Some realistic advice for study abroad students in Italy!

Ciao, tutti! I've been getting quite a few messages lately from some of my Marist friends who are planning on studying abroad here in Florence, Italy next semester through the same program. I'm going to take some time now (partially to avoid finals studying/packing), to pass along some knowledge to the general population of students studying in Italy. I will be touching upon things specific to Florence, some to Italy in general, and many things that apply to study abroad students in general. Hopefully everyone reading this will hear some tips from a realistic perspective that you don't typically hear!

1) The dreaded language barrier: To those studying in a foreign country where the locals do not speak English (for the most part), it can be a daunting endeavor. However, I want to tell everyone that this, especially in Italy, is not as detrimental as one may think. English has become a widespread language, and most people in the cities, such as Florence, do speak it if you are having trouble communicating in their language. I came to Florence knowing minimal Italian. I had seven years of Spanish under my belt, which certainly helped me in picking up certain aspects of the language more easily, but I'm almost 4 months in and still can barely utter an Italian phrase confidently to a shopkeeper. But fear not. When you can't think of the correct word in Italian, most Italians will help you or just respond in English. It makes the locals respect you more if you can speak the language, but I promise, it won't hinder your experience.

2) The grocery stores: One of the most trivial yet biggest adjustments my friends and I had to make here was the way Italians grocery shop. Italians typically go once a day and purchase just one or two things they need  for the particular meal they plan on creating that evening for supper. However, us Americans are used to full on shopping trips where we purchase a week or two worth of goods. It's quite difficult to do this because a) most grocery stores near our apartment (and most in Florence) are tiny and b) the locals behind you in line get really impatient and make you feel really rushed as you check out. I've improved immensely and go a few times a week now, purchasing only a few items. If you still shop like you do at home, it's not the end of the world. I got over those judgments pretty quickly and still make those trips every now and again, despite the locals' staring burning holes in the back of my head.

3) The food: Carbs, carbs, and more carbs. If you're on the Atkins diet, god bless your soul, because you're going to be struggling. When you go out to dinner, you are fed bread and oil to start. Then, typically, the reasonably priced menu items are variations of pasta and pizza.  So you'll find yourself always ordering the two. And when you're at home, since you have to cook for yourself for every single meal in a small kitchen you share with a bunch of other people in your apartment (there's no such things as Lean Cuisine frozen dinners here), you'll find yourself drawn to the easy fixes...like pizza and pasta. It's really easy to get used to, but I honestly can't wait to get home to have some more variety in my life. Don't get me wrong, the food is phenomenal. And don't even get me started on the cannolis, gelato, and baked goods overall. You can't go wrong with food in Italy. Just be prepared for a lot of it. Often.

4) Walking on the streets: I'm not really a city girl by any means. New York City is so psychotic that it makes me want to jump in front of a taxi, but Florence is definitely a happy medium for those of us who do not enjoy big cities but get bored easily in our small farm towns in Connecticut (ha). Florence is definitely a walking city. My apartment is somewhat on the outskirts near the train station, but even then, I'm only 15 minutes from many of the major landmarks like the Duomo, Piazza della Repubblica, the Arno River, and more. You can get across the city in about a half hour or so if you walk at a steady pace. That's something I adore about this place. However, just know that many of the streets are quite narrow. Italians most likely will not make way for you if they are walking in a line across the sidewalk, so you may have to step on the street to get around them. If someone bumps into you, they won't say they're sorry or even acknowledge your presence. No one smiles at each other on the streets (even when someone has a cute baby or puppy. I'm serious.). It's not that anyone is trying to be rude. That's just how it is, so don't take offense. I've learned to walk fast, not look at others, and basically just walk like I'm a massive bitch to get around effectively, but hey. It's working. I do miss smiling at people in America, though. If you do that here, they think you're a freak.

5) The men: Oh, girls. Be prepared for the most male attention you have ever received in your entire life. You think being out at night in a bar in America is bad? Walking down the street to class during the day in Italy is 100 times worse than that.  The guys here are not afraid to make kissy noises at you, call to you, blatantly gawk at you, and try to get your attention in any way possible. At all times. In all areas of the city. I've almost drop kicked a few of them. And I got mad enough to give one the finger once. I just have no tolerance for that kind of disrespect. Whether it's your culture or not, get out of my face before I slam my heeled boot into yours. All I can say is to keep your head held high, don't make eye contact, and roll your eyes in a frustrated manner to get them to shut up without any violence. But hey, if you really like attention, you picked the right place to study abroad.

6) Balancing classes & traveling A lot of people say that when you are abroad, classes are much easier because they want you to travel. I can testify to that...for about half of the semester. September and October here at Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence were doable. I had a few short papers, weekly assignments, and a few quizzes, but even though I was traveling every single weekend, I was able to manage it and keep my grades quite high. However, after your mid-semester, week-long break, the joke is over. I was lucky enough to get my traveling done for the most part by mid-November, so when the work got tough, I had the weekends free to catch up. I recommend getting your big trips out of the way in the first half of the semester (your biggest being during break). I'm not saying you should stop traveling towards the end, but definitely save your day trips and short weekend trips to places a little closer for those times that you're struggling to handle your four required 8-page research papers and finals all due within two weeks of one another. Also, be careful with your absences. Our school allows 2. If you miss a 3rd, you go down a letter grade. If you miss a 4th, you fail. Try not to miss classes for traveling too often, or you'll find yourself down a letter grade much faster than you anticipated. You can do it, but just be wise about it. You may need some of those if you get sick!

