Octo

Last night, I finished the book. It was very good.

This morning, I woke up. It was very tough.

I set my alarm for my 9:30 so that I could get ready and check my email to see what time Heather (the teacher from Bowling Green assisting me with the video) wanted to meet. I turned my computer on at 10 AM, and didn't get the internet to work until 11:30. It was so frustrating. First the internet wasn't connected, then the web browser refused to open. After finally getting on, it was too late to meet; however, hopefully tomorrow it will work out.

I made some scrambled eggs and ate a yogurt for brunch. I grabbed my passport and headed to the post office. I was trying to inquire about a letter that I had received in the mail a day or two before I arrived. Because my name wasn't on the mailbox downstairs, the mailman must have taken it. After unsuccessfully finding my letter at the post office, and woman gave me a number to call and ask which post office it could be at. Hopefully Heather can help me with this, as I'm sure the operator only speaks Italian.

I went back to the apartment, grabbed my backpack, and headed to my first graphic design course. Although I'm in the advanced section, both the beginning and intermediate section are included in the same course, I guess, because they couldn't get enough people for three individual courses. The teacher, Camilla, has a thick Italian accent, which at times can be difficult to understand. She seemed very nice, though. We were introduced to the first assignment.

Project 1 - Hidden Perspectives Visual Journal:

SACI is located in a highly complex area, where milestones of the history of Renaissance are packed tightly together with the Central Grocery Market, a busy multicultural environment and the never-ending stream of travelers coming and going to Santa Maria Novella main railway station. Through this project, you are challenged to create a visual journalistic reportage and/or commentary on a beautiful but degraded area of Florence. Your 'fresh' and unbiased point of view is extremely valuable! Your graphic compositions, will express, together with a short text, your impressions on the Central Market area.

Final - 800 pixel by 800 pixel collage, photomontage, type.
Presentation paper - 500 words
Short text - 60 words

After she introduced us to the assignment, she went over some previous work from the course as well as some of her own. In the reflection of her monitor, on the opposite side, a girl kept dozing off. I found myself imagining what she must have went through today in order to be so tired. I've been in her position, where no matter what you do, your eyes just become so heavy. She would look at the teacher. I could tell this because it almost looked as if she were looking directly at me, and then within a fraction of a second, her head would slowly start to fall backwards, or to the side, and then, almost instantly snap back into place. By the time her eyelids touched, long enough for her head to tilt, she was awake. Frightened, in shock, probably that her head had made such a drastic movement.

I wasn't so very impressed with the work that I did see, when not watching the girl, and this motivated me. I strive off comparison, which may not be healthy, but it works. I believe that by comparing my piece to the others in the class that I believe are the best, I work harder, challenging myself to create something solid, excellent. After class, Camilla took us to various places around Florence. She showed us where Mona Lisa is buried and then took us to the Cappelle Medicee (the Medici Chapel). The artwork inside was breathtaking; ranging from painting, sculpture, relief, and the architecture itself.

After this, I helped Nicki find a phone and then grabbed a few things from the supermarket: milk, yogurt, tomatoes, and more bread. I went home and made myself a cheeseburger for linner. (my sense of timing for meals was a little off today.) I also had the remainder of the bruschetta from the other day with some biscuits. After eating, I called my grandfather to fill him in on the classes and tell him about the design project. I told him a couple of my ideas. He was very excited to speak to me and offered some of his own in return. I then spoke to my mother on gmail, briefly, before taking a shower and relaxing. A couple of hours later, the three roommates and I (Antonio from Barbados, duygo [du-we-go] from Turkey, and Vincent from France) sat around and chatted while each making our respected dinners. Mine consisted of some of the spaghetti from last night and a glass of wine. After dinner, Vincent gave me one of his beers: Birro Moretti. It was very good and I was thrilled to find a local beer that tasted good.

After we all parted ways, I posted the first half of this blog, with an alternative ending. However, somehow, someway, the second half did not post. Needless to say, I was upset. I'm sure that the second rendition is missing some details that I felt vital to the post. However, this version includes the description of the girl falling asleep, so I guess we both win. It's now midnight and I'm exhausted. Talk to you tomorrow!