Auguri! And speaking of fairytale settings, it seems even George Lucas jumped on this bandwagon. He chose the charming Villa Balbianello, located in Lenno, a tiny village (with only one bank!!) on the lake, as Padmè’s palace in Naboo for his Star Wars Episode II. Given the spirit of the lake-life we witnessed, it isn’t hard to understand how even Darth Vader was able seduce her here. A highlight, indeed. |
Monday, April 7, 2008
il Lago di Como
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
La Settimana della Cultura
Auguri Amici!
And so it arrives, “La Settimana della Cultura” (The Week of the Culture) in Firenze. As if I wasn’t already swimming in Fiorentina culture. Fiorentini anxiously await this week as it signifies “free ingress” to the many eminent museums and palaces. I am definitely taking advantage, passing go and saving two hundred dollars (which seems like 3 euro these days…).
Eccola qua (here it is), an interesting side-note. Among the hundreds of Italians infiltrating i palazzi, i musei e le chiese (the palaces, museums and churches) epitomizing Firenze’s existence as a predominant tourist hotspot, there are also some seizing the day and going to the cinema, as viewings cost only 1 euro this Thursday. And so, the digital world meets the classical. The integrated circuitry of modern artwork and the preserved artistic masterpieces, which ironically are considered the foundation for the contemporary, merge to form a week of… culture?
And so I ask myself if this is a risky move, including movements of modern culture in Italy’s week of cultura. American students, flooding Firenze, appreciate this taste of home, surely. Tacky as many are, I must remember that I too am an American student. And Fiorentines like us. Without tourism, largely stemming from Japan and the States, Firenze’s economy may not be able to sustain all of these museums and their precious contents. History would be largely forgotten. But what are we supporting? Bars and cinemas? Or sculptures and palaces? My signora, having harbored nearly four generations of students studying in Firenze, clued me in on an interesting fact. As it seems to her, student interest in antique institutions is on the serious decline. My generation, digitally fascinated, frequents more often the discotecca next to “Santa Croce Church”, especially when there are specials. And so culture evolves.
This weekend I am making a trip to Assisi, Italy. Expect to hear from me soon!
-k
And so it arrives, “La Settimana della Cultura” (The Week of the Culture) in Firenze. As if I wasn’t already swimming in Fiorentina culture. Fiorentini anxiously await this week as it signifies “free ingress” to the many eminent museums and palaces. I am definitely taking advantage, passing go and saving two hundred dollars (which seems like 3 euro these days…).
Eccola qua (here it is), an interesting side-note. Among the hundreds of Italians infiltrating i palazzi, i musei e le chiese (the palaces, museums and churches) epitomizing Firenze’s existence as a predominant tourist hotspot, there are also some seizing the day and going to the cinema, as viewings cost only 1 euro this Thursday. And so, the digital world meets the classical. The integrated circuitry of modern artwork and the preserved artistic masterpieces, which ironically are considered the foundation for the contemporary, merge to form a week of… culture?
And so I ask myself if this is a risky move, including movements of modern culture in Italy’s week of cultura. American students, flooding Firenze, appreciate this taste of home, surely. Tacky as many are, I must remember that I too am an American student. And Fiorentines like us. Without tourism, largely stemming from Japan and the States, Firenze’s economy may not be able to sustain all of these museums and their precious contents. History would be largely forgotten. But what are we supporting? Bars and cinemas? Or sculptures and palaces? My signora, having harbored nearly four generations of students studying in Firenze, clued me in on an interesting fact. As it seems to her, student interest in antique institutions is on the serious decline. My generation, digitally fascinated, frequents more often the discotecca next to “Santa Croce Church”, especially when there are specials. And so culture evolves.
This weekend I am making a trip to Assisi, Italy. Expect to hear from me soon!
