Sei di Aprile This morning we planned to wake early to embark on our four-hour car ride to Verona.

However since we were up until after midnight last night, and things move kind of slowly around here, early ended up being 9:00 AM. We began with a walk through town and used the Italian ATM to get some more Euro. Then, we all sat down for breakfast and ate buffet style and I made light conversation with the waiters, asking how to say the objects in front of me and making small talk with some phrases I feel comfortable with. It was not awkward or tedious for them, since it was the same staff that I had spoken to last night so they were already familiar with my ambition to learn the language. When we left for our car ride, the trip was flavored with Italian. The gas was measured in litres, the GPS spoke in Italian, we were listening to music in Italian, the road signs were only marked in Italian, and finally, I was busying myself by making mock conversations with my Spanish teacher, through which I was trying to prove to her that I already was more proficient in Italian than in Spanish. With this combination, the three and a half hour car ride, thought it was spent sandwiched between five Americans, was still a journey filled with learning. Verona is bigger than Santa Margherita. Much busier. We checked into the hotel and immediately hit the streets thereafter, exploring a lunchery, the coliseum of Verona, the house of Juliet, Saint Peters Bridge, the Church of Verona, and many shops and marketplaces. Most notable for the purpose of my independent study would be the Church of Verona, the marketplace, the house of Juliet, and the place where we ate dinner, Casa di Vino. We stumbled into the church of Verona on our way to the bridge. We did not plan to go inside, rather take a picture outside, but we were accidentally exposed to the treasure within when a passer-by entered. We walked into the lavish cathedral moments before the start of a mass. The mass was in Italian, and the echoed singing was so beautiful that we decided to stay for a little bit and celebrate the upcoming Easter holiday. The part of the sermon that we stayed for was about rebirth, not only of Christ, but of spring, of the tourist season (which everybody laughed at) and about finding this ability for a fresh new start within ourselves. It was all in Italian, of course, and the only response from the church was in song. It was similar to my church at home, only there were people walking around during the mass admiring the beauty surrounding them. In the marketplace, I bartered again. This time, we were searching for little Easter presents to give to my sister from the Easter Bunny and a memento for my older brother who couldnt join us. I am proud to say that I bartered down a watch, a shot glass, and a necklace from 20 euro to 15 euro, and I am even more proud to say that the job was done in Italian (which was kind of funny because the vender was clearly Indian, but it got the job done). The house of Juliet was adorable. Getting there was a challenge, though. I had to ask for directions on two separate occasions. Luckily, the phrase Come posso arrivare a was a phrase I used with Luli, and all I needed was to tack la casa di Guilietta on the end and I had my question formed. The reason I had to ask two people was because the first time, I did not recognize the word destra, as meaning right so we made a wrong turn somewhere along the way, but now I have a new

word of the day so Id say I broke even. The house itself was the cutest thing, marked with gum, band-aids, locks, notes, everything from couples who had visited and wanted to mark their love at this world renowned site. My sister and I explored inside the house while the rest of my family looked in the shops around the courtyard. All of the placards explaining the small exhibits in the house were only in Italian, so lucky me! I got another chance to practice. The first floor was dedicated to the balcony and a collection of paintings of Romeo and Juliets last kiss. Most of the paintings were from the 15th and 16th centuries, which I found remarkable. The second floor was home to la posta di Guiletta where you could write a letter to Juliet and we did. The small exhibitions continued as we ascended with costumes mimicking those from medieval days, a rendition of Juliets bedroom from the movie, and other exhibits from around the world that have been inspired by the story of Romeo and Juliet. Last stop, dinner! Tonight at dinner I made my first full order in Italian, using my Italian phrase book to help me before we left the room. Lorei un risotto di vongola per favore. Grazie. I also ordered a cappuccino and a dessert, un dolce, for the table. Glad to have rediscovered my phrasebook tonight, I used the opportunity to also ask for an extra pair of sheets when we returned to the hotel. Twas a day full of new adventure and new words, and now it is time for a night of sleep. Buona notte.