Everything Has Changed

...okay, maybe not everything has changed, but a lot sure has! For one, the wifi password at the university...

The real difference at play here is that instead of being the newbie TA, I'm the only one who has familiarity with this program and all of its ins and outs. This has rendered me the target of all of my students' questions, concerns, and crises. I've had a shower head complaint, several people who can't find the reception desk, one who needs a specialized contact lens case, a few who don't know how to use the washing machines, many who can't open a door with a physical key, and a couple who simply cannot be on time for things. I woke up Sunday morning to a text from a student who tripped the apartment's circuit breaker by plugging in a steamer, so I put on my electrician hat and went over to fix it for her. The elevator wasn't working in that building, and my electrician skills only go so far, so I walked up nine flights of stairs to arrive at their apartment, then back down nine flights and out of the building.

I checked in two students who arrived in the morning and then had homemade pesto pasta for lunch. The rest of the program left for the Armani Silos in the afternoon, but one of our students had lost her luggage during her flight here, and we put my phone number on the form since she doesn't speak Italian. They were to bring it between 2pm and 6pm, and (predictably) didn't arrive until the very end of that window. When I appeared at the front door for the suitcase, the man helpfully informed me that I am not Chinese and listened, brow furrowed, as I explained that my student is Chinese, but we had to put my number since she does not speak Italian. An odd interaction. Anyway, I can tell you that the students very much enjoyed Armani, especially Ashley, whom I've taught for three semesters now and who is very interested in fashion. She was bubbling to tell me everything when I saw her!

Once I had the luggage safely stowed, I took the metro down to Porta Genova to meet everyone for dinner at the pizzeria that we frequent on the first Sunday each year. Quattro formaggi is good, but how many cheeses can we put on a pizza? Let's test the limits, shall we? We went for gelato afterwards, which I have dedicated to celebrating both Bailee's birthday and Father's Day! What a happy day! One student was not feeling as celebratory, as she pulled Kant out of her bag and read while she ate her gelato (?)

Today we kicked off formal orientation at the university. Professor Erspamer talked, the university people talked, I talked. Lots of rules. They also gave the students tote bags with pencil pouches, and the teaching staff got bags with umbrellas. I like presents, especially the practical ones - it's supposed to rain on Friday.

After everything at the university, I took six students to get SIM cards. This process took two and a half hours, and I finally arrived back at the residence in time for 34 minutes of rest before taking my group to aperitivo, the snack/drink dinner replacement. I watched as they put their olive pits in the ash trays, thinking they were little trash receptacles, and laughed very hard when they realized their error. They say they're trying to help people quit smoking by making the ash trays less usable...

I broke my sandal this morning, so I will be making a trip to Primark hopefully tomorrow for some new shoes, maybe even some that my sisters will approve of! In their honor, I did not put on my tennis shoes with my dress, and instead changed into jeans.

Our last student finally arrived tonight at 9:45pm, so I checked her in and immediately got a call from another student saying that "there's some man on his balcony trying to throw us his keys because he locked himself out, can you come help us?" What??? Turns out it was the cleaning guy for the barbershop next door, so I sent the girls inside the residence, verified who he was, took his keys, and handled it myself. The series of random events continues to grow. I am thoroughly exhausted and ready for a respite from the many questions and worries of our students. Perhaps the rest of the week will ease up on me! "So dust off your highest hopes..."