1 kg to go

After an additional day in New York with James' parents full of James' funniest and wittiest childhood stories (of course I ate that shit up, squeezing every ounce of his kwirky and loveable childhood stories just in case I needed some amo one day), Errol dropped me off at the Newark airport Tuesday afternoon to finally embark in my trip to Florence.  My check-in/check bags process went seamlessly and I even had an entire kilogram to spare on my checked bag (see Mom).  The only hiccup in the airport came in security where an Indian TSA officer tried to convince me that my carry on was too large.  While this may have been true, I smiled and shook my head, as confused as possible by his dialect.  He finally got frustrated with me and let me pass through.  You never know what a good set of braces can do for you.

Our flight from Rome got redirected to Pisa because of the backup the hurricane caused, so our day of traveling extended longer than originally expected.  8 hours of flying followed by a 2 hour layover followed by another 1 hour flight followed by a 1 hour bus ride really adds up, but the excitement of the group as we approached Florence made a huge difference.  I watched "Water for Elephants" on the plane (not recommended, I hear the book is much better) but didn't get much sleep on the plane. So, at 4:35 PM, Florence time, a full 20 hours since I left the US, I'm running on empty.

Getting to our HUGE apartment on Via Faenza really improved my morale.  Our apartment is in the middle of the city, just 5 doors down from our school. So much for walking off those pasta calories.  In our 4 bedroom, 2 bath apartment, Caroline and I are sharing a double with huge windows above our desks that open up to the street. 4 stories up, the sounds of the city swell upwards as I sit here now.  The breeze makes it just about perfect.

I'm trying to make it to tonight on maybe 2 hours of sleep in 2 days with no nap.  Caroline is konked out as we speak, but we have a dinner planned at 7:30 at Obikà, which is a very nice restaurant in the middle of Florence and I NEED a shower. Travelling doesn't make for nice hygiene.

I look forward to my first Florentine meal and first night of either going out or a quiet night with friends.  My semester in Florence is finally underway. And to all of you who haven't been to Italy lately, no fears. The cars are still small, the men still dress metro, and the city still looks the way it has for the last century.  Its amazing what change can happen in a century in the US where a place like Italy can stay so stagnant.  Stagnant, II use in a positive form.  More like comfortable, you always know what you're going to get or what to expect. AND they'll even explain it in English for you. Florence, like the South, as a slower pace of life clustered around family, friends, food, and football (maybe just a different kind). I'll keep the comparisons coming. Ciao!