Welcome to Siena



MONDAY, January 9, 1995.

Last night I arrived in Siena. The trip here was brutal: 23 hours on 7 different trains. It started off on the wrong foot when I didn't get off for my connection in Namur because I thought I was in Hairres (or something like that - Ithink it was the French word for schedule). Turns out that standing up, I'm too tall to see the station names out the window, and I don't know French, so Hairres seemed like a perfectly reasonable city name to me. I got off at the next stop and caught a train back to Namur. My train to Milan was still in the station! I started running to try and catch it and promptly fell down a flight of stairs with my pack and duffel. I missed it. I was left standing in pain, covered with mud, and humiliated. Hoping to find another train to Milan, I caught the next train to Luxembourg. No such luck. I spent three fun filled hours around the station. I found some American students to chat with for a while and then went to a restaurant for a bowl of spaghetti, although I wasn't hungry in the slightest.

Finally, it was 1:18 am, and I could board a train to Basel, which was at least in the right direction. When we arrived in Basel at 5 am or so, I was dead asleep. The conductor came by, startled the shit of me, and told me to quickly get off the train. I didn't even have my shoes on. I was completely freaked out and stumbled off the train with my shoelaces flapping in the breeze and my heels crushing the backs of my boots. There was good news, though. I was in Switzerland and I effortlessly secured a computer printed time table that would take me (eventually) all the way to Siena.

From Basel, I caught a train to Arth-Goldau and there switched for a train to Milan. On the way to Milan, I met a U.S. Air Force computer programmer who said he was having trouble learning C. I just hope that our missiles aren't controlled by software written by people who don't understand pointers. I had no Swiss Francs, but I persuaded the coffee cart guy to sell me a coffee and croissant for Italian Lire. Miraculously, this sent me straight to the bathroom to relieve my constipation. I'd feared that Warsaw would prove to be the home of my last normal bowel movement.

The train from Milan to Florence was so crowded it made me claustrophobic and paranoid about my bags, one of which I had to store halfway down the car. Then, the ride from Florence to Siena seemed to last forever, although at under two hours, it was one of the shortest rides I took. Finally in Siena, I inhaled a chocolate bar, then went out to catch a taxi to Signora Provvedi's apartment. While waiting, I met Ada, a woman my age from Germany, and helped her with information about the youth hostel from Let's Go. I arrived at Signora Provvedi's, rang the bell and was buzzed in. I carried my pack and duffel up to the top floor; my biceps are still sore from lugging those bags around for a day. It's a miracle that I survived, even if I was encased in mud, exhausted and frazzled. Signora Provvedi is very nice, but she doesn't speak a word of English. She speaks loudly and deliberately in Italian.

We "talked" about my trip here - where I'd come from (not directly from NY as she expected), the room, the shower, and the people downstairs. She showed me pictures of previous students. I think she is 78 and has lived in the apartment for 35 years. The apartment has a great view. From the kitchen window, I can see the clock tower of the Palazzo Publico, and the Duomo. My room is very nice, complete with bed, desk and private sink and toilet. I even have electric outlets, and access to a phone that I can use to make credit card calls. With the right set of adapters, I should be all set for e-mail!


THURSDAY, January 12, 1995.

Tonight at dinner during a lop-sided discussion in Italian, Signora Provvedi told me (I think) that there are floods in Napa Valley! Is this right? If so, holy cow. What ever happened to the drought? Other crazy weather includes snow in southern Italy for the first time in 30 years (I think - this I also heard in Italian.)

