As soon my feet touched the ground in Florence, I was ready to tackle the strangeness of my new temporary home and the language barrier. It didn’t take long for reality to set in. What should have been a 24 Euro taxi ride from the airport to my apartment cost me 40 Euro. No point in arguing…I needed my luggage. What I also didn’t realize is that they don’t drop you at your front door. I had to walk over cobble-stoned blocks dragging 3 suitcases and a large shoulder bag. First, I went in the wrong direction and then after discovering that, had to turn around and go back in the other direction
Ahhh….but once I arrived at my apartment it was all worth it. I am sharing an apartment with two other women. Deb from San Francisco and Maarit from Finland. They are taking classes through a program called AIFS. AIFS is a study abroad program offered through their community college in San Mateo, CA. Interestingly enough, the American River College (ARC) in Sacramento also offers the study abroad program. I studied at ARC for a couple of semesters before transferring to Sacramento State. At one of the AIFS gatherings I met some of the students from ARC. Imagine running into students in Florence, Italy from a school you attended right after graduating high school. I mean what are the odds of that. I guess it really is a small world.
I on the other hand am taking private classes at a private school…Academia Del Giglio. More about my school later. I am so jet-lagged that all I want to do is go to sleep for days.
Cindy Mochel Livermore 