Day Thirty Three- Monday, February 8th, 2010
Today was a much needed day. I woke up at 10, got ready and went to class. In Forces that Shaped Cities, we learned about the rise of Florence and the government and political systems in Florence in medieval times. We went on a site visit to Piazza Signoria as well. After class I worked out with Bryce and Randy at SWAN and ran a little (much needed). I made steak and salad for dinner and then went up to studio to do some homework and studio work.
This whole experience is finally starting to step into reality. Florence is starting to become my home- im getting used to the busy streets, the tourists taking pictures of places I don’t stop to glance at anymore, the pigeons that fly in front of your face, the gypsies that ask you for money, constantly having to watch your bag, lock your doors, turn off the lights, and close the windows; having it take three days to wash clothes, taking short showers, and traveling around Europe with nothing more than a bookbag, a camera and clothes. I hope oneday I look back on this experience and say I did everything I possibly could to make this experience the best ever. There are reasons why I sleep as little as I possibly can and for spending my money on travel rather than going out to eat- and I hope its well worth it in the future when I look back on this experience. Maybe oneday ill travel to Europe again, but until then there’s nothing more exciting than waking up in a different country every weekend, in Florence every week, asking yourself how you are going to get to the train station, the museum, where you can find the cheapest, best place to get food; you never know exactly who or what you are going to encounter. Yesterday morning I met a man who lived in Pompeii for ten years, studied in Boston, and is now a citizen in Italy. The day before that I was lost in a foreign country visiting and seeing places I never had before, away from the tourists and monuments, seeing the true Europe that not many people see. Sometimes you have to go off the beaten path, get a little lost and find your way back home without a map or directions. This is how I want to experience Europe, and I know someday when I have a family and kids and a house I invested a lot of money into, I will feel constrained to living a life the same way everyday. But until then, all I need is my backpack and my smart instincts to get by. And that’s what makes this trip worth more than its price tag or a description on a blog entry. You’ll never really know what its like until you experience it for what its worth.
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