There are many breath-taking Piazzas in Firenze, and I cannot seem to choose a favorite because every place is beautiful in its own way, some date back to the Renaissance and portray a completely different style. The first picture is of two bridges, the more famous is behind (called Ponte Vecchio), where there are houses and shops built upon a bridge over the Arno river (which runs through Firenze as well as very near to my house).

The second is a photo taken from the main train station of Firenze (Santa Maria Novella). The tower on the right is part of Santa Maria Novella Church, and in the distance is the incredible Duomo.

The third photo is of Il Batistero (the Baptistery), which is beside Il Duomo in Piazza Il Duomo. In Disegno, my teacher (Prof. Bruscoli) instructed me to sketch Il Batistero, and then visit it. I must admit, after 2 hours of sketching every little detail of this structure, it made me appreciate the artwork much more when I finally saw it in person.

Siena and Montepulciano

A few Sundays back I took a day trip with Massimo and Milena to Siena and Montepulciano. For lunch I ate a crepe that was more like lasagna than the crepes that I know. It had spinach and riccotta in the center with tomato sauce on top.

We went to several lookouts in Montepulciano with beautiful traditional Tuscan landscapes before we left for Siena. When we arrived in Siena it was just about sunset, so the light on the city made the bricks a beautiful dark red. I learned about the semi-annual horse races, and the division of the city into regions. The people of Siena take the races very seriously and spend most of their time preparing for the races that take place every six months in Piazza Del Campo. There are feuds between the regions of Siena, and some families aren't allowed to marry- a fact I found amusing because it reminds me of Capulets and Montagues. I'm planning to return to Siena on my own and take some time to sketch the tower of Piazza Del Campo and explore the city.

I have several photos I have entered into a photo contest, and many of them came from the magnificent city of Siena. I was allowed only three entries, and these were my choices.

P.S. The crepe was not entered.

Many people, both Italians and Americans, ask me what is culturally different between The United States and Italy. There is one thing I can say about this: Saturday school. I took my weekends for granted in America, but now that I have to attend school 6 days per week, I miss the extra hours of sleep that I could gain on Saturday mornings in America. Fortunately, there is no school this week, and I have been hibernating. I recently began my Italian lessons with my fellow AFSers (Nico from Austria, and Sebastian from Paraguay). This class is significantly helping me to learn Italian.

For the past week my "grandparents" from Sicily have stayed in our house, and made delicious food for everyone. Nonna (Grandma) has taught me to make Carne alla Pizzaiola (Meat Pizza), which is basically thinly sliced beef simmered in tomato sauce with mozzarella, oregano, and Pecorino (cheese). Each day is a new recipe and a new possibility.

In the States, one of my usual snacks is raw sweet bell peppers. I consider this normal, perhaps other Americans think otherwise. So I asked Milena to pick up a few red bell peppers from the market, and then next day she came home with three gigantic, deep red, fresh peppers. I didn't waste any time waiting, and took one bell pepper, sliced it, and took a bite. When I looked up, Alice and Marco were looking at me as if I were crazy. To be brief, let's just say I've been labeled the Pepperoni Freak of the family (Pepperoni is Italian for bell pepper). Eating raw bell peppers is not normal for Italians.

A few days ago I made Tagliatella with Milena and Marco (homemade pasta). It was delicious! I'm planning on finding a little pasta machine to bring home with me to Arizona.

The picture I have posted above is from a walk Massimo took me on at the top of a hill where he used to live.

One Week Down

Many words can describe this past week: anticipation, nervousness, excitement, awe, exhaustion, and satisfaction.
Anticipation:
I didn't know what to expect before I arrived here, whether it was the food, the people, the architecture, or the weather. The family AFS chose for me is perfect. My host sister, Alice, is very similar to me. Most importantly, we both can sleep long on Sunday: the one day of the week that there is not school. Alice's boyfriend, Eduardo, is easy going as well, and patient with my basic knowledge of the Italian language. My host father (Massimo), and brother (Marco), do not speak much English, but it does not matter because we get along just fine. Milena (host mom) and Alice serve as my Italian- English dictionary when I do not have mine at hand. Everyone in my new family is very kind and understanding towards me, and I hope they enjoy me as much as I enjoy them.
Nervousness:
My first day at Italian school was a bit overwhelming. The Italian school system is different from The United States. For every subject the students remain in the same classroom, and the Professors rotate from class to class. During the week the classes that I am enrolled in are: Italian, English, Spanish, Latin, Physics, Biology, Math, Geometry/History of Architecture, Physical Education, Philosophy, and Italian History. Did I mention that every class is taught in Italian? Jenna+Italian school= confusion. The only classes that I can partially participate in are Spanish, English, History of Architecture, Physical Education, and Math. One aspect that I am looking forward to is being able to switch into a higher math course (derivatives) because I have already learned the material that Alice's class is learning. This week I will begin Italian lessons with Intercultura (Italian AFS), so I will be able to understand more and make progress.
Excitement and Awe:
Though school can be a bit overwhelming, I love meeting new people. I hope soon I can make an Italian friend of my own (without the assistance from Alice). On Saturday night, Alice and a few of her friends, and I, went to the Piazza and ate Doner Kebab while exploring a Chocolate Festival/Market with Chocolate from all around Europe. I enjoyed the Florentine architecture very much, especially il Duomo. Later that night we returned to Eduardo's house and passed out for about an hour (Alice and I really gorged ourselves on chocolate).
Exhaustion and Satisfaction:
Perhaps I am not aware of the current culture shock. I am feeling at home, and want to keep going out and exploring, but my mind and body think otherwise. My schedule goes as follows: wake up at 6:30, school until 1:30, eat lunch, nap for 3 hours or other static activity at home (such as watching some cartoon with Marco in Italian), eat dinner late, shower, then sleep again during the night. It feels as though I am always tired and hungry! But this is not a problem because I am enjoying myself all the time. If I am hungry, then I can eat more delicious Italian food (which is not always Spaghetti, Ravioli, Pizza or Pasta. Though the pasta is really great.) Yesterday my host family had a pizza party (they have a pizza oven in the basement), so when I return to Arizona, perhaps I can make everyone some true Italian pizza.
Pictured above is me preparing a pizza to go into the oven.
Arrivederci! You will be hearing from me soon!

Departure Fever

Ciao Everyone! For those of you who are not familiar with me, I'm Jenna, a Junior in high school who is going abroad with AFS. I currently live in Phoenix, Arizona, but in about two weeks I will be attending Liceo Scientifico Antonio Gramsci in Firenze, Italia. (It is a specialized scientific school that focuses on math and sciences). I have wanted to be an exchange student since Freshman year of High school, and when I watched AFS's presentation at my local high school about 1 year ago, I knew this was the program for me. On my particular program I will be in Italy for 6 months- From January 28- July 10.

Tomorrow I will be departing for New York City, where I will meet with all the other antsy American kids. At the moment I am very nervous, but am trying to make myself calm. I received my Student Visa three days ago, just in the nick of time. When many people hear that I will be abandoning everything I know and love for 6 months to venture into the unknown, they ask me "Why Italy?" What I expect to gain from this experience is a sense of independence and self assurance, not to mention many life-long friendships. By exploring another country (that I have heard is remarkable) I hope to promote international peace by perhaps eliminating stereotypes that other cultures have about Americans that might form into prejudices. By the end of my 6 months as an exchange student, I imagine myself speaking fluent Italian, and leaving Italy with the confidence that I will someday return to my new friends.

Above is a photo that my host mother sent me of Florence in the winter time.