Making Mud Pies

Things I’ve done since my last post:

1. Went to yoga class.
2. Made the hike up to Piazzale Michelangelo, where you can find some of the most beautiful views of Florence. Favorite part: Views. Second favorite part: Asian weddings on the side of the hill. Least favorite part: Man peeing in the bushes beside the path.
3. Eaten the most beautiful, wonderful pizza I’ve ever had. It was called O’Vesuvio (which happens to be the name of the restaurant) and, besides the regular stuff, it had hot sauce on it. That’s what I’m talking about.

4. Had multiple cappucinos in one day.
5. Spent Saturday night out on the town with my girlfriends!

6. Went to yoga, again (I am so sore, in a good way).
7. Cooked French toast with my roommates. We smothered it in strawberries and bananas. I may or may not have heated up Nutella and drizzled it on a couple pieces. (How have I not gained weight?)
8. Finished reading "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." If you haven’t read it, you should. Now is a good time.
9. Had a cheeseburger and fries, which kind of made me feel like I broke some Italian law.
10. Received two packages from my Mom and Rob. Big smile on my face!!
11. Finished my first Batik project! I will post a picture when my silk gets back from the dry cleaner’s.
12. Had more cappuccinos…and tiramisu…

I know I sound like the most unhealthy eater in the world, but aside from the cappuccino overload and the occasional Nutella splurge (ok, it might be a little more than occasional), I eat a lot better than I did at home. I cook all the time and eat a lot of fruits and veggies. Like I’ve said before, the produce here is amazing. I don’t know why anyone would choose to eat out all the time when you can get the most amazing oranges, apples, grapefruits, tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplants at the open markets for so cheap. I don’t want to ever go back to American food.

One of my favorite things about my classes here is that I have so much freedom. My classes last longer than at home, but we have so much less work outside of class. That means that I have more time for myself and for exploring with friends. Sometimes, I get to just sit by the window in my favorite bar, drinking a cappuccino and reading a good book. Italians seem to value their time more than Americans. They know that there is a time for work, and their work is really important to them, but they also understand that life is short and we need time to live. Yes, we have to work hard, make money, and keep the world turning, but we also have to nurture our relationships with the people we love. We have to have time to take a walk by the river and cook a good meal for friends and each other's hands.

We have to have time to be quiet.

Today, while I was being quiet, I read this:

“Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” – C.S. Lewis

Maybe the reason we live our lives so up and down is because we find our happiness in things that are too small to sustain us. Sometimes, I'm not sure that I know how to search for God. I can say “I love...I trust...I believe…I want…” but I’m not sure that I’m always telling the truth. I can read and study the word for hours and not feel fulfilled. So, how do I find happiness in this big thing while I watch so many people find immediate pleasure in little things? How do I find fulfillment when I can’t see past aching desires for things that are not good enough? How do I desire something I will never fully understand above all the wonderful things that I can easily understand?

Even when I stand beside the most beautiful mountains, sit under the bluest sky and take in the vastness of the creation we’ve been given, God begs me to want more—more Him.

Why is that so hard?

Accademia

On the first day of my eleventh grade English class, my beautiful teacher, Mrs. Kathy Hayes, stood up on a chair and screamed, "Words! Words, Ladies! Words!" She was reenacting the first day of one of her English classes at Meredith college, in which her professor yelled at her students the same way. To be honest, I don't remember anything she said after that, but I do remember understanding exactly what she meant. Of course. Words.

If you’ve been close to me in the past year, you know that I like poetry. I’ve found that its power is not necessarily in the final piece of paper, or how the words cover the page in neat, typed up, printed completeness. It is not perfectly manicured and coherent like prose. Poetry is not about completeness. It is about how each word relates to the ones around it. I learned from Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Jorie Graham, that poetry is about letting each word and image come and go, making us fully present in the moment of reading. It is not some definitive meaning that comes at the end. It needs very little explanation. Poetry tries to reveal everything about the moment it lives in.

Today, my drawing professor, John Taylor, took a group of us to the Accademia to draw Michelangelo's David. As expected, it was more impressive in person than in any photo I've seen [more impressive than the replica in front of Palazzo Vecchio, which I walk by every day]. As I worked through my first gesture, I got an even better idea of how lovely his lines are, standing calmly contrapposto, hips swung, almost unconcerned by the giant in front of him.

