April 28, 2009
had my Architecture in Italy exam in the morning. The exam was super hard, largely because I had missed so much information while I was sick.
After the exam I had to rush over to Casa della Creativita to meet up with Hardy, Em, Nadia, Kelly, and Bari to prepare for the auction. Then we had to go back to studio to meet with our teachers one last time before rushing back to Casa della Creativita to continue setting up. The place really looked nice once we had all the artwork displayed. I was impressed by how much artwork we actually had since we had almost nothing as of Sunday.
The auction went pretty well. The live music was really good. A decent number of people came, but they were mostly our friends or friends of Bari's, so not too many people who would actually be bidding on artwork. Bari also put way too much emphasis on the music, so people weren't looking at the artwork and bidding while the music was being played. So the actual auction part of the night wasn't a huge success, but it definitely has the potential to be a bigger success in future years. We figured out all the logistics of how the evening needs to work, so the students who organize it in future years just have to worry about obtaining artwork and attracting bidders. We had the disadvantage of having only about three weeks to organize the whole thing in the midst of preparing for all of our finals and pretty yucky weather the night of the event.
As soon as everything was cleaned up, Nadia and I sprinted back to our apartment to grab our things and meet up with Nikul and Pat to go to Cinqueterre. We had to catch a train that left Florence at 12:37.
April 27, 2009
Our final project for Architecture in Context was due today. Architecture in Context is kind of like Studio, except our projects are more about the idea than the details of the project. This presentation was true competition style. We didn't have to do any sort of presentation, just prepare one board with all the information we wanted to show. We couldn't even put our names on the boards so it was like a real architectural competition. The judges were really harsh when they announced the results, though. Rather than only announce the winners, they announced every project from worst to best and explained why each one was eliminated, so all we heard were the bad things about each project and not any of the good things.
After the winner announcements, we all went downstairs to the High Bar for aperitivo, and then Hardy, Em, Kelly, Nadia, and I had to go back to studio to finish our preparations for the auction the next day.
Our final project for Architecture in Context was due today. Architecture in Context is kind of like Studio, except our projects are more about the idea than the details of the project. This presentation was true competition style. We didn't have to do any sort of presentation, just prepare one board with all the information we wanted to show. We couldn't even put our names on the boards so it was like a real architectural competition. The judges were really harsh when they announced the results, though. Rather than only announce the winners, they announced every project from worst to best and explained why each one was eliminated, so all we heard were the bad things about each project and not any of the good things.
After the winner announcements, we all went downstairs to the High Bar for aperitivo, and then Hardy, Em, Kelly, Nadia, and I had to go back to studio to finish our preparations for the auction the next day.
April 25, 2009
went to a club in La Cascine Park. This club called Central Park was having its opening night, so we decided to go. It's a seasonal club, because it's supposed to be an outdoor club, but when we got there, it was all inside. It was really huge, with lots of different dance floors and bars. We didn't leave the main room so that we didn't loose anyone, so I guess there might have been an outdoor part somewhere, but it didn't really look like it. I was definitely disappointed that it wasn't outside.
When we went in, we were told that girls were free, but they had a card system. When you enter the club, you're given a card. Every time you buy a drink, they punch the card. At the end of the night you have to bring the card up to the cash register on your way out. Then you have to pay for whatever drinks you've bought and any entry fee before you're given an exit ticket. The bouncers at the exit check your exit ticket to make sure you've paid. If you lose your card or your exit ticket you have to pay 50! euro. Luckily I didn't lose my card, but when I brought it to the cash register, the woman told me I owed a euro. I asked her why, but she didn't speak English, so she grabbed another woman to talk to me. This woman told me that the euro goes to the CI (I don't know how it's spelled but it sounds like the letters C and I). The CI is the government sanctioned mob group that all events have to be registered with. They're also the ones who give out dancing licenses. That's right. You have to have a proper dancing license to be allowed to even have people clapping their hands in your establishment. So that one euro I had to pay to get of the club was basically a dancing tax. Italy definitely has some strange laws.
went to a club in La Cascine Park. This club called Central Park was having its opening night, so we decided to go. It's a seasonal club, because it's supposed to be an outdoor club, but when we got there, it was all inside. It was really huge, with lots of different dance floors and bars. We didn't leave the main room so that we didn't loose anyone, so I guess there might have been an outdoor part somewhere, but it didn't really look like it. I was definitely disappointed that it wasn't outside.
When we went in, we were told that girls were free, but they had a card system. When you enter the club, you're given a card. Every time you buy a drink, they punch the card. At the end of the night you have to bring the card up to the cash register on your way out. Then you have to pay for whatever drinks you've bought and any entry fee before you're given an exit ticket. The bouncers at the exit check your exit ticket to make sure you've paid. If you lose your card or your exit ticket you have to pay 50! euro. Luckily I didn't lose my card, but when I brought it to the cash register, the woman told me I owed a euro. I asked her why, but she didn't speak English, so she grabbed another woman to talk to me. This woman told me that the euro goes to the CI (I don't know how it's spelled but it sounds like the letters C and I). The CI is the government sanctioned mob group that all events have to be registered with. They're also the ones who give out dancing licenses. That's right. You have to have a proper dancing license to be allowed to even have people clapping their hands in your establishment. So that one euro I had to pay to get of the club was basically a dancing tax. Italy definitely has some strange laws.
