My first thought when I woke up this morning was "I need to take a nap this afternoon." Being in Europe has proved to be exhausting. After a quick shower, I threw my hair into a ponytail and headed to the bus stop with our group.
We met the HUF students at the train station and went over to the Medici Chapel. The stone inlays in the chapel were stunning. From across the room, they look like paintings--but it took me standing with my face only inches from the wall before the individual stones became apparent. I could see the blues, greens and golds of stones that worked together to create an image. The tour guide explained how difficult and time consuming the inlay process is, and that those in the Medici chapel are unmatched.
After touring the chapel, we went over to the Bargello. I was frustrated with the fact that we were not allowed to take pictures, but after an hour or so of touring the museum, I realized that it helped me to enjoy the experience in a new way. Rather than wanting to take pictures so that I can look back and remember my experiences later, I had to focus on capturing mental images in that moment. I imagined Donatello's hands carving detailed sandals onto the feet of David, and wondered what his face looked like as he brought a Biblical character to life. Was he pleased with his representation, or did he find flaws in the work before me? I questioned what pieces of himself he may have placed into his sculpture, and why he decided to place a hat on David's head.
We had a fantastic lunch after the museum. I had delicious ravioli, spaghetti, meat and gelato.
The rest of the afternoon and evening were low-key, with a dinner at the Villa followed by a performance by a local jazz band.
Tomorrow is our free travel day, which should be fun as long as we all get some sleep tonight. Exhausted tempers have been flaring, including my own, and we all need to relax before leaving on the train tomorrow.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Wednesday
This morning I was pumped and ready for a snow-free, beautiful day. My mood was stellar as we headed to lunch at the Villa for a kickoff celebration for the 30th anniversary of the HUF program. Lunch was tasty—pasta, some sort of beef and chicken, rosemary potatoes, savory green beans and a blood orange.
I was planning on spending the afternoon catching up on stories, but Jim Miller told us that this afternoon would be our only chance to go and see David. A group of us jumped at the chance and traded work time for a trip into Florence.
The museum did not disappoint. I stood staring, lost in shadows of David's gaze and detailed physique. I studied the contour of veins and bones in his oversized hands, the pensive look in his eyes, the curls of his hair. To understand the physical form well enough to sculpt it from a piece of stone left me in awe. The rest of the museum didn't exactly suit my artistic taste, but David made it more than worth the trip and 6.50 Euro that it cost to get in.
After leaving the museum, a few of us went into the market to do some souvenir shopping before meeting up with our group for dinner. We had pasta, chicken and tiramisu at a pizzeria, and then went to the Florence Church of Christ for some Armenian dancing...yes, that's right. Dancing IN the Church of Christ! :)
Students from HUF and our group joined in the dancing, which made for a comical display. Try as they might, our students couldn't help but look goofy. I guess they can blame it on dancing deprivation from growing up in the Church of Christ.
When the dancing was over and it was time to head back to the Bible school, we entertained ourselves at the bus stop. The guys sang embarrassing renditions of songs like “A Whole New World,” and various Backstreet Boy hits (complete with dancing).
It was a long but good day. As much as I love being in Italy, I can't help but think it might be a good thing that our trip ends on Saturday. Exhaustion has set in, and we are all in need of R&R that we simply can't get when we know that there is an unexplored city just beyond the door.
I was planning on spending the afternoon catching up on stories, but Jim Miller told us that this afternoon would be our only chance to go and see David. A group of us jumped at the chance and traded work time for a trip into Florence.
The museum did not disappoint. I stood staring, lost in shadows of David's gaze and detailed physique. I studied the contour of veins and bones in his oversized hands, the pensive look in his eyes, the curls of his hair. To understand the physical form well enough to sculpt it from a piece of stone left me in awe. The rest of the museum didn't exactly suit my artistic taste, but David made it more than worth the trip and 6.50 Euro that it cost to get in.
After leaving the museum, a few of us went into the market to do some souvenir shopping before meeting up with our group for dinner. We had pasta, chicken and tiramisu at a pizzeria, and then went to the Florence Church of Christ for some Armenian dancing...yes, that's right. Dancing IN the Church of Christ! :)
Students from HUF and our group joined in the dancing, which made for a comical display. Try as they might, our students couldn't help but look goofy. I guess they can blame it on dancing deprivation from growing up in the Church of Christ.
When the dancing was over and it was time to head back to the Bible school, we entertained ourselves at the bus stop. The guys sang embarrassing renditions of songs like “A Whole New World,” and various Backstreet Boy hits (complete with dancing).
