Success!

So! I made it through the week, albeit just barely. I did my presentation in Opera this morning, which went really well even if I was rushed and had lots more I wanted to talk about. Then I studied for my Italian quiz until my brain reached maximum capacity and I couldn't memorize even one more vocab word and figured that even if il sopraccaglio was on the quiz I didn't fucking care because it just wasn't going to happen. But the quiz went ok, I hope, and then I just sat there and thought about how hungry I was, and how much I didn't have food at home, and how I really, really wanted something plain and fatless and (most of all) Asian, to make up for the pasta with polpo (octopus! yummmmm), bread, and two desserts (in my defense, I split both with two other people) that I had at Rishma's birthday dinner last night. And then inspiration struck!

On the way back from class, I stopped at Esselunga (the closest thing to an American grocery store around) and bought myself some brown rice, sushi ginger, smoked salmon (on sale, on sale, in case my mom is reading this), carrots, and zucchini. I then came home and made myself the most delicious, satisfying rice bowl I think I've ever had. Never have I craved brown and raw vegetables and SOY SAUCE as much as I did today. I'd go so far to say it was the best lunch I've had since I got here. I'm sorry now that I didn't take a picture, but I was too too hungry.

God, I'm so tired. I feel as if I spend the majority of my life saying that this semester, but it's true. I'm tired. My body is tired, and right now (thanks, Opera and Italian!) my mind is too. I blame it on being so busy, and having more fun than I generally do during the school year. Take for example, last weekend.

I wasn't feeling that great on Friday, so I called Lauren and asked her if she wanted to just wander around Florence for a while. We went across the Arno, and all the way up towards San Miniato, even though we never actually made it there because we got tired and I punked out and didn't want to keep searching. But the area across the Arno through which we walked was incredible. The houses were massive, and much newer than anything on my side of the river. New, I mean, as in the 1800s instead of the middle ages. New as in the Pitti Palace's "Modern Rooms." New as in, older than most everything in America. It was like being in a different city, though. Just lovely.

On Saturday, Jen and I decided last minute to meet the boys in Siena for the day. I got in touch with Lauren, and we all met at the train station. It was a nice day, even if it cemented things in my mind that make me rather sad. But anyway, Siena is absolutely beautiful. Their Duomo was spectacular. Although the facade was unimpressive compared to some I've seen, including Florence's Duomo, the inside was incredible. The walls were made of striped white and blue marble, while the ceilings were painted navy blue with gold stars. The frescoes in the library were painted by Michelangelo. I would have moved in, were it not so deathly cold (marble tends to be rather chilly) and if I didn't know that they'd kick me out. After hanging around the Duomo for a while, we went to Piazza del Campo, the large piazza in the center of the city. All the little children were dressed up for Carnivale, and ran around throwing confetti and shooting silly string. They were adorable.

Then on Sunday, I went to Viareggio for Carnivale with NYU. Viareggio is a beachside city that reminded me a lot of Coney Island. It was pretty but seedy, and you could tell that it was well past it's prime. But the parade was great, with massive floats that all seemed to be political, but that went over my head because I'm not as up on my Italian politics as I know I should be. But it was a fun day, even if I don't think I would go back to Viareggio.

This weekend I'm heading to Lake Como on Saturday, and spending the rest of the time studying. Midterms are coming up, and I'm scared. Not so much for Islam and Christianity, but I feel like I've been grasping Italian by threads, and I'm not sure how well I'm going to do.

Week from Hell

So I got a lovely note from my dear friend Jessica telling me to update my blog, and I will, I promise, as soon as today is over. Because this has been the first Week from Hell so far this semester. It kind of just crept up with no warning, and suddenly it was all Presentation! Quiz! Paper! Midterms! in rapid succession. And it's not even over yet, and won't be until this time next week, when I will be on my way to sunny Nice and Barcelona and I will be extraordinarily happy.

But anyways, I do have a lot to update you all about last weekend, so I will try to write something tonight, in between watching 4 hours of Don Carlos and crying myself to sleep.

How is lightning like a violist's fingers?

Today in my violin lesson there was a terrible string-breaking squawky noise from the next room, and my teacher looked up, made a disgusted face in that general direction, then smiled and said "It's a viola." So glad to know that viola jokes exist in Italy.

Things I Miss About New York

1) My Parents
My Mom reads my blog now! Hi Mom!

2) Asian Food
Mostly Vietnamese. I came across a recipe for summer rolls yesterday while trolling the interwebs and almost drooled on my keyboard. I've heard that the Chinese restaurants in Florence are not worth going to for any other reason than to say you've eaten terrible Chinese food in Florence, and while there's one affordable sushi place I've yet to go. I'm afraid it will be terrible and then I'll just spend the rest of the day really sad.

