Oh, the things we’ll learn

Today, we had Part 1 of our info sessions welcoming us to Firenze.  It was the usual group of speeches about being guests in another country and personal safety (which I know they have to give, so I sit through it)…don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that they are doing this for us, but we have heard it over and over again.  So I thought.  As we got to the personal safety portion of the talks, we were informed that every semester around 50% of the students get pickpocketed or robbed.  Yes, that’s right…HALF OF ALL STUDENTS!  But, they went on to tell us how safe the city is and that it’s really no different from New York.  I live in a fairly safe neighborhood, yet I still don’t feel like walking alone at midnight is safe like it is in New York.  I guess this is a really small thing, though, considering that we’re almost always in groups. Navigating our way through the narrow streets is proving to be quite a challenge since there are no set traffic rules.  Cars and mopeds drive wherever they feel like, including sidewalks if there is nowhere else to go.  Something interesting we learned today is that Florence has the most registered mopeds in all of Italy.  Up until five years ago, you only had to be 14 and be able to convince your parents to buy you a moped to be able to operate one.  I think they have increased the age a bit, and they actually make you wear helmets now…it wasn’t always like that.  While I’m on the topic of moving vehicles, we were also told to watch ourselves when leaving campus because students get hit “all the time” by truck mirrors when leaving the gates of Villa Natalia.  I’ll post a picture of this area soon…the sidewalk is barely wide enough for one person and is on a blind curve.  All of this stuff makes life a little more interesting and fun.  For the most part, the Florentines are really friendly people who are willing to help you with your Italian skills.  There are a few who get impatient, but if they have the time, they’ll help you out.  They’re very proud of their city and culture, so if you’re willing to try to speak Italian and learn about life here, you’re on their good side.  It’s actually a lot of fun to just sit and listen to all of the people speak.  Occasionally, you can understand parts of a conversation.   One great test of our Italian today was on the bus. For those of you who know what it’s like to get on the 1 train during rush hour, picture that times 1000 for getting onto a Florentine bus.  Public transportation isn’t huge in Firenze, so when school is in, college students take over the buses.  A Florentine bus is about half the size of a bus in America, so getting a lot of people on isn’t realistic.  Somehow, we fit about thirty more students than we should have brought on, and it worked…kind of.  We came to the one stop about three stops before Villa La Pietra (our campus) where this little elderly Italian lady wanted to exit.  Before she could make her way through the crowd of students, however, the driver closed the doors and drove off.  Needless to say, she wasn’t happy with anyone on the bus, and made that known to us and the driver.  For being a little innocent older lady, I’m fairly sure she cursed us out quite a bit, but my Italian is still a bit rusty.  I felt really bad, but it was slightly entertaining to listen to.  Moral of the story:  Do NOT block the door to the bus when Italians want to get off…they’re never happy about it.Well, I think I’ve rambled on enough about one day, so I’ll stop here.  I miss all of my family and friends at home and in New York.  Come visit!!!  You’ll love it!Ciao!