Carnevale in Venice.

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Went to Venezia this weekend with other Stanford kids. We had a ton of fun.

I had my face painted, and I loved every minute.

Also thought this sign was HILARIOUS. I guess you could be naked if you want, so long as you aren't wearing a swimsuit.









Carnevale felt a bit contrived... people dress up in super ornate costumes just so other people (toursists) can take their pictures. I guess next weekend might feel more authentic... the second weekend of Carnevale is a much bigger deal because of Mardi Gras. That is when Venice has its famous masked balls! Haley and I are going. We're mustering up some of our homemaking skills and putting together our own costumes. It's going to be an amazing.

Something else that was funny was at noon on Sunday, they had their big kick off party for the week preceding mardis gras. Giant letters spelling out "angelo" descending from the tremendously high clock tower. On top of the "O" sat a man. The descent was very slow, and at the bottom, a bit of confetti shot up in at the point of contact. From the response of everyone watching in the square, you would have thought it was a zipline, stunt devil, and fireworks show. The crowd was going nuts!!! The best part, though, is that at the end of that, they started playing "gangster's paradise" on the loudspeakers. HWAH???? what country are we in again? I just about died laughing... I still fail to see the connection. Oh, globalization.

Venice is picturesque. Not sure why, but I'm in love with the clotheslines you see hanging around all european cities. Many of my classmates don't like it, but I think that the details are fascinating. In Fiesole, I saw two identical windows right next to each other: one with 3 tattered pairs of jeans hanging from a line, and right next to it was a tattered peace sign on a line. The u shape that they both made was identical. It was such a beautiful picture, and to me a powerful and revealing image. I can't quite describe it. In Venice on the waterfront, there was a clothesline with adult clothes, and right next to it was another with all baby clothes. Precious! and unlike anything I've ever seen. Anyway, won't bother you with more stories like this, but I find the clotheslines hanging around the city quite interesting.

Back to picturesque Venice... I didn't take that many pics of the city because there were so many tourists. It was sooo crowded. Interesting, writers (usually of english lit) either love or hate Venice. Either they are enamored with the beauty, or portray it as a place of lies and secrets (and general disillusionment). Historically, it has a history of gossip and informants (think Cassanova). I'm not sure why, but I expected to be more charmed by the beauty, water, and architecture. Maybe because of the crowds? Maybe it just doesn't resonate with me yet?

I did LOVE the Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art. It's in the former private home of art patron Patti Guggenheim, right on the front of a Venetian Canal. It has works by Picasso, Magritte, and many other major names in modern art. It was heavenly!

chocolate festival

... is going on this weekend in Santa Croce (my neighborhood). There are all sorts of so-called chocolate artisans that make your usual, and some unusual types of chocolate.

All of their milk chocolate has a bit of hazlenut flavor, which is weird (think nutella). I had a delicious chocolate liqueur (very intense!). Also bought some adventurous chocolates, each with either pistachio, lavender, sea salt, and curry/saffron. I'm waiting to try these with Leo, though... new flavors are just more fun that way.

night view

more views from my little balcony

my room with a view

I have a ridiculous view of the synagogue from my balcony.

political dissents...

My italian host family can't believe Schwarzenegger is governor of California. Many Italians, actually, have asked me how he could possibly be governor. They start laughing hysterically, and I can't impress upon them the possibility that he might not be so bad. They think he is stupid, they think it's stupid he could have been elected, and they think he just a puppet to some other political genius. It's strange.

It touches on a slightly larger frustration I've encountered here. I touched on it a little in the post on art: the worship of art. Really it gets to a bigger cult following: that of creative genius and/or intellect. In Europe, politicians (much more than in the US) are the intellectuals. That alone isn't terrible... sure it would be nice if more government representatives exhibited some basic common sense. However, that isn't the only thing that is important in life.

The ability to lead and unite is a gift, just like intellect. One is not better than the other, and both are important aspects to governing a society. If Schwarzenegger knows who he is, what his political vision is, and can surround himself with the right people to carry that out, how then is he inferior to someone who may be brighter (I'm not saying he isn't smart-- that's something I don't know) but incapable of unifying a legislature? Or worse, someone who can pass laws, but not for the public good.

I'm not trying to advance or put down Schwarzenneger, or for that matter make any political claims. This is merely a proxy example for differing cultural values. In the US, it doesn't make Arnold less of a politician if he was also "the Terminator." And it doesn't make Californians foolish for electing him.

I tried to explain this to my host dad, who loves to bag on Americans. Some may deserve their rep, but not all Americans are like he says. ::sigh::... so much for stereotypes abroad! We have had, and will continue to have many conversations about this sort of thing, I am sure.

my favorite book ever

Just bought Il Piccolo Principe (The Little Prince) in Italian. Now I have it in Spanish, German, English, and Italian. My collection is growing! I figure it's a good way to study, too, since the words are so child-like. Too bad I can't read French, as I'm sure it's never quite the same as it is in the original language.

My host family has The Alchemist in Italian, but that book never really inspired me. Maybe I was spoiled by reading The Little Prince first. I found the Alchemist kind of empty, actually.

