A curtain closed, for now

The trip home went smoothly, but I miss the Italian people and food already. This blog will be dormant until I return to Italy once more.

Thank you all again for taking the time to follow my adventures and feel free to keep in contact with me. Love to all.

Photographic Memories

Soaking up the last few days in Firenze. Finally went into the Duomo (above). I sat staring at the ceiling with my mouth open for at least 10 minutes. Incredibly awe-inspiring. Exams are over and went well. Saying goodbye to friends slowly, one by one. Photos from around Firenze explain my thoughts more precisely:

Reflections on my second home

As my Italian time draws to a close and exams loom for the next week, I've been thinking a lot about the things I will treasure, I will miss, and the things I will wish I had done. Observing the actions of my fellow students, I was at first worried that I would be selling myself short because I haven't done the same as them. Most of them have been traveling to different countries and cities every weekend, and when they're in Firenze, they all travel together and are constantly in each other's company. This was a major point of loneliness for me when I first arrived. I thought to myself, "I obviously need to get with an American friend group so I can feel included and accepted." Nationalities flock together was the easy assumption and hope.

I traveled with one or two fellow Americans at the beginning of the semester. It was great for photos and historical learning. I saw my share of Jesus and the Madonna paintings. Wow! a painting from 1230. Incredible! a timeless fresco. I'm grateful that I was able to see artworks that were painstakingly crafted by artisans of the past. But I wanted something more. I'm a people person. I wanted to connect and very much feel at home around others.

I think that's why my wisest decision during my time here was to spend most weekends here in Firenze. The roads and faces in businesses are now familiar and meaningful to me. I've made more Italian friends than American. If I had traveled too much just to see things, I'd feel like a disconnected tourist. What's the fun in just seeing things to say you've seen them? The last two months especially have been an incredible journey since I've really hit a good stride here. I've found myself smiling just to myself while riding the bus or walking around town, just for the simple fact that I feel so happy here. I have people who care about me and are always willing to share a laugh, story, or tell me about their day. People in the market, like Avi from Romania who works at a jewelry stand, or Carlos and Tweety (I don't even know what her real name is) who both work at a coffee shop across from my school. I can see and feel the warmth from them when I greet them.

Originally, it was painful for me to not be able to communicate effectively with my Italian skills. I only knew a few words before traveling here in September. Everywhere I went, I tried to summon up enough courage to ask for something in Italian, and felt completely disheartened when all I received in return was a bored answer in English. I first took this to be an insult to my Italian. Like saying, 'you're butchering the Italian language, please just speak English.' I felt extremely embarrassed also.

It all tied into my very much wanting to talk and meet people. I eventually changed my social perspective: not to put so much importance on trying to speak Italian if it so negatively effected my self-confidence when out and about in the city. I studied it at home, worked on it in class and spoke some with my home-family. I learned enough key words that I could feel comfortable. Conversational Italian is still very difficult for me.

I absorb Italian like a sponge though. I'm constantly hearing it every day. Most of my free time is spent hanging out with Italian friends. And unless they're directly speaking to me, they all speak Italian with each other. I'm finally at the point where I can understand the gist of what they're saying. That's a huge confidence boost for me in the Italian department.

I was on the city bus yesterday traveling to class, and I overheard two Italians talking right behind me. I understood that they were exclaiming about how bad the riots in Athens, Greece, were. Just a small moment, but it made me feel good that I could both understand them and that I was also aware of the crisis in Greece.

I've been following news through the Internet like crazy. It makes me feel much more connected to everything. I don't even miss TV or news shows. Google.com/News is all I need. It has feeds from all major outlets, which I think helps guard against right/left bias.

