two weeks in

Well, leaving my family and Sydney at the airport was much more difficult then I had expected, I definitely hadn't planned on crying and all of a sudden I was blubbering like a baby. Eventually I made it through security and put everything back on, took a couple deep breaths, and started out on my own. Each step felt stronger and stronger and a huge smile spread across my face, MY ADVENTURE BEGINS! :D getting into Italy was a pain though, they took us above Florence, said the air was too rough to land so we were flown to Bologna and had to get our bags and take a bus ride to Florence. When we got there, I had no way to contact anyone, I searched the airport but couldn't find the woman I came to meet. With the extreme help of my mom she was able to let me know to sit tight and she'd be there soon. After her arrival and our happy first meeting we started on our way into town, she hits another car. I sit in the car and wait quite awhile while that all gets sorted out. Eventually we get to the house and I meet Giova, the little boy I will be taking care of. He is shy at first but soon I will learn that he is anything but. The first night I was here, I slept for 15 hours! woke up at 2:30 in the afternoon.. terrible. Since then I have done so much and seen even more. We went to the country house and the Mediterranean sea, both are breathtaking. the country house has tons of cows and chickens as the family runs a brand of milk and eggs called Latte Maremma. The sea is beautiful and crystal clear, I did learn that large people feel perfectly comfortable being here in the nude though!

     Anyways, the gelato is way better then any ice cream we have in the states, it has a much lighter feeling when you eat it and the flavors are great, riso(rice) is a very popular flavor. If you go to Florence the streets are lined with gelato shops but the one you want is Vivoli! older and better then any other I've tried. The mosquitos here are rather insane, I get a few new bites every day- my legs look like they're polka-dotted. I've climbed the tower in Palazzo Vechio and the views from there are great- unfortunately they have about a 3 foot border around the edges inside the tower lookout so you cant get nearly close to the edge. The heat here is never ending, I'm hoping for a day of rain! On average it's about 95 degrees every day and that's just too hot! When you got out you've got to stay in the shade. The markets in Florence are full of leather products, t-shirts, trinkets, and scarves. I'm trying not to buy much until closer to when I will be leaving but it's so hard! 

     Many differences between here and home, here they don't eat peanut butter or salad dressing. Italian salad dressing at home is all commercial marketing because Italian's don't use dressing, they use olive oil and balsamic vinegar along with salt and pepper. Yes, we eat a lot of pasta but also plenty of fruits and vegetables! Breakfast is not big here, it's a time for mainly coffee but we do also have cereals and things to eat like that. Cars here are crazy! I'm so surprised I haven't seen tons of accidents, cars don't use turn signals and they drive half way in between lanes and don't seem to be paying too much attention to what they're doing but somehow it works for them! Many many Italian's are quite ehh lazy, they close their shops mid day to have naps, being on time is unimportant, and many raise their children to be very spoiled. But Italian's are also great workers and have made such beautiful art in many forms that they deserve massive credit. 

     Oh! Vespa means wasp in Italian, so the scooter Vespa was named by its sound, like a wasp!

Ciao!!