Insider Looking Out

“The great glory of travel, to me, is not just what I see that's new to me in countries visited, but that in almost every one of them I change from an outsider looking in to an insider looking out.” ― Clara E. Laughlin

Il mio male! I apologize for not having written in a while. I also apologize that this blog post will be significantly scattered, as I'll be mentioning random things that have happened here since Rome. Let us take a gander.

I've become quite comfortable in Florence, so much that I've been complaining about the tourists near the Duomo and speaking fluent Italian when ordering my gelato. I'd even call myself a professional when dealing with creepy guys at the bar. My first thought is always, I know I look like a gullible American girl, but I was raised by two New Yorkers and I will not hesitate to kick your ass. My second thought is always, You're going to get yourself in trouble. So I usually say something witty, as we know I do well, and escape the situation. This came in handy last week when a drunk guy tried to tell me that my major was lame. Nice try, buddy.

Moving on...the soccer game! Last Thursday, our program took us to a soccer match. Fiorentina vs. Tottenham. Before the game, my friends and I bought purple Fiorentina apparel to fit in with the local fans. Europeans are crazy about their soccer. Because of a riot in Rome a couple days earlier, Florence was doubling their police enforcement that night and closing all the bars at 12:30. I mean, you'd think it was a Yankee/Red Sox World Series or something. The fans at the game had all these chants and fights songs that we didn't know, but still pretended to sing along to anyway. Fiorentina scored twice, leaving the score at 2-0 and knocking Tottenham out of the running. If I'm not mistaken, the finals are coming up soon in Rome.

I FINALLY tried Gusta Pizza this weekend. It's a popular pizza place in Florence on the opposite side of the Arno River. If you ask them to make your pizza into the shape of a heart, they'll do it. The walk there was worth it, because I ate the entire margherita pizza with no shame. The rest of the weekend was rather low-key, aside from receiving my new debit card in the mail and using it to buy drinks that night ;)

Oh, speaking of night. Last night, we experienced a freaking earthquake! At around 12:30 AM, I felt my whole apartment building move and heard our shutters banging around. I woke Chelsey up in a panic. "Did you feel that?!" She was like, "Nope. Good night." And then ten minues later, everything was really shaking and our doors were trembling like crazy. This time, everyone felt it. My heart dropped a bit, but it didn't last long and nothing broke. Everyone is fine and as far as I'm concerned, the city is still running smoothly.

I must take off now and study for those two tests tomorrow. We travel to Venice this weekend, so be prepared for a much more intricate blog post next week. As always, thanks for tuning in. And remember: if anyone tells you that your major is lame, they're drunk. Arrivederci!

Lights out,

Britt