So it's been two weeks into my year in Italy - and finally I have some actual internet access - no more having to frantically write emails and check facebook within 30 minutes I bought from the hotel or internet cafe!
A year in Italy never really sounded like a long time until I was actually accepted into the study abroad program. But I'm looking for a life-changing experience, and I think it will take a year to truly discover one fully. I already feel like I'm changing! Even on the plane, all the fear, terror, uncertainty, sadness, excitement, and emotions I'd never felt before were already changing me. I can't imagine all the things I'll have gone through by the end of next June.
My first impression of Florence was that it reminded me a lot of Bucharest, Romania. This was just the outskirts, but it has the same eastern European look. Now that I have been around the centro, I can see the Florence of travel shows and tourism photos - hopefully I'll get to know the countryside a little more too.
The past two weeks have been so jam packed that it's all kind of a blur...here is my best summary:
My second day in Italy, we had orientation at the CSU center. We had so much to take in - but I'm trying to take it slowly (like the Italians do) and receive the help of fellow students (while trying to give as much as I can in return). Later in the day I got a bank account with the Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, which was created for students studying abroad. We also began our strenuous search for an apartment. We saw so many apartments that they all seemed to blend together...and racked up a good 18 miles of walking. We got the keys to our apartment on the first Monday we were there - and have now settled in (although we still don't have internet or a fifth bed).
Food: Mostly we eat take out food, which consists of panini, pizze, falafel, gelati, etc, which you find at bars and cafes. Gaby, Sara, and Sam are all great cooks so when we eat at home, it's simple but delicious pasta. And nutella. Oh...nutella. I can see why Italians are addicted and have pastries with nutella, nutella gelato, and nutella calzones.
School: I am taking an Italian language class Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 12:00. We can walk to school in about 7 minutes. My teacher is quite a comedian. The way he acts - he reminds me a little of Roberto Benigni. There is also an Italian culture and history class once a week for five weeks, which is great because it's essential to know the story of such a history-oriented city if you're going to live in it for a year. Finally, there is art advising Wednesdays and Fridays. Marsha is very demanding - and she's pretty cool! She's had 30+ years in Italy and knows exactly what the Accademia is looking for in our exam results. She's even going to take us to buy some Birkenstock sandals that all the Fiorentine women are wearing.
Homesickness and Culture Shock: I have to admit that 75% of what I write in my journal has nothing to do with day to day sights or adventures but developments in my homesickness. I miss being able to do things that were basic and easy in California but are hard for me here: shopping for groceries, asking for directions, and navigating through the traffic and strangely-named streets. But I miss my family and friends the most! Sometimes I feel a little stuck because my family and friends were never more than a half hour drive away - now I am stuck in another continent, unable to see the faces I've seen ever since I was born. The first week we stayed in a hotel, and I was still in the mindset that I was going to go home in a couple weeks. Now that I have an apartment, I am just trying to get accustomed to the fact that I am going to be here for a year - a foreign person studying in this place...living and learning here. Sometimes I wonder; "what was I thinking by coming here??" But I know it's all part of culture shock and becoming acclimatized. It's strange because at orientation and in all the handbooks, they told us that these things would happen - but it's another thing to experience it! And I know that I'll be able to get through it - many others have before me. In fact, I can already sense how I will miss Florence and being a study abroad student, despite the homesickness.
On a brighter note: On Friday we have our first field trip! We are going on an hour long bus ride outside of Florence to the Volterra and San Gimignano areas. So - expect a lot of photos!
16 years ago
