It's been a while...
I figured while I'm in Italy maybe I should post. It took about a million password resets, but I finally got back into this blog again.
Previously in my life, I decided to get CTEFL certified in Florence. This means that for the month of August I'll be doing a class to learn how to teach people English. After going to school the first day and taking a grammar "pop quiz" I realized I'm not exactly qualified to do that yet.
But let's rewind to Saturday...
I land in Rome which was super crowded. I'm hot and sweaty, I'm dragging a 70lb big blue suitcase, a 30 lb large backpack, and a still heavy small backpack.
I'm now gonna mail stuff home (along with a some books and chocolate biscuits. Btdubs Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is so so. Kind of like the finale of Roseanne or when Scrubs moved to ABC, I'd just like to forget it happened. Getting away from the point...)
I get on a completely empty train to Florence with no air conditioning. A nice Australian guy helped put up my big blue suitcase (bless him), and I sit down and sprawl out. Then this Italian teenager with an obviously very bad cold sits next to me. Of all the seats the train could've assigned him, it had to be by sweaty me. It was not a fun train ride.
I get to Florence and get a cab - this one cab driver thought me and the dutch girl in front of me were sisters and I was like no, I need another cab. I pointed to the next one and said "I'm with you."
My apartment was literally 5 minutes away, but I was an hour and a half early. I buzz, no response. I call my landlord. He doesn't really speak English. Fortunately I knew enough Italian to let him know I was there, but he was nowhere near. It was a thousand degrees and I had to wait outside for 40 minutes before Jess, my Australian roommate arrives in a taxi. We talk outside and these two girls come up and ring our number. Out pops our 18 year old Colombian roommate, who lets us in. Carrying all my luggage up the stairs is another reason I'm getting rid of everything. As soon as we get in our landlord and his wife arrive and give us a tour and also spray all our bags with bug spray. Apparently we could be carrying bed bugs or something with us. Awesome.
My apartment is a lot bigger than a New York one. It's three bedrooms, and all the rooms face the street, so when I open my window I'm literally looking down at what's going on outside from a very close distance. Yesterday it was raining and actually cool so I stood by my window in my jammies, and the shopkeeper downstairs was sweeping and we were just looking at each other like 'sup. There is a sitting room, open kitchen area (with just a stove, no microwave, no oven, just a stove top, that you have to light manually. I think only the back two burners work). The bathroom is in the kitchen and it's cute - the toilet is on a raised level, and the shower just comes from the ceiling. Apparently if you use too much water pressure the kitchen will flood. Then from the kitchen there's an outdoor patio that looks into a sewing shop. We're the only apartment with that whole patio, other apartments have a small balcony. It's very strange and everyone is aware of everyone. I was going to the bathroom and I had the bathroom window open (which opens directly to the patio). Someone had just showered so it was hot. As I'm doing my thang, another huge window across the way swings open and two Italian workers are talking and can totally see me taking a shadoobs. I slowly closed my window.
The first day in Florence Colombian Roommate (JC), had the two girls over and then his friend Dan also showed up. He had just finished the course I was about to take and gave Jess and I info about it. We all went to lunch at this indoor market with a trendy upstairs and lots of mini restaurants. It reminds me of the station restaurant area in Charlotte. There we learned that Dan was seeing the 20 year old Spanish girl and JC was probably interested in the 16 year old Swiss girl. The Spanish girl was leaving that night to go back home to Spain and was all over Dan (they had been seeing each other all while in school). When she left that night she was super sad. He immediately made plans to go out and see another girl.
I didn't really sleep that night. My anxiety still hasn't really gone away. I haven't managed more than a 4 hour stretch of sleep since being here. That, and it's so freaking hot and loud. There's a biker bar round the corner. Anyway at around 3am my first night JC gets home. He and I share a wall and he got lucky with that Swiss girl. I got to hear every minute of it.
Sunday was fine. Jess and I walked around, got money from the ATM, and went to a rooftop bar. It was cool, my juice was delicious. I also binge watched Stranger Things which was also very good.
Monday was my first day of school. There are 11 people in my class. 3 are a family ( a mom and two daughters, the daughters want to teach in South Korea), 2 of the students were supposed to do the program in Turkey, but obviously had to switch last second. One of them is a middle aged former Rugby player, another is a foreign teacher trying to improve her English, two are girls from the US wanting to actually teach in general and want this as supplemental training/will probably teach abroad for a year in like Berlin or something random, and then there's Jess, my roommate, who thinks she just wants to travel around for a bit after this and head home. She was an elementary school teacher at home. So I'm the only one who wants to stay in Italy. I guess my hopes of finding a roommate for Rome in the program are dashed. There is another class going on as well, but we don't really interact with them.
During lunch our first day I went to the outdoor ATM to get some cash and the ATM popped up with this huge error message. I pressed cancel and it wouldn't give me back my card. I was panicked. I kept pressing buttons and the machine made this sound like it had taken away my card. I thought someone was actually back there and set it aside. I went to the bank the ATM was attached to and tried to get in. The doors wouldn't open. One girl was at the ATM inside and she told me through the glass it was closed. And I asked her to tell someone my card had been eaten. She went and told someone but he was like "She can come back at 2:30 when we open." I was freaking out, like why can't you just give me my card?? I went back to my school, near tears, and told the adviser guy what had happened and he just shook his head and was like "Man, it probably destroyed your card. You're gonna have to call your bank and get a new one." I was not happy. One of the teachers was like omg I'm so sorry. I couldn't believe this had happened my first day of school. So my last hour of class I'm just sitting there so distracted and miserable.
Luckily, after class, the bank had opened again and I went inside and told this grumpy woman what had happened. And she was like "Why do you think this happened?" I'm like "I don't know! There was an error message." She just shook her head, popped open the machine from inside (her desk was right beside it) and pulled out my card. A miracle! She asked for my ID, took a photo copy, and made me sign a form. Then she was like "You can go now." I was elated.
Today class was fine, we observed our teachers teaching some students English. Unfortunately since it's August there aren't really any students around, so there were only three students and some of us had to pretend like we were non English speakers. I like the method that they use to teach, but I'm definitely nervous to do it myself. We start practice teaching on Thursday. I am terrified.
As far as where I'm at emotionally, I'm definitely anxious and homesick. I keep telling myself that I can leave after the course if I want, but I don't want to do that. I think sending some of my stuff home will make me feel better that I'm not carrying so much with me while I'm trying to get my bearings. I imagine this is kind of like what a mission would be like? (in a very small sense). Like I'm in a foreign place where I don't know anyone. My lodgings are super rustic, I'm figuring out a whole new way of life, and I feel out of place. I know the feelings will pass. I mean, my first couple of weeks at NYU were challenging. I think I'm nervous because come August 27th I need to get to Rome and figure a lot of things out and that's scary as well. But before then I have this huge class with a lot of work. I am grateful for that, it gives me something to really focus on.
Also I'm about to get my period, and I'm so protein deficient right now. I just went to the store and bought some meat. Protein powder isn't a thing in Florence.
I definitely miss every one, but this will be a good growing experience, right?
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