It has a little more than a month since I got back from Florence and have wanted to do this blog entry for a long time now.  I started this blog entry as soon as I got back but then abandoned it due to my obscene amount of laziness.   

Wow…my 6 weeks in Italy was the best time of my life.  Half of my roommates left on Friday July 2nd morning and I left the next morning.  While they were packing I was imagining the first time I saw them and it felt literally like the week before.  I think it just hit me while I was grabbing my favorite brie/eggplant sandwich from the nearby caf� that I have actually lived in another country by myself.   I wasn’t just another tourist sticking to my American ways while sight seeing.  I really did attempt to imbibe the culture and blend in.  The first few weeks were all about adjusting but by the end, I was so comfortable with my roommates and my way of life there. Everything just kept getting better so saying goodbye to Florence was really tough =(

Here’s a quick recap on the last few weeks in Florence.  I explored more of Florence by visiting the backyard of the Medici Palace- Boboli Gardens.  I actually met an American couple there who were so nice and made miss the American accent just for a minute or two.  Besides the Boboli Gardens, I also visited the Academia.  This is a museum that used to be an art school.  It contains some of the greatest sculptures from Michelangelo- including the amazing David.  There are copies of this statue located around the city but they don’t even compare with the original.  I think I stared at it for about 20 minutes straight.  It’s a lot bigger than I expected- about 17 feet tall!  Michelangelo was really a master at adding detail to his sculptures- the veins running down the arms, the finger nails, and muscles are so realistic.  I don’t think I can look at any other European sculpture the same way again.  I also bought another leather bag- this time for my mom.  I bargained it down from 70 euros to 45 euros and I know it’s genuine because it was in a reputable leather shop  =D  My cooking had also come to a permanent hiatus by week 3 because I just wanted to eat authentic Italian cuisine instead of making my own mediocre versions.  There was also a week when everyone had a birthday so we ended up going to nice restaurants every night.  Yum! 

Since I was in a soccer crazy country, I wanted to watch the World Cup matches with other Italians and experience the soccer craze first hand.  The first time Italy played, we all went down to a bar by the river to watch the game.  I was not surprised by the intensity the Italians cheered their country on.  Another time Italy played, I went down to the river again but this time followed the crowds to a huge projection screen placed outside right by the river.  What an amazing place to watch a soccer game!  Surrounded by nature and the annoying sounds of vuvuzelas- stadium horns, I cheered on the Italian team!  Too bad they lost which meant they were officially out of the world cup circuit. 

One of the best days in Florence was June 23^rd– my birthday!  What an amazing place to turn 20!  My roommates really made it one of the best birthdays ever.  They took me out the night before and planned everything so that at 12 am the dj gave me a birthday shout out and played almost every single birthday song out there for a good 20 minutes.  Later that day, we went out to an internationally famous chocolate shop called Vestri, that’s only located in Miami and Florence.  I tried chocolate with chili pepper filling!  It was interesting to say the least….

My roommates also took me out to dinner and surprised me with a gelato cake!  It was soooo delicious!  Hands down, it was one of my favorite days in Italy!  I also got to try some of the best pasta I’ve ever had!  It was spicy and zesty and tangy and….just amazing!

Overall, Florence was definitely my favorite city when compared to all the different cities I visited in the 6 weeks span.  Every time I would go back to Florence, I would feel very content and just happy to be home.  One of my favorite things to do every morning was to visit Caf� Amerini to grab my daily dose of delicious-beyond-words cappuccino.  Many afternoons I spent my time exploring the city’s world of shopping!  The outdoor San Lorenzo market had some of the best deals in the city and was a place I could practice my bargaining skills.  I discovered an amazing leather bracelet shop on the Ponte Vecchio Bridge that I quickly became addicted to called Manelli.  The bracelets here were simple yet so timeless and beautiful that I ended up going to the shop atleast once a week.  Sometimes I would wander into H&M just because the fashion was still Italian but the clothing is so wonderfully cheap!  Shoe shopping was my favorite but the shoes in Florence were pretty pricey.  I still ended up splurging on a pair =). 

Other afternoons I would simply leave my apartment without a map and without a game plan…other than to wander the city and just marvel.  If I ever got lost, I would look for a glimpse of the magestic Duomo to help orient me in the charming city.  Pretty much every other day I would explore the city looking for delicious pastries or gelato to satiate my nighttime appetite.  There was a bakery across my apartment called Forno, which had the best pastries and focaccia bread!  My mouth is watering just thinking about the unique bread with zucchini and tomatoes baked inside.  I experimented with many different flavors of gelato and narrowed down the amazing selection to two different flavors- Stacciatella (chocolate chip) and Fragola (strawberry).  I’m not a fruit person but strawberry gelato tastes like real deliciously sweet strawberries!

            

Today I spent the day in some athletic shorts and a penn state t-shirt- something I could never do in Italy.  Italians follow the concept of “bella figura” = Italians always maintain a sophisticated presentation in terms of fashion and public behavior.  Sticking to this cultural concept was fun in the beginning but quickly turned difficult.  I just wanted to saunter around town in my comfy flip-flops and t-shirt.  Too bad I couldn’t or I’d stick out like a sore thumb.  The last week however, I gave up and put on my comfy flip flops without shame.  I also wore athletic shorts down the street but then was too embarrassed and raced back to my apartment to change.  I really tried my best to dress as fashionably as the impeccably dressed Italian women.

            

Another Italian cultural nuance that might surprise you is that Cappuccinos are usually never ordered after lunch.  Espresso’s, however, are deemed appropriate to order at all times of the day.  I can’t tell you how hard it was to squash my nighttime cravings for Cappuccinos. 

           

Furthermore, when dining at a restaurant, the bread served at the beginning of the meal is not to be touched until you get your first course.  Resisting the warm, fresh bread when I was ravenous was very difficult.  I don’t like that part of the culture =(

            

Throughout my 6 weeks stay I made quite a few observations.  Even though I left Florence no way close to being fluent in Italian, I did pick up quite a few phrases.  Here are some Italian words that I heard the most.

            –Allora = at first I was really confused at what this word meant because Italians would use it every other sentence.  I soon came to learn that this word is similar to the English words, “Anyways,” “Then,” and “Ok.”

            – Prego = I always knew this word meant “you’re welcome” but Italians salespeople would say this word to me when I entered their store and when I was next in line at the register.  From these observations I deduced the meaning of this world to also be “Welcome,” and “Next.”

            – Andiamo Regatzie– = I love this phrase and used it quite a bit.  It means, “Let’s go guys!”

            – Ciao = of course this means “bye” but this word also means “hi”

            – Quanto Costa = how much?

            – Dove = I used this word many time when I was lost throughout the city.  This handy word means “where?”

            – Va Bene = this phrase means “It’s all good.”  It’s a phrase I tried to live by in Italy =)

           

           

Coming home was a little strange at first.  I never realized how easy everything is.  Drinking cold water from the fridge, showering in hot water all the time, getting home made food, and having a fully functioning washer and dryer at my fingertips.  Even though home is so comfortable, my life in Florence had something I can never find at home- adventure.  Studying abroad has allowed me to become a much more independent and resourceful person.  

Location: Breinigsville, Pennsylvania