Frustration

Okay, don't get the title of this blog entry wrong...I am having the time of my life over here. I went to Pisa last Friday, a soccer game on Saturday, and Cinque Terre on Sunday. My next blog entry will cover all those various trips :)

My current frustration derives from one thing: ME. Kara Rutkin.

And why am I frustrated with this person, you ask? Well, let me put it this way: I have been living in Florence for almost 3 weeks now. Yet I've felt as though I'm on vacation here. It's like this is a nice trip away from home and reality and I'll be going back in a day or two. Well, now with all of my homework piling up and my plane ticket reads December 18, it's sinking in that I am not going anywhere for the next three months. But this isn't a bad place to be, right? I've made friends, traveled a bit, and have exciting plans made for the semester. Life is good.

However, I feel so....American. It's as though I've been wanting Florence to accommodate me, when it actuality, I should be accommodating Florence. I hunt in the grocery stores for foods I would eat at home, speak English 99% of the time, and have made friends with mostly Americans (Each of whom I am growing quite fond of, by the way. This is mostly because Florence has tons of American students in it.) I often find myself whining about stuff I miss from the states, like Chipolte, my soft bed, and full wardrobe. I get pissed over losing money in the currency exchange at ATMs, nearly get run over about 15 times a day, and the wait to get the check at a table makes me want to pull my hair out.

But as I was dozing off in my art history class today, it hit me: This is NOT how my Florence experience should be. It should not be about me wanting to bring my American life over here. I want this experience to change me, but I'm not allowing it to. I'd rather be content in the lifestyle I left back home, instead of taking part in all the magical, unique, and awe-inspiring things this city has to offer.

So I made a promise to myself in class: I want to be "at one" with Florence. I do not want to stand out as an ignorant American anymore (even though most Italians think I'm Italian...until I open my mouth.) I want to indulge in all this city has. From its restaurants, to its museums, to its marketplaces....I. Want. It. All.

From here on out, I plan on practicing my Italian everyday with ACTUAL Italians, not just in the classroom. I am going to use the Mercato Centrale as much as I can, and buy fresh produce instead of food from the grocery store. I am going to go on wild goose chases for the best restaurants in Florence, no matter how far I have to walk. I am going to see every museum and gaze at the city from the top of the Duomo.

My travel book is open, as well as my mind. My real Florence experience starts NOW.

Love,
Kara