life is like a box of chocolates - seriously you never know what you are going to get.

First can someone explain to me how it is already Sunday night. Last time I checked Im pretty sure it was Wednesday. Ohi. Such a week of randoms to report.

Well retracing my steps and bringing us back to Wednesday (the real one) brought with it a few more classes, heavy wind, and the thought that perhaps I should have brought warmer clothing with me. You would think I would have realized that Italy is not always warm and su

nny as it was pictured in my head while packing. But sure enough I chose sun dresses over sweaters, and yet the warm sun left about a week ago. This is going to be fun.

Thursday brought up the end of my school week at a very late 12-noon. Its very hard to have a 3 day weekend starting at noon on Thursday. After our long day of classes Sera, Olivia and I decided to finally get some of the books we will be needing for class. Well, trying to find a tiny little book store according to Italian directions -"oh just right down that street (as they point in the direction of 6 intersecting streets ) After much effort, and a few missed turns we found the tiny book store which happened to be right next door to a chinese food + pizza place. Naturally it had to be tried. I have been craving chinese food since May yet its finally satisfied in Italy - something doesnt sound right about that. Nonetheless it was amazing. Thursday night rolled

around before I knew (that has been happening a lot I see...) and a few of us decided to go out after dinner to listen to some live music at a bar called The William near Santa Croce. What I would have assumed would have been a traditional Italian "coffee house" band proceeded to only play American music all night long.

Friday, day 1 of weekend. Although the weekend did mean that we had homework.

Being good students Sera and I decided to spend all day doing work so that we could fully enjoy the rest of the weekend. Pausing only to have lunch and be continually pestered by some of the boldest most annoying pigeons ever, (no seriously I dont like birds, but Italian birds are somehow more bold than others. Maybe its just in the air here...) we plowed through all day.

After dinner, a group of Smithies -

Sera, Victoria, (pictured with me to the left), Chrysanthe, Julie and I - accompanied by a group of Italianites (via conversation class) to a "music festival". Well not many music festivals, at least in the US of A are held in a 16th century fortress with a moat. Then again I could just be going to the wrong ones at home... Anywho. Arriving at this moated fortezza -Fortezza da basso to be exact-, we first waked around outside through the biting cold looking at the stands of food and drinks from around the world. Wandering upstairs (yes its a multi leveled fortezza) to a cultural exposition of different food, drinks, fabric and art ( strangest mix ever). As we got further inside the strong beat of heavy t

echno music seeped its way though the entire building. Following the pull of the music we made our way downstairs to the "festival" aka rave. Cigarette smoke swirled around in the air tinted green and pink with flashing lights, while hundreds of people's heads bobbed and jostled in "time" with the music. Minus the cigs, we all joined up the rest of the crowed and danced until they flipped on the overpowering florescent lights signaling it was time to leave.

(picture of everyone after a long night of dancing and fun times.)

Waking up Saturday morning with no plans I took my time getting ready and decided to finish the last bit of my homework. While finishing the last few sentences, Vieri ( my host little brother) knocked oh my door at least 5 times making sure I was still at home, that I was not going anywhere, and that I was still wanting to and planning on coming to his soccer game that he had invited me to the night before. Overexcited, he sand songs from Mama Mia throughout lunch while taking breaks only to do quickly do some soccer warm- ups. Driving to his game he continued breaking out in song and dancing in his seat. Running ahead once we got there, we called minutes after we finally found a parking spot to inform us that he would not in fact be playing today cause he did not have enough training (so said the coach) to be goalie against this team. Heartbroken for him, knowing the extreme amounts of excitement that proceeded the game, I returned home promising to come to the next one.

That night some of us decided to go out for apparativos across the Arno. After filling up with delicious food, we wandered back to the William to see if we could find some more live music there, but sure enough it was heavy metal night. So we sat for as long as we could, yelling back and forth to each other while 'enjoying' the death screams and guitar screeches.

Bright and early Sunday morning I awoke with a start as my phone was ringing with Sera telling me she would be at my house in 7 minutes for us to catch our train to Perugia for the chocolate festival.

Leaping out of bed, grabbing the first thing in my closet and hoping it matched I ran out the door to meet her as we booked it to the station for our train that would be leaving in 10 minutes.

Meeting up with Julie and Alessio(see awkward picture of people crunched together to 1. fit into a camera small frame and 2. extremely crowed by the rest of humanity) at the station and literally running to leap on the train.Catching our breaths only once seated and on our way. 2 hours later we arrived in Perugia, along with what seemed like the rest of Europe. Smashing ourselves like sardines into a bus that would take us to the city center and to the festival. Never in my life have I seen one type of food in so many different forms and in such a small radius.

The small medieval walled city of Perugia every year is taken over -literally- by everything chocolate. The City itself already known for its chocolate opens up to chocolate makers all over Italy and Europe to sell their sweet treats.

The smell of chocolate literally floats through the air.

On raised platforms sculptures carve out 'frescos' in huge hunks of chocolate that are most likely bigger than I am. Every inch of the city if covered in chocolate and filled with people. At times it was impossible to move do to the swarms of people crowded at one point.

Elbowing pushing and at times just having to stand still in a tight box of people until someone moved we made out way through the city.

However right now the last think I want to see, eat or smell is chocolate for a very long time.