Firenze Fanatic

So remember my first post about my mixed emotions and admitted sadness leaving Pearl River? I would be laughing at myself if I could've only been able to predict how I feel right now, fast forward a month into being abroad (ah, its already been a month!) Words cant express how in love with Florence, or should I say Firenze, I am. With the first week living here under my belt, it still is weird walking out of my apartment, with the Ponte Vecchio in front of me, and believing that this is my home until May.

If you have visited Florence before, you've seen the Ponte Vecchio, one of the most famous sights in Italy. And yes, I live directly across from it. Living with 10 girls may seem like a ridiculous task to some, but equipped with our apartment, I don't think one of us could ever complain. I wish I had my camera on me to capture the smiles across all our faces, after lugging 20 overweight suitcases up 3 flights of stairs, to find our new home!

Like I said in my post about Siena, the culture shock is still in full effect. But Siena and Florence seem like 2 different worlds. Florence is way more of a city and has become a bit more Americanized. However, it is absolutely saturated in culture and history. Just blocks away from us is the Duomo. Some of you may have heard about this church before, but I can tell you words can not even give this building justice. It is simply stunning in person.

Every day we learn at least 3 new things; whether it be a new cafe discovery or a shortcut to get to school, we're still getting the hang of things! And that is one of my favorite parts about being here, we're never going to know enough about this place. During our orientation, one of the people in charge of our program told us to "put away the maps and just get lost." Ignoring the initial panic that comes with the word "lost" for me, it really is the best way to get to know Florence. Just last night, some of my roommates and I stopped 6 times for directions on our way to this pub......I don't know what is more embarrassing, holding a map to your face or our awful attempt at asking for directions in Italian.

And on that note, nightlife. The clubs, or should i say discos, are hilarious. We've had a blast every night we've been out so far. When were not dogging the Italian men and their ever-so-charming pick up lines, safe to say were dancing until were inappropriately being kicked out at 4 a.m. (sorry mom and dad). The bars and pubs are my favorite. There is even an American pub that takes American money and has college tshirts covering the walls. Everyone signs their names and sororities/fraternities on the walls too, making the atmosphere so cool. The music is my favorite part of going out though. I've come to the realization that my going out experience abroad will be summarized by American throwback music. For example, Black Eyed Peas' song "Pump It" came on, and every single person in the club acted like they just hit the lottery. Kerry and I looked at each other and died laughing...but we went with it. Since then, we've come to fully appreciate and embrace the best of the 2000's.

I'm sitting here trying to think of everything I can squeeze into one post, but it's just impossible. I'm sure I will do more posts on Florence, so I will leave you with this tonight. Now, the traveling part of our experience is about to begin..... I CANT WAIT. We're headed to Interlaken, Switzerland on Thursday for the weekend. I've never put skis on in my life so wish me luck fitting into this winter wonderland!

Xo Bria