a well-deserved update: thursday, may 6th- wednesday, may 12th

weekend in amalfi - absolutely amazing. will post pictures later i swear. it was warm and sunny and happy and adorable and the best thing to end the year with. we ate so much lemon gelato and delicious fish.... mmmm.... definitely worth seeing! the ferry-ride to capri wasn't quite worth it though.... darn motion-sickness!!!! breana and i hung in there though! we had giovanna and victoria entertain us with charades and M.A.S.H. 

monday - my roommate allie from smith came to visit! we shopped and strolled all day, seeing nice things and snacking on gelato and due fratellini sandwiches for lunch. dinner was stuffed meat of some kind, potatoes, salad and baby onions, pineapple. then we went out to the old stove pub by the duomo for caitlin's last night - she is going home to graduate on sunday!!! 

tuesday - i went to pistoia to see alayna, lenora, claire and chrysanthe present what they did in the pistoia schools this semester. then i went to study with allie, victoria, anna, breana, etc. at chiaroscuro, this great cafè. we had delicious coffe!  dinner at the host fam's was yummmmmy lasagna with pesto, pecorino and silvia's pepper jelly and then my favorite apple cake!!!!! i then watched someone like you with the host parents - good movie!

wednesday - study time with vic. meatballs, bread, little puffy tort things made of creamed asparagus and cheese???? strawberries and creammmm!!!!!

did i mention that we have a new "electric broom" otherwise known as a small little chargeable vacuum for hard surfaces. its very fun = ) 

things to do, things to buy, etc. stress, bittersweet. the rest of the week.

thursday: oral exam!! done! meatballs, bread, sliced meats

friday: lunch, coffee and stroll with victoria, teatro del sale, out after

saturday: day with the host fam, chicken, potatoes, strawberries and cream, uffizi

sad depressing sunday turned good!

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i didn't forget to blog all this time, i swear. i have an "in progress" blog that i've been adding to since last wednesday. i think i am just putting off writing it because i am sad and depressed about going home.... so writing a blog about how great everything has been breaks my heart a little bit...... i will put it up soon, scout's honor. 


p.s. i think this is my 100th blog.... 

May 5th, 2010

Wednesday, May 5th


DONE DONE DONE!!! Well. Mostly. Done everything at the sede!! Just my little university exam and presentation and that's it!! Woohoo!! And we're off to Pompeii, Napoli and Capri tomorrow!! Until Sunday! How fabulous! Let's hope it doesn't rain the entireeeee time!


Tonight I was greeted by Enrico and Silvia (after sucking down a Snakebite at the Old Stove pub in Piazza Signoria) and a nice cold glass of prosecco! Yum! And chicken curry with rice! Delicious! And some of that crumb tort from last night. They were very happy that I was done exams and made fun of me all night about how tired my poor little face looked..... Humph. From here on out, I am going to relax and enjoy and do everything and anything I want to do. So there. Minus my university exam. But whatever, what's an hour of talking in front of the class when everything else is already done and Vermont and summer and relaxing and eating and sleeping await you!!!! 


Monday my lovely roommate Allie from Smith will be here! And Tuesday I am heading to Pistoia to see the presentations of some of the Smith girls here from their education internship-esque things. Time is flying.... See you all in two weeks! 

May 4th, 2010

Tuesday, May 4th
Tonight was not my absolutely favorite meal: Fluffy pasta balls with gorgonzola sauce (supposed to be gnocchi but the grocery store, Esselunga, makes a very fluffy, too sweet, strange version that expand enormously upon entering your stomch.....). That was the main part of the meal, and I was terribly full after about 7 bites.... but then we did have some amazing sauteed artichokes! And some baccelli which are fresh fava beans that you pluck from the pod and eat with peccorino. It took me awhile to like them but tonight they were delish! For dessert Silvia bought a torta briciolona which was just a plain tort-like thing that was very, verrrry crumbly (briciolo is a crumb... hence the name? A big feminine crumb?) 


Anyway, that's that! Tomorrow are my two exams at the sede, I am just about to finish my university paper..... and that leaves me with some university reading and my university oral exam a week from Thursday! THEN I AM DONE AND A SENIOR. WOW. 






Official countdown: 2 weeks.....

May 3rd, 2010

Monday, May 3rd.


