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I know December 6th isn't really anything too special but it does mean that Christmas is in 18 days and I will be home in about 12! So therefore I would say it deems a special announcement.
This morning I woke up and headed downstairs for breakfast, only to find everyone just about ready to re-commence the decorating. I ran upstairs and grabbed my colored paper and proceeded to make three big 3D snowflakes and a long paper chain. The boys made me help hang ornaments on the tree, and then Silvia gave me a little blue ornament as a little gift to take home.
Anyway, the house is gorgeous, and full of lights and pretty little decorations and Christmas tunes!! It's great! And it snowed in Vermont and Massachusetts last night! Finally! Christmas is definitely on the way!
Which isn't many, mind you, but I think it is safe to say that I am very, very, very jolly.
This morning I woke up to the sound of two little Italian boys singing Christmas songs in English. It was rather delightful. Then I heard two little knocks on my door. The boys were wondering if they could please show me a little present. As I followed them over to a gorgeous nativity scene that they had just set up with Silvia. There is even a little well with real running, bubbling water!
When I walked downstairs for breakfast, I was pleasantly surprised to see the entire living room covered in boxes of Christmas decorations AND a very lovely fake Christmas tree!! There was much bustling around as Lorenzo dug for ornaments and ran to Silvia asking where they should go and Filippo changed the Christmas songs every 4 seconds. It was very jolly!
After eating and enjoying the holiday bustle, I left to meet Breana and walk to the market at San Lorenzo to do some Christmas shopping. We found many lovely things, and we ever bartered and got beautiful little leather bags!!
From San Lorenzo, we wandered to Santa Croce where there was a mercatino, a little German Christmas market. We met our Italian friend Laura, Claire, Chrysanthe and Victoria and strolled for a few hours. I bought a few cute things, including some Christmas baby clothes pins for Silvia because she loves little clothes pins to close bags, and then two keychains for the boys - a santa and a snowman with the eyeballs that pop out. We tried the hot wine, and it tasted just like light, delicious hot mulled cider! Breana and I also ate a huge salted pretzel and the best freshly-made cotton candy (pure white) that I have ever tasted in my life!
Side note: let's discuss how beautiful the lights in this city are!!
When I got home, I brought the little presents to the boys and they absolutely LOVED them. Silvia said, okay a kiss for Sera! Filippo promptly came over and stuck his head in my direction so I could kiss it. So I did! Silvia cracked up and said, alright, or she can kiss you! Lorenzo then followed suit and let me kiss his head as well - our first moment of sibling affection!
Dinner was delicious tonight! We had fondue but with meat (fondue bourguignon?) in olive oil. We had pork, chicken, and of course, hot dogs! And Silvia's incredible roasted potatoes (I should mention that the toaster oven that she makes the potatoes in is located inside the pantry because it is not pretty nor as modern and fancy as the rest of the things in the kitchen... aka we often cook in the pantry....). For dessert we had castagnaccio which is a torte-type thing made with chestnut flour. The first few times I had it, I didn't like it all that much because it has a funny texture and not much flavor but tonight it was delicious!
I spent a few hours after dinner watching TV with everyone, snuggled under blankets in the living room with the semi-decorated Christmas tree. We watched a series of bizarre Italian shows including one called "Chi ha incastrato Peter Pan?" which is somewhat like the American "Kids Say the Darndest Things" except there is also a huge emphasis on the hosts of the show, two or three middle-aged men who talk with the kids and do their own little skits and challenges. Its funny how they don't realize that it's odd to discuss your testicles in detail on public television..... in front of 4-year-olds... This country is very interesting....
Anyway! Off to sleep I go! Wishing for snow in Vermont!!
Bacione!
My host padre just left the house wearing a LIME green hat. Adorable. And I just helped Lorenzo study Spanish. Probably even more adorable.
I have no real point for this blog.... only to share some holiday cheer with everyone. I always become a big mush during the holiday season.... I am never stressed and always happy. It helps that I love making lists so I obsessively think about Christmas presents and what things I want to do during the holiday season...... I love it all. So far I am thinking that when I return home, I must do the following things:
Christmas shop on Church Street
have a Christmas party with my girlies
hang out with my pals from work this summer
snuggle with the boyfriend
watch lots of TV with my mamma
play in the snow [please let there be snow soon.... just not when my flight comes in!]
work... somehow.... somewhere..... ideas?
bake cookies
make beer with my dad
celebrate New Year's with the entire family [aka Isadora's family]
sleep. a lot.
read for pleasure....
eat breakfast at the Wayside!
go to the movies
get a crepe at the Skinny Pancake
hang out with Chad and Georgeee
relax.
and unfortunately..... write two 8-10 page papers and two 4-5 page papers..... what?
