Florence, my Home

I don’t think that the saying, “time flies when you’re having fun” has ever been more relevant to my life than at this very moment. Each month here feels like a week, and each week seems to go by faster and faster. As I approach the last few weeks of my adventure, it is bittersweet. I have seen some of the most incredible places in the world, met friends that I have countless memories with and have honestly been living in a dream world for the past four months. Florence has become my home and will always hold a special place in my heart. Who knows, maybe one day I will end up back in this beautiful city.

One of my favorite places in Florence

Unlike many of the other students in my program, I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to go back to the states. I am the happiest when I am here in Florence. After each weekend trip that I go on, I come back to this beautiful city and feel at ease. I’m not sure if it’s because of the beauty you see just when stepping outside of the apartment, or the endless carbs offered in this city, but there is something about Florence that makes want to stay forever. Don’t get me wrong, I am so excited to go home and see my friends and family and most importantly, shove my face with Mexican food. However, I know that leaving this place is going to be tough.

Meat and cheese plate that my friends and I made

Studying abroad in Florence has been the best experience of my life and I highly recommend that if you get the opportunity to do it, you take full advantage of that. My friends and I say to each other at least three times a day, “how is this real life?” It feels like we are living a never ending dream. But, unfortunately the dream is ending in two short weeks. I conquered 18 different cities in my time here in Europe, which is crazy to me! I didn’t make it to every place that I was hoping to go to, but that just means that I will need to come back here someday and make that happen.

Street musician playing the violin

I have learned a lot about Italian culture and have been able to practice using the language here. Chatting with locals around the city or being able to order a cappuccino in Italian are things that I will miss. Florence has given me a new appreciation for art history. Before coming here, I dreaded going to museums or learning about different artists. Now, I find it interesting and have a lot more exposure to it. I have broadened my horizons when it comes to food. Everything tastes better in Italy, and that is a fact. Various foods that I would never touch in the states have now become part of my everyday diet. As a person, I have grown so much and wouldn’t change anything about this experience for the world!

Some of the friends I made while abroad

I love you Florence and I will be back one day. See you soon.

Ciao Florence!

Samara R. is the Spring 2017 MOJO Blogger in Florence, Italy. She is currently a Junior studying Retailing & Consumer Sciences at University of Arizona

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Samara Rosenthal is the Spring 2017 CEA MOJO Blogger in Florence, Italy in Florence, Italy, and is currently studying at The University of Arizona.