More on Florence though - last night was my last time to see the whole Taxi Drivers band in concert. Stevio, Frank Dd, Lorenzo, and GianLuca have been a cornerstone of my Florentine experience. Not only are they incredibly talented musicians, but they are the most down-to-earth people I have met here. Vocalist Stevio works in public relations for a hotel chain in Firenze. Guitarist/violinist/flutist Frank Dd works at a market in Prato, Italia. Drummer Lorenzo teaches history of religion at a school in Prato. Bassist GianLuca works at a bank here in Firenze. Everyone has their day jobs, and they never actually have time to rehearse. They just meet at the show a few hours prior to do soundcheck and then play. Very free spirited.

I had a great time rocking out with them last night. I felt very natural singing along with Stevio and also sharing the mic with Frank. It was a packed house and a good number of my American classmates finally came by to see me.

After the show, as has been custom for a few weeks, I'll just help the band pack up their gear. We'll also just hang out and talk, still enjoying the glowing excitement from the night. Lorenzo is very similar to me with weirdness and a healthy sense of humor. From last night:
Lorenzo and I having fun as very weird people

behind the drums

Lorenzo and I over-dramatique with roses again

Overall, I'm not ready to leave yet. I'm looking forward to seeing GianLuca, Frank and Lorenzo again next Saturday when they perform at Loonees. I don't need a big going-away party; I just want to be with my friends here. I'm just hooked on the essence of European people and the uniqueness of this city. I can't help but feel great when my friends here ask me when I'm coming back. I know I will. I hope it will be very soon. This city has become a home to me.

Hitting my Florentine stride

Finally, a break and time to breathe. After my birthday weekend, I hit the ground running on school projects. Three papers averaging seven pages each. I felt too guilty to write on the blog when I had research papers to compose. Now though, all papers are finished! Celebrated the week by going out to see Taxi Drivers at Loonees Music Bar again last night. Like the good friends they are, of course they didn't disappoint. I just jammed along with people there, dancing in my own little way.

I was glad I was feeling better - about three days ago I came down with a bad sore throat. I lost my voice for a day and since then my voice has been pretty weak and pained. I still don't completely have it back. That didn't stop my friend Stefan, the vocalist for Taxi Drivers, to call me up on stage last night to sing with him. It was a full house and I knew I couldn't lead-sing the vocals, but I happily took part in the back-up chorus vocals and doing a little sing-dancing. Afterwards, Stefan kiddingly chided me for not dancing more. "I was sick! You were lucky I got up there at all!" Regardless, I promised to put on more of a show next week when they play at Loonees again on Friday.

When the show finished at about 2:30am, we went through the usual routine of packing up the drum kit and other instruments.


Lorenzo taking a break with his drum kit

It's a great feeling to feel so included and part of the band. I had a person at the bar ask me if I sang in another band and if I'd be willing to sing at a jazz club in Rome. I thought this was slightly ironic though since I was sick and was hardly singing. I took the compliment anyways though. Afterwards, we were hungry so set off on a quest for food. In my college city of Rome, GA, this would be a practically impossible quest except for going to McDonald's, which I refuse to eat at. What did we find instead? A hot-food vending machine. It was a miracle of technology.



Frank digging into pasta with cheese and salmon (it was actually really good) while Julia hungrily looks on

We also went to a Istanbul Kebab place that was open 24 hours. At 4am, it was packed with people just chowing down. I love finding places like this. I even got to learn a little about gender politics. Lorenzo recommended that I go ask for the bathroom key instead of him doing so. So I did, and received the key with a smile from the guy behind the counter. We both were able to use the bathroom with no problem. I returned the key afterwards. Then Julia's friend decided he wanted to use the bathroom. He went to ask for the key, and the guy just looked at him expressionless and told him it was broken. I turned to Lorenzo and looked confused. All he said was, "That's why I told you to ask for the key. He never would have given the key to me, being a guy." It seemed very unfair, but was an interesting learning experience. Hooray for being assumed the safe female. I value my femme card when it's needed. :)

