Buon Everything

The last week that I’ve been in Italy, everything is “buon” something:  Buon giornata (have a good day), buon lavoro (have a good day at work), buon scuola (have a good day at school), buon cumpleanno (happy birthday).

Speaking of birthdays, my 21^st was this past Wednesday!  I must say, one of my best birthdays yet.  In the morning some of my friends bought me pastries as a birthday breakfast.  When I got to Italian class, my friends and Italian teacher surprised me with gelato (with candles on top).  This was probably the best substitute for cake I’ve ever seen.  In the afternoon we visited the town of Fiesole, situated up in the hills near Florence.  Fiesole has some fantastic ancient Etruscan and Roman ruins.  

The old theatre at Fiesole with a lovely view.  

After visiting the ancient temple, baths, and theatre, I was surprised by the ACM staff with more birthday fun and food.

I don't know what they call these things in Italy, but I just call them delicious (or creme puffs... whichever)

I almost forgot the best part!  In Fiesole there is this killer hill that you can climb up.  A couple of my program buddies and I decided to stick around Fiesole to go up to the top.  That darn thing was nearly vertical, but the climb was well worth the view. 

Soaring above Tuscany after conquering the hill.  

Upon my return to Florence from Fiesole, my host dad took my roommate and I for dinner at my host sister’s home.  There was pasta with olive oil and pepperecino for a first course, and then a sausage, bean, and potato stew over bread.  After the giant meal there was more birthday dessert; a thin tart with a lattice top and more candles.  Two wishes in one day!  Oh, and of course, it was my 21^st, so there was champagne and liquor afterwards.  My host babbo is an advocate for the digestive benefits of liquor.  Usually we just have wine and water, but on this particular occassion there were several varieties of hard liqour to try.  I chose some liquorice liquor (I know it sounds weird, but it was really tasty).  My host family even bought me my first Italian scarf!  I never realized how much I missed having family dinners, especially on my birthday.  The cutest thing that happened during dinner was my host sister’s kitten (Michelangelo) cuddling up on my lap while we ate.  

Oh, and I thought I would share with you a little tip/foreign fopaux story.  In Italy, be prepared for the double cheek kiss.  If you’re not ready for it, you WILL be caught off guard and it could end in embarrassment.  It’s fairly traditional on birthdays.  My host brother tried to do it, and we almost kissed on the lips.  

I thought he was going in for a hug, and well…anyways.  The night ended with a group of ACM friends and some wine on the grass of the Piazza by the Santa Maria Novella Basilica.  Considering that the traditional American 21^st birthday celebration ends over a toilette, I think this was the best possible alternative. 

The other parts of this past week consisted of more Italian class (I’m forming complete sentences now), more incredible dinners, and, of course, more gelato.  My favorite flavor so far is salted caramel.  Highlights of this week also included a visit to the Archeological Museum, walks along the Ponte Vecchio, and a trip to the Florence public library, which I hope to visit more often.  It’s a wonderful place to study.  There’s an open patio on the top floor where you can get coffee, sit and do homework.  Did I mention I've started drinking coffee here?  Not you're watered down American stuff, but the real stuff (caffe latte, espresso, cappucino).  There is also free wireless until midnight and plenty of Italian students hang out there.  When my Italian improves, I hope that I can strike up a conversation with some of the local students my age and maybe make some friends outside the program. 

First Capucinno in Pisa.

Espresso and a croissant con crema in Monterosso al Mare.  

Oh, while I’m sure none of you but my dad and close friends could know this, I absolutely hate the thought of an unpeeled peach, cooked tomatoes, and cooked cabbage.  My dad considers me a picky eater.  Guess what though?  While I’ve been here I have had cooked cabbage TWICE, cooked tomatoes, and even ate a peach (skin and all) and I have liked everything!  Oh, and the kicker?  Tonight I tried rabbit for the very first time.  Yes, a (once) furry, (once) cute, bunny rabbit.  I ate every bit of it and had seconds (just like every other meal here).  Sorry I didn’t put a disclaimer up for the vegetarians here.  No worries the rabbit didn’t die in vain.  It provided me with sustenance and energy to go to Siena tomorrow!  

At the family dinner table.  Assuming my typical eating stance.

So, starting bright and early we are catching a chartered bus leaving Florence.  There will be plenty of updates to come after this weekend I’m sure.  Feel free to ask questions or make requests about what you would like to hear about or see on this blog.  I live to please.  

