Thursday was the schools art show. All the studio arts classes has student work in it, showing off what they did for the semester. So many students are into art that study here in Florence. I was amazed about that when I first got here.
Everyone in photography had two large photos up. I was so proud of my work. Several people absolutely loved mine. The director of the program was talking about them with another gentleman as I walked up to get a photo of me and my work. He quickly asked if these were mine and seemed to genuinely think they were really beautiful. Since they are rather abstract, he asked me to explain where they were taken and a little about them. I proudly told him where they were taken and a little bit of the editing I had to do to digitally print close to the original. “Photographers” truly have a relationship with their printer. Not all printers print the same. With these particular photos I had to exaggerate the colors on the computer screen, as I have to with many of the photos I take because I love color. We have to do “test strips” also after adjusting anything on the photo. We only print a full photo after correcting and adjusting the color, saturation, etc. We had our final critique on Tuesday also. It was so interesting to see the best of everyone’s work pined up on the board. That person’s personality was stapled up on a big wooden board along with their likes and dislikes. It’s crazy and very interesting. As my professor went from person to person commenting and giving advice for the final time, she always talked about what part of the person’s personality came out of these particular works. My professor is great, she’s an Italian woman with one of the prettiest faces I have ever seen. Apparently the two photos I had in the exhibition show my “sensitivity” because both were difficult photos to take for several reasons, including the fact that they were taken at night, yet I tried to make them work anyway. I have learned so much about photography this past semester. It is definitely always a learning game though. It will take years and years of practice.
My host parents came to the show, which I was super excited about!! Super excited they wanted to see my work and that I am that important to them. I, like with everyone else, walked them over to my photos proudly displaying them. They even mentioned them a couple hours later at dinner. It meant a lot to me. At one point, Bruno was talking to when the VP of our program came over (Jim, he’s the coolest 50-60 yr old you’ve EVER met!). Of course, like everyone else in the world, Jim knew Bruno immediately and came over and gave each other a kiss, excitedly talked, etc. We got to the subject of me living with them and Jim immediately commented how lucky I am to have them. (although he had to mention that the families are great, but some are better than others). I knew this and very much emphasized it. Bruno was tearing up and wiping his eyes. I’m still not exactly sure why but it was only after we started talking about how great of a family they have been to live with. -I told Maria Luisa today that I decided she is coming home with me to cook because it’s just SOOOOoOoOooOoO good. She didn’t get the joke and just looked blankly at me.
After my show, we walked down the street to another one because a friend of there’s was having a show also. It was interesting. Not my style but it was good.
My Christmas present to my host family: Me with a bow on my head, because I’m clearly not leaving in a week. It’s not happening.
I started packing Friday. It’s so surreal. I opened one of my pieces of luggage and found something I had forgotten I put there. Even though it was only 3 months ago that I was unpacking them, so much has happened since then. It feels like so much longer. I literally can’t comprehend my reality in the US anymore. As I was packing, I was trying to envision walking downstairs after first waking up in the morning in my parents house. I just couldn’t do it. I know I keep saying that but I can’t explain it and I know no one else will understand it, so apparently this makes me say it over and over.
Packing again: So while starting to pack, I realized my luggage pieces must have shrunken. It will be a serious miracle if I can fit everything in them.
Something miraculous happened when I woke up Friday morning. I walked out of my room in a daze and still clearly somewhat sleep walking when all of a sudden, I see something coming in through Stefania’s open door. My first thought was, “that would make a pretty picture. Where is my camera“ then understood what was happening. IT WAS THE SUN!!! It literally took me a second to register that the sun was actually out. True to what we were told, it hasn’t stopped raining since November 1st, exactly. Although I will give mother nature a little credit: the locals say it is raining more than usual this year. However, to give us a happy goodbye, it is suppose to be sunny just about all next week.
I mostly finished everything that is due school work wise, Friday. I was locked up in the lib for hours on end and only took a break to go to the center and have lunch with friends. So for the next two days of my weekend, I am seeing the remaining sites in the city and Christmas shopping mixed with consuming an obscene amount of gelato. Sounds like a good weekend to me.
Such a wonderful Saturday!! I am absolutely obsessed with Florence during Natale! There are so many markets and everyone is so nice. Literally, we kept walking around and around the city, down little side streets, in piazzas, everywhere and kept seeing little festivals. We got free fresh dried spices and hot tea (yum!). On woman I loved was giving away something edible (which was yummy but not yummy enough for me to remember apparently). She was so sweet. I said “mangio?” (I eat?). Her response made me feel as though it would her pleasure for me to try it. She was so sweet! I can still picture her face and smile which was so welcoming. Basically everyone was like that all day. The main markets such as San Lorenzo (leather market) was seriously crowded though. I saw a lot of people that looked like locals and not just tourist also. Firenze comes alive during the Christmas season (Natale). The stores are ALL decorated and lit trees are in every piazza. It’s so great!
In the morning, we went back to the best chocolate place I have ever been to. I haven’t tried their actual chocolate because it was seriously expensive, but their hot chocolate was amazing, and I’m a connoisseur of hot chocolate in Florence! Since just discovering it Wednesday, I have been twice now. It’s called Vestri or something close to that. Unfortunately they were out of business cards for any future visits to Firenze I may make. The three of us shared a tiny gelato and each had a hot chocolate. These people seriously specialize in chocolate! Sooo amazing! Probably going again tomorrow. Not joking.
I’ve learned to work the San Lorenze market. As I have mentioned several times, men here in Italy are extremely confident. At this particular Market (it’s the main one and rather large), the booths that sell leather goods, scarves, etc. basically sell the exact same thing. So, I find what I want at one dealer, then go to a different dealer who is a younger flirty guy. Reason: I’m a young girl. Sounds manipulative, I’m aware, but I get the best deal because they are almost always willing to give discounts to blonde girls. To make myself feel better about this manipulation, I tell myself I’m simply taking advantage of the best deal available. Oh Italian men!
On the walk back from the center heading home, we saw a tiny market in Piazza S.S. Annunziata. Of course, we stopped. One place we check out was selling wine. I was super excited to be able to show off my wine knowledge. I am proud to saw I was talking to the owner and his helper about super Tuscan wines. There is no regulation on what percentage of a certain type grape they have to be made from, so the owner can be creative mixing the types of grapes. I love knowing this. I knew I love wine, but at that moment, I realized I love knowing about wine and how certain types are made and such. It seriously put an excitement in me. I also know that’s one thing I wanted to learn while here, but I seriously have learned that beginning to be a passion of mine: the art of wine making and tasting. Mi piace! I will have to learn about American wines when I get home because it has different regulations than Italian wines.
Today, Sunday, I went out with a friend again all day shopping and we visited Pitti Palace and saw The David. I love Pitti Palace. It was much bigger than I had thought. I visited the gardens which are incredibly famous (the Boboli Gardens) towards the beginning of the semester with my Medici art class but had not been in the palace. I was amazed by the floor plan also. So different from modern homes.
We stopped at the holiday market in Santa Croce again and I got a chocolate covered pretzel and hot wine. Not impressed with the hot wine at all. In fact, I only could drink about 10 sips then got rid of it. It was literally making me nauseous. I also got my china set I have been eyeing for a while. I know, I’m 20 years old and just bought a set of dishes. What can I say, I’m a unique interior design freak 20 year old.
It was freezing again today but was sunny part of the time.
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