It’s been a few days since I have updated, but things have been busy with my first two weeks of classes. So far, everything has gone well, and all of my professors are really cool. I am taking Intermediate Italian, European Architecture of the Renaissance, The Etruscans, and Marketing. While it may seem that I am taking an easy courseload, do not be fooled…it’s intense. But, I love it. My Italian professor is a native Florentine, so we get to learn all of the cool little phrases used by locals, such as, “Bo!” (“I don’t know”), “Roba pesa” (“That’s what she said”; literally: “Heavy stuff”), among others. They’re very emotional, colorful people, so you can imagine the stuff you might hear. My other professors are all Americans who moved here because they married locals or loved the area. My marketing professor is really young, and has had a ton of experience with marketing for large corporations, so we’re learning a ton from her experiences. My Etruscans professor is a lot like Dr. Henry Jones (Indiana Jones’ dad for those who aren’t familiar with the movies…which you all should be!). He has done huge digs all over the world, including Egypt, and all over ancient Italian sites. He even offered my class jobs at a new dig he’s doing in Lucca for May and June if we’re interested in staying in Italy a bit longer…wish I could do it, but I can’t miss my sister’s graduation…that’s out of the question. My European architecture professor is fairly cool too. She’s actually a finance person who went back to get her PhD in architecture and design since she liked it more. I’ll tell you some of what we’ve done later. Last weekend, NYU took us to the ancient Etruscan city of Lucca, about an hour from Firenze by bus. It is the only city in Italy with it’s original protective walls still in place. They’re so wide that a park area has been built on top of them where you can ride bikes on a path or lay out in the sun for a picnic. It is a confusing little city, however, as the roads twist and turn to dead ends all the time (which is fairly typical of European streets). After our tour ended, we decided to find a restaurant for lunch, which took us around 45 minutes to do because we couldn’t find our way into the piazza from the other side of this row of buildings. We had lunch there which wasn’t the greatest…food was alright and the service was deplorable. There wasn’t a coperto or servizio (cover charge or service charge) included, but we couldn’t justify tipping…it was that bad. We explored around the city walls a bit more before we got back on the bus to return home. Sunday, a few of us decided to go to Mass at the Duomo, which is the most amazing Church I’ve been in with the exception of St. Peter’s in Vatican City. The ushers had us move up to the front set of seats to fill in because we thought they were reserved for some big celebration. The entire thing was in Italian, but I was able to pick up on a lot of what was said. Italian masses are so much more fun than in America. Although, I felt as if I were in a scene from the Godfather where a bunch of guys were going to show up with guns the way the music was playing and all of the Italian talking/singing. I would like to clarify that I am NOT stereotyping in any way…the Italian people are way too nice for that. A lot of my classes include site visits to places around Firenze, and occasionally outside the city. My architecture class took me to the Cathedral of Florence (aka The Duomo) this week. We were able to climb to the top of the cupola which offers the best views of the city. This is several hundred feet up, but I figured that since the walkway around the top is wide that I wouldn’t have a problem with my fear of heights. What I didn’t know was that part of the walk up takes you to the inside part of the dome which overlooks the altar. It’s a drop of well over 100 feet, and there is only a narrow walkway…chest pain much? The walkway was barely wide enough to fit me and my backpack through without brushing the wall or railing. I don’t think I have ever walked so fast in my life. Once we got to the top of the cupola, though, I was fine because I was able to look out to the mountains in the distance and the height didn’t seem so bad. Anyone who goes to Firenze NEEDS to do this, even if they’re afraid of heights. My friends and I went to Mass Wednesday night and met Fr. Alexander, who is kind of in charge of day to day things at the Duomo. He came up to us after Mass to greet us and ask, “Di dove siete?” (Where are you from?) When we told him New York, he got so excited. He had been a priest in upstate New York for a few years in the late ’60s, so he was thrilled to hear that we’d be here for the next four months. He was extremely welcoming, unlike some of the priests you might find at home…not mentioning anyone specific ; ) I would continue to write more, but I think I’ve caught up to where I should be with the blog. Sorry I haven’t written in a while, but things have been really busy, but fun. I have to get going to read/study for my Italian quiz tomorrow, but I’ll be sure to update more often. A presto. Ciao!