-k
Thursday, March 13, 2008
La Costiera Amalfitana
| Ciao! “La Costiera Amalfitana” was like magic. Rain included, the panoramas were unlike anything I had ever seen. One such vista: tiny villas sprinkled over cliffs “verde” (green), withstanding the constant battery of the waves crashing at their base. I use the term crashing, but really this is a mere connotation of waves. Waves are all different. Or at least, Italian waves. Those incoming on this coast seemed friendly, surfing towards the shore. It is easy to write with associations. But beware; overuse could render wrong conclusions as connotations often facilitate our perspectives and world views even if small. For example, let’s look at some things typically associated with the south of Italy. The mafia. Violence. Trash. Dialects so forte that effective communication seems impossible. I’m thinking that sometimes it takes actually seeing a place with one’s own eyes to figure out the truth. It’s true. The sunny south is shadowed by the mafia’s corruption. Yet, southerners combat this by throwing on a “paio di occhiali da sole” (pair of sunglasses) and giving smiles to everyone. Or in my case, half an orange (grown on a nearby cliff, no doubt). After diving into the icy (but friendly) waters on a pebbled beach in all of our clothes, a couple of elderly Italian men basking on the same beach, and adorned in their finest speedos (2 each, of course, one for swimming, and one for changing into after swimming, so as not to get too cold in sensitive areas), obliged to take our picture. Then later, one of them (strutting in his dry speedo) traversed all the way across the beach to the place where we were stretched out and offered us the half of an orange that he didn’t finish. With this gesture, communication never seemed so effective. This example lies among many. On this trip, travel was lengthy, but well worth it. I saw Positano, Almalfi Town, Sorrento and my personal favorite Altrani. I even ate pizza in its alleged birthplace: Napoli. There aren’t many tourists on the coast at this time of year so many of the usual crowd-pullers were closed. My group's best company were the many dogs that lounged around the tiny cities. Carefree and friendly, like their owners. I look at this as an adequate addition to my authentic emersion into Italian culture. Che felicità. Unfortunately, travel isn’t cheap (even with free oranges). I’m taking a “piccola pausa” (small break) from traveling until “aprile”. I’m lucky that Firenze is so cool. Until later! -Kels |
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
fra i frati ed i mosaichi
| Auguri! Sadly, the Perugia plans disintegrated last minute. Maltilde assures me that there are better weekends for our rain-check. I suppose she is the expert. Providentially, we made another trip to the “Monastero della Certosa di Galluzzo”, located in a suburb of Firenze. Situated high on a scenic hill, this religious home reaps the benefits of the beauty associated with Tuscan landscape while housing some manifestations of rustic fiorentino talent. These frati (monks) share their home with an impressive art collection, including sculptures and frescoes by artists such as Jacopo da Pontormo. The tranquilità of the courtyards, the lavish trimmings of the church and other areas of worship made for a charming alternative to Perugia. So many tourists will never experience this hidden wonder of 'la cultura fiorentina'. Lucky me. Saturday, I traveled to north. Ravenna: an illumination of relative prosperity during the Dark Ages. Gothic mosaics fabricated during this time are the city’s major claims to fame. My “travel tribe” was the same as my trip to Verona. We are a good fit, and plan to make more day trips together in the future. After goggling over the mosaics in places such as the “Basilica di San Vitale” and the “Mausoleum di Galla Placidia”, we hopped a tiny treno (joking about the "Little Engine That Could") and took the slowboat back to Florence. C'era vino. (There was wine). Tomorrow I am heading down to the Almalfi coast. Until after! -K |
Sunday, February 24, 2008
una conoscenza fiorentina
| “È meglio conoscere bene la città a cui abiti che viaggiare a molti senza trovando qualche conoscenza.” (It is better to know well the city in which you live than to travel to many cities without much understanding or appreciation.) Matildè, my Florentine History teacher, hit me up with this bit of wisdom during Friday’s class. In a città such as Firenze, there are a lot of historically rich sites that demand understanding from a person striving to live by Matildè’s advice. How fortunate I am to have such a passionate woman—a native Fiorentina—give me the scoop on the development of Firenze, a city both immortally chronicled and bellamente (beautifully) captivating. However, acclimating myself with solamente (only) with the memoirs of Dante Alighieri, Cosimo Medici and clan isn’t suffice for comprehensive understanding and appreciation of this città. The second half of this quest is accomplished from actually knowing its dwellers: i fiorentini (the Florentines). Without the “hippy”, elderly, Italian man who vends dried fruit in the central market, the Ethiopian teen who sells “fakes” outside of my school or the jolly and plump barista (who not only provides me with my morning espresso, but also with personalized crumbs of care and friendship), the Firenze in which I live today would be unrecognizable. This weekend, I am going to Perugia with my teacher, Matildè. She is such a dear old woman with whom I am developing a beautiful amicizia (friendship). It will be and unforgettable experience, senza doubt. Until then! -Kelsey (current fiorentina!) |
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Quando a Roma...
