After visiting the spacio, Simona and I drove about 20 minutes to a village called Formigime. There is a huge outdoor market in Formigime every Saturday, so Simona and I spent several hours browsing through the 200 plus tents where vendors were selling clothes, cooking supplies, rugs, fresh fruit and vegetables, and even meats and huge wheels of Parmesan cheese! The place was PACKED with people and it was a crazy experience. I've never seen such a crowded, crazy market in my life. I had no idea that such a thing existed in Italy, so it was really neat to be able to experience it. Even though I didn't buy anything it was really interesting to just walk around and take it all in.
When we got back from the market Simona and I prepared lunch for the rest of the family-- spaghetti and pesto. The entire family was very surprised that I knew what pesto was and they were in utter shock when I told them that my parents sometimes make pesto with basil from our garden at home! I'm actually surprised at the amount of things that I know about Italian cooking and food here in general. I'm definitely glad I know what I do because I almost always know what I'm eating and know what items on the menu are when I'm ordering (Mom and Dad, thanks for introducing me to Italian food-- it has been a HUGE help).
After we finished lunch Simona, Matteo, and I rode bikes to Galilei for the end of the school year party. Every grade puts on a performance for the parents, so I spent a while watching Matteo's class while they fenced, played basketball, and did martial arts. Once I had seen every event I went to watch my first graders play games. This ended up being somewhat unsuccessful because the kids weren't organized by classes, unfortunately, but the ones I did see were very happy that I was there to watch them play.
When most of the games were finished I walked over to the school and immediately found two girls from my program, Amber and Kelly. Before we knew it Angela, the English teacher, came over with a group of about 100 kids and made us stand on a bench while the kids serenaded us with 'Hot and Cold' by Katy Perry, 'I'm Yours' by Jason Mraz, and the Happy Days theme song. It was hilarious and we had a great time dancing and singing with the children.
After our 'special guest' appearance, Amber, Kelly, and I walked around the festival for a bit. There were many things for sale, including magnets, pieces of art, pots, and jewelry that the students made, so there was plenty to look at. I bought a bracelet that one of my first graders made and when she saw me wearing it she was ecstatic.
We also met a woman today named Trish who is originally from Gainesville, Florida, but moved to Italy when she was 21 and has been living here ever since. She told us she was tired of living in the States so once she graduated college she moved to Italy, met an Italian guy on the internet, married him, and now they have two kids who speak English and Italian. It was really fun talking to her about the differences in the cultures. We even argued for a bit about football because she's a big UF fan... for a while it felt like we weren't even in Italy! Anyways, we were all very relieved to be able to speak English with someone and she felt the same. Amber got her e-mail address and she offered to cook us dinner next week, so we are all very excited to find a time where we can all get together and talk!
The party was very fun, but also exhausting after a long day of shopping and standing. There were so many people that wanted to meet the 'American girl' and it was a bit overwhelming at times. Once the word got around that I was from America, the kids slowly started to surround me and after a while it got a bit frustrating because I could barely move! Every day I have been asked to sign autographs for children and today was no exception-- it's still so funny to me that the kids (and even some of the parents) are so mesmorized by me just because I'm from America. Simona said that anyone who wants to feel like a celebrity should come to Modena, and she is very right! I am thankful that Italians are so accepting of Americans, otherwise this trip would not be nearly as enjoyable.
I am off to bed, even though it is fairly early, because tomorrow I am heading to Bologna for the day with my friends Jenny, Jessica, Chelsea, Casey, and Casey's host brother, Fabio. Bologna is only 20 minutes away so we are taking a train (it's only €3 one way!) and spending the day in the city, which should be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, almost all of the shops are closed on Sunday because it's a holy day and most people attend mass for the majority of the day, but Fabio assures us that there will still be plenty to see and do. I am excited, but need a good night of sleep because tomorrow will be another long day! Ciao!!
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