There are many things that I had forgotten about living in the US. Mostly they are little things that were at one point second nature to me. Living in Italy has instilled me with different habits, so during my trip to the States, I have felt a bit awkward at times and have made a few faux pas.

Since we've arrived in the States a few weeks ago, we've been busier than ever. We have flown to different cities (and states), stayed in our relative's and friend's houses, and driven around a little bit. We've been to Las Vegas, Denver, Breckenridge (CO), Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Los Gatos, and Sacramento. We've done a lot in such a short amount of time and have visited almost everyone we came here to see.

Before I left on my trip to the US, I was quite emozionata (emotional) about leaving my beloved city. I ran around town to see a few of my friends in the days before I left to say good-bye. It was quite difficult for me to see a few of my friends, so I ended up not seeing them all face-to-face. It sounded like forever when I told them that I'd be gone an entire month. I didn't want to dwell on my not being there as I really wanted to enjoy my time in the US.

Today is the first day that we didn't have to go to the airport and take a plane. Today, in Las Vegas, we took a taxi to the Fashion Show mall, which is on the other end of town from our hotel. We haven't been in a mall since we were in the US last year; I forgot how big and airy the malls are.

For the past three days, we've been flying in and out of different cities and countries. We've gone from Pisa to London, from London to San Francisco, and today from San Jose to Las Vegas. We arrived in Las Vegas where the temperatures felt much more like what we have in Florence right now, although much dryer.

Everyone told me how I should know that flying out of Heathrow would be a nightmare. I found, however, that things went quite smoothly. We checked in at the self-service area, checked in our luggage, went through security, and that was it.

On our trip to San Francisco, we decided to fare uno scalo (have a layover) in London for the night. We haven't been in a few years and love the city and wanted to see a few friends for dinner.

I went all over town today buying a few last minute items before we take off to the US for a few weeks. I have already written down what I'm going to do when I get to California and it is all centered around food.

After dropping off my sample at the punto prelievi/analisi (samples/analysis laboratory) almost 9 days ago, the risultati (results) were finally ready to be picked up today. The last time I was at the punto prelievi/analisi, I read on a sign that they only give out the risultati between 11:30AM and 12:30PM. In big print underneath, it said, "Né prima né dopo." (Not before and not after.)

I read an article in this month's Per Me magazine in which I learned a few things from a sondaggio (survey) of 500 Italians regarding città italiane (Italian cities). The results involved a few of my favorite cities: Rome, Venice, Milan, and, of course, Florence.

Every once in a while while I'm walking in the streets of Florence alone, a man will often inch up alongside of me and talk to me. My reaction is to look straight ahead and ignore him. The guy gets frustrated and even if he says something rude, he eventually stops.

I never realized how long the month of August could be. Many of my friends, like Simone, have still not returned and a few shops and restaurants have still not reopened. After the ferragosto (August 15th), I thought that the city would quickly come back alive, but it hasn't yet. The last of the holiday-makers should be returning this Saturday and Florence will be back to normal.

When I was a little girl, our family owned an ice cream/gift shop that later became a sandwich shop. My mother taught me to always wash my hands after touching money and before touching food. In the US, I feel that people follow these rules quite rigorously; however, in Italy I'm a little perplexed here as sometimes hands are washed and other times not.

This morning, I had to wake up early to go get a few esami di sangue (blood tests) done. I had, of course, gone to the laboratorio (laboratory) yesterday to get information before I came in for the esami di sangue. The woman told me that I had to arrive digiuno (with an empty stomach) between 7:30AM and 10AM.

Now that I have gone to two palestre (gyms) in downtown Florence this year, I feel that I have enough information to come to a few conclusions. I have been going to one palestra near my house all year and have rejoined my old palestra for the month of August because mine was closed for ferie (holidays).