Let me tell you something. I love roast beef. And Americans have no idea how to make it. Italians do. Especially my host mamma. Take a nice large beef tenderloin (or a "bicchiere" - still trying to figure out exactly what cut of meat that is since technically is means glass, as in the thing you drink water out of....), place it in a nice tall pot with a decent amount of oil and let it brown on all sides. Oh wait, first before all that, you have to wedge some sage and garlic cloves inside the meat and then tie it up nice and tight. Thennnn put it in the pot with the oil, let it brown lightly, turn the heat off, put the lid on the pan and let it sit for a few hours. Then take it out, slice it, and add more oil to the pan (full of delicious juice and oil), heat it up, and drizzle over the meat. Roasted potatoes are a must with this meal. Roasted yellow potatoes. With salt. And garlic cloves still in the paper. Lots of them. And sometimes a little rosemary if you're in the mood. And make sure you have delicious bread to serve with the whole meal. Finally, cut up some strawberries, sprinkle them with lemon juice and confectioner's sugar, and voila!!! Buon appetito!!!!!!!


I am going to miss this place..... 

May 2nd, 2010

Could someone please explain to me how it is May 2nd????? K, great, thanks. 

Today we had lunch at Enrico's mother's house. It was the first time I ever met her and let me just say, she is definitely an Italian grandmother. I had so much pasta (with ground boar???) and so much chicken (although not a chicken.... something different... and very tasty) and salad and avocado (although she kept saying papaya.... not the same thing, Signora!!) and coffee and wine and fruit thrown at me. Needless to say, I am stuffed! It was all very tasty but oh my!!!! Gotta love Italian grandmothers! 


Dinner was fantastic. Simple and fantastic. And definitely being made when I get home. We had these things, I believe we call them... coccoli? Something like that! Its pizza dough in little round flat discs that you fry lightly in oil and then stuff them with prosciutto and stracchino cheese, or gorgonzola, or whatever you like! They are SOOO good!! And Silvia made some big ones and turned them into little pizzas too! And we had good beer! And incredible strawberries and pineapple!! 


I've been dreaming about cooking.... I subscribe to this one amazing food blog called Smitten Kitchen and I've been saving all my favorite recipes that I get in my email. I took a picture of them!

Baci a tutti as usual!!! 16 days and 3 hours! 

Il Primo Maggio: May Day

Lunch: yummy spaghetti with onions, scallions and pancetta, vino bianco, bread, followed by un caffè!


Dinner: shish kebabs (pork, chicken and sausage), sauteed spinach, baby fried mozzarella balls, tomatos, salad with baby pickled onions, gelato with wild strawberries, camomile tea! 

Thursday-Saturday: Welcome to May 2010!

Thursday, April 29th
Went to the artisan fair with my host family! I was dead tired and in a funk, so I just followed them around and tried to absorb of much of the time as possible. It was very cute - lots of stands of handmade jewelry, shoes, clothes, art, anything you could possibly think of from Italy and many, many, manyyy other countries!
We ate some hot dogs, piadinas (like.... cheese and meet in a wrap? But more quesadilla-style. So a wrap-type thing folded in half with meat and cheese and arugula.)


Friday, April 30th
I went back to the artisan fair by myself, spent way too much money, and bought gifts for people at home, my host family and myself! Now I'm on a STRICT budget!! No spending money EVER!!!!
We all (the girlies) went out to aperitivo over the Arno at a place called La Dolce Vita which was very cute and very packed and very much only had things made with fish, which was fine for me (although... one can only eat soooo many different forms of fish for dinner) but some of the other girls don't love fish too much, so we found some sandwiches after.
Then it was time for La Notte Bianca (White Night) in the city center. Stores and museums stayed open until 3am, there were concerts all over, tarot card readings, parades, balloons, demonstrations, cool digital projections in Piazza Signoria and ON the Uffizi building - all very cool!!! See Facebook for pictures!!


May Day!
It is so beautiful outside today! Warm, breezy, and even with the patches of clouds, its just fabulous! I just got back from reading in Piazza Savonarola with Breana where we got very distracted watching adorable families and puppies and little girls learning to bike, and grandpas playing games with their grown daughters and their little granddaughters.
Now its time to read some more, watch some shows online and relax! I'm exharrrrrsted!


