Non means no. No means non.

Intensive Italian is mentally draining. I'm learning a lot, but I feel exhausted after only three hours. Today was breezy and sunny. Probably the warmest day yet. I bet it got up to 50. This meant my walk to school was only 35 minutes. I'm sure there is a shorter way, but I'm not too concerned. Last night some girls from Indiana University made dinner for me and some other guys. It was surprisingly good. I guess what Giovanna said about it being hard to make bad food with perfect ingredients is true. It's 7pm right now. Most of you in "the States" would have probably eaten dinner by now, but Gio is nowhere to be seen. I'm eating un'arancia (a clementine) right now. After class today, me and a kid named Tally walked to the Spanish Steps, which is the biggest shopping area in Rome. There are steps there too. Tally and Alex, both from IU, are the guys I've hung out with the most since I've been here. Tally is originally from Connecticut. Alex is from Peoria, Illinois, and I'm friends with his second cousin at UIllinois.

Gio just got home. It's 7:36 now. I don't have class til 1:00 the rest of the week, so I'll probably meet Tally and Alex somewhere later tonight. Their apartment is in the area northeast of the Vatican called Prati. It seems to be cleaner and nicer than Trastevere. The Pratians seem to think so too, since they refer to their part of town as "The Prati" (or I Prati in Eye-talian) which in English means "The Meadows" I think.

Saturday morning at 6:30, Alex, Tally, the two IU girls, a guy named Max and myself will be getting on a train to Venice. Carnevale is starting, or has already started, and we will be attending. Our train will get to Venice around 10:30. We have a hotel booked in the Jewish Ghetto for one night. We don't plan on leaving til very late Sunday night.

Nothing new really (Get it? Rome is really old!). I'm hoping to plan a few more trips soon. I'd like to see Spain, England, Amsterdam and Switzerland, at least. I've also been talking to a few people about going to Croatia and Turkey for spring break (my birthday).

Ciao Ciao for now!

Hen