MY FAVORITE TIME of day. Most likely because it gives me an excuse to eat Italian sweets and sit for a while. So, I welcome you! Today, Florence decided to snow on us. Only for a moment, but enough to frighten/excite us poor Floridians. This chilly gloom outside has left me no choice but to be as lazy as I have been the past few days—I’m not complaining. Truly experiencing a city involves living like a local, which involves doing nothing sometimes (said by the darling Bee Coy), right? Ha.

We went to Rome last weekend, as a group. Despite the various public strikes going on, our trip went smoothly. We saw all there was to see [Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Borghese Galleries, Spanish Steps, & Coliseum], on top of the Vatican, which Becca and I covered extensively when we were there earlier this month. The Trevi Fountain was my favorite. Everyone just looked so precious throwing coins in at night, making wishes to fall in love in Rome and such. My grandparents had given me a coin to throw in the fountain before I left; it was an old Italian Lira left over from their trip to Rome—so cool. I forgot it, of course, when we went that night, but was able to go back the next day and throw it in… Phew! And oh, how Sue (our coordinator) never fails to feed us well. In all, a perfect two days! Life back in Florence is becoming quite regular. A day started off with a peaceful hour or two at a coffee shop, I’ve decided, has to be a good one. And so it was! Yesterday, I went to that coffee shop down the street I’ve mentioned before, and had a much-needed leisurely morning. Something about sorting out my thoughts on paper, or reading them written by someone who phrases them better, calms me. It’s like whatever’s supposed to happen that day, can actually happen and affect me… not just happen and me rush by with a cloud in place of my brain. Do I make sense? Anyway, after class, I finally developed my first roll of film from the Canon AE-1 that belonged to my grandfather’s best friend, and it definitely looked like just that. It’d been a while since I’d sifted through half a roll of image-less pictures, but I am no stranger to the fact that I’m learning everything there is to learn about film. »hey, if you know anything you’d like to teach, you should teach me. I’d appreciate it!« Regardless of the disappointing roll, I’m still loving the camera. Anything passed down a generation has a granted importance that makes using it all the more enjoyable. I found a form, filled out by Ignacio from when he bought the camera in the 80s, tucked in the camera’s manual. Made me smile and I’m sure him too. The day ended with Katie coming over to have an impromptu dinner with us… it is practically a dream, living here with my best friends! I could definitely get used to this. Tomorrow morning class is cancelled (snow day?!), so a few of us are going to celebrate with Margaritas tonight, because that’s what American kids do in Florence, of course. With that, hasta luego! Happy Taco Tuesday to All!