Erasmus

My old habits are starting to return, or perhaps they never left! The calabresi told me about a weekly Erasmus aperitivo night at a place called Casa della Creatività, a building whose function eludes me still. For 6€ you could get a beverage and dibs on aperitivi while meeting international and local students--meaning an opportunity to practice my Italian!

I had my doubts about going and I didn't make a final decision until an hour before it started. Posh was going out with her friends for dinner which meant I could go without feeling like I was deserting her, my other roomies wanted to stay home, and I was under the impression that the calabresi would be there too, but knowing from my experience with Italians now, you can never believe what they say about their future plans because they are a people of spontaneity--unlike me, the Moleskine-carrying, list-writing, fond-of-organizing person that I am. That is why I called in backup. I quickly texted my friend Lana while I was still getting ready to see if she was interested in going. She seemed a bit iffy (I don't blame her, it's hard to agree to a last-minute invitation when you've had a relaxing evening planned), and I continued with my decision to go without knowing whether or not she and our other friend would come.

But arriving at my decision took a bit of back-and-forth dialogue with Posh. I was on the fence. I was not fond of going to an event in which I didn't know anyone. And what if no one talked to me? In the end, what won me over was when she told me that I would be doing exactly what I came here to do: practicing my Italian. With that sane logic in mind, I set out towards the aperitivo without fully knowing what I was getting myself into.

It ended up being very laid affair and a good place to chat. When I arrived I saw tables full of people talking and did not know how I would infiltrate any of those groups. Then I saw a lone girl sitting on a couch and asked her if I could join her. She ended up being a very nice woman from Colombia who had lived in Spain for the past 10 years. She worked in the spa industry and was here in Florence to continue her studies. Within half an hour, Lana showed up with three friends and our once spacious couch became crowded (in a good way, that is). I got up to get some food and then was approached by a very friendly Italian guy while we were getting the few fries that were left. He was studying nursing (I told him one of my best friends was a nurse!) and has been living in Florence for almost eight years. I asked him to join our group and he found a spot next to my Colombian friend.

One of Lana's friends who showed up was an American guy who goes to our school and who speaks Italian like a native speaker. I was in awe the whole evening of the ease in which he spoke Italian, and at one point the real Italian guy even commented that he thought he (the American) was Italian. This guy worked in Bologna for awhile and has been studying in Siena and Florence since last September. I spent most of the night trying to see if he made any mistakes but all in all I only heard two or three minor ones. What a distant dream it is to me--to speak Italian without hesitation or effort!

A bunch of us left the aperitivo to go to May Day, a bar not too far from the Duomo. On the way I had a strong craving for gelato, and since La Carraia was a bit too far, we stopped by Festival, a gelateria near the Piazza della Repubblica with tons of flavours. I got cioccolato fondente (dark chocolate) and--RAGAZZE, wait for it--rum baba. It was like seeing an old friend after a long time apart, and in many cases it really was since I hadn't had proper rum baba gelato since my trip to the Amalfi Coast with Nicky and Numz three years ago. Yum-zorz.

At May Day I ordered Ambrosia, an organic bubbly wine. It was just okay. I was anticipating amazing stuff since its name is synonymous with the food of the ancient Greek gods, so the high expectations were entirely my fault!

Two of my friends went out of their way to walk me home since they knew I was feeling a bit antsy following the events of Friday night. I was very grateful.

Today's word of the day is invidioso, meaning "envious" or "jealous", not to be confused with geloso which is used in the context of romantic relationships.

PS. The old habits to which I was referring to in the beginning include indecision and shyness, among others.
PPS. If you're wondering, the calabresi never showed up. I knew it!