Ciao a tutti! It is Sunday night and I now finally have a chance to sit down and write an entry. I have been going non-stop since I arrived on Wednesday afternoon and I am loving every second of it! Here is a quick summary of what has happened over the past few days:
After arriving to the Florence Airport and taking a taxi to the apartment I will be living in for the next few months, I met my 2 new roommates, Emily and Caitlin, and my requested roommate, Liz (who I went to high school with, but goes to UConn). After unpacking and getting to know each other, we decided to find a pizza place that Emily had found in one of her guidebooks. We wandered down the street, passing the Duomo (which we will do every day to get to school), and ended up at another restaurant to avoid getting lost in the dark, since it was the first time any of us had even walked down the street. Each of us only paid 5 euro for pizza, un insalato misto, and vino…it was perfect. We then came home, talked for a little longer, but then went to sleep on the early side because we were all tired and had to get up for orientation the next day.
The next few days consisted of orientation and walking around the city, getting lost, sometimes on purpose, to try to learn where we were going. We also ate at a few restaurants, but then decided to find a grocery store to buy food that we can cook ourselves to save money. I am planning on signing up for a cooking class so hopefully I will soon be able to cook delicious four course Italian meals every night!
As an Italian major, I am making every effort to speak Italian every chance I get, which has actually worked out better than I had originally thought. So many people that I talked to before I left said that the majority of people English here and that even if I tried to speak Italian, people would speak English back to me. I have found it to be the opposite; every time I speak to someone, I get answered back in Italian, and usually even a smile. Today, I even got asked for directions by two Italian ladies and I was able to direct them the right way!
Classes start tomorrow and I am so excited! My first class is the history of food and wine and my second is readings in Italian literature, where there are a total of THREE people in the class. I was surprised to find that out, but am so happy because I will be able to participate and really improve all of my skills.
That is all for now… Check back again soon to hear more about my adventures and mission to improve my Italian language skills!
Here is the view from my apartment…
Location: Firenze, Italia
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when are you going to post again – we are wondering how its going….
it’s a lot colder now than it was when we first got here, but i’ll talk about that and about my first impressions in my next post!
The weather looks great there – what is the temperature? Can I ask, what do you like most about Italy so far? You are there about a week so what are your first impressions?
I am in that class–I’ll keep you in mind if I have any questions, thanks!
Sam…I definitely think they appreciate it even if you try. If you ever need help with Italian, I’d be happy to help! I also think we’re in the same drawing class
Jacquelyn,
It seems you came to Florence much better prepared than I. Even with my limited vocabulary and garish pronunciation, I also find that I’m treated much better than I was in my early encounters speaking english and playing charades for panini and espresso.
I know! The view from our apartment is amazing, we are so lucky. And I like to think that my Italian is good, but who knows if am saying everything correctly..it seems to be working so far!
First, I’m totally amazed by the view from your apartment. How beautiful! And to walk past the Duomo everyday…
I’m happy to hear that you’re finding it easy to use your Italian. Maybe it’s because my Italian stinks that people are always responding to me in English — yours must be pretty good!