Un anno fa...
One year ago...
One year ago today I walked into Newark airport with two suitcases and a backpack (...tear) packed with four-months of my life. One year ago today I had never left the United States before. One year ago today I had never uttered a word of Italian. One year ago today I had never lived in a city. One year ago today I hated red wine and seafood. One year ago today I had yet to meet the most incredible group of people. And one year ago today my entire life changed.
The past year has flown. To me, most days still feel like I "just got back." I still feel the urge to look through pictures, read an entry out of my journal, or reminisce with my roommates about that time Meg put balsamic vinegar in our late-night pasta. Yet, here I am about to graduate with no knowledge of when I'll return to Florence.
What I'm certain of, is that four short months in that city have shaped the soon-to-be adult that I've become. I grew up while I was over there. It pushed me out of the comfort of Clemson, the comfort of the English language, and the comfort of having my closest friends and family nearby. But in Florence, I learned how to explore. I remember second full day in Florence, my advisor Laura gave me directions to the U.S. Consulate, so that I could file my theft with them. I got there, and was greeted by a swarm of Italian cops who would not let me set foot near the U.S. Consulate. I told them my problem, and they would not help me. I could barely understand a word they were saying. All I knew was that they were not letting me near that Consulate. It took me nearly 45 minutes to get home (which I later learned should have been a 10 minute walk). I had to stop and ask four different people for directions. I don't even think I had a single phone number stored in my phone yet besides my mom and Laura. In situations like that, you don't have time to be stressy or anxious. You just have to find your way home. So that's what I did. And silly, overwhelming, first-week experiences like that are what make you prove to yourself that you can do this. You can live on your own in a foreign city. It's an entirely new sense of independence.
If you followed this blog, you know it wasn't long until I found my directional grasp on the city. I became Momma TarTar the walking MapQuest to my roommates. And oh, my roommates. Never in my life had I lived with such diverse personalities. Yet despite our differences, we clicked (clearly, I am leaving Rancid Amy out of this generalization). We sat around the kitchen table and shared our lives via Facebook pictures with each other. We let each other in when we were too intoxicated to figure out how to unlock our giant door. We did our school work together while drinking wine. We picked out each other's clothes (...well, Jacqueline picked out our clothes). We put the pieces together when one of us came out of our rooms in the morning and yelled "WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?" We stood by each other when laundry racks went angrily crashing to the floor. And on our last night we sat together, cuddled on Meg & Jacquelines beds with a bottle of classy champagne until we had to go our separate ways.
If you had told me one year ago that I was going to come back from Florence with a new perspective on life and friends that I will have an incomparable bond with for the rest of my life, I might not have believed you. I thought I was just going to see the sights, drink the wine, and "study abroad" like every college kid is supposed to. But really, I went there to find a piece of myself that I didn't know existed.
I'll be forever grateful that I had the opportunity to study in Florence. Grazie to everyone who made my experience what it was!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Vita Dopo Firenze
It's still surreal being home for one whole week. I haven't had social interaction with anyone beyond my family, so a part of me feels the same way I always do over Christmas break each year. Temporarily living in a room decorated with my past and overcrowded with boxes filled with my new life, here only to see my family, catch up on trashy reality TV, and go to ten million doctors appointments until I return to Clemson. Whenever I'm home, I'm in a weird in-between place. I'm not back to my real life yet, so I guess being "back" hasn't quite hit me yet. A part of my brain actually believes that when I pack up my car and start driving next Sunday, I'm going to somehow end up in Florence. Don't get me wrong, I miss Clemson as much as a person could ever possibly miss a place, and I can't wait to get back, but I don't think the real "culture shock" will sink in until I settle back into my real life. My life that consists of an apartment and bills and two summer jobs and responsibilities. My life that requires me to hop in my car to buy a bottle of wine that costs a lot more than 2.50 euro.
The harshest reality is going to be interacting with people who didn't go through this experience. The world kept going on while we were in Florence. Just like it kept going on in Vernon once I moved away, and then I came back that first summer to find I had absolutely nothing in common with those people anymore. I'm not afraid of this happening in Clemson, though. It's my home and I'm sure I'll settle back in quickly. But it still scares me that I can't hop in a car and drive to Florence to find my apartment and my roommates and my Tigers all there with me. I apologize in advance to all of my friends who have to listen to my incessant "This one time in Florence..." stories.
