So this is Florence eh

Aug 26 - Sep 9

Ciao and welcome to my blog! Here, I'll be sharing all of my adventures and discoveries while studying abroad in Florence, Italy. A special thank you to the William R. Johnson, Jr. Study Abroad Endowment for making this incredible opportunity possible. I'm excited to enhance my education and create unforgettable memories along the way.

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Departure and Arrival

My journey to Florence, Italy, began in the early morning of the 26th, departing from Hawaii. I arrived at the airport at 5 a.m. for my 7:25 a.m. flight. The original plan was to fly to Los Angeles, transfer to Frankfurt, and then head straight to Florence. However, things didn’t go quite as planned as my flight from Frankfurt to Florence was canceled, and I was rebooked with an extra connection through Rome. After more than 28 hours of travel, I finally arrived in Florence—five hours later than expected. Fortunately, the school was very communicative and arranged an airport pickup for me, even at the late hour of 11 p.m.

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Initial Reaction

By the time I got to my room on my first night, it was almost midnight. I was starving after the long trip, so I headed out to find something to eat. Little did I know, most restaurants in Florence close at 11 p.m. The only places still open were bars and a McDonald's, neither of which interested me after my long day. I wandered around until 1 a.m., but ended up back at my building with no luck. I ended up sharing a vending machine brownie with one of my friends—a perfect introduction to Italy!

It was definitely a bit of a shock realizing there aren't any 24-hour convenience stores or supermarkets here. Back home, I’m used to going to places like 7-Eleven or Safeway after work since they never closed. Adjusting to that has been quite hard. Another surprise to me was the whole siesta thing. In Italy, people take a midday break to relax and recharge, and most shops and restaurants close for 2-3 hours. That’s something I’m still getting used to since I enjoy being out at all times.

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Making New Friends

I came to Florence with my long time friend, Bennett. I also had known of two other fellow Johnson Scholarship recipients coming to the same program. Together, we started making new friends right away and added a few more to our group. By the first official day, we already had a group of nine. That same night, we all decided to head over to Piazzale Michelangelo to watch the sunset over a few beers.

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Trip to Rosignano Marittimo

For our first weekend, some friends and I decided to visit the coastal town of Rosignano Marittimo. We stayed in an Airbnb right next to the train station, just a short walk from the beach. The town was super local and quiet, with hardly any tourists around, which gave us a real feel for what Italy is actually like. It was here that I first experienced a siesta. We had such a great time here and it definitely helped us bond and get to know each other better.

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First Week of Class

After returning from my weekend getaway, my first day of class started on Tuesday. Navigating the city was a bit of a challenge during my first week as there were tons of tourists and it was incredibly hot. Unlike UH, this university doesn't have one big campus. Instead, classes are spread out across the city, so it can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to get from one class to the next. Each class is 2.5 hours long and can start as early as 9 a.m. and go as late as 8:30 p.m. So far, the classes haven't been too intense. There's not much homework, but there's a lot of reading required for participation, which makes up a big part of your grade.

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Trip to Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre, which means "Five Lands," is located in the Liguria region and includes five beautiful coastal villages: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. Compared to Rosignano, Cinque Terre was much more touristy and crowded, but it was worth it for the stunning views and colorful homes. This trip was actually included in our study abroad tuition. However, we were only given half a day to explore all five towns, so we didn't get to do as much as we'd hoped. I definitely plan to go back and explore more when I get the chance!