I am finally in Italy! I arrived August 28th after traveling all day/night the 27th. I arrived at the airport in Florence, stepping off the plane into the startlingly humid August heat. Baggage claim was packed with a mix of American-study-abroad students and Italians. The Italians had no qualms about shoving in front of others to line the conveyer belt. After watching my clothes go round twice – I dove in to get my two fifty pound bags, while watching my two carry on bags with one eye. Luckily, the baggage carts were free! The group of American students quickly bonded together and moved toward the Study Abroad Italy sign. Two Italian men, shaking their heads at the copious amounts of baggage per girl, loaded the van to the brim.
After receiving our telephones and keys, and signing the necessary paper work, we were divided into small groups according to the location of our apartments. The driver only had time to get each girl’s luggage to the front door before driving on to the next group member’s apartment. Alone at the curved wooden door on Via Ghibellina, 45, and surrounded by baggage, I opened the door.
A steep marble staircase led up four flights of stairs to a wrought iron gateway with a sign stating “atenti al cane!” (Beware of Dog!) Through the gateway was another flight of stairs leading to the top floor. I sprinted up the stairs and struggled with the lock barring me from my new home. Dropping my two carry-on bags off just inside the door (and locking it!) I ran down the stairs to my unprotected luggage abandoned at the bottom of the stairwell. Taking each bag up one flight at a time, I struggled to pull the heavy baggage up the steep stairs. When I finally reached the last flight of stairs, sweat dripping down my face and soaking my shirt, my middle aged neighbor was awaiting me (shirt and belt unbuckled). Wiping my forehead, I introduced myself. Quickly turning to right himself, my neighbor introduced himself and asked if I knew how to use my European appliances. After two hours of talking with my new neighbor, I began to unpack. Not long afterward, I laid down for a nap.
Awakening from my nap to the sound of my new cell phone, I tried to answer it, only to have it cut off my first caller! Unfortunately, I was too poor to call my caller back (for outgoing calls charge exorbitant rates). Outside my door I heard the sound of luggage being yanked up the stairs. My roommate Sarah arrived just as sweaty as I!
When we were all settled, we called Sarah’s Italian friend Bennidetta, who had traveled from Milan to visit Sarah. Benni took us around Florence, explaining the many Italian curiosities along the way. We found a moderately-priced restaurant to satisfy our mounting hunger. Drawing customers into the restaurant with free sangria samples, the Italian hostess led us to a table in the corner, lined with paper menus as place mats. An Italian family flanked our right and a Chinese on our left. Sarah ordered a caprese (tomato and mozzarella pizza) and a 2,40 Euro mineral water (Italians don’t/won’t serve tap water! And you can’t bring yout own water out of your bag to drink at any restaurant – they’ll ask you to put it up!) I ordered a spinach and cheese calzone and a 2,40 Euro ¼ bianco casa vino. Benni got an eggplant pizza. We then escorted Benni across the river to Oltrarno (“the other side” of Firenze) to her hostel. And promptly got lost on the way home (12:15 pm (0:15))!
On Wednesday, Benni met us at the apartment and we visited the Duomo, Santa Croce, Pointe/Palazza Vecchio, the Pitti Palace, and Santa Spirito. We were not able to go inside many of these sites, for we were awaiting going with our classes, but we did briefly enter the Duomo. We did not stay long enough for me to feel that I’d thoroughly explored it. I will have to re-visit all of these destinations! That night, Benni cooked pesto pasta for us and we once again escorted her to her hostel, and promptly got lost!
Thursday we attended orientation and celebrated my birthday at a Mexican restaurant (with free wifi!) on our street.
Interesting things we experienced:
- Sketchy Italian guys:
· Marco and friend
· Alfredo
· The guy from Kosovo and cousin
· 50ish year old singer and friend
- Italians hang out in the piazzas, bridges, and stairs of the churches at night.
- Italian singers and liturgical dancers performing a slew of Simon and Garfunkel songs.
- Watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air dubbed over in Italian.
