Be Excellent To Each Other

Buon giorno, our lovely friends and family!
It is currently 1:20 Padova (our) time, so you are all most definitely still asleep. This is our first full day in the city, so we don't have any pictures for you yet... but we are working on it.
At the moment, Katie is supremely jet lagged, but Ari just experienced her first Italian cappuccino and is therefore frightening Katie with her energy level. We are at the Boston University headquarters and are about to purchase our first telefonini (for all you lame English speakers... cellphones).
Family life: Katie has a mommy, daddy, 15 year old sister, Irene, and an 18 year old sister, Alicia. They are sooo loving and happy and wonderful and cook just like I fantasized- I think we're going to make great friends. I have a lovely apartment on the top floor all to my self with bedroom, living room, and bathroom. It's a pretty little fifteen minute walk to school through winding, beautiful, old streets dotted with adorable café's and Padovani on their bikes. I also have a cat and two turtles (the boy turtle wants to get with the lady turtle, but like all good Italian women pursued relentlessly by the men here- she doesn't want it, so they spend the day chasing each other around the yard). All in all, the gelato here is great... and I couldn't be more excited.
Ari has a mamma (Fulvia) a dad (Umberto), and three little brothers! Ages 12 (Ricardo), 10 (Francesco), and 4 (Alessandro). I am dangerously close to falling in love with all three of them, though Alessandro at the moment has the best chance, since he played pirate ships (barche di pirata) with me last night for an hour. We may have communication difficulties, but that is ok for now, because I apparently am good enough at making ship sound effects. The whole family is wonderful, warm, and very excited to have a foreign student (I am the fourth girl they have had, so they pretty much have the drill down). Umberto speaks perfect english, although he doesn't think so, so he wants my help. The rest of the family, like almost all Padovani, speaks only Italian. The food is amazing, and the apartment we live in is at the top floor of a beautiful building that overlooks the red roofs of padova, with their roof gardens. I have a small but beautiful room with a giant window and a great view. I am also extremely caffeinated, so pardon me for being so very verbose! Generally I couldn't be happier.

So right now we are about to go out and explore beautiful Padova. First to the Vodafone shop to reconnect ourselves with the world, and then perhaps to a little pasticceria that Umberto showed Ari, that he says has the best cappuccino in the world. Ari will stay away from the second cappuccino, because she at the moment resembles an overexcited chihuahua. Katie could use a little pick me up, so if this post is riddled with typos... forgive us. Then we will wander, and adventure, and update you all later!

Lots of love from bellissima Italia...