Dio Aiutami!

Today was the day that University began in Firenze. It was also the day that I attended my first class. Archeologia e Storia Dell'Arte Greca e Romana. Come again? I walked in to the lecture hall at 12.55 for the 13.00 start, initially glad to see that there were at least over 50 people already in their seats. This was a promising sign. Now, whilst the lecture took place I began a transcript underneath my notes, a blow by blow account of what took place in the following 2 hours. Here we go.

More people coming into the room. Actually, a lot more. Probably double the amount that was originally in here.
More people still coming into the room. It's 13.10, the lecture still has not begun. I think there are about 200 people in here now.
This lecture theatre is pretty interesting. It has got like frescoes all over the walls. It feels a bit like a church. It's very Florence.
Can't get over the boy to girl ratio in this room. I'm pretty sure that there is 1 guy for every 9 girls.
Lecture has finally started. At last, its 13.20.
No idea what's going on.
A lot of people seem to be writing stuff down, the girl on my right is not however. This is making things difficult.
There has been a break down in communication. Lecturer thought that the projector above his head was working. It is not. He has started fiddling with his computer. Everyone is talking again. Time is 13.35.
Lecturer has now walked out the room. He's gone.
Now he is back with what seems to be the technician.
It's. 13.55. I think he is going to do it ad lib. Oh god, everyone is writing again. Girl on my right is still not writing. In fact, she seems to be packing her stuff up.
Please don't go! Don't leave me. The girl who was sitting on my right, whom I had hoped would be of some help so I could at least get an idea of what she was writing down, has apparently come to the wrong lecture. She has written anything for the first hour, has got up and walked out.
Cheers.
Lecturer continues talking. I am making out words. 'erodoto del 'elicarnaso. Yes I recognise that one.
Lecturer is sitting on a stage behind a vast desk with 4 computers on it. In fact he is almost completely covered by one so that we can only see his head. He is speaking into a mic. The Italians like speaking into mics.
Italian girl on my left asks me what the title of the book was that he just mentioned. I look at her. And in my best Italian reply: 'Sorry, if you do not know, then I do not know.'..... What book?!?!
Lecturer's mic has stopped working. He is still going, I don't think he has realised. No one from the tenth row back can now hear.
This goes on for 10 minutes. One guy has finally shouted out to notify him. Everyone leaughs. I look around.
He is going to have to do without the mic. Prof. De Tommaso Giandomenico, that is his name, is now leaving the stage and working his way up the ailses. He is still holding his mic to his mouth. I'm not entirely sure why, when we have just told him that it is not working.
14.45, coming into the home straight now. Lots of moving has started. People are getting up and strolling out. Lecturer is apparently ignoring them and continuing.
They're flocking out now. Nearly half the lecture hall has left and he's still talking. There are still 5 minutes to go. I'm still very confused
He's waving a book around. What's the title?! I doubt I will ever find out.

An Introduction

Ciao! .....

Before I whack out some lengthy spiel in Italian about Florence, art, history and the rest of it I am going to have to stop there because at this stage that is almost the full depth of my Italian vocabulary! I jest, but only slightly. You see, whilst I do study Classics and Italian at the University of Edinburgh, I began my joint honours degree in Italian having never actually studied it before. Two years on and my grasp of the 'language of love' is still pretty poor due to a poor lack of application and a series of refusing to get out of bed on a Friday morning for an 11 o'clock tutorial which in my head did not exist. But not to fear, I have high hopes ahead of my year at L'Universita degli studi di Firenze and with a little bit of effort and a lot of dictionary use I might just be able to return with a lot more hand gestures and a few more extravagant Italian-esque sayings in the bag.

To mark the fact I will be spending my 3rd year at University abroad in Florence, I have decided to set up a blog so that I can jot down not only my various jaunts, involvements and discoveries from a year in Firenze, but so that I can also share my views and opinions on the world of sport. I happen to take a keen interest in football (Calcio as it's called in Italy), Cricket (sadly spelt exactly the same as the Italians don't even know what it is), Golf and Tennis. I was fortunate enough to have spent the whole of my 2nd year at Edinburgh writing for the sport's section of The Journal, Scotland's Student Newspaper, and due to this previous experience of sports writing it has made me all the more keen to continue this hobby via a blog when in Italy.

I fly to Pisa and then on to Florence in 4 days time in the company of Dad, as we look to sort out my accommodation with who I hope will be a lovely bunch of Italians. From there it's pretty much 'Chocks Away'. I always thought that that saying was 'Bombs Away' but apparently not.

Alla prossima volta (Thank you Google Translate)