Today was a typical day. I got up at 7:45 (Those of you familiar with my sleeping habits know that this is quite early for me. Luckily, the sun is up so it's not too brutal) and dealt with the daily burden of personal hygiene and dressing. Breakfast as provided by Signora Provvedi consists of coffee and melba toast with butter and jam - not very exciting. Today I bought some OJ to keep in the fridge as a supplement. I left home at 8:40 for a brisk 15 minute walk to school. From 9 - 11:15, I had my daily dose of grammar - all in Italian of course. This is the easiest part of the class to understand for two reasons. One, I'm already familiar with the concepts of grammar (I think - then again, you're the one who has to read this), and two, the teacher frequently writes on the board which helps keep the discussion grounded. Then, we had our 30 minute break. By this time, those incredibly filling (not!) melba toasts had lost their luster and I was hungry, so I headed down the street to the Bar La Lizza for a cornetta (sweet croissant) and a cappuccino. The second half of class was quite difficult for me to follow. We started off by finishing up our grammar lesson and then moved to "conversazione". The teacher led a conversation about miscellaneous topics - all in Italian. Here, unlike with grammar, the subject matter was unpredictable and abstract. After about 30 minutes of this, I had absolutely no idea what is going on. I heard:

"blah blah blah blah BUT blah blah blah. HOWEVER blah blah. WHEN blah blah blah? Blah blah blah blah YOU HAVE A blah blah..."

It was hard to keep my full attention on the conversation while I was completely lost. Vocabulary is the real problem. I am amazed at how much the other students in the class seem to understand since we are all beginners at Italian. I think it is because I am the only person in the class who speaks only one language. I hear that after you've learned a second language, a third one comes more easily. Or maybe they are good actors. In general, the school seems to be populated by German speakers from Switzerland. Other students from Denmark, Germany, and England make for a total of nine students in my class.

When school let out at 1:30, my classmates and I went for lunch at one of the many delicious restaurants in Siena. Great food is simply everywhere. Today, I had a delicious 144 garlic roasted chicken with potatoes. Conversation at lunch was limited since we lack a language in which everyone is comfortable chatting. We talked mostly about school and food. There is a older guy from Berlin in our class named Siegfried who likes to talk too much. We sat around and made fun of him. Every time he opens his mouth, the entire class groans and laughs; he doesn't seem to care. The teacher has begun telling him to sssh.

After lunch, I sat in the Piazza del Campo and caught some rays. At some point, I fell asleep. I was awakened by the cold when the sun dipped below the buildings at about 3:30. Then, I was off to a cafe for a cookie (not just a cookie, but an amazingly tasty cookie - the pastries in Siena are outstanding), to work on homework, and do some writing. At 5:30, I returned to school for a lecture about Florence where I will go on Sunday. I understood almost nothing at the lecture, but I did manage to catch where and when to meet on Sunday morning. It's very frustrating to understand so little of what is going on around me. It is an unfamiliar feeling to be at the bottom of the class. Foreign language was never my subject. Still, I feel that I am learning a lot everyday.

When I walked home from school at 6:30, it was through streets flooded with evening shoppers. Stores in Siena are closed in the early afternoon (12:30 - 3:30, I think). Then, they re-open until about 8 (I think). It's fun to see all the Italian people with their different features, styles, and fashions. Also, it is strange after 4 years at MIT and 2 years in Silicon Valley, to live in an environment that is 50% women (actually the school itself is probably 70% women).

Signora Provvedi is an excellent cook. She is spoiling me. I may just have to live with her in Siena forever. Each dinner could easily be a meal out. However, the bread is not very fresh, nor is the milk in my morning coffee, although it's just fresh enough to drink. Each night I have four "courses." First: a pasta of some kind - so far I've had tortellini Bolognese, rotelli pomodoro, minestrone, and spaghetti pomodoro. Second: meat with a side of vegetable - slice of roast meat (pork, beef) well flavored - pounded veal with melted cheese on top, beef rolled around egg and tomato. Third: some fruit - I'll have a tangerine or two - Fourth: coffee. There are some things missing from meal time - perhaps another Italian speaker so I could pick up the dinner rhetoric, or perhaps another English speaker to enjoy it with and help pace the meal.

Photos of Florence

After dinner, I am left to finish my homework, and entertain myself with miscellaneous activities like writing letters. I have yet to discover the social scene. We'll see what the weekend is like.



Copyright 1997 by Bradley Edelman
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