Ciao!
It has been awhile since I've had internet access, so sorry for the lack of blogs.
I arrived in London on Wednesday. We had all morning to look around the city, but I was very tired from the flying. But in the evening we had a group dinner and cocktail. Then we went out to a few pubs to see what the night life was like in London. Our hotel was nice but small. We were right in Hyde Park so we often took walks in the park.
The following day we woke up early to go on a guided bus tour around London. It was AMAZING! So much fun! We saw all the big tourist stops and were able to stop and take pictures and adventure on our own. We actually had a Scottish tour guide, but he was hilarious!
After the tour some friends and I went to the Theatre district to see if we could get tickets to any of the big shows. We ended up getting tickets for "Blood Brothers" a British drama/musical which starred "Sporty Spice" from the Spice Girls. It was a great show!
Before the show we had a lot of time to spend so we went to the Tate Modern, the Globe Theatre, and some other tourist spots. But our main adventure that day was the TUBE! (aka the metro system)
My friends Gail and Maria were with me and the Tube came up instantly when we arrived at our platform. Gail without looking or consulting with the us jumped on the tube. Right as I tried to pull her off, the doors closed! Right then, for about 5 seconds we were both facing each other separated only but the glass doors. She started screaming "What do I do?" because she had no idea what stop we were getting off because Maria and I were consulting what line we should take as Gail jumped on. However, I couldn't hear her I could only see her lips moving and her jumping up and down. So in return I just mouthed calmly, "Stay at the next stop."
Once Maria and I caught the next Tube, and got off on the right platform and we were pushing through the sea of people searching for Gail. It was seriously like a scene from a movie. Then...just as we reached the end of the crowd I spotted Gail at the end of the tunnel sitting by herself. It was so funny but we were all relieved!
So at the end of the night we went to the show with some friends and took the tube home at around 11 PM.
The next morning we had to be out of the hotel at 5:15 AM! So we were very tired! We caught a flight to Pisa at 9:45 AM. However, when we arrived in Pisa, I realized I was missing one piece of luggage. I was so scared I didn't know what to do, the Italian Customs and airport is very strict and scary! But a nice older British couple realized I was very distraught and brought me to the Baggage center. Myself and another AIFS student filed our luggage claims and then tired to find our group once we left the airport. But our buses and other students were no where to be found, so we thought we were LEFT STRANDED in Pisa while our hotel and school was in FLORENCE! But luckily, I recognized two students running out of the bathroom who said the buses were just about to leave! So with the angels watching down on us, we made it to the bus just as it was about to drive away!
Now I am officially in Florence. We arrived on Friday. The last 3 days have been a blur because we've been so busy and so tired. I'm mainly trying to catch up on my sleep. The first day we just relaxed and hung out at the hotel. The hotel was built in the 1700s and everything in it is original. The rooms are newer but things around the hotel are antiques. Gail and I have a HUGE room hidden in its own hallway. So we have to open 2 doors before getting to our room. Our room looks over just some streets but it's still beautiful.
On Saturday, we had our 3 hour orientation in the Plazzo Borgese (the Palace of the Borgese family). There we did some ice breakers, which my group won every time! We had to make a tower out of balloons and we made the "Tower of Love." We also won the "human knot" game. So I came home with a handmade Italian spinning top as a prize. We learned about the program, our hotel, and the Chief of Police came to talk to us about the dangers and laws in Italy. He was smokin' hot but very informative. We then had a 3 course meal that was SOOOOOO filling and amazing!
We went shopping and walked around Florence so we could get more familiar with the town. We ended up getting lost and didn't get home until midnight, but it was still fun!
On Sunday, we had a tour of Florence so we could find where our school was, the pharmacy, and other tourist places. Sunday was a relaxing day, so at night we had a board game night in my room.
Today we had our first day of language school. I am in beginning Italian, but it's pretty easy for me since I've had Spanish.
But I'm off to buy my text books and later meet up with our group for a cocktail and dinner.
Hope all is well!
Miss you all!
Love, Hannah
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