A... Good Monday?

I thought good Mondays were supposed to be one of those oxymoron things, that the universe didn't do? Well, either the universe took today off or it chose to show me a bit of kindness today, because I had a surprisingly good day.

Well, okay, it didn't get off to a fantastic start. The thunderstorms continued, and last night/this morning there was a particularly violent one. I mean, I like storms and all, but it is a bit hard to get back to sleep once you've woken up. Still, it was a fair price to pay.

When I got to class, I found that I was able to speak more easily today. It could have just been a fluke, of course, but maybe everything I learned last week is beginning to sink in. Words are coming together more easily- we had a sub in my second class, and when we were introducing ourselves, she was like, "This can't be your first time in Italy. What? No, you speak too well!" It's one thing to hear that from a waiter in a restaurant where all I have to do is order food, but hearing it from a teacher during a proper conversation... that means a little more.

Anyway, in my first class we are reviewing for our level-up test at the end of the week. I'm not sure I fully understand this concept, but it sounds like every two weeks we have the chance to go on to the next level. I don't know how it works or what to expect, but I expect we'll find out more as the week progresses. Also, since it's Monday, we got a new student today from Brazil! We lost three, though, so our class is still small.

There's also a new French guy in my other class! We actually have a net gain of one since we didn't lose anyone at the end of last week. It's fun to have another Romance language person- sometimes we were able to help each other out by giving the French word for the Italian one we were looking for. We also have a substitute teacher this week while our regular teacher is in Paris. I was there once. It's pretty nice.

It was actually really nice this afternoon, but it looks like the storm is back tonight. I do like the cooler weather the storms bring, though, so as far as I'm concerned this is not a bad thing.

Sorry for the similar image, but this one is a sunrise over the mountains.