Giorno Due! Yesss!

So I woke up this morning and I was still here.

This is still so surreal. And wonderful. And yes, I am still absolutely enamored with this place. So all's well.

Last night we went out to some sweet, but pretty sketchy club called Space Electronica. Basically it was American college students and then desperate Italian boys. It was very much like a middle school dance: three or four girls dancing in the middle of ten or twelve Italian boys. Very classy. But it was so fun. We had a blast. We went to bed ridiculously late (around 4:30) after talking when we got back. Then we woke up to a brigade of people standing outside our door knocking at 10:30. It was fab. Kind of. After a brief trip to the grocery store to buy some fruit for "breakfast" (at 11:30), we came back and promptly returned to our beds where we slept off our late night and possibly some lingering jet lag.

Today was the first day that everyone in the program was all together. I love the people. There's a lot of strong personalities, which should make for an interesting, but entertaining group. I can't wait to see where this semester takes us all. Jodi, our director here in Florence is amazing. I just want to hang out with her all day. She's lived in Florence since 1972 and has a wealth of information. She's wonderful.

We went out to dinner and I had my first Italian pizza! First impression: an individual pizza here is way too big for a single individual to eat. It was enormous. Everything here seems to be very big. Anyways, it was delicious pizza, which is not at all surprising to me. However, I have heard that the best pizza exists in Naples and south of Naples, so I will have to check that out at some point and compare.

For now, I am going to bed. It's quarter after one in the morning and Italian class starts at 9:00 AM tomorrow...

...ready...set...GO!!

I. AM. HERE. Yesss!!!!!

I love it here.

I have never been anywhere that is so full of beauty like this place is. Everything here is beautiful. The buildings, the people, the art, the food, the streets, the language, the clothes, the shoes; even the parking lots and pharmacies are beautiful. The women are sexy and confident and sassy. The men are gorgeous and arrogant and full of compliments. They also seem to be full of invitations to clubs, to dinner, to be alone with them, anything. It's very flattering :)

The food is absolutely incredible. You cannot believe how good it is. Every single bite I take is better than the last. My first meal consisted of: bruschetta (my favorite thing I've eaten so far); penne with olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, and peperoncini; and a wonderful full-bodied, red house wine. Unbelievably good. Everything is just right. Just the right amount of peperoncini in the pasta. Just the right amount of tomatoes and basil on the bread for the bruschetta, just the right amount of sweetness in the wine. I will never stop eating in this city. I am seriously concerned for the state of my weight. It's going to be a struggle.

We walked a lot today, and it was very hot. We're currently in the midst of a little late afternoon siesta. We probably walked a solid 8-10 miles. I'm not very good at estimating those things, but I'm gonna stick with 8-10. It felt like 20 though. But it was worth it. We saw the Duomo (the most beautiful enormous building I've ever seen), we crossed the river via the famous bridge with all the jewelry shops (yes, one day my engagement ring can come from there...just saying), saw tons of basilicas and palazzos, and then looped back around just in time for lunch (pasta salad with fresh mozzarella, roma tomatoes, black olives, and peperoncini). We discovered that all grapes here have seeds in them (SURPRISE!) but they were the perfect ending to the meal. Also, in case you were wondering, gelato is a million times better than ice cream, and I will be eating only gelato for the rest of my life. No more ice cream. I don't yet know how I am going to accomplish this in the US, but I will find a way. Gelato is way too good to give up.

Tonight we are going to eat some more delicious food, drink some wine and some limoncello, and have our first "going out" experience. We're going to some club called the Space Club or something like that. We walked by last night and scoped it out. It looks pretty legit. I'm stoked. Time to meet some Italian hotties and dance the night away. YESSS!!!

Now it is time for me to go fraternize with the beautiful Italian people in their beautiful Italian city. After a quick power nap.

So long my American chums and chumettes! I love you all...almost as much as I love this place. Almost.

xo Sarita

SURPRISE!!!

HAHA! All you people thought I was going to Italy this morning. GOTCHA!

Well, actually, GOTME! too. We thought (because we apparently cannot read or understand written things) that the flight left at 7:20 AM, not 7:20 PM. Well, SURPRISE! We have finally been revealed for the morons we really are. Whoops.

