After an overnight flight to Frankfurt, Germany and then another connecting flight I finally arrived in the Florence airport around 1 o’clock in the afternoon. Walking off the plane I was filled with nerves as I mentally prepared myself to meet my host family and imagined what my life would look like here. But, in my state of anxiety and sleep deprivation I walked right past the baggage claim to the main part of the airport. If anyone else has ever made this rookie mistake you’ll know that after exiting the secured area you’re not supposed to reenter.
Alas, I had no choice but to sneak back in so that I could retrieve my luggage by timing another traveler’s exit through a set of automatic doors with my own entrance. I knew with living in a foreign country would come the necessity of having to think on one’s feet, but I wasn’t expecting my arrival to be quite the comedy of errors that it turned out to be. As much as I wanted to emulate the cool confidence of a veteran traveler on my first day in Italy, I’m fairly certain that I instead modeled myself after a true idiot abroad.
I found myself outside my host family’s apartment building, flanked by two more than sizable suitcases, after a short taxi ride from the airport. All of my prior fears were quelled when after ringing the bell I was greeted by an older couple who would put anyone’s Italian grandparents to shame. Before I even saw my room, I was given a heaping serving of lasagna and a bowl of gelato.
The next morning I met up with the other five Holy Cross students who will be here with me in Florence, and we managed to find our way to our language school without getting too lost. I’ll be taking Italian classes there for the whole year, but my university classes don’t begin for another two weeks. Until then, I’ll be exploring the city and trying my best to acclimate to life abroad.
A presto,
Kate
