Close Quarters Makes Close Friends

Ciao! I am officially one week into my study abroad experience through the “Pitt in Florence” program, a program that spans six weeks, and two 3-credit courses. I decided to do this program without knowing anyone else from Pitt in the program, but I have already met so many students from my university and so many others. I chose to live in a shared apartment over the option of home stay, so the program situated me into an apartment with roommates from all over the US. In the apartment there are four Pitt students, three UC Boulder students, and one student from Purdue… a total of eight girls who are almost complete strangers! While we were all a bit anxious about all being “solo” study abroad students, within the week we were practically inseparable. I found that even though we were all new friends, we all had similar goals and interests, the most common goals being the pursuit of an undergraduate degree, and the want to travel and explore new places.
Our home for the next six weeks is situated right on the Arno River, the main river that runs through Florence. It is about a 10-minute walk from all the necessities. I found quickly that these “necessities” consisted of not only the grocery or the school building, but of the BEST gelato in Florence, historical galleries and piazzas, and apartments of new friends that I have made within the week. Our front window showcases some of the most well-known historical places in Florence such as the Ponte Vecchio, Uffizi Gallery, and the Duomo of Florence or Santa Maria del Fiore. Inside there are a total of four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a communal living space with a large dining room table. I was placed in a two-bedroom room with two large wardrobes, two twin size beds, a desk, dresser, and large window. My roommate and I are both from Pitt, and quickly began to find common ground through experiences at school and mutual friends. When any of the eight of us are in the apartment, most spent time is the communal living room as it is the only room we decided to turn on the air conditioning- having an air conditioning unit in this room is a luxury that most other apartments in Florence don’t have as it is not a common appliance throughout Italy. A large part of the program is to assimilate and indulge yourself in the culture and way of life of the city around you. I have found these adjustments enlightening and easy to do; the adjustments range from always hang drying laundry to respecting Italian superstitions and customs such as never leaving the house with wet hair. With five weeks left of the program to go, I cannot wait to see how much more I learn from this beautiful city and country!