The past two weeks in Florence have been the some of the craziest of my life. I knew a program like this was going to be a huge adjustment, but I did not anticipate the chaos of traveling, juggling school work, and confronting cultural differences. One obstacle that I faced during my program came on the first day. I experienced a last-minute change in travel plans when my flight from London to Florence was completely rerouted an hour before it was scheduled to take off. After talking to customer service, I was put on a different flight from London to Rome. Upon landing in Rome, I had to navigate my way through the airport and onto a train to get to the main train station in Rome. I probably said, “parla inglese?” to about a hundred different people that day. I multi-tasked by purchasing a train ticket while I was on the phone with CEA CAPA (the organization that runs the Food Studies program). Luckily they answered promptly and gave me helpful directions, which helped me to relax a little bit. I was able to successfully get on a train from Rome to Florence, and I arrived to my flat that first evening safely. The language barrier has been a recurring obstacle over the past few weeks, but I have learned some basic Italian phrases to navigate conversations in a respectful way.

One thing that has really helped me adjust over the past few weeks has been developing a new routine. The Food Studies program is only three weeks long, so our days are packed with many different day trips and activities outside of the classroom. Although everyday looks different, I find comfort in the few daily routines that I have. On the mornings that we have normal classes, my roommates and I have been waking up and going to a local cafe together before heading to class. After class we usually gather a group of girls to go get lunch and explore the city. In the moments of free time that we have, I am reminded that my experience in Florence is not entirely different from the way that I navigate school in Pittsburgh. In my normal routine, I still go to class and find time to connect with friends and explore the city. However, I have noticed a huge difference in my spontaneity during this program. I am normally someone who likes to plan things very far in advance. However, in a program like Food Studies, our schedules are constantly changing. During the first week, I had the opportunity to take a spontaneous weekend trip to Lake Como with a few girls that I met on the program. One minute we were discussing what we should do that weekend, and the next day we were on a train going across the country for a fun getaway. As much as I have loved exploring Florence, Lake Como has been one of my favorite experiences so far. 

Another one of my favorite experiences has been eating my way through the city (obviously!). I have really gotten outside of my comfort zone these past few weeks, trying new foods that I would never experience in the states. One of our activities for school was a trip to a Jewish restaurant where we ate an array of local delicacies such as artichokes. I also have not gone a day without having a panino and a few scoops gelato. This program has been worlds different than my normal routine as a college student, getting by on the cheapest and most accessible food. It’s going to be quite an adjustment going from Florentine foods to American foods.