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Published: August 28th 2011
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Hello, hello! It’s hard to believe we’ve been here for over a week now! It seems as though many things have happened, yet, at the same time, the business has yet to begin! Let’s see how well I do on my “length requirement from my husband” this time…
Martedi: We went back to the WIND Store to set up cell phones, and alas: we now have an Italian phone number! A woo hoo! We do not, however, know how to access our voicemail because the directions (both spoken and written) are in Italian…a conundrum. We’re working on it…We do not have a phone set up yet for communication with the states, but will have one shortly. If you’d like information on that, please message us separately, and we’ll get you going…
Also on Tuesday, Phil and I made a “thank-you” dinner for Tommaso e Monica. We made salad with chicken, tomatoes, and peppers with bread, olive oil, fried potatoes, and 2 bottles of vino on the side – Yes!!
Mercoledi: I had previously been in contact with Gloria, the English Coordinator at the French School, and she invited Phil and me to visit – so, we went! We bussed
there and back. It was FABULOUS! We met many French, Italian, and English speaking people with very diverse backgrounds…and learned a lot about differences and similarities within the cultures. I also learned much more about our program and where it is/where it is heading…from the sounds and looks of it, I will have a very full year ahead!
Wednesday night was fabulous because we ate dinner (Italian/Spanish time, meaning around 8:30-9 o’clock…) and I practiced my Italian con Monica. She is patient, kind, and encouraging…and I need all 3! My head hurt, but my excitement swelled as I looked up every other word, wrote down conjugations, and laughed at mistakes until late evening. She spent many years living in Spain, and is able to point out that I am mixing the language, A LOT! Thanks, Mrs. Moe!! 😊 (high school teacher) Grazie mille, Monica!
Giovedi: Both Phil and I went back to the French School to help with sorting and organizing…we were there longer than we thought, and it was incredibly hot again, so we rewarded ourselves with our…dun DA dun!!!!!...first bites of gelato!! We shared fragola e banana…simply amazing. Also on our way home, we stopped at the
Birkenstock Store…
Basically, since we’ve arrived, my feet have hated me. They are not a fan of all the walking and the various homes I have given them over the last week. SO. It was time to stop being a Birckenstop virgin and invest in my feet’s future happiness! We went to a store that is on the way home to Viale Victorio Emmanuale – this means that we were in a store far away from the tourist section of Florence. I saw the pair I wanted right away, and went in to ask the cute Italian gentleman: “Parli Inglese?” to which he responded with a head shake, no. Thus began the series of broken Italian and charades as I showed him which shoe I’d like to try and he motioned for us to follow him to the top of his store where his storage is located. I had told him size “sette” and he proceeded to take out the sandals and place them on my feet for me, taking care to change the buckle so it fit just right! Never had that experience before – how kind of him and a little awkward for me! Alas, it was a
perfect fit. I felt like Cinderella, we paid for the shoes, and thanked the generous and patient Italian man for his wonderful help. Happy Feet!
Venerdi: I spent most of Friday at school (I took the bus and found my way by MYSELF this time, I rock! Phil DID walk me to the bus stop, he’s awesome…) – we had a lot to talk about with regard to the English program. We do not have a curriculum and/or many materials, so we are on a wild hunt for things to use (any books floating around out there would be welcomed and appreciated!!) and ideas for class. One interesting challenge is that the English teachers cannot teach/introduce a concept before the homeroom French teacher has…for example, I cannot have my first grade students write anything down until their French teacher teaches them the French cursive, which is the only way they are allowed to write. This poses a different and challenging situation, as I love having my students write…I look forward to this coming week to learn more about the ropes and educational differences. It was a good, but long day at school.
Friday evening, Phil and I went out
to eat on our own for the first time – it was wonderful. 😊 We walked around the neighborhood until we found a Ristorante-Pizzeria – che bellisima. The staff was incredible. We worked through our Italian as best we could; they were accommodating and kind. They also spoke English and did not make us feel inferior. I had “pennette con quattro formaggi” e Phil had “un calzone”. We also had the house wine (chianti) and it was awesome. It costs money to get water here, and you must specify “gas” or “no gas” – I always get “no gas”. It was a nice and relaxing Friday evening.
Sabato: Yesterday I met one of my colleagues, Rachel, for breakfast. She is Welsh and she is wonderful. Her summer was just as crazy as ours, and we are both anxious and excited for the coming year. It was great to connect with her and have another helpful, friendly face on my team. Saturday was also my wonderful husband’s birthday…Buon Cumpleano, Philly! We toasted at Mezzanotte (midnight) – the big 2-6, with Monica. I, of course, wanted to go dancing to celebrate…but Phil is a bit more chill than myself so we
did not, in fact, do any dancing. Instead, during the day, we took a trip to somewhere outside of Florence with Tommaso and Monica in search of our future bikes. We landed at two stores – to Phil and I, it was like we were in the “Walmart” e “Menards” of Italy…it was both crazy weird and crazy wonderful at the same time – kind of reassuring, if that makes any sense. We did not find bikes (bummer), but have a plan for a sale at a store much closer, the Co-op, this Thursday. Upon our return home from that adventure, we spoke to both of our families on Skype for about an hour each – AWESOME!!! We then took an evening stroll to find some vino, but places were closed (unless we would have gone into the center). Instead, we found an AMAZING gelato place where Phil got his favorite (pistachio, yuck!) and I got something that resembled Nutella e Cookies and Cream…mmm delightful.
Domenica: Sunday is our typical day of rest. Phil has been reading his “Nook” (his new best friend), and I’ve been typing away at our blog. We are also working on “school stuff” and
took a walk to the market, only to find it’s closed. Doy. **Just In** We did make our way to a different market after a great conversation on Skype with Jane Jane and a notte (tonight) we had dinner American Style: Eggs and Bacon! Currently, we are winding down and getting ready for the coming week.
Friends Count: Season One, Disk Two, Episode Four. Lovin’ It! What’s YOUR favorite FRIENDS quote?!
Hope this finds you all well and loving life! 😊 I will not make any more promises about length of the blog…I think my personality will always take over…hope to hear from you…Ciao regazzi, until next time!
P.S. Check out some pics, finally!
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Gohdes
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BELLE FOTO!
Beautiful Pics and it's so lovely to see you both in your pics! I love both of you and wish you the best....