Florence Day 16: Lessons in Survival

Ciao my awesome blog readers!

(I've begun to realize there are more of you than I originally thought. This makes me happy. I love how I said: There are more of you. It sounds like I am talking about extraterrestrials here. Haha.)

Yep, public bathroom. 

This post will mostly contain the highlights of this week... hopefully I will remember everything.




Oh! But first I desperately need to divulge something about myself to you that might be helpful for when you read future blogposts of mine.

FACT: Amanda is a gemini (Ooh, just spoke in third person. Wahaha.)
OPiNiON: Gemini's are crazy.
FACT: Gemini's have a random thought process. (What a flipping understatement.)


Ok. So, now you know. Good. Moving on.


Oh, by the way... here are some reasons why this blog may be written in a somewhat tired-ish format.

This is my lovely jetlag photo btw. 

1. I'm tired. (Oh that's articulate Amanda... care to expand on this???) I'm tired because people outside my apartment building are loud... ALL THE WAY UNTIL 3 am. And here's the thing, I'm not someone who falls asleep easily. I take FOREVER to fall asleep at home and all I hear at home is crickets. Super peaceful, yet not entirely sleep inducing enough for me. Remember what I said about... about gemini's being crazy? Well, we are crazy and we do have random thought processes. Our minds go quickly from one thought to the next and they just won't SHUT THE HE(double hockey sticks) UP sometimes. So, needless to say, people being loud outside until that ungodly hour sort of destroys my sleeping hours. I've been so tired lately. I'm turning into a lethargic mess. 
2. My Italian 101 class often gives me headaches that last the entire day. 

Ok. Lets get to these dang highlights now!!! 

Highlight #1: Ordered a cappuccino entirely in Italian. 

Yes, a couple days ago I went into a caffe and said: Vorrei un il cappuccino. I was so proud of myself, smiling widely, like the dork that I am, thinking: Ba-bam! That's how it's done. But then the man started talking back to me in Italian--fast too--spitting out things I had no flipping clue what about. My smiley expression thus morphed into an OH CRAP face. One of those priceless moments. I wanted to throw my arms up in confession: Fine! You got me! I'm American and only know this one sentence. Can I please just have my cappuccino now??? We sorted things out, though. And it was quite delicious. I LOVE cappuccinos! They are amazing. I have to make sure to add two packets of zucchero into it, though. Remember what zucchero is? It's my favorite Italian word... 

Highlight #2: Breaking Dawn Part 1 

So, I found out the other day that I get to see The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part 1). Good God that is such a long title. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to see this while I was off in Italy and not only do I get to see it, but I get to see it before everyone else in the US gets to see it. Wow, how about that? I am really looking forward to that birthing scene. As Alex Day says in his video blogs: That will be the death of cinema.

Guessing it will look something like this. 

Oh! By the way, cinema in Italian is pronounced chin-A-ma. Again I can't wait to see that baby rip through Bella, plus I do like watching Mr. Taylor Lautner... Man, I am having nostalgic feelings for my Jacob Black cardboard cutout right now. Sad day. 

Highlight #3: Went Out for Some Delicious Gelato!

Ok, so I know how pretty much all the gelato here is delicious, but this was probably THE best. By the way, Italy really does have gelato and pizza places EVERYWHERE! At the very least they are on every block. So, anyways it was in the evening and my two friends and I went out for some gelato. Dang... I can't remember the name of this particular place, but here is what makes it so much better than all the other gelato places--it is REALLY gourmet! The pistachio ice cream is not green, but rather NORMAL pistachio color. I got a scoop of coffee on a medium cone and it was (as my brother would say) delish! Oh! The cones here are amazing too. They are stale! Can you believe it??? They actually crunch!!! Sooooo good. Oh god, my mouth is watering now. Yikes. 

Afterwards my friends and I went walking around and had a wonderful time looking in on these fantastic vintage shops. There are sooooo many things here I want to get. I love these Italians! They have such style!

Highlight #4: Art History was once again AMAZING! 

