Eurochocolate!

So I will talk about Eurochocolate, but first an anecdote from this morning to give you a sample of daily life.

So this morning I had class at 10 am, which occurs twice a week. Though it sounds nice and late, it means I need to move when I get up since I like to allow an hour to get to school on time with the bus and all. Well, lately I have been pushing my leave time (because that always happens to me) and still arriving on time... and I did arrive on time today but here is what happened.

I arrived at my first bus stop just in time to catch a bus from there, however I took the line that comes less frequently instead of the more frequent one. The one I took today also takes a slightly different route to the stop where I catch my next bus. Normally it doesn't make a difference, but in morning traffic, what is normally a 5 minute ride turned into a 10 minute ride... we were really quite backed up. I think if I had taken the other line from the original stop AFTER I took the other one, I prob would have arrived earlier. I did get a chance to pull out my rusty French though. An old woman sitting across from me asked if the bus finished its route at the Duomo. I said no, it goes by the Duomo but finishes at the station, which was translated for her by a French speaking man sitting across the aisle (I said it in Italian). She also seemed to ask me if I could show her where it was, but I said I was getting off before. However during the rest of the ride, I realized I could tell her that the Duomo was only two stops after where I got off... and managed to remember basically how to say "two more" in French. It's quite sad actually, I took French for 6 years but now I feel like I barely know it. I think a lot of it is still up there (in my head) but whenever I try to think of a word or phrase, it automatically pops up in Italian, and to find the French is much much harder. Anyway, I said "Deux en plus" as I got off the bus and she seemed grateful. I also realized at that point that the French speaking man was actually with her, which wasn't clear to me at first.

So, I got off that bus and saw my bus to school across the piazza - it usually sits at the stop a bit before departing at the scheduled time, since that is one end of the line. However, as I was partway across the square I saw the doors closing. "Noooooo!" I thought to myself. But this had happened before, at least twice, and a desperate run toward the bus and a wave of the arm usually does the trick. As it turned out, not today. The bus driver looked at me, shook his head, and chuckled a bit. I was stung, left to watch the bus drive away and wait 15 minutes for the departure of the next, with only the solace of my iPod to comfort me. Okay, so I over-dramatize a bit, but I seriously thought before that ALL drivers stopped for runners, at least within reason! Now I know that isn't so... sigh. I mean in the end it was fine - the next bus arrived pretty soon (though it stayed there stopped for a bit) and I got the chance to take my favorite seat on the bus since I was one of the first on board. I arrived at school right at 10:00, but when they say 10:00 it means class really starts at 10:15... so the timing was perfect. And, as I rode off toward school past the Duomo, I saw the French-speaking man on the sidewalk, so I was comforted to know that he (and probably the old woman) found the Duomo successfully.

Now I can rewind to Perugia. As it turned out, I ended up only going with Cindy, the Swiss student with whom I have been on a few daytrips now. She was also the one who endured the hoard of Americans at Cinque Terre with me early on in my stay. I got up at the "ungodly" hour of about 6:15 to get ready (quoting Kristin Thomas, who saw me online before she went to bed over across the ocean). We had to take a train at 8:09 because the next wasn't until about two hours later and we needed that early start! I figured I could sleep in on Sunday, because I wasn't about to miss all the chocolate. The train was pretty crowded but we found seats across an aisle from each other. After the man next to Cindy got off at an early stop, we were able to sit next to each other.

It took about two hours to get to Perugia, and I knew that the center of town was a 2-km, uphill walk away from the station. I told Cindy that we could take a bus, but she preferred walking, so I went along with that. Thing was, the station wasn't actually ON the small map in my guidebook, only an arrow pointing to the station. So, we started following signs for the "centro" and I was just sort of following the feel of going uphill. At the end, we somehow twisted and turned our way up, followed some other tourists who actually asked for directions, did some trial and error, and then found the "Scala Mobile" that takes people up to the actual history city. That's right, there are public escalators you can use to get up to the center of town! I thought that was pretty cool... Once we got to the end of the escalators, we saw the first "Eurochocolate" decorations and stands, but we were still underground, beneath a bunch of stone that felt like we were in some sort of underground castle village. We walked through all the stands, noticing that it was all chocolate to buy and wondering if there was anything else as part of the festival... is it all underground? is what we were asking ourselves.

As it turned out, the answer was no. Eventually we found our way back to open fresh air, and even more stands of merchants and companies selling their diverse chocolate wares. We wandered around one little section to start. We also saw the beautiful view, as we had climbed quite a bit to get to the historical center. As we wandered, I suggested we get some hot chocolate since I had seen others with it, and it looked like real melted chocolate, all liquidy and thick and smooth... There were various flavors like orange, cinnamon and a couple others, but we both got "classic". It was really yummy, and it was even better because we sipped hot chocolate while enjoying (and taking pictures of) the gorgeous view. Perugia is in Umbria (same region as Orvieto) and the country side was just as beautiful and impressive!

