SHOES!

Monday- April 2

Today in Italian class, we had Chapter 10 of our packet due. I finished it last night, but I didn't go into school early to grade it. I'm glad I didn't wake up early to do so because I learned that almost no one actually did the packet. I guess we were all feeling pretty lazy this weekend about homework. I just had little to no time to do it, which was fine with me. 

After Italian class, we had 15 minutes until our intercultural communications class started. While I was waiting I heard that we were going to the Salvatore Ferragamo shoe museum. I wasn't in class last Tuesday, so I was not aware this was happening, but thank goodness I was appropriately dressed to go somewhere. I wasn't the only one who didn't know though, which made me feel better. 

Fabbio and Francesca, another communications teacher, led us across town to the Salvatore Ferragamo museum. It was right near the place where we met a few months ago for Flo'nthego, which makes sense because the company helps sponsor the online publication. 

When I walked down the stairs I was in awe. Shoes. shoes. shoes and more shoes. Everywhere. Odd-looking shoes. Pretty shoes. Stunning shoes. I was in heaven. 

A woman led us around the one-floored museum telling us about all of the different rooms and the history behind Salvatore Ferragamo. There were foot replicas of Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren. There were shoes worn by Drew Barrymore in Ever After and the shoes Julia Roberts wore for her wedding. It was unreal. There was also the entire outfit that was designed and warn by Lady Gaga when she performed on The View. 

There were some shoes that were just plain odd, but there were some shoes that I would have loved, loved, loved to have worn. Being in the museum was only making me want to go shopping even more than before. 

After the meeting I went home to make myself lunch because I had a meeting with Fabbio and the rest of the CCI cohort at 2:30. Class let out early since the museum visit was pretty short. We all wondered why we didn't just have the meeting after class since most of us were already there anyway. Instead we now had an hour and half break until the meeting. 

I had told my family last night to meet me at the school at 3:00 because the meetings never last too long. Of course this one ended up being longer than the other ones we've had. It lasted longer than normal for good reasons because myself and the others in the practicum class vented about the class. Fabbio asked us to tell him if anything was wrong with anything, so we finally spoke up about how we felt the class was too much of hand-holding. A lot of us have had problems with this class and the structure of it. He said he's had complaints in the past two semesters about it, so hopefully they'll fix it for next semester. 

After the meeting ended, I started walking downstairs to meet my family. I stopped by Simone's office to talk about a package I had yet to receive. My mom said she mailed it February 21 and it was already April and it still wasn't here. Mom told me she had peanut butter and nutella in there. I didn't know she has sent it because if I did I would have told her not to because I've been told its ridiculously hard to get it through customs. But it was the thought that counted and it made me smile mama did that for me. 

Simone said since we've been trying to get it for the past few weeks, we couldn't do much more and that it would probably just be sent home. I told him that was fine because at this point I only have a month left here. By the time I would actually get it with fighting with the post office, it would be too late, or then I would just have to pack it to come home with me in May. 

I thanked him for all of his help and went downstairs to meet my family. They said they had been waiting since 2:45 because they thought the meeting would end earlier. I felt bad but told them the meeting ran late and I talked with Simone. I told mom what he said, and I felt bad because she was bummed and frustrated it wouldn't come through. "It's just peanut butter," she said. 

We went back into my school for mama, Ali and Jon to use the bathroom and then of course Ali wanted a cappuccino because it's delicious! We then went to the Fratellini sandwich place because mama loved it there. 

Jon and Ali got pizza from the Jersey Shore place again. We all sat on the concrete sidewalk again and ate our lunch —which was delicious. These sandwiches will never get old!

When we finished we walked to the end of the street. When we paused on a corner, all of a sudden I hear, "Ah man!" I turned around and looked at mom. She just got popped on, except it wasn't like Ali when she got poop in her hair. Mom got pooped on her jacket. We all laughed because now Ali and mom had been pooped on. I've been here for almost three months and I've — knock on wood — never been pooped on. Within less than a week, two of my family members have been.

