Meeting the Japanese producer of the moving documentary “Happy” at a special presentation in Florence University of the Arts

Most of the beginning of October was spent indoors studying for my midterms.

Making fresh pasta in Florence food, culture, and society class

I did however, manage to make some really yummy food in my food, culture, and society class! Every week in this class we take on the challenge of making an authentic Italian dish. We make different dishes depending on what region we are currently studying. I was particularly excited the second week of October because not only were we making a dish native to Tuscany, but it included making fresh pasta! I had so much fun learning the whole process and seeing how much work goes into such amazing pasta. The pasta we made was long and hard, and fit perfectly with our ragu sauce. I had not only seconds, but thirds and fourths!

Jumping with excitement during Corri La Vita

I was also very happy that I was able to participate in Corri La Vita, a walk around Florence to fundraise toward breast cancer research. I’ve always loved doing different walks or runs to raise money toward medical research. I’d been doing these walk since I was younger all around California so when I found out about Corri La Vita, I was more than excited to participate. The whole atmosphere of the day was so comforting. Families and friends were enjoying each other’s company and the beautiful city, as they were brought together by a common goal. I’m really glad I was able to walk around the museums and architecture of Florence in this light and it was definitely a day I won’t forget.

Futbol game with Fiorentina versus Napoli

I was really excited about getting to watch a European futbol game live when SAI took us to the game where Fiorentina played against Napoli. Watching live sports here is definitely different than watching them in the United States and it was really interesting seeing how the locals reacted to the different plays and atmosphere. The crowd was super lively, randomly breaking out into Italian chants, and almost every native I was was at least a little tipsy. I still think it quite ironic how much Italians smoke, especially in sports stadiums. Although we ultimately lost the game by one point, it was so much fun getting into the sport spirit and having an awesome team and city to support. Little things like this will definitely have me missing the Italian culture with their rowdy and loving, spirit.

Locked up wines in the best wine shop of Florence during a walking tour in my Wine Appreciation class

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Jasmine is a student at Gustavus Adolphus College studying at Florence University of the Arts during the Fall 2013 term.