First time out

So now it is day 3. Today we have an orientation in a hotel in the center of town. Yesterday was a lot of fun. For supper about 20 study abroad italy students got together at one of the girls apartments. The apartment holds 10 girls and is beautiful! I am jealous of their dishwasher and microwave and nice furniture, but I really like our little 4 person apartment way up high. At least i will get amazing calves, or at least maybe. We had spaghetti with red sauce that the girls made. Several people also brought wine. We brought bread from the supermercado and olive oil.

Before supper me and the roommates walked around Florence a little more. We went to the central market in the center of town and sort of got lost on purpose looking around. It is a dear little city with cobblestone. The streets are very narrow and I have already had several near-death experiences because of the buses and mopeds driving down the narrow streets. I am ready for classes to start so I can meet more people and get into a routine.

After supper a large group of about 12 of us went to get gelato and then go out. We went near the duomo to get gelato. Zena tried nutella for the first time. Why she did it in gelato, I cannot say. Then we went to our first Florentine club. We walked around afterwards and then ended up at an Irish pub my roommate Amber had seen. The bartender was from California and had been living there for 10 years. It seems like that is a popular story. We got into bed at about 3:30. It was an interesting first night and it was nice meeting new people. In a few hours we have our orientation. Soon I hope to make the gas stove work and get the stovetop espresso maker to work. I guess everything will take time to learn here. The first part of any trip is always the hardest. Oh yeah, and I plan on going to Milan this weekend with Zena. I had better go plan it!

In Firenze

So I am here! It is all new right now. Last night my roomies and I went to eat ouside of Santa Croce, which is right outside our apartment. We werent allowed to order until 8!! We were starving. I helped Zena with her bags to lug them up to the top floor of our building on the third floor. We have already met several neighbors and they seem nice even though they couldnt spek any English. Most people here can speak english. When I try to order things in Italian, which I cant do well of course, they speack back in english. Oh well. Everything is very new and we walked around a lot and of course got gelato!! It is going to be a great semester. the roomies are fun and the apartment is really nice, even though there are a lot of stairs. the culture is so laid back, no wonder they chastise us for being so busy. I have to go because the internet cafe time is running out. So Ciao and buenosera!

Last night in America

That's right, it's my last night in America...at least for awhile. The past couple days I have been packing everything up and making trips to the grocery store to get last minute things (locks, vitamins, etc.) It really isn't hitting me yet that I am going to Florence, Italy, tomorrow AND that I will be living there for an entire semester. I guess it really won't hit me until I get on the plane.

Tonight has been the night of final good-byes. I have called several of my closest friends at Baylor to bid them farewell. I only wish I could say it in person! I went with my two sisters, Rachel and Faith, to IHOP tonight as a tradition for hot chocolate. It was strage even saying goodbye to them. It's not until I'm home and see them in school that I realize how much of seeing them grow up I am missing out on. The picture above is of my entire family before Courtney left for Syracuse (Faith and Rachel are the ones standing in the middle back.) The Italian culture is supposed to be very family-centered. I wonder if my perceptions on my own family will change at all.

Tomorrow I guess my mom will take me (along with my 2 toddler brothers) to the airport. The flight takes off at 2 for Dallas. Zena will be waiting for me at the gate and we will fly on the same flight for London Gatwick and then to Florence. I don't think it will hit me that I am going to Italy until I am on the plane. I am sick of sitting around and waiting to leave, especially since Baylor has been in session for a week now. However, I have been looking forward to this trip for so long that it is hard to believe that I am now supposed to actually be going on it. It is no longer a dream, but reality!

I guess I had better get back to packing. I may call it quits soon. I am so tired both physically from packing and emotionally from saying good-bye that I think I need a break. After all, I do have until 1 pm tomorrow. Wow, I really am leaving...this is awesome!! As my favorite childhood poem goes, God bless the moon, and God bless me!

