A Thing Called JETLAG

It is 4:05 am and I am currently looking over the River Arno through the window of my apartment trying to take in all that is around me. After a hectic traveling period full of flight delays, switched terminals, and near taxicab collisions—I’m finally here. And I can’t believe it.

Florence is truly a beautiful city. While initially driving into the city, I was actually quite surprised at how rundown the city appeared to be similar to downtown LA or even Mexico. As my cab driver was speeding through tight side streets and roundabouts, the historic city of Florence that I had always imaged began to appear. Exclusive boutiques and fragrant restaurants are located at the bottom of buildings that seem to have been around for hundreds of years. I was dropped off at the Lorenzo De Medici main office and was overwhelmed by lots of luggage and other confused international students. It was all a bit overwhelming at this point, seeing as I had to keep track of my luggage with passport in had while trying to thank my cab driver in Italian, but I knew it would be an experience worth while . After checking in I took another cab to my apartment where I would be staying for the duration of my trip. My apartment is located in a very historic part of town directly on the River Arno one bridge down from the Ponte Vecchio. I think I got lucky with this one. The apartment is located right above one of the most famous restaurants in all of Florence and has a great view of the top of the Duomo and other famous sites. The apartment consists of three rooms (fairly descent sizes) that I share with 5 other roommates from all around the US. We have our own kitchen, two bathrooms, and living area. The apartment is less than 10 minutes walking distance from the school, and is centrally located to all major sites in Florence.

Now that I am finally here I have the anticipation of going out and seeing everything. I have this week free to go explore the city and then get oriented until school starts at the beginning of next week. As of now I will be taking an Intermediate Italian language course, Italian Philosophy, Business Marketing, Psychology, and an oil painting lab. I’m excited to get familiarized with the city, start back up on my Italian (because it been more than a year since my last Italian class) and start traveling and absorbing the culture.

It’s only the first day, and I’m already having a blast! I just need to get over this jetlag…