Come si dice in italiano? Non parlo bene! (How do you say that in Italian? I don’t speak it well!) – My First Week in Florence!
Though it was only about ten days ago that I hugged my family one final time before boarding a transatlantic flight, it feels like I have been here forever. I still cannot believe that I am living in Florence, Italy! I spent months planning and daydreaming about this semester and it finally arrived. Initially I was a little culture shocked and jetlagged, but once I got some sleep and connected with fellow students going through the same thing I started to relax. Now I am pretty sure I will never want to go home. After a weekend of exploration and adjustment—I think I am finally getting the hang of navigating through Florentine streets without getting totally lost—the time came to start classes. Monday morning, bright and early, I was wide awake and bouncing around with nervous excitement. My semester is definitely going to be a diverse, challenging experience! Although it was strange to me at first, I love that the “campus” is spread throughout the city because it allows students to see more of Firenze. I am definitely not in Michigan anymore!
Italy is a beautiful, vibrant place and I cannot wait to gain a better understanding of Florentine life. I am still in search of the best pizza and will be reviewing my Italian vocabulary/verb conjugation daily so that I can understand what is being said around me. I have been fortunate enough to be placed with a home stay, meaning that I am living with an Italian family. My host mom only speaks Italian so our initial exchanges were kind of frustrating because neither of us knew what the other was trying to say. It is my goal to be able to have a complete conversation with her by the time I leave, and not just one about what time I want to eat dinner! Italians definitely appreciate an effort to speak their language, even if I am butchering the pronunciation with my Midwestern dialect!
One week in, so many more to go. I cannot wait to see what Italy has in store for me next.
Amanda – Grand Valley State University