| Auguri, i miei amici! Well, the “Capo del Mondo” was surely something, to say the least. My weekend in Rome was definitely something to write home about. I went to visit a “Roman-Student” friend. I truthfully couldn’t have chosen a better guide. Not only did he give me a personal tour of the città “gratis”, but he also happens to be studying classics. What better place to study? His lessons often take place in the Ancient Roman Forum! He tooted me all around “The Eternal City”, pointing out even the overlooked details and secrets. I saw Trajan’s Markets (and millions of other ancient Roman ruins), The Bolognese Gardens, The Spanish Steps, The Pantheon, The Vatican and oh so much more. A funny fact: among the plethora of famous sights there are about a billion free public drinking fountains (free water??!?! It’s unheard of!). Turns out the strange birds of “The City of Fountains” follow their avian instincts straight to these locations. Per esempio, just as I was wiping my mouth after a long cold pull from one fountain in “I Giardini Palentino”, I watched a frazzled old man, muttering Italian curse words under his breath, urgently use the basin of another for personal hygienic reasons. I’ll put it this way: he didn’t treat it as a urinal. I should have guessed that there was some sort of catch to the only free thing in Italy. Mamma mia! Sabato sera, we dined at an Enoteca called “Col De Sac”. Naturally (and solely in the spirit of learning), we tried many different types of wine native to Italy. We also experimented with food, trying tripe. (I mean Italians love it, so when in Rome….). It wasn’t that awful. But then I actually thought about it. My stomach was digesting a stomach. AND…cows have four. Basta! (enough!). At dinner, we met a couple from Naples and I spent two hours exchanging Italian with them. The wine helps my language skills, I’m certain. All and all, it was a weekend enchanted. This silly blog could never do it justice. I hope all is well in the States! -K p.s. I started a new libro (book)—“Harry Potter e La Pietra Filosofale” (Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone). I am pumped, but in all actuality it’s like reading two books. Harry Potter and my Italian dictionary. A presto! |
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
alcune piccole gite
Buongiorno!
New roommates have arrived! Call my parents for details (non posso dirvi sul internet—I can’t disclose this info on the web). Sorry, mom and dad!
Last weekend I went to Verona, a scene for many “star-cross(eyed) lovers” attempting imitations of the great love affair of Romeo e Giulietta. Aka: Gum-chewing teenager-couples scribbling their names on the wall near the famous balcony. All in all, the city was delightful--much more charming than I had imagined. My party followed the advice of Rick Steves, a handy travel guide, the entire way. We saw the Scala family tombs, and even climbed a tower for a breathtaking panoramic of the city’s rooftops. Lovely, indeed.
Quà, a Firenze, I have not forgotten to take advantage. (Don’t let my shabby “I’m-not-a-tourist, really” alias fool you). My favorite place thus far: the Palazzo Vecchio. The reason: it is riddled with secret passageways. I guess I am just a sucker for keeping antique enigmas alive. The tour of these historic and clandestine ducts was hands down the best part of the museum.
As for this coming weekend, I am Rome-bound. I am sure I will have much to report. Until then, state bene e mi mancate tutti di voi! (Stay well, I miss you!)
-K
New roommates have arrived! Call my parents for details (non posso dirvi sul internet—I can’t disclose this info on the web). Sorry, mom and dad!
Last weekend I went to Verona, a scene for many “star-cross(eyed) lovers” attempting imitations of the great love affair of Romeo e Giulietta. Aka: Gum-chewing teenager-couples scribbling their names on the wall near the famous balcony. All in all, the city was delightful--much more charming than I had imagined. My party followed the advice of Rick Steves, a handy travel guide, the entire way. We saw the Scala family tombs, and even climbed a tower for a breathtaking panoramic of the city’s rooftops. Lovely, indeed.
Quà, a Firenze, I have not forgotten to take advantage. (Don’t let my shabby “I’m-not-a-tourist, really” alias fool you). My favorite place thus far: the Palazzo Vecchio. The reason: it is riddled with secret passageways. I guess I am just a sucker for keeping antique enigmas alive. The tour of these historic and clandestine ducts was hands down the best part of the museum.
As for this coming weekend, I am Rome-bound. I am sure I will have much to report. Until then, state bene e mi mancate tutti di voi! (Stay well, I miss you!)
