AWAKE MY SOUL

So today was the day I've been anxiously awaiting, first day of classes!

As I am walking over to my first class I finally get to be me, put my ipod headphones in, and listen to music as I walk to class (feel free to make fun of how determined and quick I walk, all my friends do). The second I hit the Duomo, Awake My Soul comes on. Now I'm not exactly the hugest Mumford and Sons fan seeing as its the only song of theirs I have, but I think it's a pretty powerful song. I heard it first while on my H.O.P.E. trip to Tennessee and I associate it with the life experiences I got during H.O.P.E. It was surreal walking past the 4th largest church in the world, rain still drying on the cobblestone, and realizing that I am "awaking my soul" through my study abroad experience.

Moving on past my metaphorical tendencies...

First off, Creative Process in Visual Communication. The name says it all, it's going to be an interesting class. I should be used to being the only male in most of my classes, but when it's also a class of 8 people and I'm one of two Americans, it should get really interesting. We worked out creating a personal logo that will be turned into an actual stamp. After sketching I stumbled into creating a shamrock using only the letters d and G.

The class is 5 hours long though.. but I knew that going in and was hoping my interest would keep me in it. So far so good.

Then a quick half hour goes by and I'm in Workplace Psychology: Building Effect Managers.
Now this will be the class that pushes me out of my comfort zone more than anything. The class is more focused on class discussions, exercises, group projects, figuring out your personal strengths (WHATTUP STRENGTHS QUEST DEF GONNA USE YOU FOR MY PAPER), problems in workplace, etc etc. Not your average business class pretty much. Prof Stefano is definitely friendly and nice, but I can already tell this is going to be a hard class aside from it being mentally challenging. Oh yeah and we meditated at the end as our first exercise to understand the process of stress in how we breath...

Then another quick half hour and I'm in Elementary Italian, with Daniele who is hilarious. As much as Italian is getting screwed up in my head (Merci Francais, Gracias Espanol) I know this will be a fun class. Daniele has his tongue pierced if that says anything. He's a little bit crazy, but I feel any language professor has to be a little strange to rock teaching a language.

So 3 of my classes are in Piazzo Strozzi, also known as the Duffy Academic Center of LDM Florence. Luckily since I have 3 classes in a row the last two are in Strozzi. Also, it's great because I actually feel like a college student again in here. I HEAR ENGLISH and there's other students just as frantic as I am, it's comforting and just what I needed at this point.

HIGHS/LOWS

So being the ridiculous Peer Mentor that I am, imma do my highs and lows so far about being abroad in Italy.

Highs!
-I'm in friggin' Europe, it still hasn't really hit me
-FOOD. When I get back from abroad so many food items will be forever ruined for me
-Beyond nice weather, the rain today was just what I needed
-The Duomo.
-Experiencing this beautiful different culture
-Getting a break from Stonehill and feeling like I'm not missing anything

Lows...
-Absolutely not feeling like myself here, its kinda scary
-Not knowing Italian... it's a serious problem.
-My acne has been breaking out bad, I don't know if it's cause of stress but it needs to go.
-Being far away from friends, I don't exactly like transitioning due to change.
-It's still tourist season, I can only imagine how much I'll feel like an outlier when they all leave
-Not being at Stonehill and feeling like I'm missing out times with friends

EUROPEAN INTERNET, WTF?

So it seems Italian internet (or european just in general) does not like us American abroad students.

Try uploading pics while you're in a foreign country, it's not going to turn out well for you. Now I know I'm in Europe, I can facebook when I get back to the US, but yeah I need to stay sane by keeping in touch with life outside of Florence, so it can be irksome. Also, skype quality... enough said.

CHRONICLES OF CULTURE SHOCK

Feel free to ignore this post, it's more for me and the only reason I started a blog was to center my thoughts while abroad. Moving on...

