Does EVERYONE smoke in Italy?!?!?

The answer to that question is, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unfortunately for me, the person who HATES cigarette smoke and is convinced it (like jeans) are from the devil!!!!!

Also, to add to the list of things you thought you knew, but now dont: how to read a map and how to use a keyboard!!!!

It has been an interesting day to say the VERY least! It started out waking up in a very comfortable sleep. The bed is great! This seems strange to comment on, but I mean if it were terrible then it would be a long month! I was so nervous coming here that I would freeze at night because I sleep under my blanket, a sheet, the comforter, and then my big thick "Elyse" blanket. However, this bed has my blanket, a sheet, a fleece blanket, and then a feather down comforter. Some of you are thinking, "bleh, too hot." I am thinking, "it is PERFECT!!!!!!!" And really, that's all that matters! ;)

So I got dressed this morning, put on my make up, and by the way I am so grateful to have my own bathroom because I dont have to feel like I am in anyone's way! :) For my first day I wore my purple skirt, tights, blank tank top with black cardigan, colorful scarf, and my wonderfully warm UGGS (yes Erin, I know they are ugly...). It was so strange to not eat breakfast as soon as I woke up, and even stranger to wait for someone else to "make it". I really didn't like it because it meant I had to leave later than I anticipated, which turned out to be really bad because I got soooooo lost this morning. Breakfast was this weird cake thingy and then they offered me some yogurt. I was excited about this, but it was WEIRD...it was brown and did not taste like yogurt. However, it was good. They then gave me the keys to the building/apartment, and said I didn't have to be back at any certain time and dinner was around 8 or 8:30 (very late for me).
My attempt to take a picture of my cute outfit


Okay, so here is where the REAL adventure began. I left the apartment, and immediately went the wrong way! :( So I turn around and start walking. After this I got COMPLETELY lost. I was using a map that another student had highlighted, well it sucks! :( So one lady had already helped me, but then I got even MORE lost. Let me tell you, it was NOT a good feeling to be lost in a COUNTRY where your knowledge of the language is limited and your cell phone doesn't work yet (thus if I had reeeeeally needed to call someone, I couldn't). Thankfully, I ran into a man who was speaking English and was lost. He needed to look at my map and I needed to know where the heck I was going. At first I thought, "well, we weont be able to help each other", but he was just needed to reference a map. He was born here in Florence and lived here some, but his father worked in the Italian embassy in San Fransisco. Thus, he spoke fluent English and was also able to help me find my way. He was such a big help and got me on a road that would take me right where I needed to go. I was so grateful for him. I feel like the Lord placed him in my path.

So, I finally arrived at CLIDA and took the placement test. Let me say here that my need for "perfection" almost killed me in the first 2 hours of my day (needing to be on time, needing to know where I am/where I'm going, and making A's in Italian does NOT mean you remember it...). So I took the placement test and I sucked it up...but whatever! I met Gabriella and her husband, Alberto. They are SOOOOOOO SWEET!!!!!! They are friends with Barbara and Maurizio (my Italian teachers at Alabama). So after I took the test, they told me just to come back around 12:30 to go to lunch with Gabriella, Alberto, and another student, Fiona. However, I asked Gabriella where I could go to get an Italian sim card, and she sent Alberto with me. I had such a hard time understanding his Italian! :( It is so rapid and the words seem to run together and my brain doesn't think in Italian anymore...and really never thought fast enough for this! However, we went to one place and it was closed. So then we went back to the school for him to find another place and then we were off again. So we found it and went in and the line was soooo long and then as they were getting to me, the computers stopped working. After about 30 minutes, we left. I "remembered" where it was and Alberto said to go back later. So I walked back to the school and waited for lunch, which at this time was not too far away.

