Casa

Well dear dear friends, it took a little over a month but it's finally happened. I feel at home. It was a sudden realisation, starting with talking to Giuditta and Carlotta about our various boy problems (Giudi: wanting to break up with her boyfriend because she'd met someone else but not wanting to break his heart, Carli: not sure about wether to put up with her boyfriend and his being an ass around his friends and not texting her, Me: unable to find boyfriend as unable to speak to boys or understand what they're saying to me). I know it sounds small but it was the first good conversation I'd had in a long time. And then the next day I went shopping with my host parents, planning to buy a jacket and some gym pants at Pimkie but when we went there it was closed for lunch, and I thought to myself 'Damn, my favourite clothing store's closed.' And then I realised... I had a favourite clothing store. Once again, such a small thing but with such significance. So then we were walking along when I saw a big bookshop. I was in dire need of some reading material so I decided to go in in the hope that they had a decent English language section. Once I entered I realised it sold not only books but DVDs and music. And it was two stories. In other words, it was exactly like Borders. Dear Borders, my favouritest most favourite bookshop in Perth that I missed so much! There was a Torino equivalant! Hooray! And then I found out that the English language section was 3 whole rows of shelves! Hooray! I bought 3 books and a rather nifty English-Italian dictionary! Hooray! So we continued on our way. I came upon a window display of Nightmare Before Christmas accessories. 'Neat', I thought. Then a few metres on I see another window display for the same store, this one with Lost action figures in it. 'Super neat' I think to myself. My interest piqued, I look in the 3rd and final window display of the store and what do I see but... Batman comics. 'It can't be,' I think to myself, but it is. Though the store is closed so I can't browse inside, I can see that it is the Torino equivalant of my favourite store in the whole wide world, the one, the only, Empire Toys! Sweet glorious day! Action figures! Memorabelia! Overpriced t-shirts! Somewhat scary looking clientele! My haven! Happy with the thought that I will return when the shop's open I continue on my way, running to catch up with my host parents who had kept walking, not realising that I had been distracted by geek heaven. Then, I saw a poster. It was for a store on the other side of the city. A clothing store. An alternative clothing store. I memorise the website address and when I get home look it up and behold. It is the Torino equivalant of Red Stripe. But cheaper. And with more stuff. It's better than what I left in Australia. I am home.
And so that is the story how in 24 hours I realised that I nolonger felt like a visitor. Sure, I still can't navigate the public transport or have a decent conversation in the native toungue but I know where the best gelato is. I know where the second best gelato is, should the queue to buy the best gelato be too long, as it often is. I chatted to one of my school friends about how I'm going learning Italian. I have school friends. And then, and then! I'm starting to understand more! Last weekend we went to the same pizzeria we went to my first weekend here. First time I went I had to look up half the menu in the dictionary and get Carlotta to order for me. This time the dictionary stayed in my handbag and I ordered for myself. It felt great. And then when my class was on the tram to a school trip thingy I overheard and more importantly, understood, this little conversation (translated to English of course):
Guy from other class: (Pointing at me) Who's she?
Guy in my class: She's an Australian exchange student. She's new.
Other class: Oh OK..... She's really quiet.
My class: She doesn't speak Italian. She only speaks English.
Other class: Do they speak English in Australia?
My class: ..... You're an idiot.
I laughed and they realised I could understand them. It was awesome. So yes, feeling rather good right now. Fun times my friends, fun times.