7) Keeping in touch: I know it's scary to think you'll be away from your friends, family, and maybe even a significant other for almost four months in a foreign land. However, it really isn't that difficult to keep in touch. With Skype, email, and Facebook, it's actually pretty cheap. I have a shitty cell phone that charges way more than it should, so I actually bought Skype credit for 6 bucks a month to supplement that. I get unlimited calls to international cells/landlines with this credit for that much money. If I were to use my cell that freely, I'd be paying hundreds of dollars per month. I keep in touch with everyone mostly via Facebook messages and email. If you really miss someone, Skype them. Just don't let contacting people at home consume you, or you won't enjoy your experiences to the fullest. Put down the phone, drop them a quick message when you miss them and they can't talk, and go frolic around the streets of Florence.

8)  Packing: Oh, packing. It has been the bane of my existence since two weeks before I left for Florence. My recommendation: BUY A PORTABLE LUGGAGE SCALE. I bought one for 7 bucks in the travel section at Wal-Mart, and it has been a lifesaver. The weight limits for international flights, whether it be from home to your study abroad location, places within Europe, or your flight home, are very strict. Don't overpack. Bring lots of basics you can mix and match. I have an extensive wardrobe that I had to leave much of behind. However, with the purchasing of a few cool Italian scarves and jewelry, any plain outfit can be made stylish. Don't stress when you have to leave some of your favorite clothing items behind. Even high maintenance people like myself can live out of 2 suitcases for 4 months. I promise.

9) Water, electricity, & internet: I heard an Italian actually call Italy a third world country at one point because of the unreliable plumbing and electricity, which I found hilarious.  It's definitely not that bad, but it's definitely not what we're used to in the states either. The showers do not hold water pressure (or temperature for that matter) consistently. It will be strong at one point...then trickle...then be really strong again and scolding hot...then trickling and freezing...and the cycle continues. It's like a game of Russian Roulette every time you get in there. But it's all part of the adventure...I guess. As for the electricity, you can't have multiple big appliances running at once, or OOPS, you're wandering around your apartment in the dark looking for the circuit breaker. For instance, if we have the washing machine on in the apartment while someone is cooking dinner, the power shuts off. It's easily fixable...but a tad inconvenient. Also, sorry, everyone, but the internet sucks. I'm sure study abroad staff at your school have warned you, but it really is that bad. Our apartment is surprisingly better off than most, I think, but it cuts out randomly for 20 minutes some days, and at other times, it just turns on and off for an hour or two. Sometimes we just give up and connect to free wifi from local cafes. It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but when you're doing research or skyping, don't expect it to stay connected the whole time because chances are, it won't.

10) Make the most of it: A lot of this may have seemed negative, but I'm just trying to warn you about the things no one warned me about. I wanted to make everything as realistic as possible so you know what you're stepping into. Florence, Italy, and Europe in general are amazing places to be, and you should never regret the decision you made to go there for a second. You'll see some incredible things, experience culture shock that you can laugh about later, and end up with a second home overseas. Make the most of your time here, and if something bothers you about the place you're staying, think of the positives that make you want to stay forever (there definitely will be some). Meet new people, go out and explore, and take the semester to gain new experiences and come home with some stories that everyone will be jealous of.

Hope this helped. :) Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

It's Christmas Time in the City

Ciao, amici e buon natale di Firenze. :) The streets of Florence have never looked more beautiful, and I have never been so happy that I decided to study abroad in the fall so I could experience Christmas time in another culture. Starting in late November, the streets began to be strewn with lights. Typically, the lights are connected  to the tops of buildings on either side of the street and have some type of lantern, fleur di lis design, or chandelier-like light fixture hanging in the center. This continues down each street to create an enchanting, Christmasy feeling as you stroll through the city. Even though it's still 60 degrees here on a daily basis, Christmas is in the air in Italia!

 
Tuesday was my friend and housemate, Kate's, 21st birthday and so we celebrated on Wednesday by having a little party at our house then going to Club 21 (ha. 21 at 21.) for a little bit of dancing and hanging out. I had a great time with everyone just relaxing in our apartment and bonding with people I may not see again after we depart from Florence next week.  The birthday girl seemed to have a fantastic time, which I am so happy about. She got a few bottles of wine, some olives, and cheese and crackers for everyone (precious), so it was super classy. I debated going to the club, though, because even after the few times I've gone, I've just never come to love clubbing. But I went anyway, and my friend Kalani kept me company while many of my tipsy friends made me laugh hysterically. It was pretty crowded, sweaty, and gross in the club, but I still had a good time just spending time with everyone during our last full weekend in Firenze.

