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| Roommates In Front Of Our Apartment |
Saturday, May 14, 2011. When my journey first began I never thought this day would come. It was merely a date in the future that had little significance to me. However, this date has finally caught up to me, and now I find myself at a loss for words as I sit on my flight from Frankfort to Boston. The fact that I am actually flying back home to the United States is completely surreal. I am in a state of shock and I don’t know when it will finally hit me that I will not be returning to my home in Florence. All I know is, I don’t know if I am ready to face that reality.
The end of my semester quickly crept up on me with the rush of last minute trips, farewell dinners, finals, and packing. These past two weeks in particular have been some of the most memorable ones. In preparation for our departure, some of my roommates and I created our own form of a “bucket list” in order to map out particular activities we wanted to accomplish. It was interesting to rack my brain and discover the few places I had yet to visit. Two in particular included the Uffizi and the Accademia Museums. I also added some restaurants for dinner, and a few sandwich places I wished to visit one last time. Of course last minute gelato, gift shopping in the markets, and sunset and wine by the river made it on the list. It was not until after I completed my personal “bucket list” that I realized how real the fact that I was leaving Florence was. I immediately pushed that haunting thought out of my head and set out to enjoy my last few weeks in Florence. I successfully completed most items on my list and made it through finals alive! It was extremely difficult to focus my attention on studying when I would hear the birds chirping, the excited voices of new tourists, and the hustle and bustle of the Florence inhabitants right outside my window. I did not want to miss a single opportunity, so I often found myself taking walks around the city streets as a study break. During these walks through the main and side streets of Florence, I really took the time to take in my surroundings. It is so simple to find yourself taking opportunities for granted. To be honest, I became numb to the fact I walk past the Duomo everyday to reach my classes. It became a normal part of my everyday life and began to blend in to the other daily routines I took part in.
In an odd way I will miss waking up to the hustle and bustle of commotion in the streets every morning, the odd European ambulance sirens, the strange smells that come from alleyways, and the constant prying questions from the vendors on the streets. I will miss the smells of fresh baked bread coming from the bakeries on every corner, my morning cup of cappuccino at my favorite café, the melodious music of the street performers at all hours of the day, the grand Central Market and its abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and bakery items, gelateria’s scattered all throughout the city, walking by the Duomo everyday, escaping to the river’s edge, dining on meals with the freshest ingredients, having “family” dinners with friends in other apartments, the peacefulness of sunsets along the river, the beautiful jewelry and leather shops lining the Ponte Vecchio, and the lifestyle of living like a European.
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| Roommates |
As far as school, taking classes in a foreign country with professors who love their culture made for a once in a lifetime experience. My classes were significantly smaller than those I am enrolled in at UVM, and the relationship our professors had with us was unique. For example, my Italian professor invited our class out to dinner one night, my Food and Wine professor took us on a field trip to his friend’s winery, my History of Renaissance Italy professor took us on a walking tour of Florence where he informed us of the historical significance of particular buildings, and my History of Consumerism professor took us on a field trip to a chocolate factory she knew of about a 40 minute bus ride away. I actually enjoyed going to class and learning through a different style of teaching Italian professors have. By far my favorite class was Pairing of Food and Wine. I learned more about the characteristics of wine and the particular pairing types with specific ingredients and methods of cooking. The class ended with our written final, and a cooking demo where we drank wine and sampled each other’s dishes. My Italian Language professor even brought a bottle of wine to our final and poured us each a glass and said a parting toast. It is moments like these that are unique to Italy, and is making it extremely difficult to become excited about going home.
