Is anyone still reading this? Safe if you are. It's been a while since I last updated.
I want to tell you the story of a land...a magically land shaped like a boot somewhere in the south of Europe. The most amazing thing about this land is that they have managed to convince the world they are a meaningful economy and diplomatic world leader because if anyone has to live here they would soon understand how big a lie that is.
Welcome to Italy, where you'll wait for something, only to be told you can't have it and have to go somewhere else/talk to someone else. They will then say no problem, but do you have a photocopy of your passport? If no, well you'll have to come back when the secretary is next open which will probably be half an hour sometime next week. So eventually you have your passport and you're in the right place, but wait...do you have a tax code? Why not? The fact that you might only need one if they want to work here doesnt occur to an Italian and causes yet more chaos with the beaurocracy!
And so this has been the story of my first month in Italy. Mostly queuing to get things done, only to be turned away with a smile and polite chat about where you're from and what you're doing before coming back the next day/week/month and finally getting it sorted. This was what happened when I went to sign up at the library, to find a doctor, to get a bloody tax code, to sign for a house, to get a sim card, to use an internet cafe. Honestly its a wonder they don't demand a blood sample with your shopping.
To continue the rant at the University of Udine. The last 2 weeks, classes have been disrupted due to building work. Any sensible institution in a developed company would surely e-mail students and inform them of this...not Udine. They simply pin a notice on the door of the class informing you when you turn up 5 minutes before class that its moved, not next door, but to the other end of the city and you have to get there, half an hour late to sit and listen to a professor mumbling about eastern european history understanding 1 word in 3.
Another thing which I discovered today is that, in fact, international students don't have the same rights as Italian ones. We aren't allowed to use the university printers, we can't take books out of the library and whereas Italians pay 1.90 for a meal, we pay 4.10. Fair...I think not! I'm also certain it goes entirely against the spirit and rules of the ERASMUS agreement so as soon as I figure out who to send it to, someone at Leeds/Udine is going to get an angry letter.
In case I haven't told anyone (and if you care). I'm studying 'contemporary history', 'history of eastern europe' and 'social geography'. It's not too bad.
Well thats enough of making it seem like I hate the place, I don't honestly. Udine is a lot smaller and a lot quieter than I first realised. Few bars stay open past midnight and there are no clubs in the town. It's also got really cold this week. On the plus side I've met some great friends already through Erasmus and we all go and get drunk and do the EU proud by integrating and sharing cultures! Last week, the English, Irish, Spanish, Swedes and others went to Trieste for a night out. Drinking in doorways is the way forward. Certainly in comparison to getting free entry to a club, but then not being allowed out unless you'd brought a drink for the reasonable price of 10 euros. They actually wouldnt let Sally leave. It was quite funny. I'm playing rugby for CUS Udine too in the Italian Serie C division. It's a good standard actually and we've got 2 wins from 2. I'm playing fly-half and learning as I go, I've not played many games there in 14 years still we should do ok. Ive also got 3/3 conversions so thats cool. The guys are a great bunch of lads and try and include me lots. I find their Italina difficult to understand. Not so much difficult as I usually understand what they are talking about, but I never feel like I've got enough to fully contribute to the conversation, still I'm sure I'll get there.
Erm...cheers for sticking with this rant if anyone still reads this. I'm back in England this weekend in Bristol with Kim.
Bye xxxx
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Update
Well I thought I'd give an overall update on life in Udine.
The last 2 weeks of glorious sunshine has ended today. It's not quite raining, it's not even cold but the sky is overcast. And there was me planning more trips to the beach all winter. I guess I could still go.
Friend-wise, well I've made some good ones now. We seem to have developed a great little international group of us, canadians, belgian, dutch, swedish, brazilian, germans and poles. All of them speak better English than me of course but that's standard. I try to speak normally so they understand me more. Some would say I sound a little bit rah...not good. Of course the main people we're lacking, apart from the French and Spanish who seem to only talk to each other is Italian's but we have a few of them who join us too and even more who want to talk to us when we're out because "It's fantastic that you are all learning Italian, che bello".
