Day 8

Week 2 begins. We are off to rotation on this hot day. We did not have any fruit at home, so it was time to stop in a bar on the way. We saw fresh oranges and got excited. We went in and asked for "two of those" in Italian and pointed to the oranges. His response was that he didn't have a juicer. Did we ask for juice? No. We tried to tell him that we didn't want juice, and what does he pull out? A juicer. Well Cynthia and I then split one little glass of orange juice. Awesome.

Rotation was going smoothly, just working quietly on our project when Maria, the assistant that speaks basically no English comes over to tell us to check our email. Okay? We did, but no messages were there. Looking puzzled and trying to come up with words but can't; she drags us to her computer where she showed us about 12 emails she sent us and asks us why? How do we know?

That problem didn't get resolved, guess its not much of a problem after all.

We had to stay a little late today for a meeting with a lady named Cheryl. A little annoyed, we followed Maria down to this office. The woman didn't look Italian, dress Italian or really speak Italian. Then she said Cynthia's name correctly. Nope, definitely not Italian. She told us she is supposed to talk about rules and regulations but she usually just gives the students survival tips for Palermo. Ummmmm, where were you last week!?! She told us that there is a grocery store close to us, but it is hidden down a staircase with no signs. And how exactly were we supposed to know this without being told?!

She then finished up by telling us of the many different places we should go visit while here on our free weekends. Good thing CC already booked a tour for this Saturday that now doesn't seem worth it. She also told us that she would take us to lunch tmw at the pizzeria across the street from the hospital...there's a pizzeria across the street from the hospital?! The hospital we continued to eat a piece of fruit and some coffee for lunch?! Seriously?! A mtg with Cheryl as we arrived may have been a little bit more beneficial...

We hurry home after what seemed like a horribly long day and pick up some lettuce and a piece of zucchini (to match the other one waiting at home)...to say we have been starving today is an understatement, but neither CC nor I really felt like getting ready to go to dinner tonight... CC ate close to all the fruit we have in the place so it looks like we will be grocery shopping tomorrow.

Oh and we picked up some star fruit when in Mondello beach (or as CC would say "star fish in mandalay bay" lol) and decided we would try it since it is in season. CC, not knowing there are small sharp hairs surrounding the fruit, decided to pick it up completely in her palm.

It didn't take long for her to scream in pain...why does this girl keep having trouble here?! No suitcase, hair dryer blew a fuse on her, and now this?! Well at least she doesn't have bug bites the size of Toronto on her legs and arms like I do. Once we were able to get all the little sharp pieces out of her hand, we settled down and talked for a bit/skyped with our families, who seem concerned that we still have yet to go to the grocery store even though we are now well aware where one exists.

We had a pretty uneventful night in, except for the random squeals coming from CC when she would find a dagger in her hand that she did not remove previously. Oh and for the fact that we are both going to bed starving again.

Ciao!