Mi dispiache

So, I am apparently terrible at blogging... Sorry y'all but on the few bad days I feel like a jerk complaining about Italy, and on the good days I just want to soak it all in. 

For the record, things are incredible. I've been reading a lot. I can't remember being happier. 

I can't believe I'm getting paid to do this.

So, after having been here a bit over two weeks, life here is starting to feel (somewhat) normal. The work is interesting and challenging. I'm cooking and eating a lot of delicious food. I'm walking a lot (everywhere, actually). Becca and I are working and living together wonderfully.

Last weekend we took a trip to the Tuscan countryside and coast with a visit to Giglio Island (bluest water I've ever seen) and Volterra (Etruscan city, where Renaissance architecture is "modern").

Couple of pictures below, more posts soon!

settling in

So, I'm a day shy of a week here and finally getting on the correct time zone and feeling like I know where I'm going when I leave my front door. The past few days have included many meandering walks, stops for espresso and cappuccino, writing notes, and daily photos. We have an open air market just around the corner which is great for stocking up on fruits and veggies, bread (HOLY JESUS FOCCIA IS AMAZING), and eggs. We also have a super market and dollar store around the other corner, which has been super convenient. The dollar stores here are way better than the ones at home. They have ALL THE THINGS. I did have a bit of culture shock last week while I was getting acclimated, but the more comfortable I feel, the less it seems to be an issue. 

Also, I know this sounds unreal, but before yesterday I seriously had not yet considered (like, even once) where I wanted to travel during my time here. Then, last night, I looked at a map and went a little nuts. It's really exciting how close EVERYTHING is. My goal is to strike a balance between getting rest and feeling like I live in Florence, and not feeling like I have squandered the opportunity of living in Europe. Thankfully, there are lots of great trips that can be made within a day of Florence, and with classes only Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, that should be totally do able. 

Today is the first day of classes. We interpreted one lecture class already called 'Gardens of Love' about the history and architecture of gardens which was interesting because a) I've never thought about gardens as anything other than, "Plants. Pretty." b) The professor has an architecture degree and art history degree, seems brilliant in both fields, c) she knows how to work with interpreters! Super yay! Next we've got an Italian immersion class... which should be interesting to say the least!

I decided before I left not to bring a digital camera because I hate when I get so caught up in capturing something in a picture that I don't experience it. Besides, the pictures rarely ever even get close to capturing said experience anyway. So, I invested in an instant camera and am taking a picture a day, which is not only a fun way to document my daily goings on, but a cool representation of how much time has passed since I am hanging them on my wall. Today's picture: classic first day of school shot in front of the door!

Hey, y'all I'm in Italy!

It's 2 in the morning and I'm wide awake, so now seems like the perfect time to write my first entry for this blog.

If I say the last week has been crazy, is that cliché? Actually, no. I know it is cliché, but that also does not make it any less true. 

I got a call last Thursday from my team who was to be here with me. She let me know that for personal reasons she would not be joining me. As opposed to my tendency to react something like, "Say WHAT?!" and then begin hysterically freaking out, crying, etc. I was all, "Wow. Ok. Whatever you need to do." and then hung up and thought, "this will be interesting," which I am super proud of myself for because it ended up the best possible of all situations. I waited to hear from my point of contact with RIT to hear his response and it was basically "Shit. Help. Ideas?" 

I took that as my green light to start reaching out to people (Thankfully, Chris had deferred to me about who would be my team from the beginning, which is a huge honor and relief, especially since we would be not only working but also living together.) Anyway, I immediately thought of my friend Becca from home. We went through our sign language interpreter training together, have confided in one another as we made the transition from students to working interpreters, and she loves travel as much as me. I called and texted and then waited to hear from her, and when she called a bit mystified saying basically "I'm in" I passed that info along and she was hired in a 2 minute phone call based solely off my recommendation. I could not be more thrilled that she was willing to drop everything for three months and come on this adventure with me! Also: Phew!

THEN, Friday while out running errands for last minute stuff for my trip, I got an email from RID with my NIC (National Interpreter Certification test) results. I stopped in a parking lot to read the news I've been waiting for for three months, and y'all I passed! I then cried hysterically and called my family and Nick, and breathed a huge sigh of relief. While this is definitely not the be all and end all in my career, it is definitely the next step and extremely gratifying to accomplish. 

So, over the weekend, I packed, talked to Becca a million times and otherwise tried to have as normal a weekend as possible with Nick. We went to the public market and bought veggies and ate breakfast sandwiches at our favorite bakery. Ate at our favorite Thai place, had his mom over for homemade pizza, watched Parks and Rec on Netflix. We bathed, trimmed, and played with the doggies. We had banana pancakes and ate at our favorite Indian buffet (yeah, most of our activities are food related.) I was trying my best to hold it together, but cried frequently. He's been so supportive and patient with me the last couple of weeks when my leaving really started sinking in. Gush gush, I love my sweet boyfriend. The end. 

I left Monday evening and after changing planes in Detroit (Jetsons-esque airport! Who would have thought?) and Paris (Charles de Gaulle is a cluster cuss. Srsly.) I arrived in Florence Tuesday afternoon. Becca was already at our apartment and after catching up, we explored our immediate neighborhood (so lovely!) and had a delicious dinner (y'all, the food is worth the hype. I could write poems about our simple meal.) I went to bed after settling into my room and briefly Skyping with Nick. 

Even thought I slept for 10 hours I felt like someone had punched me when I woke up. Today we had on the schedule "Orientation 12:45," which to Becca and I seemed pretty inconsequential. An hour we supposed? Boy were we wrong. We had a simple breakfast of croissant and espresso (thank all that is holy for sweet sweet caffeine) we went on to interpret for SIX HOURS. Apparently the logistics of studying in Italy for 4 months is pretty complicated, which in retrospect: "duh." To say that we were exhausted afterward would be an understatement. We ate at this fancy reception the coordinating program threw the fete the semester, and then came home and crashed. 

Because jet lag is awesome, I woke up at midnight, and have been practicing my Italian. I read somewhere recently that our ancestors kept a similar sleeping pattern with "two sleeps" and I know that freaking out over not being able to sleep won't really help my cause, so I'm trying to be zen about it. It also helps to know that I have nothing scheduled tomorrow so I can play catch up if I need to. 

Our students are wonderful. It is really quite lovely here, and I'm looking forward to the next few months! Pictures soon. Ciao bella!

tired interpreter

I can't figure out how to add this to my previous entry, but this: