school

I've found that it's really hard to come back from a life-altering weekend trip and sit through a week of classes. All in all, classes are easier here than back in Spokane, but we weren't traveling from friday morning to sunday night every week. We have to do a lot of reading, and most of it is extremely boring. I really think they could've integrated more Italian culture and Renaissance concepts into the core curriculum. Out of my six classes I only have two that have anything to do with Italy, one being an Italian language class. Next semester will be better as I get to learn about the Medici and go on weekly tours of art museums and churches.
For ethics we have to read Pride and Predjudice, and I've done everything I can to avoid reading it while still being able to do well on the quizzes. That means that, unfortunately, Matt, John, and I watched the movie. Che palle! It was one of the most agonizing experiences I've had here thusfar, and only a couple of Fidels each allowed us to survive the battle.
Danny and I had a great dinner with that Castellani family last night. They gave me a Fiorentina scarf as a gift. Fabio was shy the first couple of times we visited, but now he talks a lot. We share a similar passion for soccer. He loves Fiorentina and knows all about the teams and players in Serie A. I've learned a lot by just talking about various teams and looking at all his figurine di calcio (much like baseball cards but with soccer players). I'm beginning to look forward to Wednesday night with the Castellani every week. They're very fun and I can tell that my Italian skills are improving because of them, especially with slang words and phrases.
This weekend I'm staying in Firenze in an attempt to save some money, rest up, and finish a few papers. It should be both relaxing and fun. The picture above is one that Berns took on our epic sunset ride last week in Elba. The picture isn't misleading; the horizon really was that beautiful. I'll post more soon. Ci vediamo!