December 10, 2011-Last day in Florence

December 10, 2011

This morning I slept in until about 9:30 and had a nice, long breakfast. Then I showered and straightened my hair and headed out around 11:30 to meet Leah at Santa Maria Novella. We walked together to Piazza del Duomo where we met up with Becca. We had thought about climbing the Duomo but it was raining a little bit and we didn’t think it would be too much fun to do it in the rain. So we decided to just walk around Florence and take everything in one last time. We walked all over town, which was lovely, and the spitting rain actually made everything so beautiful. We walked across Ponte Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti and then headed back across the river to Piazza della Republica. There we tasted some olive oil, honey, jam, and wine at the Saturday market, which was fun. After that we decided to ride on the carousel because we had all wanted to do it the whole time we were here and never had. It was only 1.50 Euro so we all paid for it with the spare change we had been meaning to use up. We had so much fun (more fun than any of the little kids, I think) and were so happy we had done it :) After that we wandered our way back through the center and toward the train station. We all split ways around 2:00 so Leah could go pack, I could pack up a few last minute things, and Becca could get all her bags together to leave this evening. On my way home I got off the bus at the stop by Gelateria de’ Medici, got one last cone of crema de Medici and walked the rest of the way home.

When I got home I had a little lunch and finished all of the packing that I can do until tomorrow morning right before I leave. Franzi’s boyfriend is coming this afternoon so she was already moved out and had brought all of her stuff to their hotel so the room looked so barren. I’m glad I’m only here one more night because it looks so sad. After packing and weighing my bags, I hung out with Andrea and Daniela for a little while. Daniela even called ahead and reserved a taxi for me tomorrow morning! Then, around 3:45, I caught the bus back into town to meet Becca. We met at the train station at 4:00 and caught the bus to the airport. She is going to travel with her boyfriend for a week who is studying abroad in Tanzania! I went to help her with her bags and give her some moral support as she had kind of a long journey in front of her. After seeing her off, I caught the bus back to Florence.

At 6:30, I met Leah at the train station once again and we headed to the restaurant we had gone to together at the beginning of the trip, ZaZa, for dinner. The restaurant didn’t open until 7:00 because they eat so late hear but we just took a leisurely walk through the Christmas-lit streets to pass the time. We decided to eat in the “screened-in porch” (it was more of a tent-like thing) at Za-Za because it was so warm outside and, combined with the heat lamps, we didn’t even need a coat on or anything. We had just ordered our food when Franzi came by with her boyfriend, Joe, to introduce him to us and they decided to join us for dinner as well. We all enjoyed white wine and delicious pasta (I had gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce that was so delicious) and had the most lovely time. Even when it rained a little bit it was so cozy to hear it on the tent above our heads. We called it a night around 8:45 because Leah still had some packing to do, Joe was exhausted from traveling, and I (and Leah) wanted to get to bed early because we need to get up so early tomorrow. I caught the bus home but got off one stop early so I could walk in the rain for a couple of blocks and take in Florence at night one last time…it really is beautiful in the rain :)

When I got home, Andrea and Daniela were still out so I turned on some music and packed a few more last minute things. I was really happy when they came home just ten minutes after me because I love just having them around—especially on my last night. They had met friends from Spain from dinner but they were also exhausted from traveling so kept dinner pretty short. Now Daniela and Andrea are just in the living room reading and I am finishing up everything I need to do before I go to bed but it’s still nice that we’re all home as a family, even when we’re not doing something specific together. Once I post this I will probably head to bed pretty soon because Daniela reserved a taxi for me for 6:45 so I will be up very early tomorrow morning—it’s going to be a long day but I am so excited to go home! Of course it is bitter sweet but, after seeing most everyone else leave today, I am pretty ready. I am very sad to leave my host family, however. ANYWAY, I can’t believe this is my last blog post from Florence…118 blog posts…pretty incredible, huh? Thank you all so much for reading what I have had to say over the past three and the months—I really do appreciate it :)

All my love and then some,

Kari

 Riding the carousel in Piazza della Republica!

 My last gelato at Gelateria de' Medici 

 Piazza del Duomo one last time

 Palazzo Medici

 Dinner at Za-Za!