I ran over to Fratellini to gather napkins to help mom clean it up. After cleaning up, we walked around and shopped a little bit. We went into a perfume shop, and I had luck finding something that I liked! I ran out of my perfume a few weeks ago and was in need for something. My official new scent is Acqua di Gioia by Giorgio Armani. I wanted to get something that was only made in Florence, but I didn't like any of the scents. So I decided to get something made my someone Italian. Even though I can get in the states, at least I got something Italian in Italy!

I then showed Ali my favorite store Zara. It's somewhat affordable, but still a little pricey. Things vary between €20 to €80. Ali fell in love with a lot of the clothes inside the store, which I figured would happen. Mom was waiting outside with Jon while he was finishing the gelato he had. Ali and I came back outside to get them because I wanted to show mom the store too. Jon was a good sport about it. He always gets dragged into stores with us. 

We then started walking around the city and ended up walking toward where Bethany, Amy and Erika live. We passed San Lorenzo, and I asked my family if they knew where we were. Ali and Jon had a sense of their bearings, but mom had no idea where we were. I had told her we were near the steps of the church where the gypsy cursed me out a few days ago. She laughed and then realized where we were. 

Jon had asked me earlier in the day if I would show him where Subway was because he missed it — of course. 

So we ended up at Subway for a bit for Jonathan to get his BMT. It was funny because he likes his Italian dressing and that doesn't exist here. We all sat inside while he ate his sub, which he wasn't too impressed with. I guess it's not the same as home's. While we were waiting, we saw the gypsy who had cursed me out the other day, and we watched her try to beg for money from people. I had to give her credit...she was persistent. 

After Subway, we started walking back toward the main piazza. Along the way Jon found a toy store that had a ton of collectable cars. Ali, mom and I waited outside for five minutes while he was inside perusing through everything. We ended up going in because he was taking longer than we thought. I figured we should give him time there anyway because he was so patient with us in Zara and at the Perfume store. 

While we were in there Ali and I found puppets that we started playing with and made talk. I made mine talk to Jon, and he said, "You're turning 21 in two months?" "Why of course I am! Can't you tell?"

I'm a kid at heart. What can I say?

Jon had luck with finding a couple things he liked after a half hour or so of being there. Ali and I went outside and found a toy machine that had bouncy balls for €1. I couldn't pass it up, and Ali was kind enough to give me a euro. We bounced it while we waited for mom and Jon to come outside. We're such kids. 

When we started walking back to the apartment, I noticed how obsessed with shoes Ali really was. It was really entertaining to watch because every time we walked past a window with shoes, she stopped. One time we were walking and I saw a window with shoes. Ali wasn't paying attention and was talking to mom behind her and looking across the street. The shoes must have caught her attention in the corner of her eye because she slammed on her breaks and mom ran into her. I couldn't stop laughing. "Ali you have a problem," I said. 

When we got back to the apartment I skyped with Mel for a little bit because I hadn't skyped with her since February. Around 8:30 we went out for dinner. Mom had a place in mind that she had seen earlier, so she led the way. 

I had never seen this place before we walked in. We weren't sure if we were supposed to seat ourselves or wait, but soon enough an older Italian man asked us how many and led us to a table in the back room. The restaurant was tiny and I wasn't sure what to expect. 

It took a while until someone came to our table to take our entire order. It seemed like it was a family-run restaurant, which makes it even better. We got bruschetta for starters and I ordered risotto. 

The bruschetta was out of this world and my risotto was the same way. The risotto was made with a wine. When it came out I wasn't sure what to expect because it was purple, but I'm so glad I tried it. Mom, Ali and Jon all ordered spaghetti with tomato sauce. Their noodles had to have been homemade and it was delicious. Mom said it was the best pasta she's ever had and that it was what she thought homemade Italian food would taste like. 

We ended up not leaving the restaurant until 10:30 because our food had taken a while to get to us. We were one of the last ones our of the restaurant, but the owners were so nice about it. One of the family members working seemed to be the grandma and she was precious and nothing but smiles. 

I felt like I had just had dinner in an Italian family home. Mom had found a hidden jewel.