Updates

So much has gone on since I last posted that I don’t think I will update about every single thing. I left Prague on Friday, I was driven to the airport by the hostel manager, who was an extremely friendly, great English-speaking guy, who loves to travel and has been everywhere. He drives an old car and lives in an old house so that he can spend his money on traveling (with his family, that is). On my flight to Milan, I sat next to a nice, older Canadian woman who had been living outside of Prague teaching. We got to Bergamo airport fine (Bergamo is 50km outside of Milan and takes an hour to reach by bus, but a lot of the cheap airlines fly into it), but when I arrived at Milan Central Train Station, where the bus lets off, the taxi drivers were “on strike” because of the World Cup game, so I actually had to walk to my hotel in the dark. I was so lucky to have only spoken to people who gave me correct directions, so it didn’t take too long, but I arrived sweaty.

The hotel was alright (I had a fan in my room, it got plenty dark, the shower was great), but I didn’t like Milan at all. The duomo was under construction and the men were horrid. (I can explain the full story of that in person, at another time.)

So, I took the train down to Florence, which again, was very simple, took 2hr 45min, and the director of the school picked me up. He, too, was very friendly and spoke English well enough.

I live on the same street as the school, on the third floor, in an apartment that can house 7-8 people, but right now only 4 of us. I love my room, though I wasn’t given a choice, I quickly made it my own. The only downside is that I have to walk through another girl’s room to get to the hallway. We have a washing machine, stove, 2 bathrooms, a fridge, a dining room and table in the kitchen, it’s pretty great!

My roommates are Rosie, 19 from Cambridge, England. She has been here for a month already. This week she will still be with us, next week she is moving to a flat nearby with her boyfriend for one week and then she will leave. Alessia is 23 from Mexico City. She has been here for several months (I think about 3) and is leaving this Saturday. Natasha is 19 from London, she is to be here the same time as I am, but we shall see. Her mom and grandmother came down with her and actually stayed in her room (which is the one I have to walk through) last night, but luckily they are leaving today.

As for me… I am going to be honest here, and I don’t really care what the comments are about it because I know how I feel and what I’ve spoken to my mom about. Traveling by myself was very lonely and horrible and already, I am very drained by that. The other side of it is that I learned a lot, especially that from now on I will travel with other people, among other lessons. So, now I am here and it is significantly better, especially since Rosie and I are spending a lot of time together. But I am hesitant because she is leaving in a week, basically, because she’ll be with her boyfriend. Anyway, I hope to make other friends. The language class is almost brutal. I find the material very easy, I almost resent it after Russian, but the classroom is very hot and 4 hours is a long time every day. I know I did it for summer school for American History, but this might be a bit harder. I am enrolling also in a cooking class 2 days a week and an art class 2 days a week. Those start tomorrow and I am hoping they will improve the situation.

The point here that I am trying to make is that as of right now, I do not know how long I am going to stay. The minimum would be 2 weeks, but that might be all for me. I might not stay the 4. And honestly, for those of you who are my friends and family reading this, I want you to respect whatever decision I make and not judge me because I couldn’t “suck it up” or I am quitting or anything…. I am going to do what I want to do and only what I want to do, and if I decide to stay 4 weeks, then great. If I decide to come home tomorrow, for example, I also hope that you will be supportive of my decision and not ridicule me for it because no offense, many of you would, and that is something I simply do not want to deal with. So, if you are going to leave a comment, please be supportive and not judgemental.

Anyway, there is even so much to do right on the street we live on! There is the internet cafe, which costs 5 euros for 3 hours of access which is on a card, a bar, food, etc. The supermarket is nearby. But, I haven’t even ventured into the city yet and I am going to take my time, considering how I felt when I was traveling alone. If I stay the 4 weeks, I might look into renting a bike, because it might be fun and less walking.

Oh, it gets so hot here! 35-38 degrees, but I don’t know what that is in Farenheit. That is why everyone takes so many classes because no one dares go out midday, so to stay at school (which isn’t air conditioned, but cooler than outside) is better. So the classes I will take would be Italian every day from 9-1, then 2 days a week cooking from 1-3 and the other two days a week art from 4-5, I believe.

Last night, Rosie and I went to the supermarket and bought some stuff, but I atleast need to go again today because that store got out of stock extremely quickly and there wasn’t too much to buy. I made myself pasta last night for dinner, it was ok and I am probably going to do that most days because it’s quick, fun and great.

Alright, that’s it for now. I miss home a lot, you know? But I think, if I was at home, what would I do? I would be bored until the internship starts, so believe me, I am going to try to enjoy my time here as much as possible. However, I will never try to hide or deny my feelings and I will always follow my heart.