Reflections on my Florentine Life

When your study abroad councilors stress over and over again that staying an entire year is so much more rewarding than six months, they sure aren't kidding. In these last few months, Florence has turned from the city that provided me with sensations of mesmerizing wonder and utter confusion into the city that has grasped me tightly in its arms, the city that makes me feel completely myself within its walls, the city that has become my home rather than my host, the city that made it impossible to grasp the mere fact that I have to leave. I have solidified life long friendships, mastered the language, and just about lost my American identity within the midst of the Italian lifestyle. The truth is, I am completely at fault for rendering it such a heartbreaking experience to leave this place. I didn't live the experience that most the other Americans in my program decided to embark on this year. Without a doubt, I lived the authentic Italian experience. Yes, the obvious first part of that identity began with having the Italian boyfriend that so greatly inspired my coming here in the first place....but I can say that my independent life in Italy bloomed rapidly throughout these months. I lived with Italians, I attended the Italian University, I taught English to Italian children at the elementary school, the majority of my closest friends made this year are all Italian, I learned to cook the real Italian cuisine, and I spent time sharing conversations with locals from all parts of Italy about the culture and differences in ideas and lifestyles in all parts of the country. Needless to say, I quickly masked my American identity and fully immersed myself into "La Bella Vita." Numerous beautiful memories have been made within the walls in our apartment, from teaching our Italian friends all of the American traditions and cuisines, showing them the endless college party games, getting into ruthless fights with the neurotic people that live below us, dealing with our crazy landlord who talks to pigeons and hoards every man made object known to exist, Jessica and I making insane amounts of mouth watering creations in the kitchen, to the numerous times where we began the nights here with wine and ended the nights with remorseful kebab runs and spontaneous sleepovers. Jess and I have introduced our Italian friends to the wonders of Mexican food, peanut butter, and chocolate chip cookies...and the looks on their faces when they took their first bites will always be ingrained in my mind for those moments when I'm in need of a smile. Having friends from all different parts of Italy has opened my mind so much to the real truth about this complex land, and I've come to understand the drastically different ideals and traditions that diversify from region to region, and have come to realize that you can't generalize Italy whatsoever when you're dealing with about 20 different countries within the boot itself. In all the times that I have previously visited, Veneto (being Massi's region) was Italy for me...and I'm so happy to have gotten through the bliss of my ignorance. With all that I've traveled throughout numerous regions, I still have a goal of visiting them all and seeing what hidden secrets are still within their boundaries. Living in Tuscany has brought me to grasp and appreciate my roots more than I ever have before. My family comes from the little Tuscan island Isola D'Elba, however I still have relatives throughout the region that I never even knew about before. Visiting my family on the island three years ago was a surreal experience, however I didn't speak any Italian back then. I got to go back for a couple days and take Jessica, and it was absolutely amazing. Now that I could communicate with them, I feel like we got to know each other on a completely different level. I just called the day before about coming and they organized absolutely everything, from our place to stay to the activities and the food. I'm just so lucky to have such wonderful people to call my family. This year was where I really learned that my Italian family will always be there for me, even if they had never met me beforehand. My cousin from Florence took my in to live with her for two weeks while I was searching for houses, even though she had never previously met me. She treated me like true family and showed me the real idea of Italian love for family, be it distant or not. My other cousin in Florence, who is also a wonderful wine maker, brought my parents and I into his beautiful home with his wonderful family for a dinner and a splendid night of laughs and great stories. We never felt like strangers to them, but instead were welcomed with open arms into their life and treated as if we had all known each other our entire lives. The Italians are some of the most open and welcoming people that I have ever had the pleasure to meet in my life, and everyday they never cease to make me more and more proud of my roots. These thoughts are rather random and scattered apart, I realize...but I couldn't help but get them all down while they feel so intense upon my shoulders. In the end, I'm so grateful for the experience that I've lived here...I've truly become an Italian myself and feel like this is where I fit in. The feeling of leaving Florence to me couldn't be described any better than having to leave home. And no matter how far I go, it will always maintain that title within the walls of my heart.