Chameleon Complex

There hasn't been much to report lately. Last week was insane, this week has been pretty laid back. Nonetheless I will recount my week should there be information worth noting.
Tuesday: Class was canceled for me and Beth, so we wandered around Florence (Ponte Vecchio, the other side of the Arno...) taking pictures for our photography project that's due this coming Tuesday. It was a lovely day, finally, after copious amounts of rain.
Wednesday: Beth and I decided to go to our favorite bar, Astor, that is a stone's throw from our lovely apartment. We met two Italian men (well, one was Albanian who spoke Italian), Alex and Roberto, and ended the night by doing ballet in front of the Duomo. Has Italy made me graceful?

On one hand, I'm happy to disappear completely within the Italian culture. It's nice to be able to go to a cafe and order something completely in Italian as a sign of respect. Of course Beth and I could survive here without knowing any of the language since most speak English here, but we would just be perpetuating the image of the American Tourist. The American Tourist who only knows English, refuses to try to speak Italian, or try to get to know any of the people.

Of course Italy speaks through it's history and places. Florence is a gem with its significance in the Renaissance, the masterpieces that reside here, and the architectural feats that are still as humbling as they must have been when they were created. There's Rome to the South, a giant in our world's history, with the Vatican close by. There's the Pieta' in the Vatican, the David here in Florence, The Last Supper in Milan...of course I could go on.

The people of Italy should not be ignored on any trip here. Yes, they can speak English like many other people around the world. Does that mean that we as Americans shouldn't attempt to learn anything about them?

A friend of mine told me last night that he still felt as though he was in America. Of course it can feel that way here. There are hoards of American students roaming the streets, and most of the locals have at least learned enough English to do business with Americans. While I'm happy to disappear into the Italian culture while I'm here, I can also guarantee that I will always be recognizable as American, and I've come to accept that. Though I try to don less conspicuous shoes than my Ugg boots, attempt to only speak Italian with those I encounter on the streets, I suppose I radiate American like UV rays in July. I can, however, guarantee I will continue to try and fit in throughout my stay - not because it necessarily makes me comfortable, but because it's a sign of respect to my host country. I'll leave you with a picture of an Italian man I took while on Ponte Vecchio - I wonder if he knew I was taking pictures of him. If so, he was a fabulous model.

Missing the good ol' US of A and sending my love as always.
Mi manchi tantissimo, io penso sempre di te, e non vedo l'ora di rivederti.

Disclaimer and Business Matters

As Horacio (I miss you!) pointed out, my Funny Quote of the Day is, perhaps, not so funny for some people who read this blog (there are oh, so many of you). I posted it, not because I necessarily agree with it (even though...I kind of do), but because of the irony. Oh, what a true UVa student I am, discussing irony on my blog while abroad in Florence. Hey, at least I don't pop my collar.
Business Matters
1. How do you like the new format? Black background gives it a little more edge don't you think? How about the picture?
2. That being said, please comment! If you have a spare moment I really like hearing from all of you, even if it's someone telling me that William & Mary is better than UVa, seriously, everything brings a smile to my face.
3. I added on a Follower "gadget," so if you read this often enough, please become a Follower. I'm not really sure what the perks will be yet. Depending on how many Followers, each one could receive a scarf from Florence, and if there are more, perhaps a piece of biscotti! Maybe I could set up a password protected part of the blog for Followers - I just realized how cult-ish this is sounding, but I'm semi-comfortable with it.


Okay, comment away!
Sending my love.

Funny Quote of the Day

"People from UVa are really snobby."
"No we're not, we're just better than you."

Love, Rachel

Sustainable Lifestyle?

Lately Bethie and I have been discussing the ever so cumbersome idea of a sustainable lifestyle. We've been wondering if the lives we're leading over here can be transported overseas and remain relatively intact (even if baggage claim loses them for a few days).
There are a few red flags that signify, to me at least, that we're fighting a losing battle.
#1 We're in Florence, Italy. While the following reasons might not be in any particular order, this one deserves to be at the top. Renaissance art masterpieces reside about 10 minutes from my apartment, on the walk to school I pass Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, Louis Vuitton, Fendi...what?!
#2 Our most commonly devoured snack is caviar, italian flat bread, and brie cheese. When I get back to the States either caviar will be too expensive to buy on a daily basis, or I'll lose the desire to eat it when my roommates constantly ridicule me - whichever comes first.
#3 Our homework consists of walking around Florence taking pictures for our photography projects due on Tuesday. So drab, so boring. I miss reading an endless amount of pages in thick course packets. Oh, have I mentioned we don't have class on Fridays?
#4 We live relatively near Rome, Pisa, Lucca, Genova, Malta, Switzerland, Greece and all its islands. Where should we go this weekend?
Honestly, you're probably really frustrated with me for writing this post. It sounds like I'm bragging about how awesome my life is. But there are things about this lifestyle I will not miss when I get back to the states. Things such as: not having a drier in my apartment, never being able to wear sweatpants in public, not having breakfast foods or chai for that matter, not having a Mom within 40 miles, the Italian medical system, sketchy men named Leonardo and Mario, and again, the bathroom at Crisco. I really can't tell you how horrendous that room was. I almost gave up government secrets.
Anyway, point is, awesome lifestyle, but I still miss home tremendously. I'm going hunting for good blog post material tomorrow. Until then...