Ok, so I really can't seem to emphasize enough how much I absolutely LOVE my art history class. It is so much fun. I was kind of bummed out that this was just going to be a day filled with lecture and no fields trips, but it just means that next class that's all we are going to do--sight see. Yes, four hours is a long time for a lecture, BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT at least it isn't 6.5 hours of biology on a Saturday in the SUMMER! That's what I had last term by the way and it was the most devastatingly torturous thing I could possibly do to myself. WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING??? I was thinking Italy, Italy, Italy... that's what I was thinking. So, anyhow.... four hours of Art History is heaven in comparison to that. 

We debated over what Sacrafice of Isaac we liked better. Ghiberti or Brunelleschi? 

Ghiberti

I personally think Brunelleschi's is better and hate how we will never know why the judges picked Ghiberti's! It literally pains me!!! I want to know why.

Brunelleschi

Highlight #5: Mistaken Identity

Ok, so I've become accustomed to people mistaking me for being Russian.
FYI: I am NOT Russian!!!
Well, anyhow my two lovely friends and I were walking past the Duomo and you know those guys that like to draw people? Well, one of them wanted to draw me, but here is what he said: Hey you (pointing at me and my friends) Japanese! My mouth literally dropped open and I was cracking up big time. I mean, I know I looked Asian as a newborn, but I'm pretty sure I grew out of that on like... oh let's see... the second day of my life!


Highlight #6: Not a So-Normal Grocery Store


So my two lovely friends and I (same two friends here by the way) went to a different grocery store a few blocks away from my house. A weird thing about this grocery store is that they have these little scanner things that people can pull out from the wall and then scan everything they buy. Well, not everyone has to do this... we obviously didn't do this. Grocery stores can be really intense sometimes. Some people just jet through them and some people are the slowest, most painful creatures to wait behind ever. So, we went to purchase our stuff, but the cashier told us no. We went into a different line. The guy in that line behind us said no. We got a little flustered because WHERE WERE WE SUPPOSED TO BUY OUR STUFF??? We later found out there was a line for the non-scanner people. Then everything was fine.
Sidenote: Europeans have to put a plastic glove on to grab produce. Did you know this? And then they have to weigh the fruit themselves--later the machine pops out a price tag sticker than you can just stick onto the bag. And if you do not weigh and get a price for you produce you have to leave the line and do so. Sucks if you don't know what to do.

Sidenote: I keep seeing David's rocky mountian oysters on EVERYTHING! On boxers, on postcards, IT is everywhere. These Florentines are obsessed with his...!!! 


Here is where I write some things about what I have learned about myself and living on one's own: 

1. You have to be creative with the limited amount of food you have.
2. You have to be creative with the limited about of money you have. 
3. I love, absolutely LOVE to cook. (Never really knew this about myself.)
4. Toilet paper does not magically reappear, neither does paper towels or soap or other household necessities. Go figure, you have to go out and buy these things too. 
5. Your finger nails get really long when you don't have fingernail clippers. You start getting creative. You start using your pair of EXTREMELY large scissors to get the job done. You start scaring yourself. 
6. You start appreciating PB&J sandwiches a lot more. 
7. You LOVE how your mom forced you to wash a zillion dishes and do your own laundry at home. 
8. I've gotten SO MANY great things to write about (story-wise) just from living on my own.
9. You become much more independent a lot quicker. 
10. You start humming more. 
11. You start talking aloud to yourself more. 

That's about it for now. 

Tomorrow I am going to Rome. Taking a train and going to stay in a hostel for two nights with my two (same two) lovely friends. I CANNOT wait to see the Sistine Chapel. I have wanted to see this beautiful piece of art for a LONG time now. It's so cool to say: I am going to spend this weekend in Rome. I love saying that. It's so cool! After I get this blog all typed up I am heading to be because I have to be at the train station at 5:20am tomorrow. We wanted cheaper tickets and we got them. Haha. 

Don't worry I am definitely taking my camera with me. I will take LOADS of pictures for your eyes to feast on. 

Sidenote: Everytime I write these blogs I listen to The Temper Trap. They are truly amazing!!! I LOVE this band. 

Arrivederci! 

~Manders