Forza, Vanderbilt!!
Fiorenza International School Cup
Working hard ...
Sept. 28-Oct. 6 2009
Working hard ... ... playing hard ....
... and eating a lot of pizza.
mercoledì 30 settembre 2009
martedì 22 settembre 2009
CET Student Correspondent News: A No Good, Very Bad Day
By Murielle Wyman
Student Correspondent
Student Correspondent
When we first arrived here, giggling and in awe of the sights around us, Aria (our program's director) warned us that we would have bad days. I just scoffed and thought to myself, "Bad days?? Like what?! How could we possibly have bad days when the 'toscana' (tuscan) sun is shining so brightly and the things we are learning are so interesting and there are entire shops devoted to Italian leather??!"
Well, I will tell you--one week in, the novelty wore off. Last Friday was a bad day. My roommates were all gone to a drawing class and I wanted to be outside-reading, eating, enjoying, looking. But what is so easy to do alone when you’re home can be a struggle here. You step outside of the comfort of your apartment and suddenly you are again the foreigner, alone in a strange land, forging your way through Italian streets that never quite go straight and that change names out of nowhere. No one speaks your language and it all leaves you feeling self- conscious, out of place, and altogether disoriented. I want so badly to find what sociologists refer to as a 'third place' here--a place that’s not work or home where I can go to read or study and feel comfortable.
So far, I haven't found it. Today, for example, I was determined to do two things--1. Go to this cafe up the street and plop myself down in their outdoor seating area with a coffee and read for one of my classes and 2. Mail some postcards. I left my building, walked towards the cafe, and when I got to it, all the tables were taken by smiling, laughing Italians and I simply didn’t feel up to trying to find a spot knowing I would have to speak Italian and would probably be eyed by all of those sitting already.
So I walked past, bummed but still comforted knowing that I could just go around the block and try to find a mailbox. I walked around the block, up this street, and across this little pedestrian bridge and proceeded to … get lost. I was literally only two blocks from my apartment in an area that was familiarly unfamiliar but I simply didn't feel up to fighting it. I said forget it to finding a mailbox and made my way to the big street that runs by my apartment. Before seeking out the comfort of my apartment, I stopped by the gelato place—I desperately needed a scoop to calm my nerves. Even though it doesn’t seem like a big deal now—you just realize there are days when you feel up to it and there are days when you don’t. I’m realizing that it’s okay. To be out means to encounter different languages, foreign stimuli and unfamiliar situations where even the simplest tasks can become complicated. Though it was a pain last Friday, I think this is what I will end up appreciating most about Italian culture when all is said and done—oh, and the gelato.
Murielle Wyman
CET Florence Fall 2009 Student Correspondent
Need some help finding a "third place" of your own? Here are some suggestions for great places for food, coffee, books, and (best of all) comfortable spaces to feel at home in Florence:
Biblioteca delle Oblate. Library and Cafe'.
http://www.bibliotecadelleoblate.it/ Via dell'Oriuolo 26
Selection of books in English (can be checked out for 1 month). The DVD archive with 2,000+ movies which can be borrowed for up to 7 days (remember to bring your passport to sign up).
Via Martelli, 22 r http://www.libreriamartelli.it/
music, cafe', food, books, awesome space made ofrecycled materials!! Borgo San Frediano, 20r http://www.lacitelibreria.info/
La terrazza (5th floor of the Rinascente department store)Piazza della Repubblica. great place for coffee, lunch, or just a view of the cityscape. http://www.rinascente.it/
Caffe' degli Artigiani Via dello Sprone16r, in Piazza della Passera
lunedì 21 settembre 2009
Florence Student Correspondent News: Living Through My Eyes
By Claire Costantino,
Student Correspondent
It’s been sort of rainy in Florence, but I don’t mind because a) I have puddle-resistant and hip Converse, which all Italians covet greatly, b) it’s made it cooler, and c) I am the proud owner of one of these:
All classy Florentines wish they had one.Yes, that IS the Duomo. Cheesy? Duh. Brilliant? Clearly.
Rain I can handle. It would take a hurricane, or probably just a strong gust of wind, to crush my Duomo and take me off the streets. But earthquakes? Those I cannot handle, as I learned during my first one last night. It was so subtle that many people, including my roommate, didn’t even notice it. I did notice it, and not it in a calm or collected manner.
