Finding Normalcy

     

As life continues to speedily move by, I search for things in Florence that give me a sense of comfort, a sense of home. I have found a couple of things that remind me of my life back home, or things that humanize the lives of people who live here. For example, I was walking to class early in the morning when I walked past these two boys about the age of 9. One was crouched on the ground, using the bench as a table as he scribbled something into a notebook as the other kid stood next to him. As I got close enough to see what he was doing, I realized the boy was copying the homework answers from his friend. I thought to myself, so they do it in Italy to, eh? It brought me back to Mr. Forshey’s 8th grade math class. 

             

        When I start feeling distant from my homeland, I enjoy walking through the park when the kids get out of school. The parents are picking them up from the school across the street, hugging them while the kids show them their recent accomplishment in art class. It’s such a joy to see the parents with their little Italian tater tots, running around, screaming Italian gibberish, which sounds a lot like English gibberish. I’m not a creep, who just stands there and watches the children. I walk with a purpose and glance over every now and then. 

  

      I’ve also been reverting back to my childlike tendencies of “sickness descriptions.” The point-to-where-it-hurts tendency. I have strep throat, so I’ve been trying to explain to my host mom where the pain is. We’re becoming very good at charades. 

     Another way I find normalcy here is the Bible study. There’s nothing quite like a group of Christians meeting together to bring a sense of comfort and common ground. We’re all studying abroad in a new country, and we all love Jesus. There’s nothing too complicated about it.

       The last way I like to get into my comfort zone is listening to music on my way to class. One thing I really miss here is driving in the car, by myself, with my music of choice (I miss my alone time.). Because I walk everywhere here, I have a lot of time to listen to my jams. I enjoy secretly swaying my arms to the beat of Ben Rector. No one has to know, although I sometimes feel like my cadence walking is a bit too obvious, because I begin feeling like I’m on a catwalk. 

      It’s things like these that help me adjust to my life here. I love Italian culture, but there are just some habits that I can’t give up from the good ol’ U-S-of-A.

The Umbrella Parade

You would have thought that Carnivale had continued on through this weekend with the colorful umbrella processional we had going on today.

 Today we went to Siena. From hearing all the great things about Siena, I was really excited to check it out for myself. We knew the weather was going to be somewhat crummy, so we all brought our umbrellas, two layers of socks, and comfy shoes. Although my shoes were comfortable, they were quite soggy by the end of the day. It rained, and believe it or not, snowed the whole time we were in Siena. It did not help that our tour was mainly an outdoor walking tour. The wind was blowing, the temperature was about 23 below zero (ok, not that bad, but it was in the thirties). I’m not exactly sure of all that our tour guide said. To be honest, I zoned out 90% of the time, because I was trying to transport blood circulation into my toes by wiggling them to create friction. I’m not sure I was actually wiggling them though, because my toes were too numb to tell.

 Once the tour was over, a couple of us ran into a restaurant to eat. As we were eating, we looked out the window at the snow that was coming down pretty hard. Apparently, snow hardly ever happens in Siena, so I noticed a couple Italians with their noses pushed up against the window at the snowy spectacle. Although the snow was beautiful, we were all eager to make a dash to the bus to warm our little toesies.

 When Rachel and I were walking back to the apartment after the day was over, my cheap red umbrella began developing a mind of it’s own. Whenever the wind blew, without missing a single gust, would either pop out like all the nannies’ umbrellas in Mary Poppins, or do a little dance, making me look like an idiot who can’t hold an umbrella still. I couldn’t help but laugh at everyone else who were having the same difficulties with their strong-willed umbrellas. My umbrella died that night. It’s lying in the umbrella graveyard with all the other 3-euro parasols.

 Despite the yucky weather, Siena was beautiful, especially in the snow. But I am very happy that I will going back in May when my parents come. We’ll probably have to do another walking tour, because I only listened 10% of the tour guide’s information. Perhaps I’ll learn something next time. I Lord willing, I won’t have to use an umbrella.

The Piazza

Making the most of it

Staying warm and enjoying some tiramisu 

Arezzo, Cortona, and Everything in Between

Dramatic Pause. 

Aaaand we’re back. Time for an update on my recent excursions. Two weekends ago, we took a day trip to Arezzo and Cortona, two Etruscan towns. Both towns are situated up on hills, making them lovely spectacles and objects of gorgeous views. If you’ve ever seen “Life is Beautiful,” it was filmed in Arezzo. And “Under the Tuscan Sun” was filmed in Cortona. We ate lunch in Arezzo at this adorable Trattatoria. Wine racks lined the walls, Red and white tablecloths covered the tables. I ordered my favorite pizza, Cuattro Stagioni (Prosciutto, artichokes, mushrooms, and olives). Molto Buono.

Arezzo

Cara and I in Arezzo

Trattoria in Arezzo

Cortona was an adorable town. The road winding to the top gives any human being bus-sickness, but it was worth it. The hilly town has narrow alleyways, quaint shops, and breathtaking views of the valley below. I was in a leather shop when I got to talking with the shop owner. She was the sweetest British lady. When she was in college, she studied in Florence for a month, decided she was going to live here, fell in love with a Florentine, got married, and they’ve lived just outside of Cortona for 40 years. Loved hearing her story, though it didn’t help my hopeless romantic side in the slightest.

