Anyway. So, first week down in Firenze and well into week 2. There is a part of me that still can't quite believe I am here. I get up in the morning, I go to class, go to the grocery store sometimes, I have lunch and dinner. It all seems so normal that there doesn't seem to be much awe in the place that I am in. After just one week I have settled into a routine and have already begun to take for granted the things around me. I don't want to do that, I want to soak it all in. I want to absorb it to the point that it will never leave, so that years down the road I will remember what it smelled like, tasted like, felt like to be in this city, in this country. Years ago I only dreamed of passing by the Duomo, or seeing inside the Uffizi, or staring at the actual statue of David and his tiny penis, (That's a whole other story). And now here I am. Maybe it's just so much to take in that I can't wrap my brain around it. Maybe I am soaking it up and will be able to enjoy it in retrospect, but I selfishly want to enjoy it now! That's not to say that I'm not having the time of my life because I am. Maybe my expectations were unrealistic. I guess I thought that when I got here I would be in a perpetual state of jubilance at having this opportunity of a lifetime. But in reality there really is no choice but to acclimate and settle in, and in doing so you lose a bit of that reverent awe you expect to feel. I only hope that I am not missing something by having quickly become comfortable in a routine here.
On a happier note, this place is beautiful. Much more than I even imagined. Florence has such history that it's hard not to become engrossed in it all. And Siena, which we visited last Friday, is indescribably beautiful. I never thought I would have the chance to see these places and feel so lucky to be doing so now.
Now for a short list of things I've learned so far:
1. NEVER walk in front of a moving vehicle... no matter how far away from you it is. Driver's in Italy apparently get more points for aiming for you....
2. Don't tell the lady behind the counter you want water, and then change your mind and grab a Fanta... The lady across the shop who takes your money will realize the mistake AFTER you pay and yell across the whole shop at you...in Italian. And then the lady who took your order will continue yelling at you for changing your mind.
3. While I always imagined that I would love living in a city such as this, an apartment quite like this, and having experiences like the ones I'm having now... I've learned that I love Oregon, my house, my car, the American way of doing things much more than I realized. Even though Firenze is beautiful and romantic and has so many amazing qualities... it is not home. Home is where Jason and Noah are, and they are in beautiful, green (and apparently white lately) Oregon.
4. Gelato is so much better than ice cream that I don't think I will ever be able to eat ice cream again.
5. Most importantly I've learned so far that coming here has, and will continue, to make me stronger, more independent and satisfied with who I am as a woman, a mother, and a wife.
So there you go, some heavy thoughts this time. But just things I needed to say. Early class tomorrow so I'd better head to bed. Until next time...
