What I do, of course, is catch up on work, not the least of which includes working on getting a job. Doing that involves getting my resume whipped into shape, of course, and also writing cover letters for whatever academic institutions I apply to. Unlike other times I've been job hunting in the past, though, this time it's nice to have a clear sense of what I want to do. Now, it's just a matter of where I do it.
Other projects include getting survey groups set up for another project I'm working on, and also looking over my study guide for the math portion of the GMAT. I know, I know... since I've already got the MBA, what on earth do I want to torture myself with all that again? It's because I'm such a masochist that I'm going to see if I can endure just one last gauntlet, ending this time with a change in title from Ms. To Doctor. Or, en Italiano, it would be Dotoressa. Either way, it requires a better math score on that God-forsaken test than I was able to get by walking in cold like I did the last time, so I have to study. That's okay, though... if I get into my first choice, UCLA, I'll need to go back and take a refresher or two in calculus, so I might as well get a jump on it all now.
Being in Florence for a while has also given us a chance to get to a few tourist-type places we haven't really gotten around to yet. One such place was an art exhibit at the Palazzo Pitti. It was billed as "Mythologica Erotica," which is provocative enough all by itself to have us clamoring at the door to get in. But what I actually thought was even more compelling than the exhibit itself was the part of the Palace it was being displayed in. The Pitti Palace was the home of the Medici family, and it was lavishly - as in, jaw-dropping, oh-my-look-at-that-ceiling - decorated. It's also been recently restored, so the paintings on the walls and ceiling in these particular rooms were magnificent - just swimming in color and detail. Unfortunately the exhibit was closing and we didn't have as much time in there as I would have liked, but I was still very glad we checked it out.
We also made it to the Boboli Gardens, which are just off the Palazzo Pitti. The gardens are much along the same lines as, say, Descanzo Gardens, except that these particular gardens are filled with Renaissance sculptures modeled after pieces from Greek antiquity. The day happened to be sunny and brisk, and that made for a gorgeous hike through the grounds, finally ending when it got a little too chilly to stay out there any longer. Interestingly enough, one thing that really struck me about the site was the half-dozen or so cats I saw hanging around the exit gates. 
I immediately launched into the same frame of mind I had in Greece - like, oh no, another bunch of homeless cats - but after realizing most of them bordered on obese and then seeing them trot after a woman carrying a grocery bag, I realized that the folks at the museum must be maintaining these guys. How cool is that?Another must-see site in Florence is the Uffizi Gallery, and that was our stop for today. This is the home of a lot of the world's most important art, with paintings by Botticelli, Ruben, Michelangelo, Raphael, hundreds of sculptures that include a number of hugely famous pieces, and a gorgeous collection of Catholic sacred paintings. The class had already visited this museum, but I happened to be on day-two of the cold I picked up on the trip home from Amsterdam, so I just couldn't drag myself out to go. I didn't mind going another time, but wouldn't you know it: the day we set aside to visit this gallery is the day a general national strike takes place in protest of proposed government cuts in cultural funding. We managed to get in for an hour and a half, but sadly, the rooms where most of the blockbuster pieces were had been closed. Argh!
(Of course I recognize that this leaves me with an imperative to visit Florence again, but I'm going to throw the appropriate tantrum now, and I trust that all my readers will note my apparent chagrin.)
Backing up a bit here... on Thursday, all the classes combined to give their final presentations, and I have to say they did a great job. The mandate was to draw from all of the classes each student was enrolled in - humanities, music, film, or the literature classes - and relate that in some creative way to their experiences on the trip. The presentations ranged from a couple readings of students' original stories, to short plays based on the life of American students in Italy (with pratfalls we could all relate to), to at least one short film that a group put together. It's neat to see that, in spite of what we might have thought they were doing these twelve weeks, the students have really learned a lot from their classes and the opportunity to travel. The high spirits carried over into Thursday night's
farewell dinner, and we all had a lot of fun. The restaurant, knowing we were all American and it was Thanksgiving Day, served up a spread of turkey, gravy, potatoes, and a few Italian favorites, which was good even though it wasn't home. Perhaps a bit surprised at how nostalgic we were suddenly feeling, we all toasted the friendships made and the mind-expanding that had taken place over the last three months. It was a nice end to the formal portion of the experience for all of us.So now, we just have to do a bit more shopping, pack up, and get ourselves back on the plane home. Only three more days... wow.
Good night,
-Leanne
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