Lost in Translation

Seems like forever since I have updated! Started off the week with Valentine's Day. Surprisingly enough, Italy doesn't celebrate Valentine's Day quite like America (damn, Hallmark tricked us again!). Sure, you'll see store fronts with hearts here and there, but it isn't exactly a holiday celebrated by most. Considering my Valentine was half way around the world, I can't say that I was too disappointed by the lack of commercials, glittery cards, and candy hearts. After complaining to him about how hard it is to be without him while Italian couples are making out on the street corner, he simply advised to not look in their direction (why didn't I think of that?). I must say, that did help, along with a sweet card he sent me and spending the day laughing with Lacey and treating it as any other day in Florence, Italy.

Tuesday evening the roomies and I went to a "language tandem" where Americans can practice their Italian and Italians can practice their English. It was held at a local community center, but not the kind with knotty pine walls and chairs with tennis balls on the feet. The artsy building has a courtyard with a clear tent with heaters in it. The tent is filled with contemporary furniture and there is also a matching artsy bar and small restaurant inside. I opted for the 7 euro aperitivo, which includes a drink and a buffet of food. Shortly after arriving, I found myself surrounded by Italian people speaking a mile-a-minute. Immediately, I was overwhelmed and decided to take a deep breath and grab a drink. Being newly 21, I still find myself awkwardly deciding what alcoholic beverage to order, especially being in a country with very different social customs. After asking a few fellow classmates what they were drinking, I went up to the bar and ordered: vodka alla fragola-vodka with strawberries. I ended up, however, getting straight strawberry vodka. Wow. Needless to say I didn't get to chat it up with many Italians. While it was a cool setting, I felt awkward walking up to someone and asking their name in my broken Italian. I guess all I can do is work on my networking and drink ordering, and pray this week will go smoother. One benefit of the night though, was the opportunity to sign up for a day trip to Carnivale in Venice this coming weekend. I am so excited!

Classes were good this week. I still learn something new each day and while early mornings aren't anyone's favorite, I never dread going to class. Wednesday, in Italian class, we had students from University of Florence come to chat with us. We each prepared a list of 20 questions and interviewed an Italian student in small groups. At first it was a little awkward, especially when I couldn't understand what she was saying, but she was very sweet and I learned that she is 27 and hopes to be an architect someday. The next day I saw her as I was walking to grab a cappuccino, we both exchanged a friendly "Ciao!"

Friday, for my Villa and Garden class, we visited two villas about 15 minutes outside of Florence. The first was beautiful. One interesting thing about villas is how the villa evolves from its original state to how we see it today, and how the owners and the trends of the time are a reflection of these changes. For example, the courtyard was originally open and meant as an entryway, but later a glass roof was added and the room was made into a ballroom. After a tour of the inside, we toured the gardens. The three tiered garden in front of the villa overlooked the city of Florence and even the mountains beyond the city. With the sun brightly beaming down on the boxed hedges circling a beautiful fountain set against surreal views, I could see how this villa was once not only a physical, but also mental escape from the city. Saturday, Lacey and I planned to tour Florence: climb the Duomo, see the David and do some shopping. Unfortunately, everyone else had the same idea. The beautiful spring-like weather had long lines and people everywhere, so we got brunch at an American diner and just walked around the city for the rest of the day. When we got to an intersection, we would look around and choose the street we'd never been down before. We walked from one side of the city to the other, which of course meant treating ourselves to a large gelato. While passing through the Central Market, we were snagged by a leather shop owner. Man, was that an experience! The guy was quite the salesperson. He gave us "discounts" because of Lacey's smile, how much he liked us, because we were poor college students, and how beautiful we were. I mean these are all worthy reasons for discounts, especially Lacey's smile, but the jacket I fell in love with was stained on the sleeve. Even after all of these discounts, and trying to convince me "that is the style," I passed on the jacket. I wasn't even planning on buying a jacket here, but now I think I have the leather jacket bug. We'll see if another one comes along with the right price.

Yesterday, we went to watch Florence's soccer team play. Despite the rain, the roomies and I got decked out in purple (the team's color) and trekked to the game. Florence doesn't have the best soccer team in the world, but the stadium still roared with cheers. We wondered what they would serve inside the stadium considering they don't eat hamburgers or hot dogs. There was basically one option: pork sandwiches, which were good, but couldn't compete with a juicy cheeseburger and fries (ugh, I'm such an American). Another highlight was a guy walking around with a keg backpack, selling beer. I had never seen anything like it before! The game  ended in a tie, 0-0.  It was a good time and I enjoyed watching the game surrounded by people who truly appreciated the sport. That about raps up last week. Time is starting to fly. This week is going to be busy, especially with midterms coming up and Venice on Saturday! Until next time, ciao!

