05/28/2009
Bittersweet... today is our last day here. It's hard to believe that a short two weeks ago (which now seems like forever, and in a good way) we 30-something strangers met in the Rome airport, and took a bus up a mountain to a remote villa called Casa Cares. Yesterday, I blogged home that we students/participants were like siblings... I don't think so. We're more like cousins; scattered across the nation, some of us in the same school (like we 4 from UAB), others from other schools...all peers, all growing and learning. This has definitely been like a family reunion, and now my family has grown immensely!
This morning, we went back to Firenze to hear a judge in the juvenile system speak. Wish I was fluent in Italian; Dr. Krieg tried to interpret for us, but the judge was so exuberant, he never stopped talking! I got the impression he was emphasizing certain things- I thought I kept hearing the same word repeated a few times- but have no clue what he was saying!
After the judge, we broke up (our one rule: Meet at track 14- our usual meeting spot- at 5:00); some just had time to catch the 1:30 train back to St. Ellero (our bus stop to go home!). I played independenzia - I hit Firenze, solo! It was wonderful! Had pizza for lunch in a small dive- the owner spoke no English- the pizza was different- but good- giant chunks of tomatoes, whole ripe olives, sausage and pepperoni on cornbread topped with cheese (no tomato sauce!) Had a sprite with it... (good old fashioned American eating!). Next up, SHOPPING! Hit the open markets, with gusti (feminine of gusto)... got lots of stuff for family back home! Wnadered throughtout Florence, taking in sights, smells, ducking into stores and shops... took it at my own pace, and enjoyed it all. About quarter to four, headed back to the train station (the duomo is immense, in the center of the town, easily seen by all the areas I hit, at least, and the train station is by the duomo). To reach the train station by foot, you must first pass through a tunnel; and there are shops on either side of the tunnel. A carbinieri had a woman stopped, going through her bags and gesturing to one of the shops. Don't know what happened, and kept walking on. I got up to the station, it was only about 4-ish, so I went to Sala de Attisa (basically, a sitting room for people waiting for trains) and sat down for about 5 minutes, just to let my feet quit throbbing! Then I went and ordered: un piccolo gelato e aqua naturale (a small ice cream- that puts ice cream in the states to shame!) and a natural (not fizzy) water.
Met Dr's Ttyson & Thomas at 5:00 at track 14- our bus finally got a track: #13. OOPS! Unlucky #13; the wrong track# had been posted. Dr. Thomas thought the train was wrong; she got off & asked one of the train station employees, who directed us to the train on track 16. Amazing, how we people, even (or especially?) in unfamiliar territory, are so vulnerable to erroneous information.
OK, guys, this, for sure, is my final blog. Fixing to download all my pics onto facebook:
italy institute 2009. Go see 'em!
Arriverderci, Lynn