Hello from Florence! It’s now my 3rd day here, and I’m quite excited for what lies ahead.This first post is a reflection on what brought me to Florence specifically, and what I’d like to do while I’m here.
First days Recap
But first, let me fill you in and what I’ve done so far. I landed at about 3 pm on March 23rd, somehow exhausted even though all I’d done on the plane was binge watch movies. I jumped on a taxi and showed the driver a paper with the center’s address on it - he didn’t speak English. The whole time he was talking to me, all I could do was nod happily and insert the word “bene” here and there. This, I thought to myself, is where I may start to regret not taking any Italian. But even without understanding completely, I could at least pick out a few similarities to Spanish. Most of all, I couldn’t help but notice how easily the words rolled off his tongue and flowed so naturally. Eat Pray Love didn’t lie about how beautiful the Italian Language is.
photo courtesy of www.windowsonitaly.com
The center itself is a part of the Palazzo Capponi alle Rovinate, an early Renaissance-style palace. The center is filled with million dollar paintings and artifacts - it’s essentially a museum. It’s still surreal that this is where I’ll be spending the bulk of my time for the next two months. And most of all, just from a couple days here, I know that it’ll be a blast getting to know the other 45 students here. Surprisingly, at least half are also sophomores and at least half haven’t learned any Italian yet either. If there’s anything I’ve learned from my last summer, nothing bonds young people together as quickly as exploring the world together.
Also, can I say my roommate is absolutely bomb? We’re both into photography and traveling, though she’s an actual explorer who breaks into skyscrapers in Bangkok while I (the lame one) went to shop at the tourist night markets when I was there instead. Her name is Sungmoon, Slim as a nickname since her last name is Lim. She started traveling on her own since she was 12, and has over 5,000 followers on her travel Instagram even though it only has 8 photos right now. She’s an urban studies major who worked for the United Nations last summer and speaks French, Korean, and Spanish. I know, she’s great.
We’re hosted by a lovely retired Italian couple - Vittorino and Adele. Vittorino used to work at a bank and now volunteers with the workers union, and Adele was an Italian teacher who now hosts dance socials and sings in a trio. They speak very little English, and we currently speak minimal Italian. Their daughter, Federica, their daughter, was there to translate for us just for our first night. She actually studied Chinese in college. They have to be the warmest, cutest, loveliest couple I’ve ever seen. There’s some things that can be felt even with the language barrier. I feel so lucky to have them as hosts.
Also, let’s talk about how great it is that I’ll be having home cooked Italian dinners almost every night this quarter. Italians tends to have smaller breakfasts (a warm drink and a pastry of some sort), but very large, multi-course dinners. They also eat a bit later in the night, around 7 or 8 pm, and have small snacks throughout the day. The dishes were pasta with pesto, steamed vegetables, white pizza, and a mozzarella and tomato appetizer. I love how big of a part food plays in Italian culture. They prepared the meal together, served each other, and then we talked for about an hour or so even after wiping our plates clean. What a nice change from quick dining hall meals that I stuff in my stomach purely for sustenance. I’m inspired to actually learn Italian and practice it. This will be my first time learning a foreign language while I’m fully immersed in the respective country for a long period of time.
Quotes to live by
While I know that some orientations tend to have a stigma of being boring and useless, I’m really thankful that we have a week to just adjust to Florence. Also, after planning all my own trips last summer, it’s really nice to have a great team taking care of us. Ermellinda Campani, our program director, had us reflect on a few quotes.
Two came from The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles. The book reflects on how often Americans’ misunderstanding of foreign countries leads to the destruction of those cultures. We focused on the parts in the book that described the differences between a tourist and a traveler.
“The traveler, belonging no more to one place than to the next, moves slowly, over periods of years, from one part of the earth to another.”