             

                                  

My New Home

Ciao a tutti! (Hello everyone) 

It has been almost a week since I have been in Firenze (Florence)!  I have a lot to fill you in on.  I suppose we can start where I left off: preparations. 

About a week before I left I had laid out all the things I needed to pack.  I think I was so nervous I packed and unpacked a million times.   One thing I didn’t do?  Weigh the bag.  Considering my suitcase wasn’t that large and still had plenty of room in it, I underestimated…by a lot.  Turns out books weigh a lot more than clothes.  Who knew?  With some expert finagling and through the process of elimination I was set to go! 

This is all I brought for 15 weeks!

There is nothing special to say about the flight itself other than that it was long.  What was nice, however, was that there were four other girls from my program traveling with me.  We all met each other in the Chicago International Airport and pinned red flowers in our hair to identify each other.  Note:  A symbol of Florence is a white banner with a red flower.

When we arrived in Florence, some of us took a cab to the Hotel Duca D’Aosta where we stayed the first two nights.  The hotel is located in the same building as our Italian language classes and eventually the rest of our classes.  This is basically our home base for the rest of the semester.  Linguaviva (the language school) is located on the 4^th floor of the building.  However, the first floor is more like the second floor in Italy and we have to climb a lot of stairs to get to class.  There is an elevator, but it’s nothing like I have ever seen before.  It’s a tiny wood and glass box with doors like a dresser.      

The closet-like elevator

Other things different here:

-  Toilettes usually flush using a pedal or a button. 

-  Rarely do you find knobs to open anything.  If it looks like a knob, it's still not.  

-  Pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way.  Cars, vespas, and even busses will swerve around you within inches rather than stop.  Even at crosswalks!

The view from our hotel room was incredible.  There was a crane in the way, but you could still see the Duomo!  Win!

We explored the city a little, saw the Duomo and up close for the first time.  I was so jetlagged it still hadn’t sunk in that I was in Florence.  I felt more like I was in Disneyland. 

We started Italian language classes this past Monday.  We have 3 hours of Italian every day for four weeks before we start our other classes.  On Friday I had my first quiz.  Ten out of ten correct!  My host “babbo” says that this is a good start “buon inizio.” 

Speaking of my host family, we moved in with them this past Tuesday.  They are wonderful.  I have two host brothers (fratelli) and a host sister (sorella). Only the youngest still lives at home.  My “mamma” is from Iowa actually, but is very Italian.  She cooks for a living, so the food here has been beyond amazing.  My family basically forces us to eat seconds.  Even when you’re stuffed, you make room. On night at dinner, I finished one plate of food when my “babbo” points to my plate and says “WILLI!  MANGIA!”  Basically, if my grammer is correct, this means “WILLI!  EAT!”  By the way, I should have a blog entry about all the food I have been eating.  Make that multiple entries.  I have started a food journal and I am writing down all the delicious things I’ve been eating.  No pictures yet though.  This may be a blessing to those of you subjected to the abomination that is sodexo cafeteria food. 

This is my room in my Italian home.

My Italian gets better daily, with the occasional (actually frequent) mistakes.  The other day I called the desert we had at dinner “pesce dolce” (sweet fish) when it was actually “pescA dolce” (sweet peaches).  Considering I’ve only had 15 hours of Italian so far, I’m surprised at how quickly I am learning the language.  I’m also hoping the more mistakes I make, the better I will learn the language.

I wish I had blogged everyday since I got here but I’ve been spending a lot of time getting settled, buying an Italian cell phone, getting to know the city, etc…

This is my own personal room with a view.  

So far I’ve been to Basilica di San Miniato al Monte, the Boboli Gardens, Ponte Vecchio.  I pass by the Santa Maria Novella Basilica everyday on my way to school and back but I have yet to go inside. 

The San Miniato Basilica is this amazing romanesque church that is attached to a monestary.  When we went in, I could hear chanting echoing off the church walls.  It was so beautiful and the views from outside the church are stunning. 

San Miniato

The Boboli Gardens are located just beyond the Palazzo Pitti.  It’s just like a large park and a sculpture museum combined.  There are beautiful sculptures hidden amongst the shrubs and in hidden grottos.  There are also large fountains…oh, and plenty of mosqitos.  I have a museum pass for the semester that gets me in whenever I want.  I think I will be spending a lot of time there.  

Hang on people.  I have only a little more to cover. 

This weekend we traveled as a class to Pisa.  I saw the leaning tower, the inside of the Pisan Baptistry and the Camposanto (burial place that used to have fantastic frescos, but was bombed during WWII and to this day is still being restored).