Massimo drew this Christmas picture for Daniela and Andrea and I LOVE it :)

December 9, 2011

December 9, 2011

This morning I woke up around 7:30 to get into school and take my last final at 9:00. We were all a little nervous for the Medici final because we really needed to focus and, being our last day of the program, we didn’t have a whole lot of motivation. However it went very well and it wasn’t nearly as bad as we thought it was going to be. By 10:30, I had completed the final and the ACM Florence program—pretty crazy, huh? After class I returned my Italian cell phone and got 10 Euros back (woo!) and then came back to school to say a couple goodbyes. I said goodbye to Jodie and Kate whom I won’t see again plus Tyler and Erin who are not going out at all tonight. I am very excited because a big group of ACM students are meeting at 9:30 tonight to walk around Florence and see this weekend’s Florence Light Festival. It is sure to be beautiful (even if it’s raining) and it will be so nice to be able to see a lot of people one more time before most people leave tomorrow.

After that I came home and started packing. It actually took quite a while to go through all of my papers, take down cards, photos, and decorations, and then do the packing itself. Each of my bags is going to be right around the weight limit but hopefully it will all be fine. I certainly do have a lot of stuff to bring home, however. Now I am pretty much done packing with the exception of things I will have to put in last minute on Sunday morning before I leave. But hopefully I have packed well enough to allow just enough room for everything I have left. After packing Franzi and I watched some Glee and just kind of hung out.

Tonight was our last family dinner, which I simply cannot believe. We, of course, had an absolutely incredible meal. We started off with spaghetti noodles with fresh pesto, which I had so much of and it was so delicious. For our main dish we had garbanzo beans and eggplant parmesan, which was what we had our first night here. It is still one of my favorite dishes and am so glad Daniela made it for us on our last night :) We finished off with panatone and clementines. Oh and we had red wine with our meal and dessert wine with dessert :) The conversation was wonderful, as usual, and none of us really wanted to stop talking because we knew it was kind of our last chance. We had a wonderful time all together as a family :) We gave Daniela and Andrea a Christmas card we had written in Italian and both of them started crying—it was certainly difficult not to do the same. I have been blessed with such an incredible host family and I will definitely miss them most of all. It will be very difficult for me to say goodbye to them.

After dinner, Franzi and I walked to the train station to meet some friends to check out the Florence Light Festival. We met Willi, Nikki, Becca, and Alex at 9:30 and explored the city. We didn’t really know what the light festival entailed so we just wandered until we found lights. One of my favorite parts of the light festival was Ponte Vecchio all lit up in purple and red! My other favorite part we came upon kind of by accident because, when we walked into Piazza della Signoria, we noticed a projection on a building that translated to “last show at 10:30.” As it was 10:25 when we saw this, we decided to wait and see what happened. First there was a projection/light show on the Gucci museum and then across the way on another building. In addition to the incredible lights and projection, there was also music and sound that went along with the images; it was very cool. As it ended and the music continued, we agreed that we felt like we were in a movie—what a perfect last (or, in my case, second to last) night in Florence :)

After that we split off because we were all pretty exhausted from the week of finals. I also think I might be getting sick so I was hoping to sleep it off as much as possible. Franzi and I headed home, arriving back around 11:15 so not too late. Now I am uploading photos, posting my blog, and going right to bed. However, tomorrow I can sleep in as long as I want, which is just wonderful. I hope you all have a lovely start to your weekend!

All my love,

Kari

 Eggplant Parmasen! 

Piazza del Duomo

 Franzi, Nikki, Becca, Me, Willi

 PURPLE PONTE VECCHIO

 RED PONTE VECCHIO

Projections in Piazza della Signoria

December 8, 2011

December 8, 2011

This morning I woke up around 9:30 and I definitely enjoyed being able to sleep in again. I had some breakfast, got ready, and then studied for about an hour until it was time to head into school. I had my Weaving the Tale final at 12:00, which wasn’t too bad and didn’t take as long as we had planned for it. Because we got out earlier than expected, I decided to walk around the city for a little while because it was a beautiful, warm day. Also, today is a national holiday in Italy so there were so many people out and about, doing their Christmas shopping and such. I even came across some sort of antique car show in Piazza della Republica. After about an hour of walking around I decided to catch the bus and head home.

When I got home I studied for a while, watched last night’s episode of Modern Family, and just kind of relaxed. I think I might be getting sick but I am doing my best to try and nip it in the bud by relaxing and resting as much as possible this week. Thankfully studying at this point means quizzing myself with the PowerPoint I made with all of the images we need to know so it doesn’t take too much out of me to do that. Amidst the studying I also Skyped for a little while, did some stretching, and did a little more packing. Plus, after Skyping, Massimo was over so I got to play with him for a little while :)

For dinner this evening we started out with cheesy rice, which was absolutely delicious! We followed that with a soy burger for me, some other sort of meat for Daniela and Franzi, salad, and bread. We finished off with panatone, gelato, and fruit. I can’t even believe it was our second to last dinner and tomorrow is our last dinner together. I am going to miss our dinners so very much—in fact, I might miss them the most out of anything!

