official FUA student.

DAY TWO
I woke up bright and early this beautiful Tuesday morning in wonderful Florence to the sounds of car engines zooming in and out of the streets.  But then again, I don't think the frequency of the cars ever lessened throughout the entire night.  The good news is my new leggings and borrowed sweat shirt kept me warmer than the night before, and the even better news is that this morning I found an economical and warm (emphasis on the warm) blanket!!!  I know I have been ranting about my lack of a blanket for the past few freezing nights, but this blanket seriously might be my new best friend.  Ironically enough, the day I buy my blanket the school realizes that icicles have been forming on the students and brought us free blankets.  The things we do for love!

Me & David circa 1999

Allora, my day began today with another trip to il mercato with Danielle and to finally retrieve our FUA ID cards!  We are officially Italian students on a mission, and as Italian students, we get free admission to ALL the museums and even get to skip to the front of the lines!  I knew David wanted to see me, and that he would even cover my visit!  I think he will remember me... how could he forget that adorable face?

Today was our first day of official class, and it was fun exploring the city with my backpack on feeling like a true Italian student.  At noon my Intermediate Italian I class began, and my teacher is super cool!  She talked to us almost completely in Italian about everyday situations of a tourist... such as getting lost or attempting to buy the third gelato of the day, while remaining polite.  Ho bisogno di un gelato (I need a gelato).  There were only eleven of us in the class and the environment was almost entirely conversational, which is a great learning experience for me!  Carrie, Emily, and I felt like Italian pros after our Beginning I Italian class with Alessia.  "Forza Gators!"

We bought the textbook at a local bookstore and I carried on to my next class, Exploration of Wine Culture in Italy, with Carrie.  Okay... I know how it sounds, but this is no joke.  This class is going to teach me how to pair wines with foods, how to test the alcohol content of a wine through swirling it, how the wine was stored after fermentation, its vintage, and how environmental factors and soils of the twenty Italian regions change the taste of a wine.  Who knew wine had such a history?  I had never thought of wine in such a poetic way, but my professor called the winery/producer the artist and the wine/product the art.  "Wine is the expression of the artist."  Wine runs deep within the culture of Italy, so it is not just a wine class, it is a history class which explores the process of wine production throughout Italy, especially Toscana.  And of course we got to sample some wines!  Let's just say it was a rough day!  At least I don't have that 9 am class like some of the other students... I guess it is 5 o'clock somewhere!

View from Il Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River

After class we headed back to the apartment on Tintori, passing along the Arno for a leisure walk.  We had heard through the non-tourist grapevine that the cheapest, but most authentic places to eat are on the Oltrarno (the other side of the Arno).  After we we freshened up real quick, Emily, Carrie, and I crossed Il Ponte Vecchio to the real world.  Of course we took some pictures along the way... our tourist heart was still showing!  We walked around aimlessly looking for the best restaurant to choose, until we settled on one that seemed to consist of only Italian speaking people.  We fit right in... kinda.

Carrie, me, & Emily

It is interesting to watch the Italian people in action, noticing the differences in the way people eat.  Social norms are very different here and it has become our mission to blend in with the culture.  It all starts with remaining at our dinner for at least one hour even if we finish eating after the first twenty minutes.  Italians can definitely carry on a conversation and a meal for much longer than us.  But we tried!  And apparently ordering a calzone the size of my head is the way to go!  It was delicious though; filled with prosciutto crudo and mozzarella!  Mi piace il calzone molto!

My GIANT calzone

After returning back to the apartment with a completely full and happy belly, the roommates and I planned a trip to the Amalfi Coast for two days!  I am so excited because we will visit Positano, Pompeii, Capri, and even get some time at the beach! The days here seem to last so long because we are constantly moving, we are never bored, and we always have something to do!  I love it here!!


**PS: I have the BEST parents in the ENTIRE world for supporting me on my ventures!  I know I owe you big time, but life truly couldn't get any better and I owe it all to you! Love you both so much!