I feel like everyday we are making more progress towards becoming better adapted to the culture. Last weekend we went shopping and I bought a pair of black boots. All the woman here wear black or brown boots that come up to their knees. We have been trying to do a better job of budgeting. We keep forgetting how horrible the exchange rate is so that makes things a little harder.
We had dinner with our neighbors on Saturday night. That was a lot of fun. They are a very nice family and we are so lucky that they speak English! We had a pesto lasagna for the first course, a breaded beef pattie with salad and bread for the second course and for desert a chocolate cake that tasted like brownie and when we cut into it it oozed out chocolate syrup (it was amazing!!)! Sorry, I hope I don't have you all drooling. After dinner we went out to a couple of pubs with Martina (the family's daughter) and her boyfriend Ricardo. They are such nice people. They gave us a tour of part of the city and they tried to buy all our drinks for us. Anyway, we bought the family flowers the next day because they were so kind to us.
We have been improving our bartering skills. Yesterday we went downtown 
and got an umbrella for two dollars. Brandon was so proud of his purchase. We have been attempting a lot of cooking. Our best result has been Italian macaroni and cheese. It was amazing! I think we are going to make it again later this week. Last night we made chicken vino bianco which turned out fine but didn't taste exactly like the Olive Gardens. Hey at least we are trying. I love olive oil. I never used it until I came here but it is like a substitute for butter and so much healthier for you. We went to a fruit and vegetable market last weekend and got potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, red onion, apples, and parsley for less then three dollars. It was great! All so fresh!
(This is a photo of Cortny, Brandon, and Bruna in the Piazza del Popolo)