Things You Didn't Know

I've been noticing different things around Perugia or have been doing certain things that I wanted to fill you in on. They really don't fit in anywhere but I feel they could give you some insight. Therefore, this will be a very random blog entry about everything I haven't told you. 

• Electricity: I'm sure many of you know that Europeans, in general, have small refrigerators  usually they don't have a dish washer, only a washer, and many other small electronics. Well, this is very true for Italians. They try to save energy in any way possible. In our apartment, we are only able to keep the heat on for 7 hours a day. Otherwise, we will be fined. Our apartment is often chilly! I'm not sure the reasoning... if Italians are cheap or it cost a fortune to heat their homes?!?

• Fix-It: Our landlord also came to fix my bed leg. The front leg was bent in under the bed. Here is how he fixed it! I couldn't believe it when I came home. I thought, "I could of done that." To be fair, he e-mailed me later and said he hopes to change the core with a new one by Monday. 

• Shopping & Budgeting: I thought I was going to have to spend an arm and an leg on groceries. Turns out I was totally wrong! Take a look at what I bought today.

Grocery List:

-Meatballs

-Prosciutto

-Kraft Cheese

-Spaghetti

-Potatoes

-Bell Pepers

-Onion

-Nutella Crossants

-Nutella

-Zucchini

-Spaghetti Sauce

-Toilet Paper (My turn for our apartment)

My total:

Yes, 14.79. OK, I haven't done a ton of shopping in the States but I don't believe that's half bad. Let's see.. my plan for this week is to make grilled prosciutto and cheese sandwiches with the left over bread I have. I plan to fry the potatoes and onions together. Then, the same with the peppers and zucchina. I believe the spaghetti, meatballs, and sauce is self explanatory. Anyway, I've been budgeting my little heart out. Everyday I write down exactly what I spent my money on and every week I balance, check, double check, and plan out what I will still need to supply. I have mentally put money away for my visit with my grandmother, my trip to Germany, how to get my suitcase home, class fees, textbook fees, and how much money I should spend on food. I give myself a 60 euro allowance and this allows me to go out once a week, plus a few pastries and a beer. Odd combination, which usually isn't done together unless it's been a very long day. Here are a few of the treats I've enjoyed. The crepe is 3 euro and a pastry is only one. 

• Eating Habits: I've been learning to explore some recipes. I haven't ventured too far because by the time I'm hungry it's 7 o'clock and I don't feel like preparing a meal that will take longer than boiling water and adding pasta. Therefore, I eat pasta at least once a day. One of my favorite pasta dishes so far is a cold dish. I prepare it a week a head of time and keep it in the fridge. It is great in-between classes. I just make pasta and add it to cut mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and some lettuce. When I decided to have a dish, I add a dressing that's made from balsamic vinger, olive oil, honey, garlic, and a little bit of mustard. It's so delicious. Lately, our fridge has been freezing our food so I warmed it up on the stove. Still good!  

Of course, there is always the traditional spaghetti. This happens to be the first meal I created all on my own! Proud because of my fear of fire.

I have tried to make my famous grilled cheese. It's very good even with using olive oil but I'm not digging the mozzarella. It doesn't allow for a creamy gooey taste. It's more of a string cheese when melted and makes the sandwich fall apart. By far, my favorite surprise dish has been the zucchini  I have never had so many fruits and vegetables in my life! I eat about two apples a day and I've been cutting up zucchini almost every night. To die for! 

• Dogs: Italians love their dogs. They are everywhere and the reason is because they don't have anywhere to walk their dog. There is no backyards, so therefore watch where you step! 

• Driving: Italians don't slow down. You know how pedestrians have the right away. Don't test that theory here. Italians don't even hit the break if you are in the middle of the road. 

• PDA: Italy must hold the record for how many people kiss a day. Everyday I feel like I'm in a romantic comedy. In Julia Robert's film, Eat, Pray, Love, Julia aks what is the word for Rome. All at once, her Italian friends state "sex." Simply, it's true it's the make-out capital of the world. However, it's not random. It's couples, individuals that are in love, in flirt, in liking... but not random. 

• Kiss, Kiss: With PDA... there is another type of physical touch that is new to me. When you greet and leave someone you kiss them on both cheeks. Always right to left. This is something I'm learning to deal with. And I pray every time I get it correct -otherwise there is the hassle in the middle. 

One last thing for today, I finally bought a hairdryer. I'm so excited because now it doesn't matter when I get up! I can have dry hair to walk to class. I held out because everyday this week it rained. What's the point in that?