Day 5

I MADE IT! On Monday morning after 14 hours of travel, late coming luggage, and an exorbitant amount of walking, I made it to my apartment in Florence, Italy. The first few days felt very surreal. Most likely because I was insanely jet lagged and was probably half asleep for the first 72 hours. But, there was one thing I had been told a million times that I can now confirm from personal experience; Florence is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

There is not one corner of Florence that isn’t oozing with charm and sophistication. You can be walking along a quaint little Italian road, then turn a corner and an enormous cathedral will appear as if from nowhere. So far one of my favorite things about being abroad is that I am in awe every second of every day.

If I can be honest, I put off writing this blog for a few days. I was waiting until I was completely settled and secure in where I am. I was even starting to get frustrated as the week came to a close that I didn’t feel completely at home here yet. It wasn’t until this afternoon that I realized how ridiculous that is! Not that I would ever want to deter someone from studying abroad, but here are some examples of things that a student might have to deal with in their first days in a new country:

1. Leaving my family – Somehow I managed to hold it together at the airport and not sob like a baby.
2. Late coming luggage – Our luggage didn’t make the connecting flight and I had to wear the same sweaty clothes for two days straight.
3. Culture shock – Being a New Yorker, I’m used to nice and neat grid layouts and numbered streets so you know where the heck you’re going. Florence gives you no such luxury. Needless to say I get lost every time I leave my apartment.
4. Language barriers – WHAT IS ANYONE SAYING… EVER?!

and the icing on top of the cake…

      5. My bike got stolen that I had bought the day before.

One thing that I’ve learned about myself is I love to bottle up emotion. For the weeks leading up to my flight I would swallow any sappy feelings I had about leaving my family and friends. If I ever felt nervous about going abroad I would push those feelings far down so that I could continue packing or doing whatever I needed to do to get out of the country. But I’ve found that there’s inevitably one curve ball the universe will throw at you that pushes you right over the edge. In this case, it was my bike getting stolen.

So, did I have a little pity party? Of course! But not just over a stupid bike. Moving to another country would be a huge adjustment for anyone, and the pressure I was putting on myself to immediately feel like a Florentine was only adding to the stress of it all. Instead of spending the entire night crying in my room, I marched straight to my friend’s apartment and we booked a trip to the Amalfi coast together for next weekend, which includes a Blue Grotto cruise! Who needs a bike when you get to see one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the world? (Take that, bike stealer).

And so dear friends, I’ve decided to take this experience one incredible trip at a time. Before you know it I’ll be referring to my Florence apartment as “home” and I’ll know the map of Italy like the back of my hand. Until next time… Arrivederci!