April 24, 2009
finally talked to the doorman! One of the buildings that we often pass has a doorman who's really friendly. At the very beginning of the semester I made it my goal to befriend him, but by the time I worked up the courage to say hi to him, he disappeared. A different, much less friendly, doorman replaced him. A couple days ago, I noticed that the doorman changed again. Nadia and I spent several days trying to decide if it was the original doorman or a third one. We finally decided he was the original, so we struck up a conversation with him and took photos with him. He was very friendly and disappointed that we only met him now, with only a week left in Florence.
went to dinner at Bari's with Em, Hardy, Kelly, and Nadia. Bari is the woman in charge of Creative Campus, the organization through which we were organizing the auction. It was kind of neat to go to dinner in an Italian apartment. Bari's American, so it wasn't quite a traditional Italian meal, but it was still interesting.
finally talked to the doorman! One of the buildings that we often pass has a doorman who's really friendly. At the very beginning of the semester I made it my goal to befriend him, but by the time I worked up the courage to say hi to him, he disappeared. A different, much less friendly, doorman replaced him. A couple days ago, I noticed that the doorman changed again. Nadia and I spent several days trying to decide if it was the original doorman or a third one. We finally decided he was the original, so we struck up a conversation with him and took photos with him. He was very friendly and disappointed that we only met him now, with only a week left in Florence.
went to dinner at Bari's with Em, Hardy, Kelly, and Nadia. Bari is the woman in charge of Creative Campus, the organization through which we were organizing the auction. It was kind of neat to go to dinner in an Italian apartment. Bari's American, so it wasn't quite a traditional Italian meal, but it was still interesting.
April 23, 2009
final crit for studio. It was done semi-competition style, so we didn't have to do much of a presentation. We've never done competition style crits before, so we all prepared full presentations and then Carlo rushed us through them and made us skip over parts. It was kind of weird but at least we got out of crit fast.
had dinner with everyone in our building. It was like a recreation of our first ever family dinner.
final crit for studio. It was done semi-competition style, so we didn't have to do much of a presentation. We've never done competition style crits before, so we all prepared full presentations and then Carlo rushed us through them and made us skip over parts. It was kind of weird but at least we got out of crit fast.
had dinner with everyone in our building. It was like a recreation of our first ever family dinner.
April 19, 2009
went to mass with Pat at la Chiesa di San Niccolo, which is right around the corner from studio. The priest was CRAZY. At first it seemed like he was rushing through the mass. He was fidgeting and talking fast and just seemed like he really didn't want to be there, but then he started adding huge speeches in the middle of random parts of the mass. I have no idea what he was saying, but I'm pretty sure he added his own commentary throughout the Gospel even.
went to mass with Pat at la Chiesa di San Niccolo, which is right around the corner from studio. The priest was CRAZY. At first it seemed like he was rushing through the mass. He was fidgeting and talking fast and just seemed like he really didn't want to be there, but then he started adding huge speeches in the middle of random parts of the mass. I have no idea what he was saying, but I'm pretty sure he added his own commentary throughout the Gospel even.
April 15, 2009
went running in the morning. I ran down to La Cascine, a really big park that starts right at the edge of Florence. I had run there before but hadn't been able to figure out how to actually get in because there's so much construction. It turns I had been on the right road last time but just hadn't gone far enough. I ran pretty far into the park and then crossed over the river to head back. There's lots of construction up that way for the new tram line, though, so I got stuck in all these fences. I had to go so far out of my way to find a way around them. And every time I went to cross a street, I would hit another fence or a huge traffic circle so I wound up making a huge crazy circle around Florence just to get back home.
went to the San Lorenzo Market and the Mercato Centrale with Nadia. The Mercato Centrale is a huge indoor food market. The downstairs is all meat, so we headed straight for the second floor, where all the fruits and wines and things like that are.
went running in the morning. I ran down to La Cascine, a really big park that starts right at the edge of Florence. I had run there before but hadn't been able to figure out how to actually get in because there's so much construction. It turns I had been on the right road last time but just hadn't gone far enough. I ran pretty far into the park and then crossed over the river to head back. There's lots of construction up that way for the new tram line, though, so I got stuck in all these fences. I had to go so far out of my way to find a way around them. And every time I went to cross a street, I would hit another fence or a huge traffic circle so I wound up making a huge crazy circle around Florence just to get back home.
went to the San Lorenzo Market and the Mercato Centrale with Nadia. The Mercato Centrale is a huge indoor food market. The downstairs is all meat, so we headed straight for the second floor, where all the fruits and wines and things like that are.
Naploli e Capri
April 10-12, 2009
spent Easter weekend visiting Naples and Capri. On Friday I took a train down to Naples. The train was sooooo crowded that there was absolutely nowhere to sit. The kind of ticket I had bought didn't have a seat reservation so it could be used on any train from Florence to Naples but that also meant that no seat was saved for me. Usually there are enough empty seats that that doesn't matter; plus there are little fold down seats in the aisles, but every single seat was full. Even all the floor space in the aisles and any spot to lean on a wall was full. I had to stand in the tiny entryway of one of the cars. Even that was so crowded, with two other passengers and three policemen, that it was standing room only. Shortly after I got on, the policemen starting checking everyone's passports. I was really glad I had thought to bring mine even though I wasn't going to be leaving the country, because I'd never seen anyone check documents before. Eventually the policemen got off the train, and there was enough room for me to sit down on the floor in the doorway. I spent the entire five and a half hour train ride without a seat, getting up at every stop so people could get out the door.
Once in Naples, I walked to my hostel to meet up with Katie, Laura, and Pat. I stopped to see one of the castles and the Duomo on the way. When I had tried to book the hostel different websites were telling me different things about availability, so I e-mailed the hostel. They said they could make the reservation, just let them know how many beds I needed, but I never received a confirmation e-mail after I replied, so I really wasn't sure if I had a reservation or not. When I got to the hostel, I explained the situation to the man and showed him the e-mails. He couldn't find a reservation for me, but he said there was room. He showed me to one of the rooms, gave me sheets, and told me to wait a minute. When he came back in the room, he was carrying a bed frame and a bag of leg parts. He ripped open the bag and starting building me a bed. When it was all finished, with mattress and everything, he let me put the bed anywhere in the room. I was pretty impressed that rather than turn me away, he just built a new bed for me.
