I’ve been dreaming of Italy since I was a little girl. My mother’s family is from Sicily, my parents traveled all around the country before I was born and we have a full wall of photos of the Colosseum of Rome, the bridges of Florence and the canals of Venice in my house. Italy has been on my mind for as long as I can remember, so when the time came to apply for study abroad I didn’t think twice. I knew Italy was the place for me, and Elon’s Florence program seemed like exactly what I was looking for. If I knew Italy was the place for me then, I definitely knew Italy was the place for me as the bus pulled away from the airport in Florence and we passed through the unbelievable city that would soon become my home, gawking at everything I saw.
And as I sit in my kitchen in Florence a month later, I can honestly say that Florence has become my home. Adjusting was hard at first, that’s for sure. Being in a foreign city, and a foreign country for that matter, is a big change. But I found that one of the things I love about Florence is that it’s so welcoming to Americans. And believe me, I did not think this would be the case, especially after the Jersey Shore cast spent the summer here. Maybe it’s because Florence is full of students, but I have come to find that the locals have been nothing but nice. Everyone I come in contact with is excited to speak with me, and quite patient with my broken (very broken) Italian. I have a friend from home who is taking Italian at school, and his teacher told the class the best way to learn a language is to immerse yourself in a country where that language is spoken. But if you want to become fluent in Italian, don’t go to Florence because almost everyone speaks English. Florence is a great city for a first-time Italian student because you hear Italian everywhere you go and can practice as much as you want. But because many people do speak English as well, you don’t feel lost or overwhelmed in terms of the language barrier.
I’ve never seen such a perfect integration of past and present than this city. I’m so thankful for my GST public
speaking class, Vox Populi, taught by Elon’s own Professor Tom Nelson, as we have learned so much about the city’s history. I don’t feel as if I am walking around aimlessly, unaware of how incredible this place is. I realize that I am living in the birthplace of the Renaissance and am so grateful for the knowledge that I have gained and will continue to gain about the city. Florence has deep historical, cultural and artistic roots, and those roots are still growing strong. Florence is such a vibrant city, filled with universities, shops and restaurants, yet the past is not ignored. It is celebrated.
Florence is a small city. I can walk more or less anywhere I need to go, which is great. As the particular study abroad program that I am participating in is in conjunction with Elon, I found that my classes are quite similar to my classes back at school, which is a constant that I appreciate. And I love being surrounded by Elon students. There are 40 of us participating in this program, and we have been lucky enough to go on trips to incredible places like Tuscan villages and the five coastal villages of Cinque Terre together.
I really feel as if I have a perfect mix of Elon and Florence. I feel like I am experiencing this incredible city on my own, yet I have the comfort of an Elon professor, an Elon program and AEF (Accademia Europea di Firenze), the great school we are in affiliation with here, my fellow classmates and of course my awesome roommates. I have been living here for a full month and never in my life have I experienced time flying by as fast as it is right now. I just want it to slow down! But I am so happy that I have so much more time ahead of me to explore and meet more people and fall even deeper in love with this city.