This Is Where St. Francis Had His First Big Mac

So today I woke up at 7:30 and rushed over to the piazza by our house to hop on the bus headed to Assisi (pronounced Ah-sieze-ee so I learned, not A-sissy). I slept most of the way, a 2 1/2 hour drive and when we got there, a lady announced over the bus speaker that we shouldn't get too excited about the McDonalds, and I responded more loudly than I intended "Why?!" I got laughed at... in a good way I hope. Haha. She followed with "...because Assisi just allowed it after a long petition against it. Unless its been here since St. Francis' time, they don't want establishments like McDonalds"

When we got off the bus we had a boring lecture of the frescoes in the church we visited. It was so cold because of all the marble it was like standing on an icerink. The most fantastic part, however, was seeing St. Francis' crypt in the basement. I made an offering to the church and put a candle in the basket devoted to him. You don't light them...you just stack them there...which I don't understand, but still! I said a prayer for Felicia Kaplan (I think that's how you spell her name?) and again for all of you. This truly is turning out to be a pilgrimmage for me. Very exciting.

After the lectures, some friends and I got lost walking around town. It was absolutely beautiful. The air is clear and light at the higher altitude and the scenery is just a great expanse of medieval buildings and lanes backed by mountains. It was a lovely day which helped too. The breeze was so cool and refreshing. I really don't think I can describe Assisi so you'll have to wait for the photos! I'll upload them this coming week when I have access to the photo lab. Anyway, we found a restaurant for lunch where we had a delicious meal of ravioli and cannoli and I had a glass of local wine which was so yum but SO STRONG! I was definitely tipsy and bouncing up the hills taking photos and laughing at stupid things like a long set of stairs-which we climbed to the top of the hill and found the fort Rocca Magiore. BEAUTIFUL! STUNNING VIEW! I felt like I was in the Sound of Music or something.

Reflecting on this trip, this was the first time I truly felt present in Italy. Assisi is in Umbria, and on the way there, the countryside blew me away. So green and hilly with groves and orchards and sheep and horses and creeks and mountains... Having my first glass of wine with my meal helped also. "Umbria" I kept thinking... "Yep. I'm really in Italy now"

At Least I'm Excercising...Well...I Walk Everywhere?

I was mistaken in a previous post. The best gelato in the city is shared between Bandiani and Vivoli. I'm going to both in an hour. And tonight, an Irish pub to have a beer and play guitar hero, because its guitar hero thursday...obviously. Holla!

Maybe M&M's Can Coexist with Cioccolata

Raaah. So. I've been complaining a lot lately. And mainly to Yaymie Nadyuuh (sorry love). I've been complaining that the weather is depressing (it is) that the culture is inaccessible (it is, but getting better) and that I don't feel like myself here. That I just don't like it, and the end. But I'm fighting to stay optimistic because I've still only been here a short time, and today was the first day that I woke up with sunlight outside. FINALLY!! A FULL DAY OF SUN!!! Its supposed to rain tomorrow obviously, but its amazing how much a day of light can make you feel like you just drank in the warmest cheeriest drink when you've been thirsting for it for so long.

The highlights of my day today were-walking down little side streets and finding cool shops and gelateria and flower stands all on my own and even directing an Italian couple to the Duomo. Who? Yes me. It was a Christopher Columbus kind of feeling all day, like AHA! So THATS what's there! My best discovery may have been the McDonalds. My first bite of the french fries and burger were so astounding and overwhelmed me with so much joy and excitement that I started laughing while walking down the street and thus received many confused glances from fellow pedestrians. PURE SALTY GREASY GOODNESS. McDonalds tastes the same in foreign countries...sigh...

