Despite having a lot of work today, last week was actually pretty fun. Our big paper and second presentation was due on Friday, the last day of our International Marketing class. We got together in our group to work on it several times during the week. I was with four other friends in the group, and it's always a blast hanging out with them. A couple times we took our laptops, notes, and case papers to the cafes so we could enjoy aperitivo after class and work on our project. That is definitely one of the best ideas anyone ever had in the history of the planet. Nothing like beer and tons of food to help efficiently pound out a 15 page report. We spent another night working on the paper at the house of a friend. We had some homemade food and a bunch of beer, which I reiterate, really helped to speed along the process. One of the things I've noticed is how true the stereotype of 'Italian hospitality' really is. Once you're in, you're in... I've lost track of the number of times I've been over to friends' places for a homecooked meal, something that was pretty rare back home. Just a cultural difference, I guess - I think as American students we're just so much more used to working around dinner schedules, or grabbing a quick bite from somewhere; instead, here it's totally normal to take an hour+ break from the work and enjoy a real meal together. Along those lines, we spent a good portion of the evening sharing some cultural differences about TV shows we watched growing up. Turns out they had a lot more Japanese anime-style cartoons than we had growing up in the States (I think probably because they proliferated in the 80s due to their cheap cost to air and even cheaper production). When I showed them Legends of the Hidden Temple, they showed me this equally goofy pan-European gameshow they had in the 70s, 80s, and 90s:
Youtube: Giochi senza frontieri
Youtube: Giochi senza frontieri
Youtube: Giochi senza frontieri
That's good stuff right there.

So Friday we finally finished up with our paper and the presentation, and afterwards we all went as a class for a beer - and when I say class, I mean the WHOLE class, even the professor! Hah! I told you he was a pretty cool guy. We decided to keep the party going afterwards, and made our way to the house of one of our classmates. We stopped on the way to pick up some provisions, including a bunch of food to cook. We had another great homecooked meal of pesto penne with tomatoes and plenty of cheap red wine to back it up. Someone brought over their Nintendo Wii and we spent a good deal of the night having tournaments in golf, bowling, and tennis. I had fun regaling them with stories from back home about golf. Here, it is really just a sport for the super-rich, not like back home where we can walk 9-holes at Kenny Mac in Tempe for $6. After that, we ended up going to another classmate's place because his roommates were having a party that night. It was your average, low-key get together until the trouble-maker in our group decided to raid the kitchen looking for something to entertain ourselves with, and found some foil. Hilarity ensued.

Pre-hilarity

Group photo

Stole someone's glasses. But dang if I don't make 'em look good.

Being fitted...

That's a lot of foil...

Can't let good foil go to waste!

And somehow a giant afro-wig joins the party

Yarrrr

Meet Luca. He's a bit of a rubberface.

Needless to say, the night was a great success. I did absolutely nothing on Saturday, as you can imagine, but Sunday was actually a pretty nice day so I went out to have a stroll around town. Oh, and by nice day I mean 50 and sunny. How quickly we get brainwashed... Anyway, I snapped a few photos so here they are:

That is the new city hall back there, right outside my condo complex. And by new I mean not built in the 1300s.

Pretty cool looking little house not far from my place.

Bologna used to have dozens of towers in the city. You can see three still standing in the back here (note: none of these are the famous Two Towers)

There's a big memorial to Bologna's partisans from WWII in the town square.

A nice little piazza behind the cathedral. It gives you a good idea of the architecture here.

A back view of the cathedral that I thought looked cool

This is one of the old doors of the city that let people in through the ancient walls

Some cool decorations on this palazzo

You see these guys all over Europe. They are dressed like American Indians but they looked more Mayan to me. I really just took this pic because it reminded me of the South Park episode - in all fairness, I did not see any giant guinea pigs running around.

Once upon a time, Bologna had a bunch of canals running through it, a lot like Venice. Just a handful are still visible above ground, but there are tours available of Bo's underground canal network.

