FUNK FUNK FUNK FUNK

Funks have been coming and going with me!! What is the deal? Is this normal for study abroaders?

Plans did not work out tonight, and now this is my dinner because the only thing open on my street is the Asia food market: 

I don't even like wasabi flavoring...

On a more positive note, RATHI GUPTA will be here tomorrow to spend ten days in the lovely land of Italia with me. I'm ecstatic. This is actually a dream of mine, coming true.

A Place to Be Free

I have accepted the fact that I am just a horrible blogger. I'm sure you've done the same a long time ago if you've been trying to follow me.

It's been four days now since we've been home from Barcelona Spring Break. Thinking back to it already makes me feel irrationally nostalgic.

My alarm went off at 4:45am on the Wednesday of break, not that I was actually sleeping for it to wake me, but the bus was departing at 5:30. It took us from Florence to Pisa airport, where we boarded our flight to Girona, where we got on another bus to the center of Barcelona, from which we took a metro close to Be Mar hostel. So 8 hours and a plethora of modes of transportation later, we found ourselves in the lobby of our hostel speaking to a really sweet little Spanish girl with cropped blonde hair, who gave us some restaurant recommendations and the run-down about the Be Mar. To summarize, it was amazing: super clean, breakfast compresa, provided big lockers next to each bed (a very nice perk when sharing a room with 16 people), 24-hour computers available, a lounge and a dining area, a kitchen, multiple W.C.'s, free wi-fi, free tours every day, and all the help of Barca locals a group of clueless American students could ask for--and for just 11 Euro a night. And that is my brief shout out and advertisement for the hostel. The whole group, which initially consisted of seven of us, was eager to get the adventuring started, so we set out right away to find a place for lunch (always, always catering to the stomach). It was a perfectly beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky and warm enough for flip-flops which was good enough for me! I have been more than anxious to unbury my toes from thick socks and boots after the cold weeks we'd been having in Florence. After wandering around a bit though, we noticed that the city seemed to be emptied; most places were shut up and closed and there were hardly any people out... not the warm welcome we had been secretly anticipating. We eventually figured out that we arrived during siesta, a mid-day break that all of Spain takes from about 3 to 5 in the afternoon to take naps...... it's naptime for the whole city. Why don't we do this in America? Talk about a blood pressure and stress reliever.
We came back around to a square near our hostel and chose a restaurant with outdoor seating (this is very common in Europe) in order to take advantage of the great weather. We ordered pitchers of Sangria and tried all different sorts of tapas for our first meal in Spain, appropriately enough. I remember feeling that life couldn't be better, sitting out in the sun, sipping on Sangria with great company, laughing and taking our time with nowhere in the world we had to be but right there. It was the perfect start to a perfect week. After, we wandered around until we found the Port and followed the coastline to the beach, stopping for crepes and "gelato" along the way (this gelato was actually just ice-cream, it had nothing on the real deal). At the beach we sat in quietness a bit, which is a rare occurrence when we're all together, but when those moments come I think they're just as valuable as the wild ones. It felt like the deep breath before the plunge of good-times-rolling (I think I just mixed LOTR and Grateful Dead references... #nerd). Feeling content, we headed back to the hostel to put ourselves together for dinner, which ended up being a strange one: the taquitos we ordered were some strange mix of fried mashed-potato and cheese fritters that left a funny taste in your mouth, and when three girls thought they ordered fried mozzarella sticks they were each given a plate of a moundful of cubed cheese (can't say I was disappointed, I got to help them out and got my cheese fix for the night). Still feeling pretty exhausted from all the traveling, we decided to do something low-key, and found ourselves at a nearby Doner Kebab talking over wine. After that we called it a night and hit the hay.

......This entry was never completed :( But I wanted to post it anyway

Carnevale

Wow. Ieri, yesterday, some of us went to Viareggio to celebrate Carnevale. In Italy, the month of February is filled with parties and parades to celebrate the coming up of Fat Tuesday and the fasting period of Lent. It's basically like what I would assume Martis Gras is like in America, only much more family friendly. Certain cities are more well known for their festivities than others, and conveniently Tuscany's most popular Carnevale town is only an hour and a half train ride from us, so we took advantage and ventured out to Viareggio for the day. On Sundays the town puts on spectacular parades complete with people in colorful costumes, enourmous floats which artists work on year-round leading up to the event, more confetti than I've ever seen in my life (5 inches of confetti-snow flooding the ground), and of course masks and hats everywhere. It may sound kind of hectic and noisy if it's not your style, but together we really had a blast singing along with the music and dancing and being silly. At one point we jumped in front of our chosen favorite float, the peacock, and danced along with the costumed townies, a definite highlight of the day. Many of the floats are caricatures of political figures in and outside of Italy; there were figures of various popes of the past and also Obama and prime minister of France and the ex-prime of Italy. It's pretty interesting the way they are so open about their opinions and the truisms of political life. It's one thing to speak openly about what the political figures are doing wrong, and another thing entirely to build a 20 ft. statue of them and depict them burning in Hell.... BUT I thought it was interesting regardless.

