Imparare italiano.

Today was my first Italian class. Everyone (about 100 students from all over Europe) had to take a language test yesterday, the test results were taken in order to put us in groups of similar language competence. There are 6 levels, 6 being the highest, and they put me into level 4. When I saw that today, I thought it was a sad joke... I only took one Italian language course before coming here, and that was a really crappy class at Uni Bonn (listening only, no speaking, no pronounciation exercises...) which I took in April-August 2008. I understand a lot in Italian (partially because I speak three other languages and some expressions are similar), but I cannot express myself at all. All the other people in my class have taken Italian classes for 2 years or more, or have already stayed in Italy for a couple of months and they are all fluent. I am not anywhere close to fluent.
I told the teacher, but just she said that I did too well on the test to be put in a lower class. Well, screw the test...
Oh well. It is probably good for me to be challenged this way, but it also means a lot of work.
There's one lecture every day from 9-13, and in the afternoon there's either extracurricular activities (guided tours of Siena and surroundings), special language proficiency courses (I take part in medical Italian), or a culture class.
It's all very exciting and interesting, but also quite demanding and... intensive. After four hours of listening to an Italian native speaker and having to speak and think myself, my head aches. But I have the feeling that I get better and better every day.

Italians don't realize that there are so many Italians in Germany. All the time my flatmate asks me if we have pasta in Germany, if I have ever eaten pizza, if I know pesto... he was very surprised when I told him that we have several italian gelaterie and ristorante in Bonn.

I am sooo tired. Good night.