Cortona

                                          

Cortona

On Valentine’s Day, a couple of us went to a fragrance shop and a leather shop. Both are local businesses where they make their goods right there in the shops. The moment you walk into the perfumery, a huge whiff of about 200 fragrances fills your nostrils with scents of patchouli, lavender, rose, and a whole bunch of others. If you know me at all, you know I love to smell things, so this shop was so much fun for me. I ended up walking out with about three different fragrances spritzed on me. I wasn’t about to leave without testing a 150-euro perfume. And no, Mom, I didn’t buy any.

 Last week was also the week I partook in a cooking class. I truly felt like a Food Network chef. My dream had been accomplished. We made a Sicilian pasta dish with homemade tomato sauce and eggplant, cauliflower flan (don’t hate it until you’ve tried it), and panna cotta with a balsamic caramel sauce for dessert (kind of like a firm vanilla pudding, or creamy jello. It’s the only way to describe it, but it’s really good.). I intend to make it for anyone who wants it, so let me know and I’ll make you a true Italian dinner.

Alex and I were the designated dessert makers. We owned that Panna Cotta

Brewing up something delicious

The delicious Panna Cotta

This past Sunday, we took a bus just outside of the city near the small town called Fiesole. We took a tour of an Olive farm, Fattoria di Maiano, where they make literally one of the greatest tasting extra virgin olive oils I’ve ever tasted. The farm is also a bed and breakfast, so everywhere you look is picture perfect. The place was actually a filming location for a movie called “A Room with a View,” which I’ve never seen before. The olives are done for the season, but it was still cool to see the production machinery and taste some of it on a toasted baguette. Plus, I love learning anything from Tomazo, our 20-something guide. I think he works as a model on the side. Just a guess.

View from the farm

The restaurant at the bed and breakfast

                             

The farm also had animals

Also went to the Uffizi Gallery, the original offices for practically every Medici that ever lived. It was also the first art collection open to the public. Saw Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Springtime. Other works included Leonardo, Carravagio, Michelangelo, and Brunelleschi, but this stuff is boring to read about. Just go see them, and you’ll see why I’m excited.

And we climbed the Belltower.

414 Steps. We're obviously on step 34 at this point.

 

Me being daring

Hey, it was a big drop. 

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Ten Things

       Kathleen Kelly is to New York City as I am to Florence, for all you “You’ve Got Mail” aficionados. Except instead of the smell of bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils, it’s the aroma of cigarettes and wine. Which leads me to the first installment of “Ten Things I love About Florence”

 1. The smell of leather and secondhand smoke down every street.

2. The concaved cobblestone streets around Santa Croce from all the wear and tear over the years. It’s really funny to watch people trip over themselves and walk like they’re drunk. By “people,” I mean “me.”

 3. Maria Grazia’s Tartufo Pasta.

4. The creepy guys on the streets that try to sell you umbrellas…..

5. The little Italian boys playing soccer in the Piazza de Santa Croce.

6. Old men wearing fedoras, oversized glases, and London Fog.

 7. The river walk.

 8. The Oil Shop. The. Best. Sandwiches. Number 4 is my kryptonite.

9. The quiet streets at 7:30 in the morning, when all the stores are just opening and the old women are walking their dogs that have their own sweaters.

10. The military guy in the glass triangle display-thingy that’s protruding out of a military building I pass by every day. I’m pretty sure he recognizes me by the two scarves I alternate every other day and the same pair of jeans I’ve worn for the last four days. One day I know we’ll be friends.

Fellowship in Florence

                This past Sunday, Laurel, Cara, and I ventured a little out of Florence to go to a church we heard about through word of mouth called Chiesa Logos. We took a trolley/train to get to the recreational center where the church is located. We walked into the room, the sound of a contemporary worship songs being sung, a tune recognizable to my ears, but in Italian. It was awesome. Though the congregation was small (about 50 people), it was so awesome to be worshiping the same God, only in a different language. If you’ve ever experienced something like that, it’s a wonderful experience. The message was also in Italian, but I enjoyed looking at the scripture references in Italian, and reading them in English in my Bible. It was kind of like a puzzle.
              We met the pastor after church, who is an incredible individual. In addition to pastoring this church, he also translates at church conferences from English to Italian, so it was very comfortable talking to him . He went to the Theological Seminary in San Diego and came back to Florence with his wife and three daughters to preach. His wife is American and an inspiring woman. I can’t wait to have a coffee date with her.
                Pastor Andrea was telling us after church about the spiritual burnout in Italy. Only 9% of Florentines are practicing Catholics, and less than 1% are Evangelical Christians. Italy is now further behind than India and many parts of Asia in spiritual revival. It was mind boggling to hear that, but also eye opening. The church is doing wonderful things in Florence, and Pastor Andrea asked to keep the church in our prayers, as the spiritual warfare is prevalent here.
                 We also attended an English speaking Bible Study on Tuesday nights at the home of CodyWilbanks. Cody, his wife Danielle, and their two little daughters moved to Florence two years ago to be missionaries and church planters. They started this Bible study last year when a couple of American students really just wanted to have some kind of Christian community while they were here studying. My heart was filled with so much joy Tuesday night when I saw a group twenty-some students who have the same desire to pursue Christ while studying here in Florence. The Bible study was awesome, filled with the Holy Spirit and the fellowship of other believers. Also pretty cool that many of them go to Grove City and know some people who I know there!
              The Lord has provided abundantly. There I was, a Doubting Thomas and worrier, and the Lord basically told me, It’s okay, Kate, I’ve got awesome plans in store for you. Philippians 4:6.