I cannot believe that I have been in Florence for over a month. The time is passing quickly (a bit too quickly for my liking!). The first weekend of this month, I went on the SAI trip around Tuscany. It was a great way to start the semester and a great way to meet other people in the program. The next weekend I traveled to Rimini, a small town in the neighboring region of Emilia Romagna, to see a tennis tournament. I am a huge tennis fan, so it was an extremely exciting weekend. It is so great to travel both around Europe and within Italy, but there is also so much to do and see in Florence. I spent one weekend visiting some museums and churches, and just enjoying the beauty of the city.

Perhaps the most exciting thing that happened for me this month was to be matched with an Italian family through FUA’s Italian Family Club program. I meet with them weekly, and they help me with Italian and I help them practice English. It is such an incredible and exciting opportunity for me. I am really enjoying learning more about Italian culture.

Spring break is so close, and I still need to finalize my plans. I am going to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. I am really looking forward to it, but I think I will miss Italy. Last weekend I went to Bruges, Belgium to spend the weekend with a friend. It was an incredible weekend, and Bruges is such a beautiful city. But the excitement that I felt when I returned to Italy actually surprised me. I couldn’t help but think I’m home.

Patrick, College of William and Mary