There's so much I'm going to miss about it. Especially the simple things that I didn't notice until I left. Being able to walk everywhere. The smell of leather. Walking past the Duomo on a regular basis. The sound of Italian. The lady on my street with the fluffy dog. Tiger Thursdays. Windows without screens. WINE. The list goes on...
All in all, Florence was the greatest experience of my life. It taught me more than I ever expected to learn. Everyone says after you study abroad you come home with this new appreciation for the world and different cultures, which is completely true, but the past four months taught me a lot more than that. I learned how to relax and live my life outside of my iCal for once, how to stand on my own two feet when bad things happen, how to relate to people who are different than me, how to communicate with a language barrier, how to live in a city, how to drink wine, how to let my guard down, and how to appreciate the world in a way that is so much greater than my American bubble.
If you followed this blog, thank you :) I'm glad I could share my experience with people who really wanted to listen. And thank you, especially, to the people who made the entire four months possible. My Dad for actually letting me past U.S. borders, my Mom for mapping out every detail of my semester in an organized file folder, and then staying up until 4 a.m. putting my life back together when that organized file folder was stolen, my Aunts for inspiring me to choose Florence in the first place, my Grandma and relatives for donating to the "help Tara not go entirely broke in Italy" foundation, my best friend Meghan for being there for my ridiculous international phone calls, my Clemson friends for always being on Skype when I missed them, and my study abroad family for helping make the entire semester what it was: life-changing.
It scares me that I don't know when I'll be back to Europe. There is so much more I want to see, and so much more about Florence that I'm going to miss. Luckily, I rubbed the nose of Il Porcellino and dropped my coin down into the grate, and legend has it that means you'll return to Florence in your lifetime.
The harshest reality is going to be interacting with people who didn't go through this experience. The world kept going on while we were in Florence. Just like it kept going on in Vernon once I moved away, and then I came back that first summer to find I had absolutely nothing in common with those people anymore. I'm not afraid of this happening in Clemson, though. It's my home and I'm sure I'll settle back in quickly. But it still scares me that I can't hop in a car and drive to Florence to find my apartment and my roommates and my Tigers all there with me. I apologize in advance to all of my friends who have to listen to my incessant "This one time in Florence..." stories.
There's so much I'm going to miss about it. Especially the simple things that I didn't notice until I left. Being able to walk everywhere. The smell of leather. Walking past the Duomo on a regular basis. The sound of Italian. The lady on my street with the fluffy dog. Tiger Thursdays. Windows without screens. WINE. The list goes on...
All in all, Florence was the greatest experience of my life. It taught me more than I ever expected to learn. Everyone says after you study abroad you come home with this new appreciation for the world and different cultures, which is completely true, but the past four months taught me a lot more than that. I learned how to relax and live my life outside of my iCal for once, how to stand on my own two feet when bad things happen, how to relate to people who are different than me, how to communicate with a language barrier, how to live in a city, how to drink wine, how to let my guard down, and how to appreciate the world in a way that is so much greater than my American bubble.
If you followed this blog, thank you :) I'm glad I could share my experience with people who really wanted to listen. And thank you, especially, to the people who made the entire four months possible. My Dad for actually letting me past U.S. borders, my Mom for mapping out every detail of my semester in an organized file folder, and then staying up until 4 a.m. putting my life back together when that organized file folder was stolen, my Aunts for inspiring me to choose Florence in the first place, my Grandma and relatives for donating to the "help Tara not go entirely broke in Italy" foundation, my best friend Meghan for being there for my ridiculous international phone calls, my Clemson friends for always being on Skype when I missed them, and my study abroad family for helping make the entire semester what it was: life-changing.
It scares me that I don't know when I'll be back to Europe. There is so much more I want to see, and so much more about Florence that I'm going to miss. Luckily, I rubbed the nose of Il Porcellino and dropped my coin down into the grate, and legend has it that means you'll return to Florence in your lifetime.
See you soon, Firenze.