On top I get to boss Italian's round in their own language when I'm playing rugby. It's one of the best things about my position and of course it's difficult but I'm slowly learning more and more rugby-related vocabulary. The standard's pretty reasonable too. There's some things that I disagree with the coach on (such as holding the ball in 2 hands ALL THE TIME) but I understand he's trying to coach a lot of guys who played a lot less than me.
I'm boxing too. I still can't hit people until next friday when I have my brain scan but for now I'm getting super fit hitting punch bags as hard as I can for 3 minute rounds. It's certainly more intense than Tigers and hopefully once I can spar I'll learn a lot more. There's some good boxers there including a couple of women who box internationally for Italy. Those are a couple of girls you don't mess around with.
Still no internet in the flat, though if I position my laptop at an exact point by my bed I can steal it sometimes but it's poor. We've ordered some now so hopefully the box for me to install will arrive in the next few days.
Lessons. Well I've been to 3 lectures on "the History of Latin-American Art" because it's the only thing which vaguely (i use this strongly) interests me that started this week. It's hard, not so much because I don't understand enough of the Italian but just because I know nothing about art in general and especially not the latin-american kind. It's also hard not to fall asleep in a 2 hour lecture when the room seems the perfect light and temperature to sleep. Next week I'll start normal history modules which I know about and hopefully understand.
We went to the beach the other day. It was mint. There's even a photo of me half naked on facebook which my white body out and a couple of some random italian woman with her boobs out. Good times haha.
Feel free to comment/ask questions either on this or on facebook. I miss people loads but judging how quick 2 weeks have gone it won't be long until I see everyone again.
Ciao amici!
x
The last 2 weeks of glorious sunshine has ended today. It's not quite raining, it's not even cold but the sky is overcast. And there was me planning more trips to the beach all winter. I guess I could still go.
Friend-wise, well I've made some good ones now. We seem to have developed a great little international group of us, canadians, belgian, dutch, swedish, brazilian, germans and poles. All of them speak better English than me of course but that's standard. I try to speak normally so they understand me more. Some would say I sound a little bit rah...not good. Of course the main people we're lacking, apart from the French and Spanish who seem to only talk to each other is Italian's but we have a few of them who join us too and even more who want to talk to us when we're out because "It's fantastic that you are all learning Italian, che bello".
On top I get to boss Italian's round in their own language when I'm playing rugby. It's one of the best things about my position and of course it's difficult but I'm slowly learning more and more rugby-related vocabulary. The standard's pretty reasonable too. There's some things that I disagree with the coach on (such as holding the ball in 2 hands ALL THE TIME) but I understand he's trying to coach a lot of guys who played a lot less than me.
I'm boxing too. I still can't hit people until next friday when I have my brain scan but for now I'm getting super fit hitting punch bags as hard as I can for 3 minute rounds. It's certainly more intense than Tigers and hopefully once I can spar I'll learn a lot more. There's some good boxers there including a couple of women who box internationally for Italy. Those are a couple of girls you don't mess around with.
Still no internet in the flat, though if I position my laptop at an exact point by my bed I can steal it sometimes but it's poor. We've ordered some now so hopefully the box for me to install will arrive in the next few days.
Lessons. Well I've been to 3 lectures on "the History of Latin-American Art" because it's the only thing which vaguely (i use this strongly) interests me that started this week. It's hard, not so much because I don't understand enough of the Italian but just because I know nothing about art in general and especially not the latin-american kind. It's also hard not to fall asleep in a 2 hour lecture when the room seems the perfect light and temperature to sleep. Next week I'll start normal history modules which I know about and hopefully understand.
We went to the beach the other day. It was mint. There's even a photo of me half naked on facebook which my white body out and a couple of some random italian woman with her boobs out. Good times haha.
Feel free to comment/ask questions either on this or on facebook. I miss people loads but judging how quick 2 weeks have gone it won't be long until I see everyone again.
Ciao amici!
x
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