So let me describe the scene for you. The freeway is pretty much empty, except for the occasional semi-truck. The airport is sensationally empty, except for the occasional international visitor whose flight just landed. There is NO ONE at any of the check-in kiosks for any of the airlines. And then there's us, my mother and father and me, with two suitcases (which are very heavy by the way, but NOT over the weight limit...HURRAH!!) a ludicrously heavy carry-on (which has all my books, notebooks, some clothes in case my suitcases don't make it on time, my make-up, and some other random things) and my new zebra print backpack. We look like death, as we've been up since 3:45, we're crabby and tired, and confused as to why no one is around. Hmmm...

So I text Alyse and ask if she's at the airport, because we were planning on meeting between 4 and 4:30, and it's already 4:45. No response. Hmmm...

Then I start talking to my dad about how long the flight is and what time I'll be there. He figured that I would be there at 2 AM on Friday, which I know is not right, so I get out my ticket and look it over. And then I see it. 7:20 PM. PM. Not AM. PM. Good Lord. I stare at it for a few seconds, in utter disbelief. Then I stare at it for a few more seconds and will it to change to AM, but it remains PM. Perfect. I look at my parents and just start laughing. This cannot be real life. Oh, but it is. I tell them and we sit in stunned silence for a solid half an hour with the occasional incredulous laugh to break the heavy silence. So what do we do now? Our options are: stay at the airport until the correct time, which is 12 hours away (this option elicited a very finite "NO!" from my mother and I) or call Jean Beaudoin the French Canadian at 5 o'clock in the morning, wake him up, and tell him how impossibly, embarrassingly moronic we are, and then beg him to let us take over his house for the day while his family is gone at work and school. Obviously, we chose option two. (We're not very tactful sometimes. Or maybe tactful isn't the right word; maybe the right word is respectful.)

And so I am sitting on Jean Beaudoin the French Canadian's couch, watching some tennis (Dementieva v. Bartoli in some random US Open series tournament), and waiting for 4:00 PM to arrive.

You can laugh. In fact, please do. It is a very funny situation. Unfortunately, my parents and I have not reached the point where it is funny yet. Maybe in a few days. It could take longer. Who knows? But for now I will nap some more and retain the thought that it's better we were 12 hours early than 12 hours late.

What a trip already, and it hasn't even technically started. The lesson for today: go with the flow, find the humor in life, and make the best of every situation...later flight = more sleep for me!

So long my darlings. I hope I've given you a good laugh this morning. I will talk to you soon, from ITALYYYY (for real this time)!!!!

Peace
Love
ITALY

Good grief.

Okay well I'm not in Italy yet, but I'm less than 24 hours away.

It is 4:11 in the morning and I'm sitting in Jean Beaudoin the French Canadian's kitchen, drinking orange juice and trying to understand what is about to happen. Once I get past the fact that I've been up since 3:45 and I only got about three hours of sleep, I'm pretty excited. I'm also very nervous. I mean, this is it. Goodbye US of A, goodbye American culture, goodbye mom and dad, goodbye comfort zone. Hello Florence, and all that comes with it.

It's time to go! AHHHH!!!! I'm about 20 minutes away from meeting Alyse and Carolyn, two of the girls on my trip. I'm super excited about that. So that's it. Sorry if this is a little boring, I'm not very witty or entertaining at 4:30 in the morning.

So long my little American chums!

I love you all!

It's so close I can taste it...

Well, I decided to write one last time before I set off on my big adventure. It all begins tomorrow at noon...

MY ITINERARY:
Wednesday, August 25
Noon: leave Charlevoix to drive to Chicago
6 PM (central time): arrive in Chicago
8 PM (still central time): GO TO BED

Thursday, August 26
3:30 AM: wake up (kill me now)
4:30/5 AM (ish): drive to Chicago O'Hare International Airport
5-7:20 AM: do airport stuff (i.e. check in, find my gate, etc., etc.)
7:20 AM: BOARD A PLANE TO ITALY

...many lightyears later: ARRIVE IN FLORENCE, ITALY.

