Si Parte! I primi due giorni

On Thursday morning, we packed up the van my uncle rented, and made the approximately four hour drive to Florence.  (It would have been closer to exactly four hours had we not stopped three times.  But with a nine year old in the car, sometimes you don't have a choice).   

The van wasn't just a minivan.  This thing was huge.  It fit all seven of us, and all of our stuff.  

The drive up was beautiful.  I got the chance to see parts of the country I'd never been to before.  I loved seeing the tiny little mountain towns and hidden old buildings in the countryside.  Everything was so picturesque.  

The calm scenery did not calm my nerves, however.  Inside I was full of conflicting emotions.  I was sad to be leaving my family, but happy to be headed to Florence.  Nervous about meeting my host family and speaking Italian, but excited to learn and to grow.  

As we pulled off the autostrada (highway) and pulled into Florence, I became unable to sit still.  Liz and Ellen as well.  We basically took turns pointing at the sights outside the window, and giving each sight its own girlish shriek.  When we pulled up to the hotel where we would be spending the first night, tears came to my eyes.  Not because the street where the hotel is located was exceptionally beautiful (though it is quite famous and a big tourist attraction), and not because I was upset, but because it hadn't really hit me until that moment that it was all real.  I've been talking about participating in Smith's JYA Florence program since my first semester there.  That was two years ago.  Two years of talking, planning, preparing and fantasizing later, I was in Florence.  I wasn't dreaming, I wasn't being tricked.  I'd worked for this, I'd earned it, and I got it.  

When I arrived in the lobby of the hotel, I was greeted by Smith friends who I hadn't seen since May, and so the tears kept coming.  Everyone was so excited, and very emotional.  I was grateful for that, as my emotions were getting the best of me.  

After putting my belongings in the room I'd be staying in, I went and chatted with some friends of mine.  The group, 19 of us, gets along very well, and most of us are close already.  I have a good feeling about a lot of things this upcoming year, but at the top of this list is that I'm here with a group of quality young women, just as excited and dedicated as I am, and with whom I will be the best of friends come June.  

That night, we took a stroll to find a place to eat.  Originally we left in a group of eleven, but as no restaurant would seat that many of us, we decided to split up.  My group kept on strolling for a while.  We were looking for a place without a translated menu- we didn't want to go to a tourist trap.  We thought we'd found such a place, but it ended up that the majority of patrons were tourists.  It was our first night though, and our hunger was getting the best of us.  We had a pleasant dinner nonetheless, discussing what we'd all done this past summer, and what we hoped the upcoming year would be.

On the way back to the hotel, we got lost.  Luckily, we weren't too far off.  We were able to successfully ask for directions, and find our way back.  It was actually enjoyable.  We weren't stressed about it, weren't nervous.  We were happy just to be walking around in Florence, even if it happened to be in the opposite direction of our destination.  

This morning, we had our first meeting as a group at the Smith Center, which is right in Piazza Signoria.  We basically just went over some official business, housekeeping, and the like.  We had a light lunch together, talking excitedly about the adventure that had just officially begun.  

Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel with our professors.  They called a cab for us, told the driver the address, and sent us off to our host families.  My aunt, uncle and cousins were waiting at the door of the hotel to say goodbye...and to get a picture of me climbing into the cab.  A little embarrassing, but it did actually help to calm my nerves, even if just for a bit.

When we arrived at the house (which is stunning), our host mother (Anna, another Smith student, is staying with the same family), had conveniently just come down to get the mail.  She helped us get our bags upstairs (I was embarrassed by how large and heavy mine were, and then showed us to our rooms.  My room is probably the same size as one of the larger singles at Smith, so it is something I'm very used to.  The color scheme is blue and gold, which sounds tacky, but it actually works quite nicely.  

Before unpacking, Lucrezia (our host mom) sat with us at the kitchen table to chat.  She gave us some advice for living in Florence,  asked us what we do and don't like to eat, and things like that.  She went through the house rules (there aren't many), and gave us a tour.  Afterwards, it was time to unpack.  Unpacking was a lengthy process, as I brought a lot with me, and I did my best to put it all away as neatly as possible.  I succeeded, though, and am already feeling comfortable in my room.

I am still in my room as I write this, actually.  I went right from unpacking to blogging after getting a Facebook message from my father asking for a new post.  I am (probably quite unnecessarily) nervous to leave my room, actually.  I don't hear any chatting, so I can't guess whether or not this is the kind of family that sits around and chats together throughout the day, or if the family members spend time on their own mostly and then come together at planned points.  Dinner is at 8 (that was one of the house rules), so I'm thinking of taking a short nap until then.  Hopefully some rest will calm my nerves!