It's been a while..

Sorry for the absence.. but adjusting to life in 'Flo-town' proved to be more interesting and difficult than expected. So as it seems, the previous format has not exactly worked out seeing as how its hard to have 'picture of the day' when you're not posting a picture everyday.. or even taking a picture everyday.. which is hard to do when you've got classes and an actual schedule. Surprisingly, i've been quite busy.

I've definitely had my fair share of adventures already... if public transportation in the U.S. seems confusing, you can only imagine what it's like in a foreign country. After taking wrong buses, getting off on wrong stops, language barriers with bus drivers, paying outrageous rates for taxis after getting lost, lugging groceries around the ghetto on a cold, foggy night, there were times I was ready to throw in the towel. Yet, each time, after all the worry and frustration, in the end everything worked out, we were all okay. And even more, each experience brought growth. I have never felt more independent. Each experience left me feeling yes, drained, but also proud of myself, accomplished, and appreciative of the little things (like a jar of Nutella and a warm bed.) But my favorite thing was that each time I was met with the random kindness of a stranger at some point in the confusion. Our first trip to the supermarket ended with the meeting of a kind woman from the Philippines who thankfully spoke English and heard our desperate cries for home. She directed us to our stop and it turns out she lives on the floor below us and has been living in Florence for 26 years. She pointed us to her apt and told us that if we ever needed anything we could come to her :) Another time it was a kind young Italian man who knew English that told us which stop to get off on. One lost night, three american students pointed us in the right direction. It is the simple act of kindness performed by a stranger that warms my heart and gets me through the frustration. We are all connected, we all love the same and suffer the same. We all need each other. We all need to help each other. Why do we let ourselves forget that?
All in all, each 'adventure' has left me with more wisdom and knowledge of the culture and the city and with great stories and amazing memories with great people. Through it all, I learned what supportive roommates I have and how even though we'll go through ups and downs I have been blessed with girls that I can trust to have my back when it really counts.