And so it begins

Classes finally started this week! As someone who loves routine, I am excited that the semester has begun. I suspect it will take a couple more weeks before I can accurately analyze the differences between the Italian law classes and my law classes at ASU. For now, I just welcome the return to a familiar structure.

My Classes

International Law

My first class of the semester was International Law. It is my highest credit class and meets 3 times a week. It is…boring. My professor prescribes to old school teaching methods, so we literally just sit there as he lectures with his audio-book-appropriate voice the entire time. Not a single student has yet to say a word in that class. Well, a word relating to International Law anyway. A trend I’ve noticed is that in every one on my classes, the students talk to each other while the professor lectures. In my classes in the United States, that is frowned upon. In fact, it would not be tolerated by the law professors at ASU. So, I was quite taken aback to have constant background conversation while the professor was discussing stuff.

The one thing I do like about my international law class is when my professor tells personal stories. The professor is from Australia and likes to share about his culture. According to him, most students in Australia go to class without shoes on. In fact, when one of his classmates was in Iraq, the professor’s first concern was whether his classmate was wearing shoes. Now, an Australian law exchange student I’ve been hanging out with says that characterization of Australia is inaccurate, but the story was amusing nonetheless. Particularly because my professor feels compelled to use voices and accents when he tells stories.

Apparently, during his university days, my professor traveled around the continent of Africa teaching English and was arrested 5 times. He told us that whenever he was arrested he would ask for the American Embassy because the word “American” carried more weight than “Australian”. He also said that when he was in the Republic of the Congo, his friend and him were thrown out of a moving car and they decided to go to a nearby US Marine base to be safe. In class what he literally said was, “We decided to join the US Marines,” but I’ve decided he must not have meant he was actually going to JOIN the US marines, because that would be crazy.

Anyways, my professor is a character. The class…well…that’s pretty dull so far.

European Intellectual Property

So far we have only done introductions in my European Intellectual Property class. In fact, we went around the room and all 30 of us introduced ourselves. I went first and my professor was aghast to learn I was American. He very apologetically informed me that the class covered European intellectual property and not American intellectual property. Now, I already knew that since I read the course descriptions and titles before I registered for my classes. Understandably, my professor, who is Italian, was not aware that in the United States, law students can take whatever law classes they want, no matter how related to what they will practice, because it isn’t about learning laws but learning how to think like a lawyer. That is quite different to law curriculum in Italy where students are required to memorize all of the important relevant Italian statutes, since Italy does not have common law (law made through court cases instead of by a legislature).

This looks like it will be favorite class so far. My professor is nice and speaks English well.

Legal Issues in Marketing

The subject matter of this class is fascinating to me. We are learning about all the legal issues you need to think about when you market a product. While highly unlikely, I would love to get a job (in Chandler, which makes it unlikely) doing this kind of law. So far we have been discussing trademarks. My professor, while Italian, likes American intellectual property, which is fun for me. About half of his references are American. For example, we discussed whether “covfefe” can be a trademark of a company if it is associated principally with President Trump.

My professor for this class understands PowerPoints better than my other professors; he uses a lot of visuals and does not crowd the slides with words. Unfortunately, he has a thick Italian accent and stands at the back of class, so I can’t see his mouth moving. Thus, I often cannot understand what he is saying. With his visual aids, though, I can figure out some of his pronunciations and infer the rest.

Paths to Internationalization of Criminal Law

This class actually starts tomorrow, so I don’t know what it is like yet. I am tentatively excited for it. The subject matter has huge potential to be stimulating, but my enjoyment of the class will really depend on the teaching choices of the professor.

Language Class is Over

Language Class Final

Having the final for our language class the Saturday after classes started perhaps wasn’t the best idea. By that point, I was so done with the class that I just wanted to get it over with. So, naturally, they dragged it out as long as possible.

First we had a written test which consisted of an audio portion, fill in the blanks, and matching vocab to pictures. It wasn’t too bad. It would have been easier if I had studied as much as I do for other classes. The majority of the test covered article adjectives and conjugating verbs, both of which I find pretty useless. I had a bad headache during the test, so I just quickly got through it. I did take the time to check my answers, so we’ll see if I pass. If I don’t pass, there are literally zero consequences, so it doesn’t really matter either way.

