La Vita Quotidiana e Il Mio Compleanno

(Daily Life and My Birthday)

Complimentary birthday prosecco at Yellow - Sarah, Neza, and me

Birthday tiramisu!

This entry is going to consist of a collection of various thoughts and anecdotes, capped off by an account of my birthday, which was yesterday!

Since I got back from London and Dave’s grandmother’s visit came and went, I have been able to relax a little more and catch up on life here in Florence. For the past few weeks, my typical class day has been like this:

I wake up, eat breakfast, and always leave for class a little later than I told myself I would. I never arrive before 9 am, but I have no motivation to – my professor never arrives before 9:15 at the earliest. I get to my Storia del Risorgimento class and see Eva, Neza (a Georgetown student, one of the group), and Diane, an American who goes to Smith, along with the Italians in our class (or whichever of them decided to show up that day). Eventually, Professor Ciuffoletti comes in. He starts out by identifying what aspect of the Risorgimento he will discuss that day. He starts out there, but inevitably veers off topic into modern day politics, older politics and history that are not exactly the Risorgimento, or food or other observations. This is most amusing when it is food. Here are some examples –

1) One day, Professor Ciuffoletti went off on a tangent regarding vegetable gardens. He was enchanted by the fact that Michelle Obama is apparently starting one at the White House. He went on about cucumbers and potatoes and artichokes. Ah yes, artichokes. He got into an exchange with one Italian student over how to cultivate them. He talked about the “Mamma” artichokes that are apparently huge. He then related how the night before he made a delicious dinner using “Mamma” artichokes. Toward the end of this spiel he demonstrated how gardening is hard work and you have to churn up the soil. He commented that this kind of work would change Michelle’s lovely toned muscles, and speculated about what the President might think. Also, this was the day that he answered his cell phone in the middle of class and had a 5-minute conversation.

2) Another day, he got on the topic of French food. Among his conclusions are the fact that French food is better for “haute” cuisine but for everything else Italian is decidedly better. Also, Italian wines are better except that France has champagne, which no one else can do the same way. He talked about an 8-course meal he once had in France that was full of tiny portions and snobby food.

3) Shortly after the observations on French cuisine, he talked about trips in America when he had young daughters. According to him, MacDonald’s was their savior. “Some good French fries, they can really be your salvation.” Getting off the highway, they never knew what would be good and had bad luck at some restaurants. Alas, MacDonald’s was their savior… The other Americans and I could not stop laughing – I found it hilarious and sad at the same time that from his point of view, MacDonald’s is the height of our cuisine… I also found myself reflecting on the quasi-universal appeal of MacDonald’s and its near omnipresence.

So, for the past couple weeks I have been a bit annoyed when Ciuffoletti goes off topic and I have to sit there and patiently listen, but at least it is funny when he talks about food. And only in Italy would there be a tangent of that length and depth about vegetable gardens. I think it really reflects something quirky and wonderful about their knowledge of fresh natural foods, even in this day and age. By that I mean that this knowledge is not restricted to farmers and cultivators, but is much more widespread in the population.

When Storia del Risorgimento ends around 11 (or whenever Ciuffoletti decides to end), Eva and I go to Storia della Chiesa with Professoressa Paiano. She stays on topic much better and tells us about the Catholic church and movements in it. Lecture is interspersed with reading and analyzing documents together – I really enjoy this aspect of the class. By the time this class ends at 1 pm, I am usually some combination of tired and hungry. Luckily that is when Eva and I go to the cafeteria! For the low price of 2,80 EUR, I get a pasta dish, secondo (meat), contorno (vegetable), fruit or yogurt, bread, and a drink. Yes, it is mass produced, but it is still Italian and still satisfying, especially for the price. This past week, I met Eva’s friends Katerina and Veronica, who are both German. One day I ate with all three of them and Eva reminded them they had to speak Italian since I don’t understand German. They do speak it among themselves in spurts though, especially to clarify things, as they are both less experienced in Italian than Eva.

After class, I usually go to the library and use the computer for an hour, then try to make myself read as long as I can stand it before heading home. I have a decent pile of reading that I could always be doing, but try my best to prioritize it and spread it out. In the coming weeks I will also be working on a paper about Garibaldi for Storia del Risorgimento, and a paper/presentation about prayer and war for Storia della Chiesa. At this point, all the lessons of Risorgimento class are over and my main task is the paper. I will hand it in about 10 days before my exam, in late May I think. I have a few more lessons left of Storia della Chiesa, and we need to schedule our presentations and paper due dates. I think for my third class, to take place in second module (second half of the semester), I may do an art history class with Professoressa Paiano. It is about religious imagery, I think it could count for my major, I know I like her as a professor, and I think it would be interesting. I do need to verify however that I don’t want to do another Contemporary History course that I had in mind.