But I’m trying not to let a crippling fear of the earth splitting apart beneath me get in the way of real life, so here’s some other stuff I’ve (bravely) been up to:
Cooking class where we made gnocchi (from scratch!), veal sauce, and tiramisu (tough)! YUM!
How I spend my lunch breaks during school. How pretty is my bruschetta??I intentionally picked all food pictures because those will make you guys most jealous, but mostly because pictures of us in class or walking all the time and earning our feasts aren’t as cute.
During those gaps of time between delicious meals called real life, I’m trying really hard to learn Italian so I can feel a little less helpless doing things like grocery shopping or, well, anything. Our classes are moving a little slower than I would have liked, so today I decided to take matters into my own hands with two moves to improve my Italian, one uncharacteristically intrepid and the other exactly the sort of stupid shenanigans I’d expect from myself:
Bold- I’m volunteering with Florence’s Festa della Creativita to translate/edit the plaques next to the visual exhibits into English. I’m really excited about this! It’s supposed to be one of the coolest things that happens in Florence and everyone I’ve met around there is really nice and welcoming.
Typical- As a little kid, I learned to read by working my way through Calvin and Hobbes anthologies. Today I saw a book of Peanuts cartoons in Italian in a bookstore and decided to see if the trick would work a few years later with Italian… at the very least it will make me adopt a more adorably cynical and practical joke-prone tone.
Fun weekend coming up: going to Elba for some Napoleon history and Mediterranean beauty and Pisa for shoddy tower engineering!
Claire Costantino,
CET Florence Fall 2009 Student Correspondent
Group Dinner alla Divina Commedia
5 Giornate Roommates 
Lavagnini RoommatesWELCOME DINNER
Thursday, September 3 "La Divina Commedia"
Via dei Cimatori, 7/r www.divinacommediataverna.com
Benvenute e ...
Buon appetito!
TEAM VANDERBILT: Fiorenza International School Soccer Cup
Monday 9/28 6.00 pm : Syracuse v Lorenzo de Medici1 Florida v Vanderbilt
6.40 pm : Syracuse v Florida Lorenzo 1 v Vanderbilt
7.20 pm : Cea v AEF ABC v AIFS
Tues. 9/29 6.00 pm : California v Florida Syracuse v Vanderbilt
6.40 pm : California v Vanderbilt Gonzaga v Lorenzo 2
7.20 pm : Lorenzo de Medici 2 v Pal. Rucellai Capa v AEF
7.55 pm : AIFS v Florida Capa v Lorenzo de Medici 2
8.15 pm : AIFS v Syracuse Gonzaga v Pal. Rucellai
Wed. 9/30 6.00 pm : Syracuse v California Lorenzo de Medici 1 v Florida
6.40 pm : Gonzaga v Cea Lorenzo de medici 1 v California
7.20 : Gonzaga v AEF ABC v Vanderbilt
7.55 pm : Lorenzo de Medici 2 v Cea Capa v Pal. Rucellai
8.40 pm : AIFS v Vanderbilt ABC v Syracuse
Thurs. 10/1 6.00 pm : Lorenzo de Medici 2 v AEF Gonzaga v Capa
6.40 pm : Capa v Cea Pal. Rucellai v AEF
7.20 pm : Pal. Rucellai v Cea ABC v Lorenzo de Medici 1
7.55 pm : AIFS v Lorenzo de Medici 1 ABC v California
8.15 pm : AIFS v California ABC v Florida
Mon, 10/5 6.00 pm : 1\4 finale 1\4 finale
7.00 pm : 1\4 finale 1\4 finale
Tuesday 10/6 6.00 pm : 1\2 finale 1\2 finale
7.00 pm : finale
10.00 pm : Awards ceremony at THE LION’S FOUNTAIN
TEAMS HAVE A TOTAL OF 5 MINUTES TO GET ON THE FIELD AT THE SCHEDULED TIME, AFTER WHICH THEY AUTOMATICALLY FORFEIT.
THE AWARDS CERMONY (MVP/MOST VALUABLE COACH/WINNERS) WILL AT TUESDAY, OCT. 6 AT 10 PM AT THE LION’S FOUNTAIN PUB.
FIRST ROUND GAMES ARE 30 MINUTES LONG (15 MINUTE HALVES), AND QUARTER/SEMI/FINALS GAMES ARE 50 MINUTES LONG (25 MIN. HALVES).
