Dove Ammna??

Yesterday for our poetry class, Julia had us go up to the Duomo and write for a while. The assignment was to write a poem on the facade of the building, incorporating something overheard while we were writing (a phrase from a tour guide, perhaps). All was going well as Becky and I sat on a bench looking at the Duomo, and we saw a young man talking to Eli on the steps. After a while, we watched as this man walked over and began talking to Hannah on the other side of the steps. He was talking to her for quite a while and when it was time to leave, I went over to give her her bag and head back to the monastery. As I walked up, this gentleman turns to me, says "nice to meet you!" and gives me a handshake. He then tells me that his name is Francesco, and he would like my facebook and/or messenger information. After a lot of polite rejection and impolite perseverance on his part, we finally managed to leave. Those Italian men sure are persistent.
Well, we forgot about him and went on with our lives. Today, after lunch we had Italian class, and before it got started, Matteo addressed the group with this statement: "this will be your last Italian class." We were a little confused, when he continued, "your Italian is getting a little too good. because now we are getting boys coming to the monastery wanting to see you and hang out with you..."
He goes on to tell a little story about how while we were at lunch today, someone buzzed at the door. Matt answered the intercom and asked if there was a package, and a man answered "yes, I have package for...Ammna." So of course, Matt goes downstairs to open the door. But what he is met with is not a man delivering a package...no no...It is dear Francesco, here to see Ammna, with the blonde hair and the big glasses, "she very smile." Poor Hannah had been a little too friendly while talking to him yesterday and had told him where we lived, so he had come to call on her. BAD DECISION. Matt had to tell him he wasn't allowed to hang out in the monastery and had sent him away.
We didn't realize just how persistent the men here are. Lesson learned.
In other news, classes are going well, as is life in general here. Last night after dinner, Matt played the movie Heima for us on the big screen downstairs (with a superb sound system). If you haven't heard of the film, you should move that to the top of your to-do list. It's a documentary on the band Sigur Ros, and it's beautiful.
I CAN'T WAIT TIL SATURDAY
I will certainly devote a post and several pictures to this on sunday, but this saturday we are going to be harvesting grapes all day. An older couple, friends of the program, own a vineyard nearby and will be harvesting the crops this week and we get to help. We'll pick and eat a ton of grapes, we'll learn how to tell which ones are good and the correct way of harvesting them, we'll work the de-stemming machine, and then clean it, and be served some great Italian food by the couple who runs the vineyard. A true Italian experience...it should be fun.