After finishing the hot chocolate, we viewed more of the stands and continued down the street. It was packed with people and stands, but that made for a festive atmosphere. At a certain point, we saw fresh roasted "castagne" (chestnuts) which are pretty typical here. Cindy really likes them, and I had never had them before but always intended to since I got here and saw them the first time. She was pretty shocked that I was new to them, and we got a bag to share. They were good - the texture wasn't what I was expecting but they were definitely tasty. Cindy said she thought maybe smaller ones had more flavor, as these were slightly less flavorful than others she'd had. But of course, I had nothing to compare to.

We ate our chestnuts while continuing on down the street toward the "Fontana Maggiore" fountain and Perugia's Duomo. When we got there, we took pictures, then Cindy sat outside while I took in the decor on the inside. From the outside, it was really medieval and nowhere near ornate as Duomos in Orvieto or Florence for example, but inside it was gorgeous. The entire ceiling had painting and decoration, along with various chapels and pieces of decoration throughout the rest of the church. I spent a couple minutes taking it in, then joined Cindy outside, where we sat for a while to people watch and rest a bit. After that, we wandered a bit through a few streets that weren't entirely taken over by the festival, getting more of a feel for Perugia. After we grabbed some water (must stay hydrated!) we wandered back in our original direction down the main thoroughfare of Perugia, and the festival. I saw some people with chocolate covered bananas, so of course I just had to have one. I tracked down some more and eventually found the source, and procured one for myself. Yum! There is a photo on picasa...

We headed back to the place where we originally emerged from underground, with Cindy making a purchase along the way. I wanted to buy some chocolate at one of the underground stands, and did that. I got pieces of three types of chocolate for me and my Italian family. One piece of dark chocolate with "riso soffiato" (think rice krispies), one piece of white chocolate with hazelnuts, because I know Federico really likes white chocolate, and one piece of milk chocolate with figs! Everything was to order so the woman serving me literally chopped hunks of chocolate off of bigger pieces for me and I paid by the weight. It was nice to take a piece of Eurochocolate home with me!

At that point Cindy and I descended back down on the escalators. We had been thinking of taking a bus back to the station, but we had TONS of time before we were thinking of leaving, so we decided to walk back, always with our navigation by feel more than actual knowledge! On the way, we encountered a beautiful little park where we enjoyed the trees, the weather, and nature... which was nice. From there we walked down some more and eventually recognized a street where we'd been coming up! Success! We were near the station, but still had plenty of time, so we sat down at a cafe waiting for a menu or a waiter or something... as we waited and talked we saw a McDonald's across the way and started talking about it in general.

This is where I need to interject a confession. Yes, I talked about how sad it is that there are McDonald's here (or at least referenced it in a photo of Bologna). But some weeks ago, I went to the McDonald's in the Florence train station, mostly out of curiosity. And you know what, I immensely enjoyed getting a Big Mac, some fries, and a Coke. It was delicious, I think mostly because of the familiarity factor. I felt like I was about 10 years old eating from the drive thru in my hometown in CT... because the food tasted exactly the same! Say what you want (or what I want) about McDonalds' hegemony abroad... but I have to admit I really enjoyed that moment of nostalgia. So there you have it, I can't be superior about McDonald's because I have fallen to that level and partaken here in Italy. But it's still true that I almost never go in the US anymore, and the last time I went it literally almost made me sick. Still, those childhood memories are hard to erase. And cravings for French fries are powerful.

So we return back to Cindy and I sitting at the table at the cafe. She said she wanted something salty, and no waiter was coming. Eventually she suggested we go to McDonald's! And so that is what we did! We both got cheeseburgers and French fries, then took the food outside to eat. There was something sort of fun and surreal about it, eating McDonald's with my new Swiss friend in Perugia after a day at the chocolate festival... certainly not what I would have predicted but oh so fun! So I guess I will have to begrudgingly put McDonald's in the category of (occasional) guilty pleasure for the time being... oh well. And Dad, I thought of you as I took the pickle off of my cheeseburger and told Cindy how I always used to give them to you to eat when I got a cheeseburger in my Happy Meals!

So there it is, the cold hard truth about my relationship with McDonald's, exposed to all you blog readers to judge as you will.