Our new classes started today. Mondays are really going to suck for the next month. It's classes from 8am til 1pm, a one hour break, then again from 2pm til 5pm. In the horribly uncomfortable room, too. Ugh. Tuesdays and Wednesdays will hardly be any better - straight through from 8am til 1pm again, but at least we're free after that, and no classes on Thursday and Friday. I expect I'll be spending those days in traction at home after a week like that. The teachers seem alright, but definitely a little on the eccentric side this quarter. I have such exciting topics as International Marketing Regulation, Business Intelligence, and International Accounting. I can hardly contain myself. There is something pretty cool though - the teacher for the Business Intelligence class actually works with... *drumroll*... ASU! He collaborates with professors in the Public Policy program at the WP Carey school. What are the odds?? Anyways, I had a quick chat with him after class, and found out he's been to Phoenix and Tempe a bunch of times. Small world, huh? Well, guess I'll sign off for now, since I've gotta be up and at'em early again tomorrow. Ciao!

Back to the Ol' Grindstone

It's been just another week in the life of an international student for me. The daily four-hour classes continued all through last week and will keep going this week as well. We do get a nice little 15-20 minute break in the middle, thank God, so that we can all go downstairs and stand out in the freezing cold... which helps to wake me up after listening to the lecture for 2 straight hours, so I guess that's good. The teacher is pretty cool though. He's a professor from Malta. Yeah, like the Humphrey Bogart Malta. He has this funny little accent, and he's really friendly. I brought my laptop to class one day and he saw that I have the Grand Canyon as my desktop background, which led to a little chat about where I was from, etc etc. Turns out he's been to Phoenix and Flagstaff for work; he lectures sometimes at seminars for the American Marketing Association. He speaks American English really well and is always throwing in these obscure little quips and phrases during the lectures that no one else understands but me, and I just sit there laughing.

Our presentation on Wednesday went pretty well. It was in a sort-of debate format, where we had an issue to talk about and gave the pros, while another group gave the cons, then we talked about it as a group afterwards. Our topic was on being a socially responsible company and behaving ethically. So when we were choosing topics, I made sure to sign us up for the pro side, because really; who wants to argue against being socially responsible and ethical? It was pretty obvious the other side was hating it during the debate.

Well, I didn't embarrass myself in squash, because I didn't end up playing. The weather was disgusting again the last week; freezing cold, rain, even fog, but thankfully no *new* snow. There is still some snow on the ground here and there though. The squash games get planned for midday, and class starts at 2pm so usually the others just shower at the gym and go straight to class afterwards. With the way the weather was, I would have been lugging around a second pair of shoes, clothing, and a laptop, so I just skipped it to make life easier. Spring is supposed to arrive - at the end of MARCH. I hear it's already 75 back home. UGH.

The weekend was pretty relaxed again. A bunch of us got together at a friends house on Friday night and just had some beers. Saturday night I went out with a few people to this place with a live band. When we showed up, they were playing American style blues/jazz music. It was really trippy to be sitting in a bar in Italy and listen to 'Sweet Home Chicago' with an accent. That was basically it for the evening... We have another big paper and presentation to do this week so everyone is still pretty much in study mode. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot to look forward to after this week; the class we're in now will be ending Friday, and starting on Monday we're going to be having classes at 8am. BARF. I haven't seen that side of 8am in a while, and I really wasn't missing it. Luckily it's not everyday, but still... it's just cruel.

I'm still waiting for my 'permit to stay', a piece of legal documentation that more or less entitles me to be here for extended periods of time. I applied just a few days after I arrived in September, but even if I got it tomorrow, that would be on the short side of things from what I have heard. While getting some information about it on an online forum, I found this interesting article about the differences between Italian and Anglo-Saxon/other European legal systems: http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art315.htm . The tone it is written in seems a little biased to me, but I think some of the points are probably valid. It's an interesting little glimpse into part of the Italian culture. I think the article may be looking down its own nose a little, in light of our less than perfect legal and judicial systems; but it certainly raises some eyebrows nonetheless.

Hopefully everyone had a nice State Day yesterday. Yes, February 14th is Arizona's statehood anniversary day, for those who don't know. I'm sure everyone was at home making Arizona-shaped cookies and watching old westerns on TV. Not like there is anything else going on that day...

