It's leap year!

Wednesday- February 29

After Italian class this morning, I ran into Meta down the street for a few ingredients to make chicken casserole. When I was checking out the cashier asked if I was Americana. We ended up speaking in Italian for a good three minutes until someone came up to the checkout line. We were talking about the basics: where I went to school, where I was from, where my school was near, etc. When I walked out I was all giddy because I had successfully held a conversation in Italian. I realized how I was using vocabulary words that I've just learned this semester. I can see how it is definitely easier to become fluent in another language if you live there because you're around it all of the time.

I'm picking up Italian so much easier than I was when I had it as a class in Kent last semester. I'm so worried about losing everything I learned once I leave. I've been debating taking Italian next semester and continue what I've been learning. I really like the language and it's very similar to Spanish, which I had three years of. 

After I got home I was debating on going to the doctor. I started feeling body aches again yesterday, but I felt fine today. I could hear my mom's voice nagging me in my head saying, "Caitlin you should go." Of course my mom's voice won and I went at 1:00. A street over there is a walk-in doctor who accepts the insurance I have through my school. However, their hours are only 1:00-3:00 and I had class at 2:55, so I figured the earlier the better. 

When I got to the door I recognized one of the two girls standing in front of it. She was from the Kent State study abroad program, but was from George Washington University. After we waited for about five minutes a man came up from the street and unlocked the door. We walked up this incredibly skinny staircase and it dropped us off in this waiting room. About ten minutes later, a woman asked who was first. There were six of us waiting and I was number four. It took about 40 minutes until I was called into her office.

I went to go sit on the bed, like I would at my doctor's office, but she led me to a seat in front of her desk. It was quite odd because I felt like I was at a meeting, not a doctor's appointment. 

I told her what was wrong with me, how long I'd been sick and she listened to my breathing. She didn't say anything about what I had, and then asked me what I would take for it when I was at home. I had no idea, so she listed off a few medications. I knew I had amoxicillin before so I said that, and then she wrote me a prescription for that and for something else. It felt like the most pointless doctor appointment ever because I wasn't told what I had and I basically gave myself my own prescription. At least the appointment was free.

During the Genius of Florence we were on our way to the Medici Palace, but once we informed Farbrizio that we were all just there the day before he took us to a few churches around town. Of course in one of them I had a coughing attack. The echoing was so loud I had to step outside of the church and of course there were three men sitting on the stairs eating much. All I though to myself was, "oh, please just leave me alone and let me cough." Thankfully they did. 

After class Yelena, Bethany, Kate and I went back to the school to get directions to the Florence For Fun office. It's an organization similar to Bus2Alps, the organization we used to go to Venice. 

On our way to the place we got gelato. Best decision because it was the best gelato I've had yet. I ordered carmel and then asked what would go well with it. The woman pointed to this flavor that started with a 'Z.' She said it was white chocolate mixed with a white wine. Oh my gosh was it delicious. I could taste the wine in the aftertaste....in gelato!

When we got to the office we spoke with the reps there, and Amy, Yelena and I paid for tickets to go to a soccer game Sunday!! This is something that was on my bucket list for this trip, and it was only €5 for this game! So excited!!