A Più Tardi Firenze (See you later Florence)

With tomorrow being my last day in Italy, I decided I would write a closing piece. The past 5 weeks that I have spent here, have been the most amazing time of my life. I came here with the need to explore, escape the busy life I live, and to have a chance to completely start from scratch. I have successfully managed to do all of the above. Living here I have felt so stress free, so at ease, and so genuinely happy.

First landing I remember the surreal feeling of how am I going to make it in Italy speaking only one word of Italian, the word being “Ciao”. Once arriving in Florence, I felt lost, and out of place. I came here not knowing anyone, and not knowing the area at all. After my time in Florence and having the ability to travel to 20 different places throughout country, Florence stole my heart. Florence is a place that people often come in and out of, filled with tourist who will never understand the true beauty of the city. When walking around Florence everything is man made, the streets, the buildings, the shops, you can honestly go days without seeing a tree, but it is still beautiful.

During my stay here I have had the opportunity to meet a wide variety of people who live in Florence, and who are just here visiting. Florence has helped me realize not to stress about things in life, and to not worry about other people and preformed expectations people have about you as a person, because you have to be true to yourself in order to be true to others.

I met a lady on a boat a few weeks ago and her advice stuck with me throughout my trip. I was talking about how one day I want to move and live in another place for a couple years, but I have the fear of leaving everything I have at home. She told me “Do what you want to do and you will be happy. Never do what other people expect you to do, do what you expect of yourself.” Being here I have learned it is true, if you live a life to only make others happy you will never find true happiness for yourself. 

Internally we all know who we really are and sometimes the person we display on the outside isn’t who we are inside. Most of you know I tend to get very stressed, so being here in a stress free environment has taught me to slow down, take a breathe and not to let the world pass me by. Overall, I have learned a lot about myself, the culture, and life while being here. One day I hope to get a job over here and return for a while, there is something about the culture, way of life, and language I just love.