One Year Ago...

Wow.

Has it really been a year? Was it really one year ago today, on August 31, 2010, that I boarded a plane to Florence and began the greatest adventure of my life? It positively blows my mind. I remember arriving at the airport, tearfully saying goodbye to my parents (with a special guest appearance by Vince!), and getting to know my future roommates. I remember FINALLY landing in Florence, and taking a cab to our apartment. I also remember a homeless man asking me for money on the cab ride over, and thinking, "Ah, I have arrived!"

I remember walking into our apartment on Via Sant'Antonino and thinking:
1. 5 girls one bathroom, this should be interesting
2. We need to go to Ikea
3. I'M IN FREAKING FLORENCE

I remember my first breath of Italian air, my first sip of Italian wine, my first taste of Italian pasta. I remember thinking I was on a Hollywood movie set, because every building in Florence was thousands of years old and oozing with history. I remember first seeing the Duomo, and literarily having the wind knocked out of me at the sight of its majestic facade. I remember the smell of the leather markets, and the giddy feeling I got when I bought my faithful brown purse. I remember walking to the top of the Piazza della Michaelangelo, gazing at a gorgeous view of the city, and thinking, "Oh my goodness. I get to live here for the next three and a half months. How lucky am I?!"

It's been a year. And, oh, what I'd give to go back.