I’ve always wanted to study abroad. Even in high school, before I knew what college I wanted to attend, I knew I would study abroad. Every year, around 300,000 students from the United States — 1% of all students enrolled in university — study abroad somewhere around the world.
When I was choosing which program to take part in, I knew I wanted a place that was rich in culture and history. Italy, being a country I have always wanted to visit, felt as though it would be the perfect fit for me. Since leaving home at the beginning of January, I’ve had the privilege of living in Florence for the last three weeks.
I can’t begin to describe how this experience is already changing my life. So cliche, I know, because everyone that studies abroad says it changes you, but it’s true! This year is the first real fresh start I’ve had since moving to Colorado for college. I didn’t know anyone from Boulder coming over, and I went with random roommates. Even though I’ve only been here for three weeks and it’s been a very rainy start, it’s been an incredible new beginning for me.
My trip here and initial week can only be best described as disorienting. Initially, I hadn’t really felt any certain emotion towards leaving. Even the day before I left — or was supposed to — leave for the airport, the experience felt so far away that I couldn’t acknowledge it was happening.
In an uncommon trend, I left most of my packing for the day I was going to leave, putting all my things into three suitcases, and I tried to convince myself I was ready to go. Because I wasn’t exactly “ready” — in fact, I was stressed out of my mind. I felt so stressed that I wanted to leave for the airport early. However, checking my flight, it soon became clear that I would not be leaving for the airport.
My connecting flight from Paris to Florence had been cancelled due to storms happening throughout Europe. Now, I was going to be connecting from London to Rome and then to Florence. Having never traveled to Europe, I had no confidence that I would be able to handle these connections. This was further solidified by my dad telling me that — even if I made my flight in London — with the amount of time my layover was, my luggage probably wouldn’t have made it. Choosing to shift my travel plan to the next day allowed me to stay on the same flight plan and gave me one last day in Rhode Island.
Celebrating that I had one more night, I got my last Chili’s triple dipper for the foreseeable future — something I miss very much— and calmed my nerves down. The next day I headed to the airport, making it through security and to my gate without issues. We boarded the plane, I spent the entire flight watching movies — Casablanca, Knives Out — and an hour of sleep later, we made it to the Paris airport.
The time zone was six hours ahead, and, having gotten little to no sleep, I was already beginning to feel disoriented. We deplaned on the tarmac and were taken by bus to the front of the airport. I once again went through security and got my passport stamped. My flight to Florence was delayed, but not significantly, which kept me from getting stressed again. During the flight, we were notified that the tarmac at the Florence airport is very short, and the plane would be stopping very fast. I thought to myself, how fast can this landing really be, but I swear we hit a standstill in 5 seconds.
Arriving at my study abroad program’s building shortly after, it was clear that many students’ flights had been impacted by storms. Luggage was in one of the rooms, and it was clear that the staff had been working to help students navigate the flight changes and luggage losses they were facing. After helping me get my things into a taxi, I was taken to my apartment.
My roommates and I hit the ground running. Despite the snow, and it rarely snows in Florence, we went to one of the city squares where the Firenze Duomo is. Attached to a cathedral, Brunelleschi’s Duomo is one of the top tourist attractions in Florence. In any stock image of Florence, the massive dome is present. Visiting two bars, I got to know the girls I would be living with for the next few months. We had just met, but we already had so many things in common. Bonding with them more now, I couldn’t have picked better people to live with.
Prior to our classes starting, we had a few days to get to know the city. Even after classes started and I was taking the same routes every day, I relied heavily on Google maps to find my way around. Many streets look similar, and the buildings are so tall that I began feeling very claustrophobic. Now being able to navigate most of the areas around me, it’s clear that there are distinguishable features. It’s also helpful that my apartment is towards the center of town, and, with the city being very walkable, it’s easy to get around — except for the rain.
The temperatures in Florence are very mild; so mild that the city has palm and orange trees that are growing. This leads the city to have rain instead of snow. There has not been a day since I’ve been here that it hasn’t rained. My roommates and I took a day trip to Pisa, and that was the only full day I experienced sun with no rain. We get intermittent sun, but for the most part it’s rain. On Tuesday, I walked to class in torrential rain — more like a downpour, but walking through it, it felt torrential. Although it was pretty annoying, now not relying on maps, I was interacting and laughing with other people on the street as we were trying to avoid colliding umbrellas.
Although the culture shock has hit me, since being here I’ve been able to create habits and find places that have been making me feel more connected to the city. I’ve been trying new restaurants weekly, choosing a few that I frequent and some that are fun to sit for long dinners. Picking painting and drawing back up, I’ve been enjoying capturing people’s interactions and the buildings here. Something I love is how many dogs there are. I swear there must be hundreds of dachshunds in this city. I’ve also found solace in wandering around Florence after my classes, even when I’m overwhelmed by the city around me.
It’s very hard adjusting to college, and, for me, it has been even more challenging learning to adapt to a new country. However, I’m already finding community, joy, and peace during my study abroad. I’m so excited to document more of my experiences in Florence and my trips. However, this is all for now. Ciao!