My birthday last weekend went fairly well. Granted, I thought more of my American friends would show up out of the 10 that I invited, but it was raining, so only one showed up. My reliable travel-partner Nora. The rest of the crowd were my Italian friends. We met at PlusFlorence hostel like was planned and had a few good games of pool, a little dancing, and long conversations at the bar. I started talking with two American guys that were staying at the hostel and were students studying in Rome for the semester. When Issam, my party organizer, decided to go on to Be Bop Music Bar from the hostel, I invited the Americans along. It was quite a packed van that included about 8 people. My friends brought other friends of theirs too so it made for a great time.

part of the group: Rafael (the co-birthday boy), me, Rafael's friends, and Daniele (from the horseback riding tour)

At Be Bop was a Doors cover band. I remember they weren't bad, but I was so happy just to be with good conversation people that I don't remember much else about them. The owner and bartenders at Be Bop are great friends of mine also. It always feels like visiting friends when I go there.

On Monday, I had a field trip with my marketing class to the Officina Profumo Farmacia di Santa Maria Novella, one of the oldest farmacies in the world created by Dominican Friars around the year 1221. We were given a tour of the factory that covered how the creams are packaged, how the candles are made, how the perfumes are made, and we even got to test some of their herbal liquors.

hand cream line

the soaps are hand-wrapped

the soap particles going through the machine to be compressed into bars (the soaps are made of milk, coconut and plant oils - no animal fat)

We were given complimentary candles at the end of the tour. Not bad for a field trip! The factory smelled wonderfully also. A majority of the herbs used there come from the hills around Florence.

So what's up for the next week? Hopefully me coming to 100% health and also studying for final exams. I'm still not ready to leave yet, but I feel that it's a good thing because I'll fully enjoy and appreciate the time I have left here.

Markets and pubs

blanket/rug vendor at Cascine Market

It's been a very good and relaxing week. A nice calm before the study storm of next week. Last Sunday, I went to check out PlusFlorence hostel with my friend Issam (who I originally met through the horseback riding excursion). He'll be hosting my birthday party there tomorrow, the 29th. PlusFlorence has been voted one of the top 10 hostels in Europe. It's more of a resort than just a dorm-style hostel! It's private to hostel residents only usually, but since Issam has a friend who works there, we'll be able to invite our friends to attend the party. The lounge area is more like a discotheque:





Issam asked me how many people I was expecting to invite. I don't know all that many people here, but I told him at most there would be 10 people attending that I know. He responds: "Ok, so we should have about 50 people or so." Yep, he's a very social Italian. This should be a total hoot. There's nothing more entertaining than partying with Italians and others.

On Tuesday, I went to Cascine Park Market. I can best compare it to a vast, open-air garage sale. There were tables with new clothes and other tables with second-hand clothes where everything was priced 1 euro. People were swarming those tables like chickens eating corn. Some of the tables:





It was a very festive atmosphere where people brought out their kids, friends and pets to browse all the different stalls. I found this especially cute:



I thought it was pretty adorable and efficient at the same time.

This week an exhibit also opened near my school that features photos from my fellow students. The exhibit required each participant to have 3 related photos. I chose three photos of cats that I've taken randomly over the past few weeks. One was of an alley cat from the island of Murano and the other two were from the castle town of Monteriggioni near Siena. My photos are to the left-most side below:





Last night, I found a new little bar when I was walking around with my friends. It was called Angie's Pub and didn't look like much from the outside. I'm amazed how many places in Florence though will look tiny from the outside, but once you walk in, it's a mini labyrinth-like hang out. Some wild decorations! There was also a DJ for reggae-night.



the bartender even got into the dancing - very cute

The Christmas feel has been slowly creeping into Florence. And I'm happy that I don't have TV at my apartment because I didn't first realize this because of non-stop commercials advertising the season. No, it was because lights over the streets.



It was subtle, but made me smile and look forward to the festive season even though I'll be home for the actual Christmas day. It makes me sad that I'll be leaving Florence soon but also happy now because I'm really starting to feel more and more like a local. It doesn't matter that I can't fluently speak Italian. It's a feeling of confidence in the city and recognizing people in the street and knowing people when I walk into my favorite stores.

