Week 11: Settimana Penultima

Sunday:

Went to church as normal, got assigned a talk to do next week. How fun that will be to write in Italian and also pronounce. Having had gone to bed past midnight and then having got up at 7am I was absolutely shattered especially as I hadn't slept well the night before either. So in the afternoon I had a nap...turned out to be five hours long but I needed it! Luckily Sunday is my day off!! 

Monday:

Today was a weird day. Right from the word go Bea and Fede were at each other's throats...for the whole day. We cleaned the house. Then I did English and reading with Bea tried to with Fede but he refused. He managed to calm down as we read some English. Then the girls came over and we went on a bike ride around Scazzolino as they had just got new bikes. All was fine until one of the girls left then it was two girls via Fede and they teased him unceasingly he did not have a good time. The girls asked to go in my room bad decision later I found out they had gone through everything. All my drawers, my wardrobe, my books as notepad, my bag and even my purse also my surcease and shoe boxes. Nothing was missing but I couldn't help feeling upset as they had disrespected my privacy. Next time they ask the answer is no. In the evening we went to Rovescala for the last night of the festival. The music was better tonight and some of it was English so it was nicer to hear. They had a firework show at the end. It was the best I have ever been to. They were huge and loud and so colourful!

Two mishaps today. 

1 - we went to see the field that the family own which is more like a mini forest and I got a random nosebleed in the middle of nowhere luckily they had tissue in the pick up

2 - after dinner when I took the tab cloth out to shake I didn't realise it had rained and I slipped on the marble steps and fell about halfway down. It was very painful I hit my arm, hip and shoulder. They were all very sore and I had ice on them.  Bruises tomorrow I think. 

Tuesday: 

As predicted lots of bruise all over me from yesterday's fall and dull aches. Fede was on a homework spree today after being threatened with not being able to compete in the motor cross race on Sunday. He summarised a chapter of Italian and did eleven English units. A record. He never gets past three usually. Did some English with Bea also. She had a horse riding lesson in the afternoon Sofia and Alice came to watch and I went to McDonalds to steal wifi again! Watched Cobra 11 it's a German show but they do Italian voice overs. It is very dramatic in the car crash department. Every episode at least five cars die in dramatic over exaggerated ways! 

Wednesday:

Read two chapters of a English book with Bea. Fede a huge contrast from yesterday he managed to only do two units of duolingo and very badly. Today should be called 'hate on Maria day'. If I ever I wanted to cry today was the day. If ever I felt homesick today was the day. The girls came over and stayed for lunch. After lunch all four of them sat on the swings and pretty much covered everything they dislike about me. Clearly none of them realised I could hear it all through the open windows and door...or maybe they knew it. It happened they moved so I went outside to read, they didn't want me to join in play with them. Then they came back...invented a 'code name' it wasn't hard to realise they were still talking about me. Then surprise surprise they want me to take them to Rovescala oh boy I did not want to but we went. Guess who had to carry all the water? Guess whose instructions of stop, slower and move inside away from the cars were ignored? Guess who got mimicked, laughed at and whispered about the whole way there and back. But I didn't answer back, I wasn't mean I remained as pleasant as possible. Maybe one slip up they wanted to play on my phone and I said no. Though they had the gall to ask why. I'm not a total sucker, my patience has limits and they were close to breaking them. Then on the way back they found an injured butterfly on the road Sofia picked it up and they took photos and she was. carrying it away, of course they all know I dislike butterflies and of course Bea wants to put it on my head luckily it decides to fly away.

Thursday:

Another bad day, should have known when I woke up and the weather was bad. Both treating me badly. Hooray. Managed to do some English with Fede none with Bea oh well it's her choice at least I try. Afternoon was a nightmare. To make matters worse it was Alessandra and Stefano's 17th wedding anniversary not such a lovely day for them! Although they went out for dinner while I looked after the kids we had all calmed down and managed to be civil the later the evening rolled on the better we were. Hope this good feeling carries onto tomorrow. 

