The next morning over breakfast Giuseppe's eyes didn't respond to the stimulanting effect of the thick black 'caffe'. Mine always met in the centre of my forehead after the first drop. We were due to report at 9am for the written paper.
 We talked over points of grammar but that just increased the tension; the breakfast coffee of 'casa nostra' is incredibly strong and enough to cause a weakling even such as l to give Husein Bolt a run for his money over the first 20 yards. No one has yet managed two, so the record books need to be kept open. By this time l had started to pour my second cup!
Giuseppe was trying to make out he wasn't worried! As a result l was close to panic....Meredith looked at us with maternal concern....it was clear that she  believed  boys never grow up, and are prone to lose their sense of proportion at the first hurdle.
At the expected time there we all were assembled in a large room with separate desks.....from Australia,USA,Mexico,Poland,England,Switzerland,Holland. Our ages seemed to range from 40 + to 60+
The paper took about 1 hour to complete, and no histrionics evident. Silence reigned supreme, and no one even tried to cheat !! How cool is that !! I remember only too clearly in my exams previously, how the cursing and gnashing of teeth,was as integral as the grunting 'sotto voce' and deep inhaling, as panic was being brought under control...this was a very sophistocated bunch who knew their business.
 For the first 40 minutes l was able to rip right through and feel really please (having  done as much as time allowed since Fiumicino to build a robust perch), but started to wilt at the end.This was a professionally run exam, and whatever the result it would be right for me, BUT any fantasy of being at the top table had gone...it was clear l had a huge amount to learn and was in the right place to do so.
Then the results came out.