oh the holidays.

ciao tutti!

it's beginning to look like Christmas here in florence... the windows are full of colorful displays, the streets are lined with mini Christmas trees [well, the nicer ones anyway], and twinkle lights are hung from building to building. and in our own little apartment, i find myself listening to sufjan's Christmas album more often than not.

it's strange to be away from America in this season. it's definitely hard to believe that you will all be carving up turkey on thursday and then hitting the malls on friday. oh how i wish i was around to take part in this beloved time of year!

this saturday, i will blessed with the presence of two giant turkeys! our team is hosting a thanksgiving dinner for our italian friends... about 60 of them! of course the idea of thanksgiving is completely foreign to them- their eyes usually light up, arms spread wide, and whisper urgently: grande tacchino! yes. so we shall provide two.

so as you munch on your leftovers this weekend, be thinking of the tiny apartment we are cramming students into, feeding turkey, and sharing about the religious freedom that sparked this day we call thanksgiving.

america votes.

it's strange to be in a foreign country during such an exciting time in the good ole usa. what makes it even crazier is when the internet in your florentine apartment goes out- so you are completely cut off from all news... or palin snl videos.

italy is quite excited to see obama as the new face of america. i admit it's a relief to now introduce myself without being asked, "who are you voting for?", and then of course being judged accordingly. it was getting more and more difficult to evade such a question.

what shall i miss most? tina fey of course. but don't you worry- there are three girls in florence that will continue to "get mavericky". we will miss you sarah palin, but your maverick legacy shall live on in our hearts... and our youtube videos.

saturday with sarah.

okay. so potentially the grandest moment of 'florence in the fall' just happened. and i mean JUST. this little post... well, it's coming at you live... if you will.

if you have ever lived anywhere near stillwater then i know you are familiar with aspen coffee. and if you are familiar with aspen coffee then i know you heart chai. and if you heart aspen chai, we are probably bff.

well, even here in italy, people are bonding over this delicious beverage. on more than one occasion i have found myself in an 'aspen' conversation.

but today my friends, today, all this talk became reality... thanks to a dear friend... sarah. i may or may not have been leaping round her kitchen. no big deal.

apparently, you can partake via big train brand. and i kid you not, it IS aspen chai. aka, the love of my life.

so here's to you aspen- from europe- i salute you.