The Preparation Begins

Oh yes, the preparation has officially begun. Up until today I have been lying around the house and taking care of my little brothers, 4 and 2. Today I went to the library and picked up a beginning Italian disc and book set so I can have some at least a simple understanding of the language when I arrive. After lunch with my mother and the boys I went to Wal-mart and Books-A-Million. I stocked up on essentials such as shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste and soap so I won't have to worry about them in Italy. At Books-A-Million I purchased two Italian dictionaries, an Italian travel book and a Europen travel book. It was expensive and I hope I get my use out of them! Now I am about to start listening to my Italian cds and later tonight I will help my sister pack up for Syracuse. She is the one in the middle, I am on the left and Rachel, 15 is on the left. With three little sister, I live Little Women.

Courtney asked me for advice about college the other night. She asked me how you make new friends, fit in and such. I told her that you simply have to be yourself and hope for the best. Then you will gravitate toward the things and people that represent who you are. I tried to grasp and ponder my own words. Soon I will be in the same position as my sister, except I will be in a foreign country. It is intimidating. I have been preparing for Italy for months. I discussed it with my peers at Baylor and in D.C. I sent in the different applications and held my breath as I sent in my materials for my student visa. I actually didn't get my student visa until a few days ago. I was freaking out. I am glad everything is in order, but at the same time I can't believe it is actually time to go because of how much I have talked about it as a distant occurence. I, Alyssa, am going to Italy! I think I had better go study my Italian cds. I hope it's true that you only need to bring 2 weeks worth of clothes to Italy. I'm taking things one step at a time, and packing will probably be near the end. At least I'll have more room for my books!

Leaving Baylor Behind

I thought I had left Baylor behind when I went to Washington, D.C. this summer. For eight intensive weeks I stayed at Georgetown University where I took clases at night and had an internship at a campaigning public relations firm during the day. Most of my close friends stayed in Waco for the duration of the summer taking classes or working. I had the time of my life in D.C. I made friends with peers from all over the world, learned about politics and was able to hear from prominent D.C. names in high profile locations. It was a little different (aka liberal) there than it is here in the Bible Belt of Texas. I'm from a conservative family with six children. My experience in D.C. both expanded my mind and my database of contacts and close friends. It was hard to return. I am finding it even harder to leave again.

I missed being away from my Baylor friends even though I made amazing friends in D.C. I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but being away always makes you feel like you missed out at least a little. My dearest friend Lauren got a new boyfriend and my future roommates moved into the new house. A house! And soon I will be leaving again, for a more distant place and for a longer period of time. I will be leaving for a semester in Florence, Italy.

Only a couple hours ago I arrived back home from visiting Waco to say my good-byes. I was only there five days for a fast and furious carousel of visits before they start class on Monday. I felt myself readjusting to the slow pace of life at my University. I stayed in the new house and visited friends' new apartments. I remembered just how much I loved all my friends in Waco, Texas. It was hard to leave today. That old feeling that I had in D.C. that I will soon miss out kept seeping back while my best friends told me that I will soon have the time of my life. The thing is, I know that I will have the time of my life in Italy just like I did in D.C. and even more so. It is just hard now that I have seen what I have missed and will miss at Baylor. God's timing is perfect and I know I am leaving this semester for a reason.

I will leave for Florence on August 29. I really don't know exactly what to expect. I know that my roommate will be my dear friend Zena and my suite mate will be my friend Amber from Baylor Dance Company. All students studying in Italy live in random apartments throughout the city. It will be nice being completely on our own and I am glad that I already have accountability. Now I just need to find some males for protection. I have been warned extensively about the forwardness of Italian men. One of my coworkers from my internhip in D.C. said she was groped when she studied there one summer. It will take some getting used to and it is my main concern. I have several other concerns and I am sure more will evolve as the date for my departure draws near.

My sister leaves for her freshman year of college at Syracuse University in New York two days before I depart. I am as excited for her as I am for me. I think her preparations will take everyone's attention, including my own, away from my own destination. For now I am watching my darling Audrey Hepburn with my sister Faith in "A Nun's Story." How much I will miss these American moments of laziness in the future I cannot know. Right now it only takes away the pain of knowing I have already left behind those that I love...at least until next year.