Sunday and Monday (First Day of Orientation)

On Sunday my roomates and I decided to time the walk to school. Once we got to school Dr. Sabini (program director for Kent State University-Florence) was at the school. He was about to head to mass at the Duomo and so we joined him. What a cool experience! We got to do the collections during mass which was probably a once in a lifetime experience.

My roommates and I infront of the Duomo after mass.

We then went out shopping. We went to a department store called Coin which was similar to a Macy's but with much less space along with other stores around town. The buildings in Florence are much narrower and taller than those in the US. All the shops are long and skinny and are a lot smaller than the stores in the US.

There are minimarkets around town to get groceries and some larger grocery stores throughout the city. We haven't been to the open market yet. I'm excited to go because I hear the food is fresh and delicious.

 There are lots of different shops for buying clothes, shoes, leather, scarves, etc. along with street vendors and a market in San Marco Square. Also, there are tons of restaurants, cafes, etc. for getting a bite to eat. There aren't many chain restaurants or stores but we did find one...

McDonalds!

The interior was much more contemporary than any of the McDonalds in the US.

After a day of shopping we came back to the apartment to relax for the evening and get ready for orientation the next day.

Orientation on Monday was from 9:00 to 6:00 with a siesta break (time for lunch and if you're lucky a nap). Megan and I got an AMAZING sandwich from a street stand. I was a pulled beef sandwich with oil sauce and cayenne pepper on a garlic roll.

I think I died and went to heaven while eating it.

Today during orientation we were introduced to Kent State University-Florence by the Dean, welcomed by a Counsel from the US Consulate in Florence, filled out a stay permit (a visa only grants access into Italy but not permission to stay), had our first History of Interior Class, met with the housing agency that is providing our apartments, was given secuirty tips from a police officer, and ended with a short reception. Overall it was a long day but we got lots of good information. I have homework from my class that I need to go work on.

Ciao,

Hannah