Caffine and Midterms

As if it wasn't enough that I like coffee, being in Italy has expanded my like for this caffinated drink. Florentines have drinking coffee down to an art form and consider it a relaxing activity rather than one you commonly have on-the-go in the United States. Italians do not do to-go in any way shape or form, coffee is no exception. If you want it you go to a bar or caffee and sit for a bit to enjoy and drink it. I rather like this idea though it forces me to leave early in order to do this if I want coffee in the morning before or between classes.

Course I also learned how to make espresso on the stove in the apartment for those days I either really want some or don't want to go to a public bar.

First off the school vending machines sell small portions of coffee. Not like the starbucks energy coffee drinks or the extremely caffeinated and sugary sodas of Pepsi and Mountain Dew. Can we have one of these in the IARC building? I really think it would bring up moral significantly and help those late to all nighters we are constantly having as architecture students.

LdM School of Renaissance and Art!

First week of school, the real reason I am here afterall.

Here is an over view, my schedule [seen before here] dictates that I have 9 am classes Monday through Wednesday, I have Thursdays off and everyone has Friday and the weekend off.

So Monday I had Italian Elementary 1 and Mysteries & Secrets in Architecture. My Italian class only has 10 students in it and I think that will actually work well for me because it gives us each more one on one time with the professor. The actual professor for this course has been sick all week so I don't actually know what she is like but our substitute is very nice.

I got out of Italian at 10:15am and had a huge gap of free time till my 3:00pm class, so rather than go back to the appartment I decided to grab lunch at the cafe on campus and then browse the city around where my classes are:

Palazzo della Reppublica

Santa Maria Novella peeking through the street.

Santa Maria Novella

Back at the River

Later that evening after the first day of school we were all invited to a "free" welcome dinner for LdM students at a huge dining hall in a fancy hotel on our road Via Ghibellina. It was so opulent!

Antipasti, first course, desert and wine vouchers. Welcome to Florence!