And you thought the STIMULUS package was difficult...

I've come to share the story of a fairly cliche overseas shipping experience.

Coming over here I was impressed with myself and the foresight of my packing for the semester. I didn't go overboard on clothing, had remembered contact solution and had plenty of band-aids for blisters inflicted by new Italian leather shoes. However, after joining a very convenient gym, going to many fantastic musical performances, and missing the comfort of a PB&J, I decided it was time to email home for a package of various things. Just a few workout shirts, my hand-held portable audio recorder and a jar of Skippy was all I really wanted...

Leaving Saint Cloud on February 14th and getting to my school in Florence on February 19th, the five day interval was very smooth in comparison to shipping experiences with friends of mine here. Mine however, had the honor of traveling roughly 4760 of the 4775 miles in its trip, sitting for a day just a 20 minute train ride away, retreating back to the northern outskirts of Milan (over four hours away now), coming back to the same 20-minutes-away spot, and then finally arriving safe and sound. In the process I had to fax a declaration of the contents of the package and a copy of my passport to prove that which was in the box was indeed my own. Getting a new bank card shipped overseas is apparently more trouble than you would expect.

In the end I came away with extra clothing, peanut butter (it's incredibly scarce and expensive over here) some tea, a bag of m&ms, a surprising box of honey bunches of oats (thanks mom), a bank card, and most importantly, my audio recorder. I hope to be able to post audio of not only the music I'm going to here in Florence (I never knew there was such a great jazz scene over here), buy my own open-mic adventures. I'm headed to a club called Bebop this Monday night to play, perhaps Tuesday morning will offer up a bit of music for your ears?

That's all for now, I have a fun and fairly interesting trip planned for tomorrow that has a story behind it as well. Will keep you all posted.

Also, thanks Logan for becoming a blog follower, don't think I didn't notice you. I shall do the same for yours, which I have been enjoying.


Scott

It's long past check-in time...

Apologies for my blogging absence, the internet in our apartment appears to have singled out my computer as its enemy and so I have no way of getting online with my own laptop aside from here at school.

Not to worry, plenty to share over the course of this interlude between posts. Things are getting along quite nicely in Florence, I've been doing a lot to find places a bit more off the beaten path for American students and have found a few exciting things:

1-The Florence jazz club, which is called "Jazz Club" has a one-time members fee of 8€ and some of the most amazing musicians I've ever witnessed on either side of the Atlantic. I went last Wednesday night to watch the house band/jam session and was completely floored, even before the second song finished. One of the best jazz guitarists I've ever heard, live or on record, proceeded to lead his trio through many songs I've played dozens of times myself with Night Shift. The (fairly young) Florentine man left me completely speechless with his playing. I was also treated to a few great rounds of jazz violin and clarinet and even a tenor sax solo. No word yet on working up the courage to ask to borrow a sax, but I'll try and keep an eye on it...

2-Open mic night(s). I've written two new songs while over here and cleaned up/added to two other of mine. Throw in a few covers and I now have 10-12 songs to play on my own with my newly bought acoustic guitar over here. I played last night at a very American-ish bar called "Red Garter", it went really well. Hopefully I can fill out my set with a handful more of originals and be quite polished by the time I come back home. If I get enough friends to come out and see me, count on audio (and maybe even video) recordings of myself on this blog in the weeks to come.

3-Trip to Sienna. There really isn't much to say about last Friday's school-wide trip to the Italian city of Sienna. The pictures speak for themselves.






Frescos inside the Sienna duomo.


That's all for now, I hope to have plenty to share what with the musical things starting to pick up. Hope all is well with everyone at home, send me a comment or two and let me know!

from Italy,

Scott

Another weekend in Italy...

This weekend was quite busy for myself. After my roommates left early Friday morning for Rome, I went on a hike with most of my classmates on Monte Ceceri, a high mountain/park in the town of Fiesole, just outside of Florence. We were treated to great views, clear skies, and a dense green forest that made me feel as if I was walking around Colorado on an early May morning.


The view of Florence from the top of Monte Ceceri.


Saturday morning I left with a friend I've made here, Bethany, for Milan by train. At Milan we were treated to cooler temperatures, high fashion stores, and a gorgeous cathedral that most definitely rivals the one in Florence. Saturday evening we talked over drinks with two men staying in our hostel. Jimmy, a British man from New Castle is living in Milan and teaching English as a second language. He and I immediately found common ground, laughing heartily about Eddie Izzard and Coen brothers films. His friend, Mohammad, had been born in Tanzania, educated in Britian and America, and was now in Milan working on his own telecommunications company that specializes in calls from Europe to Africa and Asia. These men were not only genuinely refreshing and funny, but they had great viewpoints to share about the global economic crisis, our new president, and general current events in the past few years. I looked up at one point in the night and saw what was happening. A couple of Americans in their early 20s were talking to an Englishman and a Tanzanian in their mid 40s in a bar staffed by Chinese immigrants in the middle of northern Italy. Funny how that works out.



The duomo in Milano.


The inside of the duomo. Very very incredible.




This seemed like the place the Illuminati had their secret meetings...




Inside castle grounds in Milan.

So, although I'm a little sad to be missing out on some great concerts in Minneapolis this weekend, I'm very lucky to see and meet such great places and people. Hope to have more updates soon.

Scott