L'inizio (The Beginning)

(Second picture: the view outside my bedroom)

(Other pictures: my bedroom)

I arrived in Florence yesterday via Germany after a flight that was not only long but exhausting. The pilot flew over Florence on the initial attempt at descending and had to make another attempt. The second try was the charm and despite the smell of burning breaks we arrived safely; unharmed. Luckily none of my bags were lost in the long flight and I left the airport after converting the cash in my wallet at an exchange rate that was less than favorable (robbery). I considered taking the bus to get to my apartment but at this point the last thing I wanted was to navigate my way around an unfamiliar city from a bus stop with luggage in tow. I hailed a cab. Disappointingly, after I told him where I wanted to go in my slightly strained Italian he conversed with me principally in English thereafter. I was sure to get the cost of the trip in advance. We rode past the Duomo which is (as they always say) even more beautiful than the pictures.

My apartment is very close to the Duomo, infact, it is pretty close to just about everything. This has been one of the most satisfying aspects of my trip thus far. When the taxi driver dropped me off I had to buzz into the apartment to contact my house mate. He answered the door, helped me with my luggage, and soon told me that he had expected my arrival the day before. Unaware of exactly what he was saying or why he had expected me the day before I quickly apologized to his rapid fire Italian and proceeded to my new dwelling for the year, anxious to take a shower after what seemed like an eternity of travel. I was met with light wood floors and dark rose wood cabinetry, it is “una camera bellissima!”

It wasn’t long before I made sense of what my housemate had told me and I did indeed arrive a day later from the time I told him I would. I told him that my flight was on the fifth and that I planed to arrive at two in the afternoon. Of course I neglected to factor in the time the trip would take and didn’t tell him that would be two in the afternoon the next day. I was very fortunate that he was home to let me in, otherwise, I would have been standing with my luggage on the streets of Florence hungry, tired, stinky….and waiting.

As far as the language was concerned my initial reaction was one of panic. I probably understood only about half of what my housemate initially told me in the first hours and while I was unpacking my mind was racing. “What the hell have I gotten myself into?” Soon, however, we were taking a stroll down the streets of Florence and although I can’t honestly say that I understood every word he said, I began picking up most of them and by dinner time I was conversing in a way that I felt comfortable with—meaning I wasn’t saying “um” or ‘uh” or pausing to find words at every moment.

Today, my second day in Florence, has been even better linguistically although a trip to the supermarket has quickly pointed out my linguistic limitations. The food is different here in Italy, fresher, in smaller portions, and more expensive. Almost every cut of meat is presented including many that I have never seen before leading me to question what animal it came from. As can be expected things like cereal and snacks from America are not available here and if they are here they are very expensive. One can not buy a gallon of milk here, but rather a liter of milk, meaning that my days of about a quarter gallon of milk a day are for the time being finished. Alas, I will have to quench my thirst with an inexpensive abundance of wine.

At this point in my journey the initial panic of “oh shit, what have I done” has passed though with no guarantee that it will stay gone. I am looking forward to my first day of school in a foreign country tomorrow.

Stay tuned for a future blog post entitled “Graffiti is an Italian word” where I will be taking pictures and commenting on the cornucopia of graffiti displayed on the walls and streets of this historic city. Here is a preview from outside my window: (see second picture).

From Italy, “Buona Giornata!”