I Don't Think I'm In Boca Anymore....

I survived my first week of classes; time for the weekend! I was used to a 7 day weekend at UF, and now I have classes 3 days a week that are 2.5 hours each. My Italian teacher doesn't speak English very well so the entire time the only thing she says to us is "Ba bene" and we all just shake our heads agreeing (we usually don't understand what we are agreeing to).  My business teacher is an American man who who moved to Rome 12 years ago not knowing a single word of Italian. He always goes off on a tangent, tells us stories about when he met Mike "The Situation" and usually ends class early- no complaints there. He is taking us to the Gucci museum for us to get a closer look at family businesses in Italy….maybe it's time for a new purse.

This week was full of new experiences. My roommates and I took a trip to the supermarket. We walked in and saw all of the locals walking around with a yellow basket that you pull like a wagon…of course we had no idea where to find this basket. I then proceeded to get some apples. In Italy it is frowned upon to grab the fruit with your hand so you have to use a plastic glove. I got my two apples and then saw a machine that required me to print a sticker with a bar code on it. Obviously I had no idea how to work the machine so I couldn't buy any apples. After about 45 minutes of walking around the supermarket we got to the cash register and the cashier said "borse?"and I just smiled and shook me head. When we left we realized when he said "borse?" he was asking us if we wanted a plastic bag, which we were charged for because most Italians bring their own bag to the market.  I was still able to get the necessities…shampoo, conditioner, Honey Nut Cherrios, and Nutella.

Last night was our first real night out. We walked up and down the streets asking people "Dove Club 21"and on the way we made some friends with a couple of English girls. We finally made it the club and they were playing Outcast, Usher, & Nelly. We definitely felt at home.

Tonight we went to one of the "best pizza ristoranti" in Florence, Gusta Pizza. It was packed with locals, which is always a sign of good food. A group of locals tried to take our table and the owner walked over, kicked them out, and made sure we sat down. Our food came shortly after and was DELICIOUS. When we ordered our food we felt very rushed so we all just ordered our own pizza for 5 euros each. We then realized that next time we will be each sharing a pizza. Oh….in Italy they do not believe in taking leftover food home, which made us feel like we had to eat our entire plate, and that we did.

Tomorrow will be our first day that we can sleep in, relax, and explore Florence, which we are very excited about. On Saturday we are taking a trip to Siena and San Gimignano and on Sunday we are going to Cinque Terre.

Ciao Bella

Ciao, finally from Florence!

2 flights, 2 trains, a cab, pouring rain & 72 euros later we finally made it to our apartment in Florence, Italy.  The first thing my roommate Nicole said when we walked in was "Oh my gosh it is so cute!" Which was very true. Our 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom apartment was set up to perfection. Of course within the first 30 mins of living in our apartment we blew out the electricity by plugging in the blow dryer without even turning it on.

Today was a MUCH better day. The sun was shining and everyone was smiling. We got a tour of Florence and had our first wine tasting (the wine we tasted was very bitter and strong, no bene).  We went to a restaurant with everyone from our program, which we didn't realize it was going to be a 5 course meal. We were first given a plate of 2 different pastas and were so full, we then realized in Italy they usually serve meat after the pasta. We were then given  plate of Brisket and potatoes, then gelato, then coffee. We were also able to have as much free wine as we wanted, which we definitely took advantage of...6 bottles later.. The waiter was trying to speak to us in English, while we were trying to speak to him in Italian. It did not work out very well but, today was still a good day!

Tomorrow is our first day of classes, lets hope I can read the map and find them in time.

Pre-Departure

I have nine days until I depart for Florence, Italy, however to no surprise I'll most likely procrastinate packing until the night before. My suite case is going to look much different than usual. In Italy they say dress to impress, which means no Nike shorts or t-shirts for the next six weeks. The weather is going to be very different than South Florida, with an average of 50 to 80 degrees. For those who don't realize how us Floridians feel about 50 degree weather, that means leather jacket and boots. Just thinking about the delicious Italian food I will be eating makes me want to bring some clothes that are a size to big, as I anticipate to get fat while being abroad (don't worry mom, I won't get too fat).

I will be taking two classes at Florence University of the Arts; Beginning Italian and The Art of Italian Family Business. At FUA we only have classes Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays, which means four day weekends (perfect for traveling)! I will be living in an apartment with two of my very close sorority sisters, Nicole & Sam. If Florence can handle Snooki, then I think it can handle the three of us....

This next week home will consist of anticipation for my adventure abroad, bonding with the family, seeing old friends, and hitting the beach.

I plan to take full advantage of every opportunity presented to me. I want to make friends with the locals,  try different foods, appreciate the art and culture around me, and learn as much as I can about myself and the world during my time in Italy.

Melissa- You'll be with me throughout all of my travels. Our dream of traveling Europe has finally come true.