First day back
Today, after an interesting night of sleep, I made some positive steps forward. If there wasn't just a little bit of confusion or complication, life would be way too boring. It is a matter of having the patience to take care of things and mindset to know it will take a little longer, remember, you are in a different country.
I woke up early, had a coffee, and took a taxi from the hostel to my apartment. Another friend helped me with my luggage to almost the top of the old building. After climbing about 50 stairs, you think you are done, but wait... there is a steep ladder/set of stairs that lead to my room. It is real fun trying to transfer luggage by yourself... more reasons to stay strong while living in Europe and traveling. I found my room with new pieces of furniture, mostly including more opportunities for storage which were desperately needed. I looked out the window and took a deep breath... I am really here and this is all happening. My window has some of the best views including: stereotypical Italy *the green shutters, terraces with hanging laundry *it is very expensive to dry clothing, so many Italians don't have dryers* and the tile rooftops. This is all beautiful, but when you stick your head out of my window, you notice Piazzale Michealangelo, the church of San Minato, and perfectly framed between two edifices, one of many immitation statues of Michealangelo's David. I tell David "Buongiorno" everyday. Also, another unique thing about my location is that I go by bell time. There is a church nearby that rings the bell every fifteen minutes. If you start listening when the bell rings and start counting, you can tell what time it is or what time it might be. I use my cell phone to gauge what time it might be, however, this is how the counting system works: the bell first rings to tell the hour followed by one, two, or three additional rings. One additional ring tells you it is a quarter past that hour, two rings says half past, and three says 45 minutes past.
After dropping off luggage round 1, I went to the south of Florence *outside the city center* to retrieve my luggage. I had forgotten how many things I had accumulated! I took a taxi to return, and luckily, the cab ride was only 15 euros. This was perfect because I had 15 euros in bills and some change... amazing how that worked out.
Slowly but surely I am getting my room prepared for my brother's arrival. I will go and get him on Thursday, August 27th from the Rome Airport. As I have been unpacking and putting things away, it is interesting how my comfort level has gone back to normal. When you are a tourist and don't have all of your belongings with you, it is easy to feel uncomfortable and stressed, especially while living out of a suitcase. All that is left are the finishing decorative touches that define this space as mine.
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