Week 1/Settimana Uno

School has begun, but I am still warming up my drive to become academically motivated.

Here's a quick day-by-day rundown of this first week:

Monday: I believe I slept a hearty amount, then went to campus (aka 'The Villa'), where I intended to do some much needed studying for my oral exam in Letteratura italiana moderna e contemporanea, but devoted too much time to reading Time magazine cover to cover. Then I went to my Italian Politics class, which should be a breeze...(overconfident? we shall see!) I also bought groceries.

Tuesday: Big day. I got to meet the god of Italian Studies (at least that is how his colleagues talked about him), the new Works in Progress coordinator in Florence, John Freccero. We had all these crazy ideas of him, Jane Tylus, sort of the go-to professor about concerns or questions with the Florence program, talked about how he was really old and he'd probably need someone to physically support him as he wandered the campus. She also emphasized a little too much that he just loves to be surrounded by pretty intellectual girls. Turns out he is not at all lecherous, and though he is nigh 80, and has some trouble getting around, he's much more alert than that dear old Mr. Shuler at Payson Middle School. Also, heard a lecture on why Michelangelo's architecture still matters.

Wednesday: This day is sort of lost to me. I slept in good and long (after waking up at the unholy hour of 8 a.m. the day before--pathetic that 8 a.m. has become the 'early morning' in my estimation, I know.) I remember doing some homework, but I don't think I ever left my apartment. And truth be told, I didn't get a lot of homework done.

Thursday: Had a class on the Italian Novel.

Friday: Took a tour of the Villa in hopes of getting a job as a docent.

Saturday: Volunteered at Casa San Michele and that night went out for Apertivo and to the movie Baciami ancora. A sequel to the much-loved romantic comedy L'ultimo bacio. Though the plot was laughingly over-dramatic, I shed a few tears.

Sunday: I thought I would die if I had to get out of bed, so I missed church. But I researched a bit of the spring break trip I am planning for Grandma, Uncle Jerry, and Aunt Cindy in March.

Hopefully, the next week will bring something more interesting to write about, and pictures.

Behold, Siena

So, I got my camera back, but it is acting a little funky. Most of my pictures are strangely and inexplicably bright, as if God was descending on Siena the day of my first visit, but I don't think he was. If He did, he was laying low; I didn't see Him. But can understand why He might like to hang out there.

Anyway, I just sort of wandered around on both trips, though on the Mission: Camera Retrieval journey, I did buy a jacket that was 70% off, because even though I had a jacket, I was cold and having two jackets seemed sort of practical. I also bought the prettiest stationary in the history of paper.

So, there are the pictures, I didn't feel like captioning them with lengthy descriptions, even though I could clue you in to all sort of little Siena fun-facts, but this isn't Roni's lecture hour, and the pictures will say a thousand words each and attest to how lovable Siena is without my intervention. (Even though I don't know why the light is washing everything out!)

Buona Notizia!

My camera is in the custody of the biglietteria in Siena!

This is wonderful on two counts:
a-I get to go back to Siena
b-I get my camera back

I couldn't withhold this information from all of you desperately concerned. And I'm just so happy!

(and I don't think I sounded like an idiot on the phone, though I did have to ask what in custodia meant, though in retrospect, it is kind of obvious it means "in custody." But that does make it sound like they've arrested my camera.)

C'est la vie

Or rather, C'e' la vita, but it really doesn't have the same ring in Italian.


Anyway, today for the first time since I arrived in Italy, I woke before the hours were in the P.M. range. I consider this quite an accomplishment, it was only my third sleep since I got back and it is tremendously hard to fall asleep at night. And, I was well away from the "P.M."s; it was 7:50 when I arose from my bed. Since I was finally awake at a reasonable time to have a productive day, I decided to go to Siena, the town I would choose to be from if I was born to be Italian. The city has a certain Medieval grandeur with a lot of spunk. This post was to contain all the lovely photos I snapped (New Year's Resolution to take more pictures, check. I'm like, "I have a camera, so why don't I use it (besides for taking pictures of myself from an arm's length away. In the 2+ years I've owned a digital picture I've garnered thousands (I kid you not; I'm vain.) of self-portraits))<--(I used three sets of parenthesis in that little bit. My next goal will be four.) These pictures included some lovely panoramas, glorious architecture, and an action shot of my one-legged, or rather one-footed--he still had his leg, pigeon friend.

But there are no pictures, so what gives?

(This is a multiple choice question; I'm not saying all of these things happened.)
a. Roni left her camera on the bus on the way home, even after she'd had a little inkling that she should double check her seat.
b. After being so careful for so long, Roni made a mistake and blew out her camera with the high-voltage Italian electricity.
c. Un ladro di tasche! A pickpocket! pickpocketed Roni!
d. Roni with her incredible propensity to wreak havoc with her clumsiness and destroy indestructible things (she could be a super villain, they seem to be the destroyer types) dropped it from the Torre del Mangia, and there's no hope for even the most indestructible when it speeds toward the hard ground from 102 meters.

