Sooooo I had my first day of classes yesterday, my two classes were: Italian Culture through Festivals and Feasting and Italian Language 1. I would just like to point out that my Festivals and Feasting class was under the sociology section of classes and therefore I just assumed it would be a lecture on the various festivals and feasts throughout Italy (I was mainly excited for this on the chance that one of them would be in a time and place that I would be able to attend and get some legit Italy experiences). So imagine my surprise when I enter the Apicius building on Tuesday morning only to be directed to the building where the cooking classes were held, and then shown into a full on cooking lab room!
Surprise surprise! Festivals and feasting isn't just learning about festivals and feasts, its about making the actual foods prepared in the feasts! On the first day we tried this amazing pecorino cheese that's made in a town called Penzia in Tuscany. It was sooooo good, I thought I would always be a Wisconson Cheese person just like my dad, but this cheese was so scrumptious, melt in your mouth kind of amazing. I looked up tickets today and am definitely gonna make a trip down to Penzia sometime when I have a day off. We also made this wild boar stew type thing that is made during this festival in a town called Capolbio. I was doing my reading today and found out that the festival is the second weekend in September so if I have time this weekend I think I might go check it out!
My Italian language class was really great too, I mean obviously it's hard to top eating delicious food, but I'm really excited to start learning more Italian so I don't feel like such an incompetent idiot all the time! haha I have the class with Stacey and our teacher is really nice, her name is Claudia. She pretty much would say something in english and then repeat it Italian. I'm hoping that I'll be able to start picking up some things that people say soon; I've been trying to speak to people at the markets in Italian when I go and ask them what the different fruits and vegetables are called.
Was finally able to explore the Santo Sprito church (the one right next to our apartment) while on the way back from class cause I finally saw that it was open. And I just have to say as blank as it is on the outside, it is so beautiful on the inside! I was surprised to not only find all the beautiful paintings on the walls and the amazing arched ceilings, but also in a small antechamber there was a wooden statue of Jesus hanging on the cross. I read a pamphlet on it while I was there and apparently it's one of the first things Michelangelo ever sculpted when he was only 18! I had no idea that such a treasure could be found right near the apartment, I guess that's the beauty of Italy though :)
Only other thing that happened on Tuesday night was we all attended the Cultural Connections meeting that the school puts on for you to get more connected to the Florentine culture. Once we got there there were three options in what you could do, either do family exchange, community service, or language connection. I was hoping to do community service and language connection but since we could only do one I decided to check out community service. As I expected, it seemed to be a popular choice for people to try and do, but the person discussing it stressed a lot that it was a big time commitment and that you shouldn't enter it lightly. You actually have to fill out an application and have an interview to even be considered for one of their volunteer positions. So I'm planning on doing that later today...the interviews are at 8:45pm (my time haha).
Getting ready to leave for my second day of classes. Today I have Organizational Behavior in the Hospitality Industry, Italian Beginning and Wine Appreciation 1. Then interviews later tonight and going to bed early to get ready for the 5:45 am meet time for our Tuscan cruise!! So excited about this on Friday :) Still trying to iron out plans of what to do for fall break, but maybe thinking Greece and Sicily?? Also have a couple of ideas of other places I want to go this weekend...probably Cinque Terre and Capalbio (the boar festival!!). I'll keep you posted :)
No comments:
Post a Comment