Well, hello again!
Bad news. I’m sick. Not like stuck-in-bed-can’t-stop-shaking-from-a-fever-and-considering-applying-for-an-organ-donation sick, but my throat is really sore and I have a hoarse voice, and tonight my sinuses feel a bit shut down as well. And I’m kind of achy all over. But I’m pumping the vitamins, thinking about drinking my orange juice, and attempting to sleep a lot. Wooo hoo! And Emily has chewable tablets I can eat tomorrow that made her feel better when her throat felt the same way. It’s comfortable to know I’m not the only one. Or something like that. Anypoo, that’s what’s up right now.
Yesterday I woke up unable to concentrate on anything besides the sheer pain pulsating from my throat. Shortly after that, I went to get pizza. Now, listen, on my very first day in Florence I walked by a purse store near school/my apartment and saw the prettiest purse in all the land. I refrained from naming it, but I said hello to it every time I walked by it, which was multiple times a day. While the prettiest, it’s not the cheapest in all the land, though not outrageously expensive either, but I patiently waited for it to go on sale. Then, yesterday, as I prepare to say “Hello, pretty purse!” I look into the window and—gasps—it’s not there anymore! I don’t know what to do in my state of shock, and Alyssa gives me the brilliant suggestion of going in the store and actually asking about the purse. I know, right? She goes to GWU. They’re smart there. Anyway, I go in, ask, and the woman says that, yes, they had sold that purse and, no, they didn’t have anymore. I left the store a little sadder, a little shorter, and ready for pizza. We ate pizza and it was good. On the way back, OMG, it’s back in the window!! I run into the store (not really, but emphatically walked), ask the woman if she found another one (which of course she had), and she says, “YES! I would’ve called if I had your number to let you know! And I found it in black and blue as well!” “Gasp!” I say. “I’ll see the blue!” Could it be the purse magically reappeared?? AND IN MY COLOR?? I took it as a sign and bought it on the spot. Jazzed from the purse, I went home and ate the rest of my pizza. Sore throat? What sore throat? I had a new purse! That night I went out to dinner with the roomies and some fun girls, Ali and Larissa. We ate yummy salads and cake. Well, Alyssa and I split the cake. The rest had gelato. Came home, read, passed out.
Today: Class seemed particularly long and I was particularly not in the mood to be learning, seeing as all I wanted to do for most of the day was curl up in my bed and watch movies. Luckily I don’t have too much homework, so I can do that pretty soon. After 8 hours of class (3 hours of film, 2 hours of Italian, and 3 hours of photography), all of which I enjoy normally but just slightly less today, Alyssa and I went grocery shopping, smiled at the cute bartender in the wine bar on our way home, and made delicious pasta sauce with a pesto/cheese base. Cooking is fun. Then we watched a couple Gilmores, and here I am! It was a busy day with class and everything, but not uber strenuous, and I’m once again looking forward to passing out. My throat is feeling slightly better since I’ve been drinking water like a maniac all day, but I think I need to find some cough drops tomorrow. Only two class tomorrow (cash money!), so that should be do-able. Plus there’s a Beatles band playing at a club tomorrow. I’ve already informed my roommates that we’re going.
It’s weird to think we’ve already been here two weeks. On the one hand, it’s gone so incredibly fast, and on the other hand, it feels like we’ve already been here a month. I mean, I know my way around the main parts of the city, the deli man says hello to me when I walk by (though we’re not at the point where he knows my particular sandwich yet), and the milk doesn’t taste weird anymore. It’s so incredibly to walk down my street and see a palace where the Medici family lived, as well as the royal family for the 5 years after Italy’s unification, take a left and walk over the only bridge that wasn’t bombed out during the wars. I have a feeling it’s all going to go really fast, just based on how many trips and stuff I have each month. Oh! Oh! On that note!! Elisa and Matt are coming to visit, and I’m 95% sure I’m going to get to go up to Granada over Easter, which will be rraaaaddd. I’m super excited about this!
I should read for a bit. That’s all for now!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
I am exhausted. It’s been a really busy couple of days.
