Chocolate & Family & Snow?

Tuesday: It snowed in Florence. The snow didn't stick but it was definitely snowing and then later turned to a cold, wet rain. It was also freezing outside, I would say it was the coldest its been since we have been here. They say that March in Florence can be like this though, 60's one day and 30's the next. So after meeting Emily for lunch at Ganzo (I had pork ribs and they were good but nothing like at home. BBQ ribs with extra BBQ sauce will definitely be my first meal upon arrival back in the U.S.) We decided to hibernate in our beds for the rest of the day because it was so cold, I watched a movie and ended up falling asleep for a few hours. Emily's mom's cousins were in town (Ronnie and Ernie) for their early honeymoon and offered to take us out to dinner. The dinner was so nice, it was at a trattoria (typical Italian restaurant) that we had never been too. Actually.. we haven't really been to many restaurants because we're college students and of course we are on a tight budget. I had pasta, tripe, beans, and homemade tiramisu! It was a nice long dinner and we were very thankful that they took the time to take us out.

Wednesday: I woke up early for an optional field trip to the Four Seasons Hotel in Florence. The Four Seasons Hotel is one of the nicest hotels in Florence and rooms run over 500 euro a night. My marketing teacher is friends with the owner of the hotel. He has owned the hotel for 33 years and he lectured us about how the market is changing. It was actually quite interesting because 33 years ago when he first starting, things were obviously very different. Guests who wanted to stay at the hotel sent letters a year in advance and they would include extra postage. He could then pick and choose which guests he wanted and mail them back confirming their reservation for the following year. Then came the introduction of the telefax and phone operating system used to make reservations still which the reservations were made 6 months to a year in advance and the hotel owner was still setting the prices as he wished, the highest rack rate. The use of computers and Internet has changed this though where the consumer now sets the price of the hotel room, is able to shop around, and can compare competitor's prices. This man has been in the business for many years and is very knowledgeable but times change things and so he must change with the times. Hospitality is a growing and thriving business but the economy is slightly dampening that right now. The hotel originally was just a few rooms, like a bed and breakfast but he began expanding and buying the surrounding buildings and building and attaching to create a bigger and bigger hotel which now has 82 guest rooms. We were able to tour a few of the rooms, all of which are completely different from the shape of the room, to the bed, to the bathroom, to the furnishings, and decor because they were are all additions. The hotel is very unique and boutique like. Their target market is upscale 40-60 year old. We were even able to view the roof top terrace. Check it out: http://www.fourseasons.com/florence/

My day continued with the dreaded marketing class. I did manage to stay focused though which was a plus hence midterms are coming up this week. After class, I began thinking about midterms and attempted to study but completely failed. I realized that I really have done no school work since December, it's very different here. The course load overall is a lot lighter but our grades are based completely on one midterm, one paper and presentation, and one final so it's really important to do well on all three things. I'm going to attempt to study again this weekend. Please wish me all luck because I really will need it!

Later Wednesday night, I met Emily at this bar (The Joshua Tree) which actually has a sister bar in Boston. Emily is in a Conversation Exchange program where she meets her Italian match once a week for an hour and half the time is spent talking in Italian and the other half of the time is spent talking in English because they each want to learn the other language. I, on the other hand did not become involved in this program because I know very little Italian. Well, anyways... I met them there and talked with them for a bit and was very lost but I was able to understand some things. We were also just watching the soccer game on TV when suddenly we hear a loud BANG! and we thought somebody fell but what actually was happening was girls fighting (yes, GIRLS) well, they were probably in their twenties. It was two girls and then another one jumped in and then two guys jumped in to try and break it up, and one was strangling the other and there was screaming and it was very scary! For a few minutes, I was terrified of what was going to happen because they were really going at it. The bouncer was finally able to jump in and drag two of the girls outside the bar but the screaming continued through the glass and the girls had to be restrained. I have never seen a fight in Italy but yes, the first one was between girls. I have no idea what it was about but it must have been about something more than just the soccer game on TV.

Thursday: Chocolate class was a disappointment. Not only was our favorite teacher not there but we also didn't get to eat any chocolate. We had a two and half hour lecture by a guest speaker about the chemical composition and properties of chocolate. We learned about the nutritional aspects of chocolate and how it actually is good for you. Except if you eat 4 kg of chocolate in one sitting, you would probably die of chocolate poisoning! The class is called from Therapy to Pleasure and we learned that chocolate is both a stimulant and an anti-depressant. Chocolate can truly turn your mood around and make you happy! and I strongly believe in this as I am addicted to chocolate and it can make everything better!

We got so used to having chocolate every Thursday morning that we just had to have our chocolate so we stopped at a cafe and enjoyed hot chocolate and a chocolate croissant. Also, all Italians drink their coffee/ eat their pastry while standing up at the bar which is very different than America. You know you are a tourist when you are sitting down drinking your coffee. Emily wanted to sit at a table but I told her that we were standing because they charge you more if you sit, it's actually like an 1 extra euro for sitting at a table for a few minutes! I'll stand, thank you!

We then went to Cultural class where we met at an old school which is now used as exhibition center. We were visiting a 20th Century Florence photo exhibition and we also had the opportunity to meet with Italian seniors and discuss the photos. Each Italian senior told their life story and history although they only spoke Italian so our teacher had to translate all of what they are saying. They then all sang a serenade to us and they wanted us to sing them a song and we could think of to sing was "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" so we sang that to them and it made them so happy! I love old people, they always seem so happy and content with life!

After class, Emily's FAMILY arrived! Her mom, dad, and sister arrived in Florence! It's soooo great to see people we know from home! We proceeded to walk around the city with them for the afternoon even though it was freeeeeezing! It was early to bed because we had to be up at 4 AM on Friday morning for a field trip!