Wow, I can’t believe I am approaching the month abroad milestone. It has been a whirlwind so far but with some intertwining moments of peace. It has been quite the challenge to adapt to Venice, but now that we have we are in love. I’m living with two close friends from Texas A&M as well as a grad student from Kentucky. Apparently, there is also a German girl moving into our flat soon.
So far we have seen two sides to Venice: a crazy tourist town of hustle bustle, and a calm floating city without cars; where life moves slower and things are peaceful. Sometimes we see both sides of the city in one day. One thing about Venice is that you have to know what you are doing. You are expected to understand the roads, canals, boat patterns, mail and trash services. Nothing runs like it does in the United States. We have had to solve lots of problems on our own. That is probably the most rewarding part of being over here so far. Our parents and teachers can’t come to our rescue. We have had to communicate and problem solve with adults who don’t speak our language and see us as children.
Once you figure things out though, Venice is a dream. It truly is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Everywhere you turn there is a breathtaking canal view. We walk 30 minutes to class most days and it isn’t a burden because of how gorgeous the scenery is.
We have been traveling every weekend and have been to Verona, Florence and Pisa so far. This weekend we bought tickets to see Tears for Fears in Milan, Italy. We are staying with the students from A&M who are studying there now. All of the students in different cities really try to show each other around and help out. You have to love that Aggie spirit!
Here are a few of our favorite photos so far. Excited for the unknown adventure to come.
