Ebb and Flow

Ever since I was in the third grade and discovered the wonderful taste of olive oil and rosemary, my dream destination was Italy. A decade or so later, I am more than lucky to be able to fulfill my dream and I am taking a semester abroad in Florence, Italy. Cliche or not, I am so thankful to have such a great support system behind me. My friends, my parents, even my dogs... with their support and shared excitement, this trip is building up to be more-than-incredible.

I would be lying however if I told you I wasn't at all nervous. I've never been to Europe and never have been away from home for this long (5 months). As I get closer to the date of take-off (January 11--Less than a week!!) the ebb and flow of excitement and nervousness still exists. But each morning I wake up and realize I am one day closer to looking out my window and seeing that burnt orange color of Florence architecture. I am one day closer to living my dream.

I learned two days ago that I will be living in the center of Florence and...get this...ten feet away from the Duomo!! I will be living with 5 other girls from UNC in an apartment. It looks like there are plenty of markets right outside of our door, perfect for buying food for meals etc.

My classes are from 4:30 on Monday to 11:45 on Thursday. I am taking all things Italian that will hopefully immerse myself into the culture there: Italian Cinema, Italian Civilization, Sketchbook in Florence, Current Trends in Italian Cuisine, and finally Intermediate Italian. Classes do not start until January 31st, but the first couple of weeks, thanks to UNC, 30 other students and I will become acclimated with the Florence way of life and will take a 2 week crash course in Italian.

I have never been the best at putting my thoughts down on paper, so bear with me. (Even you Dad... I know you will be critiquing every word I write). But this is a small attempt at packing anyone who wants to join in my suitcase and share the adventure that lies ahead with them. I hope to blog as much as I can, but I am also bringing a journal (thanks to a certain someone) along the way to help keep track of my days: sketches, thoughts, experiences.

It is going to be a hard goodbye on Wednesday to friends and family, however I will always look at it as an "a presto" (or a see you soon)!

Ciao! Fino alla prossima volta! (Until next time)
-Ainslie