Getting Oriented

For this entry, I’m exploring a less-prose, more list-like style.

Our internet went out on Wednesday afternoon, so I haven’t been able to post until now. Just one of those things I have to get used to. Internet is still a relatively new and luxurious commodity in this country.

Wednesday was orientation. We were lectured on topics including: NYU in Florence 101, Health and Safety in Florence 101, Housing in Florence 101, Getting Around Florence 101 and my very first language “class” and hour and a half crash course called “Survival Italian”. Our teacher basically didn’t speak a word of English for the whole class, but rather used a lot of pantomime to teach us what he was saying. He of course spoke perfect English, but I think it really helped that he only spoke Italian in class.

Il mio nome è Michael.

Io sono Americano di Tacoma, Washington.

Io abito a Firenze in Italia in via Bolognese 106.

Io ho diciannove anni.

Io sono uno studente.

We were asked to say the above phrases on our own a couple of times and the teacher asked if I had ever taken Italian before, but it’s my Spanish background that is helping me.

I had forgotten how much I LOVE foreign languages. I can’t wait to dive into my real Italian class. I’ll write more about the language when I start up my classes next week.

Food: I had all three meals in the small cafeteria in my building. It will definitely take some adjusting too. The breakfast was similar to what I had experienced on my previous trips to Europe. Lunch consisted of flat, pita bread-like sandwiches with artichoke and…pesto? I don’t really ask, I just try to enjoy whatever it is. There was no meat at breakfast or lunch. Dinner was…interesting as well. I had my first Italian pasta. They don’t put anything on it, just oil and parmesan. But there were some flat, breaded chicken breast patties that were somewhat familiar. I’ll probably lose a lot of weight this semester.

We ventured out for the first time yesterday. Some people wanted to run up to the drug store to get laundry detergent and other stuff. The owners of the store didn’t speak any English, at all…I’m surprised at how often that’s the case here. I was told “most people speak English.”

We went down the long and narrow Via Bolognese from campus to the foot of the hill to try and get to a “Farmacia” (Pharmacy). The road is very scary. It’s very curvy and the “sidewalk” is maybe 2-feet wide in some places, so you have to walk single-file. We were told many times in orientation that they have had students get hit by cars on that road. Great…

When we got to the bottom of the hill we realized everything was closed.

Why?

Siesta.

Most businesses are closed daily from about 1:00 – 3:00 or 4:00. Live and learn.

When we came home, I took a nap of my own. My sleep cycle is really messed up still, but I’m doing alright. I just wake up really really early, because I think my body thinks I’m taking a midday nap. Dinner is served every night between 7:00-9:00…WAY later than I’m used to, but somehow I’ll survive. I need to by food to snack on in my room.

After dinner, we went out on the town to explore the city of Florence. It’s unbelievably beautiful. We saw the Duomo, Uffizzi, and the Ponte Vecchio. We went to a couple of clubs/bars in town. Legal drinking age in Italy is 16, so at the first bar we went to, it was weird to see what must have been high schoolers all in the bar taking shots together…

They were playing American music videos in the bar, but most of the songs were really old.

Our final destination was a club called “Zoe” across the Arno River. It was a cool little spot, but being that it was a Wednesday night, it wasn’t very busy. We plan to go back on a weekend for “Scramble Saturday”…whatever that means.

There were about 8 of us who all went out and stuck together last night, which made it fun. I’m already meeting new people and making friends quickly. You have to. But I’m thankful for the few friends I knew before coming here, and have been clinging mostly to them.