Finalmente!

Okay time to do this thing, and by this thing, I mean update my blog which I have been neglecting! Oops!

Okay so I am going to go a bit backwards - I will write about the last week and a half before I write about my amazing weekend with Kristen!

The big event of last week was my first exam in Italian, which also happened to be a final for my class, History of Italian Foreign Relations. We had the option to do the exam either in written or oral format (the majority of exams here are oral). I chose written, since at least I would have time to compose my answers and review them instead of just having to speak sensically. The exam was Thursday, Nov. 6. I had tried to up my work ethic in the weeks prior, but it hadn't happened like I hoped it would. It took the time pressure of the week of to really kick me into gear - and studying consisted of reviewing my notes, filling out basic background info using Wikipedia (okay, this guy, how many times was he prime minister and how many times was he foreign minister, and what party is he from? What exactly were the terms of the Treaty of Brussels?) along with finishing the book we had for the class. In lecture, my professor started with the post-war era (1945 basically) but she had told us that if we hadn't done a presentation (which I didn't), the exam would also cover the first part of the book - Italian unity (1860) to WWII. During the first part of last week, I had to finish the book by completing that first part. I ended up getting to WWI, and on the morning of the test I tried to fill in the gaps by reading a bit about Mussolini's foreign policy during Fascism.

But, all studying aside, I had no clue what to expect. I didn't know how general or specific the questions would be, or what was expected of me, or how easily I'd be able to write. You could definitely say I was nervous going in. The test was at 2:00 pm, and only one other student (a French girl, Muriel) was doing the written format - the other 6 students who were there that day did oral exams in the same room during the class period - talking with the professor in a hushed voice. It actually wasn't as distracting as you might think.

But before administering the oral exams, the professor wrote two questions on the board for Muriel and I. Roughly translated - 1) Foreign policy of Liberal Italy and Fascist Italy - continuities and discontinuities, and 2) Italy and the first detente (prima distensione).

My reactions were 1) Good thing I read about Mussolini's foreign policy, 2) Prima distensione.... uh.... hmmm... breathe. Luckily my professor specified that the first detente started in 1953. I remembered talk of it, but the whole sequence of Cold War events from the Italian perspective was, to be honest, a bit fuzzy. It didn't help that the early 50s were a time period we covered early on in the course - ie, my comprehension and note-taking were still on the spotty side.

I managed to think of a few good points for comparing Mussolini to what had come after the war, and wrote what I thought was a pretty good mini-essay. Oh yeah, the prof. said we had a length limit of two sides of one piece of paper, and we could divide it however we wanted. Since the first question seemed more complex, I was aiming for writing a bit more on that than the other topic. So I spent the first part of the time writing that, feeling pretty good about it. At the halfway point though, we had the "pausa" or a 15-minute break that we usually have in class (for people to get espresso and smoke basically) and Muriel said to me, by liberal Italy, she means before the war, right? And I thought about it for a second... looked at the question... and said in my head, "oh, [expletive]... she's right." So I told her yes, and panicked a bit. You see, what I should have realized from the outset was that Liberal Italy is pre-Fascist Italy, and post-Fascist Italy would be called Republican Italy. I had judged the question much too quickly, and had to pretty much do the whole thing over. I tried to remind myself to stay calm, confirmed with the professor that Liberal Italy was in fact pre-Fascist, and when she said yes I had to take another sheet of paper in order to start over. Luckily, I had plenty of time especially considering the short length limit, and I managed to pound out a decent answer to the ACTUAL meaning of question 1, and finish an adequate response for question 2. The question 2 wasn't incredibly coherent, as I tried to remember everything I knew from the time period, ended up writing a bit past it, and tried to sum up the overall big picture changes, with maybe partial success. Either way the whole thing was quite nervewracking.