Final 48 hours in Firenze
Forty-eight hours doesn't seem like a long time. But when you're trying to hang on to the greatest experience of your life when you know it's just about to end, you find yourself forgoing sleep and downtime for any opportunity to make it last a little bit longer...
Thursday
I got up early and took my Italian final. The moment I handed it in I realized I'm now a senior. SO. OLD. I ran into Mindy on our way out of Strozzi, again seeing that as a sign from the universe that we should daydrink. We both hadn't eaten yet so we went to Gusta for pizza in beer. It is the best pizza in Florence so we had to eat there one last time. A few minutes after we sat down Virginia, Amelia, and William walked in. Great minds think alike! We all enjoyed our final real Italian pizza together, the first of many "this is the last time we'll ever ____" activities that took place in the following two days.
I went home for a few hours to start packing. I was extremely unproductive since I was in denial that I actually had to move out. I distracted myself by doing a little more souvenir shopping and going to the advising office to say goodbye to Laura, my advisor (and the savoir of my Italian life). My roommates and I got ready, and then met up with Eric to walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo. Tonight was our final "Tiger Thursday" and our final time going to my favorite spot in Florence. It was our last chance to take it all in. Every time I look out over that piazza, I honestly feel like I'm dreaming this entire experience. This time, knowing it was the last time, it was even more surreal. I think it's the first time it hit me that I have no idea when the next time I'll be looking out over this city will be.
After Piazzale Michelangelo we met up with the rest of the group at Il Gatto. It's a family style restaurant where they bring out giant bowls of pasta and unlimited wine for large groups. We enjoyed one final, perfect Tiger Dinner, complete with "Tiger Superlatives" that my roommates and I made on paper plates for all thirteen of us. My roommates named me the "Drunken photojournalist Irish M.I.L.F." in reference to my sheer talent of photographing people doing embarrassing things and acting as the Mom of the whole wild bunch. We made a bit of a scene inside the restaurant with our grand presentation and photoshoot of the superlatives. They were the perfect way to express what a weirdly diverse group of friends we have. Somehow despite our differences, we all complimented each other so well. Suddenly at the end of dinner, laughter and commotion started to build outside. When I went outside to see what it was, I found my lovely roommates ("the Blondtourage") negotiating rollerblades off of two Italian school children. Next thing you know they are rollerblading in sundresses through the streets of Florence. Totally normal night...
After Il Gatto and the rollerblading extravaganza, we headed to the one and only, Lion's Fountain. I can't imagine spending my last night "out" in Florence anywhere else. Meg got free shots galore for her birthday. Then suddenly my lifelong dream came true. Mindy and I weaseled our way behind the bar with Luca, Karl, and "the Hot One" (no one knows his name, he's just the hot one). My life was complete:
Thursday
I got up early and took my Italian final. The moment I handed it in I realized I'm now a senior. SO. OLD. I ran into Mindy on our way out of Strozzi, again seeing that as a sign from the universe that we should daydrink. We both hadn't eaten yet so we went to Gusta for pizza in beer. It is the best pizza in Florence so we had to eat there one last time. A few minutes after we sat down Virginia, Amelia, and William walked in. Great minds think alike! We all enjoyed our final real Italian pizza together, the first of many "this is the last time we'll ever ____" activities that took place in the following two days.
I went home for a few hours to start packing. I was extremely unproductive since I was in denial that I actually had to move out. I distracted myself by doing a little more souvenir shopping and going to the advising office to say goodbye to Laura, my advisor (and the savoir of my Italian life). My roommates and I got ready, and then met up with Eric to walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo. Tonight was our final "Tiger Thursday" and our final time going to my favorite spot in Florence. It was our last chance to take it all in. Every time I look out over that piazza, I honestly feel like I'm dreaming this entire experience. This time, knowing it was the last time, it was even more surreal. I think it's the first time it hit me that I have no idea when the next time I'll be looking out over this city will be.
