8:02am - alarm goes off and I hop into the shower (or, more usually, I hit snooze for an extra eight minutes). Then I get dressed and ready for work. I leave between 8:45 and 9, depending on how many times I remember things I wanted to bring as I walk down the stairs - it is hard not living 500 feet from the office! This morning I went back in for my watch, and then again for the power adapter for my laptop, choosing not to go back for my thumb drive when I was already out the door to my apartment.
I usually stop at the bar on the way to work, yes, that's right, the bar. In Italy places that serve coffee and pastries are called bars - and they usually also serve alcohol, although I have yet to order that in the morning . . . yet. I get a cappuccino and some sort of pastry before continuing on to work. It takes me about 12 minutes to walk to work.
WORK
We're expected to be in around 9:30, although it's pretty flexible. This semester I try to arrive around 9:10 so that I can get settled and check my email before my class starts at 9:35. I am in Italian 101 with thirteen other Gonzaga students. I plan on writing a whole post about that soon, so for now, it's an awesome class although it's weird being in school at this level.
From 10:35 to around 1pm I hang out in my office, working on projects and pausing frequently to help students. Students come by the office to sign up for trips or events (Right now we're doing sign-ups for a wine tasting tour, cooking classes, yoga classes, and roommates for the upcoming trip to Paris). Students will also drop by to ask how certain things work here, where things can be found, and other "living in Florence" questions - some of which I already know the answer to, many of which I find out with the student.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday I generally go to lunch around 1:15pm, with colleagues. There are tons of great little restaurants and to-go places around here, so depending on the mood (and budget) we'll run out for a quick bite, or have a leisurely lunch. Often lunch at restaurants includes prosecco (my new favourite) or wine, which I first thought was strange to have at lunch, and now am getting used to it.
Tuesdays and Thursdays I have lunch in one of the pensione, which is where the students live and eat. There are nine of them, and I rotate through each one. This is really nice because I get to interact with lots of students, the food is great, and it's free! Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in the pensioni, so it is typically fruit or vegetables, a pasta dish, and then a meat main course.
I usually get back from lunch between 2 and 3pm, and then it's only a couple of hours until it's time to go home. The afternoon is usually a little quieter and I have more time to work on projects. Today I made a Breast Cancer Awareness bulletin board and put that up outside the Fitness Room.
I try to leave work right at 5, but it's been 5:30 or 6 most days. On Monday nights I come back at 7:45 for the Pensioni Representative Meetings - sort of like Residence Hall Association. Tuesday nights are either Glee Nights or Game Nights (alternating weeks), and the past two Wednesdays have all had some kind of trip (Fiorentina Game and the first round of cooking classes). So those nights I come back to campus for work in the evenings, but am usually home by 9 or 10.
EVENINGS
I now have internet at home (yay) so the evening are when I can Skype or chat with people from home. This is usually my intention each night, but I've been so tired recently that I crash into bed pretty early. Dinner varies depending on the day, time, and inclination. Sometimes I eat out, sometimes I make real food, and sometimes I eat cereal, oh, and last Wednesday, I had gelato for dinner - yes, that's right, for dinner!
Fridays are special days at work, because the students don't have class, so many of them leave on Thursday for weekend travel. So when I'm not traveling with the school, Fridays are a great day to get lots of things done!
We don't usually have events over the weekend, as a vast majority of students leave town. But September 25th was Corri la Vita - a run/walk for cancer and I arranged for a Gonzaga team for that event. This past weekend I met up with some of my mum's friends who were in the area and we toured around a couple of absolutely beautiful Tuscan towns - definitely deserves it's own blog post - so look out for that soon :)
So that's pretty much my life right now, I'm exploring more and more each week, and expanding my little world to include more stores, markets, and restaurants (and one or two historical sites, my whole life doesn't revolve around food, although i'd like it to)
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