After a few sketches, John took us back down the open hall to look at some unfinished pieces by Michelangelo. David seems to watch over them. Standing beside the furthest one, he said, "Now look back at the David." We looked. "It's impressive, yes. But this [gesturing to the unfinished piece], this unfinished man, pushing outward, not yet born--this is poetry." Once again, I knew exactly what he meant.

[Note: For full effect, anything said by John must be read in a British accent]

Now, some of you are laughing right now because the scene I just described sounds too much like the far too typical mush of obnoxious, artist jibber-jabber. If I hadn't been so taken by it, I would probably be laughing along with you. Maybe it was the accent...

What he meant was that it wasn't the figure's perfection that was beautiful. This piece, unfinished, certainly wasn't perfect. What was so beautiful about it was its possibility--the fact that it wasn't finished--the fact that you can still see Michelangelo moving around the marble, pushing further and further backwards until this man starts to find his way out of the block.

None of this really matters. It’s probably starting to sound like that mushy stuff I mentioned before. I just wanted to say that being unfinished or fragmented or disjointed is more powerful than being a perfect piece of prose. It is more powerful than being a shiny, finished piece of marble that will never be changed again.

I just wanted to say that I’ve never been so glad that I, too, am unfinished.


-----------------------


“Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” 1 Peter 3:3-4

Getting Warmer-Being Weak

It has gotten warmer in our apartment since we’ve been here, but last night was colder than normal. I’m thinking it was half because of the weather and half because of my heart. Sometimes, I feel like I’m having to go through this healing process, even though I’m not completely sure where [or why] it hurts. So I was hugging the radiator in the bathroom (literally), trying to warm up my hands and spirit, and realized something. I’m still not sure what it was that I realized, but I know that my boots got a little lighter. I think it was something along the lines of what Morgan told me about being whole (see second blog). So, I stood there for a while, hugging the radiator, alone, whole. I hope that doesn't come off as depressing, because I am really happy right now.

Today, while Romeo, my photography professor, was flipping through some Ansel Adam slides, I made lists of how I’ve been spending my time and how I’d rather be spending my time. [Don’t worry, Mom, I was still paying attention.]

Things I’ve been doing:
1. Eating. A lot.
2. Drinking a lot of cappuccinos…and in a hurry because I’m always running behind.
3. Talking to people in America. It is comforting.
4. Wishing I were stronger/tougher/doubting myself less.
5. Wondering if we have soul mates [and if we do, do we only have one?].
6. Reading sad [but beautiful] novels.
7. Forgetting things [like to buy juice and where I put my keys].

Things I want to do:
1. Drink more cappuccinos.
2. Write in my journal. Write poetry.
3. Talk to God more than when I’m in the shower or walking down the street alone.
4. Take more photos [not the tourist kind]
5. Tell people that I admire/love/respect them without sounding creepy [or blushing]
6. Paint something.
7. Get bangs and not hate them.
8. See the coast.
9. Learn a new Italian phrase every day [thank you, Mike Sellitti…you da man]
10. Stop wearing makeup all the time.
11. Learn to be completely fulfilled by God.
12. Meditate.
13. Learn how to live without sleep [so that I’ll have time to do all these things]


So here’s what you actually want to know…what have I really been doing in Italy?

Well, I went to Pisa and Luca on Saturday and climbed the leaning tower! It was so amazing at the top, I can’t even describe it. If you ever make it to Pisa, you must pay the fifteen euro to climb the tower. I do, however, recommend working out for a week beforehand to get ready and possibly taking some Dramamine. It is really dizzying because of the way the tower leans. The stairs (which are incredibly narrow) spiral up the tower and you are constantly changing the direction you’re leaning.

Luca is a beautiful little city, famous for the huge walls that surround it. The walls once protected the city from invasion, particularly when the Medici were taking over Italy. The city was never taken. The walls are really wide and are, now, paths that people walk/run along. How cool!

When you walk through the markets here, you are almost guaranteed to get called some celebrity name. Since I’ve been here, I’ve heard J-Lo, Lady Gaga, and Mariah Carey. I guess they think that calling you a celebrity will make you want to buy their stuff….? I’m still trying to figure out how being called “Lady Gaga” is a compliment. It’s like saying, “Hey you look like a crazy person.” That would probably be more accurate, though. I also get, “Hey sista! Sista!” a lot. That one really cracks me up. I made my first market purchase yesterday, though! I bought a wool/cashmere cape and it is sooo wonderful! I swear, it’s warmer than my winter coat and it makes me feel so Italian. My friends Kim, Kristen, and Alex all bought capes, too. We are going to look like little super heroes walking down the streets of Florence together. Ok, we might actually look more like homeless people. I love it though!

