"The best laid schemes of mice and men/Go oft awry" -Robert Burns, "To a Mouse"

Sadly, today I was the mouse.

Yeah, Mrs. Robertson, you should be
pumped about my reference to
9th grade English class

My best laid schemes: 

Flying home for the holidays bright-and-early this morning.  

Where things go awry:

After acing our oral exams and celebrating with a toasty, hot chocolate (garnished with whipped cream and chocolate chips, no doubt) Lauren and I were greeted by a beautiful, Florentine “snowfall.”  

I will not lie to you... at first, we mocked the wanna-be-flakes: they were so puny that they weren't even accumulating to anything. 

This was likely my first mistake. 

Never poke fun at Mother Nature. 

She’s always got the final call.

Case in point: Later in the afternoon, while blasting my Christmas tunes and packing up my suitcase like a jolly, little elf, I was shocked to see that the pseudo-flakes had, by then, morphed into actual snowflakes.  

Wait!  Isn't THIS what I signed up for?

Yup, I’m studying in Italy. Uh-huh, that’s the one in the Mediterranean.  First things that come to mind when thinking about Italy? Certainly not snow. In fact, I’ve been told time and time again that it hardly ever snows in Florence.  Hardly ever.

As the day went on (and the snow kept sticking) it became clear that this year was going to be a little different.  As the day went on (and the snow kept sticking) I went from an ecstatic snow-supporter to a gradually, more-Scrooge-like snow-hater.  

First, my host-Babbo bailed as my ride to the airport because he didn’t have the appropriate chains on his tires.* Then, Lauren and I--suffering severe stomach-grumbles from not eating anything in the last hour or so (haha)--slushed for 90 minutes to the center for dinner because of the lack of public transportation.  (Result: A solid cardiovascular workout yesterday and extremely sore calfs today.)  Finally, the icing on the cake, was--Yup, you guessed it!--a cancelled flight and closed airport.

So... my best laid plans certainly went awry.  I would never lie to my kabillions of faithful blog-followers--obviously I was a bit upset about it.

However

1. A little snow-cover completed the winter-wonderland-look that Florence was going for.
2. I squeezed in yet another romantic, dinner for two with... who else? Lauren. We’ve discovered a new, favorite restaurant and were suckered into a dessert (yeah, yeah, it takes a lot to make me eat a dessert) because the table beside us randomly broke into perfectly harmonized, a cappella, Italian Christmas carols. All visitors to Florence are welcome (or better yet, expected) to treat me to a fine, five-course dinner at this restaurant.
3. I had the chance to finally meet Adair’s mom--another delayed-flight-victim!  Better yet, I had the chance to meet her over a San Luca gelato at our favorite gelateria.
4. I was there to watch my host siblings open up my Christmas gifts this morning.  Nina, was very curious all week about the wrapped gifts, perched in the corner of my bedroom--making her discovery that they were, in fact, for her even more exciting.  Oscar attacked me with a big bear hug after unwrapping his cologne-smelling, long-sleeve tee** and Nina went wild for all of her American crafts, markers, and stickers.  “E’ meglio di un compleanno!" (It’s better than a birthday!) she kept on shrieking. Too precious.

5. The city’s incredibly out-of-proportion response to the snowfall was priceless. The fact that a little dusting of snow can cause an infinite traffic jam outside my window, complete with honking and beeping? Comical.  The image of Nina suited-up for the arctic when, in reality, she was heading into our lightly powdered, tropical garden was also pretty good for a laugh.  Throughout the streets, bicycles were buried, buses were abandoned on the side of the roads, Florentines were on skis, under umbrellas, and in Moon Boots*** 

So, at this point in time, it looks like I’ll be arriving in the U.S. a day later.  As long as my flights and connections all go as planned on Sunday, however, I cannot complain about my extra day in Florence after all.

• 
  

*Chains, really? Guys, if we’re actually that concerned about it, maybe it’s time we enter the 21st century and invest in some 4-wheel-drive

**Again, Abercrombie and Fitch is all the fad for Italians of all ages. Fun fact: Oscar’s life plan, at this point in time, consists of moving to New York City and becoming an actor. (He was a child model... enough said.) Thus, nothing could compare to an Abercrombie and Fitch t-shirt referencing NYC.

