Home for the Next Two Months

Hello... or should I say, "Ciao!" from Italy!

Already I have more to write about than I can possibly finish stasera (tonight), but I figured it would be better to split everything into shorter, more frequent posts.  This means that if you're reading this, make sure to check back here domani (tomorrow), or at the latest dopodomani (the day after tomorrow).

Anyway, this post may be a little dull, but I feel like it's obligatory for me to write about where I'm living.  Don't worry, future posts will be filled with gorgeous detail about Italy, Italian food, Italian culture, and... wait for it... work!

Two other MIT students (Fernando and Kristen) and I are living in Torino (Turin), which is situated in the northwest of Italy.

As you can see, it's right by the Alps, which is why it was a good spot for the 2006 Winter Olympics.  There are many great places to visit that are close to here, and the train system is pretty easy to use and reasonably priced, so I hope to have some nice weekend trips over the course of my stay here.

We are working at the Politecnico di Torino (also known as Polito), which along with the Politecnico di Milano (Polimi), are pretty much Italy's versions of MIT.  Appropriately, we are living in a Polito dorm that is usually for foreign students, though it seems that it has been mostly rented out to Italians for the summer.

The dorm is pretty run down, but it'll do... they provide sheets and towels and change them every week, so you definitely can't complain about that.  The room's no palace, but it's cozy enough.

Hey Fernando, you left the window wide open!  There's no A/C or ventilation of any sort here... fortunately the weather is rather mild.  We'll probably need to get a fan before August comes though.

Our room is on the terzo piano (3rd floor), which in America would be the 4th floor.  In many countries, what we call the 1st floor is called the ground floor.

Many of the streets look quite like this - quaint but elegant.  There are shops, restaurants, bars, etc. on the ground level, and residences above.  I think it's really convenient to have this layout... I can find everything I need without having to leave the street!  I think some areas of New York have this kind of layout, but I don't think I really saw any of this in Boston.

Anyway, stay tuned for another update - hopefully tomorrow.  A presto!