I don't want anyone to skim ahead and accidentally cheat, so I'll go like this (like all those email forwards do when you are suppose to be making a wish...it's annoying, so I'm sorry, but remember, I'm the one coping with the loss of a piece of photographic technology!)

**************
************
**********

*****
***
**
*
*
**
***
****
*****
******
*******
********
*********
**************
**********

Okay, that was boring. The answer is a. Though, it would have been quite a story if I'd dropped it from the Torre del Mangia. I left it on the bus back from Siena, at least, I'm pretty sure that's what happened. I thought, I should double check my seat, then didn't! So now I am left to call the bus companies and do a very scary thing....talk on the phone in Italian (it's especially hard to understand a language you don't quite understand when the words are deprived of their physical cues!)

I marched down to the station as soon as I couldn't find my camera and the guy at the office gave me the number for the offices of missing objects for both bus companies that run through that base. I called both places; one said they'd found no cameras, the other that the office of missing objects was closed and that I'd rang through to the main office (That lady was a little bit mean though, but I did sort of freeze up with my Italian...that's why we should always be nice to foreigners, they are always more scared and embarrassed than you are unnerved).

But even if this is the end, I can be grateful for the time I had with my camera. If my parents hadn't sprung for a nearly indestructible model, I would have had to lay my camera to rest years ago. Now it is just missing, and I'll hold out hope. Just like I still hope that I may one day again see the SLR camera of mine that strangely disappeared in Park City that Christmas, that year when Ches and Brooke swear they saw Lance Bass.

Laura Pausini, Singing Diva Extraordinaire

Laura Pausini, folks. She sang a tribute to the late great king of pop by covering "We are the World." She has a real strong voice, meaning she belts it, baby. She belongs among the ranks of Whitney Houston, but indulges in fewer eighties-style "Ohs" from the gut.

My friend and fellow Master's student, Rosalinda, is a devoted follower of Italian music, but she tends to like the real poppy stuff, which my roommates Angela and Arianna scorn. Laura Pausini does not merit their artistic approval. However, my roommate Laura loooooves Laura Pausini. Maybe there is some unwritten code that you cannot detest someone of the same name. That's why I am such a devoted fan of Ronnie Milsap. Just Kidding. Though, truth be told, I don't really know who Ronnie Milsap is. Maybe I could be a fan.

Anyway, the concert was actually December 7th, but I figured now is as good a time as any share some pics with you and list my observations of the concert:
1. No openning act. Rosalinda told me that this is standard for Italian concerts.
2. She drew a very diverse crowd to senior citizens to twelve-year olds. Men and women; althought, it seemed many of the men had been dragged by their wives and/or lovers or were fathers chaperoning the twelve year olds.
3.Concert merchandise is a rip-off, counterfeit merchandise available just outside is your best deal. Although, you don't have to be in Italy to learn this.
4.Everybody loves MJ, and I don't mean Michael Jordan. Though, it seems a lot of people like him, too.

What?! Christmas is Over?

Yes, Baby Kaylee. No more need to don ridiculous hats that scare you, but that may be the only plus side. Because it is back to school and back to work!

After having about a week-and-a-half long crisis during which there was a point when I was almost committed to dropping this Master's degree nonsense, it seems like sort of a big deal to be back in Florence. During the crisis, I weighed the longing for home, the hefty price of tuition, and the fact that my field of study isn't a particularly practical one against the option of staying home with la famiglia, avoiding debt, and being able to attend the Sundance Film Festival. (Adam Brody promised to make an appearance, and though I mocked The O.C. while it ran, I couldn't get enough of the show once I started watching it on DVD and have made up for my error in judgement by having a very girlish fantasy crush on Adam Brody, who really carried the whole show. It would have suffocated under the weight of its own over-wraught drama were it not for Seth Cohen's biting wit and sarcasm.) But I decided not seeing my family again until May wasn't all that long, debt was manageable, and that I could find another time to stalk Adam Brody.

So, ci incontriamo di nuovo Italia.

I intend to make this semester better than the last. I did the adjusting thing last August, so I don't have to waste a month acclimatizing. I can jump right in. I want to visit more places, study harder, use better grammar when I blog, and maybe blog more. Although my writing always slips into parenthetical ramblings (see my proclamation of love to Adam Brody above), it makes me feel productive. Oh, and another thing I should do, take more pictures. This is a New Year's resolution of mine, and maybe if I promise to my public to deliver them more Italian imagery I will better keep this goal.

So a bacione to you all from Florence!