We were delightfully surprised to find that Viareggio is also a beach! It actually looks very similar to Virginia Beach, same colored water and sand, and same atmosphere (makes sense). Jesica, who is also from the 757, and I felt right at home prancing through the sand and running from the waves--Sometimes when I describe my days I feel like I'm five years old.

This is how we felt about finding THE BEACH!

Peectures Peectures

It's a gloooorious Monday! I'm feeling much more spirited than yesterday. The whole gang is back in action... ready to blow through exam week and then it's Spring Break! Hallelujah.

The Arno River was FROZEN this morning!!! Fa molto freddo

Strange vegetables I found at Mercato Ambrogio

The most delicious looking completely fresh pastas at the same market.... score

Ornellaia Wine we tried from wine class
One of these bottles of wine is 150 Euro

Haha... headphones from a guided tour that they let us keep. 
Perfect for me since I've only got one working ear!

"God give me joy in the tasks that press, in the memories that burn and bless;

In the thought that life has love to spend, in the faith that God's at journey's end."

-Thomas Curtis Clark

Empty Nest

It was pretty quiet here in Florence this weekend. The majority of our group, including my roommate, went out of town to Paris or Switzerland, so the few of us who stuck around in Florence spent a lot of time together. It was nice, the change-up of having a smaller group. There didn't seem to be as many tourists either (always nice). I was able to see the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella which is something I had been wanting to do since I got here. It's been just over a month now! And it's going by so quickly. But not like a normal semester of school back home where time seems to slip away from me and I don't know what I've done with it; here has been a month of truly living.

Today though I am really missing the sun. I hope it comes to find us here in Florence sooner than later... I think the cold is starting to seep inside of me. I don't think homesick is the word to describe where I'm at right now, but maybe a tad lonely? Shame. I've never admitted that feeling to myself before I don't think. A girl just needs someone to love her in the morning sometimes! It'd sure help get her day started.

I've also got some hefty papers and mid-terms ahead of me in the next few days, so that might have something to do with this listlessness. Right now calls for some time in the Psalms and my blue oversized sweater, it always does the trick.

The Ketchup Blog

Oh my goodness! I have been horribly neglecting my blog and I quickly came to the point where every time I thought of it a rush of ALL the things I've not said in the past two weeks came to me and so I became overwhelmed which led to more not-blogging and then after a while the cycle would repeat itself. So now I've accepted that I must simply say what I can about the time I've missed and keep the ball rolling. So here's the initial push...

My dear friend, Anna, came to visit last Friday sort of on a whim. Her new fabulous life as a pastry chef in New York City was put on hold for eight days so that she could come experience Italy with me. I think the excitement and slight disbelief I felt goes without saying and when, after a bit of confusion with connecting trains and payphone difficulties, we were finally embracing each other in the Santa Maria Novella train station I felt like I was watching a scene from a movie (this is the general feeling I have while here in Florence).
Just a few hours later we were back at the station catching a train to meet some other students in the nearby town of Lucca. Lucca is far smaller than Florence, even smaller than Siena, but it is a lively place that, for all its quaintness, has a resplendence unique from the other Italian cities I've been to (which is still only four). Anna and I found ourselves wandering into an empty courtyard that reminded me so strongly of every "Romeo calling to Juliet's balcony" scene I've ever imagined. We sat down in the center and drank in the fact that we were together in Italy, letting our conversation meander hither and thither.

Excavating the Great Walls of Lucca

Piazza Anfiteatro, Lucca

Unfortunately Italy, together with the rest of Europe, has been experiencing very unusual cold weather and winds... so many things were closed and Anna's week here in Florence turned out to be a bitter cold one. But despite the fact, we were able to see and do quite a bit within the shortened time she was here. Of course because she and I are both sweets lovers, we were on a quest to find the absolute best Pasticceria in Firenze. We asked locals, read reviews, and searched online maps to finally come to a place not a block from mi scuola, called Dolcissima Firenze. The place is a rapture for your senses, filled with the sweetest most alluring smells, beautifully decorated pastries of different colors and textures, all satisfied in one foodgasmic climax by your tastebuds. It's that good.

