Ciao, Ragazzi!

Hello, all! It has been just over a month since we have arrived in Florence and so much has happened, I do not know where to begin. I have nothing but good things to say about this place; the food is incredible, the culture is amazing and the feel that I get from this city is unlike anything I have ever experienced in the United States.

I cannot talk enough about how much I have been enjoying the food here. What we have been able to create with such fresh ingredients is so much better than what we eat at home. And one of the best parts of this whole experience is that I am actually learning how to cook! There is no dining hall where you go to eat whatever they make for you, you have to make everything yourself and I love learning stuff like that on the fly.

The culture is so different from the United States. I feel as though people are so much more laid back and they take their time. They are not driven by their job or anything else, they do what pleases them! I feel as though life is so simple here, it is such a nice change of pace to really slow down and enjoy my surroundings. That kind of life style also really reflects in the way in which the Florentine professors conduct their classes, they understand that we are here partly for education and partly to discover a new world and really take in our surroundings. I also love that the people here are so helpful to non Italian speakers, I do not know if I would survive with out that extra bit of help.

This city is so gorgeous, the architecture and the layout are unlike anything I have seen in the States. I love how preserved this place is and how much history it holds. I have wandered the streets and purposely gotten lost so many times just to see what I could find.

Well that's all for now, everyone! Ciao!