Well, the day is finally here: the final day in Florence. NYU kicks me out of my apartment at 12:00, so like a smart person I booked my flight for 20:00 (that's 8:00 PM in this crazy side of the world). My stuff is all packed up, and everything looks so empty now!
I apologize profusely for using this cliche, but it really does feel like yesterday that I just moved in and met all my new roommates and started school. The semester went by so fast, but I'm pretty sure that I don't have any regrets about my stay in Florence. I'm taking the opportunity now to travel, I really did learn a lot despite the obvious distractions, and I picked up some Italian along the way. And I feel like I've grown up a lot over here, too. I've made - and unmade - some very important relationships while I've been abroad, and I think I'll carry them with me for a long time.
I'm going to miss all of Florence's old, stinky art, the ridiculous Italian clothes and hair, all of my Italian teachers, and the relaxed (although very inefficient) Italian atmosphere, but what I will miss most about this experience are the friends I made here. We all got so close so fast; it really did feel like we had known each other for years in only a semester. It even got to the point where we got sick of each other's company. I know we would always complain about how every weekend, we would just sit around, play games, and listen to music in our apartment, but honestly, those are my best memories of Florence.
Looking back, when I remember Florence, I'm not going to think about the trips I took, or the classes I was in, but about the havoc the was wrecked on Mexican night. Or the times we spent hula-hooping under the Duomo. Or our game nights with Hide-and-go-seek, Jenkins, and Charades. Or walking back home together at 4:00 in the morning. Or the countless times we listened to M.I.A.
I know we'll all hang out in New York, but it won't be the same. We'll have to go back to our real lives, and worry about jobs and school. We'll have all of our other real friends to hang out with, and our friends from Wake Forest and UMiami won't be there. But I guess that's all part of the experience, right? You have make friends before you can miss them. I really hope that we can all stay in each other's lives because you all mean so much to me. I had a great time in Florence with all my friends, and I will remember this experience because of you guys.
