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Published: January 7th 2018
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The first couple days in Italy have been filled with lessons learned, specifically the following; apple maps are misleading (and will cause you to miss church with Mrs. Harrington), do not buy gelato for 10 euros, and I do not like gorgonzola cheese on my pizza. These past couple of days have melted together becoming a blur of new and exciting experiences. One of the differences I immediately noticed between Italy and the US was the fact that people run the streets. Cars have to maneuver around the crowds of people walking the streets, especially the busier streets (they resemble more of an alley). Also, most people walk in the city, so you don't encounter that many cars anyways. Another difference I have had to adapt to is how busy our street is pretty much all day, including the night. There is a famous sandwich shop directly below our window, meaning people are always standing in lines down our street, blocking our front door. It is louder than I expected and I hear chatter just about every hour I am awake. This may change once the holiday season is over and people return to work and school.
Friday was such
a blur, all I remember is stress, good food, and complete exhaustion. I enjoyed our welcome dinner because we were introduced to popular Italian dishes that I may have never tried, or known to try. Saturday included a trip to the school and some exploration through the city. We went grocery shopping which was interesting because we were able to compare prices to items back in the US and also find some of their more popular staples. After grocery shopping, Hannah wanted to stop for gelato and ended up paying 10 euros for a giant cone, only later to find out that the gelato down our street is only 2 euros (and much better). I just reminded her it's all a learning experience. Today we got lost, saw a gorgeous view of Florence, and took a train to Pisa for the afternoon.
Some of the most fun I have had so far is just exploring the incredible architect and history present within the city. Some of my favorite buildings within Florence include the Duomo and the church of Santa Croce. Learning our way around has also included getting lost. This morning my roommates and I wanted to meet Mrs.
Harrington at Santo Spirito for church, but when I used apple maps to lead us to Santo Spirito, it took us to one of the highest points (or at least it felt like it) across the river. Luckily, my roommates have positive attitudes and enjoyed the view at the top and being able to explore a part of the city we may have never encountered.
I have also enjoyed the lights lining the streets in celebration of the holidays. They have added a magical aesthetic to the already beautiful streets of Florence. Unfortunately, tonight on my walk home from the train station, I realized my favorite lights have been taken down with the holiday season ending. Luckily, there are still some lights still up, including the star lights that line our street.
A major challenge I have faced was initially feeling comfortable in a foreign country. At first I was extremely overwhelmed by our busy street and was honestly afraid to venture outside. Luckily, this silly mentality lasted maybe an hour, before hunger truly set in and I needed to venture outside and buy my first meal in Italy (it was a 2 euro pizza). Once I got past my comfort zone, I enjoyed getting acquainted with the city and finding some good food spots already (there is an amazing sandwich shop across the bridge, Panino del Chianti). Another difficulty I have struggled with is not knowing very much of the language. I am extremely excited to begin our language classes tomorrow so I can start practicing my Italian and utilizing it within the city.
Another thing we struggled with specifically today in Pisa, where I discovered my dislike for gorgonzola cheese on pizza, was trying to pay the bill together since they don't split checks. It is very obvious none of us are accounting or math majors, because it took us about 10 minutes to figure out how to pay the bill today by combining each others cash. Hopefully our math skills can improve for this trip.
I look forward to diving deeper into the history, art, and architect of Italy by visiting museums and entering different historic buildings this week, as well as beginning our language classes so I can finally speak like a native. Here's to more lessons learned!
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