I can't live in the moment. It's just next to impossible for me to do. Going abroad is testing me hardcore to try to do this. I don't know. Without a doubt I know I am experience culture shock. I don't feel comfortable here at all yet. I do not feel like myself here at all and it's definitely been bothering me more and more. I am very sure of who I am, no doubt, but here I can't help but compare myself to the culture and customs in Florence. It has not even been a week yet and I am already unaware of myself abroad. I'm not in exactly the most safe side of Florence, I would pretty much say I'm in east bum fuck. I am far from most of my friends and I'm adjusting to being aware of my surroundings at all time. I have this deep paranoia that I'm going to get my things stolen from me and not feeling comfortable here in Florence is really getting to me.

The fact that I have not had a chance to find a running route is without a doubt a factor of why my sanity is breaking down so quickly. I run to stay sane. When I listen to music and run, I'm in my own world centering my thoughts. Not to mention the endorphins with exercise is a proven science to help. ("Happy people just don't shoot their husbands"). I need to have classes start and get a routine going cause I hate not feeling like myself. I don't know what it is about being abroad but I feel like I am constantly on the edge, I have felt so angry lately and I am not an angry person by any means. My impatience and lack of able to deal with stupidity has been seriously getting to me. I've been biting my tongue. I need a sense of stability.

The strangest thing is when people back home or other friends abroad ask me how Italy is. Honestly, I find myself not wanting to talk about it. It's [insert generic happy response here] and life goes on. I just need to talk about ANYTHING else. It's just so strange that now I don't want to ask how my other friends' countries are, I'd rather talk about other things. That being said, I love that I have friends that genuinely care enough about me to ask (so excitedly most of the time) how Italy is, but I just need to settle first because I have mixed emotions about Italy. I cannot help but wonder how my abroad experience would be and how I would feel if I could have afforded to study in my dream place, Australia. I guess I just fall victim to the always wanting what I can't have.

Maybe since I'm falling into culture shock so quickly the descent won't be as harsh and it will be better  for me in the end.

THE DUOMO IS THE NORTH STAR OF FLORENCE

Updates of first week occurrences:

Thursday I had my LDM (school I'm attending) orientation... in an opera house. yeahhh... step your game up Stonehill. It was long, it was boring, It made me feel like an awkward freshman again except I actually enjoyed even the boring long drawn out parts of Stonehill's orientation, but I guess that's cause I'm a freak of Stonehill nature peer mentor status.

Friday after sleeping in until almost 2, still fighting off jetlag, my program had a walking tour of Florence. It was nice to get some perspective on what I've just been randomly getting lost and stumbling into. Had gelato for the first time! Although unsure if it's a technicality seeing as it was lampone (raspberry) and limone (lemon) but regardless after working for almost 2 years at a Coldstone.... shit is is SO WEAK. This was even better than edy's thin mind girl scout cookie ice cream, and I'm obsessed with that.

Then we went to this LDM abroad student welcome dinner, that was in an Italian palace, nbd. Due to lack of funds and wanting to travel as much as possible I take whatever free food (or anything else) that comes my way. I am the most picky eater alive. I do not like trying new things, I find something I like, I don't question it, and I keep ordering it over and over again until I get sick of it. Italy is forcing me to try new things, I honestly do not even know 75% of the things that I have had to eat this week.

Then a bunch of us Stonehill Firenze people went to a free pub crawl around Florence. This is going to be one of the many I can't believe I did this, this is immensely fun, to the inevitable why the hell did I do this I'm lost and I just want to be home and I'm never going to do this again but then realize it was beyond worth the hassle at the end and it was a damn good night. The first bar was too crowded so we went to the second one called Red Garter. Definitely going back there when its less chaotic. Then went to a little classier place called Bacco that had a damn good Vodka Lemon.

Then with the Florence for Fun pub crawl that we were doing we took a free bus to Central Park, this outdoor club (featured on the Jersey Shore but I plan on referencing JShore as little as possible cause this is MY experience). This place was insane.

On a sidenote my official abroad club song for the time being is Mr. Saxobeat. So my jam.

THEN, the night took a turn for the worse. Spend 2 hours into the far night lost going back from Central Park. Walking. A lot. We managed to loop all the way back around when it definitely did not feel like we were going in a circle. We see the Duomo, we think we are heading in the direction... false. Meanwhile creepy sketchy drunk italian men are shouting at the 7 of us. This is a prime example of I'm glad to be helpful being a male. I'm not being sexist but legitimately with Italian culture it's not safe for girls to be walking around that late, even if there is 6 of them and 1 of me, it helps.