It was a long but good day. As much as I love being in Italy, I can't help but think it might be a good thing that our trip ends on Saturday. Exhaustion has set in, and we are all in need of R&R that we simply can't get when we know that there is an unexplored city just beyond the door.
Tuesday
Today was a loooong day.
We left the bible school at 6:45a.m. to go meet our HUF group at the train station for Mission Impossible (an assignment that sends groups of students to different cities for the day. They have to take 50 different pictures based on various criteria). Let's just say that my day started off with cranky people who progressively got worse. But I tried to stay optimistic.
The HUF students were in desperate need of an attitude adjustment. Before we even got to Perugia (their assigned city), they were already griping about the photography project. It was cold, and the map that they were given wasn't what I would call sufficient...there was a lack of road names on it...which wasn't good. We literally walked in circles around the train station as they tried to figure out where to go. I could understand their frustration, but sincerely hoped that they would cheer up after figuring out a direction to travel.
Once we finally made our way into the city, they started taking pictures. You'd think that they would see it as a fun challenge, but the cold weather made hands freeze and increased the whining and crankiness of the group. And after hours of griping, bad attitudes become contagious.
Then things got even worse. We stopped to eat lunch at a little cafe, and even though it had been flurrying all morning, we didn't expect the weather to go crazy during our 30 minutes inside. We looked outside and saw that a full blown snowstorm had started. Decaying moods turned to a cesspool of misery when we had to go back outside.
But after half an hour of walking in heavy snowfall, we found the saving grace of Perugia. To warm our frozen fingers, we ducked inside a candy shop where we learned why the city is known for its chocolate. For 25 minutes, our group oogled at and purchased different kinds of chocolates. The truffles were spectacular, and probably the best thing I've tasted since getting to Italy.
After that, we got onto a bus...where we sat for two hours in traffic, watching snow fall. If not for the bags of chocolate in our possession, I might have lost my patience. I ate chocolate covered coffee beans, truffles and white chocolate wafers while writing in my journal. As we literally inched our way down the road, we saw that there had been a car accident. Our bus driver somehow became traffic control. He would get on and off the bus, clearing traffic a section at a time. When we finally got down the road we were on, our bus pulled up at a bus station rather than the train station. The driver stood up, told us that buses weren't going to run for the rest of the day, and that he wouldn't be taking us to the train station.
We then struggled to find our way to the train station. Not speaking Italian was a royal pain, but we got lucky and found a girl who was able to translate for us at a dinky train station that we came across by chance. She explained how to take the train from there over to the train station we needed. Overcoming language barriers is mentally exhausting when you are crunched for time. By the time we were on the correct train and on our way back to Florence, I think our group felt kinda accomplished.
I was excited to get back to the Bible school and finally get warm. Hopefully tomorrow will be sunny, warm and more positive.
We left the bible school at 6:45a.m. to go meet our HUF group at the train station for Mission Impossible (an assignment that sends groups of students to different cities for the day. They have to take 50 different pictures based on various criteria). Let's just say that my day started off with cranky people who progressively got worse. But I tried to stay optimistic.
The HUF students were in desperate need of an attitude adjustment. Before we even got to Perugia (their assigned city), they were already griping about the photography project. It was cold, and the map that they were given wasn't what I would call sufficient...there was a lack of road names on it...which wasn't good. We literally walked in circles around the train station as they tried to figure out where to go. I could understand their frustration, but sincerely hoped that they would cheer up after figuring out a direction to travel.
Once we finally made our way into the city, they started taking pictures. You'd think that they would see it as a fun challenge, but the cold weather made hands freeze and increased the whining and crankiness of the group. And after hours of griping, bad attitudes become contagious.
Then things got even worse. We stopped to eat lunch at a little cafe, and even though it had been flurrying all morning, we didn't expect the weather to go crazy during our 30 minutes inside. We looked outside and saw that a full blown snowstorm had started. Decaying moods turned to a cesspool of misery when we had to go back outside.
But after half an hour of walking in heavy snowfall, we found the saving grace of Perugia. To warm our frozen fingers, we ducked inside a candy shop where we learned why the city is known for its chocolate. For 25 minutes, our group oogled at and purchased different kinds of chocolates. The truffles were spectacular, and probably the best thing I've tasted since getting to Italy.