Leaving, I wasn't feeling great, but I was at least relieved it was over. Overall it had gone worse than I thought it would, and I had no idea how harshly it would be graded. What I should also say here is that really all I needed to do was pass - the exact scores I get here will not enter into my GPA numerically, partially because the numbers are on different scales. They grade here up to 30, and passing is 18, so that is what I had to get. I really didn't know what the consequences would be if I failed - for instance if I could have a "do over" by doing an oral exam. (I know that would never happen in America but I could see it happening here.) I found out I would have to wait til Tuesday morning to get my grade, so I had to resolve not to think about it too much til then.

What made Thursday after the test worse was that I was coming down with a cold and not feeling great at all, and just tired and worn out from all the studying and nerves. It was a crazy experience mostly because of the uncertainty - I wouldn't have thought it would throw me off so much, but it did. Sure the subject was hard (esp without the background knowledge Italian students have and with the language barrier) but above all the uncertainty factor was making me nervous. What do they expect? What was the deal with having to sign up to officially get the grade later? Is my written Italian good enough? And so on and so forth.

Last weekend I did almost nothing. Literally. I was supposed to go on a daytrip with Lucia Saturday, but her mom had an operation on Friday and she thought it'd be better to be around in case there were complications, which I agreed with. I was enjoying taking it easy anyway, with my cold and all. I did buy some clothes on Saturday which was good, as I know have more long-sleeve options.

Monday I started in on academics again, including a small research project I have for my other political science course - History of European Identity. I am reading about the Paris Peace Conference at the end of WWI, specifically from the American perspective (my professor tailored the topics to each of us individually but they all relate to Versailles somehow). It is nice to have that to do over a period of weeks at my own pace (though who knows what I'll be saying when it is almost due...)

Yesterday was Tuesday, so I went to the Scienze Politiche "campus" in the morning. When Muriel and I saw the professor at 11, she said to come up to her office at 12 instead - though I am pretty sure last Thursday she said 11. I was nervous enough already and then we had to wait ANOTHER hour. Muriel was pretty pessimistic in that she was like, I wouldn't be surprised if I failed, and I was implicated in that since we were pretty much level in terms of how we felt about it. I had decided though that I showed that I studied and showed some knowledge, and in the US I would have passed - I just had NO CLUE about here! Muriel thought that there could be a "do-over" option, but I was still just like... ugh I really hope I passed. As it turned out, Professor Bagnato had forgotten the actual tests at home, but she remembered our grades, which let's face it, was what mattered to us. The moment of truth was fleeting - she looked at Muriel and said "25" and at me and said "27". YES! We passed! And with better grades than we might have thought. Despite the fact that yesterday was rainy and my cold was (is) still lingering... that made yesterday a good day and I feel a huge weight off my shoulders. It is a nice confidence boost that I was able to pass my first Italian exam!

For something completely different, I feel more comfortable all the time with my Italian family. It really is a blessing. I am not sure how to even describe it specifically, but the more time I am there the easier and more comfortable it is. Lately it's funny, there is this commercial for a service called "Sky" (I think it may be a premium TV channel package) and it consists of a series of people singing "Se mi lasci non vale" which means something like "If you leave me it's not worth it," but the funny thing is EVERY time it comes on Lisa (the 9-year-old) says to us, "Zitti zitti!" which means "be quiet!" because she LOVES the voice or the way this one woman toward the end of the commercial sings the line. It is sort of a deep and velvety voice, and the woman is a young woman standing out in the rain or something. It cracks the rest of us up, because every time we see it Lisa just gets this huge smile on her face and it is the cutest thing ever. Her birthday is at the end of November (Nov. 23, the day before another special birthday!) and I have been thinking of getting her something Hello Kitty, because she likes Hello Kitty. Luckily, Hello Kitty is popular here. I have been scoping out stores looking for Hello Kitty products and I have seen at least 4 or 5.

The weather finally seems to be changing to something resembling fall. After some periods of rain, last week there were also BEAUTIFUL days with blue skies and temperatures that were around 70. Even so I always wear jeans and at least a layer, because people here always overdress. It can be sunny and 70 and you will still see people in peacoats and leather jackets. It is weird, but I have adopted the mindset somewhat and dress that way too. It's almost like, well, it is fall, so we are dressing like this on principle.