-K
Thursday, January 31, 2008
il Carnevale a Venezia
Ciao!
So get this--last weekend I went to Venice. In other words, dreams of frolicking the narrow cobblestone alleys near Marco Polo's Villa and gazing up at "The Bridge of Sighs" while afloat in a gondola (equipped with a gorgeous singing Italian Stallion, might I add) became a reality. I even saw ‘Casanova's Casa’ (house), 23 bedrooms and all. Even better yet, “Il Carnevale”, a huge Venetian Festival resembling the American tradition of Mardis Gras, is taking place at this time of year.
While I forgot my velvet Venetian costume at home by mistake, I did partake in some of the traditional ornamental activities, getting my face painted and keeping some paper confetti handy at all times.
Naturally, the weekend flew by in a blaze of great food, many laughs, extraordinary sights and (duh) vino. I dare to say that the hangover of this weekend still lingers graciously, evident in the remnants of confetti and glitter still adorning my boots and scalp.
Cliché, but true, it wouldn't be an excursion to Venice without some romance. My love affair with Italy, my new favorite "paese" (country), crowned the trip. I kept it on my arm the entire time.
This weekend I am off to Verona, land of Romeo and Juliet. Look for updates soon!
-K
So get this--last weekend I went to Venice. In other words, dreams of frolicking the narrow cobblestone alleys near Marco Polo's Villa and gazing up at "The Bridge of Sighs" while afloat in a gondola (equipped with a gorgeous singing Italian Stallion, might I add) became a reality. I even saw ‘Casanova's Casa’ (house), 23 bedrooms and all. Even better yet, “Il Carnevale”, a huge Venetian Festival resembling the American tradition of Mardis Gras, is taking place at this time of year.
While I forgot my velvet Venetian costume at home by mistake, I did partake in some of the traditional ornamental activities, getting my face painted and keeping some paper confetti handy at all times.
Naturally, the weekend flew by in a blaze of great food, many laughs, extraordinary sights and (duh) vino. I dare to say that the hangover of this weekend still lingers graciously, evident in the remnants of confetti and glitter still adorning my boots and scalp.
Cliché, but true, it wouldn't be an excursion to Venice without some romance. My love affair with Italy, my new favorite "paese" (country), crowned the trip. I kept it on my arm the entire time.
This weekend I am off to Verona, land of Romeo and Juliet. Look for updates soon!
-K
Thursday, January 24, 2008
veramente, un buon compleanno
Tanti Auguri a Me!
Well, the day finally came. I have twenty one years under my belt. I made it out of the danger zone with a clean slate, hurrrrrrayy! The celebration for the big day couldn't have been more perfect for me, as it was euro-style.
At school, my newfound friends and classmates sang to me and treated me to a mid-morning dolce. Naturally, when local shop-owning Italians discovered that it was the "americana's" big 2-1, champagne was on the house. This trend seemed to last all day, ending with my house-mother's extra sweet, homemade chocolate cake and, yet another bottle.
Italians laughed at the idea of not being legally allowed to consume alcohol before twenty one years in age. One man even asked me why we were allowed to kill another in war by law, yet not enjoy a warm shot of grappa. Maybe it was because I am still shaky in my language skills, or maybe it was the excessive vino/champagne, but I was speechless. Another man joked, "We start drinking vino at 10 years, liqueur at 15 and we stop drinking at 27!"
Questo "punto di vista" (point of view) regarding alcohol saturates Italian culture. Perhaps this is inevitable as vino is a leading export for the country's survival, but people approach drinking quite differently. Drinking to get "smashed" happens here, of course, but it is a rare animal. Furthermore, it is legal to drink on the street, as my parents will verify after our New Year's Eve experience. I have also discovered a phrase reflecting this relationship: "Lo ha bevuto?" (did he/she drink it?) This expression correlates to, "did he/she buy it?" in English when attempting to convince someone of something that may be gray with truth.
That's all for now.
Love your (finally) legal friend,
Kelsey
Well, the day finally came. I have twenty one years under my belt. I made it out of the danger zone with a clean slate, hurrrrrrayy! The celebration for the big day couldn't have been more perfect for me, as it was euro-style.
At school, my newfound friends and classmates sang to me and treated me to a mid-morning dolce. Naturally, when local shop-owning Italians discovered that it was the "americana's" big 2-1, champagne was on the house. This trend seemed to last all day, ending with my house-mother's extra sweet, homemade chocolate cake and, yet another bottle.
