Italian or Brooklyn?

I do not speak Italian. I try to just repeat what people say to me and work on my impressions as a means of getting the accent. There is a problem though. Many people on my program are from the East Coast. Now, since I am mainly around the people on my program (ordering food, finding new places, getting directions) I have noticed that instead of picking up my Italian accent, I have developed an East Coaster accent. So now when I refer to "The Duomo" which is the magnificent cathedral at the center of town (my only way of knowing my way around), I say it "Di-yomo" with my tongue pressed against the roof of my mouth and my eyebrows curling with attitude.
I'm adapting well.

Growing up

Classes at The Lorenzo De' Medici School have not begun yet, so there has been a lot of time to reflect and explore. Recently, I have thought a lot about this whole process of coming over here and I find it so suiting that I turned twenty right before leaving. This whole experience just has so much hope for personal growth, in fact, sometimes I get so excited about the end results of this process that I forget that I just got here. I was reading last night in the Bible and found this verse, "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow" 1 Cor. 3:7. My experience here in Italy has so much potential to be full of watering adventures, but knowing God has a delicate plan for my growth brings me much hope and excitement!

Sept. 2

Ciao! After over 24 hours of traveling, I have arrived in Florence, Italy! We took a tour today of the city and I can just feel the warmth of the tans, yellows, and oranges of all the buildings that reflect on the river as well as the canvas of the artists that line the streets. I bought a cotto mozzarella sandwich on bread that was brushed with salt and olive oil. Why did I choose Florence? Because I knew how right it would feel to be in this city where people love to love, where art is essential to architecture, where people use their hands instead of their mouths to talk, and where there is gelato on every corner! There is just so much to take in, but I love every sight and every awestruck sigh.