The title of this post, is the phrase my friend Dani told me to say to people when they hit on me, and i want them to leave me alone. He taught me others ones, but I am much too polite to write them. It is so funny because when riding a bike, at stop lights other people on bikes, or vespas pull up and are right next to you. It is pretty common to share words. But this is when i usually use my newly learned phrases….thanks Dani!

Im am nearing completion of my statue man. I keep thinking it will get easier but it doesnt. Matching colors is actually getting more difficult. There are no more white spots left on him, and i am now adding color on top of color to make it look juuuuust perfect. But a lot of times my eyes say it looks fine, and then when my co-workers look at it, they say he need more green or more rosso, or things like that. And then I look at it again, and they were right! Mamma mia! I am learning though, but I am getting excited to move onto another project. But I need to prove my abilities on the one I had now, so they feel comfortable giving me another one. So I cant be too excited about finished, I need to focus on getting it right!

I have been coming to work in few clothes despite the cold weather. My co-workers were a little concerned, and asked if I have been cold. so I truthfully answered yes, and continued to explain that my parents are brining my winter clothes, and until then have been layering and what not. The next day they all brought me tons of winter clothes. Wool sweaters, jackets, scarfs….the whole shebang!! They were very concerned, and now I hardly need my parents to bring me winter clothes! Its funny though because none of the clothes fit perfectly, so I am definitely wearing authentic Italian clothes, but in the wrong way!

I frequent the SACI library whenever I have extra time. Because I am an alumna, I can go to the library, but I cannot check out books. I usually read about restoration, and chemistry. I usually get tired after a few hours, and pick a light book to read for short breaks.
This week I picked up “Into the Wild” as my light book, but could not put it down. I have been trying to get to SACI frequently just to finish it! It is such an inspiring book. Humans are capable so much. I have been thinking a lot about the mainstream lifestyle, which seems to be unsatisfying. There is more out there, and you have to find it for yourself. You cant simply read about it in a book. While hearing other experiences, you can learn a lot, you need your own, to make your own experiences to really have an impact on the world, just by living your life.

I am also getting involved in the English speaking youth group at the duomo. It is a fairly new program, and we are all very excited about it. I may be heading up the bible study section. But we are also talking about getting a group together to do music for mass. I might be able to sing for mass in the Duomo of firenze!! I am so excited!
Its also to meet kids in the same situation as me….although many of them are in different situtations. Most people come with their school, or with a friend.
I have really enjoyed how I came here a lone. I think I have gotten the most authentic experience that way. I have seen the student side of Italy, as well as the business world. I couldnt be more thankful for the richness of my time here. I have been exposed to such a wonderful place, and wonderful people.
As most of you all know, I hate spending money. Its not because I am afraid of loosing it or not having it, but because I feel there is much in life that is not worth spending your money on. I find it hard to justify buying a new sweater, when i have plenty, and when that same money can feed someone starving. Many people think I am a bit dramatic on this point. But I rarely buy things because of this. I usually ask….is this really more important than helping someone…..and the answer is almost always no.
So this trip has been hard for me to deal with in that sense. I have spent ALOT of money over here. For my classes, the internship, for living, I could have easily stayed at mary washington, and donated the money that i would have spent here. I am starting to realize that money doesnt mean a thing. It is a false system. Even if I donated money to some charity, it isnt the same as giving yourself to charity…..living in charity. The way that you live your life should be an act of charity in all things.
It is strange though, because it is hard for me to make sacrificing for people over here. I simply dont know what to do, or what to say…..you know the whole not knowing anything about the culture, or the town, etc. But I have been able to accept charity so much, and have learned so much from it. From people giving me directions, people offering to help me with Italian, people giving me rides places. All of these things, although I am not sacrificing, are leading me in this life of charity. All I can do is accept charity, and when I can give it. I cant search for it, I just have to be open to it.

I ate the most delicious pasta today. I am learning that Italian food is simple but fresh and delicious. It was pesto mixed with tomato sauce. It was incredible though. I wish I could eat it every day. It was the sauce that my co-worker made and brought in for lunch today for us all. How perfect!