So. Before that I ate a cone of (and people who know me will be surprised that I ate such a thing) pistachio and stracciatella gelato from a gelateria I'd been looking for since I saw it my second day here (Another thing you may be surprised to hear is that I finish everything on my plate at dinner! Most of the time). And later in the day as I browsed the streets I saw a waffle vender. When I asked how much one would cost, she asked "one or two?" and proceeded to iron out two small waffle squares. Seeing as there was no stopping her, I said one. And what I received were two waffles sandwiching a pile of whipped cream and melted chocolate. Oh dear God it was a heavenly mess. It was definitely over priced but when Florence hands you sweet goodness you don't say no. Especially since this last Sunday was the last day of the chocolate festival where my roommate and I spent the day and from breakfast until bed ate solely chocolate. Vendors from all the stores around Florence set up their tables with their finest displays. I saw chocolate tools, chocolate chickens, chocolate sausage and linguini, chocolate snow white and the seven dwarves, eggs, mice and cheese all made of chocolate. The best thing I sampled was the cioccolata calda-hot chocolate in a small cup that was pure melted chocolatey goodness. Come visit Florence, go straight to a chocolate shop, purchase this, enjoy it as long as possible, and go home to live the rest of your life in happiness.

So these are great memories already and I'm thankful. To be honest, I wake up sad most days because I miss my close friends so much, but throughout the day there are pieces of good and sun and peace and I have to gather them to make a whole. Slowly the pieces are getting bigger and slowly I'm getting used to things here. I guess I've been rushing and hoping that I'd be more settled but it's still too soon. This place isn't for me, but with more time I can learn to appreciate the differences, understand the European lifestyle more, and therefore feel less like the one blue m&m in a box of crafty artisan truffles. Thanks for hearing me out Jamie love, and to my family and friends I love you so. And I lit another candle for you in Santa Croce today! You are always in my thoughts. Love Em

I Hate the Hours at the Computer Lab

This post is for Q. I feel like a stubborn little kid because I still don't like it here very much. But its got its perks. Like chocolate (the only thing i ate the entire day on sunday). And I probably aced my Italian quiz this morning. I'm going to a sweet Cathedral now for art history. I should have taken a nap this morning. The end. Love you guys. P.S. Q, I'm not sure if you can drunkdial me but you should definitely try. P.P.S. I have no internet from Friday to Monday evening usually so don't hate me if you don't hear from me right away.

Dolce

A couple things... All the little old Italian ladies walking down the street leave a wake of sweet perfume. It's still gray and cold and rainy. My Italian teacher fans herself like she's on fire when she wants us to repeat something to her, and my first lunch of the week was yesterday: A panini, and later a snack before painting which consisted of a caffe latte and a chocolate chip muffin. The snack was the highlight of my week because of the sheer joy it brought me. I was deliriously happy for the remainder of the day! Lastly, last night I played guitar instead of doing my homework and it put my host momma to sleep (I think this is a good thing, considering I enjoy peaceful, sleepy songs). I hope she never reads this because I'm going to tell you she was snoring, and it was the cutest thing.

So... I wrote that earlier in the day, and now its just about 6 pm. As I walked home from the metalsmithing studio I realized there were many more things I wanted to document and tell you about Florence, so you get a better picture of what its like here...

The tap water smells metallic and tastes very strange so I buy a lot of bottled water, you know, the supersize kind that stand like great towers of pure goodness on your desk. Even the showers (small tall rectangles in the corner of the bathroom) project this very hard, odd smelling water. The toilets have push buttons to flush, and they aren't filled with much water, so every bathroom is equipped with a scrub brush...yuck. On a nicer note, when I left class today I noticed that something was really different about the city, and I realized: OH MY GOD! SUN! We had a good twenty minutes of it, and it changed the feel of the place...lovely.

It is very urban. Most of the streets are one way, and cobblestone. The cars are small and there are tons of motorcycles and vespas with varying heights of windshields, either fresh or ductaped or making a complete roof over the top with open sides-very strange. Uncle Dave, if you read this, I saw a Harley Davidson store today! IN FLORENCE! No way Jose, is what I was thinking. Furthermore, most of the buildings are stone, or painted plaster over stone in a variety of muted oranges and yellows and there is almost always graffiti. All of the windows have green shutters-a kind of synthetic forrest as well as a pale olive color. Most windows are barred. The street signs are carved into stone plaques on the side, way over your head, and the air around always smells like a mixture of deisel, or vinegar for some reason. Except when the little old ladies walk by because they literally leave a trail of perfume behind them. I think they must use so much so as to be smelled and thought pleasant amidst such a thick city air. The occasional male will leave his trace in the air as well- these gentlemen often have coats more femenine than the female.