Friday:
The day Bea goes on protest, avoiding all possible contact. Stefano and Alessandra went out to shop pick up more water etc. she glued herself to her room for the majority of the morning coming out only to pick up her homework books or use her phone. She refused to eat dinner with us. After lunch we went to Bobbio to see where Fede would be racing on Sunday, again Bea did not come. The pitch was big and nice and lined with blackberry bushes so we picked some. I saw a Ramarro, green lizard but it ran off pretty quick. Everyone cheered up after that Bea and Fede went down to Rovescala to play with Sofia and Alice and their cousins for most of the afternoon. One of the cousins Giacamo is so sweet Alessandra said he looks like the little prince and I agree he was very cute. So we all had a quiet afternoon up at the house. Stefano was jet cleaning the motorbike and pick up for the race apparently its a ritual though I am pretty sure they are going to come back covered in dust but oh well. Alessandra was busy washing linen for the appartment downstairs that they are preparing to rent out to people. I caught up on duolingo and helped Alessandra. Also they fixed the shower! The bathroom kept flooding with water, they have a weird draaning system the drain in the shower links to another on the floor outside of it and the one outside kept spewing the water out inside of keeping it down but yesterday they managed to fix it so we were able to have proper showers!

Saturday:
Penultimate day in Rovescala. Bea had a horseriding lesson at 11am and they dropped me off at McDonalds on the way where I now write this. Today is the ultimate day the postman comes to Rovescala before I leave. I'm waiting on a letter from New Zealand and I hope it comes today because otherwise I will be back in England :( Fingers are crossed. This afternoon I have to pack, no time tomorrow as we will be in Bobbio for most of the day and then after dinner we will leave so I will have to do it today.

Day 29: Summer weather

After a nice cool morning this afternoon was almost unbearably hot.

I spent the morning with Fede. We did homework, then English on duolingo, read an English book, guitar practice and then chilled out watching television. 

After lunch I google hangouted my family and then Bea was good shopping with her friend Bianca so I went with. 

It was so hot and I mistakenly wore jeans so it was even worse. I came back so tired and hot. 

We ate dinner outside and during it the sky decided to chuck it down with rain and thunder rather loudly again. 

The stripes are the rain

For the first time in four weeks it was cold enough to make a hot chocolate. Nesquik style. 

Day 3: Parlo Italiano

Another great day! Jam and bread and milk for breakfast.

After Alessadra went out to work we did a lot of things at home. Yesterday we bought an English to Italian phrase book so me and Fede used that to teach me Italian and him English whilst the Bea practiced at the piano. Then when she'd finished we all made labels to tape to furniture with the English and Italian words e.g armadio is a wardrobe. 

We also played on the wii, it's very hard when you can't understand the instructions for the game as they are in Italian. It was wii play motion plus, the have some very fun games on it. On one ice cream fell from the sky and you had to catch it on your cone and not let it unbalance, then in another you had to hit moles on the head with a hammer when they popped out of the ground and on another one you had to pick up stones and skim them across the lake as far as possible! I played it with Fede and we had a great time!

We also went on the 'duolingo' app which is great for learning other languages. I use it for Italian and now Bea has it on her phone and Fede on his tablet for learning English. It's a fun app and they are enjoying it. 

Alessadra came back for lunch and cooked us breadcrumbed chicken and salad. After that she had an Arabian language course so we stayed at home and learnt some more English/Italian. Then we went to meet her at the library where it was held, they have English books there in English. Also DVD's which are free to take out! So we borrowed Aladdin and Open Season which is called Boog and Elliot in Italian. 

For tea we had cous cous with tomatoes and cheese it was lovely. Then this orange melon thing which I've never seen before but which was nice. 

A patisserie nearby the flat called Massimo's had a happy hour on for a new cocktail/champagne thing which we all went to - they were serving water as well. And also little pastries and mini pizza things they were nice. I met a lot more people. 

My Italian is slowly improving. I can count in numbers to a hundred and sort of know the days of the week and months of the year! 

Buonanotte!