When Laura, Katie, and Pat got back to the hostel, we hung out there for a little while and met some other American kids and a Belgian guy. We all went out for pizza at a restaurant where Pope John Paul II had eaten. After dinner we went back to the hostel and met a bunch of other people staying there.
Saturday morning we got up bright and early to take the ferry to Capri. On the ferry we ran into Nadia who was also visiting Naples and Capri. Once on the island we took a bus to Anacapri to climb the mountain. Climbing the mountain was awesome. Before we had gone very far, we came to a fork in the road. We picked the path that looked more promising, but it quickly ended. We decided to continue on anyway, following an overgrown little goat path (or some other kind of animal path). We trekked along that for awhile until we had to start scaling the rocks. I don't think I've ever done legit mountain climbing like that before. It was so cool. When we got to the top, we could see how easy the other path would have been, but we were all definitely glad we chose the harder way. We could see almost all of Capri from the top. There was another slightly higher peak a short distance away, so of course we had to climb that as well. We took the real path this time, though.
After hiking the highest peaks, we worked our way over to the beach, hoping to rent some kayaks. Unfortunately, the beach was super crowded so we weren't able to rent kayaks, but Pat and I went swimming and exploring the rocks while Katie and Laura got a tan. There were jellyfish EVERYWHERE. I even got stung by one, but luckily it didn't hurt at all.
Late afternoon we started on our way to the other side of the island to visit the Blue Grotto. The Blue Grotto is a cave in the water that appears to shine blue. There's a hole in the rock under the water through which the sun shines, giving everything a blue glint. You're supposed to pay a lot of money to take a little rowboat into the grotto, but the boats stop at about 5:00, so we planned to get there after 5, so we could swim in. The bus stopped really far from away so we had to walk soooo far to get there. It was worth it, though. There was just this teeny little metal dock next to a hole in the rock and a sign saying absolutely no swimming but luckily I didn't see that until we were leaving. At the grotto, we met back up with Nadia and the boys from our hostel.
By the time we got to the grotto, the sun wasn't high in the sky anymore, so the cave was kind of dark. One wall was still glowing blue, though, and the water was shining a crazy bright blue. The cave was huge, but I didn't go in very far because it was so dark. Then Pat saw a jelly fish and we all freaked out and swam out. We were willing to brave the dark and the freezing cold and the waves, but the jellyfish was too much.
When we were back on shore and somewhat dried off, we all decided to go to the lighthouse to watch the sunset. It was kind of cloudy, so the sunset wasn't great, but it was still fun climbing on the rocks. When we finally decided to head back to the dock to catch the last ferry to Naples, we realized we had just missed a bus. As we were waiting for the next one, Katie and some of the guys started to talk to one of the men who was also waiting for the bus. He told them we'd never make it back to Marina Grande (where the ferry comes) in time for the last ferry of the day and that we better take a taxi. He was a little odd so we weren't sure if we should believe him or not but he was really insistent. No taxis come all the way out to the lighthouse, though, so we were going to have to take the bus to Anacapri (where we were supposed to switch buses) anyway. In Anacapri we sprinted to find a taxi. Luckily we found one pretty fast, but there were eight of us and the driver only wanted to take five. We really didn't want to split up (especially since that would mean each person's fare would be more), so we begged the driver to take all eight. He let us all cram in and he sped down the mountain to the marina. We made it to the ticket office with plenty of time to buy our tickets and get on the ferry. Maybe it wasn't really necessary to take the taxi, but we were all glad we made it and didn't have to spend the night on the island.
Once back in Naples, we walked Nadia back to her hostel and then headed back to ours. On the way we ran into an Easter parade, so we stopped and watched for a little while. Two of the boys (Neil and Teddy), Katie, and I lost the rest of the group so we explored Naples a little. We found a whole street stretching between two piazzas crowded with kids our age. Naples is pretty dirty and poor looking, with not a whole lot of people wandering around, but this street seemed to be where everyone comes at night. We also passed some sort of festival for Easter with Polynesian dancers. There seems to be a large population of Polynesians in Naples.
After getting back to the hostel and realizing that everyone else went out to dinner without us, Katie, Neil, Teddy, and I went out to get pizza on our own. Then we headed back to the hostel to go to bed.
Our original plan for Sunday was to go to Herculaneum. Then the plan changed to go to Sorrento, but neither plan worked out because of the limited transportation on Easter, so we stayed in Naples instead. We went to Easter mass at Gesu Nuovo. Then we wandered around and took the metro to go see some big park, but once again the limited public transportation foiled our plans, so we walked through a smaller park and went to see one of the castles. We took a nap on some rocks by the water. Although none of our original plans worked out, it was nice to see the cleaner side of Naples.
Eventually we headed back to our hostel to pick up our bags and go home. We had a little time to kill though, so we hung around the hostel for a little while. The people at the hostel were preparing for an Easter party, so we helped them make Sangria. More and more people joined us in the common room, so we polished off a good portion of the Sangria we had just made. Everyone who was there had to leave before the party was scheduled to start, so we kind of made our own party. Then we headed to the train station to go back to Florence.
spent Easter weekend visiting Naples and Capri. On Friday I took a train down to Naples. The train was sooooo crowded that there was absolutely nowhere to sit. The kind of ticket I had bought didn't have a seat reservation so it could be used on any train from Florence to Naples but that also meant that no seat was saved for me. Usually there are enough empty seats that that doesn't matter; plus there are little fold down seats in the aisles, but every single seat was full. Even all the floor space in the aisles and any spot to lean on a wall was full. I had to stand in the tiny entryway of one of the cars. Even that was so crowded, with two other passengers and three policemen, that it was standing room only. Shortly after I got on, the policemen starting checking everyone's passports. I was really glad I had thought to bring mine even though I wasn't going to be leaving the country, because I'd never seen anyone check documents before. Eventually the policemen got off the train, and there was enough room for me to sit down on the floor in the doorway. I spent the entire five and a half hour train ride without a seat, getting up at every stop so people could get out the door.