Come support us! Tournament stats and details @ www.thelionsfountain.com
Florence Current News: On-Going Events Fall 2009
On-going Events in Florence:
Monday-Thursday:
Odeon Original Sound Theater in Piazza Strozzi (discount with British Library pass).
Odeon Original Sound Theater in Piazza Strozzi (discount with British Library pass).
http://www.cinehall.it/ More information available at
September/October Schedule:
NOVEMBER
Mo 2 JULIE & JULIA
SHOWS 3.45 – 6.00 – 8.15 – 10.30 p.m. Cinema Astra 2 Piazza Beccaria
Mo 9 THIS IS IT by Kenny Ortega with Michael Jackson
SHOWS 4.00 – 6.10 – 8.20 – 10.30 p.m. Cinema Odeon Piazza Strozzi
Mo 16 2012 with John Cusack, Thandie Newton
SHOWS 3.30 5.45 – 8.10 – 10.30 p.m. Cinema Odeon Piazza Strozzi
Mo 23 THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR PARNASSUS
(France, Canada – 122’) by Terry Gilliam with Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell
SHOWS 3.45 – 6.00 – 8.15 – 10.30 p.m. Cinema Astra 2 Piazza Beccaria
Mo 30 THE MAN WHO STARE AT GOATS
(USA – 90’) by Grant Heslov with George Clooney, Ewan McGregor
SHOWS 4.30 – 6.30 – 8.30 – 10.30 p.m. Cinema Astra 2 Piazza Beccaria
DECEMBER
Th 10 CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY
(USA – 120’) by Michael Moore. Documentary
SHOWS 3.45 – 6.00 – 8.15 – 10.30 p.m. Cinema Astra 2 Piazza Beccaria
Mo 14 PUBLIC ENEMIES with Italian Subtitles
(USA - 143’) by Michael Mann with Johnny Depp, Christian Bale
SHOWS 4.00 – 7.00 – 10.00 Cinema Astra 2
Wednesdays 8:30 pm British Institute film series
Free entrance for library members www.britishinstitute.it/it/eventi/dettagli.asp?evnId=58
Free entrance for library members www.britishinstitute.it/it/eventi/dettagli.asp?evnId=58
Wednesday, November 04, 2009. 20.30
F. W. Murnau, 1922
Wednesday, November 11, 2009. 20.30
Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1932
Wednesday, November 18, 2009. 20.30
Tod Browning, 1931
Wednesday, November 25, 2009. 20.30
Terence Fisher, 1966
Wednesday, December 02, 2009. 20.30
Werner Herzog, 1979
Wednesday, December 09, 2009. 20.30
Francis Ford Coppola, 1992
Wednesday, December 16, 2009. 20.30
Jim Sharman, 1975
Markets and Festivals:
2009 Student Diplomat Video Contest
Become the next Student Diplomat and win $300 - just by sharing a story about your time abroad! The contest is held by NAFSA: Association of International Educators and Abroad View, the global education magazine for students, is open to U.S. undergraduate students who are currently studying abroad or have recently returned from a study abroad experience. Videos should focus on how their experience has helped to advance global understanding. Participants are encouraged to consider how their study abroad experience has shaped them as a global citizen, served as a bridge to cross-cultural understanding, promoted peace, or positively impacted the local community in which they studied. Videos should be no longer than three minutes.
For complete contest guidelines and to learn how to submit a video, visit the NAFSA website: www.nafsa.org/studentdiplomat
The deadline for entries is 11:59 p.m. EDT, November 6, 2009. After the finalists are chosen by an expert panel of judges, the winning video will be selected through open voting on the NAFSA Web site. The winner will receive a $300 cash prize and the title of "2009 Student Diplomat."
Florence Student Correspondent News: Life Lessons Learned While Grocery Shopping
By Murielle Wyman,
CET Student Correspondent
Everyday here in Firenze is bound to be a learning experience. Things learned thus far?
1. Go to the supermarket every few days--this eliminates the embarrassment of showing up to the only serviceable cash register with a heavy grocery basket heaped to overflowing with goodies and then proceeding to back up the line while all the other (smart) Italians wait patiently to check-out with their two and three item filled baskets;
2. Italians also make light and frequent grocery shopping trips to avoid a miserable walk back to their apartment and up 4 flights of stairs with three shopping bags--I speak from experience;
3. Also, you might want to avoid taking the easy way out and saying 'bene' (good) and 'grazie' (thank you) to everything. If you don't do this, be warned some lady in the salumeria (delicatessen) will inevitably call you out on it and force you to listen to everything that she says, in Italian, and won't respond unless you speak to her in Italian as well;
4. Last but not least, if visiting Florence for an extended period of time, pack pens and pencils unless you want to spend 45 minutes in a copy shop hand selecting a few from a variety of about 40 different types.
