Babel Reversed...

So, we have finished one week of our stay here in Terni at the Villa Spirito Santo.

One week of finding our way around and getting use to our environment which this district has to offer in terms of climate, food, people, lodgings, and the daily activities of our study program. It has been quite a fascinating experience to undergo a total change from what each of us had been used to. Three quarters of us are Africans. Of them, a good number can only speak and understand French. We also have the Indians who have made themselves a home here with the rest of us, who are Chinese, English-speaking Africans, Malaysians and yours truly. But what bind us all together is this common struggle to read and converse in Italian which will eventually allow all of us to speak and understand one another despite our different background of culture, dialect and language!

I can see the wave of culture that unconsciously flow through out dining table whenever we have our meals as we enjoy both the food and each other's company. The camaraderie is always so palpable that you must be blind not to notice it!

It is no coincidence that we happened to be living in the Villa named after the Holy Spirit that even without our conscious awareness, is doing its utmost to get us united and understanding one another under a single tongue... ;-)

The Villa has been and continues to be our home for the duration that we are here for the Italian language. Staying here has been very comfortable thus far and we are never far from any conveniences. The town is about 10 minutes walk away, we have hot/cold shower, water is relatively clean, the rooms that we stay in are very adequately provided with the necessary amenities. They even provided towels like how a hotel does it!

Despite the main or usual offering of different types of pasta, there has been occasions where they do offer other kinds of food that need not make us cringe with an overload of their wheat-based cuisine. Today, I noticed they served us riso (rice) with fish and long beans. Fish on a Friday!... :-D

Now the weekend is upon us and we get to have breather from classes awhile! We still have our homework and assignments to plow through, though. :-P Still, it is a welcome respite from the tons of headache I get from playing back all those phrases, words, declensions and other tongue-twisting items in my mind!

For now, it's 10.10 p.m. on a Friday evening as I finish this entry. Till the next one, buona notte!