Learning as I Go

Chiesa di San Miniato al Monte

The first real day of sightseeing and I have already fallen in love. I have never seen so much of one city in just a day, and yet there is still so much. Florence is a beautiful, beautiful city and I feel like I can really mean that now that I’ve come to appreciate the culture and the historical architecture, some that has been around for almost a thousand or more years.

One of the first places we went to was Chiesa di San Miniato al Monte which was a church on top of a hill outside of the city. Because it was high up, we could see nearly all of Florence and I got a pretty good idea of the city’s layout. And, of course, got to appreciate such an awesome view even if it was a little foggy.

After that, we walked back into the city by going across the Arno River and Jodie, one of the awesome program directors, was so entertaining as she told us everything. On the riverside near Ponte Vecchio, a lot of the shops made me feel like I was in the Medieval times. There’s nothing like old architecture that sends a person back in time.


The view from Chiesa di San Miniato al Monte with the
very prominent Duomo in the center.

We had lunch at a cute little place which was just enough to fill us up. I’m not a big fan of the fizzy water they offer, but I like how they give a choice between that and mineral water. Also, wine with dinner every night is amazing. Wine in Italy is fantastic (which the program pays for), but I’ll go on about that later. Maybe after I go wine tasting.

I got the feeling that every place we went to wasn’t used to large groups like ours and the restaurants were barely big enough to hold all of us. Things run kind of small in Italy, but you get used to it after awhile. One thing about traveling so much is that you learn how to adapt quickly to different cultures.

The three Magi in the parade.

Afterwards, we got to see the parade honoring the Magis since Sunday was a holiday for the Italians. It was a very long procession line that was both loud and pretty. The costumes (traditional dress, I should say) were beautiful. We followed the procession from Ponte Vecchio to the Duomo. It was a nice walk, though crowded, and we explored the city ourselves for at least an hour and a half.

I was really grateful for the time we got to relax after all the traveling we’ve all had to do. We got started at 10:30 because the program coordinators were trying to help us out. It’s also been great living in such close quarters with everyone in the 18-week program. We have time to get to know one another before separating to live with our host families (which I can’t wait for!). I think many of us are a little nervous for what kind of family we’re going to be paired with, but I trust that the program coordinators will pair us up with great people.

All in all, the food here has been wonderful and, if you can find the right places, decently priced. I’ve also started thinking of places to travel to on the weekends with a few others in the group. It’s always smart to plan early, but there is just so much to see of Italy and I don’t know if I’ll have time to go all over Europe like I want. With the little time I have here, I’m determined to make the best of it. As long as I keep my budget in mind too.

Classes start tomorrow and I am so excited. I’ll finally be able to say something other than “grazie” or “ciao” and, hopefully, learn how to talk to the natives at least on a basic level. I’m a firm believer that experience is the best way to learn and hey, every Italian here will become my teacher in this beautiful, historic classroom.

One of the things I am bummed about is that there are no Protestant Christian churches around my area. Not only that, but our weekends are going to be pretty full. Though I'd like to attend church, I don’t think I’ll have too much of a problem making time for God on my own time while also making new friends and enjoying my studies abroad. This trip has been so great so far, and I can’t wait to see more of Firenze!