To rewind, Kristen (my friend from Georgetown and likely roommate next year for those of you who don't know her!) got here on Thursday, October 30 in the afternoon. I was so excited for her trip here, and it was so fun! First thing we took the bus back to the house so she could drop her stuff, and she got to meet Federico, who was playing a videogame when we arrived. :-) As you will read in her blog, one of the first things he said was "wow, you're tall" and subsequently, Cristina (when she met Kristen) and a random security guy at the Accademia Gallery also said Kristen was tall. In case she wasn't sure, now she knows! (For reference she is 6'0" which IS tall, but Italians seem truly in awe or something.) After dropping her things, we took a loop bus ride to Piazzale Michelangelo, which is the first place Lucia took me in Florence when I got here - even before I got to the house and met Cristina for the first time. It has a gorgeous view of the city and is good to use for orientation type purposes. It didn't really turn out like I'd envisioned, as it was rainy and cloudy and rapidly getting dark (much earlier than my August visit), but Kristen enjoyed the night view. We took some pictures and took it all in, and then went home for dinner. Cristina made a yummy vegetable soup (which I'd had before) and these fried balls of dough, that I forget what they're called... something like chioccioli I think... We had them with cheese and also meat, and then also with dessert toppings like Nutella. Yum! They were addictive, but as Cristina said, something to have only once in a while since they are so heavy and fattening.

Dinner also provided the opportunity for me to share what has become a nightly routine for me with Kristen - La Ruota della Fortuna. It is a TV show which is the Italian version of Wheel of Fortune. I like it for a number of reasons. One is that it is good Italian practice. Obviously playing along and seeing all the answers and thinking about the words gets me thinking in Italian, and I learn new vocabulary because I ask Cristina and Federico what things mean when I don't understand. A couple times I have gotten the solutions before even the contestants, and I feel quite proud when that happens! Another reason I enjoy "La Ruota" is that it is sooo amusing to to watch. Above all, their "Vanna" is named Victoria, and she is Swedish, and apparently has worked in America. Her Italian is good enough, but she is always mispronouncing things and the host corrects her. I really think that sometimes she plays stupid on purpose. Also, he'll ask her questions and she just smiles and goes "uh huh..." or "siiii..." even if it isn't a yes or no question. She also wears ridiculously skimpy clothing, predictably low cut and with lots of thigh, has blown out blonde hair, big blue eyes with lots of mascara, and puffed out, glossed up lips. There are random dance breaks, usually featuring her, and camera angles from above (cleavage) and below (when she twirls around after crossing in front of the puzzle, causing her dress to flare out... yeahh). She winks and makes faces at the camera. It all sounds like SUCH a stereotype, but it's true! And I know you wouldn't believe it, but now I have Kristen's testimony to prove it! Ohhhh boy. But it is too amusing, I always wait to see what Victoria is wearing and we always laugh over the hilarity of whatever occurs on the show...

Well that was a big digression. On Friday, I had to go to class in the afternoon, so Kristen and I first stopped at my favorite sandwich shop to get some food, but to get to the bus on time (to get to school on time) we had to go RIGHT when it opened so we were hovering there, oh well. Luckily she liked her sandwich, and then when we got to school I set her up in the library to do some reading while I had class. After, in the late afternoon, we went back downtown, went inside the Duomo, and explored downtown a bit, including Via Tornabuoi, which is a who's who of expensive designers (most of them Italian). Of course I would never go into a store there, but it was fun to see all the windows. We also went to the Ponte Vecchio, which I don't see much anymore now that I don't go to my orientation school (which is across the river from downtown Firenze).