Italians laughed at the idea of not being legally allowed to consume alcohol before twenty one years in age. One man even asked me why we were allowed to kill another in war by law, yet not enjoy a warm shot of grappa. Maybe it was because I am still shaky in my language skills, or maybe it was the excessive vino/champagne, but I was speechless. Another man joked, "We start drinking vino at 10 years, liqueur at 15 and we stop drinking at 27!"
Questo "punto di vista" (point of view) regarding alcohol saturates Italian culture. Perhaps this is inevitable as vino is a leading export for the country's survival, but people approach drinking quite differently. Drinking to get "smashed" happens here, of course, but it is a rare animal. Furthermore, it is legal to drink on the street, as my parents will verify after our New Year's Eve experience. I have also discovered a phrase reflecting this relationship: "Lo ha bevuto?" (did he/she drink it?) This expression correlates to, "did he/she buy it?" in English when attempting to convince someone of something that may be gray with truth.
That's all for now.
Love your (finally) legal friend,
Kelsey
Sunday, January 13, 2008
la mia scuola nuova
Ciao!
School started a week ago and being the geek that I am I must say attending "Dante Alighieri" is the highlight of my days. I love my teacher-Marco, he's such a hoot. There is one catch: he teaches only in Italian. Therefore, I must being getting somewhere with this language because I actually understand most of it! Go figure.
My grammar and conversation classes are comprised of the same group of students, about ten all together. They are from Brazil, Venezuela, Switzerland, Canada, Sweden, Japan, Iran and Turkey. I am the minority; this is only my first "second language". My culture lectures are in the afternoon, Monday and Thursday's with a classroom lecture and Fridays are for fieldtrips.During the evenings, I either read or go and grab a bottle of vino with some friends before returning for dinner. Dinner at Dolores' is typically around 9 p.m.
Yesterday, I spent the day trekking in the rain, or should I say the tsunami. Something I really don't understand--the streets here are all very narrow. Yes, this sounds quaint and dear, but this smallness makes the sidewalks even thinner. Should there be any rain, which is frequent, tutti gli italiani bring out their umbrellas. Navigation gets to be an even wetter, messier escapade when passing on these narrow, cobblestone sidewalks with large umbrellas bumping and stabbing everything in sight. There must be some kind of trick that I am missing to handling this task gracefully and with class. ANYWAY, giving up trying to discover this trick, I finally I parked it at a lovely little trattoria and splurged for a 1/2 carafe of vino, rosso--naturalmente, and some "torta" (cake) and wrote in my trusty journal for about two hours. I really have taken a strong liking to this activity.
Stay tuned. There is sun today so I am on a mission to find some boots. There are sales "saldi" all over town! Yeah!
Kels
School started a week ago and being the geek that I am I must say attending "Dante Alighieri" is the highlight of my days. I love my teacher-Marco, he's such a hoot. There is one catch: he teaches only in Italian. Therefore, I must being getting somewhere with this language because I actually understand most of it! Go figure.
My grammar and conversation classes are comprised of the same group of students, about ten all together. They are from Brazil, Venezuela, Switzerland, Canada, Sweden, Japan, Iran and Turkey. I am the minority; this is only my first "second language". My culture lectures are in the afternoon, Monday and Thursday's with a classroom lecture and Fridays are for fieldtrips.During the evenings, I either read or go and grab a bottle of vino with some friends before returning for dinner. Dinner at Dolores' is typically around 9 p.m.
Yesterday, I spent the day trekking in the rain, or should I say the tsunami. Something I really don't understand--the streets here are all very narrow. Yes, this sounds quaint and dear, but this smallness makes the sidewalks even thinner. Should there be any rain, which is frequent, tutti gli italiani bring out their umbrellas. Navigation gets to be an even wetter, messier escapade when passing on these narrow, cobblestone sidewalks with large umbrellas bumping and stabbing everything in sight. There must be some kind of trick that I am missing to handling this task gracefully and with class. ANYWAY, giving up trying to discover this trick, I finally I parked it at a lovely little trattoria and splurged for a 1/2 carafe of vino, rosso--naturalmente, and some "torta" (cake) and wrote in my trusty journal for about two hours. I really have taken a strong liking to this activity.