Grocery shopping…it’s an excursion
Since today was our final day to do whatever we wanted, I started out by sleeping in. It was a late night yesterday, so I caught up on my sleep but left enough time to catch my guided bus tour of the city. It took us past a few of the already familiar places in Firenze, and also brought me back to a few places I had been to before. Our tour started at the train station, so we had to walk right through Piazza Santa Maria Novella, which is this beautiful, quiet square in the middle of the city. Santa Maria Novella is a church that has been standing for several hundred years and just recently underwent a ton of restoration work. It looks amazing. However, they are now working on the Piazza itself, so the entire grassy area that used to be there is now mud and cobblestones that will most likely replace the grass. This is all in front of the Grand Hotel Minerva, where I stayed last time I was in the city. This is also the hotel that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow resided in for a while and where he wrote some of his works. I will have pictures of all of this up soon, as long as I can get the link thing to work. After that little bit of sightseeing, we went to lunch at this little restaurant in Santo Spirito right up the road from us. Most of us had this amazing gnocci with truffle oil dish which was soo filling (and also fairly reasonable). I am also officially addicted to Fanta arranciata (for those who don’t know what that is, it is basically the Italian version of our orange soda, but so much better because it’s not as strong). By the time we finished lunch, we realized that we had better get going to the store or we would not be cooking dinner this evening. Stores in Italy are rarely opened on Sundays, and if they are, they will certainly close early. The closest one to us is Esselunga, but that was closed today, so we had to go to Il Centro. This is ACROSS the Arno River! Upon entering the store, the first thing I come across is deodorant…for 3.50 Euro. Needless to say I was not at all happy considering I had just spent 9.50 Euro on essentially the same thing at the Farmacia. What can you do, though? Something interesting about Italian grocery stores is that product placement, as Patrick pointed out, is not their strong point. They have deodorant right next to the school supplies, which are right next to the cookies. Nothing is ordered, but you are expected to know EXACTLY where you are going. Don’t bother turning around to get something you forgot a few aisles back because the little Italian ladies will club you with their canes or chastise you until you run away in fear. Shopping is a serious thing to these people. Oh yeah, and you can buy alcohol in their grocery stores, not unlike many places outside of Pennsylvania in the states really. But, their stuff is really, really cheap even when accounting for the conversion of prices. Another thing that we have to get used to is that there are no lines. If there is an opening, you go. Well, Anah was kind of in line but the other line had an opening, so she started to go to it. But, these two large men walked over and put their stuff down. She decided to tell them that she was in line and moved up, which did not sit well with them. I couldn’t really tell her that there was no line because they were already heated up and telling her in Italian that she was wrong and to get out of line. It’s very odd. People are usually reserved, but once it comes time to check out at a store, all rules go out the window and it’s a free-for-all (and sometimes a tense one at that). After walking what seemed like forever back to Via Maffia, we were finally able to relax. Sophie bought everything for dinner and was cooking Pasta Aglio Olio for us. It was amazing…little bit of hot pepper and parsley and it was perfect. Somehow I actually finished three full bowls of it…maybe there is hope that I’ll gain those fifteen pounds I was supposed to after Freshman year! I would love nothing more than to sit here and type out some more and procrastinate, but I have to do some reading to brush up on my Italian and look over some stuff before getting a full night’s sleep for class tomorrow. I am quite jealous of my friends who are celebrating Martin Luther King Day at home…we don’t have that here : ( Miss everyone at home and wherever you may be scattered to by now with classes starting back. In boca al lupo (Italian good luck saying) with classes!!! Ciao!
I’m actually in Firenze!
Today was our final day of orientation, and probably the most helpful as well. We arrived on campus to find that most people had opted to sleep in rather than come to helpful info sessions…they finally started to trickle in for the afternoon sessions. It was also our last chance at getting to into Villa Sassetti, as they only use this for special events and rent it out to groups in Firenze. As we made our way upstairs to one of the afternoon sessions, we noticed a door opened that led out onto a balcony. The views were amazing. You could see most of the campus, as well as part of the Duomo. We decided to stay on campus for a little while after the orientation finished up so we could see the sunset on a gorgeous, clear day. While it was a bit chilly, the view was one of the best I have ever seen. After we took a ton of pictures, we made our way down Via Bolognese on the 25 bus so we could explore a little more of Firenze and also to find the ONLY Citibank in the entire city (and the entire provice of Toscana!). We walked through some interesting neighborhoods on the way back to Pizza San Marco, but we were fine since we stuck in a group. Along the way I remembered that I needed a few items from the Farmacia, so I stopped in one of what seems like thousands of green crossed pharmacies in Firenze. I learned a quick and harsh lesson upon paying for my purchase…bring stuff from America in your checked luggage. Paying 9.50 Euro for one ( 1 ) stick of deodorant hurts…A LOT! Our walk back to the apartment made me feel a lot better, though, as we walked through the really trendy area that would be the equivalent of New York’s 5th Avenue. I stopped to stare at the amazing stuff in the windows at Ferragamo, Armani, and a few other really nice Italian stores. I think if I don’t waste all of my money while I’m here that I may treat myself to something at one of the previously mentioned stores (family, please ignore that part…I’m only kidding!). Aside from having fashionable everything in this city, Firenze also offers the most amazing historical landmarks in the world. The architecture is unlike any that I have ever seen. Patrick and I decided to cross the Ponte Alla Carraia to return to the apartment. As I looked to my left, I could see the Ponte Vecchio lit up with its lights reflecting off the Arno River. Of course, I had to stop to take a few pictures of it…almost getting hit by a few Vespas in the process…that’s part of the fun of living here. As we finally made our way back to Via Maffia, it hit me that I really am living in Firenze. Amazing! Ciao!