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| Leaving My "Heart" In Florence |
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| Putting On A Lock Of Love |
Vienna, Austria; Paris, France; Florence/Rome/Venice/Murano/Burano/San Gimignano/Siena/Perugia/Fiesole/Pisa/Lucca/Amalfi Coast: Sorrento, Capri, Pompeii, Naples/Cinque Terre: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore, Italy; Barcelona/Ibiza, Spain; Istanbul Turkey; Prague, Czech Republic; Dublin, Ireland; Corfu Greece = 8 countries, 27 cities, 4 months, amazing friendships, and an experience of a lifetime. This opportunity was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. I went skiing in the Alps, I stood under the Eiffel Tower in Paris, I saw majestic castles in Prague, I went in mosques and experienced a Turkish bath in Istanbul, I had a Guiness in Ireland, I went to a toga party in Greece, I experienced the excitement of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, I took a picture with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, stood inside the Coliseum and tossed a penny in the Trevi Fountain in Rome, I experienced the night life in Ibiza, I hiked the five towns of Cinque Terre, I sampled olive oil in Lucca, I ate chocolate in Perugia, I went to a thermal bath in Tuscanny, I participated in Venice Carnival, I went cliff jumping in Positano, road a chairlift in Capri, and lived in Florence for 4 months. Deciding to participate in study abroad made me worry I would miss out on a semester in Vermont, and it meant I would be embarking on this journey without knowing a single person in my program. I went into this semester alone, and came out of it with more friends than I can count. The lifestyle I lived in Italy was unlike any other. Everyone had the same mindset – utilizing every moment to fullest. On my second to last night my roommates and I moved all of our mattresses into one bedroom so we could all spend one of the last nights all together. After meeting up with everyone on the Duomo steps for wine, we spent the remainder of the night laughing and reminiscing about our experience we had together. On my last full day in Florence I did last minute shopping, bought my last pizza and gelato, walked up and saw the sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo, and met up with about forty of our friends for one last night on the Duomo steps. I couldn’t help but hold back tears, and soon enough almost everyone exhibited some form of emotion. At that moment I truly appreciated every single one of them for helping make this experience the best it could be. As the night wore on, everyone began to branch off and head back to their respective apartments to pack up last minute items in order to catch their flights. I immediately felt a pit in my stomach when walking into my almost empty apartment for the last time. Friday night I did not sleep, but rather stayed up with my roommates as one by one each of us loaded up into taxis and headed towards the Florence airport one last time. As I drove away, all I could think about was how grateful I am to have had this experience. This was a once and a lifetime opportunity and I would recommend it to anyone who has the chance to do so. Studying abroad has changed my life forever, and I will never forget the places I went, the people I met, and the memories I made. Ciao Firenze, I know I will be back someday soon…
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| Roommates |
The end of my semester quickly crept up on me with the rush of last minute trips, farewell dinners, finals, and packing. These past two weeks in particular have been some of the most memorable ones. In preparation for our departure, some of my roommates and I created our own form of a “bucket list” in order to map out particular activities we wanted to accomplish. It was interesting to rack my brain and discover the few places I had yet to visit. Two in particular included the Uffizi and the Accademia Museums. I also added some restaurants for dinner, and a few sandwich places I wished to visit one last time. Of course last minute gelato, gift shopping in the markets, and sunset and wine by the river made it on the list. It was not until after I completed my personal “bucket list” that I realized how real the fact that I was leaving Florence was. I immediately pushed that haunting thought out of my head and set out to enjoy my last few weeks in Florence. I successfully completed most items on my list and made it through finals alive! It was extremely difficult to focus my attention on studying when I would hear the birds chirping, the excited voices of new tourists, and the hustle and bustle of the Florence inhabitants right outside my window. I did not want to miss a single opportunity, so I often found myself taking walks around the city streets as a study break. During these walks through the main and side streets of Florence, I really took the time to take in my surroundings. It is so simple to find yourself taking opportunities for granted. To be honest, I became numb to the fact I walk past the Duomo everyday to reach my classes. It became a normal part of my everyday life and began to blend in to the other daily routines I took part in. 
As far as school, taking classes in a foreign country with professors who love their culture made for a once in a lifetime experience. My classes were significantly smaller than those I am enrolled in at UVM, and the relationship our professors had with us was unique. For example, my Italian professor invited our class out to dinner one night, my Food and Wine professor took us on a field trip to his friend’s winery, my History of Renaissance Italy professor took us on a walking tour of Florence where he informed us of the historical significance of particular buildings, and my History of Consumerism professor took us on a field trip to a chocolate factory she knew of about a 40 minute bus ride away. I actually enjoyed going to class and learning through a different style of teaching Italian professors have. By far my favorite class was Pairing of Food and Wine. I learned more about the characteristics of wine and the particular pairing types with specific ingredients and methods of cooking. The class ended with our written final, and a cooking demo where we drank wine and sampled each other’s dishes. My Italian Language professor even brought a bottle of wine to our final and poured us each a glass and said a parting toast. It is moments like these that are unique to Italy, and is making it extremely difficult to become excited about going home.
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