I only had one class Thursday, which was glorious. I could sleep in and then come home right after class. Alyssa and I also went to a little veggie market and bought cheap, delicious green things (like broccoli) and diet Coke. We chilled at home in the evening, watching Friends, cooking pasta, etc. That night Alyssa, Colleen, Keyana, Emily and I went out to 21. Now, the facebook invite said the club opened at 10 and the specials ran until 12, so we arrived a little before 11. Oh, well, the club REALLY opened at 11, so we were the first ones there. Fortunately, we and the twin bartenders got along quite nicely. I would call the evening a success, minus the creepy guy who wouldn’t leave me alone all night. Apparently if a girl is dancing with her friends, it means she’s waiting for a guy come dance with her. Heads up: not so much true. And pulling people’s hands off and shoving them away doesn’t always work either. This is when it is helpful to have guy friends. Other than the Grabby McGees, the night was great and we danced, danced, danced. Then, our lives changed.
In Florence, it’s illegal for restaurants to stay open past 1 AM, but heard about a kabob place that stays open until 5 AM. After 21, Colleen and I are hungry, so we pull Alyssa on our adventure to find said kabobs. Well, we find the place. The lights are off and it looks like nobody’s in there, so we knock on the door. Kabob Man lets us in and makes us the most delicious wrap we’ve ever had, specially made to order, for 4 euro. It was truly our greatest find. We munched all the way home and went back the next night as well. I have a feeling we’ll soon be on a first name basis with Kabob Man.
Friday was a wonderful day of sleeping in, chocolate, books, and non-sketchy Italian men. These were all separate activities. After slowly waking up, my roommates and I went to the Chocolate Festival in Piazza della Santa Croce. There were tons of booths with all the chocolate you can imagine. Colleen and I bought hot chocolates (cioccolatto caldo) that were literally melted chocolate with a little milk. Though they were small cups, neither of our sweet teeth was large enough to handle the richness of the chocolate. I bought a coconut milk chocolate truffle and went on my merry way to exchange a book for school and get store credit for a return. So, check that off the list. The weather was kind of rainy (which is, apparently, typical for January), so Alyssa and I came home, and Colleen joined us soon after. Colleen and I decided to go out and meet two guys she met the night before. Other people were going to meet us, but considering we had to be up early the next day, their decisions to sleep were understandable, and probably the smarter choice. Despite some awkward moments, we girls had a fun night and topped it off with a kabob.
Today we awoke at the butt crack of dawn. I still maintain that if the sun isn’t up, I shouldn’t be either. Mix this with not going to bed until late (at least later than I should’ve gone to bed), and you’ve got a rough morning. I slept on the top floor of the double decker bus pretty much all the way to Siena. Once we got to Siena, I had just gosh darn good time! It was a little rainy, but not bad. We split into two groups, since so many people went on the trip. We went to a cathedral with the finger and head of Saint Catherine, which also had the only picture painted of her when she was alive. We stopped off where Saint Catherine lived, took a walking tour through town, got some coffee, and then did the Duoma of Siena. I had been there before, but it was just as incredible going back. I can’t handle how detailed everything is in this particular duomo. And I really liked the Bernini sculptures. I may or may not have touched one. There’s no way to tell. I spent a lot of time in the library this time around, looking at the old manuscripts and the Donatello sculpture (I’m pretty sure… it’s late at night. I could be confusing them). Afterwards, we were all starving and went to lunch.
The bus ride from Siena to San Gimigniano was a little busted. My food hadn’t quite settled, and we drank a lot of water and coffee at lunch, and the roads were very, very windy. I’m not the only one that got car sick. Once we stopped, Alyssa kindly popped me some meds. Since it was raining something awful in San G, we didn’t spend as much time walking around and went to a café, where I, thankfully, found a Sprite to calm my stomach down further. We all agreed we should come back to San G later in the trip, once the rain stops, because the town is adorable and the views are beautiful, but you couldn’t see any of it when it was raining that hard. When we got back, we got McD’s (I’m pretty sure there’s only 1 in Florence, and it’s right by the bus/train station) and bee-lined for home, soaking wet, sore feet, and hungry. We had had a lot of fun, but were ready to be out of the rain. Then I passed out. Then I wrote this.
Tomorrow should be a relaxing day of reading, homework, and grocery shopping. I’ve checked ahead, and the weather is supposed to clear up next Wednesday through Sunday. Hallelujah!
I’m also trying to figure out how to put up pictures. If they’re not up here, check Facebook.
Pace, tutti!
