opps

Right, so i'm really bad at keeping this up to date. I'll give a quick summary. Basically we've been out for dinner most nights, for pizza or pasta or (last night) paninis. Its been really good and me, Lydia and Hannah have become a proper little team. Its really nice to have some people for support, socialness and some Italian help as i've realised how little I know. It is improving slowly but surely even if I do occasionally throw in some french conjuction words. Oh well. We have mostly been flat hunting and learning our way around. There has been masses of flat appointments with varing sucess mixed with various talks by the uni to help us out and explain how everything works (about bloody time).
This morning I got up early (i've been sharing a room with Hannah for the last two days as its a cheap hotel and together the bill is halved). I went to brussola who are the people who find you somewhere to live. I made the appointment two days ago as I was having trouble finding somewhere. Thank god I did as it didn't get any better. Yesterday I had been to see this really really nice flat but they said that the doors to the flat closed at 11pm (which is early considering the times i've been out this week, we've really got into Italian timing) and there could be no friends over. I wasn't going to go for that. So at the appointment this morning I upped the price I was willing to pay, otherwise I pretty much couldn't afford anything in the centre and would be really far out. There were a few places that seemed ok and they rang them up for me. I've tried this myself a few times, its scary as hell even if you do have a script. Italians have a tendancy to ask questions that you're not expecting. So there was one really well placed flat and although I was planning to do registration this morning and go to an open day thing the landlady was round at the flat now and couldn't really do this afternoon. I decided to just go for it and went off to see it immediately. Its about 10 minutes walk from the main central road and about 20 from the uni road, not too bad and certainly better than others i'd seen.
The flat is fairly small (to be expected) and would normally be full of other erasmus students. The landlady said that there were two Brazillians, two Turks and a Japanese person that I would be living with. I would prefer to live with Italians but hey, its a comprimise and we'll all be speaking Italian to each other anyway plus i'll make other Italian friends. The landlady also said that she loves English and would like to have sessions of learning each others language. She also really really stressed being quiet which makes a little bit of sense to me when all the other people I saw in the building were old men. She also said I had to tell her about anyone who was coming to stay with me, and make them sign and pay which was a bit weird. Might just not tell her lol. It was fine thou, with broadband internet ect ect. and my room is nice and big. She said it kinda was a double and theres two beds in it, but it was advertised as a single room, I think its easier to sell to people like me. I'd hate to share a room. The kitchen is like cupboard size, with a washing machine, sink and cooker in it, next to an ok size dining room with a balcony looking onto a pretty crappy street. Its not a pretty area but it'll do. I'd rather have that than a much nicer area that I had to bus in and out everyday. So yes, basically its all I need. I'm sure the other people are nice, but i'm out most of the day anyway.
We've really got into the Italian lifestyle. We get up early and do admin stuff. Basically all the uni offices work on a half day (mostly 9-11.30) which would cause bedlam in England. Then we meet at the uni centeen which is really really nice healthy food that is stupidly cheap (a few euros for a proper meal) and have a long lunch and chill out. Afternoons have mostly been spent house hunting so far but now thats finished it will change. We sit in cafes for hours with a drink chatting and disucssing stuff. I've had an ice cream everyday (except today randomly enough, and i'll prob have one later). Theres a few gelatarias, but theres a swish one at the top of via zamboni that has the most heavenly passionfruit sorbet for just over €2. Amazing. In the evenings we go out for dinner, never more than €10 a head and we always get given some sort of strong liqour afterwards lol. Yesterday it was a peach schnapps and vodka shot with strawberry sauce in it, and at a pizza place it was stong lemon liqour. We don't go for dinner until about 8 and thats normal Italian suppertime, maybe on the early side. Its so nice to relax in the warm darkness and chat and eat. Me and Lydia are going for supper with some Leicester people and others tonight.
Humm I think I might have exhausted my capacity for talking about the 5 days i've had so far. I'll definitely keep this updated as often as I can.