*** I do not joke. Real, live Moon Boots in a rainbow assortment of colors... Why Italians--who never experience snow--have Moon Boots in their closets is beyond me.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Florence is a beautiful city.  I’ve been over this a million and a half times.  Things I haven’t yet mentioned about Florence? How incredibly beautiful it is in December.  For the past few weeks the city has been miraculously transforming itself into the perfect, little Christmas wonderland.

Don’t get me wrong, my usual homes are lovely at Christmastime.  I can’t wait to see the tree in Danvers square and I’ll certainly miss Holy Cross’ Christmas greenery...that hangs out on campus until March. However, this is the first time in my life, that I am actually living in a city during the holidays and, honestly, I couldn’t be happier--it’s a dream come true.  A smaller, cuter, cleaner edition of a New York city Christmas.

Enjoying some delicious strudel at the Christmas markets

There is Christmasy garb dressing all of the store windows, a giant Christmas tree neighboring the Duomo, and Christmas markets filling Piazza Santa Croce.  Best of all, though, are the Christmas lights strung throughout the city.  Each street is lined with them and at nighttime (essentially anytime past 430 pm now hah) they sparkle brilliantly.  No, we’re not talking your basic, rainbow lights here. We are talking star-shaped lights, cylindrical lights, and my personal favorites--the Florence-fleur-de-lis-shaped lights. Too perfect.

Needless to say, yesterday afternoon--a sunny day accompanied by all of this Florentine cheer--set the perfect stage for our long-anticipated family Christmas card photo.  How humiliating was it to ask a complete stranger to photograph this? Pretty darn humiliating. Worth it? I’d say.

With the Christmas card photo taken, my Christmas tunes (courtesy of Lauren) downloaded, and the chocolate advent calendar opened to day 13, I am in quite the holiday spirit.  However, not even my daily, waxy chocolate candy can convince me that I will be heading home for the holidays at the end of this week. 

Things I’m dreaming about:

*My first bite into a fabulous, American burger

*My first night’s sleep in a bed with two, actual pillows

*My first Tilton hockey game 

And of course... these guys...

Things that are standing in my way:

*1 class at the University

*2 classes at the language school

*1 presentation on the Archdukes’ patronage of Rubens

*2 days of joyous Italian exams

Can't wait to see you so soon, famiglia! xoxoxo

Oh hey, culture-shock!

Meandering into my fourth month here in Florence, I have become quite used to my quaint, Italian lifestyle.  Yeah yeah, sure, I should be habituated... it’s been three and a half months!  

BUT when you think about it...the list of things to which my American classmates and I are now accustomed is insane: World-famous churches and museums? Casual. Two, little siblings shouting at one another in a different language? Normal. Amazing, four-course meals? An everyday occurrence.

Surely, we still come to terms with a little culture-shock from day to day.  However, it is a bit startling the number of things that are now completely routine and commonplace to us. In the face of something that would cause a normal American to stop short in her tracks, double-take, point, and stare, I instead continue on with my life, completely unfazed. 

To help explain this phenomenon, I’ve formulated a little list--a list of the things in my Florentine life that simply would not happen in my hometown of Danvers or at Holy Cross.  Maybe, this little list will serve as a way for you to see how different our lives are here in Italy.  Maybe, it will prove to you how life in Italy has changed my Holy Cross friends and I. If nothing else, maybe it will provide you with a good laugh for the day!

Toto I don’t think we’re in Danvers anymore...

*Your Italian gym has views of the Tuscan hills and countryside; The ceiling is a mural of angels in pastel colored frescoes. I repeat... your gym.

*It is normal for a line of five men to pass you: all with hair slicked into faux-hawks, all with skintight jeans, all with fur-trimmed winter jackets. It is normal for this line of men to be straight.