After that, we got onto a bus...where we sat for two hours in traffic, watching snow fall. If not for the bags of chocolate in our possession, I might have lost my patience. I ate chocolate covered coffee beans, truffles and white chocolate wafers while writing in my journal. As we literally inched our way down the road, we saw that there had been a car accident. Our bus driver somehow became traffic control. He would get on and off the bus, clearing traffic a section at a time. When we finally got down the road we were on, our bus pulled up at a bus station rather than the train station. The driver stood up, told us that buses weren't going to run for the rest of the day, and that he wouldn't be taking us to the train station.
We then struggled to find our way to the train station. Not speaking Italian was a royal pain, but we got lucky and found a girl who was able to translate for us at a dinky train station that we came across by chance. She explained how to take the train from there over to the train station we needed. Overcoming language barriers is mentally exhausting when you are crunched for time. By the time we were on the correct train and on our way back to Florence, I think our group felt kinda accomplished.
I was excited to get back to the Bible school and finally get warm. Hopefully tomorrow will be sunny, warm and more positive.
Monday
Today has been a WONDERFUL day! I laughed so hard I cried, ate fantastic food, saw beautiful things and got laughed at by Italians. It was brilliant.
I started off the day by working on a story about the history of the Villa, then had lasagna at the Bible school for lunch. Mmmmmm. We had the afternoon free to work on stories, or finish up ones that we had started that morning. My partner for the Villa history piece was out and about, so I spent the afternoon with two of our girls in Florence as they worked on a piece about the top 5 things to do in Florence. We saw the highlights of the city, like the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, the piggy market and a church. We had a wonderful time creating inside jokes while getting to see fantastic things, which made for my best day here as of yet. I'm falling in love with Italy, and know that I'm not going to want to go back to dinky little Searcy on Saturday.
Anyway, on to why I got laughed at by the Italians. We were standing in front of the Duomo taking pictures, and I happened to remember that Flat Stanley (a little paper doll that elementary aged children send to friends/family so that he can go on “adventures” and then return with pictures of where he's been) was in my bag...and I thought it would be nice to get a picture of him with me in front of Florence's most famous landmark. Well a group of Italian guys watched me get him out of my bag, only to hold him up and pose for the camera. They were about 3 feet away from us, laughing and pointing at me, and since I was well aware of how ridiculous I looked, I couldn't help but crack up. Today was full of laughter. :)
We had dinner back at the Bible school, and worked on stories for the rest of the night.
Tomorrow we go on Mission Impossible with people from the HUF group. I'm going to Perugia, which I know almost nothing about...but it should be a fun and busy day.
I started off the day by working on a story about the history of the Villa, then had lasagna at the Bible school for lunch. Mmmmmm. We had the afternoon free to work on stories, or finish up ones that we had started that morning. My partner for the Villa history piece was out and about, so I spent the afternoon with two of our girls in Florence as they worked on a piece about the top 5 things to do in Florence. We saw the highlights of the city, like the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, the piggy market and a church. We had a wonderful time creating inside jokes while getting to see fantastic things, which made for my best day here as of yet. I'm falling in love with Italy, and know that I'm not going to want to go back to dinky little Searcy on Saturday.
Anyway, on to why I got laughed at by the Italians. We were standing in front of the Duomo taking pictures, and I happened to remember that Flat Stanley (a little paper doll that elementary aged children send to friends/family so that he can go on “adventures” and then return with pictures of where he's been) was in my bag...and I thought it would be nice to get a picture of him with me in front of Florence's most famous landmark. Well a group of Italian guys watched me get him out of my bag, only to hold him up and pose for the camera. They were about 3 feet away from us, laughing and pointing at me, and since I was well aware of how ridiculous I looked, I couldn't help but crack up. Today was full of laughter. :)
We had dinner back at the Bible school, and worked on stories for the rest of the night.
Tomorrow we go on Mission Impossible with people from the HUF group. I'm going to Perugia, which I know almost nothing about...but it should be a fun and busy day.
Sunday
Today wasn't very eventful, but it went well overall. We went to church at the Florence Church of Christ, and stayed after the service for a potluck. Now, potlucks here are not like they are in the states. Families don't all bring a dish and then go through a line, taking a scoop of everything on the table. Here, the first course (pasta) is brought out to you. Then you go get in line for the second course (meat). And you don't get up and leave after you're done eating. The Italian people believe in taking hours for a meal so that there is time to talk with one another. It was nice to be able to sit and process for awhile with people from our group, along with some people from the church.