Countdown: 17 days, 8 hours and 20 minutes 'til landing. Wow!

april 28th, 2010

Wednesday, April 28th
homemade pizza! one just with caramelized onions and scallions, one with tomato sauce and mozzarella, and one with tomato sauce and.... obviously.... hot dogs! served with santa cristina antinori and followed by a nice crisp apple.

april 27th, 2010

Tuesday, April 27th.
Pork? In a sauce of some kind... made with cream... but over-cooked so it was lumpy and white and not all that appetizing... and the meat was a bit too well-done for my taste. Still not too shabby.
Yummy peas cooked with pancetta.
MY FAVORITEEEE roasted potatoes which somehow always manage to be lightly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, golden brown, salty, bits of rosemary.... The best. And cooked in the little toaster oven thing on very high heat.
Followed by: strawberries cut up with some lemon juice and sugar. Delicious!!




Yes another beautiful day! And a pretty tasty Tuesday if I do say so myself. 


Wednesday..... I'm feeling a wacky Wednesday. Sleeping in and getting some work done leisurely. Burgers and beer with Breana. Opera class. Home to relax. Repeat. 




xo

april 26th, 2010

I have decided to bore you all. Every night I am going to write a teeeeeny tiny blog in which I recount what I ate for dinner. Ridiculous, I realize this, but I am going into a minor panic mode and I fear that I might forget all the delicious things I eat here and therefore won't be able to recreate them..... It is absolutely necessary that I bore you. Who knows, maybe I will actually inspire some of you to cook instead! 






Monday, April 26th.
Pasta with ragù sauce (note: sheets of fresh pasta snipped into little triangles and rectangles and parallelograms with the kitchen scissors), followed by a sunny side up egg (smothered in butter... yummy... but confusing to my belly because it was like having breakfast at 8:30pm.... after dinner....), steamed zucchini with olive oil, salt and lemon juice (I think they were boiled tonight although usually we pop them in the microwave in a dish with a sprinkle of water and plastic wrap with holes poked in it....) topped off with (dun da da dunnn!!!) fresh, amazing strawberries in a dish with confectioner's sugar and heavy cream.... Oh Italy, you will be the death of me! 




P.S. It was indeed a marvelous Monday - 79 degrees, lots of sun, a little wind, and a tiny about of productivity. Maybe tomorrow will be tasty Tuesday? 

sunny sundays

I love Sundays. Especially when they are sunny. Mmm sunny Sundays - just the way should should be! 


On this particular sunny Sunday, I woke up to little brother giggling (and screaming.... as usual) and got some work done on my final translation, took a leisurely shower (downstairs though because the upstairs shower is leaking... again. All over. Up, down, around, in the closet, everywhere!) and then had some tasty lunch (toast a.k.a. grilled cheese with prosciutto cotto). I then strolled over to Piazza Savonarola where I read Pigs in Heaven for a few hours while getting a little tiny baby tan. When I got home, I was greeted by Silvia and Lorenzo who wanted to go see a little flower show nearby. Naturally, I went too. It was cute, although I wouldn't quite call it a show; it was more of a sale of sorts, with tons of different kinds of flowers (all stunningly gorgeous mind you!!) and even more people with their babies and puppies and families. It was very cute, but VERY packed and we didn't last long. When I got home, I watched a little tv and got sucked into book-browsing on Amazon for a few hours. Promptly at 8pm, I went downstairs for a perfect sunny Sunday dinner: roast beef and roasted potatoes. Yummy!!!


It was a very successful sunny Sunday. I'm hoping for a marvelous Monday. Or something like that. 


Countdown: 22 days and 4 hours til touching Boston soil. Please behave Mister Volcano. 

some random little thoughts

i am leaving in 25 days, 11 hours and 25 minutes.....


how did that even happen? 


i am feeling overwhelmed and sad and excited and generally like i am in an alternate universe. i don't even understand how i've been here since september and now suddenly i have to go home? i just got used to it here! 


and my italian is not good.... because i'm still shy and outside class everyone speaks english which is really frustrating to me but i don't want to just be "that girl" who only speaks italian. that and i'm embarrassed by how it hasn't progressed.... 