After the written test, we had a two hour break. Why? No idea. Grace (other ASU Law student), Jason (Australian law student), and I hung out and got some food while we waited for the second portion of the test.

The second portion of the test was oral. First the professor asked us some questions in Italian. Some were easy like, “What’s your name?” while others were harder. Grace and I went first so we got the easiest questions. As the time went on, the professor got bored and started asking questions with vocabulary we never learned that required answers using vocabulary we never learned.

After the questions, we would perform skits. Grace and I wrote our skit the night before, so we were pretty well-prepared. Because I am sure anyone reading this is SUPER interested in our skit, here is how it went:

(Waitress is cleaning tables when Customer walks in. Customer is visibly upset.)

Waitress: Buongiorno Signora (Good morning, ma-am)

Customer: (dejectedly) Buongiorno (Good morning.)

Waitress: Cappotto Signora? (Coat, ma-am?)

Customer: Si, si. Il menu per favore? (Yes, yes. The menu please?)

(Waitress gives Customer the menu)

Waitress: Que cosa bevande? (What would you like to drink?)

Customer: Vino biancho. Una bottiglia, per favore. (White Wine. A bottle please)

Waitress: …Sta bene? (…are you okay?)

Customer: No! Mio fidanzatio…non capisco. (No! My fiance…I don’t understand)

Waitress: Cosa non capisci? (What don’t you understand?)

Customer: Mio fidanzato non piacianno capelli castani, apparentemente. (My fiance doesn’t like brown hair, apparently. **Customer has brown hair**)

Waitress: Cerco un altro findanzato. (Find a different fiance)

Customer: Fidanzati non sono i bar. Non sono cento ragazzi in Italia mi piacciano. (Fiances aren’t like bars. **there are a lot of bars in Italy**. There aren’t 100 boys in Italy I like.)

Waitress: Abbiamo cento i dolci che ti piacciano. (We have a 100 desserts you like)

Customer: Non voglio i dolci! Vorrei un fidanzato simpactico. (I don’t want dessert! I want a nice fiance.)

Waitress: Abbiamo il gelato cioccoleto… (We have chocolate gelato…)

Customer: (beat) Okay. Due, per favore. Quanta costa? (Okay. Two, please. How much do they cost?)

Waitress: Gratuito. (Free)

Now, I love acting, so I enjoyed performing our skit (I was the customer). However, then we had to sit for an hour and a half and watch everyone complete their oral exams too. Between each pair’s test, the professor would put notes into her computer which is what took most of the time.

The exam was finally over at 2:00 pm (it started at 9:30 am).

Celebrating the Italian Language Crash Course being over

Jason, Grace, and I decided to go celebrate our class being over by getting gelato and walking around Milan. The closest gelateria to the university happens to be on the path I take to school and back. While super convenient, it was also bad because now I will be tempted to get this delicious gelato after class every week day.

I got three flavors: stawberry, cream, and white chocolate. The strawberry tasted too much like real fruit for me and not enough like a dessert, but the other two flavors were AMAZING. I will definitely be going to this place again this week.

We then decided to go to this old church Jason had seen before and thought was really cool. On our way, we saw a small flea market so we stopped and looked. My two companions didn’t buy anything, which was good, because if they had I would have been tempted to do so as well. I know they have a bunch of flea markets here on Saturday, so I am going to try to go to one of the bigger ones and get some fun stuff sometime.

We then went to the church. The church had an interesting mix of people there: older touristy people, middle aged men singing and playing instruments, “hip” teens hanging out, etc. It was old and pretty and had nice columns.

It was a bit of adventure due to some construction nearby, but we also got to see the back of the church. There was no one hanging out in the back of the church so it felt kind of empty and peaceful.

Later that night, I further celebrated by getting myself a pizza from the pizzeria just next to my apartment. I was surprised to discover that it was my favorite pizza I have had here so far.

Unlike the other pizza I have had here, the cheese was melty! It tasted so good, I got another pizza from them today.

The Oscars

So, the Oscars are not that long from now. The red carpet starts 12:30 am Italy time and the actual show starts at 2:00 am Italy time. But, I love the Oscars, so I am watching it anyway. My whole family (Lydia included, even though she hasn’t seen too many of the movies) are going to watch the Oscars together and talk about via a group phone call. I got a VPN and a Hulu Live Free Trial just for this purpose.

