Another Day, Another...Duomo?

First day of classes today! Here is my beauteous breakfast (colazione):Oats with yogurt, jam (frutti di bosco= fruit of the forest=berries), banana and cinnamon. MMMM :)

First up was Food and Culture, an anthropology course. It's held in one of the earliest existing examples of Renaissance buildings, the Piazza Strozzi.

Yup. That's where I take class. Which was AWESOME. Makes me nervous, because I'm worried it will get worse because I was soo jazzed by it this morning. It's just so interesting. Totally what I want to study forever and ever and ever. *Sigh*

Next was my Italian Culture through Music. I'm really only taking it to finish up my minor. I like the professor a lot - she's British and I love her accent! We listened to some "tarantellas," which are folk music started in southern Italy. They were thought to be the cure for people bitten by tarantulas. It was actually really interesting and I do looove Italian music.  It's just got a certain...something. Just fun to listen to. We'll see how that class goes. Que sera!

Then...I got lost. Pathetically, massively lost. I felt like such an obnoxious tourist - I literally would just stop, open my map and start talking to myself: "Ok, so if that street is there and I am on this interesction then I must go up there and take a right...or a left...oh shit." Whatever, I found my way and hit my current favorite cafe for a macchiato and felt much better.

Then I came home and discovered the awesomeness that is SKYPE! So cool. I was actually quite productive though today - got my school supplies, got a textbook, got a bag for school, got money, got a PHONE that WORKS. AND I didn't get lost coming home.

We had a free "Welcome Dinner" that our school Lorenzo de'Medici provided us at a palace (palazzo) here. It was nice. The food was less than it's usual drool-worthyness, but hey, free tiramisu. Hard to complain. My tummy kinda hurts now, though. But, let's face it...it was tiramisu (and 2 other desserts. Oh yes.). It was worth it.

Right now I'm working on planning trips with other people. PRAGUE is on the list, I'm beyond excited. I kinda want to just toodle around Italy for the most part though. Traveling is just too important to me, so I know it's not like this is my last time in Europe. And I am pretty much obsessed with the Duomo. I could just stare at it all day long. I walk by it on my way to class like, "...whoa."

Tomorrow is my first Italian class. I'm a little intimidated by it, just because I'm a higher level and the teacher will probably teach mostly in Italian. I'm happy, because I will learn so much faster, but it's still a bit nerve-wrecking. I also have to get my books, go the Mercato Centrale (foodie HEAVEN), and check my mail. The area where most of the school builidings are is where I get lost the fastest. I really need to just go forth and wander around for a couple hours and get to know it.

Ok, I need to go to bed. 8 AM class tomorrow. And I have a whole bunch of reading for my F&C class.

I'm sorry I don't have more photos, I'm just not much of a photographer. I'll work on it. It's a pain in the ass to get them in the blog - I hit backspace, the picture deletes, I have to move it, a paragraph goes away...you get the idea. Practice makes perfect!

Buona notte & Namaste!