ten

First of all, I want to take a moment to recognize the heroes, remember those lost, and pray for the families that were unfortunately affected by the events of September 11. 7 years has passed and yet the memory will never fade.






Today began early. I woke up at 7:22, got dressed, and headed towards SACI so that we could check in and confirm our identity for the Permission to Stay form. When I arrived, the line was out the door. Luckily, because I had an 8:30 art history class, they let us skip to the front of the line. Haha, suckas! After checking in, I left to go to the meat store that has 1.5 liter waters for one euro and got that, a yogurt, and a pear. On the way back to the class, the line extended out the door and down the sidewalk atleast 30 meters. Crazy.

Art History was good. It is really interesting, but I think that I'm going to enjoy the field trips more because I will then be able to see the things she is talking about in real life. She talks so fast during the lecture its insane. She is so knowledgeable about the things she says that it is as if she is just speaking to someone non-chalantly about her childhood memories. The class was two hours, and because of my horrible night's sleep, it was tough to manage. Right after class, I spoke to Elizabeth about my scheduling options. I'm still undecided about whether or not to keep serigraphy (even though it seems to be an interesting class) just because I don't want to take on more than I can handle. If i take serigraphy I'll be taking what is equivalent to 18 credit hours. I want to be able to enjoy my stay here while still balancing classes, so chances are that I will probably drop the serigraphy. Wait and see.

After speaking with Elizabeth, I spoke to Sam at the front desk about how to get a letter that a family friend sent from back home. The letter arrived before I came to the apartment, so the mailman probably took it back to the post office. The post office in which my letter will hopefully be in a 30 minute bus ride. Also, it has been almost 2 weeks since that letter arrived, so chances of it actually being here are slim, but I'm trying to remain optimistic. Often times, employees of the post office will take whats inside for themselves if a letter is not claimed. Wish me luck!

After leaving SACI, I walked to the American Express. I converted some cash, and somehow winded up not getting what i should have. Short about 5 euro. She told me that there is a 5 euro commission but once I told her I was a student, she said that there will be no commission, but she probably didn't think I'd catch on (which by the time I did, it was too late anyway) and probably pocketed the 5 euro. It seems that some Florentine's can be pretty shady. When I left AMex, I began walking in the wrong direction. I turned around, and then ended up in the really wrong direction. I came upon the Arno River, which was a lovely surprise. It was a pretty setting, and I wish I had my camera on me to document it. I will for sure return and snap a picture soon. Finally figuring out where I was, it took me about 25 minutes to get home. I made a sandwich for lunch, grabbed the books I made yesterday to show Nicki and then snatched my camera (just in case I stumbled about something wonderful again) from my desk.

I took a new route to class, which seemed quicker. On the way I went under the street in live on, through a tunnel filled with graffiti. I forgot to take a picture. So much for grabbing the camera. In class, we talked about some of our initial ideas and then the advanced section of the group was allowed on the computer to look at previous work and some images that Camilla provided for us. After 3 hours of almost nothing, I returned home. But before doing so, I spotted a fan on the one of the shelves in the design center. I asked the secretary at the front desk if it would be ok to borrow this fan. She said yes and delighted, I scurried home. As soon as I plugged in the fan, It was like instant relief. Aside from the headache I'd gotten from the messed up monitors in the design center, I was feeling great! After a little bit of relaxation, I had dinner. Pasta with sauce, peppers, tomatoes, onions. Antonio made it and it smelled just like the pepper steak sauce my mom makes back home. I was instantly drawn to the smell and Antonio graciously offered me some.



After dinner, I headed to Heather's apartment. It is very nice, air conditioned, has a terrace, and is basically everything I wish mine had. The room's are nice, with a ceiling that reveals wooden planks, shelves above the tv stocked with books, and two bathrooms. Did i mention AC? After a few minutes, the two of us headed to SACI for her lecture. I filmed the speech which was really interesting. We also discussed a little bit about expectations and such for the video project that I'm doing. After the lecture, I walked home, stopping on the way to pick up a pint of Birra Moretti. I stuck it in the freezer 35 minutes ago, and can't wait to crack it open after posting this entry.

And so, I raise a toast.

To the heroes of 9/11 and the men and women still fighting for our country. To their safety, their hearts, and the hope that they will remain strong. Salud.