Once in Naples, I walked to my hostel to meet up with Katie, Laura, and Pat. I stopped to see one of the castles and the Duomo on the way. When I had tried to book the hostel different websites were telling me different things about availability, so I e-mailed the hostel. They said they could make the reservation, just let them know how many beds I needed, but I never received a confirmation e-mail after I replied, so I really wasn't sure if I had a reservation or not. When I got to the hostel, I explained the situation to the man and showed him the e-mails. He couldn't find a reservation for me, but he said there was room. He showed me to one of the rooms, gave me sheets, and told me to wait a minute. When he came back in the room, he was carrying a bed frame and a bag of leg parts. He ripped open the bag and starting building me a bed. When it was all finished, with mattress and everything, he let me put the bed anywhere in the room. I was pretty impressed that rather than turn me away, he just built a new bed for me.
When Laura, Katie, and Pat got back to the hostel, we hung out there for a little while and met some other American kids and a Belgian guy. We all went out for pizza at a restaurant where Pope John Paul II had eaten. After dinner we went back to the hostel and met a bunch of other people staying there.
Saturday morning we got up bright and early to take the ferry to Capri. On the ferry we ran into Nadia who was also visiting Naples and Capri. Once on the island we took a bus to Anacapri to climb the mountain. Climbing the mountain was awesome. Before we had gone very far, we came to a fork in the road. We picked the path that looked more promising, but it quickly ended. We decided to continue on anyway, following an overgrown little goat path (or some other kind of animal path). We trekked along that for awhile until we had to start scaling the rocks. I don't think I've ever done legit mountain climbing like that before. It was so cool. When we got to the top, we could see how easy the other path would have been, but we were all definitely glad we chose the harder way. We could see almost all of Capri from the top. There was another slightly higher peak a short distance away, so of course we had to climb that as well. We took the real path this time, though.
After hiking the highest peaks, we worked our way over to the beach, hoping to rent some kayaks. Unfortunately, the beach was super crowded so we weren't able to rent kayaks, but Pat and I went swimming and exploring the rocks while Katie and Laura got a tan. There were jellyfish EVERYWHERE. I even got stung by one, but luckily it didn't hurt at all.
Late afternoon we started on our way to the other side of the island to visit the Blue Grotto. The Blue Grotto is a cave in the water that appears to shine blue. There's a hole in the rock under the water through which the sun shines, giving everything a blue glint. You're supposed to pay a lot of money to take a little rowboat into the grotto, but the boats stop at about 5:00, so we planned to get there after 5, so we could swim in. The bus stopped really far from away so we had to walk soooo far to get there. It was worth it, though. There was just this teeny little metal dock next to a hole in the rock and a sign saying absolutely no swimming but luckily I didn't see that until we were leaving. At the grotto, we met back up with Nadia and the boys from our hostel.
By the time we got to the grotto, the sun wasn't high in the sky anymore, so the cave was kind of dark. One wall was still glowing blue, though, and the water was shining a crazy bright blue. The cave was huge, but I didn't go in very far because it was so dark. Then Pat saw a jelly fish and we all freaked out and swam out. We were willing to brave the dark and the freezing cold and the waves, but the jellyfish was too much.
When we were back on shore and somewhat dried off, we all decided to go to the lighthouse to watch the sunset. It was kind of cloudy, so the sunset wasn't great, but it was still fun climbing on the rocks. When we finally decided to head back to the dock to catch the last ferry to Naples, we realized we had just missed a bus. As we were waiting for the next one, Katie and some of the guys started to talk to one of the men who was also waiting for the bus. He told them we'd never make it back to Marina Grande (where the ferry comes) in time for the last ferry of the day and that we better take a taxi. He was a little odd so we weren't sure if we should believe him or not but he was really insistent. No taxis come all the way out to the lighthouse, though, so we were going to have to take the bus to Anacapri (where we were supposed to switch buses) anyway. In Anacapri we sprinted to find a taxi. Luckily we found one pretty fast, but there were eight of us and the driver only wanted to take five. We really didn't want to split up (especially since that would mean each person's fare would be more), so we begged the driver to take all eight. He let us all cram in and he sped down the mountain to the marina. We made it to the ticket office with plenty of time to buy our tickets and get on the ferry. Maybe it wasn't really necessary to take the taxi, but we were all glad we made it and didn't have to spend the night on the island.
Once back in Naples, we walked Nadia back to her hostel and then headed back to ours. On the way we ran into an Easter parade, so we stopped and watched for a little while. Two of the boys (Neil and Teddy), Katie, and I lost the rest of the group so we explored Naples a little. We found a whole street stretching between two piazzas crowded with kids our age. Naples is pretty dirty and poor looking, with not a whole lot of people wandering around, but this street seemed to be where everyone comes at night. We also passed some sort of festival for Easter with Polynesian dancers. There seems to be a large population of Polynesians in Naples.
After getting back to the hostel and realizing that everyone else went out to dinner without us, Katie, Neil, Teddy, and I went out to get pizza on our own. Then we headed back to the hostel to go to bed.
Our original plan for Sunday was to go to Herculaneum. Then the plan changed to go to Sorrento, but neither plan worked out because of the limited transportation on Easter, so we stayed in Naples instead. We went to Easter mass at Gesu Nuovo. Then we wandered around and took the metro to go see some big park, but once again the limited public transportation foiled our plans, so we walked through a smaller park and went to see one of the castles. We took a nap on some rocks by the water. Although none of our original plans worked out, it was nice to see the cleaner side of Naples.