I only had one class Thursday, which was glorious. I could sleep in and then come home right after class. Alyssa and I also went to a little veggie market and bought cheap, delicious green things (like broccoli) and diet Coke. We chilled at home in the evening, watching Friends, cooking pasta, etc. That night Alyssa, Colleen, Keyana, Emily and I went out to 21. Now, the facebook invite said the club opened at 10 and the specials ran until 12, so we arrived a little before 11. Oh, well, the club REALLY opened at 11, so we were the first ones there. Fortunately, we and the twin bartenders got along quite nicely. I would call the evening a success, minus the creepy guy who wouldn’t leave me alone all night. Apparently if a girl is dancing with her friends, it means she’s waiting for a guy come dance with her. Heads up: not so much true. And pulling people’s hands off and shoving them away doesn’t always work either. This is when it is helpful to have guy friends. Other than the Grabby McGees, the night was great and we danced, danced, danced. Then, our lives changed.
In Florence, it’s illegal for restaurants to stay open past 1 AM, but heard about a kabob place that stays open until 5 AM. After 21, Colleen and I are hungry, so we pull Alyssa on our adventure to find said kabobs. Well, we find the place. The lights are off and it looks like nobody’s in there, so we knock on the door. Kabob Man lets us in and makes us the most delicious wrap we’ve ever had, specially made to order, for 4 euro. It was truly our greatest find. We munched all the way home and went back the next night as well. I have a feeling we’ll soon be on a first name basis with Kabob Man.
Friday was a wonderful day of sleeping in, chocolate, books, and non-sketchy Italian men. These were all separate activities. After slowly waking up, my roommates and I went to the Chocolate Festival in Piazza della Santa Croce. There were tons of booths with all the chocolate you can imagine. Colleen and I bought hot chocolates (cioccolatto caldo) that were literally melted chocolate with a little milk. Though they were small cups, neither of our sweet teeth was large enough to handle the richness of the chocolate. I bought a coconut milk chocolate truffle and went on my merry way to exchange a book for school and get store credit for a return. So, check that off the list. The weather was kind of rainy (which is, apparently, typical for January), so Alyssa and I came home, and Colleen joined us soon after. Colleen and I decided to go out and meet two guys she met the night before. Other people were going to meet us, but considering we had to be up early the next day, their decisions to sleep were understandable, and probably the smarter choice. Despite some awkward moments, we girls had a fun night and topped it off with a kabob.
Today we awoke at the butt crack of dawn. I still maintain that if the sun isn’t up, I shouldn’t be either. Mix this with not going to bed until late (at least later than I should’ve gone to bed), and you’ve got a rough morning. I slept on the top floor of the double decker bus pretty much all the way to Siena. Once we got to Siena, I had just gosh darn good time! It was a little rainy, but not bad. We split into two groups, since so many people went on the trip. We went to a cathedral with the finger and head of Saint Catherine, which also had the only picture painted of her when she was alive. We stopped off where Saint Catherine lived, took a walking tour through town, got some coffee, and then did the Duoma of Siena. I had been there before, but it was just as incredible going back. I can’t handle how detailed everything is in this particular duomo. And I really liked the Bernini sculptures. I may or may not have touched one. There’s no way to tell. I spent a lot of time in the library this time around, looking at the old manuscripts and the Donatello sculpture (I’m pretty sure… it’s late at night. I could be confusing them). Afterwards, we were all starving and went to lunch.
The bus ride from Siena to San Gimigniano was a little busted. My food hadn’t quite settled, and we drank a lot of water and coffee at lunch, and the roads were very, very windy. I’m not the only one that got car sick. Once we stopped, Alyssa kindly popped me some meds. Since it was raining something awful in San G, we didn’t spend as much time walking around and went to a café, where I, thankfully, found a Sprite to calm my stomach down further. We all agreed we should come back to San G later in the trip, once the rain stops, because the town is adorable and the views are beautiful, but you couldn’t see any of it when it was raining that hard. When we got back, we got McD’s (I’m pretty sure there’s only 1 in Florence, and it’s right by the bus/train station) and bee-lined for home, soaking wet, sore feet, and hungry. We had had a lot of fun, but were ready to be out of the rain. Then I passed out. Then I wrote this.
Tomorrow should be a relaxing day of reading, homework, and grocery shopping. I’ve checked ahead, and the weather is supposed to clear up next Wednesday through Sunday. Hallelujah!
