The first Month!!

09/19/08
Today I woke up ready to go on a Bike Tour so I got up early and got ready. I am all excited and ready to rock n' roll, and then I open my front door...and it's sprinkling. I look up and around and march on through the sprinkle wondering what is going to happen. I then reach the meeting place and decide that there is no way I am going to go around and ride in the rain. The guy was cool and he gave us the choice of coming back tomorrow.
So a lot of us left and I came home and caught up on some reading and planning that I had to do. For lunch I cooked an amazing meal with ABSOLUTE PEACE OF MIND without a worry in the world. The only thing on my mind was that which was in front of me...my food. I even commented about my feelings with my roommate. I was so shocked by this feeling that I have never experienced. I have been striving to live in the "Now" and I think that I momentarily achieved this. Now my goal is to do it again. I completely shut everything else out in my mind and just thought about the moment. I have never felt more peace and harmony in my life. I took about 2-3 hours to cook and eat my my lunch I was so satisfied and happy.
Later I met a friend of my roommate and his friends. They were both pretty cool and one was from Norway and only 18! She was traveling around like it was nothing looking for a job in London because Norway is boring. After that I brushed my teeth and went to sleep.

Gratitude: I am thankful that I have experienced true peace of mind and that I will be learning to live in the Now.

09/18/08-Thursday
Today class was hysterical! My Food and Wine class was great! First of all we got to taste a variety of cheeses and cold cut meats. But that wasn't the best part. When we started to talk about what kind of milks each cheese was made, oh that was the funny part. Let me explain, so our teach like most of them has an accent...you can see where this is going, oh and mind you I sit in the front of class just as a side note. Okay so blah blah blah this cheese is made of cow and this cheese is made from shit milk oh wait did I hear shit milk!?!?!?!?
I could not control myself she was trying to say sheep milk but every time she said that it sounded just like shit. I am sorry but I cried trying to hold in my laughter the door was only 3 feet away and I considered walking out to just laugh but I didn't I gathered my composure. Then again she talked about it a little bit later and this time it was even funnier and mind you I wasn't the only one. I just have a very lit sense of humor so it was hard to not laugh and it was immature yes I know but it was just so funny!!! I then talked about it with my roommate who is in the same class and I laughed so hard just remembering the whole thing and how I was pretty much the only one dying of laughter.

I then met up with my dean to brainstorm some ideas and talk about business. I met up with my other professor and did the same. I then walked around town got lost and just walked around to get ready for the next day's adventure which was a bike tour of the Chianti Countryside where they grow all the vines to make the famous wine we love to drink here.

Then made my way home and on my way some wine shop was having a free wine tasting and I didn't let the past me up and I got to sample some white wines which were okay, all from the local area. I then got home and worked on my blog and went to sleep.

GRATITUDE: Today I was thankful for the peace of mind that I was able to have. I felt a good energy flow through me and I just embraced it. I made my intention to figure out how I was going to be able to return to Italy and now I am just letting nature take its course.

09/17/08-Wednesday
Today was a day of realization for me because for the first time I let life flow. Now this may be hard to explain but I will try to do my best. I went to class and I was all excited to go because I really enjoy it! Then afterwards I spoke with my professor about what we learned and stuff and it was really cool because I felt like he was my equal and he didn't convey an air of superiority, which was really cool and I felt really comfortable talking with him.
I then went to fix my jacket and I leisurely walked to the place and talked with the guy. He really got in my "Personal Bubble" it was kind of weird because I'm not used to that but whatever I didn't shy away. I then walked a few stores down and got my haircut. Now this was an experience in and of itself because this guy pretty much freestyled my haircut and I liked it a lot it looks really natural. So when he was done I was going to take off the towel and he tells me No and takes me to the back where I got my hair washed with soap and all that jazz. I never really had gotten that kind of treatment before and then I got it gelled and they were waxing someone's cheek hairs and I asked how that worked and he said let me try it on you and you'll see...it hurt for a while. But at least I don't have anymore of those cheek hairs that I don't shave.
Then from there I made my way to St. James Church to help cook a meal. If I helped with the cooking I wouldn't have to pay but I just wanted to learn how to make it. It was good, and this is what we had. Tuna on toast bread (that I cut) with wine and then some pesto pasta, followed by some meatloaf, and finishing with some fruit. I was so satisfied!! I loved it and I got to meet some really great people too. Some girls from a fashion school in New York and some others from my program. I learned a lot about fashion and I realized that I know more about fashion than I thought, I was actually surprised with myself and proud to be so well rounded. They were happy to talk to me because I engaged them in an intelligent conversation about fashion and I wanted to learn more about it. Apparently, nobody had ever done this with them. They say most people don't give them credit and just judge them. I saw them as really humble and practical people which was really nice. They exuded a good "energy" but then their other classmates showed up and I immediately felt the difference in energy that these ladies gave off and it was not pleasant to say the least. They were the ones that gave the other girls a bad rap.

