i miei primi giorni in Italia

Ciao lettori e lettrici! My first days in Italy have been crazy and scary, but so much fun! Let me begin by saying that even from my first couple of days here, I know that Italy is one of those places that words and pictures just don't do justice. It has some kind of inexplicable magic, a feeling of awe that just takes hold. But, if you know me, you know that I always write too much. Always. So, you will get a good idea of my adventures in Italy and maybe you'll be inspired to come here and experience Italy yourself!
The trip truly begins with a phone call from my friend Lindsay as I was preparing to get on the plane at SFO. She asked me which day I was arriving in Italy, and when I looked at my ticket, it said March 25th instead of March 24th, which is what I had told Piera, a woman that I was going to stay with and a friend of my aunt's. I realized that I had forgotten about my 10 hour layover at JFK. So, there was a little emergency that got quickly resolved, but it started the trip with a little bit of raised blood pressure! The flight to New York was easy. Actually, it was almost surreal because a girl sitting next to me saw me reading my book about Florence and said, "Do you go to Stanford? I do too. I studied abroad in Firenze in the fall." She told me a bunch of cool stuff to see and some important stuff to remember. It was great!
The layover in New York went quicker than I expected. I bought internet access, finished my book and made a list of all the places in Florence that I must see, watched some House, skyped with my brother for 30 minutes and my friend Keithley for 30 minutes, and then was off! The flight to Italy (Milan) was interesting. I sat next to an alcoholic/drug addict who was falling all over her food. She ordered 3 sky vodkas (she told the fight attendant that one was for me...haha) and kept popping pills. I literally had to help her multiple times. But, she was a very nice lady who wished me the best of luck in Italy and made me super excited to get off the plane, for more reasons than one!
Next, the madness started. I got off the plane, called Piera, who would be waiting for me alla sua casa a Firenze, and then got on a train. Let me say one thing before I continue: I seriously over-packed. I had two bulging bags, one half the size of me, my viola, and a backpack. I looked like "one of those people" who can't handle their luggage and the truth is, I couldn't. Ha! So, I get on the train to Milan and before I know it about 30 elementary school children flood the train and sit next to me. I think they were taking a field trip. This was my first taste of how beautiful the Italian language really is. They were either playing Telephone or gossiping about me (when my bag fell on one of them, and I said "I'm sorry," one of the girls responded "ah, inglese." to which I responded "Sono americana." I wasn't going to let them think I couldn't understand some of what they were saying.). La lingua italiana has a built in flare; you literally have to speak it with emotion and energy, there is no other way. I was so intruiged by these kids that I missed the stop. I ended up in Milan, but I had gone too far. I needed to go to Milan central station to catch the train to Florence. But, I didn't know that yet. I was completely lost. Mi ho perso la via completemente.
It took me about a half hour to finally find my way. However, as I have found, every challenging experience has some unexpected benefit. This was no exception. Why? I literally had to speak italian. I bought my ticket, asked a janitor how to use the elevator, got turned around 100 times, and all the while I could speak nothing but italian. It's amazing how fast you learn (or in my case, brush up) a language when you have no choice but to speak it. While I was embarrassed at my sense of direction, I was a little proud of my ability to speak italiano. The Metropolitana was like a subway, crowded and a mode of transportation that does not accomodate a tourist with big bags. But, as I was struggling to keep my balance I was greeted by a little old man who talked to me in English about his time in America. I felt as if I no longer had anything to worry about. I italiani sono molti simpatici. This may not, and probably will not, hold true, but so far, every Italian I have come across has been warm to me. Although, it might have been my blonde hair. Before helping me get my bags off the train, he said, "You are beautiful." La sola cosa che io posso fare era sorridere. (The only thing I could do was smile. :))
After getting off the train, I was so disoriented I didn't know what to do with myself. Before I had a chance to think, a woman grabbed my bag and said, "Vieni" [Come!]. She helped me up the escalator and when I told her I needed to buy a train ticket all I had to do was follow her. She was a dual citizen of Italy and Brazil who was studying (film I think) in Italy. I bought my train ticket, got on, and passed out. I let out the first sigh of relief in over 5 hours and was finally able to eat something. :)
When I got off the train, I took a taxi to Piera's house. Piera is one of nicest ladies I have ever met and her home is beautiful! She has three children, 2 daughters and 1 son: Clementina, the youngest daughter, has a four-month-old baby boy, Ernesto, Olivia, is a psychologist, and her son Michele is studying to be an actor. I stayed in his room. Piera's husband Cheko is an illustrator for children's books. He showed me his studio. He's currently working on illustrations for a song that's being turned into a book. Le pinture sono molte belle! They have three cats that act like humans. I then had my first meal with an Italian family: pranzo alla casa di Piera. Clementina, her son, and Olivia came home and we spoke nothing but italian and the food era squisito! We had pasta per il piatto primo, then salad, then fruit. I was so stuffed that all I wanted to do was sleep. I took a nap, checked my email, and then went out to explore the city of Florence! On my first day in Italy, I was off exploring by myself!! (Mother like daughter:)) I bought a cell phone, stopped into almost every single farmacia asking for directions, but then found my way back. I had been invited to attend a rehearsal of the University of Florence Orchestra, which I will be playing in starting next week! Sono molto emozionata! The rehearsal was very close to Piera's, nella Via Leonardo da Vinci, so I went! I met the maestro, listened to the rehearsal, and got really excited for my quarter. I felt that this was going to be my chance to get away from the Stanford bubble, to really interact with Italians, and to have lots of fun. I was also thinking that no matter where I am, music will bring me together with others. It truly is a universal language. I am so blessed to have it part of my life. La mia nonna would be proud. :) Also, they have a concert on Sunday and I'm goin'!