Until next time!

School Daze

The first week back at school wasn't too bad. Yeah, the days are kinda long. And the seats in the classroom are absolutely horrendous. But as I predicted, the class material is actually fairly interesting so I won't really complain. It's all about different issues in marketing with an eye to its international applications. Sure, it doesn't sound too glamorous. But when the last courses were in antitrust policy, exchange rates, and accounting, it is actually something to look forward too.

We didn't get to do squash last Thursday, but it's been rescheduled for tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. I still maintain that I will undoubtedly find a way to injure myself. I'd probably find a way to injure myself playing Risk if I could. Oh, which reminds me! One night last week, after our communal aperitivo, we went to this really chill bar and played Risk! Well, it's in Italian, so it was actually Risiko. And yes it's just as boring as Risk in English. Plus you can't make any jokes about taking over Europe or Russia or anything like that, cuz, well, everyone else is actually from those places. Just not the same. But it was a really cool little bar that we've actually been to a few times before. Actually, calling it a bar isn't quite right - it's more like a house that someone has opened up for people to come in, chill, play games, and read. They have tons of books laying around, and there is a piano, a guitar, and even a trapeze bar for people to mess around with. And best of all there is no booming techno music. There was, however, some kind of crazy Eastern European guy and his friends, playing music on a violin, guitar, and clarinet. It made for a very dramatic game of Risk. Plus there was some guy practicing magic tricks with cards and a top hat, and he was by no means succeeding, which further added to the overall enjoyment of the evening.

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. Friday I went out with a handful of people for an aperitivo again, which was really good. I'm starting to prefer going for an aperitivo instead of actually going out on the weekends. It's a lot cheaper, you get a full meal, and you can still relax with something to drink. Plus there aren't kids running around with glowsticks. It's win-win.

Saturday I just holed up at home all day, working on our various school projects that we have due this week and the next. Same thing Sunday - we were going to do an aperitivo again after working on a group project, but we ended up burning the candle pretty late so we just ordered in pizza instead. Which is a shame, because the pizza probably ended up being more expensive than aperitivo would have been. For 5 or 6 euros for a full meal and a beer, you really can't beat it!

I was pretty sad on Sunday because I would be missing the Super Bowl. Well, not really the Super Bowl, but the party! The guys back home had their annual Super Bowl party again, and it's the first time I've missed it in years. It's always way too much fun. I just hope someone brought a camera this year and took some pictures so I can live vicariously. The game itself started after midnight here. I was able to watch a little of it via the internet, but it was so late and I didn't really care for either team so I just went to bed.

Hopefully I don't embarass myself too badly tomorrow during squash. Only one way to find out I guess! No big plans the rest of the week either. The 4 hour a day classes in that uncomfortable room really kill most of the urge to go out and relax. In class I pretty much just daydream about being in bed at home. Speaking of which, I think it's time to call it a night. Addio!

Back to School

Well today was the first day back to class. It was a nice, long, lazy break - with the exception of the week spent studying for an exam during the middle of the vacation. I swear I'll never understand how any kind of bureaucracy or administration works here. Further along those lines, somehow we are still in our second quarter of the academic year. We'll have just one course to follow for the next three weeks (four hours a day, three days a week). And then on February 22nd our third quarter will begin. So, to recap: 1st quarter = October 1st to 31st. 2nd quarter = November 1 to February 21st, with winter break (and a test) in the middle. How does that work, you may ask?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Anyway, the course is on international marketing. It should be interesting, but it's going to be a lot of work. Apparently we're planned to have a debate, a presentation, and two papers to turn in for the three week class. The only upside is it gets out each day just in time for the aperitivo (Italian happy hour).

Speaking of aperitivo, it was another eventful weekend. Now that everyone is back in town, the social life is kicking into gear again. I managed to get out on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, despite the fact that it decided to dump snow on us again - and then turn sunny - and then immediately melt and turn to ice. It's actually pretty funny - I live near a school, and once in a while I'll see a group of kids walking down the street, then they take off on a little running start and slide down the sidewalk like 15 yards.

Ok, I admit it, I tried it too.