I sat down with Fiona and we started talking. She is from Edinburgh, Scotland and she lives in London. She teaches high school and has done the British equivalent of "Teach for America." She was super sweet and I was excited and hopeful that I had found a person to hang out with. Gabriella took us to lunch, which was a long walk. We saw the market and just enjoyed the walk. Gabriella would only allow us to speak in Italian, so needless to say, I didn't talk much. Fiona has been here for a month and understands a little more than I do, and she says i'll get there again. Alberto met us at the restaurant. So we went to this place with the most beautifully exposed brick EVER!! I was so unsure of ordering that Gabriella pretty much ordered for me. I had.....ummm...bruschetta with a TON of tomatoes on it. The oil tasted JUST LIKE Nonna's that she always put on Mikey's food. It was really good! I even ate a good bit of the tomatoes. Gabriella also let me taste her proscuitto. It was really good as well. THen my "second course"...what, don't they know I dont eat that much food!?!? In fact, the family asked me that last night. Anyway, was chicken with salad. IT was REALLY good, but unfortunately, I could not eat all of it. My stomach literally felt like it was going to bust. Then Gabriella and Alberto took us to get "coffee". Alberto and I had already discussed that I dont eat fish and dont drink much coffee. However, I tried it. Not for me though...too strong. We had a nice walk back to the school and Gabriella finally spoke in ENglish for me. SHe said that it was natural to be nervous and that I would be fine. She was so sweet and walked with her arm around me and just made me feel so welcomed. She also talked to me about the museum pass. Then they had to go and that left just Fiona and I to talk and walk.

So Fiona is taking another class at a British school. She had to walk that way, so I walked with her. OMG was I so glad that I did. First, we talked about what all she had done while she had been in Florence. I told her that I wanted to go to Rome...and GUESS WHAT!!! SHE DOES TOO!!! I prayed this morning that I would meet a possible travel buddy, and I think I did. She would also like to go to Lucca and go back to Siena...I think I may have found a friend! :) So we just walked and talked...she's really sweet...and she's 24, so really close to my age!! We walked over the Ponte Vecchio and then more. Then she had to go in class and I left to walk back. It was BEAUTIFUL!!! I stopped and took some pictures and just took my time. I went in a few stores. I went in H&M because this guy, Mossimo, was trying to ask me if I wanted to walk to some piazza with him...Erin, he clearly surpassed the age limit...not to mention he was a total stranger! H&M had a purse JUST LIKE the one I spent weeks searching for at home. They also had a dress that I tried on...much cuter on the hanger. SO then I just walked the street and looked at post cards, took some pictures, and enjoyed the fact that I AM IN ITALY!!!!!!!!!!!! I went in the book store next to the school and made my first, and only purchase I pre-planned, the first Harry Potter book...IN ITALIAN!!! I figure it would be a good way to practice because I know the story so well, and at home I have the English version (thus, once I get home, if I get stuck I have the ENglish version of the book to help me get going again). SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Looking at the Pontevecchio and the Piazza della Repubblica where the school is located

Also, there is a Hard Rock Cafe next to the school...that is lame...not eating there...ever

Then I went back in the school and checked my email, was able to use a clean bathroom, and then went back out to walk around some more. I walked around the Duomo...beautiful by the way. In fact, this morning as I realized I was no longer lost, this was the first thing i saw and wow, was I awestruck. Then I just wandered around for a bit. I realized that it was starting to get dark, but I wanted to make the most of my day, so I went to find Tiffany. The street it is on reminds me of 5th Ave in NYC. It had Louis Vuitton, Prada, Cartier, etc. etc. I walked the wrong way (of course) for Tiffany, but when I found it I was....SUPER DISAPPOINTED!!! It was TINY, plus I couldn't see ANYTHING because it was packed with tourists. Now, I know I am a "tourist" here too...but not in Tiffany...Tiffany is like...well...the best thing ever...and I...well, it sucked compared to NYC (& Chicago, & LA, and even Nashville...). However, I did see some cool things on my walk to and from there...and now I've seen it and that's checked off the "list".
Then I made my way back to the apartment (not an easy feat). It was a looong walk. However, I got to see children out "trick-or-treating", but it was in stores. I also went in a "super mercato"; it was like a maze! They did have some name brands that I recognized: Activia, Herbal Essence, etc. I walked in a really cool book store and then just kept walking. It was getting dark. SO then I got confused on the street (thanks to the stupid map) that I was suppoesd to be on. I was on the correct street, but couldn't find the right apartment. It was getting dark and fewer people were around, but all of the sudden, my FAVORITE Bible verse (and one that will probably be my "life verse" because it has been so extremely comforting in so many situations), Isaiah 41:10 came to mind (well, really I felt the Lord saying it to me). All I could hear in my head was, "Do not be afraid, for I am with you." This was so comforting because I was becoming a bit afraid. However, I saw a nice man and asked him where 72 was. He pointed me in the right direction and I was on my way. I found the building, climbed the stairs, and the building was dark. Then i couldn't get the door to open so I had to buzz the thingy. It was a weird door...the way I had turned the key I had actually closed it and they couldn't open it from the inside either. SO that was weird. Then I came in, talked to my daddy on skype, put the new Italian Sim card in my phone (that Fiona went with me to get), and now I have been laying here updating my blog. My legs are SOOOO tired and I am so tired as well. I think it will do me good to sleep in tomorrow. I think that Fiona and I may take a walk around the city tomorrow! Right now I am waiting for dinner.