When I returned, I slept for 11 hours. :) It was wonderful. I didn't do much of anything the next morening besides relax and pack, until I called a taxi to take me to the Stanford center. One thing to note: if you call a taxi, arriva subito! It comes in literally 2 minutes! It's quite remarkable actually. I got to the center, met my Stanford friends, and got oriented. However, it took me a while to feel comfortable speaking English. I had spent the last 2 days speaking nothing but italian. I was thinking in italian and at one point I asked the administrator se posso parlare in italiano. Lei mi ha detto "Certo!":) I was given a bus pass and a card that gives me FREE access to ALL the big museums in Florence. Oh Stanford, how I love thee. :) After finding out who our host family was, my Florence rommate , Jen, and I went out to buy her a cell phone and explore the area outside of the center. Ok, the center is close to EVERYTHING!!! It is nearly at the Ponte vecchio and la piazza della signoria. Everywhere is a photo opportunity. It was absolutely beautiful. And the weather? Come Stanford! Mildly hot in the day and a little chilly at night, but nothing extreme. They say it will get unbearably hot in a month or so. Eh, I'm a Southern Californian. Just how I like it. :)
As we were on our way back, an Italian stopped us and asked for Jen's number. It was fun to watch! Her first day in Italy and she's already getting attacked by italian men. :) He asked if she was engaged and gave her his number. The fun is just beginning! We took a taxi and pulled up to our homestay, an apartment on Viale Mazzini, ironically molto vicino alla casa di Piera! We first met our host father, Roberto, a cute little old man, and his dog, an 11-year-old golden retriever named Camilla. Roberto gave us a tour of his home, which reminds me of my great aunt's. The walls are covered with exquisite art pieces and there are foreign trinkets everywhere. In the living room, I feel like I'm in an old palace where each piece of furniture, each photo, each piece of dust on the floor has a story it wants to tell. I can't believe I only have 10 weeks! Roberto has a grandfatherly charm about him (probably because he recently became a grandfather). I get the feeling that he's always wanted to have daughters. He asks Jen and I if we are Jewish and then he proceeds to tell us that we are a) within a 5 minute walk of a large synagogue, b) near a store where we can buy kosher food c) a friend of a friend that lives down stairs is very active in the Jewish community, and d) the apartment building where they currently live was built by a Jew. Imagine that! We had told him that he could speak in Italian and he was elated! Apparently, the last two students who had lived with them spoke only English. He tells us to be careful going out at night, and that if we need anything, we can call. :) Our room is a cute, homey room, that used to be his son Frederico's. Roberto and his wife Serena, who arrived shortly after we started unpacking, have two sons, each of which has had a baby within the last 5 months! They are brand-new grandparents!
Serena is quite a character! She has died red hair, and it is obvious that she spends lots of time on how she looks. But, so motherly! :) It is almost the complete opposite of Roberto, who seems like your everyday grandpa. But, they sure are cute. We sat down for dinner and had (wait for it) PASTA, frittatas, salad, bread, and fruit. It was absolutely delicious. Serena told us that she had been in the United States once, in LA actually, for ear surgery and Roberto had been in New York, per le vacanze penso. We also learned that Roberto is a mechanical engineer! Oh one thing, italiani guardano il tv durante la cena. If you know me, you know that I can't multi-task when I watch tv because I don't do it that often. So, it was weird to have the tv on during dinner. But, it sparked good conversation! After dinner, Jen and I were literally falling asleep while we watched a tv-show, the Italian equivalent of the Daily Show, with Roberto. Even though I couldn't understand most of it, it was just nice to feel like part of the family already. Serena went dancing, tango, and Roberto wished us a buona notte. Jen passed out (she had only had 3 hours of sleep last night) and I stayed up to write this. :) If you've made it to the end, thanks for reading! More to come soon. Non vedo l'ora delle altre avventure che Firenze ha in serbo per me! Buona notte!