All in all, being the gay best friend to many is always a plus to my girl friends. Italian men are creepy, no other way of putting it. They are just aggressively creepy. So what's a GBF to do, I'm officially every girls non-official boyfriend. You need to get away, oh that's my boyfriend. You want to stop dancing with this sketch and a half? Oh dance with Dave until the creeper finds his next victim. Happens all the time with me.

Where the wind blows for....

SIDENOTE

oh yeah and Courtney and I were confused for being in a relationship with each other already. Will & Grace forever.

THE DUOMO IS MY NEIGHBOR

So a lot has happened. After spending this first day moving into a really nice hotel my program went to this beyond fancy restaurant right on the side on the Arno River. Had the best pasta I have or possible ever eat in my entire life, not even 24 hours into Italy and American food is ruined forever, it will never compare. 

Then yesterday we finally moved into our apartments! Below is a few photos of mine. Its not bad by any means for a three person apartment, not to mention is was just finished being redone the fay before we moved in. Apartment number 4 on Borgo Allegri is literally right in the middle of italian families. I'm on the first floor (technically second if I was in the US) and I am so close to all my neighbors. When they talk it feels as if they are in my kitchen, its strange. The lack of a view kind of sucks though. I have a balcony that sits right in the middle of a bunch of apartments. This will definitely be interesting considering most if not all of the other GSE abroad students and stonehill students aren't exactly close to me.

So the pale white American man gets lost..... a lot. I am horrible with directions. I need a GPS to get anywhere if I haven't already been there before. I don't even understand the highways in Massachusetts so how am I supposed to get around in a foreign city, oh I know a map... down side okay so I am at least trying to blend in not wearing flip flop/sandals, or shorts, and trying to have plain clothing and rocking my sambas daily, but its pointless as I'm going to need that map (which even with it I still manage to get semi lost) frequently.

Yesterday was Courtney's 20th birthday so we went to ZaZas for dinner. People I know that have studied abroad in Florence before tell me to go to ZaZas all the time, so we did. SO WORTH IT. cant wait to go back and try new things. Yet again more damn good food. Italian bread all day err day thank you very much.

Then we went to Finnigans, which is an Irish pub on Court/Alex/Lauren/other stonehillers street Via San Gallo. It felt like home a little and got me VERY excited to actually go to Ireland next month. It was a trivia night, some random fun. Met an Irish dude name Luke who was beyond friendly. Had a guiness in Europe, getting back to my Irish roots here.

But before I got to their apartment to head out to the pub, I got lost... by myself... at early night... and as I was walking trying to figure out where I was (because my go to the Duomo which I use to gauge where I am ALL THE TIME wasn't really visible at night) I was freaking out a tad bit and then this woman who was clearly lost too said something to me and all I could mutter was Sorry I dont speak Italian and she responded thank you... I HATE that I feel like the stupid american on a 24/7 basis here. How is it that I haven't been able to full get saying Im sorry I dont speak Italian, but a stranger can at least respond back to me. I need my Italian class immediately.

So during my battle with facebook to upload my first photos i see this on the side of my page, a status from exactly two years ago,

"Dave Girvan is surprisingly enjoying the sem life. damn."

Where has my college life gone? Not only does it seem like just yesterday i wrote that, it feels more like ages since I wrote that. Far longer than two years.

So the mission is to live in the moment and go with the flow (Two things I literally despise with every fiber of my being and have such a hard time actually doing.)

Alley Kay: "just have fun, take advantage of everything, and live (worry free), it's an amazing feeling, and you're gunna have the most incredible 4 months and then when you come back, bring that lifestyle with you...you won't regret it, I promise"

Current advice to live by, perfect pep talk from Alley.

Oh yeah and PS. RIP light blue old navy v neck that I bought before I left.. learned the hard way to never spill even a little red wine on you. THIS IS GOING TO BE A PROBLEM