Been doin' some diggin' in

Hello again. Hello from Italy. Hello from heaven.

OK, so maybe I'm in a good mood. Who can help it here? My days are passed smiling, in general disbelief.

The full swing of the program is underway. Class have started, the art studios have opened, and of course, the internet has been down. The dependency on the internet (even in beautiful Tuscany) is a bit much. I had hoped to shy away from it a little more, but I found myself desperately checking for a wireless signal.

For anything that is repeated in emails, I apologize in advance. But my days are going a little something like this: wake up, walk straight to the window and sigh, and do a little reading that I need to finish for my classes or whatever is around. Right now I'm trying to read a history of Cortona (the only one written and written well by, that's right, a former UGA student). It's a lot to take in, since Cortona is called the grandmother of Rome, predating even that ancient civilization. It's old. Breakfast is a laid out for us every morning and while we wander downtowns to grab a bite to eat, the ladies that work here sweep and mop our room and make our bed. You read that right. This is a glorified Holiday Inn. I'm already accustomed to my school life consisting between the two buildings on campus, which are extremely close. I'm so spoiled!

After classes are done (or on Tuesday, when I have no classes at all) my roommates and I mostly spend our time wandering the streets of Cortona. Each is the same and yet so different, so you can get lost in a wonderful way, but almost always emerge in one of the 2 main piazzas. You'd think that the stoniness of the streets would appear gloomy, but the brightly colored shutters, flowers, clothes strung out, and people hanging out, the gray seems to fade. Bright green, fuschia, red, and all shades of orange replace it. And this is in February! I can't wait until spring. There is a coffee shop that I like to call home (though I believe the workers mistakenly think that we are homeless because we're there everyday). It's called Nessum Dorma, which means never sleeps. While you sip your coffee or cappuccinos, they bring all these wonderful treats and breads glazed with honey. Ah. Maybe we should move there. Along with the goodies at coffee, I have found the chocolate shop that tops all chocolate shops. Kaminskys, ha ha ha. You are no match for Cocoa. New cases of chocolates every single day. Rich. Light. Dark. Creamy. Hot. Cold. Fruity. Tarty. Bitter. The list goes on and on and on! It's a wonderful place.

I'm saving my trip to Volterra and my new pal Lorenzo (don't worry - he's 70) for another blog. Hopefully tomorrow if we get to keep our internet (cross your fingers). Plus, I just don't want to overstimulate you. Until then...