Parma!

The first night in the new apt. was…loud. I’m not at all used to living in a city, so hearing cars and people yelling outside my window is kind of new. Before going to sleep though I got a chance to talk to 2 of my new roommates, Nicoletta and Giusy. They’re pretty cool and Nicoletta especially is eager to help me better my Italian which I’m really happy about.

The following afternoon (Wednesday) Federico and I took TrenItalia to Parma to spend 2 days with his uncle who lives there. I couldn’t turn down the offer to go because I’m hoping to see as many cities in Italy as I can while I’m here. Before leaving for Italy, I constantly thought about all the cities in Europe I want to go see. But now I realize that Florence is in such a great location that I can spend my weekends travelling to see all the awesome places Italy has to offer before going anywhere else.

Anyway, Parma was amazing. Home to the Parmeggiano-Reggiano cheese and famous Prosciutto di Parma, I ate so much great food it was insane. Zio Antonio (Federico’s uncle) lives in an apt. with a Napolitano (guy from Naples) named Gaetano. He’s really crude, but absolutely hilarious. He operates (doesn’t own) a pizzeria in Parma, and on the last day we were there made us this grand feast for lunch that was out of this world – pictures on facebook.

Also: I bought a cell phone! The Italian cell phone system is better because it's contract free. You just pay for a phone and a basic plan. Mine is 120 free minutes a month to call within Italy. If I go over the 120 minutes, you just "fa una ricarica" which is basically recharging the phone with more purchased minutes. I can't make international calls with my phone, but people from the U.S. can call me so as soon as the phone is activated (Monday) I'll post the number and you guys can call me! :) In order for me to call home, I had to buy a calling card and talk from a phone booth near my apt.

Now, I’m back in Firenze and eager to start the internship on Monday. It’s so soon, I can’t believe it’s really about to happen!