This past weekend was the opening celebration of Carnevale 2019 in Venice, with the first part festival taking place on Saturday night, followed by the second part on Sunday morning. With 130 boats traveling from Punta della Dogana all the way down the Cannaregio, it was quite the sight to see.
However, while this weekend brought the Carnevale for the city of Venice, here at CAPA Florence it brings midterms. After midterms we have a nice weeklong break, but it is still difficult for me to believe that the semester is nearly half finished. But, a lot has changed since I first arrived in Florence, the streets near where I live and the sites I see on my way to class have all become very familiar to me and I’ve become a lot more at home in this city. Additionally, I’ve taken to using bicycling around the city and in my opinion it’s much faster than taking the bus, although on the cobblestone streets the ride isn’t always the most comfortable. I also recently joined a rowing club here in Florence, ASD Canottieri Comunali Firenze. I would definitely recommend this to other students, it may be a step outside of the comfort zone but it is a great way to meet local residents who have similar interests to you, I’ve already been invited to row with one of the groups at the club. This past Saturday, before leaving for Venice, I was able to take a single scull out on the Arno and not only was it my first time back in the boat in nearly half a year, but I was also getting to row in a different country. Even though the river does not permit me to row down into the city center, being on the water gives you a completely different and a more whole perspective of your surroundings.
In my last post I told you that after having worked with my supervisor for three weeks, he had invited me to come in and work with him in the office. Having been to the office for weekly meetings, there was no major shock in adjusting, and really the only noticeable difference from similar businesses in the U.S. is that the employees are all speaking Italian. Since, I have studied Italian for about 3 years now the language barrier is not as large for me, but for those just starting out in their Italian studies I would recommend trying to speak Italian in the office. Even if you aren’t confident in your abilities, your office supervisor and the other employees will be more than happy to help you learn and will appreciate that you are making the effort to communicate in their language.
Until next time,
Jared