Sunday, July 31, 2011

Just the Beginning


The Date: February 11th, 2011.   The Place: Mt. Vernon, IA (Population approximately 4,000) What was I up to exactly?  If you’ve ever seen the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, then you should imagine Carlton dancing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKlxjbhB9HE).  I was doing some variation of that dance.  You should know this is significant because only incredibly exciting news causes me to spontaneously mimic the sitcom stars from my childhood (good thing no one was watching).  On this particular occasion I had just received an e-mail confirmation that I would be heading to Florence, Italy in the fall of 2011!

Fast forward about 6 months. After applying for my Italian visa, filling out multiple forms, and making other travel preparations, I am only 4 weeks away from leaving the United States for Florence.  I would like to point out that the population of Florence is around 400,000. That’s about 100 Mount Vernons put together!  

I'm actually really amazed how easy it was to get to this point.  This should be a relief for those of you looking into this type of abroad opportunity.  Trust me when I say that the hardest thing about preparing for this trip was just making the decision to go.  I received a lot of support from the staff at Cornell College during the application process, especially my academic advisors and the off-campus studies office. 

ACM (Associated Colleges of the Midwest) was also pretty thorough.  My program let me know what to expect while in Italy, where to go, and even what to wear.  All the information I could possibly need is wrapped up in this handy dandy little handbook.  I have since noted that I should probably ditch flip-flops for the time being and find some cobblestone friendly shoes that are still stylish.  After all, Italy is the birthplace of some of the greatest designers: Valentino, Ferragamo, Versace, Prada, Cavalli (just to name a few).  Although I wouldn’t consider myself a “stylish” person, I still want to make an effort to blend in.

I’ve recently bought myself a travel guide, a map (water proof and tear proof thank you very much), and an Italian-English dictionary.  I’ve watched several Fellini films and have been reading a bunch of books about Italy (La Bella Figura, La Bella Lingua, A Room With A View, Italian Days, April Blood, etc…).  As a probable result, I’ve been craving pizza and pasta on a regular basis.   

Yet, there are plenty of things I still need to get done.
1.  I still need to buy a suitcase that isn’t falling apart.  Can you believe that? Pretty essential I think.
2.  I need to fill that suitcase with the appropriate clothing, books, and travel supplies.
3.  I need to cut down what I’m bringing by about half!

I can do this.  Despite some nerves about this trip, I am still incredibly optimistic.  Already, these preparations have me falling in love with Italy: the people, the food, the language, the history and, greatest of all, the art! 

Art is the main reason I wanted to go to Florence.  I am really looking forward to doing research for my undergraduate thesis while I’m there.  I am a bit of an art history nerd, which means I get a little carried away with the academia on occasion.  I get a rush out of being around art and I love spending time with people who are just as passionate about it as I am.  While I'm away I hope to get a true taste of la dolce vita, which means the sweet/good life.  Coincidentally, “La Dolce Vita” is a Fellini film that I would highly recommend.  Seriously…it’s on Netflix people.  

Next time I write I will be in Florence!         
Arrivederci!