This is old news, but I don't really have time to write new stuff right now...
Okay, so forgive me if my English is a little off--switching my brain back and forth is a little odd at the moment. This is all copied from the email I sent everyone.
If you would like me to send you a postcard or something, please email me with your mailing address. If you are interested in sending me something, let me know and I'll email you my address. If you're sending anything other than a letter, no matter what it is, it will probably have to go through customs. Take the tags off if there are any, don't put down any more than $10 or $20 as its value, although I doubt anyone will send me something worth more than that. Also, DON'T send electronics. Ignoring any of the above will cause me to pay a lot to get the package from customs. I hope to get a phone card soon, but I'm not sure how often I can call people since I'm 7 hours ahead of home and 6 hours ahead of MA. It will also be hard for me to get on Skype or IM because there are several of us at my house using the internet, and the only time I can use it at the Sede (where Smith is) is during business hours. If you'd like to connect up that way, send me your schedule and we'll see what we can work out. I don't plan on spending hours on that, though. I am in Italy, after all. If you want, you are welcome to call me on my cell phone here, but international calls to cell phones are expensive. Again, email me for the number.
Let's see, the first two days were spent wandering as far as I could go, getting lost in places, and things like that, trying to figure out Florence. I took a bajillion pictures, being a little tourist while I was still living in a hotel, and so that I wouldn't have to be once I moved in with my family. I saw many of the churches and things I studied last year in Art History, and nearly flipped out when I saw a replica of the David in the piazza where I go to school. It's just so pretty here.
We moved in with our families on Saturday, and I live with a woman named Emilia and her twin 19 year old girls, Francesca, who studies Vet Science in Bologna, and Eleanora, who studies math in Florence. We live kind of on the outskirts of the city, so I'm about a 5 minute bus ride from the country and about a 15 minute ride into the center of the city. Another Smith girl and a girl from Sarah Lawrence are also in the house, so showers, internet, and things of that nature are a little difficult to share. The family has a cat named Ketchup, but they all call him "gatto" and he is always crying for food or rubbing his face on your feet. Emilia is an excellent cook, and so far we've had homemade pizza, and a couple of three to four course meals. I like the way Italians eat over here, but the fact that all they normally eat for lunch is a small sandwich, and dinner isn't until 8:00, makes my insides a little noisy, but very thankful for dinner. Smith's lunch stipend sent me to the supermarket yesterday, so I'm eating more for lunch than I would at a Bar (cafe), and it all tastes divine. I found out that near my house is a pool that they cover in the winter so that you can still use it, so I'm going to try and contact the team here and see if I can at least practice with them sometimes. Good thing I brought my cap and goggles, just in case.
We've started Orientation Classes, which are little classes that we have for the three weeks prior to classes starting at the University of Florence, including Italian, Art History, History of Florence, Drawing, and Cooking. Our first Art History was today, and boy, if I thought it was hard in English, let me TELL you, it's way worse in Italian. It's only for three weeks though.
I bought a bike today, and hopefully will be able to ride into town for classes most days, since the bus can take forever and it's way nicer. At the end of the year I can sell it back to the guy from whom I bought it, and it's a lot cheaper than if I were renting one. As far as excursions outside the city go, I'm planning on taking a little ride to the country this evening when I get home from class, and then I think several of us are going to venture out to Cinqueterra this weekend, which are five little bitty towns along the coast that are supposed to be beautiful. I still need to get tickets for that.
I hope everyone is having a great time, or is at least hanging in there! Feel free to email me back and let me know what you're doing--I really miss everyone!!
If you would like me to send you a postcard or something, please email me with your mailing address. If you are interested in sending me something, let me know and I'll email you my address. If you're sending anything other than a letter, no matter what it is, it will probably have to go through customs. Take the tags off if there are any, don't put down any more than $10 or $20 as its value, although I doubt anyone will send me something worth more than that. Also, DON'T send electronics. Ignoring any of the above will cause me to pay a lot to get the package from customs. I hope to get a phone card soon, but I'm not sure how often I can call people since I'm 7 hours ahead of home and 6 hours ahead of MA. It will also be hard for me to get on Skype or IM because there are several of us at my house using the internet, and the only time I can use it at the Sede (where Smith is) is during business hours. If you'd like to connect up that way, send me your schedule and we'll see what we can work out. I don't plan on spending hours on that, though. I am in Italy, after all. If you want, you are welcome to call me on my cell phone here, but international calls to cell phones are expensive. Again, email me for the number.
Let's see, the first two days were spent wandering as far as I could go, getting lost in places, and things like that, trying to figure out Florence. I took a bajillion pictures, being a little tourist while I was still living in a hotel, and so that I wouldn't have to be once I moved in with my family. I saw many of the churches and things I studied last year in Art History, and nearly flipped out when I saw a replica of the David in the piazza where I go to school. It's just so pretty here.
We moved in with our families on Saturday, and I live with a woman named Emilia and her twin 19 year old girls, Francesca, who studies Vet Science in Bologna, and Eleanora, who studies math in Florence. We live kind of on the outskirts of the city, so I'm about a 5 minute bus ride from the country and about a 15 minute ride into the center of the city. Another Smith girl and a girl from Sarah Lawrence are also in the house, so showers, internet, and things of that nature are a little difficult to share. The family has a cat named Ketchup, but they all call him "gatto" and he is always crying for food or rubbing his face on your feet. Emilia is an excellent cook, and so far we've had homemade pizza, and a couple of three to four course meals. I like the way Italians eat over here, but the fact that all they normally eat for lunch is a small sandwich, and dinner isn't until 8:00, makes my insides a little noisy, but very thankful for dinner. Smith's lunch stipend sent me to the supermarket yesterday, so I'm eating more for lunch than I would at a Bar (cafe), and it all tastes divine. I found out that near my house is a pool that they cover in the winter so that you can still use it, so I'm going to try and contact the team here and see if I can at least practice with them sometimes. Good thing I brought my cap and goggles, just in case.
We've started Orientation Classes, which are little classes that we have for the three weeks prior to classes starting at the University of Florence, including Italian, Art History, History of Florence, Drawing, and Cooking. Our first Art History was today, and boy, if I thought it was hard in English, let me TELL you, it's way worse in Italian. It's only for three weeks though.
I bought a bike today, and hopefully will be able to ride into town for classes most days, since the bus can take forever and it's way nicer. At the end of the year I can sell it back to the guy from whom I bought it, and it's a lot cheaper than if I were renting one. As far as excursions outside the city go, I'm planning on taking a little ride to the country this evening when I get home from class, and then I think several of us are going to venture out to Cinqueterra this weekend, which are five little bitty towns along the coast that are supposed to be beautiful. I still need to get tickets for that.
I hope everyone is having a great time, or is at least hanging in there! Feel free to email me back and let me know what you're doing--I really miss everyone!!