Thursday, February 3

First week of Scuola, LdM

 
 
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Thursday, February 3rd 6:35pm and I am finished with my first week of school at Lorenzo de Medici.
My school schedule is pretty much open...four day weekends and three days of school? I am not complaining. Filled with students from all over the world, Iowa State, Mexico City, Holland.
The melting pot of students and Italian advisors and teachers make it that much more enjoyable and quite inspirational.
First I went to my Italian class on Tuesday, my number one goal here in Italy is to leave being able to carry out a basic everyday conversation in Italian...I wish I could say I will be fluent come May but the language is hard...maybe I'll find a nice tutor. =p
Wednesday was my longest day, 9am E-Commerce, the teacher is fantastic, eccentric, and requires the class to be made up of group discussions rather then lectures. Guess what...we have to keep a blog as our group project! I felt pretty good being the only student out of 30 who actually had a blog.
One step ahead of the game.
Noon Fashion Buying, a class I was dreading taking back home, but here Professor Chiara Ioele is such a working fashion inspiration that it made me instantly love the class. We went over basic fashion knowledge, some history including the father of couture, Charles Worth and of course Chanel's impact with her little black dress. I pay close attention to what my instructors say...in a discussion about why people are so drawn to fashion, and the simple fact that it can make you feel a million times better, her simple statement, "Some people eat chocolate...we buy shoes" made me love her all the more.
6:00pm finally rolled around and I was SO tired, The Venice Film Festival at this time might have not been the greatest idea...especially on my busiest day, but such an awesome class that follows the first film festival in the world from beginning to end. We already watched the first film to ever have won The Golden Lion; can you guess which on it is?
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde directed by Rouben Mamoulian, 1931.
At last Thursday, again Italian at 9am followed by a class which will be the most beneficial, informative and difficult...Fashion Entrepreneurship. Professor Alessandra Ferroni is the definition of a successful entrepreneur who built her company and herself from bottom up and now has one of the most successful buying offices in Europe...can you say wow? Her first lecture was based on "the self" and accessing whether or not you would make a great entrepreneur...be your own boss. The ability to step outside the norm...make drastic changes...and welcome those changes...be passionate and independent are key characteristics of an entrepreneur. To be honest with you I never thought of myself as one...but the more I am learning about myself the more I see that possibility in me.
She said SO many things I quickly scribbled down in my notebook that motivated and stirred my soul,
“The more you know the more you will be able to positively react to any situation that comes your way” – Alessandra Ferroni

Emilia

Wednesday, February 2

Pay attention to detail

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The last couple of days have been a blur...
My roomie Jenna Dee got sick so I spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday (because lucky me has the greatest school schedule EVER!) walking the cobblestone streets of Firenze like I had been living there all my life.
I pretty much know where I am going now...or so I think.
Sunday was raining and Jenna was feeling really ill so I decided to walk around and find a market to get her some soup...I stumbled upon a swap meet right in back of our apartment where I truly felt the Firenze essence in the air. Colorful umbrellas, Old Italian ladies browsing through hats, and street vendors selling all kinds of vintage Italian goods. Finally found some minestrone soup...success.
Monday I once again had no class but poor Jenna had class all day...so being the wonderful friend I am I walked her to and from all her classes...making sure she didn't collapse on the floor. Once again walked around...and just noticed little details all around me...the Italian man playing accordion...the old school telephone booths...the amazing graffiti on the wall...Audrey Hepburn’s classic face on an umbrella...and the cutest cafe.
At night I went to the welcome dinner with new friends Jenna and Emily (yes, we really did meet two other girls with the same names...freaky...I know) at Palazzo Bourgeois…what a wonderful place.

Emilia

Saturday, January 29

First shopping excursion

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 Utter. Fail.
We decided to walk around and check out the San Lorenzo Market which is an outdoor market place where vendors sell leather goods, masks, sheets, fresh fruit - very farmers market meets swap meet.
Then we made our way to the nearest indoor market to stock up the fridge.
What we didn't realize at the time was that San Lorenzo was a mile and a half away from our apartment.
Four shopping bags filled to the brim, two petite girls, and a mile and a half walk through the city...
Let’s just say it was the worst idea ever!
My bags ripped first because I had four water bottles in them, the sugar burst open leaving a trial as we walked, the olive oil slipped out from beneath and burst on the floor.
We stopped to take a rest and to our luck had stopped at an ambulance cars parking spot where the driver so casually backed into us.
And yes...I had to stick the vodka bottle in my coat pocket and walk around the city...

Oh and a bird shit on me.
Baci e Abbracci Emilia

Friday, January 28

Via Ghibellina

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Home Sweet Home Italia!
Here is a virtual tour of the apartment...and closets of course.
So sad I couldn't pack everything I wanted but that's what mail is for because God knows these clothes won't last me the whole trip!
I was pleasantly suprised with the setup of the apartment and how absolutely cutesy it was.
Perfect for Jenna and I.

Baci e Abbracci Emilia