...it is. Florence is rainy all the way, and the Arno river is rising up a bit and developing a stronger current. The little spot of river bank, where feral cats used to live (you could see them if you looked down the Ponte alle Grazie) is now gone, and the cats perhaps have drowned. "Maestro" Michael John Angel at our art school recalls having been in Florence one year after the great flood catastrophe of 1966 and told us how muddy everything still was. Though, we probably won't get a flood. It's simply not raining enough for this.

But still enough rain to get soaked shoes and socks all the time. Florence is no city for impatient car drivers, and especially as poor students many of us walk everywhere. I solved the soaked socks problem gracefully by taking extra socks to school with me, and placing my shoes next to the portable gas heater that is preventing the life drawing class model from freezing. No more wet feet, hooray.

But it is still cold, in a mean and unholy way. My Finnish roommate Henna, who also studies at Angel Academy of Art, and I have switched on the heater a few times, it seemed to be working, but the little apartment simply did not become warm. We even could set the temperature to 30 degrees celsius and it would still feel like 13. So we're wearing a lot of clothes right now, and I'm even eating more than usual (as far as my budget allows. After having paid rent, utilities and internet, I currently live on 250 euros monthly. Enough for my regular supply of rice crackers, cake and halva without which I could survive.)

And I'm so freaking happy. After all, these were the first three months in my entire life when I was all on my own. I have moved out of my parent's place, and suddenly have to think of things I never had to think about before; and I have mastered everything. Well, almost. Here are some of the lessons I have learned:

1) Always open the bathroom window WIDE after taking a shower. ^{Mildew is fugly.}
2) Never place a small cup of tomato sauce longer than 3 minutes in the microwave.
3) Cheap batteries suck.
4) Always count your money before going to the cashier at the supermarket.

I wish I could show some photographs. But klutz that I am, I forgot the cable of my camera back home in Germany; and discovered too late that my new notebook does not have a slot for my old digicam's memory card. When I get home for the holidays on Dec 15th, I can upload a few pictures from Angel Academy of Art :]