Yesterday was my birthday. While I did find myself missing close loved ones at home, and thinking about how 21 is a less consequential birthday in Italy than in the US, I definitely enjoyed myself thanks to my own initiative and the help of friends here and at home. I had decided a while back that I might go shopping, and Eva upon hearing this offered to go with me. When we met up and headed toward the stores, she linked her arm through mine and told me she didn’t want me to spend my birthday alone. She really is a sweetheart. Right away, we went to the store Carpisa and I got a new bookbag/totebag for next year, and maybe this summer too. This year’s bag has served me well and was a free secondhand gift from Dave’s aunt, but it is showing signs of wear and an Italian bag seemed like a nice self-gift. Eva also got a good bag for traveling at Carpisa – she is going to Pompeii next weekend with some friends, including Veronica. After that we headed to a café/bar that I’d heard about for its doughnuts, and we had cappuccinos and pastries as we chatted. After that we wandered around looking at various stores, and ended up at Zara, where I had admired things before but never made any purchases. I wasn’t intending to make any purchases there either, but then I saw some really cute shoes that were comfortable, great for summer, and elegant. With Eva’s affirmation, I went ahead and bought them! After more walking around, Eva gave me her gift before we parted ways. It was a small recipe book filled with pasta dishes – such a great idea and especially impressive considering that she hasn’t known me for very long. I look forward to using it upon my return!

After we went our separate ways, I returned home and painted my nails, Skyped with people in the US, and got ready for my outing that night. I straightened my hair for the first time in a while, but of course it was raining outside as I made my way to the restaurant… oh well, my hair held up okay anyway. I met up with Eva at the Duomo and then we went to the restaurant. Before too long Margaret Leigh, Sarah, and Neza also came. Neza had a pink Rinascente bag which I found out was my gift from the three of them – very nice! No one else was as hungry as I, but we had a nice dinner anyway. I ordered prosecco right away, and as our waitress was opening the bottle, one of the guys in charge of the restaurant came over and asked if it was a special occasion. Neza said it was my birthday, and he said the prosecco was on the house! It was a lovely and unexpected gesture, and it saved us 15 euros! As antipasto, I had some crostini toscani, which are bread toasts topped with a “fegato” spread – in which the main ingredient is liver. I know it sounds gross to some, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Some people don’t like it, but I really do! For my meal I got gnocchi rosé, which meant gnocchi in a tomato and cream sauce. It was really good, especially once I secured some cheese to sprinkle on top. To finish off the meal I got some tiramisu, of course. It is especially good at this restaurant, Yellow, which I have been to many times. In between main courses and dessert, I opened my present from the three Georgetown girls. It was some really nice lip gloss and a pretty scarf. I really appreciated their kindness and thoughtfulness.

After dinner, there was a bit of a strange situation in that the girls I ate with were all wanting to head home for one reason or another, but Bridie and some girls from the villa hadn’t been available earlier and wanted to come down and meet me at a bar. I told them where I was headed, and they said they’d get down as soon as they could, but there was still a gap. Luckily, Margaret Leigh ended up staying and chatting with me, which I really appreciated. When Bridie, Margaret, Laura, and Kate N. came, Margaret Leigh headed home, and I spent the rest of my evening chatting and drinking a bit with the others. It was really nice to socialize and have a few drinks, but not too many, and think to myself that finally the US would allow me to have them too! That will be a novelty upon my return this summer…

When I got home, there was a gift from the family sitting right there as I entered my room. I figured I should open it, so first I opened the card, which Lisa had decorated very nicely, complete with a drawing of me! The actual gift was Carlos Santana brand body wash and body scent. I didn’t realize that Carlos Santana had a brand of products like that, but it was a very nice gift! Today, Sunday, I slept in, and even extra because here in Italy we just “sprang forward” an hour today.

I feel really grateful for all the ways in which my birthday was special, and I will always be able to look back on celebrating my 21^st in Italy. I received more presents and generosity than I would have imagined and feel lucky for that. And I look forward already to celebrating my 22^nd next year at Georgetown, with many of my loved ones that are across the pond or in other parts of Europe and the world right now.

I think that will do it for this entry. The next week or two will just be working on schoolwork and starting my third class, until Allison gets here right before Easter. I will also have a pretty long break around the holiday, the closest thing I will get to Spring Break. (I can’t really complain about lack of breaks though – I only have class three days a week.) After Easter, Dave’s parents will be arriving in Italy and I am really excited for that!

Right after I publish this, I will try to get my most recent photos up – keep an eye out for pictures of some of my presents, my birthday celebration, and Lisa’s card to me!

Til next time!