there are so many things that i want to do before i leave and there just isn't enough time or money to do it. i still wanted to go to pisa and rome and milan but those are definitely not happening. i want to go to the park that gabe and i tried to go to. asap. i want to go to the beach in viareggio. that is happening next week.  i want to go to aperitivo at la dolce vita over the arno and then go to a litte bar called friends. i want to go to some gardens. i want to eat at this cool theatrical restaurant called teatro del sale. i want to get tan. i want to read in the sun and just relax. i want to be better at speaking italian immediately. i still want to dye easter eggs with my family.... i want to bond with them more so it isnt sad anddd awkward when i leave. i want to go to mass at the duomo and mass at my favorite little church. i want to eat at mama's bakery. 


in the meantime, since i cant yet do any of those things, i have to keep on doing all this work.... i finished two of my final papers and i've started my third which isn't due until the first week of may. i have to give a presentation and do an oral exam on may 13th for my university class, i have to finish my final translation asap and then i just have two written exams for cinema and opera. i'm not too too worried. but i want it to all be done so i can go to pompeii and amalfi and napoli and capri on may 6th! and then my roomie, allie, from smith is coming! and then i have a few days until my uni exam.... and then a long weekend until i come home on the 18th...


i just don't know how it all came and went so fast.... well it hasn't gone just yet! so i better go enjoy my 25 days!!!!


amore a tutti! xo

untitled

My host mom often introduces me to people as her "figlia acquistata," or her acquired daughter.




That's something I have been meaning to blog about for months but it always escapes me. It has a nice ring to it though.

life as i know it

just thought it was worth mentioning that i a) have a schedule for next fall and an idea for the spring and b) have a room in my beloved washburn house!!!


fall:
tennis, MW 1:30-2:30
italian seminar: creation of the italian identity, MW 2:40-4
medical anthropology, TTh 9-10:20
italian literature: dante, TTh 10:30-1120
advanced italian conversation, Th 3-4:20


spring:
an anthro course at another school, hopefully the anthropology of food or something similar
anthro seminal in traditional chinese medicine
anthro colloqium in research skills (or archaeology research skills at another school)


and as for rooms!
i will be living in 308 - cute nook for my bed, tons of space for desk, dresser and chair, and TWO windows!!! breana will be in 210 and allie will be in 208! i can't wait!!!

xoxoxo

barcelona, madrid and london. perfection.

I will warn you in advance that this is going to be both a long and rambling blog as well as one that isn't all that detailed because I would be writing for ages if I explained each day of vacation, not to mention that I can't even begin to remember it all!!! 


On Wednesday, March 31st, Breana and I left for Barcelona (along with a slew of other Smithies from our program so we all went together, it was quite the party!). We sipped some prosecco on the train, checked our bags and then proceeded to wait for a few hours since, obviously, RyanAir was running late. How surprising. By the time we go to the airport outside Barcelona, bussed into the city, grabbed a cab to our hotel/hostel/apartment and paid the balance and settled, it was almost 2am. Quite the travels! 

Some highlights from Barcelona..... Gaudi! Gaudi and his architecture and designs - so incredible!!! My favorite part of Barcelona was definitely Park Guell, high up on a hill, tons of little details that you could never get tired of seeing. Houses that look as though they were made of gingerbread, bright tiles, mosaics, quirky archways and benches, a lizard, and so on and so forth. 


Other than the park, I was pretty impressed by the Sagrada Familia... how something so incredible and interesting and unique could remain unfinished for soooo long is mind-blowing! Gaudi must be so bummed!!!! I also loved the little market right by our apartment where they sold fresh squeezed juice 2 for 1 euro! (Keep in mind that if you go right around closing you can have 4 for 1 euro!!!) 

Another great thing about Barcelona (and maybe Spain in general) are the fabulous parks! In Barcelona there is this amazing park called Parc de la Ciutadella. There is a huge expanse of grass and trees, a zoo, a pond with boats, a huge greenhouse, a castle and the Catalan Parliament! 

While we were in Barcelona, Alex and her friend Kaltra came down from London to meet us. We wandered and shopped and went on this amazing (and free!!) walking tour of the city with an adorable Australian man named Sean. I bought fabulous floral comfy cotton flowing pants (a necessity, I swear!) We encountered a little Easter procession complete with Mother Mary holding Jesus and a little priest who hopped up on the float to place Mary's crown on her head.

