Buon Giorno, Italia!

I consider myself extremely lucky to be studying in the city where the name of the crayon "Burnt Sienna" came from (it's the distinct color of the rooftops here in the city that every building by law must use for their roofing material). I am studying in a place whose soul and core culture revolve around oil, bread, and wine. I go to school in a place where morals still exist, and Sunday really is a day of rest because everything closes for business. Religion is deeply rooted in Florence and throughout Italy; Romulus killed Remus, the founder of Rome, just as Cain killed Able. There is an almost indescribable harmony that exists in and around the city, and seems to course through it like the lifeblood. You can actually walk by yourself downtown after the sun has set. You don't need a car, or even public transportation to live, and Wal-Mart mentalities don't exist when it comes to stores; every store has its own specialty. Bookstores, clothing stores, wine shops, cheese shops, meat markets, fruit stands, grocery stores, cell phone stores, stores devoted solely to speakers, gelaterias (ice cream parlors), and little convenience stores called Tabaccis (tah-batch-ees). Things are so different here, and I think that's a nice break to the industrialized, cold, culture-lacking, isolated, sparse, consumer oriented society that we live in, in the states. I'll miss lots of creature comforts during my year abroad, but this is a gratifying extended vacation to be enjoyed, remembered, and cherished for years to come.

Buon giorno, Italia!