Anyway, I walk everywhere. Twenty minute walks feel short to me now because I'm so used to it, and actually I enjoy my walks because they make me feel healthy and accomplished! However, even though there is so much city noise, I'm very buried in my own thoughts and so for a while, everything seems silent. Part of me wonders if this is a good or bad thing. I'm still having some trouble adjusting, and these long walks sometimes make me feel isolated; a complete outsider to this culture and even the few americans I know. I have to keep my eyes down as well because making eye contact can induce unwanted attention. (Today I got sung to as I walked by a construction site... could have been weird but I was laughing). So in a gray city, a valley that is a rain trap between mountains, I keep my eyes down, and have little conversation. I am making closer friends though, which is nice. When I DO see them, its so nice to have people to talk to and laugh with and talk about traveling with etc. Anyway, I don't feel very much like myself at all lately, considering I have to re identify, or even redefine myself for my own purposes within this culture, and for all these new people who don't know me. Needless to say, its a little exhausting and a bit frustrating. It's still a very "lost" feeling. But thanks to my loves and great friends who keep encouraging me I have not given up hope!

Finally tomorrow is my free day, I have all day to finish errands and organize myself and I've decided to do nothing this weekend but homework, rest, and things that make me happy. For example, I haven't had gelato yet because I'm saving my experience for the next time I can make it to Vesti's- the best gelato place in the city. I'm going tomorrow I've decided. My mind is so scattered because we've really just been chucked right into things. I'm going to try and do nothing but eat gelato, and think about a boy and caffe latte. Oh goodness. Until next time.

Ciao
Emily

Lost and lonely

I had a bad day today. I'm very confused as to why I'm here actually. Not that I don't enjoy it, because I've had some really neat experiences so far. But I don't speak Italian and most kids already have their friends from Syracuse. Needless to say, I feel very isolated. I keep asking myself, why didn't I choose Spain where I could at least carry out a conversation lasting more than two seconds? And saying to myself, what is it like at Bowdoin right now? Its been really rainy here and I got rained on a good portion of the day, considering I walk everywhere. My 8:45 class is too early for my taste and the teacher is teaching us Italian so fast I'm feeling very overwhelmed. My next class was art history and a group of girls and I got very lost trying to find it, because the class had traveled to a piazza near the center of the city for the lecture, but we went to the wrong place! I missed half the lecture and scribbled voraciously in my notebook...can i use that word there? whatever. Next I had to make my way to the Fuji art studio which is SO FAR AWAY. Not fun, I had metalsmithing there, or jewelry making, but the teacher made us wait a whole hour before she even acknowledged us. It was only me and my friend Jackie who's from Bowdoin too. She quickly showed us what to do, though it seemed like she didnt care, and I spent the next three hours sawing little lines into a tiny plate of metal. THEN i got lost and walked helplessly around the duomo for a lifetime and missed the whole Obama innauguration. AND i miss everyone. And I miss jamie. And i miss peanut butter. So I bought some. At least that was a good part of my day. GAAH! Im going to be late for dinner so I have to go. Maybe tomorrow will be better. But I miss america!

Ok. Woah.

Dear Family and Friends.
HOLY COW! There is a lot to do here and I am pretty overwhelmed. Today was the first day of classes, and it was all blah blah I'm going to read you the syllabus. Yuck. It sounds like its going to be pretty intense. Lots of site visits and plenty of homework. I have yet to decide how I feel about this, but at least I know Bowdoin has prepared me for anything.