Throughout the trip we ate lots of tapas and little snacks, some Cheetoes and Pringles, and some flautas (little baguettes with cheese or meat or whatever you like on them). We learned that most of the paella in Barcelona (and Madrid and most parts of tourist Spain) is not even real. Its from a company that makes it and sends it to all the restaurants and its not at all like REAL paella. Therefore I never had any!! Alex and Kaltra tried some at this really amazing restaurant we all went to and it was pretty good. I had this great heap of seafood cooked in a cast iron pot with white wine and garlic. It was DELICIOUS!! One night we tried to go out but we just aren't Spanish enough and come 1:30am when it was still dead, we couldn't really last much longer! We did acquire a bizarre number of flyers for one (completely empty) club called BLVD. We ended up at some other place whose name I can't remember but it was kinda cute - white palm trees and pineapples inside, free entry, and a cute man who we assumed was Spanish but obviously he turned out to be... Italian! How surprising!! 

In a nutshell, that is a little summary of mine and Breana's trip to Barcelona!! Sunday morning we woke up at 5:30 (when people were just leaving BLVD and Panam's Showgirls across the street was just closing....) and hopped in cab to the airport so we could fly over to Madrid!

Madrid was amazing..... I loved everything about it! White buildings, stone buildings, a gorgeous cathedral, yummy food (not that we had anything truly Spanish, oops!), amazing hosts (we stayed with Breana's family friends, Samantha and her Spanish husband Juan - they were the BEST!!), gorgeous weather, a great day trip and incredible museums! When we got there Sunday morning, Samantha and Juan took us all around the city, showing us everything important. We grabbed some tea and then went out to lunch with them. Then we went to anotherrrr amazing park! It was huge!! With fountains and a really big pond and swans and a crystal palace with trees inside! That night, after napping for awhile, we went out for Chinese food and I have to say.... it was the best Chinese food I have ever eaten!!! And we were the only non-Chinese people in the entire restaurant.... it was very busy too.... 

The next day we walked all over the city again and went to the Reina Sofia museum. I loved it! I am often not a hugeee museum person, and I am rarely a contemporary art person but for some reason there was just something about the Reina Sofia that really hit me!! And luckily my best friend is very well-versed in art and could tell me all the important things about Picasso and such! And we met a nice man (whose wife went to Smith, of course!!) and he asked us to take pictures of this one exhibit and mail them to him because he is the president of this place that is working to digitalize art from museums. We have his business card - you never know, he could be a useful resource in the future!! 

On Tuesday we took a little day trip to Toledo, a cute little city which actually wasn't nearly so little as I had expected. A lot of the museums and things were closed for restoration but we spent the day walking around in the sun, looking ar various things that we stumbled upon. We went in the GIGANTIC cathedral, tried some famous (and delicious!!) marzipan, hunted for synagogues, threw our trash in the bushes after lunch because the waiter told us to and then took a huge outdoor escalator back down the hill to the train station. Overall, it was a success!! 

Wednesday we went shopping with Samantha although we didn't buy anything because her taste, although extremely cute and just what we liked, was a little pricey. It was nice to stroll around the little shopping areas that she loves though! Then we headed to lunch and as we were munching our salads, we cracked a joke about this woman wearing shorts and heels leaning against a tree because she looked like a prostitute. Turns out it wasn't really a joke.... we counted 16 in total... in broad daylight. On a very populated street.... standing by the metro, against trees and lamp posts, in doorways... everywhere.... it was shocking!!! We then went to the Prado museum to see a few amazing works that Breana had really wanted to see by Bosch (again, very impressed, I loved them! If I learned one thing this year in Italy its how to appreciate and enjoy art!) That night, Samantha and Juan took us out to this fantastic Mexican restaurant with Juan's sister and her husband and one of Samantha's friends. It was so much fun! We ate amazing food, drank the BEST (the ABSOLUTE BEST) margarita I have ever tasted, and then wandered around and sipped a beer with them after.

The next morning (after loosing my passport in my backpack for a little while... oops...) we headed back to the airport and headed home to Pisa. From Pisa, I headed to visit Alex in London and Breana headed back to Florence. I met Victoria at the airport and we flew off to the UK together.

