I'm Here!

Hey guys! I'm finally in Florence! The trip over was long, but overall it went quite smoothly. We had a short delay in Amsterdam, and then Emily's luggage accidentally got sent on to Florence when we landed in Rome, so she is at the airport this very minute getting her belongings back. We finally got to Florence at 10:30 on Saturday night and made it to the hotel after walking a large circle before realizing that the hotel was actually right where we first turned. We checked in then showered (we were very hot and sweaty from the trek) and after some journaling and relaxing we hit the hay.

Yesterday was a day full of sleep. We slept until noon and then took a two hour nap in the afternoon as well. We met all of our fellow classmates at dinner, which was an amazing vegetable and rice stew. Then in the evening a group of about a dozen of us went out for gelato! I had yougurt nutella and woodland berries. They were both amazing although I much prefered the nutella one! My first taste of gelato was enjoyed while sitting on a bridge and watching the moon rise over the river. SO BEAUTIFUL!

Today is the first day of the program and so far I have had 4 hours of Italian class. My professor's name is Giacomo and he is wonderful! Because of the fact that I took a non-credit italian class last spring they made me take the placement test, but I knew none of it, so they quickly placed me in the class with all those who had never had any Italian before, and the level was perfect for me. I was a little bit ahead of those people, but not by much. We then enjoyed a lunch of pizza and sandwiches out in the small garden behind the school. We start orientation in a few hours but before that Emily and I are planning to go out to do a bit of basic shopping for things such as toiletries and notebooks. Since browsing is frowned upon in this culture it is important for us to know where to go to buy these things, which we now know from asking some of the professors, who are very kind and helpful as well as knowledgable.

I can't wait to tell you more as the adventure of this semester unfolds!
Ciao!

One Week Left...

Ok, so my days remaining in this country are dwindling. As each day passes I am definately getting a lot more nervous, but at the same time even more and more excited!!! I get to LIVE in FLORENCE, ITALY for FOUR MONTHS!!!! I mean, how amazing is that?! Ok, so enough with the exclamation points, I apologize. I tend to get over excited at times. Almost exactly one week from right now my plane will be lifting off from Minneapolis and I will officially be on my way to Italy. Traveling with Emily, my good friend from home (yes, we are on the same program!) our flight is direct from Minneapolis to Amsterdam, where we will have to transfer onto our connecting flight to Rome. Once in Rome, we will find our way to the train station and catch a ride to Florence and hopefully find our way to the hotel without any snags, at least not any big ones!

I've been very busy planning for everything that is going to fit into my one suitcase, one carry-on, and computer bag. It is a lot of figuring out to do, but really fun for someone who likes organization as much as I do. (Erin, you know what I mean.) In the end it will come down to how much will really fit and then what do I see as the most important items, because I truly believe that the less I bring, the happier I will be in the end since I will have to lug it all around with me as the end of the program while I travel for about ten days with my parents. Plus, I am sure that by that time I will have acquired a few more belongings.

This is all SO exciting and at this point, I really just want to get there so that I can start telling you about all of the amazing things that I am doing and seeing, instead of just filling you in on the plans. There is so much to do over there and I'm sure it will take me quite a while to soak it all in, but that will be great because I will constantly have new and exciting things to post about!

Getting Ready

Wow, I cannot believe that I am leaving for Italy in 16 days! I am nowhere near ready! After a busy summer of living and working near Minneapolis, I have been home (Wisconsin Rapids, WI) for a grand total of two days. I have been spending my time, trying to unpack all of my stuff from this summer, and even from last school year, while simultaneously setting aside all of the stuff that I am considering bringing with me this fall. It is a tiring and even confusing process, but SO exciting at the same time! Right now I am completely lost trying to decide which things are necessary for me to bring, what I can just plan on buying over there, and what can I simply leave behind.

I finally found out on Saturday which classes I am going to be in, and they were my top three choices so I was very excited! I will be taking Bella Figura!, which is all about Italian culture. (I will let you know more specifics when I find them out). I will also be in "Florentine Architecture from Romanesque to Baroque" and "Virgin, Bride, Mother: Mary and Other Women in Italian Medieval and Renaissance Imagery". On top of all that excitement, I will of course be taking Italian class! That is probably the class that I am most excited about because I love languages, and absolutely cannot wait to be able to speak another one!

I can't really think of anything else to tell you right now, so I will keep you updated as the day draws nearer!

Ciao!