Stay tuned. There is sun today so I am on a mission to find some boots. There are sales "saldi" all over town! Yeah!
Kels
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
il mio sogno
Please excuse me--This was supposed to be posted a couple of days ago.
Auguri!
Yesterday was the big move-in with my host-madre, and I have got to say, what a day! My parents dropped me off at 1:00, my dad acting “come un Americano pazzo”, (like a crazy American), with the car. My adorable little house mom, talking to me in Italian at the speed of lightning, kept saying “Mamma Mia!” in relation to his driving skills as he tried to figure out a place to park and to all of my luggage. I hate it when my mother is right, but I probably over-packed. How spoiled I am… It’s a good thing I have my own room in her house!
So, my weeping parents left and I faked bravery, lugged my billions of suitcases into my room. I began to get organized. I’m already friends with Dolores’s cat Paulo. (Dolores, my new mom-away-from-home). I felt confident, but exhausted. I decided to take an afternoon nap.
The following passage is my dream. You can decide for yourself if you are bored enough to read it.
In my sogno (dream) I was obviously conscious that I was sleeping in the exact setting of my new room. Suddenly, I was possessed by something and it felt as if the insides of my body were on fire (probably a minor anxiety attack while I was snoozing). Whatever force was possessing me lifted me off the bed and I dropped to the floor. Unable to resist, it drug me over to the wall, where I shattered the mirror and I rose up to the ceiling where I smacked my head. Then, somehow back safely in my bed and unpossessed, I looked to the window and outside were my mom and dad. (Dolore’s house is on the 5th floor of the building so apparently my parents have attended some of Hogwart’s flying lessons behind my back, those selfish jerks). They are holding Maggy and Sophee. I make strong eye contact with Maggy, who is smiling at me with her faithful eyes. I look into the room and I see that it is suddenly flooded with domestic pets. Panicked, I look back to the window at my waving parents and Maggy breaks the glass of the window to enter the room, and they vanish, leaving me all alone. All of the animals begin talking to me in Italian and once Maggy sits next to me on the bed, I suddenly have the power to converse with them, except I speak in English. A gigantic, fat, black cat kindly told me that I was sleeping in his bed and to please move. I told him I’ll never do this again and I courteously apologize. Then, they all begin to hiss in a frenzy and all of them leave except for “fatty black” and Maggy, of course. I hear voices so I fake being asleep again. When I look up, I notice that several students and a huge table have materialized in the room for a formal dinner. I screamed but the people tell me that I shouldn’t bother because they have already muted my voice to the human ear. No one can hear me. I ask them what they are having and they told me--spaghetti with lamb and octopus meatballs. I pull up a chair and begin to dine with them. “Hold the cheese!” I said. “Give it to my dog, Maggy. She is already dead so it won’t upset her stomach.” Maggy turns to me and thanks me, indicating that she has only been dining on cheese and roast beef since dying. (A real difference from her celibacy in the Hooker household). She talks to me in Italian. I ask the party who they are and they inform me that they were all former foreign students in Italy. All of them had, at one point or another, inhabited this room. AND, all of them had died in there.
I woke up shivering, probably because I had left the window open. The mirror on my wall was a tad ajar. Do you think maybe I am a little scared? Probably, but it’s a good feeling. Paulo the cat was shut into the room with me during my nap. I wonder if he is a wizard in disguise. The book I’m currently readying, “The Alchemist”, says that witches and wizards influence dreams.
I start school tomorrow. Wish me luck!
kels
Auguri!
Yesterday was the big move-in with my host-madre, and I have got to say, what a day! My parents dropped me off at 1:00, my dad acting “come un Americano pazzo”, (like a crazy American), with the car. My adorable little house mom, talking to me in Italian at the speed of lightning, kept saying “Mamma Mia!” in relation to his driving skills as he tried to figure out a place to park and to all of my luggage. I hate it when my mother is right, but I probably over-packed. How spoiled I am… It’s a good thing I have my own room in her house!
So, my weeping parents left and I faked bravery, lugged my billions of suitcases into my room. I began to get organized. I’m already friends with Dolores’s cat Paulo. (Dolores, my new mom-away-from-home). I felt confident, but exhausted. I decided to take an afternoon nap.
The following passage is my dream. You can decide for yourself if you are bored enough to read it.