We came back to the Bible school after church to pick up our stuff and head to the Villa. Because the weather was still pretty, we decided to just walk from the gelato shop where we stopped for some Italian indulgence over to the villa. It wasn't the fastest way to get there, but it was nice to just walk and talk. There isn't a ton of one-on-one time with anyone here, so it was refreshing to just manage one conversation. Plus the sun was close to setting, so it made for beautiful scenery.
I wrote my story, edited video for my story, Skyped with my mom and chatted with a few friends on Facebook. It felt satisfying to be productive and finally see my post on the Link.
I'm excited to see what tomorrow will bring!
We came back to the Bible school after church to pick up our stuff and head to the Villa. Because the weather was still pretty, we decided to just walk from the gelato shop where we stopped for some Italian indulgence over to the villa. It wasn't the fastest way to get there, but it was nice to just walk and talk. There isn't a ton of one-on-one time with anyone here, so it was refreshing to just manage one conversation. Plus the sun was close to setting, so it made for beautiful scenery.
I wrote my story, edited video for my story, Skyped with my mom and chatted with a few friends on Facebook. It felt satisfying to be productive and finally see my post on the Link.
I'm excited to see what tomorrow will bring!
Saturday
A phrase has emerged in our group. Whenever something goes wrong or someone realizes that they shouldn't have done something, you are bound to hear:
“It's spring break!!”
For example:
"All I've eaten today is gelato and a cappuccino! Pssssh...who cares. It's spring break!"
The boys say things like:
"Oh, I think I was wearing these underwear yesterday....*shoulder shrug* It's spring break!"
Here are a few other observations of my trip so far:
-Even students at HUF can't fully escape the caf. They use the same plastic cups.
-All of the cars in Florence are tiny and compact, most with hatchbacks
-Italian words all seem to end in vowels, especially 'A,' 'O' and 'I.'
-Personal bubbles of space don't exist, among people or in traffic
-You must know how to parallel park
-You don't need to be 5 feet from the walls/road barriers/other vehicles as you cruise down the street—6 or so inches is sufficient.
-Vespas don't need lanes—they are content to drive on the lane lines, between cars
I've had such a good day. Today the weather was gorgeous, with a perfect mix of sunshine and a cold breeze. We spent the morning at the villa and then went to Mario's, where I had my first Italian cappuccino. :) There was a toast between HUF and a city official who deals with economics. Then we went to the Scandicci market where my partner and I covered a story and did some shopping. We had the rest of the afternoon to ourselves since people were off covering different stories, so two other girls and I hung out. We got free gelato and then went into Florence to walk around and go to the market there. There was lots of girl talk and good bonding time.
When we came back to the Bible school to work on our stories, we were locked out...which left us a little frustrated. One of our girls scaled the wall, climbed onto the balcony and tried to get in through the window, but it was locked. We decided to kill time by sitting in a coffee shop.
Once we finally got into the building, it was time to head back out again for dinner. A group of us went to ZaZas, an excellent Italian restaurant. I ordered fettuccine in a walnut sauce (fantastic choice) and grilled chicken with potatoes. The waitress completely forgot about my second course, and by the time it came, the rest of our group had finished eating. Thankfully, the chicken and potatoes were delicious and soothed any anger I had toward the waitress for forgetting it in the first place.
Now it's time for bed. Even though our room is freezing cold, I think I'm tired enough to sleep through just about anything.
“It's spring break!!”
For example:
"All I've eaten today is gelato and a cappuccino! Pssssh...who cares. It's spring break!"
The boys say things like:
"Oh, I think I was wearing these underwear yesterday....*shoulder shrug* It's spring break!"
Here are a few other observations of my trip so far:
-Even students at HUF can't fully escape the caf. They use the same plastic cups.
-All of the cars in Florence are tiny and compact, most with hatchbacks
-Italian words all seem to end in vowels, especially 'A,' 'O' and 'I.'
-Personal bubbles of space don't exist, among people or in traffic
-You must know how to parallel park
-You don't need to be 5 feet from the walls/road barriers/other vehicles as you cruise down the street—6 or so inches is sufficient.
-Vespas don't need lanes—they are content to drive on the lane lines, between cars
I've had such a good day. Today the weather was gorgeous, with a perfect mix of sunshine and a cold breeze. We spent the morning at the villa and then went to Mario's, where I had my first Italian cappuccino. :) There was a toast between HUF and a city official who deals with economics. Then we went to the Scandicci market where my partner and I covered a story and did some shopping. We had the rest of the afternoon to ourselves since people were off covering different stories, so two other girls and I hung out. We got free gelato and then went into Florence to walk around and go to the market there. There was lots of girl talk and good bonding time.
