Hi, my name is Anna and...

...I've been addicted to gelato for 14 days.

But really: is there a 12 step program for gelato? I need to find one.

I've told myself that I'll only eat one gelato per week, so I guess today was my day. Honestly, I thought it was ridiculous when past participants from our program said they missed the gelato the most, but I totally get it now. NOTHING in America can compare to the flavor, texture, and creaminess of Roman gelato.

Flavors I've tried?
Chocolate, Tiramisu, Rice Milk Cinnamon, Raspberry, and my all time favorite of Black Cherry. (I always get Black Cherry for one of my choices, and then experiment with the other.)

While my consumption of gelato could be considered unhealthy, the biggest point of worry is that it's really hard to exercise in Rome. Cars and pedestrians alike are all extremely CRAZY, which makes running (especially in my district, which is park-less) very difficult and stressful. Even though I'm scared to try running, I really should just put on my shoes and sweats (far too cold to wear shorts) and get going. My jeans will thank me for my preemptive anti-gelato attack.

Okay okay, so my goal:
Despite the ridiculous sunrise/sunset hours (7:28am/5:18pm tomorrow), I'll try to go running in the morning before class. I'll find a route tonight using my map, wear my work out clothes to bed and get everything for school ready to go tonight, and then get going at 7:15. Wish me luck - if I'm obligated to update about this tomorrow, I'll have more incentive to do it, right? :)

In other news...
I had my first conversation class today. A student intern from the Roman university (La Sapienza) who is a native Italian speaker runs an hour long class where we get to practice listening and speaking. It was very challenging, because our intern (Francesco) spoke much faster than our regular Italian teacher does, but it was really good practice for the real world. We talked about jobs, Italian music, and our opinions on shopping (Francesco, to break all Italian sterotypes, doesn't understand why shopping is so popular. He was asking all of the girls who like shopping why they enjoy it so he could try to figure it out).

It was a lot of fun, because he would joke with us and and has a great sense of humor. Although it was a little nerve-wracking to speak in front of more advanced Italian students from our program, I spoke a little and I really do feel that listening to the language in such a concentrated setting for an hour was really valuable. It was also a nice insight to see what Italian culture is like for people my age, and I hope that in the future I'll be able to talk with more Italian students and learn their perspectives.

Alright, time to go studio italiano e faccio mi compiti (study Italian and do my homework), so ciao for now!