After that point in the day, we didn't do much aside from get on the train to head back to Florence. I slept part of the way home, as I was pretty tired from the week and getting up at that "ungodly" hour. It was nice to get back to Florence so early (around 5) and rest at home the rest of the day. I had some chocolate with Federico and Lisa after dinner - Cristina was out of the house that night. They both definitely seemed grateful for the treat from Perugia!

Now, I am looking forward to Kristen's visit (she gets here the day after tomorrow!) and also trying to force myself to put in the necessary work to prepare for my exam in one of my courses - which will take place on the last day of class, Nov 6. I think in the end I will be fine, but it is a little more nervewracking than one might think at first, with the second language thing and that I am just not very familiar with the format and expectations of Italian exams. I did meet with my tutor yesterday though, and that helped me focus in on what I should do as far as studying.

Alright, that will be it for now... sorry that I am ever slower in updating! But it happens eventually! :-)

Update, finally

So this is overdue and I should have written when I got back from Genova, but I've been lazy, sorry!

Where to start... I guess with last Friday. As it turns out, Italians aren't all that great at organizing even strikes. There definitely were buses running with little to no disruption that I noticed. Trains, I don't know, because I stuck with my plan to leave for Genova on Saturday morning. On Friday I ended up having lunch with Lucia, then we went over to the faculty of Literature and Philosophy to look for third course possibilities. After a bit of browsing, I actually found a good possibility! To skip to the end, there is a course called "Social Philosophy" which starts November 4, and doesn't conflict with my other courses. (It is only going to overlap by one week anyway.) I hadn't been thinking of doing philosophy over here (ie in another language), but Lucia said she knows a really good tutor for philosophy, and that Georgetown students have done it before here. I have an outstanding philosophy requirement for graduation at Georgetown, so this could be really handy. What's more, the building where philosophy classes take place is actually really really close to my house, so it's convenient to get to! At this point I am pretty much set on doing that, so I have found my solution and will start in a couple weeks.

The other two courses are going pretty well. Only thing is, I have realized how soon exams are coming up! At least for one of them, I will have a written exam on November 6... so basically rather than reading and studying from time to time I really need to concentrate. It's all good though, since I have been pretty lazy about schoolwork up til now. It has been confusing just getting to class this past week, as the protesters have occupied one class building, and we've been moving class times so they don't conflict with demonstrations and assemblies, so it's kind of day to day. I am managing surprisingly well though, just trying my best to follow along with the changes. I am more and more certain all the time that going back to Georgetown classes is going to feel so organized and serene!

Finding that philosophy was a good thing that came out of Friday, and not leaving for Genova. On Saturday I DID leave for Genova, arriving around 11 in the morning. To summarize before going into specifics, it was a great weekend. This Italian friend of mine, Deneb, is someone I met at my summer internship in DC (this past summer). She just finished up her degree at the University of Genoa and is headed back to the US to work with the Smithsonian Institution in about a week!

Interjection: I just heard some yelling on the floor below me in the library... the center is open, and the computers are all around the center, and a bunch of the other people on computers peered over the ledge to see what was happening. There are still heated voices... I have no idea what's going on... I speak Italian but not well enough to know what is causing the commotion. There is certainly tension in the air. Wow, you never know what is going to happen here!

So yes! To continue! Deneb just finished her degree and actually left for her hometown (north of Genoa, in the mountains) Sunday evening, when I headed back to Florence. It was really great to see Genova and sightsee with a local. And beyond that, it was so nice to be with a close friend again. There is definitely something about talking to a close friend in person that nurtures the soul! On that line, Kristen's visit is getting ever closer which is really exciting!

Anyway, on Saturday Deneb and I walked around Genova, I got to see the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, the Palazzo Ducale, the huge fountain in the middle of town. Compared to Firenze and other cities, Genova is a city of hills, very narrow streets, and tall buildings. It is pretty much smushed between the sea and the mountains, so they have to make the most of the available space. The architecture on the whole seemed very Victorian to me, with esquisite detailing on so many of the buildings! Down by the port, we went to the museum of the sea (which had a cool Ellis Island type of exhibit) and the aquarium. This aquarium is one of the best in Italy, and yes I have been acquariums in the US which might be even better, but I learned that they are always fun! Above all, I had a blast watching the dolphins there, and it brought me back to my middle school days when I was obsessed with dolphins and visited Mystic Aquarium many a time! It definitely made me happy!

Also on Saturday, we grabbed lunch at a place that makes pasta pretty much exclusively, and I tried the traditional Ligurian nut sauce that is a specialty in the region of Liguria. Eating local in Italy is always a good idea!

