I'm here!!!

Ciao da Firenze!

I have arrived! I still am in total disbelief that I am here...I feel more like I walked onto a Hollywood movie set. Florence so far is beyond anything I could have imagined, and I've barely seen half of it!

We arrived Wednesday morning, after a long and cramped flight. I managed to sit next to the same guy on my flight to Switzerland and Florence...But I haven't seen him since! We flew over the Alps and I got some awesome pictures of it. I will actually be HIKING in the Alps in two weeks (contain your shock, please).

Speaking of guys, there are definitely a lot more girls that chose to study abroad in Florence. This OF COURSE isn't a bad thing (lies)...but I think you know what I'm getting at! The Italian men haven't bothered us too much yet, but I'm sure during the night life here, they will be a little more "wild."

I have four lovely roommates: Jessica and Beatrice are from Chapman, and we flew over here together. The other two are Katie, who is from New Jersey (she lives close to the shore!), but goes to school in Boston, and Lauren, who hails from Ohio. So far, we all get along really well, and have booked some of our trips together.
Our apartment is cute, but um...very, very "quaint," if that's the word I'm looking for. Our kitchen is adorable, and we have a living room with a TV. But we only have ONE BATHROOM between 4 girls, which I'm sure will lead to some silly Chick Flick like moments. Beatrice and I are going to invest in mattress pads and extra pillows because we feel sleeping on our kitchen table might be equally as comfortable. I'm definitely going to have to find a hot Italian masseuse to work out the kinks in my back I'm developing from this so called "bed."

Our last few days have been full of Orientation meetings. But today we FINALLY got a chance to explore the place we will call home for the next few months. We seriously had our breath taken away by the Duomo. It was my first European moment of having my jaw drop over seeing something that I only thought existed in photos. It is so majestic and HUGE, and I am stoked to eventually go inside.

The shopping and the food are FANTASTICO. I already have hesitations about returning to the Olive Garden and Westminster Mall ever again. I'm definitely going to have to limit myself at the time though, but I see a new leather jacket in my future!

I think that covers everything for now...I promise to post more frequently! I start classes on Monday, so I'm excited to share how those are with you. I don't think I've ever been more excited to start school!

Ciao for now,
Kara