After dinner I did a little more studying and then, realizing I knew as much as I would, I decided to watch Home Alone so that’s what I am doing now :) I cannot even believe that tomorrow is our last final and, come 10:30 tomorrow morning, I will be completely finished with the program. Then I’ll be packing, saying goodbyes, walking around Florence for the last couple of times, and heading home before I know it…I just can’t even believe it. I hope you are all having a lovely week and I hope you have a wonderful Friday!

All my love,

Kari

 The Nativity Scene in Piazza del Duomo

The Christmas Tree in Piazza del Duomo

December 7, 2011

December 7, 2011

This morning I slept in until 10:00, which was absolutely wonderful and just what I needed after being out so late at the opera. The rest of my day until 5:30 was not super exciting but I’ll tell you the little there is to tell, nonetheless. After breakfast I showered and straightened my hair, watched last night’s episode of Glee, studied for the Medici final, went to the grocery store, took a walk, and started getting a few things together in order to pack in these next few days. At 4:45, Franzi and I caught the bus into town to head to the art show. The art show featured a work by each student who had taken drawing over the semester and it was really cool to see because every single one of them was just incredible. Even those who had never drawn before had done a stunning job—I was very impressed. There were a lot of people milling about between us students, our professors, the art and Italian teachers, and our host families. They also had wine, snacks, and music and we had fun mingling and meeting each other’s host parents. After a couple of hours there we headed to the restaurant we ate at our first night in Florence—such nostalgia!

Jodie had rented out the entire back room, as there were 104 of us in total. Everyone at the art show was invited to dinner as well so that was a lot of fun. Andrea and Daniela came and it was a lot of fun to have them there and introduce them to everyone. All my friends loved Andrea, especially, who kept dropping by our table :) For dinner we started out with lasagna, followed by caprese salad for the vegetarians and some sort of meat for everyone else, and we finished off with flan and a couple other little cakes for dessert. Plus there was, of course, bread, olive oil, and wine as well. It was a lovely dinner and so much fun to have everyone from our Florentine lives together in one place! And Jodie gave a beautiful speech/toast in Italian that, of course, made us all cry. After dinner, Franzi and I headed home because we were just exhausted.

Now that I am home, I am writing this blog, uploading a few photos and then going straight to bed. My Weaving the Tale final was moved to noon tomorrow instead of nine so it will be nice to be able to sleep in and get a few things done before class. Or, if it’s a nice day, maybe I’ll take a little walk before class because it looks like it might rain the rest of the weekend. Anyway, I can barely keep my eyes open so I’d best go.

All my love,

Kari

 Willi and me at the Art Show

 Me, Becca, and Katie at dinner

 FAMILY!

Me, Jodie, and Becca!

December 6, 2011

December 6, 2011

This morning I woke up at 7:30 so I could be into school for Dante final presentations by 9:00. All we had to do was present on what we had written about for our papers so it certainly wasn’t difficult. It did take three hours to get through all of us, however, because we discussed each presentation in quite some depth. Thankfully it was not very nice out most of the day, though, so we probably wouldn’t have wanted to be outside instead. Once we were through with our Dante presentations I had about an hour and a half break for lunch and then we finished up our final presentations for Medici. Those lasted another two and a half hours so I listened to presentations for five and a half hours today, which was not super exciting. However my presentations did go well so I cannot complain. When all of the presentations were finally done at 4:30, I caught the bus home.

When I got home Massimo was over and he and Andrea were finishing up The Wizard of Oz because they never finished watching it when he was over last week.  They invited me to join them so I watched the second half with them, which was a lot of fun because Massimo really loved it. Once the movie was over I studied for a little bit and then it was time for my early dinner. For dinner this evening I started with penne pasta with a creamy cheese sauce that was very delicious. I followed that with bread, cheese, salad, apples, and more Christmas cake, which were all very yummy! When I was done with dinner I got dressed for the opera and caught the bus.