I think the quote is especially relevant for college students. I have a home in San Diego that I grew up in, but also Stanford, where I’m spending the bulk of my time now. I lived in Singapore long enough last summer to be quite familiar with it, and it did start to make me feel “at home” before I left. But then there’s also Indonesia - where I was born and where most of my extended family live. So, I’m not quite sure where I think a traveler’s home is, or even what defines a home. But, the key words here were “moves slowly”. Last summer, I got a taste of many parts of Southeast Asia, but outside of Singapore and Indonesia, most of those trips were rushed over a period of 2 or 3 days. While I want to hit a couple other European countries while I’m in the region, I also want to take in everything else that Florence has to offer. I don't want to be bound to a to do list - I'd like to let myself go with the ebb and flow a bit more.
The next part is that inevitably, when you go to a foreign country, you’ll face discomfort in some form - psychologically, emotionally, or physically.
“Another important difference between the tourist and the traveler is that the former accepts his own civilization without question; not so the traveler, who compares it with the others, and rejects those elements he finds not to his liking.”
I like this a lot. I think a lot of times, people try to find familiarity in new places. Think Chinatown in San Francisco, or ethnic groups at Stanford, even. While that’s great, there’s something to be said about embracing a new culture as it is vs. trying to mold it to fit your ideal situation.
Goals
And the last quote, saved for last because I think it sums up my current mindset pretty well.
“Null dies sine line.”
This literally translates to Apelles, an ancient Greek painter who wouldn’t let a day pass without sketching at least something - anything really. We were asked to fill in the blank for ourselves. What are the things that I don’t want to go a day without doing?
First, I want to think back to what brought me here in the first place. I applied on a whim during Fall quarter when I realized the language requirement was waived. I missed traveling after a whole summer abroad, and I’d always had a fascination with European History. It just so happened that I took a music theory class with an Italian Professor, who convinced me to take the opportunity. I’ll be honest and say I didn’t think much about what I’d do once I actually got here until I got off the plane in the airport.
But, now that I’m here, I’ve made a list (non-exhaustive, but a start nonetheless):
- Getting back into some hobbies I love, but haven’t had the time to nurture: I can’t actually recall the last time I read a book cover and cover purely for leisure. I haven’t photographed outside of some scheduled shoots with customers since last summer. I haven’t blogged consistently since last summer, either. I also haven’t had a chance to practice much music, and after learning a bit more about musical history and composition this quarter, i want to delve right in. These are some of the things that make me happiest - that really help me express myself, and I can’t think of a better place to start getting into them again.
- Learning for the sake of learning: I love Stanford, I really do. But I think it’s too easy to get caught in the mindset of seeing classes as a means to an end - particularly to set you up for certain careers. I’m excited to learn about Italian culture, language, film, art history, and biotechnology this quarter just for fun. It’s exciting that I’ll be learning more about the things that I see around me everyday, and that what I’m learning will help me better connect with the people I interact with everyday.
- Engaging in Italian fashion: While I love my denim shorts, tanks and flip flops for my lovely San Diego, I love how Italians dress up a bit more. I’ve been told a couple times here that they dress for seasons rather than weather. Rather than stand out as a complete tourist, I’m excited to learn about the norms in one of the leading countries for fashion design.
- Attaining Cultural Competency: This was brought up in orientation, but I actually first heard of it in a social entrepreneurship class last year. In the context of that class, we discussed how Americans are often notorious for unwanted intervention in a foreign country, even if they truly believe they are helping. Italy is a country full of years of history, and as a traveler and a resident for this quarter, I have the responsibility to respect and abide by these norms. That goes from adjusting to small breakfasts to going to a local gym instead of jogging around the streets (since no one does that here).
What’s next?
Look out for my next posts about wine tasting or the Vatican city this weekend for Easter, photo dumps, book reviews, and more. Can’t wait to share more!
P.S. Some Photos
My first time trying gelato at a shop near my homestay. We asked to try flavors. The lady said only one sample was allowed - "It's gelato. Just trust that it's good," she said. She was right.
And please have a look at my first orientation dinner onsite :)
The menu - note how many dishes