Welcome to Firenze!

After a long struggle to get Internet set up in my apartment, I am finally able to share the details of my journey and first few day in Florence. First of all, I am so excited to be here – it is everything I ever dreamed it could be and more! But I’ll start at the beginning…

Day 0: First International Flight

I left my house in Whitehall, MI around 1:30 PM on Tuesday, Jan. 24. After a three-hour drive, my parents and I arrived at the Detroit Metro Airport, five hours before my flight was scheduled to depart. To kill time we ate dinner before my flight, where of course I ordered an all-American cheeseburger and savored every bite. My plane from Detroit to Paris took off at 9:30 PM, and I spent most of the 8-hour flight watching movies on my personal TV. I had so much adrenaline pumping that I was unable to sleep.

Day 1: First Time On Italian Soil

After a nerve-wracking landing in thick fog and a hectic hour spent in the Paris airport looking for the correct terminal, I finally boarded my flight to Florence. I was surprised to see that most people on the plane were American study abroad students just like me. By 3:30 on Wednesday afternoon, I climbed down the steps of the airplane and walked in Italy for the first time. I arrived at my apartment and was shocked to see the enormously grand wooden doors that opened from the street and led to a beautiful courtyard and stone staircases. There is also an elevator that looks so old and unstable that I personally believe that it was one of the original prototypes. Needless to say, I carried my 54-lb suitcase up the flight of stairs and discovered another large wooden door. The door swung open and I greeted my new roommates. I live with eight American girls who all attend Palazzi in a spacious apartment with five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. It is more than I could have ever imagined!

Day 2 – 4:

I spent Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday attending orientations for school and getting to know the city of Florence by exploring on my own. I’ve been walking more here than I ever have before. I love the energy of the city with mopeds racing down the narrow streets, the shop owners greeting customers in Italian, and crowds of tourists in search of Florence’s art, history, and gelato. I spend my afternoons walking and here are some of the sights that I’ve already seen.

Rubbing the snout of the replica of the Porcellino (Bronze Boar) for good luck

View of the bell tower from the top of the Duomo 

The view from the Ponte Vecchio bridge

The carousel in the Piazza della Repubblica

View from the top of the Duomo

The Gates of Paradise 

On Sunday night, all the roommates climbed a hill to the Piazzi de Michelangelo where we watched the sun go down over the city. I can’t imagine a better way to end the first weekend in Florence. Classes start Monday and the adventure will truly have begun.

Recipe For Happiness

My personal recipe for happiness is as follows: one part friendship, one part art, and two parts pizza.  Luckily for me, all three ingredients seem to be an integral part of Italian culture. As I often find myself sitting in my apartment in Mount Pleasant, MI munching on a less than satisfactory frozen cardboard-like pizza, it is hard to imagine that starting in 10 days, I will be living halfway around the world and making the historic city of Florence, Italy my home for a semester. My imagination is only stretched further as I think about how I get the chance to live, study, and make art in the same city where the some of the world's greatest artists created their masterpieces during the Italian Renaissance. In fact, the city's rich art history is precisely the reason why I decided to study there.

As a Communication Disorders major, who is studying to become a speech-language pathologist, my choice to pursue an Art minor is considered a little unorthodox. When people ask me what I am planning to do with my minor, I don't have an answer for them. Though I'm not sure how at the moment, I do know that I will somehow find a way to incorporate art into my future career and it will always be a part of my life. Being creative is what gives me joy, fills the voids in my life, and keeps me balanced. Throughout the past three years of undergrad, my Art minor has allowed me to set aside time in my busy days to relax, take a step back from anatomy or physics coursework, and let my creative side take over. My study abroad in Florence is the perfect opportunity for me to explore my passion for art further by taking classes in the studio and discovering the city's wealth of art history. 

In Florence, I'll be studying fine arts at Palazzi: Florence Association For International Education. I actually can't imagine anything cooler than my class schedule for Palazzi. I'm currently registered for Introduction to Italian Language, Painting, Ceramics, and a class called Florence Sketchbook. I get excited just thinking about the amount of artwork I'll surely create while I am there and the skills I will gain. Watch out Michelangelo, here I come!

Beth's Black and White Designs

Michelangelo's David

When I think about study abroad in Florence, I become giddy with excitement. Jumping up and down is not an uncommon activity when I talk to my friends/roommates about my future travels. There are some things that I am most excited for and they include:

• Leaving the United States for the first time
• Getting my passport stamped 
• Meeting interesting people from around the world
•  Learning Italian 
• Traveling to other countries in Europe 
• Tasting authentic Italian food!!!

Though I did not base my choice to study abroad in Italy solely on of my love of Italian cuisine, it is cause for a majority of my pre-departure excitement. I am looking forward to blogging about my first real Italian meal, which I hear will be not only be delicious but will also take two or three hours to complete. As an American, I am used to always rushing, either to class, to finish homework, or to scarf down food to sustain myself for the marathon that is a day in college. I am looking forward to experiencing a different way of life - a slower paced life - and one with a lot more lasagna.