Idiosyncracies and such

First of all…scheise, the keyboard is different. It took me about 5 minutes to find the @ key. This was uber frustrating and kept me from checking my facebook, email and myspace. Luckily a dear worker at this rather inexpensive Firenze internet cafe came to my rescue. I shall spoon him to repay him.

Before beginning to gush about the beauty and dream world that is Firenze, I will describe a rather odd similarity between arriving in Firenze and arriving at Newark airport. Both have IKEAs that are clearly visible while landing. A friend, Bea, gasped with me before we both shrieked “what!…are we in effing New Jersey?”
Well it was funny for us at the time.

Firenze is nothing short of spectacular. I won’t go into too much detail in this update as I haven’t slept in probably 22 hours, but I will give a bit of a teaser.

My apartment is right in the center of town, and I have a plaza and market right outside of my window. In addition, my apartment is one of the largest and nicests living arrangements I have seen in my life. Its a 3 bedroom apartment, for 6 of us. The hall corridor is extensive, and looks like something out of a multi million dollar manhattan pad. The kitchen is a separate and rather large room as is our fully adorned living room w/ pimp dark blue couches. My kitchen has a new full size fridge, oven, and a washer and a dryer! w00t!| Did I mention we have 3 bathrooms? The apartment itself is fully renovated and everything is brand new. The building itself is probably half a milenia old and I have to walk through a spooky layer, and climb up 2 flights of stairs to reach the uber chich pad.

Firenze itself is breath-taking. It is more beautiful than any movie could portray and the streets breathe so much life they rival the busiest Manhattan has to offer. I’ve only been here but a few hours, and already I wish to call this home for ages to come.

The one set back is the fact that every local I speak to responds to me in English. I’ve yet to use my Italian at all, which while very limited, I was hoping to test out. Once I start my legit Italian schooling at NYU, I’m sure things will change. It is reassuring that at the 3 establishments that I have explored everything has been accomodating for Americans. I was expecting to use my Spanish skills, but alas English is king.

NYU’s campus in Florence looks just like the pictures in the viewbooks. It is one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen, and trust me has this beaner toured many a college campus. It is nestled between the rolling hills of Tuscany, the architecture complements the natural lush vegetation, and the yellow orange buildings shine with the sunlight.

I am in love with the city, its beauty, and most importantly its energy. I may be drained physically, but with Firenze rooting me on, I could keep my energy going full force!

Picture updates to come, I just need to figure out the internet situation before I get started. Take Care everyone, and don’t fret there will be a Manhattan update as well. It was nice to visit my past home and see the faces that made it so warm.

Peace, Spice, and Adventure,
-Edgar

I recently noticed that to many of my NYC friends, and especially to my friends abroad, El Paso is more foreign a place than Paris or London could ever be. With that in mind, and having to say goodbye to this warm, humbling city in 3 days, I decided a picture update of my home land was in order.

El Paso doesn’t have much of a reputuation outside of its immediate region, and that reputation isn’t very favorable. But around the Franklin Mountains are a people filled with culture, flavor, and enough spice to have kept me around so many years. Ironically, these pictures focus more on the aesthetic than on the people themselves, but imagery inspired me today. People have inspired me my entire life.

Enjoy the picture tour:
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