In my sogno (dream) I was obviously conscious that I was sleeping in the exact setting of my new room. Suddenly, I was possessed by something and it felt as if the insides of my body were on fire (probably a minor anxiety attack while I was snoozing). Whatever force was possessing me lifted me off the bed and I dropped to the floor. Unable to resist, it drug me over to the wall, where I shattered the mirror and I rose up to the ceiling where I smacked my head. Then, somehow back safely in my bed and unpossessed, I looked to the window and outside were my mom and dad. (Dolore’s house is on the 5th floor of the building so apparently my parents have attended some of Hogwart’s flying lessons behind my back, those selfish jerks). They are holding Maggy and Sophee. I make strong eye contact with Maggy, who is smiling at me with her faithful eyes. I look into the room and I see that it is suddenly flooded with domestic pets. Panicked, I look back to the window at my waving parents and Maggy breaks the glass of the window to enter the room, and they vanish, leaving me all alone. All of the animals begin talking to me in Italian and once Maggy sits next to me on the bed, I suddenly have the power to converse with them, except I speak in English. A gigantic, fat, black cat kindly told me that I was sleeping in his bed and to please move. I told him I’ll never do this again and I courteously apologize. Then, they all begin to hiss in a frenzy and all of them leave except for “fatty black” and Maggy, of course. I hear voices so I fake being asleep again. When I look up, I notice that several students and a huge table have materialized in the room for a formal dinner. I screamed but the people tell me that I shouldn’t bother because they have already muted my voice to the human ear. No one can hear me. I ask them what they are having and they told me--spaghetti with lamb and octopus meatballs. I pull up a chair and begin to dine with them. “Hold the cheese!” I said. “Give it to my dog, Maggy. She is already dead so it won’t upset her stomach.” Maggy turns to me and thanks me, indicating that she has only been dining on cheese and roast beef since dying. (A real difference from her celibacy in the Hooker household). She talks to me in Italian. I ask the party who they are and they inform me that they were all former foreign students in Italy. All of them had, at one point or another, inhabited this room. AND, all of them had died in there.
I woke up shivering, probably because I had left the window open. The mirror on my wall was a tad ajar. Do you think maybe I am a little scared? Probably, but it’s a good feeling. Paulo the cat was shut into the room with me during my nap. I wonder if he is a wizard in disguise. The book I’m currently readying, “The Alchemist”, says that witches and wizards influence dreams.
I start school tomorrow. Wish me luck!
kels
Sunday, January 6, 2008
a Firenze con la famiglia
Buongiorno!
So Florence with the family has been a delight, duh. We have pretty much trekked down every alley and cobblestone street, at least once--probably ten times. I'm glad to have such a familiarity with the citta' before school even starts!
New Year's Eve was truly charming! We dined along the "Arno River" at la Nanamuta. It was great! I even chimed in with the Italian countdown. What a way to bring in 2008. My resolutions:
1. stop the hair twirling (as always)
2. no more gum chewing (save me money, too!)
3. and become fluent in italian! (I’m already improving ogni giorno)
We saw the Statue of David at l'Academia Galleria. The energy surrounding this magnificent piece so thoroughly studied and globally pondered truly left us gasping for oxygen. We also made some side trips to Siena and San Gimingnano. Quaint towns, indeed. Siena's brick square was so unique and our Capetown-raised tour guide was a treat.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Hooker family vacation without my mom getting sick. But, she is better now. Sorry she had to miss some of the action.
All for now!
Kelsey
So Florence with the family has been a delight, duh. We have pretty much trekked down every alley and cobblestone street, at least once--probably ten times. I'm glad to have such a familiarity with the citta' before school even starts!
New Year's Eve was truly charming! We dined along the "Arno River" at la Nanamuta. It was great! I even chimed in with the Italian countdown. What a way to bring in 2008. My resolutions:
1. stop the hair twirling (as always)
2. no more gum chewing (save me money, too!)
3. and become fluent in italian! (I’m already improving ogni giorno)
We saw the Statue of David at l'Academia Galleria. The energy surrounding this magnificent piece so thoroughly studied and globally pondered truly left us gasping for oxygen. We also made some side trips to Siena and San Gimingnano. Quaint towns, indeed. Siena's brick square was so unique and our Capetown-raised tour guide was a treat.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Hooker family vacation without my mom getting sick. But, she is better now. Sorry she had to miss some of the action.
All for now!
Kelsey
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