Feeling Fantastic in Florence

What a great time we had on Sunday.

My first time as the main organizer of the event, and while it was a crunch at the end, the final result was fabulous.

Thanks for all the compliments, everyone.

I'd like to especially thank my brother, Jordan, who volunteered two days of his vacation to help out with setting up and breaking down!

Learn Italian in the birthplace of the Renaissance through the study abroad program in Florence, Italy.

 This looks like a good time, and something that Firenze Live has also been working on.

The guys from Switch seem to really be active, from rap and hip-hop at the Casa della Creativita' to organizing sporting events -- what don't they do?

The S. Lorenzo market was closed today due to a strike. Apparently the recent tax hike for the use of public property didn't go down well with the folks who work the open air markets in town.

They're offended -- robbed, they say, by the city in an underhanded scheme to extort money out of honest laborers already suffering through the economic crisis.

Give me a break.

Mi dispiace che mi chiamano solo quando c'è qualche problema.

Ieri, ore 17 -- sto tornando dai nonni.  Chiamata da un numero che non conosco.  La Repubblica, che vuole sapere che cosa ho da dire su un ragazzo americano caduto dal quarto piano perché ubriaco.

E io che c'entro?

Ma purtroppo, c'entro.  Come tutti noi che vivono a Firenze.  Abbiamo tutti una responsibilità verso questi ragazzi -- una responsabilità che purtroppo spesso va a farsi benedire.

In December 2009, we (that is, the new Assessore alle Universita' and my project partners exout) announced at a press conference that Firenze Live! would launch in January with all the appropriate fanfare and fun.

I am hopeful for this project, as it addresses a multitude of issues surrounding the many students that live here in Florence for 3 months at a time.

The biggest issue is getting them to hang out with Italian kids, and that's what Firenze Live! is all about.