As I’m writing this blog entry, I’m in a coffee shop in my small hometown in Massachusetts. I’d much rather be writing this from a caffé in Italy, but alas, I won’t be studying abroad in Florence for another week and a half.
Sipping Italian coffee and being in a city that doesn’t have such cold winters are among a few of the things that excite me to be in Italy, but I am also a bit nervous- five months is a long time! I’m going to miss those closest to me, and it’s difficult to comprehend being in different time zones from them.
I’m sure once I’m there I won’t want to leave, but in the meantime, I’ve been keeping myself busy so that I don’t ruminate too much. For the past month, I’ve been working as a hostess at a local Italian restaurant. Aside from giving me a taste of Italian food (literally and figuratively), working has been a nice way to save up money for expenses abroad.
I’ve also been brushing up on my Italian, as all of my classes will be taught in Italian, and I will be living with a woman who does not speak English. To go about this, I’ve been using the app called DuoLingo, which gives me daily practice questions.
I know that the thing I should be focusing on the most before I leave is packing. This is a bit difficult because I can only bring so many items in my suitcase, and I’m not sure which clothes in my wardrobe are most appropriate for European fashion. The latter has been my biggest roadblock in packing, and has even led to rather excessive online shopping. I know that’s a trivial issue though, and my mom reminded me, “you’re there to see Italy, not for Italy to see you”.
These upcoming days leading to my departure have certainly been chaotic and stressful, but I know once I arrive in such a beautiful country that I’ve always wanted to go to, most of my worries will cease.
My next entry will be from Florence- I hope you stick around to read it!