Eventually we headed back to our hostel to pick up our bags and go home. We had a little time to kill though, so we hung around the hostel for a little while. The people at the hostel were preparing for an Easter party, so we helped them make Sangria. More and more people joined us in the common room, so we polished off a good portion of the Sangria we had just made. Everyone who was there had to leave before the party was scheduled to start, so we kind of made our own party. Then we headed to the train station to go back to Florence.
April 8, 2009
went to the Uffizi Gallery with Izzy and Kelly. The museum usually has a crazy long line so we got there right when it opened and only had to wait about 45 minutes to an hour to get in (which is considered really good). I'm not a big museum person but it's more interesting when we've already learned about a lot of the paintings in class and know what they're about.
After Studio, Emily, Hardy, Nadia, Kelly, and I had to sprint off to a meeting. Since we're all juniors in the honors program, we have to complete a service project by the end of the year. The fact that we're studying abroad during the time we're supposed to do it makes it a little harder, but Hardy had set up a meeting with a woman who organizes activities to bring study abroad students and Italians together. She had told him that we could help out with one of the activities in order to fulfill our service requirement. Originally we had thought that it would just be something fairly easy (we only have to have four hours of service between the five of us), but during the course of the meeting, we realized we're actually going to have to do a LOT of work. Because of the recent earthquake, Bari (the woman we met with) suggested we organize a silent auction to benefit the victims. We're going to collect donations of artwork from study abroad students who can't take it all home and auction it off to people living in the area. We're also organizing performances (music and poetry and that kind of thing) to take place during the night. It's going to be a really neat event, and it's pretty amazing to be doing something like this for our host country, but at the same time, it adds a whole heck of a lot of work at an extremely busy part of our semester. Nadia and I are handling most of the publicity, so hopefully we'll be successful in recruiting artists and performers, as well as a good mix of Italians and foreigners to attend.
After our meeting, we rushed home to get ready for the "Gallery" down in the boys' room. Someone had the idea to set up a night where some of the paintings and photos that our friends have done for class could be showcased. The downstairs boys (the ones that live in my building) hosted the event. We all had our doubts as to how well they would organize the night and set up their room, but they exceeded all of our expectations by far. Their room looked AMAZING. They moved all their beds and dressers and desks into one bedroom, so the other one could be used for the gallery. Artwork was displayed in the now empty bedroom as well as in their tiny living room. They borrowed easels from the painting teacher and printed up little placards with the title, artist, and short description for each piece. They used sheets as tablecloths so everything looked super classy. All of our architecture and Italian teachers were invited.
The dress code for the night was formal attire, and everyone went all out. Our teachers were so impressed not only by the display but also by how well everyone could clean up. We (the students, not the teachers) were all assigned food to bring. It was supposed to be a sort of wine and cheese party, so there was plenty of wine and cheese of course, but also bread, crackers, dip, grapes. There was so much food, and it was all displayed really nicely, too.
When the night started to wind down, Stefano played guitar for us. He's not an amazing player, but we all really enjoyed hearing him play Italian songs. Then Phil, who is an amazing guitar player, also played a few songs for us. Before Carlo left he invited us all out to some really fancy club later. Unfortunately when we met him there later, none of us (Carlo included) could get in, because it was a Cavalli Club and Roberto Cavalli himself was there. It didn't really matter, though, because we were all pretty worn out and just happy about what a success the Gallery had been.
went to the Uffizi Gallery with Izzy and Kelly. The museum usually has a crazy long line so we got there right when it opened and only had to wait about 45 minutes to an hour to get in (which is considered really good). I'm not a big museum person but it's more interesting when we've already learned about a lot of the paintings in class and know what they're about.
After Studio, Emily, Hardy, Nadia, Kelly, and I had to sprint off to a meeting. Since we're all juniors in the honors program, we have to complete a service project by the end of the year. The fact that we're studying abroad during the time we're supposed to do it makes it a little harder, but Hardy had set up a meeting with a woman who organizes activities to bring study abroad students and Italians together. She had told him that we could help out with one of the activities in order to fulfill our service requirement. Originally we had thought that it would just be something fairly easy (we only have to have four hours of service between the five of us), but during the course of the meeting, we realized we're actually going to have to do a LOT of work. Because of the recent earthquake, Bari (the woman we met with) suggested we organize a silent auction to benefit the victims. We're going to collect donations of artwork from study abroad students who can't take it all home and auction it off to people living in the area. We're also organizing performances (music and poetry and that kind of thing) to take place during the night. It's going to be a really neat event, and it's pretty amazing to be doing something like this for our host country, but at the same time, it adds a whole heck of a lot of work at an extremely busy part of our semester. Nadia and I are handling most of the publicity, so hopefully we'll be successful in recruiting artists and performers, as well as a good mix of Italians and foreigners to attend.
After our meeting, we rushed home to get ready for the "Gallery" down in the boys' room. Someone had the idea to set up a night where some of the paintings and photos that our friends have done for class could be showcased. The downstairs boys (the ones that live in my building) hosted the event. We all had our doubts as to how well they would organize the night and set up their room, but they exceeded all of our expectations by far. Their room looked AMAZING. They moved all their beds and dressers and desks into one bedroom, so the other one could be used for the gallery. Artwork was displayed in the now empty bedroom as well as in their tiny living room. They borrowed easels from the painting teacher and printed up little placards with the title, artist, and short description for each piece. They used sheets as tablecloths so everything looked super classy. All of our architecture and Italian teachers were invited.