Toward the end of the day, we took the bus back to the part of the city where Deneb lives. Just before getting on the bus, we saw what they say is Christopher Columbus' house... but Deneb finds this claim dubious. I just took a couple pictures and that was enough for that particular site. It is an appreciable bus ride out to where Deneb lives, but along the water, so that was really pretty. After we got off the bus, we walked up the path leading to Deneb's house, which I think is technically a street, but to Americans it would seem like an upward sloping path with steps. Deneb lives (lived) in the top level of this house, and it has a balcony overlooking the sea! It was absolutely stunning! (Pictures are on Picasa by the way, someone let me know if I need to provide a link.)

After dropping my things off, we headed down closer to the water, where there is a beautiful pathway along the coast. We had dinner at a restaurant near the path, still overlooking the sea! I got focaccia with cheese, another Ligurian specialty. Basically the bread was nice and puffy and flaky and delicious, and there was melted cheese inside... yum. After the restaurant, we stopped into another place for dessert, and then headed home for the night.

Sunday morning, we headed out and stopped first for some breakfast at a cafe. Then we went downtown and deposited my baggage at the train station, since it would be bulky to carry the entire day. We made a day/afternoon out of visiting three museums all in the same group and on the same street - Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Rosso, and Palazzo Tursi. They all used to belong to important Genovese families, and now for the most part house art collections and other interesting exhibits. I really enjoyed a lot of the art and other exhibits there. In Palazzo Rosso, we got to take an elevator to the very top of the building and go to this little platform which has a beautiful view of the city! It was amazing to see it spreading out on all sides, with the port and the sea in one direction and the hills and mountains in the other!

After the museums, we stopped at another cafe where I got some gelato and Deneb got some yogurt. I saw an H&M across the street, and since I don't have H&M here in Florence, I asked if we could stop in. Above all, I was thinking of looking for a winter coat, which was still on my outstanding list of clothing needs. Sure enough, we made decently quick work of finding me a jacket in the style and price range I wanted, so that was really exciting! The weather isn't cold enough yet (actually today especially it is beautiful outside) but when the cold does arrive, I will be ready!

After H&M it was time to head back to the station. Deneb's train was about 30 minutes before mine, so we parted ways (which was sad, but we will be seeing each other come next year, when I get back to the US!) and then I waited out the rest of the time til my train came. At the very end of that trip, right before I arrived in Pisa (to change trains), some of the other passengers in my little compartment (6 of us in total) started making conversation. I was pretty cautious overall since I am foreign (and American to boot!) but they were quite nice and said I spoke Italian really well! It was an amazing feeling to have 5 Italian strangers pretty much concur on the fact that I am good at the language. It was a much appreciated confidence booster.

So that was my weekend! I'm so glad I went, and like I said relating to a close friend on a personal level was something I hadn't gotten to do in a while - but I was still practicing Italian! As we discussed, it is really natural for Deneb and I to speak English in the US and Italian here... so our conversations were almost entirely in Italian. Plus Genova definitely had a character and spirit of its own and it was really fun to discover that. Another Italian city to check off my list!

This weekend I am thinking of catching the end of the Eurochocolate Festival in Perugia, with some friends from orientation school (sort of the same group I was with when I went to Lucca). We'll make a nice daytrip out of it. I mean, it's a chocolate festival... I think it's pretty obviously an attractive and enticing daytrip!

I don't remember at the moment if I had more to add, but I got the most important things updated! Hope you all are well!

Another update

So this refers to the last post, if you haven't read it, do so before you read this one. I promise everything will make more sense!

So, I left the library to attempt to go to class, but the building in which that class takes place was entirely blocked off by protesters. I found a couple students from my class and double checked that more or less, that meant we couldn't have class, and they confirmed my suspicions. There was also one of the Erasmus students there (from Belgium) so I think he was also checking with them to see what was going on. Anyway, I sort of figuratively shrugged and decided to take the opportunity to go to the cafeteria for the first time. I got my card for it on Monday, but hadn't had the chance to actually go yet. It was pretty satisfactory as far as eating options go. There is a certain amount of stuff you can get (possibly all with different prices). I got a bowl of pasta, some meat with a lime to squeeze on top, a banana, and then a cup which I filled with water after paying. The price for all that was 2,80 euro, which considering what I would pay elsewhere for a comparable amount of food, is pretty cheap. Even toward the end of the lunch hour, it was relatively crowded, but I found a seat at a table across from a boy who also didn't really seem to be with anyone, and sat there.