I am not going to go through all the categories, but here are a few of my Oscar predictions and wishlist:

Best Picture

Who I think will win: 1917

1917 was an Oscar movie through and through. One thing 1917 had that the other 8 best picture nominees (although, admittedly, I only saw 7 of the 9) did not, was that almost every single element was incredible. Some of my family members would disagree with that assessment, but they are wrong. ; )

First off, the cinematography in 1917 was amazing (if it doesn’t win best cinematography, I’ll riot). They used this technique so that they recorded the film in 8 minute segments and then pieced it together to feel like it was a single shot. Watching the film, you really felt like you were walking with them. There was also this super cool scene where the protagonist is *spoiler!* a German camp (it is a WWI movie. This is probably not a spoiler…) and it is night, but explosions are going off. The lighting is beautiful during that scene. Once that scene began I was like, if they weren’t already going to win Best Cinematography, this scene would have gotten it for them.

But, in addition to the cinematography, 1917 had impeccable special effects, production design, makeup (lots of dead bodies), costumes, and acting. The only things that were just average were the score and the script. The score and screenplay were great, but not spectacular in my mind. Having said that, 1917 had more speculator elements than any of the other films we watched. Thus, I think it will win Best Picture.

Who I want to win: Marriage Story, Parasite, Jo Jo Rabbit, or 1917

I’m not super picky. I actually liked a lot of them. Marriage Story had an amazing screenplay and acting (That argument scene!), Parasite was unique and compelling, Jo Jo Rabbit was cute, comedic, and moving. Honestly, as long as Joker doesn’t win, I will be okay. (For a long detailed rant about Joker, pm me. Just make sure you have a few hours to spare.)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Who I think will win: Joker

Did Joker have good makeup and hairstyling? Sure. Was it amazing? No. I am biased due to my strong dislike for Joker? Absolutely.

I think Joker will win this category despite not deserving it at all because their use of makeup and hair-styling is obvious and connected to an emotional moment. The audience watches a man with a mental illness (a made-up one, but whatever) transform into someone violent and dangerous. The make-up and hair is part of his transformation. Of course, Joker makeup has been done a million times and isn’t something unique or special, but considering Joker was nominated in the category at all, that doesn’t matter.

Who I want to win: Bombshell

When Gabrielle and I went to see Bombshell, I knew Charlize Theron was in it, but I didn’t know who she played. Much to my surprise, it took a good bit of the movie before I could figure out which character she was. The makeup was that good. Charlize Theron has defined cheekbones. She is usually easy to identify among a crowd of blonde actresses. And yet, somehow, the makeup crew of this movie made her not only look like Megyn Kelly, but not look like herself.

Best Original Song

Who I think will win: “Into the Unknown”

Disney has dominated this category in the last few years, with the exception of last year. (They were not about to win against Lady Gaga’s hit which was not just popular among movie goers, but played on the radio.) They’ve won with “How Far I’ll go”, “Let it Go”, and “Remember Me” (even though the latter really should’ve lost to the epic anthem that is “This is me”).

While I understand why “(I’m gonna) Love Me Again” is a popular contender, I think Disney is still going to pull out a win. Rocketman, which paralleled Bohemian Rhapsody in many ways, did not have nearly as much as success at Bohemian Rhapsody at the box office or among the nominations this year. Nor is the song played much on pop stations. (The music I listen to can best be described as “basic” and record shows that the Academy has similar taste.)

Who I want to win: “Stand Up”

This song has made me cry. Now, is it “Shallow” or “This is Me”? No. Which is why I won’t be made if it loses (when it loses). “Stand Up” is from Harriet, which I have not seen, but the song follows the same storyline. It describes Harriet Tubman’s choice to stand up and do something about the injustice of slavery in the United States. I think “Stand Up” is the most emotionally raw of the 5 contenders which is largely what makes it my favorite. “Into the Unknown” is pretty and “(I’m gunna) Love Me Again” is boppin, but they just don’t have much emotional depth. When I listen to “Stand Up”, I feel moved.

That’s some of my predictions. My family have all guessed the winners for most of the categories (I abstained for the documentaries because I haven’t seen any). It will be fun to see tonight (this morning?) who is right.