The dress code for the night was formal attire, and everyone went all out. Our teachers were so impressed not only by the display but also by how well everyone could clean up. We (the students, not the teachers) were all assigned food to bring. It was supposed to be a sort of wine and cheese party, so there was plenty of wine and cheese of course, but also bread, crackers, dip, grapes. There was so much food, and it was all displayed really nicely, too.
When the night started to wind down, Stefano played guitar for us. He's not an amazing player, but we all really enjoyed hearing him play Italian songs. Then Phil, who is an amazing guitar player, also played a few songs for us. Before Carlo left he invited us all out to some really fancy club later. Unfortunately when we met him there later, none of us (Carlo included) could get in, because it was a Cavalli Club and Roberto Cavalli himself was there. It didn't really matter, though, because we were all pretty worn out and just happy about what a success the Gallery had been.
April 7, 2009
went to the Boboli Gardens with Nikul. Those were pretty neat to see, and they were HUGE. There was definitely way more garden than any one palazzo needs.
went to the Lion's Fountain to hear Phil play guitar and sing. He's really good. He lives two floors down from us, so I often hear his guitar music through the window when he's practicing.
went to the Boboli Gardens with Nikul. Those were pretty neat to see, and they were HUGE. There was definitely way more garden than any one palazzo needs.
went to the Lion's Fountain to hear Phil play guitar and sing. He's really good. He lives two floors down from us, so I often hear his guitar music through the window when he's practicing.
April 6, 2009
An actor came in to do some activities with us in Italian class. He was really funny. He talked all in Italian and had us do little skits in Italian, which was quite amusing. While we were doing these activities, something HUGE must have fallen in the room above us. We heard an almighty crash and plaster rained down on our heads. It was seriously the biggest crash I've ever heard, and now there are several large cracks in the ceiling of our classroom. I have no idea what happened upstairs, but it definitely sounded like someone dropped a baby elephant from several stories up.
An actor came in to do some activities with us in Italian class. He was really funny. He talked all in Italian and had us do little skits in Italian, which was quite amusing. While we were doing these activities, something HUGE must have fallen in the room above us. We heard an almighty crash and plaster rained down on our heads. It was seriously the biggest crash I've ever heard, and now there are several large cracks in the ceiling of our classroom. I have no idea what happened upstairs, but it definitely sounded like someone dropped a baby elephant from several stories up.
April 5, 2009
went to mass at San Frediano with Pat. We had both completely forgotten it was Palm Sunday until we saw a couple of people leaving the church with olive branches, which is apparently what they use here instead of the palm fronds we use. The mass was pretty cool. Obviously we still didn't understand a lot of it, but after the priest read the opening homily, everyone in the church processed outside and around the church courtyard, singing. I don't know if we went to a children's mass or if this church is just more children-oriented, but all the kids at mass led the procession. They also got to go up on the altar for the Our Father and the Sign of Peace. Everyone handing out olive branches and doing the collections were kids, too.
When I came back to my apartment after being in studio most of the day, I heard guitar playing and singing coming from one of the windows facing our little courtyard. Everyone in our apartment building crowded out onto our balconies so we could listen better. Eventually we clapped after one of the songs, and we wound up talking to the girls who were playing. They were really nice and invited us to come to a Spanish club for music and dancing. It was really neat.
went to mass at San Frediano with Pat. We had both completely forgotten it was Palm Sunday until we saw a couple of people leaving the church with olive branches, which is apparently what they use here instead of the palm fronds we use. The mass was pretty cool. Obviously we still didn't understand a lot of it, but after the priest read the opening homily, everyone in the church processed outside and around the church courtyard, singing. I don't know if we went to a children's mass or if this church is just more children-oriented, but all the kids at mass led the procession. They also got to go up on the altar for the Our Father and the Sign of Peace. Everyone handing out olive branches and doing the collections were kids, too.
When I came back to my apartment after being in studio most of the day, I heard guitar playing and singing coming from one of the windows facing our little courtyard. Everyone in our apartment building crowded out onto our balconies so we could listen better. Eventually we clapped after one of the songs, and we wound up talking to the girls who were playing. They were really nice and invited us to come to a Spanish club for music and dancing. It was really neat.
April 3-4, 2009
went to Milan with Studio. We took the Eurostar from Florence Friday morning. When we got to Milan, we had a little time for lunch and then headed to our hotel to drop off our things. I was surprised by how nice the hotel was. I got one of the nicer rooms with only one roommate (and right next to the breakfast area).
The first piece of architecture we visited was the new complex built for the World Expo to be held in Milan in 2015. It's called Fiera di Milano and was designed by Massimiliano Fuksas. Fiera di Milano is super cool. It's made up of a lot of different buildings, but a crazy glass pavilion stretches the entire length which is 1.3 kilometers. Most of the buildings are pretty interesting, too, but it's really this flowing expanse of glass that really attracts your eye. The walkway underneath appears to be white but has a blue tint to it, so it feels like you're in the sky. The whole complex was closed when we got there, but Carlo can talk his way into anywhere, so the guards let us in.
Next we went to look at a building designed by Renzo Piano. We weren't supposed to be allowed to go inside this building either, but once again Carlo worked his magic and they let us in, but we weren't allowed past the lobby and we couldn't take pictures inside. I think this building has offices, conference rooms, and an auditorium. The main building, housing the offices and such, forms three sides of a square. In the middle is a huge mound covered in trees. Something is underneath the trees and I'm pretty sure it's the auditorium.
We took the metro to Castello Sforzesco. We took the metro just about everywhere because Milan is so big. We had to get off at the stop called Cadorna. We stopped to learn about the Cadorna Station. I think it's kind of ugly in a primary color/nursery school type of way, but I guess it's pretty symbolic of a type of architecture that was popular at the time it was built (which I think was the 1980s). There was a kind of neat sculpture out in front, though. The sculpture looked like a brightly colored needle and thread, but the thread passed under the road and came up on the other side.