I then proceeded to have a fabulous weekend with my bestie!! Thursday night we ate some hummus and bread in her kitchen and took the tube to a cute little place called Dirty Martini where she had a delicious Indian martini and I had a not so delish Cherry Blossom one.... The next day she had to work in the morning so I slept in and relaxed a bit. When she got home, we turned right back around and went to her favorite cafe for lunch and then went to Camden Markets. It was so cute!!! I apparently missed all the amazing parts of London when I went 5 years ago!! We strolled in and out of stalls for a few hours, sampled some amazing Chinese food and then ate some more laterrr (why did I have so much Chinese food over vacation?? Maybe I should go to China....) and then I finally bought a cute little dress for Isadora's bridal shower. That night, after I learned the wonders of Sainsbury's and their beer and cider aisle, we went out with Alex's roomie, Kaltra. We were going to go to a place called Strawberry Moon but when we got off the tube we were bombarded by promotors (a weird concept.... these men work for all the different clubs and get commissions or something so they just try to get you to go to all different places and cut you deals) and we decided to let them convince us of a different place called Pep-C (we only agreed because they promised to give us our money back if we didn't like it, but then the guy gave me his iPod and told me to hold on to it until we decided and if he didn't give our money back, we could keep the iPod... we decided they were at least somewhat legit). It turned out to be a very cute little club! It was much more diverse than anyyyy club here in Italy and although pretty tiny, it was relatively full! I thought it was pretty enjoyable! 

Saturday morning Alex and I went out to breakfast at an AMAZING little place she had been wanting to go. It was in Chelsea and so adorable, and on our way there we passed all these gorgeous houses and flowers and trees covered in blossoms and cute little churches with parks. I think I might be in love with London! I had no idea! I can't see myself living long-term in Italy but I could easily see myself in London! It's so great! And there are kids and parks and everything everywhere - much more family-friendly than Florence, that's for sure!! We had yummy lunch (nachos and a turkey burger) at a little placed called Giraffe and then shopped our bums off. I bought, among other things, two really fantastic dresses for my 21st birthday (okay, okay, I know its still 2 months away but I like to plan ahead!!). We went to Whittard tea which was my favorite part of my trip to London 5 years ago, but they must have closed to top floor or moved or something because when I went before, you could make your own loose tea blends and now you can't! It was a little disappointing!! Saturday night we were going to grab fish and chips and strawberry beer at Alex's favorite little pub but they had stopped serving by the time we got there. We settled for (SCRUMPTIOUS!!) strawberry beer and then got some falafel and chicken curry to bring home. Yet another successful day!! 

Sunday morning I hopped on the tube, grabbed the bus to the Stansted airport and parted for Florence. I had a FABULOUS vacation, but walking into my host family's house was very welcoming! They were so happy to see me and hear about vacation and I was very excited to hear about their trip to Egypt (it wasn't all that special.... hmm... haha, high expectations I suppose!!). 

At this point I am still recovering a little from my lovely 11 day break, hence the delay in the blogging! But I am getting back into the swing of things, writing papers, then other projects and exams.... its insane that 5 weeks from now I will be home... but we don't need to think about that just yet!!! I am just going to continue to bask in the happiness that was vacation and go one day at a time!! 

Baci e abbracci a tutti!! I miss you all!!!! 

Barcelona pics: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=413959&id=500755531&l=51c1480892

Madrid pics: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=413998&id=500755531&l=0e2d5d240c

London pics: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=414001&id=500755531&l=d1078173f4

lovely spring weekend

Okay so this is a blog that I started to write on Monday, March 29th...... Better late than never??? Unfortunately I never wrote more than the following list:


bros bday (also talk about monday)
saturday getting work done
tea house
sunday
vacation


I can't quite remember everything I wanted to say so I will say this:

Monday, March 22nd was the twins' birthday but we celebrated the following Friday. On Monday I gave them party hats, birthday candles and silly string and also brought home their favorite cookies from the bakery. 


Then came the rest of the week. I'm sure it was a lovely week.


Friday night the twins invited 20 of their friends and some of their parents out to dinner at this fabulous pizzeria. I sat with the adults downstairs and all of the bambini sat upstairs and made a ruckus. Dinner was GREAT! Really good pizza, great wine, etc. etc. The usual. 