Model for a day

getting my makeup done before the shoot - photo compliments of Sal of salrivela.blogspot.com

What a day yesterday. At the start, I wasn't expecting much from it, especially after such a long day in class. I had to present a research project for Intercultural Communication class with a few other classmates, and man am I happy that's over. I took too much work under my responsibility. I made a Powerpoint, but I wasn't expecting having to put the booklet together also and have to collect everyone's papers like a school teacher. I had to miss playing in a soccer game because a few of my group members never showed up at the library and I finished the project myself. So yeah, after all that and finally presenting the darn thing in class, I was ready to get into another state of mind and happiness.

When I got my haircut a week or so back, the owner of the academy, Sal, asked if I wouldn't mind coming back at a later date for photos. He has a small portrait studio in the school where he photographs hairstyles that his students create.

side note: he also keeps a photography blog which can be seen here:

((((---- http://salrivela.blogspot.com/ ----))))

I thought it would be fun so I agreed. After class finished on Thursday, I grabbed my friend Lauren's arm and asked her to come along with me to the photo shoot. She grinned wickedly like the impish friend of mine she is, and agreed.

Sal greeted us warmly when we arrived and directed me towards the back where I met his makeup artist friend, who came in specially for the day from her home in Rome. She worked on my makeup for 45min. Very dark eyes, a "60's" look. Lauren couldn't stop giggling and saying how different I looked. After makeup then came the hairstyling. One of Sal's students washed and styled the hair into a messy but chic look. I didn't think my hair could look so cool! I'm terribly uncreative with hairstyles, so it was a treat just to watch what he did. It was like watching an artist at work with a paintbrush. He cared so deeply and was extremely focused on how each bit of hair would lay. After another 30min of hairstyling, the "shoot" began. The setup was simple...white background with students in the room watching and Sal with his Hasselblad camera.

Sal and another model at the shoot

I wasn't nervous at all, just awkward cause I wasn't sure how to pose. My first few poses included a fist out in front, just like a superhero. I tried imagining how true models would look and act, but I finally gave up on that idea and just acted like my silly self. There was also another model there, a friend of Sal. (she's pictured in the zebra-print dress). I talked to her for a bit and she does modeling on the side for art academies and style salons. She's a very kind and funny person. She would be up for awhile, then we would switch. At one point, a student even got a hairdryer and pointed it at me while Sal photographed. Talk about dramatic! Lauren said I "looked amazingly gorgeous". Both Lauren and Sal told me I was "a natural". I just blushed and said something sarcastic.

me and Lauren looking fab together

We'll have to see what the photos look like! Sal's going to give me a CD of all the photos once they're edited. I saw a few of them on the LCD screen of the camera and honestly, I didn't recognize myself. Me and a high fashion look have never really combined. I saw a bit of my mom coming through the photos. I remember well her modeling photos. :)

At the end of the shoot, Sal invited all the students there (about 4 of them), the makeup artist, the other model, me and also Lauren to all get into a photo. It was like a curtain call for the shoot. It was so much fun! It was a creative but also family-like atmosphere. I think it was even more unique because it was a school where people really cared about their work. I don't believe I could have paid any amount of money in Florence to feel care and love like that.

When everything was done and the cameras put away, Lauren and I were discussing what we would do afterwards (it was around 11pm), and Sal invited us out to dinner with him, his co-worker, and the other model. We went to dinner at one of his favorite places that he visits 3 times a week. It was a tiny place owned by a husband and wife. Their menu changes daily and it felt more like a home than a restaurant. I would have never found this place on my own. Lauren couldn't believe our good fortune! She was having a blast, and so was I...still in my wild makeup and hairstyle. hehe

We had a full Italian dinner starting with plates of thinly sliced meats, cheeses, olives and sweet breads. The pasta was incredibly fresh and tasty with a creamy but not heavy pesto cheese sauce. Even the table wine was fantastic - not too bitter so we could sip it during the entire meal without it tasting like a "drink". After dinner, dessert. Digestivo with bread cookies and also rum cake. After that, small shots of Grappa. The best thing is, I just felt happy and satisified afterwards, not uncomfortably full.