I then went home did some reading and then went to bed.

GRATITUDE: For being able to go through my day in absolute peace and letting life just go. I wasn't worried about time or anything else, I was living in the moment. Nothing else mattered except for what was going on at the moment. This was really cool.

09/16/08-Tuesday
School day nothing exciting, other than going to the Bargello Museum to see some David's by Donatello and one by Verrochio. They were very girly and unmanly. I don't know why. They were small too. We went up to the Verrochio room which was closed to the public to see his David. I barely got into the Bargello in time to see the class walk up the stairs and catch up. I keep forgetting that class is at these different museums and thus never show up on time, but I manage to always barely make it. I find myself going to an empty class and then remembering, "oh yeah I got class somewhere else, $h#T!!" so I run to were ever I need to go.
We saw some painting and then got a history lesson about the Bargello and some of its other pieces.
Then I went to my Food and WIne Class and learned about why the food from Italy is so diverse.
Then I went to the train station to go to my Italian tutors place and I ate an awesome authentic Italian cooked meal that was really good. It had all these seafood things and spices that made is so good. We then had some procuitto with mozarella and some other kind of cheese with bread and it was also really good. And if that wasn't enough we finished with some desserts that were really good. Oh man, I had a feast and the funny thing is that for them it was probably a normal thing. Now that I think about eating at my families house would probably make them feel like I felt. It's the whole foreign thing. Wow, I love how I am learning so much about these cross cultural things.
Anyways, we helped each other with our homework and then I left. Oh and this time I took a different route which was more scenic and I liked it better because it was more green and in a valley. I also got my first moped ride!!! It was so cool and it wasn't even going that fast but the fact that I was on one for the first time was pretty freaking cool, I was all excited. It didn't last long but it was worth it though.
When I left I crashed out on the train for bits and pieces of the ride it was a very eventful day.

Oh the train I helped some business traveler guy not get off the wrong stop and it reminded me of when I was traveling. Oh man, it's funny to see the people with backpacks because that was me a while back and now I am on the other side looking at them.

GRATITUDE:
I am happy to help others in need, it brings me great joy and satisfaction.

09/15/08-Monday
Today I caught up with all of my technology stuff like emails, blogs, and skype. I cooked some eggs and made a mush with ham, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and mozzarella. It actually tasted good to my surprise. I then went to run some errands and got lost wandering the streets of Florence. I walked by a leather factory called il Medici and it caught my attention, so I walked in. I then to the guy behind the desk and he kindly came to help me out. I told him what I was looking for and my accent told him I wasn't Italian so we talked about where I was from and then somehow we talked about what I was studying and globalization. He was very well informed about world economic issues and politics that I was impressed. His cousin who's name was Guissepe (same as mine) came in and we talked about politics even more because he was an economics professor. It was really cool to see them talk about how the US affected the world and how China had its influence all over the place. They were all into it using their hands like crazy. It was funny to see this because it was just the other day that our professor in class had said that Italians love to talk about politics and here I was in the middle of an authentic Italian political conversation.
I then got a bit tired and moved on, I was on a mission to get a haircut but they were all closed because it was Monday. So I went home all hairy. At home I washed some cloth and did some homework.

GRATITUDE: I am was thankful for being able to see the authentic side of an Italian conversation and meeting some new folks.