Sound for Thought

This is what my day sounds like today.

Going Out In Italian

Leondardo da Vinci himself was famous for leaving his works unfinished and, well, I'm going to follow suit. I'm going to tell you, instead, about the "going out" culture here in Firenze since many of you have been wondering. Last week I went out on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday night. Excessive? Perhaps. Give me a chance to explain myself.
Tuesday: The Inauguration and The Beatles cover band (as you know already). There was no chance I was going to pass that up.
Wednesday: Again, as you know, what started out as one drink, quickly turned into a night of hanging out with new friends and strolling around the city.
Thursday: Beth and I went to an Art Opening at Palazzo Strozzi at the request of our Photography professor and met one of his friends, Luca. After seeing many odd installations, DVDs, sculptures and the like, we accepted his invitation to go for a drink. He told us that it was his friend's birthday party but that they should be finished by the time we got there. Wrong. There were about 50, extremely happy Italians sitting down when walked through the door. The rest of the night went something like this - drinks at the restaurant with the birthday girl, bestowing italian nicknames (I'm the "genio ribelle" or, rebellious genius), then off to a very European club called Doris. We returned home around 4 am.
Friday: Sleep.
Saturday: Went out with Vassi (our professor who is around 30) and Luca again. First to a bar, then to a club called Crisco. Beth and I were wondering why we weren't getting in while we watched 5 men walk up and immediately pass through the door. Vassi then informed us it was a gay club. When we finally walked in I saw that all the bartenders were men and had wigs on, and it all began to make sense. Again, the rest of the night can be described like this: a bathroom I would rather not remember, strange looks from men, funny conversations with the fake-blonde bartenders, etc.
What is the point of all this? The point is, each night is different. Each night begins with uncertainty. Refer back to an earlier post where I said something like being caught up in the current, and just riding the wave. Florence is a city, not a large one by some standards, but a city nonetheless. Any night can begin with humble origins, then end with a secret bakery, a gay club, a quest for McDonald's fries, or new and interesting friends. Tonight Bethie and I are going to see The Beatles cover band - tomorrow I could be blogging about going out with the band afterwards to a club with The Who, Elvis Costello, and Led Zepplin. Who knows.

Part 2

I. Concrete Events
a. Inauguration Day!
b. Beatles Cover Band (Tuesday)
c. Wednesday Night (Colin, Aussies, hilarity ensues)
d. Last night (finally met real Italian people, more hilarity)
II. Ideas
a. "Culture Shock"
b. Colin again...oh, Colin.
c. Photography Class

I. c. Wednesday night Beth and I decided to go to this bar near our apartment called Astor. I had been there with Calen the night before for a little bit and really liked the atmosphere - there had been a black light, which I'm all about of course. We went, not intending to meet anyone, just to get a little dressed up and have a drink together. Of course we ended up falling in love with the bartender, who's name is Ezequiel, and who also happened to be Brazilian. Awesome. We had a lot of fun talking to him, especially after he made us a delicious drink called The Green Vision - what's not to love?
We'd been there for about an hour when a British guy came up to the bar and ordered a Corona. His name was Colin, and he was probably in his 50s. Well, Colin stuck with us the rest of the night. I quickly figured out several things about him: he LOVES Krakow, Poland, is still mentally in his 20s, and LOVES Americans. He was a scream, and probably mentioned Krakow a total of 7 or 8 times during the conversation. Basically, he spends his time traveling, and as I later found out from Beth, sells Harry Potter paraphernalia on E-Bay as a sort of career, I suppose. "Oh, Colin" has become a popular phrase with me and Beth, as though we've known him for years.
Then after the bar closed, I ended up outside McDonald's near the train station, with my new friend Mike from school. I was the only one outside who spoke Italian, the rest were Americans and Aussies, so it was up to me to find out why the doors were locked - typically doors being locked is the universal language for being closed, but we were still hopeful. In the meantime, I made fast friends with an Australian named Evan, who was pretty lovestruck - oh, Italy. He was a really sweet guy, a race car driver with an impressive resume, and of course the Australian accent is always entertaining to Americans. I was happy to show him around Florence (as much as my limited knowledge allowed) for the next couple of days.
That wraps up Part 2, still more to come. I'll leave you with a picture of the square outside the Duomo at night, and maybe...a song.


Sending my love as always...