I <3 Lion's Fountain
Friday
I woke up surprisingly early Friday morning, and when I went to the bathroom I found Meg's pajamas folded in the bidet. Successful 21st birthday, I'd say. We got up and out early knowing it was our last day in Florence. Meg, Alana, and I went to our favorite cafe on the corner for cappuccino and cioccolato caldo. We even stood at the bar like real Italians. Afterwards we wanted gelato, but considering it was 10:30 in the morning, our gelato boyfriend hadn't opened shop yet. We decided to get lunch at the Oil Shoppe, one of my favorite sandwich places. We got them to go and sat in the sun in Piazza Santa Croce to have a mini picnic on a bench. Unfortunately we were attacked by pigeons after we very cleverly decided to feed them. Post-pigeon attack, we started wandering aimlessly behind Santa Croce (a part of town we generally don't go) where we stumbled upon the Florence Leather School. I don't know how we never knew this place existed, it was so interesting. It was an actual school filled with students learning how to make leather goods. They had a huge workshop with windows so you could see right into their classes. They also had a store upstairs full of some of the most beautiful (and not to mention, out of my price range) leather I've ever seen.
After the Leather School, Alana and I got lost in that area of town trying to find the Sant'Ambrosio market. Jacqueline always talked about it being the non-toursity version of Marcato Centrale. We eventually found it. It was so cute and so local. Alana got a pear and I got a peach and we wandered around saying hi to the adorable little vendors and enjoying the perfect Florence weather.
Afterwards, Alana and Meg went to the Uffizzi (once was enough for me), so I officially finished souvenir shopping and headed home to officially finish packing. Seeing my room so empty made it feel even more real. My roommates and I started to clean our apartment, which was a much more difficult feat than we imagined. We never got around to counting the wine bottles we saved on our cabinets, but I would estimate the final tally to be somewhere between 60 or 70 empty bottles. Job well done. We also had a ton of unused food, so we had a strange midday feast on pasta and parmigiano. We continued to pack and clean for the rest of the afternoon, until it was time to get ready for Meg's big birthday dinner.
We headed across the Ponte Vecchio (one last time...) all dressed up in heels and dresses. Meg even had a light up crown. We attracted a lot of awkward attention on the way there, considering it was still daylight and we were strutting past Piazza della Republica in heels. Random Italians kept yelling at Meg "Oh, it's the Queen! You're the Queen!" We ate at Gold View, a super fancy restaurant that overlooks the Arno. It was stunning, and we had delicious food and obviously good wine. It was one last perfet meal shared with the best study abroad friends that have ever existed. Meg stood up to give a toast to "The Tigers," and this set off a chain of toasts around the table, most of which all of the girls cried through. It made us all realize how lucky we were to have each other in Florence. Most people don't go study abroad and find a huge family to share their experience with; especially not a family full of so many diverse personalities and upbringings. Every one of them surprised me this semester by not being anything I expected them to be. After this experience, we truly have one of the most unique bonds a group of friends could have. For the rest of our lives, when we think of the four months we spent in Italy no one else in the world will be able to relate besides the 13 of us. I'm so thankful for that.
After dinner, we did one last grand tour of our beautiful Firenze. This started with a photo-shoot on the Ponte Vecchio:
From there we headed back to Lion's Fountain so Meg could get her Dad a t-shirt and a "beer for the road." This is when the trail of goodbyes started. As we walked around the city, different people said their goodnights and goodbyes and trickled off to head home to their apartments. Now it was real. Fortunately for me, most of the first goodbyes I had to say were to real-life Tigers who I'll see in the fall or summer, so I managed to hold it together. After Lion's we stopped by Cafe Bigallo, another spot we frequented for cheap drinks from Giorgio in the beginning of the semester. It was actually the very first place we ever went out in Florence. Looks like everything comes full circle. After that, we felt it was essential to pay our respects to Astor. We hate this bar as much as it hates us, but a picture of myself and the Blondtourage out front was definitely necessary.
