Prima Settimana

Hi there,

Welcome to my first blog. I'm not entirely sure how this works but I thought I should give it a try to keep all of you wonderful people up to date on my adventures in Italy this semester. I can't believe one week in beautiful Florence has passed already!!

Meet my roommates: Tara, Kari, and Kayli :) I am so lucky to be traveling with them, they have managed to make long, exhausting days of travel and jet-lag enjoyable.

After a short stay in a hotel, we moved into our apartment. The building is old and full of character, not to mention several flights of tall stone stairs! I personally lugged two enormous suitcases up those to our apartment and was proud to make it to the top without tumbling all the way down. We are now settled in and learning to love our tacky decor and Ikea furniture pieces that clashes with one another. 

Although our program directors have greatly exaggerated the effects of culture shock that are coming for us, we seem to be adjusting to the life here well. However there are real elements of culture shock items to note:

- Online TV streaming does not work here. Hulu, HBO Go, Netflix, and everything else you can think of fails outside the United States... all the more reason for us to spend our nights out on the town
- Customer service appears not to be a high priority for store and restaurant owners haha but waiting for the check or waiter have given us more time to sit and chat longer than we would at home
- Dishwashers, microwaves, and dryers are nowhere to be found... my laundry is currently drip drying in our entryway
- Milk and eggs are not sold refrigerated
- Pipes leaking in the ceiling can wait until after the weekend to be looked at (the ceiling in our bathroom may collapse at any moment.....)
- Coffee is not commonly taken to go, it is ordered at a bar and you drink it there before you head out for the day. It is served shorter and stronger than American coffee and is quite tasty!

Faulty pipes, lack of television, limited heat and electricity are all minor problems that seem to be instantly solved when we step out our front doors. Our street, Via San Gallo, seems to have everything we could need within a few blocks... gelato, bars, pizzerias, supermarkets, cafes. A short walk down the street and you arrive at The Duomo, Florence Cathedral. A sight that is so breathtaking, I continue to be shocked by the size and detailed work everyday. It is strange to think that so many people pass the Duomo on their way to work, class, or running errands and think of it as a normal landmark when I have never seen anything like it in my life.

It's comforting to know there are a some familiar gems in the city that will help cure my eventual homesickness. A McDonalds, because whats more comforting and American than a large fry and a diet coke :) We have also decorated our apartment with a Cougar flag that will hopefully travel around Europe with us. And most importantly, my bulletin board filled with the faces I love and miss the most. 

Classes start tomorrow, wish me luck finding my way there on streets that look all too similar. 

Arrivederci!