Finding Florence: A Study Abroad Experience
Henry James once said, "Everything about Florence seems to be colored with mild violet, like diluted wine." I was granted the opportunity of a lifetime: studying in Florence for a month...embracing myself in the violet hues of Firenze (that's Florence in French).
The airport was two hours away from me. I sat in the car dreading my flight to Europe. I don't have enough fingers of my own to count all the worries in my head as I looked at my reflection painted on the window. Where I thought my worries ended, safely in the Florentine hotel we stayed in for orientation, I was met with the fear that I wouldn't make friends in Florence. I was blindly overwhelmed by restating where I was from, what excursions I was going on, what I was studying, and which apartment I was living in to every new student who walked through the revolving doors. I was so burnt out from travelling, the European sun, and introducing myself repeatedly that I never had a second to breathe. Because of that, I went to bed afraid I had a made a mistake...that Florence wasn't for me...that I was more fit for flat prosecco than diluted wine.
Before I knew it, I had fallen in love with Florence. I'm not sure if it was during the taxi to our third floor apartment or one of the numerous walks across Ponte Santa Trinita, but I was in love. Before I stepped onto Florentine soil, I wondered if I would believe. Up until now, Italy felt like a far away dream. It's hard to believe a place as beautiful on a canvas as Florence can exist. I lived in a painting for a month and relished in every second of it. Every night, we'd go to a new restaurant and order pasta with a spritz of some sorts (sometimes Aperol, sometimes Limoncello). After eating my weight in tagliatelle, we'd walk back to our apartment. Sometimes the walk back was my favorite part. It became so familiar seeing street performers put on La Vie En Rose as we stopped to get gelato on the way home.
It was a new kind of familiar. The kind that had me waking up excited to walk down 64 stairs to get to my morning painting class (followed by my fashion class). I was afraid of the time commitment that two classes would require: three hours of painting and two of lectures. How could I possibly have time to see the city with my academic entanglements? To my surprise, we took our painting classes outside to the Piazza Santo Spritio and our fashion classes to the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum. I was grateful to have taken classes that let me take pleasure in the beauty of Florence. Everywhere my eyes turned, they stared in awe at what was in front of me: Dior displays, the Dome and Italian children playing at the fountain with their dogs.
The amazement didn't stop in the classroom. Every footstep, I fell more and more into an Italian summer fairytale. The restaurants. The people. The architecture. It was a story. On the daily, my friends and I would go out to dinner at a new restaurant of our choosing. Afterwards, we'd treat ourselves to one of the gelato places that was on every corner. I loved what became my new normal. I looked forward to daily dinners out after a busy day enjoying our lifestyle abroad. After class, we were offered a plethora of activities to fill our days. From cooking classes and gelato tours to trips to Venice and Siena and appretivo.
After signing up for every activity my schedule would allow, I spent my entire day out in the city and only met my 64 steps several hours after sundown. Even though I could never feel my legs at the end of the day, I don't think I would've traded that for a nap. Why sleep when you're in Firenze? I wanted to try every gelato shop, eat pasta and make a million memories with some new faces. It was a summer of yes. I said yes to the 30-minute gondola ride in Venice. I said yes to the Corchia Cave even though my legs were dripping with sweat from the 1500 stairs. I said yes to frequenting an Italian Karoake bar at 4 am. I said yes to a 6 am train to the Amalfi Coast because it would be criminal to not walk through those seaside towns when in Italy. I said yes to a summer of unforgettable moments.
In envy, I would hear people talk about how close they are with the friends they met studying abroad. I dreamed of getting to explore a new country with new people who'd end up some of my favorite parts of the experience. I learned that you grow a family when you're travelling and going through new experiences together. They keep your head up circling your surroundings as you thank God everyday for where you are. They fill the dinners with laughs and walks through the Piazza with smiles. I met some people that I'm going to cherish for the rest of my days and I have Florence to thank for that.
I'm proud of how much I put myself out there. You learn a lot of about yourself and your new limits when you're in a new country with a new normal. I loved the Italian normal. I felt as thin as air. I wasn't weighed down by possible anxieties. I felt like I'd gotten on a plane to cloud 9 and I was in no rush for the returning flight. Italy felt like a fairytale with a happy ending after every page. I've heard that you'll never forget studying abroad. It's my consensus that this statement is as true as time. After Covid, I didn't think I had the time to study abroad in my college years, but if you can find an opportunity to go for even a month, it's well worth it. Exploring a new country in the years that you're fighting to find your footing in the world is a life-changing experience that I heavily encourage because it could shape you for the better.
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