*In the Italian translation of Harry Potter, a muggle becomes a “babbano” and You-Know-Who becomes “Tu-Sai-Chi”

*It is socially acceptable for a host family to invite their 20-year-old American student to dine-out with them at McDonald’s and later ask her to sit at the kids’ table accompanied by her 13-year-old host brother (who cannot stop crying and appears high-as-a-kite from not showering after water-polo practice), her 8-year-old host sister, her host sister’s six 8-year-old friends... and their happy meals.

*It does not surprise you when your seventy-year-old Italian professor comes to class each day sporting only Dolce and Gabbana jeans, a Louis Vuitton tote, and silky, straight, silver-blonde locks that grace her lower-back.

*It also does not surprise you to see thirty-somethings wearing Abercrombie and Fitch clothing. It’s all the fad in Europa.

*Purchasing a bicycle for the ride to school will, undoubtedly, make your friends jealous.

*Half of your bedroom is still occupied by Barbie dolls, children’s books, and a giant gummy-bear desk light.  You live in an eight-year-old’s bedroom and you’ve been in Italy for months.

*Children, adults, and elderly people share cigarettes as a common bond.  At the bus stop at eight in the morning or at a nightclub at 2 in the morning, smokers are everywhere.  Apparently, lung cancer awareness is not.

*Every meal consists of a primo (a first course), a secondo (a second course), contorni (the vegetables), frutta (the fruit), and sometimes even dessert.

*Pigeons replace squirrels as the creepiest animals on the face of the earth.

*Students at your University class do not take notes; they literally transcribe the professor’s lecture word for word.

*It is casual that you see a different Michelangelo sculpture, in a different museum, every week.

*Your 13-year-old host-brother shaved his eyebrows (he's in middle school, give him a break) and was told, consequently, that he was gay...by none other than his mother.

I wish this was an exaggeration.
Embarrassingly, this is my bike lock.

*You know that if you leave your bicycle unlocked for 10 minutes, it will not be there when you return.  Better yet, if you fail to lock your bicycle with a heavy-duty, 20 Euro lock, it will not be there when you return. Sorry Lauren and Spencer...

*You gain an instant 100-Italian-points and fit in SO much better the second you throw on your leather jacket.

*You spot someone carrying a designer bag that costs a few-hundred dollars.  That someone is not a woman.

*At the gym, women wear as much as possible.  Men wear as little as possible.  When in doubt, bedazzled shirts, bathing suits, and spandex (senza shorts) are always a viable option. 

*When students are consistently 20 minutes late to your University class, the professor will change the class’ start time so that it begins 20 minutes later.  You’re into this idea, right, Holy Cross?

*You pass the Ponte Vecchio, the Uffizi, and the Duomo on your walk to class.

*You find yourself completely incapable of forming proper English sentences or remembering basic English vocabulary.

*You don’t have class on December 8th because it’s a Catholic holiday... and therefore national holiday... in Italy. Can you say “lunch-in-Tuscany-paid-for-by-your-language-school?” 

*You look around (or down) and realize that you are a solid foot taller than every other person standing on the public bus with you. You are only 5’6’’

*You have a nut-allergy, however, your host-family has attempted on various occasions to serve you chestnuts, almond cake, and pistachio pudding... without understanding why you won’t just “try it.”

I'm trying to decide which one is most fitting. Suggestions?

*The heating in your apartment is so expensive that you find yourself wrapped in a blanket, under the covers of your bed, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and scarf...in the middle of the afternoon.

*You fail miserably each time you hunt for a coffee shop for studying.  Better yet, a coffee shop where you don't have to pay for sitting down.  Starbucks, Dunks, make your way to Firenze per favore.

*You cringe when you see that it is raining outside--not because rainy weather is miserable--but because it means that your laundry will be drying on a stand in your bedroom for the next four days.

Yeah, this contraption is actually draped with
my sopping clothing and expected to dry it.

*You have perfected the art of transporting groceries via bicycle basket.

*You discover that your class at the University is cancelled (because of a student revolt) when you see your classroom filled with scattered desks, people sleeping, and abandoned dogs. 'Atta girl, Adair!

*You find yourself regularly comparing the texture and character of the gelato from one gelateria to the next... In all seriousness.