From there, we wandered back to my favorite piazza, Piazza della Republica, to dance in the streets and say goodbye. Toto also walked me around the corner to the Jersey Shore 4 cast's apartment! If I couldn't meet them, I was at least going to see their apartment. It was on the street that I walked on to get to class every single day! There was a security guard standing in the doorway otherwise I might have invited myself in. It was eventually time to go home, so we said goodbye to Eric & Toto and headed back to our cozy home on Via Faenza, 66. We sat in Jacqueline & Megan's room with a bottle of fancy champagne and had a slumber party. The intoxicated birthday girl even made a music video of herself rapping about her birthday. We attempted to stay up all night, but eventually took a little hour long nap until it was time to walk Alana to the train station. When we woke up, Alana was on the floor, I was in Meg's bed, and Meg was in...Amy's bed? Who would've thought she'd spend her birthday and last night in Florence passed out on the bed where the Wicked Witch of the West once slept? Jac and I walked Alana to the train station at 5:30 a.m. and that's when the waterworks started. The sun was rising, I was leaving in a few hours, and Alana was leaving. My entire concept of time and life and the fact that we were really all leaving was so thrown off. Jac and I got breakfast at the only cafe that was open this early, and then I said goodbye to my room, my roommates, and the city that became my home.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Italian way of life
Update on the past 24 hours of my Italian life:
I woke up early so that Alana and I could go to Marcato Centrale and pick up some presents from our favorite cheese ladies and scarf man. We have become pros at negotiating cheap scarves. Then I had my Food & Wine Pairing final presentation. My group made pasta salad with eggplant, peas, and toasted walnuts in a really delicious lemon and olive oil dressing. Definitely bringing that recipe home. We had to cook that, make it look pretty on a presentation plate, and then pour the judges wine while giving a presentation about the type of wine and why we chose it to go with the food. I felt like I was on top chef or something.
After class I walked around for nearly three hours by myself shopping and taking pictures of all of my favorite places. Now that I realize I'm leaving, I'm much more aware of my surroundings. I really don't want to forget a single thing. I came home for another failed attempt at packing, when Alana and Eric called from Zanonbini, our favorite wine shop. They were already on glass two. Meg and I hurried down there and I had two delicious glasses of Prosecco (only 2.50!). We chatted with our favorite cute Italian bartender and had the other Italian guys in there help teach us Italian. "Posso avere un altro encorce?" is how you ask for a second glass of whatever you were drinking. After two glasses we ventured across the Arno to eat a really local Trattoria that Eric knew about. We seemed to be the only Americans in there and the food was so good. I had traditional tuscan ribollita, one of my favorites.
We left the restaurant and Alana & Eric went home while Meg & I went to Lion's Fountain for una birra. We made friends with a man from Holland and got free shots from Luca, one of the bartenders. I was so full from dinner I could barely finish my Bulmer's, so we took the rest of our beer for the road and wandered our way home drinking in the streets and loving our lives. We even stopped to say hi to our favorite gelato man, but didn't get gelato because we were so full.
Today was a perfect Italian day. No plans. No responsibilities. Spontaneous dinner. Speaking Italian at a local enoteca. I can't believe I really have to leave this all behind..
I woke up early so that Alana and I could go to Marcato Centrale and pick up some presents from our favorite cheese ladies and scarf man. We have become pros at negotiating cheap scarves. Then I had my Food & Wine Pairing final presentation. My group made pasta salad with eggplant, peas, and toasted walnuts in a really delicious lemon and olive oil dressing. Definitely bringing that recipe home. We had to cook that, make it look pretty on a presentation plate, and then pour the judges wine while giving a presentation about the type of wine and why we chose it to go with the food. I felt like I was on top chef or something.
After class I walked around for nearly three hours by myself shopping and taking pictures of all of my favorite places. Now that I realize I'm leaving, I'm much more aware of my surroundings. I really don't want to forget a single thing. I came home for another failed attempt at packing, when Alana and Eric called from Zanonbini, our favorite wine shop. They were already on glass two. Meg and I hurried down there and I had two delicious glasses of Prosecco (only 2.50!). We chatted with our favorite cute Italian bartender and had the other Italian guys in there help teach us Italian. "Posso avere un altro encorce?" is how you ask for a second glass of whatever you were drinking. After two glasses we ventured across the Arno to eat a really local Trattoria that Eric knew about. We seemed to be the only Americans in there and the food was so good. I had traditional tuscan ribollita, one of my favorites.
We left the restaurant and Alana & Eric went home while Meg & I went to Lion's Fountain for una birra. We made friends with a man from Holland and got free shots from Luca, one of the bartenders. I was so full from dinner I could barely finish my Bulmer's, so we took the rest of our beer for the road and wandered our way home drinking in the streets and loving our lives. We even stopped to say hi to our favorite gelato man, but didn't get gelato because we were so full.
