Here it goes...

Ciao Tutti!
So finally I have a day off and time to get this blog set up. I am so sorry for the delay but hopefully now I can stay in better contact with all of my loved ones back home. So firstly I would like to give a little summary of the beautiful isola d'Ortigia I call home. Ortigia is a small, ancient Greek island off the coast of Sicily. A town Cicero called, "the most beautiful of ancient Greece." The island is about two miles around and serves as a mecca of classical cultures, namely Ancient Greek, Arabic, Norman, and of course, Roman. The people here are welcoming, constantly with their smiling faces and quick dialect Sicilian. There is a market open daily with fresh fruits, vegetables, breads, cheeses, fish, etc., and this of course is where I do most of my shopping. Although I do have to admit I have not yet been able to brave the pescatori (fish vendors,) for their screaming Sicilian is not match for my Italian. We have had great weather and teh sun shines almost everyday, although the sub tropic temperatures often leave us caught in an evening storm or two. Now for the people, there are about 40 of us, 10 guys, 30 girls, which of course makes for an interesting combination. These kids party, HARD, and even I find it hard to keep up most of the time, although I have still nto been able to avoid the party girl rep. I like with six other girls, which sounds lik a nightmare until you consider that we have four bedrooms, each with their own bath. I really lvoe them all and have been able to make some great ties already. The irony of this whole situation is that I am the ONLY STUDENT who speaks Italian. Being here my Italian is worlds better then it was in Siena, as a matter a fact everywhere I go they call me the girl who speaks italian, or the nickname I prefer, mafiosa. Yes, mafiosa, a term of endearment for the people here, endowed to someone who dresses well, seems clever and intelligent, and yes could potentially be in the cosa nostra. However, I like the title because what they are really saying is, you are one of us. The classes seem pretty basic, I think my favorite is volcanology, where our German professor Boris is so passionate about the subject you cant help but be enthralled. I love it too because we live so close to Mt. Etna, a major volcano in Europe, that we get to study an atmosphere we actually live in.
Thus far on the trip we have really just been getting settled, which has involved far too much drinking, bread, and partying, but also a really great time. I hosted a dinner the first week where i invited the whole program and to my surprise, all 40 came! I cooked for 40! And everyone ate everything, i could not have been any happier. Last weekend we headed over to Siracusa for a tour of the island where we stumbled across a traditional Sicilian wine bar. Inside we found a bunch of overly tanned, heavy weight, smoking Sicilian men playing classic Sicilian card games. They offered us beer and were all too eager to take pictures. Also where I cam across the phrase "compliments to your mother," because she must be some what good looking is she produced you. A touching comment from a bunch of men who live amongst some of the most beautiful women in the world. Shortly after we headed downy the street to find an old man selling fresh, homemade ricotta out of the back of his pickup. He is the last Siracusan to have this job and makes it fresh everyday from his own sheep. And as you can imagine if was divine. This weeks major event was a concert by one of the wonderful directors of our MCAS (our school,) Ramzi Harrabi. Ramzi is right hand man here at MCAS and pretty much helps us with anything we may ever need and integrates us into Sicilian lifestyle. He lives to help others and is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met. Ramzi, a Tunisian, Islamic immigrant, had a major concert the other night in Ortigia where he played classic Tunisian and Arabic music, and yes he was amazing. I am hoping to see most of the Arabic influence in the city thanks to Ramzi and his amazing connections.

For now I will leave you all with this because I knwo it is a bit much but I needed to recap two weeks worth of wonder. I will be blogging again soon! Miss you all!

Laur-