The Camposanto

All the buildings we visited in Pisa were emotionally and visually stunning.  Sorry, I don’t have a picture of myself holding up the tower…or even in front of the tower (but hey, there is still time).

Yeah...I don't recall what this structure is called... Anyone know?

The most moving part of our trip to Pisa was when we visited the Baptistery.  The structure is built in a way that takes into consideration acoustics.  Specifically, everything is echoed back in perfect threes (representing the holy trinity).  When we were inside they had a “yeller” who would shout a note and it would echo back to him in a beautiful 3-voice polyphonic harmony.  It was so amazing in person.  Here’s a video of the same demonstration, but it really doesn’t do it justice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdQp6_5f39Q&feature=related

After Pisa, some of us split off and went to Cinque Terre (Litteral translation is "Five Lands" and it's a bunch of coastal beach towns that are connected by hiking paths).  It took some hustling to get to the train station, but we finally made it to Monterosso al Mare and almost immediately jumped in the water to cool off.  Top the night of with a good amount of wine, uninhibited conversation, pizza and gelato, and it was one of the happiest days of my entire year. 

The beautiful Monterosso al Mare of Cinque Terre

   

If you made it through this entire blog, then brava!  I will reward you with a little music video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPTuiQqEamM  This is what my Italian teacher, Umberto, plays while we conjugate verbs in class.  It’s rather catchy. 

Please bear with me while I butcher the Italian language.           

A dopo! 

  

Just the Beginning

The Date: February 11^th, 2011.   The Place: Mt. Vernon, IA (Population approximately 4,000) What was I up to exactly?  If you’ve ever seen the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, then you should imagine Carlton dancing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKlxjbhB9HE).  I was doing some variation of that dance.  You should know this is significant because only incredibly exciting news causes me to spontaneously mimic the sitcom stars from my childhood (good thing no one was watching).  On this particular occasion I had just received an e-mail confirmation that I would be heading to Florence, Italy in the fall of 2011!

Fast forward about 6 months. After applying for my Italian visa, filling out multiple forms, and making other travel preparations, I am only 4 weeks away from leaving the United States for Florence.  I would like to point out that the population of Florence is around 400,000. That’s about 100 Mount Vernons put together!  

I'm actually really amazed how easy it was to get to this point.  This should be a relief for those of you looking into this type of abroad opportunity.  Trust me when I say that the hardest thing about preparing for this trip was just making the decision to go.  I received a lot of support from the staff at Cornell College during the application process, especially my academic advisors and the off-campus studies office. 

ACM (Associated Colleges of the Midwest) was also pretty thorough.  My program let me know what to expect while in Italy, where to go, and even what to wear.  All the information I could possibly need is wrapped up in this handy dandy little handbook.  I have since noted that I should probably ditch flip-flops for the time being and find some cobblestone friendly shoes that are still stylish.  After all, Italy is the birthplace of some of the greatest designers: Valentino, Ferragamo, Versace, Prada, Cavalli (just to name a few).  Although I wouldn’t consider myself a “stylish” person, I still want to make an effort to blend in.

I’ve recently bought myself a travel guide, a map (water proof and tear proof thank you very much), and an Italian-English dictionary.  I’ve watched several Fellini films and have been reading a bunch of books about Italy (La Bella Figura, La Bella Lingua, A Room With A View, Italian Days, April Blood, etc…).  As a probable result, I’ve been craving pizza and pasta on a regular basis.   

Yet, there are plenty of things I still need to get done.

1.  I still need to buy a suitcase that isn’t falling apart.  Can you believe that? Pretty essential I think.

2.  I need to fill that suitcase with the appropriate clothing, books, and travel supplies.

3.  I need to cut down what I’m bringing by about half!

I can do this.  Despite some nerves about this trip, I am still incredibly optimistic.  Already, these preparations have me falling in love with Italy: the people, the food, the language, the history and, greatest of all, the art! 

Art is the main reason I wanted to go to Florence.  I am really looking forward to doing research for my undergraduate thesis while I’m there.  I am a bit of an art history nerd, which means I get a little carried away with the academia on occasion.  I get a rush out of being around art and I love spending time with people who are just as passionate about it as I am.  While I'm away I hope to get a true taste of la dolce vita, which means the sweet/good life.  Coincidentally, “La Dolce Vita” is a Fellini film that I would highly recommend.  Seriously…it’s on Netflix people.  

Next time I write I will be in Florence!         

Arrivederci!