Today was a perfect Italian day. No plans. No responsibilities. Spontaneous dinner. Speaking Italian at a local enoteca. I can't believe I really have to leave this all behind..
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
No such thing as too much gelato.
Today was a great day! Last night I was feeling too emotional about my nearing departure and couldn't study, so I was up at 7:00 a.m. to cram before my exam. I had Italian class and then my exam for History of the Catholic Church, which surprisingly wasn't has horrifying as I anticipated it to be. After my exam I got a gelato for lunch (healthy...) and went home to start prepping for packing.
An hour or two later I met up with Virginia and William to go to the Bobboli Gardens! We unfortunately had to wait in a long line of obnoxious tour groups (our fault for waiting until May to be touristy) but once we were inside it was so worth it. The gardens were beautiful, had a great view of the city, and the weather was beyond perfect. We walked around and eventually just laid in the shade talking and overlooking the Pitti Palace and our beautiful Firenze. Afterwards we met up with Ashley, got gelato (healthy second course of my lunch), and did a little bit of gift shopping. This was obviously all followed by a trip to Lion's Fountain. Couldn't go without our afternoon Bulmer's Cider. Luckily, Virginia lent me a "stamp" and I finally completed my Lion's card. WOO free-but-actually-really-expensive tshirt that says "I <3 Lion's Fountain!" Ain't it the truth.
Later tonight my roommates and I had our last official "Roomie Dinner." We went to Trattoria Anita, recommended by my Food & Wind Pairing professor, and it was so delicious. We got an asparagus and parmigiano appetizer, and I got ravioli rose. Perfecto! It was weird having our last real night out as roommates. We wandered home and took in the sights and the sounds and the people and even the obnoxious catcalls. Aside from those, I'm going to miss everything about this place, especially living above Hotel Monica on Via Faenza, 66 with these three:
An hour or two later I met up with Virginia and William to go to the Bobboli Gardens! We unfortunately had to wait in a long line of obnoxious tour groups (our fault for waiting until May to be touristy) but once we were inside it was so worth it. The gardens were beautiful, had a great view of the city, and the weather was beyond perfect. We walked around and eventually just laid in the shade talking and overlooking the Pitti Palace and our beautiful Firenze. Afterwards we met up with Ashley, got gelato (healthy second course of my lunch), and did a little bit of gift shopping. This was obviously all followed by a trip to Lion's Fountain. Couldn't go without our afternoon Bulmer's Cider. Luckily, Virginia lent me a "stamp" and I finally completed my Lion's card. WOO free-but-actually-really-expensive tshirt that says "I <3 Lion's Fountain!" Ain't it the truth.
Later tonight my roommates and I had our last official "Roomie Dinner." We went to Trattoria Anita, recommended by my Food & Wind Pairing professor, and it was so delicious. We got an asparagus and parmigiano appetizer, and I got ravioli rose. Perfecto! It was weird having our last real night out as roommates. We wandered home and took in the sights and the sounds and the people and even the obnoxious catcalls. Aside from those, I'm going to miss everything about this place, especially living above Hotel Monica on Via Faenza, 66 with these three:
Monday, May 9, 2011
Where did the time go?
I have four full days left in Florence. I'm in complete and utter disbelief. As excited I am to see my friends and family, and to indulge in American luxuries like super advanced, cutting-edge clothes dryer, I am not ready to leave at all.
Today, I had two finals (Social Psychology and International Marketing). Both went fine, I suppose, but school work is the last thing on my mind these days. I think it's the first time in my life I've ever been able to say that. My inner nerd kind of got cooler in Italy... Anyway, after my second final I ran into Mindy on our way out of Piazza Strozzi. We finished our exams at the exact same time. This is the universe's way of telling us that we need a beer from Lion's Fountain. Monday day drinking at Lion's has become a bit of a tradition in these last few days. We people watched and reminisced and enjoyed a delicious Harp from the best Irish Pub in Italy. I don't think I'll ever love a bar more than I love Lion's Fountain. I'm three stamps away from my "I <3 Lion's Fountain" t-shirt. Can't wait for it.
