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.