Day 20-> Don't Worry, Be Happy

Day 20

As our time comes to an end here in Florence, I have felt a roller coaster of emotions in relation to the city.

When we first landed, I was feeling the classic "I'm in a new place" I'm back to Europe kind of emotion. This was the I'm excited about what's in store and what is to come as I continue my journey here for the next 3 weeks, with school for the next month and in Europe for the next two months. The fifty year rain that greeted us didn't seem to damper our spirits.

As the month continued, I felt the I'm homesick and which I could be home feeling. This was around the one year anniversary of my dads death. Regardless of the reasons, I still felt the I rather be home than anywhere else right now feeling.

That feeling was escalated when I developed a ear infection that was causing vertigo. By the end of that week, I was feeling back to my normal self and eager to take on the city and traveling once again.

This is when I really began to see Florence for what it had to offer. Not just a Mecca of the renaissance, or a place with pretty sights or the hometown of David. I began to see a city where locals lived and worked, where people flourished in a culture of their own that was uniquely Florentine.this stuck me the most at the grocery store where the Italians in front of me were buying ingredients to make American Cheeseburgers. Could it be, that they too, like us Americans enjoyed a cuisine other than their own? This was no different than when I go to the store and buy pasta, tomato sauce and meat for spaghetti bolognaise. This simple obnoxious of me waiting in line at the grocery store changed the way I saw an entire population of people for the better.

From this point forward, it was as my cultural radar was on overdrive. Could it be true? That I was no longer an obnoxious American tourist, that I was hardly a "traveler" that I had become an honorary, temporary Florentineinian? This began to become more and more true in the past week and a half. I would go to stores and begin to communicate without as much hassle as before.

Since it was the day before our farewell event hosted by us, we prepped food for the event today in class along with the help of our instructors. We also tasted southern Italy wines and a red from the France-Italy border. I for once, could distinctly taste the difference between the two countries wines clarifying for myself that my palette is becoming more advanced and that WSET intermediate certification is within shorter grasp than it was 3 weeks ago.

After class, everyone had the afternoon off. This provided a chance for us to explore the city one last time, pack and gave me a chance to go to the post office and mail a package back home containing all my notes, chef whites, balsamic vinegars etc.

For dinner, we decided to go to a small restaurant that a few people in our group had gone to a wine tasting at. The restaurant had a total of 15 or so seats with a very limited menu. 5 options for appetizers, and 3 pastas, 1 dessert. However, they did have around 35-40 wines on their menu.

For an appetizer we ordered traditional bruchetta and beef tare-tare with a handful of black truffles shaved on the top. For entree, I ordered fresh ravioli filled with cheese (I don't recall what kind now) topped with shaved black truffles and drizzled with truffle oil. The description does not do the dish justice. Dinner, including 2 gasses of wine costed less than €30.

After dinner, we headed to Ponte Vecchio, a particular bridge over the river, to watch the sunset. Everyone had a moment where they stood in awe of what we were experiencing. This, is when I had my epiphany, or ah-ha moment. It struck me like a ton of bricks, all of my life, all of the hard times, the struggles, heartaches, and losses, along with the achievements, victories, and wins had brought me here to that moment. We came back together and shared a bottle of Asti moscato as we watched the sunset down the river.

There was a two man band that played covers of various song from around the world. After the sun had set. We stayed around to listen to the music and enjoy some peccrino semifriesco. As we sat there, I looked to my right and there was a lady and her dog sitting there, She saw me looking and we began to have a broken language conversation about our dogs. The dog came up to me and I pet him for about 10 minutes. Though it was not my little girl, it satisfied a longing I had in my heart.

I looked up from the dog to see that three was a free spirited girl dancing around the street. This inspired the band to play a cover of Bobby MacFarin's "don't worry, be happy" This song, seemed to be the most fitting for the moment. Don't worry, but be happy with life as it is. I have seem this theme and concept play itself out in countless ways and this was just another way of God telling me not to worry.

I decided to get up and go dance in the street party that had started. I looked up and out of the crowd from which I was dancing and it hit me once again. Wow, I really am dancing with people from all over the world on a bridge in Florence Italy.

After a while we decided to go and grab gelato. On the way back we came across another guy playing music, this time mostly classic rock. We danced a bit and hung out in the night we never wanted to end.

"don't worry, be happy"


-Until

Matt