Cheers, and if you haven't read The Little Prince, you must straightaway. I can give you 100 reasons.

how great thou "art" ??

My art history class is basically a field trip every week, where we visit original works of art, and the professor talks about them on site. Feels like the magic school bus goes to Florence! I leave every week being totally jazzed.

One of my favorite things so far is seeing the dialogue between artists. Florence has a history of fine art spanning centuries. I forget that just like in literature, these artist are constantly influenced by previous works, and often reinterpret subjects to be "his/her own."

I don't know why, but I used to think brilliant artists were totally unique, and dreamed up their projects out of the blue. As a photographer, I felt an immense amount of pressure to be "original." I feel very liberated allowing myself to be influenced by art I see, and even to respond with my own points of view.

I LOVE the Rodin sculpture garden at Stanford, and it's amazing to see Renaissance (and earlier!) works here in Florence that inspired him. There is a Michelangelo tomb with a closed posture that is somewhat similar to the "Thinker." Also, there is a set of doors known as the "Gates to Heaven" that were the first of their kind have dimensionality, and cast figures popping out of the plane of the doors (previously, works had been more 2 dimensional pictorial depictions). Gah!!! my head just might explode.

Maybe this is so obvious to everyone else, but it was a revelation to me!

One more side note... it is a little weird how much people can worship art. Florence is definitely a temple in this respect. Sometimes you get the feeling that there is nothing else more important in the world. That weirds me out a little bit, as the very things that inspired these people to create were human lives, experiences, feelings, and observations. Art is not created for the sake of art... it is a mode, neither an object nor an end, but an every evolving dialogue that invites each person to participate.

Submitted my photography grant proposal for spring break in Sicily! Feels good to have it off my hands... but honestly I'm pretty stoked about the write up. Cross your fingers!

Went shopping in downtown Florence. The clothes are TO DIE FOR. I splurged yesterday on an absolutely gorgeous navy dress. Super stylish, yet timeless. I'll probably wear it for our Bing dinner in Milan, though honestly I know I'm going to be loving this dress for years to come. It's a halter that falls off my shoulders just right, and the hang of the fabric is perfect. The Italians sure know how to do fashion. I also coveted a pair of grey suede boots, but alas, I could only dream.

Yesterday half of the students in the club got to go down to the societa canottaggio-- a private rowing club on the Arno tucked right under Ponte Vecchio. It is very elite... and our director is into that. Beautiful, beautiful. I only had my Rollei with me, so I can't put up any digital pics. I keep meaning to take some, but most of my photography so far has been black and white.

I was feeling adventurous and ordered taleggio-- and I had no idea what that meant. It ended up being a delicious cooked cheese crusted in bread crumbs and placed on what looked like a large pile of clovers. I also tried carpaccio (not sure if that's spelled right). It's raw beef. Sounds nasty, but with olive oil and salt... mmm.

Bologna... and motorinos!!!

Went to hang out with Giacomo in Bologna... and I got to ride on the back of his motorino!! More fun that I've ever had in my life!! Zipped all over the town square with the wind in my face.
Giacomo is my little bro's best friend, and is currently studying at the med school in Bologna. I had a huge Italian Sunday lunch with Giacomo's family and grandparents (parents live in Bologna, too). Delicious food, and a lively company.

Bologna was beautiful, and very medieval. Also very cold.

looking ahead: I bought train tickets for the next two weekends: CARNEVALE in Venice!!!!!

a profound cultural difference

Had a conversation with my Andrea yesterday while watching soccer... and jokingly asked if he was a cinico (pronounced "chee nee co" -- means cynic). He was really taken aback, and immediately said no no no...

In english, cynicism is merely descriptive. Many people are even proud of being cynics, as it means they see the world for how it really is, or are less prone to be disappointed by naivete.

Cynical is a very negative thing here. It's a cultural difference that now makes sense to me. To Italians, to be cynical is to live only in your head, and not with your heart. Dreams, feelings, hope, ideals-- these are crucial to experiencing the world fully.

Figaro!

Tonight, my host dad wryly told me to poke my head out the kitchen window.

When I did, I heard a beautiful, rich baritone voice hanging in the evening air.
It was a professional opera singer. Our next door neighbor is a professional opera singer, and he practices in the evening. No big deal. He's now seventy years old, but he still records, and we get to hear him from our very own kitchen window.
*see picture below... I think that's what the kitchen window looks like.

Ciao! Sono arrivata!

Ciao tutti (hello all)!
I arrived safely in Florence, albeit exhausted. I flew into Rome, but had some challenges navigating the trains.

My family's home is simple and beautiful. My room is a loft above the rest of the apartment, with a view of an elaborate synagogue and surrounding rooftops. My host mom is a retired nurse, and my host dad is a leather artisan who spends weekends away selling his work at markets and fairs.

Firenze (said "firentse") is lovely. More on the city later.

Our first day, Campani (our director) told us that a tourist moves quickly and never really leaves home. A traveler moves slowly and really absorbs their surroundings, so by the end of their stay they aren't sure which place to call home.
I'm currently in the space between traveler and tourist, knowingly far from the places I know and love, but also far from calling this place home. That is all fine and well, though, as it's part of the process. I love you all! Arrivederci.