I’m also trying to figure out how to put up pictures. If they’re not up here, check Facebook.
Pace, tutti!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Well, the weather kind of blew yesterday again. Periodic spitting rain.
I had my first Italian Medieval and Renaissance Art class yesterday morning. It’s going to be wonderful. We did the typical first day syllabus thing and the introduction to the class thing, then went on a walk around the city learning about the origins for Florence. I’m pretty sure our professor knows just about everything, and he has a great talking voice so he’s not boring to listen too. We started in the ancient Roman forum, which is the modern day Piazza dei Rupubblica and wandered around the center of town, ending in the Piazza della Signoria. Rocky (our professor) covered from 700 BC up through the political “calm” in the 1380’s, which is when they put all the statues up the square (since they weren’t super concerned about them getting destroyed daily anymore). Anyway, it was a great first class. The tests will be hard, but they won’t factor into my GPA anyway so… NBD. Afterward was Italian, and I’m confident that it’s getting better. Alyssa and I meandered around town afterward. We found a cheap shoe store, and I bought cheap cute flats for my currently mangled feet, as well as slippers with flowers on them. Both necessities, if you ask me. Then we checked out the 99 Cent store, where I got all my folders, notebooks, and toilet paper. Yeah, they sold toilet paper for $0.99, and its way softer than the $1.30 toilet paper at the super market. I know you’re all very concerned about Italian toilet paper, and I’m sure you’re just excited about this find as I was. They also had Rasta candles, if you’re interested. Alyssa and I finally got to FlorenceForFun to buy soccer/football tickets, but we didn’t have cash, which you need to buy the tickets, so… we left.
Today I evidently had a big “GIVE ME FLYERS” sign on my face, because I had a billion shoved in my face. Two of them were for the same free sushi, to which I wanted to ask, “What’s wrong with the sushi that you’re giving it away for free?” Free raw fish? Eeeeee, I’ll pass, thanks. During my first Modern Italian Literature class, we went to the library in central Florence (which is right next to the hospital… which is good to know…). The building dates back to around Dante’s time, and used to be a nunnery. In fact, Dante’s wife’s father owned the hospital (or something like that. Professoressa’s voice echoed and was periodically hard to hear). Anyway, you can get a library card for free, 3 hours a free wireless a day, and check out books, music, and movies. Pretty rad, right? Plus, there are no tourists there. It’s all Italian students, which is a bonus for me when studying. If I’m going to study around people, they should be studious. (“It’s repetitive.” “And redundant.” “It’s repetitive.” “And redundant.”) I didn’t have my passport, so I couldn’t get a card, but it’s a nice walk from the apartment and near the Duomo, so I’m sure I’ll be back there soon. Italian, once again, was pretty good. We’re doing review, so I feel the tenses coming back into my brain. You know, like they do.
Colleen and I meandered around town today. We went back to FlorenceForFun, booked the soccer/football tickets, and tickets for a day trip to Carnival in Venice. We inquired about spring break, but they need 30 people to go on the trip to make it happen, and since nobody has spring break at the same time as us, it’s a question mark as the whether the trip to Greece will actually happen. We decided that either way, we’re going to Greece, either via FlorenceForFun cruise or… you know… not. What’s nice about the FlorenceForFun trip is that everything is planned, so you don’t have to worry about finding places to go and stay and getting admissions. We’ll see. We also found a hair straightener and ate street waffles and I got 4 kiwis and 2 bottles of milk. It was a big day.
Now I’m back at the apartment and my feet hurt. It’s been a wonderful couple of days. You may be thinking “Allie, you sure do like to meander around Florence a lot.” And I would say, “Well, yes, it’s just about my favorite thing to do in Florence with free day time.” Took a power nap earlier, organized my new class books (though I need to return two. One we already have in the apartment, and the other has a page ripped out, which shouldn’t happen for the million euro I paid for the books), and made risotto. And I fully intend on skyping tonight. I’m quite a happy camper.