My roommate returns this weekend. I have been living da sola for about 3 weeks now. I have really gotten used to it. Leaving and cleaning dishes when I want, and making all sorts of noise whenever.

It will be nice having more people around, to speak and learn Italian.

Work was great today. I am still adding color to the wholes to match the original, and I am starting to get the hang of it. I am not perfect, but I am much better. When my boss came to look at it, he couldnt tell the real from mine! I wish it was like that al the time. Sometimes I get it good, and then other times I miss. I just need to keep practicing and keep looking at more colors! All the better to keep my brain more active.

I cant believe that my time here is coming to an end. I am on the second half of it. I wish I spoke and understood Italian better, but am comforted by a fact that I read….its take 5 years in a country or of studying to be fluent in a foreign language. I am so much better than when I first came, and I can speak and have people understand me, but it still is not very pretty!

I dont know if I will ever stop missing people! I have made new friends here, but it is impossible to make friends like I have in a few short months! I think this experience has really changed my outlook on so many things. I remember coming home from Vanuatu, and I felt so different, I had experienced so much. It will be hard coming back, like it was from Vanuatu, to feel so different.

On our first day as Mr.Horne and his friend were fighting off jet lag, we went to the highest point in Germany! I even saw a Shiba Inu and a German shepheard….both of the breeds that I have! I also got some great beer, and a cheese it break! I also had this really good beer, that was more like lemon ice tea. But we got food at the very top, and after I ate it…which I couldnt finish I was full for the next 48 hours it seemed

The next day we saw three castles!!! They were all great! I dont know why Castles are just soo cool, but its just fun walking down the places where real kings and queens walked!
Then we went to a famous monastery where they brew their own beer! We of course got some, but it wasnt that good……well it was great beer, but just too beer like for me! Ludwig, the guy who built the castles LOVED swans. The whole castle has paintings on the walls, and sculptures and other various things shaped as swans. The pons even today still have swans swimming around! It reminded me a lot of my Grandmother. We always have swans out at the farm, and they are always so beautiful.

Then we went hiking in the alps again, with Mr.Hornes friend Gunther! He was a tour guide, and is German, so it made getting around a little more easy. The alps are just incredible, the fresh air is impossible to describe, you have to breathe it yourself. We hiked down into this valley that had a cute little farm. The run a restaurant with really authentic german food. It was so cozy inside. We went outside and then started hiking up the mountain and heard the cow bells. The Italian alps side was silent, and the german side was filled with cow bells. I always need more cow bell.
I really enjoyed Germany because it felt like home to me. The architecture, the farms, the animals, the designs, the interiors, everything seemed like things in my parents, or aunts or grandparents homes.

The cool thing about the alps is that they are so accessible. I saw old and young….yes a stroller! The Germans that I saw were not especially skinny like the Italians I know. They were very healthy. They eat very hearty meals, but they are active people and stay in shape. It was nice being in that environment. Here most people are size 2 or smaller. So it is definitely a different feeling for me.

We finished that day off at a Thai restaurant, and it was great! German Thai food, is excellent!
Today we planned to go into this cute bavarian church in the town. We got there and the doors had signs on them that neither of us could read! Luckily the Deacons wife came out and told us that the church is under restoration and the service was in a local building. So we walked there and it was such a cute service. After the Deacon let us look in the Church. It was great to see a church in restoration. I had a lot to look at and learn. It was a New Gothic German Church, absolutely beautiful. The colors are much different in Germany art. The colors almost always have the same value which is interesting. It took me a while to put my finger on it.

But tmw it is back to work for me!

Today a whole bunch of important people came to the lab. They had translators and everyone. It felt like everyone was speaking a different language. It was really intense, and everyone was VERY formal. Those are the times when you dont want to break anything, or do anything stupid!

I started adding color to the gesso on my staute, and it is soo much fun. Im not that bad at it either. I dont have the colors perfect, but its not bad. Its really challenging to figure out which color to add, but it is so much fun. Its also nice to give my hands a break from gripping the razor so tightly leveling the gesso.

