One month left.

Funny how my last post was about the month inbetween my last post and the post before. Now my post must be about how in a month, everyone at NYU will leave. But where will I go? Honestly need to figure this out. Also just kind of assuming that this archaeological dig thing pulls through. I'm not even thinking about planning out the second week. They might know this though? The idea that I had to fill out an application for the thing was semi-disconcerting. But whatever.

As long as I make it to the Commedia intensive, that will make all of this other stuff worthwhile. And it's Spring! Both literally and physically/naturally. OH to be in my element, in my season. I love it. Just need to nail out those arrangements for May 7-14.

Then, should be done.

One Month Has Passed...

Very sorry everyone. I know you have been sitting on pins and needles for my next post.

What a month! Crazy stuff has happened; namely, I went to Morocco and to Spain! I was only gone for a week, but it was wonderful! So wonderful that I almost completely forgot to take pictures! I took (what might be considered) enough.

Morocco: what can I say about Morocco. It's very extreme here! A wonderful place with a wonderful culture, but everything here kind of keeps you on your toes. I stayed in Marrakech from Friday through Tuesday morning, and spent the days doing day trips (to Essaouira) and going into the central square (or medina) called Djemaa el Fna. Camels sightings ensue...

The cous cous was amazing, and practicing some French/learning some Arabic was a nice departure from the non-stop Italian that I'm used to. The local goods like Argane oil (Argane trees only grow in Morocco supposedly.. goats will climb the trees to eat the nuts on them!) were really interesting to try. The only downside that I really encountered was that you needed to tip everyone. It was considered poor manners to receive ANY kind of service and not leave a tip. That being said, 'unskilled workers' in Morocco make (supposedly) 80 dirham a day, that's less than 8 Euro. So I tried to tip as much as possible.

Even when people got pushy with their tips, I had the feeling that Moroccans were very lighthearted people. They are always joking around with each other --it seems as if they all know each other on a first name basis-- but hey, that's only the way that it seemed to me.

Alicante, Spain: the easiest comparison that I can draw between my stay in Alicante with other places that I've been was that it was like going to Las Vegas after spending three nights in Bryce Canyon, Utah. We went from an arid climate where no one in our group spoke the language to a modern city where we could all function somewhat normally if we were addressed by people! We had cable! That's something that's luxurious to me even in Florence (and until recently, even at home in New York! Hardy har har har har)! The only English channel was the Disney Channel, and I watched more of that than I probably should have, but it was refreshing to rot my brain! Hannah Montana-- mildly entertaining. And also discovering new favorites like the Spanish version of Ugly Betty called Patito Feo. Such a bizarre and melodramatic show; I had a blast looking at it. Or... maybe not a blast... but I had a good time.

Then, I went up to Madrid for the day, had a mini Ed Theatre reunion (just what I needed!), and had a very smooth return trip to Florence. Now with only 6 weeks left in the semester, I keep asking myself, "What am I going to do with that week from May 7 to May 14??" Any ideas?

Spring has sprung, the grass... has ris...

Question: what do 60 degree temperatures, blooming daffodils, potential haircuts (for me), David Beckham, and Ronaldinho all have in common?

Answer: They're all in Florence. Today.

Life's pretty blissful, pretty glad it's spring already, because it's VERY nice!!

Diet

Before I even post the pics of the Rome trip and Carnevale in Viareggio, I thought I'd write a special post for what I've been eating. It looks a good deal like this. Never as much though; usually something like half of that. I wanted to use up the rest of my chicken. But yeah, what you see right here is chicken (cutlet style) served with a basil-tomato sauce with some onions, garlic, red pepper, and (of course) grated parmesan cheese. All served over penne.

Why penne you ask? Because I can buy 1.5kg of the stuff for under 1 euro.

...

Nevertheless, pasta becomes all that I ever eat. I am in fact REDEFINING SARTRE'S HELL. This delicious food that you see here is my dinner every night, and I do not seem to be able to cook anything different.... so there's my conundrum. What would Heraclitus say about my recent lack of dietary flux? Why so Parmenidean, Agostino?? Hah. Well, that just about exhausts my memory of Pre-Socratic philosophers.

Florence at Night

This is just a taste. Pay special attention to the color of the sky! Crazy crazy blue.

La Pietra/Gardens Part 1

Get a load of this place. Unbelievable. (ps. I wish blogger would let me upload more than 5 photos at a time. If anyone knows how to do this, could you tell me via comment? Thanks!)

Campus

The trip to class down those stairs looks treacherous because it is! The nice shady Viale to Villa La Pietra is very nice! More on La Pietra later.

The Walk to San Marco

My Apartment!

Classes in General

So, I just returned from having my last class of the week. So now I've had every class at least once.

My Italian class is pretty good. I'm not really used to having a class every day of the week, so it's a bit of a bummer to do work for it every night. Hahhaa, I wouldn't have been able to believe that a couple of years ago! But yeah, it's fine. It's a perfectly fine way to start the day. I always end up arriving to campus a little early, so I make sure to utilize the great cafe with cappuccino! Oh my. I'm down to two a day, and that's pretty good. At .70, they're hard to beat, and the ones that you can get out a machine in Villa Natalia are half the price for a respectable moccacino. Wow, listen to me, I sound like an old salt! Or something... maybe I don't know how to use that reference?

