Tuesday on a Friday

This was supposed to post on Tuesday but didn't and now I don't know what to do with it. So if you wanted to know about my Tuesday........ 

C and I used to joke about Tuesday being Taylor Swift's favorite day and so naturally it was ours too.  Because of typical Tuesday nights? Or was it the Tuesday that you caught my eye.... Tuesday's must just be like the go-to day to talk about something normal. And here I am on a Tuesday, about to tell you that today was normal.  The kind where you wake up and go to all your classes and do everything you needed to do in between.  And then you get home and realize how hungry and fully exhausted and sleep-deprived you are and you feel grimy from your day and you're kind of mad about it because you just took a shower the night before but you're too hungry to take one now. So I just made some kebab I got from the market and cut up a tomato with mozzarella on the side, then I took a shower. So I'm good now, and I'm remembering again why Tuesdays are so good. And normal.  

Amicizia con gli Italiani

In one day, I learned more Italian than I have Spanish in 5 years.  Gratzie, Francesco, Paolo e Joey, ho riso più con voi tutti giorno. Ok that's all really haha. Sandwiches and Italian beer in the square led to caffe shakeratos on the Palazzie Michelangelo overlooking Florence. Then we were shoe shopping in the city "qualsiasi cosa per la principessa" with plans for pizza with friends. Then "In Italia, abiamo aperitivos first pizza" to which you say ...Ok! And then we're drinking orange cocktails by the duomo. We all go home "ci prepariamo" then meet for the most wonderful pizza I've ever had and before we know it it's 5 a.m. and we're all best friends.

How does that happen? I can't explain it- I wouldn't be able to anyways, we barely spoke a complete sentence the whole time. After a while, you're so confused trying to explain, you just give up. But laughing? Laughing we could understand. We laughed about everything.

Strangers are a funny thing, because they could actually be very dangerous. Or they could actually be very much like you. Especially if they're from halfway across the world and have never left Italy in their lives. It's a risk, and you have to be smart. But if I've learned anything about this short life, it's the risks that are always worth it.

Miei nuovi amici Italiani

Church

I have to write really quick about going into this church, because it was one of the most moving experiences of my life. We were hanging out at this palazzo one night, not doing too much and all of a sudden one of the guys tells us to follow them. Apparently these churches only open for certain periods of time certain days of the week, so if you want to see it you have to go when it's open and we just happened to be sitting there when it opened (and dressed appropriately).  And this church isn't even a main attraction or a touristy spot, it's just like a church in the city. But oh, my. I walked in, looked up and around and the goosebumps came. I started tearing up and tried really hard not to cry. It was just so grand and beautiful and powerful. I'm not even really religious but I really knew God was in there because it was just so overwhelming.  So I just wanted to say that I know these churches here are a big deal, but I guess I never really got it.

Party in the USA

If there's one thing American students studying abroad should sing to a bar of drunk Italians and Australians, it's Miley Cyrus karaoke.

I am so tired and hot laying on my bed and my laptop is making my thighs sweat but I am too tired to turn the fan on. I'm finally at ground level with everything that I needed to do this weekend but not without the feeling like all my muscles are melting inside my body.  So much walking and drinking all day here that it's like going to Disney World every day except to get home, you don't get to fall asleep on the air conditioned bus ride on the way, you have to walk.

Thursday night I had my wallet snatched out of my purse and don't forget that when these kinds of things happen to me, it's always right after I go to the ATM and decide 200 euros, my American license and a debit card are probably all good things to take out with me.  But the next day we went to the bar at which I lost it to see if it was there and they hadn't opened yet but we ended up staying and talking to the English Italian bartender/manager for a while.  We told him when all our college games were so he can stream them live for us. He also said if I come in for breakfast on Sunday he will cook me an omelet! Sometimes telling strangers how much you love eggs is good to do.

Ok so there's this little cafe/bar in our neighborhood called Eby's and the owner is the real-live Einstein you've always wanted to meet. He has a perfect white mustache and stonewashed white hair that looks like you just rubbed it with a balloon and all we've ever heard him say is MANGA when he gives you a shot. He makes all these concoctions you have no idea what you're drinking but no idea what your life was before you tasted it. The roommates shot has become "the banana smiley face" where there are these banana slices he sprinkles with cinnamon and this blue powder then blow torches each one. You dip one side of a thick orange wedge in coffee grounds, the other side in sugar, coffee side down eat the orange, take the shot, eat a banana slice, chase with a shot of this alcoholic smoothie.  It's actually the most wonderful thing in the world.  And that it's just down the street- I'm seriously never leaving.

Something I've noticed here

No one is ever on their phones.  I only notice because it's so different from the US, where you walk down the street and everyone is looking down at their phones, but actually it's like how would I even know because I usually am too.  But here, it's like cell phones don't exist.  You see so many more faces this way.

Girl you know you're lost, lost in the thrill of it all

The European thing where people close up shop in the afternoon and just leave work to go home to eat/sleep/make love until 8 or so is real, and I love these 3 quiet hours I get to myself in the evenings.  I'll just pick up where I left off telling you about this place so far. I'll write about like 10 things to keep it short and sweet. Like hazelnut gelato.

1. Our front door. It's enormous and gorgeous and heavy and basically everything I ever wanted in a front door.

2. Our precious 3rd floor 3 bedroom 3 bath apartment with kitchen and sitting room right by the duomo.

3. Turning into Belle when opening the windows in our apartment because they're enormous and open like shutters and you actually have to thrust them open and lean out and wave at the people walking below on the street. There's also a Cinderella clothesline outside the kitchen window and a Snow White well in the foyer. It's fit for a princess and screams home and I'm considering moving in here for good.

4. Eat pizza yum dank delicious shit

5. Rep USA with the roommates (even though one's from Canada) in a beer pong tournament last night at this bar down the street. The boys played and we girls contributed celeb shots and a strong team image as the only blondes in the place.  They We made it to the semi-finals halla at your gente Americana.

6. See Jase face himself, too exciting for words, shag to house music because we're the only two people here that get it about Carolina.

7. Attend the garden party SACI had for us on the first day in the garden at the school. My school is cooler than yours. But really, it is.

8. See Pi Beta Phi t-shirt hung up on a wall in a bar, not sure for what but pretty sure it was one of those moments that you're speechless and you want to tell everyone around you like look guys look!! but no one else around you really cares too much.

9. Walk around the city for hours half lost out of our minds/half not caring.  I've started just singing "now you're lost..." to myself to pass the time until I stumble upon Via Bufalini.

10. The rooftop bar we found in the middle of the city called the Biblioteca. Because inside it's actually a library with books that you check out. We're gonna be smart bitches.

11. My new trendy polizia friends whose uniform pants are light blue skinnies.

That's 11. It's perfect here.

Ciao Ciao!

Is what I've been hearing all day. And also probably the most appropriate title for this first post abroad. So ciao ciao from Firenze!

The most exciting things I've done, which may or may not be exciting to you, and may or may not be everything I've done:

1. Land in Pisa because of a storm in Florence at the time we landed. Picture mobs of strangers and hot heat and 15 students who have no idea where they are or what they're doing trying to come to some understanding with the bus ticket man asking for a ride to Florence and not wanting to pay for it.  45 minutes and 5 euros each later we're on an hour and half bus ride into home base city.

2.

and now my 2 boy roommates just came in with out first bottle of Italian wine so
finish this later CIAO