I Miss Starbucks...

With four weeks left in my European adventure I can truly say that it has been a wild ride thus far. The past couple of weeks have flown by. I feel as though I am on the verge of getting acquainted with the city of Florence but there is something holding me back. It has taken much longer to become comfortable in my skin here than it did in London and I truly think the only thing preventing me from loving Florence as much as London is the language barrier.

It is extremely hard for me to love the city when I cannot hold meaningful conversations with any of its inhabitants. I don't feel like I have tapped the roots of the city as deeply as I did in London because when I am out in the city trying to assimilate all I can make are visual judgments of things. I can look at things and ponder them as much as I want but without adequate time, or admittedly the energy or desire, to learn the language I will never understand what makes Florence tick to the same extent as I did in London. London was so great. I was able to go to Speaker's Corner and hold political discussions with people. I could go out at night to pubs and other places and meet people and learn from them. Because I was able to hold these conversations and establish these relationships I felt like I truly belonged in London while I was there. Meanwhile, in Florence, I am living with a family who is able to speak only very broken English. They feed me two meals a day and we have had many discussions in the month or so I have been living with them but they have been nothing deep or of consequence because the language barrier will not allow it. As a result the only things I have learned about Florence has been from what I have read and what I have seen, which are shallow at best.

I would love to be able to report back that I love the city and I don't ever want to leave or return to the United States but it is just not the case. I realize that the experiences I am having will last a lifetime. I also realize that I probably won't ever be able to do anything like this again, especially to this extent. For these reasons I am taking advantage of everything I can while I can and trust me the time I have remaining will not be going to waste. I just can't help but get excited about the prospect of returning to the comfort of my own culture. Unfamiliarity really starts to wear on you when the line between discomfort and comfort becomes blurred. It really hits home when you realize that you are getting used to discomfort. It is easy to become bitter about it. They call it culture shock and I think a lot of people in my group are suffering from it. But my feelings about it are different. In the end, I truly believe that the fact that my tolerance for discomfort has risen dramatically may be the greatest gift that this trip gives me. I consider it a positive when you get lost in a major metropolis and your heart doesn’t even skip a beat. The ability to remain calm under pressure or in uncomfortable situations is what traveling abroad is truly good for. Yeah, I can say I have seen the changing of the guards in London and eaten Gelato on the Arno in Florence but thousands of tourists do these things everyday. What I crave from Florence is what I got in London. The added bonus of, not just becoming comfortable with its discomfort because that’s a given in any abroad experience, but to see it from all angles and to become comfortable with its unique intricacies. We will see what the remaining 4 weeks bring. Stay posted!

Coming Soon:
My beach vacation in Sardinia!
Wine tasting in the Chianti Vineyards...
Florentine Opera Adventures