"Do something new for me today"

That's what Micah told me at the end of the last message I got from him. I can't explain what a comfort it is to come online to those messages, or any messages really. It's a little piece of home and love, and it warms me up even when my feet are soaked through, and there's a chill deep in my bones.

This weekend was Roma. Quando a Roma. When in Rome.
When in Rome...take pictures of a fountain that you think is the Trevi Fountain...but is not. (Epic Fail #1). Then find the real Trevi Fountain and resume photoshoot.
When in Rome don't go out to la discoteca, instead get drunk in your hotel room with your new friends (and old friend), and 'bond' in a very different sense of the word.
When in Rome go on the last Sunday of the month because you get in free to the Sistine Chapel. But maybe consider that since it's FREE, a lot of people may be waiting in line to go in.
When in Rome budget budget budget.
When in Rome, get giddy on the train, talk about everything, talk about new experiences, talk about old experiences, talk about how thankful you are for your roommates, talk talk talk talk. And ultimately, you will learn.
When in Rome, don't get gelato by the Trevi Fountain. It's fake gelato.
When in Rome, go to the Colosseum and act like a 7 year old again, climbing and exploring and giggling.
When in Rome, cherish the moments when the sun is on your face, on your back, when your feet are warm, and your arm is intertwined with your new friends.
When in Rome, don't eat the expensive food from the sketchy menu - they microwaved it.
When in Rome, steal food from the Continental Breakfast in your hotel to snack on during the day.
When in Rome mock MTV. xxcorexx

"Do something new for me today". I am always doing something new, as it turns out. Walking by myself is one of my favorite things, as it is a comfort back in America as well. But here, like everything else, it feels new. It calms me down, when my music is turned up and I can just watch. Watch other people interact, watch little kids wobble around, watch the market vendors squabble and laugh with their customers. Watch sleek, chic Italians enjoy espresso and una dolce.

I cook, and I love it. I love my small apartment, with it's terraces. I love my roommates with their quirks and different personalities. I love finding my way.

Tonight during my Area Studies lecture, listening to my teacher talk, as the guitarist strummed away, it felt epic. And not an Epic Fail. Just epic. I'm learning, and loving learning, and loving learning about the place I am experiencing.

So here's a lot of love, because that's all I'm feeling lately.

And better times are coming still

I think this is sort of funny move for me. To make a blog, when I was so faithful to Livejournal for so many years (including this one), but alas, I suppose I have to change with the times. Note: I will be that 70 year old woman bitching about the new gadgets all the god damn kids are using. (Assuming that of course, my coarse language never improves.)

It also seems to me that I'm going to be relaying a lot of information that no one else cares about, besides me, so you'll have to bear with me and skip over those paragraphs. I don't know how to do this non-LJ style.

Today has barely begun. Jen and I are going to get food after this, and eventually I'm going to have to figure out how to tell TCF that I'm in Italy.

I can see now that I'm going to be writing a lot of very brief posts among the lengthy, wordy ones that I'm so fond of. Mmm worddss. But maybe that will be easier for you (my 4 friends) to read the blog without wanting to cross the ocean and stab my eyes out. So, prego.

Things that I really miss right now:
-Micah
-Being thundercloud-y with Claire and Meg
-Cream cheese/salsa and chips.
-a big bed
-calling people. any people. all the people. all the time. anytime.

Thankfully being in Italy makes you rearrange the things you miss. Yeah, I'm probably going to miss my disgusting cream cheese and salsa mixture until I get back, but instead I have bruschetta and amazing lasagna, I have fresh sandwiches, and new cooking skillz.
(Hey Megs, guess who is slowly but surely turning into a domestic goddess??)

I miss my loves, all of them, but I am here for only 3 months. Those three months I am going to experience every emotion possible, ranging from the most depressed and lonely (ie: last night at 1am when I couldn't sleep, and started to cry) to the most elated (ie: Saturday night. Into Saturday morning). And I will have all my loves again. We'll have each other. That's forever, and this is temporary. And it's occuring to me with more intensity the importance of altering my perspective to squeeze all positivity out of every moment, every situation, every opportunity.

