6 Days left in Firenze!

Ciao! Today was a beautiful day in Florence! Normally, the weather has been cold, wet and a little windy. BUT, today was generally sunny and warm, so I decided to start my "last" adventures. I went to my favorite spot in Florence, that I've spoken about numerous times, that all of you loyal readers should know by now, Piazza Michaelangelo. By far the most beautiful view of Florence, especially when the sun is out, and the sky is blue...LOVE IT! I just sat on the steps and sat for about an hour, brought my trusty journal and my ipod and just took it in, especially since this could be the last nice day to make it up there. It's across the Arno river and up about 400 steps, so it's not a trip we make every day to say the least! Normally the steps are full of people eating, drinking wine and just sitting, but today there were only about five of us, so it was even more peaceful than normal! During the Christmas season, I'm guessing it doesn't get too busy up there because everyone is doing their shopping and holiday celebrating in Piazza Republica, Ponte Vecchio and places close to the Duomo. The streets are SO BUSY on the weekends, because everyone is out feelin' the Christmas spirit in Florence. I've seen about two Santa Clauses, both of which were drinking beers, and no children asking for gifts in sight...it must be an American thing, haha.

So, it was more of a quiet weekend. My roommates and I made dinner on Friday night, which was DELICIOUS. And...there was no pasta at all, weird huh? We made chicken, potatoes, salad and bought bread from our favorite, The Forno, right downstairs. It was delicious and a lot of fun to cook together. It was a pretty quiet weekend besides that. We've all got finals to study for, and we're all getting ready to leave. It's so weird because I won't be home for three weeks still, but I have to leave here on Saturday! I'm SO excited for Scotland though, and really excited to celebrate Christmas with my friends from home. From what they've saying, Christmas and New Year's is a pretty big deal there, so I'm really excited! There's going to be lots of Christmas markets, and ice rink and a big carnival that we'll get to go to. I think we're going to go to a midnight Christmas Eve service and Christmas Day celebrations are still in the process of being planned. Two days before Christmas, we'll be going to a town called Aviemore, which is supposed to be a really beautiful town in Scotland, and we'll be staying in a cute little bunkhouse. We're all getting really excited to see each other, and getting excited to go home! It keeps me up at night, for real. I was telling my dad the other day that I have insomnia. I go to bed and I lay awake FOREVER because I can't stop thinking! I think about Scotland, about home, and about having to leave Florence, just SO MUCH AND IT NEVER GOES AWAY! Lately, all my roommates and I have been sleeping until noon or 1 o'clock on the weekends because we're all in that mode...I have not slept that late since freshman year, SO CRAZY!

So, only six more days to be in Firenze, my home away from home, literally. I can't believe I have lived here for four months! It'll be strange leaving it, because it all feels so normal to me, and I'm so used to the way of life here. I'm almost afraid going home will be more of a shock than coming here! I'm going to miss so much of the culture and the way of living here, it'll be an adjustment coming home. Not in a bad way, just in small ways that set living in Italy apart from Minnesota. There are just so many cute shops owned by the cutest Italian men, our favorites being the bakeries, gelaterias, and paint shops :) Italy is kind of like Minnesota, in the sense that everyone says hi to each other, but instead of "hi" we say "ciao" and it's so fun! I'm really going to miss saying that back in the states. It's probably good that I'm going to Scotland before going back home, because I'll probably treat everyone like I do in Italy, by saying "ciao" "grazie" and numbers and simple questions...it'll be a strange adjustment! It's just been so fascinating living in a culture with a foreign language, living in it definitely helps you learn it more, it's really fun. Not only do I hear Italian, I hear so many other languages as well from people all over the world. Europe is so awesome in that aspect. So many Europeans travel around and if I have any advice for anyone is would be...GET OUT AND SEE THE WORLD AND ALL OF GOD'S BEAUTIFUL CREATION!! I've seriously been so amazed by all the places I've visited and have just realized how much more I want to travel and see other countries. So yeah...I have this feeling that Italy will always be with me, just because it has truly opened my eyes to so many new places and adventures and although it is cliche to say, it has definitely been life-changing experience. Needless to say however, I am excited and ready to be home! I have a really good feeling about this next year and I'm excited to get back and see where life takes me! See you all soon!