Wow. What a week it's going to be. I don't have much time to write, or much attention span. My mind if going a million miles an hour trying to make sure I have everything and everything is planned and going as planned. So maybe I will spend my last night at home turning my brain off, relaxing with my family, cuddling with my boyfriend, and getting a good night's rest in preparation for the pandemonium that is to come. Good luck with that, huh?

I love you all. You are wonderful.

Hugs, Sarah

P.S. NEXT TIME I WRITE TO ALL YOU LOVELY PEOPLE, I WILL BE IN ITALY. OMG.

Packing, Harry Potter, Shoes, Italy, etc., etc.

So I'm leaving in 6 days. Whoa. WHOA.

I'm pretty much packed. And by pretty much packed I mean I've got all my stuff laid out in piles but not in the suitcase yet. The suitcase is sitting in the corner of my room, looking very empty and lonely. I hope it has enough sense to expand so that all my stuff will fit in it. Maybe I could use an enlarging charm like Harry Potter so that from the outside it looks completely normal but when you get inside, it is 23 times the normal size. Hmmm...

Speaking of Harry Potter, I am completely obsessed. I reread all seven of them this summer, straight through from one to seven, which I have never done before. I love Harry Potter. My dilemma is this: part one of the seventh movie comes out on November 19th...WHEN I'M IN ITALY. Good grief. This really is a tragedy. I'll have to figure out how to make this work. Ugh.

Anyways, I'm going to go finish reading Eat Pray Love. And then I'm going to spend some time thinking about how I will be in Italy in 6 days. Wow. Maybe I'll also spend some time freaking out like I did when I was packing. (I started packing, had a minor panic attack, sat down on my floor and cried for 20 minutes, then got over myself and finished packing. This is my life. Dear Lord.) I will possibly try to whittle down the number of shoes I'm bringing (ten) but probably not. We'll see.

Have a super fab day cara mia.

Love, Sarah

P.S. This is my shout out to you Lizzy Lou. Let's go learn how to wear scarves :)

T-minus 20 days. Holy cow.

We've passed the three week mark now. It was yesterday. Not today, not tomorrow, not in a week, yesterday. Time is flying by, and I seem to be struggling with keeping tabs on it. Nonetheless, I am getting more excited by the minute; at this rate, by the time I get there I will have exploded with excitement, so that's nice.

Some updates? I think so.
1. I still haven't even thought about packing from a packing standpoint. I've only thought about packing from a this-is-not-going-to-go-well-so-maybe-I'll-keep-avoiding-it-for-as-long-as-I-can standpoint. BUT, I did buy a suitcase yesterday. It's a step in the right direction, right?
2. My 75-300 mm lens for my new camera came in the mail while I was out of town last weekend, and I came home to find it sitting on my bed looking all shiny and new and pleading to be used. I love it. I think I will try to find an appropriate name for my camera soon. Hmmm...
3. My ebbing Italian skills may have gone on vacation. Or they are playing hide and seek when I am clearly in no state to play with them. I can't seem to find them anywhere. Uh-oh.
4. MOMMA KNOWS HOW TO USE SKYPE! I was sitting in my room the other day and, SURPRISE!! Momma called me on Skype! I'm so proud of her :)
5. The not spending thing is a struggle...I went on a shopping marathon yesterday, starting with the suitcase and ending with one of everything in Gap. Whoops. But, in my defense, I did need some new outfits and some new basics and a new pair of jeans and two new scarves and some new flip-flops and some new flats and a new nightgown and...well let's just say it got a little out of control. I have no willpower. But I put a freeze on my bank account so that should do the trick. I hope. haha
6. We've already discussed the excitement part of this trip. It's going very well.
7. Chicago is full of friends...we're staying with Momma's college buddy, so I can check hotel reservations off the to do list.

And there you have it. You are officially updated. Now today, I need to finish reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (for those of you who do not know, I am nauseatingly obsessed with Harry Potter. It's becoming quite an issue...), go to work and make some money to spend in ITALY (did I mention that I am going to ITALY in 20 DAYS??!?!?!!?!!!?!?), and lay out on my back deck so I can be tan and gorgeous when I get to ITALY. Tomorrow is my cousin's wedding, so maybe I should get him and Carly a card too. Hmmm...I'll think about it. Until next time...

Arrivederci mia bella amici!