The Barber of Seville was a lot of fun, although very long. I remember seeing it on choir tour in high school and I remembered it being long then too and it definitely was—three and a half hours. However it was absolutely delightful and I just loved it. The sets were not quite as spectacular but I thought the cast was just brilliant and I love the story much better than that of La Boheme. I would choose a comedic opera over a tragic one any day (well, most days at least). This opera was an optional event but I was surprised at the number of people who did come anyway. Even though we were all pretty exhausted by the end, we really did enjoy it! After the opera, thankfully, the buses were still running so we caught the last bus home.

Now that I am home I am quick finishing this up and then I will be off to bed. Thankfully I don’t have anything in my schedule until the art show and “farewell” dinner tomorrow evening at 5:30 so I can really sleep in as late as I want. I’ll probably spend the rest of the day doing some studying and some last exploring of Florence in some way or another. It is supposed to be 60 degrees and sunny tomorrow so I definitely should be out and about…Minnesota winter is going to be quite a difference for me :P Well, I should be off to bed because I can barely keep my eyes open!

All my love,

Kari

A quick sketch of me by Cleo

December 5, 2011

December 5, 2011

This morning I slept in until about 9:45, which I was so happy to be able to do. Last night I decided to listen to the live streaming of Christmas Fest at St. Olaf on MPR, which was absolutely beautiful but it was from 10:00-12:00 at night my time. I decided that I might as well because I knew I could sleep in this morning and I didn’t have anything going on until 3:00. It was absolutely beautiful :) Anyway, that’s why I slept in so late this morning. Once I was up I had breakfast and got ready before heading to school. Unfortunately there was a bus strike today and it was pouring rain so I had to walk to school in the rain—thank goodness for a good rain jacket, good boots, and an umbrella. Once I got to school I printed out my final Medici paper, finished preparing my presentation for today, studied for the Medici final on Friday, and had some lunch.

At 2:30 we had a belated birthday celebration for Jessica whose birthday was last Friday and we had delicious Italian cake. At 3:00 we began our Medici final presentations on our paper topics. We did not choose the order to go in but I definitely got lucky and got to go second and get it over with. We continued with presentations until 4:30 and then were let out until finishing them tomorrow afternoon. At that point, I decided to start the walk home, hoping it wouldn’t pour rain on me. Thankfully it only sprinkled on me and it didn’t take me too long to get home. When I got home I studied for a while, stretched, did some laundry, and then read some of my book for fun.

For dinner this evening we started with some sort of pasta dish that was very yummy, followed by beans, homemade French fries (so good), and some sort of potatoes things with cheese that was very good as well. We finished off with Panettone, a traditional Italian Christmas cake, and apples. This evening Andrea decided to pull out his I Love Country CD that was absolutely awful but we definitely had fun listening to it :)

Tomorrow I have my Dante “final” in the morning, which is actually just presentations on what we wrote our papers on (just like for my Medici class) followed by finishing up our presentations for Medici. Then tomorrow evening we are going to the opera again—to Barber of Seville­—so I am very excited for that! So tonight I will probably go to bed fairly early so I am plenty rested to enjoy the opera. I am done studying for the evening as I studied a lot already today so will probably just watch an episode of a TV show, stretch a little more, and then head to bed. I hope all of your weeks are off to a good start!

All my love,

Kari

December 4, 2011

December 4, 2011

This morning I woke up at 9:30, got half ready, and had some breakfast. Unfortunately I woke up with a really awful headache so, after breakfast, I decided that I’d better lay low for the rest of the day and, in case it was the precursor to some sickness or something, try to nip it in the bud. Luckily for me it poured rain all day and was pretty cold out so I wasn’t missing out on a beautiful day or anything. So I spent most of my day at home with the exception of a short walk I took when the rain let up a little. It was still sprinkling but I had to get out of the house for a little while so I walked through the park with my umbrella. But other than that I spent my day making a review PowerPoint for my Medici final, studying for that final, and watching a movie. It was actually just the kind of day I needed. Also, I had the house to myself for a couple of hours this afternoon so I got to do some more singing, which was just lovely.

For dinner this evening we started out with spaghetti carbonara, which was absolutely delicious, warm, and just perfect for a day like today. For our main dish we had “pizza pockets” with spinach and mozzerella, salad, and fried cauliflower. We finished off with apples and chocolate. It was a lovely dinner :) Oh and we listened to jazz music this evening!

Well I think I am done studying for the day having done so much of it earlier so my plans are to do a little bit of Skyping and then to go to bed early so I can be well rested right off the bat for my last week. Sorry this was the shortest blog ever but I really didn’t do a whole lot today. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed the beautiful new snow (some of you anyway). I can’t believe I’ll be back in just a week…crazy!

All my love,

Kari