I had my first Italian Medieval and Renaissance Art class yesterday morning. It’s going to be wonderful. We did the typical first day syllabus thing and the introduction to the class thing, then went on a walk around the city learning about the origins for Florence. I’m pretty sure our professor knows just about everything, and he has a great talking voice so he’s not boring to listen too. We started in the ancient Roman forum, which is the modern day Piazza dei Rupubblica and wandered around the center of town, ending in the Piazza della Signoria. Rocky (our professor) covered from 700 BC up through the political “calm” in the 1380’s, which is when they put all the statues up the square (since they weren’t super concerned about them getting destroyed daily anymore). Anyway, it was a great first class. The tests will be hard, but they won’t factor into my GPA anyway so… NBD. Afterward was Italian, and I’m confident that it’s getting better. Alyssa and I meandered around town afterward. We found a cheap shoe store, and I bought cheap cute flats for my currently mangled feet, as well as slippers with flowers on them. Both necessities, if you ask me. Then we checked out the 99 Cent store, where I got all my folders, notebooks, and toilet paper. Yeah, they sold toilet paper for $0.99, and its way softer than the $1.30 toilet paper at the super market. I know you’re all very concerned about Italian toilet paper, and I’m sure you’re just excited about this find as I was. They also had Rasta candles, if you’re interested. Alyssa and I finally got to FlorenceForFun to buy soccer/football tickets, but we didn’t have cash, which you need to buy the tickets, so… we left.
Today I evidently had a big “GIVE ME FLYERS” sign on my face, because I had a billion shoved in my face. Two of them were for the same free sushi, to which I wanted to ask, “What’s wrong with the sushi that you’re giving it away for free?” Free raw fish? Eeeeee, I’ll pass, thanks. During my first Modern Italian Literature class, we went to the library in central Florence (which is right next to the hospital… which is good to know…). The building dates back to around Dante’s time, and used to be a nunnery. In fact, Dante’s wife’s father owned the hospital (or something like that. Professoressa’s voice echoed and was periodically hard to hear). Anyway, you can get a library card for free, 3 hours a free wireless a day, and check out books, music, and movies. Pretty rad, right? Plus, there are no tourists there. It’s all Italian students, which is a bonus for me when studying. If I’m going to study around people, they should be studious. (“It’s repetitive.” “And redundant.” “It’s repetitive.” “And redundant.”) I didn’t have my passport, so I couldn’t get a card, but it’s a nice walk from the apartment and near the Duomo, so I’m sure I’ll be back there soon. Italian, once again, was pretty good. We’re doing review, so I feel the tenses coming back into my brain. You know, like they do.
Colleen and I meandered around town today. We went back to FlorenceForFun, booked the soccer/football tickets, and tickets for a day trip to Carnival in Venice. We inquired about spring break, but they need 30 people to go on the trip to make it happen, and since nobody has spring break at the same time as us, it’s a question mark as the whether the trip to Greece will actually happen. We decided that either way, we’re going to Greece, either via FlorenceForFun cruise or… you know… not. What’s nice about the FlorenceForFun trip is that everything is planned, so you don’t have to worry about finding places to go and stay and getting admissions. We’ll see. We also found a hair straightener and ate street waffles and I got 4 kiwis and 2 bottles of milk. It was a big day.
Now I’m back at the apartment and my feet hurt. It’s been a wonderful couple of days. You may be thinking “Allie, you sure do like to meander around Florence a lot.” And I would say, “Well, yes, it’s just about my favorite thing to do in Florence with free day time.” Took a power nap earlier, organized my new class books (though I need to return two. One we already have in the apartment, and the other has a page ripped out, which shouldn’t happen for the million euro I paid for the books), and made risotto. And I fully intend on skyping tonight. I’m quite a happy camper.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Buona Sera!
Today was molto freddo! Rainy and kinda blah. BUT, I got to go to two new classes today. First, (not so) bright and early was Italian Cinema. The schedule looks really good, and we’re going to cover Italian film from silent movies to modern day. I’m really excited about the neo-realism section, since I like neo-realism films in general, and the few old Italian films I’ve seen have been from this era or slightly after. Since it was cloudy out today, the room was all dark and warm, and the music from the silent movie clips tempted me to the brink of sleep, but once the lecture started I was alert. Note to self: get coffee before class. After Italian Cinema was Italian class. I’m 90% sure I’m in the wrong level now. Our teacher speaks REALLY fast, completely in Italian, and doesn’t stop for us to write stuff down. By the time I’ve written down what was on the board and figured out what it says, there are 12 other things to write down and we’re on a different subject. Hmmm. I left a little crabby-pants, but Photographing Florence cheered me up. Our teacher is super sassy, which I love, and it sounds like it’s going to be a relaxing yet fun class. Plus, on the way back, Alyssa and I bought a delicious cannolli and éclair from a bakery with a cute older Italian working the floor. We split them and they were DeFinest Luxury. Probably only 2 people in the world will understand that reference, but that’s ok. Since then, I finished my book, did my Italian homework, made delicious chicken with zucchini and mozzarella for dinner, and started a new book. On there’s rainy days it’s quite unpleasant to walk about in the cold rain, and it was really nice to chill and read. I just finished yet another Janet Evanovich book (they’re just too funny and awkward) and started Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. I know the narrator is 9, but the first association I made was to Holden Caulfield. Maybe it’s just the writing style. Anyway, I think we’re going to watch another movie since Colleen and I have early class tomorrow. Tomorrow I’m planning on walking around a bit after class, making my way to Paperback Exchange perhaps, and enjoying the city. That is, if the weather is nice. Knock on wood!