“You’re beautiful when you’re clean…”
Well, we just finished day three of rain. Luckily, it is on and off, so we do have a chance to enjoy the beauty of the city without it being completely overcast. We decided to leave early to catch the bus and beat all of the other NYU students to campus. One thing I have to say amazes me, and probably will forever, is that our bus drives right past the Duomo EVERY morning. I actually do appreciate the fact that I get to see this amazing work of art and architecture every day on my daily travels. The people of Firenze are so lucky to have something like this in their own neighborhood. Everything was great until we got to Piazza San Marco to transfer to the 25 bus. They’re supposed to come every 5-10 minutes…25 minutes later we boarded. However, while we waited, we became surrounded by a crowd of Italian school children for a short while. When the 25 finally came around the corner from the Duomo, we were jumping up and down like little five year olds yelling, “Venticinque! Venticinque!” It was such a relief from standing there in the unexpected rain. The ride to campus was uneventful and slightly better than yesterday. We arrived at Villa Natalia shortly after ten to begin our descent into the “Valley of Death,” which is a giant valley in between Villa Natalia and Villa Ulivi, two of our buildings on campus. Once we got up to Villa Ulivi, we were able to settle into our shorter day of lectures to acclimate ourselves with the city. The views were unbelievable. So much so that I am not sure how I am going to make it through classes without staring out into the hills of Florence and zoning out. Our property has one of the best viewpoints of the entire city. During our morning lecture, we were introduced to Nicola, who is one of the administrators on campus. He is possibly one of the funniest Italians I have ever met. He told us that he has to go through this stuff even though we are smarter than they are giving us credit for. We aren’t supposed to smoke in any of the buildings, but he told us if we do decide to smoke that we “should put the cigarette freaking out so we don’t a burn the building down and die…that is too ugly.” He then went on to tell us about traffic safety and how we shouldn’t drive or ride bikes in the city because we “are beautiful when we’re clean.” Basically, if you try to navigate through the city on a bike or moped, you’re probably going to get hit and seriously hurt/die. But, not to worry…I don’t plan on driving while I’m here. After a crash course in survival Italian, which was quite a good refresher, we were off to do our own thing in the city. We made our way back down to our apartment to take care of some things and get a quick nap in (still jet lagged). I attempted to find the only Citibank in Florence only to learn that there is a difference between Via Del Leone and Via Leone X…go figure. So I walked in the completely wrong direction for twenty minutes. I eventually stopped to ask a shop owner how to get to Citibank and had to show here my card so she’d know what I was talking about…she decided to translate my card to “Chitibanko” for herself…whatever works, I guess. Giving up on that, I decided to exchange my money at a Cambio (foreign currency exchanges that are all over the city) near the Ponte Vecchio…HUGE mistake. Aside from the fact that our current exchange rate being $1.59 to 1 Euro, they took a 17% service charge. I ended up getting ripped off for over half of what I gave them. I wanted to cry. Patrick, Sophie, and I then decided to go grocery shopping since there were a few items we needed. We walked well over a mile to this fairly large Supermarket outside the walls of Firenze proper. The neighborhood was a bit sketch, but that is part of the experience. I barely bought anything to make a meal and I still spent nearly 30 Euro…things are sooo much more expensive here. We immediately stuck out as Americani, but people were fairly helpful if we attempted to speak the language. Little shopkeepers are usually the best for giving directions (even to places that are in direct competition with them)…and the Florentines in general are good about helping others out. After dinner, we found this amazing little cafe with reasonably priced everything and we were the only Americans in the place, so we knew it’d be a great find. It’s filled with tons of young, hip Italian people just hanging out with friends. We stayed indoors because the temperature at night is still a bit colder than we like, but we still had a blast. Firenze is by far the most amazing city I have ever been in. Living here is an absolute blast. At first glance, people may think our neighborhood is a bit sketchy because things are so quiet, but it’s where all of the locals live, so it tends to not be as rowdy as the center of the city. Even the Yemenese (I have no clue if that is the correct term) government chose our street to place its consulate. People are always walking up and down Via Maffia, so it’s never really lonely, but it’s still nice to have people with you after dark. I definitely need sleep right now since I have to get up at 8am again for the last day of orientation (non-mandatory, but certainly helpful) on campus. We have one last weekend to get all of our things together before we actually have to be productive and learn in such a great city. Ciao!
