But I’m doing it anyway. After about two weeks of refusing to read from my critical literature about Alessandro Manzoni’s “I Promessi Sposi” and letting it stare at me from a corner of my desk, I’ve decided to open it and start. 2 pages down, 58 to go? Gross. It seems so much harder to get down to work here. It could be because work is sporadic at the Smith school and there is no such thing as a syllabus at the Italian university (my two professors made syllabi almost specifically for the foreign students in their class, aka me and the other Smithies in the classes) or possibly because everyone else I meet that is studying in Florence seems to be on a semester long vacation, whereas I have class from 9 am to 7 pm at least three days a week. (Whaddup kids from Kansas that I continuously meet on the bus who NEVER go to school.) In any case, after finishing a midterm on Italian Cinema today, and reading 2 chapters of my 456 page literature book last night, I feel empowered enough to get down to work. Which is exactly why I’m writing this post.
Obviously.
I cannot believe March is almost over. Before I know it, it’ll be April. Spring break (long awaited.) Then, May. Exams (horrifying.) Then June. Home (ridiculous.) It seems as though I’ve been in Italy forever, but that I just got back from winter break last week. I’m fairly certain Florence is in the epicenter of a time warp. Time moves too quickly and too slowly at the same time for it to be real. IS THIS REAL LIFE?
No, this is Italy.
Point? I’ve been trying to balance my time between traveling and studying. So far, traveling is winning by a mile. This past week marked the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. Thursday, the day of the anniversary, there was a “festa”, a fact that my host sisters were not too happy about. Though I was completely stoked about the idea of no school, I could understand their point of view about the celebration of a country that seems to be stuck in a period of regression rather than progression. Their argument consisted of not wanting to celebrate a country under the leadership of “an idiot” (reference to Berlusconi.) In their eyes, the holiday, created only two weeks ahead of the actual date, was a way for Berlusconi to prove to the world that his country was thriving and spirited, a front that could potentially help him with public opinion when he goes to trial in April. Personally, I don’t think a holiday will do anything to change his fast declining reputation (as if it were ever good) but my host sisters were firmly against any kind of celebration – and screamed about their opinion on the matter for at least an hour. In short, as my own form of protest (or so my host sisters would like to think…) I skipped the holiday festivities in Florence and went to Paris for the weekend. A good trade off, in my opinion.
Paris was glorious, and it was an added bonus to be able to see two very well missed friends from home. Finally having more than 2 days in a place, I was able to see almost everything I wanted to – L’arc de triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, Palais de Versailles, the Louvre, les Champs-Élysées, Notre Dame, and of course the Paris metro. The last one I probably could have done without, but I’m pretty sure I’m now a pro. Or as pro as I will ever be concerning public transportation, with the exception of the Florentine buses. Without boring you with details, let’s just say I have a newfound obsession with the Eiffel Tower and was able to reunite with my long lost love, Nutella. Apart from being yelled at when I replied “I don’t know” to a question posed in French, it was a lovely trip.
And now, “The Last Letters of Iacopo Ortis” are calling to me. Probably more like screaming from lack of attention. Dubstep will keep me alert enough to finish this.
Music for Today: Animale ft. Dragonette (Datsik Remix) – Don Diablo
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