Ciao Ciao!
Today was molto freddo! Rainy and kinda blah. BUT, I got to go to two new classes today. First, (not so) bright and early was Italian Cinema. The schedule looks really good, and we’re going to cover Italian film from silent movies to modern day. I’m really excited about the neo-realism section, since I like neo-realism films in general, and the few old Italian films I’ve seen have been from this era or slightly after. Since it was cloudy out today, the room was all dark and warm, and the music from the silent movie clips tempted me to the brink of sleep, but once the lecture started I was alert. Note to self: get coffee before class. After Italian Cinema was Italian class. I’m 90% sure I’m in the wrong level now. Our teacher speaks REALLY fast, completely in Italian, and doesn’t stop for us to write stuff down. By the time I’ve written down what was on the board and figured out what it says, there are 12 other things to write down and we’re on a different subject. Hmmm. I left a little crabby-pants, but Photographing Florence cheered me up. Our teacher is super sassy, which I love, and it sounds like it’s going to be a relaxing yet fun class. Plus, on the way back, Alyssa and I bought a delicious cannolli and éclair from a bakery with a cute older Italian working the floor. We split them and they were DeFinest Luxury. Probably only 2 people in the world will understand that reference, but that’s ok. Since then, I finished my book, did my Italian homework, made delicious chicken with zucchini and mozzarella for dinner, and started a new book. On there’s rainy days it’s quite unpleasant to walk about in the cold rain, and it was really nice to chill and read. I just finished yet another Janet Evanovich book (they’re just too funny and awkward) and started Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. I know the narrator is 9, but the first association I made was to Holden Caulfield. Maybe it’s just the writing style. Anyway, I think we’re going to watch another movie since Colleen and I have early class tomorrow. Tomorrow I’m planning on walking around a bit after class, making my way to Paperback Exchange perhaps, and enjoying the city. That is, if the weather is nice. Knock on wood!
Ciao Ciao!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
First Sunday in Italy
Ciao Tutti!
I arrived in Italy late late Monday night. The trip over wasn’t too bad, minus the fact that NWA lost one of my bags. Upon arrival in Detroit, my plane decided to sit on the ground for an hour before pulling into the gate. As a result, I had to run across the airport to make my flight to Paris, and my bag didn’t quite make it on board. Luckily, the bag I did get had some underwear in it. And my heart felt a new joy a few days later when my bag showed up at school.
We’ve only had one day of classes, and one of my classes was cancelled that day, so I’ve had… one class. I got put into intermediate Italian, which is quite possibly a huge mistake. There are three girls in our class who speak pretty fluently, and the rest of us get confused. A lot. Tomorrow I’ll have Italian Cinema, Italian, and Photographing Florence. I’m currently signed up for one-too-many classes. Hopefully one will scream “drop me!” by the end of the week. Each class only meets once a week, but for three hours. Luckily, I have no classes on Friday, which is molto bene for travelling, etc.
I’m living with Alyssa from GW and Colleen from Purdue, and our apartment is cosy. It’s small, but we decorated today, so it feels much more home-y. We’re starting to find out way around the city. I’d say I can make my way around at least the main streets of the city centre. Our apartment is also in a great location. It’s literally around the corner from school, which is super convenient. It is a 5-10 minute walk from the Piazza dei Republica, and right near the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. I, at least, really love the location. It’s pretty quiet at night, but busy during the day, and everything we need is within our neighborhood. The past two days have been really relaxing, probably due to the fact that we were running all week long. Quick recap:
Monday: flying flying flying. Sitting sitting sitting in the airport. Driving driving driving to the apartment.
