First Day

Well I did finally make it here last night. I met Antonio and Maru for the first time and they were phenomenal. On the drive to Minerva, we saw one 4 car accident and a huge factory that was on fire. The fire was pretty crazy and people were out all around to watch it. Traffic was hectic, but nothing compared to Italy. Toni did warn me that the cars don't respect pedestrians though so you have to be very careful when crossing. By the time I got to my new home, it was almost 11 so I called home, got situated, and went to bed.

This morning Rosa walked me to school. It's easy enough to get to. We had a little mini-orientation and then took a placement test. There are only 8 students right now, which sucks. More are coming tomorrow though and then a group from Michigan next weekend, so the number should be up to 40 by then.

The city isn't nearly as intimidating as I had expected. The buildings are all relatively short, two or three stories. There is an area nearby with stores, but mostly it's just houses. There are lots of trees and my house is next to a little park. On all the streets there are quite a few people walking. There are tons of street vendors. It's crazy to think about how many people must eat there to support them all, especially when everyone I've talked to has told me not to eat at them.  For now, I'm ready for my first lunch and to get the rest of my stuff unpacked. I think my afternoon adventure will consist of buying shampoo and finding an ATM.