Getting Used to the Italian Culture - the first couple days

Hi everyone,

I have finally had a chance to get settled in Florence after arriving on Friday morning. I came on the group flight with about 20 other students from my program. It was fun to meet everyone at the airport and hang out between flights.

When we first arrived taxis took us all to our apartments, two of my roommates were on my flight, and then other came later in the day. My apartment is great, and we really feel like we are living like local Italians because we are not in student housing, rather everyone on the trip is spread out around the city in rented out apartments. Each apartment I have been to is completely different from the next.

My apartment is in the basement of a building that is about a 25 minute walk from the school. It is a two bedroom, one bathroom complex with a nice kitchen, and living area. Because we are in the basement, we have a great backyard\patio. It came fully furnished with everything we need.

I have really enjoyed living with my roommates. They are easy to get along with and are all really nice. We will all definitely hang out a lot more as we get to know each other

The school I go to is pretty incredible. It is mostly in one building, with a couple other classrooms in nearby buildings. It was built in the 1500's and is nothing like a school we would see in the U.S. The staff and teachers are all great, they have given us advice about almost anything because I don't know the language at all.

So far I am really enjoying my stay here. I am very excited to explore more of the city, because it there is so much to see!!! Even if I go to a Museum a day, I won't be able to see it all.

Click below to see pictures. The weather has been gloomy/rainy since I've been here, so I don't have many good pictures. I will be sharing picture ablums online, and I'll post new links every time I write a new entry!

My New Home in Florence

That's all for now,

Andy