Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Counting Down

Ciao a tutti! (Hello everyone!) My name is Kelsey and in only 3 weeks I will be unpacking my suitcases in Florence! I am so excited and anxious to leave the United States and immerse myself in a new culture. I am an Italian education major and I can't wait to put everything that I've learned in Italian classes to use in Italy. I'm really excited because my fiance, Bobby, is also in the Florence study abroad program with me this semester. He doesn't know any Italian, so he's pretty excited that he will have a walking dictionary with him! I am really looking forward to experiencing the art, culture, history, fashion and the food (especially).



I am leaving Long Island on January 26 and I won't be returning to the United States until May 14. It is going to be so awesome to be in Italy for almost four months. I've never been to Italy (or to Europe), so I am not going to let one minute go to waste. I will always be on the go trying to see as much as I can. For the most part, I will be spending my time in Florence, but I will travel as much as possible when I'm not doing school work. Our study abroad group will be traveling to Sicily on a weekend excursion which I'm really excited about. My family is from a town called Alto Fonte in Sicily and I can't wait to see the region where they lived before they came to America.



I went to the Italian Consulate in NYC to apply for my Visa a couple weeks ago since I am staying in Italy for more than 3 months and it was so intimidating. I wanted to cry when I was there because they were pretty mean! It was definitely worth it though to be able to be in Italy for almost four months! Since I am going to be in Florence for a pretty long time, I've been getting prepared by making checklists and getting my suitcases ready since I am going to need a lot of things and I definitely over-pack! I have shopped like crazy (maybe a little too much) to get everything ready that I need before I leave. I hope that I don't have to pay a lot at the airport for my suitcases with how much stuff I'm bringing!



I'm taking 5 classes at Florence University of the Arts. I'm taking an Italian language class, an Italian culture class, History of the Mafia, the Florence Food and Culture Experience, and Great Italian Opera. I wanted to be in a variety of classes to really get the most out of my experience in Italy. I can't wait to do the food tasting in the Florence Food and Culture Experience class!



The thought of going to Florence in 3 weeks is still so surreal. I'm so excited to be able to be a part of this life changing experience and I'm so glad that I get to share it with everyone through this blog.



I'll be writing again soon.



Kelsey

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