Day 2.

Well, things have gone really well since last night. This morning again i felt a little off (possibly because of being homescick, or just generically sick, or from the jet lag, or even from eating nothing but airplane food for two days) but as soon as breakfast was over we as a group went to our first orientation. It was long and mostly uneventful, all basic stuff like: dont do anything stupid, dont block your drains, ect. But right after we were dispersed to our apartments via taxi. This was the most exciting part of the day, and by far the best part. My apartment, believe it or not, is located directly in between the Uffizi Museum and the Duomo. I literally can see the Duomo from my window. We are the only ones this centrally located, and also the closest to the school. My three room mates i was expecting turned out to be only one (because its a very small apartment) of a really quiet akward type. Apparently he is mormon and looking to get out for one semester because Berkley (where he was accepted) asked him to wait a year before he went there. So he doesnt drink, doesnt really party, and wont wake me up at 4 in the morning bringing a girl home. This is very good news. My apartment is up these old ancient stairs (you have to either know the code, or be bussed in...thats right, i have a busser now! Just like in sienfeld.) And then threw two huge pad locks that use antique keys. Its as small as it possibly can be, but thats ok. It has the two things i wanted, a shower stall and a washing machine.

The people here at quite as cool as i was hoping. It seems that there are already two groups: the good looking popular crowd (led by this 24 old guy who went to the jc just for one semester so he could come with his girlfriend) and everyone else. But that might not last too long once classes start.

Ill update tomorrow and let you know how everything else went, im low on time because i am meeting some people for dinner...in italy. How cool is that?

Ohh, and this is exactly where my apartment is! Second floor:



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1/31/10 First Night In Florence

1/31/10

So here I am, sitting in a hotel room, in Florence Italy. I don’t have internet access right now, so im writing this up to post later. My last 24 hours was hectic to say the least. A 10 hour flight from SFO to Amsterdam, followed by a 2 hour flight from Amsterdam to Paris, and then another 2 hour flight from Paris to Florence obviously has drained me. Technically things went really well, the only hitch being that my suitcases wheel broke. It still works enough, but makes a horrible “thunk thunk” sound that started getting on my nervous real quick; and also coming out of Florence and trying to find my way to the train station from which I was going to find my way to the hotel was really bad. There wasn’t a person around, ive never seen an empty airport before, and the one person I was able to talk to didn’t speak English. Eventually I found the shuttle that would take me, but instead of being 8 Euros like I was told it would be, it was 23. Real bummer, but I had no choice. And then the Taxi driver wasn’t very happy with me, I think because I wanted to make sure I was at the right train station and was asking too many questions (like, 3…).

                Anyways, I’m here now which is all that matters. There is this overwhelming sense of being completely alone, I guess because I am. I mean, its not like there is a soul around that can come help me right now, the only fall back I have is my ATM card. So obviously this feeling, coupled with the fact that I haven’t spoken to my family for what feels like an eternity led me to want to call home real bad. But then, of course, it costs a euro a minute to call home. Sorry Dad, but this was a moment when I really needed whatever it is moms have that you don’t. Here’s the best part though, after talking to my mom I started feeling that all too familiar feeling of anxiety and dread start to whelm up inside of me, the same beast that has been haunting me my entire life. So you know what I did? I went out on the town. I walked back to the train station, and then through the mall, all the way to the Duomo. To put it nicely, this part of Florence that the hotel is in feels no better than any other slummy city ive been too. Its not bad, a nice hotel, but everything feels dirty and modern. But, as I got closer and closer to the Duomo everything started changing. The shops got older, the streets changed from asphalt to cobble stone, the energy increased. It almost felt as if I was walking back in time. And then after staying there for fifteen minutes or so (a long time considering it was 34 degrees out, and ten o’clock at night) and started to head back, but for some reason I started the wrong direction. Next thing I knew I was standing outside of the Uffizi. And then after that I walked the Ponte Vechio. Needless to say, by then I wasn’t thinking about home. It was all exactly how I remember it. Closer than I thought it would be honestly, I guess I doubted my memory. The good news is that the guy that im sharing this room with isn’t hear. The bad news is he isn’t hear and im going to bed, which means he will be waking me up soon. So it goes.

                Tomorrow I have to get up early for breakfast and then orientation. After which we are all going to be given our apartments, so here’s trusting God that that will all work out.

T-Minus 2 days and counting

     Well here i am, posting for the first time. My Mom and I are double checking that i have everything i need, reviewing the list of "recommended" items to bring and making sure everything that is supposed to be waterproof is (her idea, not mine). I leave at 3 o'clock from San Francisco (flying with Delta, if anyone cares), traveling from SFO to Amsterdam, then to Paris, and from Paris to Florence--arriving at 5:45 Italian time (8:45 A.M. for you readers). Financially i am all ready to go with 90 euros in my pocket. Thats the good news. The bad news. however, is that it cost me a $135 to get the ninety euros. Rough exchange rate.

     These last couple of days have been really easy, a lot easier than i thought they would be. I guess i'm just so sick of being nervous that i'm just not anymore. It's almost like i'm sick of all of the build up, i just want to go go go. I honestly thought i would be terrified of leaving the day before, but i'm not. It probably has something to do with the fact that i've traveled a little and out of all the places of ever gone Florence was, without doubt, my favorite. The people, the food, the art, even the weather, i know i will love. The only thing that i am unsure about is my room mates, which happen to be the only American influence that i am stuck with (irony?).

     The part that i am most excited about is i get to live according to who i want to be, without trying to appease all of the "loyalties" i get so caught up in (its the curse of being a "6", for you enneagram enlightened readers). I don't have to worry about school persona's, friendship responsibilities, being an older brother, being a good son, grandchild, and/or nephew. Its not that i don't love fulfilling these roles, its just that i have never had the opportunity to live true to myself, only for myself--which could probably be more accurately called "living free from the world". I want to see what its like to live in a world where its just God and I. Maybe ill fall flat on my face (doubt it, but maybe) or maybe ill live exactly the same as i do here (again, doubt it but maybe). Thats the best part, a chance to escape from the all of the social expectations in a different world, one which seems to value "self expression" more than anything else. Perfect for me.

     All of these questions wont be answered until i get there, and lucky for me, that is just 24 hours away...


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