IM HERE!

Ciao Amici!

I have safely landed in Florence after 2 plane rides and many hours! My first plane took off from Newark around 8 o'clock and was about a 7 hour plane ride to Frankfurt, Germany. The plane ride was actually NOT as bad as I thought that it was going to be. I was very nervous that I was going to get motion sickness on the plane and it was going to be the worst 7 hours of my life but I was in fact fine and the 7 hours went by smoothly. (and for readers like my Mom, I slept only a little bit and stuck the flight out so that I would not get jet lag) Anyway, then I had a connecting flight to Florence that was only an hour or two later, they were having some issues with the flight because they overbooked it but it ended up being fine for me, thankfully! That plane ride was actually worse than the first one, and that plane ride was only a little over an hour. So I then landed in Florence where a donna (woman) from the institute sent us off in taxi's to our apartments. And let me just tell you they drive worse then New York Taxi drivers.

Anyway so when Nicole and I got to my apartment one of our roommates were here already and had put her stuff in one room and there were 2 more to choose from so Nicole and I got to pick our room. So in our apartment we have 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. Each bedroom had 2 single beds but one of our roommates got mono so she is no longer coming to study abroad. So there are 3 of us from Penn State (Nicole and I have never met the girl before) and then 2 from UVA. They are all very nice and I am very pleased with my apartment, its a lot bigger then my apartment in school haha.

So my first day we just unpacked, relaxed, went over to my other friend Alyssa's apartment and went out as a huge group of like 12 girls and guys to this restaurant where we got unlimited wine and then family style appetizers and pasta. IT WAS DELICIOUS! And then Nicole and I left the group when they went on to another bar because we were tired and had to let in our 5th roommate whose flight got delayed.

Today (my second day here) we had orientation at 9. So we got up early and had to figure our way to the place for orientation. Let me tell you it is soo difficult to get around this city with these streets, they all have different but similar names, and there are no such things as numbers like 1st or 2nd street so its a challenge that I hope gets better each day. So we had orientation and then Nicole and I got our first gelato it was soooo good. And then now we are back at our apartment, there was a little rain shower. (The weather here is beautiful and hot) And now were going to go get myself an Italian cell phone so I can text and call the other people in my group.

Miss you all but I am really enjoying myself so far!

Buongiorno, for all of you Americans that its just noon!
<3 Michele