The last couple of days here in Firenze have been interesting to say the least. I never realized that the human mind could capacitate such a surfeit of contradicting emotions. One side of my mind is ecstatic to be living in a city old enough to offer history and culture so unlike the United States, while the other side wants to scream for the same reason. The theory of Yin and Yang I suppose. The biggest cultural difference I have been struggling with is the lack of punctuality. It is a blessing and a curse. For example, it okay to pay rent sometime within the week its due(awesome); but in reciprocity its also okay for the internet technician to show up sometime within the month he is scheduled(not so awesome). It is with that statement that I issue an apology for the lack of updates to this blog. The fact is that I just cannot connect to the internet.
Despite the lack of internet, I have been learning a lot here lately. (Imagine that, life before the lifeline of internet.) Here are some things I have learned within the week:
-The banks here have similar formalities as the DMV so if you need to use a bank here, be repared to wait.
-The Florence Post Office works twice as fast as its U.S. counterpart but cost about three times as much.
(So if you receive little or no postcards from me I apologize, but it cost nearly 1 euro per stamp, which is the equivalent of 1.50 US dollars right now)
-Although there are 10x as many pedestrians than motor vehicles in Florence, they by no means have the right of way.
-Yes, Italian men really do say stuff like that.
-Gelato is part of your daily diet. Its cheap and delicious. Carmel flavor is my crutch.
-Absolutely and positively DO NOT go to Ikea. You WILL end up in tears
-Italians really appreciate it when Americans at least attempt to speak in Italian, no matter how broken it may be.
-EVERYTHING is closed from 12-4, so don’t plan on getting anything productive done at that time
-Fruits, vegetables, cheese and bread taste better here
-Be careful, because the wine and beer here have a much higher alcohol content than in America
-All the buildings are old and beautiful, but need to be treated with care
-Carpet, dryers, dishwashers, microwaves and toasters don’t exist here.
-Nightlife doesn’t even get started until around midnight and lasts until 4 or 5am, so take a nap before you go out.
-The sun somehow shines at a different angle here and it saturates the city with a beautiful orange glow, even at midday.
I could go on forever with things I have learned, but my suggestion would be to come here sometime to find all these things out for yourself. For now I am going to say buona serra. Ho bisognio di fare il mio compiti e manjare. Ho fame. Ciao, I will post pictures as soon as I can I promise.