A Taste of Parma:

Duration: 2 weeks tomorrow.

Places Traveled: Just Parma but headed to Bra, Italy for Cheese 2009.

Food Eaten: A lot. Notably. FRESH parmasean cheese. Parma Ham (prosciutto). Ravioli w/ mixed ricotta, parmasean and nettles. It is not the complexity of the recipes that make them successful but the simplicity and quality of ingredient.

Language: Slow but steady. Monday through Thursday lessons from 9:30-12:00 taught only in Italian. As you probably know understanding is MUCH easier than speaking.

Family: Single mother Vivianna who has three children. Marco (23 anni) lives at home during the summer and is a 5th year medical student (out of 5 years) at University of Bologna (oldest in Europe). Both speak proficient English but ask me to correct them whenever they use incorrect grammar. I politely request the same...

Internet: Internet is still not ubiquitous throughout Parmesean households. Luckily I have solid broadband. Skype anyone? (glieberworth)

Weather: The weather has been generally hot for the first few weeks (25+) but has cooled recently and rained in the past few days. Reminds me of home minus the fact that it's very humid.

Entertainment: The youth of Parma entertain themselves through numerous social events, either seasonal or regular. There are speakers and concerts in streets and parks on weekends. On Friday all 18-25s head to Via Farini for a generally festive atmosphere wandering from wine bar to pub to restaurant, encountering familiar faces at every turn.

Problems: 1. Not as many people speak English as I assumed prior to departure. 2. Although I haven't encountered it directly, I am told some Parma residents are highly racist. 3. Most Parma residents especially towards the center are fairly well to do. My family described many as "snobbish." This, again, I haven't seen directly. 4. It is hard to meet Italians without language skills. This will improve. 5. Regrets about missing friends at Claremont.

Plans: I head to Bra this weekend for a cheese festival put on by Slow Food. (the same organization that appears in the US) The prosciutto festival comes to Parma in a few weeks for the closing days. This will be tasty. For fall break, I'm headed to Paris and perhaps Barcelona, both completely foreign places for me. Rome, Florence, Milan, Siena, Cinquaterra, Venice and Sicily are all in my sight as well. Alas, financial limitations will dictate how much is possible.

Questions? Let me know!