il fine di parte una!

It's hard to believe that our first three weeks is already over. The strange time warp that Florence has put me in is seriously beginning to mess with my mind. Without a definite schedule these past three weeks I have further felt in a parallel universe where many things have been happening around me and I have happily observed from my post. It feels like I have been in one of those science fiction films where the main character stands completely dead center of the screen, not even blinking, and the rest of the world goes by with lightning speeds and blurred vision without them noticing. While I have been trying to take in everything around me, it feels as if its been a blur of renaissance buildings, classical statues, speeding vespas, and food. With real classes looming in the imediate future (aka tomorrow) it is begining to dawn on me how real this whole experience actually is. I think its going to take me a little while longer to actually be able to call this my home, temporary as it might be, but I am definitely getting slowly by slowly more used to the idea of waking up every morning in a country that does things just a little bit differently.

The end of the week wrapped up our Orientation classes. Wednesday our final art history class taught us about Renaissance art and architecture. The very brief overview gave a glimpse (keywords in this sentence, brief and glimpse) of the countless architectural feats and artistic masterpieces accomplished during this time just in Italy and mainly Florence alone. Having already taking several art history classes that focus on many things in Italy and a great number of them in Florence, I can hardly wait to be taking a Renaissance art class in the place where it all began. After a language class in the late afternoon, the day was given to us to do what we wanted with the knowledge that we would have exams on Friday.

A group of us decided that after studying for a few hours earlier that night, an movie in Italian would help. Granted it was a American movie, Inglorious Bastards or Bastardi Senza Gloria, which already had 4 languages in it(including Italian) and then the rest were dubbed in Italian. Even though I have seen countless Italian movies, seeing an American movie in Italian, in Italy was an entirely different experience. For starters, there is only one screen at the theatre. One large auditorium playing one movie at a time with many times throughout the whole day one following the next. Once you get your ticket after standing in the mass of people that some what resembles a line, meander over to the other large group of people that are attempting to form a second line to enter the theatre. The doors will open letting the last audience out though one set of doors and then you can proceed into the theatre through the other. But that is after you battle your way to the front of the "line" to give the solitary man your ticket stub as what seems like the rest of Italy does the same. If you expect to see any previews or trailers you will be sadly disappointed but instead Italians cut right to the chase and right to opening credits and away you go. Dont be alarmed in the middle of the film with the movie stops and the lights flash on - its only the intermission and will be over as suddenly as it came. For being a movie about things I have never learned the vocabulary for - they dont really teach you the words for beheading, scalping, bombs, and many different ways of killing in class strangely- I was able to understand (more or less) and enjoy the film. Note - if you are offended by a drop of blood I might suggest to skip this movie.

Thursday morning brought our last art visit with our art history class. After taking the wrong bus, getting terribly lost only to find out we were in the right place the first time, Claire and I made it to San Lorenzo. The church itself, from the outside is a simple, unfinished stone b

uilding. Once you get into the church however you realize why no one finished the outside - they were too busy with the inside. High coffered ceilings, frescos, and marble lined the walls from back to front. In the side chapel - Cappelle Medici - opens up a whole different set of wonders. The octagonal shaped chapel holds an overflowing amount of detailed marble work with a range of colors any sculpture would kill to have. In side rooms statues and funerary monuments by Michaelangelo line the walls.

After our art visit, a language class followed to further help us prepare for our test on Friday. After language I had my last 'in giro' which showed us all the good places to go to the theatre, a few different music spots, and where the University of Florence hides through

out the winding streets.

While we only saw a few buildings (one of them did happen to be the art history building) I can already tell the Italian educational system varies drastically from that in the United States. Putting aside the fact that one of the classrooms we saw used to be a church and therefore had frescos lining the walls and niches with statues, the laid back attitude Italians have with most everything in life definitely transfers to school as well. While not discounting the educational system, and knowing that it is, and will be a challenge, I think a major part of it has to do with peoples attitudes. You dont walk through the halls and feel the stress radiating off of the walls left behind from students. Then again, this is just a theory and I will have to see once I am actually in the place for real.

Friday brought the unpleasant knowledge that I would soon (aka in about 1.5 hours) having to take two tests in Italian. Generally I do not get that worried about tests (not anymore anyway). Ill get the pretest jitters but nothing too drastic. Friday morning I kept having the feeling that i should be nervous but tests were handed out filled out and handed back in and the nerved never came. What was strange though was taking a test in Italian. Even though I have been taking Italian classes and taking the tests in those, taking a test in Italian in Italy somehow was different. For me especially our art history exam but having to write everything in Italian threw me through a loop. At first I was at a loss of words because I could only think of how to say everything in English (granted I had been tested on all of it before but still). I soon got over it, and the text began flowing, and words that I didn't know that i knew poured out of the tip of my pen.

I spent the rest of the day wandering around with people in the on and off again rain before heading back to my house in the late afternoon. It was one of the girls, Victoria, birthday's on Friday so we all headed out for aparativos that night - literally all of the Smithies + all conversation partners + random friends = large group of fun. Everyone seemed to have a really wonderful time, and through a mixture of italian english and hand signals was able to communicate and enjoy everyone else's company. After aparativos we went to a discoteca to dance the night away.

Saturday brought a much sunnier day than the one before and also two old friends from high school, Lizzy and Brittany. I thought it should be, would be weird seeing them here in my new city but it was completely normal for some unknown reason. We first wandered through San Lorenzo market ( yes same place of earlier mentioned San Lorenzo church) looking at the countless leather, jewelry, and eclectic goods. After wandering for quite a while looking at so many countless things, a new leather purse magically made its way into my possession. Getting a ridiculously good discount just because or so said the salesman, I left with my new dark greyish purplish bluish (no really its pretty) with dark chocolate brown piping, leather bag. Every time I walk into my room the smell of leather engulfs me so pungent I want to swim in it.

In fact it seems to be taking me over right now, so as for right now I must go and enjoy it...