Go With the Slow

Ciao! So I've been in Florence for a little over a day and I feel like I could write a novel! We arrived yesterday around 2pm. The weather was surprisingly warm, maybe mid to high 40's with the sun beaming. We were greeted by Palazzo Rucellai (the school I am studying at) faculty members. They put us in a taxi which brought us to our apartment. I would also like to add that this is my FIRST EVER taxi ride. Already I was experiencing something new! When we arrived at our apartment, we found out that we were on the third floor, which is also the highest...great. After cursing every step that I had to drag my 100 lbs. of luggage up,  I finally reached the top which was illuminated by a skylight and was immediately overcome with excitement. I walked in the thick wooden door to a small hallway. When I entered the main living space I couldn't resist smiling. There's a small table and chairs, couch, kitchen, and counter with bar stools. Now this sounds like any other apartment, but immediately I felt like I was in my Italian home. There are two bedrooms with two beds each. Our other two roommates aren't coming until tomorrow because their flights were delayed. My room has a smaller bathroom (I can wash my hands and go to the bathroom at the same time), but it has a balcony. Stepping out for the first time was breathtaking. The view is mainly of other buildings, but amazing nonetheless. We didn't end up eating until 11pm last night. After not eating all day, we were starving (and that's an understatement).

Today we had orientation at a building that dates back to the 1300's. The main room we were in resembled Hogwarts and hosted the 170 students in the program. There are students from UConn, PSU, ASU, and Rodger Williams. We were introduced to the faculty and staff. Definitely an interesting group of people. One woman is from California. Another from Italy, but studied abroad in California and ended up staying for 13 years. All of them are friendly and helpful; I am excited to get to know them more. Which brings me to the title of this post. No, it's not a typo. When the school psychologist spoke about culture shock and different cultural differences she emphasized the theme of Italian culture is to "go with the slow." Take your time, don't rush. Well I can definitely get used to that! We enjoyed a yummy lunch, and I ate everything, didn't know when I'd eat again. We came home and immediately crashed. I slept for two hours. Jet lag is definitely kickin my butt! We went to the store and got some staples: bread, cheese, soda, and frozen pizzas. Can't figure out the gas stove. We have a faculty member coming tomorrow to show us how everything works in our apartment, so hopefully we can use the stove tomorrow night.


I could keep going, but I think this is enough for now. Gotta go with the slow!