Tuesday: Tours of Accademia Italiana. The school is mostly Italian and international students, which is pretty rad. They fed us, gave us a placement exam for Italian, then we went on tours of the city in small groups. That night, some of us went out to dinner at a restaurant on the river, got gelato, and sketched around town a bit.
Wednesday: All the Arcadia program students got the typical orientation talk. We also learned about this permit to stay thing we had to have, and it turned out we had to run all over to buy stuff for it and make copies of 95 different things. And all of us had to use the same copier within 2 hours. It was intense. After that got done, though, we went on a bus tour of some more of the city, driving up into the surrounding hill towns. We ate at a delicious restaurant called Enotecha La Sosta del Rossellino, which had the best gnocchi IN THE WORLD. He makes it from just potatoes, and nothing else.
Thursday: Got into school at 8:30 for the permit to stay stuff, then walked across town to find the internet store. Once that mission was accomplished, I made my way back to school for Italian. After, I dashed to the other building for Mixed Media, but it was cancelled. So, I walked back along the river… and got followed most of the way back. Usually people during the day just stare at you, and it’s only at night when they’ll actively call you and follow you. Fortunately my evil stare sent them away. Yes, I have an evil stare. That night we went to a club called Twice, where I got 20 euro stolen out of my coat pocket. I took it out to buy something, but we got distracted talking to people, so I discreetly slipped it into my coat pocket. Evidently someone was watching, because when I went to grab it the 20 euro was no more. My shoes also killed my feet, but they’re currently recovering. It was a sad day feet-and-money-wise, but still a fun night.
Friday: Slept in. Went shopping with Colleen and Morgan during the day, FINALLY finding a curling iron. I found it at a phone store. Sure, it would be easiest for them to be at a cosmetics store or a pharmacy, but when you find a curling iron at a phone store, you feel like you’ve really earned it. That night, 12 of us went to a place called Yab. For girls, the dinner, a bottle of wine and a bottle for water for ever 4 people cost 1 euro. For guys, it cost 25 euro. Sometimes it pays to be a girl. The whole night only cost 4 euro for me. Beautiful.
Saturday: Slept in. The apartment was quiet when I woke up, so I assumed Colleen and Alyssa had woken up during AM hours and were off gallivanting. False. They emerged around 3:30. We played the lazy game yesterday, watching Friends, getting settled in, and Skyping to lovely people back home.
Sunday: Slept in. Went grocery shopping. I decided our kitchen/living area needed to be a bit more home-y, so I started decorating. Mid-decorating, I open a drawer to put something away and discover bliss. In the drawer is 2 whisks, strainers, many kitchen utensils, bottle openers, and (drum roll please) a wine bottle opener. Now, we have been looking for a wine opener since we got here, because we had a bottle of Italian wine bought (by Colleen) and ready to inaugurate our trip. What commenced was a classic struggle between (wo)man and inanimate object. Days earlier, people at tried, to no avail, to open the bottle with a fork, knife, and brute strength. This made getting the cork out with a regular opener mighty difficult. In the end, we had Colleen standing against the wall holding the bottle, me sitting on the floor, legs on the wall on either side of her, pulling with all my might, and Alyssa taking pictures. Eventually, (wo)man won. Sorry, inanimate object. I’m sure we’ll battle again another day.
Now I must sleep, because I have to awaken at 7:30 AM. It’s almost like being in high school again. Only way better, because I’m in Italy and not in high school.
Ciao ciao!
I arrived in Italy late late Monday night. The trip over wasn’t too bad, minus the fact that NWA lost one of my bags. Upon arrival in Detroit, my plane decided to sit on the ground for an hour before pulling into the gate. As a result, I had to run across the airport to make my flight to Paris, and my bag didn’t quite make it on board. Luckily, the bag I did get had some underwear in it. And my heart felt a new joy a few days later when my bag showed up at school.
We’ve only had one day of classes, and one of my classes was cancelled that day, so I’ve had… one class. I got put into intermediate Italian, which is quite possibly a huge mistake. There are three girls in our class who speak pretty fluently, and the rest of us get confused. A lot. Tomorrow I’ll have Italian Cinema, Italian, and Photographing Florence. I’m currently signed up for one-too-many classes. Hopefully one will scream “drop me!” by the end of the week. Each class only meets once a week, but for three hours. Luckily, I have no classes on Friday, which is molto bene for travelling, etc.