From the castle we walked to the Duomo. At this point we were given free time to go in the Duomo, wander around, and find dinner. The Duomo church (I don't know what it's called) is really nice inside. The arches are pretty amazing. After walking around the Duomo, a bunch of us went into the Galleria, which was the first mall in the world. It has lots of unbelievably expensive stores. Up above, it also includes the second ever seven star hotel. The only other one is in Dubai. We were trying to imagine what could possibly be offered at a seven star hotel, and we decided they must provide secretaries and car service and gift baskets and museum passes and things like that.
After the Galleria, we headed back up towards our hostel to grab some dinner before we were supposed to meet back up with the group. We found a little pizza place with outdoor seating, so we ate there. At the end of the meal, we asked the waiter for a bottle opener to open the beer and wine we had gotten earlier at the grocery store. We weren't sure if this was rude since we hadn't bought any drinks at the restaurant, but the waiter was really nice and wound up sitting down with us to have a glass of wine. His friend who makes the pizzas came out, too. We wound up talking to them for a pretty long time. Both the waiter and the pizzaiolo (pizza-maker) are from Egypt, working in Italy to save up some money before they go back to Egypt. I've never met anyone from Egypt before so it was really interesting to hear about the schooling and jobs and things. We eventually had to leave because we were already late to meet back up with our class to experience the Milano nightlife, but our new friends invited us to come back for a few drinks when the place closed at midnight.
Carlo and Stefano (our teachers) took us to a piazza that was pretty much surrounded by bars. The nice thing about Italy is that everyone drinks outside, so while other people bought expensive drinks at the bar, those of us on a budget could drink the cheaper stuff we had bought at the grocery store. Carlo brought us into this one really expensive bar just to look at the architecture. The bar owners probably weren't too happy to see a big group of Americans walk in, look around without buying anything (Carlo specifically told us not to buy anything because it would really expensive), and walk back out. After hanging out in the piazza and laughing at all the crazy things people were walking around selling for awhile, we headed back to the hostel. On the way we passed our pizza place and of course it was just after midnight and we ran into the Egyptians. Luckily we were with our whole class, so we told the Egyptian guys that we had to go back to our hostel with the group and wouldn't be able to stick around.
Saturday morning we had breakfast at our hotel and then went to visit the Bocconi University. We had to take a tram there which was fun. The Bocconi University is really crazy. It was named the most beautiful building in 2008, which I think is a little weird, because it's all big boxy shapes, which I don't usually associate with the word beautiful. Next we walked around Milan learning about different historical events and geographical factors that have affected the architecture over the years. We eventually worked our way to some really colorful building whose name I can't remember. We went to a little art exhibit nearby. It was sponsored by a beer company so all the artwork featured the beer in some way, but they aslo had these really cool benches made out of cardboard. Instead of being corrugated, the cardboard had more of an accordian-type weave, so the benches could fold up or stretch out and be made into all sorts of shapes. We also walked around the fashion distrcit, since Milan is the fashion capital of the world.
The last place we went was the Padiglione D'Arte Contemporanea. After walking through the main building, we took a break to relax in the garden. Not much relaxing happened, since most of us decided to practice our handstands and cartwheels and have somersault races down the hill. When we were all worn out and dizzy from all that somersaulting, we went back into PAC to see the photography exhibit. Finally we headed back to the hotel to pick up our things and head back to Florence.
went to Milan with Studio. We took the Eurostar from Florence Friday morning. When we got to Milan, we had a little time for lunch and then headed to our hotel to drop off our things. I was surprised by how nice the hotel was. I got one of the nicer rooms with only one roommate (and right next to the breakfast area).
The first piece of architecture we visited was the new complex built for the World Expo to be held in Milan in 2015. It's called Fiera di Milano and was designed by Massimiliano Fuksas. Fiera di Milano is super cool. It's made up of a lot of different buildings, but a crazy glass pavilion stretches the entire length which is 1.3 kilometers. Most of the buildings are pretty interesting, too, but it's really this flowing expanse of glass that really attracts your eye. The walkway underneath appears to be white but has a blue tint to it, so it feels like you're in the sky. The whole complex was closed when we got there, but Carlo can talk his way into anywhere, so the guards let us in.
Next we went to look at a building designed by Renzo Piano. We weren't supposed to be allowed to go inside this building either, but once again Carlo worked his magic and they let us in, but we weren't allowed past the lobby and we couldn't take pictures inside. I think this building has offices, conference rooms, and an auditorium. The main building, housing the offices and such, forms three sides of a square. In the middle is a huge mound covered in trees. Something is underneath the trees and I'm pretty sure it's the auditorium.
We took the metro to Castello Sforzesco. We took the metro just about everywhere because Milan is so big. We had to get off at the stop called Cadorna. We stopped to learn about the Cadorna Station. I think it's kind of ugly in a primary color/nursery school type of way, but I guess it's pretty symbolic of a type of architecture that was popular at the time it was built (which I think was the 1980s). There was a kind of neat sculpture out in front, though. The sculpture looked like a brightly colored needle and thread, but the thread passed under the road and came up on the other side.
From the castle we walked to the Duomo. At this point we were given free time to go in the Duomo, wander around, and find dinner. The Duomo church (I don't know what it's called) is really nice inside. The arches are pretty amazing. After walking around the Duomo, a bunch of us went into the Galleria, which was the first mall in the world. It has lots of unbelievably expensive stores. Up above, it also includes the second ever seven star hotel. The only other one is in Dubai. We were trying to imagine what could possibly be offered at a seven star hotel, and we decided they must provide secretaries and car service and gift baskets and museum passes and things like that.
