On my lonesome...

Sunday:

Flying to a new city, not knowing the language at all and trying to find my apartment for the next two weeks was daunting to say the least - but I was excited to start this Italian adventure I had been dreaming of for years.

After struggling to find the apartment with the taxi driver from the airport, we finally found the apartment that I would be sharing with two ladies; Sophie, a french translator and Patricia, an Italian events co ordinator. The flat was clean and they both seemed nice. That's all that mattered to me. Fortunately, the accommodation was completely organised with the school I would be attending so I didn't have to worry about paying for any hidden extras. 

I decided to have an early night as I had my first day of school the next day at 'Scuola Tricolore' (http://www.scuola-tricolore.it/). After leaving education a few years ago, the thought of learning was exciting, however realising how much I needed to learn scared the shit out of my to be honest! So after a bowl of the Genovese specialty, pesto pasta, I went straight to  bed. 

Monday

School. 9.30 - 1.30.

Bloody overwhelming. 

Hated my first day. 

Almost cried in front of the class.

I left at 1.30 an embarrassed and exhausted wreck wanting to crawl back to bed and hide. 

On the bright side I had the afternoon to explore, eat and sunbathe before the schools organised drinks (aperitivo) in the Porto Antico where the views were incredible and to be honest the drinks did make me relax (surprise surprise, typical me/English drinking for pretty much the whole table).

After introducing myself to the other students (in very bad italian) I was once again ready to burst into tears as I couldn't understand anything else anyone was saying. These other students were also meant to be beginners. Seriously!?!? Surely it would become easier or I would move classes?! 

At the end of the night, I found my way home! The highlight of my day :) I went to bed happy.

Tuesday 

The next day I went to school with an open mind. Surely I was just overwhelmed on my first day. Nope. The teacher was great and trying her hardest to help everyone who was unfortunately at different beginner levels. Some students had already been at school for 3 weeks, whereas I knew absolutely nothing. It was near impossible to make sure everyone understood what was going on and I have now perfected my 'I totally understand face' even though it's a hidden 'I have no bloody idea what your saying and I'm going to pretend to understand face'. On top of this, the class was at its maximum with 15 people. So, it appeared I was starting with the past tense and was still oblivious to the very basics.

Although school was tough, I was meeting the most inspiring and welcoming friends. However, as we all had different home set ups, we didn't spend much time together. Therefore, the majority of my time was spent alone. 

Knowing that my mum would be coming to join me after the two week language course was a relief as I soon realised that not knowing the language was going to be incredibly isolating.

Wednesday 

I woke up to a message from Harry;

He was coming to visit! This was the best  news as I was missing him a ridiculous amount. A meal for one isn't nearly as fun for a meal for two!

After a few more days at school, exploring the town which was breathtakingly beautiful, wandering the narrow streets and tasting pretty much all of the gelato available, I was ready to attend my pre booked cooking course which I was so excited about. But, I got lost and couldn't find it! 35 euros down the drain (or shall I say in someone else's tummy!) On my journey home, I met a girl who seemed to be my age. She asked me in Italian if I knew when the last train was, I explained (well tried too) that I was English and a student. We talked and ended up going the same way home. She was called Simone, was 18 years old and learning English. We exchanged numbers and she became my personal Genovese tour guide - showing me her favourite places to go. For this, I couldn't have been more grateful. One amazing gelataria was : http://profumodirosa.comule.com/. 

I decided to explore some new places by bus and train which I found really easy. I got the 31 bus from Brignole station (http://www.trenitalia.com/) to a little beach called Boccadasse;

I loved the un spoilt look of this place. It wasn't touristy but it was bustling. It was a free beach where you either sunbathed on a pebbles next to the sea or found a rock to sunbathe on. By 3pm I was getting peckish and decided to head to one of the restaurants near my rock called 'Marechiaro' (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187823-d2355266-Reviews-Marechiaro_a_Boccadasse-Genoa_Italian_Riviera_Liguria.html) Here is where I ordered the most deliciously juicy bruschetta I've ever had. 

I'm not sure if it was because I was alone, extremely hot, drinking a cooling beer and had wifi but I hadn't yet tasted anything like it since being in Italy. The garlic and oil had subtly soaked into the fresh toasted bread and the tomatoes tasted slightly salty with a hint of fresh basil... I was in food heaven. I had to come back and I was in love with Boccadasse. 

Harry's flight came into Pisa on the Monday night whilst I was at the drinks organised by school. Unfortunately we hadn't factored in that the train's stop running at 9pm and his flight arrived after this... Shit balls. After trying to find out the easiest and cheapest way to my flat we decided against the £300 taxi and he took the first train at 3.30am. The longest 5 hour wait in the history of the world. His train came in at 6am and after watching 'When Harry Met Sally' and '101 Dalmatians' I was ready to collect him, armed with some crisps, water and chocolate. He could finally rest before we explored the city together!