A normal week night here in Florence, for me, is often spent at home finishing up homework assignments, studying, cooking meals or catching up with friends and family. This week, however, my housemates and I decided to branch out of our little bubble and experience the always-present night life of Florence. We only have 2 months left in this amazingly beautiful city and we can't let one day go to waste just because of a stupid final the next day (okay that was a lie. A few days here and there might be wasted away).
Last Monday, Christine and I ventured out to find "The Odeon", a theatre that plays American movies with Italian subtitles. I was thrilled to hear that The Artist was showing, so we got a bit dolled up (going out in public without makeup on is a huge no-no!! Santa Cruz did not prepare me for this), and strolled through the empty and calm, wonderful open streets. I love Florence without the crowds and zooming cars. The theatre was amazing! It was an actual theatre for say, an Opera, and the seats were extremely cushiony. I could not get over the theatre and the feeling and the differences between this and American movie theaters (there are no popcorn machines, for example, but there is a coffee bar, of course!). The movie was AMAZING and Christine and I tapped dance all the way back to our apartment.
On Tuesday I volunteered at a library for a UNICEF event that brought awareness to children about their rights. For two hours we taught Italian children around 9 years of age about their rights and then made costumes for them. They memorized their lines to either "Cinderella" or "Hansel and Gretel" and did mini presentations at the end of the class. I had such a blast!! Even though it was difficult to have a full conversation with them, we could definitely understand each other and time really flew by. The library we were in was absolutely adorable, by the way, with changing colors and butterfly and flower paintings on the walls. This was also the first time I drove in a car!!! Kirste, the director of the program I volunteer for, drove the volunteers to the library and it was such a fun experience. I seriously doubt I would ever be able to drive here. People are crazy!!!
Wednesday night we stayed in and crammed for our weekly Thursday quiz/test/or midterm (yes EVERY Thursday we have one or the other) and then headed on over to our new favorite bar just around the corner called "One-Eyed Jacks" for Christine's 21st Birthday at midnight!! The bartender was the nicest guy and he kept creating different fun shots for us all to try and he even joined us for a few of them! I don't know how many everyone had (I only allowed myself two and man were they yummy) but in the end it all only cost us 5 euros!! That price is unseen here in Florence. With slightly less sleep than normal, Thursday's class went by slowly. We had a visit to nearby Pitti Palace where we got to go to a costume museum and describe what we saw with our new vocab! I love out of class activities! When we came back we had our test and voila', the day was already finished!
Thursday night was sure to be crazy because everyone was going out for Christine's Bday!! We all got ready and had our favorite Gusta Pizza for dinner, had some limoncello, stopped by One-Eyed Jack's once again, and then headed to our friends' apartment. It was so fun to have everyone together there and after an hour of hanging out we walked down their stairs to the ever famous "Shots Cafe". There is a famous drink here inappropriately called "boobs" which is served to you on fire! Pretty cool stuff, I must say. After this stop we headed close by to the bar/discoteca sort of place called "Astor" (for all you Jersey Shore fans, they came here often). The rest of our program was here celebrating another birthday and we all danced together and had a jolly old time. Next stop: Niyema pub for 20 minutes. Next and final stop: Twice Discoteca. I will not be going here again. It is FREE to go (so all us cheap students go) but the guys here are so creepy and just gross! Anna and I danced with crazy birthday girl Christine for a good couple of hours but pretty soon we were over these men and the crazy foreigners everywhere. I need to find somewhere much more local, and fast! With Christine wedged between us, we all made the looooong walk back to our apartment. We tucked the Birthday girl in and all jumped into best and quickly fell asleep.
We all slept in very late on Friday (we got back at 4 am the "night" before) and spent the rest of the day having a much needed "lazy day" filled with movies and reading books for FUN and lounging. On Saturday morning Anna and I walked to Michelangelo hill once again and she lent me her nice camera to snap away at everything around! It was nice walking and just soaking in everything, instead of speed walking to our next destination without a spare minute to notice things. We then met up with some girls on our Renaissance class and visisted the Museo di San Marco, an old monastery with amazing cells that we could walk inside! I still can't get over that we are able to visit these places that we learn about in our textbook. It is so unreal!!! After this we went to Santa Croce and hung out with the locals, listening to wonderful italian musicians play away. I felt like I was in a scene from "Eat, Pray, Love" and I felt such a warmth in my heart as the physical sun shined down on me. That night we had some yummy Indian food in an area we had yet to discover and polished the night off with gelato. I got to Skype with my entire family at Jessica's birthday party and that made my weekend. I was passed, virtually, from person to person and just hearing everyone's voices and seeing their faces plastered a smile on my face that followed me into my dreams. Happy Birthday once again Jess!!! I wish I could have been there for it!
On Sunday I did my loads of homework (of course) and took it easy. I had to prepare for an Italian presentation, which is now over with and went fine, thank God, and I over-stressed like always.
Another weekend spent in my "hometown" that has filled some space in my hear. Come portrei mai lasciarti, Italia?
Ciao!
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