Differenze...

So, after being here a month now, I wanted to write about Italy in general. Many things are similar, but I love the differences. Random things throughout the day will throw me off, like how the "C" on the handle of sinks is actually the hot water (c=caldo=hot in Italian) and remembering to use military time, and that you usually press down on light switches to turn on the light. The fountains in most cities have drinkable water in them, which scared me at first, but now that I'm used to it, is great to refill water bottles. It is actually illegal to not get a receipt for something you purchase, not that it's really enforced, but it's random to think about. The men dress crazy extravagant here, and apparently the current trend is man capris-hilarious :) I still haven't adjusted to everything closing down from 2-4pm and then re-opening later at night-or that like NOTHING is open on Sundays. I never quite know when I can go shopping and when I can't, because some places stay closed even longer until around 6. But with everything closing like that, 2pm is the perfect time for a nap in the heat of the day.

And with the weather being so hot and dry...never before have I felt so dirty in my life. If you have ever lived with me/know me really well, you know that I HATE feeling dirty, and will shower multiple times a day if necessary. Well, I had to break that habit and it's killing me. I resist the urge to shower at least 3 times a day haha. My feet have a line around my sandals, and I honestly am not sure if it is tan or just dirt that is never going to go away.

Food is interesting-I'm a very picky eater and have gotten fairly lucky here. Breakfast is very simple-bread, yogurt and fruit. Lunch can get elaborate as it is the main meal here. We usually have about 3 or 4 courses at the villa. Dinner is simple also, usually just pasta and salad. I eat so healthy and so unhealthy at the same time-and it's very strange. I love the fresh vegetables and fruit here, it is much more flavorful for some reason-and I eat them always. But two meals a day are always pasta, and I have fallen in love with gelato. And I'm not sure I should even go into Nutella...I seriously think I might be addicted-if you've never had it, you must go buy a jar!! It is amazing spread on french bread, or for dipping shortbread cookies in (since I cannot find pretzels or animal crackers anywhere in this country!). The other strange thing I've noticed is a severe lack of meat. We only get it with lunch, and if you get a sandwich anywhere, there is like 2 slices of meat on it (if you're lucky!!) and it's usually prosciutto, which is this really salty version of ham that I hate eating. Also strange is that in the US, I cannot stand strawberry ice cream or Kit Kats, but in Italy, I LOVE strawberry gelato, and I actually like Kit Kats. I have an embarrassing confession too: I actually had forgotten that grapes have seeds in them until we had them at lunch the other day. Since everything we eat here comes from local farms, we don't have seedless grapes, and it was the strangest thing to me to realize that I'd completely forgotten the key component to a fruit....

Some days, I can speak Italian really well, and others I can't think in it to save my life. I tend to speak the best when under extreme distress apparently, like the night I was stuck in Naples. I hate that everyone in Florence speaks English too, because it gives me the easy way out often and I don't have to practice. I like to take long train rides alone, because I get to talk to people on the trains and they are usually very patient and interested to talk to me. The public transportation here amazes me-I love trains. It is so much nicer to be able to just hop on and not have to drive. I also love that the police in train stations ride around on Segways.

I learned yesterday that I can literally walk to the airport from the Villa, as it technically is in Sesto Fiorentino not Florence. It's about a 15 minute run from my front door, so I'm not sure what that would be with luggage but I know you could save 20 euro by walking-the taxi from there is crazy expensive. And, the exchange rate...I HATE IT!! It keeps getting worse...and I keep having less and less money :( I think it is up to $1.38 now, but you can almost never get that and end up with more like $1.50 when you consider all the fees. I love it here nonetheless, and can't wait to see my mom and brother in a few days!!