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!