for an address and you never wrote back". she stared at me. then told me the address. then shut the door, saying "your appointments not till tomorrow. bye". i reeled. the siberian lady said not to worry, she recognized the name of the dorm. we called a cab and the daughter (my age) rode with me over there (v sweet). we arrived at my dorm, and i found what i thought to be the front office: big room, couches, coffee table, receptionist desk, etc. we walked in and i unloaded my backpack, and all the sudden a booming yet nasaly voice screamed, "you have no right! no right! i am on the phone, get out! have patience! not your office, go!" i wheeled around and stared at a little man who was up on his hands leaning over the desk, pointing toward the door, his face swollen red. "get out!". i grabbed my bag and ran. the sweet siberian girl, sazhina, and i stood in the hall. and i just lost it. i tried so hard not to cry, but i was absolutely beside myself with frustration, grief, worry, exhaustion. yelled at! twice! absolutely lost and bewildered and led around on a wild goose chase and treated like a pariah. i just sat down in the hallway and cried. finally the man came out. he seemed sorry, i guess, and apoligized, but i wouldnt even look at his face. he gave me my room key and i composed myself long enough to get to my prison cell of a room, arrange to meet sazhina for dinner, and shut my door. then i laid in the fetal position and cried until i fell asleep...
i woke up a little later when sazhina knocked on my door. i looked out my window and saw the sun setting over the alps. i felt a little better. sazhina, who speaks very little english, walked me down the street. she showed me where the grocery store is, and how to buy fruit (you must put on plastic gloves, weigh the fruit out on a scale, type in a code, receive a sticker, etc). i bought groceries and bandaids for my crippled feet and some camembert because i hadnt eaten all day and i figured i deserved some good cheese if i came all the way over here for this. we walked to town later and she showed me a short cut and we met her mom at this wonderful italian movie theatre\art gallery where they serve tea and you can watch american movies on comfortable couches. i will probobly be going there alot. we ate pizza and took a stroll and they walked me home. was wonderful being with them, as they are so kind and sweet. they are buddhist, and are so peaceful and helpful. at one point, sazhina was reading an email that her swedish friend sent her. it was in english. sazhina said, "she says, her mom, had...cyst removed? what that?". i took my hand to my neck and tried to mime a cyst (weird) and both sazhina and her mother gasped. sazhina grabbed my hand and blew on my fingers, and pushed my hand down quickly, as though she were knocking something out of my hand. she said, "dont put that on your body, throw it away". i loved it.
since then, things have gotten better, slowly but surely. after hours of trying (seriously, hours) i managed to find both internet access and the guy who is incharge of my farming experience (much, much nicer!). i am going to be working on a vineyard with two students, scientists, while i am here in udine. they say that there is a problem with keeping fungus out of the red wine, and it is our job to save the grapes before the wine goes bad! how fun! class is still going great, i am remembering alot. my dorm isnt actually that bad. i decorated a bit and it is homey and though i have to wash my clothes in the sink and hang them to dry in the shower, i dont really mind. the view of the alps is lovely. and my bed is comfortable.
udine, as a city, is actually extremely beautiful. it is old and rambling, cobblestone streets and big piazzas, fancy shops and gelaterias. pretty typical, but more alpine and definitely under austrian influence. the town is very well off, very rich in alot of ways. everyone dresses right out of vogue, in smart outfits and fancy shoes. the people are very good looking and fit and they laugh alot. there are gardens and busy city streets but also small alleyways to wander through. it seems that there is alot of culture here: a jazz festival just came through, and there are art galleries, and this weekend there is going to be the friuli regional food and wine festival!!! so i will get to taste all of the local specialties that i will be a part of. it is cold, though. we are definitely in the alps. i had to buy a coat, and i need better shoes and some warmer clothes for sure. despite the evil people in my program, and the rediculously crippling language barrier, the people seem very nice. different, for sure, from western and southern italians...more standoffish and serious, not as eager or bold. its a colder climate, though.
i think, all in all, i will really like it here. i just need to learn my italian very fast. in the mean time i will just be an observer, taking in the city life from the outside, hoping that someone will be my friend...

oooh, and johnnys coming this weekend!!!!!!!!!! i cannot wait!!!!!!! hoorah hoorah!!!!