Also, in the bookstore today I saw Eric Carle books in italian. The other book purchase I wanted to make was 1 or 2 children's books in Italian...I think I may have found them!!!!! Also, I saw some houndstooth stuff today...I wanted to give everyone a "Roll Tide", but figured they would have no clue what I was talking about!! However, Saturday (the pre-national championship game...haha...LSU game day...(though if you are reading this and DIDN'T know that Saturday, November 5th is the LSU game...what rock do you live under!?!? ;) jk...I know some people wont know), I will give some people a Roll Tide...and then again on Sunday when I find out that we won!!! ;)
That's right...I took a picture...no one should be surprised!!! Hopefully tomorrow I will get some pictures with my graduation present (35 mm...SLR camera).

Dinner is such a production in Italy! They take so long to prepare and the table is set so nicely! There are multiple courses, which I knew, but was totally unprepared for. Tonight I had a little less food than last night (thank goodness because I had a bigger lunch than normal). However, I got plenty of protein; chicken for both meals! Tonight we started out with a little bit of pasta (I had like maaaaayybe 5 pieces of penne pasta) and these like spinach/cheese balls. It was mostly spinach and they were SO GOOD! Then I had chicken that reminded me a little bit of some chicken Nonna made me one day and broccoli. The broccoli was EXCELLENT!!! The chicken was good too, but I LOVE broccoli! I also had a tiny piece of bread with the meat stuff on it from last night. It's good...but then I found out what it was...hold on to your hats...I ate liver! WHAT?!?!?!? Ughh!!! However, it wasn't bad! Then I was asked to try the veal (which looked disgusting) and I didn't really care for it...I prefer chicken, beef, or pork! However, the important thing here is that I TRIED IT!!! Many of you are probably shaking your heads saying, "no you didn't" or you just fell out of your chair in shock, but it is true.

Dinner was good! I was able to speak a little more Italian, but Guenda is kind enough to use English for me as well!! It is so bizarre sitting at a table listening to them talk and having NO clue what they are saying. I catch a few words here and there, but not enough to put all of the pieces together. I was excited to give them their gifts though. We were talking about Alabama and so I thought it was the perfect time! They taught me the word for houndstooth, which was piedapurro (or something like that...I dont know how to spell it). They said that there is a place here in Florence that shows American football! I was SO EXCITED, until I realized that the game would be at like 3 in the morning here. They said the place is always open, and they are going to try and figure out for me whether or not they are showing the Alabama v. LSU game! HOW AWESOME WOULD THAT BE!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Overall, it has been a good day! Overwhelming, fun, confusing, too much food, amazing day!! I am hoping to sleep in some tomorrow since it is a holiday. I still feel EXHAUSTED!! However, then I am going to walk around and get my bearings so that Wednesday is MUCH smoother!!

Ohhh...Brad V., I passed a McDonald's this morning, but it was closed and I was lost so I couldn't have gone in!!!