Day 26: Relaxation

September 27th
I awoke this morning at 9:30, which is really late for me, and made some eggs. After I took my time getting ready for the day, I spent the morning leisurely reading. Around noon, Carissa, Annie and I prepared lunch. We went to the grocery store yesterday and got bread, cheese, tomatoes, wine and fruit. The three of us, along with Christine and John, had a picnic in a park down the street overlooking the countryside below. Apart from the bees (John's allergic) it was a very pleasant picnic. One thing to mention about eating here is the amount of olive oil we consume is just ridiculous. I'm not entirely sure if it's healthy or not...but it sure tastes good. Anyway, after we enjoyed our delicious food and wonderful conversation, we moseyed on back to the monastery and began an afternoon of Mao: the most ridiculous card game to ever be played. After a few hours of yelling "thank you, you beautiful man," naming beatles, jumping for jacks and making up lies about our personal history...we had laughed so much our throats hurt. For any who haven't played that game before...put it on the top of your to-do list. It's a lot of fun.
A little over half our group was gone this weekend. Since we had no homework, it was a good opportunity to travel. Some of them are back now, others will trickle in at various times this evening. But all will be welcomed tonight by a wonderful rarity here in Italy: chocolate chip cookies. Christine, with the help of a few students, took it upon herself to provide delicious baked goods for us--for which we are eternally grateful.
Tomorrow morning begins poetry. Although we're all a little sad the weekend is over, the prospect of a month of a new subject is exciting. Hopefully it'll live up to expectations