Other than my new cape, I also love my weaknesses right now. I’m finding that it’s those weaknesses that make me suitable for being filled up and used by God. My new friend David, back in Winston-Salem, posted this yesterday….

“For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty." I Corinthians 1:26-27

Your weak places let in God’s strength. Rejoice in your weaknesses.

Birthdays, cooking, and finding my true love!

SHOUTOUT: Happy birthweek to Cameron McGraw and Nicholas Patterson! I love Florence, but I have to say that I’m a little sad that I missed two of my closest friends’ birthdays this week. Cameron and Nicholas both turned 21! Cameron, it’s still your birthday so enjoyyyy and don’t have too much to drink. Nicholas, it was so wonderful to see your face on Skype for your birthday and it makes me so happy to know you’re doing well in Texas! I will be at your games in spirit, cheering you on. I love you both so much! As the Italians say, “Cento di questi giorni!” [I wish you one hundred more years]

[We're so goofy]

I haven’t blogged in a few days, so this could be a long one…fasten your seatbelts.

Even though I embarrassed myself in my photography class this week by taking a roll of film without any film in my camera (thank you, camera guy, for not telling me you took my film out) and I had a slight emotional breakdown over my drawing class, it’s been a really beautiful week. Last night, a few friends came over and I cooked dinner for everyone. It was late and the markets were closed so I had to make do with what I could find, but I fixed something like a vegetable parmesan with some seasoned pasta on the side and had some bread with olive oil to start. Want to see??

It turned out to be pretty good! There were no leftovers, so the girls must have liked it. Granny and Aunt Marilyn, I hope you’re proud!

Speaking of cooking, I went to a cooking class tonight at school and had a really great meal. The teacher is the most amazing woman and I think I will go back next week just to see her. This woman was so lovely and her food was incredible. She made us bruschetta, white beans with black cabbage, and pasta with pesto, green beans and potatoes. So simple, so delicious. She did her best to tell us everything from how to buy olive oil to where to find the best produce in town. After the class was over, Alex, Madison and I stayed behind to talk to her and I’m so glad we did. She is so funny, so beautiful, and so Italian.

Things I learned:
1. Cooking is a labor of love. It’s not so much about the labor, though, as it is about sharing something you’ve made with your hands with the people you love.
2. Being old in Italy is a good thing, not a bad thing. I think that a lot of Americans are losing respect for elderly people, not because of heartlessness, but because of constant efforts to get ahead or to get things done more quickly. Italians respect every age for different reasons. My wonderful cooking teacher says that if you are old in Italy, you are not useless. Instead, you are “patient, wise, and have time to tell stories.”If you want a man to fall in love with you, cook for him. (see number one)
3. Eating real, fresh foods will make you healthier and more beautiful. Ok that one seems pretty obvious, but you should see this woman! I was shocked to find out that she was over fifty. Her skin is amazing and she looks and acts like she doesn’t plan on ever aging. She says that Italians live longer than any other people because they only eat fresh foods. Then again, I’m finding that Italians like to make up a lot of nice things about themselves. It seems believable to me, though.
4. If you want a man to fall in love with you, cook for him. (see number one)

I forgot to mention that I found my true love today. His name is Tiramisu. That was the best part of the cooking class…and now I [kind of] know how to make it! I’ve always liked tiramisu, but eating it in Italy just made it taste so much better. Alex and I were scraping be bottom of the pan.

As far as edibles this week go, a close second to the tiramisu was the discovery of Pocket Coffee. These little guys look like a piece of chocolate candy, but they have espresso inside. Liquid, ready to go, espresso. Yes, fellow coffee lovers, these do exist. The espresso is pretty strong, but boy, is it good.

Final thoughts: In Italy, just like in America, people really care about how they look and how successful they are. This week, I have felt a little bit like a failure in some of my classes. Beyond that, it’s really easy to feel judged here. Not only do I stick out as a crazy American, but I constantly have people looking at my work and I walk around looking at these beautiful, well-dressed Italian women everywhere I go. This verse has made me feel beautiful, despite those feelings of inadequacy:

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7

Happy birthweek, again, to two of the most wonderful hearts I know.

