Hi everyone,
So there is not much to talk about for this week so far. I went out with the group on Monday and Tuesday night for a little bit and had the usual classes. Tomorrow is the last day of class with my professor Gus, he has to go back to the states with his wife and another Penn State professor will be taking his place for the last 4 weeks. I wanted to get something to bring for his last day for him and the class but Nicole and I are having trouble deciding what to do and making sure that it doesnt cost an arm and a leg.
Right after class tomorrow I will be leaving with Alyssa and Nicole to go visit Alyssa's family. We are taking a train to Venice and then a smaller one to their town. I can't wait to see what these houses are going to look like and where we are going to be staying.
Italy has been amazing so far, I cant believe that I am living in such a beautiful place that has always just been a dream of mine. It doesn't feel like reality that I am here in Europe so far away from home. With technology I can talk to all of you everyday (which is a great thing because I would be going crazy missing you even more then I do now) but it makes me feel like I am really not on the other side of the world. I want to enjoy every minute here and I don't like to spend my days or nights in my apartment. I want to make friends with locals and not just hang out with Americans. Nicole and I were talking the other day about the things that we now miss and appreciate in America that if coming here we wouldn't have a second thought about. We came up with things like real pavement, all the streets here are cobblestone. Their sirens for police and ambulances are OBNOXIOUS, I will never be bothered by the sirens at home again. Air conditioning aka not sweating every night when sleeping. "Unlimited" electricity and water always being at our disposal. And the list can go on.. I feel that I should take the moment to think of these things that I am grateful in my life at home, to be an American and live the lives that we do. At the same time, I do not want to spend my time constantly negatively comparing here to home. I want to have the mind-frame when I am here of just how beautiful everything is and also appreciate everything (well almost everything) that is here for its differences. I need to think that each day is the first day that I am here how excited I was to explore and see all of the sites. I cannot think that I will be here for 6 weeks (now almost 4) and think that that is so much time I can just sit back and do that "tomorrow." I cannot I need to go out as much as my body and mind can take and take advantage of my SHORT time here. I hope that I will be able to come back to Florence and Italy and other European countries when I am older but life is short and I am not going to use any sort of "back-up plan" to see anything "later." I am also here to not judge their culture but to try to learn and become apart of it and hopefully bring parts of it back home with me. I definitely think that I am going to blog when I even get home to talk about what I miss in Italy and what the trip has a whole has meant to me and how it has changed me.
So I wont be blogging again til after the weekend. I am going to the Ponte Vecchio now to do some more shopping and then I am supposed to be having dinner with Alyssa, her roommates, Nicole, and Alyssa's friend, and his roommates (a big crowd). And then Nicole, Alyssa, and I are going to be getting ready for Venice!
xoxo
Michele
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