Non andiamo alla discoteca!!!

This post is to share some of my funny occurrences while here in Italy.  So get ready, don't judge me, and enjoy!

My favorite phrase I have learned on this trip is the above, "Non, andiamo alla discoteca!"  This originates to our first night out in Bologna.  Four of my friends and I went to Via Zamboni (the University district) to meet some Italians some of us had met the night before.  We went to one of the bars, Irish Pub and the people we were meeting were not going to be there until later, so we got a few drinks and went and sat down at a table.  As I am waiting at the bar,  I unfortunately made eye contact with some guy.  Somehow, that was his invitation to come and talk to me.  He did not speak any English and he had a friend that was interested in one of my friends.  They follow us to our table and sat down with us, it was a very safe pub so we were not worried and the rest of our group was coming soon.  We come to find out that they are Tunisian, and their names were Omar and Fabio, what a pair?  Of course they had mastered how to say how beautiful we were and any other compliments.  Then it came to asking us to go to the discoteca (the dance club).  We politely declined and said that we were meeting  some people here later.  Being persistent, they continued asking us to "andiamo discoteca?"  Then this is finally where we had to forcefully decline by, "Non andiamo alla discoteca!"  The Italians of our group finally showed up and got rid of our Tunisian friends for us.  We enjoyed the rest of the night talking to some of the nicest people we have met here.

My next funny experience is what inspired me to write this post.  Recently with all the paperwork and shopping using my debit/credit card I have had to use an ID a lot.  I glanced in my wallet and could not find my driver's license, so I would just use my passport (it is a better ID for overseas anyway).  After thinking about my license, I realized that I must have  left it back home.   So at dinner one night we are talking about purchasing soccer tickets, and how an ID was required.  I mentioned that I wish how I would have packed my license so I did not have to worry about having my passport on me.  My friend Emily asked, "well what did you use to get into the casino in Interlaken?"  I literally dropped my fork and covered my mouth.  The whole table just looks at me and I immediately realized where my license was.  I could picture it sitting there on the counter after checking in, and I never put it back in my wallet.  We immediately all burst into laughter and realized there was nothing I could do about it now.  So, Mom and Dad, if you get my license in the mail and it is post marked from Switzerland, you now know.  I sent an email to customer service of the casino, but I haven't heard back yet.  The sad thing is we didn't even do anything in the casino, we sat at the bar and realized it was the most depressing casino ever.  One Asian woman was winning really big, but she literally just sat in chair with no expression whatsoever.

The infamous casino

This next story did not happen to me personally, but it is definitely a lesson for us all.  One of my friends here was having a rough day, so she went into this random church she saw as walking through Bologna.  She goes in and starts praying and as she gets up to leave, this woman comes up to talk to her.  The woman did not speak much English,so my friend just kept smiling and nodding saying, "Si si si!"  Next thing she knows, she has signed up for a choir!  The woman gave her the directors name and told her what time to be back the next day.  This is a perfect story of how to be careful, with phrases you do know in the language!

I am sure that I will have more funny stories to come, and I can wait to share them.  This Thursday after the art history trip to Florence, Beka and I are going to Venice for the weekend.  We are staying in a hotel right in the heart of the city next to San Marco Basilica.  I have always dreamed of Venice, and when I was younger I said I would live there.  This is my first time there, so I am more than excited.  Who knows, I might find my new home this weekend?  Check for my pictures after this weekend!  My Dolce Vita is is finally being lived out and becoming richer in experience every day.

Ciao!

J