Buona sera!

Ravenna...and dumb things I do...

Dumb things I’ve done in the past couple days: 

1.     Spilling milk all over my coat (down the side and all over one sleeve) while walking to the bus for Ravenna at 6:30am.

2.     Trying to take head-set out of coat without unbuttoning (it was cold), resulting in breaking a button off of said coat.

3.     Only wearing a pair of tights and one pair of socks to Ravenna.  Another pair of socks might have helped. 

4.     Telling the Ikea man I understood how to work the self-serve gelato machine and then walking away without taking my cone or the token you need to put in the machine…I’m an embarrassment to America.

5.     Waiting until 30 minutes before drawing class to buy supplies.

Smart things I’ve done the past couple days:

1.     Put Nutella on bananas instead of cookies.

2.     Shopping for produce at the central market instead of the grocery store.

3.     Buying a sewing kit.

4.     Going to the Uffizi to see Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and Primavera…it was a quick visit…I will be back.

5.     Making better use of my quiet time.

Alex and I were talking about food earlier and realized that, even though we kind of went on a Nutella binge the first week, we really have been eating better than at home.  Except for a few potato chips, I haven’t had any fried food since I got here.  We buy a lot of fruit for snacks, including some sun-dried fruit from the central market.  We rarely eat out for dinner and our meals at home usually include some sort of pasta or rice (ok, we might be a little heavy on the carbs), some veggies (zucchini, mushrooms, etc.), and sometime some meatballs.  I only have soda when I’m feeling homesick and I’ve even lowered my coffee intake!

I might have lied about the coffee.

Point is…I bet my mom would be proud! Love you, Momma bear.  This is a public thank you for letting me have this opportunity and for always supporting me in every way you can.  I will cook for you when you get here!

Yesterday was the trip to Ravenna!  Ravenna is not as beautiful as Florence, but its mosaics are incredibly striking.  The trip was with the Early Renaissance class and our stops were based mainly on where you can find the most preserved examples of Early Christian art and architecture.  The mosaics from this time are not quite like mosaics today, which are usually made up of small tiles or pieces of flat glass.  These pieces of these mosaics are often covered in thin sheets of gold and are not always perfectly flat.  Because of the more angular pieces, Ravenna’s mosaics dazzle like no others. 

It is strange to go into basillicas here, because they are usually a hodge-podge of different styles on the inside.  For example, Ravenna’s famous basilica, San Vitale, has a choir and apse that are fully decorated in Byzantine mosaics, while the cupola is full of 18^th century frescos.  It’s an odd experience to stand there with such opposite styles in one place. It’s kind of like wearing snow boots and a mini skirt.

We saw a lot in Ravenna, but sadly, I mostly remember the cold.  By the time we got back on the bus, I was chilled to the core.  My feet were kind of in a cold sweat (sorry if that’s gross) and I ended up taking off my socks because they were moist and making my feet even colder.  It was basically a day of wardrobe malfunctions (see above). 

Nonetheless, I’m still loving Italia! It’s not easy, especially on days like today when I can’t even figure out how to buy gelato, but it’s definitely becoming a positive experience.  I don’t think I’ve ever felt as alone as I feel here, at least not on a regular basis, but I’m finding that it’s a good kind of alone.  It’s the kind of loneliness that makes you realize that you’re never really alone. 

One week down...

It's been one whole week in Florence.  I can't decide if it's going by fast or if it seems like I've been here forever.  Even though I'm terrible at speaking Italian and I feel like such a tourist most of the time (and probably not a very good one), I love it here. 

Thoughts on the first week of classes….

Batik – Love my professor (she’s so happy) and so excited to bring home some beautiful, hand-dyed silks. Already have my first project sketched and ready to go.  I looked through books of former student works and some of them are so beautiful.  Got to see some that were made by my wonderful art history professor back at HPU, Anna Piperato!

Photography – My professor, Romeo, is so caring and so excited about photography.  There was something really minor wrong with my camera (thanks for letting me borrow it, Lindsey!) and our TA, Jon, took it to the camera shop for me because I didn’t have time (thanks, Italy, for closing EVERYTHING for a three hour lunch break every day) and have no idea how to get there.  Thank God they didn't charge for the repair! Apparently it took the guy about thirty seconds to fix it. Going to shoot a roll of film on Sunday…I hope it’s not terrible.