After lunch, I talked to Lucia on the phone. She knows Giacomo, who would be my tutor, so after we discussed the strike and the fact that it really would be good if we could meet tomorrow, said she could talk to him on the phone to find out how he usually gets around and where he might be able to meet. She is going to call me later on and that way I have a pretty good shot at the appointment tomorrow, I hope. At any rate, I don't have much I can do, since I take the bus almost everywhere and they won't be running tomorrow. I will try to get to the gym (since I go there on foot, and it would be good to go), and try to go to this appointment, but other than that, I am not really sure. I am going to leave for Genova (Genoa) early Saturday morning and leave early evening Sunday so that I can hopefully still have almost a full weekend with Deneb.

So that is where things are now... protests, strikes, not to mention having to find another class. More than ever, I am convinced that my threshold for disruption and confusion will have increased by the time I return to the US. Hopefully my Italian year abroad will forever make me a more patient and even-keeled person!

With all this excitement, I imagine I will be posting again soon. Hopefully things are a little less chaotic where all of you are!

General chaos...

Soooo life is interesting today and this week.

First thing personally is having to find a different third course after it seems that I was misinformed by the university about the schedule of the one I was going to do. I could go into more detail, but I don't really feel like it. Hopefully I will work it out soon enough!

Second thing: this week I have noticed protests about a new law regarding schools, both high schools (and maybe lower) and the university. While I have had class, I get the feeling that there is a possibility of lessons just stopping for a day or two at some point (see below), and there have been protests at the school all week. I am trying to inform myself right now more about what is objectionable about the law... but at the same time I just watch and skirt around the protests. I am more of an observer than anything, plus the Office of International Programs at Georgetown specifically says not to get involved in any political protests. :-)

Third thing, which affects (and maybe is caused by?) the second thing: Apparently tomorrow there is a national general strike, which for me affects a) the public buses that I use to get EVERYWHERE, b) the train I was going to take to Genoa to see Deneb tomorrow, and maybe c) lessons and buildings being open at schools in Florence. I actually don't have class anyway because my professor will be in San Marino, but I was going to meet for the first time with a tutor here at the university... but I may have to reschedule for a different date or at least a different location.

I am most annoyed about the strike and the way it is affecting my weekend plans. But in general, all of this is definitely keeping me on my toes. I am trying to stay informed of the disruptions and what they mean to me, but it honestly is a bit difficult. I think tonight I may ask my Italian family to help explain exactly what the strike tomorrow is going to affect. I am really just not used to this, and it is a very interesting study in methods of protest and political expression in society. Sure there are protests and strikes also in the US, but I have never experienced all around disruption of this type.

I need to be going pretty soon for my second class of the day. Since my first one happened I am assuming this one will as well...

I will keep you all updated on my progress in figuring out courses and how to get to Genoa!

Starting another class (or at least trying to) and the weekend

To work backwards, today began the part of the semester called "second module" here at Università degli Studi di Firenze. Basically the semester is organized into thirds, and classes will run one or more of those "modules". The two courses I've already started are 1st and 2nd module, while the 3rd is set to run 2nd and 3rd modules. It was supposed to start today, in fact right after my other class, in the same room. So after class I used the restroom, and came back. First good signal was that there were other students, expecting the same course. A decent amount, but not too crowded. We waited until the time that classes usually start (15 minutes after the hour), and no professor. Most of this time I decided to read my book for another class. It began to reach 30 minutes after the hour, and I wasn't convinced yet to read, but I did decide to make conversation with a girl down the row from me - she seemed nice and had said when someone asked what program of study we were that she was also a foreigner. That made her less intimidating...

So I asked where she was from, she said Poland, and we talked a bit. Within a few minutes it became clear that people were leaving and the class wasn't going to happen today (oh, Firenze) so we left as well. She was going to the cafeteria, and I mentioned I hadn't gotten my card for it yet (I meant to all last week, and didn't). She ended up just sort of leading me to the office and I got the form at the front desk and went up to the next floor where the actual room was. I waited a couple minutes, went in with my form, the man working entered my info into the computer, and then the machine spit out my card. Of course, it is a little funny because it says my name is "Kathtyn" and when he took my picture, it went something like, "I'm taking a picture." Click. I had enough time to do my usual mild photo smile, but with very little warning. He took the picture by just lifting up his webcam in front of me, amusingly enough. So, I took my card that said Kathtyn and wondered when the card would be valid. My new Polish friend advised me to ask downstairs, and I did, finding out it would be valid at dinner or starting tomorrow, so I couldn't eat lunch at the cafeteria today. I ended up going toward the cafe on campus where you don't need the entrance card, where I had been once before. Ula (I asked her name AFTER this, while I was eating) didn't like any of the food there, so she decided not to get anything, but stayed and sat with me while I ate anyway... so either I have a lovely new friend, or a Polish girl who thinks I am crazy and annoying because she took the time to get my card with me AND sit with me while I ate before she actually went to the cafeteria... In any case, I will see her again in class (if it ever actually occurs) and it was nice to socialize a bit here at school.

