Finally, Monday for Monday: A Day in Riva

I have written about the weekend now, so read below if you're interested. :)

Zip snip: Today was class and catching up on personal tasks like emailing and writing people. Also, Justin and I are serving this week for meals, meaning we set up the tables for lunch and dinner. It was interesting the first time because people came early, but we were ready the second time and it went more smoothly.

Tonight's feature: Setting up for lunch and dinner. We don't set up for breakfast. The dining room at Riva has three long tables and black chairs on either side and one on each end. The tables are covered in white tablecloths, which they change about every three days and thus have foodstains on them in the meantime. It's hard to keep food off the table. For both meals, we put out plates, forks, knives, and glasses. For dinner, we also put out wide, shallow soup bowls and soup spoons. At each meal the servers also put out pitchers with ice water at each table, and baskets of bread slices, which we cut. We also get out bowls of butter pats and salt and pepper. I didn't know all this at first. I wondered who did all that! For the salad course (at lunch) and the soup course (at dinner), we don't do anything, but then when those courses are over, we get the dishes with the main course from the kitchen and put them on the tables and then help clear up after meals. It's kind of fun, actually-- I miss doing that kind of thing at home, believe it or not.

Today was English. Not everyone had made it back from Paris yet (they had train difficulties), so we only had the first part of class and the second part was cancelled. I worked on stuff and then we set up for lunch and everybody ate together today (not in shifts) because the architects are on a trip. Then I read over my notes, preparing for my paper due tomorrow, before Italian. Italian was also abbreviated today because the teacher had another engagement later. Then I worked on writing some people and ran to the post office before setting up for dinner, eating dinner, and now coming up to finish my writing business. Today was alright. I kind of like the setting up, because it breaks of the monotony of a day in Riva. I could get out and do stuff, but there's always stuff I feel I ought to be doing, and it's a little cold, so I just stay inside all the time, seems like. Tomorrow I will be working on my paper, since it isn't getting done tonight. Goodnight, everyone.

posted by LizC @ 2/21/2005 02:11:00 PM