The Girl with the Curls

If you haven’t paid attention to the most recent news in Italy, I will give you a quick review. First, there was a bombing at a school in Brindisi, a city around the bottom of the boot of Italy. One girl was killed and several others were injured. No one is sure yet who caused it to happen, but a lot of speculation about the Mafia is being thrown around.

Second, there was an earthquake in Bologna the following day, which is about 75 miles north of Florence. We watched the news and it was devastating. It looked like a war zone.

Well friends, if bad things happen in threes I hope that this is the worst of it. This morning a little before 9 am (3 am for my Indiana readers), I woke up to my bed being shaken. It took me a second to realize that I wasn’t going crazy and having a very non-violent seizure. I jumped out of bed and all my roommates had just done the same.

“Did you feel that,” I asked.
“YES. We need to get out of here,” one of them answered.

So we did. I grabbed a jacket, threw my stuff in my backpack and we ran down 3 flights of stairs. Once we were out on the street, nothing happened. No one had even noticed the little tremor that woke all of us up. We went back inside, deciding that going outside was not going to help in anyway.

Don’t worry folks, it is all over. And if it ever happens again (which I am praying it does not), we will stay inside under a table or our doorframes as we are supposed to do.

We looked up recent seismic activity and it seems that the tremor we felt was an aftershock from another earthquake in Northern Italy that was a 6.0. Ours was around a 2.0.

Again, we are all safe and sound and I am pretty sure we were the only ones in Florence to feel it. We would all greatly appreciate it if you could send a tiny prayer this way for our safety over the next 3-4 weeks.

Ciao ragazzi. Next time I’ll tell you all about Siena, San Gimignano, Venice, and Verona!

Now is as good a time as any to fill you all in on my experiences in Firenze. Wait-you thought I was in Florence? Well, they are the same thing! The locals call it Firenze and seeing as I am no longer a tourist (I have an address, a phone number, and I can put my camera away because I’ll be here tomorrow), that is what I call it as well.

The city is always moving-except for late at night. There are always cars, motorbikes, and bicycles going up and down the mostly one way streets. The sidewalks are very small and only one or two people can fit on them at a time. There aren’t any real strict “lanes” for traffic-you have to watch all four sides if you are driving. And even if you stop-a motorcycle can zip right on through without a problem. The pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way, which puts me in a very aware state of mind.

The streets are all cobble stone, some rougher than others. But I can really feel the variation in the incline or the stones because of my boot. The first few days I was exhausted from all of the walking…nearly 3-4 hours a day. But now I only walk the 25 minutes to class and maybe another hour or two with rests in between, which makes for a less swollen foot and a happier me.

Florentines don’t really walk fast-so you can tell who is a tourist and who is not. You can also tell by their dress-very conservative. Even on the hottest days women will wear long pants (usually jeans), a 3/4 length shirt or t-shirt (a nicer one…not a plane cotton tee), and shoes. Never will you see flip-flops. So you can definitely point out tourists with their shorts, skirts, and flip-flops. It makes you feel a little awkward when that’s all you’ve brought, but hey-it’s a learning process.

Florentines also have no fear of staring. I sat on the steps of the Duomo (large domed cathedral in the historic center of the city) with my roomates and two guys sat down next to us and blatantly stared and talked about my boot. It’s just another part of the culture I have gotten used to already and it’s only been 6 days.

It seems like conserving energy and space is a top concern on everyone’s minds here. As there is little space, people try to cram as much as they can in. There are smaller cars, smaller rooms, smaller seats, etc. If you use too many large appliances (the dishwasher and the washing machine for example) you will have a little blackout in your building. Don’t worry, this hasn’t happened yet! The plugs are two or three round holes instead of the 2 prongs we have in the States.

There is always someone trying to sell something in the historic center. Street vendors line the streets selling block after block of leather bags, scarves, shoes, and souvenirs. Some like to barter-even if you don’t start it yourself. A couple of men asked me what I did to my foot and when I told them it was broken, they offered by 40-60% off of their products. Even though this “special deal” flattered me, I did not take the bait…yet. I’m sure I will go back for something before my time has come to go back home.

Meals are for spending quality time together-even more than we do in the US. A good meal in a restaurant can be expected to take 2-4 hours. Last night we had a welcome dinner by our school, CAPA, at a restaurant called Casalinga. Everything was delicious but we had 3 courses (instead of the 5 or so they usually have) and we were there for 3 hours. The first course was appetizers with some bruchetta, beans, goose liver (I had a tiny taste…yuck!), and a mayonesse and cheese mixture all on bread (pane). The second course was ravioli with ricotta and herbs inside covered in butter and traditional spaghetti. (Spaghetti here is just tomato sauce with Roma tomatoes…no other herbs are really added.) Finally, dessert was something with a cookie/biscuit on the bottom for a crust, a creme filling on top of that, and fresh cut strawberries on top. They also served a tray of meats like salami (which we found out was pork and beef), finocchiona (like salami), and prosciutto (a cured ham that is kind of like thinner, uncooked, and better tasting bacon).

Even though it has only been less than a week here-a lot of things seem like normal. I guess that is a good thing, because it means I’m not in culture shock anymore. I was for a few days while we didn’t have hot water because I thought that was how Italians lived. Thank goodness I was wrong. I do miss a lot of things from home, like being able to buy a coke for less than $4. Or a microwave. But these are all things that I can definitely live without and I have successfully so far.

