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My Monthly Report

Published on by carolinepotterLeave a comment

I have been seeing a trend on social media where you are able to “report” what you have been up to for friends every week or month. So I think it is only fitting to write these R.E.P.O.R.T.s once a month to recap my time in Florence!

Reading

This month, I have been taking advantage of having a pretty free schedule and reading more than I am typically able to during the school year. I just finished The Summer of Broken Rules, by K.L. Walther. I started to read it over the summer but got too busy to finish it. On a recent train ride, I decided to pick it back up and was quickly obsessed. I loved reading it and it felt like the perfect book to read as summer is coming to an end here in Florence.

Eating

This month, I have been having some of the best food of my life. I’ve taken advantage of the amazing Italian food I have access to while also being able to cook like I do at home. I have tried pizza from a local favorite—Gustapizza—twice now and both times it was INCREDIBLE. I got the margherita pizza both times (you can’t go wrong with margherita imo). The dough is crunchy and slightly charred on the outside while being soft and the perfect doughy texture on the inside. The tomato sauce made with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese are both packed with flavor. I have to admit that both times, I burnt my mouth because it was simply too good to wait for it to cool down! At our apartment, I have been making lots of different protein bowls using staples like rice, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, and beef. These are very similar to what I typically eat at home, so it is nice to have something that feels very routine.

Playing

I knew before I came abroad that I wanted to travel a lot during my time here. This month, I took full advantage of our free weekends and went on a few trips. The second weekend here, some friends and I went to Cinque Terre and the following weekend, we took a day trip to Rome (shameless plug – go read about both in my first post!). This past weekend, I went with some roommates to Nice and Monaco! We took a bus on Thursday night and then spent the weekend swimming in the Gatorade blue water, going to the cutest cafes, and being astonished by all of the gorgeous architecture. Before we knew it, our time on the Cote d’Azur had ended and we took a bus back to Florence. Although the bus ride ended up being 7 hours long with some extra stops, it proved to be incredibly entertaining with some grandmas in front of us on FaceTime with their speakers on full volume and their seats all the way reclined! Before we knew it, we were back in Florence reminiscing on the incredible weekend!

Obsessing Over

If you are my parents looking at my bank statement from the past month, you may have guessed it – I am obsessing over gelato! As a self-proclaimed ice cream connesoiur, I made it my mission to find the best gelato in Florence by the time I leave in December. So far, I have explored over 15 different gelato spots, but my two favorites are: La Sorbettiera (LOVE their caramelized peanut, but they also have the richest chocolate I’ve ever had!!) and La Strega Nocciola (pistachio, Nutella puffs, and the white chocolate cinnamon are my go-to flavors here). Both spots are super close to my apartment and make for the perfect late night sweet treat!

Reccommending

In Italy, dinner is typically very late, so many people have a light snack and apertivo around 6 P.M. My favorite apertivo is the hugo spritz. I was first introduced to this drink 2 years ago over spring break and have been recommending it to all of my friends when we go to happy hour together! It consists of hugo (elderflower liqueur), prosecco, soda water, a sprig of mint, and lemon. Hugo spritzes were first invented in the South Tyrol region of Italy as an alternative to other spritzes like Campari or Aperol, which are more bitter. I think that hugo spritzes are the perfect light, floral drink for a hot day!!

Treating

Typically, I get an iced matcha or chai latte every day when I am in the states. I knew that iced drinks wouldn’t be super popular coming abroad, but I have actually found some cafes here that have amazing iced matcha! The only downside is that they are all pretty expensive so I have been treating myself to iced matcha lattes one to two times per week. They have some amazing flavored matchas as well, like strawberry and banana bread! My favorite is either an iced strawberry latte from Ditta Artigianale or the iced matcha from La Milkeria. 

That pretty much sums up my first month abroad!!

Arrivederci,❤️

Caroline

Be Uncomfortable Being Comfortable

Published on by sanakkholghy:)Leave a comment

It’s been a moment since I’ve moved into my flat in London, and I have A LOT to discuss. Let me preface this by saying that as a third year commuter student, my only ‘roommates’ have been the mice that I occasionally hear scurrying in my walls in the winter. Also, you should know that I may be a bit of a neat freak, but in my opinion, anyone who wears their outside clothes in their bed should never be allowed to enter your home.

Anyways, back to moving in, I can confidently say that my experience so far has been..shocking? Confusing? I truly don’t know how to describe it, so instead I’ll write about what stood out the most.

Dirty carpeted floors, showers with no ventilation, and gum stuffed into holes in the wall- all things that I anticipated seeing in my flat after two years of visiting my friends’ dorms at DU, and unfortunately, I was right. Many accommodations are worse than this, yes, but I can still complain! I share a kitchen and hallway with 5 others, one being my close friend from DU who is also studying abroad, and the rest who are first year students.

Oh! Did I mention that my room is right in front of the kitchen door, and right next to the entrance door to the flat? It’s great! On the first night, I heard my flatmates coming in and out of the kitchen, playing chess, making the fire alarm go off (twice), and trying to get into my room from 1 AM until 5 AM- it was an incredibly immersive experience.

For context, this past week was freshers week. It’s an event packed orientation week of sorts; free food, club fairs, and even University-sponsored nights at the club. While other students prioritized going out and meeting others, I, on the other hand, was occupied trying to come to terms with the fact that I will be in London, on my own for the first time, without my family beside me.

My mom helped me move in after we explored Edinburgh the week prior, and the combination of a disruptive first night in my flat alongside the sadness I felt about my mom going back home made the first part of the week very difficult. I started the panic, counting how many weeks I had to endure my living situation before I came home into my cozy, quiet bed. My thoughts began spiraling into feelings of doubt about this entire academic journey. So, I started to do what I do best: talking people’s heads off for reassurance about my anxieties. One person who I complained to, my brother’s girlfriend, told me to “be uncomfortable being comfortable” and at the moment, I hated her advice.

Moving on, one night, I went into the kitchen and asked my flatmate and his friends if they could keep the noise down in the hallway. Not only did they listen, but I even got a text in the morning apologizing for the disturbance. It was a small thing, but it reminded me that not everything — or everyone — is out to get me. There’s kindness here, even if it’s a little hidden under the chaos. I need to keep reminding myself: things could be worse, and they often aren’t as bad as they seem at the moment.

That moment with my flatmate got me thinking – I signed up for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I know I’d regret it if I came home unchanged. Growth doesn’t happen when you’re comfortable, and I have to learn to sit with discomfort instead of running from it. That’s kind of the whole point, and it’s exactly what my brother’s girlfriend was trying to tell me. Studying abroad was never going to be just an extended vacation. If I don’t lean into the challenge, what was the point of coming in the first place?

So I keep reminding myself of everything good: the comfort of my bed, the places I finally get to visit, and the spontaneous catch-ups with my best friends who are studying all across Europe. Just this past weekend, I attended Oktoberfest in Munich with some of my closest friends, a trip I had been eagerly anticipating for months. I still miss my family, but it turns out, there’s less time to be sad when you’re too busy figuring things out. And maybe that’s exactly what I needed.