So, I have been in Urbino for four days so far. It seems like life goes slowly over here. Maybe that's because the timezone is different, or maybe it's just the Italian lifestyle. Our classes have not started just yet, so maybe once they do, time will go a bit faster. Regardless of what it is, I like it. It forces you to slow down and enjoy what is happening at the moment. As an American, I can easily say that most Americans would probably go stir-crazy over here at how slowly things move. It's not like things aren't as modern as America; it's just that Italians seem to value time off and with their loved ones more than working. This can be seen during Pausa, when everyone gets off of work around 12-12:30 and goes home to eat lunch with their family. Things do not pick back up until around 3 pm or 7 pm even, for shops that stay open later.

I have experienced so many things in my short time here. Simply arriving in Urbino was an experience--the beauty of the city was unexpected. I knew that Italy was known for its beautiful architecture, but I guess the amazingness doesn't resonate with you until you see it in person. When the bus driver dropped four of us off (me, Grace, Mckenna, and Audrey) and Dennis (our professor), we took the elevator up to the city center because we all had luggage and rolling up the steep hill with that would be a nightmare. The four of us are briefly staying in the professor quarters because another American group (UT-Austin) has so many students that we have to wait for some of the graduating Italians to leave so that we have space at the Colle (the student dorms).


That first day was exhausting because we had just got done traveling; nevertheless, we wanted to see where we are going to be living for the next 99 days, so we had Dennis show us around. We saw some cute cafes, a lot of picturesque locations, the post office, a church, where one of our classes would be, and one of the mensas (cafeterias). Let me tell you: Urbino is steep. It's located on a mountain and it's plain hilly. If I do not leave here in the best shape of my life, I don't know what to tell you. To end the night, we went to Caffee Basilica for aperitivo and then to the mensa for dinner.

Let's skip forward to day two: Friday. This was a day of filling out legal documents and adventure. We walked the highest hill (oh my gosh, I do not think I am ever going to get used to it), went to get photos taken of us for our residency application, and had aperitivo again. I really enjoyed Friday because I got to really start learning Urbino and how to get around. We visited the Sugar Cafe for aperitivo; Giovanni owns the cafe, and he is the sweetest Italian! He even gave us all free coffee coupons. That was my first time trying a Spritz, which is a drink with Prosecco, Aperol, and soda water. It was okay, but not my favorite.


On Saturday, we all went to the post office and then the market. The market comes around every Saturday, and there is so much there. There's food (fresh and fried), clothes, scarves, shoes, bags. The list is endless! I bought a scarf for 8 Euro, a bookbag for 25 Euro, and some strawberries, kiwis, and clementines for about 3 Euro total. I'm excited about next weekend's market! At night, we all went to eat dinner at La Balestra Antica Hostria; we had pizza there and it was pretty good. Not going to lie, I haven't fell in love with any of the pizza here yet, so I'm still looking forward to finding one that is just...wow!


On Sunday, all twelve of us caught the bus to Pesaro. Well, we were supposed to go to Pesaro. We got off of the bus about fifteen minutes too early, but luckily where we got off was by a mall! I bought a pair of shoes because I need more fancy-casual shoes, so I got some slip-ons that are super comfy.

Now...today. Today is Monday and we started our Italian course. I. Am. In. Love. The language is so beauitful. While learning a language is never easy, I am excited about the challenge. Our professor is named Silva, and she is a really nice lady. Her one rule for the class is to never speak English. This should be fun...