That night, we went to a vegetarian restaurant, which was confusing at first because you place your order, pay, go to a counter to get your food, and THEN sit down. Between trying to figure out if there was space, figuring out the procedure, and trying my best to translate the menu for Kristen, it was a bit hectic. But in the end it was good, we enjoyed our food and some apple cider, and it was fun. The annoying thing was that it was raining, and we had BOTH straightened our hair and decided to wear ballet flats - which seemed like a good idea at the times. I had been thinking for at least a month that I needed new flats, as the pair I brought to Italy had been wearing out since summer, but I had yet to find any that I liked at a good price. Well, that night out in the rain pretty much finished my flats, and both Kristen and I felt like we were walking around in squishy puddles most of the night (she also wore flats). After the restaurant, we went to a bar I have been to once before to get some cocktails and enjoy being 20 in a country where the official drinking age is 16 and the actual drinking age is you can buy wine at like 9 years old if you say it's for your mom...

Kristen's stomach wasn't feeling too well though, so we went home kind of early and enjoyed some more Gilmore Girls, which I have to say I didn't mind! Over the course of the weekend, as Kristen wrote, we probably got through about 8-9 episodes which was so fun. And like she wrote, I also got her addicted to the Daily Show! I have been watching it a lot online, especially with the recent election season. Let's be honest, Sarah Palin gave them LOTS of material!

Saturday was our full day of touristing. First we went to the Accademia Gallery, since Kristen remembered going to the Uffizi and the Uffizi is usually crazier on your average Saturday. We enjoyed the art, most of all seeing the real David, which I always find amazing! Well by always I mean the two times I've seen it now. After lunch we made our way downtown and wandered around in a bunch of the small streets near the Duomo. We found a cute place for lunch, with a nice ambience and seemingly good menu. We got some bruschetta, Kristen got pasta filled with cheese and pear (which is actually a pretty common combination here, it is really good - don't knock it til you've tried it!) and I got gnocchi with like a pepper sauce. It was pretty good but I had a little bit of "orderer's remorse" which I hate! Either way I very much enjoyed the lunch...

We continued to wander around after lunch and then got some gelato at Grom, which I had heard was really good and wanted to try. I was going to go with some sort of chocolate-y sweet combination of flavors, but then pear and apple sounded really good, so I got those two flavors. They were really good, especially the apple! It literally tasted like someone pureed an apple and mixed it right in - so fresh and delicious! Next time I go to Grom I will try some of their more chocolate-y flavors.

I can't really remember if we did anything else after that, I think we went home to relax before going out to dinner. And of course, watched more Gilmore Girls! Then we went out to dinner, at a place near Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria. I probably would have ordered Chianti, but I know Kristen likes white wine better and it seemed more fun to get a bottle and not be restricted to glasses. I chose the cheapest white there was, which also seemed to be fruity (another thing Kristen likes in wine). It was so cool - they brought the wine and did that thing where they show it to you and you taste it, and it was the first time I had ever done that! I don't know, I felt so grown up... Dinner was really enjoyable! I got pasta with lobster and it actually had real chunks of the meat, plus the sauce was really good. A very scrumptious meal. Kristen and I also split two desserts - an apple cake and a chocolate cake - also very yummy! We also just kept talking and talking... and since you have to ask for the bill, we ended up just talking and stayed in the restaurant for about 3 hours! The time seemed to fly though, and it was really nice. Much like my visit with Deneb (and possibly even more, this being a Georgetown friend) it was SO nice to talk to a close friend in person and just have that comfort level! To be honest with you all, I haven't really made any real, lasting connections here with peers, and I have my lonely moments. I didn't expect to be looking forward so much to the other Georgetown students arriving (in spring), but I am. I will be fine til then, but as it turns out being so independent sometimes has its down moments... ah well.

On Sunday, we (surprise) watched a little Gilmore Girls and then I had to take Kristen to the station... which was sad, but we had such a great time together and I'm so glad we had that visit! The other sad part about her leaving was that I had to start really studying for my test, and really, who would want to do that?

Alright, I think I will stop here. I got out most of the important stuff I had not written about, so hopefully I'll have a chance to write about other little things soon! I will really try to be better! Thanks for your patience everyone!