Futbol game- Fiorentina (2) vs. Sienna (0)

 Some of my favorite nights spent with Anna included us serving as tour guides for two Italians not from Florence, Stefano and Ricuccio, who were hopelessly attempting to see the city's best in one night; the finest gnocci I've ever had swimming in a cheesy,truffly bath of goodness, as well as my long-searched for spaghetti picante; and compleeetely losing track of time, having to walk up six flights of stairs at four in the morning.

The gnocci, though the picture doesn't do it justice

I did get locked out of my apartment her last night in Florence and wander the streets for a couple of hours trying to figure out what to do with no phone and no keys before finally being saved by another student I didn't previously know (we're now Facebook friends, so practically sisters)... but this caused me to have to hurriedly get ready the following morning... which caused me to put on my new boots without tall socks... which caused awful blisters and bleeding toes... which caused Anna and I to get a late start on her last day... which caused us to not have time to withdraw cash from the bank in order to buy tickets at the kiosk... which caused us to hurriedly buy tickets for five minutes after we arrived at the station... which caused us to miss the bus to Pisa...

I just hope she doesn't hate Florence because of her last day here. It was a cannon of unfortunate events.

The following day our school of 25 students took our second planned day trip: destination Assisi. It is one of the most well-preserved medieval cities in Europe, perched high on the side of one of the Appenine's mountains. The whole city was dusted with snow this Saturday, an icy wonderland of marble churches and stone fortresses. Our guide was this extremely friendly and entertaining older man who very evidently loved his Assisi and did all he could to keep our minds off of our numb fingers and toes throughout the tour- not an easy task. When we came upon the Church of St. Francis nearing the end of our tour, I had already been amazed and overwhelmed by the beauty of the mountains, the architecture, and the Church of Santa Chiara, but I don't think I was prepared for the greatness of what I walked into when we entered this church. It is a goldmine of invaluably precious art and history, all of which is completely unaltered from the 13th century, only beautifully and meticulously preserved. Some of the most important and widely studied works of pre-Renaissance art are painted in frescoes within this church, particularly those of masters Cimabue and Giotto. The visit to the St. Francis' Basilica was most certainly the icing on the cake at the end of the day, the small town leaving an indelible image in my mind.

Sam and I in Assisi

Basilica di San Francesco

That evening the girls took me out to celebrate my 21st birthday. They really were so sweet and made it truly special. I feel selfish saying that it was easily one of the most memorable nights in Florence so far (which is an especially good thing, since it was my 21st).

Before the festivities!

The day of was equally as special... I went to see my very first professional ballet! I have been dying to see the ballet since I was a little girl, and it was magical. We saw Il Lago dei Cigni- Swan Lake in Italia. In front of our row was a group of girls about six or seven years old who were completely enamored; I think I pretty much acted just as they did and felt like I should've been one of them. Having danced ballet the majority of my life it was an experience close to home for me and again, being the softy I am,  I found myself feeling humbled by the privilege that inner six-year-old-ballerina had been given to be there.  My host mom Marina is always thoughtful, and for dinner she made spinach and cheese ravioli, grilled eggplant, fresh homemade bread, and my favorite: broccoli. She also made me a little chocolate cake to make the meal special and to make it feel a little like home :) Since then I've been on a bit of high, which is good because this week consisted of a downpour of papers and projects after weeks of virtual academic freedom. We knew it was coming though... thank goodness tomorrow is Thursday! I'm ready for another weekend in Firenze.

Mr. Formaggio

Thank goodness for my friend, Signor Cheese

Classes have really begun to pick up this week. Since our semester is somewhat shortened, we have to move through the curriculum at a pretty quick pace in order to still cover all the material. It is more demanding but I am definitely learning things more thoroughly because 

a) I am fully engaged in my classes simply because I'm in Florence and they're so interesting and 

b) I'm forced to spend more hours every day investing in each subject (so basically I'm actually studying). Maybe I'll develop some better student skillz while I'm here.

I couldn't be happier with my decision to switch into the Dante class. I can't say it's my favorite class because I'm truly enjoying them all like I never have before, but it is such a stimulating work of literature; a remarkable peak into his mind, the incredibly detailed Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven of his imagination. It is most definitely worth taking time to study, and if you haven't read it... you should. Here we are lucky enough to have Alessandro Gentili as our professor, an expert on Dante and medieval Florence. Every so often he will read the original Italian text to us which gives the stanzas new life, it's really beautiful. 

Do I use the word beautiful too much? 

I just don't think I can help it