Florence to LA

Well, this is it. I'm sitting here in the airport lounge waiting to board my flight to go home. I have mixed feelings about my study abroad experience here. In a lot of ways, I was disappointed. I didn't really connect with many people because they just wanted to party and drink, our apartment was a disaster (as far as appliances but also as far as the roommate situation), Florence was way smaller than I thought it was and there wasn't too much to do, and there weren't really any events hosted by SACI. I came to Italy having really high expectations because of my study abroad experience in Rome and that may be part of the problem. I find the people in Rome to be much nicer (they actually speak Italian with you, they aren't annoyed if you ask them for directions, and they are interested in talking to you). Also, even though the school that I was at in Rome was smaller than SACI, it at least had clubs, and cooking classes where you actually cooked. Plus there is always so much going on in Rome.

All that being said, there were some moments that I will cherish. Even though many people didn't want to spend money and go out (surprisingly) that didn't stop me from doing what I wanted to do. I went horseback riding, took a trip to the Amalfi Coast, and took a trip to Rome. All by myself. Previously, I was scared to go places by myself. Not just because I'm in a foreign country and the Italian men love American girls, but because I naturally like being around people and don't like eating meals in restaurants by myself or traveling alone. But I did it, and I think that has made me an even stronger person. I also had fun going on field trips with my classes, especially the Carrara/Pietrasanta sculpture trip, the Certaldo ceramics trip, and a lot of the museums I visited with my museology class were pretty cool. I had fun on the Siena and San Gimignano trip, until I sprained my ankle of course (which still hasn't healed.. I'm getting an x-ray when I get back to the States).

Looking back, I think it would have been better for me to study abroad at another school, but should I ever find myself with the opportunity to study abroad again, I would love to go back to Rome. Every time I go back (I've been there four times now) I always find something new to do, something new to see, and always find myself talking to interesting people. LCAD has a nice summer study abroad trip that goes to different locations each year, so I hope to one day do that if I can't do a full semester abroad.

In any case, I left the apartment bright and early today and said goodbye to my tiny room. I won't miss the church bells, the noise from the bar, or the noise from my apartment. But I will miss people watching from my window... All the tourists used our street. Everything is empty now...

I got to the airport really early (before check-in even started) but it was better than sitting at the apartment. I was the first in line for check in, and then had to do a tax refund for some sunglasses I bought here. Now, I'm sitting in the lounge waiting to board. 

Arrivederci, Firenze! America, I'm coming home...