Halloween passed in Italia and I didn't go trick or treating or pass out candy. Many people here just go to parties or discoteche. The children "trick or treating" go from house to house the following morning or afternoon after Halloween. I went with my host sister to a discoteca for the first time. In America, you can only go to a similar sort of place at eighteen or twenty-one. It's not as risqué or horrible as an American parent might think. I actually think it was a distresser from Italian school. This discoteca was in San Teodoro which is right on the beach. However, one doesn't go to the beach when one travels in pullman from 18:00 to 21:00, and then stays in the discoteca until five in the morning and takes the pullman back to Nuoro at nine. I know I was shocked too. These Italian parties start at midnight sometimes. It was thrilling with all the lights and deafening music, but I couldn't handle it every single day. If it were summer and I was in San Teodoro, I think I would much rather have gone to the beach.
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| Look! |
The beach towns in Sardegna are filled with turisti (tourists) during the summer months, which I haven't yet to see.
We were able to go out on Halloween night only because there is no school from November 1st until the 4th. It reminded me a little bit of Thanksgiving break without the huge feast. The town in which I inhabit here, had a festival over the weekend too. A bunch of people of this Italian town set up tappas (stops where they sell various types of traditional sardo stuff). I ate lumache (snails), lingua (veal tongue) in a sandwich, and french fries. Everything was surprisingly delicious, and although some people cringe, I think my dad would love it. Super healthy.
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| Sara from Bosnia and I eating lumache! |
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| Delicious snails! |
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| More issohadores! |
The reason I'm able to write this at a time when I should be going to school is because I went to a laurea (graduation) yesterday (Monday) in Cagliari. I didn't go to school yesterday or today which elongated the break from school that everyone already had. I'm not sure what the English equivalent is, but my host cousin was getting her second degree in engineering. All of her family went to the aula magna (ampitheater) all'Università di Cagliari and watched her present her thesis in the form of a powerpoint to the professors. Then afterwards we all threw confetti and blew bazookas as she walked out with the maximum possible grade 110/110. Photos, then delicious food, then delicious dolci sardi (sardinian sweets), and fun. They celebrate so much more here for college graduation, not just the walking up to the platform, handing of the diploma, and applause. It's like a twenty-first surprise birthday party in Las Vegas or something. I think you would have loved it.
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| Laurea food! |
Here are some dolci di Sardegna, I noticed they are made up of a lot of almonds and aren't usually extraordinarily sugary:
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| I'm pretty sure these are called "Tiliccas". |
Sometimes, I wish my family back in America was here with me because I keep thinking how much they would have enjoyed all this. Walking around at Sas Tappas and seeing Sardegna would be pretty awesome with them, but I also have to think about who I'm with now. It's more difficult than I thought to appreciate something like this without someone you've known for a long time, but us AFSers, we can do it.
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| We made pizza! |
Oh I almost forgot, I went to a chinese restaurant! There are actually quite a few of them in Italy!
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| Simona! |