These past two days I didnt go home for lunch, I stayed and ate some of the pasta my co-workers always make. It was really good too. I love having the option of staying there and leaving early, or taking a break in the middle of the day. In this job it is more important what you get done, not which hours you are there.

Tmw, is my last day of the week. And then it is off to Germany! I am meeting Mr.Horne there who has a conference there. It will be great to see a familiar face!

Work has gone by slow/fast this week as usual. I am still working mostly on my staute man. But in the mornings I have been working on the painting. I can only do it in the morning because Paola wont let me work on the painting, but the others think it is fine. So its just a little secret.
Danni, has been my best friend at work. He is the only one that thinks its great that im getting married so young. He always tells me when im doing something stupid, everyone else just doesnt say anything.
He also explains thing for me, like random words in Italian, Slang and movies, and songs and what not. I have been so appreciative of how outwardly nice he has been.

I am loving riding my bike to work. It is great to get so much exercise in one day, 2 hours every day! It can be so thrilling going thru roundabouts and what not. It is just great.

This weekend I may be making macaroni and cheese for my Italian friends, they are completely confused about the concept. So I figured I would just show them!

Here is a picture of my bicycle. Complete with wine and lemons in the basket, normal purchases for me.

Today I went grocery shopping and bought eggs. On the bike ride home one of the eggs didnt make it and broke, and dripped every where. It was super funny.

So when I got up I did some cleaning around the house and headed into the center, to go to SACI’s library and read up on some Art Conservation and learn more chemistry. Buuuuut the library was closed. So I went to this fancy Italian wedding dress store instead. It was so fancy that you had to ring the door bell, and the lady would let you in. Of ourse you had to make an appointment, but when I said my wedding was in august, she said that I would want to wait for the new stuff to come in, in november. Oh well.
I had intended to read until mass at 5, but I still had 3 hours after that…..so I went museum hopping. I saw the Bronze David by donetello, though they are doing restoration on it. There was a really interesting guest book that all the visitors signed in the david room. There were so many languages in it! A lot of people were really sad that it was under restoration when they went to visit it. But I thought it was such a treat!!!!!!! He is laying down, and there are tons of machines all around. Supposedly during the days you can watch them, but I usually work so I dont think I can do that. But I of course signed the guest book, in Italian, though Im sure it had grammatical errors.

But I noticed two things today. When you press the button for the crosswalk here (not in the center, but outside the center) they light immediate turns to yellow for the cars.

Also there is a distinct black culture here. There are alot of immigrants from africa here, and they either know each other, or always nod or wave or shake hands when they pass each other.

Today was a weird day though. I met up with this guy who studies art restoration, who is friends with one of my friends. We put together a small speech for the exhibition on impressionism here. Later we went with about 20 people to the exhibition and gave our little speech. But I didnt really know what I was doing the whole time. I like I new sorta of what was going on, and I thought we were just talking about impressionism, but he had notes and stuff. So then when we got to the exhibit, he expected me to talk to the crowd of 20 people, and I was like uuuhhhhhh I cant do that! And it was really bizarre.
But the exhibit was great. It talked about a whole bunch of new diagnostic methods in art. But with testing paints, and different types of rays, you can figure out what is orginial and not, or not even those. But Its really interesting from a restoration point of view, because you dont know what is original. If the painted re-did, or changed a peice of the painting, or someone else.

Its was fun though, because before I went to my friends house for dinner. Classic Italian dinner again, and it was super hot and i didnt stop sweating the whole time. But man I cant wait for it to cool down here

I have really been enjoying my bike and biking around Firenze. I especially love roundabouts! I think that every ride i go on I have a near death experience. I always come away from it thinking,man I am super lucky to be alive. Despite the drivers here being crazy, it is a controlled crazy….and they are actually quite good and aware.

I got a brava today. Yesterday I got super frustrated with how many mistakes i was making. But today I got much better. I just need practice and patience. I know how the pieces and work should look, btu my hands just arnt skilled enough yet to do it!

Well Im going to get some soy milk im thirsty!
But im going to another beach this weekend woohoo!