One of my favorite discoveries is how great nutella is on EVERYTHING. Bread, crepes, saltines, strawberries, or even by itself. I could eat it all the time. It is definitely going to become a staple in my life even when I travel back home.

That’s all I have for a broad overview right now. I need to start reading for class-we have a 4-6 page paper due on Monday!

Ciao!

Ciao ragazzi! I have officially made it to Italy. I wanted to start blogging earlier, but there has been so much to do and so much jet lag that I just couldn’t keep up. So here is a quick breakdown of everything that has happened so far. (And by quick-you know I mean long.)

I took 3 flights (15ish hours total): from Indianapolis to Chicago; Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany; and Frankfurt to Florence, Italy. I was a little worried about my flight to Frankfurt, simply because it was 8 hours long and I was in the very middle of 5 seats. The layout of the plane looked a little like this in economy:

_____ _____ | aisle | _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ | aisle | _____ _____
_____ _____ | aisle | _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ | aisle | _____ _____
_____ _____ | aisle | _____ _____ __X__ _____ _____ | aisle | _____ _____

The X is where I was sitting-row 33. Luckily, I was sitting in between two very nice people with whom I had a lot in common. I’ll tell you more about them later.

We have to run (hobble for me) to a Fiorentina football game (soccer). It looks like rain-so this is going to be an experience and a half.

Arrivederci!

That’s right, friends.  If you haven’t seen me crutching along the streets of Purdue-I have some news for you!  I broke a fractured in my foot…specifically my fifth metatarsal. The black line/my finger in this picture point to the exact location of my fracture.

How did it happen?  Get ready for a story you will never forget-it’s emotional, intense, suspenseful, and every stuntman’s dream injury story.  I was walking from my car to class after returning to campus from my observation, when all of a sudden I rolled my ankle on a sidewalk ramp.  I stopped, regained my balance in my heels, and continued to walk to my class in order to take an Italian exam.  (And take it I did…A-!)  I called my mom as the pain really started and she helped to calm me down.  We thought it was just a sprain.  (I walked from the corner of Third and Waldron to Stanley Coulter!)  Eventually after the exam, I tried to walk to the bus stop but instead was greeted by a car ride to my own vehicle so I could drive myself to the doctor.  

I finally made it-I walked into the med check and then received a fun little wheelchair to zip around in as I got my x-rays (seen above.) By that time my foot looked like this…which is not even close the swelling that happened and bruising that happened within the next few days: 

At least my shoes were cute, right?  By the end of it all, I had received some crutches, an appointment with the orthopedic, and some pain medication.  

The good news is-I am good to go now!  Everyone I encounter has been so nice which led me to realize how great and friendly Boilermakers can be.  That, in turn, inspired me to catalog what I have learned thus far from my fractured experiences.  

1. My family is the best.  Not only has my Mom been to Purdue 3 times since last Wednesday, but she also drove me to Frankfort for my last observation and two banquets, brought me food, cleaned my car, went shopping for and with me, and did my laundry.  She answers all of my calls and text messages and understands exactly how I am feeling.  We even had a sleepover this week.  I want to grow up to be just like her.  BUT WAIT!  THERE’S MORE!  My other family members, both near and far, have been so supportive and helpful as well.  They have called, texted, and sent me flowers to keep my spirits up.  I don’t deserve any of these people in my life, but I am so thankful that God allowed me to be in this family.
2. Crutches are a blessing and a curse.
3. I’m not a runner but now I want to be.  Is this new motivation for the Bucket List?
4. Slow down…I have come to re-appreciate why I love this campus so much as I slowly move across it.  
5. I have an appreciation for large fuzzy socks now that my foot cannot fit in any of my own socks.
6. Accept help if it is offered…I’m still working on this one.
7. The wheelchair in Target is a blast and I am a whiz at operating it.
8. Positivity makes you feel better.  (I was told today that I exude happiness and have a real appreciation for life.  Thank you, kind sir, for that compliment.  But with so many blessings, how could I be any different?)
9. Everything is funnier with pain medication…but don’t take too much of it.
10. My students care about me!  Several of my eighth graders from last quarter came up to me to ask what I had done.  Even though it was the day after I broke it, I couldn’t end the semester without saying goodbye to them and Mrs. S.  They wished me a speedy recovery and made me want to dance.
11. Purdue is a large campus.
12. CityBus drivers are so helpful and Boilermakers are very generous in their willingness to help.
13. Know your limits…learn how to say, “No.”  I said it once, and I’ll say it again, I think God was definitely telling me I need to slow down.  I wasn’t doing it myself so He took matters into His own hands.  I’m listening.
14. Flowers make everything better.  (Thank you again, you special people!)
15. Feeling stranded and stuck with no where to go.  Sometimes I feel so limited that it makes me really sad but then I remember that the more I rest and recover now…the less I will hurt in Italy!  (But if you are studying or bored…call me.  I’m not even kidding.)
16. If I had to save myself when hanging off of a cliff I probably would not be able to do it.  My arms were so tired after crutching on Monday that I was exhausted that night!

So yes, I have the worst “How I Injured Myself” story but nonetheless, I have learned a lot.  As Walt Disney said, “Keep moving forward!”