Today was a very frustrating day. First, I burnt down another macchinetta while being distracted in the bathroom. After skipping a class to keep my residency appointment at the Comune (city hall), I arrived there to find that Gianni was sick, and so the office was closed. My continued search for a cell phone ended up in vain, and it's going slower than expected. I'm startled at the prices, which are almost 3x as expensive than in the U.S. and I'm having a hard time accepting this. And then there's the Italian technical vocabulary that I'm learning before I can feel confident enough to buy anything. It's taking much longer than expected, and in the meantime, I am feeling very isolated without a phone.
After parking my bike outside the post office to pick up a package, I returned to find it blocked by a motorino that was "illegally" parked on the sidewalk. I had to wait 5 hours until the owner returned so that I could release my bike. He wasn't the least bit apologetic. Unfortunately, not only did I accomplish nothing today, but I missed a class, I'm still without a phone, and needless to say, I missed the Giro d'Italia on T.V. today.
I know that this is all a part of the learning process, and I've learned more patience since I moved here in September, than I've learned in my lifetime. I've had much worse days, though, and I take it all with a grain of salt, because I am happy here.