- Nine T Nine Cent stores
Today (Friday), Sarah and I slept in until 12 and rushed and made it to SAI to turn in our Permisso info and sign up for four field trips through SAI (with a 30 Euro deposit). We then grabbed out laptops and sat outside the school and checked email and wrote home. I made pasta and garlic bread and we had a great dinner together listening to Italian music and looking out our window at the Italian families living around us. Tonight we plan to go to a party nine of the study abroad guys are throwing.
After receiving our telephones and keys, and signing the necessary paper work, we were divided into small groups according to the location of our apartments. The driver only had time to get each girl’s luggage to the front door before driving on to the next group member’s apartment. Alone at the curved wooden door on Via Ghibellina, 45, and surrounded by baggage, I opened the door.
A steep marble staircase led up four flights of stairs to a wrought iron gateway with a sign stating “atenti al cane!” (Beware of Dog!) Through the gateway was another flight of stairs leading to the top floor. I sprinted up the stairs and struggled with the lock barring me from my new home. Dropping my two carry-on bags off just inside the door (and locking it!) I ran down the stairs to my unprotected luggage abandoned at the bottom of the stairwell. Taking each bag up one flight at a time, I struggled to pull the heavy baggage up the steep stairs. When I finally reached the last flight of stairs, sweat dripping down my face and soaking my shirt, my middle aged neighbor was awaiting me (shirt and belt unbuckled). Wiping my forehead, I introduced myself. Quickly turning to right himself, my neighbor introduced himself and asked if I knew how to use my European appliances. After two hours of talking with my new neighbor, I began to unpack. Not long afterward, I laid down for a nap.
Awakening from my nap to the sound of my new cell phone, I tried to answer it, only to have it cut off my first caller! Unfortunately, I was too poor to call my caller back (for outgoing calls charge exorbitant rates). Outside my door I heard the sound of luggage being yanked up the stairs. My roommate Sarah arrived just as sweaty as I!
When we were all settled, we called Sarah’s Italian friend Bennidetta, who had traveled from Milan to visit Sarah. Benni took us around Florence, explaining the many Italian curiosities along the way. We found a moderately-priced restaurant to satisfy our mounting hunger. Drawing customers into the restaurant with free sangria samples, the Italian hostess led us to a table in the corner, lined with paper menus as place mats. An Italian family flanked our right and a Chinese on our left. Sarah ordered a caprese (tomato and mozzarella pizza) and a 2,40 Euro mineral water (Italians don’t/won’t serve tap water! And you can’t bring yout own water out of your bag to drink at any restaurant – they’ll ask you to put it up!) I ordered a spinach and cheese calzone and a 2,40 Euro ¼ bianco casa vino. Benni got an eggplant pizza. We then escorted Benni across the river to Oltrarno (“the other side” of Firenze) to her hostel. And promptly got lost on the way home (12:15 pm (0:15))!
On Wednesday, Benni met us at the apartment and we visited the Duomo, Santa Croce, Pointe/Palazza Vecchio, the Pitti Palace, and Santa Spirito. We were not able to go inside many of these sites, for we were awaiting going with our classes, but we did briefly enter the Duomo. We did not stay long enough for me to feel that I’d thoroughly explored it. I will have to re-visit all of these destinations! That night, Benni cooked pesto pasta for us and we once again escorted her to her hostel, and promptly got lost!
Thursday we attended orientation and celebrated my birthday at a Mexican restaurant (with free wifi!) on our street.
Interesting things we experienced:
- Sketchy Italian guys:
· Marco and friend
· Alfredo
· The guy from Kosovo and cousin
· 50ish year old singer and friend
- Italians hang out in the piazzas, bridges, and stairs of the churches at night.
- Italian singers and liturgical dancers performing a slew of Simon and Garfunkel songs.
- Watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air dubbed over in Italian.
- Nine T Nine Cent stores
Today (Friday), Sarah and I slept in until 12 and rushed and made it to SAI to turn in our Permisso info and sign up for four field trips through SAI (with a 30 Euro deposit). We then grabbed out laptops and sat outside the school and checked email and wrote home. I made pasta and garlic bread and we had a great dinner together listening to Italian music and looking out our window at the Italian families living around us. Tonight we plan to go to a party nine of the study abroad guys are throwing.
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I love you,
Dad