So I got 58% on my test. I didn’t expect to know EVERYTHING after 6 days of lessons so I didn’t think I did too badly. In any case our class has been split and from next week I will have classes from 10:30am til 2:15pm which will leave my afternoons freer to do stuff.

Today we did an exercise which involved listening and remembering the names of animals (in groups of four). I had to try and remember 7 out of 19! The others only had to remember 3 or 6! Jeez! Then we got a sheet with pictures as a guide. My favourite one was “cucciolo” which is the word for a baby animal (of any kind). I remembered seeing the word written on a window in Pordenone with one of the seven dwarves saying, “Io sono Cucciolo” and Enrico explained that it was the name of one of the seven dwarves (totally not the case in English!). I don’t think I’ll ever forget that word now!

A cute thing my teacher said was cagnolino was the word for a baby dog, a “poppy”.

I also discovered the coffee machine at school. It was only 50 cents for a coffee so I thought I’d see what an Italian vending machine coffee tasted like. Turns out it is fantabulous! I may just be addicted!! And I don’t even drink coffee!!

Anyways, on the bus home I saw a guy with the skin between his thumb and forefinger pierced. Never seen that before!

I’m listening to Radio Deejay at the moment (trying to get used to quick Italian speaking) and I just heard the words “Nuova Zelanda”…huh? I couldn’t understand much else aside from “estero”…hmmm…

Be a young-ish father and drag your kid behind you before the doors close, play your accordion while you send her around all the passengers (literally falling into their laps) with a cup in her hand

Be an old man, play the harmonica (quite well) and then go around with a cup and collect money off people

Be a young boy (maybe 8 or 9) on your and play the violin. Be sure to run quickly between carriages and don’t get caught in the doors

Be an old man with no legs and go around with a cup

Be a couple with the guy playing the accordion while the girl walks around with a cup asking for money with a baby strapped to her front

I’ve also seen quite a few people outside metro stops asking for money. At Duomo there are ladies with legs that bend the wrong way, helping themselves along with sticks while holding cups for money. And there’s the regular at the Cadorna stop who has a dog and usually looks ghastly pale and high on meths. He stands on the corner swaying back and forth (I’m not sure how he manages to stay standing) while holding a cup. I’ve also seen him adopting the “ticket machine helper” position, even speaking English every now and then.

It’s not that I don’t have any sympathy for these people but something that Fermín says to me stands out: you should only give if you want to. Not if you feel guilted into doing it, otherwise it defeats the purpose of giving. I think that’s a great way of explaining it.

This morning my bus was filled with lots of kids all speaking Italian sentences that I have been studying so hard to TRY and do. Sigh.

My test today went okay. We’ll see!

Why is the team called AC Milan? Not Milano? I’m confused…

And what wonderful things the metro papers hold. This one is a mini article on an investigation into Tinky Winky. I love the way they closed it: Tinky Winky is a male, but he has a handbag.

[slink img=tinky_winky.jpg]

No worries. It’s only to see if we’re in the right class or not. I either know it or I don’t so there’s no point in worrying about anything.

Today me and Aizhan went and had Spizzico. Mine was über hot and yummy coz I had to wait forever for it! But I ordered all in Italian and was completely understood. Yay for me.

This Festivalbar thing is annoying me…why can’t I find anything out? And why did I forget my earphones so I am now deprived of listening to Italian radio? Hmmm…

Oh, and I have started updating my pics. I have added my most recent ones from Italia and am in the process of uploading my US and Mexico ones too. Bare with me…I’m getting there…slowly…

Before I made ragù and Daniele freaked out when I broke the spaghettini in half (coz it was a teeny tiny pot). I forgot he was a chef! I’ll never live that one down!! The sauce tasted good…it reminded me of Enrico’s one, he has turned my way of cooking!!

I now also know Talledega Nights better in Italian than in English…hence the title of this post, “Scuoti e cuoci!” which is what they’ve translated from, “Shake and bake!” Hehehehe!!! And the guy who does the Italian voice for Sacha Baron Cohen is the best I’ve ever heard! It actually sounds like Sacha Baron Cohen is speaking Italian (with a French accent)! “Io adoro le crêpes!” It’s so awesome!!!

That’s right, drinkable aloe vera yoghurt! So delicious! The trip to Sma today was totally worth it. I even saw something called “Hell Bier”.

I’ve been looking up a tonne of words and reading (trying to) a lot of stuff and I figure if I look up about 30-50 words a day (which is what I’ve been doing this weekend) then one of them has got to stick! Yesterday I learnt the word “disponibile” which means “available”. Thank you Easy Milano for your classified ads!

Now it’s back to studying!

So I watched the rest of The Motorcycle Diaries last night (after starting it about a year ago!) and it was a bad thing! Now I have been bitten by the travel bug…again! I know it seems that I’ve got it now but this is the Latin American travel bug. I’d love to go further south than Mexico…and see more of Mexico while I’m at it!! Next time I will actually learn some useful Spanish and get myself a phrasebook! Or take a translator with me :tongue:

I’m thinking within two years would be good…

Where do I buy tickets? It’s at Duomo, isn’t that a public place? What’s the deal?!

I can form sentences fine in my head. I think of things I can say while I sit on the bus. It’s just when it comes to the classroom that I can’t quite get it out.

But a small victory in my land, I had a mini conversation with my host “mother” about Nek. And I managed to say that I liked him and that I was just listening to Nella Stanza 26 and that he was going to be in Milano on the 15 and that I was gonna go and see him.

I finally tried mortadella today. After a whole week of talking about it in class I finally saw it in the supermarket and bought some. It’s essentially bologna but not like everyone is used to. It’s like in Italia, even if it’s a crap variety or brand, it’s still a thousand times better than the one you would usually get at home.