That is what just happened... this weekend I did almost everything I'd intended, but not all on Saturday. On Saturday I woke up with definite symptoms of the cold I thought I had felt coming on the evening before, so I was a little slow to get moving. I ended up leaving the house only at 2, to go get lunch, looked around in a clothes store a bit, then came back to my home neighborhood to go grocery shopping. This was because Bridie, the Georgetown grad who works at the villa and stayed with my same Italian family two years ago, had the idea that we could make an American dinner for the family in honor of Cristina's birthday, which was the week before. We arranged that we'd make a recipe that Bridie had (and had made before) and I would take charge of the dessert. I decided to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies... American style cookies aren't that common here, and I also really like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! I found a recipe I'd used before, wrote out the ingredients in Italian (with metric quantities!) and checked with Cristina which ingredients I'd need to buy.

So, later on after my other outings, I showed up at the supermarket hoping for some luck in finding these ingredients... I needed four things: brown sugar, chocolate chips, rolled oats, and baking soda. The most difficult thing about finding them all was that they were all in different, seemingly random locations... for instance sugar in general was at the end of an aisle, not really near other baking ingredients, and I only saw the brown sugar when I went back and looked closely. Chocolate chips and brown sugar were the easiest to find, but baking soda and oats took a little longer. I think the baking soda was sort of near some cleaning type ingredients... labeled more for use with feet and other cleaning purposes than baking. But, there was in fact a photo of food on the side so I knew it wasn't a non-edible substance at least. I found oats the second time I went back to the flour and rice section, thinking (correctly as it turned out) that it would be there because of its status as a grain... So anyway, the conclusion is, I overcame the obstacles of weird organization and foreign language products and found what I needed.

I got home, and after a little while I started to work on the cookies, since I knew I should cook them before Bridie needed the oven for the pork. Of course, to start cooking, I needed Cristina's help, figuring how to measure and finding some of the ingredients. She got me a scale which I used to measure everything according to the amount I needed, in grams. A little while later Bridie showed up and started on her recipe. Once I was done with the cookies, at least waiting for them to cook, I helped her a little, but all I really remembering doing is stirring the fig jam that was going on top of the pork we cooked. We also heated up some sweet potatoes and made a salad. It all turned out really well. I especially enjoyed the fig "jam" Bridie made - I think it had water, sugar, wine, lemon juice, and chunks of dried figs... yum. Federico had never had sweet potatoes before, so that was new for him. And Lisa liked my cookies (she came back for at least seconds and thirds), and she is definitely the toughest food critic in that house... So that was a fun and enjoyable night, and it was good to see Bridie again. I think I may go to the villa for lunch on Wednesday, which would be my first time actually seeing it.

Yesterday (Sunday) I finally made it to the Uffizi. My "Amici degli Uffizi" card was very useful, as I was let right in without waiting in the long line, and got free admission. I probably went through the place faster than most people do, but I didn't really feel like waiting behind every massive tour group to see every single painting... I focused in on ones I was attracted to, including some of the most famous that are there, such as the Birth of Venus by Botticelli and a couple of the Da Vinci paintings there. In the end though, that is fine because I have the luxury of always going back, for free! But at the very least, I am glad I have been once now, since it is the most famous museum in Florence.

After the museum, I ate at, of all places, a Chinese restaurant! After Italian almost every day (which I really do enjoy!) it seemed like it would be fun to try. There was definitely a bit of nostalgia there, seeing the same Kikkoman soy sauce containers that you'd see in my hometown Hung Won... the food wasn't spectacular, but I enjoyed the simple pleasure of steamed white rice quite a bit. I also talked a bit with a nice man from Taiwan who was in Florence for two days leading a tour group. When he found out where I was from the first thing he asked about was the election, not too surprising these days I suppose.

After lunch I went back to the same store where I bought the jeans I really like, and looked around some. I ended up buying another pair of jeans in the same style and size as the other pair, but they are more of a classic blue jeans color (the others have a darker wash). I also bought a nice long sleeve white sweater that will work well for the rest of fall and all through the summer. I have been starting to scope out winter coats, but that is a bigger purchase and a bigger decision, plus it has been in the 70s and 80s lately so I probably still have a bit of time to decide! So far my courdoroy blazer has been a lovely layer on the cooler days.