Oh, the things we’ll learn
Today, we had Part 1 of our info sessions welcoming us to Firenze. It was the usual group of speeches about being guests in another country and personal safety (which I know they have to give, so I sit through it)…don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that they are doing this for us, but we have heard it over and over again. So I thought. As we got to the personal safety portion of the talks, we were informed that every semester around 50% of the students get pickpocketed or robbed. Yes, that’s right…HALF OF ALL STUDENTS! But, they went on to tell us how safe the city is and that it’s really no different from New York. I live in a fairly safe neighborhood, yet I still don’t feel like walking alone at midnight is safe like it is in New York. I guess this is a really small thing, though, considering that we’re almost always in groups. Navigating our way through the narrow streets is proving to be quite a challenge since there are no set traffic rules. Cars and mopeds drive wherever they feel like, including sidewalks if there is nowhere else to go. Something interesting we learned today is that Florence has the most registered mopeds in all of Italy. Up until five years ago, you only had to be 14 and be able to convince your parents to buy you a moped to be able to operate one. I think they have increased the age a bit, and they actually make you wear helmets now…it wasn’t always like that. While I’m on the topic of moving vehicles, we were also told to watch ourselves when leaving campus because students get hit “all the time” by truck mirrors when leaving the gates of Villa Natalia. I’ll post a picture of this area soon…the sidewalk is barely wide enough for one person and is on a blind curve. All of this stuff makes life a little more interesting and fun. For the most part, the Florentines are really friendly people who are willing to help you with your Italian skills. There are a few who get impatient, but if they have the time, they’ll help you out. They’re very proud of their city and culture, so if you’re willing to try to speak Italian and learn about life here, you’re on their good side. It’s actually a lot of fun to just sit and listen to all of the people speak. Occasionally, you can understand parts of a conversation. One great test of our Italian today was on the bus. For those of you who know what it’s like to get on the 1 train during rush hour, picture that times 1000 for getting onto a Florentine bus. Public transportation isn’t huge in Firenze, so when school is in, college students take over the buses. A Florentine bus is about half the size of a bus in America, so getting a lot of people on isn’t realistic. Somehow, we fit about thirty more students than we should have brought on, and it worked…kind of. We came to the one stop about three stops before Villa La Pietra (our campus) where this little elderly Italian lady wanted to exit. Before she could make her way through the crowd of students, however, the driver closed the doors and drove off. Needless to say, she wasn’t happy with anyone on the bus, and made that known to us and the driver. For being a little innocent older lady, I’m fairly sure she cursed us out quite a bit, but my Italian is still a bit rusty. I felt really bad, but it was slightly entertaining to listen to. Moral of the story: Do NOT block the door to the bus when Italians want to get off…they’re never happy about it.Well, I think I’ve rambled on enough about one day, so I’ll stop here. I miss all of my family and friends at home and in New York. Come visit!!! You’ll love it!Ciao!
Ciao, Firenze!
Since I have never written a blog before, I have no idea if I am doing this correctly. The trip over really wasn’t too bad. The flight was smooth, and everything was pretty much on time. The leg room and food left a lot to be desired, but what can you expect when you’re flying on a student ticket? We arrived in Firenze shortly before noon and it had already been raining for several hours. We all boarded a bus to NYU’s campus on the top of a huge hill in the city. The views are absolutely amazing even when the weather is bad, so I can only imagine what it’ll be like in the spring! Checking in wasn’t too bad, and I was able to get to my apartment within half an hour of receiving my keys. The apartment is not at all what I expected, but so much more. It is in this cool little Florentine neighborhood where all of the locals live. We have several bedrooms and 17 people living here in total. It is a short walk (5-10 minutes) to the Ponte Vecchio!!! I do not have pictures yet since it was dark by the time I got unpacked and went to dinner. I’ll be sure to take a ton in the coming days so you can see what it’s like.
