So I came across some free time today, and decided I should take advantage of it and make a post when I'm not half asleep.
Except for the fact that this really isn't free time. It's just me deciding it's definitely time for my brain to take a break from its nonstop recent "research paper mode". That being said, I'm pretty sure I'm half asleep right now too. But we'll just pretend this isn't the case.
I'm at Arnold's Coffee Shop (The American Coffee Experience) right now. I'm always here around this time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays because it's when Braxton has his painting class. And there's just something about an AMERICAN coffee shop that relaxes me and helps me focus, especially when it comes to studying and getting things done. Apparently I'm not the only American student who feels this way either, as this entire bottom floor section of the shop is filled with other Americans my age with their laptops, headphones and textbooks out. And I'm sure I speak for us all when I say that the "Italian coffee experience" is the exact opposite. I can't explain to you the anxiety I get when I walk into any cafe. I usually just stand in the corner every morning while Braxton orders his breakfast, then we just hightail it out of there. No I am not close-minded, I had my fair share of this part of the culture for my first two months here, but at this point, I'm just done with it. I still order everything in the Italian language here so it still counts :)
"Ciao!"
"Ciao, prego!"
"Posso avere un 'large chai tea' per aportare via, per favore?"
"Si, certo! Con panna?"
"Ehhh...certo, perche no? Grazie!"
"Prego!"
And that's how it goes! Sometimes it's accompanied with some huge speedy fast Italian sentences that I can't understand, then I laugh as they realize I'm American and translate it into English for me. Only sometimes. Haha
So not much has happened if you're looking for huge adventures that I tend to go on a lot out here, but sometimes the day to day things are the funnest, most memorable parts. So if you're looking for those kinds of days, then a lot has happened! On Monday, Braxton and I decided that we wanted to stroll around Florence, and do something spontaneous like go inside of a museum or gallery that we didn't know existed. Or maybe go inside a few of the churches. We realized that we hardly have any sentimental Florence bonding time left over, which is actually a sad thought! Starting next weekend, the pace picks up, and we'll be out of the country just as often as we are in it. So we headed out, and ended up at Piazza San Spirito, which is where the San Spirito church is. The doors were open so we went inside. But after about 5 minutes, all the lights turned off and the doors started to close... It was kinda creepy. We laughed so hard and thankfully made it out the doors in time. We weren't quite satisfied with that adventure alone so we kept walking, and saw this familiar painting hanging on the outside of Palazzo Strozzi, so we went inside.
We realized it was Modern Art, which we kinda make fun of sometimes...It's just odd to us. Normally we would avoid this kind of museum, but the fee to get in was 4 euro, and YOLO.
K AND IT WAS FREAKIN WEIRD.
At one point, Braxton literally was laughing so hard that he was crying. If any of you know what his drawing of Bandit looks like, I kid you not, there was a painting worth millions in there that looked insanely identical to the Bandit drawing. It was terrible!! The whole thing was just terrible. I try to read the explanations, and I try to admire the message behind it, but I just can't. We can't do it. It was bad, but it was hilarious and we had a good time.
After that, we went home.
The next morning, I slept in and missed class (oops), but Braxton went. And came back with the news that our papers were due in 2 days instead of 9...So that started some commotion for us, and that's basically what we've been doing for the last day and a half. I'm done with mine finally, besides the Work Cited page!
And last but not least, Braxton's roommate AJ started a Fantasy NBA league and invited all the guys in the program to be a part of it, and myself. I'm glad my love for the NBA is recognized enough to get me a spot in the league. haha. Last night, we had our fantasy draft, and I drew for the last pick...of course... but I still got a killer team, and I'm excited for that to start. (Braxton's team is aight too, I guess)
But that was a nice little taste of home, and it gave me a 2k fix for the time being. Thank goodness for American friends when living in Italy <3
Ciao for now!
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