When we came back to the Bible school to work on our stories, we were locked out...which left us a little frustrated. One of our girls scaled the wall, climbed onto the balcony and tried to get in through the window, but it was locked. We decided to kill time by sitting in a coffee shop.
Once we finally got into the building, it was time to head back out again for dinner. A group of us went to ZaZas, an excellent Italian restaurant. I ordered fettuccine in a walnut sauce (fantastic choice) and grilled chicken with potatoes. The waitress completely forgot about my second course, and by the time it came, the rest of our group had finished eating. Thankfully, the chicken and potatoes were delicious and soothed any anger I had toward the waitress for forgetting it in the first place.
Now it's time for bed. Even though our room is freezing cold, I think I'm tired enough to sleep through just about anything.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Friday: Arrival and Exploration
The Alps pierced soft, lofty clouds as we prepared for our final descent into Florence, Italy. After a long day and night of flying, my sore back and I were more than ready to be in Italy. As the mountainous terrain transformed into to the soft hills of Tuscany, I felt my stomach clench. Months of waiting had brought me to this moment, this new country—and I couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
Taxis took our group past butter colored buildings on our way to the Avanti Bible School. Our taxi driver was confident, but her quick turns and traffic merges caught me off guard. She would have made Texas drivers proud. Cars here fight for space in lanes, fitting two cars into what would be a one-car lane in the U.S.. After we made it safely to the school and moved in our luggage, we had just enough time to change clothes and brush 24-hours worth of grime off of our teeth before heading to the Villa.
We literally arrived to the open arms (and rambunctious cheers) of our friends at HUF, and then enjoyed our first meal at the Villa—bow-tie pasta. As a pasta lover, I knew that Italy would be a good match for me! After lunch, we headed into Florence via the bus system to help win the battle against jet lag.
My group trudged through the bitter cold wind, down cobblestone streets and to the front of the Duomo. As I stood before the architectural gem of Florence, I had my first “I'm really here” moment. I was done with plane rides and finally standing in the streets of Italy. I stared at the intricate designs carved into the building, realizing that I could spend hours looking and still miss countless details of the architecture. Because we were limited on time, we weren't able to do much more than stand there for a few minutes (I'll get to go back later in the week) before heading back for pizza at Gallos.
By the time we got to the restaurant and sat down, I was so tired that I almost fell asleep at the table. But as the pizzas emerged, I found the energy to indulge in the glory of cheese, tomato sauce and olive oil. Waiters served pizza after pizza to our tables— margherita, ham, cheese, pepperoni...The slices were thin and crispy, all dripping with flavor. I'm not sure if it was hunger or the seasonings on the pizzas, but it was probably one of the most delicious meals of my life.
Now it's time to settle in, get some long awaited sleep and hope for a good day tomorrow.
Prego!
Taxis took our group past butter colored buildings on our way to the Avanti Bible School. Our taxi driver was confident, but her quick turns and traffic merges caught me off guard. She would have made Texas drivers proud. Cars here fight for space in lanes, fitting two cars into what would be a one-car lane in the U.S.. After we made it safely to the school and moved in our luggage, we had just enough time to change clothes and brush 24-hours worth of grime off of our teeth before heading to the Villa.
We literally arrived to the open arms (and rambunctious cheers) of our friends at HUF, and then enjoyed our first meal at the Villa—bow-tie pasta. As a pasta lover, I knew that Italy would be a good match for me! After lunch, we headed into Florence via the bus system to help win the battle against jet lag.
My group trudged through the bitter cold wind, down cobblestone streets and to the front of the Duomo. As I stood before the architectural gem of Florence, I had my first “I'm really here” moment. I was done with plane rides and finally standing in the streets of Italy. I stared at the intricate designs carved into the building, realizing that I could spend hours looking and still miss countless details of the architecture. Because we were limited on time, we weren't able to do much more than stand there for a few minutes (I'll get to go back later in the week) before heading back for pizza at Gallos.
By the time we got to the restaurant and sat down, I was so tired that I almost fell asleep at the table. But as the pizzas emerged, I found the energy to indulge in the glory of cheese, tomato sauce and olive oil. Waiters served pizza after pizza to our tables— margherita, ham, cheese, pepperoni...The slices were thin and crispy, all dripping with flavor. I'm not sure if it was hunger or the seasonings on the pizzas, but it was probably one of the most delicious meals of my life.
Now it's time to settle in, get some long awaited sleep and hope for a good day tomorrow.
Prego!
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