We had multiple toasts during the meal and everyone discussed matters excitedly throughout the entire meal. We were there for two hours. Lauren was an absolute doll and talked about her vacations so far to surrounding countries. I talked with Sal about photography and his history with the school. We share very similar views about photography in general and it was a pleasure to discuss theories and shooting styles with him. He's an incredibly intelligent individual and riveting to talk with. A true gem of a person.

Lauren's going into the school on Monday for her own haircut, free of charge. I look forward to seeing Sal and his students again. Lauren's so cute...it was great to have her there with me so we could chatter away in easy English for a change!

Tomorrow night will be a blast too. An Italian friend of mine, GianLuca, is going to a death metal concert in Prato, Italy (only about an hour away). He commented that I probably wouldn't be interested in going, but I happily said I'd love to go. Even if I can't understand the lyrics because of the roaring, gruff vocals, I can still appreciate the skill of the musicians. There will also always be fascinating people to meet and it's a place I've never been. It's extremely fast paced and a concert is a concert!

Appreciation

Taxi Drivers at Be Bop, Nov 12


It has taken awhile to appreciate the beauty of Firenze. It is something that I wouldn't be able to discover through a book or tourist guide. Some of my favorite things include having a seat on the bus just so I'm able to give it to an elderly person to make their day more comfortable and also listening to Italians sing to live American/British music, performed by the Taxi Drivers. They are parts of my own experience that make my heart sing. I've also been noticing just how much I recognize more with Europeans than the Americans I've met here. Now I'm not about to make a wide, sweeping generalization about how I love all Europeans. All people are different with unique personalities. I have felt more relaxed around the Europeans I have met here though. It's refreshing to talk avidly about cultural differences, news issues and even comment on fashion with my European friends. From band members to bartenders, pedestrians to shop owners, I'm starting to realize the warmth that I feel from them. When I first got here, I wasn't aware of it. I was too concerned with trying to not stick out like an American tourist and painfully tried to use my few Italian words in an attempt to be more accepted by the Italians I met. That mindset sent me on a roller coaster and was exhausting to say the least. Culture shock I think they call it. I've loved the past few weeks and Firenze is starting to finally feel like a second home instead of a historical location filled with museums and pizzerias. It's getting emails from my Mexican and Spanish friends about coming to play with them at a soccer game. It's being recognized and greeted by bartenders at my favorite pubs. It's meeting Lithuanians at a Scottish Pub and sharing a meal with them. It's getting a free Euro-style haircut at a hairstyling academy and being invited back for hairstyle modeling photos to promote the school. It's recognizing streets finally and not feeling out of place. It's being called up on stage to karaoke-sing Britney Spears "Oops I Did It Again" just because my Italian friends think my name is funny. It's relearning my love of American music because I close my eyes to sing my heart out and get goosebumps of happiness.

Here's a short video from the Taxi Drivers performing Wednesday night at Be Bop Music Club. Notice Lorenzo, the drummer, making faces while playing. He's my best friend in the band and feels just like a brother to me. I always sit in front where I can see him play because I admire the joy he takes in playing.

((((((----------- click here for video ----------- ))))))

Their cover songs of the Red Hot Chili Peppers are what first impressed me about them. This Saturday, I'll be singing along with them at Loonees Music Bar. I'l have to brush up on my lyrics before then, just to make sure I don't forget them. :)

This morning I went by the Mercato Centrale, or Central Market of Florence. Talk about fresh....there are a myriad of different stalls where you can find different merchants chopping up fresh meat, adding more ice around their daily fresh fish, making pasta and serving it in bulk and also personally selecting fruits for you from their mini produce stall. Mercato Centrale:

one of the meat stalls

the second-floor fruit section

Tonight I am going with my host mum Elisabetta to her father's house for dinner. I'm sure I'll have a treasure trove of stories from it afterwards.

I hope all is well with you too, my friends. Let me know how things are going!