Almost through the first week...

So this, unlike many of my posts, will ACTUALLY not be super long, given that it is late and I have a midterm for my Ferrara Literature class in, err, seven hours. I just wanted to let you all know how I am and where I'm going for the weekend, before potential shortages of internet.

This week got better, thankfully. Talking with family was a great help, as was sleep and some perspective. Thank you to everyone who has given me advice and encouragement - it really does mean a lot and really does help. Responses are also a big help in making me feel like I'm not just talking to myself, into the great big void of the internet, and like I still have connections with you lovely people in far away places. That helps with homesickness and loneliness, as well as does the actual advice you guys gave me. So, thank you. I will be writing back emails as soon as I can, I promise.

My other classes this week went better than they did on the first two days, although I certainly still can't understand everything. Maybe my tolerance for incomprehensibility was also somewhat higher and the experience was therefore less stressful, in addition to the profs actually talking about specific examples - which were much easier to follow than abstracted theory, or gave me some context for the vocabulary they were using. I'm still intimidated and somewhat uncomfortable in class, though, but at least I am less stressed about this fact.

Also, I'm going to get to see some family members this weekend! My dad's cousin Gina lives about an hour north of Venice, and as my grandma and some aunts are currently traveling in Italy, we will all be going to spend the weekend with Gina in Sacile and the surrounding area. I'm excited. It will be good to see more familiar faces again, and to spend some time away from the city. I will be leaving tomorrow (Friday evening) and getting back to Ferrara sometime on Sunday afternoon/evening, although I'm not sure when for either time.

This means, though, that I won't be able to do any skype conversations over the weekend for those who were asking about that - we will have to figure out some other time in the near future. I have to say, I love webcams and email and internet chat programs. A few of the other students here don't have internet in their apartments, and probably won't for the whole year - which would make this all a very different experience, I'm sure. I'm somewhat horrified at the idea of way-back-when, when even letters took months to travel long distance, as romantic and exciting as it is to get physical mail. I have my eye out for decent postcards to send off at some point, but I am certainly glad about the capability to communicate easily in some form or another with friends and family from so far away on a somewhat regular basis. The love and encouragement and communication from and with friends and family are what keep me going in the harder moments, even if I am learning more what it is to take care of myself.

Well, to bed with me. Here's to hoping for a decent exam!