5.19.2010

My Day in Florence (Anthony)


A day in my life in Florence, is still a routine...

The morning begins: we are woken up, Caleb gets up and showers, then I roll out of bed---trying not to hit my head on the beam in our bed room---and shower. Then the usual: get dressed, eat, and leave on our bikes for school.

For everyone out there, school is great, and we are learning more Italian by the minute. They still have class periods like in the US, and have the normal subjects: science, math, history, English, along with French---and of course Italian (functioning as grammar class). For me the hardest class is French, and easiest (other than English) is Math.

School here is definitely a bit different; they do not have all of the high tech stuff like smart boards, projectors, and other gizmos that have become standard in the upper end private schools of the US. Here in Italy we still use black boards, do not have lockers, and even remain in the same whitewashed room all day---with the teachers rotating for different periods.


We usually arrive home for an hour or two, from 1:15- 2:45. During this time, we usually check email/get online, maybe watch an episode of CSI, and get a snack. Then we leave for soccer at 2:45---on bike of course. We arrive back home at about 6:30... to an almost always sumptuous dinner, experiment or no. After dinner we finish our homework, and then relax (which nowadays means I am researching for my new blog: pickinachicken).

You may have noticed the anomaly that I allotted about 3.5 hours for soccer. First, this includes the time that it takes us to bike between our house and soccer---about 20 minutes each way---add in a shower in the locker room, and the length of the practice.

Italian soccer in a few words is simply... amazing. They play with grace, calmness, and fluidity that feels different than American soccer. They constantly utilize their defense for a 3rd man situation, and switching the ball. They handle the ball with skill and do not immediately boot the ball up the field at the first chance that they get. They also have an amazing skilled offense with playbacks and through balls constantly. It has been a great education---and as a keeper, I have a great vantage point!

All of this is our day in Florence, nearly every single day... a truly amazing experience with Italians, fun and a little bit of history all around us.

5 comments:

  1. So fun reading about your day, Anthony! :-) You did a great job including descriptive details and I can picture exactly what you're describing. :-)

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  2. This is fantastic Anthony! It is great for you to appreciate the differences and lessons learned. I am glad you live in a Italian city where you have the independence to get everywhere on your own (via bike). And, you should be proud of conducting your entirely "routine" day in Italian. A remarkable accomplishment in one year!

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  3. Anonymous23.5.10

    You did a great job in describing your typical day in Florence, Anthony! And you know what? All the high tech stuff that you don't have in school - well no amount of high tech could ever replace the experience you are gaining in a new culture, a new country, and extraordinary hands-on learning. We're so happy that you've adjusted so well to all this change.

    Love,
    Oma

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  4. Anonymous24.5.10

    Antonio - fantastic description of your daily routine! The prep, biking, school/lessons (Garcon - Opa, je parle une peu de Francais!), and especially the return to a sumptuous meal in Florence(looking forward to one those myself)! Have an enjoyable remaining few weeks in Italy. See you soon. Love ya!
    Opa

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  5. Thanks all, I'm glad that you like it, and I should be writing again soon on the top 5 for May, thanks all for your comments and love.

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