Saturday.... hmm... Saturday I.... oh, I went to study with Breana in the center. First we went to Moyo, where we often have aperitivo, but it was a little strange because they made us sit at the high table right in the front, facing the bar where all the workers were just standing around, so we couldn't really chat without feeling funny. Therefore that didn't last long... So we headed over to Lion's Fountain for bagels and cream cheese and cider. Only then I decided to have a Bloody Mary instead and it was delicious!!! One of the best drinks other than beer or cider I have ever had! It will be happening again soon! 


Satruday night we went to Mago Merlino's tea house. LOVED IT. A cozy room of tea and floor pillows and lamps and other great things. Breana, Alayna, Lenora, Christine and I just sat and sipped tea and chatted and ate little tea snacks made by the owner (Rocco) until 1am. It was my kind of night, thats for sure! 

Sunday. Not sure why I wrote Sunday on the list.... I couldn't even begin to tell you what I did....


Vacation. I was getting VERY excited for vacation at this point!!! See next few blogs!


xo

quick update

what is better than a bright, sunny march day spent with your best friend sitting in cute bars and pubs, sipping tea, cider and bloody marys, eating bagels, and getting work done.... probably nothing!!! 

unless mago merlino's tea house complete with hookah bar, tea cocktails and a cushioned lounge is incredible!! check in tomorrow for details! 

baci! 

independence and a visit from the boy

I think I just completed one of the best weeks of my life. I'll let you know.


Gaber left today after spending one week strolling my Florence streets by my side. We stayed in a little apartment right in the center by the sede, cooked dinner, came and went as we pleased, slept in, watched tv together, and chatted until 4am. It was the definition of perfection.


Wednesday - went to happy hour at a Mexican bar called Tijuana with Christine, Breana, Anna and Claire, then went to a yummy little trattoria called Gusto Leo (I think?) where we ate pizza, then home to snuggle and watch tv (by way of gelato, of course!)


Thursday - introduced Gabe to the wonder of kebabs in this city (he ate 2 in about 2 hours I believe), then strolled and did some grocery shopping, tv watching and snuggling since it was chilly and dreary, came home after class and made heart-shaped pasta with oil, garlic and hot pepper - so good!! I'm going to guess we got gelato afterward?

Friday - wandered ALL day, went to the History of Science Museum, checked out some cute churches, the building that I want to buy to start my restaurant and hotel (where Napoleon's brother lived and died I might add... its a stretch but its abandoned and beautiful.....), walked up the hill over the Arno, ate more gelato and kebabs, met the crew for aperitivo at Moyo, headed to karaoke and then spent about 20 minutes at 21, a discoteca, then headed home for the night.

Saturday - after not sleeping well at all (we decided there was Red Bull in the free mixed drink shots we got for singing karaoke....) we took the bus over the Arno and up to San Miniato, a beautiful little church on the hill, took lots of pictures, then wandered through Florence to the Duomo, ate gelato, stopped by my host family's house to introduce everyone and pick up all the stuff I sent home with him, then wandered home to cook roast beef, thinly sliced bistecca fiorentina and roasted potatoes (pretty successful, I must say!!). I am tempted to say we had more gelato after dinner.... (In case you hadn't noticed, Gabe was quite taken with the gelato!! Especially the lemon!)

Sunday - tried to go to Villa Demidoff in Pratolino.... after successfully figuring out the bus and wandering until we found the entrance, it was closed for restoration, but we found some snow and a "Gigantic Adventure Park" which was a huge ropes course up in the woods, then we went back into the center, strolled through the San Lorenzo market, stopped for gelato by the Duomo and then headed home to make a feast of amazing meats and cheeses and breads and beer, then tv and chatting til late. 

Monday - after Translation class we wandered all around in the sun, visited my favorite church and sat in on Mass for a little while and then went home to get ready to go out to dinner at an ADORABLE and delicious restaurant that Gaber found called Trattoria da Tito - SO GOOD! We took shots of limoncello with our waiter and the busser and then strolled home... by way of gelato. 


