Sto in Italia!!

So currently, I am in Florence, Italy at the beginning of what I want to be my "sabbatical" semester. This semester's goal is to get to know me. I haven't lived anywhere in a while without knowing anyone there. I loved having someone in Madrid. I think it especially helped when I was hating everything there. When I came to New York, I become someone who I am glad to be gone. Now that I am becoming more and more myself, I figured going to a place away from the influence of my friends to learn who I am and what I want from my time on this earth.


So far it's going well. I did not get into a homestay as I had planned, but am trying to switch into one. Nevertheless, had I been in one, I would have not met the girls I am staying with who I believe will be great friends here. The majority of them are sophomores, which I am grateful for. I probably would have beat a freshman here. They all are very chill and I hope to continue to be friends with them, even if I get to move out.

From the looks of things, Florence will never compare to Madrid. I talk about Madrid all the time. I truly love Madrid, and hope to live there one day. Either there or Barcelona. BUT, unlike Madrid, Florence seems empty of true Florentines. Apparently the birthrate here is quite low. What I am coming to realize that Florence is an extension of America. I asked a waiter last night, "So I get the feeling Florence consists of mostly Americans. Is this true?" His reply was, "Florence is 75% American, 19% creepers, and 6% normal people."

This being said, add to the 75% Americans who don't really want to know a different culture. They walk the streets of Florence saying "like, like like like" or "Oh my god!" or "look at my new handbag or nail polish" at the top of their lungs. They think they can cross the streets wherever they please, which in turn will probably lead to them getting hit by a car. They don't allow the older Italians to pass. Pretty much they have no respect of the culture here nor really seem to try to want to come to know it. In Madrid, it seemed everyone wanted to practice their Spanish walking down the streets; we were courteous of the Spanish culture, and even tried to make Spanish friends to learn more about the culture.

Well now I guess we will see what happens in the next couple of weeks. We start school on Monday. WOO HOO!