3) Meat in General
I'm a terrible meat cooker, and I hate having to think about dinner at breakfast. So I never defrost anything, and anyways meat is super expensive, so I've been living off beans and vegetable and carbs.

4) New York
It's my city. All of my friends here are all "I'm Never Going Back to the States" while I'm all "This Place is Pretty but I Could Never Ever Live Here." I'm realizing Florence is definitely not metropolitan enough for me. I love the imposing grandeur of New York best. I think it has something to do with the fact that it was the first city I fell in love with, and the one that I plan on living in for the rest of my life, even if that requires me to sell my soul or live without health insurance in a little studio with 48574865 roommates in Bed-Stuy.

5) My Roomies
I missed Sonia's 21st birthday. You have no idea how sad that makes me.

6) AMERICAN COFFEE
I'm not down with this espresso-take-one-sip-that-feels-like-acid-pouring-down-your-throat-then-leave shit. I miss getting the largest size caffe americano available from Starbucks (which I refuse to call by whatever ridiculous pretentious name they gave it and just say "large," although I realize that by refusing to play by their rules I am in my own way being super pretentious) and drinking it for hours afterwards.

7) Bookstores
Not being able to read in Italian means I can't go into a bookstore and linger for 8 hours. Miss it.

This is not to say that I'm not enjoying myself here, because that is clearly not the case. I'm having a great time. But that doesn't mean I don't miss things from home.

Never Have I Felt So Guilty About Not Being a Jew

Yesterday my Italian Opera class took us on a tour of Teatro Pergola, the second opera house built in Florence. It was interesting, but hardly life changing. My camera refused to take good pictures so I only have a few.





But then Jennie and I figured that since we were so close and it was such a beautiful day, we should go visit the synagogue. It was probably the most beautiful building I've been in since we've gotten to Florence. It was built in the late 19th century in the Moorish style, and the walls inside were painted the most brilliant colors in the most fantastic designs. We weren't allowed to take cameras or electronic devices inside (there was a bombing pretty recently) so I only got photos of the outside.



When we entered the temple, an english speaking guide invited us to join the tour group with a few other Americans. She explained a lot about the history of the synagogue and the Jewish population in Italy. What I found fascinating was that Italian Jews were forced to live in ghettos beginning in the Renaissance and lasting until the 1860s, but during the Inquisition the de Medicis offered asylum to the Sephardic Jews, and didn't force them to live in the ghettos. So basically Italian Jews were second class citizens until the 1860s but Sephardic Jews were allowed to live and prosper as they pleased.

When we went up to the museum on the third floor, and everyone began talking about where they were from (one man got his doctorate from NYU and works for the State Department currently stationed in Ethiopia, another lives in Rome but is originally from Boston), and eventually got onto the topic of Israel and how dangerous it is for Israelis to go anywhere. The tour guide looked at Jennie and me and asked, "Have you ever been to Israel?" To which we had to honestly reply, no, no we haven't. Then she asked us if we came from big Jewish communities, and once again we had to say that no, we don't. The guide looked so surprised, and I really felt like I let her down or something for not being a Jew. Then I felt like I doubly let her down because she kept telling us to ask her questions except I honestly didn't have anything in particular that I needed to ask. So I kept saying "Ok!" when she said to ask anything we wanted.

The thing is though, that I spent the majority of my childhood wishing I was a Jew, or a Catholic, or Hindu, or any kind of believer at all. I felt like they were so sure of themselves, not racked by insecurities and doubt like I was. Knowing for sure that you had The Truth had to be such a comfort. My cousins were like that. They just Knew that they were headed in the right direction, that they were Saved and therefore no matter what they did in life it was cool because God was on their side. I envied that certainty. I still do. I don't however, still feel like I can only find that certainty in religion. I'm a much more confident person in my own right, and I can find that certainty within me. It doesn't need to come from a book or knowledge of God, but just from my inner beliefs.

Costant April

One thing I completely, wholeheartedly love about living here is the fact that every morning, when I wake up, I can open the door to the terrace and hear birds. The weather is so temperate that even during the winter the birds don't leave.

I am My Mother

Last night I was so tired and pms-y that I accidentally set my alarm for 6:00 AM this morning and was halfway through my oatmeal before realizing that it was ridiculously early, so instead of doing something like go online and read the paper, or do homework, or study, I cleaned the entire kitchen, from top to bottom.