Jewelry Design – A lot of women with saws and power tools. Need I say more?

Drawing – This class is a little intimidating.  I’m trucking along, though.  My teacher is English and I love his accent and his kind of raw sense of humor. My favorite parts of the class are when it gets quiet, except for the sound of pencils and charcoal running over paper.  It’s kind of like the streets of Florence, when you’re walking around and everywhere you go you just hear footsteps and mopeds and ringing bicycle bells.  I love the repetition, the musicality.  

Everyone told me before I left that this was going to be a life-changing trip, that I would learn and change and grow into someone new.  It would be nice to be able to share that kind of experience with whoever is out there reading this blog.  So, I keep hoping I’ll have some epiphanic moment so that I can write something moving and make everyone reading think that I might be talented, thoughtful, or, at least, worth listening to.  Instead, I’ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off (saw one of those at the central market today), trying to find art supplies and attempting to develop something that resembles a social life.  As it turns out, Mexican food in Italy isn’t bad.  I went to a Mexican restaurant tonight with some friends for quesadillas and margaritas and it was so delicious and so much fun…my favorite meal so far (the Italians might kill me for saying that).  After all that, I had a waffle with gelato, covered in nutella (yes, that does exist).  All I do is eat.

In between meals, though, I really have made some important realizations.  They might seem obvious.  The most important of these, to me, is one that I keep having over and over again: I am not alone.

"And He said, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'" Exodus 33:14

Realizing His presence and [trying to] just live in it, in awareness of it, really does give my heart a warm, safe place to rest.  I am never so at peace than when I am in recognition of God’s presence.  I would be lying if I said I never feel alone, because I feel that way quite often.  More and more frequently, though, when I’m looking out across the Arno, standing in front of Giotto’s Maesta, or even just taking a hot shower, I have moments when I feel God’s presence.  In those seconds [or minutes, or hours] I feel like I’ve got somewhere to just rest.  Rest is good.

Off to Ravenna at 7am tomorrow to see some beautiful mosaics!

Buona notte, world. Get some rest.

……….

Gioia

Today, Alex and I made the most wonderful discovery.  We’ve been so annoyed by how far our apartment is from school compared to others,  but decided today that we couldn’t have had a better location.  Here’s why:

The building with the columns on the right is the Uffizi, Florence’s huge and wonderful museum [home to Boticelli’s Birth of Venus, Titian’s Venus of Urbino, works by Giotto, Fra Angelico, Caravaggio, Masaccio….I could go on and on].  See the bridge there to the left? That’s Ponte Vecchio, Florence’s famous bridge.  I could tell you all about it, but this is probably going to get lengthy…here’s a better picture:

How beautiful is that?  If you walk across that bridge from the Uffizi to the other side and just go straight, you come to this place after a couple blocks…

This is the Palazzo Pitti.  It was once home to the Medici family and it has the most amazing garden I’ve ever seen.  The gardens are called the Boboli gardens.  I don’t think I’ve been to a more beautiful, peaceful place.  After a rough time adjusting to Italian life (not that I’ve really adjusted yet) and some emotional ups and downs along the way, this place made my whole spirit just feel….better. 

Honestly breathtaking, as cliche as that sounds. Now, I took this next picture standing in the same exact spot as the first picture (of the Uffizi)… 

See that coffee bar on the corner by the little red van?  My apartment is just past that.  Do you catch my drift? For the next few months, I live right around the corner from the most beautiful, wonderful places in Florence.  It didn’t really hit me until today.  I am so blessed.  What’s even better?  I have a little card from my school that gets me into the Uffizi, the Palazzo Pitti and it’s gardens, the Academia (where Michelangelo’s David is held), and other amazing places for free.  Alex and I have already decided that we will be in the Boboli gardens as many afternoons as we can.  We didn’t even see all of it today…they seem to go on forever.