Smith really knows how to make sure we still have plenty of work overseas.... Although I am decently sure that it is just the Florence program that is this intense.... That being said.... I am feeling very good about it all.... it feels good to be working this hard in a foreign language and be surviving somewhat reasonably. Next semester is going to be much better though! I will be taking one class at the University of Firenze, therefore I will have minimum work throughout the semester but one big oral exam in front of the entire class at the end..... Then I am hopefully taking a translation corse taught by Giovanna if I am selected after doing a little translation test.... Then a Modern Art History course which will have the most work, like Art History this semester, then finally, a History of Cinema class where there are mostly likely no papers, just some tests. Doesn't seem nearly so bad after all the work I've done this year! And! This semester ends roughly January 26th. We have about one week free, and then one February 2nd or so, we leave for Sicily for a week! And then second semester starts. It will be the perfect long vacation to re-adjust to Florence and get over being homesick! I can't wait!
Big plans this weekend. Friday I am going to go to the Galleria Palatina to see the work by Rafaello that I need to write my art history paper about, and then Breana and I are going to the art history library of the University of Fireze to start our research. Friday night we will probably do something grand. Saturday day we are getting the whole crew together to go to the German Christmas market at Santa Croce, and Sunday I think we are going to go to a Fiorentina game!
Anyway, I must be off to read some of my Italian book for Literature - Io Non Ho Paura - I Am Not Afraid. One of my future 8-10 pages papers. Woohoo!
Wish me luck!
Baci a tutti!!!
P.S. Perhaps I should mention the other two things that I listed in the title.... First of all, Christmas carols. Love them. Need more. Enough said. Yesterday Giovanna found the little fake Christmas tree for the sede and Breana and I decorated it while listening to the Christmas songs on my iPod. We also started making snowflakes and paper chains..... Sigh. So great! Secondly, and way more importantly, there is now a BEN & JERRYS IN FLORENCE! Literally across from the Duomo. I teared up a little when I discovered it yesterday afternoon. I now get to walk by it twice a day! I might have to go this weekend..... It's like Florence knew I was missing Vermont so it brought Vermont to me!! Thanks, Florence!
1. Family Gatherings.
Last night my family got together with Victoria and Chrysanthe's family because my mamma is their father's sister, aka our little sibs are cousins. Yesterday was the nonna's birthday and she came with her sister and her husband. All in all, there were 14 people at my house, eating pizza, drinking Coca Cola and beer and laughing and chatting. I sneakily tried to take some family photos and then just decided to make everyone pose! It was a night full of laughter and sweet grandmotherly moments and love. And pizza covered in sliced hot dogs. It was perfect.
2. Beautiful Lights.
I know I have previously mentioned this and I also promised photos, but I haven't actually seen the beautiful lights lit up yet.... well I saw them at 2pm yesterday but I don't think that has quite the same effect as seeing them at night..... Tomorrow I will take pictures! I promise!
3. Wandering at night.
I love this city at night. During the day.... not so much, but at night, definitely. I love walking home after class in the dusk to dark period, watching parents picking up their children, wandering past the bus stops and enjoying the general happy bustle that exists after the work-day has ended. I also love having that extra 30 minutes of leisurely strolling (well, I power-walk like there's no tomorrow but still....) to think in Italian and enjoy all the Italian-ness that surrounds me.... It's very relaxing and rejuvenating....
4. Decorations.
Storefronts, lights, windows.... all been said before, but I still really love it!
5. Thanksgiving Dinner with Giovanna.
Thursday night. With all 20 girls and our professors. Turkey and gravy, stuffing, salads, corn, squash, pumpkin carpaccio, cranberry sauce, corn bread, pecan pie, apple pie and pumpkin pie.... Mmmm.... Just like home!