Feelin the Burn

I cannot believe I have been living in Italy for one month. Thirty days, four weeks, uno mese: it doesn't seem long, but in the past month I have laughed, cried, ate (a lot), drank, loved, hated, and felt emotions that I can't even describe in words. I can speak very broken Italian, which is a lot compared to not being able to say my name prior to coming here. It is crazy how much I have experienced in the past month, yet how much it flew by. I cannot wait for the four months ahead of me and the experiences they will bring. Now onto this week...

Not too much to report this week. It wasn't long into Monday that I was realizing it was going to be a busy week with a few late nights. I had two presentations, a paper, and a test. In my Villa and the Garden class, we visited the Pitti Palace and Boboli gardens. Wow! Despite the fact that nothing was in bloom, the gardens were absolutely gorgeous. You could spend days walking around the cypress lined walkways, marble statues that once spit out water, or just taking in the amazing view of the city and countryside. I have to be honest though, the place wasn't perfect. There are a lot of very steep hills that had my legs burning and my heart racing. Later that day, I got to play soccer with a team from school. It was great to be out playing again, but I was a little rusty. Between the walking everywhere, steep hills of Boboli gardens, and soccer game, I was sore for the next two days. Thursday night we went to the chocolate festival held right in front of the gorgeous Santa Croce cathedral. It had to be a sign from God, right?? The nice part is that it's open until 10pm every night so after dinner Lacey and I checked it out. We methodically walked through once just to "feel it out" and then decided what our treat would be. I had a kebab with strawberries and bananas covered in milk chocolate. It was heaven! After we got a drink at a pub right around the corner. It was pretty early for bar-goers but we liked the relaxed atmosphere. We made new Italian friends too (note to self: bring a blonde anywhere in Italy, you're sure to grab someone's attention). They spoke fairly good English, but Lacey and I tried so hard to speak with them in Italian. I had a great time really practicing speaking the language, it was definitely an "intercultural experience" haha. Apparently, they have a refrigerator company (Lacey snagged their business card) and drive ambulances. It's always good to know a refrigerator guy, right?

We decided to stay  in Florence for the weekend so we could do some things we've been meaning to do, but so far haven't crossed anything off the list. On the list for today the Central Market, walking, grocery shopping, laundry, and reading. Good chance the reading will get postponed :)

Eating, Drinking and Cursing Under the Tuscan Sun

Where to begin?! Friday, my History and Culture of Italian Food class had a site visit to a Tuscan farmhouse for a cooking lesson. After a 45 minute bus ride we arrived at an old cement farmhouse surrounded by greenery and rolling hills.

 

We were greeted by a couple who host American and Italian students and teach them about Tuscan cooking with fresh ingredients. After tying our aprons and putting up our hair, we started cooking a five course meal consisting of three types of crostini, gnocchi, spinach and cheese ravioli, pork roast stuffed with spices, and for dessert, tiramisu. Lacey and I started working on the tiramisu (don't worry I have the recipe and will be making it when I get back) which was pretty easy and quick to make. Next, we got to rolling the gnocchi on forks, which reminded me of making gnocchi with my mom. Later we rolled out pasta dough for the ravioli and then began stuffing the ravioli with a spinach and ricotta filling.

I was excited to get a little experience cooking all of the dishes. After working all morning our mouths were watering as we all sat at the table waiting for the first course. Of course, we enjoyed a little vino with our meal. After we ate, my professor and I taught each other curse words in Italian and English. We laughed hysterically as my professor said "shit" nonchalantly. He called it an "intercultural experience" and soon half the class was in on the conversation, offering curse words in other foreign languages. When we left, they gave us the recipes for all of the food that we cooked and waved as we drove away. I left with a full belly and warm heart.

Saturday, a few of my friends and I went to Borgo San Lorenzo for Sagra del Tortello e del Maiale, a food festival. The town was small and we were the only Americans in sight. The food was pretty good. Some things I tried I didn't know what it was, nor did I want to know! My favorite course was the complimentary beans and sausage dish that the server wanted us to try because it is their town specialty. After stuffing ourselves, we walked around enjoying the mountainous view off in the distance.

While walking, I saw something I'd never seen before: a cheese wheel rolling competition. Only in Italy! Saturday night, Meaghan, our friend, Jackie and I stayed in because they had to wake up early. Our innocent night in turned into a night full of laughs, drinking gypsy juice and nibbling on carrot sticks and chocolate cookies. Does it get any better than that??

Sunday, Lacey and I took the #7 bus to Fiesole. In 20 minutes we were overlooking the city of Florence and beyond.

Lacey had to visit a museum for one of her classes, but when we arrived found that the museum closes early in the winter. Fortunately, the town square was hosting a craft and antique fair.

Lacey and I were in heaven surrounded by vintage Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Gucci accessories, jewelry, and antiques. I bought a sweater. Note to self: don't shop cold! We ate dinner at a small Irish pub run by an Italian guy who chatted with us about where we were studying and even suggested that we visit a villa that his wife works at.

