Day ????

March 31st 2020: I think it is Day 25 but I’m actually not sure!!! As everyone keeps saying, the days really do blend together. I am so so so glad/thankful that I have my class. Even though it is only two hours in the morning and maybe ten minutes of homework, it truly makes all the difference.

If I forget all of my Italian (which I hope won’t happen because I’ve learned so so much) one phrase I will never ever forget is ‘Abigail/Danielle non ti vedo più.’ Our teacher says this alllll the time!! For some reason, she can’t see all of us at once but it is constantly changing who she can see. So every few minutes she interjects and says I can’t see you anymore!

In exciting news, I’m a level 3 now!! This is the big leagues! In level 1, we learned the Passato Prossimo, but now we are learning the trapassato prossimo! It’s crazy all the different tenses I now have! In the beginning of online classes, we just did grammar for the whole time but now we are starting to change things up. Last week we did a virtual cooking lesson all together. The teacher instructed us to make Pappa al Pomodoro using one form and we responded in another. Unfortunately, mine wasn’t amazing because I used gluten free bread and it was store bought packaged….the lack of gluten made the bread disintegrate into the soup but oh well!! We also have been doing more conversation mixed in to practice the different tenses. Being in quarantine has helped us come up with lots of examples for the desiderio impossible….I would like to go get ice cream but I can’t leave my house. I would come to the beach with you but I can’t leave the city. I would go to the country but the government said I can’t.

My class is now the woman from California, a woman from Poland who is currently in Geneva, a super cool young woman from Vermont who loves Mamma Mia! and our teacher. It’s interesting how after two weeks of just the two of us with the teacher we formed a routine together. The last two classes have been very different with the inclusion of the new student.

Now for the exciting news….my aunt knows me so well! She shared with me some quarantine pick up lines so if you get them from me, blame her! Well actually thank her because they are amazing and I crack up every time I read them! If COVID-19 doesn’t take you out…can I?

I have been watching lots of Netflix and such to pass the time. There’s this cool movie called Mamma Mia! that I highly recommend!!! I’ve seen it several times while in quarantine. But I started watching The English Game with Team MacVeagh (hey evil twins) and it is super interesting. It is about how soccer/football came about in England and has succeeded in making me want to go out and play!!!

Today I baked snickerdoodles for Nonna and they were amazing!!! I didn’t technically follow the recipe all the way because quarantine! My mom always told me that baking is a science but I strongly disagree. Ingredients and amounts are just guidelines…especially when it comes out amazing! Also Nonna finds it hard to believe they are actually called snickerdoodles so if anyone wants to assure her that I am not crazy that would be greatly appreciated. I also made a fake lasagne this weekend that was so so good!! If you are wondering what a fake lasagne is, take a lasagne (bolognese sauce, besciamella sauce, and lasagne noodles) and take out the lasagne. Yes, I made a lasagne without lasagne and it was great. We had some GF pasta that was similar to penne size wise but a different shape that I added instead. Nonna says this dish is actually baked pasta but I think fake lasagne is much more fitting.

In other news: as I was taking the photo above (using self timer!) there was an older couple standing on their balcony across the way who were laughing at me. When I tried to wave (Vermont charm) they laughed harder and went back inside their apartment. But it was finally sunny and warm so I stayed out there laughing so hard you probably heard me in Quechee!