6. Thanksgiving Dinner with the Host Fam
It has been decided. Sunday night I will be cooking my family's version of stuffing and some cranberry sauce along with some molasses cookies perhaps.... Silvia is getting some kind of turkey or chicken, and we are good to go! The boys probably won't like the cranberry sauce and we'll see about Silvia and Enrico! Wish me luck!
7. Helping Older Women Cross the Street
I was walking home tonight (enjoying the peaceful darkness, of course) and as I approached a sidewalk, this most adorable older woman reached out and asked me if I would be so kind as to walk her across the street because she was scared of falling. I took her hand and we walked across very, very carefully and very slowly, all the while she was telling me how nice it was to have someone help her. Then she squeezed my hand and said, "Buona sera, signorina!" My hand was glowing with warm, fuzzy feelings for at least 10 minutes, especially because I had just come from....
8. Sitting in with a Group of Grandmothers who Pray Together Every Day.
After my audited class at the University of Florence (Methodologies of Contemporary Art History.... very, very, very boring...), I decided to spend some time in one of my two favorite churches (that I know of so far, that is!). When I entered, there were hardly any people other than one man who was seemingly very frustrated because the priest was late for confessionals and another man who works at the church and was restocking all the candles available to light. I walked through the church looking at all the small chapels until I found one that for some reason gave me the goosebumps. There was a beautiful fresco unlike all the others. Many were dark and depicted Jesus' sacrifice or other sad Biblical stories. This one instead was the Madonna surrounded by Saints, looking up at the heavens. It was so brightly colored and there were such relaxed, content expressions on each face, that I was immediately struck by its beauty. I lit three candles at this chapel - one each for my grandparents and my uncle. It was a rare moment of strong faith which continued to get stronger as I walked behind the sacristy (completely unlit with only a few candles flickering in the eerie silence) and I realized that I heard prayers. When I walked back out past the altar, I found a group of about seven woman, all much older, praying together. I went and sat down across from them and listened with my eyes closed for about 10 minutes, although they continued easily for another 10 or 15. It was pretty incredible.... and not something I often desire, but it felt good today to be part of a group of people so full of faith....
9. Orchestral Concerts.
Last night I decided I wanted to go to an orchestral concert. It is Christmas and Christmas means music which reminded me how much I miss my viola and orchestra and classical music. Within five minutes of deciding this, I had already found one this Saturday at the Teatro Verdi in Florence. I know have a ticket and I cannot wait!! http://www.teatroverdionline.it/
10. Being Happy.
Although I have now been sick for 30 days, I am extremely happy. I am settled, I am bonding with my host family, I am less stressed, things are going well at school, the boyfriend is just lovely and it is almost Christmas! Although I am pretty excited for Thanksgiving as well! This weekend between going out with the gang and taking myself out for a night, I will just be working, commencing some Christmas shopping and cooking! Sounds like a perfect weekend to me!
Baci a tutti! And see many of you in less than 4 weeks! AMORE!
Or rather, Natale is a comin'!
But first comes fall. Although not so much in Firenze.... There aren't a particularly large number of trees to turn beautiful colors and send their leaves twirling to the ground.... Fortunately for me, I got to go to Lucca on Friday and in Lucca there are plenty of stunning autumnal trees and even some beautifully decorated storefronts, all ready for Christmas!
I have also learned that my Florentine family loves Christmas as much as I do. We have the Christmas tablecloth already in full use every night and at least once a day Lorenzo breaks into song. Christmas song that is!! Sometimes he sings on his own in Italian but other times he sings along to American Christmas songs such as Santa Baby and things by Bing Crosby, in English, and it is just about the cutest thing I have ever heard.
The city of Florence is also gearing up for the holidays by stringing beautiful strings of lights all along every street, too bad they wait until a certain day much closer to Christmas to turn them all on!!
As far as Thanksgiving goes, although I am extremely sad to not be spending it at home, Giovanna has invited all of us girls over to her house with our professors for the evening. Then either Friday, Saturday or Sunday night I am hoping that Silvia will make some delicious turkey breast and I can make my family's "Italian" stuffing and cranberry sauce that we make every year. Wish me luck!
More news coming soon!
Baci e abbracci a tutti!
I know December 6th isn't really anything too special but it does mean that Christmas is in 18 days and I will be home in about 12! So therefore I would say it deems a special announcement. 
