This semester I have chosen to study outside the comforts of SUNY Oneonta and take classes in Florence. Studying abroad was a goal of mine before I even entered college. The opportunity to study fashion in its capital is something I had to go for. After all the paper work and stresses came to a close, it didn't hit till I got off the plane.
Having arrived in Italy about week ago I still have so much to learn, but already I feel like I've taken in so much. When I ventured into the city for the first time I had zero words. It was unlike anything I had ever seen in my entire life. I told the rest of my group that I felt like I was in Epcot or it was a movie set. Here are my thoughts and feelings i've had since my arrival in Florence.
"Two words, JET and LAG" Yep,my first feeling I've had during this first week is jet lag.Honestly, I wasn't expecting it to hit me this hard. I get energetic at random points during the day and then completely crash at others. I can't help but stay up till 3am, cause back home its only 9pm. Also Florence night life is decently active, and regardless of time there always seems to be some drunk person screaming in Italian outside my window. Coffee or as they say, cafe is very strong but can only keep me up for so long. Also its a tiny shot, which is weird.
"Did I just transport back to the bars of Oneonta?" Speaking of night life, from what I've experienced so far its decently American. I waked into a bar, the bouncer smiled at me, didn't ask for my id. Then I ordered a vodka cranberry and took a tequila shot while One Dance by Drake played in the background. For those of you who go to Oneonta, the place I went to was called Uncle Jimmys.
"Ok.There is a 24 vending machine at the pharmacy and the first row is all condoms" Italians are very direct about many things but especially about sex and drinking. Our onsite director asked us where we went to go drinking the night before, and how many Italian boy names we knew after. Seemed a little shocking for us Americans, but for them its normal. Even many places that sell lingerie, are much cheaper then those in the states. Also our professors also openly talk about the best places to go drinking. Definitely a different experience.
"I don't care if I gain weight, gelato is an amazing invention and if I had my way I would have it every day for eternity." I'm have so far had gelato everyday since I've been here and i do not plan on stopping anytime soon, it is not comparable to anything I've had in the states. Of course, same really goes for all the food here, everything I've had is good.
"Everything is super old" Kinda funny and simplistic, but I mean its true. I have never gone to a place were everything is very old and hasn't changed too much. Boston doesn't even come close to this place. How human being built these structures is completely mind boggling. I've seen pictures of all these places in art history books, but to stand less then 3 feet away from the Duomo (I'll go inside sometime soon) is crazy. It's huge!
"Is this really where I'm living?" Gonna brag cause I will probably never live in a place like this ever ever again. Our apartment is very large. We have a rooftop view of the city center. Our living room has a mini fountain (like wtf?). The bedrooms and bathrooms are large, and the location could not be any better. We are close to everything, including the school. So when ever some crappy reality show wants to come in and film us, we have the perfect set for them.
"Kinda digging the whole language immersion" I guess its more honest to say language immersion is a love/ hate relationship. Italians love when you try to speak Italian. I can order a coffee and get gelato all in Italian. I can also ask where the bathrooms are. Pretty important phrases. I'm finding its so much easier to learn a language when basically everyone is your language teacher. Everyone can speak English and they love to help you if you ask them how to say something in Italian. Although this is all fine and dandy, its a lot harder when your grocery shopping and you are not entirely sure what your looking at. Also when your school email won't translate to English.
"Wow is really wish *insert someone I love and care about name here* was here" Everything here is incredible and the people are very nice. It's hard when everything is romantic and I would love to be with my boyfriend. Or watch some of my friends freak out over all the cute dogs in Italy that get taken everywhere.Or geek out over art and history. The experience is just already so great, its hard not to want to share it with the people I love. With 1 week down and 15 more to go, I can not wait to see what other experiences I will have and other people I will meet.For now, Peace love and Ciao!
