Fast Forward to 2010, I am sitting in a single bedroom of Via Ricasoli 46, first floor in Florence, Italy trying to prepare myself mentally and emotionally for what this semester is going to bring. Of course, right not that seems impossible. But I know I'll adapt either way.
One thing's for sure, it's hard to imagine me getting down everything I'm learning and seeing in this blog like it was for Duke in London. I would pretty much just come home every night talk about what we learned from Clum that morning and then talk about the show we saw that night and everything I did in between. I'm starting to realize that with four months of time and four potentially incredible classes, it's going to be slightly more difficult. But I will do my very best to try and get down everything I hope to remember once I leave Florence and everything I think others living vicariously through me want to know.
Classes:
-Family & Gender Roles in Medieval and Early Renaissance Italy
-European Fascism
-Intro to European Economic Issues
-Basic Italian
(at least until I go to them and realize I'm in the wrong place and switch into something else)
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Getting here was an adventure, as it always is getting to europe, but nothing too serious happened other than my surprisal at a few of the way things went:
-seat next to me from Charlotte to Frankfurt was empty. yes.
-(not a surprise), I couldn't sleep (even after i took a tylenol pm)
-frankfurt airport is under serious renovations
-everyone spoke english
-i went through customs there, but didnt have to get my luggage (weird)
-this woman followed me the whole time like I knew what I was doing. It was annoying
-there are thousands of other students trying to do the same exact thing I'm doing, not just nyu program kids
-Italy is instantly beautiful upon entering it via plane. tons and tons of green rolling hills and little villages. Looks like everything is a wine vineyard, haha, and no, i'm not getting ahead of myself
-as soon as I got to Florence, NYU took care of everything. we got out bags (yes nothing lost!) and peaced. 40 other students arrived when i did and they knew and took all of us via bus to Villa Sassetti, the villa of La Pietra where Check-in occurs. the first song that came on the radio on the bus was "california girls" by katy perry and everyone on the bus laughed. Apparently the US runs the music industry world-wide. ha.
-check-in was annoying. I was tired, and they made you go to different check points and I wasnt paying attention because I just wanted to get to my apartment. One lady describing the bus system to us I'm pretty sure said "Yeh so you have to go to station. it's in the center. and you have to stop it yourself. So you have to, Yeh." Oh yeah, right, I get it.
-other parts of check-in were annoying too, but i must admit the only reason i was annoyed was because i looked like crap. So many girls arrive looking perfectly I just don't get it. With their perfectly straight hair and vera bradley duffle bags and layers of makeup and dresses and boots. I looked like someone had messed up my hair on purpose to the point of no return and was wearing an ace hardware tshirt on. what. ever.
Via Ricasoli, 46, first floor
This man takes me and three other girls to our apartment for the next four months and gets lost twice. He doesn't speak a word of english and since i'm riding shotgun i try to make generous and comforting noises haha. Florence is gorgeous without even trying. Way older-looking than London or Paris and there are green shutters everywhere. I can see the Duomo wall if I walk out of my apartment and look down my street to the left. Anyway, while lost I try to tell him Che Bella and giggle when he makes a frustrated noise about turning around. So far, italians are very sweet.
We get to the apartment. One girl has heard a rumor that Via Ricasoli had just been renovated but I'm not holding my breath. We help each other get in because all of our keys are weird (big and long!) and all of our suitcases are 60 pounds. We make it in. the First floor is up two flights of stairs (dang). two of the girls are on the third floor, so we peace from them and manage to break into our own apartment (Linda)............
It's absolutely gorgeous. the floor is made of bricks, the kitchen is HUGE with stainless steel appliances, there's a living room with an adorable couch and really cool artwork on the wall. the main area has two wings that come off of it with rooms, mostly doubles. there are two singles on my end. I'm jealous of the other girl's room because she has one more bookshelf than I do, but Ill get over it. Everything is spotlessly clean and brand-new. I want to cry from joy, which is quite different than what I was preparing myself for, but I'm just so excited to check out my room and move in that I forget to.
My room is probably the size of a belltower or keohane single. maybe two times as big as the room in Langton Close. walls are white (but I'm going to cover them with pictures after Im done with this). I have a huge wardrobe/closet. a narrow and tall bookcase. a hook rack that I've hung purses, scarves, and hats on. a desk with two drawers and one cabinet complete with red chair and matching red desk lamp and trashcan. I have a nightstand with two drawers and an adorable nightstand lamp that I might consider stealing at the end of the semester (just kidding). my bed is ridiculously comfy and has two huge drawers coming out at the bottom of it for clothes. To be frank it's perfect. My window isn't on the street side, which is good, but also means there's not much view except the building behind it. the bathroom is right next to me and gorgeous. People clean our rooms twice a week and change our sheets weekly.
pretty much incredible. i need hangers and a mirror for my room and maybe some more artwork/posters. a fuzzy rug for the cold brick floor would be ideal, but ill get over it. when it's all done of course ill take a picture of it, but im stoked to call this home for the next semester and still confused as to why florence italy can figure out better housing for students than duke can.
tomorrow i have a loaded day of orientation starting at a cinema somewhere downtown. i'm very nervous because i dont get the bus system and there's no time during orientation to try and find groceries etc, get a bus pass, check out the dang-awesome-Duomo and David, but i know i'll get to those things eventually.
game plan tonight: put pictures up, shower, meet the other girls in my flat, maybe find catherine, and go through all the orientation paperwork they gave us, whcih is about an encyclopedia's worth. but i love doing stuff like that so im STOOOOKED.
i'm also way blessed. wayyy blessed. i was preparing myself for the worst and got the best. i just wish everyone was here with me.
buona notte! arrivederci! :) hehe
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