I’m living with Alyssa from GW and Colleen from Purdue, and our apartment is cosy. It’s small, but we decorated today, so it feels much more home-y. We’re starting to find out way around the city. I’d say I can make my way around at least the main streets of the city centre. Our apartment is also in a great location. It’s literally around the corner from school, which is super convenient. It is a 5-10 minute walk from the Piazza dei Republica, and right near the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. I, at least, really love the location. It’s pretty quiet at night, but busy during the day, and everything we need is within our neighborhood. The past two days have been really relaxing, probably due to the fact that we were running all week long. Quick recap:
Monday: flying flying flying. Sitting sitting sitting in the airport. Driving driving driving to the apartment.
Tuesday: Tours of Accademia Italiana. The school is mostly Italian and international students, which is pretty rad. They fed us, gave us a placement exam for Italian, then we went on tours of the city in small groups. That night, some of us went out to dinner at a restaurant on the river, got gelato, and sketched around town a bit.
Wednesday: All the Arcadia program students got the typical orientation talk. We also learned about this permit to stay thing we had to have, and it turned out we had to run all over to buy stuff for it and make copies of 95 different things. And all of us had to use the same copier within 2 hours. It was intense. After that got done, though, we went on a bus tour of some more of the city, driving up into the surrounding hill towns. We ate at a delicious restaurant called Enotecha La Sosta del Rossellino, which had the best gnocchi IN THE WORLD. He makes it from just potatoes, and nothing else.
Thursday: Got into school at 8:30 for the permit to stay stuff, then walked across town to find the internet store. Once that mission was accomplished, I made my way back to school for Italian. After, I dashed to the other building for Mixed Media, but it was cancelled. So, I walked back along the river… and got followed most of the way back. Usually people during the day just stare at you, and it’s only at night when they’ll actively call you and follow you. Fortunately my evil stare sent them away. Yes, I have an evil stare. That night we went to a club called Twice, where I got 20 euro stolen out of my coat pocket. I took it out to buy something, but we got distracted talking to people, so I discreetly slipped it into my coat pocket. Evidently someone was watching, because when I went to grab it the 20 euro was no more. My shoes also killed my feet, but they’re currently recovering. It was a sad day feet-and-money-wise, but still a fun night.
Friday: Slept in. Went shopping with Colleen and Morgan during the day, FINALLY finding a curling iron. I found it at a phone store. Sure, it would be easiest for them to be at a cosmetics store or a pharmacy, but when you find a curling iron at a phone store, you feel like you’ve really earned it. That night, 12 of us went to a place called Yab. For girls, the dinner, a bottle of wine and a bottle for water for ever 4 people cost 1 euro. For guys, it cost 25 euro. Sometimes it pays to be a girl. The whole night only cost 4 euro for me. Beautiful.
Saturday: Slept in. The apartment was quiet when I woke up, so I assumed Colleen and Alyssa had woken up during AM hours and were off gallivanting. False. They emerged around 3:30. We played the lazy game yesterday, watching Friends, getting settled in, and Skyping to lovely people back home.
Sunday: Slept in. Went grocery shopping. I decided our kitchen/living area needed to be a bit more home-y, so I started decorating. Mid-decorating, I open a drawer to put something away and discover bliss. In the drawer is 2 whisks, strainers, many kitchen utensils, bottle openers, and (drum roll please) a wine bottle opener. Now, we have been looking for a wine opener since we got here, because we had a bottle of Italian wine bought (by Colleen) and ready to inaugurate our trip. What commenced was a classic struggle between (wo)man and inanimate object. Days earlier, people at tried, to no avail, to open the bottle with a fork, knife, and brute strength. This made getting the cork out with a regular opener mighty difficult. In the end, we had Colleen standing against the wall holding the bottle, me sitting on the floor, legs on the wall on either side of her, pulling with all my might, and Alyssa taking pictures. Eventually, (wo)man won. Sorry, inanimate object. I’m sure we’ll battle again another day.
Now I must sleep, because I have to awaken at 7:30 AM. It’s almost like being in high school again. Only way better, because I’m in Italy and not in high school.
Ciao ciao!
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