I talked to my mom for a few minutes today and it was good to hear her voice! I love my momma and she has a way of making me cry and making me feel better at the same time.  Before I left, my mom gave me this book by Sarah Young that is a daily reflection of things that God has said to her in her meditations on scripture.  Yesterday’s message said this:

"Much, much stress results from your wanting to make things happen before their times have come.  One of the main ways I assert My sovereignty is in the timing of events. If you want to stay close to Me and do things My way, ask Me to show you the path forward moment by moment. Instead of dashing toward your goal, let Me set the pace.  Slow down, and enjoy the journey in My presence"

There were no more perfect words for me at the time (and even right now) and I’m so thankful for that message.  The first few sentences are hard.  We never want to admit that what we want might not be best for us.  Sometimes, it’s not even about what we want, but it's about when we want it.  As silly little humans, we have a rather imperfect sense of timing and even our best attempts at logic still fail sometimes.  Thankfully, our God has perfect timing and begs us to just live in that time, His time [If you don’t believe in God, come to the Boboli Gardens with me…I think He is there]. The easy part of the message is the last part.  “Slow down, and enjoy the journey in My presence.”  I believe that it’s God’s desire that we enjoy Him.  It’s funny that we often make something that sounds so wonderful and simple [Really? Just enjoy Him?] so difficult when we try to find joy in other places.  Instead of slowing down and letting our lives happen, we try to make things happen “before their times have come.”  I hope this maybe calmed someone's heart the way it calmed mine.  

Forget everyone, forget yourself, and be joyful.

Buona notte!

............

Pace, amore, e Nutella gelato!

My friend, Morgan Gunn, who I sadly left back in High Point, has told me over and over that I am a “whole person.”  Without any other human on this earth, I’m still one whole person. I’ve had to remind myself of this so much in the last couple months, especially now that I’m in a foreign country, far from all those I love so much.  I’ve had a hard time understanding myself without the context of some of those people who I love and who [seem to] love me back.  I’ve found that a lot of what I know about me is based one who those people think I am and how I relate to them.  My hope and prayer is that, while I’m here in Florence, I’ll start to really believe Morgan when she me tells me those things…that my happiness and peace of mind will not depend on the love, approval, or opinions of those people that I love, but on my own self and my own spirit. 

“For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:6

Today was a beautiful day in Florence, which I’m finding is pretty much true of every day in Florence.  I decided today that every time I walk by the Duomo, which seems to be at least six times a day, it feels like I’m in a dream.  It is so lovely, I still don’t believe it’s there. 

[The view from our terrace if you look down the street...pictures don't do it justice.]

Alex, Madison and I planned on going to see Michelangelo’s David today, but we realized that there were some more pressing matters to address.  We can only go so many days with three towels between the three of us and one useless pillow each, but we have four months to see all the art we can handle.  David, don’t go anywhere buddy.  So…what did we do?  We went to IKEA! It felt like we were home!  Thanks to that free Ikea bus ride and a few Euros worth of new stuff, our apartment feels a little more like home, too.  Favorite purchase: candles.  I also picked up some Swedish meatballs from Ikea’s wonderful food section!  [Cameron McGraw, you know how exciting this is for me!!]

Of course, I had gelato again today.  Nutella is my new favorite gelato flavor.  By the way, we have at least four jars of Nutella in our Kitchen right now.  It makes everything better (maybe not the meatballs…).  We also made a trip to H&M, which is only about a three-minute walk from our apartment to check out their huge sale.  Don’t worry, Mom.  I only spent 1Euro.

Final thoughts on the day: I love the church bells here.  I hear them on the hour and half hour from my apartment and I’m hoping I don’t get tired of them before I leave.

So, I’m off to sleep…first day of classes tomorrow! (well, today…it’s 1:30am here…oops)

Buona sera, from one whole person in Florence.

I'm too cold to think of a catchy title.

It’s 1:30am and I’m sitting in my bed with my wool coat on, eating a bowl of cereal. IT’S COLD. If you don’t know, the heat in Florence is controlled by the city.  In our apartment, it’s only on for eight hours a day.  So, from 6pm to 12am and from 6am to 8am, it’s gets almost warm in here. Standing by the radiator (yes, the radiator) helps.  The rest of the time, thanks to a lot of single pane windows and tile floors, it is quite chilly. On the bright side, the store brand (Conad) of Special K with red berries really has a lot of red berries, not just strawberries. I think I see raspberries, strawberries and cherries. Yum!

Today, Alex and I were supposed to be at the school at noon to meet with a group that was going to walk to the Fuji Studio, another part of SACI’s campus.  We have class there on Monday (batik…I’m so excited!) and we were supposed to meet our professors and get familiar with the route to the studio.  Of course, Alex and I got lost on the way to Palazzo dei Cartelloni, SACI’s main building. Thanks to our bad sense of direction, we had to find the Fuji studios on our own. On the way, we ran into our new buds Kristen and Kim, who were also late, and then we got lost again.