With that in mind, I'm excited for:
-Our trip to Rome this weekend
-the ensuing train ride
-clubbing it up this weekend
-sleeping in a hostel
-finding new delicious food to devour
-drinking espresso anywhere in Rome
-free dinner with our landlord tonight.

You may have noticed a food theme here. This will not change. It may get stronger and more apparent though. I base a lot of things in my life around food, and music. Thus making Italy an appropriate place for me. But my moods, my decisions, my bank account. All depend on food.

On that note, Ima make bia Fifi go get i panini, le lasagne, o le paste with me.

Ciao!

Come on quick typing...

So after looking at Claire and Megan's well laid out blogs, I feel far far inferior. Note to self: Stop having friends who know how to work the interwebz.

I am sitting in my computer lab after a long day. I'm exhausted, and desperately wishing for sunshine and warmth. The thing about these gorgeous old Italian buildings is that, funny thing, no heating in the 19th century when they were built. Weird how that works. Then I stop for a moment and remember what it felt like when I left Minneapolis, and I warm up a little bit.

Last night we had this indescribable dinner at a little ristorante by san marco. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. Crostinis after crostinis, with beans, bruschetta, antipasto...Pastas galore, penne, ravioli, gnocchi...Flan, house wine. God I want that in my mouth. Now. But on the walk home, despite our desire to go out and have a few drinks (or maybe more), we were too full (yeah food baby, yeah) with deliciousness and wine to even consider going out. So we went home, Jen and I talked for awhile, and tried to pass out.

Today was a standard day of classes, a little walking around il Duomo, a little espresso at Coronas Cafe (oh, and gelato - bacio and lampone, which is chocolate with hazelnuts, and raspberry), some window shopping, and back to class.

I am going to sign up for the public library, so I can go and read, and study in the renovated convent, in the open air, with una bella vista of il Duomo, and the countryside. Purchase a panino in the cafe and enjoy it.

This is why they call it 'la dolce vita'

the sweet life indeed.

(also - Rome this weekend. Just because.)

Shockingly not on time and unprepared.

I know how surprising it is that I have managed to wait until 5 days into my semester abroad to start a blog. Not a month before, or even a few days before, but 5 days after. My procrastination has indeed travelled across the ocean with me.



Regardless, these last five days have been intense, confusing, exciting, scary, and of course beautiful.

The beginning is both hazy and jumbled together, the effect of quite a bit of jetlag I'm sure. Jen and I immediately found one of our roommates, Stef, at the airport in Lufthansa, and tried desperately to figure out where our apartment was in Florence, but with no luck.

Upon arriving in Firenze, the weather was gorgeous. Clear skies, and fifty five degree weather. A mere 85 degrees warmer than the place I left behind. Excitement quickly overcame our exhaustion, and adding to our troops our fourth roommate Ingrid, we hopped a taxi to our flat.

Our apartment turned out to be more of a condo, with 2 bedrooms, one with an armoir, one with a huge closet, both with exits to our terrace. Giddy laughter was the only response Jen and I could come up with. And, despite our determination to go out and explore, we fell on our beds and passed out. Effectively letting the jetlag win. (and win, and win, and win...as today is the first day I don't feel some sort of jetlag).

On Saturday before orientation, we got just a little bit lost, but without any sort of fear or anxiety, we happily stopped in a bar and chatted in broken Italian with the sweet female bartender and sipped our espresso. There are about 2 bars on every street and corner, even on the outskirts of Florence where we live, and only increase in frequency as you near the Duomo. A fact duly noted by all of us.

During a brief tour of the piazza around our school, we ate lasagna (best I've ever had) and laughed with our new classmates. We went to the Ponte Vecchio, and walked around the Duomo, and despite the gray sky and misty air, it was still beautiful.


Despite the fact that I want to write about Saturday night, I'll hold off. It seems like an entirely different story from these previous paragraphs, and for obvious reasons. The night ended at 5 am for us, and 'Sunday' started at 4pm. (See? Jetlag:1 Americans:0 )