After going home to relax for a while, I went to the library to meet up with a friend from my class and study for my Tuesday final. We were both utterly lost and unmotivated. Remind me again why I thought I was capable of taking a history class with a bunch of artsy fartsy philosophy gurus? I would rather sit through Accounting five more times than study Renaissance Humanism. AHH.
I abandoned the library (and the studying) to go to Mama Gina's with Ashley, Virginia, Mindy, and Amelia. I had been dying to take them there ever since I went with Karen (and after all of the wonderful recommendations from my Aunties). Our waiter was the most adorable old Italian man who fell in love with us all and gave us a pretty nice discount on our meal. When we left, he told us Buonasera and said "Come back next time, I'll give you discount again." That's when I realized that "next time" won't be next week or next month or even next year. I have no idea when "next time" will be.
I walked home from dinner and got really, really sad about leaving. The Ponte Vecchio looked perfect and calm as it always does at night, and Piazza della Republica was all lit up with a cute little street band and people riding the carousel. I was feeling so nostalgic that I even convinced myself I was going to miss the sketchy Albanians who stand outside of their rip-off wine shops at night and try to convince me that they have the best student discount on 5 bottles of cheap wine. My time here went way too fast, and as much as I can convince myself that "I'll be back someday" someday won't be when I'm twenty years old with no responsibilities and and four months to embrace and an amazing group of friends to share it with.
I should be studying right now for this ridiculously irrelevant-to-my-future history class, but when I'm old, I don't think I'll care at all about this history class or my grade in it. I'll care about one of my last nights in Florence eating at Mama Gina's with our cute little waiter and smiling at the Italians hanging out in the Piazze living life in the carefree, beautiful way that they do.
Four days left to make the most of it. Here goes nothing.
Today, I had two finals (Social Psychology and International Marketing). Both went fine, I suppose, but school work is the last thing on my mind these days. I think it's the first time in my life I've ever been able to say that. My inner nerd kind of got cooler in Italy... Anyway, after my second final I ran into Mindy on our way out of Piazza Strozzi. We finished our exams at the exact same time. This is the universe's way of telling us that we need a beer from Lion's Fountain. Monday day drinking at Lion's has become a bit of a tradition in these last few days. We people watched and reminisced and enjoyed a delicious Harp from the best Irish Pub in Italy. I don't think I'll ever love a bar more than I love Lion's Fountain. I'm three stamps away from my "I <3 Lion's Fountain" t-shirt. Can't wait for it.
After going home to relax for a while, I went to the library to meet up with a friend from my class and study for my Tuesday final. We were both utterly lost and unmotivated. Remind me again why I thought I was capable of taking a history class with a bunch of artsy fartsy philosophy gurus? I would rather sit through Accounting five more times than study Renaissance Humanism. AHH.
I abandoned the library (and the studying) to go to Mama Gina's with Ashley, Virginia, Mindy, and Amelia. I had been dying to take them there ever since I went with Karen (and after all of the wonderful recommendations from my Aunties). Our waiter was the most adorable old Italian man who fell in love with us all and gave us a pretty nice discount on our meal. When we left, he told us Buonasera and said "Come back next time, I'll give you discount again." That's when I realized that "next time" won't be next week or next month or even next year. I have no idea when "next time" will be.
I walked home from dinner and got really, really sad about leaving. The Ponte Vecchio looked perfect and calm as it always does at night, and Piazza della Republica was all lit up with a cute little street band and people riding the carousel. I was feeling so nostalgic that I even convinced myself I was going to miss the sketchy Albanians who stand outside of their rip-off wine shops at night and try to convince me that they have the best student discount on 5 bottles of cheap wine. My time here went way too fast, and as much as I can convince myself that "I'll be back someday" someday won't be when I'm twenty years old with no responsibilities and and four months to embrace and an amazing group of friends to share it with.
I should be studying right now for this ridiculously irrelevant-to-my-future history class, but when I'm old, I don't think I'll care at all about this history class or my grade in it. I'll care about one of my last nights in Florence eating at Mama Gina's with our cute little waiter and smiling at the Italians hanging out in the Piazze living life in the carefree, beautiful way that they do.
Four days left to make the most of it. Here goes nothing.
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