The entire day can pretty much be summed up by saying, “we got lost.” That’s ok, though. I can’t remember being lost in a more beautiful place. 

Sometime, while we were lost and confused, we stopped at a coffee bar and I had an espresso machiatto.  I will definitely think Starbucks is gross when I get home.  Ohhh that one tiny cup of espresso was so wonderful.  It was worth getting lost.

Eventually, we went on a walking tour of Florence with Helen, SACI’s infamous art history professor.  It was like walking through my art history textbook. We had to duck out early so that we could get to the phone store before it closed (I got a tiny little phone so I can get up with people here!), and then went to dinner at ZaZa’s with our lovely new friends.  I had ravioli with a bolognese sauce and a glass of wine…it wasn’t bad for my first Italian dinner out.

So, happy Saturday to everyone back home!  I doubt that these blogs will be as frequent once classes get started (Monday!) and I get the hang of things around here…they will probably become more interesting, though.  Love to everyone who has taken the time to read this!

[Nicholas, if you’re reading this, be safe traveling to Texas tomorrow. So exciting!!]

Today's phrase: "Mi sono persa."

Well…I’m in Florence!

Somehow or another, all three of us managed to get here today.  There was crying, there was barfing (not me, surprisingly), and there was really bad airplane food – a cocktail weenie with a pickle and something that resembled potato salad…really?  My favorite plane moment was when one of the flight attendants starting going on and on to Alex in German because she, for some reason, decided to pick up a German newspaper on her way through the terminal. He was so confused when she didn’t know how to respond…love it.

So far, Florence is just beautiful.  The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and the Duomo are more wonderful than any picture I’ve ever seen.  San Lorenzo is just as I imagined it.  The Arno is just lovely and I can see it from our huge terrace.  Plus, there are still Christmas lights everywhere and they are way more lovely and sparkly than the tacky ones we see a lot back home. 

[I promise I will take pictures later when I’m functioning on more than two hours of sleep]

Right now, I’m feeling a little out of my element.  Not everyone here is all that nice and I thought I knew more Italian than I actually do.  I keep hearing myself say, "I'm lost," in more ways than one. For now, I’m just feeling kind of alone.  It’s better now that I’ve had some gelato (the gelato man was fantastic!) and a pretty good meal.  I am, however, really missing familiar voices.  Of course, I know I'm not alone, but this is going to take some faith and some getting used to. It’s time to put my big girl pants on.

 Toto, I feel like we’re not in Kansas anymore… 

So the trip begins!! - Not.

I should be going through security at JFK about now, but instead I’m sitting by the fire at home, drinking a cup of Russian tea (so good!) and activating my new credit card.  Fun! 

After a couple weeks of Holiday celebrations and saying goodbye to friends and family, I’m finally all packed up and ready to hit the road—ok, air—to Florence! Unfortunately, there have been a few kinks in the plan. For those of you who haven’t heard, my visa has had a hard time making its way to me.  I have been waiting patiently, along with my Italian comrades, Alex and Madison, for word from the Italian consulate in Philadelphia so that we can work out a new plan.  Right now, we know that our passports and visas are on their way to us and will be arriving at HPU tomorrow morning.  Unfortunately, our lovely travel agent, Sally (what a great name), is having trouble getting our flights changed to the times we would like and we may be delayed until Friday.  

So as it stands, this week has been rather anti-climactic.  All the buildup to this day turned out to be a rather unfortunate disappointment.  Thanks to all of the people and who are working on our problems right now (High Point University, SACI, Advantage Travel, Mom and Rob), however, we will still be making the trip across the pond very soon.  We are keeping our heads up!

On a lighter note, I finally took enough stuff out of my suitcase to make it under the weight limit!  Casualties include:  

• rain boots 
• one sweater 
• 6 nail polishes (that’s embarrassing)
• face wash
• Brita water bottle
• dress shoes
• a couple light jackets

Thanks to my step-dad, Rob, who bought me a pair of underwear that you can wear for weeks without washing, I only had to pack that one little panty!  HA. You know I’m kidding—there’s no way I’m wearing one pair of underwear for four months.   

So, for now, I’m still not sure when I’ll be leaving on that jet plane….but hey! More time to figure out how to get those shoes in my suitcase!