Italian Inauguration

Today I had Italian again in the morning, and then ran downtown with Molly and Vanessa to buy our “course pack” that’s being printed in an Italian “copisteria” (copy store). We ordered it and it will be delivered to campus tomorrow.

I love going into town. The city is so beautiful. Sometime this week, I’m hoping to get down into the city by myself and go exploring on my own.

On the way home we stopped at a little shop and bought laundry detergent, since our previous attempt to buy it was a failure (we didn’t know what we were buying, and the people running the store only spoke Italian).

We also stopped for gelato and pizza on the way back up Via Bolognese to campus.

My afternoon class on Tuesdays is Music History IV: 20^th Century. I am already really excited about this course. They professor is great and the subject matter will be really interesting. I’m not saying I’ll come out of it ENJOYING atonal music, but…I’ll have a great appreciation for musicology and the recent development of music. We’re also spending time on more “tonal” composers of the 20^th Century, so that makes me excited.

Then tonight was the inauguration. Starting at 4:00 pm (when CNN started coverage) there was an event at Villa Sassetti with snacks and refreshments, and multiple viewing rooms for the ceremony. This event was also open to the entire city Florence, I found out, and they were selling pins (probably left over from the campaign) that read “Americans in Italy for Obama”. People were wearing t-shirts, too.

It was a really special event for all of us who were there, who sat in silence as we listened to that incredible address by the most historic president ever elected. I’m glad we got the chance to celebrate, even from 4,000 miles away.