~~ L'OpeRA: CaRMeN ~~

Sidenote: Everything went well with the bank on Thursday...It was not the least bit complicated...so much different from what I am used to here.

Anyway...on to more exciting stuff...Friday after school we went for a quick lunch. We found a little bar near the school that is really convenient. The people there are really nice and the food isn't too bad either. One of the owners, I am guessing, is very kind to us and is patient as we attempt to speak in Italian. After our lunch on friday he told us he was going on holiday and would be gone for 10 days. He then went into his store next to the bar and got chocolates for all of us. It was so nice. The other day he gave us a bowl of ice cold cherries...on the house...I think we will be going there quite a bit.

After lunch I ran a few errands. I had to stop and get a metro card for the month and I can get a student card, but finding them isn't all that easy sometimes...The San Paolo metro station newstand usually has them but it was closed so I walked to my usually tabacchi which was open but were all out, I tried another tabacchi...CLOSED...then to the Garbatella metro station newstand...all out...Then I found a little tabacchi near the chinese restaurant...It was open and they had cards :) 5th times a charm I guess.

After that I went home and did some homework, cleaned a bit, read a book, and then got ready to go to L'OPERA CARMEN.

It was amazing. I have never been to the oper a before and I think if I ever go again it will be hard to beat this one. Really no words to explain the experience...It was outside at a theater calle the: Terme di Caracalla, the sunset and the moon rose...and the opera itself was wonderful...The atmosphere was just great. The only downside was almost 3:45 minutes long.

Yesterday didn't start out so well...the morning was difficult, but the day got better. I had a few of my classmates over for dinner and then we went down to the Isola. It's an island on the Tiber river that they have transformed into a little carnival of sorts. Alot of the places don't have air conditioning so in summer they move down to the river. There are places to eat, drink, play fooseball, shop, listen to music, lounge, get massages, and they also have a large outdoor movie theater set up, and I think the movies are even in English. It's a pretty great atmosphere. I went with Tara, shes from New York, Shawon, she's from Canada, and Jelle (Yell-a), he is from Holland...so it was quite the diverse group. Our class is a lot of fun and we all get a long quite well).

That brings me to today...I haven't done much of anything productive this morning...I sat outside and read for a bit this morning, and listened to the extremely loud cicadas chirping...It's constant all day. It's kind of annoying, but you get used to it until it stops and then you notice that they were chirping...or whatever that's called...and when they start again it's hard to block out. I think it's time to make some lunch...not sure what I am going to make...but I will figure something out.

Ciao!