After the Galleria, we headed back up towards our hostel to grab some dinner before we were supposed to meet back up with the group. We found a little pizza place with outdoor seating, so we ate there. At the end of the meal, we asked the waiter for a bottle opener to open the beer and wine we had gotten earlier at the grocery store. We weren't sure if this was rude since we hadn't bought any drinks at the restaurant, but the waiter was really nice and wound up sitting down with us to have a glass of wine. His friend who makes the pizzas came out, too. We wound up talking to them for a pretty long time. Both the waiter and the pizzaiolo (pizza-maker) are from Egypt, working in Italy to save up some money before they go back to Egypt. I've never met anyone from Egypt before so it was really interesting to hear about the schooling and jobs and things. We eventually had to leave because we were already late to meet back up with our class to experience the Milano nightlife, but our new friends invited us to come back for a few drinks when the place closed at midnight.
Carlo and Stefano (our teachers) took us to a piazza that was pretty much surrounded by bars. The nice thing about Italy is that everyone drinks outside, so while other people bought expensive drinks at the bar, those of us on a budget could drink the cheaper stuff we had bought at the grocery store. Carlo brought us into this one really expensive bar just to look at the architecture. The bar owners probably weren't too happy to see a big group of Americans walk in, look around without buying anything (Carlo specifically told us not to buy anything because it would really expensive), and walk back out. After hanging out in the piazza and laughing at all the crazy things people were walking around selling for awhile, we headed back to the hostel. On the way we passed our pizza place and of course it was just after midnight and we ran into the Egyptians. Luckily we were with our whole class, so we told the Egyptian guys that we had to go back to our hostel with the group and wouldn't be able to stick around.
Saturday morning we had breakfast at our hotel and then went to visit the Bocconi University. We had to take a tram there which was fun. The Bocconi University is really crazy. It was named the most beautiful building in 2008, which I think is a little weird, because it's all big boxy shapes, which I don't usually associate with the word beautiful. Next we walked around Milan learning about different historical events and geographical factors that have affected the architecture over the years. We eventually worked our way to some really colorful building whose name I can't remember. We went to a little art exhibit nearby. It was sponsored by a beer company so all the artwork featured the beer in some way, but they aslo had these really cool benches made out of cardboard. Instead of being corrugated, the cardboard had more of an accordian-type weave, so the benches could fold up or stretch out and be made into all sorts of shapes. We also walked around the fashion distrcit, since Milan is the fashion capital of the world.
The last place we went was the Padiglione D'Arte Contemporanea. After walking through the main building, we took a break to relax in the garden. Not much relaxing happened, since most of us decided to practice our handstands and cartwheels and have somersault races down the hill. When we were all worn out and dizzy from all that somersaulting, we went back into PAC to see the photography exhibit. Finally we headed back to the hotel to pick up our things and head back to Florence.
April 1, 2009
had a scavenger hunt in Italian class. We started out in Piazza della Repubblica and were given different missions (written in Italian) in which we had to interact with Italians. One activity was to interview an Italian and get the answers to a set of questions we were given. Another was to buy a postcard and a stamp (which required us to use our Italian at two different stores), write out the postcard, and send it to our teacher. Not only did the activities require the use of the Italian language but they also made us use our knowledge of Florence. For instance, knowing what mailboxes look like or what kind of store sells stamps. One activity also gave us step by step directions to a market, but if you were familiar with the market, you could get there much faster. Of course my team won. The prizes were chocolate eggs with bracelets inside. When the teacher handed the first one to one of my teammates, I said "Oh yay chocolate!" and the teacher turned to me and said, "You don't get one." She knew I had an allergy to nuts because of the dinner at the restaurant, and so she didn't want to give me a chocolate egg on the off chance that it might contain almonds (even though the ingredients only listed chocolate). We all think she really just didn't buy enough and used that as an excuse. Even the losing teams got some form of chocolate, but I got two dopey styrofoam eggs on sticks and a pencil instead.
went to Piazza Alberti for studio. We had a tour of a new residential building led by none other than the architect of the building. The building was very contemporary unlike the part of Florence we usually see. Visiting a building and hearing about it from its architect was definitely a very different experience than visiting on your own. He could tell us all of the intentions behind every move he made in the design and made us notice things that maybe we wouldn't otherwise.
had a scavenger hunt in Italian class. We started out in Piazza della Repubblica and were given different missions (written in Italian) in which we had to interact with Italians. One activity was to interview an Italian and get the answers to a set of questions we were given. Another was to buy a postcard and a stamp (which required us to use our Italian at two different stores), write out the postcard, and send it to our teacher. Not only did the activities require the use of the Italian language but they also made us use our knowledge of Florence. For instance, knowing what mailboxes look like or what kind of store sells stamps. One activity also gave us step by step directions to a market, but if you were familiar with the market, you could get there much faster. Of course my team won. The prizes were chocolate eggs with bracelets inside. When the teacher handed the first one to one of my teammates, I said "Oh yay chocolate!" and the teacher turned to me and said, "You don't get one." She knew I had an allergy to nuts because of the dinner at the restaurant, and so she didn't want to give me a chocolate egg on the off chance that it might contain almonds (even though the ingredients only listed chocolate). We all think she really just didn't buy enough and used that as an excuse. Even the losing teams got some form of chocolate, but I got two dopey styrofoam eggs on sticks and a pencil instead.
went to Piazza Alberti for studio. We had a tour of a new residential building led by none other than the architect of the building. The building was very contemporary unlike the part of Florence we usually see. Visiting a building and hearing about it from its architect was definitely a very different experience than visiting on your own. He could tell us all of the intentions behind every move he made in the design and made us notice things that maybe we wouldn't otherwise.
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