Roma

Last weekend I went on a field trip to Rome and it stole a little piece of my heart. Rome is a beautiful city with the perfect mix of ancient buildings, history, and modern structures. We started our day at the Colosseum and then proceeded to see Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. We then split up for the day and I went to the Trevi Fountain with a few lucky coins and tossed them in with a few wishes. If wishes come true, this is the place to come to with your most valued ones. Dad, I wished for a pony, so you might want to start getting the backyard ready. Only kidding, I figured I would bring home the baby chicks I found in Lucca instead since they are less likely to eat the trees.

The next day we saw the Pantheon, Piazza della Pietra, Piazza Colonna, Mausoleum of Augustus, and Ara Pacis. We then began to walk to the train station earlier than we had planned since the buses we had planned to take were shut down for the “Occupy Wall Street” demonstration. Luckily, we were able to get on a shuttle that brought us directly into the train station. Since we had a few hours to kill, a few of us went outside to watch the demonstration. While we were there everything seemed peaceful, inspirational, and very powerful. We didn’t hear about the beginning of the riots until we had arrived back in Florence. However, I recently learned that the smoke we saw during the demonstration was not only from the flares but also from the beginning of the riot. Apparently we were close enough to where it had started, but didn’t realize what we were seeing. From what I saw it wasn’t crazy, but I was only there for about an hour and am not a reliable source for what happened during the demonstration. I don’t want to make it sounds any worse or more peaceful than it was. However, I can say with confidence that the people who participated were very passionate and inspired to change their country. I hope the best for them and all the counties that participated in this worldwide movement.

Overall, it was a successful trip. Too short, as always…but I’ll be back. 

A park in the back of Boboli Gardens... a great place to do nothing.

Video of Street Performer

A few things I have learned about Florence

(I would say Italy, but I have not traveled far enough to give an accurate description)…

1. It is customary for the customer to acknowledge their presence upon entering and leaving a store. A simple “Ciao” or more formal “Buongiorno/Sera” is acceptable, but it is rude not to say anything to the employees in the store.  

2. It is against the law to be loud after 10pm. Italians are very respectful of this law…the American college students, not so much.

3. American college students have a pretty bad reputation for getting drunk in public and acting like idiots.

4. The favorite sport in Italy is surprisingly not soccer. It is women. Every female has “the softest hair I have ever seen…the most beautiful smile…the prettiest eyes…the most blah blah blah bullshit.” It is a game Italian men play to get women to notice them. Technically it is a game everyone all over the world plays, male and female, but the Italian men have glorified this game. Although, I have heard it is getting better because the younger generations are disgusted by their fathers for behaving this way and choose not to repeat the same behavior. (It really isn’t that bad being called “Bella” a few times a day.)

5. Everyone has a dog. Florentines are always walking their dogs and letting them pee in the middle of the sidewalk. When you see a wet spot on the sidewalk you know exactly what it is, and know to avoid stepping in it.

6. Everyone smokes cigarettes. This I am pretty sure is an Italian thing.

7. Italians really do talk with their hands. I love watching Italians in the middle of an intense conversation, their hands are everywhere.

Food blog

http://florentinefood.blogspot.com

This is my new Florentine Food blog. There is a link from Finding Florence now up on the right hand side.

Kitchenware, Euros, and Hell

(I would like to preface this post by stating first that I love living in Italy and am having a great time. I am using this blog for multiple reasons, one of which is to provide an outlet for my emotions and to be able to reflect on them later. The following post is one of those expressive posts meant for personal refection (and any family/friends that care to listen). I would now like to state that my blog, this post in particular, will contain references to religion that may be offensive to some. My intent is not to offend, but to express my views and thought process. I recommend not reading the next post if you are easily offended by this sort of thing.)

After an entire month in Italy, I finally had my first difficult night. It began when one of my roommates came home to announce that she had purchased a variety of kitchen items and expected us to supply funds for them. Previously, our kitchen had been fully stocked by the institute with necessities and even a few luxury items such as a pasta sauce maker and a stove-top coffee gadget. In the event that we do have a multitude of pans, there is still only one stove capable of accommodating two pans at a time. The remaining roommates and I decided we did not need the extra gadgets and decided not to pay her for them. We approached her and explained how we felt and received a small scale temper tantrum. This roommate is fifty years old, which made it even more awkward. After slamming the bathroom door in our faces, the silent treatment began…and this is how my night started.

                Later that night I was informed that I am in need of saving or I will undeniably end up in hell. This I am already aware of, but the timing was bad and it upset me even more. After only fifteen minutes I had someone offering to be my roommate in hell and an entire party of people joining me. We decided we would bring chocolate, wine, and a have a BBQ. We are even inviting Jesus, and secretly hoping he brings angel’s food cake. Apparently those of us going to hell are accommodating, hospitable, and know how to enjoy ourselves. I think I’ll be happy there. My party planning made me feel better until I was confronted with my limited budget.

Now, this I will not dwell upon long because I am incredibly grateful to be in Italy. My hard work and the help I have received from my amazing support system are paying off. However, I have always been an ambitious child and am discovering I am an even more determined adult. I want to do everything, be everything, and experience everything possible. Due to my nature, I somehow worked it into my head that I would be able to see not only all of Italy, but also all of Europe in 3.5 months on my savings account from a job in retail. Realistically, this will not happen. Nevertheless, as a dreamer I was upset when reality began to dawn on me. My budget is tighter than I had anticipated (don’t worry I am not going to sell organs in order to eat, I am just going to cut back on trips and gelato.) I re-did my budget and my first instinct was, “Okay, no problem, if I only eat potatoes and lentils I can still visit x,y and z.” Once again, luckily I received a reality check. Someone reminded me how hard I worked to get to Florence and it would be silly for me to spend all my time and money traveling to other places if it means I will not be able to fully enjoy Florence. After all my dreaming about pizza and pasta I should let myself go out and enjoy it every now and then! This was much needed advice and I really appreciate it. Once again, the budget has been re-done. Thanks Mom.

Although that night both surprised and scarred me that I would feel so upset in a place of such joy, a few days have passed since and I am back to living my dream. I walk pass the Duomo every day, I sit along the Arno River at least three times a week, and I can step outside any time of day and hear people speaking one of the most beautiful languages of earth… I am the luckiest girl in the world.