So, I guess I have some things to cover, since the last time I wrote was only my first night! So far, I've been to two monasteries, and I've been inside the Duomo, which is pictured at the top of my blog. To be quite honest, the church/monastery that I visited first-San Miniato-was much more of a spiritual experience for me. It was built in the 11th century, and restored in the 13th. BEFORE ANYONE EVEN KNEW ABOUT MY COUNTRY! WHAT???? It was so beautiful, and dim, with original sketches and frescoes on the walls and marble inlaid with gold laminate. So beautiful. I lit a candle and said a prayer for my loved ones, living and gone. It was kind of creepy actually because on the floor are countless names within the tiles because they are actually countless tombs. Eery. I almost cried inside this church it was just so alive with art and a feeling of peace and I was truly in awe. The duomo was much more grand, but had less of an impact on me. It had very simple, clean lines in marble inside, and I lit a candle there too. The third place I lit a candle (actually, these guys had little electronic ones you switch on after donating) was at a monastery on a mountain-Monte Senario- where nine monks...ONLY nine, live in the entire, colossal complex, and I MET one of them! He was really nice and shook my hand and said they have a community also on Jackson Blvd. in Chicago. Who would have thought? He had the bald head and everything. Inside this church, there were some reliquaries-pieces of saints and of the original seven holy founders. You could see their skulls and bodies through these clear coffins. Can you say way cool and heebie jeebies at the same time? Its been an interesting kind of pilgrimmage for me. And also, I had my first Italian capuccino in a bar built below the steps of the monastery (i know right?) Surprisingly...it was just okay. Apparently God doesn't bless a capuccino just because its closer to his most devout worshipers.

Driving up the mountain to that monastery was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. There were so many rolling hills and mountains, covered with groves of olive and cyprus trees and sprinkled with old stone farmhouses that people still occupy. Many of them have to be restored, and in fact my host mom has one that she is looking to sell. I told her I'd make a lot of money and move here one day, the view of florence is spectacular, and the air up in the mountains is much cleaner and fresher. Apparently in the summer when its super hot, they pack a dinner picnic and eat up there where the air is cool and refrehsing. What a life. It was actually a very gray and rainy day, but as we drove up, the clouds were slate, light gray, deep blue, purple blue, and white. The variation in the color made the sky look like a landscape, and there was a break in the middle, where the clouds turned white and the sun poured through and spilled all over Florence. The roofs sparkled, the fog swirled, I swear I have never seen such a beautiful thing before. As we drove higher we entered the woods, which were planted centuries ago, making the trees evenly spaced. The low dense fog curled around their bases and crawled along the forrest floor, Alberto, my host dad who speaks little to no English managed to say, "Magic".

Lastly, before I overwhelm you with information and you must forgive me because I myself am overwhelmed. I stopped at a museum with my roommate Liz, and we saw the David by Michelangelo. ONE OF THE GREATEST WORKS OF ALL TIME! I cannot even tell you. We turned a corner and there, towering at the end of the hall was the David. I always assumed he was the height of the average man, but this sculpture is absolutely grand. I stopped dead in my tracks, and spent the next hour desperately attempting to get a good sketch down because they allow no photos. My new friends, the illustrators, had no problem capturing his expression and beauty. I eventually got frazzled, frustrated and ashamed at my skills and gave up. Looking at the sketches now, I'm glad I have at least something and I will definitely have to go back.

Anyhow. Its been a long day and I have to start studying already! Tomorrow they'll be showing the Barack Inauguration in the evening, and I can't wait. I want to be done with all my errands by then. Last tid bit: One of the visiting lecturers is a thirty year old Italian artist who began as a writer, recorded some albums, and then made a successful career as a painter. I WANT THAT TO BE MEEEEEE!! Ahh! I better start trying harder.

ALSO FRIENDS! IF YOU COULD NOT CONTACT MY CELL PHONE! Apparently you have to dial a few numbers before the cell number. Try calling me this way: 01139 320 157 7666.

Grazie! I miss you all so very much. Staying busy is making it a little easier, but... know that I'm thinking of you, and love you so. I'm off to my authentic Italian dinner! Woot! Talk to you soon!

Love Em

P.S. Momma, thank you for the card and im sorry I keep forgetting to tell you that!! And I also lost one of your gray mittens at the first church...I'm sorry...I loved those so much and thats why i took them. Im way bummed and mad at myself. Ill find you an awesome Italian gift.
And Dad, still trying to figure out all my dates. Its way twisted so hang in there. I'm figuring it out.

And I can skype now! I found a lab with cameras. Let me know when you're free :-)