Yesterday, we had some more housemate bonding time. Almost all of us, plus our friends Amy and Jenny, decided we would spend the day out and about in Firenze getting lunch and going to the local Christmas markets. Let me tell you, EVERYONE else known to man had the same idea. Because it was a national holiday (Immaculate Conception), no one was at work or school, so being out in the city was like being at a psychotic Italian  carnival. It was a blast, though. We went to Gusta Pizza, a study abroad student favorite, and then we trekked on over to Santa Croce for the international Christmas markets that were set up. We were jam packed in the aisles between the little stands and could barely look at anything they were selling because of the crowds, but it was still festive, fun, and interesting to experience. I may go back one day this week in hopes that it will be less crowded and really get a good look at the stands. There was chocolate covered fruit, apple strudel, candy stands, German pretzel stands, and more, in addition to all the unique multicultural gifts available. I definitely have to go back for that at least! After a long day of browsing and dodging Italian children and parents all over the city, we headed home to relax for the evening.

I'm down to my final 8 days in Florence, and I started packing a little bit today. It's a little heartbreaking, a little stressful, and a little exciting. It's heartbreaking because clearly, Florence has become my home in the past three and a half months, I love my housemates, and seeing places all over Europe has been unforgettable. It's stressful because of finals, but embarrassingly enough, I may be even more stressed about the weight limits of my suitcases going home! It's exciting, however, because I can't wait to be back in a familiar place, see everyone, enjoy the holidays, and return to my beloved Marist College (especially because of dance!). I know the next week is going to bring a lot of frustration because of finals, but I'll just try and remember the good times I've had this semester. Thanks for reading, everyone! Expect my few final blog posts chronicling my experiences abroad to be posted in the next week.

Good News and Good Food.

Ciao! I officially have two remaining weeks of my study abroad experience here in Firenze. It's a really bittersweet time for me, and I think a lot of my friends are sharing the same sentiments. We all are sad that this is coming to a close, but certain things about Italian living are starting to get under our skin. When we were first adjusting in the beginning, things like the horrible internet connection, the lack of a shower with good water pressure at any point in time, and the fact that you can't have more than one thing turned on without the power going off made us long for home. However, in the middle, we adjusted, and all of these things just became a part of every day life. You can tell that we are now reverting back to our frustrations in the beginning. When the internet goes out, annoyed grunts are heard throughout the apartment. When someone comes out of the shower, they have a look of disgust and anger on their face because it took them twenty minutes to wash their hair since the shower head decided it would be hilarious to send the water out in a single, trickling stream for half the time. It's actually really funny how our attitudes are changing the closer we get to being home (and the bigger workload for school and finals approaching aren't helping either). I'm still loving Italy, though, and even though I haven't seen as much of Europe as I'd like, I've seen many of Italy's major beautiful cities and really made it around to a lot of cool places.

As for the title, my good news is actually something related to my return to Marist in January. I was elected to be the Public Relations Manager for Marist College Dance Ensemble last night for my senior year! I am beyond thrilled. Dance ensemble has become an integral part of my college experience, and I honestly couldn't think of a better group to have joined my very first semester of freshman year. I've choreographed three different times, and the fact that I now have the opportunity to contribute and lead even further makes me beyond happy. I'll be practicing for my future career field and doing what I love. You really can't ask for much more than that. I found out this morning and have been in the best mood all day. I'll be starting my shadow period next semester before taking over next year. This just gives me another reason to look forward to getting back to the states. :) Thanks to everyone who voted for me!

And as for the good food, I'm talking about a little field trip I just returned from for my cooking class here in Florence (yes, I get credit for it). We got to go to San Gimignano, a beautiful area in the Tuscan countryside. Unfortunately, it was in the evening, so I didn't get any pictures of the stunning landscape, but I definitely enjoyed the farm we visited. It was so rustic and quaint and was exactly what I pictured the countryside to look like. The buildings were all stone with vines and flowers climbing the walls. A little dog was running around was we walked through the area. We first went down into the wine cellar to just take a look around and see the giant barrels that the wine is made in. We then went upstairs in one of the buildings to a giant dining area that was just as adorable as the outside and were treated to a meal of local specialties made right at the farm itself. We tasted two kinds of wine, a red and a white (well, I only had 2 sips of the white. You know me.), and the olive oil that was pressed fresh the day before. Words cannot even describe the deliciousness that was that olive oil. It was poured over perfectly toasted bread, and I seriously wish I had way more room in my suitcase. That would have been a great gift to bring home! There was also some bread with gorgonzola cheese that was divine as well. You know those Italians and their carbs...but I can't say I hate it even a little bit. After our meal, we walked around the farm, checked out the shop, then got on the bus back to Florence.

 Drool.

 The dining room!

I'm currently sitting at home and relaxing. Tomorrow will most likely be spent studying for my first written final on Monday and being lame, but there is a distinct possibility that I will also be visiting the Christmas markets that are taking place at Santa Croce across the city. I've heard nothing but good things. The whole city is decked out in lights and Christmas decor, and even though I'm not a city girl, it's kind of making me one. Look for my next post about my final few weeks. :)

Favorite. <3 This was on Thanksgiving when the building was just being lit in Piazza Della Repubblica!