Tuesday - had class on and of all day long, Gaber played computer games, did some work and ran some errands, we made some lunch at home with the leftover meats and cheeses and some tomatos and then for dinner we went to my favorite restaurant in Florence, I Tarocchi, over the Arno where we had pizza, salad, bistecca fiorentina and then topped it off with gelato (we did stop by the apartment to pack for Wednesday first!!) Then there was a minor catastrophe (which we avoided very well!) Gaber left the keys in the apartment.... and the cell phones.... so we couldn't call ANYONE to let us back in.... and other than the owner, there isn't anyone else to let us in anyway! So first we found the woman in the neighboring apartment to see if she had access to the courtyard so maybe we could get in the window, but she didn't.... so she asked someone else.... but they didn't either (very teary and upset Sera on our hands at this point..... very covered in mascara and sniffly and pink....) Then I had an idea.... So we walked to Hotel Maxim, the first hotel we all stayed in when we first got here in September and, looking as sad and pathetic as possible, I explained our problem to the man and he let us use the internet to get the woman's number and then the phone to call her and BOOM! She came in less than 20 minutes! And said we were lucky because she usually turns her phone off at night! THANK GOODNESS! Tragedy avoided! Good thing we also had some strawberries waiting in the apartment to eat in bed as we watched House Hunters! 


Wednesday - a sad day... but we made it! Had some (VERY OVERPRICED) pastries at a famous pastry shop (they were pretty good I suppose!), hopped on the bus to the airport, said goodbye as bravely as possible, and that was that! Then I went to the sede to study for my opera midterm, took it, and came home!! Phew. 


Host family update: It's so nice to be back with them! I missed them! We had an amazingly yummy dinner of chicken, roasted potatoes and salad with tomato and avocado! Then we brought out all the Easter candy that my mom sent with Gabe. The Reese's eggs were a hit among the host parents and the Jelly Belly's were a HUGE success with the host bros. Especially the buttered popcorn ones. Yuck. I think I might have to request some more. And Harry Potter beans because the bros are very intrigued. I am going to miss it here. 9 weeks from today and I will be in my house in Vermont... how did that happen?? Scary, exciting, sad, and very different.... Vermont is going to feel awfully small..... 


Life update: As of right now, while my restaurant dream is still fully in tact, I have a new plan that will help my future in the food biz. There is a graduate program in Gastronomy at BU. And I can concentrate in business. While Gaber goes to school at MIT or works there..... And Alex will live down the street. It's a great life plan. I love being young and falling in love either everything and wanting to do everything. It's so invigorating. Did I mention that I am also considering finding a job/internship/something in cookbook/food book translation? It exists! I just need to find it! It would be AMAZING! 


Anyway! Time to go browse dresses online for my 21st birthday and my lovely best friend Isadora's bridal shower that I am throwing as well as her rehearsal dinner! 


Amore a tutti!!


P.S. Countdown to Barcelona, Madrid and London = 13 days and 19 hours!!!!!

life

i am going to write a book.


i am not going to share too much about it just yet because its still a little baby thought that is rapidly growing. but i think it might just be an okay idea....... it may not be the longest book but i believe it could be good..... who's going to buy it???


once i write it..... i will sit and hope and wish that it catches on and i earn some money from it.... and then i wil try to find a job writing for a magazine writing about food.... and then i will save and save and save.... and open my restaurant.


sounds like a plan, right?

lovin' the host mamma

really.... love her. a lot. its going to kill me when i have to leave. its like having an aunt or a big sister! 


this afternoon we made bomboloni (like really amazing homemade donuts) together. she fried and i sugared. then we had some people over to eat them and we chatted with them and played with the guest dog.


then she complained to me about the twins and how she needs to scappare (escape). all night she was on them about how they always say, "no, mamma, i'll do it later, no later! one minute!! wait! hang on! in a little bit!!" especially when it comes to preparing their zaini (backpacks). lord only knows why its such a pain to pack a backpack..... i think i must be missing something!! 


just now after i swept the floor and scrubbed all the sugar off the counter, i explained that i should go upstairs to finish some homework, to which she said, "oh yes me too, i'm following you and getting away from these little boys!" as she was walking up the stairs she yelled to them, "ragazzi!!! gli zaini!!" to which i said, "un attimo!!!" (one minute!) and then she said, "aspetta!" (wait!) and then i finished, "DOPO!!!" (after!!!). then we cracked up and went our separate ways to relax and read and do some work.


it feels good to be here.


i am making penne with vodka sauce this week! but shhhh, don't tell the boys! the vodka part is a secret or else they won't eat it!!! 




xo