Yesterday afternoon after I talked to Dave online for a bit, I was tired enough to take a nap, which really signaled to me that I actually have a cold... so I slept for an hour or two before dinner. Dinner was good, and then I got to Skype with Liz, and Ann by extension, which was lovely. After that though, I realized I wasn't feeling so great and really needed sleep, so I did that. This morning, I felt quite clogged, but I am okay now - a runny nose but nothing terrible. Hopefully it will go away soon! At any rate, it is strange how I also have sick friends in France and Washington... as though we are contagious even across international borders!

The rest of today should be pretty relaxing, and I am hoping tomorrow to get to the gym again... depending on how I feel.

That's the update for today! I hope all is well with all of you!

New excuse for being late to class...

So I don't actually know yet if I WILL be late to class, it is at 2 pm and it is only 11:30 right now... we will see. But what I am talking about is the fact that many streets downtown are blocked off (streets which the buses I take usually use) due to some kind of demonstration. So I walked the rest of the way to the library where I am now, and saw some crowds of people near Piazza del Duomo on my way - chanting things, waving flags and signs. At first I couldn't really tell what it was all about but then I definitely saw a couple red flags with hammers and sickles! Not sure what to think but it sure is something I have never seen before... and I just hope I can make it to class okay later!

I realize I haven't been posting as much - that is because things have gotten more routine, and as a result more boring! Depending on the day I have to leave the house slightly earlier or later, sometimes I go downtown before or after, but I take the bus to the university, do my classes, use the computer in the library there, and so on and so forth. I think I am still working on adjusting and still feeling sort of foreign and a bit "fish out of water" but I think that is to be expected. Courses are fine except that I really need to pin down the exact formats, dates, and coverage of my exams! I have definitely asked the same girl twice in one of my classes and still don't have much of a better idea... yeah I will work on it!

Tomorrow I am thinking of going to the gym first thing, then going to the Uffizi gallery for the first time, and then doing some more shopping. I really do like the jeans I got at this one store downtown, and they weren't too expensive, so I think I will try to get one or two more pairs. I am also in the market for a winter type jacket and badly in need of a pair of ballet flats to replace the ones I currently have - they are falling apart more and more by the day!

I am pretty excited about a couple weekends I have coming up - next weekend I will be going to Genova (Genoa) to visit my friend Deneb, who I met at my internship in DC this summer! She is from northwestern Italy and finishing up her degree in Genova. I will be staying over at her place, and this marks the first time I will be sleeping somewhere other than Firenze since I arrived in Italy! Then the next weekend I may go to Perugia, as there is a chocolate festival there (don't want to miss that!) and the NEXT weekend it is possible that Kristen (from Georgetown, she is studying in Strasbourg, France) might come visit me, if it works out! I would absolutely love to see her!

So right really I am just trying to keep up going to class, do something interesting and fun on weekends, and settle in more and more. I have to admit that it isn't always easy, but then again if I were at Georgetown I would be feeling like I was missing out on the abroad experience!

I think that is all for now - I will be sure to post about the Uffizi sometime soon!

Lucca and other updates

I wish I had ideas for more creative titles. Oh well.

So Friday during the day I successfully got that student card for the buses! Score! Now I don't have to worry about it at ALL the rest of the year... I was very proud that I successfully navigated a bit of Italian red tape totally on my own!

Friday night I was actually social - I had dinner with a large group from Centro Fiorenza and went out with a smaller group taken from that large group afterward as well. It was nice to spend a night out enjoying myself! The dinner was also fun in that there were so many people with different levels of Italian and different native languages, that the conversations swung from Italian to English to French, and apparently even some German (but not near my end of the table). I spent much of the night talking to Ben, a young man from France, and Thomas, a slightly older (late 20s) man who, if I remember correctly, has a Polish father, Japanese mother, was born in France, lived many years in Australia, and now lives in London... woo. He speaks both English and French well (along with Spanish I think?) and is continuing to work on his Italian. It was just the type of experience I could never get with a group of American students so it was a reaffirming social outing!

Saturday I had a relatively quick lunch with Lucia to talk about some things, including figuring out how I can get the entrance card required for the dining hall type place at the university - which would be a very useful option to have...

After lunch I met up with Laura, Cindy, and Kathrin, all from Centro Fiorenza. It was Kathrin's last day in Florence before returning to Germany. We walked around, went to a cafe, and did a tiny bit of shopping - I bought some boots! Then I returned home and spent a relaxing night here at the house.