Today was pretty uneventful. For dinner, we got doner, a Turkish dish that is a lot like a wrap filled with meat shaved off of a spit, onions, cabbage, tomatoes, cheese, peppers, and a special yogurt sauce. We fell in love with the place even more when he gave us all frequent buyer cards (10th one is free!) and chatted it up with Billy working behind the counter. After dinner we went to the grocery store and then shuffled home lugging our bags full of yogurt, Nutella, and pasta.

Gypsy Juice

Ciao! I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have definitely been staying busy! Over the weekend, Lacey, my roommate, Alishya, and I went to Pisa and Lucca. Pisa was surreal. Everyone has heard of the leaning tower of Pisa, but it is crazy to be actually standing in front of it taking the typical tourist picture holding it up. I have to admit, even though I wasn't the only one standing 100 yards away, I couldn't help but feeling plain silly pretending to hold up an imaginary object. My outstanding acting is shown in the following picture:

 

Impressive, huh? We also visited the Cathedral and Babtistry in Pisa. Unlike most cities in Italy, the Tower, Cathedral, and Babtistry are not near the heart of the city, so once you have visited these places, there isn't much else to see. Another fact about Pisa, the Tower started leaning soon after they started building it, but decided to finish building anyway. They recently spent over $1 million (pocket change for America) to fortify the tower and keep it from further leaning. We caught lunch at a cute trattoria, or small restaurant, on a side street. I got a burger (I know, I'm so American). But what can I say? I love burgers. Pisa was also where I encountered my first real gypsy experience. A girl in our group was bombarded by two gypsies who put a piece of cardboard over her purse and took out her wallet without her knowing. Luckily, her keys were attached to the wallet so she heard them and quickly took the wallet out of the gypsy's hands. You bet my hand was glued to the zipper on my purse for the rest of the day! Pisa was great, but I'm glad we only stayed for a few hours. I was also glad to take a quick snooze before getting to Lucca.

If I had to describe Lucca in two words, it would have to be refreshing and adorable. Upon arrival all 40 students in our group hopped on bikes and rode the trail around the original city walls, which is uncommon for Italian cities. I couldn't help but practically jumping on the neon green bike and pedaling as fast as I could to the trail. Without trying to sound corny, I felt like a kid pedaling as fast as I could, feeling the cool breeze against my face until I couldn't pedal anymore. I didn't mind getting tired though because I was able to truly take in the view of the small town with mountains in the background. The combination of city and nature made me fall hard for Lucca.

After riding around the city (twice) we returned our bikes and got a cappuccino. We then walked through the town to get to the bus that would take us back to Florence. The town was a marriage of the old and the new: old cobblestone streets lined with storefronts displaying the latest fashions and of course a few leather shops here and there. We also saw a Game Stop, which made us feel right back at home. Not to mention, the street vendors selling candy that made our mouths water. The walk through town took about 20 minutes including stoppage to observe a tree growing atop an ancient tower and the town square that was once a large market. Moments after sitting down on the bus I had drifted to sleep, but not after gushing to Lacey about how cute Lucca was.

Sunday the roomies and I went to see a ballet of A Midsummer Night's Dream. We got tickets with a student discount, so we were excited about going without breaking the bank. We ran around the apartment most of the morning consulting each other on different outfit options.

One thing about Italy: you can never be overdressed. After primping, we decided on taking a taxi to the show since the walk would've taken about 40 minutes. The ballet was a very modern interpretation, but I enjoyed it. I topped off my fabulous weekend by web chatting with my boyfriend on Sunday evening. You gotta give it to Skype, I mean they make half the world seem like the next room over. Not to mention, it's free! While it was great seeing him, hanging up with him made me miss him even more!

This week has been good, but not too eventful. Classes have been the usual, but still very interesting. Today in my History and Culture of Italian Food class we tasted Italian schiacciata or focaccia bread and biscotti. Both were delicious and satisfied my mid-morning hunger. All of my classes are thought provoking and my business classes are actually relevant to marketing and business which make them even more interesting. Monday night my roommate and I shared a $3 bottle of wine, which we named gypsy juice. We happily sipped on our "juice" and laughed about God knows what. Monday, we celebrated January 31st, the end of the winter sales in Italy. I found a sweater tunic that is sure to keep me warm. While we heard the sales end in January, I saw sale signs today as well, so I think we have a couple more weeks. Even walking home from class is an experience. Today, I passed an accordion player on the way home who I couldn't keep myself from smiling at. As I listened to the romantic music of the accordion player, I started to smell the delicious treats at the pasticceria. A little while later, I passed a nun who started speaking to me in Italian and pointing at her back. I stood confused for a moment, thinking she was asking me to rub her back. Right when I was about to start rubbing, I realized her veil had come undone and she couldn't reach it behind her. Of course I helped her and went on my way. I mean I had to pinch myself when I arrived at the over sized wooden door to my apartment. Nuns, sweet accordion music, delicious pastry, uneven cobblestone streets? I feel like I'm living in a movie! I am absolutely loving every minute here! I'm already looking to the weekend for a couple day trips, but I won't spoil it for you! You will just have to check back to read all about it! Miss and love everyone back home!! Arrivederci!