ho mal di gola

I'm sorry it's been so long since I last posted! I feel like I never have time I'm at the computer labs at school or its just not as private to do it but I purchased Internet access through the WIND store where I bought my Italian cell phone and therefore I should be able to blog more here in the apartment from my little dell.

Where to start? week Alex Taddeucci's mom and grandma were in town so they took a few of us out to dinner in Florence whcih was very nice of them. It felt surreal stepping into a taxi to go to dinner from their hotel since I am so used to walking everywhere when we are down in the center, or let alone up where I live in Campo di Marti. I would say that walking to and from school from our apartment is one of my favorite activities, even if my backpack weighs me down and people give me the look over for wearing rainbow sand sandals, I love seeing the day in and day out moments of Italian daily lives. In the morning I see lots of parents walking their bambinos to school, I see the cutest older Italian ladies with their shopping bags or groceries, who often don't smile but more than often you will find two ladies holding hands or helping each other stroll the streets. Men really do dress up more here. Its cool to see people all dressed up for work, looking snazzy, but riding a bike or a motorcyle/scooter. Its Something I rarely see in California. Italy is very environment cautious. At least my host family is...leaving lights on is a definite no no. And my family reuses everything. Bottles, water bottles, jelly glasses, etc.

Today I got a nasty sore throat (mal di gola) so I trecked around after classes were out in search of a farmacia. Pharmacies are not located in major grocery stores, they are sporadically around town and cannot be missed by the big green cross thats illuminated. I had bad luck at the first two farmacias that were not open but the third one gave me some sort of nasal spray...It doesnt do a whole lot but I think this cold will just have to run its course.

Today in my Italian class we had an activity where we had to go in groups to a nearby supermercato and il forno (a bar or caffe, place for lunch) and answer questions in italian, compare prices, and talk to people. It was fun to get out of the classroom, but weirdly enough a bike ran over my foot. It wasn't bad at all but bad enough to leave a bruise and some scrapes. I was able to walk fine though and it didnt startle me too much..it could have been a lot worse.

Yesterday I did the pilates class again and I think I am going to give this instructor a chance. It was only myself, the instructor, and one other girl on Tuesday, although typically we should have maybe 4 or 5 people. She speaks English and is from the South of the USa but lives in Florence now. I'm already sore, and although I'd love to do yoga, I think pilates will be just as good if not better for me.

The day trip to Ravenna on Saturday was awesome! It was so cool seeing the mosaics there. I have been in a few churches since Ive been in Italy but these were the first ones where I really was mesmerized. It was neat seeing the Mausoleum stairs and then the famous Justine and theodora mosaic I'd studied previously. Ravenna is a much newer city than Florence because it was rebuilt after WW2 when much of it was damaged. The streets are wider and look more modern. There were alot of neat little markets and people selling jewelry and miscellaneous items.

Syracuse Univ. in Florence is about 250 students, many of them from the east coast and only 26 or 28 boys i believe! I've decided it kind of feels like high school in the sense that the amount of time you see people is just in and around classes and the campus...whereas at SCU you see peple and get to know people more and better because you are in the dorms. It's kind of cliquey, although there are also some very nice people I've met.

I want to type more but I should go to bed because I have a test tomorrow in health and nutrition. More updates soon!

Love, laura