Today I went to Lucca with Laura, Cindy, and Melanie, a woman who just arrived from Australia to take courses at Centro Fiorenza. It was such a beautiful city! After arriving on the train we entered through a path up through the city wall, and immediately began strolling around investigating various piazzas and churches. There was some sort of children's fencing event in one of the main piazzas! Toward the late morning we took a walk along with pathway that follows the city walls, it was sooo beautiful! I very much enjoyed how many trees there were and the views we had of the area just outside the city. After we had lunch, we went to a tower, called La Torre Guinigi, and climbed the 230 steps to the top. It was beautiful, such a breathtaking view. Even after we had spent quite some time up there part of me didn't want to leave! After that we went to Piazza Anfiteatro, which is notable in that it is pretty much an interrupted oval shape, which is a neat visual effect. We sat outside at a cafe and enjoyed some coffee type drinks and the sun. At that point we decided we'd done almost everything and headed back to the station and then back to Florence!

I realize my descriptions were a bit shorter than usual here - I think it is because I am getting more and more used to things (it isn't all so crazy and new) and because I am sort of tired but wanted to tell you all about Lucca and the weekend!

There are photos on picasa, the link is http://picasaweb.google.com/Kathryn.Weatherby/Lucca#

Let me know if you have any issues getting to the photos! Enjoy!

Bureaucracy, the gym, and computer maintenance (in a nutshell)

So to catch up on this week so far... classes are good, I am more or less understanding things. I should probably get more on top of my reading though, as I will start my third class in about two weeks and for 4 weeks or so, I will have all three classes on my plate. In History of European Identity, it seems we now have 4 students, and we are all from different countries! There is still the guy from Elba, and then two girls, one Brazilian and the other Greek. The Greek girl doesn't seem too confident in Italian - she was asking if there was a copy of our textbook in English... but it is nice to have a few more and I found lecture interesting yesterday.

I have also started going to a gym! Federico took me Tuesday morning to get signed up and everything, I thought he was going to work out too (ie he was going anyway) but it turned out he didn't. I signed up for three months (and if all works well I will sign up for 5-6 months after December). I worked out a tiny bit Tuesday but it was all so new and Federico was nicely waiting for me, so I didn't stay long. Then yesterday I did more of a "real" workout, which felt good since I haven't had a good workout routine since last semester at Georgetown. Hopefully the fact that I paid for it will keep me motivated to actually go three times a week! Between the health benefits and the money, I think I should be good. Even though it makes me a bit busier, I think it adds some good structure to my routine.

Encountered some more bureaucracy yesterday... I bought a student monthly pass for the bus, only to discover I also need a special card from the bus company saying that I am indeed a student. I thought maybe I could get that card at all the stores where they sell the passes but no... after visiting two of those stores the clerk at the second told me I had to go to the ATAF office by the station, so walked to the station, and first I went to the normal window, but THAT clerk pointed me to another office, where I discovered there was a form to fill out and a line to wait in. I didn't have time though, I was meeting Mairi for lunch. I took a form though and I have it mostly filled out. Apparently I also need another passport photo... luckily I am pretty sure I have at least one extra left with me. I was going to go this morning but time got short, so hopefully I can fit it in tomorrow, because in the meantime I am buying normal tickets which defeats the point of the monthly pass, saving money. At least I just have to jump through these extra hoops only once - the student card will be valid through when I leave in June... thank goodness. Too bad I didn't know ahead - I would have done this earlier! Just another thing I suppose.

Luckily another problem has been solved in a more complete way - my computer had been running a bit slow due to a problem with the fan. I wasn't sure if it was clogged or broken. After talking with my dad and e-mailing Dell, I figured I should clean it before deciding for sure that it was broken, and somehow got convinced I had to take the computer apart to clean it. I asked Federico if I could borrow a screwdriver, and to make a long story short my Italian family ended up adopting my issue right in the middle of dinner (not what I intended!). Federico took out the rest of the screws that I hadn't gotten to, but the computer still wouldn't open. Then Cristina called her father, who apparently fixes computers. After getting some of his advice, we decided to stop trying to open it, and figured okay we will vacuum it from the outside... so Federico took a vacuum to it and we left it at that. Well lo and behold, I turned the computer on to test it, and it ran normally again! Plus I could hear a very quiet whirring of the fan and felt airflow... seems as though at least for now the solution was a simple cleaning. I was also touched by the concern of Federico and Cristina, as I had really intended to try to address the issue on my own.

Still figuring out what to do this weekend - I thought maybe I'd have a friend coming into town but that probably won't work, so I am suddenly free. I definitely need to shop for shoes... the ones I brought with me are looking sadder by the day. And I am thinking of maybe trying to get to the Uffizi gallery for the first time. It is a definite MUST in Florence, and maybe (just maybe?) the crowds will be slightly less crazy than in early September. At any rate, I can skip the line and get in for free with my handy "Amici degli Uffizi" card which Lucia helped me get soon after I arrived.

I think that is all for now... obviously if I think of anything I will write more!