Italian Cinema is great. My professor reminds me of Stockard Channing, who was my first childhood crush as Rizzo in Grease the movie. She's great! She was also Walter Murch's assistant for some time. Her experience was very impressive, and she also seems to know her way around a classroom which is great. We got to watch the film "L'Ultimo Bacio" in class, which means "The Last Kiss." Zach Braff starred in an American remake of it, but --honestly-- this is the only one you'll ever need to see. It was so good. And ROMANTIC! Wow, firey at times. Very European. I'm going to the Odeon movie theatre with that class at some point to see some movie as it comes out. So that's cool.

The Etruscans is a class that I'm particularly excited for. I'm pretty much going to be learning Ancient Italian History/Archaeology from a brilliant sounding guy who's been working in the field for DECADES. Unbelievable. We are going on two class trips. One to Rome to see the Palatine and Capitoline Hills, the Forum, etc, and then we're doing an overnight trip where we're touring around to no less than five cities and going to archaeological sites there. On top of that, there's the opportunity to accompany the professor on a dig over the summer in... Lucca? Chianti? Whatever it is, I'm going to see if I can tag along for a week before my Commedia experience begins!

Renaissance Apprenticeship sounds INTENSE. It's a lot of drawing and painting, which is great because I was confused as to the nature of the class. Pretty much, it's a studio art class where I can only use materials that were around in the Renaissance. I was semi-under the impression that I would be only creating these media and maybe throwing together little scribbles on paper with them, but NO! It's a lot of drawing and painting. For example, the one trip that we are taking is to the Vatican City. We're getting there in the morning and drawing for five hours nonstop. We're copying art mostly, but I'm definitely still intrigued as to the process. It isn't anyone that we're copying, I'm talking Raffaele, Michelangelo, and Giotto. It's going to be crazy.

And that's it... those are all my classes. Save for the Italian, they only meet once a week... three hours at a time. So, that's new! More next time AND PICTURES!

Le Prime Classi

Beh, andiamo!

Today is the first day of class, and here I am sitting in the cafe in Villa Ulivi, burning away the hours between noon and 15:00. It's great to be back in a schedule! So, I went around the gardens in the back of Villa La Pietra today. Che bellissimi giardini! Wow! They're unbelievable. Statues of biblical figures (interspersed with pagan gods/goddesses) are placed around creeping vines and ionian pillars and columns. Then, at the forefront, is a beautiful view of the city, with rolling hills and olive trees extending outward.

There's been talk of organizing a "Prom-style" dance at the end of the semester. If we could have it in the gardens, it would be unbelievable. There's another word that I'm always using: unbelievable. Well, at least it's better than something like "humdrum" or "boring." It's all very very exciting.

Who knows? Time might fly and before you know it, it'll be il ventisei giugno! Let's make the most of this!

Americano vs Italo-Americano vs Italiano

Been getting more and more into the city as of late. Orientation is winding down and classes begin soon, so I'm taking the time to really get to know the place and the people. Here are some things that came to mind.

Over the past couple of days a couple of people have approached me asking for directions. Of course I didn't know what to say, but I thought it was pretty funny considering I've only just arrived. I am getting good at ASKING for directions, but I obviously couldn't provide any help. But those moments really boost my confidence.

However, there's one place where I can --without fail-- get the wind knocked out of me. That is the STANDA supermercato. The supermercato is cheap, but the cashiers really just don't seem to like me. I don't know what it is. I'm going to try and go other places, hahahhaa, because the convenience isn't worth the hassle at the checkout line. Everywhere else people are helpful and will let you mess up the language as you learn. Ehh, I'm not even THAT bad. They talk so fast!

Oh well. Chicken, pasta arrabiata, bread, and red wine ought to cheer me up!

Landing Day!!

Yep. Just got here!

It's currently 14:19 (military time!) and I'm basically completely unpacked. Pictures of the place will follow, as I'm sure you've guessed. Living here is going to take some getting used to, that's for sure. At the same time, I feel like I've been here for a while.

I'll write more when I'm rested.


PS.

The sky here is intense! It's not THAT warm outside, but the sun beating down gives everything the appearance of a harsh summer's day. Crazy stuff.

My First Post

Well folks, it's getting to be right about that time. I'm leaving for the boot in under a week. So, of course, I'm all in a scramble to get my gear in check. One of the main things that I've wanted to do is start a travel blog, so here I am.

After watching "Julie and Julia," I realized that blogs are really only useful/successful when they can be about something; Julie set out to cook through Julia Child's cookbook and catalog everything. Well, I don't have the budget to do similarly, nor would I want to. So, I'm looking to do more of a Cultural Conquest. That's what I'm going to call it.

Cultural Conquest.

That being said, don't even worry about paying attention until the 19th of January! I'm still in the United States. I can't believe it. I'm not sure on this issue, but it would appear that the Florence site is the last to leave vacation! Torture! Congrats to students at other sites, you win!

Until the 19th and the first leg of my Cultural Conquest!