Middlebury, here I come.

Most of the readers of this blog know about the sort-of-plan I had to go back to middlebury next summer to start a masters degree in italian. Well, as of this morning, looks like the plan is golden. Its a 4 semester program during which one completes 2 summer semesters on the middlebury campus, and 2 semesters in Florence. Usually the summers are on either side of the academic year in florence, but since I'll still have to do my senior year after this coming summer, I'm going to do it all like this:

1)Middlebury summer (term 1 of M.A.)
2)Wellesley senior year (end of B.A.)
3)Middlebury summer (term 2 of M.A.)
4)Year in Florence (term 3 and 4 of M.A)

A few things compounded together made this email from middlebury seem REALLY important. First thing I suppose is that now that I've already gotten into this program, I don't have to worry about what I'll be doing after my senior year at ALL during my senior year. I don't have to take G.R.E.'s or apply for jobs, I don't have to worry about other grad school applications or even where i'm going to live during the summer-it's sort of all mapped out.

and that's probably the weirdest/"most important" part i was talking about earlier-I've never really had plans like this, that require so much organization, commitment, and sureness. I have to be sure i want to do this. Learning so much italian in 3 years isn't really something I can do/take lightly anymore, considering it's basically starting to change the course of my life. and to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what I'm doing. I have no idea where italian came from as an interest, and why it's become so central to my life. In some way, it's been a really nice way to take loooong extended vacations from the bullshit at home, and it's also making me re-evaluate so many other things...too many to list and name. I'm not even really sure what I want to do with the language and if I'll do anything with it, but what I'm really hoping is that I get it in my head well enough that I'll always be able to speak it, even when I get rusty.

I looked around today at job ops with italian and found 25 college level professorship postings, many of which only required an M.A. if i get really serious about this, I could easily become a college professor, because a pHd would only take 4 years and I'll graduate from middlebury when I'm 23....rambling rambling this is all rambling, i'm getting way too far ahead of myself.

So the larger point is just-WOW. i mean, i was obviously hoping I'd get in, and had applied around1.5 months ago, so I was really just waiting for the confirmation, but it's weird when things like this, the BIG things you plan in life, actually come through and happen, because it almost make me feel like fate is on my side for a little bit, and then usually something happens and I come to my senses and realize it's not always. plus, that idea scares me anyway-fate's too cruel to care about being on anyone's side. Whatever, i'm just glad I'm qualified enough for middlebury to have interest in me (seems like its pretty easy to get in, anyway...)

So what else? I guess in more practical news, this means that I'll be staying in italy right up until middlebury starts up next summer, which is ironic considering I left middlebury straight for italy last August. It's weird that the last place I've been in the states for an extended period of time will also be the first place I return to-not california, not boston, but vermont. It's gonna be like a 3rd home before i know it (1st california, 2nd wellesley). It's weird to think at the end of my experiences with middlebury that I'll have spent 3 consecutive summers there. wow.

Now that I've found out about that, I feel like I should be reading books, writing essays, speaking a lot and taking copious notes all in italian. Instead I find myself obsessively thinking about traveling and december, and christmas, and how GORGEOUS BOLOGNA IS covered in christmas lights (literally every street has a canopy of gorgeous strung christmas lights and huge blue teardrop chandelier-like things that hang from the middle of the street, and ornaments, and people dressed cozily and roasting chestnuts on street corner...everything here is beautiful, not just in that aesthetic "oh that's nice" way...

I have one final this semester-italian politcal system. I've started reading the books, I have to study tons this week, but it's my only exam and I'm not worried abotu finishing the reading at all (should i be? it's only 100 pages.. plus i can use google) seriously this teacher seems to want to give high grades to foreigners, so If i sound the slightest bit intelligent, i'm sure it will go well.

Conservatory is confusing, as always, because the scheudle is cryptic as fuck and I can't talk to anyone there who actually wants to help me. THere are these really nice women downstairs at reception who seem like they want to help, but they dont have any information so they always have to tell me to go upstairs to ask at the 'segretaria' (secretary's office) and that lady MUST NOT LIKE ME. she's always so short and gives me liek 2 word answers. I've given up. I think i just need to get osme students numbers so i can text them (in my broken italian) and be like 'yo homes what up - we got class oggi (today)?'

Italian slang is funny. My roommates have slowly started teaching it to me, mostly i try to learn it audibly and pick it up from things i read, but they're really used to my questions by now.

I'm really sad because my roommates are gonna throw a party at the house a night that I wont be here (BOOOO!!!) my actually roomate (i only share a room with one girl) is going to spain next semester for her semester abroad, so I will yet again be getting a 3 new roommate at the end of all of this. I can't wait to have a single my senior year-i love roommates and all, but I've lived with like 6 different people in 12 months. it's exhausting.

what else can i tell you all? i'm excited to not have school once the exam is over, and then i have to say goodbye to all my american friends here this semester. It will be really weird, i'm sure, but i guess it's necessary. I can't even really be sad about it because we all knew it would happen from the start. I am already nostalgic about it...whatev

then, i went to florence recently-it was only my second time, but everytime i go, i always think about maybe living there for a year, and then i get these weird nervous butterflies. ugh. so strange. Florence is such a gorgeous city-teeming with americans, i heard so much english it was almost impressive (im sure it would be annoying after 1 day of living there) so i guess I'll see how weird it will be to actually try to learn italian while surrounded by english.

what else, what else. printed some of my pictures for a project. they looked pretty good, enough so that I'm considering making postcards out of them, if i can find a think cardboard ish paper to strengthen them with. It would be awesome to be able to send people postcards of my own photos. vediamo (we'll see)

any questions? i know i never post, i dont know what else to say? happy holidays?