Over the last two and a half weeks, a few words have taken on great importance in my vocabulary. Those include a rushed “Grazie!” when someone points me in the correct direction, a confidently uttered “Buongiorno!” or “Buonasera!” in greeting after taking a second to check on the time, and the most important word: a timid and rushed “Scusa” to get through almost any interaction. Just like in English, I unfortunately abuse the word “sorry” when speaking Italian.
This last word I also extend to you, lovely reader. Through my focus on adjusting to classes and culture, I let my updates to this blog slip. I do not regret this, but I do apologize for my absence.
Florence is lively, and I’ve been thoroughly charmed. There’s a fascinating dichotomy to the city- there’s not only a reverence for history, but the history lives alongside evidence of contemporary culture. The likelihood of stumbling upon a century’s old cathedral next to a line of designer brands is high. You walk the streets, and you can hear a mix of almost every language, but primarily Italian and English. The number of students here from other countries is staggering; it affects the culture of the city down to its bones. I know I’ll have more to say about this as I’ve lived here for more time, so I’ll stop myself for now.
Living here is quite the adjustment. To start, you have to learn how to grocery shop. It’s a marathon event: the neighborhood store on my street is not for the faint of heart. The first-time shopper is thrown into the role of a detective: solving puzzles such as the Case of the Disappearing Salt or the Salad Dressing Tragedy. Nothing is intuitive; everything is a mystery. Why is the salt on the opposite side of the store from all of the other seasonings? Isn’t salt something that should be easy to find? Don’t Italians use salt a lot in their cooking? Why are there no signs pointing to the salt?
To explain this salt tirade: it took multiple grocery store trips and days of saltless home cooking to realize the salt lives alone at the very back of the store. Why? I’ll never know.
All of this sleuthing must be done in tandem with navigating tight aisles holding a wide suitcase-style basket you pull along the floor. The worst part of the whole ordeal is knowing that I am unintentionally getting in others’ way. Then there’s the line, stuttering my way through platitudes in timid Italian, loading up my tote bags as fast as possible with my purchases, and finally walking out.
My point of bringing this up is that the first time I went grocery shopping, I was wholly exhausted afterwards. I called my mom and told her it felt like I had just run a mile. But now, I go after class during an off time. I know where the groceries are. My Core Capstone Professor, who is going through the same transition we are, talked about how he has to budget 25% more time aside to do anything while he’s here, and I have to agree. I can’t go somewhere without prepping for social interactions, mistakes, navigation, and uncertainty. But as time passes, the energy this causes me to expend is decreasing. I am learning how I need to exist here, even if it’s tiring for now. Everything here takes effort, but I am grateful to have the opportunity and energy to put that effort forward.
I’m lucky to have seven wonderful flatmates. Getting along with all of them has been one of the easiest parts of my adjustment, even though we have to share only two bathrooms. We’ve gone out to dinner together, cooked together, and have had some card nights together already. My immediate roommate is a gem as well; her name is Rachel, and we’reoften upa little too late talking. Without her, I know I would’ve felt much lonelier.
My classes are also going very well. My Italian literature professor is an eccentric storyteller, jazz pianist, and modern art collector. My Art & Community class is very moving, and I intend on writing a full essay on the impact of that class alone. The coursework isn’t too heavy, and I’ve had ample free time, which I’m not used to at Elon!
I spent my first full weekend in Florence with my flatmate Anna. On Friday, we went on a wonderful hike just outside the city in a small town called Fiesole. The hike included views of rock formations, cacti, aged architecture, and an overlook with a fabulous view of Florence. After our hike, we went out for a delicious pizza. On Saturday, we toured the Uffizi Gallery, went to a free concert, and then had gelato. Sunday, we went to a church service in the morning, then had a lazy day. It was a great weekend!
My friend Natalie and I went to the Olympics in Milan this past weekend, and we had such a wonderful time. We went to see two hockey games (Sweden v. Slovakia and USA v. Denmark). It was incredible to see the hordes of people there for the games, and to get to experience such a beautiful city as well. I found out that we make fabulous travel buddies, and I was very grateful to see someone I know from home. We stayed at a hostel right outside the city in Monza, which ended up serving as the perfect crash course on Italian public transport. One of my favorite memories from the weekend was walking around a gorgeous public park and people-watching.
Some bullet points:
- I had a WONDERFUL pumpkin ravioli. (& all the food is PHENOMENAL)
- I took a cooking class where we learned how to make a delicious homemade tomato sauce and tiramisu. I’ll definitely be utilizing those skills next year.
- There are SO many stairs here!
- I bought a guitar! It was something I’ve been saving for a while, and I figured it would be a wonderful souvenir. She’s an acoustic-electric guitar made of gorgeous dark wood. She’s also an Italian brand, so I couldn’t have bought her as easily in the US. I’ve decided to name her Joan, after the musician Joan Baez.
- There’s a wall of graffiti fish on my way to school, and one of my favorite activities on my walk has been to find a new fish I hadn’t seen before every time I walk past it.
- I saw an Interlochen camper playing the piano at a free concert!
- It’s been incredibly rainy since I arrived, and I am looking forward to a sunnier spring.
- Natalie and I’s Uber driver listened to songs by our a cappella groups while driving us home, and said Twisted Measure’s cover of Me and Your Mama by Childish Gambino was “molto bellissima.” (go listen to it! It dropped last Saturday)
My 5 songs for these past two and a half weeks are: Florence (Matt Maltese), Angelina (Lizzy McAlpine), Mudroom (Tiny Habits), Au Pays du Cocaine (Geese), and Let Me Live In Your City (Paul Simon).
If you’d like to see some photos, here’s a link to a shared album I’ll keep updating! https://photos.app.goo.gl/Fs1rgrVXJp6Zzsp49
Thank you for reading along with my adventures! If you’re ever feeling like reaching out to say hello, I would be grateful for any contact from home. My phone number hasn’t changed :)
See you next time!
Jocelyn <3
