Heh. Haven't update in over two weeks but surprisingly so, I've actually had a life! *everyone gasps*

Anyways, I'm still alive! I really do find myself saying that many times nowadays...

Where to start...?

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School. Our famous tough subject of this blog.

But guess what? I've actually been keeping up with some of my classes! Meaning, my teachers of English, Physical Education, Chemistry, and Philosophy actually said I'm doing something good! Not so much in Math and Physics but I'm getting somewhere!

Last week, I had my first oral test in front of the class. For Philosophy of course, the class no one does good in. So when the Philosophy teacher addressed me, everyone fell silent because the teachers usually ignore me during lessons. I kind of freaked out, too because I knew, I just knew he said he was to say I would have an interrogation next week. =<

So my test was on the Philosophy book my parents bought me for my birthday if you remember. (Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder, it's actually really good.) I kind of ditched it to study Italian... so you can imagine my face when he asked me whether I read the book or not. I didn't even read 3/4  and I had 4 days to study and finish it. Commence stress mode.

But in the end I didn't finish the book BUT I still passed! The questions were simple and I tried to answer in the best poor Italian I could. My class was a bit surprised at some of the vocabulary I knew. I wonder what they think I do when I go home...??

It's seriously sad when I rush into class jumping and cheering at my friends that I could do my homework the night before. I'm so proud of myself when I can, but they're just like "Oh, um.. good job?" *awkward thumbs up*

To keep up with Math, I've had another class added to my schedule, 2AE. Second year (Yupp, went down a year lower, I'm that bad now.), Class A, Economics. Economic students study different material to that of my Language section. Now I have double the math classes every week. Ew...

I was interviewed by this class last year for English so there was no need for uncomfortable introductions. I'm very happy with them. They are hilarious and have as much character as the kids in Theater and my old classes in America combined.

My new math Teacher is funny, too. She actually has a soul! *cries tears of joy*.  ("And this equation will help us find the triangle's- ALESSANDRA SHUT UP. Ugh, you kids chatter too much!- Where were we? Ok and this triangle's side is- What do you want Carlo?! If you just be quiet then maybe we can fix the problem- What? No, Nutella will not help us figure this problem!" *Throws book at desk and silently asks herself why she is a teacher in the first place* <--- Really she's nice. :) Trust me.

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I've been giving myself a much more strict bedtime lately. I stop whatever I'm doing before 10 PM to go to sleep. I find it much easier to live life when I'm not falling asleep in the palms of my hands at school. And I'm less cranky and more energetic. It's much easier to make friends with a smile on my face instead of trying to hold myself up in a corner and grumbling from lack of sleep.

Technically, since I've been in Italy I haven't watched more than 12 hours of TV yet... O_O Actual TV. Movies in Italian, but I haven't watched a good show just for fun. I've actually been on the internet or doing something productive! It does help that my family's TV was broken for the first 3 months of my stay. Being without TV has made me realise how much I don't even need it.

I've also been filtering myself more on the internet. (Ohh speaking of filtering I've heared a lot about the evil SOPA, ohohoho) But I've been filtering for a good reason, because I usually would find myself browsing on the internet for no reason! Like some sort of addiction some teenagers have with Facebook. But my addiction is to Tumblr. It's so awesome! So I must control myself, do something more productive, or I just leave the computer all together and try to do something with people. It's actually kind of tough since I'm still quite the socially awkward penguin. :(

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Seriously, school would be so much easier.

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I've been having much more awkward meals lately at home.

My mom doesn't have much time to cook anymore because there is something wrong with her parents and her brothers Mario and Luigi (I'm sorry, I was laughing so hard when I first heard them and no one knew why. Anyways this is an inappropriate joke at the moment.) and she's been having to keep up with their situations.

But from what I've established on Halloween, which was my first visit to her parents house in Udine (north of Italy very close to Austria) things are not... normal. Her parents are very nice and kind but since they are older they forget many things. Luigi wasn't there, but my mother's other brother, Mario, I believe is an autistic savant. My father warned me before we went into the house that Mario was a bit odd, didn't tell me exactly how, but being in Italy for over a month I thought I could handle tougher things.

Mario talked fast without any direction, had rapid repetitive movements and he injured himself  on many different occasions. But , Mario could also play the piano brilliantly! Even so, I feel bad for saying this, but it was very unsettling to talk to him. Because it was around the time where I didn't understand much Italian and he would just talk and talk and talk, shove documents in my face, show me books and music sheets I didn't really want to see, and I would try to tell him I didn't understand Italian but he would just keep going on and on. I gave up after a while.

But then a thought hit me and I could only wonder how my mother grew up with him. She is very normal and I just wonder what her life was like having to look after her brother. She's so patient with him and kind. Makes me wonder how I sometimes can't get along with my siblings in the States and they don't have any mental disorders.

Back on track, I think something is wrong with my mother parents at the moment. Of course their house would be really busy because them being elderly things are already difficult and they also have to take care of their autistic son.  I believe they might be sick and my mother has been really worried. One time I came home, she was crying, and I had to just give her a big hug because I didn't know what to say. I stink at comforting people and I rarely ever see adults cry so I just didn't know what to do. It was shocking to say the least, because I've never seen my mom cry even though she seems under stress all the time. Hopefully things turn out better.

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I've seen all of my United States friends look alikes! It's so weird. Either I'm homesick and seeing their faces everywhere or everyone has a long lost twin that lives in Italy.

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Around this time the semester AFS students are arriving in Italy, and they will leave along with us when the exchange is finished! I am so happy to be meeting more students that will be apart of the Treviso family! I don't really understand how AFS relationships work but they just do.

It's weird. When I saw the exchange students in Cincinnati, I could only wonder why they were so close, and how they could  be such good friends from different countries. I thought that would never happen to me but as it seems so, my Treviso group is extremely close. Probably even closer than the Italian friends we are all making. O_O AFS isn't exactly to happy about that though, our extreme closeness... aha that's a word, right?

And the family will grow! Today arrived a girl from Argentina. Her name is Rosita. I do admit, I had stereotypes of Argentinians, and I expected her to have long shiny black hair, dark eyes, and tanned skin but her appearance was pretty much the opposite. Haha

With her host family!

First together photo.

Just arriving off the train! She looks happy! :)

We were all so excited! Just imagine coming into a group of kids who have known each other for over 4 months and you're the new girl that has to make friends. I don't know if she was jet lagged or anything but she needed to get some rest before we could talk to her properly. We got some pictures together and she seems very nice! I can't wait to get to know her, and next time we see each other, of course her Italian will be better than mine since she speaks Spanish. I hope she'll feel at home with us! :D

Another girl if arriving in two weeks from Canada! Yes, power to the English speakers we're takin' ova!