First 2 Weeks of Classes with Tomatoes

Hello Everyone! So here is my second post. I shall be talking about my first two weeks of class at Scoula Lorenzo De Medici in Firenze, Italia, and life in general. Here we go!

• So first of all I am taking 5 classes here at LDM, 3 of them meet once a week for 5 hours (these are studio classes), Begineers Italian, and I got an internship! My studio classes are Marble and Stone Sculpture, Fine Art Mosaics, and Web Design Fundamentals. 

 

• In marble and stone sculpture we take a block of marble and shape it into whatever form we want to give to it. This picture was taken the first day of class when we were practicing how to use the hammer and chissel. It is a very slow process since marble is very hard, and by the end of class I ended up covered with marble dust and pieces. So showering is recommended afterwards.

• Fine Art Mosaics is a fun class for me. It takes me back to 8th grade when I discovered the art of Mosaics with Mindy Perez and Chiri (High School Art teachers). When I did it back in high school we used tiles, but now in this class we are using marble and glass from Venice. It's a lot harder but I'm getting used to it.
•  Web Design Fundamentals is a class were we learn how to create our own website, and learn how to write HTML, Javascript, and CSS5. So hopefully by the end of the semester this blog will look awesome!
• Internship: So I applied for an internship through the school and after the interview I got accepted! I am going to be working at the Florence Cathedral (Duomo) as a tour guide. If you see any pictures of Florence and see a Huge Dome, that's were I work. The first three weeks are training, and then I start giving tours in English and Spanish. I am very excited for this!

• Life****
• I have been slowly adapting to life in Florence, it is very different from Ames, IA but it is very similar to Old San Juan, PR, so it takes me back to my childhood years living in San Juan. Florence is a very safe city, with a very low crime rate, you see cops everywhere and people are very helpful. One thing I would say is that people here will help you a lot more if they see that you are at least trying to learn Italian. In the last few days my italian has gotten better and I have seen that change.
• Do I miss home yet? Yes, I miss Puerto Rico, Ames, and Minnesota. I think what I miss the most is being able to know where I am, and feeling part of the culture. I also miss being able to see friends and family in person rather than in a computer screen.
• So How's Allison (My Beautiful Girlfriend)? She is great! We have been able to talk regularly (at least once a day), and last weekend I went to visit her in Roma. I will make another blog post about the visit, and post some pictures. It has been a blessing that we are in the same time zone and country. There's 3 trains I can take, one is 4 hours, the middle one is 3 hrs, and trhe fast train is 1 hr. I take the middle one because it's cheaper, and I am on a budget. This last week I sent her some flowers to her studio, and she seemed to be pretty happy. Here's a pic*
 

photo curtesy of Liping Vong http://lipingvong.tumblr.com/

• I am enjoying Florence, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the year thanks for reading!