Ciao!! So here I am, in Florence, Italy, on day 3 of my fall semester abroad. I am (fairly) settled in in my new home for the next 3.5 months, an apartment very close to the Ponte Vecchio. Clothes have been stuffed into tiny, Italian-sized armoires and closets as well as under my bed, suitcases have been stored on top of said tiny Italian-sized armoires and under my bed, and some pictures have been pinned to the walls (sadly none of which are mine...yet!). The fan has been blowing constantly to relieve us from the oppressive heat that takes the city during the day but lessens in the evenings, when it is quite pleasant to walk around and see the sights! Life is good but totally unreal right now.
Here are some things I have learned in the past few days. I apologize for the lack of pictures- I will get on that soon!
1. I have FANTASTIC roommates in Borgo San Jacopo. Caroline and I share a room, Christie and Amy live on one side, and Caterina, our Italian roommate, lives in the room on the other side. On our very first afternoon in Florence, when we were totally bleary-eyed and generally disoriented as to where we were and what time it was, Caterina stuck her head into our room and said, "Would you like some pasta?" Of course, we said that, why, yes, yes we would!, and Caterina made delicious rigatoni with lentils. We sat at the table and asked questions about Caterina's life in Florence, etc. Last night, we cooked dinner with her and another apartment group and had the most delicious pesto I have ever tasted in my life. That came out of a jar. It was unbelievable. We decided that we may have to ship some of the stuff home.
2. Gelato is going to be a main staple of my diet here in Florence. Last night, we happened upon a gelateria called Cantino del Gelato right down the street from us that was TO. DIE. FOR. It was the real deal- kept in metal canisters and extra light and out of this world. I had a cono piccolo (small cone) with a scoop of nutella marscapone gelato. Sounds odd, I know, but trust me when I say it rocked. Today, we went back, and I had limone (lemon) and was again far far far from disappointed. It was the perfect refresher after walking around in the heat and humidity. We have decided that we may have to get some gelato every night after dinner....is this a bad idea? I hope not.
3. This city is TEAMING with tourists and American students. It is sometimes feels hard to pick out the Italians amongst the crowds, but, don't worry, they're here somewhere! Luckily, September is the end of the high tourism season in Florence, so these people should be clearing out soon. We are excited to have more air to breath and less people to dodge as we trounce around the city.
4. The food aspect of this chapter of my life may be my most favorite part of being abroad. (I'm not sure if this is too obvious to mention because, let's face it, eating is one of the highlights of my day, everyday.) I have eaten countless delicious paninis, gelato (as mentioned), pasta, prosciutto, bruschetta, pizza, and other Italian yummies. And I arrived only three nights ago. This place is just delicious. I can't wait to update you on all the things I am learning to cook and have eaten throughout my time here. In about an hour, we are going to go to a pizza-making class! I'll try not to get the dough stuck on the ceiling or anything.
5. Italian sounds different enough from Spanish that it is impossible for me to understand. My parents claim I'm a language person, but I am just not getting by so far. Eeeeveryone speaks English here, so it's not a problem, luckily. However, I feel so ignorant and hindered in my basic day-to-day life communication skills with Italians here. I hate that all I can do is smile, point, and say, "One?" I want to be able to show the people here that I am trying and am interested in learning their language and making the effort. Italian class starts on Monday, and it's on.
6. Fun fact: A singular panini is called a panino.
We have started to think about where we might like to travel with in Italy and within Europe during our stay here in Florence. I can't wait to see other parts of Tuscany and even just explore Florence a lot- there is so much to see and so much to eat and so very much shopping to be done.
Arrivederchi for now! I will write soon with updates and hopefully pictures of my apartment and some of the beautiful things I have seen, people I've been hanging out with, and food I have eaten.
Ciao,
Grace
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