Everyday here in Firenze is bound to be a learning experience. Things learned thus far?
1. Go to the supermarket every few days--this eliminates the embarrassment of showing up to the only serviceable cash register with a heavy grocery basket heaped to overflowing with goodies and then proceeding to back up the line while all the other (smart) Italians wait patiently to check-out with their two and three item filled baskets;
2. Italians also make light and frequent grocery shopping trips to avoid a miserable walk back to their apartment and up 4 flights of stairs with three shopping bags--I speak from experience;
3. Also, you might want to avoid taking the easy way out and saying 'bene' (good) and 'grazie' (thank you) to everything. If you don't do this, be warned some lady in the salumeria (delicatessen) will inevitably call you out on it and force you to listen to everything that she says, in Italian, and won't respond unless you speak to her in Italian as well;
4. Last but not least, if visiting Florence for an extended period of time, pack pens and pencils unless you want to spend 45 minutes in a copy shop hand selecting a few from a variety of about 40 different types.
Murielle, Chiara, Claire, Aria, Pip, Alex and Devon on the stairs of the Ospedale degli Innocenti during the Fierucola del Pane, a local bread festival
Truthfully? Spending 45 minutes trying to pick out a pen and pencil for school is kind of fun. I never realized just how disposable we Americans think a lot of things are until coming here. Rather than buying a pack of 12 pens or pencils from the nearest superstore, I had to try out about 20 different types of pens before choosing the most comfortable one I could. I've never put much thought into buying writing utensils before because it was never necessary but after this experience I am quite aware that I prefer black ink and a thicker tip to any of the other types. Additionally, after paying about the same for 2 pens as I would have for a whole pack of them in the States, I will probably be much more careful with them--they suddenly have more value. Not only monetarily but also from a time stand point; I hand selected my new pens, it was a time-consuming and laborious process! The lady at the shop was also incredibly nice. I might pop in again sometime simply just to say hi.
The same kind of thing occurred to me at the grocery store. Out of about 30 different kinds of prosciutto and salami at the supermarket, none of them came in a pack of more than 8 slices. It just isn't necessary. Italians don't go shopping to 'stock up'. Rather, they go frequently and shop carefully, planning out what they will need and getting only the absolute essentials. I felt like such the ideal of what Americans are perceived to be in other countries--my huge basket filled with several packages of cheese and meats-- because I was trying to make the experience more convenient for my by buying for the whole week rather than just getting the basics and being content, and more conscientious, with less.
As if these realizations weren’t demoralizing enough, the incident at the meat shop really made it all sink in. Earlier today my roommates discovered several cute little mercati (markets) down the street from our apartment so we all went to explore them after class. Aside from finding juice boxes filled with wine (so exciting!) we also met Svetlana, the lady who ran the salumeria. She laughingly refused to speak in English (even though she spoke it quite well) and told us that now that we were in Italy, we must speak Italian. I know very little Italian but I still understood her quite well owing to the intonation of her voice and the gesture of her finger resolutely pointing in the air. I kind of admired her frankness. Rather than be babied in the language--as we had been in other areas of Florence, the more touristy ones--here was a woman who not only told us that the only way to learn Italian was to speak it, but also had the patience to repeat what she had said slowly over and over again so I could understand. She also listened as I fumbled over my response and corrected me. I liked her a lot. We introduced ourselves and told her that we would be back to her shop for a lesson soon—in Italian or life, we didn’t specify, the woman was obviously capable of both.
My roommates and I walked away with an important understanding. We are not just Americans abroad, we are visitors in someone else's homeland--where they work and live--and they don't have to do us any favors. I think we all left that shop with a little more respect for that fact.It has only been about one week since we've been here, but already we have learned so much about cultural differences and simply, the different ways that people exist. I think that being an American in a country where people like me make up the majority, it’s been pretty easy for me to get caught up in my own personal existence and forget the rest of it. This semester is going to be the anti-dote to that, I can already tell.
Murielle Wyman
CET Florence Fall 2009 Student Correspondent
Murielle and Drew at dinner at La Divina Commedia in Florence.
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