almost friday..

not much has gone on since my last post. i only have one more class in a few hours and then i am officially done with my first week of classes! its a weird feeling because time goes so slowly here but i love it! the days seem to go on forever and i cant believe i've only been here for a little over a week. 

one of my best friends from high school (stef norris) is also studying here but we are going through two separate programs and live on opposite sides of the city. we had not seen each other until last night when we met at this super fun pub right next to the duomo. our incredible english teacher from high school (brad dicus) told us to go because it was his favorite pub. it was a very laid back atmosphere with an amazing view of the duomo. it was so great to see her and meet all of her roommates. i love catching up with old friends and realizing that regardless of how much time has passed since you've seen one another, some things never change. 

two of my roommates are leaving tomorrow morning for amsterdam. a bunch of their friends who are all studying abroad are meeting there for their friends 21st birthday. the rest of us are going to go wine tasting on saturday and possibly horseback riding in greve. the train ticket is only 3 euro and the wine tasting is just 8 euro. the tasting includes cheeses, breads and different types of meat to try with each wine. we are pretty excited! none of us have classes on friday so tomorrow i think we are going to climb the duomo. we've heard such great reviews from people who have previously done it. ill make sure and take lots of pictures at the top! as for the rest of the weekend, we hope to go on the other side of the bridge and just walk around to try and find a cute place for lunch. also, we are hoping to see the statue of david at the uffizi. that statue is one of the reasons i've always wanted to come to italy (along with 'the last supper' in milan). the best part of going to the museums is that the school provides us with a card that gets us in to almost every museum in the city for free AND we get to cut all the big lines and walk right it. this fairfield program has really been amazing so far. my friends in other programs have not been able to do nearly as much as i have.

we are all starting to plan the trips we will be taking this semester and the task of organizing them is REALLY tough. the school offers some amazing trips which is nice because it takes away the work of planning. all 7 of us signed up for a trip to capri and the amalfi coast which is later in the semester. but that still leaves spring break and weekend trip planning up to us. i made a list today of some of the places i want to go, so this weekend i will start looking at airline prices and dates. hopefully it all works out. if anyone has any suggestions as to fun places or traveling tips--i appreciate any help i can get!

i am counting down the days till my favorite holiday (valentines day) which is also the day that bubba arrives in florence. i am so excited to see him and show him all the wonderful parts of the city. even though it is a little weird that i will be spending the most romantic holiday in one of the most romantic cities in the world with my brother, it is still nice to spend time with someone you love and can laugh with. 

ill make sure and update pictures and everything once the weekend is over! have a fabulous weekend!!

lovelovelove