But anyways... Friday we went to some warehouse club on the outskirts of town. They had a live band playing rock and 70s disco (???) in this Mad Max Thunderdome looking amphitheater, and a techno club in another room. It was actually pretty fun to hang out there, and we were in a decent sized group so we had a good time. I was pretty proud of myself at first because I managed not to spend any money there - something I'm actively trying to pursue given my financial situation. I'd just had some cheap beers from the market before we went out and I was going to leave it at that. But, then we had to leave the place.... I'm beginning to catch on to a common theme in the clubs here - you don't have to pay the cover when you come IN, but you have to pay to get OUT. Clever tactic, Italy. Not a bad marketing idea. So they still got their money in the end, but I can't complain because we did have a good time.

Saturday night was more of the same. A couple beers first, and then we ended up back at the same place as the night before, but a different club in a different warehouse in the same complex. It was totally the stereotypical European techno club atmosphere - kids with glowsticks, laser lightshow, the works. However we weren't actually there very long because a friend that a colleague brought along with us was working on passing from three sheets in the wind to four, and he decided it'd be a good idea to start mouthing off to one of the bouncers in the place... needless to say, it was decided that a 'strategic withdrawal' was necessary. So the night ended fairly early. But before that we decided we'd meet up again the next day for a little cultural enlightenment.

Sunday evening came around, and a few of us met up at the Museum of Modern Art here in town. A few times during the year the city-run museums are opened to the public for free, so we decided to take advantage of the opportunity - not the least because the museum also has a really good cafe for the aperitivo hour attached to it. It's cheap and they put out a ton of really good food. So we walked through the museum, stared perplexedly at the art for a little while (though I'm convinced some of it was just articles dropped by museum patrons as they walked through and subsequently mistaken for priceless avant garde masterpieces), and hit the cafe. It was very inspiring - not in the sense that the artwork was thought-provoking or particularly endearing. More in the sense that I realized I could go find my old fingerpaintings from when I was 5 years old, claim it's modern art, and probably solve all my financial worries for the rest of my life.

But surely Justin, it can't really be so! Modern art certainly has it's place in the world - this, I'm sure, you're thinking to yourselves at this very moment.

There was a canvas painting, three feet by three feet. It was tan colored, and it had a little red dot in the middle.

IT'S NOT ART IF *I* CAN DO IT!!! Mom, Dad - do you remember that one time, in highschool, when I was taking a photography class... I had to turn in a project the next day which I completely forgot about, and at the last minute I ended up taking pictures of us going to eat at that Thai restaurant? Yeah, that was more well planned, artistic, and skillful than 99% of the stuff in the museum.

Alright, I'll end my tirade there. Actually there were some works that I found beautiful, or at least interesting, to be fair. But they were few and far between, and for the most part, it was exactly the kind of stereotypical, abstract kind of stuff that comes to mind for many when they think of modern art.

We decided to go to another museum (a few blocks away), which is actually a type of memorial for an airplane disaster that occurred here in Italy back in 1980. We found out about the memorial looking at some other promotional material at the Modern Art Museum, and in the material it said the plane crashed due to a missile(!!). Well the group of us that were out were all foreign students except for one Italian, and he didn't know what any of the details about it were, so we thought we'd go check out the memorial to see if we could find some answers - as far as we knew Italy wasn't at war with anyone back then. So we asked the front desk people where it was, and they gave us directions and told us it'd be open til midnight because of the special museum happenings for the day. So, we trekked through the snow to the bus stop in our merry little band, grabbed the bus, got to the general area, wandered around in the snow for a while, stopped and asked for directions again, and finally found the place. Well, it was closed. And it was only 8pm. But really, that is kind of par for the course here. It just wouldn't be as fun if anyone knew what the hell was going on =)

I'm excited for the rest of the week. We're going to do an aperitivo again tomorrow after class at a place everyone says is really good, and then on Thursday morning I'm playing squash! Some of the guys talked me into it. I have no idea what squash really is - as far as I can tell it's just racquetball, but I guess I'll find out for sure on Thursday. So expect an update after that, either from home or from the hospital. Ciao!